A Dolls House Essays (760 words) - Films, British Films,

A Doll's House The following essay will critically analyse a passage from the play A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen. Between the pages 222 and 225 there seems to be shift in the plot, as Nora takes a different attitude towards her and Helmer's relationship. All of a sudden instead of trying to preserve it, she wishes to leave the house. It could be argued that her radical change in mind is not irrational or unprovoked. Before she starts getting changed to leave, Helmer had just finished forgiving her, for he had received and read Krogstad's second letter which included the forged document, but prior to this he had basically told her that he could no longer love her: Helmer: ...Oh, to think that I should have to say this to someone I've loved so much-someone I still .... Well, that's all over now-it must be; Then spontaneously he starts forgiving her as he had received the second letter, everything else he had told her before was forgotten. It is very cold of him to go from one thing to another, hence it cannot possibly be believed that his feelings are true for Nora. People do not love a person one moment, and then deny them it, or vise versa. Nora's reason for leaving, as she explains, is that she feels he doesn't love her: Nora: You've never loved me, you've only found it pleasant to be in love with me. As well as her taking no part in family decisions or even her own, as she and Helmer have never sat down to have a serious discussion, in the past eight years, until now. She is his doll , and has no say in her own future, let alone her owner's (Helmer). Another aspect, included in the book's theme, is sexism, an attitude which stereotypes people according to gender. In forgiving Nora, Helmer makes various comments characterised as sexist. Firstly, he tells Nora: Helmer: ...It was just you hadn't the experience to realise what you were doing. Here he is referring to the crime she committed of forging her father's signature, to obtain the loan from Krogstad. This simple sentence shows Helmer's lack of confidence in Nora's decisions, he appears to be treating her as a child. He speaks of her inexperience, when in reality she is an adult, who has lived long enough to distinguish right from wrong. The manner in which he forgives her is as though he believes she did not know what she was getting into, like a child who plays with matches without foreseeing the consequences. Still, he goes on to say: Helmer: ...I shouldn't be a proper man if your feminine helplessness didn't make you twice as attractive to me. Alone in itself this sentence has a lot to say for Helmer's opinion on a man's and woman's place in society. In saying proper man means he has guidelines by which a man should act, and the part of feminine helplessness demonstrates he believes all women to be helpless. His finding her attractive due to this can be explained by the typical sexist desire to be superior to his partner. Although the example of sexism is very strong in this extract, throughout the book it is not as obvious, and there are other factors of the theme which are more prominent. One of these is Nora's infant behaviour, which Helmer seems to fuel with his attitude towards her: Helmer: ...Ah, you don't know what a real mans heart is like, Nora.....I'll be both your will and your conscience. This sort of control that Helmer is exerting over Nora would be like that of a father's over his daughter. Nora recognises this, and further on she compares Helmer with her father, and reaches the conclusion that they both treat her the same. Furthermore, Helmer scolds her: Helmer: ...Why, what's this? Not in bed? I remember my own father telling me this in similar words, when I was younger and was out of bed after my bed-time. Unfortunately, Nora, an adult, is still living through the same. Finally, the title A Doll's House suggest the situation Nora is living in, as she describes the to Helmer at one point. She is the doll that was previously owned by her father, but now she is married to Helmer and he

Free Essays on Holocost

World War II erupted on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. It took mere days for Germany to emerge victorious, and the Nazis began to enslave the Poles and destroy their culture, deemed "subhuman." The first step was to eliminate the leaders. Nazis massacred many university professors, artists, writers, politicians, and Catholic priests. Large group of the Polish people were resettled to make room for the "superior" Germans. German families began to move in to the newly annexed land. Thousands of Poles and Polish Jews were imprisoned in concentration camps. (The model concentration camp was Dachau, which was established March 20, 1933 in an abandoned munitions factory.) Fifty-thousand " Aryan-looking" Polish children were kidnapped and taken to be adopted by German families. Many were later rejected as incapable of "Germanization" and send to special children's camps, where death by starvation, lethal injection, and disease was all very possible. During the beginning of the war, Hitler authorized an order to kill institutionalized, handicapped patients deemed "incurable." State hospitals filled out questionnaires on their patients, which were then reviewed by a special commission of physicians who would simply decide if the subject lived or died. Those marked for death were sent to one of six death camps in Germany and Austria, where special gas chambers killed them. Public protests in 1941 forced the Nazis to continue this "euthanasia" program in secret. Babies, small children, and others were killed afterwards by lethal injection, pills, or forced starvation. Their bodies were burned in crematoria. The mass murder of the European Jewry and other persecuted groups was thus preceded by the "euthanasia" program, which had all the elements needed for the later genocides in the Nazi death camps: an express decision to kill, specially trained personnel, the equipment for the deadly gas, and the use of the euphemistic te... Free Essays on Holocost Free Essays on Holocost World War II erupted on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. It took mere days for Germany to emerge victorious, and the Nazis began to enslave the Poles and destroy their culture, deemed "subhuman." The first step was to eliminate the leaders. Nazis massacred many university professors, artists, writers, politicians, and Catholic priests. Large group of the Polish people were resettled to make room for the "superior" Germans. German families began to move in to the newly annexed land. Thousands of Poles and Polish Jews were imprisoned in concentration camps. (The model concentration camp was Dachau, which was established March 20, 1933 in an abandoned munitions factory.) Fifty-thousand " Aryan-looking" Polish children were kidnapped and taken to be adopted by German families. Many were later rejected as incapable of "Germanization" and send to special children's camps, where death by starvation, lethal injection, and disease was all very possible. During the beginning of the war, Hitler authorized an order to kill institutionalized, handicapped patients deemed "incurable." State hospitals filled out questionnaires on their patients, which were then reviewed by a special commission of physicians who would simply decide if the subject lived or died. Those marked for death were sent to one of six death camps in Germany and Austria, where special gas chambers killed them. Public protests in 1941 forced the Nazis to continue this "euthanasia" program in secret. Babies, small children, and others were killed afterwards by lethal injection, pills, or forced starvation. Their bodies were burned in crematoria. The mass murder of the European Jewry and other persecuted groups was thus preceded by the "euthanasia" program, which had all the elements needed for the later genocides in the Nazi death camps: an express decision to kill, specially trained personnel, the equipment for the deadly gas, and the use of the euphemistic te...

Are the Challenges Facing Contemporary Africans the Product of Research Paper

Are the Challenges Facing Contemporary Africans the Product of Internal or External Historical Forces - Research Paper Example This despite a lot of efforts being channeled towards solving these problems, a lot of foreign aid is used to help these particular societies. Even though many non-stake organizations put of attention towards trying to solve these problems, still there are a lot of challenges. The main problem remains as the most potential strategies to salvage Africa from the problems; what or when will Africa much other continents social, political and particular economic strength? Many African scholars such as Ngugi wa Thiongo and Chinua Achebe1 have always associated the problem facing the African continent today as a result of the coming of Europeans to Africa. The introduction of western culture and civilization, which according to these writers brought the continent to its knees and began to creep into Africa when foreigners mainly Europeans started arriving into the continent. They criticize Europeans as having the quest to impose imperial ideologies and pilfering African resources, and it is this foundation that African scholars fill continued to infiltrate the continent even after independence. In the 21st century, the following are some of the principle challenges facing Africa as a continent. External Factors Economic constrains The economic effects laid down by colonialism continue to be felt by the five million inhabitants of Africa. Many African scholars such as Dr Ibrahim Farah do maintain a strong feeling that colonialism should be viewed as a progressive integration of Africa into the world capitalist system where it was given the role of producing raw materials for the western industrial products. This colonial economy also diverted Africa societies to divert Agriculture to production of primary goods and cash crop which have led to the continuous hunger situation in the continent. Africa elites blame the colonial economy for encouraging Africa to produce ''more of what was needed least rather than more of what was needed most'', this is what explains why Afr ica has continued to sink into the balance of payment deficit e because the income they fetch from their exports is far much less than the revenue they spend on imports2. Rodney goes further to echo the same sentiments when he argues that the systematic corrupt enterprises established by the colonies to expropriate African natural resources to Europe. This facilitated what is today seen as under-development of Africa while it engendered the development of Europe. It is how the colonial master led to the re organs action of African economy that has today altered the manner in which people produce, consume and create things within the continent-colonialism came with new-liberalism a phenomena that seeks to enforce the principle law of demand and supply that is forces of demand and supply should be left to make the leading role in the market structure distorted the African way of life, which was communal and appropriate for the African setting. In addition this system substituted it wi th liberalism which was foreign and in this case alien for the African societies. Socially, colonialism as an external factor responsible for the problems facing African continent today greatly affected the close knit family structure and fragmentation of social relation. Colonialism is also responsible for urbanization that led to rapid exodus of masses from rural areas to urban centers. This had two

STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL THEORY CHAPTER 10 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL THEORY CHAPTER 10 - Article Example Merton studied social phenomena by studying the meanings people attach to their actions, using the methodological approach, structural-functionalism which was in vogue in the 1930s. Merton maintained that structural-functionalism is predicated upon three assumptions. The first assumption is that social systems are self-regulating and tend towards a state of equilibrium. The second assumption is that every social practice contributes to the survival of the social system to which it belongs. The third assumption is that every social practice is indispensible just as the brain and the heart are to human beings. On the converse, Merton made postulation that the degree of integration in a social system is an empirical variable and can vary from institution or society or time to the next. Merton also contended that social practices are not really functional for the entire cultural or social system. Merton also questioned the idea of universal functionalism, as the assumption that every social practice fulfills vital functions in ensuring the survival of a system. Merton also disputed the concept of indispensability, as the concept that every social practice is indispensible because it executes necessary function. To draw the proper functions of an organization, Merton drew the distinction between manifest and latent functions. With the former, he meant to denote objective consequences which contribute to the adaptation of the system recognized by participants in a system. Latent functions in turn means objectives that are neither intended noir recognized correlatively. When discussing the structural causes of bureaucratic dysfunctions, Merton points out that the ideal type of bureaucratic arrangements achieves high extent of efficiency due to application of rules that are predetermined categories of cases that preclude the need to issue certain instructions for a given

Design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Design - Assignment Example The educator must teach in euphoric mood and in learning environment, must focus on the practical activities, so that to get better results. The lesson must be described along with the labelled diagrams where necessary, because with the help of AV-AIDS (Audio Visual Aids) students can get and seek good knowledge and can learn more about it. Thus the use of these aids including charts, maps, boards, some audio or video documentaries, presentations, projects, assignments and practical activities may help the students to understand the lesson. It is essential for a good educator not only to teach well but also to assess the students, actually, in order to assess his own teaching strategy, that whether the students are getting benefit from his teaching skills or that was just in vain. In this way, by assessing the students, firstly, a teacher can assess himself and his own teaching skills, so that he may change his teaching strategy, to help the students. Secondly, teacher can get an idea about the brilliant students as well as about the average ones and so on. In order to assess the students, an educator may apply numerous methods and approaches, to judge their mental ability. An educator may apply or use the method by making a rubric to assess his students, that rubric must contain that elements and strategies that are helpful to check or judge the students. A rubric must have following three main

Influence of IT on Organisational Behaviour

Influence of IT on Organisational Behaviour The Influence of IT on organisational behaviour Carr (2003) concludes that Information Technology (IT) has become the backbone of commerce and that IT empower companies to serve their customers better. IT can alter the basic nature of an industry (Luftman et al., 1993), and rightly so; IT has forever changed the world that we inhabit. With the use of computers and software, IT has altered how the finance sector operates, how the education system work, how companies conduct their business and how the healthcare sector can help their citizens. Ultimately, IT has been able to help every company and government institute alike to transform their daily operation by turning labour heavy and repetitive burdens into automatic and streamlined tasks that often require little to no human interaction. The use of IT in healthcare enables citizens, healthcare professionals, authorities and administrators to have access to real-time and relevant information through secure delivery without unnecessary barriers. With the help of online healthcare portals, citizens can schedule appointments with their general practitioner, check their patient journal, look up digital medical information such as X-rays or blood samples. Healthcare professionals can save time spent on paperwork and instead concentrate their valuable time on helping their patients. Authorities, such as Data Protection Agencies will be better equipped to help the healthcare to improve procedures, processes and patient safety. Finally, administrators will have access to data and information that could help them improve the decision-making in everyday operations. A practical example of an IT implementation that is showing to have a long-term positive consequence is the implementation of one (a single) centralised Electronic Patient Journal (EPJ) for the whole country of the Faroe Islands. While decentralisation may bring flexibility and fast response to changing needs, decentralisation also makes system integration difficult, presents a barrier to standardisation and acts as a disincentive toward achieving economies of scale (DeSanctis Jackson, 1994). Even though the Faroe Islands is a small country of only fifty thousand people, the country has three hospitals and around hundred general practitioners. With the centralised EPJ system, the healthcare sector has the basics in place to start exchanging digital medical information by integrating with other systems to receive descriptions and answers from a specialist (doctor). These other systems include computerised axial tomography (CAT) scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, Lab oratory and blood systems and so on. On an entirely different subject, albeit all the positives social media might bring, one should not ignore the negative effects. Negative effects from social media include addiction and privacy concerns. The social media is comparable to drugs; once addicted it is hard to let to go. Griffiths (2010) mentions a research conducted on 415 medical technologists that Internet Abuse falls into three distinct categories: browsing, non-work-related e-mails and cyberloafing. According to Griffiths (2010), addition is related to Internet abuse and does have an impact on the workplace in regards to the loss of productivity. To conclude, information technology has spearheaded the digital revolution for some time and is moving companies, consumers and government ever closer to a constant change for globalisation. References Carr, N.G. (2003) Why IT Doesnt Matter Anymore Harvard Business Review. [Online] Available from: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3520.html (Accessed: 15 January 2016) Luftman, J.N., Lewis, P.R. Oldach, S.H. (1993) Transforming the Enterprise: The alignment of business and information technology strategies. IBM Systems Journal Vol 32 (1). p. 198 DeSanctis, G. Jackson, B.M. (1994) Coordination of information technology management: Team-based structures and computer-based communication systems. Journal of Management Information Systems Vol 10 (4). p. 85-110. Alder, I. (2013) How Our Digital Devices Are Affecting Our Personal Relationships [Online] Available from: http://www.wbur.org/2013/01/17/digital-lives-i (Accessed: 1. June 2016) Griffiths, M.D. (2010) Internet abuse and internet addiction in the workplace. Journal of Workplace Learning, 7, 463-472.

Brave New World Essay -- essays research papers

Ivan Denisovich essay In his 17th century pem, â€Å"To Althea from Prison†, Richard Lovelace tells us that â€Å"stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.† Thus Lovelace introduces and makes the reader familiar with the paradoxical nature of freedom. This paradox is raised again when comparing two legitimate visions of the modern world: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich vividly describes and allows the reader to live through life in a prison, where an individuals rights are stripped away, and Brave New World introduces the reader to a fantasy world filled with sex, drugs, and a total lack of inhibition and self-reserve. Although apparently unrelated, both novels together describe what could be considered a modern hell. In Solzhenitsyn’s novel Shukov is stripped of his rights and his free will, while Huxley’s characters are stripped of independen ce of thought and brainwashed into mindless decadence. A comparison of the worlds created by Solzhenitsy and Huxley prompts us to redefine imprisonment of freedom, yet the brain that is enslaved in Huxley’s novel is truly less free than the body enchained in Solzhenitsyn gulag.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alexander Solzhenitsyn carefully and tediously depicted what life is like in a prison. Ivans monotonous life prompts the reader initially to think that Ivans day is a living death of tedious details. Yet, in truth, Ivan i...

Cango Week 2 Video Analysis

CanGo Analysis Report Consultants BUSN 460-Team 1 CanGo Analysis Report Let me say first thank you for giving us the opportunity to evaluate your company’s operational process. It has been a tremendous experience to be in a company that started out small and grew to one of the leading businesses in the industry. CanGo does have a promising future ahead. During our evaluation over the past two weeks, we have noticed a few things that will be a problem in the future if not resolved. It seems that the company has been profitable by chance not because of planning. At this point we feel the need to work on the planning aspect and all that it entails. There are six key issues and recommendations that we have made that we know would help improve CanGo. Mission Statement The first issue is to have a mission statement for the company. This statement is the back bone of the company. Every employee will strive day after day with the main purpose of the company. Can-Go’s purpose is to provide a somewhat all inclusive service to entertainment needs via books, CDs, DVDs, and its new prospect online gaming. There seems to be no set direction for the employees to reference. Goals There are goals that Can-Go is going towards, but everyone isn’t on the same page. Unity among the employees is one of the most important aspects that you need to resolve. We witnesses during the management meeting about the online gaming idea, which no one seemed to be able to force their opinion or have an open decision to if the company should go forth with the idea. Andrew was very excited with the idea, but tried to almost push the company into the new market. You can’t go into a new market without seeing what is really involved in proceeding with the new move. SWOT Analysis One key thing that was missing when we observed CanGo is that Liz should have created a SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats by conducting this analysis Liz would be able to see where the business was at in the current marketplace. It would also allow her to see where she could make changes in the company to increase profitability. A SWOT analysis allows you to view the internal and external factors of a company. The strengths should be a list of what makes CanGo better than the competitors. Liz made a great choice by giving her customers a $10 gift certificate and free shipping on the next order when they didn’t receive their orders in time for the holiday or received the incorrect order. They offer books and audio/visual entertainment online which is exactly where things are headed. They grew much faster than expected. By purchasing Webjouster they were opening up the door for online gaming. The download time for books and audio is fast. There are quite a few weaknesses that have been observed there seems to be a huge problem with organizational skills. There is no set vision for the company. The company as a whole could use a course on professionalism. When Warren delegated the responsibility to Nick for the online gaming being that this was a very important task it should have been handled better. He should have sat down with Nick and went over the goal and the timeframe that he had to get it done versus being vague about it saying they had weeks to get it done. CanGo also needs to improve their technology in order to offer the online gaming. There needs to be improvement in the Human Resource Department because there are people in positions that cannot meet the expectations necessary to fulfill their job requirements. The new opportunity they are faced with is being able to open up to online gaming. People have laptops, notebooks, and mobile phones with them at all times being able to entertain themselves with electronics is now a way of life. If the weaknesses are not addressed they will be threats because the competitors will be able to get in on the profits because of how unorganized CanGo is when it comes to handling business. I think there is room for CanGo to expand if they make the necessary changes to the company in order to stay on the track they are currently on. Short-term Objectives Liz failed to have a list of short-term objectives. By making this list she would be able to evaluate the progress her company is making. These short-term goals should cover the different functions of the company. These objectives should be SMART. That means they should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timed. They should sit down as a team and develop premeditated plans to meet these objectives. Feedback Loop As a company you are also missing the feedback loop. This is an important part of the strategic management process. It allows you to monitor the execution of every part of the strategic management process. It helps you know which goals and objectives are being met. Liz should sit down with her staff and make a list of short-term objectives and long-term goals. These goals and objectives should be evaluated after a set period of time to see how they are coming along with meeting their objectives and goals. After the goals and objectives are reviewed if they are not being met the process is reviewed and any necessary changes are made at that point. Teamwork There is a big organization problem that Nick has when dealing with getting a projection report for the new online gaming. Warren didn’t give him much to grow on. There were no questions by Nick to get more clarification. Nick’s reaction towards this great opportunity showed that he was impressed for this chance. Gail was not too convinced that he could do it. There seems to be a little rivalry between to the two, but working together as a team will only make the process go smoother. Warren didn’t divide the work load with the entire team. He should have known that it could be too much for only one person to handle. He didn’t make this new venture a joint effort by doing so he could have utilized everyone’s talents. He also didn’t give him a timeline on when this will need to be taken care of. Nick’s organization techniques are very poor. He didn’t even know how to prioritize the task that needed to be done. Pride shouldn’t stop you for asking for help. We were pleased that Debbie took the necessary time to help Nick produce a Gantt chart to help organize the tasks. This is what we like to see with all of your employees. A team is only as strong as its weakest link. Conclusion We would like to thank you for this opportunity to work with you. It has been a pleasure being able to be a part of the future of such a magnificent company. We can’t wait to work hand in hand with you to begin implementing these changes.

Addicted to Online Learning †From an Online IT Degree to a Masters in Education Essay Example

Addicted to Online Learning – From an Online IT Degree to a Masters in Education Essay Example Addicted to Online Learning – From an Online IT Degree to a Masters in Education Essay Addicted to Online Learning – From an Online IT Degree to a Masters in Education Essay I am an online degree junkie. Never heard of it? Surprising considering how many of us are learning online and are completely bolstered by the strides we can make in our education in the most convenient way possible. I am not someone for whom an online degree was even in the picture. I had been working in computer technology for quite some time but technology was changing so fast around me that I decided it was a good idea to get up to speed. And if I was going to go that far then I might as well get my degree. Trouble was that I didn’t want to stop working to do it. And so I looked at the online IT degree programs that were available and after weighing the many offerings by some really great schools, I made my choice of a program. I started tenuously; I had no idea how effective an online degree program would be for me but I was willing to go the distance. Before long I was hooked. I absolutely loved the flexibility of the program and was so happy that I was able to earn my degree without compromising the rest of my life. I earned my online IT degree and I was off and running from there, even earning an online MBA. A few years went by and I decided that I wanted to change careers and pursue a job in teaching – something that I had always loved. I was back online getting all of my classes under my belt and I even went so far as to get a Masters in Education. I know; it’s crazy. But there’s something so self-satisfying about putting my mind to something and getting it done in my time. And the online programs being offered today are comprehensive, convenient, and versatile for anyone’s lifestyle.

Julian the Apostate and Fall of Paganism

Julian the Apostate and Fall of Paganism When the Roman Emperor Julian (Flavius Claudius Julianus) came to power, Christianity was less popular than polytheism, but when Julian, a pagan (in contemporary usage) known as the Apostate, was killed in battle, it was the end of Roman official acceptance of polytheism. Although paganism was popular, Julians practice was more ascetic than normal pagan practices, which may be why paganism failed when the Apostate reinstated it. From  Gore Vidals  Julian: Julian has always been something of an underground hero in Europe. His attempt to stop Christianity and revive Hellenism exerts still a romantic appeal. When the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate, died in Persia, his supporters failed to maintain support for paganism as the official state religion. It wasnt called paganism at the time, but was known as Hellenism and is sometimes referred to Hellenistic paganism. Instead of the ancient religion returning to the Roman Empire, the popular Emperor Constantines Christianity re-emerged as the dominant one. This seems odd since Christianity wasnt as popular among the people as Hellenism, so scholars have searched Julians life and administration for clues to why the apostasy (which means the standing away from [Christianity]) failed. Julian (born A.D. 332), the nephew of the first Christian emperor, Constantine, was trained as a Christian, yet he is known as an apostate because when he became emperor (A.D. 360) he opposed Christianity. In The Demise of Paganism, James J. ODonnell suggests that the emperors particularly vehement stance against Christianity (and support for the other monotheistic religion, Judaism) stems from his Christian upbringing. Julians Intolerance Although any such generalization is hazardous, pagans of the time generally held religion to be a private matter, while Christians behaved strangely in trying to convert others to their faith. They claimed that Salvation made possible through Jesus was the only true belief. In the wake of the Nicene Council, Christian leaders condemned all who failed to believe in the prescribed manner. To be a pagan in the old tradition, Julian should have let everyone worship as he or she wished. Instead of letting each person worship in his own way, Julian stripped the Christians of their privileges, powers, and rights. And he did so from their own perspective: the intolerant attitude that ones private religion is of public concern. From The Demise of Paganism: In summary, it is necessary to look upon the religious sociology of the fourth century with two separate (if often, and confusingly, overlapping) distinctions in mind: that between worshippers of Christ and worshippers of other gods; and that between men who could accept a plurality of worships and those who insisted on the validity of a single form of religious experience to the exclusion of all others. Julians Elitism Other writers say the failure of Julian to reintegrate Hellenistic paganism into the framework of Roman society came from his inability to make it popular and his insistence that true understanding is impossible to the average mortal, but is reserved for philosophers. Another important factor was that the Christian creeds were far more unified than paganism. Paganism wasnt a single religion and adherents to different gods did not necessarily support each other.   The panoply of religious experience in the Roman world before Constantine was simply bewildering: from back-yard fertility rites through public, state-supported cults to the mystical ascents of which Platonic philosophers wrote with such devotion- and everything between, over, under, and all around such phenomena. There were public cults indigenous to the various parts of the empire, certain generally (if often lukewarmly) accepted devotions such as that to the divinity of the emperors, and a vast array of private enthusiasms. That such a spectrum of religious experiences should produce a single-minded population capable of forming itself into a single pagan movement with which Christianity could struggle is simply not probable. Lack of a Powerful Pagan Successor to Julian In 363, when Julian died, he was succeeded by Jovian, a Christian, at least nominally, instead of the obvious choice, Julians praetorian prefect, the moderate polytheist, Saturninius Secundus Salutius. Secundus Salutius didnt want the job even though it meant continuing Julians mission. Paganism was diverse and tolerant of this diversity. Secundus Salutius didnt share the late emperors parochial attitudes or specific beliefs. No other pagan emperor came to power before the Roman state outlawed pagan practices. Even so 1,700 years later, we continue to be predominantly a Christian society in terms of our beliefs, it may have been the pagan attitude of religious tolerance that prevailed. Sources and Further References Ch.23, Part I of Gibbons The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.Julians Pagan Revival and the Decline of Blood Sacrifice, by Scott Bradbury;  Phoenix Vol. 49, No. 4 (Winter, 1995), pp. 331-356.

Assessment Brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assessment Brief - Essay Example groups, as well as our group, and with proper observation, we should be able to determine their good points and offer constructive comments about the part that we deem would need improvement. Our group was assigned the topic of Customer Care. The members were Fares Al- Naami,Ali Guhfli, Mohamed Echtibi, Issam Dalati, Ahmad al aomar. Our three good points were first, our effective power point slide show presentation that went well with our topic; second, our introduction was attention-getter even though it was brief, and third, the write-up that we had distributed was relevant to the information we presented. However, we have to admit that we have to improve in some issues, like team preparation. We displayed poor teamwork. We were obvious in relying on our personal notes, that we appeared less prepared and we missed employing the proper eye contact with the audience and the use of body language was almost totally missed because we were more preoccupied with our notes. On the process, we were not effective in the interaction aspect, and for a while, lost our contact with the audience because we were not able to hold their attention. Without waiting for anyone to suggest to us, we acknowledge the need for our group to research more, spend time with the other members in reviewing our presentation over and over again and aim for more quality in our work. We could have rehearsed and prepared a list of possible questions that the audience would be expected to ask. The second group, composed of Martin Kredba, Selcuk Ugur, Refik Iyiuyarlar, Cuong Khuat, and Tomas Vagasky, was given the topic Interactive Marketing. The only good points worth mentioning about their group was their presentable physical attributes which were quite impressive. They looked so formal, as if they really meant business. And next, they were able to adhere to the time element allotted for each group. Regretfully, other than these two, we cannot pinpoint anything else that could be

Plan 9 from Outer Space Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plan 9 from Outer Space - Essay Example However, the designer displays his bad taste in costumes with regards to the Eros (the alien being) and his accomplice Tanna, who both very obviously human were dressed in really shiny clothings that resembled nightsuits. Any form of realism was killed by their overly shiny night gowns and comical guns. The other characters were better off such as the dead wife of Bela Lugosi who resurfaces as the Vampire girl. She is slightly more believable with her black Adam’s family inspired gown, jetblack hair and scary long finger nails. Inspector Clay, who becomes her victim, is dressed up in a sharp detective suit which together with her hat makes for a decent get up. However, his acting could not have been more dreadful. The Army Colonel Edwards is also appropriately dressed in detective’s clothes. Set Design The set was very obviously bargain central. There is very little variety in scenery and the most used background is the cemetary, which is kept so simple it is obvious th e director was very short on cash. The movie opens with the cemetary where the Vampire girl is buried and most of it keeps resurfacing there. It is shot from only one angle with what seems like a fixed frame. The set barely has any room for movement. Jeff Trent’s house, which is next to the cemetary is no more realistic. It is the middle of summer but the couple chooses to keep the windows closed at night just to prevent any wandering breeze from flowing in and cooling them down. The worst part is how they presented the space ships. The presence of space ships was a central concept in the movie and the fact that a kind of tin material was used to present them makes it very humourous. The moments where the aliens fly by in their saucers is supposed to be scary, but it is hard to be scared when all you see are wheelcaps waivering in the sky. The cockpit where Jeff shoots his airplane scenes is also victim to cheap design. There is what seems like a shower separator which is the link between the cockpit and the rest of the aircraft. The waitress often comes through it as if she has no restrictions between the curtain and the supposed passengers sitting behind. Not to mention the inside of the alien saucer where only a few wooden tables and dials represent the inside of a very high-tech machine capable of travelling to earth from a different planet. Dialogue The dialogue is very comical. It makes the movie very odd and does not help the flow at all. While the mourning of Vampire girl in the opening of the movie, along with the supposedly ‘scary’ moments where Jeff and his wife experience the alien saucer were somewhat passable, they get specially hard to follow during the rest of the movie. The really unreal dialogues come in when Jeff and the team of alien hunters enter Eros’ spaceship where Eros, in a moment of anger and pity, explains, â€Å"All of you Earth are idiots†. The exchange of dialogue that follows pretty much reduces the movie to a comic strip. Eros explanation of the human race does not present any depth to the movie the director must have hoped for. Instead, when Eros says things like solarmanite â€Å"causes sunlight to explode,† it is hard to control your laughter. Of course, Criswell presented the intro and the outro to the movie and his presentation is worth mentioning. It is hard to ignore his poise when delivering his speech, â€Å"My friends, we cannot keep this a secret any longer, let us punish the guilty, let us reward the innocent.† To describe it as a cliche would not be justified. His straight face may be funny but he delivered it with conviction. Criswell’s dialogues should be given credit. Special Effects The effects could not have been anything greater given the budget the