Candide Characters Essay

In Candide, the character called Pangloss is believed to be a parody of philosophers who spent their time idly wondering about the world or debating points that have no real significance to life situations.   For instance, Pangloss keeps on saying that the world is good despite all of the misfortunes that have befallen him. Many experts believe that Voltaire was also making fun at G.W. von Leibniz, a seventeenth-century philosopher who was part of a greater movement called theodicy.   This school of thought explains that evil exists in the world because they serve particular purposes.   That even if the world is perfect because it was created by a perfect God, it is necessary to allow evil to happen.   It’s clear that Voltaire does not believe, like how philosophers did, that there is an inherent goodness in everything and that everything happens for a reason, even the bad ones. Setting: The nobility of France In this play, the setting could be defined as the society, which is present at that time.   In other words, some members of the nobility of France were part of Candide’s life, like Cunegonde and her brother.   One example wherein Voltaire poked fun at this class is when he related that the baron’s sister didn’t marry Candide’s father because he only had â€Å"seventy-one noble lineages.† Action: Jacques Death Jacques, a good man who helped Candide and Pangloss, fell on a turbulent sea as he was rescuing a sailor.   The sailor, instead of helping Jacques to get back to the ship ignored the poor man, which resulted to his death.   In this example, it would seem that Voltaire is parodying the Christian preaching of good overcoming evil.   Here, Jacques did a good deed and was a good man but he died because of it.   To add to the mockery, Pangloss even said that the sea outside Lisbon was specifically created so that Jacques could drown in it. Works Cited Arouet, Francois-Marie.   â€Å"Candide by Voltaire.† Courier Dover Publications, 1991. Ward, Selena, and Jaffee, Valerie.   â€Å"Candide.†Ã‚   Sparknotes Home Page.   21 July 2008

Sustainable architecture for sustainable future

Sustainable Architecture for a Sustainable Future Our environment today suffers from many issues. The most important one from a constructor's point of view would be the resources depletion problem. Freshwater resources are declining, the soil is loosing its fertility, and there is a crucial shortage in basic minerals such as zinc, copper, and phosphorus. These deficiencies would definitely lead to a slowdown in construction growth. According to Reran Named (2012) construction is the less sustainable business in the world because it uses around 50% of all non- renewable resources (8).Therefore, in order to be able to keep growing in construction, architects and contractors must change their approach, which would mean that they have to adopt a more CEO-friendly vision in terms of architecture; â€Å"Green building†. The term is now frequently used by newspapers, online articles, or even on TV, but what does it really mean? In Building Green in Pennsylvania, a green building is d escribed as â€Å"one whose construction and lifetime of operation assure the healthiest possible environment while representing the most efficient and least disruptive use of land, water, energy and resources†(l).An example of this type of buildings would be The Change Initiative (TIC) in Dublin, a flagship store where one can shop for green materials. The building is platinum certified by LED, a non-profit organization dedicated to promote green buildings worldwide. TIC produces 40% of its own energy requirement, the water is reused, and almost all materials used inside are submitted for recycling. After having been exposed to all of the positive impacts of sustainable architecture, one must surely consider green building as the definite future of construction.The first and main reason for using a Green strategy in construction would be to rooter the environment. Buildings and the Environment: A Statistical Summary shows that, in 2005, 38. 9% of the energy in the US is cons umed by constructions, with residential buildings consuming more than the half of this percentage. The study also concludes that the electricity consumption of commercial and residential buildings in the states was 72% of its total electricity consumption in 2006. (2).This massive electricity consumption meaner more energy consumption, which leads to more emissions by fossil fuels which are known for causing acid rain, smog, and many other environmental issues. Green buildings address these countless problems by making use of daylight and solar power that help reduce electricity consumption. Another green building strategy is rainwater recycling which help conserve potable water and increase the amount of saved water. The construction business has its share in causing pollution, but climate change would be the last idea to occur to one's mind as being a problem caused by construction.Brown, M. A. , & Southward, F. (2006) point out that greenhouse gas (Sighs) emission is one of the p rimary causes of climate change, and one of the least-cost approaches to reduce it is energy-efficient instruction (1). Buildings are responsible for 43% of the CA emission, and for an average of 8% of other Eggs (4). A sustainable building would address these emissions by integrating some of the latest technologies; Green buildings use advanced techniques such as reflective roof products, low-E coating for windows, using materials from demolished buildings, and natural heating and air-conditioning, and Brown, M.A. , & Southward, F (2006) assert that these ecological strategies can reduce energy consumption and Sighs emissions by 30 to 40% (12). Another reason or benefit of building green is because sustainable constructions have a positive influence on humans' health. Pollution is one of the main causes of sicknesses and diseases, since sustainable architecture tends to avoid the use of polluting materials, it indirectly contributes in making the human health better. From a general approach, Sings, A. , Seal, M. , Grady, S. C. And Korma, S. (2010) present a survey in which they ask people about their health before and after moving to a green building. The preliminary studies based on the surveys conducted show that green buildings have eventually improved health and well-being (p. 6). In addition, Cats G. 2013) believes in The costs and financial benefits of green buildings that improving the quality of the environment in which a person uses information positively affects his health by lowering stress and therefore leads to longer lives.Sustainable constructions take into account the occupants' health and restrain their use of materials that can harm it in any way, while taking advantage of natural resources (6). Productivity is also a factor influenced by green buildings. In Effects of green buildings on employee health and productivity, Sings, A. , Seal, M. , Grady, S. C. , and Korma, S. 2010) confirm â€Å"The improvement in perceived productivity were fa irly substantial and could result in an additional 38. 98 work hours per year for each occupant of a green building†(6).Green thinking pushes architects to include more daylight in order to save electricity, and to use self-heating/cooling systems that would work on solar power. In his report The costs and financial benefits of green buildings, G. Cats (2013) explains:† Increases in tenant control over ventilation, temperature and lighting each provide measured benefits from 0. 5% up to 34%, with average measured workforce productivity gains of 7. % with lighting control, 1. 8% with ventilation control, and 1. 2% with thermal control. Additionally, significant measured improvements have been found with increased daylight. (6) According to these statements assessed by professionals, it is clear that green buildings affect productivity rates in a positive way by making workers more comfortable and therefore enhancing their creativity and inventiveness. G. Cats (2013) stres ses in The costs and financial benefits of green buildings on the importance of the quality of benefits that workers receive in their workplace, which will eventually attract the best employees. Environmentally friendly design seems perfect to some, but others may consider its flaws. The most common concern about green buildings is the lack of information about how much it costs.Due to the use of many unknown techniques and strategies that are unheard of to build green, a misconception made its way through the minds of many that sustainable buildings cost much more than traditional ones. Cats G. (2003) states in Green building costs and financial benefits that the average cost of a green building is lower than what people believe (8). Not only do green buildings cost less than expected, but they pay back for themselves ever the years. Cats G. (2013) discusses that the financial advantages of green buildings are more important than traditional ones'.The financial benefits of green bu ildings come from water saving and re-using, less need for energy, therefore less costs. These savings are over than 10 times the additional cost of these buildings (8). In addition, the property value increases due to the fact that green buildings need less maintenance and economies energy. From an economic point of view, sustainable constructions positively affect sales rates; A study accomplished by HEDGEHOGS MAHONEY GROUP has found that â€Å"Skylights were found to be positively and significantly correlated to higher sales.All other things being equal, an average non-skylight store in the chain would likely have 40% higher sales with the addition of skylights, with a probable range between 31% and 49%. â€Å"(as cited in Green building benefits (Para 12)) . Nature has always been the human race's mentor since the earliest of ages. Michael Pawl, a modern environmental architect, made an important point in a lecture he gave at TED in 2010:†life could learn to make things ND do things the way nature does, we could achieve factor 10, factor 100, maybe even factor 1,000 savings in resource and energy use†.The world has been surviving for over 4 billion years. In order for the humanity to do the same, it's up to the architects to take action and encourage this project that can save what's left of our polluted planet. It's about time to stop violating our planet that has suffered enough of human greed which has caused many tragedies such as deforestation, green fields and pure water sources pollution, rise of sea levels, and many more. It's about time to tart thinking about the new generations, by building them sustainable constructions that would improve the inside and outside environment.Besides reducing gas emissions, conserving water, and reducing waste, building Green has its economic benefits: Money wasted for producing energy and water would now be spared, not to mention the increase in the value of the building, the high productivity rates, and the sales improvement.

Since the dawn of civilization, people agonize for? Essay

Informatics provides the means for a development and growth of social networking services. The cost for communications has been reduced by enabling simultaneous transmission of multimedia content. On professional level, videoconference systems can accommodate people from all over the world to organize meetings and arrange their business, hence the issue of distance and time has been eliminated. On personal level, people can contact with their friends at anytime without considering the economical problem or the distance, especially when someone is resident of a foreign country. Also informatics , allows us to store, analyze and search through massive amounts of data on very short time. In addition, informatics links various devices such as smart-phones, tablets and personal computers. Modern devices are adjusted for usage of the same protocols and standards, which overcomes hardware difference. Moreover, Informatics has strong contribution on the development of algorithms, applying it on cryptography. Besides that it is used for computing, biometrics and primarily for graph algorithms, which solve problems related to scheduling, connection, transportation, games and network analysis. Algorithms are further associated with neural networks. That makes it even more efficient for data study, decision-making process and machine learning. As the complexity of solution grows and the number of people involved in the project increases, so does the further development complexity. Even there, Informatics responds with various solutions by software engineering and IT management. Neverless, the users don’t want a perfect workingly services, it also has to be interesting and handy for their needs. Therefore, informatics has to offer solutions and ideas on the field of user-user interaction, which is actually based on user-service interaction. Numerous social games or virtual worlds, where we can interact with other users like in the real world gives us the feeling that we communicate directly with other users, but such services have many tasks behind the scene. Users create groups and share interests, experience, feedbacks, habit. In the backend, the social networking service may collect, analyze and learn from data. For instance,  chat service can build database of words we use the most and add them in auto-complete functionality, which speeds up search and messaging. The main goal of user interfaces is simplified user-service (human-machine) interaction and therefore, better user experience. A social networking service has to be easy to use, attractive, competitive and scalable. It must treat users as spoiled, lazy and always unsatisfied. They want real-time monitoring, the feeling of a safe and effective application. The best systems for social networking are those, which make it possible for users to use it easily in spite of their age, previous computer skills or specific demands. Also those, who have special needs, such as people with visual, hearing or any other disability, should benefit from it. Since users have become more demanding, various browsers do not support same JavaScript Functions and HTML5 with CSS3 has brought new options, such as web storage, canvas 2D drawing, geo-location, responsive design etc. – frontend development became more complex. Static generated pages have been replaced by dynamically loaded content and scripts. We can choose from a variety of open-source JavaScript frameworks that differ in purpose, speed, assertion, community size etc. Smart devices make the user experience even more diverse and exciting by using sounds, vibrations, digital camera and other built in hardware. 3. Social networking services threats Social networking services as a product of Informatics and social networks gave us unimaginable opportunity to connect with people. On the other hand, they have many disadvantages. The illusion of safety, often make us forget the possible consequences. Heedless of the danger, we share our personal data with people who we do not know, therefore a lot of misuses appear. Companies trade information about users, there are many cases of identity thefts, in brief, social networks offer a chance for various criminal offenses. We know very little about how and where they store our personal data and who has access to them. Even when we adjust our settings for completely private accounts, our friends or services may inadvertently leak our personal information. We do not know whether they will ever actually be  deleted. Immense amount of users is not only bullied interest in networking, but also invaders, who attack and abuse either from personal satisfaction, or even receive payment for their work. They use various attack methods, based on personal profiles, trust or exploits, e.g. social networking worms, such as Koobface. 4. Influences Similar to Newton’s third law of motion, one can conclude that everything society receives, passes on in the environment. The impact of the social networks on society indirectly affects other fields like economy (PayPal Inc. 2013), education, politics (Shirky 2011), entertainment etc. These fields see social networks as an opportunity to approach to the crowd, mostly for the purpose of manipulation (Benham, Edwards, Fractenberg, Gordon-Murnane, Hetherington, Liptak & Mintz 2012). The most common use of manipulation can be seen in setting imaginary guidelines, viral marketing and targeted advertising (Mitra & Baid 2009, 366-372). Referring to paragraph three, companies have free access to some of our personal data, or they can reach us by low cost targeted advertising, offered by social networking services (Eddy2012). It may be based on specific personal profiles, such as sex, interests, education, status, age, geographical location and even on private messages content.Motivated by Domingos and Richardson Viral Marketing Model (Richardson & Domingos 2002, 61-70), numerous companies are searching for cheapest ways to adopt a new product or innovation, whilst seeking for smallest subset of individuals, which may trigger a large cascade of further adoptions. They are interested in individuals who have the greatest impact on the target social network (Kempe, Kleinberg & Tardos 2003, 137-146). Moreover, the use of technologies offered by social networking services can reduce the development costs (Churchill & Halverson 2005) or can simplify the use of applications e.g. registration system with the existing user accounts from social networks. Furthermore, with clicking on the ‘’like’’ buttons one contributes to profiling users (Hung, Huang, Hsu & Wu 2008), which is especially  interesting and useful in research, determining trends, positioning in the search engines etc. Recent studies, based on a dataset of over 58,000 volunteers suggest, that easily accessible digital records of users behavior in social networking systems, can be used to automatically and accurately predict a range of highly sensitive personal attributes (Kosinski, Stillwell & Graepel 2013), e.g. religious and political views, intelligence, happiness, parental separation etc. However, the economy influences social networks by adapting social networking and its services according to the needs of the users. Economy’s investments in the most prospective social networking services have a significant influence as they allow further development, starting new projects, research and changing habits of users. 5. Trends The expansion of new research areas in the field of Informatics led to re-implementation of social interactions in social networking services. Therefore, changes in the field of social networks are incredibly fast to keep up with. Nevertheless, in few last years, we may notice two main trends that have emerged; visualization of content and mobile use and sharing (Bullas 2012). For trend of content visualization we can find the reasons in exceptional progress in technologies for detecting patterns in digital images. Thus allow analysis and image processing on servers where social networking services can get even more personal information about users. This motivated investments in deeper research, and in further years we may expect DNA data sharing, through which social networking services may link us and connect to all our near and distant relatives. Mobile use and sharing trend will continue to grow, since use of smart mobile devices is increasing. Better user experience, mobility, availability, as well as faster and cheaper mobile data transfer are just few of many reasons. Recent technologies, like digital glasses (Google Inc.2013), may allow us to record and share each moment of our life. Despite strong efforts of the health sector, where currently more than 350 million people suffer from addiction of social networking services (Bullas 2012), at the continued growth of those services trend is likely to continue. 6. Conclusion Only a few decades ago, we have not even intuited how important role will Informatics have in our daily life and how huge contribution will have through its social networking services on us, social networks and global economy. Social networking services as part of social networks are one of the hottest research topics nowadays. We have poor insights in their long term impact on society, since we have witnessed true expansion only in the last few years. However, the first negative implications, like privacy issues are already visible, as well as first solutions, which aim to limit misuse. Recently, Apple has published a patent, which targets social network stalkers and spammers. The excessive use of social networking services promote narcissism (Buffardi & Campbell 2008, 1303-1314). As one has thousands of virtual friends, this could mean that in real life he does not have them at all (Tong, Van Der Heide, Langwell & Walther 2008, 531-549). And finally, one of the studies suggests tha t frequent use of social networking services may lead to asocial user behavior (Orr, Sisic, Ross, Simmering & Arseneault 2009, 337-340). These are just some of the findings of studies pointing to major changes in society.

SABIC Company , (international business) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

SABIC Company , (international business) - Essay Example al., 2012). From the history of international business, it can be learnt that international organisations have been in existence for centuries, but at present these organisations are characterised by explosive growth and close control of foreign business activities. They market the products and services in different ways than their predecessors did. Traditionally, the complex international business transactions were the domain of representatives, global policies and business specialists. Currently, a converging set of strong economic, social and cultural trends demand that every citizen has certain kind of international eloquence and that must be understood by organisations that operate international businesses (Hill, 2010). Based on this aspect, the report describes international business of one multinational organisation namely SABIC. ... The international business environment is quite complex and diverse than the domestic business environment. This international business is influenced by the process of globalisation. Globalisation denotes the on-going social economic and political procedures that inflate the relationship and encompass the interdependencies among people and organisations of various nations (Rugman & Collinson, 2012). The era of globalisation has brought about a rapid increase in the level of international trade and financial integration. There have also been changes in the configuration of trade and product flows. The forces of globalisation are intense and they are impacting the business activities of organisations. The initiations of information and communication technology (ICT) and quick economic liberalisation of business and investment in several nations have augmented the procedure of globalisation. Present market is swamped with not only industrial commodities but also with the items of regula r consumption. Every day an average individual utilises such products and services which are from different origins. The increased integration of market, mobility of people with international travel for employment along with internet penetration has virtually transformed the international business (Joshi, n.d.; Tayeb, 2000). Globalisation and International Business of SABIC One prevalent example of globalisation and its impact on international business can be observed from a Saudi Arabian multinational organisation namely SABIC. SABIC is a chemical producer which specialises in manufacturing a variety of chemicals, polymers and fertilisers among others. It was established in the year 1976 and since then the organisation has expanded the business considerably in

Joseph Stalin Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Joseph Stalin - Research Paper Example For instance, according to statistical estimates provided by Haynes and Husan in their book A Century of State Murder? Death and Policy in Twentieth-Century Russia, if the 1920s mortality rates are to be extrapolated to the 1930s, one has to reach a conclusion that there were about 8.5 million excessive deaths for 1928-1936, and additional 1.5 million for the second part of the decade of the 1930s, making total number of casualties of Stalinism in the 1930s close to 10 million people (Haynes and Husan 65). If one compares the population predictions for the year of 1937 compiled by Soviet Gosplan in the late 1920s (about 181 million people) with the 1937 census’s actual results (i.e. 168.5 million people, further reduced to 167 million by the new 1939 census), it is clear that Soviet population fell by considerable number in the 1930s, as even Stalin’s government was forced to concede (Haynes and Husan 64). This tremendous number of excessive unnatural deaths should be f urther extended by taking into account the number of deaths of Soviet soldiers and citizens in the course of WW II, which, while not entirely caused by Stalin’s military ineptness, were significantly increased by it. In addition, the death rate in Soviet forced labor camps rose to its highest level in the 1940s, with 1.01 million of dead prisoners in 1941-1945 (Haynes and Husan 83). Finally, the 1940s deportations of national groups deemed not loyal to the Soviet regime cost their own share of deaths: almost 300-400.000 are likely to have perished, as the data provided by Pohl testify (2). This means that in all certainty, Stalinism led to deaths of about 20 million people, if the part of wartime deaths is included in overall estimate. Nonetheless, despite the natural aversion that may arise towards Stalin and his system of government when exposed to such information, it is known that memories of Stalinist era are often fondly invoked in modern Russia and, to a lesser extent, in other post-Soviet states. In particular, Putin’s government often uses memories of Stalin’s rule to support its own actions, especially un the field of foreign policy, and the new history textbooks used in Russian schools often include statements of the like that â€Å"Stalin acted ‘entirely rationally’ in executing and imprisoning millions of people in the Gulags† (Stewart). The nature of such fondness for Stalin on the part of Russian authorities is understandable, as the Russian government, while pursuing harsh neo-liberal economic policies, widely employs appeals to ‘Soviet nostalgia’ in its symbolism and external policies. At the same time, a characteristically different kind of ‘popular Stalinism’ exists among the wide strata of Russian society. Exemplified by the policies of ‘red-brown’ Communist Party of Russian Federation, which for all purposes dropped its former Marxist tenets in favor of more op en Russian imperial patriotism and of other, smaller but ideologically similar parties and groupings, this type of ‘Stalinist’ feelings mix nostalgia for the ‘orderly’ society unaffected by market turbulence with strong cultural conservatism and xenophobia. Therefore, despite strong condemnation levied upon Stalinism by Russia’s liberal intelligentsia, Stalinist sentiment, or,

Italian Renaissance Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Italian Renaissance Art - Essay Example The models given by early buildings and works performed by the art also stimulated the expansion of new imaginative techniques and the desire to re-build the forms and styles of classical art (Joost & Christiane, 47). The main development of Renaissance art was the emergence of the artist as a maker, required after, and appreciated for his erudition and imagination. Art became treasured not only as a medium for spiritual and communal didacticism, but also more as a mode of personal, illustration appearance. Even though the development of Italian Renaissance art was a nonstop progress, it is divided into three major phases: Early, High, and Late Renaissance. The last stage has been the focus in new existence of multifaceted interpretation that identifies many contending and complementary trends. Some scholars mark the start of the Italian Renaissance from Giotto di Bondone’s appearance, in the initial years of the 14th century, while others stare his abnormal success in naturalistic art as an remote occurrence (Campbell & Cole, 54). The major members of the first generation of Renaissance artists were Donatello in statue, Filippop Brunelleschi in structural design, and Masaccio in painting. They had common significant characteristics necessary to their philosophy, a faith in the hypothetical foundations of art and the confidence that growth and advancement were not only likely but important to the life and worth of the paintings. Ancient art was valued, not only as a stirring replica but also as a documentation of test and fault that could disclose the successes of former great artists. Intending to repeat the imaginative method, Early Renaissance artists required to make art forms reliable with the appearance of the normal world and with their knowledge of human personality and behavior. By the late 15th century, the innovation of the first volatile advances of Renaissance style had given way to a general receipt of such basic ideas as amount,

In the struggle for equality, civil partnerships have been viewed as a Essay

In the struggle for equality, civil partnerships have been viewed as a triumph. Do they signify the achievement of full equalit - Essay Example This refers to the marriage between the two people of the same biological sex or social gender and is legally or socially recognized. The occurrence of the civil partnership between the couple gives them the advantage of similar treatment as well as benefits the same as any married couple (CivilPartnershipInfo.co.uk, 2006). Since the early part of the twentieth century, number of countries has begun formalizing same-sex marriage legally by which this has been recognized by some other conservative nations as civil, political, social, and religious issues. The issues regarding the civil partnership or same sex marriages are all about the conflict whether the same sex-couples must have the rights of marriage, use different status as stated in the civil unions and be granted the equal rights as of marriage or either limited rights compared to marriage, or not to be given any of the said rights. Many arguments arise regarding the issue between the people that support same-sex marriage and those that are against. An argument that supports same-sex marriage expressed and claims that the reason behind the denial of the same-sex couples legal access to marriage as well as the benefits that it incorporates signifies discrimination that is based on sexual orientation. It is also claim by the supporters that the financial, psychological, and physical comfort and security are improved by marriage which benefitted by the children of the same-sex-couples by being raised by two parents that is legally recognized union (Rosie Harding, 2011). The rejection for the use of the word â€Å"marriage† to be applied to the same-sex couple has also been an argument by those that are against the same-sex marriage, the same as the objections about the status legally and socially of the marriage itself being applied to same-sex partners. Other arguments are presented directly and indirectly concerning the consequences of same-sex marriage regarding the parenting and tradition. Pursu it of Equality There was a domino type effect regarding the movement in the same-sex marriage since the 2001 debut in the Netherland. Up to date, its legal status was fully secured in 13 areas of responsibilities within the three continents: Europe, America and Africa. In Europe, the legalization of the same-sex marriage was driven by the gays and lesbians to the government as their right that lead the way to the legalization of the same sex marriage. The same pattern was also observe in the US and this step by step approach lead to a positive effect of attaining three prominent milestones which is the decriminalization of homosexuality, anti-discrimination legislation and partnership legislation. At the present, the government is demanding its people to respect and to have the equal treatment among the gays and lesbians and certain measures would be given to the transgressors. There should be an equal treatment among everyone in the society regardless of the sexual orientation; thi s creates a big question as to why same-sex couples are not enjoying the rights as well as the benefits compared to the married heterosexuals. This issue opens the awareness that attracts suspicion that the treatment to same-sex couples are second class citizen and definitely under the second-class institution. Therefore, there will only be equality upon the legalization of the same-sex marriage if logically, treatment in all manner of life will be identical (Lee, M.Y.K., 2010). As the arguments

Marriage Traditions- Indian, Chinese Cultures Essay

Marriage Traditions- Indian, Chinese Cultures - Essay Example Stated another way, it is an eye to the culturally relativistic foundations of marriage traditions in Chinese and Indian cultures that a proper perspective of the marriage traditions in those two cultures can be properly had. It is not absolutist in that it does not try to judge the ethics and morals of the marriage traditions of the two cultures, but views them from the standards and principles within the cultures that gave rise to and which continue to promote the marriage traditions (Fluehr-Lobban, 1995; Geertz, 1984; Donnelly, 1984; Hodes, 1985; Polisi, 2003; Moschetti, 2005). In. China the major form of marriage is one where families gave away their female children for marriage to other families when the girl comes to marrying age, usually as early as at puberty, and the girl then goes on to live in the husband’s family home, to then become a part of that family. To fill that gap left by the married girl, the family then made space for when one of their sons took wives. T his is the fundamental marriage arrangement that allowed for the addition and subtraction of members of households based on time-honored traditions in Chinese culture, and certainly prior to China turning Communist, under the old dynasties. On the other hand, the literatrure also notes that some alternate forms of marriage also formed part of the marriage traditions of China, and those include marriage arrangements where a girl is given up for adoption at birth or at a very early age, to a family.

Literary Response #4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Literary Response #4 - Essay Example As the poem develops the speaker’s emotional state takes on a more somber and forlorn tone. Millay writes, â€Å"but the rain/ Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh/ Upon the glass and listen for reply;/ And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain/ For unremembered lads that not again/ Will turn to me at midnight with a cry† (Millay, 3-8). In these lines Millay uses the image of the ghosts in the rain to symbolize the speaker’s past lovers. One can envision the speaker looking out at the rain and attempting to recollect these past individuals. Upon realizing that the speaker will never again share a moment of love and intimacy with these past lovers the speaker’s emotional state is punctuated by a quiet pain. The image of the rain as the ghosts of past lovers is highly effective as rain has an immediate visceral effect of creating the emotion of sadness and slight depression; when coupled with the image of past lovers that the speaker will never again be able to spend time with, it is not difficult for the viewer to not only understand, but also feel this somber emotional state. As the poem advances and ultimately concludes the speaker’s emotional state is explored in greater depth, with more complex images. Millay writes, â€Å"Thus in the winter stands a lonely tree,/ Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,/ Yet know its boughs more silent than before:/ I cannot say what loves have come and gone;/ I only know that summer sang in me/ A little while, that in me sings no more† (Millay 9-14). In referring to the lonely tree, the speaker is actually referencing herself. The image of winter conveys both the passage of time, as well the coldness that accompanies the speaker’s loneliness. While previously the speaker’s emotional state was perceived as slightly somber, this image of winter is starkly dark and despondent. This despondency is advanced in the following image of birds that once frequented the tree

Different situations in the school Essay Example for Free

Different situations in the school Essay It is found out that parents of children suffering from learning disabilities represent other parents in expression regarding children’s upbringing, education as well as disabilities. Â  Understanding of these parents’ concerns greatly contributes to children’s education since they work together with teachers to assist the disabled children. It is not appropriate to generalize situations of parents whose children suffer from learning disabilities. This is because; the parents have different approaches of dealing with their children’s situation which is necessitated by their different backgrounds. (Myklebust, 2008) Parents have very high expectations, dreams as well as hope concerning their children’s life long before those children is born. The primary hope for every parent is to have healthy children regardless of the kind of sex and the preference of a desired sex comes after good health aspect. In cases where a child is found to possess disabilities and in this particular case, learning disabilities, parents lose dreams that they previously had for their children and they try to replace them with new dreams that fit children’s type of disability. However, grief associated with learning disability possessed by children tend to recur in parents’ mind periodically including previous expectations that fail to take place which mainly occurs during anniversaries. (Donahue, 2002) Parents’ Experiences, Understanding and Expectations for Their Children with Learning Disabilities The parents of millennial generation children are noticed to have more concern for aspects related to their children’s education particularly for those suffering from learning disabilities. Among the areas of concern for this category of parents is safety where parents are concerned with whether their children’s feelings as well as emotions are safe. This is because they fear a situation where they may get hurt by being looked down upon by other normal children. They also worry of the manner in which school personnel treat their children when they fail to respond to learning as expected. Since learning disabilities attract special attention to this category of children, they tend to be vulnerable to bully from other normal children which also affects children’s emotions negatively. (Ramcharan, 2005) The situation where parents mind about their children’s safety sometimes leads to overprotection on the side of children suffering from learning disabilities. This develops negative effects on those children’s development and some of these children suffering find this kind of treatment inappropriate as compared to their age. (Sigel, 2006) Another area of concern for parents whose children possess learning disabilities regards other children’s as well as parents’ attitudes towards their children’s situation of learning disability. They wonder whether their children will be accepted or will be alienated due to their possession of learning disabilities. For instance, some parents of non-disabled children consider education funds directed to education of children who possess learning disabilities as going to waste. They prefer that the funds are entirely used on their children who are more productive. Parents of children possessing learning disabilities experience difficulties in explaining the disability situation to their children. This affects the relationship between them since the children feel that some truth regarding their disability is being hidden from them, which is the reason as to why they are accorded much attention. (Goss, 2001) Attitudes and Experiences of Children Possessing Learning Disabilities within Different Learning Environments There is a wide variety of experiences as well as attitudes that children suffering from learning disabilities undergo within learning environments. These experiences include a situation where they are discriminated by fellow students and find it difficult to have friends as normal students do. This is contributed by their inability to keep up with their friends’ knowledge and speed to learn and understand things which makes them to be alienated. The fact that these children are mostly with their teachers receiving extra guidance on topics taught in class when others are playing make it difficult for other children to interact with them due to the ever presence of their teacher. It follows that children suffering from learning disabilities are always around their teachers where they tend to develop comfort which denies them a chance to learn how to associate with peers. This category of children also finds that avenues in which they can make friends are limited in their learning environment. In cases where there are extracurricular activities in which they can indulge in, they lack time for that since they are mostly getting special classes during their free time. (Gates, 2003) There are situations where children’s learning disabilities tend to overshadow their abilities according to their teachers’ perception. Some teachers direct their focus on the children’s situation rather than capability of those children to develop some understanding of educational concepts. For instance, a teacher may recognize a child’s struggles with science subjects to a point that he/she fails to recognize that the child is gifted in art. This negatively affects this category of children as they feel very inadequate since they are not appreciated for what they are good at doing. (Butler, 2002) Some school personnel may be willing to appreciate areas that children are good at, but it is hindered by identification methods applied in learning environments. Identification is normally conducted through standardized tests which is not the appropriate measure for their giftedness. The standardized tests require some adjustment as well as modifications before being imposed on the children in order to point areas in which they are gifted. (Taylor, 2005) The achievements of children possessing learning disabilities sometimes go unrecognized since there is no clear separation between the work done by teachers and that done by the children. Some people feel that their achievements are accompanied by so much follow up from teachers. This demoralizes the children especially when they are sure that they contributed quite a lot towards their success. Another disturbing situation for children suffering from learning disability is where they have to shift from schooling levels like when moving from elementary level to secondary level. Another transition is when this category of children’s families relocates to new residential areas where the children have to change schools. Children suffering from learning disabilities find it hard to adjust during these two transition periods. The main difficulty comes where they have to initiate new relationships in their new schooling levels as well as schools. That is; they have to introduce themselves and their situation to their new teachers who might treat them differently from their previous school personnel. This makes children to feel out of place when they realize that they are taking more time to adjust compared to normal children and even more when the new learning environment fails to fit their needs appropriately. (Westwood, 2003) These children feel stressed and pessimistic about starting the process of getting special attention in learning with the new school personnel. This stress and discomfort realized from difficulties encountered in adjusting to unfamiliar learning situation is normally manifested in some weird behaviour that was not previously recognized in the children which shows that the transition situation affects them psychologically. (Adelman, 2007) There are certain characteristics that describe the learning environment that children suffering from learning disabilities consider ideal, in which they would be absolutely comfortable if the were provided to them. These include a learning environment where needs, concerns as well as dreams of these children are accorded consideration by their teachers. They also prefer that their disability does not hinder their teachers from recognizing areas where they are gifted. Concerning the manner in which other children treat them, these children would prefer that other children interact with them freely without discriminating them due to their situation. (Kravets, 2003) Conclusion It is clear that; parents encounter distinct experiences with children suffering from learning disabilities including the situation where parents are not in a position to explain the learning disability situation to their children. This affects the relationship between parents and their children since the children feel that everything is not being revealed concerning their situation. These children also encounter challenging experiences from their learning environments. This is normally because they are not treated as they would prefer which makes them feel out of place. They point out that they would prefer to be integrated with other normal children in order that their learning disabilities do not hinder them from living a happy life. They also prefer that everything about their learning disability is disclosed to them in order that they get to know their level of disability and work towards adjusting it. (Sattler, 2007)

Proselytism, Conversion and the Freedom to Change Religion

Proselytism, Conversion and the Freedom to Change Religion A Critical Analysis Abstract This dissertation seeks to critique the extent to which Article 9 of the ECHR upholds an individuals â€Å"freedom to change his religion and belief†. It is respectfully submitted that the landmark decisions of the European court have provided inconsistent guidance with respect to the issues surrounding proselytism, conversion and the freedom to change ones religion; consequently, this will have significant implications on interreligious dialogue and the protections on the rights of adherents of new religious movements, minority religions, and religious converts. This paper proposes that the ECtHR jurisprudence ought to consider the theoretical perspectives advanced by Stahnke, Danchin, and Taylor to strengthen the protections of ones freedom to change their religion, underscoring that a careful consideration of these theoretical approaches may provide a positive contribution to protecting the freedom of religion more generally. Introduction Chapter 1: Issues surrounding proselytism, conversion and the Freedom of Religion 1.1: Introduction Stahnke highlights that the development of international principles governing the issues surrounding proselytism ‘is no easy task, especially in consideration of the varied state approaches to proselytism.[1] After reflecting upon the Strasbourg jurisprudence in relation to the complicated issues arising from cases relating to proselytism, an individuals right to change his or her religion, and the freedom of religion espoused by Article 9,[2] this paper asserts that Stahnkes statement is not only true in the global context, but is particularly acute in the European context as well. In this connection, it is evident that that the issues relating to proselytism pose pragmatic difficulties for jurists because it requires them to adjudicate between competing and conflicting rights claims.[3] As Malcolm Evans highlights, â€Å"how can the fundamental right of one individual to the freedom of thought, conscience and religion be reconciled with the fundamental right to another to th e same freedom, when the very possession of those beliefs might require a believer to present his views to others?†[4] In other words, the court has to determine, as Witte has concisely stated, â€Å"Whose rites get rights?†[5] This paper begins its analysis by suggesting that the protections of an individuals right to change his or her religion as well as its corresponding links with proselytism is further complicated by the theoretical disagreements concerning the legal definitions of religion, and the freedom of religion. For example, Carolyn Evans notes that even if a collection of states agree to be bound by an international agreement adhering to a general principle protecting the freedom of religion, it is possible that the states conceptual understanding over the rights and values at stake may differ significantly.[6] She further contends that the subsequent interpretations of Article 9 in the European court mirror the aforementioned problem. Similarly, the complexity of human rights issues relating to religion contribute to the challenges of formulating an overarching framework of adjudication since religion is inextricably linked with nationalistic and political participation, particular family his tories and cultures, spiritual and philosophical sentiments, and differing conceptions of morality.[7] 1.2: Religion and the difficulties of definition According to Gunn, a judge sitting on the European Court and their particularly personal definitions of ‘religion plays a considerable role in shaping that judges interpretations of Article 9 under the European Convention and how cases ought to be decided.[8] For example, judicial conceptions of religion may have significant practical implications on applicants seeking to determine whether or not a new religious movement or minority religion receives tax exemption status, or whether a persecuted religious asylum seeker is able to claim refugee status.[9] As we will soon discover, a judges conception of religion is likely to influence his/her decisions in cases involving proselytism and conversion.[10] However, this is complicated by the fact that the actual definition of religion under Article 9 does not exist since the issues of definition have been fraught with controversy since the drafting of the United Nations International Instruments, on which Article 9 is based.[11] Gunn astutely observes that there are underlying methodological difficulties concerning the natural definition of religion which necessarily involve assumptions concerning the nature of a religion—i.e., religions metaphysical nature and/or theological conceptions of religion, the psychological experience of adherents, and the socio-cultural impact of religion—and whether or not there are features that all religions share in common—i.e., does a religion have to possess a theistic element, or would a polytheistic, atheistic, or non-theistic conception of religion suffice?[12] Carolyn Evans highlights that although the European Court and Commission have adopted a broad, generous and liberal approach to defining religion, it is important to note that the courts have ruled that a religion ought to attain a sufficient degree of â€Å"cogency, seriousness, cohesion, and importance† to justify protection under Article 9.[13] Consequently, as Evan notes, vague conc eptions of religion are beyond the scope of the protections under Article 9. However, she also suggests that although there may be a genuine sincerity of an applicants beliefs, the requirement that an applicants belief possess a level of sufficient coherence â€Å"has the potential to exclude some more individualistic and personal beliefs†.[14] In this connection, it has been argued that legal definitions must also consider a range of other factors such as (a) ‘protecting freedom of religion, or (b) ‘prohibiting discrimination of religion—tasks that are difficult to adjudicate because of the range of different opinions as to what exactly constitutes the nature of religion, and what specific manifestations of religion warrant protection.[15] The jurisprudence surrounding freedom of religion cases under Article 9 appear to distinguish between the ‘private boundaries of religion and its inextricable links to the ‘internal adoption of a particular religious belief, with the ‘public boundaries and its corresponding links to ‘external manifestations of religious belief; these concepts are occasionally referred to as the forum internum and forum externum respectively.[16] Evans highlights that the interpretation of Article 9 typically underscores the primacy of the forum internum—that is, â€Å"the private thought, conscience, and religion of the individual†[17] and it is generally asserted that the state is prohibited from interfering with the forum internum.[18] However, it is unclear as to where the line between the ‘private conscience and ‘public expression, or forum internum and forum externum is to be drawn, especially considering that many religions do not necessarily de fine themselves in such dualistic terms.[19] For example, in highlighting the theoretical uncertainty in relation to the scope of the forum internum, Sullivan argues â€Å"many religious doctrines or beliefs dictate standards of social conduct and responsibility, and require believers to act accordingly. For those who follow such precepts of social responsibility, the distinction between religious and political activities may be artificial†.[20] Similarly, Gunn underscores the importance for judges to consider the multifaceted nature of religion in that it not only comprises an applicants ‘belief, but also an applicants ‘identity and ‘way of life.[21] Thus, he argues that â€Å"the adjudicator should seek to understand the religious facets of such cases not from the perspective of a person who might attend religious services a few times a year, but from the perspective of those who have chosen to devote their lives fully to their religion as they understand it†.[22] In other words, a prudential approach from the standpoint of an adjudicator would not merely reduce the definition of religion to the mere domain of the private sphere, but would take account of how an individuals private belief intersects and overlaps with his or her public manifestation of belief. Nowhere is the overlap between an individuals private belief and public manifestation of belief more evident than in the issues surrounding proselytism and conversion—a subject to which we now turn. 1.3: Linkages between, and issues surrounding, proselytism, conversion and the freedom of religion Given that Article 9 aims not only to protect an applicants private conceptions of religion, but also an individuals right to manifest his or her religion subject to certain limitations, Danchin and Stahnke similarly argue that because proclaiming and sharing ones faith is such an important and integral aspect of a host of world religions, it would be logically inconsistent if the attempt to convince another to adopt ones religious belief, experiences and faith was beyond the scope of protections under the freedom to manifest religion.[23] Additionally, it has also been suggested that â€Å"in modern human rights law, the right to change ones religion, in the absence of coercion and as a result of free will is considered a recognised freedom†.[24] Stahnke observes that the issues surrounding proselytism and conversion involve competing rights between the ‘source—that is, the proselytiser, the ‘target—that is, the individual receiving the information, and the role that the state should play in balancing the conflicting and competing rights between ‘source and ‘target.[25] Hence, it is evident that the multifaceted nature of proselytism and conversion present significant challenges for the jurist in reconciling competing claims to the freedom of religion under article 9. Witte concisely summarises the ‘modern problems of proselytism by asking, How does the state balance ones community right to exercise and expand its faith versus another persons or community right to be left alone to its own traditions? How does the state protect the juxtaposed rights claims of majority and minority religions or of foreign and indigenous religions? How does the state craft a general rule to govern multiple theological understandings of conversion or change of religion?[26] Although an analysis of the array of theological perspectives of conversion and the change of religion is beyond the scope of this study,[27] this subject is worth mentioning in order to illuminate the challenges of protecting the freedom of an individuals right to change his or her religion. For example, Witte notes that most Western conceptions of Christianity â€Å"have easy conversion into and out of the faith†, whereas â€Å"most Jews have difficult conversion into and out of the faith†.[28] However, traditional Islamic perspectives prohibit proselytism directed towards Muslims, but encourage Islamic proselytism towards nonbelievers.[29] Although traditional Islamic perspectives on proselytism have significantly influenced state policies restricting proselytism,[30] it is evident that the phenomenon of the pervasive role of religion and its influence on state practices is undoubtedly mirrored in the European context as illustrated by the facts in Kokkinakis v. Gree ce. Chapter 2: Freedom to change religion: The seminal case: Kokkinakis The decisive judgment concerning the protections of religious freedoms as well as the issues surrounding proselytism is illustrated in Kokkinakis v. Greece.[31] Gunn notes that between 1955 and 1993, only 45 of 20,000 applications challenging Article 9 were published by the European Commission, and Kokkinakis was the first case to be considered under Article 9[32] where the court found a member state in violation of the provisions protecting the freedom of religion.[33] 2.1 The facts In 1936 at the age of 17, Mr. Kokkinakis converted from Greek Orthodoxy into the minority Jehovahs Witness religion and was arrested over 60 times, and imprisoned on several occasions for proselytism throughout the course of his life.[34] After exhausting all domestic remedies, Mr. Kokkinakis applied to the European Commission on Human Rights in 1988, who unanimously declared that there had been a violation of Article 9.[35] His case was then submitted to the European court. By a 6-3 majority, the court held that there had been a breach of Mr. Kokkanakis freedom of religion under article 9. 2.2: The reasoning of the court The court reasoned that the â€Å"freedom of thought, conscience and religion† is one of the hallmarks of a pluralistic democratic society—serving not only as a protection for ardent religious believers—but also for â€Å"atheists, agnostics, sceptics and the unconcerned†.[36] In this connection, the court affirmed the right to manifest ones religion encompasses not only public and private expressions of belief, but also â€Å"includes in principle the right to try to convince ones neighbour†.[37] Otherwise, the provision in Article 9 protecting the ‘freedom to change [ones] religion or belief â€Å"would be likely to remain a dead letter†.[38] However, the court issued a caveat, acknowledging that in democratic societies, in which several religions coexist within one and the same population, it may be necessary to place restrictions on this freedom in order to reconcile the interests of the various groups and ensure that everyones beliefs are respected.[39] To sum up the courts ruling, under Article 9(1), sections 31-36 of the judgment highlight that the sentence imposed by the Greek government interfered with Mr. Kokkanakiss right to manifest his religion under Article 9. However, the court then sought to determine whether the restrictions imposed on Mr. Kokkanakis by the Greek government were permissible under Article 9(2) by referring to the three tests of whether the actions were ‘prescribed by law, had a ‘legitimate aim, and whether the actions were ‘necessary in a democratic society. Firstly, in paragraphs 40-41, the court highlighted that the existence of domestic case law prohibiting proselytism fell within the meaning of ‘prescribed by law within ‘Article 9(2) of the convention.[40] Secondly, the courts sought to determine whether the governments ‘measure was in pursuit of a legitimate aim. The courts affirmed the Greek governments arguments that it was obliged to protect â€Å"the peaceful enjoyment of the person freedoms of all those living on its territory†, and therefore, â€Å"the impugned measure was in pursuit of a legitimate aim under Article 9(2), namely the protection of the rights and freedoms of others†.[41] Finally, the court referred to the doctrine of the ‘margin of appreciation—which permits States to â€Å"assess the existence and extent of the necessity of an interferencesubject to European supervision†.[42] To do this, the court distinguished between ‘proper and ‘improper proselytism, highlighting that the former is a reflection of â€Å"true evangelismand the responsibility of every Christian and every church† whereas the latter is a â€Å"corruption or deformation of it†.[43] The court also noted that a coercive expression of proselytism could â€Å"take the form of activities offering material or social advantages with a view to gaining new members for a Church or exerting improper pressure on people in distress or in need; it may even entail the use of violence or brainwashing†[44]. Thus, any coercive expression would be deemed incompatible with the provisions set out in Article 9(2). Consequently, the court held that the Gr eek government failed to demonstrate that Mr. Kokkinakiss proselytising activities were of a coercive nature. Furthermore, the Strasbourg Court highlighted that Mr. Kokkinakiss criminal conviction was unjustified on the grounds of a ‘pressing social need; therefore, Court ruled in favour of Mr. Kokkinakis, citing the measures enacted by the Greek government failed to demonstrate that they were â€Å"proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued† or â€Å"necessary in a democratic societyfor the protection of the rights and freedoms of others†.[45] 2.3: The polarised responses of the judges It is interesting to highlight the polarised responses between some of the judges, as it is clear that particular understandings of religion and proselytism played a decisive role in shaping the judicial opinion in Kokkinakis. On the one hand, it is apparent that Judge Martens analysis prioritised the rights of the proselytiser,[46] where he reasoned that it is not within the province of the State to interfere in this ‘conflict between proselytiser and proselytised. First, because—since respect for human dignity and human freedom implies that the State is bound to accept that in principle everybody is capable of determining his fate in a way that he deems best—there is no justification for the State to use its power ‘to protect the proselytisedSecondly, because even the ‘public order argument cannot justify use of coercive State power in a field where tolerance demands that ‘free argument and debate should be decisive. And thirdly, because under the Convention all religions and beliefs should, as far as the State is concerned, be equal.[47] Judge Martens further argues that the â€Å"State, being bound to strict neutrality in religious matters, lacks the necessary touchstone and therefore should not set itself up as the arbiter for assessing whether particular religious behaviour is ‘proper or ‘improper. [secondly], the rising tide of religious intolerance makes it imperative to keep the States powers in this field within the strictest possible boundaries.[48] In other words, states are under a strict duty to minimise interfering in an individuals freedom to manifest religion as much as possible. Conversely, on the opposite extreme, Judge Valtico gave primacy to the rights of the target by arguing that the recipient of a ‘conversion effort has a right to a peaceful enjoyment of his or her religion, and therefore ought to be protected from unwanted attempts to changing his or her religion: Let us look now at the facts of the case. On the one hand, we have a militant Jehovahs Witness, a hardbitten adept of proselytism, a specialist in conversion, a martyr of the criminal courts whose earlier convictions have served only to harden him in his militancy, and, on the other hand, the ideal victim, a naive woman, the wife of a cantor in the Orthodox Church (if he manages to convert her, what a triumph!). He swoops on her, trumpets that he has good news for her (the play on words is obvious but no doubt to her), manages to get himself let in and, as an experienced commercial traveller and cunning purveyor of a faith he wants to spread, expounds to her his intellectual wares cunningly wrapped up in a mantle of universal peace and radiant happiness. Who, indeed, would not like peace and happiness? But in this the mere exposition of Mr. Kokkinakiss beliefs or is it not rather an attempt to beguile the simple soul of the cantors wife? Does the Convention afford its protection to s uch undertakings? Certainly not.[49] We now turn to the criticisms of Kokkinakis and the subsequent case law and its relationship to proselytism, conversion and the Freedom of Religion. Chapter 3: Criticisms and observations of the case law 3.1 Critique of Judge Martens Judge Valtico Naivety and prejudice in legal reasoning As mentioned in the previous chapter, both judges reasoning reflect extreme positions of adjudication. On the one hand, judge Martens—a judge aligning his perspective with the majority— upheld a strict position of minimal state interference into an individuals freedom to manifest his or her religion by appealing to a principle of ‘strict neutrality whereas judge Valticos dissenting judgement reflected a hostile view of the applicants particular manifestation of religion. It is respectfully submitted that the reasoning of both judges illustrated naivety[50] and prejudice[51] respectively. 3.1.1: Naivety It has been argued Judge Martens position merely reduced the issues surrounding proselytism to the competing rights claims of the personal, autonomous, and individualistic manifestation of the proselytiser with the rights claims of adherents of the majority religion and the majoritys attendant conceptions of the ‘common good.[52] Whilst true that the court had to adjudicate between the competing rights claims of the adherent of a minority religion with the ‘collective good, it is submitted that judge Martens not only overlooked the competing and conflicting individual rights claims of the proselytisers right to share his/her faith with the individual rights claims of the recipient of the attempted proselytism to peacefully enjoy and practice his/her freedom of religion, but also the competing and conflicting conceptions of the common good as well.[53] Moreover, judge Martens also referred to the notion that the state is bound to ‘strict neutrality with respect to â €˜religious matters; however, his contention begs the question of whether there is such a concept of ‘religious neutrality in the first place?[54] 3.1.2: Prejudice: Privileging majority over minority religions Conversely, judge Valticos position has been widely criticised on the grounds that it demonstrates a biased and prejudicial approach consequently privileging the rights of adherents of the established religion over the rights of adherents of minority religions.[55] At one point, judge Valtico even suggested that proselytism amounts to â€Å"rape of the belief of others†[56] but it is apparent that this perspective dismisses the centrality of proselytism to the beliefs of Jehovahs Witnesses and that such beliefs could potentially contribute to the common good.[57] Consequently, it is evident that judge Valticos position demonstrates significant hostility towards the practices of minority religions such as the Jehovahs Witnesses as well as an individuals freedom of religion. By casting a minority religious group in such negative terms, an unsettling consequence nevertheless arises in that religious liberty becomes further threatened, and a public backlash towards such groups could potentially ensue.[58] Moreover, this could have insidious and deleterious effects on interreligious dialogue between adherents of majority religious groups, with adherents of new, minority religious movements aiming to promote a heightened understanding of their novel religious practices, hopes of integrating into the broader socio-cultural milieu, and quest for legitimacy.[59] Additionally, it is contended that judge Valticos view is an affront to the hallmarks of human rights law and its corresponding commitments to non-discrimination and equality.[60] Perhaps judge Valticos position reflects the deference of the European Court to the constitutions, practices and statutes of member states overtly privileging the position of established churches, whilst correspondingly neglecting the impact of such laws on adherents of minority religious groups.[61] Interestingly, there is evidence to suggest that acts of proselytism conducted by adherents of the Greek Orthodox faith have not resulted in arrest, unlike the proselytising actions of religious minorities; consequently, an implicit value in judicial support of the Greek Governments actions is the notion that â€Å"the law is applied in Greece to allow prosecutorial decisions based on an individuals religious status, not his or her actions†.[62] Furthermore, one of the pressing anxieties over the privileged position of the established churches in member states is that such protections create a ‘two-tiered system of religious rights which will continue to afford major mainstr eam churches the full rights, privileges, and immunities that are associated with traditional parameters of religious freedom, while simultaneously denying minority religions and new religious movements both equal legal status for their organizations and equal protection for their adherents.[63] In doing so, this paper submits that the reasoning offered by the European Court potentially inhibits the protections of religious freedom more generally. Furthermore, this paper maintains that judge Valticos perspective could have insidious and deleterious effects not only on the freedom of religion of religious minorities, but also the freedom of religion for adherents of dominant religious faiths as well. For example, some national legislators may claim to be enacting general or ‘neutrally applicable laws, but the outcomes do not necessarily reflect this; rather, they serve as an indicia of a privileged majority restricting the expansion of specific religious minorities, especially in member states where powerful churches aligned with the state can wield formidable political pressure on governments.[64] In this connection, perhaps we can surmise that if a hypothetical faction within a privileged religious group were to dissent from a religious majority powerfully aligned wit h the state, the faction could potentially encounter significant limitations to their religious freedom. Perhaps the astute observations of a revolutionary writing from prison in 1916 underscoring the importance of protecting the freedoms of minority groups would provide some insight to assist the courts adjudication: â€Å"Freedom only for supporters of the government, for members of the party—though they are quite numerous—is no freedom at all. Freedom always means freedom for the dissenters†.[65] Consequently, the Kokkinakis decision has been problematic because the judges seemed to have minimised and dismissed the complexity of the theoretical and substantive issues relating to justified state intervention in cases involving proselytism, and only found an ‘impermissible violation of an individuals freedom of religion when the specific facts arose in the case, rather than attempting to develop broader principles surrounding proselytism when given the opportunity.[66] We now turn to the critiques surrounding the courts adjudication regarding the limitations to religious freedom and permissible scope of state restrictions under article 9(2) of the ECHR. 3.2 Prescribed by law: Implications and the purpose of domestic legislation Although the court accepted that the Greek governments restrictions on proselytism were prescribed by law and had a legitimate aim in Kokkinakis, the Court eventually held that the Greek government failed to demonstrate that the measures were ‘necessary and ‘proportionate in a democratic society. However, a common criticism of the Kokkinakis decision is that the courts failed to develop substantive protections of the rights of religious minorities and unpopular religions to proselytise as well as the concomitant rights of individuals to change their religion. For example, Taylor highlights that the European courts failure to â€Å"impugn Greeces anti-proselytism law† consequently ignored both the purpose of the legislation and the reality that the domestic law was often consistently applied as an instrument of discrimination.[67] Similarly, it is also worthwhile to note that the courts only adjudicated on the particular facts of the case rather than developing broader principles in relation to proselytism and the freedom to change ones religion.[68] In this connection, by merely narrowing its focus on Mr. Kokkinakis conviction, it is evident that the court failed to critique Greeces anti-proselytism measures—measures which have been used as an instrument of disc rimination as evidenced by the frequency of incarceration rates of minority believers.[69] Not only was the bias against unpopular and minority religious groups evident in Kokkinakis, but the reality that the domestic law has been used in a discriminatory fashion has also been reflected in the subsequent case law. For example, in Larissis, a group of Greek Pentecostal air force officers were convicted of proselytising to several of their ‘subordinate fellow servicemen as well as a number of civilians under Greek law. The European court held that the Greek authorities were justified in protecting the rights of the subordinate servicemen and therefore did not find a violation of Article 9 in that particular instance because of the likelihood that the lower ranking airmen could potentially be subjected to ‘improper pressure; however, the European court found that the Greek government could not justify the convictions of the Pentecostal Air Force officers in relation to the attempts of proselytising the civilians since the civilians were not subject to the same con straints and pressures of the lower-ranking airmen, and therefore, in violation of Article 9.[70] The court reasoned, [The] hierarchical structures which are a feature of life in the armed forces may colour every aspect of the relations between military personnel, making it difficult for a subordinate to rebuff the approaches of an individual of superior rank or to withdraw from a conversation initiated by him. Thus, what would in the civilian world be seen as an innocuous exchange of ideas which the recipient is free to accept or reject, may, within the confines of military life, be viewed as a form of harassment or the application of undue pressure in abuse of power.[71] Whilst understandable that the State was justified to intervene in order to protect the rights of the lower-ranking airmen since ‘hierarchical structures of military life could make â€Å"it difficult for a subordinate to rebuff the approaches of an individual of superior rank†,[72] the court avoided considering the question of whether the Greek legislation prohibiting proselytism was in and of itself a violation of Article 9.[73] In this connection, it is evident that the courts failure to address whether the Greek criminalisation of the proselytism law ought to be reformed or abolished appears to demonstrate the European courts tacit approval of systematic state justifications of laws discriminating and negatively impacting the rights of religious minorities[74] and new religious movements seeking to attract converts.[75] In doing so, it appears that the court instituted its own objective assessment of how the laws would discriminate against the rights of religious min orities to proselytise rather than adopting a perspective acknowledging the vantage point of the religious minorities themselves.[76] In other words, the court appears to dismiss the subjective experiences of the religious minorities in question; consequently, the courts â€Å"have shown little regard for the plight of sincere, committed believers whose claims that States actions interfere with their religion or belief are routinely dismissed by institutions prepared to substitute their judgment for the judgment of the believers†.[77] 3.3 Legitimate Aim The court noted that the ‘impugned measures of the Greek government were â€Å"in pursuit of a legitimate aim under Article 9(2)† in protecting â€Å"the rights and freedoms of others†.[78] However, one of the most unsettling features of the courts reasoning in Kokkinakis is its failure to further develop this conclusion.[79] Under Article 9(2), state limitations to the manifestation of belief are only justified â€Å"in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others†,[80] but one criticism levelled towards the approach in Kokkinakis is that â€Å"the Court effectively holds that a government satisfies its burden by offering any justification that can be tied, however remotely, to the ‘protection of the rights and freedoms of others†.[81] In other words, a government may sufficiently meet the ‘legitimate aim requirement at its own discretion, irrespective of whether the government arrived at its conclusion in an arbitrary or capricious manner as lo

Language Key Stage 1 2 Teaching Essay

Language Key Stage 1 2 Teaching Essay Research, such as that undertaken by Piaget (1978) and Vygotsky (Krause et al, 2003), Erikson (1997) and, later on, Bronfenbrenner (Krause et al, 2003), has put child development within social, economic and environmental contexts. Language, its acquisition, and how children talk, are recognised an essential constituents of these approaches. For example, at a Piagetian level, language acts as an indicator of a childs age and stage. For Vygotsky and Erikson, it reflects the students pre-conceptions, interpretations and understandings of the world and its workings as well as levels of pro-social skills. For Bronfenbrenner, language reflects the individuals environments within specific systems ranging from personal (microsystems family, peers, teachers) to external (macrosystems culture, beliefs). Currently, the value to student learning of specific talk types has come to the fore. For example, the importance of exploratory talk (Dawes et al, 2004) within the classroom talk context (Grugeon et al, 2005) has been realised as a means of developing pro-social and thinking skills. The first section of this essay extends this validation of childrens linguistic development. It does this through a survey of how theory, reason and practise combine to define childrens talk at primary level. It also looks at the formats that have been generated to support this (e.g. National Curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2 and the National Literacy Strategy for Key Stages 1 and 2). The second section gives a general discussion of forms of talk. The third section focuses on the classroom environment and the teachers role in an increasingly holistic approach to students language and learning. It looks at the different language forms as exemplified in Figure 1 and how a teacher can best develop a students skills through talk. As the brief survey above shows, the basic human urge to communicate has been much studied, qualified and quantified. Many of the educational models of communication (eg Lasswells, 1948 adaptation of the 5 Ws and Johnsons processes of interpersonal communication, 1986, both cited in Marsh, 2004) place parameters on childrens talk by encouraging specific forms of talk. The National Curriculum emphasises exploratory and questioning (see Table 1) language. It provides frameworks within each learning area and stage where these forms of talk can be scaffolded into a students means of communication. Understanding how children interpret, manage and convey information in important in order to effectively encourage questioning and exploration. Table 1. Examples of talking and listening in the National Curriculum Examples from the National Curriculum frameworks of teaching talk Listening Mathematics Group discussion and interaction Religious education Group discussion and interaction Science Speaking Design and technology Listening PSHE Listening Information and communication technology Listening Art and design Group discussion and interaction Music From the perspective of childrens talk, language must move through a number of stages and in doing so reflects both physical and cognitive development. It could be argued that two functions of talk, at the early stages, are as a means of learning and as something to be learnt (although arguments to a universal basic grammar point to language as instinctual eg Chomsky, 2000: Jackendoff, 1993). Gradually the parameters for this talk develop into more efficient tools with which to gather, interpret and communicate knowledge. It is important to bear in mind that language is more than just a tool for representing knowledge(Karmiloff-Smth, 1979, p.14). The influences on the childs way of, and purpose in, talking, may start as parents and carers and their specific attitudes and values their cultural capitol as Bourdieu would put it (cited in Webb et al, 2002). They also include culture and environments and, as Jackendoff (1993) points out, society. Children arrive at school with this background of child-directed speech. The amount and type of expansion and recasting appears to be linked to social, cultural and economic environments and impacts upon how a child can interpret and respond to school. Whilst this essay cannot give syntactical, phonetic, semantic or grammatical elements in childrens language development the space they deserve, their importance is acknowledged. However, the importance of oral language is now enshrined in the National Curriculum and integrated across the Key stages. As Dockrell et al (2004) point out in their examination of methods of supporting language development in young children, the approach initiated in Teaching speaking and listening in Key Stages 1 and 2 (QCA, 1999) increasingly focuses on teacher modelling. Research shows (e.g. Hart and Risley, 1995; Peterson and Siegal, 1999) how socio-economic factors and environments can influence a childs basic linguistic knowledge (eg the literacy hour (National Literacy Strategy, 1999) has intended to make up for short fall in a students pre-existing language. As the previous section briefly covers, the mode of childrens talk helps identify cognitive stage, personal knowledge, preconceptions, pro-social skills and terms of reference. It also mentions the reciprocal determinism, as Bandura (cited in Krause et al 2003)would put it, where environment is a product of both the individuals internal and external factors. However, this next section takes a level playing field approach to modes of talk. For example, leaving learning difficulties and ESL aside for the moment, a teacher would not expect a five year old to still be using the telegraphic speech (two word sentences) typical of a two year old. You may expect some over and under-extension, but essentially key stage 1 students should be demonstrating more metalinguistics awareness. Encouraging the development of metalinguistic awareness runs throughout the National Curriculum. For example the English section states: Pupils should be taught about how speech varies: in different circumstances [for example, to reflect on how their speech changes in more formal situations] to take account of different listeners [for example, adapting what they say when speaking to people they do not know]. Clearly, at the basis of this are two fundamental skills the ability to explore an issue and the ability to communicate within the parameters that have been established. Exploratory talk, as pointed out by Dawes and Wegerif (1998) is an essential skill that, for many primary school situations, needs to be taught. Their example is with regard to the use of computers by small groups. It stresses the need for children to learn to take turns talking, to listen to each other, respect each others opinions, question each other, discuss and finally agree on an outcome. Students need to know the necessary formats for this to work. For example, one student may have a very clear idea of the issue but may not be able to explain it well. Without the tools to communicate effectively, the students knowledge cannot contribute to the group. This brings us to the issue of the teacher as facilitator of constructive talk. language acquisition cannot take place in the absence of shared social and situational contexts (Chapman, 1978, cited in Bransford et al, 2000, p.94) With the goal of allowing students to develop their communication skills (and the associated processes such as literacy, pro-social skills etc), teachers need to provide a learning environment based on building confidence in enquiry. This guiding introduces a number of important issues. Firstly, the teachers must be aware of their own preconceptions, attitudes and values. For example, the curriculum demands that teachers maintain high expectations for their students. Without this, students can at best loose their enthusiasm for learning in specific areas, and at worst can sabotage their own learning. As much as a students language reflects their background values and conceptions, so can a teachers. An effective teacher needs use a number of strategies to enable students to contribute orally in a number of different formats. Modelling and motivation are just two of these strategies at work in each format. Both through drama and other exploration, children can develop a better understanding about effective communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Speaking, Listening, Learning: working with children in Key Stages 1 and 2 DfES 0626-2003 p.7 Good modelling is an essential part of a teachers repertoire. The words confidence and fluency run through the National Curriculum and one part of achieving this is to provide the students with both the vocabulary a situation demands and the means of using it. For example, Listening Mathematics involves practical activity, exploration and discussion (5.1.a Mathematics, National Curriculum). However, as Dockrell, Stuart and King (2004) consider, difficulties in defining a good oral go beyond modelling: it is not sufficient simply to provide good models; the language from the adult needs to be carefully tuned to the childs language. It needs to be offered in such a way as to extend and support, and children need plenty of opportunity to practise their fledgling skills. Dockrell et al, Supporting early oral language skills, 2004 A positive learning environment needs several elements. One, as Figure 1 shows, is motivation. This is a key element in producing types and forms of childrens talk. Young children will often talk out loud as they explore a problem, new situation, and put the issue into self-questioning and self-resolution. At this early stage, exploratory talk is often self-generated. At primary level, the teacher takes responsibility for ensuring that valid learning is taking place. Whilst exploratory talk is to be encouraged, it is more guided and learning more scaffolded, be that in a constructivist paradigm or a more structured setting. If the teacher can catch the students interest, then motivation occurs naturally. The curriculum gives four groups of speaking, listening, group discussion and interaction (Speaking, listening, learning: Working with children in KS1 and KS2 extends and supersedes the Teaching speaking and listening in Key Stages 1 and 2 (QCA, 1999)). Specifically, the teacher needs to provide individuals with talking formats and opportunity to practice them. The following is one from the English Framework: What is being talked about? Who is talking? What kind of talk? Speaking, Listening, Learning: working with children in Key Stages 1 and 2 DfES 0626-2003 (2003) Added to this could be what does this mean and how should I respond? Sadly, there is no space here to go into the excellent lesson plans and strategies (see for example Grugeon et al, 2005) for enhancing enquiry learning through exploratory talk or activities such as Talk Box activities (Dawes et al, 2004). In summary, the effective teacher needs to: develop a safe and motivational learning environment be clear and explicit (Johnston, 2004) provide and scaffold the basic tools for communication to listen and judge how successful their strategies are and reflect on how to improve them to tailor communication to individual learning styles to provide ample opportunity for students to practise these skills to use small group work develop a students metalinguistics awareness encourage a students self-regulatory processes enthuse and encourage students maintain high expectations These are just a few of the important elements in producing well-rounded, confident students. It should also be taken into account that school is a format in itself, for example playground talk is a valid component of student learning. Therefore, it is as important to listen to the vernacular as to teach confidence in the more formal contexts. Finally, this essay hopes to have conveyed an understanding of the importance of oral language. It also recognises the effect that talk has on other areas of a students learning. Good oral work enhances pupils understanding of language in both oral and written forms and of the way language can be used to communicate. It is also an important part of the process through which pupils read and compose texts. The NLS Framework for teaching YR to Y6 References and further reading Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., and Cocking, R.R. (eds) (2000 expanded ed) How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School. Commission on Behavioural and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council, Washington, DC: National Academy Press Chapman, R.S. (1978) Comprehension strategies in children. Pp.308-329 in Speech and Language in the Laboratory, School and Clinic. J. Kavanaugh and W. Strange, (eds) Cambridge, MA: MIT Press Chomsky, N. (2000) New Horizons in the Study of Language and Mind. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Dawes, L. and Sams, C. (2004) Talk Box: speaking and listening activities at Key Stage 1. London: David Fulton Publishers Dawes, L., Wegerif, R. and Mercer, N. (2004) Thinking together: Activites for Key Stage 2 Children and Teachers. Birmingham: Imaginative Minds DfES. The NLS Framework for teaching YR to Y6 DfESFramework for teaching (DfES 0500/2001) National Literacy Strategy: DfES Speaking, Listening, Learning: working with children in Key Stages 1 and 2 (DfES 0626-2003) DfES Grammar for writing (DfEE 0107/2000) National Literacy Strategy DfES Developing early writing (DfEE 0055/2001) National Literacy Strategy DfESMathematicalvocabulary book(DfES 0313/2000) National Numeracy Strategy DfES NLS Framework for teaching(DfES 0500-2001). National Literacy Strategy Dockrell, J., Stuart, M., and King, D. (2004) Supporting early oral language skills in Literacy Today, September 2004 Vol. 40 Erikson, E.H. (1997) The Life Cycle Completed: Extended version New York: W.W. Norton and Co. Gee, J.P. (2004) Situated Language and Learning: a critique of traditional schooling. Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge Grugeon, E., Hubbard, L., Smith. C. and Dawes, L. (2005) Teaching Speaking and Listening in the Primary School. London: Fulton Press Hart., B and Risley, T.R. (1995) Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H Brookes cited in K. Krause, S. Bochner and S. Duchesne, (2003) Educational Psychology for learning and teaching. p.21. Southbank, Victoria: Thomson Jackendoff, R. (1993) Patterns in the Mind: language and human nature. Hemel Hempstead, Herts: Harvester Wheatsheaf Johnston, P.H. (2004) Choice Words: how our language affects childrens learning. : Portland, Maine :Stenhouse Publishers Krause, K.L., Bochner, S., and Duchesne, S. (2003) Educational Psychology for learning and teaching. Southbank, Victoria:Thomson Karmilloff-Smith, A. (1979) A Functional Approach to Child Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Marsh, C. (2004) Becoming and Teacher: Knowledge, skills and issues. (3rd ed). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia Peterson, C.C., and Siegal, M. (1999) Representing inner worlds: Theory of mind in autistic, deaf and normal hearing children. Psychological Science, 10(2), pp.126-129 cited in K. Krause, S. Bochner and S. Duchesne, (2003) Educational Psychology for learning and teaching. p.21. Southbank, Victoria: Thomson Piaget, J. (1978) success and Understanding. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press Robertson, M., and Gerber, R. (Eds) (2000) The Childs World: triggers for learning. Melbourne, Australia: The Australian Council for Educational Research Webb, J., Schirato, T and Donaher, G. (2002) Understanding Bourdieu. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen and Unwin Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., and Holliday, M. (2004) Literacy: reading, writing and childrens literature. (2nd ed). Oxford: Oxford University Press Whitton, D., Sinclair, C., Barker, K., Nanlohy, P., and Nosworthy, M. (2004) Learning for Teaching: Teaching for Learning. Southbank, Victoria: Thomson Wolfe, P. (2001) Brain Matters: translating research into classroom practice. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Websites Play and effect. http://www.genkienglish.net/playandaffect.htm. Accessed 5 Jan 2006 National Curriculum. http://curriculum.becta.org.uk/docserver.php?docid=728. Accessed 3 Jan 2006 Oral language skills.http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Pubs/dockrell.html Accessed Jan 4 National Curriculum frameworks. http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/literacy/publications/framework/

birthmark :: essays research papers

Arrogant, cruel, brutal, and we can use all the synonyms of those words to describe Aylmer’s character. It was his arrogance, what made him think, he is a scientist. It was his cruelty, what made him treat Georgiana like dirt. It was his brutality, what kills Georgiana. But after all this there is a question remain. Was it all his fault? Was he the only one to blame for? If we take a look at the story from a different angel can’t we say that, Georgiana is also to blame for her lack of self-esteem. Isn’t it her lack of self-confidence, provides the strength for his brutality. ``If there be the remotest possibility of it,'' continued Georgiana, ``let the attempt be made at whatever risk. Danger is nothing to me; for life, while this hateful mark makes me the object of your horror and disgust, -- life is a burden, which I would fling down with joy. Either remove this dreadful hand, or take my wretched life! You have deep science. The entire world bears witness of it. You have achieved great wonders. Cannot you remove this little, little mark, which I cover with the tips of two small fingers? Is this beyond your power, for the sake of your own peace, and to save your poor wife from madness?'' Those were her exact word towards Aylmer. It was she who gave him the permission to play with her life. Couldn’t she show a little self-confidence and tell him on his face not to be troubled with it. Instead of telling him that, she started hating her birthmark too. As it says in the story† Still, whenever she dared to look into the mirror, there she beheld herself pale as a white rose and with the crimson birthmark stamped upon her cheek. Not even Aylmer now hated it so much as she†. Evan after reading Aylmer’s science journal where there are more failure and hardly any success, she didn’t say any thing to him instead she said, it had made her worship him more than ever.

Free Grendel Essays: Good Requires Evil :: Grendel Essays

Good Requires Evil in Grendel The classic struggle of good versus evil is taken from a different perspective in Grendel, a story in which John Gardner demonstrates that neither one can exist without the other. As in the parallel comparison of beauty to ugliness, it can be seen that good and evil are only identifiable in their contrast of one another. If there was nothing defined as beautiful, for instance, nothing could be ugly. There would be no such concept. Similarly, having no definition of good would make evil, too, a non-existent idea. In Grendel, Gardner grasps this thought, and maximizes its importance with the help of a horrendously confused monster and the society that he terrorizes. Throughout the novel, this monster, Grendel, seems confused as to whether he wants to view life like his existentialistic dragon mentor, or like the ignorantly optimistic humans on which he feeds. At times he is captivated by the romantic songs of the Shaper, and feels no desire to kill, while at others he thrives on the "knowledge" of the dragon, and goes on bloody rampages. At one point during Grendel's insecure state, the dragon tells him something that changes his outlook, and gives him a new feeling of self-worth. "You improve them, my boy! Can't you see that? yourself? You stimulate them! You make them think and scheme. You drive them to poetry, science, religion, all that makes them what they are for as long as they last. You are, so to speak, the brute existent by which they learn to define themselves. The exile, captivity, death they shrink from--the blunt facts of their mortality, their abandonment--that's what you make them recognize, embrace! You are mankind, or man's condition: inseparable as the mountain-climber and the mountain." (72-3) In short, the dragon is saying, "You are evil and they are good, but the only thing that makes them good is you." In this statement, it is apparent that good and evil have inseparable, yet undefinable boundaries, and are actually two in the same. Grendel's evilness motivates the fearful people to work, to strive, to think, and to overcome their problems. In this, however indirect or abstract it may seem, Grendel is actually producing good. Amazingly, he manages to be both evil and good at the same time. On the other hand, it is obvious that "evil" Grendel could not survive without the "good" humans. Free Grendel Essays: Good Requires Evil :: Grendel Essays Good Requires Evil in Grendel The classic struggle of good versus evil is taken from a different perspective in Grendel, a story in which John Gardner demonstrates that neither one can exist without the other. As in the parallel comparison of beauty to ugliness, it can be seen that good and evil are only identifiable in their contrast of one another. If there was nothing defined as beautiful, for instance, nothing could be ugly. There would be no such concept. Similarly, having no definition of good would make evil, too, a non-existent idea. In Grendel, Gardner grasps this thought, and maximizes its importance with the help of a horrendously confused monster and the society that he terrorizes. Throughout the novel, this monster, Grendel, seems confused as to whether he wants to view life like his existentialistic dragon mentor, or like the ignorantly optimistic humans on which he feeds. At times he is captivated by the romantic songs of the Shaper, and feels no desire to kill, while at others he thrives on the "knowledge" of the dragon, and goes on bloody rampages. At one point during Grendel's insecure state, the dragon tells him something that changes his outlook, and gives him a new feeling of self-worth. "You improve them, my boy! Can't you see that? yourself? You stimulate them! You make them think and scheme. You drive them to poetry, science, religion, all that makes them what they are for as long as they last. You are, so to speak, the brute existent by which they learn to define themselves. The exile, captivity, death they shrink from--the blunt facts of their mortality, their abandonment--that's what you make them recognize, embrace! You are mankind, or man's condition: inseparable as the mountain-climber and the mountain." (72-3) In short, the dragon is saying, "You are evil and they are good, but the only thing that makes them good is you." In this statement, it is apparent that good and evil have inseparable, yet undefinable boundaries, and are actually two in the same. Grendel's evilness motivates the fearful people to work, to strive, to think, and to overcome their problems. In this, however indirect or abstract it may seem, Grendel is actually producing good. Amazingly, he manages to be both evil and good at the same time. On the other hand, it is obvious that "evil" Grendel could not survive without the "good" humans.