Music Comparison: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Ludwig Van Beethoven

Music Comparison: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Ludwig van Beethoven Inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven and the ideas of Romanticism, the new group of composers in music were born. One composer, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, grew to love composing music, like Beethoven. The child prodigies both delighted in learning and performing music at a young age. Hensel learned music from many different teachers, but Beethoven was taught by more known instructors. Although the two composers both lived in Germany, they created very different compositions.While Hensel and Beethoven have many differences between them, there are also similarities, which are sometimes over looked. Music was always a large part of both Hensel and Beethoven’s lives, beginning from when they were children. The composers grew up only four hours away from each other, yet in both households, they were composing music at a young age. The first person to teach Beethoven music was his own father. Hensel’s first teache r; her own mother.At the age of twelve, Hensel started writing her own music, while Beethoven was composing by eleven years of age. These composers started writing at a very early age, proving that they are musical geniuses. Considering the many teachers the composers had, it would explain how they could create such beautiful music. Beethoven had many noteworthy teachers while Hensel was taught by many lesser-known, but just as talented, educators. Once Beethoven’s father’s teachings had reached it’s end, he was taught by Gottlob Neefe.Neefe taught mainly the organ and compositions to Beethoven and made a comment saying that â€Å"If he continues like this, he will be, without a doubt, the new Mozart† Although his teachers helped him greatly, Beethoven gave his first performance before any educator had taught him, when he was seven and a half, at Cologne, a large city in Germany. Her parents first taught her what was normally expected from a child, but la ter Hensel was taught by tutors the aspects of music. Some notable teachers that Hensel studied under were Marie Bigot, Ludwig Berger, and Carl Friedrich Zelter.Hensel only performed once in public when she was twelve years old, from memory. Although she was very talented, Hensel’s father demanded that she never play music for a living, but maintain the role of a normal woman in their time. Hensel obeyed her father, but Felix Mendelssohn, her younger brother, was willing to help in her career. Mendelssohn was also musically talented and performed for the courts, sometimes playing Hensel’s works that she composed. Once when Mendelssohn was performing for Queen Victoria, she was very impressed and mentioned that the work â€Å"Italien† was her favorite.Mendelssohn then admitted that that was his sister’s work. Hensel often composed lieders, bagatelles, fugues, preludes, sonatas, and choral and instrumental ensemble music, showing her versatility of music th at she could perform and compose. One of her more famous works; â€Å"Oratorium nach den Bildern der Bibel† was a cantata. Another example of Hensel’s compositions is one of her lieders, â€Å"Swan Song†. Beethoven, though partially deaf in his late twenties or early thirties, composed chamber music, sonatas, symphonies, songs, quartets and more. He was almost completely deaf when Beethoven wrote his third to eighth symphony.Many of Beethoven’s works are more famous than Hensel’s, but his most famous symphonies are the fifth and seventh symphonies. The many works that Hensel and Beethoven wrote were different than each other’s, but Beethoven is often known to help inspire the Romantic period composers. These two composers inspire many others to write and perform music throughout the world. There are many similarities between the two composers, even if Beethoven died only twenty-two years after Hensel was born. The two were great composers an d musicians starting in childhood, increasing their knowledge of music early on. Though, they did not learn on their own.Many different teachers, composers, and musicians taught and influenced Hensel and Beethoven. These composers prospered greatly in their careers, expanding their knowledge more every day. Although Hensel and Beethoven have passed on, they will both leave a great footprint on music for generations to come. References Anonymous(n. d. ) Music History: Resource Center. Retrieved from http://academic. cengage. com/music/book_content/049557273X_wrightSimms_DEMO/index. html Anonymous(n. d. ) Facts about Beethoven. Retrieved from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/facts-about-beethoven. html Anonymous(n. d. ) Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, 1805-1847.Retrieved from http://lcweb2. loc. gov/diglib/ihas/loc. natlib. ihas. 200156440/default. html Anonymous(n. d. ) Biography: Beethoven’s Life. Retrieved from http://www. lvbeethoven. com/Bio/BiographyLudwig. html Estrella, E. (n . d. ) Profile of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel. Retrieved from http://musiced. about. com/od/famousmusicians1/p/fmendelssohn. htm? rd=1 Estrella, E. (n. d. ) Profile of Ludwig van Beethoven. Retrieved from http://musiced. about. com/od/classicalmusicians/p/beethoven. htm Estrella, E. (n. d. ) Music of the Romantic Period. Retrieved from http://musiced. about. com/od/historyofmusic/a/romanticmusic. htm? rd=1

A Critical Review of the Theory of Person Centred Essay

In counselling and psychotherapy, it is fundamental aspect for practitioners to use theory as a way of informing the way the work with a client. (McLeod). The goal of this essay is to explore the humanistic personality theory of Carl Rogers. The essay will begin by giving a summary of key theoretical construct which includes Rogers’s view of self, his view of human condition and his rational for improvement of these conditions and then give examples to how such instances play out in clinical practice with a client using a published case material. The essay addresses how a psychoanalytic practitioner might have approached his work differently with the same client, and finally the essay proposes and provides directions for future research. Different personality theories have put forward varieties of explanations for behaviour and what constitutes a person. Carl Rogers developed a theory of personality in the early 1940s known as a theory of client centred and later came to be called person centred theory. The theory of person centred is a theory of personality or concept of a person. The Person centred counselling is a non directive therapy that begins and ends with experience. The concept of experiencing makes the phenomenological stance very important to person centred approach. The concept of experience includes feelings, action tendencies and thoughts which is constantly changing. (McLeod) According to Rogers, both the therapist and the clients are trustworthy beings. This trust starts with the belief that people are capable of reaching their full potential and hence they do not require irect intervention from the therapist in order to understand themselves or resolve their problems. They are capable of self-directed growth or actualizing tendency if they are trusted by their therapist whose role is to establish the best possible condition for its fulfilment. The therapist aim is to constantly empower a person’s autonomy which leads to development of capacities to maintain and enhance growth towards becoming. The concept of actualising tendency is the only motivation force in the theory. (Corey, 2005). In Person centred, the ‘self is a central construct in this theory. Human beings are viewed as having individual uniqueness, with a complex personality unlike any other human being and they are acting to fulfil two needs, which are self actualization and need to be love and valued by others. Therefore person centred therapist understands that to uncover subjective perceptual world of the client can be very difficult and only clients themselves can do this with great effort. Client’s perception of their world depends on the social evaluations experiences they have had into their self concept. If a person is accepted and at the same time disapproved, their self concept is exposed to condition of worth. The ‘self’ is related to a distinctly psychological form of actualizing tendency known as ‘self actualization tendency’. This means the realization of individual potential in accordance with one’s conscious view of what one is. The development of self concept and self actualization are connected to secondary needs which are needs for positive regards from others and needs for positive self regards which are assumed to be more likely learned from childhood. Favoured behaviours are consistence with the person self concept. Locus of evaluation is another idea which is connected with the understanding of the operation of self concept. This is the idea that people could be guided by their defined beliefs and attitudes when evaluating and making judgement about issues. If they rely heavily on external evaluation they continue to be exposed to conditions of worth, and therefore, person centred therapist encourages the client to acknowledge and act based on their internal locus of evaluation. Human beings are seen has having capacity to strive for fulfilment and growth. Rogers referred this capacity as the ‘ideal self’. Enabling a person to move in the direction of their self defined ideals is major aim of the person centred therapy. Human beings are viewed as fully functioning persons who are open to experience and able to live existentially, trusting in own organism, expresses feelings freely, acts independently, are creative and lives a richer life which involve a process and a direction, and not a destination (Rogers, 1961, p. 186). Therapy can develop and psychologically change those who do not have an optimal childhood in order restore the organismic valuing process (Rogers, 1959). This idea portrays an importance strand contrast to psychoanalysis whose orientation of their theory as reflected by Freud was towards understanding and explaining pathology or illness. There are three important aspects to the therapist’s approach; congruence, unconditional positive regard and accurate empathic understanding. These are three core conditions that facilitate the actualization and growth. These conditions relate to the shared journey in which therapists and clients reveal their humanness and participate in a growth experience together. Its only when these core values are offered, that social environment is generated into client’s condition of worth. By adopting an open and caring stance in the relationship, problems are safely explored, client facades are breached and the client become empowered to direct their own life Congruence strongly refers to the authenticity and genuineness of the therapist during the therapy session. The therapist outer expression need to reflect their inner feelings, as a result this helps client to begin to adopt the same attitudes towards themselves. Being congruent and authentic also implied development of a positive alliance between the therapist and the client. However self disclosure doesn’t relate to the disclosure of all inner feelings and reaction by the therapist, but well timed and appropriate self disclosure. Unconditional positive regard refers to genuineness, acceptance and true caring of a client without any conditions. This involves true caring which is unconditional regardless of the client’s behaviour wether good or bad. There is a strong belief that if a client is cared for and accepted unconditionally, they begin to experience a sense of worthiness. This also empowers the client to respect themselves by listening and trusting their inner feelings. The therapist behaviour needs to communicate a warm, caring and an acceptance atmosphere which empowers the client to express their feelings freely, without having fear of losing their therapist acceptance. Empathic understanding refers to therapist deep and sensitive understanding of their client’s feelings as they emerged during therapy session. The therapist endeavour to understand their clients’ experiences in the here-and-now. This implies that the therapist view and sense the client’s world as their own, but without being caught in them. Reflection and clarification are the two processes involve in the facilitation of empathetic understanding. The therapist reflects back to client what they have said in order to reflect non judgemental understanding of client statements and conveyance of their presence in their client’s journey. This encourages client to become reflective themselves. Clarification involves the therapist repeating the meaning of the expressions to the client after hearing a set of remarks from them. Recently there have been new development in person centred theory although the root of the theory is still based on Rogerian’s ideas. Mearns and Thorne (1988) wrote the classic ‘manual’ of person centred practice, but their idea too, were largely based on early work and knowledge. These have been debated by many, but it was until in the 1990s that saw considerable new ideas which have achieved greater support among the person centred community. These crucial ideas are the pluralistic self, the nature of relational depth, and the concept of difficult process. The pluralistic self refers to idea that there is existence of different parts of self, which stands for specific units of the experiences and individual’s identity. Different approaches such as gestalt, object relation and theory of transactional analysis have incorporated the idea of ‘pluralistic self’, as central to their practice. However this idea is not far from Rogers, description of self. Even though Rogers view self as a unitary structure, he acknowledged that changes occurred during process of growth, fulfilment and self actualization but influenced by internal conflict. Mearn and Thorne (2000) looked further on this issue and argue that practitioners and theorist view the self differently, and therefore there have always been an indirectly ‘self split’ between ‘growthful part’ of the self and ‘not for growth part’. For example, depressed have unpleasantly blamed their feelings, thoughts and action frequently, although this criticism have been viewed as beneficial to others, as it helps them to understand their inner critic and become knowledgeable about this specific part of self. Other researchers have raised the idea that the self can be a group of related voices, which have been found to be useful to person centred tradition. (Still & Glick 2002 ). In Person centred practice it elieved that the key to effective counselling depend on the quality of therapeutic relation, however Roger’s core conditions accounts for limited in-depth explanation about therapeutic relation, neither is Border (1979) alliance model. (Cooper 2004. ). In attempt to a more comprehensive explanation of highly productive therapeutic relation, Mearn and Cooper (2005) came up with their analysis of the nature of relational depth which means a very intense state where individuals’ engagement and contact is tr uly real with each other, and in which the connectedness and sense of contact between therapist and client is continuous. Schimid (2007) argues that the therapist needs to open and understands the other side of the client by seeking and establishing ‘Thou-I’relationship,in order for the client to feel a sense of real connectedness in the relationship. Finally, the concept of difficult process developed by (Warner 2002a) refers to the idea an individual perceive their world differently and process their experiences such as thoughts feelings and action tendencies differently. However person centred practitioners have always generalised model of process for clients regardless of situations. According to Warner (2002a) there are two main difficult processes, the first one is called fragile process which occurs due difficulty in maintaining or the steady processing experiential material. In this process the person lose the problematic feelings and thoughts and all that he was exploring disappears. The other difficult process is called dissociated process which occurs when a person jumps from one area of experience to another. This may be due to a client trying to protect painful memories and diverting his attention to a unimportant things. Mearn and Thorne (2007) included a further example of difficult process known as Ego-syntonic process which means a person becomes self centred due to fear of social relationships. Prouty et al (2002), suggest that in order for a person to begin to emerge from difficult process and fully engaged with her experiences there is a need of attentive empathic engagement by the therapist.

All in the Family Essay Example for Free

All in the Family Essay Throughout one’s life, things are going to grow and change, yet one thing will always remain the same, one’s family. This social unit, whether it be related by blood or the love that comes from a family will always remain strong. While taking a look at two narratives, we will discuss the lessons learned, family functions, extended family, and the impressions that are made upon the readers of these stories. Taking a look at these powerful narratives, we as readers see many lessons that are learned throughout these pieces of writing. Taking a look at the narrative, An Indian Story by Roger Jack, this non-nuclear family shows us the readers, the lesion of who can and could be considered family. This important lesson shows how although his Aunt Greta is not immediate family like his father would be; she becomes immediate in his time of need. â€Å"My home and academic life improved a lot after I had moved in with Aunt Greta† (Jack 53). This improvement of life for these characters shows how this social network made of defined characters were able to adapt and transform to the ever-changing needs and circumstances of its â€Å"family† members. Moving on to the much different narrative entitled, Looking for Work by Gary Soto were we take a look at a nuclear family that is much different. The life of a Mexican American boy who strives for nothing less than for his family to be â€Å"perfect† like he sees on TV. His longing for the, â€Å"Father looks on in his suit. The mother, decked out in earrings and a pearl necklace, cuts into her steak and blushes. Their conversation so politely clipped† (Soto 29). These constant strives to be perfect and rich consumed most of his time. Yet by the end of this narrative, he would finally learn the most important lesson of all, his family is who they are. Much like Gary Soto in his story, Looking for Work I learned the same exact lesson. Although my family may have been crazy and somewhat embarrassing they are who they are and there was nothing I could do about it. My family was always going to be there for me no matter what and I couldn’t love them more for that. Throughout these two narratives, everyone experienced the presence of family in some form or another and I have to say, I don’t know what I would do without mine. While reading these stories I found a few similarities between the families in the stories and my own family that really stood out to me. First, the importance of 3family in general. I cannot stress enough how important my family is to me; yet when I was a child, much like the boys in these stories, I did not realize it. Another similarity I shared with these stories was how close I was to my grandma like Roger Jack was to his Aunt Greta. This warmed my heart because I love my grandma and so many instances throughout that narrative reminded me of my grandma and I. Much like when Roger stated, â€Å"I walked to Aunt Greta’s and asked if I could move in with her since I had already spent so much time with her anyway† (Jack 53). Yet one way in which my family is different from the families in these narrative is that I was blessed to have a mom and a dad growing up and I could not be more thankful for that. Growing up is an important time in any child’s life. Whether it is like the boys in these narratives or anyone else; that is a time for you to grow and shape into an individual. I believe that the environment I grew up in was a good thing for me and it shaped my entire worldview. I grew up with great yet strict parents, a loving, caring, hard working mom and housewife, and a tough, hard working, funny father. Together they taught me to work for everything I have because later in life nothing was going to be handed to me. I was taught a great work ethic and good morals from the very beginning. I believe that because of those teachings by my great parents, I am the person I am today. Extended family most definitely differed between the two narratives yet the importance was there. As with my extended family, we are very close, especially with my mom’s mom Erna. I always grew up with her right across the street and I loved every minute of it! She was always there for me and I always had fun whenever I was with her. I remember her cooking for me and us gardening together. Although the dictionary considers grandparents extended family, I do not. My grandma was so close to my family, especially my mom and I that to me she is immediate family. The importance of extended family and family in general to me is practically my life. I would do anything for them just as they would for me. I am so grateful to have such a close immediate and an extended family in my life. Looking at both narratives, there was one that made a more powerful impression upon me as a reader. Looking for Work by Gary Soto really stood out to me for one reason, the lesson. I believe in the fact that your family is who they are and there is nothing that you can do about it besides accept them. I love how Gary realized at the end that his family was not going to be like the family on Father Knows Best and that was ok. I think that made such an impression on me because I was the same way when I was little, I hated when my parents would make jokes and be silly but as I was growing up I grew to love it. My family is who they are and I love them for it! I wouldn’t trade my family for anything in the world and by the end of the story Gary seemed to feel the same way. In the beginning, Gary would be so frustrated when his siblings would wear bathing suits to dinner, when he had specifically asked them to dress up. Yet towards the end of the story such change took over Gary. â€Å"That evening at dinner we all sat down in our bathing suits to eat our beans, laughing and chewing loudly† (Soto 29). This quote is a prime example of the change that underwent the main character and showed the point in which he accepted everyone at that table for who they were, family. Works Cited Jack, Roger. â€Å"An Indian Story.† Ed. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Rereading America Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2010. 52-61. Print. Soto, Gary. â€Å"Looking for Work.† Ed. Robert Cullen and Bonnie Lisle. Rereading America Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Ed. Gary Colombo. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2010. 26-31. Print. All in the Family. (2017, Jan 13).

Case Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case Portfolio - Essay Example 4. Facts : â€Å"The City of Ferndale, Michigan, adopted a comprehensive ordinance regulating massage parlors. Parlor owners contested the constitutionality of the ordinance, claiming that the warrantless search provision was in violation of the Fourth Amendments prohibition of unreasonable searches. Court of appeals held the searches to be unconstitutional; City appealed.† (www.swlearning.com/blaw/cases/warrantless_searches.html) 8. Rule of the Case : The right against unreasonable searches exists under the Fourth Amendment but an exemption from the search warrant requirement exists for administrative inspections of closely regulated industries.( www.swlearning.com/blaw/cases/warrantless_searches.html) 9. Reasons : Persons choosing to engage in a pervasively regulated business know that their business will be subject to effective inspection. The right to privacy must be balanced with the right of the state’s police power. (www.swlearning.com/blaw/cases/warrantless_searches.html) 4. Facts : â€Å"The FDA was sued "from enforcing policies restricting certain forms of manufacturer promotion of off-label uses for FDA-approved drugs and devices." The policies are expressed through complex and detailed Guidance Documents controlling manufacturer distribution of reprints of medical textbooks and peer-reviewed journal articles, and manufacturer involvement in continuing medical education and symposia.† (www.swlearning.com/blaw/cases/fda_limits.html) 6. Issue(s) : Whether FDA could limit any pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturer or other person from disseminating to medical professionals articles and textbooks published by independent publishers and by bona fide peer-review journals. 9. Reasons : â€Å"The regulations in question violate the Supreme Court’s Central Hudson test for commercial speech. Less intrusive regulations could address the concerns of

Racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Racism - Essay Example Patterns of racism keep transforming over time and a more universal definition of racism is "Prejudice or discrimination by one group toward others perceived as a different 'race', plus the power to enforce it." Groups of students may be almost identical physiologically, yet be divided against each other on the basis of culture, language, religion, nationality, or any combination of the above which is not an uncommon experience in schools. Teachers tend to pay more attention to "white" students in the group because subconsciously they relate "white" to etiquette, opulence and high society even though it might not always be true. Prolonged influence of racialised opinions from families and society in general results in preconceived notion which shows up as an attitudinal bias. Whatever the roots of racism may be, it tends to perpetuate itself. A group of students are defined as "lesser" and denied access to resources, then the results of such denial is used to justify defining them as "lesser." "Racism" is never shrugged off. For example, when a White Georgetown Law School student reported earlier this year that black students are not as qualified as White students, it set off a booming, national controversy about "racism." The dogma has logical consequences that are profoundly important. If blacks, for example, are equal to Whites in every way, what accounts for their poverty, criminality, and dissipation Since any theory of racial differences has been outlawed, the only possible explanation for black failure is White racism. And since blacks are markedly poor, crime-prone, and dissipated, the global society must be racked with pervasive racism because nothing else could be keeping them in such an abject state. Racialisation is not a natural concept, rather it was born and perpetuated within the society and the feeling of "color-bias" has been passing over along with genetic material over the generations ever-since. It is argued by socio-biologists and some schools of psychoanalysis that our instincts are programmed to hate those different to us by evolutionary and developmental mechanisms. As the world is turning into a global village, the inter-mixing of cultures is inevitable; hence, the population of children with a mixed ethnicity is on a rise. Racial identity becomes more a matter of concern than it was ever before and the new generation is not paranoid about accepting and even experimenting with different cultural factors like language, food, music and attire. This has been aptly demonstrated in Helen Wullff's research ( South London, 1980) on inter-racial friendships in which a group of teenage girls from different and mixed cultural backgrounds were observed for relationships and p eer acceptance and bonding. On the other hand, any scan of urban or suburban school districts and classrooms will demonstrate that students are still kept unequal along racialized lines; private conversations between teachers, administrators or students clearly demonstrate that race does still factor in to how people treat, fear and relate to each other. It is virtually impossible to fix racial inequality and improve race relations without talking

Are the European banks riskier than the US competitors for the period Essay

Are the European banks riskier than the US competitors for the period 2002-2007 yang - Essay Example The crisis was caused due to the failure of many banking sector across the world. The firms which had failed in UK allowed their businesses to overextend through risk taking and excessive leverage, over dependence on risky product streams like derivatives or buy-to-let mortgages, poor decisions of management in respect of acquisitions, over reliance on wholesale funding. The project describes the position of European banks and its US competitors during the period of global financial crisis and which banks were more riskier during that time. Introduction Unprecedented innovation and growth have been seen in the financial sector over the past two decades as new products and higher returns have been sought by the investors in the era of low interest rates. Banks also had an obligation to understand the risks to which they are exposed. The complexity of certain financial instruments and the interconnected developed global market often did not provide well understanding of the dangers inv olved with the banks, its investors and boards, central banks and regulators (HM Treasury, 2009). The risk models of banks were proved as flawed which was based on incomplete application of principles of finance. It was believed that risks had been widely distributed throughout the financial system by the method of securitisation but it proved as mistaken and risks posed by global increase in leverage were under-estimated. The remuneration policies of banks have contributed to the riskiness of financial system as they focussed too much on short term profit. Market discipline also proved as an ineffective constraint on risk taking in financial markets (Independent Commission on Banking, 2011).There were certain deficiencies in the corporate governance of banking institutions. The board of banks failed to understand this and they got prone to the risk management processes of their firms. The senior management also did not question on the sustainability and nature of achieved higher re turns. Many institutional shareholders were not able to monitor the effectiveness of senior management of banks nor did they challenge the decisions of board of bank. Generally, the banks and investors rely on the assessments of credit rating agency but they did not supplement the ratings with conclusions from the view point of their own analysis. The central banks and regulators, commentators and other authorities underestimated the risks built up in the financial system. The banks were exposed largely to the vehicles of off-balance sheet financing and lack of transparency. Literature Review Financial crisis of US bank The global economy was experiencing unprecedented level of financial turbulence. This was triggered by a downturn in US housing market, particularly the sub-prime end of the market. The instability grew steadily following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, an US investment bank. Initially, the investors realised that they have misjudged the risk in securities linked to low quality US sub-prime mortgages. Consequently, prices fall leading to heavy losses to the holder of assets. Then the investors became concerned about which of their counterparties are exposed to these losses and began to charge a higher risk premium to

Information Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information Security - Essay Example The next morning, Barry McPherson, their EVP, released a statement that was well phrased, but still unapologetic. Again, this was the wrong person to give such an announcement. The public relations and brand management team should have been the first people to make the announcement as it hurt their company’s image. The fact that the announcements were made by a spokesman and the EVP was damaging since their announcements came off as unapologetic, considering the major inconveniences suffered by their clients. The apology eventually came from the EVP, followed closely by the CEO three days after the malfunction of their anti-virus software (Harkins, 2013). This was too late, and the damage to McAfee as a trusted brand had already been done. If the CIO had liaised with the brand and public relations people, the issue would have been solved with less frustration from the clients. In this aspect, while McAfee was able to arrest the situation with relative speed, the communication of the malfunction was more damaging than the malfunction (Harkins, 2013). The effect that the anti-virus malfunction had on ordinary everyday computer users shows that the world is becoming too reliant on information systems. They have taken over the everyday running of organizations, as well as daily planning for individuals. Information systems are now used to store most of the information and transfer the information (Harkins, 2013). The use of cell phones and computers to communicate has gone up tremendously in the last ten years. It is almost impossible to imagine what life was like when one had to use a cell phone or write a letter. Increasingly, enterprises are transacting businesses using technology and most accounting is now information system based. The use of information system has also become indispensable to decision making and logistics for most medium and big organizations (Harkins, 2013). Finally, even government agencies are now reliant on information systems. This shows that, as a society, information systems have begun to define how man interacts with information. The advancement of information systems have been good for society and arguing otherwise overlooks how easy it has made decision making at multiple levels. However, this heightened use has ensured that the law of unintended consequences will apply (Harkins, 2013). In the case of any breach or failure for these systems, the consequences will be far reaching, particularly, if it is on a large scale. Over-reliance on information systems has made society a little more vulnerable. The use of passwords and pin numbers to guard these systems is basic to the threatening vulnerability. Because the society now uses interconnected systems for majority of their activities from banking, to food supply, to power, if anything goes wrong with the systems or they are sabotaged, the effects will be widespread. The collapse of information system networks due to cyber-attacks by terrorists or system f ailures, there would be mild paralysis (Harkins, 2013). As can be seen, the McAfee anti-virus update failure caused a lot of inconveniences to their clients. The reimbursement for reasonable expenses was the right thing to do, particularly for those home clients who were hit by the fault. In fact, McAfee was obligated legally to reimburse its clients (Harkins, 2013). Software is dealt with in the US and EU by the consumer guarantee act and other similar acts These require that, in a situation where

Constitutional convention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Constitutional convention - Essay Example by the bankruptcy it was steeped in, and could not afford to compensate the military for their services in the Revolutionary warfare, or settle the loans approved to finance the war effort. By 1786, United States was insolvent. Additionally, the liberal country experienced a lot more other challenges and threats. States were ravine with the war of economic bigotry against trade from other states. Southern states locked horns with northern states for economic benefit. The nation was badly prepared to fight a war; this prompted other countries to doubt whether pacts with the United States were really up to the task of the paper they were written on. Ever so, the American citizenry suffered from the indignant conceit, as European countries rejected the United States as a mediocre republic. America’s money lending class was deeply steeped in anxiety. It is these troubles existent in the Confederation of States which persuaded the Continental Congress, in the fall of February 1787, to convene for a conference of delegates to rally in May in Philadelphia (McClellan 1-2). For three and a half consecutive months throughout a sweltering, clammy Philadelphia summer, the delegates argued about outstandingly perceptive issues, including whether the national government should be permitted to sanction state laws and whether the states should be abolished. To hearten the delegates to articulate unequivocally, the Constitutional Convention seized astonishing foot paths to guarantee confidentiality. Guards were stationed at the doors of Independence Hall, and no replicas of the periodical were tolerable. Delegates were advised to raze their annotations (Linder 1). The Virginia Plan that was originally written by James Madison but offered by Edmund Randolph favored a national legislature separated into two houses, that is: the senate and the House of Representatives. Ideally, electorates in every state would vote members of the House of Representatives. Even more, the American

Tissue engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tissue engineering - Essay Example ed to traditional methods as it solves twin problems of donor scarcity and the risks of tissue transplant rejection including transmission of diseases (Gomes & Reis, 2004, p. 738). Tissue engineering is a relatively new field of research and there is a paucity of certain academic scientific materials and research studies. It is expected this new field will have a big impact on the provision of health care in the coming years when more complex bio-materials are needed for functional tissues like bones, cartilage or large bone segments (ibid.) and even complex organs. Stem cell research has been very useful so far but there are so many ethical and other moral issues involved which has stymied large-scale efforts in this direction. Tissue engineering has no such ethical considerations as it does not involve embryonic stem cells. This new process holds much promise from the medical and economic standpoints as it skirts moral issues while potentially offering much lower costs to the patients. As example, the world market for bone grafts shows 50% are from autologous grafts while only 10% are from synthetic bio-materials thereby indicating substantial room for growth in terms of unmet market need. This entirely different approach intends to help diseased, defective or lost tissues to regenerate themselves or develop biologically-acceptable substitutes using homogeneous or heterogeneous cells. The new technique is alternatively called as regenerative medicine or as re-constructive medicine using either autogeneic cells or foreign cells. In the course of conducting research, medical scientists accidentally found out statins are very helpful in the formation of bone tissues. This coincidental or accidental discovery is very much reminiscent of the way Viagra (sildenafil citrate) was discovered to be helpful in curing ED while in the course of conducting research for finding a cure of many heart-related ailments like pulmonary arterial hypertension, angina pectoris and

Gorilla Behavior and Human Behavior Essay Example for Free

Gorilla Behavior and Human Behavior Essay Gorillas are often seen in the movies and television shows are big monster that people have to learn to deal with in the long run. Sometimes, gorillas are portrayed as scary creatures. There are times, however, when gorillas are shown as friendly animals which are a lot like human beings. Gorillas can be described and defined in many ways, especially with the help of mass media. Then again, in a scientific context, here is a gorilla really is: The Gorillas Population: There are a lot of living primates in the world, and the largest of its kind are gorillas. These are herbivores that live by dwelling on the ground. Most gorillas are found in Africa, especially in the forests of the said country (Alverdes, 1969). Gorillas survive very well in subtropical or tropical forests although a lot of them thrive in mountains and in different elevations. Elevated areas where gorillas can be found are the Virunga Volcanoes in Albertine Rift. Some gorillas thrive in the lowlands, too, where lots of them are found in marshes, swamps and thick forests (Alverdes, 1969). Gorillas Family Life: The family life of gorillas shows how much similar they are to humans. Gorillas are considered social creatures who typically build harems. Harems, in this context, means that silver back male gorillas will live with its offsprings and a lot of adult female gorillas (Alverdes, 1969). Then again, with the gorillas that live in mountains, only 40% of which have various closely-related male gorillas (Alverdes, 1969). Generally, gorillas groups contain more females than males. In fact, males in the gorillas family are considered â€Å"left-overs†. Male gorillas go round and about the forests alone. The male gorillas, being loners themselves, make up only five to ten percent of the general population of gorillas. An all-male group of gorillas even exists, all of which are found in elevated areas. This all-male gorillas group is called the mountain gorillas (Alverdes, 1969). Gorilla groups come in different sizes. On the average, there are only four to ten members in a gorilla group. It was in the Central African Republic where the largest gorilla group was found. The largest gorillas group was made up of 52 gorillas (Alverdes, 1969). Gorilla groups have leaders, too. What, then, happens when the leader of the gorilla group dies? It is either the whole group just gets dissolved, or a gorilla takes over. Like humans, gorillas have standards, too. The only gorilla who can take over the leadership is the son of the leader who passed away. If not, then it should be the subordinate silver back male gorilla (Alverdes, 1969). These western lowland gorillas are one of the sub-species of the family of gorillas. Each group is composed of ten gorillas and sometimes only six. The leader is the strongest and the fiercest male called the silver back gorilla (Alverdes, 1969). The leaders of such group are challenged, too, to know who deserves to take over. Adolescent males wait until they grow big enough for the challenge and if they dont get the leadership in their hands, they can always leave home and be the leader of the new family he will have to build (Alverdes, 1969). Recent studies show that the 100,000 lowland gorillas in the western part of Africa are no longer 100,000. Today, there may only be around 50,000 gorillas left because of the trade in ape meat (which is illegal) and also because of a disease caused by ebola virus (Alverdes, 1969). Gorillas – A Lot Like Humans? Now here are some behavioral patterns that make gorillas and human beings similar to each other: Gorillas are generally aggressive creatures. Their aggressive behaviors found in the human population are their habit of headlong charge, roaring very loudly and beating their own chest (Derbyshire, 2007). With this, it goes to show that gorillas have a macho reputation like humans. However, despite this reputation, these creatures are very gentle especially when it is their time to eat their meals. Researches show that they also have the habit of cleaning their faces and fingers especially when they just finished consuming their food in a messy manner. If humans use water and soap to clean their fingers and faces, gorillas use giant leaves to replace what humans would call as napkins (Derbyshire, 2007). Dr Noelle Kumpel, a researcher from the Zoological Society of London in West Africa, was surprised when he saw how gorillas used leaves as napkins. How do gorillas do this? They simply tear big leaves from trees and plants. Gorillas wipe their hands and mouths after a meal. No one can deny that is a very basic human activity because before and after eating, humans really clean themselves up. They wash their hands and clean their mouths and dry themselves with a dry towel (Derbyshire, 2007). It has been mentioned awhile ago that gorillas, like humans, are social beings, too. Whatever image of gorillas there is that is portrayed on the television and the cinema are not any inch close to how they are in person. Gorillas are very gentle and delicate creatures, sometimes even gentler and more delicate than human beings. Members of the Zoological Society of London in West Africa observed the behaviors of gorillas in Gabon, a conversation park where lowland gorillas are found. They learned and witnessed with their very own eyes how gentle gorillas are compared to chimpanzees. They show sings of sympathy, friendship and leadership among themselves (Derbyshire, 2007). Another amazing thing about gorillas is that, like humans, they care about their diet, too. Observers discovered that gorillas follow a vegetarian diet. They only eat whatever they see around them, but it is limited only to fruits and leaves (Derbyshire, 2007). Like human beings, gorillas care about how they look. If they see a mud, bug or a flee in another gorillas body, they take it away from that gorillas body. It clearly goes to show that gorillas take pride in their hair which they consider a very significant part of their family life as gorillas (Derbyshire, 2007). Another surprising behavior that gorillas have is that they are technologically minded. If their cousin chimpanzees use stones, twigs and other tools to get some food, gorillas do it differently (Derbyshire, 2007). Like humans, gorillas find better ways to make life easier and more convenient for them. Gorillas use sticks to get to the other side of the pools and swamps or in some other areas they will otherwise not reach without the help of the sticks (Derbyshire, 2007). In A Nutshell: To summarize the whole study, what, in general, makes the gorillas similar to human beings? It is how they behave in a given environment and how they react to situations. It is with the way gorillas try to survive. It is with their ability to think. Not all animals will think about removing flees from another animals hair because only gorillas and human beings know the value of cleanliness and hygiene. The same goes with how gorillas tear giant leaves from trees and plants to clean themselves up after a meal. What makes gorillas and human beings a lot like each other is their ability to think, plan and execute the plans to come up with a result. It is basically about wanting to win the battle of survival called life which other creatures wouldnt even be aware of. Works Cited: Alverdes, Friedrich. â€Å"The Social Life in the Animal World. † Routledge Press, 1999. Ciochon, Russell and John Fleagle. â€Å"Primate Evolution and Human Origins. † Aldine Transaction Press, 1987. Derbyshire, David. 20 June 2007. â€Å"How gorillas have perfect manners at meal times. † Daily Mail. 13 May 2008 http://www. dailymail. co. uk/pages/live/articles/news/news. html? in_article_id=463365in_page_id=1770. Fossey, Dian. â€Å"Gorillas in the Mist. † Houghton Mifflin Books, 1988. Taylor, Andrea Beth and Michele Lynn Goldsmith. â€Å"Gorillas Biology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. † Cambridge University Press, 2004.

The Kite Runner Religion Theme

The Kite Runner Religion Theme Introduction My object of study is The Kite Runner a novel by Khaled Hosseini, published by Riverhead Books in USA, 2003. The novel was adapted into a film in 2007 by the same name of The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini was born on 4th March 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan. His father worked for Afghan Foreign Ministry, and his mother was a teacher of Farsi and History. When Soviets occupied Afghanistan in 1978, the Hosseini family seek political asylum in the United States of America (USA) and moved to San Jose, California. Where Hosseini graduated from High School, and earned biology degree from Santa Clara University. He attended SanDiegos School of Medicine and completed his MD in 1993. He started writing The Kite Runner in 2001 while he was a practicing physician1. Hosseiniis Kite Runner is partly based on his childhood experiences in Wazir Akbar Khan in Kabul. While most of the events in the novel are fictional. After living 27 years in USA he returned to Afghanistan in 2003 and was shocked to discover the terrible situation there, even when he had written a very realistic and detailed fictional narrative of it. He declared that because of luck and material privilege, he and his fam ily was saved from the Soviets and the Taliban, much like his central figure of the narrative Amir. The rationale for choosing this novel is that it encourages the reader for repentance, and offers hope in devastation. It is a story of friendship and betrayal, love and sacrifices, written beautifully by Hosseini, against the background of Afghan political history. Background Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Its economy is based on agriculture and provides 70% of worlds opium and 90% of Europes heroin, but still one of the poorest countries. Among its 28 million people, 50% of men are illiterate and 79% of women. Life expectancy here is 47 years. The country has a long history of foreign interference by the Greeks, Persians, Turks, British, Indians and Russians. Talibans began as a group of fundamentalist Islamic students, were the last intruders until 2001 when Americans occupied and dismissed them. Because of all these intruders, there was a great diversity of culture and ethnicity in the country. Afghanistan divided into approximately 20 different ethnic groups, which further divided into tribes 2. It is inevitable to have conflicts between different groups while living in the same country, because of differences in their morals and beliefs. In Kite Runner Hosseinis main character Amir is a Pashtun and Hassan, is a Hazara the two groups do not get along in Afghanistan. According to Hosseini two things separate Hazaras from other ethnicities, one is that their looks are different, because they are the descendants of Mongol Empire and secondly, they are Shia Muslims, unlike most Afghans who are Sunni Muslims. Hazaras throughout the centuries have been the oppressed minority in Afghanistan. The Kite Runner acquires its name from the ancient game of kite flying known as gudi paran bazi. Boys make fighter kites from a bamboo frame together with tissue paper in different sizes ranging from one to five feet across. They attach the string to the kite which is coated with powdered ground glass. The goal of the fight is to cut the opponents kite string with a sawing motion. The real fight starts as soon as the enemys kite subsides and all wait impatiently to see who will get the fallen kite, as the kite is a symbol of their pride and glory.  3 Hosseini symbolises the kite fighting to the fighting between Afghan government and Mujahidin, whose hands were blooded and bruised, in the same way as does the hands of kite flyer when the kites string sears through his hands. Another way in which kite flying symbolises with the story of Amir and Hassan is the class difference between them, as the boy who controls the kite is Amir (Pashtun), and the other who assists him and run for the fallen kite for him is Hassan (Hazara), who also served Amir by cleaning and washing for him. Although, the kite fighting is violent but the only act of flying kite is innocent and depicts freedom. Despite their class differences the only activity which brings the two boys together is flying kites.   The Kite Runner  is the story of the friendship between two boys grew up in Kabul, Raised in the same household and shared the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan grew up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, whil e Hassan, the son of Amirs fathers servant, is a Hazara an outcast ethnic minority. The two boys were very much attached to each other in their childhood and spend perfect time together by telling stories, running and flying kites, until that event happened which changed their lives forever. Their lives and their fates were interrelated, even when Amir and his father left the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he will forget Hassan, but surprisingly he couldnt. It is a story of Amir, his childhood, how he faces all the challenges while maturing into manhood, his friendship with Hassan, love and hate, father sons bonding and on the top, about the price one has to pay for his loyalty and betrayal. Representation of Religion The novel of Kite Runner is set in Afghanistan, where the majority of the population are Muslim and there are lot of references to Muslims and their beliefs in the novel. For example, the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Muslim calendar, and the first three days of Eid-ul-Adha, or Eid-e-Qorban, as Afghans call it a day to celebrate how the prophet Ibrahim almost sacrificed his own son for God. Baba has handpicked the sheep again this year, a powder white one with crooked black ears. (p 67) As Hayes S. Judi (2007) writes, Hosseinis view point is in many ways secular, when it is religious; the perspective is from an Islamic world view, not a Judeo- Christian perspective. But because Islam, Judaism, and Christianity hold in common at least some of events in the book of Genesis in the Hebrew bible, we will find much there that informs our reading of THE KITE RUNNER. Religion can be interpreted differently by different people according to their own values and beliefs. Same is the case in Hosseinis Kite Runner. Religion in the eyes of Baba (Amir Father) is morality, pride, honour and courage, and in order to be human one has to gain honour and respect in his community. Example of his pride and honour is that when they encountered a Russian soldier, on their way out of Afghanistan and the soldier demanded a half hour with the lady in the back of the truck, Baba said, Ask him where his shame is.war doesnt negate decency. It demands it, even more than in time of peace.(p100) Baba was more secular in his views and did not like the orthodox religious preachers, who impose their rigid views on others and who couldnt even allow minor sins and errors. His views on fundamentalists Taliban when he says youll never learn anything of value from those bearded idiots-piss on the beards of all those self righteous monkeysGod help us all if Afghanistan ever falls into their hands(p15). While he has his own secular views, but he did good deeds in order to relieve his tormenting guilt. now, no matter what the Mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Do you understand that? (p16) For Amir, Religion is something entirely private; he was also influenced by his father and didnt much believe in traditional religious values. We only found him praying twice. Firstly, when his father got sick bowing my head to the ground, I recited half forgotten verses from the Koran..and asked for kindness from a God I wasnt sure existed.(p135) Secondly, when Sohrab tried to cut himself, the boy had cut himself deeply and lost a great deal of blood and my mouth begins to mutter that prayer again; La illaha il Allah, Muhammad u rasul ullahI will do namaz, I will do zakat. I will fast. (p304) Stereotypes of Religion We can see stereotypes of Taliban in The Kite Runner. Assef, the childhood bully, became a Taliban member. Hosseini portray Assef as a Talib just to give a back ground to the story. He knew that Taliban are already viewed badly in the western world. Assef claimed that hes on a mission of God and Amir asked him about his mission, What mission is that? ..Stoning adulterers? Raping children? Flogging women for wearing high heels? Massacring Hazaras? All in the name of Islam? (p248). As we can see how their rulers in the name of religion, beat, stoned, raped and brutalized women. Years of war had stripped them of gentleness, kindness and human expression, the very aspect of religion they allegedly follow and try to impose. And all in the name of God and religion they have turned their monstrosity on their own people. Critics of The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseinis THE KITE RUNNER faced lot of appreciation as well as criticism. Like all other work of art and literature, people from different sections advance  The Kite Runner  with different feelings. A critic for  The New York Times Book Review  described  The Kite Runner  as A story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseinis privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before the countrys revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. But, political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented in  The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story. In  The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence. Forces that continue to threaten them even today. http://www.sholajawid.org/english/main_english/afghanistan_kite_runner290908.html Written in the back drop of 9/11by an Afghan born medical doctor, The Kite Runner presents a glimpse of socio political climate in Afghanistan and the Afghan community in northern California. The Kite Runner achieves this by offering a fictional portrait of recent events manipulated by tribalism and religious conservatism and aggravated by foreign interferences but overcome through the humanism and bravery, which is fuelled by the sense of community.(Sadat, 2004) Some argue that Hosseini has put his finger on very sensitive cultural issues that Afghanis dont like to be discussing in public. Others accuse him of being secular, who believe in oneness of Allah and the Quran. In my opinion, Khaled Hosseini took a very bold step, in order to disclose and expose such brutality and misery, which was practised by Pashtuns, (Afghanistans dominant nationality), against Hazaras in the name of Religion. The people should have the understanding of whats going on in the world, other than theirs, in order to do something for those who are living in oppression, either in the name of religion, or in the name of Jihad- where the male chauvinist violate innocent children, women and men. Conclusion The Kite Runner basically in my view is a legendary story of people of Afghanistan. The author provides a very long, descriptive and eye opening account of Afghanistans culture and traditions, along with its people. He portrays a complete picture of life in Kabul before Soviets invasion and Taliban to the Western world as a cosmopolitan, artistic and a very intellectual environment. According to Sadat (2004) the authors goal ..is to humanize the Afghan people and put a personal face to what has happened there. For me The Kite Runner is a story of peoples conscience that they have to face during their difficult times in life. The religion of the novel in my view is redemption. Redemption is very important for those who has conscience and have sinned. The entire story of The Kite Runner is focused on just one sentence, There is a way to be good again, (p.2) Allah says in Quran 12; 53 And I do not make myself free of blame, for the human soul is inclined to ignorance, except what My Lord has mercy on. Surely My Lord is Forgiving, Merciful. Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy: For Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. Quran 4: 17.   The Buddhist, Christian and Hindu principles of salvation are very much in common. Each of them stresses on liberation from sin, and relief from evil. Their goal is to return back to their former chastity and happiness. As evil is everywhere in this physical world, it is inevitable to commit sin making it inseparable from life. They believe that freedom can be achieved only by deserting this world. Buddhist believes into this doctrine in its purest form while Christians and Hindus have adjusted it to some extent, according to their belief. Amir is telling us the story of his childhood, memories of which are corrupted with shame and guilt. Towards the end of the novel we learned to know that it is not only Amir who needs redemption but Baba and Rahim Khan has also sinned and lived throughout their life in guilt. Amir thinks of himself as the only sinner among his friends and family, and his guilt become stronger when he sees Hassan as a righteous person. Amir had disgraced himself by not coming forward and helping Hassan when he was attacked and by lying and creating a situation in which Hassan was blamed of stealing and made him and his father (Ali) to leave Amirs home. Amirs relationship with Baba was very strained, as his father was very hard-driving and demanding. Amir was Desperate for his fathers affection and respect, and turns to kite flying sport, in which he was good from his childhood. At the age of 12, he wins the annual tournament of kite flying in Kabul with the help of Hassan.   Amir was very jealo us of Hassan and wanted his fathers love so much for himself, that he hurt Hassan in the process.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Amir tried continuously to make even with Baba, and didnt realize that it is Babas guilt which made him so hard on Amir and that Baba also needed redemption. People find redemption when they pay in some way for their wrong doings and try to replace the bad things with good ones. One day, Rahim Khan, Amirs fathers close friend called him and told him that he needed to come back home and to make things right, that had been done wrong, there is a way to be good again(p.2) indicated to Amir that it was a right time to let the guilt go away and redeem himself from the sin he committed 26 years ago. Finally, Amir redeemed himself as Rahim Khan recommended for him in his last letter, ..I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to good (p263). Later on, in the novel we learned that Hassan was his half brother and that he had had a son. Amir found his way to redemption by looking after Hassans orphan son. He left his wife and home in America to look for the boy in Afghanistan. Once, Hassan stood up for Amir, now its Amir turn to do something for his son Sohrab. He had to fight with his childhood enemy, (Assef) the man who caused him the suffering and guilt, in order to rescue Sohrab, and it was Sohrab who saved Amirs life that day who wanted to sacrifice his blood for Hassan in the same way as Hassan did in the alley one night about 26 years ago. When Amir was cruelly beaten by Assef, he laughed and said, .My body was broken-just how badly I wouldnt find until later-but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed (p253). These words show that his guilt and anxiety of finding redemption were really huge. He felt he deserved to be punched to the point of almost dying; he needed to feel punishment for what he did. The Kite Runner is a beautiful story about guilt and forgiveness, fear and redemption. The story emphasizes on what happens when there is an overwhelming fear which control ones actions, and the way one deals with this kind of situations. Rahim Khan carries the novels conclusive message about forgiveness. God is always merciful; and it is people who are not. He tells Amir in his letter, I know that in the end, God will forgive. He will forgive your father, me, and you too Forgive your father if you can. Forgive me if you wish. But most important, forgive yourself. (P263-264)

Do We Have Souls? :: essays research papers

Do We Have Souls? On the question of 'Do we have souls' and 'Can they survive after death', this writer will attempt a reasoned explanation and defense of my views to this philosophical question. After careful explanation of my own views , thoughts, and careful examination of the selected materials for this paper; I have come to this conclusion: unlike the problem of free will, the question of human beings having souls and their survival after the physical body is deceased, is not an easily argued topic. The problem of free will [as an example] can be more rationally discussed and analyzed through tangible means such as patterned and learned behavior and its like, but in dealing with the question of souls and in accepting their existence, it is an intangible thing which cannot be proved or disproved [at least as long as the physical body is existing]. This writer believe that a discussion , no matter how seemingly rational or even irrational is purely speculation and can have no real physical proof of that existence. Of the read philosophers on this topic, all are speculatory in their attempt to prove, disprove, or even clarify their position of the topic in question. This writer will first contribute his own speculation and proceed to explore the selected philosophers material on this subject. Though it first must be said that most of the read material is or seems to be question-begging and therefore leads only to more questions from myself. The question of having souls and their existence after the physical body is deceased has always been on men's minds. From the first beginnings of written history from the Ancient Near Eastern civilizations [Egyptians, Mesopotamian] , men [people] have always regarded the afterlife and the question of souls. It was not given much philosophical thought until the ancient Greek sophists, in the decline of their city-states that this topic was explored, but not only explored but started to gather acceptance among the people. Again, only when 'physical' life was becoming less cherished due to the decline and unhappiness with their earthly surroundings. Though the Hebrew people spoke and thought of an afterlife for their spirit, it was really not until widespread Christianity came about, and again this was at the time of decline of the Roman Empire. My initial point being that the idea of souls and their existence seemed to grow stronger at times of great depression or strife [much like when people pray to God when they only need something]. It was then that faith and hope for a better

Benefits of Living in the Dorms Essay -- College University Essays Cam

Living in the Dorms The best living option for new, incoming freshman to Iowa State University is to spend at least there first two semesters in one of the on campus dorms. Other options available to these students are to find off campus housing in an apartment or a fraternity or sorority, to live at home and commute, or to live for one semester in the dorms and one semester off campus. By examining the alternative options to on campus residence, it is clear that none of these other living options will give incoming students the same variety of benefits or experiences as living on campus. The types of benefits and advantages being compared for these various living options are those of closeness in proximity to the college campus and classes, cost effectiveness, availability of easy and nutritious meals, development opportunities and additional educational benefits to the student. The first alternative to examine, for new incoming freshman is that of living off campus (not in the school's dorms) for the first two semesters of college. This could be through living in an apartment, or living in a sorority or fraternity. This living option does not have the benefit of closeness in proximity to classes. Some students who live off campus have to travel tiring distances each morning to get to there classes, compared to those students who already live on campus. The research (interviews) I have done has told me that this problem has lead to many students not wanting to get up, and actually come to class in the past, and it only gets worse in the winter. In the winter students find that their beds are far more inviting than their cold commute to school. The cost of living in an apartment can be really high. Advertisements fo... ...ake myself a meal because I can just run down to food service almost anytime and pick something up, if I am in a hurry. The food is nutritious and there is a variety to choose form. I find motivation to go to my classes because none are too far away from my dorm, and I have friends who I live with who are in quite a few of my same classes, so we walk together and give each other encouragement. I feel that I am encouraged to participate in campus activities and clubs, and that my dorm has a very good support system for academics in place. Overall though, I feel that for incoming freshman, it is clear that the alternative options would not be as beneficial to their academics and that none of the other residence options have the same variety of benefits as living in a campus dorm community. After comparison I believe living in the college dorms is the best option.

Anthem Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anthem Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As one reads Ayn Rand’s significant quotes from the story of anthem, there is always a main theme that is trying to escape, just as Prometheus escaped in her story. All three of the listed quotes work as a trio to sing that We; as society, works to defeat individuality. The quotes emphasize that we cannot survive without individualism and being alone brings out our unique personalities. It is true that all the quotes work as one, but at the same time they have their own individualism. Each quote holds a purpose of its own and the author wants to express the quote to each persons understanding. Rand’s quote, â€Å"The word ‘We’†¦ crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the tray of it,† implies that the black and white are the independent people in society. It is shown that as people are made on in society by gathering they lose their independence. As one all the minds of the people mix their black and white paint to produce a lost tray. They no longer have their own ideas, but now they have a conclusion of everyone’s ideas All the unique qualities of the people are crushed and the group gets all the credit for being unique. People do not want to be put together and treated equally. People want to be treated with respect for what they have done. In the novelette, Prometheus invents electricity by using his own mind. He wants credit for this invention and wou...

Blood Passion Ludlow and Class War in the American West Essay

Introduction                      The Book Blood Passion: Ludlow and Class War in the American west is a narrative exploration of the most violent labor showdowns in the history of America. It portrays the deaths of seventy-five people who were killed in a period of seven months. It explores the guerilla war that erupted at the brink of collapse of political structures whereby only the intervention of the U.S army could end it. The book by Scott Martelle provides insight into the life and times of the miners in Colorado at a time when working in the mines was just as dangerous as living above the mines. The author of the book brings to life through vivid pictures taken during the times of the war. He tries to summarize the fact that there had been lawless killing of miners who had been on strike for more than fifteen months. The miners had been kicked out of their company homes when they had begun the strike, but they had built a tent colony for both themselves and their families. However, the Baldwin-Felts detectives who had been hired to protect the mines were given instruction to remove all strikers from the company’s vicinity, which consequently led to the guerilla wars that followed, killing men, women and children. The author states that the miners had the right to strike given the fact that they lived in the company houses where they paid rent, shopped in the company’s shops and drank in the company’s saloon, but later, their wages were cut by ten percent. On the other hand, the Baldwin-Felts detectives who had been hired had fought harassed and killed union miners at the same time carrying out evictions. For this reason, the author states that the miners were fighting for their livelihoods against a system that was trumped by greed and prejudice. However, the thesis proposed by the author is not fully developed because he claims that this incident â€Å"marked the beginning of the modern era of labor disputes† (Martelle, 3). This is because he did not compare this strike with the other strikes in other locations and other industries where the same number or slightly fewer numbers of fatalities were recorded. There are also some weaknesses in the author’s arguments because his side of the story was too rigid and did not consider the miner’s traditional views of gender roles and at the same time working in an all-male working environment. He also did not mention the Catholic and Greek Orthodox religions, which played a major role in intensifying the miners’ fury against the guards and their depredations against women. By his statement that this was one of the defining moments for American labor histories, Martelle did not contradict himself. Although his evidence was one sided, the incidents that happened under John D. Rockefeller were a defining moment. The book is an efficient source of historical information when it comes to the Colorado incident that was recorded by history. For instance, the author lays note of the letter written by Lamont Montgomery Bowers who was Rockefeller’s man in Colorado who suggested a reduction of wages by ten percent. This is a piece of valuable evidence that gives insight into the escalation of the guerilla warfare between the company guards, the detectives, the mineworkers and innocent bystanders who were caught up in the crossfire. The Ludlow Massacre has helped to shape labor management in the 20th century because of the evidence brought up during a time when lawlessness was the order of the day. It serves as a cautionary reference about a market that was unregulated and the consequences of not having strong labor unions that fight for the workers. Although the labor market has been revolutionized since those fateful days, the Ludlow Massacre serves as a turning point for this advancement. There are some biases that spring up when reviewing the book. One of it is that the book focuses mainly on the plight of the miners while it should consider the economic times of the massacre. It was during this time that the coal, fuel and steel had become a precious commodity for American trade. Fuel, like oil and coal, had been the driving factors for the modern America where tough decisions had to be made. Although companies made fortunes from the mining of coal, the book does not focus on the impact that the strikes would have in case the production stopped in Southern Colorado, as compared to other coal-mining regions. The Ludlow Massacre clearly depicts misuse of power by individuals and corporations in positions of power and authority such as John D. Rockefeller and his cronies. Modern labor laws allow that the power should not be misused regardless of position of power of the amount of wealth that an individual has. The book describes Lamont Montgomery to have had a smart su it and a twitchy push broom mustache. It also states that even after a heated debate with the federal mediator, Bowers came out as the winner of the suit as a result of his affiliation. In conclusion, the Ludlow Massacre has been a pivotal point of reference in modern day labor laws. The importance of the memory of those fateful years traverses any economic or political affiliation that any scholar might have. However, it also shows the plight of mine workers and labor unions in a time when the country was gaining ground in terms of development and economic awareness. Reference Martelle, Scott. Blood passion: the Ludlow Massacre and class war in the American West. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2007. Print. Source document

Night World : The Chosen Chapter 14

The first person Rashel met in the mansion was Ivan. It was sheer dumb luck, the same luck that had helped keep her alive so far tonight. She slipped in the back door, the way she and the girls had gone out. Standing in the huge silent kitchen, she listened for an instant to the music that was still blasting from the inner house. Then she swiveled to check the cellar-and met Ivan the Terrible running up the stairs. He had clearly just discovered that his twenty-four valuable slave girls were missing. His blond hair was flying, his eyes were wide with alarm, his mouth was twisted. He had the taser in one hand and a bunch of plastic handcuffs-the kind police use on rioters-in the other. When Rashel suddenly appeared on the stairway, his eyes flew open even wider. His mouth opened in astonishment-and then Rashel's foot impacted with his forehead. The snap kick knocked him backward, and he tumbled down the stairs to hit the wooden door below. Rashel leaped after him, making it to the bottom only a second after he did. But he was already out. â€Å"What are these? Were you supposed to take some girls up?† She kicked at the plastic handcuffs. Ivan the Unconscious didn't answer. She glanced at her watch. Only a quarter to nine. Maybe he'd been taking the girls to get washed or something. It seemed too early to start the feast. Running noiselessly back up the stairs, she quietly closed the door. Now she had to follow the music. She needed to see where the vampires were, how they were situated, how she could best get at them. She wondered where Lily was. The kitchen opened into a grand dining room with an enormous built-in sideboard. It had undoubtedly been made to accommodate whole suckling pigs or something, but Rashel had a dreadful vision of a girl lying on that coffinlike mahogany shelf, hands tied behind her, while vampire after vampire stopped by to have a snack. She pushed the idea out of her mind and moved silently across the floorboards. The dining room led to a hall, and it was from the end of the hallway that music was coming. Rashel slipped into the dimly lit hall like a shadow, moving closer and closer to the doors there. The last door was the only one that showed light. That one, she thought. Before she could get near it, a figure blocked the light. Instantly Rashel darted through the nearest doorway. She held her breath, standing in the darkened room, watching the hall. If only one or two vampires came out, she could pick them off. But nobody came out and she realized it must have just been someone passing in front of the light. At the same moment she realized that the music was very loud. This wasn't another room-it was the same room. She was in one gigantic double parlor, with a huge wooden screen breaking it up into two separate spaces. The screen was solid, but carved into a lacy pattern that let flickering light through. Rashel thrust her knife in her waistband, then crept to the screen and applied her eye. A spacious room, very masculine, paneled like the dining room in mahogany and floored in cherry parquet. Glass brick windows-opaque. All Rashel's worry about somebody looking out had been for nothing. A fire burned in a massive fireplace, the light bringing out the ruddy tones in the wood. The whole room looked red and secret. And there they were. The vampires for the bloodfeast. Seven of the most powerful made vampires in the world, Fayth had said. Rashel counted heads swiftly. Yes, seven. No Lily. â€Å"You boys don't look that scary,† she murmured. That was one thing about made vampires. Unlike the lamia, who could stop aging-or start againwhenever they wanted, made vampires were stuck. And since the process of turning a human body into a vampire body was incredibly difficult, only a young human could survive it. Try to turn somebody over twenty into a vampire and they would burn out. Fry. Die. The result was that all made vampires were stuck as teenagers. What Rashel was looking at could have been the cast for some new TV soap about friends. Seven teenage guys, different sizes, different colors, but all Hollywood handsome, and all dressed to kill. They could have been talking and laughing about a fishing trip or a school dance†¦ except for their eyes. That was what gave them away, Rashel thought. The eyes showed a depth no high school guy could ever have. An experience, an intelligence†¦ and a coldness. Some of these teenagers were undoubtedly hundreds of years old, maybe thousands. All of them were absolutely deadly. Or else they wouldn't be here. They each expected to kill three innocent girls starting at midnight. These thoughts flashed through Rashel's mind in a matter of seconds. She had already decided on the best way to plunge into the room and start the attack. But one thing kept her from doing it. There were only seven vampires. And the eighth was the one she wanted. The client. The one who'd hired Quinn and set up the feast. Maybe it was one of these. Maybe that tall one with the dark skin and the look of authority. Or the silvery blond with the odd smile†¦. No. Nobody really looks like a host. I think it's the one who's still missing. But maybe she couldn't afford to wait. They might hear the powerboats leaving over the steady pounding of the music. Maybe she should just†¦ Something grabbed her from behind. This time she had no warning. And she wasn't surprised anymore. Her opinion of herself as a warrior had plummeted. She intended to fight, though. She went limp to loosen the grip, then reached between her own legs to grab her attacker's ankle. A jerk up would throw him off balance†¦. Don't do it. I don't want to have to stun you, but I will. Quinn. She recognized the mental voice, and the hand clamped across her mouth. And both the telepathy and the skin contact were having an effect on her. It wasn't like before; no lightning bolts, no explosions. But she was overwhelmed with a sense of Quinn. She seemed to feel his mind-and the feeling was one of drowning in dark chaos. A storm that seemed just as likely to kill Quinn as anyone else. He lifted her cleanly and backed out of the room with her, into the hall, then up a flight of stairs. Rashel didn't fight. She tried to clear her head and wait for an opportunity. By the time he'd pulled her into an upstairs room and shut the door, she realized that there wasn't going to be an opportunity. He was just too strong, and he could stun her telepathically the instant she moved to get away. The tables had turned. There was nothing to do now but hope that she could face death as calmly as he had. At least, she thought, it would put a stop to her confusion. He let go of her and she slowly turned to look at him. What she saw sent chills between her shoulder blades. His eyes were as dark and chaotic as the clouds she'd sensed in his mind. It was scarier than the cold hunger she'd seen in the eyes of the seven guys downstairs. Then he smiled. A smile that shed rainbows. Rashel pressed her back against the wall and tried to brace herself. â€Å"Give me the knife.† She simply looked at him. He pulled it out of her waistband and tossed it on the bed. â€Å"I don't like being knocked out,† he said. â€Å"I don't know why, but something about it really bothers me.† â€Å"Quinn, just get it over with.† â€Å"And it took me a while to get myself untied. Every time I meet you, I seem to end up hog-tied and unconscious. It's getting monotonous.† â€Å"Quinn†¦ you're a vampire. I'm a vampire hunter. Do what you have to.† â€Å"We're also always threatening each other. Have you noticed that? Of course, everything we keep saying is true. It is kill or be killed. And you've killed a lot of my people, Rashel the Cat.† â€Å"And you've killed a lot of mine, John Quinn.† He glanced away, looking into a middle distance. His pupils were enormous. â€Å"Less than you might think, actually. I don't usually kill to feed. But, yes, I've done enough. I said before, I know what you think of me.† Rashel said nothing. She was frightened and confused and had been under strain for quite a long time. She felt that at any moment she could snap. â€Å"We belong to two different races, races that hate each other. There's no way to get around that.† He turned his dark eyes back on her and gave her a brilliant smile. â€Å"Unless, of course, we change it.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"I'm going to make you a vampire.† Something inside Rashel seemed to give way and fall. She felt as if her legs might collapse. He couldn't mean it, he couldn't be serious. But he was. She could tell. There was a kind of surface serenity pasted over the dark roiling clouds in his eyes. So this was how he'd solved an unsolvable problem. He had snapped. Rashel whispered, â€Å"You know you can't do that.† â€Å"I know I can do that. It's very simple, actually- all we have to do is exchange blood. And it's the only way.† He took hold of her arms just above the elbow. â€Å"Don't you understand? As long as you're human, Night World law says you have to die if I love you.† Rashel stood stricken. Quinn had stopped short, as if he were startled himself by what he'd said. Then he gave an odd laugh and shook his head. â€Å"If I love you,† he repeated. â€Å"And that's the problem, of course. I do love you.† Rashel leaned against the wall for support. She couldn't think anymore. She couldn't even breathe properly. And somewhere deep inside her there was a trembling that wouldn't stop. â€Å"I've loved you from that first night, Rashel the Cat. I didn't want to admit it, but it was true.† He was still gripping her tightly by the arms, leaning close to her, but his eyes were distant, lost in the past. â€Å"I'd never met a human like you,† he said softly, as if remembering. â€Å"You were strong, you weren't weak and pathetic. You weren't looking for your own destruction. But you were going to let me go. Strength and compassion. And†¦ honor. Of course I loved you.† His dark eyes focused again. He looked at her sharply. â€Å"I'd have been crazy not to.† Falling into darkness†¦ Rashel had a terrifying desire to simply collapse in his arms. Give in. He was so strangely beautiful, and the power of his personality was overwhelming. And of course she loved him, too. That was suddenly excruciatingly clear. Undeniable. From the beginning he had struck a chord in her that no one else had ever touched. He was so much like her-a hunter, a fighter. But he had honor, too. However he might try to deny it or get around it, deep inside him there was still honor. And like her, he knew the dark side of life, the pain, the violence. They had both seen-and done-things that normal people wouldn't understand. She was supposed to hate him†¦ but from the beginning she'd seen herself in him. She had felt the bond, the connection between them†¦. Rashel shook her head. â€Å"No!† She had to stop thinking these things. She would not surrender to the darkness. â€Å"You can't stop me, you know,† Quinn said softly. â€Å"That ought to make things easier for you. You don't even have to make a decision. It's all my fault. I'm very, very bad, and I'm going to make you a vampire.† Somehow that gave Rashel her voice back. â€Å"How can you do that-to someone you love?† she spat. â€Å"Because I don't want you dead! Because as long as you're human, you're going to get yourself killed!† He put his face close to hers, their foreheads almost touching. â€Å"I will not let you kill yourself,† he said through his teeth. â€Å"If you make me a vampire, I will kill myself,† Rashel said. Her mind had cleared. However much she wanted to give in, however enticing the darkness might be, it all disappeared when she thought of how it would end. She would be a vampire. She'd be driven by bloodlust to do things that would horrify her right now. And she'd undoubtedly find excuses for doing them. She would become a monster. Quinn was looking shaken. She'd scared him, she could see it in his eyes. â€Å"You'll feel differently once it's done,† he said. â€Å"No. Listen to me, Quinn.† She kept her eyes on his, looking deep, trying to let him see the truth of what she was saying. â€Å"If you make me a vampire, the moment I wake up I'll stab myself with my own knife. Do you think I'm not brave enough?† â€Å"You're too brave; that's your problem.† He was faltering. The surface serenity was breaking up. But that wasn't really helpful, Rashel realized, because underneath it was an agony of desperate confusion. Quinn really couldn't see any other solution. Rashel couldn't see any herself-except that she didn't really expect to survive tonight. Quinn's face hardened, and she could see him pushing away doubts. â€Å"You'll get used to it,† he said harshly, his voice grating. â€Å"You'll see. Let's start now,† he added. And then he bit her. He was so fast. Unbelievably fast. He caught her jaw and tilted her head back and to the side-not roughly but with an irresistible control and precision. Then before Rashel had time to scream, she felt a hot sting. She felt teeth, vampire teeth, extended to an impossible delicacy and sharpness, pierce her flesh. This is it. This is death. Panic flooded her. But it wasn't death, of course-not yet. She wouldn't even be changed into a vampire by a single exchange of blood. No, instead it would be slow torture†¦ days of agony†¦ pain†¦. She kept waiting for the pain. Instead she felt a strange warmth and languor. Was he actually drinking her blood? All she could sense was Quinn's mouth nuzzling at her neck, his arms around her tightly. And†¦ His mind. It happened all at once. In a sudden silent explosion, white light engulfed her. It burst around her. She was floating in it. Quinn was floating in it. It was shining around them and through them, and she could feel a connection with Quinn that made their last connection seem like a faulty telephone line. She knew him. She could see him, his soul, whatever you wanted to call it, whatever it was that made him John Quinn. They seemed to be floating together in some other space, in a naked white light that revealed everything and mercilessly lit up all the most secret places. And if anyone had asked her, Rashel would have said that would be horrible, and she would have run for her life to get away from it. But it wasn't horrible. She could see dreadful dark bits in Quinn's mind, and dreadful dark bits in hers. Tangled, thorny, scary parts, full of anger and hate. But there were so many other parts-some of them almost unused-that were beautiful and strong and whole. There was so much potential. Rainbow places that were aching to grow. Other parts that seemed to quiver with light, desperate to be awakened. We ask so little of ourselves, Rashel thought in wonder. If everybody's like this-we stunt ourselves so badly. We could be so much more†¦. I don't want you to be more. You ‘re amazing enough the way you are. It was Quinn. Not even his voice, just-Quinn. His thoughts. And Rashel knew her thoughts flowed to him without her even making an effort. You know what I mean. Isn't this strange? Does this always happen with vampires? Nothing like this has ever happened to me in my life, Quinn said. What he felt was even more, and Rashel could sense it directly, in a dizzying sweet wave. There was an understanding between them that ran deeper than any words could convey. Whatever was happening to them, however they had gotten to this place, one thing was obvious. Under the white light that revealed their inner selves, it was clear that small differences like being vampire or human didn't matter. They were both just people. John Quinn and Rashel Jordan. People who were stumbling through life trying to deal with the hurt. Because there was hurt. There was pain in the landscape of Quinn's mind. Rashel sensed it without words or even images; she could feel the feelings that had scarred Quinn. Your father did something-he killed Dove? Oh, John. Oh, John, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Rainbow lights shimmered when she called him John. It was the part of him that he had repressed the most ruthlessly. The part that she could almost feel growing in her presence. No wonder you hated humans. After everything you'd ken through, to have your own father want you dead†¦ And no wonder you hated vampires. They killed someone dose to you-your mother? And you were so young. I'm†¦ sorry. He wasn't as easy with words as she was, but here they didn't need words. She could sense his sorrow, his shame, and his fierce protectiveness. And she could sense the emotion behind his next question. Who did it? I don't know. I'll probably never know. Rashel didn't want to pursue it. She didn't want to feed the dark side of Quinn; she wanted to see more of the shimmering light. She wanted to make the light grow until the dark disappeared. Rashel, that may not be possible. Quinn's thought wasn't bitter; it was serious and gentle. Tinged with infinite regret. I may not be able to become anything better- Of course you can. We all can. Rashel cut him off with absolute determination. She could feel the bone-deep cold that had set into him years ago, that he'd allowed to set in. I won't let you be cold, she told him, and she went for a romp in his mind, kissing things and blowing warmth into them, thinking sunlight and comfort everywhere. Please stop; I think you're killing me. Quinn's thought was shaky-half serious and half hysterical, like the helpless gasp of somebody being tickled to death. Rashel's whole being was singing with elation. She was young-how strange that she had never really felt young until now-and she was in love and stronger than she had ever been before. She had John Quinn the vampire squirming and semi-hysterical. She was unstoppable. Anything was possible. I'll make everything be right, she told Quinn, and she was happy to see that she'd driven his doubt and his sadness away, at least for the moment. Do you really want me to stop? No. Quinn sounded dazed now-and bemused. I've decided I'll enjoy dying this way. But†¦ Rashel couldn't follow the rest of his thought, but she felt a new coldness, something like a wind from outside. Outside. She'd forgotten there was an outside. In here, in the private cocoon of their minds, there was nothing but her and Quinn. It was almost as if nothing else existed. But†¦ There was a whole world out there. Other people. Things happening. Things Rashel had to stop†¦. â€Å"Oh, God, Quinn-the vampires.†

Francisco “Franz” Arcellana Essay

Francisco â€Å"Franz† Arcellana (September 6, 1916 – August 1, 2002) was a Filipino writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher. He was born on September 16, 1916. Arcellana already had ambitions of becoming a writer during his years in the elementary. His actual writing, however, started when he became a member of The Torres Torch Organization during his high school years. Arcellana continued writing in various school papers at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He later on received a Rockfeller Grant and became a fellow in creative writing the University of Iowa and Breadloaf’s writers conference from 1956- 1957. He is considered an important progenitor of the modern Filipino short story in English. Arcellana pioneered the development of the short story as a lyrical prose-poetic form within Filipino literature. His works are now often taught in tertiary-level-syllabi in the Philippines. Many of his works were translated into Tagalog, Malaysian, Russian, Italian, and German. Arcellana won 2nd place in 1951 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, with his short story, â€Å"The Flowers of May.† 14 of his short stories were also included in Jose Garcia Villa’s Honor Roll from 1928 to 1939. His major achievements included the first award in art criticism from the Art Association of the Philippines in 1954, the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan award from the city government of Manila in 1981, and the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for English fiction from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipino (UMPIL) in 1988. Francisco Arcellana was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines in Literature in 1990. Arcellana is buried at theLibingan ng mga Bayani. Arcellana died in 2002. As a National Artist, he received a state funeral at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. His grandson Liam Hertzsprung performed a piano concert in 2006 dedicated to him. Arcellana’s published books include: * Selected Stories (1962) * Poetry and Politics: The State of Original Writing in English in the Philippines Today (1977) * The Francisco Arcellana Sampler (1990). * Lualhati Torres Bautista Lualhati Torres Bautista (born Manila, Philippines December 2, 1945) is one of the foremost Filipino female novelists in the history of contemporaryPhilippine Literature. Her novels include Dekada ’70, Bata, Bata, Pa’no Ka Ginawa?, and ‘GAPÔ. Bautista was born in Tondo, Manila, Philippines on December 2, 1945 to Esteban Bautista and Gloria Torres. She graduated from Emilio Jacinto Elementary School in 1958, and from Torres High School in 1962. She was a journalism student at the Lyceum of the Philippines, but dropped out even before she finished her freshman year. Despite a lack of formal training, Bautista as the writer became known for her honest realism, courageous exploration of Philippine women’s issues, and her compelling female protagonists, who confront difficult situations at home and in the workplace with uncommon grit and strength. Lualhati garnered several Palanca Awards (1980, 1983 and 1984) for her novels ‘GAPÔ, Dekada ’70 and Bata, Bata†¦ Pa’no Ka Ginawa? exposing injustices and chronicling women activism during the Marcos era. ‘GAPÔ, published in 1980, is the story of a man coming to grips with life as an Amerasian. It is a multi-layered scrutiny of the politics behind US bases in the Philippines, seen from ordinary citizens living in Olongapo City point of view. Dekada ’70 is the story of a family caught in the middle of the tumultuous decade of the 1970s. It details how a middle class family struggled and faced the changes that empowered Filipinos to rise against the Marcos government. These series of events happened after the bombing of Plaza Miranda, the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, the proclamation of martial law and the random arrests of political prisoners. The oppressive nature of the Marcos regime, which made the people become more radical, and the shaping of the decade were all witnessed by the female protagonist, Amanda Bartolome, a mother of five boys. Bata, Bata†¦ Pa’no Ka Ginawa?, literally, â€Å"Child, Child†¦ How Were You Made?†, narrates the life of Lea, a working mother and a social activist, who has two children. The novel begun with an introductory chapter about the graduation day from kindergarten of Maya, Lea’s daughter. A program and a celebration were held. In the beginning, everything in Lea’s life were going smoothly – her life in connection with her children, with friends of the opposite gender, and with her volunteer work for a human rights organization. But Lea’s children were both growing-up – and Lea could see their gradual transformation. There were the changes in their ways and personalities: Maya’s curiosity was becoming more obvious every day, while Ojie was crossing the boundaries from boyhood to teenage to adulthood. In the end, all three, and especially Lea, have to confront Philippine society’s view of single motherhood; and the novel itself brazens out to the questions of how it is to be a mother, and how a mother executes this role through modern-day concepts of parenthood. Nick Joaquà ­n Nick Joaquà ­n was born in Paco, Manila, one of the ten children of Leocadio, a colonel under General Emilio Aguinaldo in the 1896 Revolution, and Salome Marquez, a teacher of English and Spanish. Being read poems and stories by his mother, Joaquin taught himself by reading widely at the National Library of the Philippines and the library of his father, who by that time was a successful lawyer after the revolution. This developed further his interest in writing. At age 17, Joaquà ­n was first published in the literary section of the Pre-World War II Tribune under writer and editor Serafà ­n Lanot. Before publishing in the Tribune, Joaquin worked as a proofreader of the paper. After winning a Dominican Order-sponsored nationwide essay competition for La Naval de Manila, the University of Santo Tomas awarded Joaquà ­n an honorary Associate in Arts (A.A.) and a scholarship to St. Albert’s Convent, the Dominican monastery in Hong Kong. Upon his return to the Philippines, he joined the Philippines Free Press, starting as a proofreader. Soon, he was noticed for his poems, stories and plays, as well as his journalism under the pen name Quijano de Manila. His journalism was markedly both intellectual and provocative, an unknown genre in the Philippines at that time, raising the level of reportage in the country. Joaquà ­n deeply admired Josà © Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. Joaquà ­n paid tribute to Rizal by way of books such as The Storyteller’s New Medium – Rizal in Saga, The Complete Poems and Plays of Jose Rizal, and A Question of Heroes: Essays in Criticism on Ten Key Figures of Philippine History. He also translated the hero’s valedictory poem, in the original Spanish â€Å"Mi Ultimo Adios,† as â€Å"Land That I Love, Farewell!† Joaquà ­n served as a member of Motion Pictures under President Diosdado Macapagal and President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Joaquin’s first move as National Artist was to secure the release of imprisoned writer Josà © F. Lacaba. Later, at a ceremony on Mount Makiling attended by First Lady Imelda Marcos, Joaquà ­n delivered an invocation to Mariang Makiling, the mountain’s mythical maiden. Joaquà ­n touched on the importance of freedom and the artist. As a result, for the remainder of the Marcos regime, Joaquà ­n no longer received invitations to address important cultural events. LUALHATI BAUTISTA Lualhati Bautista is one of the foremost Filipino female novelists in the history of contemporary Philippine Literature. Her novels include, â€Å"Dekada ’70 (Decade ’70)†, â€Å"Bata, Bata, Pa’no Ka Ginawa? (Child, Child†¦ How were you made?†, and â€Å"‘GAPÔ (short name for Olongapo, Philippines)†. In addition to being a novelist, Lualhati Bautista is also a movie and television screenwriter and a short story writer. Her first screenplay was Sakada (Seasonal Sugarcane Workers), a story written in 1975 that exposed the plight of Filipino peasants. Bautista has received recognition from the Philippines’ Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature and the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa in 1987. Her award-winning screenplays include Bulaklak sa City Jail (A Flower in City Jail) (1984), Kung Mahawi Man ang Ulap (If The Clouds are Parted) (1984), Sex Object (1985). For screenplay writing, she has received recognition from the Metro Manila Film Festival (best story-best screenplay), Film Academy Awards (best story-best screenplay), Star Awards (best screenplay), FAMAS (finalist for best screenplay), and URIAN awards. Two of her short stories have also won the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, Tatlong Kuwento ng Buhay ni Julian Candelabra (Three Stories in the Life of Julian Candelabra), first prize, 1982; and Buwan, Buwan, Hulugan mo Ako ng Sundang (Moon, Moon, Drop Me a Sword), third prize, 1983. Bautista also authored the television dramas Daga sa Timba ng Tubig (The Mouse in the Bucket of Water) (1975) and Isang Kabanata sa Libro ng Buhay ni Leilani Cruzaldo (A Chapter in the Book of Life of Leilani Cruzaldo) (1987). The latter won best drama story for television from the Catholic Mass Media Awards. Bautista was honored by the Ateneo Library of Women’s Writings on March 10, 2004 during the 8th Annual Lecture on Vernacular Literature by Women. In 2005, the Feminist Centennial Film Festival presented her with a recognition award for her outstanding achievement in screenplay writing. In 2006, she was recipient of the Diwata Award for best writer by the 16th International Women’s Film Festival of the UP Film Center. She is also the only Filipino included in a book on foremost International Women Writers published in Japan, 1991. Francisco Baltazar, known much more widely through his nom-de-plume Francisco Balagtas, was a prominent Filipino poet, and is widely considered as the Tagalog equivalent of William Shakespeare for his impact on Filipino literature. The famous epic, Florante at Laura, is regarded as his defining work. Balagtas learned to write poetry from Josà © de la Cruz (Huseng Sisiw), one of the most famous poets of Tondo. It was de la Cruz himself who personally challenged Balagtas to improve his writing. (source: Talambuhay ng mga Bayani, for Grade 5 textbook) In 1835, Balagtas moved to Pandacan, where he met Marà ­a Asuncià ³n Rivera, who would effectively serve as the muse for his future works. She is referenced in Florante at Laura as ‘Celia’ and ‘MAR’. Balagtas’ affections for Celia were challenged by the influential Mariano Capule. Capule won the battle for Celia when he used his wealth to get Balagtas imprisoned under the accusation that he ordered a servant girl’s head be shaved. It was here that he wrote Florante at Laura—In fact, the events of this poem were meant to parallel his own situation. He wrote his poems in Tagalog, during an age when Filipino writing was predominantly written in Spanish. Balagtas published Florante at Laura upon his release in 1838. He moved to Balanga, Bataan in 1840 where he served as the assistant to the Justice of peace and later, in 1856, as the Major Lieutenant. He was also appointed as the translator of the court. Balagtas is so greatly revered in the Philippines that the term for Filipino debate in extemporaneous verse is named for him: balagtasan. Jose Garcia Villa Jose Garcia Villa (5 August 1908 – 12 June 1973) is a Filipino poet and a National Artist for Literature. He is known for introducing the â€Å"reversed consonance rime scheme,† as well as for â€Å"comma poems† that made full use of the punctuation mark in an innovative way. Villa is also a short story writer, critic, and painter. Villa was born in Singalong, Manila on 5 August 1908. He is the son of Simeon Villa, who was Emilio Aguinaldo’s physician, and Guia Garcia. Villa went to the University of the Philippines High School. He studied pre-medicine at the University of the Philippines but did not finish the course. He decided to take pre-law, but did not finish it either. Instead, he devoted a good part of his college time writing short stories and poems.In 1930, he won the Philippines Free Press literary contest for his short story entitled â€Å"Mir-i-nisa† and used the prize money to go to the United States. He studied at the University of New Mexico, and later at Columbia University. He taught poetry at the City College of New York from 1964 until 1973. He also worked in the Philippine Mission to the United Nations from 1954 to 1963 and became the vice consul in 1965. After retiring in 1973, he continued to conduct poetry workshops in his apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City. Francisco Sionil Jose He has been called a Philippine national treasure. Born on December 4, 1924 in Rosales, Philippines, he was introduced to literature in public school and later at the University of Santo Tomas. While working as a journalist in Manila, he moonlighted writing short stories and eventually novels. In the late fifties Jose founded the Philippine branch of PEN, an international organization of poets, playwrights, and novelists. In 1965 he started his own publishing house SOLIDARIDAD, and a year later he began publishing the remarkable Solidarity, a journal of current affairs, ideas, and arts, still going strong today. Jose wrote in English rather than in his national language Tagalog, or his native language Illocano. In 1962 he published his first novel The Pretenders. Today his publications include ten novels, five books of short stories, and a book of verse. His works are available in 24 languages and some have recently been published in North America by Random House. He has been awarded numerous fellowships and awards, most notable being the 1980 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts, the most prestigious award of its kind in Asia. Gilda Cordero-Fernando Gilda Cordero-Fernando is a multiawarded writer, publisher and cultural icon from the Philippines. She was born in Manila, has a B.A. from St. Theresa’s College-Manila, and an M.A. from theAteneo de Manila University.Gilda Cordero-Fernando was born on June 4, 1932. Cordero-Fernando has two landmark collection of short stories: The Butcher, The Baker and The Candlestick Maker (1962) and A Wilderness of Sweets (1973). These books have been compiled and reissued later as Story Collection (1994). Another book, Philippine Food and Life, was published in 1992. Together with Alfredo Roces, Cordero-Fernando worked on Filipino Heritage, a 10-volume study on Philippine history and culture published by Lahing Pilipino in 1978. Afterwards, she founded GCF Books which published a dozen titles that deal with various aspects of Philippine culture and society. She received several Carlos Palanca and Philippines Free Press awards for her stories. In 1994, she received a Cultural Center of the Philippines (Gawad CCP) for her lifetime achievements in literature and publishing. Cordero-Fernando has also worn numerous other hats as a visual artist, fashion designer, playwright, art curator and producer. In February 2000, she produced a hugely successful extravaganza entitled Luna: An Aswang Romance†¦.. Linda Ty Casper Linda Ty Casper is a Filipino writer who has published over fifteen books, including the historical novel DreamEden and the political novels Awaiting Trespass, Wings of Stone, A Small Party in a Garden, and Fortress in the Plaza. She has also published three collections of short stories which present a cross-section of Filipino society. In 1992, Tides and Near Occasions of Love won the Philippine PEN short story prize; another at the UNESCO International Writers’ Day, London; and the SEAWrite Award in Bangkok â€Å"Triptych for a Ruined Altar† was in the Roll of Honor of The Best American Short Stories, 1977.[2] Her novel Awaiting Trespass which is about the politically sensitive theme of torture by the Marcos regime was published by Readers International ofLondon. This work gained her major critical attention in the United States for the first time, and in Britain the novel was chosen as one of the five best works of fiction by a woman writer published in 1985-86 Born as Belinda Ty in Malabon, Philippines in 1931. She spent the World War II years with her grandmother while her father worked in the Philippine National Railways, and her mother in the Bureau of Public Schools. Her grandmother told her innumerable of stories about the Filipino’s struggle for independence, that later became the topics of her novels. Linda Ty Casper graduatedvaledictorian in the University of the Philippines, and later earned her Master’s degree in Harvard University for International Law. In 1956, she married Leonard Casper, a professor emeritus of Boston College who is also a critic of Philippine Literature. They have two daughters and reside in Massachusetts. * The Transparent Sun (short stories), Peso Books, 1963 * The Peninsulares (historical novel), Bookmark 1964 * The Secret Runner (short stories), Florentino/National Book, 1974 * The Three-Cornered Sun (historical novel), New Day, 1974 * Dread Empire (novella), Hong Kong, Heinemann, 1980 * Hazards of Distance (novella), New Day, 1981 * Fortress in the Plaza (novella), New Day, 1985 * Awaiting Trespass (novella), London, Readers International, 1985 * Wings of Stone (novella), London, Readers International, 1986 * Ten Thousand Seeds (historical novel), Ateneo, 1987 * A Small Party in a Garden (novella), New Day, 1988 * Common Continent (short stories), Ateneo, 1991 * Kulasyon: Uninterrupted Vigils (collected first chapters), Giraffe, 1995 Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is an award-winning author and editor of nineteen books. She co-founded PAWWA or Philippine American Women Writers and Artists; she also founded Philippine American Literary House. Brainard’s works include the World War II novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, Magdalena, and Woman With Horns and other Stories. She edited several anthologies including Fiction by Filipinos in America,Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and two volumes of Growing Up Filipino I and II, books used by educators. Cecilia Manguerra Brainard (born 1947) grew up Cebu City, Philippines, the youngest of four children to Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra and Mariano F. Manguerra. The death of her father when she was nine prompted her to start writing, first in journals, then essays, and fiction. She attended St. Theresa’s College and Maryknoll College in the Philippines; and she did graduate work at UCLA. Brainard has worked with Asian American youths for which she received a Special Recognition Award from the Los Angeles Board of Education. She has also received awards from the California State Senate, 21st District, several USIS Grants, a California Arts Council Fellowship, an Outstanding Individual Award from the City of Cebu, Philippines, Brody Arts Fund Award, a City of Los Angeles Cultural grant, and many more. The books she has written and edited have also won awards, the Gintong Aklat Award and the International Gourmand Award among them. Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish. Brainard’s second novel, Magdalena inspired the playwright Jocelyn Deona de Leon to write a stage play, Gabriela’s Monologue, which was produced in 2011 by the Bindlestiff Studio in San Francisco as part of Stories XII! annual production showcasing original works for the stage by Pilipino/Filipino American Artists. Brainard’s writings can be found in periodicals such as Town and Country, Zee Lifestyle Magazine, Focus Philippines, Philippine Graphic, Amerasia Journal, Bamboo Ridge among others. Her stories have been anthologized in books such as Making Waves (1989), Songs of Ourselves (1994), On a Bed of Rice (1995), â€Å"Pinay: Autobiographical Narratives by Women Writers, 1926-1998† (Ateneo 2000), â€Å"Asian American Literature† Alejandro Reyes Roces Alejandro Reyes Roces (13 July 1924 – 23 May 2011) was a Filipino author, essayist, dramatist and a National Artist of the Philippines for literature. He served as Secretary of Education from 1961 to 1965, during the term of Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal. Noted for his short stories, the Manila-born Roces was married to Irene Yorston Viola (granddaughter of Maximo Viola), with whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa. Anding attended elementary and high school at the Ateneo de Manila University, before moving to the Arizona State University for his tertiary education. He graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts and, not long after, attained his M.A. from Far Eastern Universityback in the Philippines. He has since received honorary doctorates from Tokyo University, Baguio’s St. Louis University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the Ateneo de Manila University. Roces was a captain in the Marking’s Guerilla during World War II and a columnist in Philippine dailies such as the Manila Chronicle and the Manila Times. He was previously President of the Manila Bulletin and of the CAP College Foundation. In 2001, Roces was appointed as Chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Roces also became a member of the Board of Trustees of GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) and maintained a column in the Philippine Star called Roses and Thorns. During his freshman year in the University of Arizona, Roces won Best Short Story for We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers. Another of his stories, My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken, was listed as Martha Foley’s Best American Stories among the most distinctive for years 1948 and 1951. Roces did not only focus on short stories alone, as he also published books such as Of Cocks and Kites (1959), Fiesta (1980), and Something to Crow About (2005). Of Cocks and Kites earned him the reputation as the country’s best writer of humorous stories. It also contained the widely anthologized piece â€Å"My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken†. Fiesta, is a book of essays, featuring folk festivals such as Ermita’s Bota Flores, Aklan’s Ati-atihan, and Naga’s Peà ±afrancia. Something to Crow About, on the other hand, is a collection of Roces’ short stories. The book has been recently brought to life by a critically acclaimed play of the same title; the staged version of Something to Crow About is the first Filipino zarzuela in English. This modern zarzuela tells the story of a poor cockfighter named Kiko who, to his wife’s chagrin, pays more attention to the roosters than to her. Later in the story, a conflict ensues between Kiko’s brother Leandro and Golem, the son of a wealthy and powerful man, over the affections of a beautiful woman named Luningning. The resolution? A cockfight, of course. Something to Crow About won the Aliw Award for Best Musical and Best Director for a Musical Production. It also had a run off-Broadway at the La Mama Theater in New York. Through the years, Roces has won numerous awards, including the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, the Diwa ng Lahi Award, the Tanging Parangal of the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, and the Rizal Pro Patria Award. He was finally bestowed the honor as National Artist of Literature on the 25th of June 2003. When once asked for a piece of advice on becoming a famous literary figure Roces said, â€Å"You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a good person†.