Monday, September 30, 2019

Language Is Not the Only Problem Faced by International Students

Language is not the only problem faced by international students in the UK. To what extent do you agree with this statement? International students are very important for the economic growth of the UK. Number of international students in UK was about 405,910 in 2009 and in 2010 it increased up to 428,225 (which is about 6%). These students play a very important role in UK’s economy and bring huge income to the country. Shane Spiers, managing director of UNITE says â€Å"The UK's higher education sector-and, indeed, the UK economy-rely heavily on the income derived from international students†. As the research from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills called Estimating the value to the UK of Education Experts (June 2011) says that in 2008-2009 income of the tuition fee to the UK was oven than ? 4 billion where ? 2. 4 billion for HE, ? 139 million for FE and ? 880 million for english language. The same BIS research noticed that in 2025 this number could rise as high as ? 26 billion. Another income for UK income comes from science, technology, engineering and mathematics’: 40% of UK postgraduates, 50% of those doing full-time research degrees. English language became an international language and this is one of the main reasons why many students travel to UK to learn english. Another reason is that education in UK is recognized as high level or â€Å"world-class education†. International students in UK can face many problems and the most common one is the language barrier. Even for students who know english it may be hard for them to understand dialect of UK citizens. For example: In class teacher speaks academic english and uses special words which depend on the subject that they are learning.This is a common problem, but teachers are always ready to help students, so in a way, this issue is solved. There are many other problems that could be more serious for the students. International students are living in a foreign cou ntry where they could be victims of racial discrimination or they could face financial difficulties or just feel homesick of their country. Most of the students are inexperienced in living away from their home, so this is their first experience in an unfamiliar environment with different culture and traditions, trying to adapt and co-exist with the others.Evidently at the beginning they can face problems such as culture shock and the difficulties in communication. Two general issues are very popular for most of the international students which are finance managing and making/finding/building friendship. This essay will define three very popular problems that international students may face. Life and education in UK is very expensive and it might be hard for some students to afford it, so they have to borrow large amount of money from their parents or relatives in order to pay for education and life in UK. Students must be very good in managing finances.Comparing cost of products in UK with the cost of products in their home country will be different, so it might be hard for them at the beginning to manage their finances. Mis-allocation of finance can lead to large loss of money and at the end of year students may be left destitute. Apart from this overseas education represents a huge investment by family and students may feel that they have to return this money or at least to make a profit by working in part-time job and limit their expenditures. Students probably may try their best to reduce the pressure on their family.Students will try to concentrate more spend more time looking for work rather than concentrating on studying. Many university activities require membership fees to enter the society and may have further expenses for some trips or extra activities. This could keep away the students from joining the societies or clubs and isolating them from the social part of the university life. This could lead to loneliness and depression. Finance problems ca n push student to reduce the time at work available for study and this can cause academic consequences.According to the managing finances, problems with communication and friendship can happen. The satisfaction level of living in UK is very important and makes a positive impact on academy. This satisfaction can be provided by friendship with other students and more likely with British people. Friendship with local students could be more useful than friendship with co-national by several reasons the main one is the language improvement. However, international students may find it difficult. The reason of that is the big difference in culture or mentality.International students can find their behavior strange or dissimilar in contrast with people in their homeland. Communication is not just talking, it also contains eye contact, body language, tone of voice and even national privileges. All together they can make communication very easy or can be a cause of disaffection. For instance, international students may struggle with eye contact – when to give eye contact or where to look away and do not make people feel uncomfortable. Tone of voice also can be a reason of misunderstanding.The rules of communication people get from their parents and mentality and to change them can be hard. Finally, international students can have a problem known as â€Å"culture shock†. First this problem was defined by Canadian anthropologist Kalervo Oberg in 1960. Dr. Oberg stated that culture shock is â€Å"the anxiety that results from losing familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse†. The most common signs of â€Å"culture shock† are homesickness, avoiding contact with the locals, marital stress, loss of concentration, frequent desire to cry, and losses of all the aims in UK.Mostly duration of culture shock is 6 month but for some student may be longer. During this time students are comparing new country to their homeland. In conclusion, internati onal students in UK face many problems apart from the language barrier. All of these problems may have a negative impact on studies. However, solving these problems will help students to become morally stronger and more responsible. These three general problems can teach an international student how to adapt fast in a new country in his or her future life.These problems cannot stay unsolved and if students are struggling with them in university they can find some free tutorials and tutors who can give a good advice about how to juggle study with solving these problems. References Sally Adamson Taylor (2010,). Retrieved from http:// americansintoulouse. com/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=47 Machalicek W. , Ganz J. B. , Flores . M. , Zimbelman M (2005-2009) Retrieved from http://www. asdvisualaids. com/social-communication-difficulties. htmlShane Spiers, (2011, June). Retrieved from http://ukcisa. org. uk , http://smartmoverelocate. com Colleen Ward, Stephen Bochner, Adrian Furnham (2001) Retrieved from book: The Psychology of Culture Shock (Second edition) Maureen S. , Andrade and Norman W. Evans (2009) Retrieved from book: International students – Strengthening a Critical Resource. Published by Rowman & Littlefield Education. Nannette Rundle Carroll (2010) Retrieved from book: The Communication Problem Solver. Simple tools and Techniques for Busy Managers

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Innocent Bystander

Innocent Bystander In the novel â€Å"The Tortilla Curtain†, by T. C Boyle, it tells a story about two completely different families; one family who is quite wealthy and the other who had illegally crossed the border and is barely making ends meet. In the story, a young lady by the name of America is taken to California by her husband, only to be victimized. Although she may not be the only victim in the book, she has been through a great ordeal of pain and suffering. America is a victim of immigration, racism, the American dream, and bad luck.America has left Mexico, with her husband Candido, to start a better life for not only themselves, but there unborn child as well. Immigration and racism has been a big issue for them throughout the story, even more so with America. Within the first few days upon arrival they both find themselves cornered by a couple of boys. These boys find whatever belongings both America and Candido had and when they realize there is a female present they say â€Å"fucking beaners, rip it up, man. Destroy it† (Boyle 62).Migrating to California illegally was difficult because in a situation like this, there could have been nothing done to stop them. All America wanted was to find work to help support her family. The struggle bore on from â€Å"dawn till noon and she didn't get work† (Boyle 57). America has risked it all mad no matter how hard she tries she cannot seem to find work. America had left everything behind in search of this American dream she had played over and over in her head. She had been told, by her husband Candido, she was going to live a wonderful life and he had promised her nothing but the best.America didn't need the finer things in life, all she desired was â€Å"a house, a yard, maybe a TV and a car too† (Boyle 29). She didn't need too much to satisfy her, but being that America and Candido started from the bottom, it was more than what he had to offer. As they walk further into the lan d which they call their home America can't help but gaze â€Å"out on the grounded constellation on the valley floor, grid upon grid of lights and every one house, an apartment†¦ everyone the promise if a life that would never again be this hard† (Boyle 206).America is again dreaming about the life she hopes to live in California and can only hope for the best outcome unto which she plans to bring a baby into place she knows so little about. She hopes that this is the America had gone through so much from the beginning of the novel. Candido had â€Å"taken America from her father so they could have a better life†¦ -and now he couldn't out food in her mouth† (Boyle 26). She had left the family she had ever known to risk it all to start a new life, and only to go day by day wondering how long she will have to go until her next meal.She had been victimized of racism and immigration from the first few days upon arrival and then she had to suffer statvation? It ca me down to where America told Candido she could not live like that. America had finally found a job, working for Jose Navidad, cleaning statues that he had imported. Just when things were starting to turn around, she is violated and raped by the man who had hired her. She tries to put the past behind her and think positive for her unborn child. After the baby is born America realizes she must have caught something from being raped because her baby cannot see.Candido was left with a â€Å"violated wife and a blind baby† (Boyle 353), and at the end Americas first born child is taken away by the current of the water. From the beginning things are not looking too good for America. She had been hurt emotionally and physically with hardly any sign of their life getting better. She had given in to so many promises, none of which were ever kept. The impact that immigration, racism, the American dream, and back luck, had left America with nothing. She was just an innocent bystander tr ying to better her life.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

RESEARCH PAPER Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Research Paper Example 1). Typically, overweight and obesity is caused by unbalanced diet, such as eating fast food that has a high level of fat, failure to eat fruits and vegetables, frequent drinking of alcohol, as well as eating a large amount of food among other factors. Research shows that early obesity increases the risk of experiencing cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as a high blood sugar. It is on this background that a large number of Americans continue to embrace the healthy diet. While Americans found the organic food difficult to access and expensive in the past, in the modern world, an increasing number of Americans are moving away from the American traditional food to the natural food (healthy food); this include the organically grown food, including fruits, vegetables and other unprocessed foods that contain low levels of fat. This paper focuses on discussing the most popular eating trends in the modern US culture; specifically, the paper will pay attention to the cultural food transition that is experienced in the modern American society and its significance among citizens. Though, there is still a dramatic rate of consuming fast and junk food in America, an increasing number people are understanding the positive effect of healthy meal. In its annual â€Å"food trends† report, Forbes magazine included items such as â€Å"gluten free† food, â€Å"healthier kids meals† and â€Å"veggies calorie†, which indicate the growing tendency towards natural and, thus, healthier eating (Gerhard par. 2) The healthy food increasing impact on peoples life, habits and way of thinking can be also noticed from the position of culture. Culture is usually defined as a system of beliefs, habits and ways of thinking, experience, and knowledge of a particular nation. One of the main elements of any culture is food. However, culture is not a sustainable phenomena but continually changing process. Today an increasing

Friday, September 27, 2019

Strategic Management and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 12

Strategic Management and Leadership - Essay Example To acquire more customers and retain them the company has broaden its marketing strategies. The company has put huge effort to enhance the value of the company. John Lewis partnership firm has also implemented many ways to measure the success of the company. There are many factors which help the company to achieve its goal and objectives. John Lewis did partnership with Waitrose which facilitated the company to generate more revenue. John Lewis Partnership has expanded its business to Philippines. This helped the company to acquire more international customers and make its strong position in international market. The organization maintains good relationship with its customers. By this process the company is able to enhance its customer base. The innovative culture of this firm helps it’s to motivate and satisfy its employees. Advanced technologies are used by this organization to perform its business functions. The leadership style of this company motivates the employees to de liver their work efficiently. John Lewis Partnership has developed many new strategies to improve and update their business process. The employee ownership is considered as the key to success of John Lewis partnership. John Lewis partnership have the ability to adapt according to the change in the technology and due to its fast adaptability it is being considered as the most renowned The concerned company uses various key performance indicator for monitoring and measuring the performance of the company . The sales growth is considered as the key factor for determining the performance of the market. The return on capital employed of the company has increased more than 8%. Gross sales of the company has enhanced in 2014 as compared to the previous year. Gross sales measure the density of sales of the company. It is considered as the key indicator for determining the profitability of the company. John Lewis partnership has experienced a growth in its operating margin in the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Cementing Intercultural Communication Gaps For Smoother Roads to Research Paper

Cementing Intercultural Communication Gaps For Smoother Roads to Harmony - Research Paper Example Human beings communicate their thoughts and feelings to one another in verbal and non-verbal ways. Verbal communication, or speaking out to another person is often accompanied by non-verbal language which includes facial expressions, gestures, posture, body language and tone of voice. Sometimes, such non-verbal expressions say more than the verbalizations of a person. The way one communicates and receives information matters much in the quality of relationships he or she has with others. Effective communication takes practice and hard work especially for those who are not skilled in interpersonal relations. Several factors need to be considered when communicating: age, gender, relationship to the person, nature of the communication exchange, temperament and personality and even culture. The adage â€Å"Actions speak louder than words† rings true in a variety of situations. In the workplace, people manifest explicit verbal communication and implicit, non-verbal communication (L ee, 2008). Explicit verbal communication takes the form of direct reprimands or written memos to delinquent workers. Implicit, non-verbal communication is more action-oriented. An example is a boss deliberately showing a delinquent worker that he is taking over the tasks formerly assigned to the worker. The boss may not say anything, but the message comes across very clear to the worker that his inefficiency is noted by the boss. In times of conflict, the impact of implicit, nonverbal communication and explicit, verbal communication (that is, the written norm) is never equal. The more visible and stark the image, the more effective the message is delivered and received. Verbal and nonverbal interactions play a part in the effective exchange of ideas. LeFebvre (2008) advises that when speaking, one must also be aware of body language and tone and inflection of voice. She notes that different ideas may be conveyed by simply emphasizing or speaking louder the different parts of the sta tement. Being an active listener helps one understand the message being relayed to him. As the listener, one should hold his response until the speaker is done, and keenly observe nonverbal cues expressed. It must always be remembered that communication is a give and take process. One must learn to wait his turn to be the speaker and the listener. The Role of Culture in Communication Hofstede (1994), a well-known scholar of culture and its effect on people, defined culture as â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguished the members of one human group from another†¦ Culture, in this sense, includes systems of values; and values are among the building blocks of culture† (Hofstede, 1994, p.54 ). This definition shows how much culture has an influence on people, often dictating how they would relate and communicate to others. Consideration of others’ cultural background entails adjustments to accommodate the needs of others and the exertion of effo rt to understand what they want to communicate. On the contrary, disregarding the other’s culture and instead, promoting one’s own, whether it agrees with the other or not can be a source of major conflicts. Even within a specific country, there exist sub-cultures. An example is the Asian culture. Some values are associated as â€Å"typically Asian†, such as honor and integrity. Within Asian countries, some communicative interpretations differ. To illustrate, in one country, being able to look straight into the eye of another person when speaking, means that the person is sincere while in another country it denotes defiance

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Newspaper article evaluation and Gun control news Essay

Newspaper article evaluation and Gun control news - Essay Example CNN’s Smith-Park (2013) wrote an article entitled â€Å"Pope Benedict makes first appearance since resignation news† (Smith-Park, 2013); while authors Donadio and Povoledo (2012) of The New York Times: Europe entitled their article â€Å"Successor to Benedict Will Lead a Church at a Crossroads† (Donadio & Povoledo, 2013). Different reactions and responses were noted to have been elicited from the news since it was apparently reported that the pope’s resignation came at such as surprise due to the unexpected decision and that this particular course of action has not happened since centuries ago. As such, there were arguments that stemmed from the news determining the possibility of the resignation and verifying the validity of the reported decision. Both reports apparently used an interplay of rhetorical elements to entice readers’ appeal. Initially, logos was used through presenting logical arguments that established the rationale for the resignatio n and justifying the reasons as valid. As emphasized, â€Å"citing advanced years and infirmity, Benedict became the first pope in six centuries to resign† (Donadio & Povoledo, 2013, par. 2). There were evidences of using emotional appeal (pathos) through a remarked cited to have been communicated by â€Å"Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone (who) on Wednesday thanked Pope Benedict for his service. "All of us have understood that it is precisely the deep love that your holiness has for God and the church which pushed you to this act," he said† (Smith-Park, 2013, pars. 14 & 15).... 14 & 15). The statement is aimed at eliciting empathy and confirmation to accept the Pope’s decision and acknowledging his immense contribution to the advancement of the Catholic faith. Finally, the rhetoric appeal of ethos (credibility) were evident from the nature and popularity of the sources alone: CNN and The New York Times. Their credibility and reliability in providing unbiased and objective information has effectively been established and readers have acknowledged that information coming from these sources are worthy of respect. Gun Control News Two different news items on gun control were evaluated: one coming from the Myrtle Beach Sun News and the other from The New York Times. The article written by Wren (2013) was entitled â€Å"Statistics sometimes lost in emotional debate over gun control† published online in McClatchy for Myrtle Beach Sun News (Wren, 2013). Concurrently, the article published in The New York Times was a Times Topic news entitled â€Å"Gu ns and Gun Control† (Guns and Gun Control, 2013). Wren’s (2013) article aimed to take out emotional hype on apparently evaluating the need for more stringest policies and laws on gun control through the provision of statistics (logos). Accordingly, â€Å"despite the rhetoric from both sides over the need for stricter gun control regulations – and the fear instilled by a rash of random shootings in public places nationwide – statistics show relatively few people will fall victim to violent, firearm-related crimes committed by strangers, according to a new study by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics† (Smith-Park, 2013, par. 1). Through the use of statistical information, the author aimed to present a more logical argument that

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Film Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Film Analysis - Research Paper Example This sense is emphasized by Stone’s employment of several real-life participants in depicting his version of events. By refusing to recast the president, for example, Stone proves his talent as a director working with limited available footage and injects reality into the story. When he uses the Zapruder film, Stone is able to inject a somber mood of reflection as audiences realize this is the actual event and not a staged recreation. Another significant appearance is Jim Garrison playing the role of the Honorable Chief Justice Earl Warren. By placing him in this role, Stone suggests that anyone placed in the real life role may have been obligated to come to the same conclusions the Warren Commission delivered. Real life assassination witness Jean Hill also appeared in the film as the stenographer taking down Hill’s real life statement. Again, the underlying message is that of authenticity – Hill wouldn’t change her own statements or misrepresent what she said herself. The overall style of the film further emphasizes authenticity. The video montage of the first section of the film establishes its link with reality by showing real news footage. The video is left in its television-sized format, surrounded by plenty of black space, making the theater dark and bringing the mood of the audience into alignment with the seriousness to follow. However, the gradual reduction of the music to only rhythmic, heartbeat-like strikes on the drum help create dramatic tension leading up to the flash of a completely black screen and the sound of shots being fired. This is followed by the almost equally dark CBS New Bulletin screen and newscaster voiceover announcing the news that the president had been shot. The first full screen footage seen by the audience is that of the Zapruder film documenting the president’s final moments within a nearly silent environment. All that can be heard is the

Monday, September 23, 2019

Brown v the board of education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Brown v the board of education - Research Paper Example In the middle of the twentieth century,the struggle for racial equality in the United States was reaching a boiling point.Since the end of slavery,African-Americans had been fighting for the same rights and privileges enjoyed by white Americans. By the 1950s, civil rights activists were gaining ground in efforts to desegregate American society. One of the areas in which segregation was a major problem was education. Black students were not allowed to attend school with white students, and their education suffered because of it. In 1896, the United States Supreme Court heard the case Plessy v. Ferguson, and ruled that racial segregation was not illegal, so long as segregated facilities were "separate but equal."1 In 1954, the case Brown v. Board of Education challenged this ruling and led to its repudiation. Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court that paved the way for integration and significantly impacted the civil rights movement. The case was brought to the Supreme Court by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund under the leadership of Charles Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall. It was actually five cases that were heard under the name Brown v. Board of Education, after Oliver Brown, who was the lead of almost 200 plaintiffs.2 The unanimous ruling in Brown stated that â€Å"separate but equal† schools and facilities were in fact â€Å"inherently unequal... to cope with ordinary expressions of prejudice by regarding the prejudiced person as evil or misguided; but he cannot readily cope with symbols of authority, the full force of the authority of the State—the school or the school board, in this instance—in the same manner. 5 These feelings of inferiority were reinforced by the entirety of the society in which black children lived. It damaged their self-esteem and subsequently their chances for success later in life. Segregated education was not only harmful to children’s education, but also to their psyches. The Brown decision meant that black students would be able to attend the schools of their choice. Black schools were not only inferior in principle, they were inferior in practice, as well. Black schools employed black teachers who, because of segregation, had not had access to good educations themselves. They received fewer tax dollars due to the economic class of the neighborhoods in which the schools were lo cated, _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Patterson, 49 2. Martin, Waldo E. Brown v. Board of Education: A Brief History with Documents (Boston, MA: Bedford St. Martin’s, 1998), 146 3. Ibid a system perpetuated by segregation. After the Brown decision, black students had access to an education equal to that of white students, resulting in subsequent generations of black teachers who could further equal education goals, in addition to black professionals who had benefitted from the educational opportunities Brown afforded them. The decision was not a popular one in many segments of the American south. Students were threatened by whites who were unhappy with the decision, and in many cases were physically blocked from entering schools

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Article Analysis on Mate Selection Essay Example for Free

Article Analysis on Mate Selection Essay The entire article is based on evolutionary psychology and the title of the article is Mate Selection criteria: A trait desirability assessment study of sex differences of Serbia. The entire paper examines the predictions from socio-structural perspective and evolutionary on sex differences in the mate selection in Serbia. There were a total of 127 respondents that were taken from Serbia and the respondents were mainly college students. The method of Likert scale was used and they were questioned about 60 behavioral traits and personality traits. Differences were obtained on the basis of perceived desirably of strengths, self pity, fragility, thinness’s and beauty. The males in this study consider these traits as more desirable and the females valued strength of the male positively. Female respondents are more concerned with the physical appearance of their partners. Similarly, in this study females are also concerned about the socio-economic class of males. A generalized approach cannot be used in this study because Serbian people are distinct in their culture. Similarly, in this study both sexes are attracted with each other on different factors like sexual attractiveness, beauty, socio-economic factors etc. The purpose of the researcher was to evaluate the sex differences in Serbia. However the actual hypothesis of this research paper is based on the functionality of mate selection criteria that is based on the perspective of subordinate position of women. The entire research was carried out by Bojan Todosijevic, Snezana Ljubinkovic, and Aleksandra Arancic (Todosijevic, Ljubinkovic, Arancic, 2003). The research was headed by the department of psychology which belongs to the University of Novi. As far as the findings of this research is considered quantitative analysis is used in this the entire research to evaluate the findings of this research. Findings of this research depicts that the traits that are assessed are sincerity, tenderness, passion, maturity, intelligence and etc. The desirable traits among both the sexes are courage, thinness, talent for sports, beauty, elegance, aggressiveness and etc. Both the sexes agree on the general ordering of the traits but the research have identifies certain significant differences statistically. Males consider the traits of self-pity, thinness, beauty; fearfulness as more desirable and the probability of these traits are less than 0. 1. Findings suggest that men scored quite higher on the former items and the character traits were considered to be more desirable by the females. Discussion of the topics with respect to the article The topic of selecting a life time companion and the topic of comparison levels can be related with this research paper (Anderson Sabatelli, 2007). Certain traits are discussed in this research paper and the through different statistical tools the results are evaluated. In both the topics of the text book the traits are discussed and both the topics evaluate that effectiveness of traits. The phenomenon of how to select an appropriate life partner is discussed and what should an individual do when he/she is selecting its soul mate. Similarly, the other topic of comparison levels discusses the comparison levels between the two sexes. In this research paper research is conducted on the traits of males and females and how both of them select their partners based on these traits. The phenomenon of Likert scale is used in the entire research. Conclusion The hypothesis in this research paper was formulated on the basis of evolutionary psychology. The results of this paper depicts that males give more preference to physical attractiveness of their potential mates. On the other hand women consider socio-economic factors like success in job, capability to earn and wealth related factors as important. The traits that are discussed in this research paper are dependent on culture and it varies with culture to culture. All the traits are evaluated in this research and generalized results are attained from the study (Todosijevic, Ljubinkovic, Arancic, 2003). The hypothesis that was derived with higher socio-economic interpretation that was related to women should be considered as less important as compared to the hypothesis on evolutionary psychology. In the entire research paper different traits were evaluated and results were achieved through Likert scales. Before reading the article one cannot depict that which traits are more important for women and for men and since the entire article talks about traits and their effectiveness that is the reason why it becomes quite easy to filter out which traits are necessary for men and which are important for women. Statistical analyses are used in this article which helps the reader in finding the viability of the results. This article can definitely help an individual in selecting its partner and after reading this article one can check the traits discussed in this article with the traits that are present in his/her partner or the traits which he/she desires for (Todosijevic, Ljubinkovic, Arancic, 2003). References Anderson, S. , Sabatelli, R. (2007). Family Interaction: A Multigenerational Developmental Perspective. Allyn Bacon. Todosijevic, B. , Ljubinkovic, S. , Arancic, A. (2003). Mate selection criteria: A trait desirability assessment study of sex differences in Serbia. University in Novi.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Bending of an Aluminum beam Essay Example for Free

Bending of an Aluminum beam Essay â€Å"Beams are long straight members that are subjected to loads perpendicular to their longitudinal axis and are classified according to the way they are supported†[1]. When a beam is subjected to an external load there are unseen internal forces within the beam that one must be aware of when implementing it into any design or structure. These internal forces create stress and strain that could result in failure or deformation. This lab looked at how an aluminum cantilevered beam performed under symmetric and unsymmetrical bending as well as the stresses and strains developed as a result. Objective â€Å"To study the stress and strain induced in an I-beam under symmetric and unsymmetrical bending† [2]. Theory: ? – Normal stress (Mpa) ? – Strain (mm/mm) M – Moment (kN†¢m) I – Moment of inertia (mm^6) E – Modulus of elasticity (Mpa) G – Modulus of elasticity (Mpa) v – Poisson’s ratio. L – Length (m) *Subscripts x, y, z indicate plane of reference. The strain rosettes are orientated so that ? b = 0, ? c = -45, and ? a = 45. The strain gauge equations then simplify to ?x = ? b, ? y= ? c+ ? a- ? b, and ? xy = ? c- ? a Using Hooke’s Law: ?x= ? xE, ? y= -v ? x, ? xy=? xyG This Experiment consisted of symmetric and unsymmetrical bending. For symmetric bending the relevant theory is as follows: Because the moment about the z-axis here is zero the equation equates to: Where: My = PLA. When rotated 45 degrees: My = PLA Cos(45) and Mz = PLA Sin(45) there is compressive stress along the y-x axis The moment of inertia about the y-axis is found by determining the inertia of the shape and subtracting the imaginary parts as shown: The max normal stress with be at the furthest distance from the neutral axis which is h/2 therefore: (? x)max = The strains can be found by implementing Hooke’s Law: Since ? y and ? z are zero in symmetric loading, the two equations simplify to: Because the there is no shear stress in the x-y plane when the normal stress is at maximum the shear strain will also be zero. The vertical displacement of the end of the beam is determined by multiplying the area under the moment diagram and the distance between the end and the centroid of the diagram. This equates to: For unsymmetrical bending the theory is the same however there is a moment about the y-axis and z-axis. This will affect the calculation of the normal stress and the strain in the x and y plane. Also the moment of inertia in the z-direction will need to be determined. Procedure (a) *Mount the I-beam on to the support frame. Make sure the mounting screws are tight. (b) Measure the dimensions of the I-beam including its components. (c) Mount the magnet bases of the dial gauges at appropriate positions to permit the measurements of the deflections at the free end of the beam in the vertical and the horizontal directions. (d) *Connect properly the wires from the strain gauges to the readout unit. (e) Place weights to the hanger in increments: 4, 6, 10, 26, and 42 kg. (f) Unload the hanger in increments in the reversed order as for loading. (g) For each increment, measured the strain readings at the given locations and the vertical and horizontal deflections at the free end of the beam. (h) Repeat steps (a) to (g) by rotating the beam with the following angles: 45 °. [3] Results *Refer to appendix for sample calculation and calculated results. Part 1: I-beam at 0o Loading Loading (Kg) 4 6 10 26 42 Strain Gauge 1 (? ) 1 2 4 12 20 Strain Gauge 2 (? ) 6 10 16 43 69 Strain Gauge 3 (? ) 3 4 7 18 29 Displacement 1 (mm) 0. 09 0. 15 0. 23 0. 44 0. 5 Displacement 2 (mm) -0. 19 -0. 34 -0. 55 -1. 4 -2. 25 Load (N) 39. 2 58. 5 97. 9 255. 5 413. 1 Unloading Loading (kg) 42 26 10 6 4 Strain Gauge 1 (? ) 20 10 -3 -5 -7 Strain Gauge 2 (? ) 69 42 19 11 9 Strain Gauge 3 (? ) 29 18 6 3 2 Displacement 1 (mm) 0. 5 0. 49 0. 25 0. 16 0. 07 Displacement 2 (mm) -2. 25 -1. 46 -0. 59 -0. 37 -0. 23 Load (N) 413. 1 255. 6 96. 4 58. 7 39. 2 Part 2: I-Beam at 45o Loading Loading (kg) 4 6 10 26 42 Strain Gauge 1(? ) 1 2 2 7 13 Strain Gauge 2 (? ) 5 9 14 36 54 Strain Gauge 3 (? ) 1 1 2 8 13 Displacement 1 (mm) -0. 33 -0. 50 -0. 79 -1. 88 -2. 75 Displacement 2 (mm) -0. 66 -1. 02 -1. 69 -4. 23 -6. 40 Load (N) 39. 4 58. 7 98. 2 256. 5 413. 6 Unloading Loading (kg) 42 26 10 6 4 Strain Gauge 1 (? ) 13 4 -22 -25 -26 Strain Gauge 2 (? ) 54 38 22 20 17 Strain Gauge 3 (? ) 13 6 2 0 0 Displacement 1 (mm) -2. 75 -1. 95 -0. 92 -0. 62 0. 46 Displacement 2 (mm) -6. 40 -4. 46 -2. 17 -1. 51 -1. 15 Load (N) 413. 6 256. 3 98. 1 58. 7 39. 4 Discussion For both the symmetric and unsymmetrical bending the theoretical stresses and strains were greater than experimentally determined ones. However the experimental displacement was much higher than the theoretical displacement. These two factors can lead one to believe the I-beam has undergone this procedure many times before. Another interesting point to note is that the stresses and strains are higher at equivalent loads when unloading demonstrating that there is residual stress in the I-beam even after it has been fully unloaded. For the most part however the measured and theoretical values are very close. It is to be expected that the theoretical stresses would be higher than the experimental values. The theoretical calculations rely on a ‘perfect’ material. The modulus of elasticity and cross-sectional are said to remain the same through the length of the beam which is rarely the case. Minor imperfections in the beam would result in a weaker beam and less stress is required to deflect the beam. This is exactly what has been observed in this experiment. For the symmetric and bending theoretically there would be no horizontal displacement however some horizontal displacement was shown on the readouts. This is most likely due to the slight swaying of the weights. Since the scale of this experiment was relatively small a lot of the sources of error are pretty large. Just by not having the readout computer not calibrated properly or zeroed all the way would cause pretty large discrepancies. Even the measuring or millimeters by eye caused some error. Rounding errors would be relatively small for this experiment. Conclusion In conclusion theoretical and experimental values for stress and strain are very similar to the values observed in experimental conditions. The theoretical and experimental displacements were pretty far off and at larger scales the theoretical values would not be of much use. Closer results could have been obtained by collecting more accurate measurements or by collecting multiple sets of data using a series of strain rosettes. APPENDIX I Sample Calculations Iy= = (Mz)a =(4kg)(9. 81m/s2)(0. 77m) =30. 215 Nm (Mz)b =(4kg)(9. 81m/s2)(0. 33m) =12. 95 Nm (? x)a = = = 1. 259 Mpa (? x)b = 0. 5397 Mpa (? b)v = = = -0. 0902 mm ?xy = = = 0. 0398mm (? x)a = = =17. 22*10^-6 (? y)a = -0. 35*(? x)a = 6. 027*10^-6 Experimental Symmetric Mass (Kg) 4 6 10 26 42 26 10 6 4 ?x (E-6) 6 10 16 43 69 42 19 11 9 ?y (E-6) -2 -4 -5 -13 -20 -14 -16 -13 -14 ?xy (Mpa) 2 2 3 6 9 8 9 8 9 (? x) (Mpa) 0. 438 0. 731 1. 17 3. 14 5. 04 3. 07 1. 39 0. 804 0. 657 (? y) (Mpa) -0. 146 -0. 292 -0. 365 -0. 950 -1. 46 -1. 02 -1. 17 -0. 950 -1. 02 ?xy (Mpa) 0. 054 0. 054 0. 081 0. 162 0. 243 0. 216 0. 243 0. 216 0. 243 Theoretical – Symmetric Mass(Kg) 4 6 10 26 42 (Mz)a (N†¢m) 30. 2 45. 3 75. 5 196 317 (Mb)b (N†¢m) 12. 9 19. 4 32. 3 84. 1 135 (? x)a (Mpa) 1. 25 1. 88 3. 12 8. 13 13. 1 (? x)b (Mpa) 0. 536 0. 804 1. 34 3. 48 5. 62 ?xy (Mpa) 0. 0398 0. 0598 0. 0996 0. 258 0. 418 (? x)a (E-6) 17. 1 25. 7 42. 8 111 179 (? x)b (E-6) 7. 33 11. 0 18. 3 47. 6 77. 0 (? y)a (E-6) -5. 99 -8. 98 -14. 9 -38. 9 -62. 8 (? y)b (E-6) -2. 57 -3. 85 -6. 41 -16. 6 -26. 9 ?a (mm) 0. 0902 0. 135 0. 225 0. 586 0. 947 ?b (mm) 0. 00710 0. 0106 0. 0177 0. 0461 0. 0745 Experimental –Unsymmetrical Bending Mass (Kg) 4 6 10 26 42 26 10 6 4 (? x) (E-6) 5 9 14 36 54 38 22 20 17 (? y) (E-6) -3 -6 -10 -21 -28 -28 -42 -45 -43 ?xy (E-6) 0 -1 0 1 0 2 24 25 26 (? x) (Mpa) 0. 366 0. 658 1. 02 2. 63 3. 95 2. 78 1. 61 1. 46 1. 24 (? y) (Mpa) -0. 219 -0. 439 -0. 731 -1. 54 -2. 05 -2. 05 -3. 07 -3. 29 -3. 14 Theoretical – Unsymmetrical Bending Mass (Kg) 4 6 10 26 42 (Mz,y)a (N†¢m) 21. 3 32. 0 53. 4 138 224 (Mz,y)b (N†¢m) 9. 15 13. 7 22. 9 59. 5 96. 1 (? x) (Mpa) 0. 381 0. 572 0. 954 2. 48 4. 00 (? y) (Mpa) -1. 40 -2. 10 -3. 51 -9. 12 -14. 7 (? x) (E-6) 5. 22 7. 83 13. 1 33. 9 54. 8 (? y) (E-6) 1. 83 2. 74 4. 57 11. 9 19. 2 ?x-y (mm) 0. 0902 0. 135 0. 225 0. 586 0. 946 ?x-z (mm) 0. 391 0. 587 0. 978 2. 54 4. 11

Friday, September 20, 2019

Race And Class Structure Of South Africa Sociology Essay

Race And Class Structure Of South Africa Sociology Essay The issue of race which sometimes could be looked on as ethnicity has habitually been a very debatable issue among scholars, researchers and some scientists. Closely linked with this is the controversy surrounding the issue of identity which has been the cause of war and some other similar problems in the past; the result of which is evident in todays multicultural and multi-ethnic societies. In some parts of the world, it is usually difficult to classify a particular group of people or tie them down under a specific identity. In many cases, identities are usually sometimes related to position or hierarchy which can be linked to classification in terms of high, middle, low; in some other cases however, this classification which may be seen in different perspective, could be broad such as rich and poor categories. Racial and ethnic classifications have led to the concept of `ethclass ´ with the help of which alternatives in group identification can be understood across all classes a nd ethnic groups which is illustrated in the classification rendered above. The discussion on race and class which has been up for many years and is still going on among researchers and students can be seen as the descriptions of history of different people in a particular area and misconception about race are no less prevalent now than they were many years ago. Stephen stated that from an evolutionary standpoint it was evident that the race relation cycle was a universal phenomenon (Steinberg, 2001:2). The issue of race and class is an issue that has brought forward conflict, discrimination and many more that has happened in so many countries. In Burundi, it is the discrimination or classification between the Hutus and the Tutsis; in America, the classification of black Americans and the white Americans and some other classification included in America due to multiculturalism. In Germany, it is the classification between the Jews, Turks and the typical Germans; and in South Africa, it is the classification and discrimination between the blacks and the white South Africans. If we take the case of the Americans, it is seen that many people who are born in the USA and automatically are US citizens are still segregated from those who believe they are the main citizen of the country due to history, progeny and lineage. Race creates a  ´group` only when it is subjectively perceived as a common trait (Weber, 1922:52). These implies that in the US, it is glaring that race is nothing new to majority of the Americans it is normal to them and should be practiced and showed through an attitude or behaviour towards who they do not like by way of segregation. Weber make a claim that, the fact that several million mulattoes (a person with one black parent and one white parent) in the United States speaks clearly opposed to the assumption of happenings between people of different races antipathy, even among quite different races (ibid, 1922: 53). The explanation of the problems caused by race and class above will lead me to my point of departure and the focus of my paper on the issue of race and class structure in South Africa Race and Class Structure in South Africa The subject of the place and role of race, class and ethnicity has been at the focus of discussion and deliberation about the character of the South African problem and the strategies necessary to solve it (Nengwekhulu, p.29). South Africa being an African country is known to be a black country, which the majority of its population should also be black and so it should be for the majority of the workers, non workers and probably the farmers because Africa is generally known to be an agrarian continent. Therefore we can find several people being farmers at the subsistence level. In the aftermath of South Africas 1948 elections, as the Afrikaners who are the white minority in SA, National Party (NP) began enforcing its apartheid policies on the majority who are the blacks in SA. Inspired by religious mythology and legitimized by the Dutch Reformed Churches, Afrikaner nationalism controlled the State or the country of South Africa. These minority non-black rulers made and enforce series of rules that dichotomized the bi-racial South African ethnic landscape. These rules involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against non-whites are collective called apartheid. During the regime of apartheid, there were a lot of discrimination, using race and class structure as tools of oppression and segregation. Part of the discrimination is racial classification, racial domination and profiling between the white and black and not leaving out the rich and poor. The white are classified as the rich and the higher class people while blacks are seen as the lower class people and segregated from the whites. During the apartheid regime, the blacks were segregated from the white in terms of where they live and where they can live, the kind of work they can do. The ethnic blacks and the white rulers cannot intermarry; they can only associate in well defined and highly limited scenarios or circumstances. The whites are eligible to do only the high paying and mostly offici al and profitable duties while the blacks are limited to those works that are naturally difficult and with unprofitable and low incomes such as mining and subsistence farming. In a clear statement, the blacks became aliens in their own country as a result of the apartheid revolution. With respect to racial equality, contrary to initial assumptions, inter-race income disparity remains a greater determinant of inequality than intra-race differences. In other words, the aggregate difference between White and non-White, incomes is the dominant reason for South Africas extraordinarily high Gini coefficient (Zain et al, 2009:7). Couple with the quote above, it is noted that the white (Afrikaners) ruled with apartheid revolution from 1961 to 1989 with the National Party (NP) before the African National Congress took over. In a nutshell, it is worthy to note that before the advent of the apartheid regime in 1948, people of South Africa including the white settlers lived in harmony. There were the normal happenings between members of the same group, country or organization and tribal warfare which is similar to those that happens in many other countries of the world but 1948 proved to be a pivotal point in the history of South Africa whereby the white minorities, mainly the descendants of the anglo-dutch people that have been ruling since the 18th century decided to introduce laws that favours ethnic segregation, discrimination, racial classification, racial domination and profiling and the general introduction of class structure. The foregoing led Nengwekhulu to observe that the white racism and the articulation of racial consciousness by blacks cannot therefore just be ignored on the basis that they are expression of false consciousness and epiphenomena of the economic base (Nengwekhulu, p.29). The sc heme of grand apartheid, which begun at that time and lead to the delineated separate schooling, jobs, pay and places to live, and deprived most black Africans of citizenship in South Africa. Forgetting the fact that Africans has the massive and growing majority in South Africa, while whites are the minority; national liberation there would mean a profound change in who ruled. Nengwekhulu, in his article, explain further in the problems faced by the South African people with the illustration that South African situation and in formulating strategies for the elimination of black domination and exploitation whilst according to both race and ethnicity a place and role in this analysis and formulation of a strategy for black liberation and for social change (ibid, p.30). In other words, we can say the matter of race, class and ethnicity is not only of crucial theoretical but it is also a matter of powerful political significance for it is on the basis of the resolution of this question that the proper ground work can be laid not only for political strategies for the struggle against black exploitation but also for the construction of a future South Africa. Race discrimination, prejudice and ideology in South Africa are therefore not what happens or what people do without trying to change anything or oppose them in fundamentals of whose existence is determined automatically. They are however social matter which is not fully understood with a relative autonomy. For this reason, race discrimination and prejudice has always existed between the blacks and white and the colours in South Africa now they interact with each other while maintaining their identities. The incidence of apartheid in South Africa from 1948 to 1994 could be linked in retrospect to a form of social misnomer that is opposed to the classical form of Marxism. Marxism is based upon a materialist interpretation of history. Taking the idea that social change occurs because of the struggle between differ ent classes and races within society who are under contradiction of one against the other. The Marxist analysis leads to the conclusion that capitalism, the currently dominant form of economic management, leads to the oppression of the proletariat as in the case of the South African apartheid era, who not only make up the majority of the worlds populace but who also spend their lives working for the benefit of the bourgeoisie, or the wealthy ruling class in society. From the foregoing, I will attempt to explore the Marxist ideals and how it could be extended to explain the socio-economic dis-enfranchisation of the black majority as it happened in the apartheid in South Africa. Marxism The Marxist vision of society and history was presented in the 1848 Communist Manifesto in dramatic narrative form, sketching out the rise of capitalism and bourgeois society and its revolutionary overthrow by the industrial proletariat (Harrington, 2005:154). According to Karl Marx, Marxism is as a philosophy of history couple with an economic doctrine. He further explains Marxism also as a theory of revolution and the basic explanation for how societies go through the process of change (Marx, p: 2). He explains his idea by using two basics of ideas that is in demonstrating and explaining his idea of Marxism which they are MATERIALISM and CLASS STRUGGLE. By Materialism of Marxism, Marx aimed that the engine that drives society is the economy. Economic forces are more complex and pervasive than we thinkà Ã‚ ¾ According to Marx, they even determine how we think: Consciousness is from the very beginning a social product (Mazlish, 1984, p. 94). That is, the way at which people incorpo rate there things in when we talk about human material life shapes every part of humans life including the most important aspects that could include general character of the societal, community, public, political, and spiritual or religious practice of life. This could also be that it does not have to be that the well being of human that can prove the fact of their state of being but having in mind that the social life of human can also be a determinant in their consciousness. By Class Struggle which is the idea that is applicable to the problem of class structure in South Africa. Marxist analysis takes historical materialism a step further. All of human history can be explained and predicted by the competition between antagonistic economic classes, or as Marx put it, The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. In political terms, this means that the social classes are competing in essence for control of the state-or, as Marxists would put it: the class that controls the Mode of Production also controls the State (Marx, 1818-1883,p: 4). The existence of class struggle that brought about the Marxist idea is applicable to the situation of South Africa because South Africa in the time of the apartheid government or ruler was one of the most hideously racist administrations during the time of twentieth century, a very obvious case of the bourgeois ruling class oppressing the majority proletariats (Zain, 2009:8). This struggle lead to the idea that social change occur due to class and race problem of discrimination between white and black South Africans. The existence of class struggle which is one of the basic tenets of Marxism as clearly evident in the case of South Africa sought to overcome the dogma and reductionism of Stalinism and Trotskyism, to engage with history as a living process rather than a mechanical formula, to found a historical consciousness linking local struggles to global processes, and implant itself in a working-class movement which sought to control its own destiny, openly and democratically, rather than submitting to the authority of nationalism or pseudo-science (Nash, 1999:66). In other words, it can also be noted that the regime of the apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s can be seen as Western Marxism as portrayed in Douglas Kellner article. In terms of the Western Marxism, South Africa started with the recognition in the midst of white students that are not among the social force that could bring about innovative change into the country South Africa. In a global context, this generation of South Africa n Marxists played a vital role in interpreting for the Western left, in the terms of their own thought, a struggle which had come to be crucial to the whole history of our time (ibid: 1999:66, quoted in Sweezy and Magdoff, 1986). In the analysis of Marx and Engels who are the author of Marxism, cultural ideas of a period serve is always to the comfort of the ruling class, providing ideologies that justifiable the domination of class. They make analysis of Ideology clarifying it as a critical term for Marxian that describes how dominant ideas of a ruling class promote the interests of that class and help mask oppression, injustices, and negative aspects of the specific culture, society or country. The introduction of the apartheid in South Africa includes the above mentioned in the case whereby most of the blacks were separated from the white. The blacks South Africans were leaving in a place where they can be classified as the lower class group and the white due to the kind of job a nd the place they live are seen as the high class and that is what the system of the apartheid illustrate segregation. At every situation in South Africa, white students or the white ethnic group were in a lot of ways allowed to their opinions and decisions on their own different individualities, with limitation that could do as ethical individuals that has no living history of struggle to be identified with, which includes the relationship to their history. Marxism as the political and economic theories of Karl Marx during the 1818 1883 that should give details of the changes, alterations, modifications and developments in a particular society or country that is implanted by implementing socialism. The implementation of socialism was supposed to be based on the belief that everyone has the same equal right in a countrys at which the government would have to own and control the main industries and not by private settings. But in the case of South Africa, the ruling system by the apartheid regime was not for equal right or for the development of the changes that were altered, but it brought differences between the black and the white which could be seen as racial dominant in South Africa. In other words, instead of the implementation of socialism, the case of South Africa led to capitalism. That is, instead of equal right as socialism represent; it was a system at which South Africa countrys businesses and industry are controlled and run for profit by private owners (the Afrikaners (whites)) which means I am not free to be open to the other as a person. I have to manipulate the other in such a way as to obtain things. And to manipulate the other I have to manipulate myself (Wolpe, 1980:21). In other words, capitalism did not basically take advantage of human beings whose underlying identity or personality was left otherwise indifferent by their experience of class mismanagement. The regime of apartheid which is that practices of Capitalism in South African can be viewed as the focused and attention to the relationship between the countrys economy and its polity, specifically on the relationship between class and race to build differences, racial capitalism and segregation between the working class people and the lower class people and South Africa being an Africa and a black country at large which was ruled by the white government who came up with the system of apartheid which was viewed as racial domination. Thus, the Marxism ideology is used to analyze the situation that occurred in the 1970s to 1980s till the end of apartheid in 1994 in South Africa. This is because when the white (the Germans, French, Irish and the British) who are known at the long run as the Afrikaners because of their way of life, and due to believes and culture and also that the Afrikaners view themselves as Africans and not as white people. They brought churches and believe into South Africa and because of the culture and believe they brought, these made the main South Africa people to believe in them and be rest assured of their words and whatever they promised of doing. Even though they are seen as the minority, they still have principal contributions to what is happening in the country and to the dos and donts in South Africa. With these minds of the Afrikaners, they created a political party that promised the people and the ethnic South Africans as a result of their trusts and basic cultural beliefs and ideol ogies allowed the white Afrikaans to have their ways. Part of the campaign during the election was the introduction of Apartheid which was introduced in 1948 to be practiced. Thereafter they implemented series of laws that promises a lot as the ideology portrays which is supposed to be for socialism but instead lead to segregation of the white and the blacks in South Africa. The idea of Marxism is to create equal right for everyone in the country while the government alone rule the country at which the Marxist theory is implemented. On the contrary in an unfortunate manner, most of the countries at which the Marxist theory was implemented did not survive with the Marxist theory due to the wrong implementation of the theory. The question of the place, role and relationship of race, class and ethnicity is not only of crucial theoretical significance but it is also a matter of powerful political significance (Nengwekhulu, p: 30). The white South Africas used the apartheid and the imple mentation of Marxism which they promised during the campaigns to acquire economic advantages and these economic advantages they never want to lose for any reason because it is of a great impact to their racist regime. A similar occurrence in some other countries has led to serious outcomes. If we take the case in France during the 18th century, the practices of oppression lead to war between the bourgeois and the proletariats. In their case, the bourgeois are the upper class people, the ruling class, and wealthy people while the proletariats are the working class people. Therefore because the bourgeois are the ruling class, they believe in power and used their power in differentiation and segregation between the working and the ruling class which later lead to war. As a result of these in South Africa, equal right as the theory portrays, the white goes to different schools, live in a separate environment, work in separate place and they have no say in what is going on within the cou ntry. The apartheid government isolate and keep apart the education, health care, and other community services, thereby make available black people with lower services compare to those of white people. Apartheid and the non-implementation of the true tenets of Marxism, led to deep class division between races and classes in South Africa failed because theirs was an oppressive form of government that put class wedges between different races and classes in the country. The race, class and separation of the white from the black in South Africa eventually lead to the struggle of class and race structure. In the manner, the black South Africans struggle for their race and class. The black South Africans during the racist regime in the 1970s to the 1980s which was the apartheid regime, after being promised a lot but instead was initiated with differences, maltreatment and segregation lost trust in the National Party (NP) people and had to struggle for their right which is equal right for everyone. In other words, non implementation of the true ideals of Marxism led to deep divide between the races and classes of people in South Africa. Nowadays, since 1994 onwards, we have a succession of governments that tries to practice equality among the disparate genders and classes of South Africa. The issue of racial discrimination and ethno-centric profiling has been reduced to the barest minimum. People are no longer hounded or massacred when they demand for their rights under the ethics citizenship as opposed to what happened in the Sharpeville massacre of the 1950s. Although we still have to a quite subliminal level the issue of class relating to the economic situa tions of the different classes of South Africans but the same is what is happening in many other countries that practices loose form of Marxism laced with high doses of Socialism such as the case of South Africa. It still remains a highly agrarian country but in the general case, it is no longer at the subsistence level. The proletariats that are majorly involved in the mining business now have a satisfying sense of belonging. Racial desegregation of South Africa has brought about mutual economic emancipation to the hitherto different classes of people as people that use to initially feel disenfranchised in their homeland now seems to have enhanced sense of belonging. The country still have its normal problem of crime, intrinsic economic instabilities, manipulation of governmental policies and general increased in awareness among the populace of the lassitude of their economic drive, but the same trend is being witnessed in several other developing countries that are middle ranked in the committee of nations such as South Africa. No longer do we have issues that relate to economic listlessness provoked by racial disparities and ethnic discrimination. South Africa in subsequent years as a country is still trying to dissociate from the lethargy and scariness harbingered by the Apartheid era but we now have in the country peace occasioned by sense of belonging. The general feelings in South Africa now are revealed through one of the speeches of Nelson Mandela after voting in the first South African democratic election and took the office in 1994, which initiates a new regime. Now we moved from a regime of doubt, separation, limited opportunities, disorder and conflict. In other word, a new era is starting to give hope, resolution and to build the nation. Thus a genuinely cast of voter results will give prospect to all the South Africans and make them realize the country is theirs and they are one nation. The speech thus goes that the fundamental requirements of majority of the citizens will be talked, such as the provision for employment, accommodation, and the initiation of power supply. Including the constructions of schools and hospitals, providing free, compulsory quality education, running water, paved roads (Natal, 1994) stating that these are their main concern which includes the minorities the white (Afrikaners). He made clear citizens should have confidence also that there would be security to those who are bothered that by these transformations and revolutions, which might not be of benefit or improvement to them. I again repeat that I have throughout my life as I pointed out in the Rivonia Trial: I have fought very firmly against white domination. I have fought very firmly against black domination. I cherish the idea of a new South Africa where all South Africans are equal and work together to bring about security, peace and democracy in our country. I sincerely hope that the mass media will use its powerful position to ensure that democracy is installed in this country (ibid: 1994). Since this historic speech at Inanda, Kwazulu Natal in April 1994, South Africa has continued to grow in leaps and bounds albeit with the normal problems that a budding and truly developing country might experience. From the foregoing, it could be inferred that any country that intermarry the basic tenets of the proletariat Marxism with democratic ideals may very well reap the benefits. However, the practices of these ideals must be in sync with true respect for the basic and fundamental rights of the citizenry. No nation may be able to move forwards if these ideals are violated. In many other countries of the world such as Iran in 1979, Russia in 1917 and France in 1789-1799, ruler ships by potentates and maximum rulers were done away with due to their well documented lack of care for the needs of the proletariats and the masses in their charge. In these countries, the initial deep chasm between the rulers and the proletariats were very well abridged due to introduction of class and ethnic declassification. So also in South Africa, the gain of racial declassification since 1994 and the introduction of almost a classless society is still unfolding and times will be able to show if truly the new trend could be maintained well into the future and if it will truly continue to benefit the entire people of South Africa.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Comparing Community in Elizabeth Bowen’s The Demon Lover and Edward Fields A Journey :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

The Importance of Community in Elizabeth Bowen’s The Demon Lover and Edward Fields' A Journey It is important to relate and be a part of ones community. When we are able to identify with the people around us we are able to find out who we really are and the difference we make in others lives, as well as, the difference our community makes in our lives. In Edward Fields' poem, A Journey, he relates to his community as he is leaving. It is obvious to the reader that the author feels strongly about his community from the emotions that he displays throughout the poem, the details of the town that he notices on his way to the train station and the way he feels once he gets to his final destination. In the poem A Journey, Edward Field shows great emotion toward his community as he is leaving. The person in the poem is trying not to cry as he walks to the train station and tells us "men didn't walk around crying in that town" (Field qtd. in Schwiebert 41). The man then has to repeat the alphabet over and over at the train station to keep from crying (Field qtd. in Schwiebert 41). I believe that the character in the poem relates to his community the most when he finally begins to cry on the train and feels the reality of leaving. This shows that he has taken in the complete picture of what he is leaving behind and how much it means to him. As the man in the poem continues his journey, he takes time to notice things in detail. This I believe is a way of cherishing what you might not see again. This also shows us that he cares about the community to notice the little things one last time. For example Edward Field describes the "magnolia trees with dying flowers" and the "bright spring day" (qtd. in Schwiebert 41). The man even picked up the local newspaper before he left, this shows that he cares what is going on in the town and feels enough apart of the community to find out what is in the newspaper that day. The author shows us that our communities contribute to who we are as adults through the actions of his character at the end of his journey. It seems that the man in the poem didn't really consider himself a man before he got off the train.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Was He Just a Man? Essay -- American History, Jefferson Davis

â€Å"I worked night and day for twelve years to prevent the war, but I could not. The North was mad and blind, would not let us govern ourselves, and so the war came† (Thinkexist 6). These words were spoken by Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. Although he was president of the confederacy, he was opposed to secession and spoke for peace between north and south before the beginning of the war. The effects of Jefferson Davis’s accomplishments can still be felt today. Jefferson Davis was born in June 3rd, 1808 (McGill 2). At age seven he was sent to a Dominican boy’s school in Kentucky (Jefferson Davis 3). When he was thirteen, he went to Transylvania College in Kentucky (McGill 3). He accepted a nomination to West Point in 1824 (McGill 3). He graduated twenty-third in his class of thirty-nine; he also had a total of 327 demerits on his record (McGill 3). If Jefferson Davis had never gone to school as a young child, he would have never received a nomination to West Point. Without his West Point schooling, he wouldn’t have gone into the military, which would have changed everything in his life. He never would have met his two wives. If he didn’t meet them, he wouldn’t have gotten into politics which, would have rewritten history. After his school he went into the army as a lieutenant. He served in the Black Hawk War (McGill 4). The Black Hawk War was a war between the U.S. and Sac and Fox Indians (Lewis 1). The war began when these Indian tribes left their reservation in Iowa to return to their homes in Illinois (Lewis 1). Upon hearing that the Indians had left their reservation, citizens broke into widespread panic (Lewis 1). There was only one major battle during the Black Hawk War; it was the battle... ...d never have been appointed to Secretary of War. What if Jefferson Davis wasn’t chosen for the Confederate presidency? Davis’s role in the success that the Confederacy achieved against a nation much more superior in numbers and resources was enormous. First of all, even though he was too noisy in military affairs, he often helped. Lastly, he held the south together until the end of the war, which allowed the south to fight for much longer and continue with a fighting chance. Even though Jefferson Davis was a strong supporter of the south, he tried to keep the south from seceding, as stated in his quote, â€Å"I worked night and day for twelve years to prevent the war, but I could not. The North was mad and blind, would not let us govern ourselves, and so the war came† This quote shows how hard Jefferson Davis tried to keep the union together (Thinkexist 6).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Federalism and Separation of Power

Democracy as a system of political administration has been termed over years as a product of several institutions working together to ensure the sustainability of an exclusive political system. Democratic institutions in a state are saddled with the responsibility of sustaining a nation’s democratic process such institutions like legislature, judiciary and the executive are the major institutions that guarantee efficiency in a democratic system. ( Ologbenla 1996) Basically, the legislative arm is the major institution that guarantees such because it represents the generality of the people’s interest.The doctrines of separation of power and checks and balances are two major tenets of democracy. Both doctrines provide basic principles that should be upheld in any democratic state. The adherence to these democratic tenets depends largely on the level of political adherence that follows the basic rules and regulations that guides the conduct of both the ruler and the ruled in an exclusive political community. Such rules and regulation are codified in a document known as constitution. A constitution is a legal framework that spells out the composition, function, and jurisdiction of government officials. Almond et al. 1966) It is a body of fundamental rules guiding the affairs of state. It states the relationship between the governors and the governed. Separation of powers is a doctrine propounded by Baron de' Montesquieu which stipulates that in order to avoid arbitrary use of power, power should be decentralised and shared among the organs of government such that no organ becomes too powerful. (Neumann 1949) The principle of checks and balances states that an organ of government should act as a watchdog on the other organs of government so as to curb their excesses.In a democratic system all governmental powers are derived from the constitution, it also spells out the functions and relationship of major governmental institutions such as the executive, judiciary and the legislature such that no organ of government can interfere in the affairs of the other. The constitution makes each arm of government to be an independent and coordinate unit, independent in terms of its sphere of influence and coordinate in its inter-governmental relationship with other arms of government.With cognisance to the American democratic structure, the constitution provides for separation of powers by stipulating the functions of the various arms of government and also the jurisdiction of the different tiers of government, whereby the executive cannot meddle in the affairs of the legislature and vice-versa. The primary function of the legislature is the making of laws ;( Easton 1961) it would be a total negation of the principle of separation of power if such function is being exercised by the executive.Although, the executive can propose a bill after much deliberation by the legislature can be passed into law but the power to make laws lie in within th e jurisdiction of the legislature. But in recent times the principle had been challenged due to the overwhelming power and personality of the executive. For example, President George Bush after the Sept 11 attack on the world trade centre proposed a bill to the congress to invade Iraq. Before the house could pass the bill he had sent troops to wage war in Iraq.This was contrary to the constitutional provisions which states that before United State would engage in a war it must be ratified by the congress in a joint session. Checks and balances on the other is to serve as a balance between the various organs of government in such a way that an arm of government serve as the watchdog over the other arms of government. (Neumann 1949) This function is majorly that of the judiciary this is the done through judicial reviews which help scrutinize both activities of the executive and the legislature.For this function to be performed to the optimum level there is the need for an independent judiciary that is free from executive manipulation. A bill is a proposed law that is not yet law until it is passed by the law making body in the country and received the executive or presidential assent. (Easton 1961) There are several stages that are involved in the passing of a bill before it becomes law. The first stage of the bill is the first introduction of the bill to the house. The introduction of bill could either be a private member bill or it originates from the lower house depending on the type of legislative chamber in operation.In a two chamber legislative house, bills originate from the lower house and are deliberated on in a joint session. This stage marks the first reading of the bill to the house. The second reading marks a stage where the bill is fully deliberated upon by lawmakers and it represents a crucial stage in the passing of such bill into law, because this stage determines whether such bill would become law. After the bill had successfully passed through the second reading then a committee would be constituted to critically examine and analyse the bill, give recommendations and possible impact of the bill if passed into law.This stage represents the committee stage. After constituting the committee, the next stage is the report stage where the committee presents their report to the house on the bill. After the committee stage the bill is presented to the lawmakers for adoption. It should be noted that at this stage the bill can still be rejected if the lawmakers refuse to adopt the bill by voting against it. But if the bill was accepted by the lawmakers then it can now proceed to the third stage which requires the president’s assent.If the bill passed by the legislature was not assented to by the executive, the legislature can constitutionally veto such bill into law after a period of 14 days. Federalism is a political system in which governmental powers are shared among the different tiers and organs of government such that each tier and organ is coordinate, independent, and exclusive in its own sphere of authority. (Leslie 1954) With reference to the debate on whether state power had been reduced or increased in a federal structure, cognisance would be given to emerging democracies mostly in third world countries where democratic structures are still growing.In Nigeria, state powers are gradually reduced as the constitution vested much power in the exclusive legislative list which only allows the federal government to legislate. (Ologbenla 1996) Matters such as currency, defence, health, mining, state creation, local government creation, boundary adjustment, leaving the state with little area to exercise its sphere of control. Unlike other federal structures like the United State of America where states have the autonomy on state police, the Nigerian federal structure did not provide for such provisions even at the agitation of states to have their autonomy on the issue.In 2003, the Lagos state gover nment embarked on the creation of local government which was later regarded as unconstitutional and led to a legal matter between the state and the federal government. (Tadese 2012) The judgement was later passed in favour of the federal citing that states do not have the constitutional right to create such establishment. In the American federal structure allows for state power to be shared between the central, state, and municipal governments in such a way that each state has its own constitution where it derives it powers from.Although when such laws clashes with national constitution the latter prevails. Federalism has been the major factor sustaining the democratic values as it has it functionality in both the principle of separation of powers and checks and balances which is maintained through the efficacy of institutions that guarantees a smooth democratic process.References Almond Gabriel, Gabber Powell. (1966). Comparative Politics: A developmental approach; Little Brown ; C o, Boston. Print. Easton David. (1961). A framework of political analysis, Yale University Press, New Haven. Print. Leslie Lipson. (1954). The Great Issues of Politics (5th edition) Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. Print. Neuman Franz. (1949). Introduction to Montesquieu’s Spirit of Laws. Translated by Thomas Nugent: Halfner publishers, Chicago. Print. Ologbenla Derin. (1996). Introduction to political science, Olucity Press Limited, Lagos. Print. Tadese. Oyeniyi. A battle of legal supremacy; Lagos State faces FG on creation of local government. Vanguard Newspaper. Web 30 September 2012.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Contextulaising the play blood wedding Essay

Contextualising the play: The social, cultural and historical context of the play will be discussed in some detail and the relative importance of each as a factor in the writing, producing and interpretation of the play will be considered. Context is the circumstances and conditions which surround the play. We are able to tell that the social, historical and cultural context all affected Lorca and this emphasised certain aspects of â€Å"Blood Wedding†. The play has many references to social, cultural and historical events and themes. Frederico Garcia Lorca was born in a rural background and this could have affected the play. Lorca was born in Granada, Spain. Granada is positioned next to Andalucia, where it is presumed to be set. We are able to tell this, as Lorca makes many references to scenes which are present in Andalucia, such as the vineyards. These vineyards are in â€Å"Blood Wedding† as well as vineyards being present in Andalucia. At university, Lorca met a famous artist named Salvador Dali, which could have influenced some of the parts of â€Å"Blood Wedding†, such as the surreal scenes with the woodcutters and the moon. Also this could have influenced the use of the evocative juxtaposition of images. Around the time of the writing â€Å"Blood Wedding†, the rising artists Picasso and cubist artists could have influenced â€Å"Blood Wedding†. Picasso used symbolism in their art and this could have possibly inspired Lorca to use symbolic language in the play. In Spain, Lorca was confined to certain guidelines due to the politics. This meant that Lorca was unable to express himself as much as he may have liked; and this could have affected the way Lorca wanted to express himself. Then the Spanish government changed and therefore this allowed Lorca more freedom to write and create new literature, plays and art. During this time, Lorca wrote â€Å"Blood Wedding†. Lorca was influenced from a young age by local arts and once moved into a new town, Lorca became more interested in arts. At university, Lorca became friends with Luis Bunuel an artist. Many researchers have found that Bunuel could have influenced Lora’s work as Bunuel’s paintings became a major interest of Lorca. This means that Lorca could have been influenced by the use of colours in Bunuel’s paintings, and this could have caused Lorca to describe colours in detail in stage settings. This effects the writing of the play, as the audience will pay more interest in the vivid colours and there meaning. This also highlights Lorcas symbolic use of colours such as act one, scene one where the stage directions state ‘Room painted yellow’. This is symbolic as it could be interoperated that yellow represents brightness and the start of something new. At the time, Spain was a religious nation and therefore the strong Catholic viewpoints such as strict marriage rules (no divorce or adultery); this could have been seen to reflect in â€Å"Blood Wedding† as the affair with Leonardo was seen as shameful on the bride. Shortly after â€Å"Blood Wedding† was written, the Spanish civil war occurred. Women were seen as ‘marriage tools’ to gain assets during this time, and even though this occurred after the play was written, we are able to tell that Lorca had seen this occurring and it reflected in his play. For instance, there were mainly women in the play; this could reflect the importance of women at the time. It can also be seen in Act one, where the mother and father discuss the exchange of land when the couple are married. This shows that Spain had strong marriage rules as it shows a thrill between the parents of what their child has to offer. It was uncommon to not discuss what would be exchanged when two people got married, and Lorca expressed this in his play. Also in Spain at the time, people were beginning to revolt and in 1936 General Franco, became a new dictator. This could be seen as being reflected in the play as the bride was expected to marry against her will, as her father had chosen her husband for her. Lorca believed that society was very important, and he believed that society was the reason why people do not do as they wish but do as they should, and this could be reflected in how the bride doesn’t want to marry but is forced. The bride is expected to marry someone who has good financial prospects, rather than someone who she actually loves. From research into Spanish traditions it was assumed that brides would marry someone for their finical prospects or land ownership. Lorca was born in a village which was in the countryside, and this could be seen to be reflected in â€Å"Blood Wedding† as there are many references to the countryside. In Spain, there was a big emphasis on flowers, and this could be seen to be reflected into â€Å"Blood Wedding† as there are many references to flowers in the play and stage directions, such as act one, scene two where ‘common flowers’ are presented. Also, in â€Å"Blood Wedding† Lorca has only given one character an actual name, this character is Leonardo. This could suggest that Lorca sees this character as important or that the other characters that have no specific name, is representing all the female figures in Spain or the world. Whereas Leonardo represents the fire and the passion that a man may have.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Knowledge Management Tools: Component Technologies Essay

The internet provides a multitude of vendors promising to transform our business. But , we have to know which approaches should be adopt to examine the component technologies that make up a knowledge management system or suite. The analogy of hi-fi is used where each item has a certain function or purpose. The multitude of KM system on offer in the marketplace is seen as a composite variation of a number of these component technologies. Firms may decide to buy different component-of-the-shelf or develop their own tools to meet their needs. Organising knowledge tools Ontology and Taxonomy Grubber (1993) defines ontology as â€Å"a formal explicit of shared conceptualism†. It helps us on preventing wide variations on understanding or perspective to the same subject. Therefore, we have to developed ‘ontology’ to improve our level of information organization, management, and understanding. In the context of KM tools, the term ontology is often used interchangeability with taxonomy. To clarify the distinction, it’s important to recognize that an ontology is overall conceptualism whereas taxonomy is a scientifically based scheme of classification. An ontology may have non taxonomic conceptual relationship such as ‘has part’ relationship between concepts. In contrast, knowledge taxonomy generate hierarchical classification of terms that are structured to show relationship between them. When it comes time to implement ontologies and taxonomies there are three options:  · develop the ontology then develop the supporting taxonomy.  · develop taxonomy and then develop the over-arching ontology  · develop the two in parallel. Define your scope The first step in developing the combined ontology and taxonomy is to clearly scope the effort. A clearly defined scope is critical to the success of the effort. The question that can best help shape the scope of the effort is simply, what purpose will the combined ontology and taxonomy serve? The answer to this question serves several purposes:  · It sets bounds on the effort. These bounds are necessary to answering the basic managerial questions of how long will it take, and how much will it cost.  · It helps identify the primary domains and perspectives to be included.  · It should identify the specific business activities that will make direct use of the ontologies and taxonomies and how the resulting knowledge will be used to accomplish their mission. Normally the answer to this question will fall into one of three categories:  · To serve as a common framework for knowledge sharing.  · To enable reuse of existing domain knowledge.  · To a better understand what the organization knows by separating domain knowledge from the operational knowledge and making assumptions explicit. The first two of these, knowledge sharing and reuse are at the heart of most KM initiatives. Answers falling into the third category are indicative of advanced KM or academic initiatives. The following steps are applicable to all three scenarios and are specifically targeted toward those efforts focusing on knowledge sharing and reuse. Check for Existing Ontologies and Taxonomies Business operations today are also often dependent on, or required to adhere to one or more industry standards and may interface with applications that make use of existing ontologies or controlled vocabularies. For that reason, it is often best to use preexisting taxonomies and ontologies before launching into an extensive and possibly expensive development effort. Identify Important Terms If it is determined that existing ontologies and taxonomies are insufficient to meet the scope of the effort, then it is time to start collecting the raw materials for the new structures. This starts with identifying the key terms that are used to express the knowledge needed to enable specific business activities. At this point, it is important to list of all terms used to make statements or to explain to someone else what is needed to accomplish the business activities included within the scope of the effort. These can normally be found in corporate policy or operational instructions and from people with expertise in the activities. While gathering these terms it is important to stay within the scope of the effort. Incorporating the full lexicon for a large multi-national conglomerate may look like a major accomplishment, but it will not help build an effective knowledge environment if the scope of the effort is smaller. Rather, the broader scope will make it more difficult to marr y the concepts of the field to those used by the people you are trying to support. Define the Class Hierarchy Armed with the terms and concepts that are critical to expressing the knowledge needed to enable those business activities to be supported, the next step is to define a class hierarchy. Again, there are three ways to do this:  · Work from the top down. Start by identifying the general concepts (super-class identification) and then determine which of the others fall within those categories (subclass identification).  · Work from the bottom up . Start by developing cluster of related concepts (subclass grouping) and then look for the higher-order concepts that under which a given cluster of concepts might fall (super-class identification)  · Work from the top down and bottom up. This starts with the identification of the more important concepts first and then generalize and specialize them appropriately. The authors have found that this approach is the easiest to follow and has a lower risk of getting mired in the â€Å"semantic swamp.† When organizing terms and concepts t he basic formula is: If a class A is a super class of class B, then every instance of B is also an instance of A. In other words, the class B represents a concept that is a â€Å"kind of† A. As the class structure for your domain begins to take shape, check how well it expresses the way the people that are actually involved in the associated activates actually talk about what they are doing. Make sure that it reflects the actual context in which it will be used. The language of practical ontology or taxonomy should not to require the user to stop and translate between the way they normally think about things and the â€Å"official† term. This is also the time to make sure that the vocabulary used to express the hierarchical class structure agrees with the real-world (and agreed upon) vocabulary and accurately serves to classify the information that will need to be exchanged between the people and applications involved in meeting the targeted activities. When these conditions occur, the clas s hierarchical effectively becomes the upper-layers of the taxonomy. This is a critical factor in insuring on-going semantic alignment between the resulting ontology and taxonomy.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Is this an accurate assessment of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth? Essay

In retrospect Macbeth does not embody the traits of a butcher at the start of the play but the chain of events he and his wife set in motion, changes him into a remorseless killer. A butcher by trade kills for necessity, shows no remorse or conscience and is pitiless. However, Macbeth is persuaded by his selfish, ambitious wife to perform these terrible deeds against his moral standards. Once Macbeth crosses the moral boundary of taking someone’s life, he loses all sense of right and wrong. A domino effect is created whereby the loss of one life automatically leads on to mass murder in that he tries to eliminate all contenders to the throne i.e. the slaughter of the innocents (Macduff’s wife and children). During the course of the play, Macbeth and his wife have a role reversal-she develops a conscience after her initial lust for blood and descends into madness whereupon she kills herself. She is no longer the fiend-like queen, but a pathetic creature full of delusions (â€Å"Out, damned spot!†) who almost demands pity from the onlooker. Macbeth however, has taken total control of the situation and cannot step back now that he has gone so far. Lady Macbeth’s statement,†What’s done cannot be undone,† is appropriate here. Consequently, Macduff’s quotation, â€Å"This dead butcher and fiend-like queen†, is not wholly true. Upon hearing of the witches prophecies, Lady Macbeth instantly conspires to speed up events so that Macbeth becomes king quickly. She believes that she is speeding up fate, but all she is in fact doing is playing out the prophecy exactly. He lacks the necessary ruthlessness that accompanies ambition- â€Å"Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it;† but she can supply that for him. She is fiend-like in the way she manipulates her husband, a shrew brow-beating him into these acts. He is merely her instrument carrying through her plans. At the moment, she is the power behind the throne. At face value, she is ‘egging on’ her husband for what looks to be his own gains, but it is her ambition to be the most powerful woman in Scotland. She is furthering her own ambitious plans perhaps wanting to rule the country through Macbeth. It is ironic when she says, â€Å"Look like the innocent flower But be the serpent under’t†, as she herself is the ‘serpent’, the brains behind the plan. He slavishly does her bidding despite having some misgivings, † We will proceed no further in this business:†. She undermines his manhood using it as a weapon against him, â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man.† She adopts the masculine characteristics of courage, strength and determination and encourages him to proceed with the actions. She bolsters his frail ego. Although he has slain many people in battle, he is known to be a loyal servant and is afraid of being branded a traitor. He recognises Duncan’s valued opinion of him, â€Å"He hath honoured me of late;†, but with his wife’s repeated charges of being thought a coward he, like a hen-pecked husband, agrees to her plan. It is really after Banquo’s murder that his mental frailty is displayed. His visions of the mutilated corpse, that are only visible to him, unhinge him, but he shows perception in recognising that his murderous behaviour is out of the norm for him when he states, â€Å"My strange and self-abuse Is the initiate fear that wants hard use: We are yet but young in deed†. He views himself as an amateur, but believes that with more murderous experiences the terrible visions will disappear. This is the crucial point at which the led becomes the leader. Macbeth now takes control of his own destiny while Lady Macbeth becomes the dependent casualty. From this realisation, Lady Macbeth assumes a lesser role in the play and fades into the background. Her rampant ambition and calculated plans have brought her no lasting joy or pleasure. Although she has achieved her dreams of being queen, her mental state is now of a tormented soul; she suffers from insomnia, is haunted by ghastly visions of the dead, performs an obsessional washing of hands, â€Å"What, will these hands ne’er be clean?† and suicidal thoughts dominate her existence. It is here that she loses the tag of ‘fiend-like queen’ and becomes more human in her inability to cope with what she has seen. Although she put in motion the sequence of events, she is now unable to cope with the consequences. The once proud, domineering woman has become a shadow;her spectral appearances in a nightgown carrying a candle show her changed into a waif like creature inhabiting the darker recesses of a turbulent mind. It’s difficult not to feel some sympathy for her â€Å"slumbery agitation†. This is no fiend but a troubled soul whose only hope of peace is death. While neither character is portrayed in an attractive light, Shakespeare graphically shows a descent into insanity and the ultimate tragic end in the quest for power. Against one’s better nature, a degree of empathy for Macbeth and his wife emerges so that the label ‘butcher’ and ‘fiend-like queen’ does not seem appropriate at the conclusion of the play.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Calvin Coolidge - 1924 Speech on Individual Sacrifice and Taxes

Calvin Coolidge Speech on Taxes, Liberty, and the Philosophy of Government delivered 11 August 1924, The White House Grounds, Washington, D.C. [This] country needs every ounce of its energy to restore itself. The costs of government are all assessed upon the people. This means that the farmer is doomed to provide a certain amount of money out of the sale of his produce, no matter how low the price, to pay his taxes. The manufacturer, the professional man, the clerk, must do the same from their income. The wage earner, often at a higher rate when compared to his earning, makes his contribution, perhaps not directly but indirectly, in the advanced cost of everything he buys. The expenses of government reach everybody. Taxes take from everyone a part of his earnings and force everyone to work for a certain part of his time for the government. When we come to realize that the yearly expenses of the governments of this countrythe stupendous sum of about 7 billion, 500 million dollars we get700 million dollars is needed by the national government, and the remainder by local governments. Such a sum is difficult to comprehend. It represents all the pay of five million wage earners receiving five dollars a day, working 300 days in the year. If the government should add 100 million dollars of expense, it would represent four days more work of these wage earners. These are some of the reasons why I want to cut down public expense. I want the people of America to be able to work less for the government and more for themselves. I want them to have the rewards of their own industry. This is the chief meaning of freedom. Until we can reestablish a condition under which the earnings of the people can be kept by the people, we are bound to suffer a very severe and distinct curtailment of our liberty. These results are not fanciful; they are not imaginary. They are grimly actual and real, reaching into every household in the land. They take from each home annually an average of over 300 dollars and taxes must be paid. They are not a voluntary contribution to be met out of surplus earnings. They are a stern necessity. They come first. It is only out of what is left, after they are paid, that the necessities of food, clothing, and shelter can be provided and the comforts of home secured, or the yearnings of the soul for a broader and more abundant life gratified. When the government affects a new economy, it grants everybody a life pension with which to raise the standard of existence. It increases the value of everybodys property, raises the scale of everybodys wages. One of the greatest favors that can be bestowed upon the American people is economy in government. Book/CDs by Michael E. Eidenmuller, Published by McGraw-Hill (2008) See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB-9G0tp2fs Audio, Image (Screenshot) Source: http://www.archive.org Copyright Status: This text and audio = Property of AmericanRhetoric.com. Image = Public domain.