A Passage to India Essay Example for Free

A Passage to India EssayBooks argon truly among the best things constantly invented. With thousands of books out there, there argon plenty of connections to be made. Here is an example of a connection made when reading this two novels. A Passage to India is a story that takes place in India during the reign of the British Empire. It is truly wonderful when you read a book and manage to make a connection between two different novels. While reading A Passage to India, a connection was made between this book and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In A Passage to India ,There are constant clashes between cultures, races, religion, and even politics. This story depicts India as a world of only two types of people the British, and e actuallyone else that isnt British. The British are shown as higher(prenominal)-ranking authority to the Indians.They are very rude and disrespectful. They are very racist towards the Indians. In A Passage to India, the British put one overt usually m iscellany and mingle with the Indians because they are both very different groups of people, and the British are seen as racist in this novel. Their cultures are really different, and there religions are by far different. Basically, the Indians and British are segregated. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, whites and blacks are segregated in the southern states due to the era in which the story takes place. Most, if not all, of the blacks are slaves. The whites dont like the blacks because they are considered lower standard people, slaves. There are only two types of people in this story whites, and non-whites. Racism is a very common obstacle in our world and is used in many stories to depict and portray certain hardships and time periods of our world. Both of these stories use racism to support portray these two very different settings.In A Passage to India, the British are very savage and cruel towards the Indians, just like how the whites insure the blacks in The Adventu res of Huckleberry Finn.Youre superior to them, anyway. Dont forget that. Youre superior to everyone in India except one or two of the Ranis, and theyre on equality.(Forester 42). Mrs. Turtons statement gives us an example of the racism of a typical Englishwomen. Here she tells Adela that they are superior to Indians in any way possible, even the higher politicians. The authors use statements like these to help the reader be able to imagine how things must be in the particular setting. Here, is a passage from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which shows us how racism is used to help build up the setting by Mark Twain. It was lection day, and I was justabout to go and vote myself if I warnt too intoxicated to get there but when they told me there was a State in this country where theyd let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says Ill never vote agin.(Sawyer 28). Just because a black man was free to vote in the election, Pap would never vote again because he didnt believe blacks wer e grave enough to be able to vote in the Election of the President of the USA. He didnt want to be held to the same standards as blacks, he wanted to be able to be distinguished from blacks and have superiority. In his eyes, blacks were just property. They werent meant to be anything other than slaves.This passage helps the reader understand and imagine the harsh setting of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These novels have very different settings but still have one thing in common. These two authors take a risky and nociceptive subject like racism to help portray their stories and how they impact the reader. This connection also shows us that there is racism all around the world, even if these are fictional stories. A Passage to India and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn both are stating messages that show how harsh and cruel racism can be, and how it affects people. Racism a very common discipline in many stories and there are many connections to be made amongst them.Fors ter, E. M. A Passage to India, New York Harcourt, Brace and, 1924. Print. Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York Random House, 1996. Print.

Holiday Sales May Be Frightful Essay Example for Free

Holiday Sales may Be Frightful EssayThe article Holiday Sales May Be Frightful, But Discounts Will Be Delightful discusses tough holiday flavor for retailers because Christmas sales are expected to increased up to 4%. Nevertheless, the season is claimed to be soft and sluggish. This season is, actually, slower compared with sales of the previous year. The decrease in sales is explained by macroeconomic problems as, for example, house slump and credit crunches which negatively affect customers. The author cites Niemira who argues that a huge worry facing the holiday season is that the home-price decline and accommodate wealth decline will cut into consumer pass broadly. I think the article is informative and provides up-to-date information as practically all people are interested in fashioning purchases. It is known that one of the most popular leisure activities in American consumer is shopping. People are ready to spend money on things they are uncoerced to possess, but ho using problems make it less affordable for many citizens. All aspects of consumerism are paid thorough attention by marketing workers and economic analysts. I think the author is very logical and unbiased as the author firstly defines the problem and then explains what reasons have led to it.Credit crunch and housing problem, in my opinion, are two the most serious problems. For example, the author says the credit crunch makes it harder for all households, especially low-income families, to refinance and get other credit. Apparently, the ridiculous have been disproportionately hurt by high fuel prices. I think that the author does sense in his argument and suggestions. Moreover, all his ideas are mightily supported by evidence and explanations of analysis and economists.

Income and Government Services: A Review of the Literature

Income and Government Services A Review of the LiteratureIn 1935 the affectionate Security Act was signed into law by chairperson Franklin D. Roosevelt. Since and so, it has grown into one of the largest disposal services offered by the Federal government. In order to fund government services like Social Security, taxes argon levied on various income levels. This taxation is met with opposing viewpoints from various political perspectives. In general, conservatives oppose progressive taxation policies and programs that redistribute wealth while liberals typically support them (Chamber 2013). However, umpteen people, regard slight of income level, receive benefits from these government services or programs (Mettler 2008). Further to a greater extent than, across all income levels, participation and the array of use of these government programs is notably racyer than one power expect (Mettler 2008) So this raises the question does an individuals level of income affect their lear ning of the countrys need for government services? It is important to come this question because currently, the United States is battling a large amount of debt which some believe set up be limited through reductions in spending on government services. By investigateing a possible link between an individuals income level and their perception of government services, a more(prenominal) sophisticated conversation can take place regarding the significance of those services.In an earlier piece research conducted by Jeron Van Der Wall, Peter Achterberg, and Dick Houtman (2007) across fifteen countries found that income is a prominent indicator of perception. The countries included in the study were Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States for the time period 1956 to 1990. They aim to try and provide an alternative explanation to capital of Minnesota Nieuwbeertas (1 996) research, which found that since the end of World War II voting for a specific political ideology based on ones socioeconomic class, or class voting, was on the decline in Western civilization. To conduct their research, they rely on income as the primary indicator of class. They find that the patterns in class voting are driven by the cultural and educational differences across all incomes (Van Der Wall 2007). This indicates that class voting unflurried exists and income level is still a relative factor to political ideology.Additionally Van Der Wall claims class has been buried alive under the increasing weight of cultural voting, consistently misinterpreted as a decline in class voting (Van Der Waal 417 2007) when in fact class voting has become stronger since the pre-World War II era. (Van Der Wall 2007). However, because of the pretermit of accountability for variables like educational differences, working class, and just the evolution of political cultural in general, the findings raised by previous researchers are not all in all conclusive. By revealing these additional variables, a more thorough investigation can be conducted in regards to the relation between ones income and their perception towards the necessity for government services.When discussing perception, personality traits must also be examined. Research conducted by Scott E. Seibert and Maria L. Kraimer (2001) examines how the Big Five personality traits are causally connect with extrinsic career success. They find that Extraverts, that are additionally psychologically more stable, are more likely to have extrinsic career success (Seibert 2001). Extraverts are outgoing and dominant individuals whose strive for success is driven by their personal ambition to come out on top. They have lower self-regard then introverts and are more willing to sacrifice better working conditions for the chance to rise above their peers. In regards to being agreeable and team players, extraverts are l ess likely to be agreeable and when working in organized conditions with others they are more likely to be more dominant and still try to stand out out amongst their peers (Seibert 2001). Extraverts are rugged individualists, that is, they believe they are only ones who can determine how successful they are. This is a fundamental concept related to conservatism. And because extraverts are more likely to be successful and have higher incomes then introverts, Seibert and Kraimers (2007) findings reinforce the notion that individuals with higher levels of income are more conservative. Coinciding with personality, intelligence also affects the do and thought processes of people. Cognitive abilities are generally defined as the abilities one possesses to perform the simplest of tasks and the most difficult. They are the mechanisms of how we learn, remember, pay attention, and problem solve. They form together to work an individuals intelligence quotient, which is generally linked with ones overall level of intelligence. General mental ability (GMA), which was introduced by C. Spearman (1904), is also utilize to describe an individuals level of intelligence. In their research, Frank Schmidt and John Hunter (2004) confirm that GMA scores are strongly related to job work and income level. Drawing from research conducted by Charles Murray(1998) that addition to examined GMA scores within families, Murray found that the siblings with higher GMA scores received more education, entered more prestigious occupations, had higher income, and were active more regularly (Schmidt 2004). Using this evidence from Schmidt and Hunters research and correlating it with findings produced by Satoshi Kanazawa (2010) that show that more intelligent individuals are in fact more liberal, leads to the logical conclusion, assuming income is as related to intelligence as suggested, that higher income individuals are more likely to be liberal then conservative.Across the research provided , income is a relative factor in terms of political ideology. However, it is clear that a consensus on whether or not individuals with higher incomes are politically more liberal or conservative hasnt been reached. Seibert and Kraimers (2001) research shows that the particular types of personalities that rise to the top in economic status are predominantly those of who, are more conservative in nature. What their research negates to account for is the level of intelligence possessed by those extraverts who are successful. Rather, they assume that they already have a high degree of intelligence because they possess the cognitive abilities to beat out their peers and earn higher incomes. Generally, this more than likely would be agreed upon. Furthering their point, intelligence as discussed in Schmidt and Hunters (2004) research, shows that intelligence is strongly linked to income level. However, the disparity in logic is introduced with Satoshi Kanazawas (2010) research which conclu des that individuals, who possess a higher level of intelligence, are more liberal.ReferencesChambers, John R., Swan, Lawton K., and Heesacker, Martin. 2013. Better Off Than We Know Distorted Perceptions of Incomes and Income Inequality in AmericaJeroen van der Waal., Achterberg, Peter., and Houtman Dick. 2007. Class Is Not DeadIt HasBeen Buried resilient Class Voting and Cultural Voting in Postwar Western Societies (19561990)Politics Society2007 35 40.Kanazawa, Satoshi. 2010. Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent.Social Psychology Quarterly,Vol. 73, No. 1 (March 2010), pp. 33-57.Mettler, Suzanne., and Stonecash, Jeffrey M. 2008. Government Program Usage and Political Voice.Social Science Quarterly 89 273293.Murray, Charles. 1998.Income Inequality and IQ.Washington D.C The AEI Press.Nieuwbeerta, P. (1996). The classless Class Struggle in Postwar Societies Class Voting in Twenty Countries, 1945-1990.Acta Sociologica(Taylor Francis Ltd), 39(4), 345-383.Schmidt, Frank L., a nd Hunter, John. 2004. General Mental Ability in the World of lap up Occupational Attainment and Job Performance.Social Psychology2004, Vol. 86, No.1, 162-173.Spearman, C. (1904). General Intelligence, Objectively Determined and Measured. American Journal of Psychology, 15, 201293.

Intonation In The English Language

chanting In The English LanguageM either population think that orthoepy is what makes up an accent. It may be that pronunciation is genuinely important for an envisionable accent. But it is intonation that gives the final touch that makes an accent native.Intonation is the music of a language, and is perhaps the most important element of a good accent. Often we hear some unrivaled speaking with perfect grammar, and perfect brass of the sounds of English but with a niggling something that gives them away as non being native speaker.T presentfore, it is necessary to realize that there is more than the correct pronunciation of the vowels and consonants of a language. This is very important and we do stress it in other articles. But it is only one of the three components to an accent, pronunciation, intonation, and linking. In other places we ordain dissect the correct pronunciation of vowels and consonants, and linking, the way that syllables within a give voice, and the beginn ing and ending of words come together.Two useful abstractionsTo understand how intonational transcription works, you must(prenominal) understand twodifferent kinds of abstractions which the system relies on.The first is a phonetic abstraction, namely that there is something which we bum c every cobblers last(predicate) intonation, a well-defined set of linguistic phenomena all working together to determine the put pattern of an utterance. This abstraction is very useful because it is fairly easy to get a good measure of what listeners embrace as the rip pattern. We can do this by extracting the fundamental frequency of the voiced parts of the utterance, a task which is computationally quite easy. We can wherefore take the fundamental frequency pattern, and analyze it as the result of a set of linguistic categories with a number of specific purposes, and an algorithm which implements the categories as events in the pitch of the utterance. Two points to none here 1) not all int onational categories have the same function being an intonational category only means that the category has a specific and categorical issuing on the pitch pattern. 2) these categories do not determine all aspects of the pitch pattern various other non-linguistic balances, such as emotional state, degree of look atment in the speech, and individual discrepancys such as ones due to sex, as well affect aspects of the pitch pattern.The second is a functional abstraction. These intonational categories can be classified with respect to the two major types of prosodic functions. Prosody can be described as consisting of head mechanisms and butt against mechanisms.Head mechanisms ar those which act to pick issue one piece of an utterance as different than its neighbors, while edge mechanisms indicate which items go with which by scoringing the edge of a larger grouping. Intonational categories in the English system similarly function either to pick out syllables which atomic num ber 18 more stressed than their neighbors, or to mark the final edge of a piece of an utterance which is to be interpreted as a group.Edge marking tone of voices sharpness tones and phrase tones.The intonational categories which you will potential bugger off most intuitive are the ones which are utilise to mark edges. ane reason for this, I believe, is that the English orthography actually writes some of these distinctions. For example, assume the following pair of destines.1) This is a test sentence.2) This is a test sentence?If you convert these into speech (by leaseing them out loud), you will note a very salient difference in the pitch contour at the end. In 1) the pitch excises throughout the last word, often ending with a small(a) bit of creaky voice, while in 2) the pitch scrape ups throughout the last word, perhaps ending mettlesomeer than anywhere else in the broad(a) sentence. Such differences in pitch pattern reflect discourse-related differences such as i s captured by the use of the question mark in 2).At a full stop, our system indicates the hazard of four different contours, the two which appear in likely translations of 1) and 2), and two more, one which you will likely produce in the non-final members of a slowly rendered list, and one which you might produce when calling someone in for dinner. In the transcription system, you will see these represented in the following way (more or less(prenominal)). The fall in 1) is low throughout, and so is indicated as LL% (two lows with the % indicating the final boundary). The rise in 2) is superior throughout, with a very brief rise to a super-high at the end, and so is indicated as HH% (two highs). The so-called list boundary starts low and rises slightly at the end, and so is indicated as LH%. The last one which appears in calling chants is basically high throughout, and differs from the HH% (question marker) in that it does not rise to a super high. Thus, since it is high to start with, it starts with a H, and since it is not as high as the super high at the end, it is relatively low, and so is indicated with a L%. This makes for a neat 4-way distinction as below, given with stereotypical examples of places where you might find them. (Note these are not the only places you will find them)LL% Terminal fall statements.HH% High plateau with upped high at end covert questions.LH% Low plateau with little rise at end internal to lists.HL% High plateau with no rise to a super-high end of calling chantsHead marking tones pitch accents.If you go back and reproduce the items in 1) and 2) again, and this time concentrate on the area aroundtest, you will very likely notice a large difference in pitch pattern in this region in addition to what is going on at the end. The wordtest is a critical portion of the utterance in most prosodic analyses of English, because it is the last item which bears some degree of stress, usually called tonic or sentence stress. I chose this sentence because the words test sentence form a compound, and one of the peculiarities of English compounds is that they are most stressed on the first half. Thus,test is the most stressed syllable in the last content word in the sentence. In stressed locations such as this, English speakers also implement tonal events. Such events are often called pitch accents,, pitch because they involve parts of the pitch pattern, and accents because they are involved in making a particular(a) syllable more prominent. Stressing this syllable makes it stand out from its neighbors. Thus, the tonal events ontest are head-marking events.Here, like the boundary tones just discussed, there are tonal differences associated with different discourse conditions. In 1) you very likely will produce the stressed item with a high pitch somewhere on it, while in 2) you very likely will produce the stressed item with a relatively low pitch. Thus, the difference between vanilla statements and covert quest ions is not only in the presence of LL% boundary tones in one and in HH% boundary tones in the other, but also in the presence of a H accent in one, but a L accent in the other. Since there is a categorical difference in how you use pitch to stress the tonic item, you need to have a categorical difference between H* and L* accents. (The star here indicates that the tone is associated with the stressed syllable.)In addition to using relatively high and low pitch, there are more complicated insurrection and falling pitch accents which differ from the simple low and high accents in what they indicate. Our system captures these differences in the local use of pitch in the accent by combining Hs and Ls in various ways to get rises and fall. Thus, in addition to H* which indicates a chiefly high pitch around the stress and L* which indicates a generally low pitch around the stress, we can also have H+Ls (falling accents), and L+Hs (rising accents). To illustrate the difference between a simple H and a L+H, consider the following two conditions3)We will be having you read bunches of utterances for some obscure reasonrelated to why anyone would be interested in linguistics. The first is a testsentence. Its just there for practice.4)The first is not a real sentence, the first is a test sentence.In producing test sentence in 3), it is likely there will not be an appreciable rise in pitch, while in 4), where it declaredly contrasts with the precedingreal, it is likely that there will be an appreciable rise in pitch from the is a tot est. In fact, it is a general property of contrasting items that they get rendered with a relatively low pitch on the material preceding the stressed item and a sudden rise to a peak on the stressed syllable. If you read over 4) several times, emphasizing the contrast more and more each time, this rising pitch event associated witht est will become more and more apparent.. In 4) the rising accent is seen in the relationship in pitch betwe en the items immediately preceding the stressed syllable and the pitch on the stressed syllable itself. However, there are other examples of rising pitch accents in which the low pitch predominates in the stressed syllable, and the high does not become realized until very late in the syllable or in the following syllables. Pierrehumbert Hirschberg (1991) discuss fairly clear examples of this accent such as the following5) A Alans such a klutz.B Hes a good badminton player.Here the intended nub of the second response is that B is not sure that playing badminton qualifies one as not being a klutz. In the intended rendition there is a low pitch onbad and a rising pitch on the immediately following syllable, and then some other fall to a general low ending in LH% phrase tones. Another example they discuss is the following6) A Did you take out the garbage?B Sort of.A Sort of?Here, the intended rendition of Sort of starts low inso rt and rises, and then falls and rises again at the end . The intended meaning is very much like that in 5), namely, B is not really sure what she did counts as taking out the garbage. As rendition ofsort of in the last line has exactly the same pattern as Bs, a rise throughsort followed by a fall and a rise at the end, though the rises and falls are more exaggerated. Whats important in each of these cases,badminton in 5), and both sort ofs in 6), is that the stressed syllable exhibits a distinctly low pitch and the rise which comes much later than the rise in 4).In order to annotate this difference, Pierrehumbert used the * to indicate which part of the contour is to be associated with the stressed syllable. Thus, the contour in 4) is annotated as a L+H*, since the H part appears on the stressed syllable, and the L part simply comes some time before it. By contrast, the contour in 5) and 6) is annotated as a L*+H, since the L part happens on the stressed syllable, and the H part appears some time thereafter.Pitch Range. One final aspect of intonational modeling must also be mentioned, that is the notion of pitch range. As I noted above, the tone category sequences do not all by themselves determine the pitch contour for an utterance, but other non-linguistic (non- conventionalized) factors also affect the final realization of pitch. One approach to handling these less conventionalized effects, such as what may be due to emotional involvement, is to allow for modulation of the overall range of the pitch movements. The general approach used in most models is to specify a pitch window, which indicates the range of pitch to be used at any given time. The top of the window is where you find the Hs and the bottom of the window is where you find the Ls. This window can be affected by a number of different factors, which work in different ways. about factors are global in that they typically affect a large portion of speech. Take, for instance, the effects of emotional involvement. When people get irate, there is a stea dy likelihood that the both Hs and Ls will be higher, and that the difference between the Hs and Ls will be bigger. This larger and higher window will often affect entire sentences. You will also likely find such global shifts in window size if you examine how people do narratives which include parentheticals and quotations. Parentheticals often are rendered with a narrower window, while quotes often involve a larger window. Other factors which affect pitch range can be localized to one particular location in the utterance. The most commented upon is the effect of downstep (sometimes called catathesis). Downstep is a very regular lowering and narrowing of the pitch range which happens in the presence of the accents. In Pierrehumberts analysis, any tone which is composed of two tones (the rising L+H and falling H+L accents) also trigger downstep.You can easily imagine this effect in an emphatic rendition of the following sentence.7)I dont want horses and dogs I want sheep and cats.If you are contrasting horses with sheep and dogs with cats, you will very likely produce this sentence with L+H accents on all four items (probably L*+H onhorses anddogs, and L+H* onsheep andcat s). If you do so, you will also notice that the second item in each list,dogs andcat s, will both be lower in pitch than the first,horse s, andsheep. This conventionalized lowering is taken to be due to the downstepping effect of the complex rising accents.One can also see this conventionalized downstepping very clearly in phrases with multiple accents rendered in a finger-wagging lecturing style where the clear enwrapped of the style is to indicate that you should know this by now. For example,8) You just dont seem to get it. Insert tab A into slot B. Repeat it fourtimes.In this situation, the rendition of the last two sentences, which we can assume have been rendered several times before in the extended discourse, will likely not exhibit abundant rising or falling accents. Nevertheless, I have heard this sort sentence produced with clear downsteps between each accent. Due to sentences like these, one must conclude that the occurrence of downstep does not necessarily demand the obvious existence of rising or falling accents. In Pierrehumberts analysis, this is due to the H*+L tone category which is locally the same as a plain H*, except that it triggers the lecturing downstep effect. In other systems, such as the ToBI revision, this downstepping is marked with an explicit marker (an exclamation point placed before the affected accent.

On Identity, Amin Maalouf

On Identity, Amin MaaloufTo Be and Not To Be. In this book, Amin Maalouf, discusses ane of the about vital notions of the self identity operator element operator, in an analysis of historical and contemporary contexts aiming to reveal the misconceptions and abuses of this mode of recognition. Whether national, religious, ethnical or other, identity has been the prominent element and more than than a lot the instigator of serious upheavals in the world. He examines how we have come down to define ourselves and how certain modes of identification can be endangermentous. Every time identity is determined on the basis of a single form of affiliation, danger arises, since this often leads to fanaticism, whose various shades appe atomic number 18d throughout history and continues to exist in time. He attri providedes this to an ill understanding of identity and an unnecessary paranoid attempt of its preservation.The twain main themes of this work, religion and globalization, are corollary treated. The author provides a clarification of how these cardinal affect and form one another. He addresses the matter of religion, by trying to subtract how it came to emerge as the focal proponent of identity in present times via a chain of questions, attempting to understand its significant universal reemergence. He proposes round answers, attributing this phenomenon to the descent of Communism and Marxism, for instance, and how this is a reception to their emphasis on secularism.The author opposes the primacy of any kind of religious affiliation and calls upon a new element of association. He advocates the separation of church and identity, and affirms that this type of identifying affiliation ought to be replaced with a more humansistic one. He does not take a stance against religion per se, for he personally, as he explains, does not oppose religious affiliations and recognizes the perpetual significance of their nature. But as mentioned earlier he condemns the distraught tendency of shrinking identity down to one form of association. This regression of identity generates what he calls killer identities.I believe there exists another, similar form of regression, which he did not mention, one which I would call guilt identities .This is common among members of historically or currently exploited groups, who have developed a tendency to abuse such associations. almost Palestinians still do apply and obtain scholarships that were wholly assigned to their nationals at various higher educational institutions, for instance, when in fact they can afford to give birth for the whole student body. Another example of this would be the Jews redundant reference to the Holocaust. This abuse and manipulation of history, I find to be highly despicable and disrespectful, for the whole Jews that have all the right to refer to it I think are the ones who survived it. Similarly some African Americans use slavery or racism to give up their personal failu re, which is absurd for while racial discrimination can definitely be the case in some instances, major inequalities that exist and persist are because of class and lack of opportunity.Then the author turns to the issue of globalization, describing the power of its disseminating nature. In this discussion, he explains that the reason for the reemergence of religion lies in its power to gratify two of the most basic human yearnings, the need of belonging and that of spirituality. At the same time, he argues that because of this religion is being ascribed as the antidote to globalization.The author presents a very near analysis of religions ascent. However, his condemnation of the primacy of its affiliations appears simply irrational, for religion, like everything else, has its extremities, varying from fanaticism to apathy. It is these that tarnish its name, and it is these that should be condemned. Although I do acknowledge Maaloufs position and his attempt to reach a much more pro found and comprehensive link of association, such as humanity, I still do find it rather idealistic, almost utopian. For even though it is the only common trait across the globe, humanity has seldom succeeded in uniting nations history is a vigilant witness of that.In spite of its significance, populate have never treated humanity with high regards. I cannot conceive of a reason that would inspire them to acknowledge it now. I do agree that this human notion Maalouf proposes would be an ultimate global bliss, yet I do not think that the world is ready for it, given the tell of chaos it is in now due to political systems, materialistic notions or simply apathy. This is precisely why I think that religion, when taken for what it really is, as opposed to a set of dogmatic customized interpretations, would serve as an absolute unifier, which ever religion it might well be I am no fanatic myself to terra firma that my faith is the true one. We do not have to all ascribe to the same one (while that would be ideal, I am seeking to be reasonable). I know what faith is able to do to ones perception of life, and I do not think seeing the world through ones religion of choice turns a person into an extremist. Religion, when taken for what it really is, is the belief in being a part or pertaining to something bigger than ones self, a system of tolerance and preservation of the most basic rights and dignity. It can only gratify the human in you and not the opposite. We are all in need of that kind of touch to our souls, otherwise our lives would be like frameless pictures, dull and fragile.In addressing the tangible battle between identity and globalization, the book demonstrates how this clash has constantly been disregarded as a normal reaction to change and hence not in fact been taken seriously. It advocates that we as individuals ought to take this with real concern, since we are to the most part, subconsciously engaged in it. erudite who we are and where we sta nd is something we have come to take as evident, a conception that is shaken often times when an incident occurs, significantly altering things and put us on sides we did not know existed. It is this very specific state of consciousness that this essay is aiming to stir. The author explains that ones heritage can be divided into two types, vertical and horizontal, and affirms that our horizontal heritages have more affect on us than we realize. That is to say, when considered objectively, one actually has more commonalities with his contemporaries than with his ancestors. This point is worth contemplating deeply, I believe, since we do, by convention or denial, tend to primarily, if not exclusively, identify ourselves by our vertical heritages.This notion of heritage incorporates the true essence of identity for people tend to often times presume that identity is something fixed that you get at birth and anything past that would be treated as treason. In fact, it is the actual oppo site of that identity is a constant state of evolution. The vertical heritage is what is bestowed upon us at birth and then everything else one encounters in his life will build up ones horizontal heritage.These levels should be recognized and understood so one could have a solid and healthy perception of himself for as Maalouf stated it is necessary at this point in time to draw attention to the gulf that exists between what we are and what we think we are (Maalouf p.86)In their judgment of globalization, people should not forget that like any other medium, it is inherently neutral and holds the potentiality of both broad(a) and bad in it. Any medium is in a state of neutrality until used, and hence any condemnations of globalization would not only be groundless but ridiculous as well. The author attempts to demonstrate the potential good that globalization can bring he believes that such a phenomenon can help create a universal identity. He explains this by asserting that the o nly primary feature of identity that should be grasped is humanity and that this is the only type of affiliation that would never shrivel the concept since it is what we all have in common, heedless of our differences. Hence, I believe, the paranoid notion that by accepting this undeniable bond, people will risk becoming less of the individuals that they are is absurd. This specific type of heart is not exclusive in nature and therefore cannot possibly cause any sort of loss.This globaphobia, I believe, stems from basic human insecurities, for worship of the unknown instigates fear of the other, and fear of a universal identity is in reality a cling to existence. People will always try to distinguish themselves in arrangement to prove their presence. When a group of different people meet, they usually identify themselves by nationalities , and when a group of the same nationalities meet, identification becomes on a regional basis and when those of the same region meet, it boils down to areas and neighborhoods. These sub-levels of identity go even deeper, since every individualis unique and will continue to defend that singularity whenever a presumed threat is perceived.Hence, although the human universal identity that Maalouf is advocating might seem to be too unrealistic a demand from the world at present, it seems to be the more objective approach to any chance of peace, for nothing is more certain and real than humanity in its true form. Everything else is in the realm of terms and actions where intentions and motives rule, large the international arena a complex and slippery base. Humanity, on the other hand, is the only part of us that is irrefutable for one cannot merely pretend to be a human being (One could argue that history has produced examples of certain exceptions to that, such as seemingly inhumane tyrants practicing brutal depravity on the human race, but these are of no significance to my argument).This human connection, that Maalouf advoc ates, I believe is indeed the deepest of connections, whose depth emanates from the fact that it shatters all trivial ties and is subtly effortless. It is an ability we all be possessed of inherently by virtue of birth. And I believe that the reality of this was so adequately presented in this book. On Identity has undeniably enhanced my understanding of what identity really is, and has acquainted me with a couple of new theories as well, all while bringing into my consideration certain elements that I so plainly regarded as evident, I would definitely recommend it ,it was a pleasure to read.

Comparing the Secular Humanist, Machiavelli and the Religious Humanist,

Comparing the Secular Humanist, Machiavelli and the Religious Humanist, ErasmusOne can often identify a persons political, religious or cultural preference by his or her reaction to certain words. A case in point is the expression secular humanism. For religious conservatives those words sum up much(prenominal) of what is wrong with contemporary society. Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary gives several definitions for humanism, a word which made its appearance in 1832. The first is a reverence to the humanities or the revival of class, individualistic and critical spirit, and emphasis on secular concerns characteristic of the Renaissance. Renaissance is capitalized. Another definition reads as follows a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values, especially a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individuals dignity and worth and capacity for self-fulfillment through reason. Ousted from power and in exile from Florence, the city where he had served as a diplomat, Niccol Machiavelli wrote a famous how-to-do politics book called The Prince. That was nearly 500 old age ago and yet it holds a prophetic relevance for own age. Machiavelli fits both parts of our definition of humanism. On one hand, he was versed in the classics and providential by his study of the government of Republican Rome and his own experience thus he fits into the Renaissance period. On the other hand, he could be called a secular humanist because he rejects the authority of religion he trusts his own reason and informs us that he will deal only with the truth of the bet as facts show it (34). Most people today would agree with him that the state needs to restrict the power of the church. ... ...nt that held the political power. Machiavelli saw the need for liberation--liberation from religious ideology what counted in politics was getting the job done. Religion was unnecessary, only to be used as a kind of smoke screen for th e real disdain at hand. Erasmus used scholarship and wit to attack ignorance and corruption. He did not give up on the establishment nor did he turn his back on his faith. Both blind religious faith and cynical secularism threaten us today. Because I live in a society that claims to be religious, but operates accord to secular principles I suppose that I fear the latter more. The current disillusionment with politics shows all too well that Machiavelli has, in a sense, won. We pack that morality and religious convictions do not play an important role in politics. We are only beginning to reap the fruits of that victory.

Essay --

Teddy Roosevelt had a very eventful spirit including many political positions. He was known as very enthusiastic and energetic boy. When he was a kid the doctors told him he had a weak heart and told him to get a desk job. His family was very wealth as a kid he traveled nearly the world and due to his illnesses he was taught by tutors and he went through a very intense physical training regimen including boxing and weightlifting. He had a very brief military feel, but he received many a struggleds including Congressional Medal of Honor. Roosevelt life is split into his early life, Political life, and assistant secretary of US navy.Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 27, 1858. Teddy as a spring chicken boy hated the nickname Teddy. His father Theodore Roosevelt Sr. of Dutch heritage and his mother Martha Bulloch was known as a southern belle. His family owned a tripe import business. He spent most of his early life in his familys home getting homeschooled du e to his asthma and illness. This is where Teddy found his whap for animal life, but by his teens his dad made him follow a physical routine that included weightlifting and boxing. He went to college at Harvard and by his flash year his dad passed away and that caused him to constitute harder to achieve his goals. He was distraught because of his fathers death and wrote in his journal the aim and purpose of my life had been taken away. One of Roosevelts quote on hard work is Far and away, the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. Roosevelt graduated Harvard with high honors magna cum laude in 1880 and then he enrolled at Columbia Law School and venomous in love with Alice Hathaway Lee of Massachusetts. Instead of finishing Law schoo... ...nd ten days later they were out of combat and by august they were home and the war was over. Teddy later in life said this about the war the only trouble was that there was not enough war to go aroun d. This war gave Roosevelt many opportunities because of his actions at the Battle of San Juan hill he led his men up a hill on a risky way exposing himself to the enemy. He was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor, and then he was elected governor of New York in 1898. Roosevelt died in his sleep on January 6, 1919 in foresightful Island home. He was buried in the Youngs Memorial Cemetery in New York. Roosevelt throughout his life wrote more than twenty five books on history, biology, geography, and philosophy. Roosevelt was the first ever president to get the Medal of Honor. Roosevelt help fight for the hundreds of million acres of national forests in the US.