Monday, September 30, 2019

Living together before marriage Essay

The beautiful wedding and the romantic honeymoon are over; now it’s time for the real work to begin – the marriage. You move into your dream home ready to begin your life together, but this is the first time you are living together as a couple and there will be some challenges. Each of your habits, good and bad but mostly bad, will emerge. For him, it’s leaving his dirty clothes on the bathroom floor, leaving plates and cups all over the house, leaving the toilet seat up or having an obsession with pornography. For her, it’s leaving her cosmetics in the bathroom sink, squeezing the toothpaste from the middle, not liking to do housework or not being able to cook a decent meal. All of these habits could have been predetermined from simply living together before the marriage; which could also avoid a difficult situation. Living together before marriage is a wonderful way to begin a relationship that may lead to marriage. In the past, it was considered scandalous for a couple to live together before marriage, however, in today’s society it is a necessity. Opponents of cohabitation before marriage believe that there is a higher probability of divorce when couples live together before marriage. For them, cohabitating before marriage is a bad idea as it can lead to poor communication, a lower quality relationship, and ultimately divorce. Many persons, however, take the step of cohabitation to prevent going into a marriage that may be short-lived and end in divorce. They believe that it is best to live together before marriage to test the relationship. If they live well together just as a couple, it will be an easy transition when living together married. Cohabitating before marriage can help determine whether or not the relationship will last, how difficult it will be to maintain, what problems can arise once the couple reside together, and how these problems will be solved. Living together before marriage is a precursor to living together when married as the kinks can be worked out, which can lead to a happier and longer marriage. Other opponents of cohabitation before marriage believe that once they live together before marriage the mystery and surprise of getting to know the spouse is lost. They believe that because the couple has already learnt all of spouse’s quirks and habits. However, proponents of living together before marriage believe that couples should really know what they are getting into before marriage. For instance, they could learn if their partner is messy or clean, or if one person believes that the housework should be done by one partner or shared between the two partners. It is often said that you really don’t know a person until you live with them. In living together before marriage they will learn their partner’s habits, regular activities, routines, and see how well their individual quirks mesh with each other. When living apart, either party can hide certain bad habits from the other partner, however, when living together they can only hide their shortcomings for so long and eventually their true colors will be exposed. Once you live together before marriage and the parties are getting along and are compatible, there is a good chance that this behavior will continue once they get married. In the event they are not compatible, many see living together before marriage as a lower risk as if the relationship fails breaking up is considered easier than divorce. Opponents of cohabiting before marriage also believe that this brings unnecessary problems with money and finances. They believe that dealing with one person’s finances can be stressful, so adding another person’s finances into the mix will only increase the stress. This stress can be avoided once the decision to live together before marriage is made. Both parties can agree on a budget that will ensure not more is spent that what is allocated, for instance, on bills and recreational items. Once they live together, finances and the money saved can be shared between the two of them. Living together means one rental payment and one set of household bills including utilities and gas. It also allows both parties to save for other financial goals, such as investments, savings or spending the funds on the wedding. Cohabitating before marriage also gives the couple the chance to determine before the marriage how the household finances will be handled. They can decide if one person will be responsible or if it will be a joint effort. They can test run if one person is better with the finances than the other, instead of once being married arguing about it. Living together before marriage can also reveal if either party has bad spending habits of excessive debt, which they may hide living separately. I strongly believe that it is indeed important for couples to live together before marriage. It is a responsible and reasonable decision for a couple to cohabitate before making the life changing decision to marry. For me it makes sense to share one unit as both persons will learn of each other’s habits, routines, regular activities, and personal differences; then decide whether or not they want to continue in the relationship. Both partners will learn the other partner’s likes and dislikes, each others expectations of the relationship and how to cope in stressful times. Cohabitating before marriage can save a person from an unhappy, unhealthy marriage. Living together before marriage is definitely a necessity!

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Five Pillars of Islam and the confirmation Essay

The 5 Pillars of Islam and the 10 CommandmentsIslam and Christianity are both major religions in the world today, with followers from all walks of life and from every corner of the Earth. Each of these religions has its own teachings and beliefs but there are similarities amongst some, if not, a majority of the essential teachings. Islam and Christianity both have teachings and beliefs in a majority of the same prophets and messengers but the major split arises in the context that Christians believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ while Muslims believe that Jesus did not die. Nevertheless, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate, what may be to some, the foundation of both religions-more specifically, the 5 Pillars of Islam and the 10 Commandments of Christianity. The 5 Pillars of Islam:The word Islam in a religious sense means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law. Therefore, Islam is more of a way of life instead of merely being a part of life. The 5 pillars of Islam refer to 5 duties that Muslims have to perform wholeheartedly and diligently. The book ‘The Pillars of Islam’ contains a good representation of how the 5 Pillars came into being, from the narration of Umar (May Peace be Upon Him), while he was sitting with the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W):†One day while we were sitting with Allah’s messenger, a man suddenly appeared before us, wearing a very white dress and having very black hair, without any signs of journey upon him, and none of us knew him. He approached until he sat before the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) with his knees touching the Prophet’s knees and he placed his hands on his thighs and said, â€Å"O Muhammad inform me about Islam.† Allah’s Messenger (S.A.W) said, â€Å"Islam is to bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to offer the Salat, pay Zakat, fast during the month of Ramadan and to make Hajj if you are able and have the means to make the journey.† The man said, â€Å"You spoke the truth.† We were surprised at his asking and confirming at the same time†The stranger then asked the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) a few more questions which the Prophet (S.A.W) answered and then the stranger left. â€Å"The Prophet (S.A.W) remained seated for quite a while, then he asked me, â€Å"O  Ã¢â‚¬ËœUmar, do you know who the questioner was?† I said, â€Å"Allah and his Messenger know best.† He said, â€Å"That was Jibrael, he came to teach you your religion.†From this, we can see that the five ritual duties that the Prophet Muhammad set forth were as follows:1.Pronouncing the confession of faith (shahada or kalima);2.Performing the five daily prayers (salat);3.Fasting during the month of Ramadan (saum)4.Paying the alms tax (zakat)5.Performing, at least once in life, the major pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). I.The Shahadah, or profession of faith:The Shahada is the Arabic statement â€Å"La ilah illa Allah wa Muhammad rasul Allah,† meaning â€Å"There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet.†The Britannica Encyclopedia defines Shahadah as follows:†The first pillar is the profession of faith: â€Å"There is no deity but God, and Muá ¸ ¥ammad is the messenger of God,† upon which depends membership in the community. The profession of faith must be recited at least once in one’s lifetime, aloud, correctly, and purposively, with an understanding of its meaning and with an assent from the heart. From this fundamental belief are derived beliefs in (1) angels (particularly Gabriel, the Angel of Revelation), (2) the revealed Books (the QurÊ ¾Ã„ n and the sacred books of Judaism and Christianity), (3) a series of prophets (among whom figures of the Judeo-Christian tradition are particularly eminent, although it is believed that God has sent messengers t o every nation), and (4) the Last Day (Day of Judgment).†This profession of faith must be done with sincerity and without any reservation. It is the foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. II.Prayer or Salat:The second Pillar of Islam is prayer,†And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: for those things that are good remove those that are evil: That is a reminder for the mindful. And be steadfast in patience; For verily Allah (SWT) will not suffer the reward of the righteous to perish.†Every Muslim is required to pray 5 times a day. These prayers may be offered individually if one is unable to go to the mosque. The first prayer is performed before sunrise and is called Fajr, the second just after noon, the third in the late afternoon, the fourth immediately after sunset, and the fifth before retiring to bed. â€Å"The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to lead the congregation of Muslims in Mecca and Medina in prayer, thus demonstrating to them the way in which prayer should be performed. The prayer consists of reciting the first Surah of the Qur’an, Al-Fatihah, referred to as â€Å"the seven often repeated verses,† followed by the recitation of a chosen verse or verses of the Qur’an and various praises to God. For each segment of the prayer, a Muslim adopts a distinguishing bodily position, beginning with standing and placing hands across the heart, and then bowing and kneeling. Muslims repeat these positions a prescribed number of times depending on which prayer is being performed. The five daily prayers are the Morning Prayer, Fajr, the noon prayer, Dhur, the afternoon prayer, Asr, the evening prayer, Maghrib, and the night prayer, Ishaa. To pray five times a day is an obligation that every Muslim must adhere to except those exempted by Islamic law. â€Å"III.Fasting or Saum:Every year in the month of Ramadan Muslims are required to abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk. In addition, Muslims are expected to refrain from anger, envy, greed, lust, gossip, violence, bad language and other inappropriate thoughts and actions. Fasting is meant to encourage Muslims to seek nearness to Allah, be patient, and learn the hardships faced by the less fortunate. According to www.encarta.msn.com,†According to various traditional interpretations, the fast introduces physical and spiritual discipline, serves to remind the rich of the misfortunes of the poor, and fosters, through this rigorous act of worship, a sense of solidarity and mutual care among Muslims of all social backgrounds. Thus Muslims usually engage in further acts of worship beyond the ordinary during Ramadan, such as voluntary night prayer, reading sections from the Qur’an, and paying voluntary charity to the poor. Muslims may even choose to wake before daybreak to eat a meal that will sustain them until sunset. After the fasting ends, the holiday of breaking the fast, ‘id al-fitr, begins, lasting for three days.†IV.Zakat or Alms:Every Muslim is obligated to pay a portion of his or her wealth for the benefit of the poor and needy. Zakat means â€Å"purification† and â€Å"growth†. This is an indication that our own wealth and possessions are purified by setting aside a portion for the poor and those  in need. The amount varies for different categories. For grains and fruits it is 10 percent if land is watered by rain and 5 percent if land is watered artificially. On cash and precious metals it is 2.5 percent. A Muslim may also donate more as an act of Sadaqah (voluntary charity), in order to achieve additional reward from Allah. V.Hajj or Pilgrimage:Hajj is a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Makkah. Hajj occurs every year during the Islamic month of Dhu’l-Hijjah. Every Muslim who is physically and financially able is obligated to perform Hajj at least once in his or her lifetime. The hajj is the â€Å"greater† of the two pilgrimages to Mecca required of all Muslims, the lesser pilgrimage is called Umra. www.religionfacts.com provides a good summary of what happens during the time of Hajj:†Upon arrival at the boundary of Mecca (about six miles from the Ka’ba), pilgrims enter the state of ihram (purity) in which they will remain throughout the hajj. Males entering this pure state don the ihram garments – two white, seamless sheets wrapped around the body – and sandals. This aspect of the rite not only signifies the state of holiness the pilgrims have entered, but it serves to contribute to a sense of equality and unity by removing visual indicators of class, wealth and culture. Requirements for women are less stringent, but they usually dress in white with only faces and hands uncovered. While in the state of ihram, pilgrims must not cut their nails or hair, engage in sexual relations, argue, fight or hunt. When he or she enters the city of Mecca, the pilgrim first walks around the Ka’ba seven times (the tawaf, or circumambulation) while reciting the talbiya, then kisses or touches the Black Stone in the Ka’ba, prays twice towards the Station of Abraham and the Ka’ba and runs seven times between the small mountains of Safa and Marwa. The second stage of the hajj takes place between the 8th and 12th days of Dhu al-Hijja, beginning with a sermon (khutba) at the mosque on the 7th day. On the eighth day and night, the pilgrim stays at Mina or Arafat. On the ninth day, the ritual of wuquf (â€Å"standing†) takes place at the small hill of Jabal  al-Rahma in Arafat. The pilgrim then returns to Muzdalifa, a small town within the Meccan boundaries, to stay the night. The tenth day is Eid al-Adha (The Feast of Sacrifice), a major holiday observed by all Muslims. For those participating in the hajj, the day is spent in Mina, where the pilgrim sacrifices an animal to commemorate Abraham’s sacrifice and throws seven small stones at each of three pillars on three consecutive days (the pillars represent sins and devils). The pilgrim then returns to Mecca, where he or she once again performs the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka’ba). The head is then shaved or the hair is trimmed, which marks the end of the state of ihram.†Ã¢â‚¬Æ'The 10 Commandments of Christianity:Similar to the 5 Pillars of Islam, Christianity has its own duties and standards which Christians have to live their lives by. These 10 Commandments are a list of religious and moral imperatives that were authored by the Lord God and given to Moses at Mount Sinai. The 10 Commandments are found in the Bible in Exodus 20 as follows:†Ã¢â‚¬ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. â€Å"You shall have no other gods before me. â€Å"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations, of those who love me and keep my commandments. â€Å"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. â€Å"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God, On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and  all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. â€Å"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. â€Å"You shall not murder†You shall not commit adultery. â€Å"You shall not steal. â€Å"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. â€Å"You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.†Ã¢â‚¬ After receiving the commandments and returning to Mount Sinai, Moses saw that the Israelites had â€Å"defiled themselves†, and that his brother, Aaron, had made a Golden Calf and an altar in front of it for the Israelites to pray to. Moses, in terrible anger, broke the tablets. God later offered Moses to carve two other tablets, to replace the ones he smashed. From this it seem that God himself appears as the writer. This second sets of commandments were brought down from Mount Sinai by Moses and were placed in the Ark of the Covenant. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor10Islam’s confirmation of the Ten Commandments:Many might believe that Islam and Christianity are totally  different in their teachings. This might be true when it comes to certain practices such as drinking alcohol or eating pork for example, yet some of the core teachings of both religions are similar. The same prophets appear in both the Quran as well as in the Bible, maybe under Arabic influenced name but still the same person. To further illustrate the similarities in this context, the following section relates the messages conveyed by the 10 Commandments to teachings found in the Holy Quran. Exodus 24:12 states:†The Lord said to Moses, â€Å"Come up to Me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.†Deuteronomy 4:13 states:†He declared to you His covenant, the Ten Commandments, which He commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets.†As stated before, both Islam and Christianity have similar teachings about certain prophets, Moses is one of them and is recognized in Islam and is written about a lot in the Quran. Two chapters in particular from the Quran could be said to affirm the belief in the commandments which God gave to Moses. These chapters are 2:53 and 7:145. In respective manner, they state the following:†And remember We gave Moses the Scripture and the Criterion (between right and wrong): There was a chance for you to be guided aright.†Ã¢â‚¬ And We ordained laws for him [Moses] in the tablets in all matters, both commanding and explaining all things, (and said): â€Å"Take and hold these with firmness, and enjoin thy people to hold fast by the best in the precepts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ From this we can agree that there is sufficient evidence of both religions believing that God had given the commandments to Moses. The First Commandment, found in Exodus 20:3, states the following. â€Å"You shall have no other gods before me†Ã¢â‚¬ËœIt is well known that Christianity and Islam are both Monotheistic religions, with Christians believing in the Lord God and Muslims believing in Allah. There are numerous instances in the Quran where this is states, one of these is found in chapter 17:23 of the Quran:†Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him†Another affirmation of this commandment could be sought after in the translation of the Shahadah or first pillar of Islam which states:†Ash-hadu alaa-ilaaha  illa-llaahu wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa Rasulu†Which when translated means: â€Å"I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (S.A.W) is His Devotee and His Messenger.†This confirms the common belief between Muslims and Christians on the oneness of God. The Second Commandment, found in Exodus 20:4, states:†You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.†Chapter 31:13 of the Quran gives just one of the many instances in the Quran where Idol worshipping is mentioned. It goes:†Recall that Luqmaan said to his son, as he enlightened him, â€Å"O my son, do not set up any idols beside GOD; idolatry is a gross injustice.†Also, Chapter 22:12 of the Quran states:†They call on such deities, besides Allah, as can neither hurt nor profit them: that is straying far indeed (from the Way)! â€Å"Because of the monotheistic nature of both these religions, it can be easily noted that both these religions reject the idea of worshipping any other gods but God himself. The Third Commandment, found in Exodus 20:7 of the Bible states:†You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, [i.e. in an irreverent or disrespectful manner] for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.†The Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) revealed†Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise.†In the Quran, Allah is referred to in many instances, not just by Allah but by other names. Over time, these names have been collected in the Quran and amount to 99. These are deemed the 99 names of Allah. Even though there are 99 names of Allah, the misuse of these names is not allowed in Islam, just as the misuse of the name of the Lord is scorned upon in Christianity. From chapter 7:180 in the Quran,†And Allah’s are the best names, therefore call on Him thereby, and leave alone those who violate the sanctity of His names; they shall be requited for what they did.†From this we can see that the violation or misuse of God’s names in both Christianity and Islam, are both subject to punishment in the afterlife. The Fourth Commandment, found in Exodus 20:8-11, states the following:†Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.†Islam rejects the idea of God resting as seen from the following:†And verily we created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six periods, and naught of weariness touched us†If the thought of rest is disregarded and the Sabbath day is viewed as just holy day on which should worship God, then a similarity arises with the teachings of Islam. Based on this assumption, the following excerpt outlines the day of worship for Muslims:†The Holy Prophet Muhammad said : â€Å"The day of Friday has been exalted and conferred many rights. Therefore do not be negligent of your duty. Do not be tardy in your worship this day. Try to attain nearness to Allah by performing pure deeds and refraining from the prohibited things, because this day Allah increases the reward for good deeds and obliterates the sins. Allah raises the position of the believer in the world and the Hereafter.†So if we disregard the argument over whether God rested or not after the creation of the Earth, then the result that we left with is a day that is set aside to worship God. For Christians this is on Sunday and for Muslims, Friday. There is mention of the Sabbath in the Quran in Chapter 16:124:†The Sabbath was only made (strict) for those who disagreed (as to its observance); But Allah will judge between them on the Day of Judgment, as to their differences. â€Å"This, in my opinion, could be interpreted to mean that those who take lightly to the Sabbath are the ones for whom the Sabbath was set forth. The Fifth Commandment, found in Exodus 20:12, states:†Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gave you.†Similar to this, the Quran also teaches Muslims to respect and  honor their parents. â€Å"Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.†As a result of these excerpts, we can conclude that both religions hold parents in high esteem, and should be respected and honored. We are not to be rude to them and should uphold their honor for as long as they may live. The Sixth Commandment, found in Exodus 20:13, states:†You shall not murder†In today’s world, Islam is viewed as a terrorist religion which approves the acts of murder. This is not true, the Qur’an commands Muslims to stick up for themselves in a defensive battle – i.e. if an enemy army attacks, then Muslims are to fight against that army until they stop their aggression. All of the verses that speak about fighting/war in the Qur’an are in this context. The following verse from the Quran illustrates the views on murder:†You shall not kill any person – for GOD has made life sacred – except in the course of justice. If one is killed unjustly, then we give his heir authority to enforce justice. Thus, he shall not exceed the limits in avenging the murder; he will be helped.†From this is we can see that both Islam and Christianity condemn the acts of murder, however, Islam teaches Muslims to stand up for themselves and fight for what they believe in and if killed unjustly, then justice can be enforced upon the murderer. The Seventh Commandment, found in Exodus 20:14, states:†You shall not commit adultery†In the Quran, chapter 17:32, the following is stated:†Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).†Adultery is scorned upon in both Christianity and Islam. In some Islamic cities, adultery is a serious offence and punishable by death- usually in the form of stoning. From Chapter 24:2 in the Quran:†The woman and the man, guilty of fornication. Flog each of them with a hundred stripes, and let a party of believers witness their punishment.†From this we see that in Islam, both men and woman  are subject to punishment if guilty of adultery. The Eight Commandment, found in Exodus 20:15, states:†You shall not steal†The Quran states, in chapter 2:188:†And do not eat up unjustly the property of each other among yourselves nor convey their cases to the authorities for devouring unlawfully some portion of the property of the people knowingly.†Stealing is an offence also not taken lightly in Islam. If found guilty of theft, the Quran states that the thief’s hand should be cut off as compensation as well as a deterrence so that the thief will know that the consequences of stealing are much greater than the rewards of theft. â€Å"As for the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they earned [i.e. committed] as a deterrent [punishment] from Allah. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.†The Ninth Commandment, found in Exodus 20:16, states:†You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.†The term ‘false witness’ is a synonym for not telling the truth, or lying. The Quran states the following about lying:†And cover not truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is).†As with most religions, both Christianity and Islam both condemn the act of lying or not telling the truth. And finally, the Tenth and last Commandment, found in Exodus 20:17, states:†You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.†From the Quran, Chapter 4:32:†Do not covet the bounties that God has bestowed more abundantly on some of you than on others.†As we can see, both Islam and Christianity condemn the acts of coveting. However, Bible limits coveting to neighbor’s property only. Quran goes further and extends the prohibition to all society. Bibliography: 1.’The Pillars of Islam and Iman: and What Every Muslim Must Know About His Religion’,2.By Muhammad Bin Jamil Zeno, Published by Darussalam; pages 18-19. 3.IslÄ m. (2008). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved December 03, 2008, from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/295507/Islam4.Holy Qur’an, 11:1145.http://www.islamonline.net/iol-english/info/discover2.asp6.http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761579171_2/Islam.html7.http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/practices/hajj-pilgrimage.htm8.Holy Bible, Exodus 20. 9.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments10.The Holy Bible, Exodus 24:1211.The Holy Bible, Deuteronomy 4:1312.The Holy Qur’an, 2:5313.The Holy Qur’an, 7:14514.The Holy Bible, Exodus 20:315.The Holy Qur’an, 17:2316.The Holy Bible, Exodus 20:417.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 31:1318.The Holy Bible, Exodus 20:719.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 7:18020.The Holy Bible, Exodus 20:8-1121.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 50:3822.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 16:12423.The Holy Bible, Exodus 20:1224.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 17:2325.The Holy Bible, Exodus 20:1326.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 17:3327.The Holy Bible, Exodus 20:1428.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 17:3229.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 24:230.The Holy Bible, Exodus 20:1531.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2:18832.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 5:3833.The Holy Bible, Exodus 20:1634.The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2:4235.The Holy Bible, Exodus 20:1736.The Holy Quran, Chapter 4:32

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Business strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Business strategy - Assignment Example Objectives -The College aims at the provision of quality education to the whole computer interested fraternity. It also aims at creating competitive individuals in the society, who form the basis of computer development. Another objective is to be a first class university college that offers computer in the country. Lastly, the college has the objective of reaching out to the students through imparting skills that are beneficial and outstanding. Aims -The aim of the college is to increase the availability of the computer education to the growing generation of the computer era. The college also aims at growing to become a recognized institution in both Tripoli and other parts of the world. The running of the college will face many challenges from the external and the internal environment. The change in the landscape of higher education over the years is likely to cause detrimental effects to the college. The global economic crisis is exacerbating the effects of the external environment on the college. The income from the daily activities of the guardians of the potential students continues to deteriorate, causing the decrease in the number of students enrolled in the colleges. The impact of the economy on the family incomes and purported philanthropy has been detrimental over the current years. The families are unable to afford the tuition fees to aid in the education of their children. The philanthropists have also accrued higher expenses prompting them to cut on the endowment aimed towards the higher education. Competition for the available philanthropists has grown tremendously. This causes the reduction in funding the activities of higher learning. Another challenge is the crude alignment of the people towards art related subjects. Most students presume that the art subjects are easy and easy to work with. This causes them to abandon the science subjects such as computer science, and hence leading to inefficiency

Friday, September 27, 2019

Matlab problem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Matlab problem - Assignment Example The source code done in matlab contains the models to implement the linear regression functions (Martinez & Martinez 39). In the general equation y = a1x + a0, y is replaced by PV, x by indicator and variable a, by aA. This gives the relationship between the X-axis and the Y-axis (Seber and Lee 63). The three expected output results are scattered dots for data output, one line for regression and standard deviation, one line for standard deviation and the third line for regression line of The first step of developing this system involves the identification of the variables to use in the regression analysis. In this program, the two variables identified are PV and Indication of the solar irradiation. The next step is to develop models for linear regression to determine the relationship between the dependent and the independent variable (Chatterjee and Hadi 57). The third step is to develop a matlab source code file containing the model and able to access the source of data to be analysed. The fourth step is to test the program and remove errors. Since the source code has been developed in matlab software, testing is done by executing the linearregression.m script. If any error is found to prevent the output from appearing, necessary correction is done in the source code (Weisberg 49). The range of the y axis was between 5 and 50 while the x axis was set from 4 to 24. The results were successfully displayed as expected and all the three lines were drawn by the program. The standard deviation for the two variables is 2.34. This indicates that the two variables deviated from the actual mean by a difference of about 2.34. The program was successful in implementing the linear regression between the two variables (Groß 42). It revealed that there is a positive correlation between PV output and the indication of solar irradiation. The scatered dots generate the best fit represented by the regression

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Family assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Family assessment - Essay Example The family values its health and therefore invested in numerous health policies. Additionally, the family values its security and therefore takes every precaution to avert any type of accidents that may impair the health of any of its member. Making the home safe is a family responsibility. As such, the family under study strives to make the home safe by ensuring the strategic placement of the equipment and electronics in the house. The family further strives to manage the space of its home efficiently by avoiding any instance of crowding in the home. This facilitates easy movement of both the adults and the children without risking any form of injury. Nutrition is yet another fundamental feature that contributes to the wellbeing of a family. The family strives to have balanced diets in order to curb the manifestation of any nutrition related infections. Balanced diet enhances efficient growth patterns thus enabling faster growth and physical wellbeing of individuals. The family observes consistency in their eating patterns often striving to consume adequate amount of water depending on the weather patterns of the day. Consistency in the eating patterns curbs instances of shock that arise from eating disorders. Eating supplies the body with energy to sustain the daily activities. This underscores the need for adequate physical exercise in order to burn out the excessive calories that often contribute to different types of nutritional disorder. The family admits engaging in different types of physical exercises including walking to work, using the staircase and taking art in different spots among others. Such are effective in burning out the excessive calories in the body thereby resulting in a lean and efficient body. Furthermore, physical fitness contributes to mental alertness. The family contends that taking part in the

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Use of Financial Ratios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Use of Financial Ratios - Essay Example The paper is an attempt to analyze the accuracy of the statement of Lev and Sunder using some evidences taken from real world, especially by doing the cross sectional analysis of financial ratios. Use of Financial Ratios Financial ratios are used to measure a company’s financial condition or to analyze between two companies’ financial condition. All the stakeholders of the company have interest in company’s future, that is how the company would perform in the short term or long term future, how much it is secure to invest in the company, what type of change should be introduce so that the company can perform better. When an investor wants to take the decision to invest money, certainly he wants to invest it in the most effective company, the decision he can take by using the financial ratio analysis along with other type of analysis like qualitative analysis or other type of quantitative analysis. Critical Analysis Ratio analysis is a very widely used tool for analyze the financial stability of a firm. But there are certain problems arise when the analyst don’t take the associated factors in consideration. When the analyst is doing the performance analysis of two companies, they should remind that two companies can follow two different accounting policies. There is no single accounting standard which is being followed by the companies all over the world. (Fischer, Taylor and Cheng, 2008, p.505). The taxation rules of different states, different countries vary over the world. The inflation over the world is different. A multinational company has to face different taxation policy, different inflation over the world. So when a researcher is analyzing the performance of a company using ratio analysis, he should take these factors in account. There are also technical factors associated with the analysis. Many statistical tools which are being used in ratio analysis are based on the assumption that the data are normally distributed, but in reality that doesn’t happened. For identifying the financial indicators specifically for Critically Access Hospitals the Flex Monitoring Team used 114 financial ratios as their part of research. But they found many problems when research about the industry, like Hospitals with negative current Assets or negative current liabilities was excluded from the calculation of median, but that should be i ncluded when researching about the liquidity of the industry (Flex Monitoring Team, 2005, p.17-18). A research study was performed by taking 66 listed Malaysian firms’ data for the period 1980 to 1996. The forms were taken from 3 sectors industrial sector, mixed industry and combination of industrial and property sector. From the research it has been seen that only current asset percent was conformed to normal distribution. For doing the ratio analysis effectively three type of transformation techniques were used namely square, square root and natural log. When the square and square root property were used they were found as not effective, because the variables of the ratio analysis are not normally distributed. But natural log technique is proved effective by the researcher as the process considers that the data available is not normal. The researcher proved through the research that when a ratio analysis is being performed to analyze the performance of a company or comparab le analysis between two companies is done then they should address the proportionality effect on the ratio’s normality (Sori et al., 2006, p.71-81). From a survey done on U.S.A. firms it is clear a ratio can

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

HR class wirtting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HR class wirtting - Essay Example Employee engagement leads to â€Å"better customer outcomes, employee retention and increased productivity and these are what every organization needs in order to thrive† (Hein, 2014). Employers should focus on the recency, frequency, duration, virality and ratings to be able to understand and analyze their engagement levels. Some of the tips in improving employee engagement include finding out what motivates the employees; setting goals and sharing organizational vision; constructing feedback on a regular basis; hiring the right managers; setting clear expectations; empowering employees; and gamification among others (Hein, 2014). Gamification is one of the useful tools used in an organization and it has many key metrics including employee engagement. It is one of the most effective ways to motivate employees thereby leading to greater satisfaction and higher productivity and performance in an organization (Hein, 2014). Generally, employee engagement is considered one of the most important and effective strategies to increase worker’s performance and productivity in an organization. It is one of the approaches designed at the workplace to ensure that all employees are committed to the organization’s goals and values. Notably, being committed to the organizational goals enables employees to enhance organization’s success and well-being. Engagement is a two-way relationship between the employer and employees. That is, engagement involves what employees think and feel about their employers, their emotional connection and their actions and perceptions of their colleagues and clients. Those organizations that consider employee engagement have strong established values, trust and fairness and mutual respect among members and the needs of every employee is understood and fulfilled accordingly. Employee engagement is the extent to which employees are motivated to contribute to organiza tional success

Monday, September 23, 2019

Critical Analysis of the Departments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Critical Analysis of the Departments - Essay Example It is a general and accepted notion in financial market that propriety trading is much riskier than non-propriety trading as it results in more volatile trading. Financial analyst believes that firms and investment banks usually leave the financial market in ambiguity when it comes to their quantum of propriety trading and non-propriety trading. TPG believes that it has competitive advantage over other players in the market that is way it has its major investment in propriety trading. Certain percentage of revenue, but comparatively lower, is generated from non-propriety trading which is also referred to as the flow trading. In financial terms, the flow trading is conducted by the firm on behalf of the client funds and the firm’s revenue is the commission earned on this trading. The company has been focusing on its flow trading business as well as it is likely to generate more client information which thus supports propriety trading eventually. The trading department of TPG wo rks in close collaboration with Quantitative Analysis and Sales department which provides the relevant logistic support to the trading department. ... In addition to that, the department is also actively involved in the pricing of derivatives and hedging. This function involves an intricate software development and thus the expertise of the IT department is always required to be at the disposal of the Quantitative Analytics department. The derivative pricing involves advanced numerical techniques and stochastic calculus. The department is also actively involved in risk management which involves both systematic and non-systematic risk. The process usually involves a great deal of time series analysis and back testing. Last but not the least; the department also evaluates the credit analysis. Credit analysis basically involves assessing how much the company is levered which in financial terms would interpret as the debt equity ratio of the company. When the debt to equity ratio of the company exceeds a certain percentage, then the department proactively informs the higher management of the company about the situation and alarming the m to reduce the leverage of the company. Most importantly, the department works for the development of the trading strategy of the firm. Sales The sales department is another crucial department when it comes to the business strategy of the company. The sales department is responsible for approaching the client and maintaining their information. This department acts as the back bone of the organization and is responsible for setting up the web-site through which the trading with the corporate and non-corporate clients is conducted. This department will require a considerable number of highly skilled and dedicated staff who is able to understand the technical need

Sunday, September 22, 2019

What Is a Worldview Essay Example for Free

What Is a Worldview Essay John Lennon of The Beatles once said, â€Å"I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something found in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It’s just that the translations have gone wrong.† This quote can be picked apart and gone over time and time again, and every time we could say it means something completely different. I wholeheartedly agree with what John Lennon said in this quote; he was a smart man, although he was uneducated. I would like to educate myself, as much as possible, while writing this paper as to know what I am speaking about and why I am speaking about it. The world is a crazy place and right now I have no idea what to believe in. I am hoping that through the course of writing this essay I may be able to put my finger on my worldview. Ken Funk, professor at Oregon State University, states in his article, â€Å"What is a Worldview,† that a worldview is defined as, â€Å"The set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of Reality that ground and influence all of one’s perceiving, thinking, knowing, and doing.† Now, let me explore my cosmological, theological, and anthropological beliefs. First of all, let me explore my cosmic beliefs. The origin of the universe is unproven by God or science in a whole way. I would like to think that God created the Big Bang, therefore God created the universe. If God created the universe, then what is the origin of life? On this subject, I am certain that we, man, and all other life have evolved from amoeba. There may be different types of amoeba, but everything has evolved to where it is today, and will continue to evolve. This fact has been scientifically proven and reproduced in other ways. Secondly, I would like to explore my godly belief system. The fact that God or Gods exists or does not exist is a very touchy subject. I would like to believe there is a higher power, but have not seen any physical or scientific evidence of this for myself. I would need to see some physical proof before I could completely agree or disagree. There are good people and there are bad people in every religion and faith, no matter what their conviction is. This is why I have a hard time believing in God as most people know. The relationship between God and the material universe is also unproven, therefore hard for me to be certain of, as is the relationship of God and man. Third of all, let’s talk about my anthropological beliefs. This is also a sensitive subject in every sense of the word, yet easier for me to talk about. Man’s make-up is scientifically proven. We know how cells work, divide, and reproduce. The study of human anatomy could tell you that. Man’s place in the universe is right where it is, right here on Earth. We have free will because we are human, were created with a brain as it evolved from ameba, and because we know how to use our brains for good or evil; whichever we choose. Man’s responsibility here on Earth is to take care of our planet for the evolution of beings that are left to walk on it after we are dead and gone. We also have an obligation to save as much as we can so that the species after us can learn from our mistakes. Man’s nature is generally good, in my opinion. To conclude, there is still a lot to learn about origins, theology, and cosmology. I do not think that one person can state as a single fact that they are absolutely right about any of this. To end this paper the same way I began, a quote by John Lennon, â€Å"Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.† I agree with John, if we focus too much on the religion and origin of things we will not be able to enjoy life to the fullest. Worldview was a very difficult topic for me to comprehend!

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Milos secret Essay Example for Free

Milos secret Essay I have chosen two very similar and intriguing cartoons to perform this examination based on information and knowledge I have gained from this study. The first newspaper cartoon is titled â€Å"Milos secret† involving a mischievous cat who gets into a bit of trouble by sneaking into his owners refrigerator while he is sleeping and gradually stealing food every day. All the while, the owner is, of course unaware of the feline perpetrator is is foraging for snacks. Eventually, the frisky feline steals and consumes so much food that he becomes fat and can no longer walk to even reach his own food bowl. Thus, it is not exactly a happy ending for our furry friend. The second cartoon titled â€Å" Dingy Dog† is about pesky little dog who just cannot stay out of trouble. He is constantly stealing food off of the table and always knocking things over. It is not until he is put outside in the rain that he learns his lesson that it is always better to be humble and wise than greedy and silly. The message in both of these stories is quite simple, speaking of discipline and humbleness. For every foolish act there is a punishment. For example, in the first story, the first cat became fat after stealing all of the food. This was his punishment. In the second cartoon, the dog who just cannot behave himself no matter how many times he is scolded is punished by being put out into the rain. The difference between the two stories is that the cat had no owner there to scold him so he continued to sneak around, whereas the dog was repeatedly scolded and still persisted to disobey. The author of the cartoons used strong symbols to show emotions such as sweat marks to show how frustrated the owner of the dog was while he was scolding his dog. He also used exclamation points and numerical symbols to show this. It would not have served him justice to simply put periods next to the owner of the dog to display his discontent and emotion with his pet. If I were to create a place card regarding the topic, it would say â€Å"Be careful what you do, because it will always come back to you. † It was quite easy for me to establish my grounds for interpretation the authors meaning for the cartoons. It is merely a matter of reviewing the stories and depicting the emotions displayed and trying to put myself in the very same situation.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The philosophy of human rights

The philosophy of human rights You may undertake EITHER a philosophical defence of human rights (paying particular attention to the fundamental critiques addressed to human rights) OR a philosophical critique of human rights (paying particular attention to the strongest arguments in their favour and to a possible alternative to them). â€Å"Defence of human rights philosophically† â€Å"Natural right is not the just resolution of a dispute offered by a harmonious cosmos or Gods commands. It derives exclusively from the nature of â€Å"each man†. (Douzinas: 2000, p70) Introduction The philosophy of human rights in turn is based on cultural philosophy and historical philosophy. Whereas human rights cannot be illustrated on the ground of other factors such as reality of violence in historically, culturally, politically or sociologically. Occasionally ethics, literacy, economics, psychology, philosophy and politics are some of the spots who can help describing the human rights better and made it easier to understand â€Å"respect of human rights† as a general set of work and discussion. Rights that are connected to human beings and performed as ethical pledge to hold up our argument towards the fulfillment of a simply fine living are called Human Rights. In broad term, human rights on their own are imitative of the perception of a right. We have customaries that human rights initiate as moral rights but that the flourishing channel of numerous human rights into international and national law permits one to consider human rights as, in many situations, both moral rights and legal rights. In addition, human rights may be either claim rights or liberty rights, and have a negative or a positive complexion in respect of the obligations imposed by others in securing the right. (Andrew, 2005, online) Aristotle stated that â€Å"justice† is a complete virtue, although not without qualification, but in relation to other individual. And for that reason justice is often consider to be the greatest of virtues. According to him â€Å"justice† is an actual exercise of virtue, as person do not think about himself but he care about other either a king or colleague. He said that justice is not a part of virtue but virtue entire. He said that just is a species of proportionate is the equality of ratios and proportional sharing. Whereas geometrical equality refers to an adequate measure of proportion. Justice is a kind of mean but, not in the similar way as other virtues and it linked to intermediary quantity. It is a virtue in which a just man is known as a achiever, by option of that which is just, and one who will share out either among himself or another or between two others not so as to give more of what is advantageous to himself and less to other human being, but so as to give what, is equal in agreement with proportion; and resemblance in allocating out between two other persons. (The Nicomachean ethics, Ch.V, 1925) I agree with Kant views about that our objectives are proscribed by rationale, and he verifies it by a statement, There is no possibility of thinking of anything at all in the world, or even out of it, which can be regarded as good without qualification, except a good will.( Barbara Herman, p. 208, 1993) The human nature understood by liberal philosophy is pre-moral. According to Immanuel Kant , the transcendental self, the prerequisite of deed and basis of meaning and value, is a mortal of complete ethical duty and lacks any earthly characteristics. The supposition of the independent and self-disciplining theme is shared by moral philosophy and jurisprudence but has been turned into neo Kantianism. Kant was predictable that Natural right become a matter of introspection and disclosure rather than of rational deliberation and dialectal argument and let to a conceptual morality of percepts. Kant viewed Morality as it is no longer stranded in pre existing idea of the good nor does it obtained from an external source. Kant assumed that classical philosophy made a fault of arranging first good and evil and then arranging the moral law consequently. Dealing to rational law, human rights mean to admit and defend the central and absolute characteristics of human nature. (Douzinas, 2000) Kants thought of freedom turns apparent when seen in the perspective of the problem that it was believed to solve. Rational beings survive not only as self conscious axis of knowledge, but also agents. Kant argues â€Å"is the sole principle of all moral laws, and all of duties which conform to them; on the other hand, heteronomy of the will not only cannot be the basis of any obligation, but is, on the contrary, opposed to the principles therefore, and to the morality of will†. Since sovereignty is patent only in the conformity to reason, and because reason must lead action always through imperatives, autonomy is explained as ‘that property of will whereby it is a law to itself.'(Roger Scruton, 1982) From some past decades, philosopher in many different times and places grappled with tricky issues about mutual connection among human beings both as an individual and as a member of communitarian society. Every so often lacking any exacting religious direction at all, they also contemplated the denotation of human nature, the universality of fundamental principles, ethical duties to siblings, social justice, whether customary rule based civilizations should be changed in to right based civilizations, and the proper responsibility of government in the lives of their people. In spite of their much dissimilarities of point of view and cultural tradition, they all required understate not through the exposure of religious faith or metaphysical basics but slightly through worldly inquest and human rationale. (Paul Gordon Lauren, 2003) The division of rights into personal right, real right and right to act is, in the vein of many other partitions, designed to systemize the heap of unfamiliar material. However this distribution quite confuses rights which presume such tangible relations as the family or the state with those which direct to sheer abstract qualities. Classification did by Kant, of rights into Real rights, Personnel rights and Personal rights that are of real kind. We will get too confused afield to explain how knotted and illogical the classification of rights into personal and real is. Visibly it is just personality which provides us a right to things, and therefore personal right is embedded in real right. A thing must be received in its Universal context as the external reverse of freedom, so with the intention of sense that my body and my life are things. (G.W.F.Hegel, p.4) If we look at a framework of human rights, the debate about the dignity of human beings relative to the rest of nature not only is a divergence from the context of human rights, but brings in us to metaphysical dialogues unrelated to the issue of human rights. The foundation of human rights, along with harmony and subsidiarity, is the metaphysics of the human beings. Those type of metaphysics function as the sense giving route relating to the wisdom of the speech and praxis of human rights, subsidiarity and commonality. Metaphysics like this should not start from a description or presumption whether religious, judicial or philosophical about human rights, which would be to take as fact to begin the point of influx. Problem regarding Hegels position should be kept in mind always. (Kant by Mary and Roger, 1996) The famous documents claiming personal rights, such as the Magna Carta (1215), the French Declaration on the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789), and the US Constitution and Bill of Rights (1791) the English Bill of Rights (1689), are on paper pioneer agreements to many of modern human rights documents. However much of these written agreements, once initially converted into course of action, debarred women, racism, minorities, religious, economic, and political groups. On the other hand, demoralized natives all over the world have strained on the ideology to these written agreement papers for expressions to maintain revolutions that affirm the right to autonomy. This type of pattern and lawfully binding manuscript shield the people from arbitrary persecution and punishment. Much of the flaws of Hammurabis code were due to its cause and effect nature, it failed to protect more conceptual thoughts such as religion, attitude, race and personal free will. One of the other important documents of the English history is called Magna Carta. It was about the group of barons who stood against the conflict to the increasingly authoritarian rule of King John, and were ensured with the implementation of the terms of Magna Carta, ‘the great charter of liberties as it was previously known just ten years later, officially contracted by him at Runnymede on 15 June 1215. It was based on the sequence of undertakings on a paper. According to that paper King should rule England keeping in focus the customs of feudal law. (Matthew Stricland, 2005, online) If we compare American bills of rights and English declaration such as Magna Carta, it demonstrates at once that the placing out of principles summary, and hence vague, is both common, as is also the suffering with which they are narrating. The French have not only adopted the American ideas, but even the structure they established on the other end. The cavernous gap divides the American declarations from the English ratification that have been mentioned. The Historian of the American revolution says about Virginia declaration that it was tested beside all oppressions in an account of the eternal laws of mans being: â€Å"The English petition of right in 1688 was historic and retrospective; the Virginia declaration came directly out of the heart of nature and announced governing principles for all people in all future times.† (Bancroft, VII, p.243) The English laws that set up the rights of subject matter are communally and independently verifications, come up of particular situations, or analysis of existing law. â€Å"Even Magna Carta contains no right, as Sir Edward Coke, the great authority on English Law, perceived as early as the beginning of the seventeenth century.†(Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, I, 1, p.127) On the other hand, American declarations consist of percepts which are placed on a top then the common policymaker. In the individual states as well as in Unions, there are parted appendages for regular and for legitimate legislation, and the judge observes the performance of the legal boundaries by the common legislative authorities. If according to his conclusion a law disobeyed on the primary rights, he must stop its enforcement. The assertion of rights even at present day is inferred by the American as realistic defense of the minority. (Cooley, Constitutional Limitations, 1890, Ch. VII.) According to Jellinek â€Å"American declarations are not laws of higher kind in name only, they are the creations of high lawmakers.† As in Europe, the establishments lay reserved complexity in the way of altering their conditions, but about all over it is the lawmaker itself who makes a decision upon the amendment. The American bills of rights do not dispute about setting firm ethics for the states organization, but first of all they try to draw border line between state and individual. They think that individual is not the mainframe of rights in the course of the state, but by his own nature he has incontrovertible and undeniable rights. The English do not take it seriously. They do not care to be familiar with an everlasting, natural light, but one hereditary from their forefathers, â€Å"the old, undoubted rights of the English people.†(1902, p.13) If we look upon right and liberties† we find them in seventeenth century English laws. Legislative body is always demanding simply the confirmation of the â€Å"laws and statues of this realm† that is, the strengthening of the existing relations between king and people. Even none of their document contains a single word about the new rights. Consequently there is no reference whatever to the important fundamental rights of religious liberty, of assembling, of liberty of the press, or of free movement. Blackstone (1765) is considered as the first doctrine of the absolute rights of persons upon â€Å"the idea of the personal rights of the individual. Security, liberty and property are the absolute rights of every Englishman, which from their character are nothing else than the natural liberty that remains to the individual after deducting the legal restraints demanded by the common interest.† (Loc. cit., p. 125 (113). Furthermore, the American declaration of rights, initiate with the proclamation that all men are born free and equal, and these statements articulate of rights that fit in to â€Å"every individual†, â€Å"all mankind â€Å"or â€Å"every member society†. They count on a much bigger figure of rights than the English declarations, and seem to be taking these rights as inborn and undeniable. (Jellinek, 1901, p. 14) One of the most dominant political philosophers of the present period is John Locke (1632-1704). He fortified the statement in Two Treaties of Government that human beings are by nature liberal and equivalent in opposition to statements that God had completed all men naturally refer to a sovereign. He stated that men comprise rights, such as freedom, right to life and possessions that covers groundwork, free of the laws of any scrupulous civilization. He made use of the argument that people are naturally liberated and the same as piece of the explanation for considering lawful political control as the effect of a societal bond where populace in the condition of nature provisionally convey some of their rights to the commanding authority in order to improved indemnify the constant, contented enjoyment of their lives, freedom, and assets. (Alex, 2005, online) Lockes views on property shows that natural right to property can be derived from the natural right to ones life and labour, is usually read as if it were simply the sustaining argument for the bare contention offered at the beginning of treaties that every man had a natural right to property â€Å"within the bounds of the law of Nature†. According to him there are two claims, the men have right to preserve their right, and that a mans labour is his own, Locke defended individual misuse of the generation of the earth which was originally given to mankind in common. Locke highlighted that, Money, is a commodity which has a value because it can enter in to exchange with other commodities. But its rationale is not merely to make possible the exchange of things created for consumption, that is, to enlarge, beyond the scale of trade, exchange between producers of goods planned for utilization. The attribute basis of money is to serve as capital. Locke has vindicated the purposely c apitalist misuse of land and money. And it is to be noticed that he has justified this as natural right, as a right in the state of nature. Therefore there are two levels of consonant in Lockes theory. One is the consonant between free, equal, rational men in the state of nature, to put a value on money, which Locke treats as accompanied by conventional recognition of the obligation of marketable agreements. (Macpherson, Ch. 5, 1962) Locke begins conventionally with a state of nature, and from ‘the law of nature which governs this state. But the content of this law does not seem reductivist at all. The state of nature that ‘all men are naturally in†, is not a social condition but a historical situation. It is that state in which men are set by God. The state of nature is a topic for theological indication, not for anthropological research. The theological environment functions rather as an interpretive proverb, it does not just lessen to a set of based on fact claims. Locke argues to be taking into consideration the human condition at large in terms of reason but what he recognizes in it is what he already knows (from Christian revelation) to be there.(John Dunn, Ch, 9. 1969) Dozinas argues â€Å"Desire is always moved by evil, to fly it† and the highest evil is death. The purpose of desire and fear overlaps. Nature built the desire of what it fears most. Nature, including human nature , which declared as the gauge of all things, ends up being just matter, to be proscribed, oppressed and shaped either by the self fashioning human being or by the all influential autonomy. According to him the rights of man, like all rights, are not natural or unchallengeable but historical formations of state and law. Their appearance and dialectal process is quite multifaceted: while the partition between state and society was the product of economic changes in society, the state turned the situations of survival of capitalism, which brought in to life, in to lawfully acknowledged rights and sanctified them as natural and eternal. Human rights are for that reason real and valuable but they attain much more and different from what is visible. (Douzinas, 2000) Conclusion I will say that the every individual had rights and its reality must be accepted undisputedly whereas there are some clarifications which should be needed in that account. The speech of human rights is implicated and operated by several peoples in extremely assorted conditions. Human rights have a lengthy historical legacy. The major philosophical basis of human rights is a standard in the continuation of a type of integrity applicable for all human beings, universally. To understand human rights understanding is just not needed but there should be some sensibility. The delightful conclusion of a human race can be only be obtained from ‘love for the joy of human beings. The modern principle of human rights has move towards to take up midpoint of geopolitical dealings. I would also mention criticism from Marx. His ideology is measured as an unsophisticated and brutal discharge of human rights and their ambitions. Marx was critical too of the rights of the citizens. But this was not because the rights are false and unfair, but because they cannot distribute what they promise within the boundaries of bourgeois society. Rights are confined but can only be criticized and forwarded from the point of view of an unrealized and unrealizable universal. Rights function as serious function only against a future perspective, that of the (impossible) ideal of an unbounded and self comprising humanity. (Douzinas, 2000) Human rights have turned out to be essential to the current indulgent of how human beings should be taking care of, by one another, locally and internationally political organizations. Human rights are finest reflection of as possible ethical agreement for each individual to direct a simply fine life. Philosophical source of human rights has been issued to regular criticism. Although, various features of the consequent discussion among philosophical followers and challengers of human rights stay unsettled and, possibly, not solvable, the all-purpose side for human rights stays honorably dominant. Debatably, main convincing inspiration for the survival of human may respite upon the implementation of thoughts. Refernces Douzinas, C. (2000 [reprint 2007]): The End of Human Rights: Critical Legal Thought at the Turn of the Century, Oxford: Hart Publishing. Macpherson, C. B. (1962): The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: Hobbes to Locke. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jellinek, G. (2007 [1895]): The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, Montana: Kessinger Publishing. 25-page electronic version in pdf format available at http://oll.libertyfund.org blackboard. Kant, I. (1996 [1797]): The Metaphysics of Morals, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Scruton, R. (1982): Kant, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hegel, G.W.F. (2005): Philosophy of Right, trans. by S.W.Dyde, Dover Publications Inc: Dover Ed edition. Aristotle, (1998): The Nicomachean Ethics, trans. by William David Ross, David Ross, J. O. Urmson, Oxford World Classics: Oxford University Press. Herman, B. (1993): The practice of moral judgment, Harvard: Harvard University Press. Lauren, G. P. (2003): The evolution of international human rights: visions seen, University of Pennsylvania Press. Strickland, M. (2005): ‘Enforcers of Magna Carta (act. 1215–1216), Oxford Dictionary of National, Biography, online edn, Oxford University Press. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/theme/93691] Cf. Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, I, 1, p. 127. (Edited by Kerr, London, 1887, I, p. 115.) Cooley, Constitutional Limitations, 6th edition, Boston, 1890, Chap. VI Dunn, J. (1982): The political thought of John Locke: an historical account of the argument of the Two treatises of government, Cambridge University Press. Fagan, A. (2005): Human Rights: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, University of Essex.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Alcoholism :: essays research papers

My bookreport is about living with someone who drinks too much. I chose this topic because hit its very close to home. In the book that I read it tells about other children who are or have grown up with an alcoholic parent. I learned alot about acoholism which is what makes you an alcoholic. I also learned about what some kids go through while growing up. This book tells you how to deal with someone who is an alcoholic and how to deal with your self as well.This book was very interesting and I really enjoyed it. First I would like to point out that kids who live with a parent that drinks all of the time feel as thogh they are the reason why that person drinks all the time. Children often tell that person that they do not like them when they have been drinking. The first chapter in my book was about a girl named Amy who wanted to tell her story about her mother that drank too much. She writes in here about her quite spot which was her room. She went there when her mother was drinking because often her mother was not herself. She tells about how she first noticed that her mother was not like other mothers when she went to other peoples homes. The next chapters explain what acoholism is. It is a disease that when a person wants to quite drinking can not.First of all you will notice that an alcoholic will often gulp their drinks, they can probably drink alot before the get drunk, they may stay drunk for several days, they will also have a favirote drink, and mya change their favirote drink to another. They may also hide thier drinking. Acoholism is an illness and is very sick. It is very hard for an alcoholic to stop drinking because they are afraid to and they know how they feel when they do not drink. Alcoholics usually try to stop drinking because they maybe have hurt someone they love or may also be on the verge of losing their job.People who stop drinking sometimes may have to go to the hospital for a period of time this is called detoxification. This is the best way for treatment when it is hard for them to stop. The withdrawl symptoms are things such as shaking, sweating, fever, pains and nausea.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Comparing Seamus Heaney Poems Follower, Mid-term Break, and Digging Ess

In this essay I will be comparing three Seamus Heaney poems we looked at in class these are called, â€Å"Follower†, â€Å"Mid-term Break† and, â€Å"Digging†. There are differences as well as similarities, the similarities include: they are all poems about and set in Seamus’ childhood memories In addition, all the poems more or less use some of the same poetic devices and techniques like: onomatopoeia and some of the same characters appear in all three poems such as like: Seamus (himself obviously) and his father. The differences include the fact, â€Å"Mid-term break† which is more emotional in my personal opinion. And is about a completely different situation then, â€Å"Follower† and, â€Å"Digging†, which are set on the farm Seamus lives on and is about him watching his father while he works on the farm and how Seamus feels about him. While the overall situation in, â€Å"Mid-term break,† is that Seamus’ four-year-old brother has died. He is taken out of the Collage, â€Å"Sickbay† or first aid room where he is waiting to be taken to his little brothers funeral by his next door neighbours they are picking him up for two possible reasons: A) There is no mention of Seamus’ family having a car. B) Even if Seamus’ family had a car the farther would not be fit to drive because Seamus sees his dad on the Porch crying because of his lost of a son if he was to drive he would be thinking about his son instead of the road ahead and behind him and might end up being buried with his son and the last thing the family needs is another death but more accurately it is the last thing the wife needs because she would have lost not just her four year old son but also her husband as well, leaving her with only Seamus and herself. The first Seamus Heaney poem I... ...hing is different and that includes pieces of literacy work any type of literacy work, from letters to novels any two or three types of literacy work are not the same even if they are all poems or all letters they are all different (unless you copy it word for word) a there are accidental similarities and similarities that have been created on purpose. In conclusion, I have found many things. Like the different topics need different structures and rhyming schemes to enforce their point. I noticed also that different techniques and devices he used help me visualise in my mind what he describes in his poems and how he saw things in his life. Comparing his work has helped me understand other poems too. Personally, I found Seamus Heaney’s poems interesting as they gave a child’s perspective of his life and the events coinciding with it. Not many poems do this.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Individual Behavior Essay

Individual behavior differs from person to person and most differences are based on the background of the individual. Some elements that can affect ones background to influence their individual behavior can include religion, age, occupation, values and attitude differences, gender, and even ethnicity. These individual behaviors can cause people to act differently to situations and can create friction or even chemistry in the work place. The age of a person can be a large factor in the way they behave. There are studies that prove maturity can come at different ages but in most cases maturity is something that is learned and grown into. Age in a work place can work against someone or for them. A young age can be a downfall if there is lack of maturity and experience and old age can be a downfall due to lack of energy or knowledge of new technologies. With that being said I think that it is important that age should not be the deciding factor as to how someone will act. There are many young people who have the maturity to carry many responsibilities and show good individual behavior. Some older individuals have adapted their behavior to fit more suitable into the technologies that have developed over the past few years. More and more people are on Facebook (www. facebook. com) than ever, and it is common to see individuals of all ages on the popular website. You can also find with age individuals depending on their age will have their priorities in different orders. The occupation of a person can also attribute to their individual behavior. For example say there is an individual who works in the public eye like a Senator or Congressman, they are going to be more careful for the things that they say and do because they will not wish the media to catch wind and bring them in a negative media down pour about the situation. When you work in the lime light you have to be cautious about your wording and your actions. There are many occupations that are not in the public eye that also has to think about their individual behavior and make sure that they set a good example because of their occupation. Take a teacher for example it is very important that they do not act in an bad individual behavior because it can have an affect on their job. For instant it would be bad to post pictures of yourself drunk to a popular social networking sight if you are a teacher because you are to be a role model and that is individual behavior that you should not wish your students to witness. Many professionals will maintain their professional behavior when they are dealing with their work and with their lives. Professional behavior usually consists of being calm and thinking your actions and words through before acting upon them. Many professionals also like to make educated guesses instead of sporadic leaps into new things. Many individuals will learn their professionalism from their occupation and it is something that they can carry over into their individual behavior. Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of life and the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a supernatural agency,[1] or human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine. [2] Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature (www. wikipedia. com). That definition alone can should one how religion could influence someone’s individual behavior. Unlike the other elements religion is something, for the most part, that can be chosen by the individual. A person can be brought up with religious beliefs, can adapt to the beliefs, and can even change their religious beliefs. A religion can have strict guidelines as to how their followers should behave some may even have diets or wardrobe requirements that can affect their individual behavior. Values can run hand in hand with religion on some basis. Many religions have a foundation on values and morals that their followers should abide by. When a situation occurs and a decision needs to be made you can understand a lot about a person by their individual behavior. It is usually the person’s values or morals that help them make the decision on what action to take when the situation presented itself. Attitudes about differences can affect ones individual behavior. Someone who is high strung can tend to have a little more dramatic attitudes about differences opposed to a laidback individual who has a peaceful nature and can tend to look at differences with a positive. When attitudes turn negative ones individual behavior can become defenseful, frightful, or even protective. In conclusion there are many parts that tie together to create an individual behavior and those behaviors can be influenced by many different elements. Although many individuals can have common elements in their background it is hard to find an individual behavior that is the exact same. Individual behavior can show a lot about the way a person was brought up, their beliefs, age, and even gender. It can show their religious beliefs or just their attitude but it is certain that one’s individual behavior is something that the individual chooses for their self. It is a way they like to act regarding to a situation.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Key Values of US Culture in any Disney Movie

IntroductionMovies speak volumes about a particular subject. It is even understood that most animated motion pictures even hammer the point much clearer than their non-animated counterparts. It has been a tradition that with every animated movie, a corresponding moral accompanies it to the end of the credits. The ability of animated films to send out messages within the confines of its story has been one of the hallmarks of animated American movies.With The Lion King, the movie stresses the importance of family through the relationship of both Simba and Mufasa. It also clearly does the same with the movie Finding Nemo as the whole story is about a dad clown fish tries to find his lost son, Nemo. There are a lot of subtle undertones and values which are also placed in some animated movies—some even more poignant than the next. This paper aims to shed some light on that fact. Walt Disney’s Aladdin, through the genie of the lamp, depicts equal opportunity and material comf ort, which even solidifies the classic American dream.The American DreamThe great â€Å"American dream† is defined by James Adams as â€Å"the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement† (Adams, 2001) It has been one of the most treasured features of the United States as the wealthiest nation on the face of this earth. It is in this particular country that â€Å"dreams are made† and where one’s past is quickly covered in prosperity upon reaching this particular land. As grandiose as this claim is, the different testimonies of all sorts of people have given justice to it on more than one occasion. If one looks closely at the Walt Disney animated film, Aladdin, certain aspects of this dream are also embedded in it.The GenieThe genie of the lamp in the animated film Aladdin can symbolize so many different things but more than anything, it is able to sig nify the American values of equal opportunity and material comfort. Gleaning from the genie’s character, it is not as hard to associate material comfort with him. The genie of the lamp is required to fulfill absolutely any three wishes that his owner desires. With the exception of making people fall in love, killing someone or wishing for more wishes, the master of the genie is quite literally powerful beyond measure. One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Aladdin, who is now already Prince Ali, parades across the streets of Agrabah. During the latter part of the song, the lyrics of the song gives testament to how much has changed with Aladdin’s situation:â€Å"Prince Ali!  Amorous he! Ali Ababwa  Heard your princess was a sight lovely to see  And that, good people, is why  he got dolled up and dropped by  With sixty elephants, llamas galore  With his bears and lions  A brass band and more  With his forty fakirs, his cooks, his bakers  His birds that warble on key  Make way for prince Ali!† (Clements, 1992)The former â€Å"street rat† has now become a prince because of the genie. This alludes to the fact that the genie is a very good provider of material comfort, should one choose to get that from him. In the same sense, the land of America is also able to provide material comfort from those who ask and willingly strive to make it happen.The last American value, which is equal opportunity, is much more subtly expressed in the character of the genie. Since the rules of the lamp is that whenever a person gains ownership of the lamp, the genie of the lamp is now bound to serve that person and that person only. All of the wishes of the owner of the lamp are satisfied by the genie. The â€Å"equal opportunity† clause enters here by giving absolutely anyone a fair shot to being â€Å"rich and powerful† The only negative thing about relating this particular equal opportunity clause with the genie is that no one is able to share that equal prosperity in such a way that the genie sort of has an exclusivity clause that does not allow him to grant two separate wishes of two different masters at the same time. (Clements, 1992) One person must be able to wield the lamp in order for the genie to grant their wish.ConclusionLooking deeper at the animated feature film Aladdin, one sees a much more poignant picture of how America essentially is as a superpower and a proverbial land flowing with milk and honey. As the film and as this paper suggests, America is a land where one can prosper materially in terms of wealth and it is also a land where equal opportunity is stressed. As long as someone works hard enough, they will simply have both within their lifetimes. Maybe, just maybe, you really don’t need a magic lamp with a genie after all.ReferencesClements, Ron. (Producer & Director). (1992). Aladdin [Motion picture]. United States: Walt Disney PicturesAdams, J. (2001). T he Epic of America. Phoenix: Simon Publications

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Breakeven & Business

Certain elements of business show that to achieve high profitability a better and diverse product mix will result in more capacity utilization. Therefore capacity utilization has a direct relation to profitability and product mix. This is because if capacity is fully utilized will the profit be reaching to the maximum as fixed costs will remain the same.However if the profit is to be further increased it is necessary to enhance the capacity as a result more capacity would need to be used to first cover the fixed costs of the new capacity installed. Similarly in one machine, a number of products can be made; therefore not all products will be made to the fullest as one product or the other production will be scarified. What companies try to achieve is the right product mix so that optimal profitability is achieved and therefore make the business more versatile.Though it is the decision of the person in charge to decide either to fully utilize the capacity using the most profitable pro duct or make a number of products to focus on product diversity rather than on profitability. (Source: Reliance Industries Limited, High Density Polyethylene Pipes Beyond Water Supply)References 1. Ms Poorvi C. Desai – Polymers, Reliance Industries Limited, High Density Polyethylene Pipes Beyond Water Supply. Retrieved on October 5, 2008, from http://www. polymerupdate. com/poorvidesai/pdf/HDPE_Pipes. pdf

Saturday, September 14, 2019

The Deaths of Romeo and Juliet

The Deaths of Romeo And Juliet December 1st , 2010 The Deaths of Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare was the spectacular playwright who wrote Romeo and Juliet. The play is about â€Å"Two star-crossed lovers†, Romeo and Juliet, and how they keep their love a secret because their families are enemies. The forbidden lovers must go through obstacles to be together, and go as far as committing suicide because they are apart. Romeo and Juliet die as a result of Friar Laurence, Lord and Lady Capulet, and the couples own poor decision making. Friar Laurence's actions throughout the play resulted in Romeo and Juliet's deaths. First, Friar Laurence led them to their to death by agreeing to secretly wed them in order to potentially bring the families together. Friar Laurence says to Romeo: â€Å"In one respect I'll thy assistant be,/ for this alliance may so happy prove,/ to turn your households' rancor to pure love (2. 3. 97-99). Friar Laurence should have thought about the outcome before jumping to conclusions because he could have caused the feud between the Capulet's and Montagues' to become even worse. Secondly, Friar Laurence gives Juliet a sleeping potion so that she can be with Romeo. Friar Laurence commands Juliet: â€Å"Take thou this vial, being then in bed,/ and this distilled liquor drink thou off† (4. 1. 93-94). Friar Laurence should have thought of a better way for her to be with Romeo because he is putting both Juliet and his own life in danger. Lastly, the Friar leaves Juliet in the Capulet vault all by herself after she sees her only love dead on the ground. Friar says to Juliet: â€Å"Come, go, good Juliet-[Noise] I dare no longer stay† (5. 3. 9-10). The Friar should have stayed and comforted Juliet instead of being scared and nervous that he will be blamed for the death of Romeo. In the beginning Friar Laurence had tried to help Romeo and Juliet but instead ended up being one of the main reasons for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Lady and Lord Capulet also caused troubles that lead to the death of Romeo and Juliet. Firstly, Lord Capulet threatens Juliet to marry Paris which causes Juliet to seek help from Friar Laurence. Lord Capulet threatens Juliet: â€Å"Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch! / I tell thee what, get thee to church o' Thursday,/ or never after look me in the face† (3. 5. 160-163). By saying this, Lord Capulet weakened his relationship with Juliet. Lord Capulet should have been more understanding and should have listened to Juliet's reason for why she could not marry Paris, before threatening her. Secondly, the Capulet's hate towards the Montagues' causes Juliet and Romeo to keep their love a secret. Nurse says to Juliet: â€Å"His name is Romeo, and a Montague; the only son of your great enemy† (1. 5. 135-136). The Capulet's should compromise with the Montague, so their families can be happy together. Lastly, there is no communication between Lady Capulet and Juliet. At one point in the play, Lady Capulet wants to talk to Juliet in private but calls the Nurse back for extra support. If Lady Capulet communicated with Juliet she would have known about Juliet's problems. Lady and Lord Capulet tried to be the best parents they could be, but instead they lead their only daughter and her only love into an early grave. Romeo and Juliet choose poor decisions throughout the play that cause their own deaths. Firstly, they decide to get married the first day they meet each other. Juliet asks Romeo: â€Å"Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow† (2. . 144). This was a very poor decision by the couple because they are not truly in love and the only thing they know about each other is that there families are enemies. Secondly, Romeo and Juliet did not communicate with each other. Juliet asks the Nurse: â€Å"O God! Did Romeo's hand shed Tybalt's blood? † (3. 2. 77). Romeo should have told Juliet right away because they are married. If Romeo h ad communicated with Juliet right away she would have known why romeo killed Tybalt, her cousin. Lastly Romeo and Juliet both decide to kill themselves without thinking of other choices. At the end of the story, Romeo drinks a fatal potion because he believes that Juliet is dead, but Juliet was still alive and wakes up to see to Romeo dead on the ground so she stabs herself. They both react very quickly to the situation before thinking about their friends and family; they should have thought about doing something else, like finding a new beauty just like Romeo did in the beginning. Romeo and Juliet loved each other but their poor decision making was a big reason for their death. The deaths of Romeo and Juliet are Friar Laurence, Lord and Lady Capulet, and the couples poor decision making.

Friday, September 13, 2019

A Little Cloud typical of Joyces maturity stories Essay Example for Free

‘A Little Cloud’ typical of Joyce’s ‘maturity’ stories Essay ? Refer to themes, language and setting. ‘A Little Cloud’ is the first of the ‘maturity’ stories in Dubliners, preceded by ‘Counterparts’, ‘Clay’ and ‘A Painful Case’. The story is archetypal of Joyce’s style and embraces all the key themes of, class, materialism, escapism and above all the paralysis and struggle of Ireland. The opinion that Ireland is a country lowly in comparison to the rest of Europe is enforced at the beginning of the story when Little Chandler says â€Å"it was something to have a friend like [Gallaher]† because he â€Å"worked for the London press. † The emphasis here is on â€Å"the great city of London† and Little Chandler has immeasurable respect for Gallaher as he has escaped the paralysis of Ireland in favour of this thriving city. The environment Chandler lives in is lacklustre and uninspiring, his writing â€Å"tiresome† the nurses he sees are â€Å"untidy† and the old men dozing on benches are â€Å"decrepit†. When Little Chandler thinks of his situation in Dublin â€Å"a gentle melancholy [takes] possession of him† which he feels â€Å"[is] useless to struggle against†. In ‘A Painful Case’ a number of adjectives are used to convey the environment, such as â€Å"disused†, â€Å"sombre† and â€Å"shallow†. Joyce has subtly emphasised the burden of being a Dubliner and in particular the feeling of restriction which the characters are unwilling to challenge and from which they feel escape would be futile. There are recurring references to the colour brown (not just in the maturity stories) and Maria in ‘Clay’ wears a brown raincoat, thus inadvertently resigning herself to the drab and motionless life of Dublin. Joyce contrasts two worlds in the story; the domestic, insular and paralysed Dublin with the fast-moving, energetic, cosmopolitan London and Europe. Little Chandler desires to belong to the wider, modern world and begins to despise his life with his family in Dublin. By juxtaposing Little Chandler with the successful, exuberant Gallaher, Joyce sets up an antithesis between the two worlds which they represent. The Act of Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1800 abolished Ireland’s political centre, resulting in Dublin being a city in limbo, without a clear purpose and with a confused identity. This is evident throughout Dubliners, with inhabitants such as Little Chandler and Farrington all feeling trapped by the narrowness of Dublin life. There is a pervasive feeling that to be glamorous, like Ignatius Gallaher, one has to leave Ireland. Little Chandler believes London to be the key to his dreams and that â€Å"if you wanted to succeed you had to go away. You could do nothing in Dublin.† The attitude of Little Chandler to social class is indicated throughout. He encounters children in the slums of North Dublin as he passes on his way to meet his glamorous friend, Gallaher. The children are described as â€Å"a horde†, â€Å"grimy† and populating the street and depicted as vermin who â€Å"crawled† and â€Å"squatted like mice†. Little Chandler, like Duffy in ‘A Painful Case’ feels himself to be â€Å"superior to the people whom he passed†, above the parochial, narrow interests of Dublin. He aspires to be a poet, loved by the more affluent English people. Chandler is shallow and materialistic, obsessed with appearance and class, excited about going to Corless’s because â€Å"he knew the value of the name† and the â€Å"richly dressed ladies† caught his eye. Gallaher says if he ever married, his wife must have â€Å"a good fat account at the bank† otherwise â€Å"she won’t do for me†. If he marries he intends â€Å"to play [his] cards properly† and secure one of the â€Å"thousand of rich Germans and Jews†. He dismisses the sacrament of marriage as just ‘business’ that could go ‘stale’, emphasising the immorality of London. The maturity stories all contain the presence of resentment in the main characters at the inevitable situation they have resigned themselves to living in. Joyce conveys Little Chandler’s anger with a number of adjectives such as â€Å"trembled†, â€Å"burst†, â€Å"convulsively† and â€Å"a paroxysm of sobbing†. His cheeks later â€Å"suffuse† with shame which gives way to â€Å"tears of remorse† at his failure not only to fulfil his dreams but for the resentment he feels towards his family for thwarting his freedom. In ‘Counterparts’ there is an established mood of anger with a â€Å"bell rung†, â€Å"a heavy step† and Farrington’s â€Å"spasms of rage†. Joyce uses the symbol of the ‘little cloud’ as an image of entrapment, not just hope; the little cloud of unhappiness hovering over his marriage to Annie, which restricts him from being the fun-loving bachelor like his idol Gallaher. Joyce incorporates the fantasy and captivation of exoticism and wealth in the ‘dark Oriental eyes’ of the Rich Jewesses. Similar to fantasies of the East Joyce uses alcoholism as a method of ‘escape’ from the stifling lives of the Dubliners and this is particularly prominent in ‘A Little Cloud’. Gallaher states that he â€Å"drinks [his whisky] neat† and that Little Chandler, who drinks very little â€Å"doesn’t know what’s good for [him]†. Sobriety is here seen as the reason why Chandler’s life is so ‘inartistic’ and dreary in comparison to Gallaher’s. Ireland is belittled and viewed as an engaging absurdity by the English when Gallaher says â€Å"they’ve got a great feeling for Ireland† and the English â€Å"were ready to eat [him]† because he was Irish. Little Chandler â€Å"wishes his name was more Irish-looking† so as to endear the British with his book he dreams about publishing in London. This is ironic as Little Chandler’s wishes to flee the restraints of Ireland yet feels dependant on his heritage. The story is highly symbolic of Ireland’s historical state; how the rest of Europe refuses to treat Ireland with respect symbolising Gallaher continually refusing Little Chandler’s invitations to come for supper and to meet his family. Gallaher’s visit gives rise to an epiphany within Little Chandler, a feature Joyce includes in each of his stories, an anti climax when a character realises his escape to be defective. In the ‘maturity’ series it is through the characters own personality flaw they render themselves incapable of escaping the life they constantly bemoan. In ‘A Little Cloud’ Gallaher’s visit evokes â€Å"a dull resentment† within Little Chandler; he was â€Å"useless, useless! A prisoner for life† and he feels acutely the injustice of his life is next to Gallaher’s. Little Chandler believes the only way of escape is if he publishes a book in London, but he cannot complete this because â€Å"the wailing of the child† permanently permeates his ear. Little Chandler projects the resentment he feels at his lack of achievement in comparison to Gallaher, onto his wife and he is â€Å"repelled† by her passionless eyes and fantasises of the â€Å"dark Oriental eyes† of the Jewesses which Gallaher mentioned earlier in Corless’s. Little Chandler begins to feel â€Å"a little disillusioned† and â€Å"Gallaher’s accent did not please him†. London, which Gallaher hitherto represents, is now seen as â€Å"gaudy† and â€Å"vulgar† imprinting itself upon his original â€Å"old personal charm† and his â€Å"vagrant and triumphant life† upsets the â€Å"equipoise of [Chandler’s] sensitive nature†. Little Chandler believes that Gallahers alleged friendliness to him is in fact patronisation just as â€Å"he was patronising Ireland by his visit†. He has been too consumed with his own anger and resentment at his own entrapment and the failure of his own dreams, to see through Gallahers version of an exotic, successful life. In ‘A Painful Case’ Duffy becomes disillusioned with escaping, when â€Å"Mrs Sinico caught up his hand passionately† and similarly Little Chandler begins to wildly question â€Å"Could [I] go to London?†, â€Å"[is] it too late?† But Duffy bids his only distraction from the paralysis of Dublin Mrs Sinico, goodbye and is blatantly scared of commitment. The reunion with a conceited Gallaher reminds Little Chandler of what he hasn’t achieved and he feels resentment which he thus inflicts on those around him. ‘A Little Cloud’ is an evident example of Joyce’s maturity stories in keeping with the aspect that binds them together, the characters’ comprehension that all endeavours to escape are fruitless. Little Chandler and Duffy lacked conviction and ignored the opportunity that was once given to them for escape, something they blame everyone but themselves for. The characters Joyce writes of do not appreciate what they have, mourning instead for what they do not. The Dubliners are, like the city, reluctant to change and yet are embittered by the injustice of their paralysed lives. Duffy does not appreciate until the death of Mrs Sinico, that he will never have a chance of marriage, or to love, through which he could have forgotten the monotony of the city he cannot escape. Congruously, Little Chandler dismisses his family throughout ‘A Little Cloud’ and when his personal epiphany dawns on him he realises his failure to his family, â€Å"his cheeks suffuse with shame† and he cries with â€Å"tears of remorse† as much out of guilt at the egocentric way he has behaved, as for his hopeless venture of escape. ‘A Little Cloud’ typical of Joyce’s ‘maturity’ stories. (2017, Aug 28).