Biography, a Fascinating Instrument of Learning History Introduction Essay

Biography, a Fascinating Instrument of Learning History Introduction - Essay Example Biographies are important due to the imperative role they play in mentoring us. When we read other peoples story, we gain an insight of the challenges they faced and how they managed to succeed. When in a predicament, reading a story of someone who was once faced by the same predicament could encourage you and offer a solution to the problem at hand. People like reading biographies of people in their career to act as a source of motivation. For example, an aspiring author reading the memoir of a great writer gets inspired and aim at writing a more fascinating work. Biographies seek to analyze the events in a person’s life thus by reading them we get to be acquainted with them better and are able to connect. Other people find biographies enticing due to their content, which is predominantly enlightening. It is also through biographies that we gain experience, lessons, as well as tips to a successful future. Biographies lean more on positive achievements thus when we read them w e become enthusiastic to better ourselves. In conclusion, biography is and will always remain one of the most educating, informative and motivating resource. Their comprehensiveness remains one of their supreme aspects of learning history. Rhetoric Techniques Used By Advertisers to Market Products Introduction The television commercial is about a newly invented washing detergent. Featuring are a mischievous pupil, his mother and a neighbour. This essay describes the commercial and analyzes rhetorical techniques applied in the commercial. The commercial starts with the boy on his bed thinking of an incredible tomfoolery to use to avoid attending school the following day. Suddenly, he nods his head, walks to the kitchen cabinet, and comes back tomato paste. He hurriedly opens his wardrobe removes his clean white shirts, smudges them with the paste, and returns them back. Later in the afternoon, his mother comes to find collect the shirts for ironing and is perplexed by the stained shi rts. She rushes out to the neighbour’s house where she supposes the boy could be but instead meets only the neighbour. When she explains her predicament, the neighbour enters into an adjacent room and comes out with a bottle. She explains that inside it, is a detergent that cleans out all the stains, but retains the bright colours. She lends her the detergent to wash the shirts. Early the following morning, the mother comes to wake the boy who smile cunningly and tell the mother he does not have a clean shirt to go to school. The mother removes her hands from the back and she is holding white smartly ironed shirts. He rhetorically asks, â€Å"But mum, how did you clean the hard stains?† the neighbour immediately walks in holding the bottle with the detergent and displaying clearly written name of the detergent. She concludes the advertisement when she says. â€Å"Stains disturbing you? Here comes your ever lasting solution.† The rhetorical techniques include the failure of the boy realizing the mother removed and washed the shirts, the boy unwittingly declares he was behind the mischief. It is also rhetoric when the neighbour walks in suddenly to reveal the detergent. To conclude this essay, rhetoric techniques are very important in television commercials as they make prospective customers yearn to watch the entire advertisement. This thus markets the product more. Poetry Trying to define poetry is like chasing after the air, the moment you imagine you have it in

Ethical Business Desicion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Business Desicion - Essay Example At other instances it might be a more complex issue that requires a lot of struggle and hard work before coming to a conclusion and making the right choice. Deciding what is "right" is most of the time not all that easy. Ethical decision-making may be elaborated further by the use of a real-world example of a 45-year-old lady named Sheila (Susca, 2006). Sheila is a dedicated and hardworking head of the human resource department of a large company. And just like any other leader, she too was faced with an ethical dilemma in the working environment. A few years back, her company considered hiring a former member of staff. This particular employee had in the past schemed against Sheila and had given her severe pain and suffering. She chose to remain quiet back then and had moved on as he left the company. According to his resume, he was fit for the position and had a number of good qualities and skills needed for expanding the business and the company. Now it was up to Sheila to decide what decision is in the best interest of everyone in the company and herself. Utilitarianism is the act of maximizing utility or happiness of all the concerned people. Act utilitarianism considers the maximum happiness to a maximum number of people. Rule utilitarianism however states that according to the rules, an action that brings about the greatest utility should be taken. The rule utilitarian abides by the truth. (Prevos, 2004) According to act utilitarian, that act... (Prevos, 2004) 3. A persuasive argument based on the theories and fact in the scenario. Sheila may ask herself a question: "Is this a good person to hire" According to the rule utilitarian, the honest answer according to Sheila would be "No". According to act utilitarian, that action must be taken which brings about maximum utility to maximum people. In this case, a "yes" to that question would be a good choice for Sheila as this is in the best interest of the company. Sheila is challenged with this situation. Based on the theories just mentioned, hiring back the former employee would be a good choice according to the act utilitarian theory. This would bring about fruitful results in the future. Sheila must consider the potential benefits that may occur, as she has been trusted with the responsibility of hiring good prospects. Considering otherwise, employees of her company might lose faith in her, which ultimately would result in a breakdown of her confidence. All consequences, therefore, must be evaluated carefully before making an ethical business decision. REFERENCES 1. Debra Susca. (2006). Making Ethical Business Decisions. The Journal of Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Vol. 84, No. 6 2. Peter Prevos. (2004). Rule and Act Utilitarianism. Ethics. Monash University,

Slavery In The Abrahamic Religions Theology Religion Essay

Slavery In The Abrahamic Religions Theology Religion Essay Today we think of slavery as condemning humans to lifetime bondage, working without wages and maltreated. However, slavery seems to have been a common phenomenon in many ancient civilizations such as Babylon, Egypt, and China. Most slaves were war prisoners, kidnapped or obliged to pay for debts. They were the property of the master, with little or no rights or status. Many of them were treated cruelly even though most ancient civilizations had some laws to regulate slavery, such as the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi. This kind of slavery also existed during the lives of Moses, Jesus and the Prophet Mohammad. Most of the slaves, at that time, were prisoners of wars. They could be killed, raped and sold at any moment. The three Abrahamic religions dealt with the slavery institutions in different ways, they didnt not abolish it, but each one them regulate it in a way that goes with the norms of the society. Slavery in Islam Islam tried to solve the problem of the slaves that were in the Arabian Peninsula by encouraging people in different ways to set their slaves free. The Muslims were ordered that in reparation of some of their sins they should emancipate their slaves. As a start, and because it is harder to change a cultural habit, Islam regulated the institution of slavery and improved the treatments of the masters toward their slaves. In many verses of the Quran, it is clearly stated that all the human are the descended of one ancestor, that no one is superior to the other regardless of the race, ethnicity or the social status. The prophet Muhammed also ordered his Umma (Community) to threat the slaves and the servants as they were their brothers and to give them from what they eat and what they wear. He also ordered that the slave shouldnt be given any work beyond his capacity and if it is necessary the master must help him. This good treatment of the masters had a positive consequence on the attitudes of slaves to their masters. The slaves kept their humanity and moral dignity and become a member of their masters family.  Moreover, the slaves also enjoyed the right to keep their religion and to have a family, to earn money and to own a property. According to Islam teaching, humans are free and were born free. It is the natural and proper condition which must be considered as the norm. Therefore, to liberate a slave is one of the highest virtues. To emancipate a slave is considered equal to save its own life from the wrath in the next world. In Islam people were encouraged to enter into agreements and contracts which enabled slaves to earn or be granted their freedom at the expiry of a certain term or, most typically, on the death of the owner. At that time, there were occasions when groups of wealthy people, acting together, would buy and set free many slaves in order to obtain thereby the favor of God. Islam has commended humanity in the treatment of slaves, and encouraged their liberation. We can see from the history of many different peoples in the Islamic world that slaves quickly integrated into the main society and achieved positions of great status and power, some of them even gained their freedom. Slavery in Christianity In the early Christianity, slavery was considered as natural phenomena. In the Old Testament there is no specific condemnation of slavery. On the contrary, it does approve and regulate it and ensures that the traffic and ownership of human beings proceeds in an acceptable manner. In the New Testament, it is stated that Jesus did not express disapproval of the enslaving of people. However, in spite of some critics against Jesus claiming that he didnt abolish slavery, it undeniable that he explicitly stood against every form of injustice. The mission of Jesus was Furthermore, in the New Testament it is clearly indicated how a good Christian must treat slaves: the Christian masters must call Christian slaves brothers. It also stated that masters must how kindness, justice, and tolerance toward their slaves and that their position, as master, meant responsibility and duty. Paul, in his letters, also reminded Christians to treat their slaves as brothers and sisters. He emphasized on the justice and fairness toward slaves. Paul also asked Christians to consider them as morally responsible human beings who are also a part of the body of the Christ and asked the slaves to obey to their masters. He also explained that spiritual status is more fundamental and important than social status. Paul was not opposed to the freedom of slaves if the opportunity arose but believed that God had called people to different positions in life and they were to live out the Christian life in the position in which they were called. Slavery in Judaism At the time of the Old Testament, there were two types of slavery; the ownership of foreign captives or war prisoners and the type of contractual servitude, where an Israelite is for a certain time a slave to another Israelite, usually because he has become poor and has no other option. An Israelite, in biblical law, is guaranteed certain rights both while a slave and upon liberation. The first possible reference to slavery in the Old Testament is in Genesis where Noah cursed Canaan for the sin of his son Ham and predicted that he would be the servant of his brothers. Both the prophets Abraham and Isaac had servants; however, the first clear example of slavery is in Exodus where the Israelites were made to work as slaves. According the Exodus, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and their situation was clearly unacceptable to God, judging by their rescue and the regulations regarding slavery in the Mosaic Law. Slavery in the Mosaic Law After the Israelites had left Egypt the acquisition of slaves were organized by the Mosaic Law which permitted them to make slaves of Jews and Non-Jews people. The law states clearly that the Jews must treat their Hebrews slaves as if they were their servants. They must also give them the possibility of their freedom in the 7th year of their service, and provide them the resources to start a new life even though they can remain a slave if they want. In the exodus it is declared that anyone who put a man to slavery against his will must be killed. Furthermore, there were many laws dealing with violence against and the slaves and the ones who ran away from their masters must be protected and not returned. The Israelites were also allowed to buy slaves from other nations and to keep them for an indefinite period as slaves, nevertheless they were included in the commonwealth of Jewish community, and they could participate in festivals and were given the Sabbath rest. In the twenty one century, slavery is considered as a violation of human rights and it is abolished by all the nations and the majority of religions. However, the texts of the Abrahamic religions( Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) refers clearly to the slavery institutions as common one and it is viewed as acceptable at that time. Indeed, all the three religions regulated the slavery, developed laws for it and organized it in a way to preserve the slaves dignity and life. This pushes us to wonder, why the Abrahamic religions that value the life of a human being didnt abolish slavery in their texts. It is clear that the three religions were born at a time where slavery was a common practice and most of the societies were against any reforms that could change their habits and cultural practices. For these reasons and according to some explanations, the three religions didnt abolish slavery at the beginning, however they were against the inhuman treatments and try to regulate in order to improve the life of the slaves and to preserve their human dignity. In Islam, slavery was at first regulated and then abolished by the time of the caliph Omar Ibn Al Khatab, however, it didnt ended the slavery in the Islamic world. In Christianity and Judaism, slavery was justified by the curse of Ham and for some Christians and Jews it is Gods will on earth. In spite of the religious regulation and abolishment, the human rights and worldwide organization, slavery still exists in the twenty-one century but in a modernize form. Some scholars claim it is neither the outcome of cultural practices nor the consequences of a certain religions. According to them, slavery is a part of the human nature that seeks to have power on another human being and to control it in order to satisfy the human ego.

The Effects of Technology on the Right of Freedom of Speech

The Effects of Technology on the Right of Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democratic political and social institutions. It is responsible for the free flow of ideas and information to anyone who wishes to listen. Freedom of speech supports freethinking and sharing of thoughts, but along with these good characteristics there are also harmful ones. With the positive aspects such as art, journalism, and the pursuit of truth come negatives aspects such as pornography, gambling, and hate and shock sites. To continue with free speech people, must accept these negative aspects such as The Blackplague shock site, "The Blackplague", http://www.blackplague.org/. The contents of this site are repulsive, disturbing, and offensive to the majority of the population. There are countless pictures, texts, and videos of sex, death, and the most evil human behavior imaginable. No matter what is included in the site though, it is still a reflection of society and paints a picture of reality because of the people who maintain and contribut e to the site. The creators of this site use digital methods to spread their message and raise some questions about free speech and the Internet as a whole. Should the Internet be regulated and more government control take place or should the Internet not be regulated and allow disturbing material such as "The Blackplague" to be accessible to everyone including little children? These are major social questions that are being raised with major implications for the future attached to the answers. Technology has changed the issue of freedom of speech because it has changed the amount of access and overall information people have available to them today. Technology, such as the Internet, ha... ...iterate culture’s root metaphor, for the human mind"(pg. 11). Print-thinking’s boundaries cannot control digital thinking as print technologies regulations cannot control digital information. Hate and shock sites must be left uncensored because they defend a principle. They are one of the ugliest parts of that principle but they are still a very important and vocal part of it. Total freedom of speech is inevitable, as digital thinking will not tolerate boundaries because they are contradictory to its very nature of constant dynamic change. Works Cited Bolter, Jay David. Writing Space. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. 1991 Gilster, Paul. Digital Literacy. Wiley Computer Publishing Landow, George P. Hypertext 2.0 Lanham, Richard A. The Electronic Word. University of Chicago Press. 1989 "The Blackplague". 12-2-98. http://www.blackplague.org/

Is Winston Smith, the Main Character in George Orwell’s Book, “Julia 1984” a Hero?

What does one think of when the word â€Å"hero† comes up? The definition of a hero is afflicted with the main character in a book, play, or movie, which is typically identified with good qualities. But what if that is not the case? What if our hero is a cowardly man with a varicose ulcer on his right ankle and is physically unfit?Meet Winston Smith, the main character in George Orwell’s book, â€Å"1984†. Winston is a member of the Outer Party, and is under the ruling of the Inner Party, living under a mask that he is a loyal follower of Big Brother as those who do not follow Big Brother are vaporized and are never to be seen again. No one has the courage to rebel as even thinking various thoughts can result an individual to be vaporized, with everyone being watched at every moment of the day. Winston feels frustrated through the Party’s laws as he cannot even think what he wants and soon leads to him rebelling.Winston’s journey shows that he fails to rebel against the party in the end. However, Winston is meant to be a hero as a hero is justified through his actions, rather than by his ending; Winston shows characteristics of a hero through rebellious attitude to do what is right, his bravery to rebel against Oceanian law, and the perseverance to keep rebelling until the very end, as emphasized in the book â€Å"1984†. In the very beginning of the book, Winston already shows characteristics of a hero as he commits acts of rebellion against the unfair laws of the Party. He frequents the Prole district and shops in ordinary shops; buying many items from the past. In Oceania, the act of buying such items is against the law as â€Å"Party members were supposed not to go into ordinary shops† (Orwell 6).Winston slips through the district and buys a diary as â€Å"At the time he was not conscious of wanting it for any particular purpose. Orwell 6)The fact that Winston buys items from the Prole district frequently sho ws how he enjoys doing these rebellious acts since it allows him to go back to the past. Winston shows his rebellious attitude again as he repeatedly writes â€Å"in large neat capitals DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER† (Orwell 18).Winston cannot publicly revolt since Oceania is filled with telescreens to spying neighbours. There are even events such as the Two-Minutes Hate where citizens conform to propaganda. Winston rebels by his eyes as â€Å"there was a space of a couple of seconds during which the expression of his eyes might conceivably have betrayed him.† (Orwell 16) Winston is a rebellious man who revolts for freedom in a totalitarian society, showing how he justifies his  actions as a hero.After Winston staggers through thinking about whenever he should rebel further, he meets Julia soon afterwards and decides to rebel together. He no longer wonders if he should rebel, he rebels because it is the right thing to do to gain freedom. He officially starts his rebellion wi th Julia by making love to her â€Å"even if it were only once in his whole life. The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion. â€Å"(Orwell 68). This shows how Winston is brave by even connecting with Julia, as it can end in both of them being vaporized in the end.Winston continues his act of bravery by pursuing a place where he and Julia can continue rebelling in private; he rents out the room above the antique shop. Here, the both of them commit more crimes that could entitle them to death. For example, Winston stops â€Å"to talk with Mr. Charrington for a few minutes on his way upstairs.†(Orwell 150) in a society in where trust is rare. Winston also comes to this room to talk about more acts of rebellion with Julia, and of course, they also continue to make love despite it being against the law.Winston attains the title of a true rebel when he searches for O’Brien to join the Brotherhood, stating that â€Å"We believe that there is some kind of conspi racy, some kind of secret organization working against the Party, and that you are involved in it. We want to join it and work for it.†(Orwell 170) At this point, Winston realizes that there is no turning back as O’Brien â€Å"began asking his questions if he is to fully commit to being a part of the Brotherhood and Winston agrees, showing great bravery for committing thought crime and other acts of rebellion. His bravery for committing these courageous acts shows Winston in a heroic light, as he fights the Party with heavier crimes.Winston is dead set to persevere until the very end. His ultimate goal is â€Å"to die hating them†- with â€Å"them† referring to the Party and Big Brother. Winston does not deny that he would be caught; â€Å"The first step had been a secret, involuntary thought, the second had been the opening of the diary. He had moved from thoughts to words, and now from words to actions. The last step was something that would happen in the Ministry of Love.† (Orwell 159) However, he continues to rebel by enduring both physical and mental torture; with â€Å"questioners now were not ruffians in black uniforms but Party intellectuals, little rotund men with quick movements and flashing spectacles† (Orwell 241).Soon, he faces O’Brien torturing him through electric shocks so Winston can be converted into loving Big Brother,  where Winston still doubts the certainty of the Party. O’Brien brings up that â€Å"The earth is as old as we are, no older. How could it be older? Nothing exists except through human consciousness.† (Orwell 265) Winston retorts back, saying â€Å"But the rocks are full of the bones of extinct animals – mammoths and mastodons and enormous reptiles which lived here long before man was ever heard of.† (Orwell 265) Winston â€Å"obeyed the Party, but he still hated the Party.† enough to say â€Å"I hate him† (Orwell 282), posing a proble m to the Party as one should accept the Party or Big Brother entirely.Being broken, Winston â€Å"knew that he was in the wrong, but he preferred to be in the wrong.† showing that he still has the drive to continue to fight for freedom, as he still wanted it badly. This causes him to go to Room 101- and he betrays Julia due to his fear of rats. It is easy to see that everyone ends up betraying what they love most, as the purpose of the torture is to replace anything you love most with Big Brother.His perseverance shows how Winston- despite failing- is a heroic character as he attempted to hate Big Brother until the very end. The cautionary tale of â€Å"1984† emphasizes Winston as a hero through his dedication to rebel as far as he could, his courage for taking action in rebellion, and showing the right attitude for what is right; making him an excellent protagonist for a hero is defined through what one does, and not by what happens to the hero.Albeit the tragic endin g, does Winston’s failure to reach his goal denounce him from a hero status? In the end, the credibility of Winston being a hero is ultimately up to the reader as he can only be a hero if he fits the definition of a hero. The question is, what is a hero?

Runescape

An essay on Runescape The issues involving Runescape has been a popular topic amongst scholars for many years. I find my self constantly drawn back to the subject of Runescape. While much has been written on its influence on contemporary living, it is important to remember that ‘what goes up must come down. ’ Crossing many cultural barriers it still draws remarks such as ‘I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole' and ‘i'd rather eat wasps' from socialists, who just don't like that sort of thing. Relax, sit back and gasp as I display the rich tapestries of Runescape. Social Factors Society is our own everyday reality.When Sir Bernard Chivilary said ‘hounds will feast on society' [1] he, contrary to my learned colleague Sir George Allen’s recent publication ‘Into the eye of , could not have been referring to eighteenth century beliefs regarding society. A child’s approach to Runescape smells of success. Of paramount importance to any stud y of Runescape within its context, is understanding the ideals of society. Clearly it promotes higher individualism and obeyence of instinct. As soon as a child meets Runescape they are changed. Economic Factors Is unemployment inherently bad for an economy? Yes.We will primarily be focusing on the Fish-Out-Of-Water model. Taking special care to highlight the role of Runescape within the vast framework which this provides. Housing Prices (i had a graph here comparing housing to runescape with a line going upwards) Indisputably there is a link. How can this be explained? Clearly housing prices looms over Runescape this cannot be a coincidence. What it all comes down to is money. Capitalists love Runescape. Political Factors Politics, we all agree, is a fact of life. Placing theory on the scales of justice and weighing it against practice can produce similar results to contrasting 0To quote nobel prize winner Xaviera Rock ‘Taking a walk across hot coals will inevitably hurt your feet. ‘ [2] This clearly illustrates the primary concern of those involved with Runescape. Both spectacular failure and unequaled political accomplishment may be accredited to Runescape. I hope, for our sake that Runescape will endure. Conclusion We can conclude that the Runescape is both a need and a want. It enlightens our daily lives, invades where necessary and never hides. Let's finish with a thought from star Uma Morissette: ‘I love Runescape? Yes! Hurray for Runescape! ‘ [3]