Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Protecting Your Child from Internet Pornography t Research Paper

Protecting Your Child from Internet Pornography - Research Paper Example According to Goessl, one merit of the internet is that it has increased the ease of access to information and news worldwide. With just a click, one can get access to news happening all over the world. One is also able to read newspapers from other countries online. In most cases, the publication of news on the internet is faster than on major media networks. In June 2009 for instance, the government enforced a ban on foreign media in the aftermath of the Iranian election. Through Twitter, however, news of street protests was able to get to the rest of the world. Actually, people were able to upload a video of one protester that the police had shot on you-tube (2). The internet has also positively contributed to the cementing of networking among individuals quickly and efficiently. In the wake of the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan, for example, the internet proved very useful in rallying volunteers to assist in evacuations (Nomura, 2). More recently, during the devastating earthquake in Haiti, charity organizations were able to help the victims by giving their contributions online. Additionally, Haitians in the Diaspora were also able to look for missing family members by submitting their names online and waiting for feedback from people on the ground. The internet has also been invaluable to companies and individuals who conduct business. They are able to advertise and sell their products online. A good example is that of the Google search engine, one of the world’s largest companies. Google has optimized the searches that people carry out by matching their searches with corporations that vend similar products. They do this using ad words and when one clicks on any of the adverts, the companies pay Google for that (Historyofthings.com, para8).

Monday, October 28, 2019

Consumer Buying Behavior Towards Chocolates Marketing Essay

Consumer Buying Behavior Towards Chocolates Marketing Essay As consumers, we play a very vital role in the health of the economy local, national or international. The decision we make concerning our consumption behavior affect the demand for the basic raw materials, for the transportation, for the banking, for the production; they effect the employment of workers and deployment of resources and success of some industries and failures of others. Thus marketer must understand this. In order to become a successful marketer, he must know the liking or disliking of the customers. He must also know the time and the quantity of goods and services, a consumer may purchase, so that he may store the goods or provide the services according to the likings of the consumers. Based on the attribute that different buyer seeks while making purchase decision, marketers has to device appropriate marketing mix to position their product in the targeted market(s). Through this descriptive study we have tried to analyze the various attribute that different buyer seeks while making purchase of chocolates of different size and quantity for different purposes altogether with significant differences in favorite brand; flavor; price and place of buying etc. Also, we have tried to examine the various degree of relationship that exist between the different attributes of the product that consumer favors and the brand loyalty that consumer have toward his liked brand. Also main emphasis is laid to find out what results in brand loyalty and is this relationship is significant with changing marketplace. Keywords: Chocolate, Consumer behavior, Consumption INTRODUCTION: If people thought that chocolates were just restricted to kids think again. According to a recent study conducted by a major chocolate brand in India the major consumers of chocolates apart from kids are teenagers and people between the ages of 15 35. Chocolates which were considered expensive once have now become affordable by one and all. Most of the chocolate brands in India produce chocolates in different sizes that are priced according to their sizes. Chocolates like Diary Milk and Five Star can be got for just  `  10. Chocolates in India are slowly and steadily substituting the mithai or traditional Indian sweets. Due to the increasing levels of social consciousness people prefer gifting well wrapped chocolate packets rather than sweets on occasions and festivals. Taking advantage of this situation the top chocolate brands in India are now concentrating on the packaging and are introducing well packaged chocolates for specific occasions.   OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to make generalization of consumers buying behavior towards the purchase of chocolates and than to measure the extent of brand loyalty, altogether with knowing what other marketing mix variable affect buyers decision regarding the purchase of chocolates. This study is a step toward generalizing the consumer purchase pertaining to following major set objectives: To know the customer behavior and to identify the level of customer satisfaction towards different brands of chocolates. To know the significant promotion mix that plays role in particular market. To test the brand loyalty among different gender of different age. CONSUMPTION OF CHOCOLATES IN INDIA Chocolate consumption is gaining popularity in India due to increasing prosperity coupled with a shift in food habits, pushing up the countrys cocoa imports. Chocolate market in India is pegged at Rs 2,000 crore and is growing at the rate of 18 20 per cent per annum. The global chocolate market is estimated around $80 billion. The Indian chocolate market is seen growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 15-20%. The Indian chocolate market is thought to be worth some R1,500 crore and has been hailed as offering great potential for Western chocolate manufacturers as the market is still in its early stages. Over 70% of chocolate consumption takes place in the urban areas. Chocolate consumption in the rural areas is negligible in India. Chocolate market is a highly concentrated market, with Cadbury having 70 per cent and Nestle around 20 per cent. The two giants have been instrumental in building up the chocolate market in India with huge investments in product development, advertis ing and brand building. Modern trade constitutes about 10% of the overall chocolate category, or roughly Rs 320 crore, according to Nielsen. Of this, brand Cadbury Dairy Milk has a share of 35%, while Bournville and Silk together account for 18%. Facts Figures: Indian Chocolate Industry as today is dominated by two companies, both multinationals. The market leader is Cadbury with a lions share of 70%. The companys brands like Five Star, Gems, Éclairs, Perk, Dairy Milk are leaders in their segments. Until early 90s, Cadbury had a market share of over 80 %, but its party was spoiled when Nestle appeared on the scene. The other one has introduced its international brands in the country (Kit Kat, Lions), and now commands approximately 15% market share.  Bars or molded chocolates like Dairy Milk, Amul, Nestle Premium, and Truffle account for 35 40 per cent of the total market (in terms of volume). The Count chocolates such as Five Star, Kitkat, Perk etc. is the next largest segment, accounting for 30 per cent of the total market. Panned chocolates enjoy 10 per cent of the total market share. In India, chocolates are consumed as excitement / enjoyment and not as snack. Therefore, more than 75 per cent of chocolate purchases are impulse. Ch ocolate consumption in India has nearly trebled since 2005, which is the reason why leading chocolate companies are investing in bringing premium brands such as Toblerone. Seasonal and boxed assorted chocolates have been experiencing the fastest growth, and sales are expected to expand 13% between 2010 and 2015. Cadbury India, which has been on an overdrive to promote its premium brands such as Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk and Bournville, is now rolling out Toblerone from parent Kraft Foods stable. The per capita consumption of chocolates in India, according to Chandramouli Venkatesan, director (snacking strategy), Cadbury India, has increased from 40gm per person per year in 2005 to 110-120gm. However, the launch of Toblerone is in line with Cadbury Indias business objective of growing the premium-gifting chocolate market. Gifting is a Rs 15,000-crore category in India, of which branded chocolate gifting is about 6%. Cadbury Indias share in branded chocolate gifting is 80%. Despite the fact that Indians have strong affinity for sweets, the size of domestic confectionery market is small on account of traditional consumer tastes and habits. The Chocolate market in India is a niche market penetrated largely in urban areas and per capita consumption is low as compared to those in developed countries of the West. Cadbury Indias main source of revenue is its 70% bite of the 23,000 tonnes Indian chocolate market. Advertisement Trends (AdEx division of TAM Media Research) Regional GEC took the second place with a 21 per cent share ad volumes of chocolates, followed by Hindi movie with 13 per cent share during January-November 2007. Cadbury India Ltd was way ahead of its peers with 66 per cent share followed by Nestle India Ltd and Parle Products Private Ltd during January-November 2007. As expected chocolate advertising skewed towards kids channels and regional GEC took the second position. Cadbury India Ltd rules chocolate advertising on television. Chocolate advertising rose by 30 per cent during January-November 2007 compared to January-November 2006. Maximum chocolate advertising was during Raksha Bandhan across 2005 and 2006 and January-November 2007. 17 per cent more advertising during third quarter 2007 (Raksha Bandhan festival) compared to first quarter 2007. LITERATURE REVIEW After having detailed study of Principles of marketing management book by Kotler and Keller, we came to know about consumer purchasing behavior and other various attributes of marketing mix like place and product strategy in alignment with promotion and pricing strategies and concept of brand loyalty with all the major attributes of a good brand. Beside this detailed study of various research papers and articles has also been made to know the practical applicability of the concept. Consumer leant about chocolate from many sources, mainly from friends and families, through advertisement and from their own experience. Whether a promotion and advertising hurt or help a brand is under-researched (Mela, Gupta Lehman, 1997). In the long-run, advertisement help brands by making consumer less price sensitive and more loyal. The purchase decision pertaining to particular brand and loyalty is a result of various attributes of the product. Advertisers must remember that advertising messages are interpreted differently between different genders (Maldonando, Tansuhaj Muehling, 2003; Hogg Garrow, 2003; Putrevu, 2001). Previous studies have proven that females were more likely to engage in elaboration than men (Maldonado Muehling, 2003). Hogg and Garrow (2003) found that women paid more intention about the details of the characters of an ad when asked to analyze advertising messages. They said that this may be explained by the fact that females have a greater tendency than men to consider external information and information related to others. Women are comprehensive processors who try to gather all available information about the product Advertisement can change consumers perception of a product in terms of attributes content and proportion and also influence consumers taste for attributes (Gwin Gwin, 2003). Brand preference and product attribute: Attributes are the characteristic or features that an object may or may not have and includes both intrinsic and extrinsic (Mowen Minor, 1998). Understanding why a consumer choose a product based upon its attributes helps marketers to understand why some consumers have preferences for certain brands (Gwin Gwin, 2003). Both tangible and intangible attributes of a product are equally important in choosing a product or brand (Myers, 2003). There is no evidence that certain attributes are more related to customer loyalty than others (Romariuk Sharp, 2003). Romariuk and Sharp (2003) suggested that marketers should focus more on how many attributes the brand should be associated with and not what attributes. For low-involvement products, consumers have more objective view of the nature of the attributes (e.g. food, cosmetics) because they are constantly being advertised and promoted. Price is another form of attribute used by consumers to evaluate a product. Price can sometimes be an indicator of quality; with a higher price indicating higher quality (Mowen Minor, 1998; Siu Wong, 2002). Consumers perceive that a higher price can be attributed to the higher cost of quality control (Siu Wong, 2002). Some consumers are highly price sensitive (elastic demand), whereby a high prices may shift consumers to competitive brands (Mowen Minor, 1998). Therefore price can have a positive or negative influence on customers. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY In this study the problem pertains to both State of nature and relationship among the variable i.e.; what is general behavior of consumer and than inferenceing the relationship that exist among the different variables to test the extent of brand loyalty and influence of one variable over the other from the data. As the study is related to the study of consumer behavior toward chocolates thats why the appropriate research design used is Fundamental descriptive with the use of both qualitative and quantitative design with static research approach. Formalized research design is also taken into consideration in order to test the Hypothesis framed. In this cross sectional co-relational field study data related to various independent variables dependent variables was collected from the stratified sample of 100 individuals, including males and females of different age groups constituting the sample. All the respondents were approached on the basis of simple random sampling in convenient ma rket place to ensure the accuracy precision of results. Personally administrated questionnaires were used for conducting the survey. INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS: In our study 48% (41) of respondent are males while 52% (45) of respondent were females. In this 57% (49) respondent are student, 16% (14) were professional, 13% (11) were businessman while 14% (12) respondent were females. 33% respondent includes people of age group 10-18, while other includes those of age 19-59. Q.1 who do purchase how frequently and how much they purchase Out of 86 respondents 13 (15%) respondents buy chocolates daily while 35 (41%) of them buy it weekly compared to 16 (19%) who buy them monthly against 22 (25%) respondents who buys it occasionally. In this 12% of males buy daily while 14% of female buy it daily. While 42% of males buy chocolates in a week against 33% of females, whereas 31% of females like to buy chocolate in a month compared to 22% of males. The result of collected sample reveals that 62% (53) respondent buys less than 5 chocolates a week, while 28% (24) people buys 5-10 chocolates a week. Only 3% of respondent said that they buy more than 15 chocolates an week against 7% who buys 10-15 chocolates a week. The analysis of sample data results that females buy more chocolates than males in a week as 38% of them buy 6-10 chocolates while only 17% of males do so. 73% of males generally buy chocolate in between 1-5 packs a week compared to 51% of female respondent. It is analyzed that 21% (18) of respondent purchases chocolate costing between 5-10 Rs while 47% (40) buys chocolate that cost 10-20 Rs. Chocolates costing 20-50 Rs is preferred only by 24% (21) of respondent and only 7 (8%) out of 86 respondent buys chocolates costing more than Rs 50. Price of chocolate significantly affect different gender differently as 22% female purchase chocolates costing 5-10 Rs against 19% males, while 49% of females prefers to buy those costing in between 10-20 Rs as against 44% of males. 32% Males buy chocolates those costing in between 20-50 Rs compared to 18% of female buying the same. Q.2 For whom it is purchased In collected sample 41% (35) respondent buys chocolates for self consumption against 29% (25) who never buys for them-self. Among them 44% (38) respondent purchases for children against 15% (13) who never buys for childrens. 28% (24) of respondent buys chocolates only for the gifting. The percentage of those who buys always and never for special occasion is approximately 27% and 24% respectively. Analysis shows that 42% of females always buy choclates for self consumption where only 39% of males do same for self consumption. When it comes for buying choclates for children than insignificant of gender both have same buying behaviour. Males seems to gift chocolate more than female as 20% of them buy it for gifting compared to 12% of females. Q.3 what motivate to buy chocolate In a study of 86 respondent it was found that 17% (15)of the respondent were very tempted by the display ads while 34% (29) respondent are moderately affected by the display ads while it has no affect on purchase decision of 13% (11) of respondent. In the undertaken study visual ads highly affect 41% (35) respondent while only 9% (8) of respondent are not affected by it. 24% (21) of respondent perceives affect of family and friends on their purchase decision while it has no affect on 5% (4) of respondent. This shows that family and friends has very high affect on purchase decision of chocolates buyers. Very insignificant numbers of respondent only 2% are affected by sales-man persuasion while it has no affect on 49% (42) of respondent. Also celebrity endorsement has only a moderate influence on purchase decision of respondents. Only 9% respondent are affected by celebrity endorsement compared to no affect on 16% respondents. 42% females are affected by visual advertisment against 39% of males while the display ads affect male more compared to females with 24% and 11% of significant impact on purchase decision respectively. Also family and friend affect females(27%) more against males (22%). Q.4 Important Attribute of the chocolate It can be inferred from study that taste is very important for buying chocolate 95%males 93% females buy chocolates because of taste. 54% males 49% females are showing neutral response to availability, while 27% males 36% females say that availability is most important for buying chocolate. 19% males 15% females have least impact of availability. Price is most important consideration for 29% males 33% females. It affects 42% males 29% females moderately. For 29% males 38% female price is least important. Packaging seems to impact purchase decision of 49% males 58% females moderately during purchase of chocolates. For 22% males 27% females packaging is most important consideration for buying chocolate. 29% males 15 % females have least impact of packaging. Q.5 Advertisement seems to have moderate impact on purchase decision irrespective of gender; however 29% males 22% females are mostly affected by advertisement. 17% males 24% females are not affected by advertisement. Q.6 Forms of chocolate impact 54% males 44% females moderately while 24% males 27% females are mostly affected by form of chocolate. 22% males 29% females are least impacted by form. 80% chocolate buyer seems to buy particular brand against 7% who do not care for the brand name Q.7 how advertisements persuade consumers to purchase Sample in hands results that 20% of people like to buy due to emotion in their advertisement while 43% of respondent love fun in advertisement while only 27% of people like knowledge in the promotion mix against 10% of people who likes music/jingle. So it can be concluded that people watch and are persuaded due to fun content in the advertising of the chocolate more than any other factor. While analysing data on the basis of gender it can inferred that males (81%) like fun and emotional content in advertisement than females(47%), while female (33%) prefer knowledge content more than males (19%). While 20% of female loves music and jingles in comparison no male like it. Q.8 which brand mostly prefered by consumers In the undertaken study it was found that Cadbury is the most favoured brand with 70% of share as against 21% of Nestle, 4% 5% respectively for Amul and miscellaneous ones. It can be inferred from the collected data that females (71%) like Cadbury more than males (68%), while males prefer nestle (24%) more than that of females (18%). While demand for Amul chocolates is found to be very insignificant and equal in both the gender. Q.9 effect of increament in rates The sample analysis say that 82% respondent are highly brand loyal as 18% of them will buy the costly pack of same and 64% of them will not show any change in demand pattern. Only 5% of respondent are in favour of shifting brand against 13% who will reduce the purchase quantity if the rate increases by 2-5 Rs. The deep gender-wise analyses of result show that both genders are equally brand loyal towards price sensitivity. Results show that around 64% (in both gender) will have no change in their purchase decision while 19% of them show positive relation toward buying as they will buy more thinking quality has improved. Also its seems that Law of demand (increase case) operate on males more than females as 15% 11% of them will reduce buying chocolate with increase in prices. Q.10 from where consumers mostly buy The sample study results show that 35% (30) respondent buys from local shop against 49% (42), 7% (6) and 9% (8) respondent who buys from store, cafeteria and malls respectively. In this study, males (42%) prefer to buy more from local shop than compared to females (29%) while female (55%) prefer to buy more from stores against males (41%). While the ratio of buying from malls and cafeteria reveals there is no significant impact of it on gender as both have almost equal choices in this regard. Q.11 what consumers do if preferred bran not available The analysis of sample data says that 9% of total respondent will buy costly pack of same brand while 56% of them will move to next shop. This shows that 65% of respondent are highly brand loyal against those 30% who will buy another brand or other (6%) will postpone their purchase decision. The analysis of sample data gives result that females are highly brand loyal than males as 71% of them will buy the costly pack of same brand or move to another shop compared to 59% of males if that particular is not available. While36 % males 24% female say that they will shift to another brand while 6% of both genders will postpone their purchase decision. Q.12 how much customer are loyal to specific brand To check brand loyalty and competitive affect we has analyzed that 15% of respondent will not buy any other brand while 53% of them may consider the same against 35% who are not sure of taking decision. Our study 41 male 45 female respondents were there if another brand of the same product appears in the market then 7% males 22% females will not buy the new brand. 64% males 44% females may be considering the new brand. 5% males 18% females shall not consider new brand. 24% males 16% females cant say they will buy new brand or not. CONCLUSION: In study of 86 respondents it was found that 95% (82) respondents like Cadbury Brand, 68% (59) respondents like Nestle Brand, 24% (21) of respondents like Amul Brand 1% respondents like Other Brand. So it can be concluded that Cadbury is most famous brand among others. 50% Cadbury buyers like to buy Dairy milk out of 82 respondents 15% Cadbury buyers like to buy 5 Star out of 82 respondents. 10% Cadbury buyers like to buy Perk out of 82 respondents. So, the findings from study that most preferred chocolate are Dairy Milk out of Cadbury buyers. 36% of Nestle buyers like to buy Kit -Kat out of 59 respondents. 24% of Nestle buyers like to buy Éclairs out of 59 respondents. 20% of Nestle buyers like to buy Munch out of 59 respondents. 52% of Amul buyers like to buy Chocà ³ Mines out of 27 respondents. 48% of Amul buyers like to buy Chocà ³ Zoo out of 27 respondents. To be concluded that Kit -Kat and Chocà ³ Mines is most preferred chocolate in Nestle and Amul respectively. Also, it was found that 59% (51) of respondents like chocolate flavor, 23% (20) likes coffee flavor 20% (17) respondents like nuts flavor. So it can be concluded that chocolate is the most profitable flavor coffee second most profitable. APPENDIX 1. Ho = their exist no relationship between the gender who buy chocolate for self consumption, children, gift. Ha= Gender have significant impact on the purpose of buying chocolates. Gender Child Chi-Square(a,b) .186 13.000 Df 1 2 Asymp. Sig. .666 .002 Gender Gift Chi-Square(a,b) .186 34.907 Df 1 2 Asymp. Sig. .666 .000 Gender Self Chi-Square(a,b) .186 2.116 df 1 2 Asymp. Sig. .666 .347 After applying Chi square test on the data it is found calculated value of test is less than the tabulated one. It means that Ho is accepted thats prove that their is very insignificant difference in perception of both the gender and thus both gender buy chocolates for self consumption, gifting and children in a equitable amount. APPENDIX 2. Ho = their is no relationship in gender and frequency of buying chocolates Ha= Gender affect frequency of buying chocolates. Gender How Often Chi-Square(a,b) .186 13.256 Df 1 3 Asymp. Sig. .666 .004 our Ho is selected and Ha is discarded. Thus use of chi square test proves here that both the gender have similar frequency in buying chocolates. APPENDIX 3. Ho= Cost do not affect the purchase decision of diferent age group Ha = different age group have different perception towards cost Age Cost Chi-Square(a,b) 45.209 26.279 Df 30 3 Asymp. Sig. .037 .000 Here in this study it is found that the age and cost have significant relationship among them. It means different age group have different reaction towards different price levels. Thus our Ha is accepted and Ho is rejected. APPENDIX 4. Ho=Visual ads do not have different on different gender Ha=Visual ads affect different gender Gender Visual Ad Chi-Square(a,b) .186 32.256 Df 1 4 Asymp. Sig. .666 .000 Here Chi Square test show that tabulated value of Chi square is greater than calculated thats why our Ho is accepted, which means that there is no relationship betwen gender and visual ads. APPENDIX 5. Ho= The cost of chocolate do not affect the brand purchase Ha=The price of chocolate affect the brand purchased Cost Brand Chi-Square(a,b) 26.279 85.558 Df 3 2 Asymp. Sig. .000 .000 Here Chi Square test show that tabulated value of Chi square is greater than calculated thats why our Ho is accepted, which means that there is no relationship between cost and brand purchased.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Flawless Use of Parallelism in Shakespeares King Lear :: King Lear essays

Flawless Use of Parallelism in King Lear      Ã‚   Many twists and turns characterize the television soap operas of today. Subplots are a distinctive trait of these daylight dramas, for they keep audience on the edge of their seats. Subplots keep the material fresh and the audience wanting more. Shakespeare uses secondary plots as a literary device to greatly dramatize the action of the play and to spark a contrast to his underlying themes in King Lear. The secondary plots can incalculably improve the effect of dramatic irony and suspense. The effective usage of subplots in King Lear, as a form of parallelism, exhibits analogous traits of prominent characters. Using such literary device permits the audience to understand the emotions of the essential characters in the play. The magnificent similarity of different plots and characters can illustrate Shakespeare's perfect use of parallelism in King Lear.    Parallelism is greatly enhanced by the use of subplots, for it creates emphasis and suspense. The parallel between Lear and Gloucester displayed in the play cannot possibly be accidental. The subplot of Gloucester corresponds the major plot of Lear. The two fathers have their own loyal legitimate child, and their own evil and disloyal kin. Gloucester and Lear are both honorable men, who have children that return to them in their time of need, and are sightless to the truth. Like Lear, Gloucester is tormented, and his favored child recovers his life; he is tended and healed by the child whom he has wronged. Their sufferings are traceable to their extreme folly and injustice, and to a selfish pursuit of their pleasure. In the early beginning of King Lear, Cordelia says that her love for her father is the love between father and daughter, no more, no less.    "Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth: I love your majesty According to my bond; nor more nor less." (Shakespeare.I.i.93-95)    In response, Lear flies into a rage, disowns Cordelia, and divides her share of the kingdom between her two unworthy sisters. Such folly and injustice is encountered by Gloucester in the secondary plot.    "O villain, villain! His very opinion in the letter. Abhorred villain, unnatural, detested, brut- ish villain; worse than brutish! Go, sirrah, seek him. I'll apprehend him. Abominable villain! Where is he?" (I.ii.80-84)

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Explication: the gift

This poem is written in free verse, separated into four stanzas each with a varying number of lines and syllables. There is no precise rhyming pattern, but there Is a pattern within the usage of words. The speaker uses bodily words such as palm, hands, face, and head at the ends of lines In the second stanza when describing, In the literal form, when the speaker Is talking about the experience he went through getting the metal sliver pulled from his palm.The speaker repeats those words when he Is describing performing the same process on his wife; remaining Just as calm ND tender as his father was with him. This poem follows a sequence of events, almost Like a timeline. This Is true for the literal reading as well as the metaphorical reading of the poem. The â€Å"gift† that Is passed down from the speakers father to him, and then utilized on his wife, Is a life lesson. At the age of seven, the speaker takes mental notes of his father and the actions that he made, and uses the m when he Is about 20 years older.This poem acts as the path the speaker had to take to get where he is today. The entire poem follows a route; gradually the speaker goes wrought life learning from his father. This has one exception: the third stanza. This stanza, directly in the middle of the poem, acts as a dividing line between the younger and older years of the speakers' life. It has 7 lines, (also the age of the speaker in the beginning) and it also doesn't really flow in the poem.The 2 stanzas prior talk about what happened to him when he was 7, and then the last line of the 3rd stanza and the last stanza talk about life when the speaker was approximately 20 years older. In my opinion this was a smart decision to have these sections divided cause it shows how there is a difference between learning something and using it to your advantage later on. The central metaphor for this poem is that the â€Å"gift† that the speakers' father passes down to him is a life lesson. Th e speaker learns this lesson at an early age and uses it throughout the rest of his life.The â€Å"metal splinter† is a problem that the speaker has faced once when he was a child and that his wife faced later on. The gift that his father passes onto him is the solution to that returning problem. His father teaches him the solution to this obviously important problem and cherishes it. When the speaker says, â€Å"l did what a child does/ when he's given something to keep,† it's clear that the speakers' father wanted his son to have and use this lesson as much as the speaker wanted to be seen as an Image of his father.Explication: the gift BY Nannette Explication #2 â€Å"The Gift† By Lie-Young Lee number of lines and syllables. There is no precise rhyming pattern, but there is a hands, face, and head at the ends of lines in the second stanza when describing, in he literal form, when the speaker is talking about the experience he went through he is describing per forming the same process on his wife; remaining Just as calm almost like a timeline.This is true for the literal reading as well as the metaphorical reading of the poem. The â€Å"gift† that is passed down from the speaker's father to him, and then utilized on his wife, is a life lesson. At the age of seven, the speaker takes mental notes of his father and the actions that he made, and uses them when he is and use this lesson as much as the speaker wanted to be seen as an image of his

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Compare and Contrast The Theology Of Judaism And Christianity

By   theology   we   mean   a   rational   and   systematic   study   of   a   religion. It   is   an analysis   to   understand   a   religious   matter. This   analysis   helps   us   to   understand   more   truly   our   religion, and   also   in   the propagation   of   our   religion. As   we   know, Judaism   is   the   religion   of   Jewish   people. Judaism   theology follow   monotheism   i.e.   belief   in one   single   God. Moreover   Judaism   theology   says that   God   knows   every   thing, has   unlimited   power, has created   the   universe   and   is kind   to   everyone. The   essence   of   believes   of   Jewish   people is   the   written and   oral Torah. Torah   is   a   Hebrew   word   meaning   teaching, instruction   or   law. It   is   basically a   set   of   five books   of   Moses   also   known   as   five   laws   of   Moses. Moses   is the Father   and   chief   of   all   prophets. Torah   says   that   all   living   and   non   living   things   in   this   world   are   creation of   God. It   is   the   God, who   has wrought   things, workout   and   shall   work   for   ever. It says   that   creator   is   one   and   is   incorporeal   i.e.   having no   corporeal   qualities   or   in other   words   He   has   no   material   or   physical   form   of   substance. It   says   that creator was   the   first   and   will   be   the   last, and   is   the   only one   to   be   worshipped   and   none else. Torah   also says   that   all   words   of   prophets   are   true. It   says   that   all   our   deeds and our   thoughts   are   known   by   God. As   there   is   a   saying   in   Judaism, â€Å"He   who   had   formed   their   hearts altogether, He   knows   all   their   deeds†. According   to   Torah God   rewards   those   who   keep   His   commandments   and   punishes those   who   go beyond   the   limits   of   what   is   morally   acceptable. One   of   the   most   ardent   faiths   of Jewish   people   is   that   there   will   be   a   resurrection   or   rebirth   of   God, but   on   the time   decided   by   Him. It   is   believed   that   every   man   and   woman   on   earth   is   like God, with   a   spiritual   and   always   existing soul. Everyone   is   made   to   be   the I mage and   likeness   of   God. For   most   Jewish   people, earth   is the   place   where   they   are   supposed   to   enjoy   their   life, not   in   the   heaven. According   to   them, hard   work   and   education   are the   paths   directed   by   God   to   live   a   good   life. They   do   not   find   accumulation   of wealth   to   be   an   evil   act   as   long   as   it is   used   in   good   deeds   and   charity. One   can live   a   comfortable   and   cozy   life   following   moral   rules. They   also   promote   honest sex   and   marital   life, but   oppose   adultery, premarital   sex, homosexuality, abortion   and   these as   sins. They   say   that   pleasures   life   like   drinking   and   dancing   are   good   if   not   Ã‚  done   in   excess. One   should   not   be   habitat   of   such   things. Judaism   theology   says   that   after   death   a   person   is   sent   to   heaven   or   hell. Heaven   is   considered   to   be   dwelling   of   God   and   angels. And   hell   as   home   of devils   and   place   where   wicked   people   are   punished. Now,   if   we   Ã‚  talk   about   Christian   theology, then   there   is   a   very   clear   doctrine or   set   of   believes   related   to   the   Holy   Trinity. It   says   that   there   is   only   one   God, with   three   persons, the   Father, the   Son   and   the   Holy   Spirit. Each   person   is   fully God, but   there   are   not   three   Gods   but   only   one   God. Christians   consider   God   himself   Ã‚  as   a   community   of   love. The   father   loves   Son, and   the   Son   loves   the Father   and   this love   of   the   Father   to   the   Son   and   of   the   Son   to   the   Father   is   the Holy   Spirit. Three   persons   but   only   one   true   God. This   is   the   most   glorious   mystery   of   the   Holy   Trinity   in   the   whole   Bible. It   is   said   that   God   is   repeatedly the   God   of   Abraham, the   God   of   Issac   and   the   God   of   Jacob, symbolizing   the   Holy   Trinity. Abraham   is   God   the   father, Issac   is   God   the   Son   and   Jacob   is   God the   Holy   Spirit. In   Christianity   faith   is   the   basis   of   a   Christian’s   life, the   foundation   of   the Christian building. One   of   the   faiths   is   that   the   person, who   believes   in   the   Son, has   eternal   life, whoever   disobeys   Him   will   not   see   life, but   God’s   wrath   resets upon   him. Christians   take   baptism   a   way   by   which   the   original   sin is   forgiven. Baptism   is   a sacrament   instituted   and ordered   by   Jesus   Christ. By baptism   we emerge   as   a new   creature, a child   of God   and   receive the   gift   of Holy   Spirit. It   is believed   that   after   baptism   our   old   man   dies   and   is   buried   Ã‚  with Christ. Moreover It   Ã‚  is   Ã‚  hat   before     baptism you   are   a   child   of   the   devil   and   after   baptism   you   are child   of   God. A   man who   believes   in   Jesus, but   do   not   receive   baptism   in   his church   is   not   a   Christian. For   a   Christian   it   is   not   only   important   to   believe   in   God   but   also   to receive   what   God   gives   us. It means   to   give   thanks   to   God   for   everything. This   is the   secret   of   how   to   keep   ourselves   always   happy and   satisfied   in our   life. To   give   thanks   to   God   for   every thing   is   the   first   step   to   calm   ourselves   and face   any storm   in   our   life. REFRENCES:- http://biblia.com/theology/maimonides.htm http://religion-cults.com/Christianity/be-pra.htm   

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

On Waging War essays

On Waging War essays War is always regarded as a sin (Aquinas Summa Theologiae Extracts II-II q.40 a.l). The great medieval thinker, Saint Thomas Aquinas, demonstrated and developed his ethical theory and limitations of waging war. It is unlawful to trigger warfare in any situation, in terms of the belief on Christianity. However, Aquinas objected to the theory, and claimed that war can be considered as a just war, under the certain circumstances for warring that are built upon three restrictions. Aquinas indicated these factors could promote war into the attribution of Just by giving the authority of the prince, judging the validity of doing things, and righteous intent (Aquinas Summa Theologiae Extracts II-II q.40 a.l). Based on these aspects, war is not evil as most people thought, because it concerns more about morality and virtue. In addition, Aquinas suggested that just also embodied the aspect of murder, such as innocent sacrifice, and killing on self-defense in the certain occasions. Personally speaking, those limitations should not be applied to the modern warfare. There are many fallacies can be taken for preposterous reasons of waging the war. This essay will indicate the examples that happened in recent military history, and explain why those limitations can not be used in modern There are two restrictions of waging war, that is, private command, and intention. According to Christianity (Aquinas Summa Theologiae Extracts II- II q.40 a.l), the sin is always influencing the quality of virtue, and obviously, war is opposed to peace. Moreover, all kinds of military drills are lawful and come up with the directly reasons of its own, except the marital contests for massacre (Aquinas Summa Theologiae Extracts II-II q.40 a.l). What if the purpose of doing military practice just for "perso...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Alexander Pope and the Scientific Revolution Essays

Alexander Pope and the Scientific Revolution Essays Alexander Pope and the Scientific Revolution Essay Alexander Pope and the Scientific Revolution Essay In the seventeenth century many scientists and philosophers strayed away from the church’s way of thinking and began to seek out their own explanations of the world around them. Scientists questioned, even opposed theories the church had been teaching for centuries. Alexander Pope, a philosophical poet, wrote a very controversial poem that changed a lot of people’s views on God’s divine role in human kind, as well as inspired people to think for themselves. What made Pope’s ideas so unique? How did Pope incorporate the belief of God with the new scientific discoveries of his time? Exploring these questions gives a better understanding of the conflict between science and religion in the seventeenth century, and insight on a man who believed everyone should accept the world as they find it. The scientific revolution was a time of dramatic change. People began asking questions of the world around them, and instead of looking to the church for answers as they had for many years, started coming up with their own theories. Alexander Pope was very interested in the scientific discoveries of his time, particularly those of Sir Isaac Newton, and tried to incorporate them into his faith. This was dangerous however, because the Church opposed all of the new ideas being brought forth, as they felt it was challenging their beliefs. Pope’s main intent was not to oppose the Church; instead, he sought to build a bridge between religion and the new scientific discoveries as a way to glorify God. By writing â€Å"An Essay on Man†, Pope wished to present a God that was different from those in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The faith that he presents in his poem is similar in that it is monotheistic; however, the new ideas he offers on humanity’s role in the universe was incomparable to any other religion at the time. This was just one of many examples of the critical thinking that was beginning to be used in the scientific revolution, and encouraged others to seek out their own explanations of the world around them. For centuries it had been common belief that the earth was the center of the universe and humans were God’s greatest creation; therefore, new discoveries in nature and the universe generally contradicted the Church’s teachings and beliefs. In Pope’s poem â€Å"An Essay on Man†, he explains God’s relationship to the world in a Newtonian way. Pope tried to use the new scientific discoveries in nature and the universe as a way to glorify God, showing that He was everywhere and a part of everything. The poem states that no matter how complex or evil the world seems to humans, it follows the natural order of God, and therefore should be accepted. Pope believes that the ignorance of people to the world around them inhibits their relationship with God. It was this kind of thinking outside of the norm that was present among many philosophers during the scientific revolution. The most important aspect of the scientific revolution is people began to ask questions of the world around them, and sought the answers for themselves. Instead of looking to the church for answers, they began to observe, examine and explore for themselves. Alexander Pope was one of many , who instead of accepting the Church’s beliefs, interpreted the universe and God’s place in it all in his own perspective and encouraged others to do the same.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Write a Perfect Human Resources Resume

How to Write a Perfect Human Resources Resume human resources professionals may see thousands of resumes in their careerss)How to Write a Perfect Occupational Therapist ResumeHow to Write a Perfect Physician Assistant Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Receptionist Resume (Examples Included)How to Create a Perfect Retail ResumeHow to Write a Perfect Sales Associate Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Social Worker Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Truck Driver Resume (With Examples)

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Rich media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Rich media - Essay Example Upon acknowledging all forms, it conducts a rational appraisal of both good and bad aspects of the presentation. Shir (2005) agree that aspectual analysis suggest mechanisms through which users can avoid experience with negative aspects while reaping optimal benefits from good characteristics in acknowledging facts about cigarettes. Evaluation employed original responses elicited from the experience of target individuals. These individuals serves as the most appropriate population for ensuring both verbal and non-verbal responses from the use of flash presentation in learning positive and negative effects of cigarette consumption in the society. Sampled individuals who participated in the aspectual analysis were all my friends listed below. i. Ahmed. ii. Alex. iii. Nick. Spatial aspect With respect to spatial aspect, evaluation takes into consideration elements of volume and mass space taken by the entire application. This cigarette application takes approximately 10MB on a computer hard disk memory or internet storage space. According to Sammons (2012), the application requires small to medium display screens to enhance its graphics and interactions. Alex was concerned with the memory size because he could not use a medium flash disk to transfer the application from one computer to another. On the other hand, Ahmed appreciated the fact that wider screens enhanced graphical clarity. He preferred to use a 30 inch flat screen TV to access the application. Nick acknowledges the fact that he could store the medium-sized application in his Gmail account and access it from any place with internet access. Kinematic Aspects Users of this application will be able to navigate through different parts in an easy and convenient manner. The main page contains animated options meant to facilitate interaction between the application and the user. Sammons (2012) assert that interactive animations allow users to move from one scene to another without starting over again. Alex sa ys that the animation saves time by allowing him to move directly to preferred scenes. Ahmed had a negative experience in the aspect of kinematics. The loading page allowed the next page to come up without any effect required. This lack of control in scene movement does not give Ahmed enough time to experience the loading page. On the other hand, Nick appreciates that shortcuts allows easier movement from one scene to another; hence allowing for customized manipulation of the application. Quantitative aspect The quantitative aspect of information contained in the application remains as the main challenge in accessing all materials. As acknowledged earlier, the system uses contents of different forms. According to Joao and Gomes (2010), factual information is presented in text form. On the other hand, visual effects employ the use of animations like the foot stepping on a packet of cigarette. Cumulatively, all scenes take substantial time to experience. Alex says that entire coverage could take an entire afternoon. This means a significant amount of time is spent on the application. According to Ahmed, the small quantity of text, animation and audio content of each scene facilitates convenience with respect to time. Nick had a negative experience on quantity because he could not complete the entire application without going for breaks. Physical aspect Granitzer (2011) say that visual and audio effects on the application elicit physical effects on users. In the loading

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Lottery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Lottery - Essay Example I cant help but wonder about how primitive these townspeople were during the 1940s to think that sacrificing a member of the town to the â€Å"Rain Gods† will help them with their farming problems. I am further disturbed by the murderous instinct that seems to proliferate within the townspeople. There is no sense in the lottery that they perform every year. Unless they only do it to keep the population of their town down to a manageable level. It would seem to me that everyone in the town is resigned to their fate of eventually winning the lottery to lose their lives. There is nothing magnanimous about this forced personal sacrifice. As Tessie Hutchinson put it before the first stone hit her on the head, â€Å"Its not fair!† I found it truly disturbing to read a story that considers murdering a town member to be a yearly ritual and way of life for everyone involved. That is why the date itself, June 27, is just a normal day for everyone involved but brings panic to whomever gets the black dot during the lottery draw. In the case of Mrs. Hutchinson, that was one day in particular when she should have just stayed in bed. Although Mrs. Hutchinson thought of the lottery as a regular part of life, she never truly imagined that she would ever become an unwilling participant in the ritual. Hence her distraught screams when her family was drawn and she ended up receiving the black dot. The fact that the towns people considered the act of murder that they were just about to accomplish as something normal in their lives begs one to wonder if these people had a conscience at all. The Lottery in all is not a short story for the faint of heart. It is a heart wrenching story that has strong elements of suspense. Almost like a modern slasher flick. Mrs. Hutchinson never saw her demise coming. Her death is truly senseless because the townspeople did not even have a solid idea as to why they had to kill

Do Moral Rights Adequately Protect the Author's Work against a Research Proposal

Do Moral Rights Adequately Protect the Author's Work against a Derogatory Treatment - Research Proposal Example It is important to address this issue, in order to arrive at some recommendations on how statutory limitations can be improved such that the integrity of original works is not compromised, especially within a digital environment. This research proposal, therefore, poses the question: â€Å"Do moral rights adequately protect the author’s work against a derogatory treatment?† This research proposal examines existing statutes to find out whether they provide adequate protection for an author’s moral rights. The preservation of these rights, which are the personal rights of the author, is vital to ensure that creators of original works of value and merit are not discouraged in their creative pursuits by the distortion of their works through the production of derogatory adaptations of their work. In order to adequately address the research question, this proposal includes an examination of case law and how the courts have addressed the issue of moral rights. Some comparisons are also made with international laws. Based upon the literature review and case law, it appears that UK statutory provisions are inadequate to protect an author’s moral rights and enhanced protection for moral rights is necessary, especially in a digital environment. The Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act of 1988 was framed to protect the rights of an author or original creator of a creative work.1 The CDPA protects copyright and rights of authors/creators for original work where there is a high level of human skill and labor that is involved in the production of the work2, with the objective of ensuring that the creator is rewarded for his innovative efforts and hard labor by acquiring the exclusive right to economic exploitation of his work.  

Should Society recognize animal rights, even to the extent of Essay

Should Society recognize animal rights, even to the extent of disallowing the use of animals in scientific and medical experiments - Essay Example But in the context of pain suffered by animals, Gallistel (1989) has advocated the unrestricted use of animals for research purposes, especially in the study of the nervous system. He points out that studies on the nervous system may involve the destruction or stimulation of a part of the system to examine the ramifications of use of certain drugs and could cause pain and temporary distress to the animals used. He argues that restricting research on animals would restrict the progress in human understanding of the nervous system. It would interfere with the process of providing a moral and scientific basis for the amassing of knowledge that produces tangible benefits for the nervous ailments of humans and benefits in treatment. He contends that the suffering of a few animals cannot be accorded greater importance than the benefits that are provided to the human race. It is also argued that since animals do not possess a sense of moral values and reason, they are inferior beings as com pared to humans and therefore, their interests must be subordinated to that of human beings. In a similar vein, H Tristam Englehardt Jr believes that â€Å"morality is a human construct and that secular moral authority is grounded in consent†¦[and he]†¦..claims that animals have "rights" granted them by humans (since only humans are "ends in themselves"), but the "rights" so granted are to be used for human welfare, including the "right" to be hunted, skinned, eaten, used for entertainment, etc† (Haack, 2007). Hence, Gallistel and Englehardt are of the view that animals may have rights, but those rights are to be subordinated to those of humans and the animals can only enjoy rights to the extent that humans permit them to have those rights. Therefore, even in instances where they suffer pain, this pain is justified on the basis that their rights are

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Knowledge Management- Group case analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Knowledge Management- Group analysis - Case Study Example Workers, particularly the scientists, are not willing to give up their current practices which they have been practicing since 20 years in the organization (Debowski, 2006). These employees were engaging in the behavioral evolutionary path to learning whereby past practices reflect current learning. Learning by doing was being practiced at an individual level through repetition of practices (Easterby-Smith & Lyles, 2005). A major inhibition to knowledge sharing in this case is significant hoarding of knowledge by new staff that places greater emphasis on individual performance on job as opposed to collective performance. Also, as per the social learning theory, these employees lack motivation towards knowledge sharing at an individual level by considering it as lowering rather than increasing productivity. Furthermore, there the lack of positive reinforcement to reward â€Å"learning† behaviors is evident. As per the behaviorism view, ignorance of behaviors leads to their exti nction (Phillips & Soltis, 2004). This shows how lack of ‘group’ rewards has contributed towards the extinction of knowledge sharing practices amongst scientists who are worried about securing ‘individual’ gains. ... A few key recommendations may be offered in view of the above. Knowledge management must be viewed as an integrated process with an alignment of the new technology, HR and practitioners (employees) (Jashapara, 2004). Hiring a consultant is not enough; there needs to be a systematic process involving interviews, questionnaires and behavioral research to understand the practical issues employees face. It seems at present that there is nil cross-functional communication as far as project teams are concerned. Hence, team members must gather after a project team is formed to discuss the way forward. Managers handling past projects must be encouraged to devote time to sharing their experience with the new project’s team so that they can learn from past mistakes. Furthermore, employees who work on â€Å"eight consecutive projects† must certainly not be categorized as temporary employees as this way the company loses their crucial contribution to knowledge creation. The organiz ational structure ought to be redefined with specific terms of service attributed to temporary and permanent employees. Additional staff also needs to be hired because some employees are simultaneously working on two jobs which increases stress and leaves little scope for knowledge sharing. Keeping in view the geographically dispersed nature of projects in Engineering Division, the development of Communities of Practice (COPs) is encouraged. Finally, there is little attempt towards learning from the best practices of other similar firms. There seems to be no benchmarking which compares the organization’s progress against that of others. Knowledge-oriented firms often operate in a

The Rhetorical Triangle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Rhetorical Triangle - Essay Example In that, it does not leave the reader questioning about the seriousness of the writer. Additionally, the font makes the reader curious about the information is written down or the information they are about to read. Times New Roman typeface creates a decent impression especially when written in a business or school setting as it shows that the student or individual knows what they really want with their life. Additionally, using Times New Roman as a font choice makes the reader see that the person is bold in their writing, as it shows confidence and understanding of what the person needs. For example, when written in a resume compared to other fonts such as the Comic Sans, it shows that the job applicant is serious and is worthy of the job position. Therefore, although most people do not take the typefaces seriously, they say a lot about a person. In that, a person with a good character or confident may be misjudged because of the typeface they use. This means that a person should be careful in choosing their typeface in order to correspond with their character and also to leave a good impression on others.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Knowledge Management- Group case analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Knowledge Management- Group analysis - Case Study Example Workers, particularly the scientists, are not willing to give up their current practices which they have been practicing since 20 years in the organization (Debowski, 2006). These employees were engaging in the behavioral evolutionary path to learning whereby past practices reflect current learning. Learning by doing was being practiced at an individual level through repetition of practices (Easterby-Smith & Lyles, 2005). A major inhibition to knowledge sharing in this case is significant hoarding of knowledge by new staff that places greater emphasis on individual performance on job as opposed to collective performance. Also, as per the social learning theory, these employees lack motivation towards knowledge sharing at an individual level by considering it as lowering rather than increasing productivity. Furthermore, there the lack of positive reinforcement to reward â€Å"learning† behaviors is evident. As per the behaviorism view, ignorance of behaviors leads to their exti nction (Phillips & Soltis, 2004). This shows how lack of ‘group’ rewards has contributed towards the extinction of knowledge sharing practices amongst scientists who are worried about securing ‘individual’ gains. ... A few key recommendations may be offered in view of the above. Knowledge management must be viewed as an integrated process with an alignment of the new technology, HR and practitioners (employees) (Jashapara, 2004). Hiring a consultant is not enough; there needs to be a systematic process involving interviews, questionnaires and behavioral research to understand the practical issues employees face. It seems at present that there is nil cross-functional communication as far as project teams are concerned. Hence, team members must gather after a project team is formed to discuss the way forward. Managers handling past projects must be encouraged to devote time to sharing their experience with the new project’s team so that they can learn from past mistakes. Furthermore, employees who work on â€Å"eight consecutive projects† must certainly not be categorized as temporary employees as this way the company loses their crucial contribution to knowledge creation. The organiz ational structure ought to be redefined with specific terms of service attributed to temporary and permanent employees. Additional staff also needs to be hired because some employees are simultaneously working on two jobs which increases stress and leaves little scope for knowledge sharing. Keeping in view the geographically dispersed nature of projects in Engineering Division, the development of Communities of Practice (COPs) is encouraged. Finally, there is little attempt towards learning from the best practices of other similar firms. There seems to be no benchmarking which compares the organization’s progress against that of others. Knowledge-oriented firms often operate in a

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Health economic evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Health economic evaluation - Essay Example The study is given in two sections, appendix A and appendix. Appendix A calculates the cost for a period of 13 weeks and appendix B, the costs incurred for one year. Only patients with baseline anaemia below 11 hg/dl were included in the study. The patients were administered darbepoetin alfa through one arm and r-HuEPO through the other. The dosage of the drugs was as follows. R-HuEPO was administered three times per week and darbepoetin alfa was administered once a week. When calculated for a whole week, the total cost of the drugs remained the same because even though darbepoetin alfa was costlier, its lower dosage helped it to equate its costs with the higher dosage r-HuEPO. The alternative treatment shown is RBC transfusion, though the paper itself suggests that such transfusions are only a temporary measure. The treatment of anaemia using the above two drugs have a long range effect in control of anaemia and hence it can be said that an effective alternative treatment in not included in the study. The above two drugs belong to the class of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), and at present no other alternative treatments apart from this are currently available in allopathy for treating chemotherapy induced anaemia. â€Å"The search goes on for orally active antianemic therapies, and several strategies are being investigated, although none is imminently available.† (Macdougall). Other alternatives like nutritional supplements like iron are not included in the study probably due to the fact that enough clinically proven studies are not available to warrant its inclusion. Since blood transfusion is not comparable in result with the above men tioned treatment and since no other alternatives were studied, it can be said that no alternative systems of treatment were included in this paper. The study does cost analysis of treatment using the above mentioned drugs and states that darbepoetin alfa is cheaper in the long run,

Monday, October 14, 2019

Death And Dying In Hinduism And Islam Religion Essay

Death And Dying In Hinduism And Islam Religion Essay Death and dying is equally important among all religions. Different religions have different values, beliefs, tradition, social customs and attitude regarding about death and dying. Among all of them, the most common experience is that a persons death always leaves the shadowy moment among all the relatives and the family members. Death is always connected with us and we are at the state of transition. Every living body has to die. However, religion occupies a significance space regarding about death and dying. The religion has its own norms and values to define the death. Among different religions, Hinduism and Islam define death as the period of sorrow even-though Hinduism believes in reincarnation but Islam does not. Hinduism views life as a wheel of salvation while life means a way to meet the almighty Allah in Islam. Thus, two different religions have two different perspectives of viewing life and death depending upon their religions. The Bhagvada Gita also tells about the moral of life and death. During the battle of Kurukshetra, the Pandava brother, Arjuna, has to kill his guru, Dronacharya who taught him the most powerful skill of bow and arrow. Nobody can defeat the Arjuna in archery. Since, Dronacharya belongs to the Kaurava, the Pandava brother Arjuna has to kill his own guru to win the battle of Mahabharata. The Lord Krishna chants poem about birth and living. He said to Arjuna that death in unavoidable to those who are born and birth is certain for those who had died. So, there is no reason to grieve if something in unavoidable. So, death is an inescapable. Death always stands upon its honor in the battle field. It is fair to illuminate the injustice and inequality to obtain the mokshya known as liberation. Thus, the saying of the Lord Krishna to Arjuna provides him a moral sense and knowledge of being born into this universe and reacts upon the essence of justice against immorality. Like in Bhagvada Gita, another holy scripture Ramayana also tells about the significance of death and dying. Bali and Sugriva are the brother of the same blood. Though Sugriva is younger than the Bali, Bali has treated him like a slave. However, Sugriva doesnt argue about the matter. He just wants to take care of him for the whole life. Despite the circumstance, Bali has received a terrific boon after his tough meditation for twelve years. He has a greed upon his bravery and courageous. He has captivated Sugrivas wife Tara for a long period of time. So, Sugriva is frustrated and asked about sharing of the Kiskindha kingdom. But, Bali refused it and threw him out of the kingdom. Sugriva doesnt know what to do. One day, his follower Hanuman found Rama and Arjuna wandering in the dense forest and became closer to each other. Then, Hanuman introduce Rama and Arjuna with Sugriva and Sugriva told the events about how he has to live in mountain despite having the kingdom. So, Rama told Sugr iva to call Bali upon the battle field. Sugriva did the same thing as Rama told to him. After a long battle between Sugriva and Bali, Rama killed Bali by using his archery. Upon his deathbed, Bali asked Rama about his crime. He asked what he has done to him. Who are you to kill him? Why you kill me like a terror? Why dont you show in-front of me? Then Rama replied to Bali that he has done injustice with his brother. Rama told that his father Dasaratha taught him about the moral of law and order and finally for his last question, he replied to him that the kings used to hunt deer by shading in some corners. As soon as the message spreaded over the kingdom, Tara came on the spot and cried and begged his husband back from Rama. Rama told Tara that why are you crying without thinking that the body is dead only not the soul. If you think that the dead body is your husband then why dont you think about his soul? You are on an illusion of body and soul. I respect his soul and he will be pl aced in a higher standard in the heaven. Tara realized that the body only decomposes not the soul. Even, if the person is dead, s/he will be highly recognized into the society for a long period of time. Swami Nikhilananda, the great disciple of Ramayana also said that human being should not worry about the contemporary cause and effect which is known to them. He also added that body can undergo certain metamorphism where the internal reality or the soul doesnt change rather than the illusion known as the Maya creates the desire and identifies as the self. We have to understand that the self in not the Brahmin. Following these two great scriptures, Hinduism is the religion about reincarnation. The state of being human being today is the outcome of the deeds that have been conducted in the past. After several reincarnations, we are human being now. The salvation occurs only by achieving Mokshya and Mokshya can be achieved by learning Karma yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti yoga, taking the path of devotion and learning the Holy Scripture like Bhagvada Gita and the great epic Ramayana. The ultimate way of reaching the supreme goal is to unite with Brahman. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. While Hinduism believes in polytheism, Islam believes in monotheism. Islam means submission to the god. Literally, the meaning carries a greater detail. Islam or being a Muslim means high attitude of the self. Islam believes Muhammad as the messenger of the god. The god determines the lifespan of the person. It is the gods mercy to take the person in younger age or in the older age. The Muslim believes that god created them and they have to move according to the way that the god wants. Some Muslim believes that after death, two black faced angels with blue eyes known as Munkar and Nakir visit the graveyard and ask the deceased about his life when he was alive. Upon interrogation, the person has to tell the truth. Depending upon the saying of the deceased, the process of punishment and comfort will be justified. Like in Hinduism, Islam also believes in heaven and hell where heaven means full of beautiful nymphs and the enjoym ent with the spouse while hell means the place with thorns and evil souls. When the person is lying on the deathbed, the priestly people read some passages from the Quran to facilitate the dying body to release from the physical world. After death, washing of the dead body is done and purified by the Moullana, the holy priest. The body is covered with the white cloth. The main difference between the Christianity and the Muslim is that no coffins come between the body and the earth. Building other structures are not allowed in Islam and as well as writing on the stone. Some Muslim believes that the graveyard should be dig deep enough to the dead so that the dead body can be able to sit up during the period of the Last Judgment. The grave is laid in the direction of north to south rather than east to west. The main reason behind doing that is the holy Mosque lies towards east to west. So, the deceased face is pointed towards the Mecca. It is customary to say Allah Karim which means upon the mercy of god we came into this earth and upon the mercy of him, we sh all go. Muslim views their life as a mission into this earth. The main mission is to take care of the whole life seriously as per the commandment of the god. The people have to be physically and as well as mentally fit to take care of the whole life. Spiritually, the people have to keep faith on Allah and strictly obey his saying. According to the Islam, no older person would be the burden into the society. When older person get sick or being incapable of helping themselves, the younger one should take care of them and offer them nutritious foods. The family members of the dead have to fulfill any debts of the deceased person as soon as possible. Just like in Hinduism, Islam also allows offering charity and fasting on the name of the deceased person. The family member can visit the grave to maintain the strong attachment with the deceased and as well as to observe the day of the judgment. According to Islam, death should be properly understood because it is the part of the living. Sometimes, we feel scare of discussing about death and dying because we dont want to die. We are so afraid of it. But, for Muslims, this is not the right attitude against the Allah. The Prophet Muhammad said that you have to live in this world like a traveler. Once come never return back. The destination of the journey is to meet with the almighty Allah. Death is followed by the pain and suffering. Sometimes, people become agony on death and dying. They are pathetic. According to the Allah, pain and suffering is not the curse for the Islam people. It is taken as an assignment to see how people handle it, and how they response upon it. The Quran states that Allah takes the soul at the time of death and those who are in the verdict of dying, Allah come around them and give them the clean cheat letting them to know that its the time to take a journey with Allah. The living and dying process is taken as the action where there is reaction thereafter. The faith of all Islam people is that the body and spirit unite together. So, Islam views death as the process or resurrection. The prophet also stated that being a Muslim means to challenge each and every circumstance that comes into the life. One should be capable of dealing with adversity and success. Whatever happens in life is already fixed and should take a high spirit and calmness to meet with Allah. The prophet also stated that the path towards the heaven is filled with obstacles and difficulties while the path towards the hell is filled with desire. Its up to the people to choose the path of difficulty or the path of the desire. The path of difficulty is filled wi th knowledge, sacrifice, and purity while the path of desire is filled with anger, suffocation, and greed. Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the Worlds Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print. DeSpelder, Lynne Ann, and Albert Lee. Strickland. The Last Dance: Encountering Death and Dying. Boston: McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2009. Print. Death and Dying. KhutbahBank. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. . http://civic.bev.net/icb/pdf/i43_lad.pdf http://khutbahbank.org.uk/2009/06/death-and-dying-inspirational-khutbah/

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Single Parents on Television Essay -- Televison Media TV Essays

Single Parents on Television When we think about television families, it is usually the happy nuclear families with a Mom, Dad, and a couple children. What if that family is not a full family and there is a parental figure missing? Would missing a parent really affect the way a child is raised? The realization of single parent families in everyday households is becoming more and more a reality in the United States, and television shows are relating to this fact. The new trend in television is to have a single Mom or Dad facing the odds of single parenthood, while raising two-to-three kids, working at a full-time job, and still taking care of the household. The Parents Television Council reviewed every original series airing during prime time (8:00-11:00 p.m.) on the broadcast networks during the 2001-2002 television season. The analysis encompassed 119 shows depicting 150 children. Key findings include: 47% live in a traditional family with their married biological parents, 14% are raised by single fathers, and 90% of TV single fathers are widowers. Of the 97 televis...

Saturday, October 12, 2019

How Wilfred Owen Presents the Horror of War in Dulce et Decorum est Ess

How Wilfred Owen Presents the Horror of War in Dulce et Decorum est In the First World War people wanted the young men to go to war, but no-one really knew about conditions of the fighting in the war. Wilfred Owen was one of the people who wanted to tell the public what war was really was like. He tried to do that through his poetry. One of his poems "Dulce et decorum est" shows the horror of war very well. We know that Wilfred Owen really does know what he's talking about as he served through most of the war and died shortly before the armistice. I am going to compare "Dulce et Decorum est" with other poems on the horror of war. "Dulce et Decorum est" is short for the Latin saying "Dulce est Decorum est Pro Patria mori" this means, it is a great and wonderful thing to die for one's country. Wilfred Owen tries to tell us that this is the opposite of what war was actually like. "Bent double like beggars under sacks" is how he describes the soldiers returning from the front line. This is not the patriotic view that the public was given. Wilfred Owen shows the horror of war by telling us that the young men in war were acting like old men who had trouble walking and are tired and weary from life. This isn't the image we should have of the young men that are going to protect the country and that they are the people the paper talked about. The poem describes a gas attack and alerts our senses by telling us the effects of the gas attack on a person that fails to put their gas mask on in time. By telling us things like that it alerts our senses and we imagine that we're choking and that it could be us that are choking and that ... ...et Decorum est" experienced, they experienced the direst horrors of 1914 war, they heard the shells dropping, they saw their friends die; they had to live in the trenches. Modern day war doesn't happen like this so the only people left to witness the horrors after they are dead are the family who have lost a son or a father or a brother. The poem is set out simply. It has two stanzas and has a simple rhyming pattern. I think this gives it a very simple understated mood that you would get when a child speaks to you about their day at school. This gives over the affect that war is only sad for those who understand it. The child who is speaking doesn't really understand the concept of war. I am given this impression because the child speaks of everything else first, and then last mentions the girl whose father died.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Davos: the World Economic Forum Essay

Davos is a town located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range in Switzerland. At 1,560 meters, it is the highest city in Europe. From the middle of the 18th century, Davos became a popular destination for the ailing because the climate in the high valley was proved excellent by doctors and recommended for lung disease patients. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote an article about skiing in Davos in 1899. In the early 90s, Davos became famous worldwide for hosting the World Economic Forum (WEF), an annual meeting of global political and business elites (often referred to simply as Davos) and the home of one of Switzerland’s biggest ski resorts. Organization is defined as â€Å"an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. (World Economic Forum, 2012) These meetings bring together CEOs from the 1000 member companies as well as selected politicians, representatives from academia, NGOs, religious leaders and the media. Around 2200 participants gather for the five-day event and attend some 220 sessions. The discussions focus around key issues of global concern (such as international conflicts, poverty and environmental problems) and possible solutions. In all about 500 journalists from online, print, radio and TV take part, and are furnished with access to all of the sessions, some of which are also webcast. (Davos, 2011) The organization also convenes some six to eight regional meetings each year in locations such as Latin America and East Asia, as well as two further annual meetings in China and the United Arab Emirates. Beside meetings, the foundation produces a series of research reports and engages its members in sector specific initiatives. The Forum was founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, a German-born business professor at the University of Geneva, who is currently an Executive Chairman of WEF. Originally named the â€Å"European Management Forum†, it changed its name to the World Economic Forum in 1987 and sought to broaden its vision further to include providing a platform for resolving international conflicts. (Davos, 2012) In the summer of 1971, Schwab invited 444 executives from Western European firms to the first European Management Symposium held in the Davos Congress Centre under the patronage of the European Commission and European industrial associations, where Schwab sought to introduce European firms to American management practices. He then founded the WEF as a non-profit organization based in Geneva and drew European business leaders to Davos for the annual meetings each January. (Davos, 2012)

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Compare and Contrast Key Perspectives in Psychology Essay

Psychology literally means the study of the mind, translated from Ancient Greek as psyche, meaning â€Å"mind† or â€Å"soul† and logia, meaning â€Å"study†. The most accurate description of psychology is that it is the science of mind and behaviour (Collin et al, 2011). Psychology evolved from philosophy and can be dated back to the time of Ancient Greek philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle (325 BCE). Studying the nature of subjects such as the memory, thoughts and the consciousness, did not make psychology a standalone science, instead it was viewed as a form of philosophical speculations. Psychology became a separate, scientific discipline in the late 19th century. The world’s first experimental laboratory of psychology was founded in 1879 by Wundt. As many philosophers and scientists tried to explain the inner world of a person (psyche) since ancient times, many key perspectives of modern psychology appeared as a result. These key perspectives include: Psychodynamic, Behavioural, Cognitive, Humanistic, Evolutionary, Biological and Cross-Cultural (Cherry, 2014). This essay will explore and compare two of these perspectives, Behaviourism and Psychodynamic, and their influence on modern psychology. The psychodynamic approach is based on the theories of Freud, Adler, Erikson and Jung. Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis. Together with Breuer, Freud developed psychological treatment, known as talking therapies, believing that many forms of mental illness, such as: irrational fears, hysteria, anxiety and imagined pains, were the results of a traumatic experience acquired by the patient in the past. Freud believed that people store their ideas, memories and impulses in the unconscious when they become too overwhelming for the conscious mind to bear, this is known as repression. He believed that the conscious mind is just the surface (likening it to an iceberg) of a complex psychic realm, which included the ego, superego and id. The id is driven only by the fulfilment of basic drives, for example; food, comfort, warmth and sex, and obeys the Pleasure Principle, meaning that each impulse must be gratified immediately. The ego, one the other hand, accepts the Reality Principle, which says we cannot have everything we desire. The ego negotiates with the id and may be compared to the moderator between id and superego (Collin et al, page.111). The  superego is the internal voice, influenced by our parents and the society’s moral code, it is a judging voice of our conscience, which tells us what we should and should not do, and may often become the source of guilt and shame (Collin et al, 2011, pp.94-99). In Freud’s opinion, the difference between conscious and unconscious thoughts creates psychic tension, and that this is how many mental problems originate. Repressed and unprocessed emotions build up and then become revealed in anger, depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse and so on. These problems can be helped by releasing them and confronting them during the process of psychoanalysis. Freud tried to free his patients from repressed memories and ease their mental pain. Dream Analysis was a method which in Freud’s opinion allowed to access and encode messages sent by the unconscious. Despite all of this, even Breuer criticised Freud for concentrating too much on the sexual origins of neuroses (Collin et al, 2011, p.95). The humanistic approach criticised psychodynamics of excluding the thought of free will (McLeod, 2007). Furthermore, today Freud’s interpretation of dreams appears unreasonable to many. In spite of all the criticisms, many accept that Freud highlighted the importance of childhood experiences and his methods inspired many famous psychotherapists to develop new types of treatment. One example includes Virginia Satire, who stresses the importance of the family environment (Collin et al, 2011, pp.146-147). Freud also introduced the idea of defence mechanisms which is widely used today in different therapies. Denial, repression and displacement are some examples of defence mechanisms (Cherry, 2014). In addition, psychodynamics also made the case study method popular in psychology. One of Freud’s eminent theories was about the Oedipus Complex. Freud used his case study known as ‘Little Hans’ to support this theory. Hans was 5 years old at the time and had a phobia of horses. Hans’ father, who was Freud’s friend, wanted Freud to cure Hans from his phobia. Freud was mostly interested in how the phobia was triggered and how it could be linked to his idea of the Oedipus Complex. By analysing Hans’ dreams, Freud ruled out that they boy’s phobia of horses was caused through the fear of being castrated by his father because he had sexual desires for his mother. Freud advised Hans’ father to reassure his son that he would not castrate him and eventually the boy’s phobia resolved. Despite curing Han’s phobia, Freud’s emphasis on the phobia being caused by an underlying fear of his father seems farfetched,  especially when it is known that Hans witnessed how a horse died on the street, an event which traumatised him. This would seem a more plausible reason for the child’s horse phobia, but instead Freud emphasised that this case study was a perfect example of the Oedipus Complex. In addition, Freud didn’t work directly with Hans, almost all of his investigation of the case and all ‘therapeutic work’ occurred through correspondence with Hans’ father, who was Freud’s admirer and friend. (McLeod, 2008). Therefore, this doubts the authenticity of the study. Later, it became obvious that Freud sometimes distorted his patients’ case histories to fit with his theories (Sulloway, 1991). In 1960, Beck exposed the weaknesses of traditional psychoanalysis and proposed cognitive therapy as he could not find any reliable studies proving the success rates of psychoanalysis – only anecdotal evidence of case reports. Furthermore, many psychoanalysts objected scientific examination (Collin et al, 2011, pp.175-177), which brings up the contrasting approach of behaviourism. Behaviourism is based on the works of Darwin, Thorndike, Watson, Pavlov and Skinner. The behaviourism approach suggested that psychology should be treated as a science and must be based on observations, research and experiments (Collin et al, 2011). Is it possible to measure behaviour? Behaviourism stated that it is. In order to do this, behaviourists experimented firstly on animals. Therefore, physiology has had a lot of influence on this approach. In 1890 Pavlov, developed the concept of classical conditioning (Collin et al, 2011). Pavlov introduced such terms as ‘unconditioned’ and ‘conditioned reflex’, ‘response’ and ‘stimulus’ in physiology and psychology. Later some behaviourists switched to experimenting on humans. Yet, it cannot be said that these early experiments on humans were very ethical. With this in mind, one example is that of a case study known as ‘Little Albert’, carried out by Watson (1920), on a nine month old baby, ‘Albert B’. Today his method would arguably be considered unethical and even cruel. However, Watson thought that the experiment was a logical continuation of previous animal studies. The aim of Watson’s experiment was to find out if it was possible to teach an infant to fear an animal by repeatedly presenting it at the same time with a loud, frightening noise, or a stimulus. Watson put the baby on a mattress and then showed him  a dog, a rat, a rabbit and a monkey. Albert showed no fear and his natural instinct was to touch the animals. In this case, the animals were used as a neutral stimulus. In Watson’s opinion, this was a baseline, from which he could measure any change in Albert’s behaviour. Then, Watson started to frighten the child with a loud noise, an unconditioned stimulus, by striking a metal bar with a hammer. Watson then paired the sighting of an animal with a frightening noise, and as a result, each time Albert saw an animal he burst into tears, because his n atural response to the noise – fear and distress – had now become associated with animals. All that was very good from the point of view of Pavlov’s classical conditioning, however today it may be argued that Watson’s experimentation method was unethical. Nevertheless, Watson’s experiment demonstrated that human emotions are susceptible to classical conditioning. This was his new input on Pavlov’s theory, because previous stimulus-response experiments had focused on studying behaviour, not emotions. Later, Skinner published ‘The Behaviour of Organisms’ (1938) and developed the concept of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is a form of conditioning in which the outcome depends upon an animal operating upon its environment, such as pressing a lever to obtain food (Collin et al, 2011, p.342). Skinner carried out multiple experiments on animals, studying satisfaction and discomfort. He used positive and negative reinforcers, working with rats and pigeons as well as primary and secondary reinforcers (Jarvis and Russell, 2002). Through his experiments, Skinner proved that behaviour is often shaped not by a preceding stimulus, how it was stated previously in classical conditioning, but instead by the consequences of that behaviour (Collin et al, 2011, p.59). Today, Skinner’s ideas are used in workplace psychology, for example they influenced the method of rewards and incentives. The attractiveness of the reinforcer (incentive) can increase the productivity of workers and it is widely used in different industries. Similarly, operant conditioning has an application in today’s clinical psychology. For example, in the study of depression. Also, self-harming addictions are explained in terms of operant conditioning, which is now often called behaviour modification. Behaviour modification is used in treating mental disorders and in programmed learning. Ghosh and Chattopadhyay used behaviour modification techniques when treating children with ADHD (Jarvis and Russell, 2002). The  Behaviourists’ approach has its’ strengths as it is scientific, their theories are supported by experiments. Behaviourism focuses on observable behaviour that can be measured (McLeod, 2007). On the other hand, behaviourism does not consider emotion and thinking. Watson denied the inheritance of capacity, talent, temperament and mental constitution (Collin et al, 2011, p.28). Not all human behaviour can be explained by operant conditioning, which is why Skinner’s ideas are no longer popular with many psychologists today. Behaviourism does not explain complex mental processes, for example that humans often learn by the observation others, not just by punishment and rewards. Furthermore, operant conditioning does not explain the aspects of how hormones and genetic predispositions affect and shape behaviour. However, because Pavlov and Watson successfully trained animals’ and children’s new behaviours through stimulus-response patterns, other researchers understood that if behaviour could be learned, it can also be unlearned. For example, based on that mechanism, Wolpe created treatments for ‘war neurosis’ and phobias (Collin et al, 2011, p.87). How are these two perspectives viewed and applied in psychology today? Behaviourism was always considered as a more scientific, objective approach as compared to psychodynamics. Modern psychology is based on much more empirical, objective evidence than before, due to the efforts of behaviourists. Behaviourists introduced modern methodology, which includes efficient ways to observe, collect data and carry out credible experiments. Watson demonstrated that human behaviour can be predicted, controlled and modified. Unlike behaviourism, Freud’s ideas were based on observation case histories rather than on experimental research. Behaviourism and psychodynamics are similar in their rejection to free will (McLeod, 2007) and their belief that everyone is born ‘tabula rasa’, or as a blank slate (Collin et al, 2011, p.29). Despite this, behaviourists criticised psychoanalysts and vice versa. Freud criticised behaviourism as it did not consider the unconscious. However, Wats on criticised Freud’s idea of unconscious as not provable, because it is unconscious and therefore difficult to access. (Collin et al, 2011, p.94) On the other hand, some of Watson’s methods are now dismissed as unethical. For example, Watson advocated unemotional parenting, which he thought would be beneficial to  children, but later he was largely criticised for his ideas, even by the mother of his own children. Watson grew up with an alcoholic father, and was not shown much attention as a child. Consequently, Watson did not have much empathy to children himself. Virginia Satire later stressed the importance of affection and compassion in creating a healthy family and shaping a successful person (Collin et al, 2011, p.146). Also, behaviourism does not recognise a difference between animals and humans. In contrast, due to Freud, more than 22 different schools of psychoanalysis have evolved from his method. It may be argued now that Freud’s theories were not as scientific as the behaviourist approach, but nobody else influenced 20th century psychotherapy in general as much as he did. Freud started what is now called ‘talking therapies’ (Collin et al, 2011, p.99) For example, Freud’s ideas influenced cognitive therapy and humanistic psychotherapy (Collin et al, 2011, p.91). By the mid-20th century both behaviourism and psychodynamics were being critically examined. Finally, at the end of the 20th century, after all the criticism and controversy, the best of psychodynamics and behaviourism joined together and gave birth to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It happened when Wolpe’s behavioural therapy merged with Beck’s cognitive therapy. There is strong empirical evidence for the success of CBT as compared with classical psychoanalysis (Collin et al, 2011, p.176). CBT is widely used today for the treatment of different anxiety and mood disorders (Mà ¥nsson et al, 2013). To conclude, it would be fair to say that both the behaviourism and psychodynamic perspectives have had a vast influence on modern Psychology.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Love for Goodness’ Sake: Plato’s Symposium

Socrates says, â€Å"In a word, then, love is wanting to possess the good forever† (206B). Naturally, it would be my inclination to agree with this statement; however, love is much more complex than Socrates’ definition. Love is the desire to always be happy, and finding goodness is the key to happiness. Love brings the good out of our souls to guide our lives. We search for goodness in love, yet surrendering to love and desire (eros) is what brings out our goodness. The happiness that love provides encourages the individual to be his or her best self, which is how we ultimately live our lives around goodness. Plato’s Symposium teaches this catch-22: in searching for goodness in love, we discover the goodness within our own souls. A person faces choices every day; with every decision there is the option of acting morally or shamefully. Most people aim to make moral choices, but regardless of the decisions people make, every person has an inherent ability to distinguish acting shamefully and morally. Whether this ability is something a person is born with or is developed through education from one’s parents is irrelevant; it’s important to notice that individuals are aware of their acts before they love someone. When someone falls in love—or is overcome by desire—he or she becomes acutely aware of his or her actions and usually makes a conscious effort to make good choices. In seeing the goodness of the ones a person desires, he or she is reminded of the importance of portraying one’s good qualities. This is the heart of Phaedrus’ argument, that â€Å"there is a certain guidance each person needs for his whole life†¦and nothing imparts this guidance†¦as well as Love† (178D). He continues to argue that the best possible society would be full of lovers and their beloveds because all of its members would be constantly aware of being their best selves in the presence of their loved ones. Phaedrus contends that surrendering to eros brings out an individual’s goodness, but he doesn’t address whether this goodness exists when a person is living without Love. Aristophanes discusses his belief that people fall in love when they find the their â€Å"other half† who fills them with a sense of completeness. He tates, â€Å"It’s obvious that the soul of every lover longs for something else; his soul cannot say what it is† yet he pursues the feeling of unity and completeness that love provides (192D). This sense of wholeness comes from finding the goodness within oneself when a person is with his or her matching half. Socrates disagrees with Aristophanes’ argument because he doesn’t know that each person’s other half is good. The concept of having a matching half may provide comfort to some, but it implies that each person should only have a desire for one person. It is very common for people to love multiple people through the course of their lives. Aristophanes may not be incorrect in saying that every soul is searching for its matching half, but the key part of his argument in this context is that when a person finds someone he or she loves, that person feels a sense of fullness. I believe this sense of feeling of fulfillment comes from rediscovering the good within oneself. The argument in the Symposium that most emphasizes this point is that of Socrates. He believes that everyone is pregnant, either physically or mentally. Those who are pregnant physically bear children; this is their way of spreading life and goodness into the world. Those who are have a pregnant soul bear wisdom, creativity and beauty into the world. Both forms of pregnancy leave behind a small piece of goodness and the process of pregnancy proves that this goodness begins within the individual. A woman has most of what is required to make a baby within her body before finding a lover. She has healthy organs that make her body function, and she is capable of maintaining her body. She has eggs in her ovaries that are waiting for a lover to fertilize them. When she finds a lover, his sperm combines with her egg and a beautiful baby develops. Both the man and the woman have all of the ingredients to create offspring, but the unity of the lovers is required to complete the process. In the same way, each individual has wisdom within their souls, but it’s necessary to combine two souls to expose the goodness to society. The process of bringing beauty and wisdom into the world through spiritual pregnancy is more abstract than physical pregnancy, but is equally important. In the same way that a physical lust develops between lovers, souls can crave each other. Socrates states that the soul is drawn to other beautiful and developed souls, and these people connect through intellectually stimulating arguments—they give birth to new ideas and thoughts. He believes that, â€Å"when [a person] makes contact with someone beautiful and keeps company with him, he conceives and gives birth to what he has been carrying inside him for ages. And whether they are together or apart, he remembers that beauty† (209C). Here, Socrates says that the beauty, truth, knowledge, and goodness were all contained within the lover before the relationship was established; it is through dialogue that this beauty is exposed. Being aware of displaying our good behaviors and trying to impress our loved ones can be a good thing, but sometimes one’s heightened awareness of goodness can make him or her feel inferior. When Alcibiades crashes the philosophers’ dinner, he begins his speech of praise for Socrates, but quickly Alcibiades reveals his overwhelming sense of mediocrity when in Socrates’ presence. â€Å"Yes, he makes me feel ashamed,† Alcibiades confesses, â€Å"I know perfectly well that I can’t prove he’s wrong when he tells me what I should do; yet, the moment I leave his side, I go back to my old ways† (216B). Alcibiades believes he will never be good enough for the pious and goodness-filled Socrates. Alcibiades admits that he strives to be his best self in front of Socrates, but he lapses into old habits when they are apart. Alcibiades declares, â€Å"my whole life has become one constant effort to escape from him and keep away, but when I see him, I feel deeply ashamed, because I’m doing nothing about my way of life, although I have already agreed with him that I should† (216B). Therefore, Alcibiades is aware that he has the potential to be good, but he only has the strength to be noble when he’s with Socrates. The tragedy is that Socrates doesn’t want to take Alcibiades as a lover, leaving the latter to suffer through life feeling lonely and inadequate. Alcibiades should remember that he has the power to be moral and display his goodness, which could in turn lead him to another lover. All of the philosophers whose ideas I’ve discussed above reveal that love brings out the good in each of us, but I believe that the good is contained within the individual before exposure to a lover. We seek lovers because we crave the reminder to always be our best selves. We take pride in acting morally, and we feel good when others recognize our good behavior. We have desire for someone when we see his or her beauty and goodness, and we hope to be desired for our goodness as well. When two lovers come together, there is a feel of unity because there’s an understanding that both people will be noble for each other. People are compelled to stay with a lover for the entirety of their lives because they want to continue to be full of goodness. When we are without a lover, we may feel lonely and can lose touch with our internal goodness. We crave love because we need the constant reminder to be our highest selves—the self we are most proud of. Because Love makes us extra aware of our goodness both internally and behaviorally, it’s important to remember that we have the power to be our noblest selves at any time, with or without a lover. Therefore Socrates was right after all: love is the desire to hold on to the good in our lives forever, and being with a lover is the best way to constantly be aware of being our best selves.