Saturday, January 25, 2020

the consequences of sin :: essays research papers fc

The Consequences of Sin â€Å"The theme of the stories has been variously stated as the reality of sin, the occurrence of evil, the secret sin and hypocrisy of all persons, the hypocrisy of Puritanism, the results of doubt or disbelief, the devastating effects of moral skepticism, or the demoralizing effects of the discovery that all men are sinners and hypocrites† (McKeithan 93). Although â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† both deal with the obsession with sin, Nathaniel Hawthorne illuminates the different consequences. First of all there are many similarities in â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†. One of the many similarities is that both towns seem to be corrupt with sin. Mr. Hooper knows that everyone is not perfect in his town. Although it very well shows in the end of the story when Mr. Hooper expresses himself, â€Å"I look around me, and, lo! On every visage a Black Veil (Minister 882).† Young Goodman Brown knows that he has been raised by Puritan ideals yet he sees his mentors going against everything he has taught him. Goodman Brown’s account of when he was at the witch meeting was, â€Å"The fiend worshippers were seen; the smile of welcome gleamed darkly on every visage (Young 1040).† Both Mr. Hooper and Brown also have the same ideals. They both believe in Puritan ideas and beliefs but they both have some kind of conflict with sin. â€Å"For the hardened Puritan, his humanity was sinful enough, end he wore it the way a medieval penitent would his hair shirt. Anything less than absolute perfection was absolute corruption (Morsberger 456).† Another relation that Hooper and Brown comprise of is that they both lose the girl they adore in the short stories. Hooper loses his girl, Elizabeth by not taking off the veil that everyone in town is talking about. Brown on the other hand loses his girl, Faith from the very beginning when he left her at their home. The differences in â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† are numerous as well as their similarities. One of the differences is how both characters dealt with sin. Reverend Hooper tries to deal with the sin that he may have committed by wearing a black veil that covers his face till the day he dies. â€Å"If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough†¦ and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same (Minister 878).

Thursday, January 16, 2020

What Role Should Religion Play in Government Policies?

Political Science 1020E Professor Nigmendra Narain Term 1 Essay: What role should religion play in government policies? By Nivedita Sen Student Number: 250589199 Section – LEC 575 In today’s world, religion plays a profound part in many people’s lives and they find it important to firmly follow the guiding principles of a religion. Religion has been around for many years and although different people have their own definition of what it may be, religion is essentially a personal belief system. An individual’s belief system is the set of principles by which the individual lives his/her daily life and which direct his/her thoughts and actions. One question that arises in today’s society is: What role should religion play in government policies? This essay argues that religion should play no role in government policies because it would affect democracy of the state, influence laws on the basis of religious grounds and cause oppression of minority religions. In this essay, I first put forward 3 arguments on why religion should play no part in government policies and support these arguments with a range of scholarly articles. Next, I present two counter arguments followed by a rebuttal for each. This is followed by my conclusion, which re-states why religion should play no role in government policies. Religion is a significant factor in determining the quality of a democratic system (Braithewaite 2). Freedom of religion, or generally freedom of ethics, means that one does not need to agree with or acknowledge a religion or belief if it is against his or her wish. Furthermore, one should not be penalized if he or she wishes to follow one religion over the other or no religion at all. In a democratic system, a person's religious faith is an extremely personal subject. Everybody should have the right to follow any religion they desire as long as their religious beliefs are not imposed on others. The social impact of a religion greatly depends on whether it is supported by the majority or the minority of the population. A religion supported by the majority has a significant effect on government and on societal principles. This majority religion dominates and impacts the government considerably by either controlling the government. In order for a democracy to function, there needs to be complete separation of religion from government. Addressing the connection between religion and democracy John Adams questioned, â€Å"Can a free government possibly exist with religion† (qtd. in Braithewaite 2). Similarly, James Madison asked, â€Å"What influence in fact have ecclesiastical establishments had on civil society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of civil society†¦in no instances have they been seen the guardians of the liberties of the people† (qtd. in Braithewaite 2). If religion plays a part in influencing government policies, there will one majority religion achieving control over the government. This will result in religiously inspired policies dominating the social dimension and citizen equality being affected. According to Braithwaite, this happens because the size of the majority religious group can influence the society and create individual preferences (Braithewaite 4). This causes the establishment of particular norms and rules about conduct of behaviour on the basis of the preferences of the majority religious group. These norms discriminate against people who do not agree with the beliefs of the majority group (Braithwaite 4). As a result, the democratic system is affected with the minority groups losing trust in the government as they see the majority group’s religious beliefs improperly influencing the state. Morals are norms of behaviour that the society acknowledges. Religion sets rules and customs for its followers. These religious rules influence the legislative system. If religion plays a role in government policies, it would also influence laws. For example, religious beliefs and morals influence abortion laws in many parts of the world. It is still looked upon as morally wrong on the basis of religious ideas to undergo an abortion procedure. Phillip Montague points that â€Å"legal and political debate and decision making should be governed by standard criteria for assessing reasons and reasoning, and when religious considerations fail to satisfy such criteria, they should not be allowed to influence matters of law and public policy† (Montague 17). He further states that these matters consist of abortion, capital punishment, and euthanasia along with numerous subjects of social justice such as welfare policies. Montague claims that in comparison with secular reasons, â€Å"religious reasons fail by a wide margin to deal adequately with the complexity of such issues† (Montague 17). For instance, a person who argues that homosexuality is morally wrong for the reason that it opposes the divine law would be referring to religious grounds to support his argument and not secular. Individuals should not be arguing for restrictive laws or policies if they do not have secular grounds to support them. They should only put across views that are based on secular reasons (Rosenblum 23). The results from Braithewaite and Bramsen’s study which examined the effects of SRAS on democracy showed that when the laws in a state are extremely sectarian and not secular in nature, the state is likely to be less democratic (Braithewaite and Bramsen 244). When religion is mixed with state, the outcome is societal norms created on the basis of religious beliefs of the majority religion and laws that are in some way influenced by it. As Nancy N. Rosenblum points, partisan faith may forbid certain practices such as consumption of alcohol, abortion, setting up some foreign policy goals et cetera on the basis of religious reasons. (Rosenblum 21). These norms of behaviour and religiously influenced laws are also imposed upon citizens who do not adhere to the majority religion and take away their freedom of faith. Some minority groups have experienced disadvantages inflicted by the state when they were not exempted from laws that called for conduct which did not agree with their beliefs, or which inflicted additional costs on them for observing their beliefs. They argue that enforcing such laws causes them to be penalized on the basis of their religion and prohibit them from fair membership in the society (Smithey 89). Therefore religion should be kept separate from the state or government. Another issue arising from the interference of religion in government policies is that religious minority groups may face oppression from the religious majority groups, resulting in tension between the two groups. As stated in the Canadian Charter, â€Å"policies that privilege the religious beliefs of some and not those of others pose equality problems ecause of the potential for creating in-groups and out-groups on the basis of religion† (Smithey 88). This may lead to things such rebellion by minority groups, conflicts and violence. Arabs form a minority group in Israel and one cause for Israel banning Kach (religious party in Israel), whose policy was forcing the â€Å"transfer† of Arabs from Israel, was creating social violence. Arabs were described by Meier Kahane as â€Å"cancer in the midst of us†¦ Let me become defense minister for two months and you will not have a single cockroach around here! I promise you a clean Eretz Yisrael† (Rosenblum 39). A study conducted by Jonathan Fox describes separation of religion and state (SRAS) as no government support for religion and no government intervention in the religious observations of the religions in a state, whether they be a minority religion or a majority religion (Fox 3). The results from Braithewaite and Bramsen’s study which examined the effects of SRAS on democracy showed that a state that gives preference a particular religion is likely to be less democratic (Braithewaite and Bramsen 244). It also indicated that creating a state religion and putting constraints on religious minorities also decreases democracy in a state (Braithewaite and Bramsen 244). If the level of democracy in a state is less, it would automatically lead to conflicts between religious groups, with the minority getting oppressed by the majority because of their large population. Religious tyranny may result in the minority groups expressing their frustration by rebelling and means of violence. Therefore, religion should not play any part in government policies. Many people may argue that religion should play a part in government policies and church and state should not be separated because any organised religion is comprised of a code of conduct or a set of acceptable principles to live by forms the moral foundation of a society and helps to guide people. However, every religion has a different code of conduct. What may be acceptable by one religion might not be acceptable by another religion. If the state decides to follow the principles and morals of the majority religion, the minorities will not accept it. This will cause clashes of beliefs and conflicts among religions, leading to a decrease in the level of democracy in the state. Also, there might be people who believe that they should follow their own set of morals and not be over shadowed by an organised religion. According to Ates Altinordu’s study of Turkish Islam in the post 1970 time period, Turkey’s leading social and political groups recognized Islamic activities as a threat to their identities and happiness (Altinordu 521). Olivier Roy firmly states that under such situations, Muslim activists possibly might face circumstances similar to that faced by a religious minority in spite of living in a society where the majority religion was Islam (qtd. In Altinordu 521) People might also argue that if religion plays a part in government policies, it will bring about unification of all the people in the state under one religion. However, this will again bring about inequality among the different religions within the state as the majority religion will dominate other religions. The minority will not have a say as they will be overshadowed by the majority. Government cannot mandate a religion over its citizens. For example, a Turkish woman’s application against banning of the Islamic headscarf was rejected by the European Court of Human Rights (Somer 13). A person has should have the freedom to practice his/her religion and wear a headscarf. Therefore, religion should be kept away from politics and should playa absolutely no role whatsoever in government policies. This essay addressed the question: What role should religion play in government policies? It argued that religion should play no role in government policies. It proved this by showing that if religion played a part in government policies, it would affect the democracy of the state, influence laws on the basis of religious grounds and cause oppression of minority religions. It is evident from this essay that mixing religion with government policies only causes conflicts. A person’s religion should strictly be a personal matter and should not be inflict or forced upon other people. More research should be done and surveys should be conducted throughout different counties with different cultural backgrounds to see how interference of religion in government policies adversely affects the democracy of the country and its citizens. Ideally, all countries would be secular. Although complete secularism is difficult to achieve, the separation of church and state will bring about some form of secularism. This situation would be beneficial to all the citizens and no one will face injustice. Works Cited Alt? nordu, Ates. â€Å"The Politicization of Religion: Political Catholicism and Political Islam in Comparative Perspective. † Politics ; Society 38. 4 (2010): 517-51. Web. Brathwaite, R. , and A. Bramsen. â€Å"Reconceptualizing Church and State: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Separation of Religion and State on Democracy. † Politics and Religion 1. 1 (2011): 1-35. Web. Brathwaite, Robert. Measuring Church and State: Religion, Culture, and the Impact on Democracy. † SSRN eLibrary (2010)Web. Fox, Jonathan. â€Å"World Separation of Religion and State into the 21st Century. † Comparative Political Studies 39. 5 (2006): 537-69. Web. Montague, Phillip. â€Å"Religious Reasons and Political Debate. † Social Theory and Practice 30. 3 (2004; 2004): 327-349. Web. Rosenblum, Nancy L. â€Å"Banning Parties: Religious and Ethnic Partisans hip in Multicultural Democracies. † Law & Ethics of Human Rights 1. 1 (2007): 3-61. Web. Rosenblum, Nancy L. Religious Parties, Religious Political Identity, and the Cold Shoulder of Liberal Democratic Thought. † Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 6. 1 (2003): 23-53. Web. Smithey, Shannon Ishiyama. â€Å"Religious Freedom and Equality Concerns Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. † Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue Canadienne de Science Politique 34. 1 (2001): 85-107. Web. Somer, Murat. â€Å"Moderate Islam and Secularist Opposition in Turkey: Implications for the World,Muslims and Secular Democracy. † Third World Quarterly 28. 7 (2007): pp. 1271-1289. Web.

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

A Brief Note On Fracking And Its Effects On The World

Waterless Fracking: GasFrac For many years now, oil and gas have been harvested from deep beneath the Earth’s surface using thousands and millions of gallons of water, known as hydraulic fracking. Environmental critics have brought up issues with this type of fracking. The main being that while using these massive amounts of water every time a well is fracked, all the used water, when finished, is causing significant amounts of pollution. In response to the current criticism, engineers have developed waterless fracking operations, where propane gel, butane, and other liquid and gas alternatives are used to break the shale that is deep beneath the Earth’s surface. Even though this new water-free system does not use the massive amounts of water like its hydraulic counterpart, there are still critics saying that it has its own environmental impacts. Assessing these impacts and therefore the philosophical justifications for this sort of method provides support for its cont inued use. I : Background Though completely different approaches to fracking were introduced over the last decade, the thought and process of fracking isn t new. Within the oil and gas industries, fracking is any method that involves the forcing of many different substances into the fully grown to access oil or gas in the layers of sedimentary rock. While drilling is done vertically, fracking occurs horizontally (MacRae). Increasing need for access to natural gas and oil in this country and the belief thatShow MoreRelatedAt Some Point In Our Day Regardless Of Social Standing1731 Words   |  7 Pagesstill have a fair supply remaining. However, none the less even in a recent survey done by the institute for energy research, â€Å"they found the even in 2014 the demand for oil increase across the board by about 16 percent† (***). They also made sure to note that, this was even with all the energy conservation acts happening too, like the new drive for solar and wind power. The answer that could explain why we can see such a spike in resource consumption, can come down to simply looking at the earth’sRead MoreFinancial Management : Key Performance Metrics10327 Words   |  42 Pagesaffect the overall stock market (e.g. the Dow Jones Industrial Average) by specifically looking at same-day price reaction information. Comments include how the Federal Reserve’s consideration of actions on the federal funds rates causes a ripple effect throughout the markets, how the decline in the demand for high dollar goods invokes reaction, and how various economic reports weigh in on market reactions. Section 3 (which is also from the aforementioned compilation period from the Wall StreetRead MoreExxon Mobile Capstone40455 Words   |  162 Pages............................................................................ 83   GLOSSARY  OF  TERMS........................................................................................................................................... 108   END  NOTES...................................................................................................................................................... 110   iii 1. Wall  Street  Journal  Article  and  the  Executive  Summary   Wall  Street  Journal  Article

Monday, December 23, 2019

Creating A Competitive Advantage For Business Owners

4. Creating a Competitive Advantage It is essential for the managers and the business owners to ensure that they work in order to create a competitive advantage for the business. This will help the business is differentiating itself from other businesses in the same industry (Gorgievski, et.al, 2011, pp. 209). Furthermore, competitive advantage is something that is the unique point of a business, thus it should be carefully designed and worked upon by the business owners. Successful business owners should be capable enough to develop a unique competitive advantage that will help the company in succeeding in the industry. John Bull needs to make sure that his company has a competitive advantage in order to stay ahead of his competitors. This means that he should differentiate his shop from others so that more customers are attracted and his profits increase. 5. Innovation Innovation is something that should be adopted by all companies. Business should be able to innovate constantly and bring changes to its new products or create new products to keep the interest of the customers, or else the customers will be attracted by other company’s products (Fleisher Bensoussan, 2014, pp. 20). In order the business to innovate or bring new changes to the existing business, it is important for the businessmen to understand the essentials of innovation. This will help in innovating and staying ahead and different from rest of the companies in the business. Considering the nature ofShow MoreRelatedA Family Business1570 Words   |  7 PagesA family business can be defined as a commercial organization owned, controlled, or led by a family (usually related by either blood or marriage). Alpha Academy, a daycare located in High Point, NC, is a family business acquired by Lucious and Melissa Turgeon in 2006. The daycare currently employees a total of 19 people and brings in an average of about $600,000 yearly. 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Sunday, December 15, 2019

Gone with the Wind Free Essays

The movie Gone with the Wind (1939) is considered the most beloved, popular and of everlasting relevance. It has won several Oscar awards in 1939. Produced by David O Selznick, and directed by Victor Fleming, the film was released a few months after WWII began in Europe. We will write a custom essay sample on Gone with the Wind or any similar topic only for you Order Now It enabled the American viewers to identify with the war and its theme of survival. It was based on a novel written by Margaret Mitchell about civil war and reconstruction in America. Producer, David O Selznick had obtained the movie right to Mitchell’s novel in 1936 for $50,000. The renowned film was shot in Technicolor which was used very rarely in those times. The historical classic movie of the Old South during civil war period boasts of an eternal cast in a timeless, classic tale of love-hate romance. The movie covers the various romantic pursuits of the resolute heroine Scarlett OHara, against the background of historical events. Ashley, the man she loves marries her cousin, Melanine. She finds it difficult to find love during the civil war years and is forced to seek shelter for herself and her family in the plantation Tara. She defends it against union soldiers, carpetbaggers and even against starvation. Scarlet marries Rhett Butler but the marriage fails due to her indifference towards him. She again returns to Tara. Cinematography: Cinematography is the art of making camera and lighting choices when recording photographic images for the cinema.Techniocolour was not widely used when the film Gone with the Wind was being filmed. Moreover, it carried several disadvantages. Selznick borrowed all the seven heavy, cumbersome cameras of the Technicolor Corporation for shooting. Each picture had colour consulant who had the power to reject any colour scheme she felt was incompatible with colour cinematography. Moreover, the technical advisers, who were supposed to assist the cinematographers, had only worked with black and white film. Technicolor required double the amount of lighting for illumination of a scene. Selznick had previously worked with technicolour. He knew that it would be very important in giving Gone with the Wind visual richness needed for a classic drama. Actually, Selznick wanted the film’s colour to have the same impact as the characters emotions. He was so determined in it and went to the extent of dismissing the first cinematographer, Lee Garmes, for choosing a colour scheme which Selznick thought was very much subdued. The next cinematographer, Ernest Haller, was more successful in obtaining more glowing effects. Selznick had realized that shadow formed an important part in a scene’s visual impact. He asked his colour consultant to shoot Scarlett and her father on the hill at Tara. With the farm gleaming brightly in the distance, the ensuing farming effect strongly emphasizes Gerald’s feeling about the significance of the land. Selznick employs this silhouetting to the similar effect in the film’s final scene, when Scarlett stands on the same mount as she comes home to Tara. Another use of shadow is to highlight moments that focus on relationship between characters in the film. It is first used in the form of the frightening shadows Melanie and Scarlett cast on the walls of temporary hospital. Later on, delivery of Melanie’s baby is lighted with silver streams of light. The darkness in the scene renders it more personal and gives it a powerful simplicity. (Fleming, 1939). The use of Matte painting was another technique which Selznick adapted from black and white film to Technicolour. When a shot is filmed, the area to be painted in afterwards is covered with black matte paint on a glass screen positioned in front of the camera. Afterwards, a colour scale illustration of the omitted portion is shot to cover the blacked out area. Clarence Silfer, the special effects cinematographer of Gone with the Wind used the technique to complete a number of sets that were only partially finished. All, Outhouses, Tara’s side views, background vegetation, the train station roof, the twelve oak plantation, the decorations in the old armoury, some of the wounded soldiers lying on the ground in long shots, and an entire street of burning houses, were matte paintings Film editing Editing is the art of establishing rhythm in film. People often does not notice or acknowledge the contribution of film editor. Major aspects of the editing of a film are created outside the editing room. The director, script writer, and photographer are also involved in editing. One of the responsibilities of the editor is to ensure that intentions of the scriptwriter have correctly been portrayed in the film. Hal C. Kern, the film editor of Gone with the Wind, won the Oscar award for film editing. One can clearly observe that smooth flow of events which are portrayed in the film. In this film, there is an outstanding use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood. Production design Production designer is the in charge of the film’s art department which consists of an art director, prop master, costume designer and a ser decorator. He works in close association with director, and director of photography to produce film’s feel and look by choosing the right shapes, colours and compositions for each shot. A production designer’s duties cover far beyond extending support because a movie is eventually a visual medium, its visual material is almost like another character, itself producing a mood and bringing out an emotional response from the spectators. Production design involves lot of planning and the production designer should be able to strike a balance between his own creative vision with the film’s need for authenticity of place and time. Lyle Wheeler, the art director of Gone with the Wind, won an Oscar for his efforts in the movie. Work cited Fleming, Victor. Dir. Gone with the Wind, (1939). Selznick I How to cite Gone with the Wind, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

The Chalice of Ages by DeathevokatioN free essay sample

If you were to listen to Death ­evokations â€Å"The Chalice of Ages† without knowing anything about it, and were asked to guess where and when it was recorded, I highly doubt your first guess would be California, 2007. This album, in the vein of old-school death metal, sounds like it could have been recorded in Finland in the early ?s. It would fit alongside Demigod or Adramelech, with their style of creating a slower, evil atmosphere, as well as dark riffs and tones. In addition to being old-school death metal, theres a lot of doom influence and even some thrashy parts here. The slower tempo, the sinister feel it gives off, and the vocalists style really give this album its doomier edge. However, its still death metal so it can get just as fast and brutal as the rest of them. â€Å"Infinity Blights the Flesh† is a perfect example of its intensity, as well as the prominence of melody and  ­harmony. We will write a custom essay sample on The Chalice of Ages by DeathevokatioN or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The entire album has a great combination of melody and thick, crunchy heaviness. Listen to the title track and youll notice the perfect harmony between elements. The songwriting is top-notch; the album doesnt get dull once during its 61 minutes. Its hard to make a death metal album that long without getting repetitive, but Deathevokation manages it. Three out of the nine songs clock in at over eight minutes, and theyre probably the best here, even if they flow together a bit awkwardly. That could be said for the whole album, but you cant tell because youre so drawn in by its vehemence. A plethora of delicious riffs, creative drum patterns, and stunning harmonies prove that the instrumentation here is great. Every sound fits the music, except for the bass, of course, since its pretty much nowhere to be found. The production does an impressive job, with a hint of that gritty, muddy sound fans love from death metal while still being clean enough for all the separate melodies to be heard clearly. Doomful, menacing, vicious, all while being strangely dulcet, â€Å"The Chalice of Ages† has something for just about every fan of extreme metal. Want death metal with some brutality? How about some slow, brooding doom thrown in for good measure? Melody and an evil acoustic passage or two? If so, youll find something to enjoy here.