Saturday, August 31, 2019
Good and evil Essay
Two authors of different periods wrote on the same subject. Each approaches the idea from a different direction. Anton Chekhov looks at the aspects of light as a sign of hope. Franz Kafka examines the despair that comes from darkness in humans. Despite their different approaches, both address the aspects of the human psyche that deal with good and evil. Light to Chekhov displays hope and the good in man. Kafka sees darkness as the example of human evil and despair. The use of light in The Cherry Orchard and The Metamorphosis shows the antithetical elements of good and evil and the authorsââ¬â¢ attempts to show the human condition of the conflicting elements hope and despair. Kafkaââ¬â¢s mind dealt in the darkness, and Chekhovââ¬â¢s mind dealt in light. According to human mythology, light and dark represent good and evil. Good things happen under the light; in the shadows, the human psyche does not feel comfortable. The aristocrats in Cherry Orchard exist in a changing society, with the new ways crumbling away their positions. Madame Ranevskaya, one of the main aristocrats, says upon her return from Europe, ââ¬Å"All white, all white! Oh, my cherry orchard! After the dark and stormy autumn and the winter frosts you are young again and full of happinessâ⬠(Chekhov 28). This observation emphasizes the good that humans associate with light. The aristocrats distribute warmth and love, while coldness describes the capitalist feeling. The cherry orchard symbolizes the aristocrats, and the setting by Chekhov in the spring shows the power of good. The aristocrats with their caring fight in a symbolic battle against the capitalists who have no personal feelings in Chekhovââ¬â¢s play. Chekhov uses this to show that good, even when under attack, will prevail. Despite his siding with the aristocracy, Chekhov shows clean cut lines of black and white do not exist, but instead a shade of gray exists. Trofimov, a perpetual student and philosopher, says, ââ¬Å"Your cherry orchard is a terrible thing. Possessing living souls has corrupted all of you, those who lived before and sinceâ⬠¦ the old bark on the trees glow dimlyâ⬠(Chekhov 50). This remark of the socialist antagonist shows that even the warmth of the aristocracy has come from suffering. In reverse, cold capitalism, allows a man to become free and gain power. Without his contrasts and comparisons, the book becomes propaganda. By addressing the overlap of the pleasant as well as bad aspects of each, Chekhov shows that the human psyche has no clearly definable boundaries, and good as well as evil emerge as possible results of a manââ¬â¢s actions. Chekhov, by addressing the light opens up views and insights into good and evil. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka depicts the good and evil inherent in man also. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, turns into a giant bug after unsettling dreams. He slowly retreats from his old generous self as a human to become a creature that his own family reviles. Kafka writes, ââ¬Å"The light of the electric street-lamps lay in pallid streaks on the ceiling and on the upper parts of the furniture, but underneath, where Gregor was, it was darkâ⬠(Kafka 21). This quote shows that while Gregor can achieve a better level and become a human again, he chooses to remain as a bug, by hiding from the cleansing he must go through. Throughout the novel, Gregor avoids the light and light-colored objects. When his sister brings him milk, Gregor tries it, but ââ¬Å"he turned away from the bowl almost with repulsionâ⬠(Kafka 21). Kafka uses this technique of hiding to show that humans all have the potential for good in them, but often hide from the chance. Gregor does not wish to fight to obtain his humanity. He would rather hide from his own potential by remaining something all men despise. Gregor finds being an outcast better than the possibility of being the only good man. None of his family remains loyal to him, but instead his father abuses him without care, and his whole family conspires to eliminate the problem. Gregorââ¬â¢s father attacks him, and eventually hurt him, the apple thrown hard and ââ¬Å"literally forcing its way into Gregorââ¬â¢s backâ⬠(Kafka 39). Kafka uses this falling away in the family to show that even though they try to love Gregor, they allow their evil natures to take over. Kafka uses Gregorââ¬â¢s hiding from the light to show that the human psyche includes good and bad sides. With this method, Kafka shows the mind contains multiple parts, each of which can influence the whole. According to Jung, the human psyche comprises of these parts. The brains alter ego, or shadow, tries to dominate with acts that society rarely sees. This escape into the open world results in crime and hate. Jung says that the part of man with bad motives lies there, and the drive to do good exists in the self. Gregor, after his transformation and after the attacks, gains the right to an open door to watch the family. Despite this opportunity, ââ¬Å"Gregor found it very easy to give up the open doorâ⬠¦ when it was opened he had not taken advantage of it, but insteadâ⬠¦ had lain in the darkest corner of the roomâ⬠(Kafka 46). His reluctance to join in a crude family circle represents his ultimate rejection of his potential for good. Kafka applies his reluctance to show that man will naturally reject good for the simpler path of evil. By not becoming a problem and dealing with his position even within his family, Gregor denies his humanity and accepts to living in the shadows of his mind. These shadows, though normally hidden behind the persona, allow evil to escape from under the tight blocks in the mind. Gregor, when he becomes a bug, loses hope. The aristocrats in Chekhovââ¬â¢s play despair when they lose control. Both Gregor and Madame Ranevskaya cannot continue to hope, because darkness covers their mind. Madame Ranevskayaââ¬â¢s friend and buyer Lopakhin says, ââ¬Å"Last year at this time snow was falling already, if you remember; but now itââ¬â¢s fine and sunnyâ⬠(Chekhov 81). Before Lopakhin buys the estate, the aristocrats do not have hope. When snow covers the land, humans despair, because they remain in their houses without escape, with the feeling of existing in a trap. Humans find hope with release into wide-open spaces, where their expansion can grow without impedance. When restrictions come into place, the mind loses hope. In Chekhovââ¬â¢s play, at the end, the weather turns fine and so Madame Ranevskaya feels more hope. Anya, her daughter, shows both her own and her motherââ¬â¢s beliefs in saying ââ¬Å"Very, very happy. A new life is beginningâ⬠(Chekhov 77). When she says this, the aristocrats are preparing to leave their estate. The confinement at the estate ends, so Madame Ranevskaya and her family have sunlight illuminating them, and they hope for a better future. Gregor Samsa, Kafkaââ¬â¢s protagonist, remains a problem to his family. His presence tries their patience, and by his inability to help, Gregor puts a greater load on his sister and parents. Gregor, when he does try to participate in a family activity, manages to drive away the boarders who rent a room. Eventually Gregor realizes that he hurts his family by staying. Gregor knows that he cannot be of service, so instead of remaining in his room by his own will; he can leave his body to go to another plane of thought and knowledge. Kafka writes ââ¬Å"His conviction that he would have to disappear was, if possible, firmer than his sisterââ¬â¢sâ⬠¦ He still saw that outside the window everything was beginning to grow lightâ⬠(Kafka 54). When his need to live cancels out by his thought for others, Gregor joins humanity again, and can have hope for himself. Gregor and Madame Ranevskaya both begin in their respective works as characters that have no reason for hope. Gregor becomes a bug, and because of debt, Madame Ranevskayaââ¬â¢s estate will go to the auction block. These situations offer little choice of resolving themselves, and the protagonists will correct them differently. The more despair grows in them, and the closer they come to their final reckoning, the less the two feel able to save themselves. In each work, the author has a different climax, at which the characters recognize their position and turn to something other than the previous life. Madame Ranevskaya moves away from her family wealth, and Gregor stops living as a human in a bug. Both character have the opportunity to gain hope. For Gregor and Madame Ranevskaya, light symbolizes what they can have, and darkness symbolizes their problems. However, where light exists there cannot also survive darkness, so hope cannot coexist with despair. By changing to a brighter outlook, the two characters show the goodness in man, and the difference from their previous state shows the darkness in man. Kafka and Chekhov both use the technique of antithetical elements to show the human condition of conflict and change.
Big business and how it affects media ethics Essay
The effect of media on the public as shown in the long list of Hollywood movies is of prime interest with big business that targets mass consumption of their products, services and ideas. Big business sells not merely a product or a service but a whole lifestyle and mode of thinking. Big business sells a whole package of beliefs passed on from one generation of consumers to the next. McGuire (1986) noted several of the most commonly mentioned intended media effects: (a) the effects of advertising on purchasing, (b) the effects of political campaigns on voting, (c) the effects of public service announcements (PSAs) on personal behavior and social improvement, (d) the effects of propaganda on ideology, and (e) the effects of media ritual on social control. And the one who could manipulate the media eventually controls the effects media has on its audience. And due to this interest, big business has not been complacent in using media to further its interests to the extent of affecting media ethics. There is a war between big business and media as one tries to use, outwit and profit from each otherââ¬â¢s power. Media needs the advertising money that big business has. And big business needs mediaââ¬â¢s format and reach to help push their products in competitive markets. On ordinary and traditional circumstance, business news will be the usual reporting of financial markets, who recently go hired or who recently got promoted but times are changing as media and big business realize the power they have over each other. ââ¬Å"Private enterprise has been and continues to be thought of as a private ?affair by many who engage in it. But for a multitude of reasons, the ? media try (and not often enough, some argue) to make private transactions public business. The press is watching business closely. One page from a metropolitan ? newspaper can tell the story. The Orange County Register, a southern ? California daily with a circulation of over 300,000, reported stories under ? these headlines one day in early 1987: ââ¬Å"GM plans to lay off 2,000 in ? Kansas Cityâ⬠; ââ¬Å"Ford exec asks cut in Japanese Importsâ⬠; ââ¬Å"SEC chief says ?more big news is comingâ⬠; ââ¬Å"Guiness director quits over schemeâ⬠; ââ¬Å"People/Continental to offer 2-for-1 ticketsâ⬠; ââ¬Å"GE to lay off 3,000 workers at ? Northeast plantsâ⬠; A large picture showed striking Lockheed Shipbuilding workers crossing a picket line ? in Seattle. â⬠(Blohowiak, 1987) Itââ¬â¢s more dangerous when both cohort each other into twisting the truth and step over business and media ethics. In this light, big business and media profit from the unethical practice of their crafts with the mass markets eventually receiving unjust consequences as illustrated by the highly celebrated Enron fiasco. ââ¬Å"In the wake of apparently dishonest practices by Enron Corp. executives, and apparent negligence by members of its board of directors, many are asking how people believed to be so smart could have lacked the moral courage to seek and tell the truth. As there is after every financial scandal, a call is being made for more courses in ââ¬Å"business ethicsâ⬠in the leading universities. â⬠(Berlau, 2002) Another example of the big business that has continually been in headlines is the business of war. Media has played a critical role in convincing voters to support the decision of their leaders to go to war and spend for war. Smith in 1994 explains ââ¬Å"that armament firms have sought to influence public opinion through the control of newspapers in their own and foreign countries, that armament firms have organized international armament rings through which the armament race has been accentuated by playing off one country against another, that armament firms have organized international armament trusts which have increased the price of armaments sold to governments. â⬠(Smith, 1994) As the Bush administration furthers its campaign against terror, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are slowly becoming the most expensive campaign since World War II. Lawmakers and congressional staff reports that Pentagon is preparing $127 billion to $160 billion worth of requests for its armed services due for 2007. ââ¬Å"Thatââ¬â¢s on top of $70 billion already approved for 2007. Since 2001, Congress has approved $502 billion for the war on terror, roughly two-thirds for Iraq. The latest request, due to reach the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress next spring, would make the war on terror more expensive than the Vietnam War. â⬠(Wolf, 2006) The business of war just like any other kind of big business will succeed to prosper and profit because behind these big businesses are media partners that by themselves big business as well. Media ethics is nowhere to be found in bottom line discussions between the big businesses and the use of the networks to serve specific interests as elaborated by the action of Sinclair Broadcasting Group and their support for the Bush Administration presidential campaigns. ââ¬Å"If what can only be described as an attempt by a large, conservative corporation to keep a corporate president in power, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which owns 62 stations nationwide, has ordered all of its stations to pre-empt regular programming and instead show an anti-Kerry film along the lines of the Swift Boat Liars one week before the election. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s not the American way for powerful corporations to strong-arm local broadcasters to air lies promoting a political agenda,â⬠said David Wade, a spokesman for the Democratic nomineeââ¬â¢s campaign. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s beyond yellow journalism; itââ¬â¢s a smear bankrolled by Republican money, and I donââ¬â¢t think Americans will stand for it. â⬠(Bowers, 2004) Big business has taken into its payroll media elements including important roles that protect standards. This is imperative if big business wants to ensure success in the big amount of money they invest on advertising or news reporting for example. Although bad or good advertisement is still advertisement and can help brand retention, at the end of the day, consumers would always go for the products and services that have a good reputation. And with media ethics slowly getting softer and softer, with manipulations with words, graphics and endorsers, a not so good product will sell. These are possible due to evolving market models. ââ¬Å"The unrestrained market model has diminished the authority of news editors, once guardians of quality, the domainââ¬â¢s bulwarks against illegitimate pressures exerted by the owners, the public, or other stakeholders. The editors, in a sense, were newsroomsââ¬â¢ superegos, the disinterested enforces of standards. Most editors are now firmly embedded in the corporate hierarchy, directly answerable to fiscal matters. They are paid like executives ââ¬â a big change from the recent past ââ¬â and are expected to conform to corporate fiscal priorities. â⬠(Gardner, 2001).
Friday, August 30, 2019
Abortion Rights
There have been many cases in Canadaââ¬â¢s legal system some more complicated and time consuming than others. It is a never ending process that has occurred throughout history as societyââ¬â¢s beliefs continued to change and various new issues arose. Most people at the time would believe that majority of the cases in court would be to apprehend criminals in the eyes of the law with no other benefit to society. Unfortunately this perception was nothing but an illusion that had been imprinted in the minds of society. In fact if people had paid more attention to details as well as researched various the issues thoroughly, they would have discovered just how much each and every case had an effect on the world around them. Of these cases there has been a few which stood out for having a major impact on society whether or not people were aware of it. But the one that stood out the most among them was Abortion rights R. V. Mergenthaler, {1988} 1 S. C. R. 30. The case Abortion rights R. V. Mergenthaler, {1988} 1 S. C. R. 30 has changed Canadian society for the better due to the major impact it had on one of the most controversial issues. Firstly the major reason to why this case had changed society for the better is because of the fact that it had protected the lives of those who reside in it. In an In-depth explanation of this is that at the time women faced a lot of hate and criticism from society if they were to seek abortion. This also led them to develop various emotional problems which could have later turned into more serious health problems such as depression. It did not end here another health problem that women had faced at this time was that they had they experienced ââ¬Å"excessive physiological pressureâ⬠(Klassen, Jeff and Clydesdale, Jacqui. Abortion: An Overview: Canadian Points of View Reference Centre, 2009) in the process of trying to obtain an approval for an abortion from a therapeutic abortion committee in an accredited hospital because they would worry if their application would get rejected or not. Another common occurrence was that the time it took in order to get an approval for abortion increased the risks of problems occurring when doctors performed the medical procedure. Also a cold reality was that some women had died because their bodies were unfit to give birth and the doctors refused to perform the abortion rocedure unless they were approved by the committee which caused them to die a death that could have otherwise been prevented. This situation is portrayed in the newspaper article ââ¬ËChange your abortion law to save lives' grieving father tells Irish PMââ¬â¢ (Chamberlain, Gethin. ââ¬ËChange your abortion law to save lives' grieving: thegurdian, Saturday 17 November 2012). where it tells the story of a girl whose life was at risk because her body could not handle giving birth and she was refused abortion due to Irelands abortion laws which led her to die. Fortunately these events have now been prevented and the lives of the women in the future have been saved due to this case making it a case that had truly changed society. Secondly it had stopped the injustice and discrimination for the women who sought an abortion in Canada had faced. The reason for this is because it is a biased decision that women had to get an approval at an accredited hospital in order to get an abortion. There simply was no need for this to occur as many of them had developed health problems due to delays or rejections by the committee. People also should not have had the right to decide whether or not someone should get an abortion or not it is the parent of the unborn childââ¬â¢s decision. Also in what these laws were cruel and inhumane as they had forced women who were no able to obtain an approval to bare an unwanted child and go through the various stages of pregnancy. This can be the same as if girl were raped by someone in order to force her to bear a child except in this case it is the law that is the one that forced the girl to bear a child. There was also the problem with the fact that Criminal code restricted abortion causing it to infringe the rights of women as stated in one of sub sections of section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights called Security of the person. In this section it states that because the criminal code restricted abortions and affected their health it was unconstitutional. Therefore this case has saved women from the discrimination and injustice they were faced with from society and the law which changed how they would be treated in the future. Lastly it saved the lives of the future that would otherwise have been neglected or wasted. Anyone would have been able to decipher this without a second thought and it would have caused them to realize what would have happened to the unwanted child that the mother wanted aborted if it were born into this world. Many would have tried to believe that everything would have been fine and go on with their lives. But unfortunately it would have been hard to believe that the child would have been treated the same by its mother like another mother who actually wanted a child would treat it. The child would have actually been mistreated and neglected as if it were a burden because the mother did not want it in the first place. These events would have developed emotion problems in the child earlier on in their childhood which would have affected them the rest of their lives and would not have allowed them to live a normal happy life. This is due to societyââ¬â¢s beliefs at the time that had been blinded by the ignorance and made them forget that ââ¬Å"No one wants to see unwanted children brought into the worldâ⬠(Lerman, Evelyn. Nobody Likes Abortion: Canadian Points of View Reference Centre, 2000). So they basically fought for no abortion laws while not foreseeing what would have happened to children who were born from mothers who wanted abortions. Thankfully this case had made sure that abortion laws were changed so that the lives which would have been neglected or wasted were not put in this world so they could have been happier. In conclusion it can be determined that this case truly did change Canadian society. As it helped save the lives of the women by making sure the abortion laws were changed as well as prevented the women of the future from experiencing the problems that they had to face in order to get an abortion. The injustice and discrimination of the women in was also nullified giving women more rights and a better place in society. It also helped save the lives of the future that would have otherwise been neglected or wasted. In the end this case is truly outstanding and deserves a place in Canadian history for the great accomplishments that it has brought to Canadian society.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Social Studies Curriculum Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Social Studies Curriculum - Research Paper Example A student at a lower level of school might not be able to understand these concepts, and on this basis, these children might be taught on the existence of various cultural groups, and where they are found. To effectively understand culture, a social science curriculum must also have the elements of continuity, change and time (Au, 2012). Culture changes over time, and it is not mandatory for a group to practice one tradition for eternity. This is because globalization and modernity plays a role in eroding some cultures, in exchange of a superior culture. For example, some people cannot speak their ethnic languages, but they can speak English in a very fluent manner. This is because English is a dominant language in the current century, thanks to globalization (Basit, 2012). Another important element in a social science curriculum is the existence of the thematic connotation of people, place and environment. It is impossible to learn about the culture of an individual, without knowing the place where these people come from, and their environments/surroundings. For instance, if we want to know about the cultural practices of the Latino Americans, we have to first identify where these people come from. The Latinos came from North America. After identifying this fact, that is when an individual can effectively learn on their cultural practices, and what shapes them. A social science curriculum must also explain the thematic connotations of governance, authority and power (Basit, 2012). In order to understand this element of governance, authority and power, students have to understand the different cultural values and its elements. This is because it is these cultural values that shape the system of governance within a state/ community. Take for example a society that believes in democracy, their system of governance will reflect democratic tendencies. It is also impossible to understand these thematic connotations of governance, authority and power, without underst anding how the various groups, individuals and institutions interact with each other within a community. On this basis therefore, a good social science curriculum must have an element of groups, individuals and institutions (Au, 2012). It is the various institutions within a country that shapes the governance structure of the same country. For example, a country with a strong judiciary will ensure that the leaders of the nation follow the law, without which there will be consequences. This concept therefore promotes the rule of the law. Implications of constructivist theory: Constructivism is a theory is a theory that denotes knowledge is a creation of people, and it is influenced by their cultural believes, and values. According to this theory, knowledge is constructed individually and bases itself on the studentââ¬â¢s intellectual development as they experience reality that occurs during the process of social and physical activity. On this basis, constructivism theory can be us ed in the design and planning of a curriculum for the study of social sciences (DeVries and Zan, 2012). The use of constructivism theory, in the development of a social studies curriculum will center on the following four tenets. The first tenet is that the mind of an individual has the capability of representing issues through symbols. Language is an important symbol recognized by the mind, and it is an important element that contributes to the studentââ¬â¢
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Risk and Return Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Risk and Return Relationship - Essay Example The essay "Risk and Return Relationship" talks about the characteristics that can influence risk as the probability of losing anything of value or uncertainty of a result. This paper also analyzes the risk and return relationship which is fundamental to the potential investment decisions. The risk is an outcome of those actions which are taken regardless of uncertainty. The characteristics that can control or influence risks are as follows: Using debt: Using debt in the business increases the chances of risk bear by shareholders, but it also results in the higher rate of returns. Optimal capital structure: Making use of optimal or most favorable capital structure balances the pressure or influence of risk and maximizes the stock price of the company. Aggressive management: Risk can be influenced by the aggressive management. The aggressive managers of the firm are more prone to utilize debt in order to increase profit. The relationship between risk and return is fundamental to the investment decisions, whether assessing a sole investment or selecting between different investments. Potential investors evaluate the relationship between risk and return when they have to make a decision regarding investment in securities like bonds or shares. It has been discovered that there is a positive connection between the risk and return. The securities which are riskier provide a greater return. However, Bowman found that there is a distinct and significant negative relationship between risk and return.
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Candide as Atypical Enlightenment Cultural Production Essay
Candide as Atypical Enlightenment Cultural Production - Essay Example But if there was a single thing that defined the Enlightenment, it was the primacy of reason. This primacy led to all of the other changes in western thought and practice. Voltaire was in many ways the prototypical man of the enlightenment ââ¬â a cross between a renaissance man and a modern scientist, Voltaire valued reason most highly in all of his philosophical works. The picaresque novel Candide, however, is in many ways atypical of Voltaireââ¬â¢s reputation. Probably the single most significant way it was atypical of the Enlightenment was its willingness to go to polemical extremes ââ¬â often overstepping its logical argument for rhetorical purposes. One of the fundamental ways the Enlightenment separated itself from the era before it was a paucity of emphasis being placed on rhetorical technique. Rhetorical technique fundamentally relies on the manipulation of emotion, while Enlightenment thinkers would have preferred to win over their opponents through pure reason an d logical argument. Candide, however, takes an entirely different tact. One of its basic purposes was to mock the idea of optimism, an idea associated with the thinker Leibniz, and essentially argued that absolute, irrevocable evil did not exist. In some ways Voltaire counters this argument logically in Candide, by, for instance, demonstrating a great number of tragedies that seem to counter the most fundamental idea of optimism, such as ship wrecks, earth quakes, war, thievery and so on (Voltaire). This acts as a logical counter to the ideas that Voltaire is trying to counter. Yet, in an entirely un-Enlightened fashion, Voltaire also resorts to illogical tactics in order to drive his point home further. Rather than simply put the counterpoints logically and leave it at that, Voltaire finds it necessary to mock the very idea of optimism as ridiculous, in order to discredit Leibniz and his followers. Voltaire does this through the creation of the character Pangloss, who calls himself a follower of Leibniz, and indicates that he teaches what the master Leibniz argued (Voltaire 473). Voltaire makes this character the opposite of reasonable, and entirely comical in his idiocy. At one point, for instance, he completely inverts the ideas of cause and effect ââ¬â saying that ââ¬Å"the nose is formed for spectacles, therefore we wear spectaclesâ⬠(475). This is obviously the reversal of cause and effect ââ¬â spectacles are designed for a nose because we have a nose for them to sit on. But by mocking the lack of logic in his opponents, Voltaire actually demonstrates a lack of logic on his own part ââ¬â this is an ad hominem argument, which is one of the most basic forms of logical fallacy. This thus goes against the fundamental ideas of the Enlightenment, and uses illogical arguments to try to convince the reader of something ââ¬â in this case, the idiocy of optimism. If there is a single thing that defines the Enlightenment it is an intense attac hment to reason and rationality. If an argument cannot stand logically, it should not stand at all under Enlightenment thinking. Voltaire, however, moves away from this in his novel Candide. He seems so eager to make his points, to mock his adversaries, that he results to illogical arguments, placing rhetoric of a previous age above the rationality that was so central to the Enlightenment. Works Cited Voltaire. ââ¬Å"Candideâ⬠in Norton Anthology of Western Literature Sarah N Lawall, Ed.
Monday, August 26, 2019
Important Communication Advices for a Newly Engaged Couple Personal Statement
Important Communication Advices for a Newly Engaged Couple - Personal Statement Example The fourth element is the channel, which is the mechanism that transmits the message. The fifth element is the feedback, which is the return message from the receiver to the sender. Another important element in the communication process is what communication specialists call noises, which tend to disrupt the communication. There are two main noises: mechanical noise and semantic noise. Mechanical noise has to do with such things as static on the radio, lines of type missing from a newspaper, or coughing during a lecture. Semantic noise is the degree of potential misunderstanding between sender and receiver. There are a number of barriers that tend to frustrate, impede, or even halt communication. These barriers may be personal, monological, ideological, or socio-cultural. Personal Barriers can be traced when the sender or receiver or both have negative feelings towards the other. Another example is the physical personal barriers, such as when one of the communicants has a headache or is sleepy. As for the monological barrier, it is when the communicator loses touch with the receivers because he or she is so self-occupied, and is blind to the nature and needs of the audience. On the other hand, many communication problems stem from the fact that communicants have different basic ideologies or political orientations. In addition, communicants will always have trouble communicating if they are not using the same language. Lastly, it is hard to communicate well with someone who has a different culture or belong to a different society. This is due to the differences in values, traditions, background, religion, economic status, etc. Strategies for Managing Interpersonal Conflicts: Dealing with... The management of our own non-verbal communication is extremely important. As nonverbal communication is capable of changing the spoken words in many ways, it is important to realize that we can safeguard our own communication against misinterpretation, if our nonverbal supports our verbal message. In other words, unless we manage the nonverbal attributes of our message so that they are compatible with our words, our total message is open to misinterpretation and may be screwed up. To put it clearly, if the receiver lacks awareness of the significance of the factors influencing the nonverbal communication, then he is likely to remain confused. It can be said that a large portion of a message comes not from the words spoken, but from nonverbal attributes that can be transmitted and received consciously or unconsciously. Such nonverbal communication usually serves a variety of functions in relation to verbal communication. Examples of these functions include repeating, complementing, c ontradicting, substituting, and regulating. Thus, the person who is not only aware of the nonverbal message and the factors influencing it, but also who manages his own nonverbal communication, is less likely to be confused or confusing. Finally, it can be concluded that most researchers agree on the importance and significance of nonverbal attributes in interpersonal communication. This belief is the motive behind the quotation: "What are words when the body can bend, cry, shout, and jump! There's language in one's eyes' and cheeks, lips and hips."
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 29
Discussion Questions - Essay Example Magellan was able to discover Pacific territories with the Kingââ¬â¢s blessings and directives to share their dogmas. Similarly, Columbus was able to prove that there is more beyond the horizon when he landed on the Americas. One of the first changes he caused was on the beliefs of the natives. Furthermore, a lot of wars were politically explained to be inspired by religious campaigns. Monarchies such as the Roman Empire apparently sought to spread Christianity that is why almost all of Europe was conquered. One of the strongest human needs is to have a connection with a Supreme Being. Since time in memorial, this basic desire has triggered intense emotions and powered significant movements. Hence, religion has brought about unity as well as conflict among peoples. There has been an evident link between Government Issue (GI) and agricultural talks among countries. For instance, in Europe a powerful GI protection has been unswerving for years. It has been regarded as an essential protection in exporting and importing agricultural products. This action has been caused by overdue transatlantic conflicts regarding domestic issues and tariffs. One of the earliest disagreements between the United States and Europe happened in the late 19th century. It was particularly an issue between France and America. There was an influx of American produce (specifically grain) in French territory. This negatively affected the European economy. The divergences have been influenced by agricultural production schemes and globalization trends. Concerning world conflicts, it is common knowledge that a country will engage in war to propagate its resources. Agriculture has always been a strong source of income and sustenance. This fieldââ¬â¢s status can either cause people to thrive or die due to malnutrition. A number of imperialistic conquests were done to acquire farm lands. In addition, prisoners of war and/or slaves were used as free or cheap labor
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Motivation in the Workplace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Motivation in the Workplace - Research Paper Example According to Maslowââ¬â¢s theory on the five levels of employeeââ¬â¢s needs, these would be physiological, safety, social, ego, and self-actualizing. In this theory, he put emphasis on the need to satisfy the lower level needs first before the higher levels to get utmost motivation at work (K., & of, y. t. (1987)). Thus, this goes to show that one needs to work on physiological needs first before one reaches self-actualization which is the highest motivational factor in the workplace. To be able to understand the theory more, let us apply this in a more practical term by getting to know what really is oneââ¬â¢s goal for work. Practically, people work to earn money (Heathfield, M.(n.d.)). This is because of the fact that to be able to get motivated at work, one needs to see how work provides for their family and loved oneââ¬â¢s such as food, home, leisure, and etc which are physiological needs that man need to be satisfied with. However, though this is one thing that easil y motivates one to go on each day working, making money as your center inspiration for work will not get you motivated for long especially when things go wrong at work or you feel like you are not getting the compensation that you deserve which is unavoidable in the work place. That is why, the key to getting a more powerful motivation at work is from something that you would not rely on anyone to give you, such as perhaps your passion and love for what you do or the self-fulfillment you get from doing what you do best at work. Thus, this goes to show that motivation in the workplace really begins with self, loving the career path you have chosen which is something that will give you every reason to go to work every day. However, there are other factors that would contribute to being motivated at work which will enable you to stay happy in your chosen job. Some of which are to feel belongingness with your peers at work and to have a great relationship with them which will make work seem a lot lighter, the opportunity of growth and learning, and leadership opportunities where you are able to set goals and have a team support it (Heathfield, M.(n.d.)). We all know that a part of manââ¬â¢s nature is to be able to feel belongingness to a group, have that certain kind of support system, and to be less of an island at work which will make more of an interesting routine. Indeed, aside from relying on self to get you motivated at work by choosing to do something that you love is to get motivation from your work environment and the people that surrounds you. Another side of the work towards getting utmost motivation on the so called job routine everyone is in would now rely on oneââ¬â¢s boss or manager. This is because of the fact that one of the people in the workplace that really has an effect to every employeeââ¬â¢s performance and attitude towards work is the boss (Employee motivation: Motivation in the workplace- theory and practice. (n.d.)). We all know that each boss would give you a distinct kind of relationship and training which would affect greatly on how you are at work. Thus, we get to know the reality of the need to have motivation programs in the workplace to help people work altogether for a certain goal where the best way to start for bosses to be able to do so is to understand human nature itself. How? Well, as human needs are a huge part of human nature, one
Friday, August 23, 2019
Safe Schools and Emergency Actions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Safe Schools and Emergency Actions - Assignment Example 6. Classrooms need to be kept tidy. Walking areas need to be clear and there needs to be an area for the students to keep his or her belongings. Shop and lab classroom settings require students and teacher to wear well-fitted clothing to avoid knocking things over or getting caught. 7. Students must use proper eyewear and have eyewear available when needed. 8. Flammable materials and alcohol burners need to be used with care and under close supervision. Candles and other hot items need to be used with extreme caution. 9. Teachers are required to have a fully equipped first aid kit and the kit is to be purchased by the teacher with the teachers own funds. 10. Examples of emergency situations need to be posted where everyone can see. Students and teachers need to be knowledgeable of what to do in an accident situation. 11. An ABC type fire extinguisher needs to be up to date and accessible in each classroom in case of an emergency. 12. Waste that cannot be thrown in a regular trash bag must be disposed of properly and abide by the school's code of conduct for disposing of the substance. 13. All cupboards, drawers, and cabinets in the classroom need to be labeled with proper labels to ensure the ease of use. 14. Never is it acceptable for students to taste any substance created or used unless the substance has first been approved. 15. Dangerous substances such as animals, plants, chemicals or items that can be sued as a weapon are allowed to be accessed by the students. These items should be prohibited. 16. Dead animals are not allowed in the classroom or allowed to be handled by the students unless instructed. 17. Animals and other live creatures need to be handled by students with extreme caution. Students must wash after handling any animals to prevent the spreading of diseases that some animals may carry. 18. Student need to be seated in an area where large items will not be over the students heads. This prevents injury from a heavy falling object. 19. Climbing is prohibited to avoid the chance of a student falling and obtaining an injury.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
The Golden Mean Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
The Golden Mean - Essay Example Subjectivisms and relativism are strongly condemned in deontological systems of thought. On the contrary, one challenge about deontological moral systems is that they do not provide any clear way of resolving conflicts arising out of moral duties. Ethics of care Ethics of care is basically a normative theory of ethics which seeks to determine what makes actions right or wrong. Indeed, it is normally seen that some actions are regarded as right while others are deemed wrong. However, people might not always understand the line between right and wrong and the issues around that. Ethics of care focus on the importance of response. It totally opposes the use of universal judgment in making decisions whether right or wrong. As such, for the media practitioners, it is always important to understand some of the right or wrongs they report. According to the theory, it is seen that all individuals are normally interdependent on the achievement of their various interests. It is further seen th at some people are usually vulnerable to the choices of others and the outcomes in such cases need extra consideration. In a way, ethics of care contrasts the commonly ethical views of deontology and utilitarianism which most women view to be the right angle for looking at the concept of morality. In the media world, journalists will always encounter a number of issues relating to such contradictions and they must effectively report the right situations. In this case, there must a balanced view when looking at the concept of morality so as not to discredit any gender. Potter Box The potter box is an ethical framework that is crucial in analyzing various ethical dilemma realized in communication.... Ethics of care is basically a normative theory of ethics which seeks to determine what makes actions right or wrong. Indeed, it is normally seen that some actions are regarded as right while others are deemed wrong. However, people might not always understand the line between right and wrong and the issues around that. Ethics of care focus on the importance of response. It totally opposes the use of universal judgment in making decisions whether right or wrong. As such, for the media practitioners, it is always important to understand some of the right or wrongs they report. According to the theory, it is seen that all individuals are normally interdependent on the achievement of their various interests. It is further seen that some people are usually vulnerable to the choices of others and the outcomes in such cases need extra consideration. In a way, ethics of care contrasts the commonly ethical views of deontology and utilitarianism which most women view to be the right angle for looking at the concept of morality. In the media world, journalists will always encounter a number of issues relating to such contradictions and they must effectively report the right situations. In this case, there must a balanced view when looking at the concept of morality so as not to discredit any gender. The potter box is an ethical framework that is crucial in analyzing various ethical dilemma realized in communication. It utilizes four categories which are identified as universal in all ethical dilemmas.
Comparisons of war poems Essay Example for Free
Comparisons of war poems Essay In exploring the portrayal of war in the poetry of Wilfred Owen and Shakespeare one can see the contrasting attitudes and realities of war. In before Agincourt set in 1415 composed by Shakespeare, he portrays the glory and honour in war, whilst Anthem for doomed youth composed by Wilford Own set in 1914 is expressing the meaningless and realistic thoughts of view. In the first stanza which Shakespeare has composed in the poem before Agincourt. He uses manipulating concepts that convey the message that war is a great adventure and that you should die for your country. Whilst Anthem for Doomed youth is doing the exact opposite and tries to convince the reader that war is a horrific ordeal. As the two poems where written in an interval of five hundred years it shows us very clearly the different point of few people had in their perspective time about war. Before Agincourt is a very patriotic and heroic poem. In the first stanza Shakespeare uses a courageous tone. He uses emotional adjectives and verbs to make the reader feel the same as he does. He also uses a lot of positive nouns to create this affect e.g. greater share of honour Gods will. There is not much alliteration or any form of onomatopoeia in the first stanza. The second stanza uses a lot of emphasised words and longer pauses before the next line he also uses repetition of words starting with M. In the last stanza of the poem he does not use any assonance, onomatopoeia and alliteration technics to emphasize his poem. He only uses strong punctuation and pauses to create a very positive approach on war. This poem could be used as a propaganda device. Anthem for Doomed Youth composed by Wilford Owen. In the title of this poem Wilford is expressing that war is negative. Doom is a simile to convey inevitability of death, Doom also uses assonance with the double Os. It has an affect of being scary and threatening. The first stanza uses repetition to add rhythm and onomatopoeias to create a more realistic approach on war. The second stanza uses a lot of repetition and emphasised words. e.g. No mockeries, no prayers nor bells. No mockeries is implying no more joy and that they cant be mocked any more because they have perished. The No is also emphasised to give the poem more rhythm. No prayers nor bells. Is repetition, it also has a sad motive. The tone goes up to give the poem more negativity and sadness by elongating some words. The third stanza uses a rhetorical question to start off with. The mood is a lot softer. This is created by the poet using a softer tone to shorten the Ss, Ps and Rs. He uses repetition to try and enhances the readers sadness and visual imagery. There are also a lot of similes and metaphors used. E.g. pallor, paleness, brows, forehead. In the last stanza there is a vast amount of imagery of death. There is an ethical custom to conclude his poem. Drawing down of blind this is what people at home did when a close relative died. Comparing these two poems reveals that Shakespeares before Agincourt uses a lot less alliteration and repetition making the poem more joyful and honourable for war. In conclusion Shakespeare is totally glorifying war while Wilford more realistically looking at war as a horrifying killer concept. Style wise I prefer Shakespeare poem having a nice ring to its rhythm but the content of his poem is out dated and modern man would find it hard to agree with his idealistic point of views. Personally I can understand Wilfords Owens point of view better then Shakespears. War is a horrifying non justifiable matter and should not be promoted.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Crimes And Misdemeanors Analysis Philosophy Essay
Crimes And Misdemeanors Analysis Philosophy Essay Woody Allens film, Crimes and Misdemeanors, explores the different ways that ethics play in the inner workings of the human mind. Throughout the film, the audience witnesses the roles that ethics play in the lives of five different men: Judah Rosenthal, a successful ophthalmologist; Clifford Stern, a struggling documentary filmographer; Lester, a famous producer; Ben, a rabbi whose sense of sight is beginning to fail; and Louis Levy, a philosophical theorist. By the end of the film, each character demonstrates, through his words and actions, how his own system of ethics affects the choices he makes in life. The films first central character to be introduced is Judah Rosenthal, a successful ophthalmologist who seems to be living a perfect life; he is wealthy, successful, and lives with a loving wife. However, despite how he has everything that would seemingly lead to a happy life, he remains troubled by his immoral affair with Dolores Paley, a lonesome woman whom he met years ago. Despite how he managed to keep his affair a secret, Judah realizes that his success is put in danger as Dolores begins to pressure him to make their relationship public. She threatens that unless Judah fulfills her wishes, she would jeopardize him revealing his shady financial transactions and their scandalous affair to the public, including to his wife and friends. Judah must now make a decision that is ultimately an ethical dilemma: he could either do the right thing by confessing his misdeed and hope for the best, which could mean potentially ruining everything hes worked for, or he could save himself the tr ouble by hiring his brother Jack to find someone to murder Dolores and to bring to an end all of his troubles. Though he initially hesitates to do so, Judah ultimately chooses the latter, believing that life is harsh and empty of values and that the murdering of Dolores is the only way he can save himself. As the film progresses, it is revealed that Judah believes that we live in a cold world, where there is no God on whom we can look up to. He states that, God is a luxury that [he] cant afford, and reveals that he would ultimately choose not to confess and beg his wife for forgiveness. In his eyes, such mercy does not exist; he believes that, in the real world, one must do whatever it takes to achieve happiness and success because there exists no higher power to maintain justice. Moreover, one must fend for himself and independently determine what is right, what is wrong, and what is best for him. This ethical system, which prioritizes self-preservation, is what ultimately causes J udah to murder Dolores. On the other hand, Ben, the rabbi, at one point states that Judah maintains a spark of [moral] notion deep inside. This notion, which leads him to know in his heart the morality of his actions, is what causes him to become anxious and tense; it is what reminds him that Dolores isnt just an insect that he can step on. Judah conclusively chooses to murder Dolores, but tries to justify his actions because acted using a utilitarian rationale, protecting his success and doing what is best for the most people. In the end, Judahs decisions and his ethical rationale, which emphasizes self-preservation, have their roots in his view of the life as being cold and harsh. A character that has a minor, but important, role in the film is Ben the rabbi. He serves somewhat as a foil to Judah: as a man of religion, he believes that the world is a lawful and loving place. He believes that the world has a moral structure, with real meaning, [à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦] and a higher power. Without this structure, the world would have no basis to live. Hence, it becomes evident that Ben lives his life according to his system of ethics, which revolves around his faith in the omniscient God. The choices he makes pose no problem for him because he puts all of his faith and trust in a universe that is loving and lawful. When he counsels Judah, he simply tells him that he must simply accept life as it is presented because God will eventually justify everything in the future. The fact that Ben is physically blind has some symbolic significance: he disregards the wickedness and darkness of the world and blindly trusts his faith. Despite the fact that his blind faith may be mistaken, Ben accepts God over truth and believes that it will lead to a better life than all those that doubt. The films second central character is Clifford Stern, a struggling documentary filmmaker. Clifford is also a virtuous man, but in a different manner. Rather than putting all of his faith into one entity or idea, like Ben, Clifford lives by his own terms. He decides for himself what is right or wrong by examining the effects an action has on the world. He spends his time looking at the effects that his words and actions will lead to rather than the happiness or success to come. This is demonstrated through the manner in which Clifford creates his documentaries: he focuses on material that he sees as significant, such as pollution, cancer, and philosophy, rather than trying to earn a quick buck by simply doing what other demand of him. Though Cliffords loving affection for Halley Reed despite his marriage may be seen as being immoral, it is ethically acceptable in his perspective because not only he knows that he and his wife are bound to become divorced, but also because he is trying to find true love with Halley, a pursuit that he considers to be a fundamental aspect of life. It becomes evident that Clifford is an idealist; he is always looking for meaning in both his documentaries and his life, and this ultimately serves as the basis of what he sees as right and wrong. Clifford remains steadfast in his moral beliefs despite how they may stop him from obtaining what he desires most. For instance, he makes Lester appear absurd and shallow in his biographical documentary of him despite how it could have brought Clifford recognition and success. Despite how the film closes with Clifford feeling dejected, he is still portrayed as a man of virtue who remains steadfast in his system of ethics. The films foil to Clifford is a character named Lester, a famous Hollywood producer. His system of ethics mainly relies on whatever makes him the most successful and happy. To Lester, whatever bring the most satisfaction is right while whatever brings failure is wrong. As a result, Lester does whatever he pleases and seems to completely ignores the moral aspect of things. This is particularly the reason why Lester is portrayed as being crude, arrogant, and womanizing. Additionally, Lester is the complete opposite of Clifford when it comes to the significance of the material he produces-he only cares about the ratings because they will grant him wealth, fame, and a closet full of Emmys. Lesters shallow demeanor can be further seen in his seemingly only ethical question in the film when he asks, Am I a phony? Immediately, however, he resolves the troubling though by believing that others are merely jealous of him, and he proceeds to quickly forget about it. The fact that Lester is able to quickly forget about the troubling matter supports the view that he is faced with seemingly no inner conflict due to how he merely accepts what grants him happiness instead of actually considering the moral aspects of his actions. Another character in the film that has a unique ethical system that he abides by is Louis Levy, a philosopher that Clifford features in his documentaries. Levy uses love to judge whether something is right or wrong. He states that only love gives meaning to the indifferent universe. He believes that life is simply a search for the thing that will allow us to survive the indifferent universe and that the actions people take to attain it makes them who they are. But if love is not found and people feel that it isnt worth it anymore, people begin to feel an inner anxiety and pressure. This struggle was what led Levy to commit suicide or go out the window. Hence, by observing the actions and the words of the films different characters, the different types of ethical system and ways people judge right and wrong are revealed. From an examination of each characters distinct set of virtues and ideas of morality, the audience is able to comprehend the nature and the reasoning behind their decisions and actions.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Regulation of Genetic Engineering
Regulation of Genetic Engineering At 43 years old, Bruces life was almost completely destroyed by one disease that infected 1.7 million people and killed 594,690 thousand people in 2016 just in America according to the American Cancer Society. This disease is famously known as cancer. Bruce went to his doctor for a regular check-up and took a routine blood test. Bruce felt fine and felt no symptoms of any disease. The next day, Bruce got a call from his doctor. The doctor told him he had an elevated level of alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme in his blood he never heard. The doctor explained to Bruce that there could be problems with his liver or bones and more tests were conducted. The tests returned and Bruce found out his liver was fine, so the doctor recommended a full-body bone scan. The doctor told Bruce, Dont worry, its not like you have cancer. The full-body bone scan took place and halfway through scan, the technicians began to speak in hushed tones. Did you injure your leg recently? they asked. I broke my leg when I was five, Bruce explained, hopeful that would help explain things. The technicians started chattering more intensely. More tests were ordered, an x-ray, then an MRI. Then one afternoon, Bruce got a call from his doctor. The tumor in your leg is not consistent with a benign tumor, the doctor said. It took a second for Bruce to convert that negative info into a much more horrifying affirmative: he realized he had cancer. Bruce sat and thought about how his life would change. He was not worried too much about himself, he was worried about his twin three-year-old daughters. Would they wonder who I was? Bruce thought. Would they yearn for my approval, my love, my voice? Bruce was facing the reality that he might never be able to walk again. Thankfully, Bruce found a doctor that was able to cure his cancer after 15 hours of surgery and chemotherapy. Afterwards he had 500 additional hours of physical therapy. Bruces life could have been saved by genetic engineering if researched more, but could have negative effects even worse than cancer if done incorrectly. Genetic engineering, if researched more, has the potential to be able to completely eliminate cancer. Genetic engineering does need to be researched more and researched very carefully. If genetic engineering is researched incorrectly and something or someone was genetically modified, possibilities of consequences could happen. Not only can Genetic engineering incorrectly lead to physical consequence, genetic engineering can also have moral consequences. Genetic engineering has the ability to also play the role of God. Genetic engineering can allow a person to create a human workshop, allowing them to build humans in however they want. Genetic engineering can be very confusing so some definitions needs to be explained. Genetic engineering and genetic cloning are often referred to as the same thing. Genetic engineering and genetic cloning are actually two different things. Genetic engineering refers to the technology used to alter and transport genomes and organisms, effectively shaping them to the desire or will of the geneticist. Genetic engineering can also be referred to as Genetic Modification or Genetic Manipulation (Genetics). Organisms that undergo or are created by the process of genetic engineering are referred to as Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs for short. Genetic cloning produces genetically exact copies of organisms. Another definition needed to be described is aesthetics. Aesthetics is described as cosmetics or individual reasons personal own benefit that does not involve with any medical issues. Because genetic engineering is tied to many major areas in science, limitations are needed. Genetic engineering can also be used in domestic breeding, but I will only talk about molecular genetic engineering on DNA. This discussion will be talking about genetic engineering globally. Genetic engineering is an issue that happens outside America as well as inside. In fact, the first genetically engineered embryo was in china. To understand genetic engineering more, the history and background will need to be discussed.Ãâà Genetic engineering is trying to be used in medical uses as of right now. Genetic engineering is very similar to surgery in many ways. The original intention of surgery and genetic engineering is to heal people. The first surgeon dates back to around 800 BC, the surgeon was named Sushruta Samhita.Ãâà Francis Bacon foretold genetic engineering in 1627. The first genetically engineered organism was created by Herb Boyer and Stanley Cohen in 1972. According to an article in New Statesman by Caroline Daniel, the Human Genome Project is an international scientific collaboration, this project started in 1990. More than two billion pounds were funded by the European public to this project. The United States is the main country in favor of this research into genetic engineering. The human Genome Projects goal was to sequence every human gene before the year 2005. In late 1997, 50,000 genes had been mapped. As of 1998, around 250 gene therapy trials were being conducted around the world. Leroy Walters, the project director, said gene transfer might eventually cure genetic disorders. After ten years in the operation, there is only one successful gene transfer, as opposed to the 400 unsuccessful protocols conducted worldwide. The first genetic engineered human embryo happened in 2015. This embryo was not created to be given birth, just tested. There will be three points talked about in the following discussion. The first point is genetic engineering needing regulations in the moral aspect. The second point is genetic engineering needing regulations in the commercial aspect. The final point is genetic engineering needing regulations in the medical aspects. These three points will specify why there are regulations needed for genetic engineering. Widely known as a revolutionary scientific breakthrough, genetic engineering has been on a path toward changing the world since its introduction in 1973. However, as genetic engineering slowly enters the lives of humanity, the morals and ethics are entering public attention, and as a culture we are left to question whether the change brought on by such a discovery brings benefit and positive change, or damage and destruction to everyone. Genetic engineering is justified through applied bioethics and despite arguments against its societal implantation, should be utilized in efforts to develop into the 21st century to create a better society. There is the concern that mankind is playing God, that we as a species and as a society are exceeding our natural reach and thus operating outside of our traditional boundaries, where our cultural sense of ethics and morality may not even be right. In more research and studies, scientists will be able to design children however they want. Using genetic engineering will allow parents to choose what traits their child will have. For example, the color of the childs eyes, skin and hair will be decided. As well as, choosing the height of the baby and weight it will be able to be. Using genetic engineering to help the child live a healthy, disease free life is one thing, but as soon as that becomes blurred with the desires of the parents of trying to control every possible genetic outcome, that is when genetic engineering crosses the lines of genetic manipulation. The dictionary defines manipulation as, to control something by yourself. Parents would be manipulating their unborn child to be something that they do not even know if it wants to be. Genetically engineering children for personal gain of the parents is lazy parenting. There are plenty of other ways to improve a childs intelligence and athletic capabilities without interfering with genes. If genetic engineering doesnt start to raise enough ethical concerns for the greater population, there will be an uproar on discrimination. In the past whites and colored people werent allowed to be married, and in the future those who were genetically engineered will not be advised to marry those who were conceived without being altered. Society has a problem with the way they look, talk, and act now. Designing children isnt natural. Natural would be in the womb and not in a petri dish. Those who design children are just lazy. They are practically saying they have no time to put into their childs future so they will just pay for it. God created everyone in his own image in his way. Regulations are needed for this because allowing humans to change Gods creation on humans is immoral. Another way that genetic engineering can play the role of God is benefiting ones self. Researchers have found that genetic engineering could have the capability to make a humans life longer. Many people are even looking to use genetic engineering to make humans live forever. Due to sin in the world, humans are selfish and just want to make themselves as happy as possible, even if the action is immoral. Some humans love themselves so much that they want to clone themselves. Genetic cloning has been successfully tested and is in current research as of right now. Regulations on cloning humans are definitely needed because God has created each person in a unique way. The only benefit of having a clone is so that the person does not have to do work and so they can be lazy. The bible even talks about being lazy. Proverbs 13:4 says The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. The only reason to create a clone of ones self is for selfish reasons. There are also ethical concerns in cloning. Many people would just have twins walking around and one would be real and one would not be a clone. This could cause an outrage in humanity. If a regulation is not set between using genetic engineering for treatment and using genetic engineering for enhancement, many parents could use it for eugenic purposes. This could cause ethical concerns but also social concerns as well. This would give the rich even more advantages than they already have to begin with and drive the social classes even farther apart. The use of genetic engineering may also lead towards genetic discrimination. As the world is already full of discrimination, genetic engineering would increase the numbers of discrimination against people. With genetic engineering, scientists would be able to change unborn children to make them acceptable to the human world. Every genetic engineered human would be fake, and not be of Gods creation but the creation of somebody else. The entire world would be composed of humans that would not be themselves, but rather other people they wish to become. People would wish they would have been genetically engineered because of advantages in genetic engineering. Some might say that genetically engineering humans for enhancements and cosmetics makes the person happy and we should not get rid of happiness. The purpose of our life is not to be happy, but to glorify God in whatever we do. Treatments in genetic engineering is different than aesthetics. God has given humans to have free will and choice but just because something is available for us to do, does not mean it is good. God already gave us our lives the way he made them. Exodus 4:11 says, The LORD said to him, Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? This does not mean that we should not heal the blind or the deaf, God created us in his own way specifically. God allowed humans to have medicine, but just because allows sickness in the world does not mean that we should not use medicine. Regulations are needed in genetic engineering in the moral aspect. References B. (n.d.). Bruces Story | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Retrieved from https://www.mskcc.org/experience/hear-from-patients/bruce Beatty, J. (2016, June 8). My Polio Story is an Inconvenient Truth to Those Who Refuse Vaccines | Shot of Prevention. Retrieved from https://shotofprevention.com/2016/06/08/my-polio-story-is-an-inconvenient-truth-to-those-who-refuse-vaccines/ Ifgene home page: Students Help Desk A History of Genetic Engineering. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sciencegroup.org.uk/ifgene/history.htm Kamat, K. (n.d.). Genetic Engineering: Playing God? How Far is it Ethical? Retrieved from http://www.jivdaya.org/genetic_engineering.html Long, K. (n.d.). What is the Difference Between Cloning and Genetic Engineering? | Education Seattle PI. Retrieved from http://education.seattlepi.com/difference-between-cloning-genetic-engineering-4545.html Saraf, S. (n.d.). Internet Scientific Publications. Retrieved from http://ispub.com/IJPS/4/2/8232
Monday, August 19, 2019
As I Lay Dying: Styles Used By William Faulkner :: essays research papers
As I Lay Dying: Styles Used By William Faulkner -Darl's Section (p.128) Most authors have certain styles that result in bringing across certain ideas. In As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner uses a subtle and discreet narrative manner to bring forth important pieces of information that adds to the story, and important themes. In one of the chapters narrated by Darl, this is shown very well In this chapter Darl uses a flashback to let us get a more in-depth look at the Bundren family; to let us see why it is so "dysfunctional." In this chapter we learn more about the relationships within the family, and more about Addie, about whom we previously have not learned much. We see how keen Darl's sense of intuition is, and we learn an important family secret. Darl is often used as an objective speaker, although he is indeed involved with the situation he is speaking about. In this chapter he recalls Jewel's purchase of his horse. This is a strong clue that Jewel is not Anse's son, since Anse is extremely lazy and would never work as hard as Jewel did for a horse. We also see the tension between Anse and Jewel. We see the lack of respect Jewel has for Anse. It is rather ironic when Anse says "He's just lazy, trying me" (p. 129) Since Jewel has been working really hard, and it is Anse who is lazy. Furthering on Jewel and Anse's relationship, I feel that it is fairly evident that Jewel knows that Anse is not his father. This is illustrated in the following section on page 136: "Jewel looked at Pa, his eyes paler than ever. 'He won't never eat a mouthful of yours' he said. 'Not a mouthful. I'll kill him first. Don't you never think it. Don't you never.' "The antagonism Jewel holds toward Anse is enormous, and this scene intensifies it showing that Jewel knows the truth or at least has a fair idea. We also see that Darl knows, and how he knows. At the end of the chapter, he sees his mother crying over Jewel when he is sleeping. He could see her anguish and almost feel it. His empathy and intuition led him to discovering the truth, and he also confirms his knowledge of Dewey Dell's pregnancy. We see the strength of his intuition and how it affects the rest of the family. The fact that Darl knows probably heightens the rivalry between the two brothers. In this chapter we see the way the family was before Addie's death and
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Writing of James Baldwin Essay -- Notes of a Native Son
The Writing Wisdom of James Baldwin James Baldwin is not known by much of Americaââ¬â¢s youth today, and his writings are not taught in many schools. His style of writing, however, is ultimately unique. Baldwinââ¬â¢s African-American viewpoint is very rare, creating a fresh way to look upon American culture and ethnicity. There also may be no other author like Baldwin that blends narrative and analysis seamlessly, while still keeping the reader interested in the story at hand. In ââ¬Å"Notes of a Native Son,â⬠Baldwin uses this weaving of narration and analysis to show his inability to see how his fatherââ¬â¢s personality had impacted and molded his own personality. In ââ¬Å"Notes of a Native Son,â⬠Baldwinââ¬â¢s mastery of weaving narrative and analysis is blatantly obvious. The premise behind the essay is the relationship between Baldwin and his father. The essay takes the reader through trials and tribulations in Baldwinââ¬â¢s life, including the spats between him and his father. Their relationship was, safe to say, slightly aloof. Baldwin describes throughout the essay the fact that he and his father would rarely speak, and that when they did, it usually ended in an argument. The essay also paints a picture of Harlem in the 1940ââ¬â¢s, specifically during the massive riots of 1943. Baldwin describes other riots and social situations that were occurring around the rest of the country at the same time as the Harlem riots. The essay also describes the death of Baldwinââ¬â¢s father, and the emotions incurred by James and his family. Baldwin also does some reflection in this essay, describing his feelings towa rds his father and how they have changed over more than a decade since his death. Baldwin often uses his feelings towards ... ... The style at which Baldwin mixes true story with gut-wrenching emotion in ââ¬Å"Notes of a Native Sonâ⬠is absolutely astounding. He draws the reader into the story, and then lets them in to his heart and soul. His ability to incorporate his feelings with those of the African-American race is what makes this essay unique. He does not simply write the first half of the paper as a narrative, and then spend the final half analyzing himself. He analyzes himself at every opportunity that he sees fit, after every major occurrence in he and his fatherââ¬â¢s life. Baldwinââ¬â¢s blunt, perhaps even crude analysis of himself, his father, and both the white and black races shows that he is not afraid of what others think. Works Cited Baldwin, James. ââ¬Å"Notes of a Native Son.â⬠1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Effect of the Internet on Society Essay
The world in which we live is vastly different than that of even those who lived in the generation that came before us, especially in the arena of computer technology. Few would debate that the most revolutionary innovation of the last several decades, along with the home computer is the Internet. It is through the Internet that the average person can access the largest libraries and art galleries of the world, instantly review the news and weather up to the minute, and communicate with others-all without leaving the classroom, home or office. In fact, Internet technology has also made it possible for online access from the local coffee shop or fast food restaurant. Like other advances that came before it, however, the Internet brings up questions as to whether the Internet helps or harms society, what the implications are for an Internet society, and other key considerations. This research will analyze and discuss these various issues in an effort to better understand where the Internet began, where it will go in the future, and what it means to the modern society itself. The Birth of the Internet Before the Internet can fairly be examined and discussed, it is important to take just a slight step back in time and look at the origins of the Internet. Many people falsely believe that the Internet was the creation of marketing gurus who sought a better way to sell products and advertise to the masses in an instant, or the brainchild of a certain former vice president of the United States, but in reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. What many do not realize is that the Internet was, in the beginning, a top secret American governmental creation to allow for the effective sharing of information between the many government authorities. The first version of what we today know as the internet was launched in 1969 by the Advanced Research Projects Administration, ARPA (Vangelisti). Eventually, to make a long story short, the Internet was introduced to the general public, and soon gained massive popularity that in the 21st century has included use by people virtually from age 1 to 100. Just as quickly, the debate of the utility and best use of this awesome technology arose. Use and Usefulness of the Internet On a typical day in the United States alone, over 55 million people of all ages and demographic backgrounds access the Internet for purposes ranging from business to entertainment to academia and beyond (DiMaggio, et al). Any media form with this type of influence and allure for the general population will undoubtedly have its share of supporters and critics, legitimate users and abusers. With this consideration, it is worthwhile to discuss exactly why people use the Internet and if the Internet itself, in the end result, is really as useful as the hype surrounding it seems to indicate. A common denominator for the ultimate utility of almost any technology or product is of course money- if something cannot create monetary value, in the eyes of many, it is essentially useless. This traditional view was quickly realized by those who pioneered Internet usage in the general public in the 1980s. Before that time, anyone who wished to engage in the selling of any commodity, from shares of stock to cardigan sweaters needed to physically set up a physical place of business for customers to visit for the transaction of business, keep regular business hours and so forth, spending many thousands of dollars in the process and of course being limited to doing business in a realistic geographic area. Thanks to the Internet, however, a great deal of business can in fact be done from anywhere, as long as both parties in the transaction have computers and Internet access (Monthly Labor Review). Beyond the traditional business arrangement, in recent years, what has come to be known as telecommuting has emerged. Basically, telecommuting allows a worker to complete assigned work tasks away from the traditional office setting by using computer/Internet technology for communication, transference of data, etc. Additional popular uses for the Internet are in education, allowing for school children to access libraries thousands of miles from their classroom, or for homebound individuals to study the curricula of some of the top universities in the world. Certainly, the Internet has demonstrated already that it has a wide range of uses, and with time, more of those uses will emerge. This being understood, however, the issue of the usefulness of the Internet needs to be weighed. In researching the idea of the Internet as either something highly useful or causing more harm than good, it is fair to say, and is in fact supported by evidence, that the Internet can in fact be highly useful in a complex and fast moving world such as the one in which the people of the 21st century live. Even before the Internet was brought forward for the general public to use in more traditional settings, it is not unreasonable to assume that the technology had protected the citizens of the US from a military and governmental standpoint in countless ways that most people would not be aware of for obvious reasons (DiMaggio, et al). In the public arena, Internet technology has made it possible for physicians across the globe to consult on medical cases to save lives; essential news and information has been spread in split seconds, and billions of dollars of revenue has been generated through the use of the earlier discussed e-commerce applications of Internet technology. These uses are hard to dispute or to question the value of; however, there are likewise some areas of question for the usefulness of Internet technology. It was discussed earlier that the Internet has in fact made it possible for many people to work or conduct business away from the traditional sites of that work or business-telecommuting, virtual study for eager young minds and the transmission of vital data at the speed of light. The natural assumption would be that these features would bring pure benefit with no ill effects. However, the reality is that with many other things, those will less than pure intentions have turned the Internet into an open season for criminals. In brief, the Internet has given rise to a new breed of criminal who harnesses the power of computers to steal valuable information from its rightful owners, defraud innocent people, and victimize innocent children (Vangelisti). No innovation is without danger; therefore, the key for society to safely interact with the Internet in the future will be to use common sense and be aware that there are those that would harm them in the online world. The debate of the usefulness or lack thereof, as well as safety or danger of the Internet could take up thousands of pages and never fully be satisfied; what can be looked at in a more defined way, however, are the implications for a society that seems to spend much of its waking hours online. Implications for an Online Society For a generation of adults who changed their everyday lives due to the advent of the Internet, as well as a generation of children who were literally born and raised in the age of online interaction, there are of course implications that have been seen and are worthwhile to discuss. While the implications for the material world as it were has already been covered, the implications from a social and psychological vantage point are just as significant, if not more significant. For children who are sat in front of a computer keyboard as soon as they are able to use their hands to touch the keys, it seems that the first effect that multimedia like the Internet will have on the developing mind of a child is again what some would call a double-edged sword. Obviously, a child who has the ability to hear classical music, view priceless art, and learn as much as possible as their young mind is in its formative years would have a much better chance of maturing into an intelligent adult than the child who spent his or her early years taking in the often obscene content of cable television programs. On the other hand, if a child is enabled to access the Internet without restriction and precaution, they could in fact be exposed to content that is in fact worse than anything that has ever been seen on television. Either way, this is a key consideration for an online society, as there have been countless studies which prove that an early childhood which consists of the viewing of obscene and violent content can spur mental disorders in these people in childhood and moving into adolescence and adulthood. Additionally, even in the cases when the child does not evolve into a criminal or problem individual, there are also social problems which take place when children, or even adults, substitute an artificial media source such as the Internet for the traditional communication methods such as having face to face conversations with other people. Research proves that the activity of interacting with people in person helps children to develop key social skills that are necessary for the proper development of the human personality. Adults also have to continually sharpen their interpersonal skills. Therefore, when the Internet becomes the main outlet for the communication between people of all ages, what is seen is a society of isolated people who lack the necessary social skills to be fully functional members of that society itself. This can lead to increased psychological problems over the long term (The Classroom in Cyberspace). The physical wellbeing of society, especially children, is also affected by the Internet. The wide appeal of the Internet is without question and as a consequence, the children who are growing up with the Internet as a regular part of everyday life are spending a majority of their waking hours using the Internet not only for studies, but also for communicating with other children via e-mail, playing online games, etc. When a child picks up the computer mouse instead of engaging in physical activity such as playing outdoors with a soccer ball, for instance, the affect on developing humans is staggering. Research proves that when human beings choose sedentary activities like endless hours of Internet usage as opposed to engaging in outdoor activities that include physical exercise, the occurrences of obesity skyrocket, which in turn can lead to chronic ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer (Wartella & Jennings). It would appear that for all that the Internet has to offer, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Conclusion As we have seen in this research, the Internet is both a benefit to society when used properly and a threat when abused or used to excess. Looking back through the history of innovation, this same conclusion applies to the introduction of motion pictures, radio and television, yet society has managed to survive, even with those in it that would seek to cause problems and harm others. Therefore, in conclusion, what can fairly be said about the effect of the Internet on society is that the ultimate effect is in the hands of every member of society. The challenge going forward will be for individuals to realize that the Internet can be the best invention of the age- if they will only allow it to be. References ââ¬Å"The Classroom in Cyberspace. â⬠The Mail on Sunday (London, England) 11 Feb. 1996: 30. Dimaggio, Paul, Eszter Hargittai, W. Russell Neuman, and John P. Robinson. ââ¬Å"Social Implications of the Internet. â⬠Annual Review of Sociology (2001): 307. ââ¬Å"Telecommuting or Work Invasion. â⬠Monthly Labor Review 123. 3 (2000): 62. Vangelisti, Anita L. , ed. Handbook of Family Communication. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004. Wartella, Ellen A. , and Nancy Jennings. ââ¬Å"Children and Computers: New Technology-Old Concerns. â⬠The Future of Children 10. 2 (2000): 31.
A detailed explanation of the principles of marketing that are applied to the development of “Douwe Egberts” coffee
I intend to carry out a successful marketing campaign for ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠coffee; I have chosen this product because coffee is a well-loved product by the majority of households worldwide. During this study I will show how the principles of marketing are applied to the development of ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠coffee. Objectives. My main objective is to increase sales of ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠coffee. I intend to do this by creating a sophisticated image of the product through various promotions and advertising campaigns. In order for these campaigns to be carried out to full effect, before carrying them out I intend to find out peoples opinions of ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠and Coffee in general. This will be further explained in my next paragraph on ââ¬Å"Planningâ⬠. Planning. I think the price of ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠should be slightly above the average price of coffee yet not too expensive, hopefully this will make the consumer assume that ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠is of better quality than the average coffee and I think the target market would be willing to pay a little bit extra, obviously I can prove how correct or incorrect this theory is when I carry out surveys later on in the assignment. I shall also need to consider ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠own costs and overheads before pricing the coffee. I think ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠should sell their coffee to a wide range of supermarkets, coffee shops restaurants and hotels. ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠should definitely not sell to ââ¬Ëcheap' places (e.g. shops such as: Pricerite, Lidls, Aldi`s or ââ¬Ëgreasy spoon' style cafes) if they want to keep their upmarket image. I have various promotional ideas in mind for ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠such as free samples given when completing an online questionnaire on ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠web page, I could also contact ââ¬Ëfood and drink' magazines and ask them to give away free samples. I also think it would be a good idea to contact well known cafes/coffee shops and negotiate a special offer with them such as giving a free ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠coffee away with an order, Cafes/coffee shops are likely to comply with this offer as it would bring business in for them. It would also be good for ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠because the cafes/coffee shops would hopefully continue to buy from ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠after the promotion expires. ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠could also put out magazine, television and radio advertisements, although I feel that ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠would benefit best from advertising on the internet because it costs very little to put banners on other websi tes and it reaches a worldwide audience. I also feel that advertising in supermarkets in-house magazines would be a good idea because the consumer will see the product and be able to purchase it directly from the store ââ¬â so perhaps advertising ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠with a ââ¬Ëmoney off voucher' would be quite effective. ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠do a wide range of coffees including roast and ground coffees, Le cafà ¯Ã ¿Ã ½ range, the select range, the organic range, Instants and Speciality instants. ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠packaging will be of high quality, it shall be packaged in a glass jar with a glass lid so it looks of a higher quality than most coffees that have plastic lids, the wrapping on this glass jar shall be made of glossy coffee coloured paper with gold lettering ââ¬â this shall vary with different types of coffee. I have a few ideas about finding out peoples opinions of ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠and coffee in general, firstly I think questionnaires would be a good idea rather than do these through the post or face-to-face I think it would be much better to do these questionnaires via email or relevant websites. This would take a lot less time and would be a lot more cost effective; it would also reach a wide range of people. I think the target audience will be towards people aged between 25 and 50, in my opinion people seem to drink more coffee while in work and people in employment such as office work and teaching are more likely to be coffee drinkers, I shall be sure to confirm my opinions by including questions such as these within the questionnaire. Collect Data. I am going to collect data mainly via the Internet; I can get many figures from the national statistics site. I shall also be collecting a lot of my data from results from questionnaires put out on relevant sites and questionnaires sent via email. I mentioned in an earlier chapter that I intend to get cafes to give away free samples of ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠coffee, I could also ask them to give out a small card with this free sample asking what the consumer thought of the coffee and this could be sent back to the company. Analyse and evaluate data. When all data is collected I think it would be best to put it into a simple graph so the results can be clearly seen, I could also use pie charts or scatter graphs for this. From these graphs I should be able to see whether there is actually room in the market for ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠coffee, what my target audience is and what price I should give ââ¬Å"Douwe Egbertsâ⬠coffee. Communicate findings. To communicate my findings I shall firstly write up a report on all information that I have found. I shall then go about planning a small presentation. To convey the information clearly I could use a number of aids to help me such as OHP, diagrams on the board and handouts. I should also prepare a section at the end of my presentation for my audience to ask questions, I should therefore prepare possible questions and answers I could give to them.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Book Review: Human Communication as Narration
In perhaps his most important contribution to rhetorical theory and the understanding of human communication, Walter Fisher presents an explanation of his narrative paradigm in Human Communication as Narration: Toward a Philosophy of Reason, Value and Action. This book essentially elaborates on and refines Fisherââ¬â¢s previous articles on the narrative paradigm and aims to present a more complete explanation of the theoryââ¬â¢s roots, as well as its main tenets and relevant applications.Human Communication as Narration begins with an exhaustive examination of the history of narratives and logic, which includes his assertion that the logic by which human communication should be assessed return to the roots of the original meaning of logos: ââ¬Å"story, reason, rationale, conception, discourse, thoughtâ⬠(p. 10). He asserts that Plato and Aristotle transformed the word logos into a specific term that applied only to philosophical/technical discourse, which launched a â⬠Å"historical hegemonic struggleâ⬠that has lasted for more than 2,000 years (p. 10).Fisher explains that the positivist, ââ¬Å"rational-world paradigmâ⬠that emphasized formal logic and reasoning (p. 58) is improved upon with his view of a more post-modern, ontological foundation where meaning is co-created through less formal structures like stories. In resurrecting the original meaning of logos, grounding his theory in ontology, and classifying human beings as ââ¬Å"Homo narransâ⬠(p. xi) , or storytelling animals, Fisher rejects the notion that technical logic is the only path to truth and knowledge, and argues that, as the ancients believed, all human communication is rational and contains truth and knowledge (p. 0). This more inclusive account of human communication together with the view that all human communication needs to be seen as stories sets the foundation for Fishersââ¬â¢ theory of narratives. In presenting the main points of his narrative theory ov er several chapters, Fisher explains that humans experience and understand life as a series of ongoing narratives, and that these stories are symbolic interpretations of ââ¬Å"aspects of the world that [are] historically and culturally grounded and shaped by human personalityâ⬠(p. 9). Given that stories are more than just a figure of speech and have the power to both inform and influence, Fisher establishes ââ¬Å"narrative rationalityâ⬠as a universal logic and means for the assessment for stories that is accessible by nature to all human beings (p. 47). This assessment is tested against narrative ââ¬Å"probability (coherence) and fidelity (truthfulness and reliability)â⬠(p. 47) ââ¬â in other words, humans come to believe in and act on stories in so much as they relate to and identify with them.Going back to his assertion that human communication doesnââ¬â¢t have to exist in perfect structures of rhetorical arguments, he further explains that all humans po ssess the ability to reason and can therefore both communicate and accept truth as ââ¬Å"good reasonsâ⬠(p. 105). Perhaps an even better, more succinct explanation of this comes earlier in the book where Fisher states that ââ¬Å"the materials of the narrative paradigm are symbols, signs of consubstantiation, and good reasons [are] the communicative expression of social realityâ⬠(p. 5). By including both formal logic and a logic of ââ¬Å"good reasonsâ⬠in the basis for argument, Fisherââ¬â¢s narrative paradigm contributes to rhetorical theory by expanding the meaning of persuasion just as Burkeââ¬â¢s theory of identification did. Since the average person isnââ¬â¢t trained in formal logic, Fisher believed that the logic of good reasons (i. e. common sense), sits above all other persuasive means since it is universal and inherent in all human communication.Fisher goes on to assert that narrative rationality should also be ââ¬Å"the foundation on which a com plete theory of rhetoric needs to be builtâ⬠(p. 194). In this sense, the selection of stories we tell and come to accept is demonstrative of who we are and what we want others to believe about us. In the final section of his book, Fisher applies his narrative rationality in several real-world case studies including the rhetoric of Ronald Reagan, Death of a Salesman, The Great Gatsby and the philosophical discussion between Socrates and Callicles in Platoââ¬â¢s Gorgias.These examples provide a helpful demonstration of how narrative rationality can be used to assess the coherence, truthfulness and reliability of stories across a wide range of contexts. In conceptualizing and applying narrative rationality, Fisher contributes an important method for the study of narratives in a variety of communication contexts, which is one of the most important contributions he makes to the study of communication. Through Human Communication as Narration, Fisher provided a more accessible, u niversal means for communicating and understanding human truth.Drawing inspiration from the works of Kenneth Burke, Alasdair MacIntyre, Stephen Toulmin and Chaim Perelman, Fisherââ¬â¢s narrative paradigm argues that formal logic and the positivist view are inadequately prepared to account for the motives and values in human communication. He offers a broader explanation that all forms of human communication are driven by and evolve from our inherent need to determine whether an accounting of new knowledge matches up with what we already know.In the 30 years since Human Communication as Narration was first published, scholars and professionals from a wide range of disciplines have applied Fisherââ¬â¢s narrative paradigm in a variety of contexts. Narrative methods for rhetorical analysis and criticism have been used by Barbara Sharf (1990), Hollihan and Riley (1987), and Michael Cornfield (1992), among many others. In 1993, David Mains argued that the time was ripe for a move to ward narrative sociology, which asserted that ââ¬Å"sociologyââ¬â¢s phenomena is made up precisely of storiesâ⬠(p. 2) as well as that sociologists are mainly narrators. The use of narratives as a means for persuasion in advertising and public relations has been widely documented in recent years by Cinzia Bianchi (2011); Barbara Stern, Craig Thompson and Eric Arnould (1998); and Melanie Green (2006). The narrative paradigm has also been deployed in interpersonal communication and organizational communication (Ashcraft & Pacanowsky, 1996). And a large body of research has been dedicated to the study of narratives as a strategy in conflict resolution as well (Gergen & Gergen, 2006; Sandole et al. 2009). These are just a few of the ways in which Fisherââ¬â¢s narrative paradigm still contributes to the understanding of human communication today. But while the narrative paradigm has enjoyed a renaissance of late with new research that refines and extends the theory (Currie, 2 005; Kirkwood, 1992; McClure, 2009; Stroud, 2002), largely due to its growing multi-disciplinary interest as noted above, it has also attracted much criticism. But while these scholars recognized its value, they have also demonstrated that it is not as useful for critical analysis as it aimed to be.Stroud (2002) found issue with the lack of account for contradiction in stories when assessing narrative rationality. Kirkwood (1992) felt that Fisherââ¬â¢s narrative rationality is limiting in that it doesnââ¬â¢t allow for the possibilities of new stories to be accepted and acted upon. He goes on to argue that a ââ¬Å"rhetoric of possibilityâ⬠presented through narratives can better account for how rhetors challenge people with ââ¬Å"new and unsuspected possibilities of being and action in the worldâ⬠(Kirkwood, 1992, p. 31).McClure (2009) also specifically argued that the narrative paradigm must also account for the ââ¬Å"inventional possibilities of new narratives, t he rhetorical revision of old narratives, and the appeal and acceptance of improbable narrative accountsâ⬠(p. 191). He also asserts that by expanding the role of Burkeââ¬â¢s identification, the narrative paradigm can become a more viable theory and method of criticism. While several scholars have both praised and criticized Fisherââ¬â¢s narrative paradigm, the part of his story that related to narrativeââ¬â¢s origins, philosophical foundation and relevance to human communication rang true for me.In my study of rhetorical theory I, too, have often felt that the structures of formal argument are too constricting and limiting in their ability to interpret all forms of persuasive communication. When using Fisherââ¬â¢s own narrative rationality to measure the coherence and fidelity of Human Communication as Narration, I find it to be both coherent and true ââ¬â especially from my viewpoint as a woman living in a post-modern, post-structuralist society who works in t he field of public relations where stories are the very fabric of our communication strategies.And while I recognize the validity of the proposed extensions of his theory by Kirkwood (1992), McClure (2009) and Stroud (2002), I feel they also serve as proof points for the generative power of Fisherââ¬â¢s paradigm in new ways of thinking about stories. References Ashcraft, K. & Pacanowsky, M. (1996). ââ¬Å"A womanââ¬â¢s worst enemyâ⬠: Reflections on a narrative of organizational life and female identity. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 24, 217-239. Bianchi, C. (2011). Semiotic approaches to advertising texts and strategies: Narrative, passion, marketing.Semiotica, 183, 243-271. Cornfield, M. (1992). The press and political controversy: The case for narrative analysis. Political Communication, 9, 47-59. Currie, M. (2005). Postmodern narrative theory. New York: St. Martinââ¬â¢s Press. Fisher, W. R. (1987). Human communication as narration: Toward a philosophy o f reason, value and action. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press. Gergen, M. & Gergen, K. (2006). Narratives in action. Narrative Inquiry, 16, 112-121. Green, M. (2006). Narratives and cancer communication. Journal of Communication, 56, 163-183.Hollihan, T. & Riley, P. (1987). The rhetorical power of a compelling story. Communication Quarterly, 35, 13-25. Kirkwood, W. G. (1992). Narrative and the rhetoric of possibility. Communication Monographs, 59, 30-47. Maines, D. (1993). Narrativeââ¬â¢s moment and sociologyââ¬â¢s phenomena: Toward a narrative sociology. The Sociological Quarterly, 34, 17-38. McClure, K. (2009). Resurrecting the narrative paradigm: Identification and the case of Young Earth Creationism. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 39, 189-211. Sandole, D. , Byrne, S. , Sandole-Saroste, I. & Senehi, J. Eds. ). (2009). The handbook of conflict analysis and resolution. Routledge: New York. Sharf, B. (1990). Physician-patient communication as interpersonal rhetoric : A narrative approach. Health Communication, 2, 217-231. Stern, B. , Thompson, C. & Arnould, E. (1998). Narrative analysis of a marketing relationship: The consumer's perspective. Psychology & Marketing, 15, 195-214. Stroud, S. (2002). Multivalent narratives: Extending the narrative paradigm with insights from ancient philosophical thought. Western Journal of Communication, 66, 369-393.
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