The Da Vinci Code


Ever since Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code became a bestseller, critics never ceased coming up with a variety of different explanations as to this book’s popularity with the readers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Da Vinci Code specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, most of them do agree with a suggestion that the key to The Da Vinci Code’s popularity is being concerned with author’s ability to fuse religious and conspirological motifs into a one inseparable compound – thus, presenting readers within nothing less of an ‘intellectual bomb’, which sets off by being exposed to readers’ curiosity. In his book Key to the Da Vinci Code, Ferris (2005) points out to the fact that The Da Vinci Code’s very format established objective preconditions for this novel to be avidly read: â€Å"The book is a complex blend of symbolism, historical theories, secret societies and religion, which separately presented would make for some heavy reading†¦ In the context of a novel, however, a much wider audience is exposed to the ideas in the book† (Ferris 9). Nevertheless, it appears that the actual secret of Brown novel’s popularity is not being concerned with author possessing a supreme literary talent, as much as it is being concerned with the process of Western societies growing increasingly secularized, which results in these societies’ members becoming naturally inclined to think of religious dogmas from essentially desacralized perspective. As of today, a clear correlation can be seen between the quality of living in every particular country and the extent of citizens’ sense of religiosity – the higher are the standards of living, the lesser is the chance for those who enjoy these standards to be endowed with strong religious beliefs. For example, the number of practicing Christians in such cou ntries as Denmark, Sweden and Norway is estimated to account for only 1%-2% of total population. As Durkheim (1954) had rightly noticed in his famous book The Elementary Forms of Religious Life: â€Å"Religion no longer thrills us, because many of its aspects have passed into common usage to such a degree that we are no longer conscious of them, or because they do not meet our current aspirations† (Durkheim 30). At the same time, the conceptual matrix of Christianity continues to be considered by many policy-makers in the West as a source of divinely inspired morality. For example, it never even occurred to the former American President George Bush that there was anything wrong with him making references the to the ‘good book’, while explaining what had prompted him to decide in favour of attacking Iraq.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In its turn, this ex plains why many intellectually advanced citizens are being subconsciously predisposed to pay a close attention to just about any work of literature or a movie, which is being aimed at desacralizing religion – by doing it, they establish themselves as rationale-driven and therefore, responsible individuals. Thus, Brown’s novel is best referred to as the intellectual by-product of post-industrial era, the socio-political realities of which point out to people’s sense of irrational religiosity as the ultimate indication of their lessened social value. This is exactly the reason why The Da Vinci Code is being banned from bookstores in countries where citizens’ lessened biological worth has been allowing Catholic Church to enjoy an undisputed religious and political authority, throughout the course of centuries (Philippines, Mexico, Peru), while contributing to these countries’ economic and geopolitical backwardness more than any other factor. Apparentl y, intellectually inflexible individuals simply cannot handle a simple truth that just about any religion is not being divinely inspired, as self-appointed ‘servants of God’ would like us to believe, but man-made. And, once believers are being rid of their illusions, in regards to the essence of religion as nothing but simply a sublimation of people’s death-related anxieties, Church’s religious authority will get to be automatically delegitimized down to nothing. It goes without saying, of course, that the best way of undermining Catholic Church’s religious authority and revealing its true essence as nothing but one of the most lucrative and most shameless commercial enterprises that world has ever known, would be exposing ‘savior’ as a mortal individual, endowed with sexual urges, just like the rest of people. As one of novel’s most prominent characters, Sir Teabing had put it: â€Å"A child of Jesus would undermine the critica l notion of Christ’s divinity and therefore the Christian Church, which declared itself the sole vessel through which humanity could access the divine and gain entrance to the kingdom of heaven† (Brown 216). Nevertheless, we cannot agree with religiously minded critics of The Da Vinci Code, who often refer to the plot of Brown’s novel as being based upon pseudo-historical speculations, and therefore – not worthy of readers’ attention.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Da Vinci Code specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apparently, it never occurred to Christian critics that, while referring to novel’s affiliation with the literary genre of fiction as the foremost proof to the sheer fallaciousness of the claims, contained in it, they actually contribute to promoting Brown’s cause even further – whatever the improbable it might sound. The reason for this is simpl e – while being encouraged to analyze what accounts for fictious motifs in The Da Vinci Code, readers are being simultaneously provoked to analyze what represents fictious motifs in the Bible. In his book The God Delusion, Dawkings (2006) had made a perfectly good point, while stating: â€Å"The only difference between The Da Vinci Code and the gospels is that the gospels are ancient fiction while The Da Vinci Code is modern fiction† (Dawkings 97). Despite the format of Brown’s novel, it does operate with a variety of historically proven facts, which Christians do not like discussing, simply because these facts leave very little doubt as to the Bible being anything but the actual ‘word of God’. For example, in his dialogue with the characters of Langdon and Sophie, Sir Teabing provides readers with the insight onto the fact that, before being incorporated into Christianity’s dogma as its integral element, the divinity of Jesus was actually vo ted upon by attendees of Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.): â€Å"At this gathering (Council of Nicaea)†¦ many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon – the date of Easter, the role of the bishops, the administration of sacraments, and, of course, the divinity of Jesus† (Brown 199). As historical accounts indicate, during the course of the Council, its participants would never hesitate resorting to utilization of a naked force, in order to substantiate their pro and contra-divinity arguments. Here is how Grant (1975) describes the initial stages of the Council: â€Å"At the beginning, most of the bishops presented written accusations against selected colleagues. The charges could not have been theological, since the theological question had not yet been stated† (Grant 5).Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In other words, the recognition of Jesus’ divinity that had taken place during the course of the Council, was largely incidental – the number of bishops who voted in favor of recognizing Jesus’ divinity simply happened to be slightly larger than the number of bishops who voted against. In all probability, mostly illiterate bishops did not even fully realize what would be the consequence of such their decision. And yet, Catholic Church never ceased referring to the Council of Nicaea as the birthplace of a so-called ‘holy tradition’, which is still being revered by devout Catholics as something that has been passed down to them by God himself. Therefore, it is not the historical inaccuracies, contained in The Da Vinci Code, which upset Catholic clergy the most, but the fact that Brown’s novel exposes the inner workings behind the respectful faà §ade of Catholicism. As it has always been the case, throughout the course of history, Church did no t only actively try to slow down the pace of cultural and scientific progress in Europe, but it even strived to withhold the information about what Bible was all about from its own flock. Up until the time of Reformation, translating Bible from Latin into secularly spoken languages used to be considered a major sin, punishable by death. Apparently, in his novel Brown had succeeded with encouraging people to make critical inquiries about whether Catholic Church even has a right to claim any religious authority, in the first place, given its ‘glorious’ deeds in the past and also in the present. Why is it that those high-ranking Church’s officials who never get tired of preaching humility to believers, find it appropriate driving around in bulletproof limousines that often cost millions of dollars a piece? Why is it that, when they get ill, the ‘representatives of Jesus on Earth’ chose in favor of undergoing medicinal treatment in privately owned Swiss clinics, as opposed to relying on the ‘power of God’s miracle’ alone, as they expect ordinary believers to do? Why is it that the very term ‘Catholic priest’ is now being commonly perceived as synonymous to the term ‘child molester’? Why does Catholic Church continue to refer to the usage of contraceptives as ‘sinful’, hence contributing to the problem of overpopulation in the countries of Third World and ultimately, to the rise of mortality rates in this region of the world? Dan Brown can only be thankful for the fact that he does not live in time when Catholic Church was at the peak of its power (Dark Ages); because otherwise, Catholic ‘lambs of God’ would deal with the author of The Da Vinci Code rather decisively – tying him up to a pole and setting it on fire. As Nicolosi (2009) had put it in her article Just Say No to ‘The Da Vinci Code’: â€Å"You don’t debate the devil. You do not give evil the authority to question God. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ represents a debate in which the questions start with Satan’s presumptions† (BeliefNet). Just as it is the case with just about any self-righteous Christian fundamentalist, Nicolosi would do her utmost, while combating what she believe represents evil. Unfortunately, it never occurred to this person, clearly not overburdened with intelligence, that one of the sources of all evil in the world are the uncritical religious beliefs, on the part of steadfast ‘lambs of God’, like herself. Thus, it would not be much of an exaggeration to suggest that, even though Brown’s novel does contain a fair amount of historical inaccuracies, it nevertheless represents an undeniable literary, historical and above all – educational value. By reading The Da Vinci Code, people will learn to adopt a critical attitude towards just about any issue, concerning the process of religious Ã¢â‚¬Ë œwolfs in lamb’s skin’ taking an advantage of citizens’ naivety, while proceeding with the agenda that has always been the foremost trademark of those who professionally work on behalf of an organized religion – the accumulation of material riches. We can say that, by publishing The Da Vinci Code, Brown had driven yet one more nail into the coffin of Christianity, as semi-religious cult of suicidally-minded desert-dwellers, which encourages people to exterminate ‘infidels’ (a particularly godly deed), which teaches them not to marry, not to wash before eating, not to tend crops, not to bury dead (Kingdom of heaven is at hand), and which had unleashed the hell on Earth (Crusades, Inquisition), well before the coming of a hypothetical Antichrist. Given the fact that, unlike Islam, Christianity had long ago ceased being ‘alive’ religion, one should simply ignore the hysterical reactions of ‘defenders of Christian faith’ , in regards to the publishing of The Da Vinci Code – eventually, these people will learn that trying to discourage others from reading Brown’s novel is being just as futile as trying to bite their own elbows. The historically predetermined process of people coming to realization of the fact that God resides within, as opposed to residing up in clouds, simply cannot be stopped. And, the sooner particularly aggressive believers realize it, the better it will be for them. References Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Sydney: Anchor Books, 2009. Dawkings, Richard. The God Delusion. Toronto: Bantam Press, 2006. Durkheim, Emil. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York: The Free Press, 1954. Ferris, Stewart. Key to the Da Vinci Code. London: Crombie Jardine, 2005. Grant, Robert â€Å"Religion and Politics at the Council at Nicaea†. The Journal of Religion, 55.1 (1975): 1-12. Nicolosi, Barbara â€Å"Just Say No to The Da Vinci Code†. (2009) BeliefNet. 19 Aug . 2009. This essay on The Da Vinci Code was written and submitted by user Raquel Ramirez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Complete Guide Criminal Law Research Paper

Complete Guide Criminal Law Research Paper Primary Principles of the Criminal Law Research Paper Writing a Criminal Law research paper is an obligatory assignment for plenty of students from various disciplines, such as Criminal Justice and Criminology, Paralegal Studies, Law Enforcement Administration, and International Crime Justice. Since criminal law is a set of behavior rules for citizens, you will be allowed to discuss some of them or present cases related to those rules. In general, with the help of this task, you will be able to expand your knowledge about a specific topic and improve your analytical and critical thinking skills. Besides, thanks to this paper, your professor will be able to check your understanding of the material. Since criminal law is one of the most compelling areas of the entire legal practice, you will be able to research a current issue and try to find your own solution to the matter. For this assignment, you may be asked to examine particular cases or even suggest your own solutions to the presented cases. Moreover, the research paper should also be based on the relevant legislation to support your points. As a result, the process of writing the Criminal Law research paper may be complicated and demanding for you since it requires a good understanding of the selected issue and basic knowledge of the entire criminal law. Most Popular Types of Research Papers Two major types of the research paper can be applied to this assignment, namely analytical and argumentative one. The central difference between these two types is the fact that each of them has specific requirements for both – the content and the topic. To receive a high mark, you have to follow those requirements strictly. Therefore, the following description of these two research paper types will help you to choose the most appropriate one. Analytical Research Paper. This type of research paper states a topic which should be explored. Generally, this topic is provided in the form of a question and takes a neutral stance. In this research paper, you need to merely state the research question and provide readers with the answer only at the end of the paper. The central goal of this paper is to suggest a well-supported critical analysis and present actual information without personal opinion. Hence, the main body of the research paper should contain multifaceted information and thorough analysis of critical points. For this type of research paper, you may explore whether the United States jury selection is always conducted fairly or investigate the probable motives behind a particular crime. As you can see, there are a lot of issues that can be analytically examined. Besides, it has to be mentioned that some common analytic designs can help you to create new ideas. Change Over Time; Hypothesis/Proof; Cause/Effect; Problem/Solution; Comparison/Contrast; Question/Answer. Argumentative Research Paper. For an argumentative type of research paper, you need to both – state the topic and provide readers with the position you will argue. You should include this information in your thesis statement which must be located at the end of the introductory paragraph. What is more, in this type of research paper, you should persuade readers to accept a particular side by presenting evidence, various suggestive devices, and sound reasoning. Besides, for this research type, you must choose a highly-debatable and even controversial topic to be able to discuss all possible sides. For instance, you can examine the effectiveness of the Witness Protection Program in different countries. How to Find a Perfect Topic to Talk About in Criminal Law Research Paper Your professor should provide you with the list of acceptable topics or indicate your topic in the paper instructions. However, it may happen that s/he will allow you to select the topic on your own. In this case, you have to take into consideration three aspects to choose the best topic. First of all, you need to consider what fields of criminal law you have better knowledge in since if you select the issue which is connected with unknown criminal law aspect, it will be difficult for you to discuss it properly. Second of all, the future topic should be relevant and not obsolete since you have to easily find a sufficient number of sources to provide readers with fact-based evidence to support your points. Third of all, it is better to choose a topic of your interest as it will encourage you to conduct in-depth research and search for new and interesting information. Furthermore, you have to create your topic carefully since not all of them can be suitable for the research paper in the field of Criminal Law. If you find choosing a topic too difficult, you may ask your professor for help. As a result, if you follow all those three aspects, you will be able to select a perfect topic. The following list of topics may help you to create your own. Juvenile Recidivism Causes of Victimization The Key Principles of Forensic Science The Relationship Between Aggression and Crime Is the Witness Protection Program Effective? Information Sources: the Secrets of Choosing the Right Ones Before writing your first draft of the Criminal Law research paper, you need to search for some information. In general, professors ask to visit various libraries to find reliable sources, but you may also utilize the Internet. However, you have to remember that not all websites are credible. For example, you have to pay special attention to the sites which end in .edu and .gov since different educational institutions and governments maintain them. Moreover, you should consider three types of sources that you can apply, namely – primary, secondary, and tertiary ones. Primary sources serve as a basis for different research papers, such as court records, constitutions, statutes and ordinances, and common law. Secondary sources are used to analyze or describe primary sources. This type of sources includes textbooks, encyclopedias, books and articles which synthesize, review or interpret the original fieldwork. The last type of sources is tertiary one. It locates and organizes primary and secondary sources, and therefore, indexes, abstracts, and databases related to this source type. Moreover, when you find an article or book which coincides with your chosen topic, you may scan its references to collect more sources. Apart from that, if you cannot find any reliable sources on the selected topic, you may pick another one as it is impossible to develop a well-supported research paper without credible sources. Prewriting Strategies and Criminal Law Research Paper Prewriting Tips from Our Experts When you finished the process of collecting sources for your Criminal Law research paper, you have to start writing the first draft of it. In the beginning, you can create an outline for your writing. With the help of it, you will be able to organize the paper and collect all primary arguments. However, if it is too complicated for you, you may complete some other pre-writing strategies, such as Brainstorming, Freewriting, and Clustering. Brainstorming is one of the most effective techniques which can help you to gather as many ideas as possible. The central goal of this activity is to write each idea which comes to your mind. For this technique, you can collect your points in the form of a list. The primary goal of the second pre-writing technique, which is called Freewriting, is to get ideas out of your head. You may think that it is the same as Brainstorming but it is not. For this strategy, you do not need to think and then write. Instead, you have to think and write simultaneously. Therefore, you have to write anything you like but never stop writing. One may state that Freewriting is the perfect activity for those who find it difficult to start writing since this exercise helps to warm up the brain. The last pre-writing technique which will be described is Clustering. This strategy will be effective for you if you have a great imagination since you should imagine the connections between arguments and link them t o the supporting points. Then, you need to put central arguments in circles and draw some lines which will symbolize the supporting ideas. Hence, with the help of this activity, you will be able to see how each idea is related to other ones. If you combine all of the strategies mentioned above, it will be much easier for you to create interesting content and organize the paper properly. Structure of the Criminal Law Research Paper To receive as many points as possible for your Criminal Law research paper you need to organize your paper thoroughly. Moreover, it will help readers to comprehend your arguments properly and not to lose the train of thought. The structure of the Criminal research paper consists of an Introductory paragraph, Main Body paragraphs, Concluding Paragraph, and Reference page. If a professor requires you to write the paper in APA style, you need to create a title page as well. The following paragraphs are going to describe each element of the Criminal Law research paper. Title Page This section of the paper has to be located on the first page. Generally, it contains the title of the paper, the student’s name, and the educational institution. Besides, at the top of the page, you have to create a running head which will include the title of the research paper. Your title should attract readers’ attention and never exceed the number of fifty-one characters or twelve words. Besides, the title should contain neither words which have no purpose nor any abbreviations. Introduction The introductory part of the research paper is of high significance, and therefore, you need to pay particular attention to writing one. First of all, you need to remember that this part consists of some background information, key arguments, and thesis statement. You must create a solid thesis statement to be able to support it with some arguments in the Main Body paragraphs. Besides, the thesis statement has to contain a research question which will be answered at the end of the paper. Furthermore, you are not allowed to insert any quotations or in-text citations. In general, this section should only introduce the topic to the readers, and consequently, it has to be short. Main Body This part of the research paper should contain at least two paragraphs since you have to provide readers with no less than two arguments. As you can see, you have to describe one point per paragraph. In contrast to the introduction and the conclusion, here you should you insert some quotations or in-text citations to support your point. If you use some of them, you must cite them properly to avoid plagiarism. There are many referencing styles, but the most common ones are APA and MLA. Hence, if the selected referencing style is MLA, your citation should look like this â€Å"(Smith 100),† while with APA referencing style, the citation has to look like this â€Å"(Smith, 2018)†. What is more, you can create or insert some charts to present some figures. To make your paper smoother, you need to use linking words, such as â€Å"moreover†, â€Å"although†, â€Å"furthermore†, â€Å"in addition to†, and â€Å"on the contrary†. Besides, you h ave to remember that the chosen linking word has to correspond to the context and not confuse readers. Conclusion The concluding paragraph has to summarize the entire paper and give the answer to the research question. However, in this section, you cannot add any new information and insert any quotations or in-text citations. As a consequence, the conclusion should resemble a brief version of the entire paper. Reference Page The reference page has to be located on the separate page at the end of the paper. You need to write the word â€Å"References† if you write in APA style or â€Å"† if you write in MLA style. One should claim that you have to include all the sources that you applied to your Criminal Law research paper. Each entry should be indented one-half inch. Besides, you need to locate your sources in alphabetical order. References Gibbs, D. (2018). Writing a Research Paper: Types of Research Papers. Library Guides, libguides.piedmont.edu/c.php?g=521348p=3564632. Lahl, A. (2008). A Guide to Prewriting Techniques. Student Learning Center, slc.berkeley.edu/you-start-writing-paper-guide-prewriting-techniques-0. Research Help: Types of Sources. (2018). LibGuides, libguides.merrimack.edu/research_help/Sources. Volokh, E., Kozinski, A. (2007). Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review. 3rd ed., Foundation Press. Wills, T. (2011). Tips for Writing a Research Paper. NMU Student Organizations, www.nmu.edu/writingcenter/tips-writing-research-paper.

1984 Study Guide

1984 Study Guide George Orwells 1984 is such an influential novel that you neednt have read it to notice its effect. With its chilling examination of totalitarian regimes, 1984 changed the language we use to discuss those very regimes. Popular terms like Big Brother, Orwellian, or Newspeak were all originated by Orwell in 1984. The novel was Orwell’s attempt to highlight what he saw as an existential threat posed by authoritarian leaders like Joseph Stalin. It remains a vital commentary on the techniques of brutal totalitarian regimes and only becomes more prescient and applicable as technology catches up with its nightmarish vision. Fast Facts: 1984 Author: George OrwellPublisher: Secker and WarburgYear Published: 1949Genre: Science fictionType of Work: NovelOriginal Language: EnglishThemes: Totalitarianism, destruction of the self, control of informationCharacters: Winston Smith, Julia, O’Brien, Syme, Mr. CharringtonNotable Adaptations: A film adaptation released in 1984 starred John Hurt as Winston and Richard Burton, in his last role, as O’Brien.Fun Fact: Because of his socialist politics and connections to the Communist Party, Orwell himself was under government surveillance for years. Plot Summary Winston Smith lives in what is known as Airstrip One, formerly Britain, a province of a large nation-state known as Oceania. Posters everywhere declare BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, and Thought Police could be anywhere, watching for signs of Thoughtcrime. Smith works at the Ministry of Truth changing historical texts to match the current propaganda being distributed by the government. Winston longs to rebel, but confines his rebellion to keeping a forbidden journal, which he writes in a corner of his apartment hidden from the two-way television screen on his wall. At work, Winston meets a woman named Julia and begins a forbidden love affair, meeting her in a room he rents above a shop in the midst of the non-party population, known as proles. At work, Winston suspects that his superior, a man named O’Brien, is involved with a resistance movement called The Brotherhood, led by a mysterious man named Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston’s suspicions are confirmed when O’Brien invites him and Julia to join The Brotherhood, but this turns out to be a ruse and the pair are arrested. Winston is brutally tortured. He slowly gives up all outward resistance, but preserves what he believes is an inner core of his true self symbolized by his feelings for Julia. In the end he is confronted by his worst fear, a terror of rats, and betrays Julia by begging his torturers to do it to her instead. Broken, Winston is returned to public life a true believer. Major Characters Winston Smith. A 39-year old man who works for the Ministry of Truth. Winston romanticizes the lives of the non-Party proles and indulges in daydreams in which they rise up and spark a revolution. Winston rebels in his private thoughts and in small actions that seem relatively safe, like his journal-keeping. His torture and destruction at the end of the novel is tragic because of the sheer lack of necessity; Winston was being manipulated from the very beginning and never posed any true threat. Julia. Similarly to Winston, Julia is outwardly a dutiful Party member, but inwardly seeks to rebel. Unlike Winston, Julia’s motivations for rebellion stem from her own desires; she wishes to pursue pleasure and leisure. O’Brien. Literally everything the reader is told about O’Brien in the first half of the story is revealed to be untrue. He is Winston’s superior at the Ministry of Truth, but he is also a member of the Thought Police. O’Brien therefore represents the Party perfectly: He is changeable as needed, weaponizes information or the lack of it, and ultimately serves solely to perpetuate power and snuff out resistance of any kind. Syme. A colleague of Winston’s, working on a Newspeak dictionary. Winston perceives Syme’s intelligence and predicts that he will disappear as a result of it, a prediction that quickly comes true. Mr. Charrington. A kindly old man who helps Winston rebel, and is later revealed as a member of the Thought Police. Major Themes Totalitarianism. Orwell argues that in a one-party political state where all other parties are outlawed, perpetuation of power becomes the sole purpose of the State. Towards this end, a totalitarian state will restrict freedom increasingly until the only freedom that remains is freedom of private thought- and the State will then attempt to restrict this as well. Control of Information. Orwell argues in the novel that the lack of access to information and the corruption of information makes meaningful resistance to the Party impossible. Orwell foresaw the rise of fake news decades before it was named. Destruction of the Self. The ultimate goal of all totalitarian regimes in Orwell’s opinion. Only by replacing individual desires with a template created by the State can true control be asserted. Literary Style Orwell writes in plain, largely unadorned language and a neutral tone, which evokes the crushing despair and dullness of Winston’s existence. He also ties the point of view tightly to Winston, forcing the reader to accept what Winston tells them much as Winston accepts what he is told, all of which is ultimately revealed as a lie. About the Author Born in 1903 in India, George Orwell was an incredibly influential writer, best-known for his novels Animal Farm and 1984, as well as essays on various topics covering politics, history, and social justice. Many of the concepts Orwell introduced in his writing have become part of pop culture, such as the phrase Big Brother is Watching You and the use of the descriptor Orwellian to indicate an oppressive surveillance state.

The Cost of War How Government Can Strategically Reduce the Cost of Essay

The Cost of War How Government Can Strategically Reduce the Cost of War - Essay Example Now, it has been unanimously concluded that wars do much damages than it do the goods. The huge costs involved in wars put heavy strain on the state’s finances and jeopardize the future prosperity. The only solution to reduce the number of wars, if not stop wars at all, is to create an environment of global peace and tranquility. In this regard, all the parties involved, such as the governments and the global populations have to unitedly play a proactive role to spread the message of peace and universal brotherhood. The history of human civilization is replete with innumerable wars, many of which were indeed colossus in nature and were incredibly costly. Though many wars waged earlier are credited with many remarkable developments for the humankind such as the rise of capitalism, breaking out from the oppressive rulers, creation of administrative state, repossession of own territory, class struggle etc., but at the same time these brutal wars have had imprinted their indelible adverse impact on the mankind also. The huge monetary costs apart, these wars resulted into loss of invaluable human lives, which cannot be measured or consoled through money. Wars also result into inestimable demand on the scarce resources of the country. In modern times, it is believed in some quarters that wars benefit the economies of the first world countries which are rich to begin with, or countries which initiated the war. Again, it is believed in some other quarters that wars do not necessarily benefit the develo ped countries, rather wars can sometimes make these countries worse off. Whatsoever, it is undeniable that wars involve some costs such as the cost of servicing army / military, costs of rebuilding destroyed areas, human costs, environmental costs, etc. It is not easy to quantify these costs involved in wars, but the states can definitely adopt some

Westminster Model and the Government System in the UK Essay

Westminster Model and the Government System in the UK - Essay Example This development has seriously undermined the notion of a strong nation-state. Another challenge to the Westminster model is the New Public Management standard, and this has wrought basic changes to the relationship between civil servants and Ministers. Perhaps the greatest influence has been that of the European Union, which has seriously weakened the notion of Parliamentary Sovereignty (Lapsley, 2008, p. 10). This situation has been worsened by the devolution of responsibilities to elected assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Parliament in Scotland. These latter devolutionary changes have posed a serious challenge to the supremacy of the Westminster executive. In addition, these have shown the Westminster model as being inappropriate in a polity that enjoys greater decentralization (Lapsley, 2008, p. 10). The Westminster model is distinguished by unhindered executive superiority. This makes certain that parliamentary majority enjoys undisputed control over the central institutions of the government. Consequently, authority and political power are central to the state. In this system, governance is restricted to the elite who are seized with the public good. Such governance functions in a self – adjusting and balanced constitutional system (Diamond, 2010). The Glorious Revolution of 1688 destroyed an attempt to perpetuate a Catholic Monarchy. This was achieved by William of Orange and his wife Mary II, and it firmly established the supremacy of the Executive. Such dominance of the Executive has remained the hallmark of the political tradition of the UK. This excellent system is characterized by an unbiased civil service and shared ministerial accountability (Diamond, 2010). This perspective regarding the UK government is not unanimous and has been subjected to considerable doubt. It is believed by a significant number of authorities that the longstanding authority of the government has been gradually eroded. In fact, there has been a shift in power, both horizontally and vertically. Thus, the vertical shift has seen the transfer of power to the European Union and international institutions. Furthermore, the horizontal shift has witnessed the transfer of power to civil society and private corporations (Diamond, 2010). There has been an undeniable establishment of new territorial power centers. These are located outside the UK and have resulted from constitutional reform and decentralization. Due to these momentous developments, it is difficult to view the Westminster model as a true reflection of empirical reality. There has been a transformation from the government to governance, and this has drawn in a vast array of networks and individuals (Diamond, 2010). To a major extent, the government of the UK has retained considerable consistency in its structure and function. This has prevailed, despite the advent of collectivism and the monumental changes that its society has been subjected to. The government is decisive an d accountable, with a scant change in the institutions of Westminster and Whitehall. It has been the established practice for politicians of the various political hues to consider themselves as responsible and influential arbiters of national interest (Diamond, 2010).

Decomposition of Bleach Essay Example for Free

Decomposition of Bleach Essay In this experiment, the rate of decomposition is calculated by measuring the volume of the product gas using water displacement. The reactant used is household bleach, which contains 5 to 6% of NaClO. The decomposition can be stated in this following equation: 2 ClO- (aq) 2 Cl- (aq) + O2 (g) To measure the rate of decomposition, a catalyst is needed to fasten the reaction. A suitable catalyst is Co2O3, which is produced from mixing Co(NO3)2 and bleach. The reaction can be described as follows: 2 Co2+ (aq) + ClO- (aq) + 2H2O (l) Co2O3 (s) + 4 H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) Purpose The objective of this experiment is to determine the rate of decomposition of bleach by measurement of gas production at several different temperatures. Hypothesis The decomposition rate will increase if the surrounding temperature increases. If the surrounding temperature increases by 10C, the reaction rate will double. If the temperature decreases by 10C, then the reaction rate will decrease by half. Materials * Household Bleach * Co(NO3)2 solution * Erlenmeyer flask * Stopper and tube * Ring stand * Burette * Graduated cylinder * Thermometer * Burette clamp Procedure Refer to lab instruction sheet Decomposition of Bleach Data Table 1 Accumulation of Oxygen at Room Temperature (24C) Time Interval (s) Volume of Gas (mL) Time Interval (s) Volume of Gas (mL) 30 3.5 210 29.9 60 9.1 240 34.3 90 13.4 270 38.3 120 18.0 300 42.0 150 20.8 330 44.5 180 25.9 360 50.1 Table 2 Accumulation of Oxygen at 10C above Room Temperature (34C) Time Interval (s) Volume of Gas (mL) Time Interval (s) Volume of Gas (mL) 30 8.1 180 37.5 60 13.9 210 41.3 90 20.4 240 45.4 120 26.0 270 49.4 150 31.8 \ Table 3 Accumulation of Oxygen at 10C below Room Temperature (14C) Time Interval (s) Volume of Gas (mL) Time Interval (s) Volume of Gas (mL) 60 0 900 27.2 120 0 960 29.5 180 0 1020 31.9 240 1.8 1080 33.5 300 4.0 1140 36.0 360 6.5 1200 38.0 420 8.9 1260 40.5 540 11.8 1320 42.1 600 13.2 1380 44.1 660 15.6 1440 45.6 720 18.1 1500 47.5 780 21.0 1560 49.6 840 23.0 1579 50.0 Analysis Calculations: Reaction Rate = Reaction rate at room temperature = = 0.14 mL O2 / s Reaction rate at 10C above room temperature = = 0.17 mL O2 / s Reaction rate at 10C below room temperature = = 0.036 mL O2 / s Table 4 Rate of Decomposition of Bleach Surrounding Temperature (C) Reaction Rate (mL/ s)

The Shepard’s Keeper :: Essays Papers

The Shepard’s Keeper Throughout time there has been at least one constant that I am aware of. That constant is art. One particular piece of art stands out and catches the eye. That piece of art is The Shepherdess and Her Flock constructed and perfected by Jean Francois Millet. When one makes a certain judgment on a piece of art, one must be precise and certain about that judgment. When observing Millet’s piece I will take in to consideration three things to make my judgment: use of color, theme, and meaning. The Shepherdess and Her Flock catches the eye very quickly. The painting consists of a shepherdess tending to her sheep in some remote hills perhaps and most likely in Western Europe. The shepherdess herself is standing just a few paces ahead of her flock while they are all grouped together tightly apparently feeding. She is holding a staff while studying the ground. The look on her face makes her seem like she is disturbed for some unknown reason. The shepherdess is wearing many articles of clothing. Her first layer is blue and reaches down to her ankles. The next layer appears to be some kind of shawl. The shawl is cream colored and only reaches just past her waist. The final piece of clothing is red and only covers her head. The grass beneath the shepherdess, which covers the entire land, has bald spots and contains dandy lions giving it great character. This is the grass on which the flock is feeding on. Watching over the sheep is a shepherd dog stand just to the right of the flock. The dog stands very proudly and has a great pride in his job. The sky in this work is covered entirely with clouds. The only bare spot in the sky is at the very top of the painting where the clouds begin to split. Millet’s work appears to be set early in the morning. Looking beyond the flock as far as the painting will allow, one can see some hills and trees and perhaps a small village or town. This painting is overwhelming with beauty and style and elegance. Millet comes to the edge of perfection is his work, The Shepherdess and Her Flock. When an artist creates a piece, in this case a painting, the artists must take into consideration the colors that he/she uses.

Moral Law in Trifles

Throughout history it is shown that women have been looked down upon by men. They have been considered inferior to the opposite sex and even as a form of property. â€Å"Trifles† take place in 1916 where the rights of women are yet to be stated a place that is ruled by the paterfamilias, the men. Only men knew what was right, only men knew what was best for their families. Men criticized women a lot and made fun of them.Men do not understand the difficulty of these duties and the hard working hours that are needed to keep a farmhouse and or a family tidy and well organized. Women just make their lives look easier by cooking, cleaning and caring for their children. Although today, we are not burdened with this struggle of being physically and emotionally abused by men, women in the early 1900’s struggled to break free from this mold formed by society.In the â€Å"Trifles† this type of living made lively, singing, happy Minnie Wright turn into a mentally disturbed, cold and routine robot after she married her husband, Mr. Wright. However, in the play women are far from being decorative. They actually show greater strength than the surrounding men. As the men went upstairs to investigate what happen to the husband, the women stays down stairs. They were able to look at the scene and pay attention to the details which lead them to uncover the clues that Mrs.Wright murdered her husband. At that time before the men came downstairs, the women hid the evidence and did not judge Mrs. Wright for her action. I can only say that moral justice prevailed and that law should not be so strict in some cases because there are more psychological aspects in a human mind. The women hid the evidence as an act of compassion for Mrs. Wright. Stealing the box with the dead bird is an act of loyalty to their gender and of defiance against a callous patriarchal society.A murder case like this at that particular time was a shocking thing to solve because it involved t iny details that men could not understand or view without the help of women. Details that are presented in women lifestyle, Mrs. Peter and Mrs. Hale was able to relate to Mrs. Wright to the murder of the killing of her husband. This conflict is the moral justice versus the legal justice meaning that justice can be based on what somebody conscience suggest what is right or wrong, rather than on what that strict law says to be done.Although Mrs. Peters was hesitating about the decision of hiding the evidence, she knew it was the right thing to do. The women understood the moral law and the Sheriff Hale and the County Attorney represented legal justice. In this world women have always been treated second best by men and like they were never good enough for careers outside of the home. The sex of a person should not determine what type of job a person should have. Due to those facts the women in â€Å"Trifles† stood by each other to cover Mrs. Wright tracks

Kate Chopin’s Story Of An Hour And The Storm Essay

Author Kate Chopin has expressed feminine freedom in two of her short stories: â€Å"The Storm† and â€Å"Story of an Hour†. She was the breakthrough author for female independence and human sexuality. Through these two short stories, Chopin describes the lives of two women who discover their freedom in times where society does not accept women as equal to men. â€Å"The Storm† relates love and marriage as a prevention for free full blown passion. â€Å"Story of an Hour† relates love and marriage to unhappiness and repression. â€Å"The Storm† holds a very symbolic meaning for passion. It affirms feminine sexuality through Calixta and Alcee’s relationship. Despite Calixta’s marriage to Bobinot, she proceeds with her unacceptable behavior in society with Alcee and commits adultery. Her newfound passion determines the importance of passion in 1890s where many women felt they were bound. Many parts in the story foreshadow Calixta and Alcee’s sexual encounter. The storm itself was describing their progressing passion with the encounter of a lightening bolt and thunder: â€Å"Calixta put her hands to her eyes, and with a cry, staggered backward. Alcee’s arm encircled her, and for an instance he drew her close and spasmodically to him.† The increasing power of the storm represents the increasing passion between the two lovers. This short story puts aside the constraints of society and marriage, and opens a door for feminine sexuality. The same sense of freedom that Chopin expressed in â€Å"The Storm† applies to â€Å"Story of an Hour†. Main character Louise Mallard is an elderly woman who has lost her husband. She is in a state of thought when she realizes her newfound freedom. She discovers that her marriage was a bondage and hopes for a long life to enjoy this new freedom. Her marriage seemed to have cast shadows on her happiness. In this time of thought, she focuses on her own feelings and indifference to her husband Brently Mallard. Even more so Louise is affected with her heart condition. Her heart condition foreshadowed Louise’s demise. It’s purpose was to describe her as weak of heart and weak of character. She could not accept her misery and lacked honor even so to be aware of her own unhappiness. This  again expressed the oppression of women in the 1890s mentally and physically. The two stories share a sense of contradiction. Calixta is left happy and renewed after her experience. She welcomes her husband Bobinot and her son Bibi happily when they arrive home after the storm. This is where Chopin describes the first step into freedom of marriage and sexuality. â€Å"Story of an Hour† on the other hand expresses demise of a woman who was on the verge of freedom. Louise is happy too when she realizes that her marriage was preventing her from happiness. She chanted the word free to her self in realization. She is so overwhelmed with her freedom that she dies when her surviving husband appears to her. She dies of knowing that she does not have her freedom after all. Chopin expressed love as a way of freedom and oppression in her short stories. She described Calixta’s adultery a passion while Louis’s marriage an oppression. Either way, it lead to some sort of resolution into freedom. The discovery of passion in â€Å"The Storm† was so great that Alcee himself did not want to commit to his wife. In â€Å"Story of an Hour† Louise Mallard considered her marriage and love unreal and unworthy of her. She does not want to be under the will of another person Women of Chopin’s time felt these fictionous stories, but were undermined of society. Love, passion, and marriage work together in â€Å"The Storm† and â€Å"Story of an Hour† to bring an idea to the reader of how relationships were in the 1890s. Love and marriage fall to passion in Chopin’s stories.

Rethinking Orphanges Essays - Child Welfare, Family, Orphanage

Rethinking Orphanges Essays - Child Welfare, Family, Orphanage Rethinking Orphanges Gina Magnanti Economics Edited by Richard B. McKenzie Reviewed by Jim Powell Nowadays, it is considered acceptable to send a young person from a supportive, wealthy family away to a residential boarding school. At the same time it is considered destructive to send a young person from an unsafe, unhealthy home to a nurturing, educational, residential setting. As a result of old orphanage stereotypes in the past, many residential education programs have shut down during the past four or five decades. Most of these stereotypes werent helped by such examples as shown in Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist. Major newsmagazines supported these popular stereotypes with turn-of-the-century pictures of pathetic orphanage residents on their covers. The debate lasted only a few months. The critics claimed victory once again, and nothing was done. The government has failed at taking care of children who find themselves unwanted because their parents have given them up or died. There are now few education-focused, residential settings available for young people, especially adolescents, who dont have homes that can support them nor schools that can effectively teach them. However, there are tens of thousands of children who could benefit from such care. Unwanted children are condemned to constant dependency on individuals who are more concerned with their perks and privileges than with children. The government rewards those who carry out its programs for the number of children they take in, but it doesn't evaluate the quality of care. Children are moved from one program to another each time people dream up some new way to get more funding. This book gives a compelling case that unwanted children are much better cared for in the private sector by orphanages run by churches or other charitable organizations. McKenzie grew up in an orphanage and speaks passionately from his own experience. He is thankful for having had an orphanage provide continuity in his life. The kind of continuance that is lacking in today's government-run foster care system. Children are often sent through the system consisting of foster care homes. McKenzie notes that surveys show the majority of orphans tend to look back on their experiences with gratitude. Rethinking Orphanages for the 21st Century provides the foundation for a real national policy debate. The short-lived, sound-bite-based national policy debate on orphanage care that took place in late 1994 was, regrettably, founded on old orphanage stereotypes. House Speaker Newt Gingrich praised the 1930s movie Boys Town, whereas his critics in the Clinton administration countered with visions of orphanages in London in the late 1800s, as depicted in Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist. This edited volume is the first attempt to rethink critical issues relating to the care of disadvantaged young people. One contributor evaluates the current dreadful state of care for many American children. Another contributor evaluates the literature relating to orphanage care and finds much of it to be lacking. Yet another contributor does what the critics have not done- and surveys orphans about how they have done in life and how they look back on their experiences. Unfortunately, the reality of orphanages and the Hollywood portrayals of them was never compared until this.

Analyzing Jealousy In Othello English Literature Essay

Analyzing Jealousy In Othello English Literature Essay Shakespeare’s play of Othello is largely driven by a grand love story, and filled with jealousy. Through the juxtaposition of Othello’s credulous nature and Iago’s pernicious villainy, the image of jealousy is truly personified as an all-consuming â€Å"green-eyed monster†. Because of this venomous nature of the beast of jealousy, the events of the play manage to unfold in Iago’s lustful authority, which bring down the eponymous character to his tragic downfall. In human psychology today, the modern definition of jealousy remains relatively unchanged from Shakespeare’s time, albeit being expressed in more modern scientific terms. It is defined as â€Å"a complex of thoughts, feelings, and actions which follow threats to self-esteem and/or threats to the existence or quality of the relationship †¦ generated by the perception of a real or potential attraction between one’s partner and a (perhaps imaginary) rival.† (White, 19 81, p. 24). In scenes of jealousy, there are typically a triad of people involved: a jealous and threatened individual, a partner of the opposite gender, and his/her third party rival. In the case of Othello, there are certainly three important people involved at the beginning: Iago being the jealous individual, Desdemona being the partner, and Othello being the third party rival. Iago definitely feels threatened by Othello’s dominance over him, both in his military rank and his relationship with Desdemona, as portrayed upon Iago’s words, â€Å"I hate the Moor!† (I,iii,377). Iago then manages to spread his jealousy to his impending victims, such as Othello; as the subject of his jealousy is partly the sheer beauty of Desdemona. In the plot of Othello, the most devious and perfect example of a human incarnation of the â€Å"green-eyed monster† is Iago. Iago originally becomes jealous when Othello succeeds in convincing Desdemona to marry him. Iago’s searing hate of Othello deep within him also contributes to his extreme jealousy. He is also very envious of Othello’s military rank of the General of the Venetian Army – in military terms, Iago is ranked two levels below him. The jealous Iago crafts his plans with the intention to bring down Othello exactly in these two areas: to eventually force Othello to lose his position as General (I,iii,395), and to create distrust within him and Desdemona, such that the two will eventually split (I,iii,339). Iago’s inner personality is ideal for a villain; he is innately a very sly, manipulative and venomous man, who is willing to take every risk to ensure that his plans are carried out successfully. However, despite his intense jealousy, Iago astutely manages to control his feelings and hide his jealousy, such to the degree he earns the informal title â€Å"honest Iago† among the characters of the play. Because of Iago’s pernicious and duplicitous charact er, his kind of jealousy can be perfectly portrayed as the pernicious â€Å"green eyed monster† – it strikes slowly, stealthily and deceptively, but once it hits, it is lethal and very contagious. A direct example of how Iago’s jealousy is key in giving his schemes their devious characteristics is shown in a crucial scene in Act 3, when Cassio spontaneously finds an anonymous handkerchief on his bed. That scene, in short, is a perfect testament to Iago’s manipulative genius and sly deceptiveness. From the pure coincidence of Emilia placing the handkerchief onto Cassio’s bed, to Iago’s luck of Bianca scolding Cassio and assuming him of leaving her to another woman, we can see how intricately weaved and devious, yet perfectly planned Iago’s scheme is; he is ALWAYS thinking. Yet, Iago is very patient in his scheme – the whole episode evolves not in seconds or in minutes, but in a matter of hours or even days. In addition, Iago man ages to see this part of his scheme unroll successfully, without even being noticed or brought into the picture at all! As such, from the flawless manner in which Iago’s scheme unrolls in this episode, we can perfectly see how and why Iago seems like the ideal, pernicious villain, whose intense jealousy strikes not unlike Shakespeare’s â€Å"green eyed monster† – slowly, stealthily, but lethally.

The First Amendment and Its Impact on Education Essay

The First Amendment and Its Impact on Education - Essay Example But how can it be coercion? Those against the Pledge say that, like prayer in the classroom, is completely unconstitutional. But according to the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, it states just the opposite. The Constitution states that whether or not these are religious exercises, they shall not be impeded. No one forces students to partake in the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance and schools do not give preferential treatment to those that do. However, if a school decides to have an election for a student to present a message at a sports event of the school, then they should be able to. If, the student chooses to say a prayer so be it. Religion is stamped all over history. From the earliest days of man to the Holocaust to the Spanish Inquisition to the Reformation and to the Founding Fathers of our great Nation, religion was always there and prevalent in society. Thus, a student will never escape religion in his studies. In conclusion, if a person tries to stamp out prayer or the Pledge of Allegiance in schools by saying it is unconstitutional, then they are going to have to over haul all of the history texts that students study. Studying history may coerce our students into believing that there is a