From one society to another, t... free essay sample

From one society to another, the value placed on individualism varies significantly. While some countries consider individualism very valuable for the advancement of society, others however, discourage this idea. In the American culture and modern society, we are often encouraged to be independent individuals. Such characteristics appear in Franz Kafka The Metamorphosis. Kafka begins the novel by recalling Gregors mysterious transformation into an insect. As the novel progresses, we notice that Gregor has not simply been transformed physically but also mentally. He falls into a state of isolation in his room from the outside world. Furthermore, the mental impact that Gregor suffers after this odd transformation causes him to often feel dehumanized. In The Metamorphosis Kafka introduces the central character, Gregor Famsa, in a very abnormal way, as he is waking up from troubled dreams and consequently realizing that he has been transformed into a monstrous insect (Kafka 3). Although Gregor acknowledges this odd transformation, he fails to accept the fact that something is wrong with him. We will write a custom essay sample on From one society to another, t or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Surprisingly, he does not question what has just happened to him, perhaps because he wanted to believe that it was simply part of a terrible dream. Gregors metamorphosis takes on a supernatural significance and even though the story never explains the reasons for his transformation. However, the fact that Gregor transforms into an insect tells us a lot about his character and reflects how he feels about himself. By all evidence, Gregor has always tried to support his family in every possible way. But we notice that he is not very pleased with his job as a traveling salesman. In the beginning of the story Gregor states that he has chosen an exhausting profession (Kafka 4). However Gregor accepts his role as the money-earner in the family and sacrifices himself at his job in order to financially support his family. Gregor gives priority to his job, even after he has been transformed. Later on in the story, we learn that Gregor is the only person in his family that contributes to the household . This illustrates that he has almost no decision over his life and the only reason why he does not leave his job is for his parents sake and because he was afraid of provoking his fathers fury (Kafka 4) (Kafka 16). Clearly, Gregor is not very committed to his personal life and was significantly influenced by the expectations of others. In the novel, Gregor feels like his familys existence depends on him. They expect him to provide financial support, so he feels the responsibility of looking after them even after he has transformed into an insect. It seems like his family does not see Gregor as a human but rather as an idea of financial stability. When they finally become more independent and see that Gregor can no longer give them the financial support they need they plan to get rid of him. (Kafka 41)The responses of various of the characters in The Metamorphosis add to Gregors state of isolation and individualism. They are usually unquestioning about Gregors transformation and most do not act particularly surprised. (The only exception to the characters responses is the Samsas maid whom begs the family to fire after the event). When Gregors father decides to rent part of his house to three lodgers, Gregor states that he has to be more considerate about others. In one occasion his family and the three lodgers are gather in the living room enjoying Gregors sister play the violin. Gregor tries to join them and as he is making himself closer to his family and the lodgers he ventures a bit further than usual (Kafka 38). Gregors life changed when he became an insect. In the beginning he was very considerate about others because he did not want to incomodate with his presence, especially his family. As a result of their rejection towards Gregor, he eventually becomes alienated from humanity. Furthermore, Gregor believed he had sufficient reasons to keep himself hidden away (Kafka 38). His family had abandoned him in his room and even though Gregor was still a member of their family, they did not consider him a human being anymore. Therefore, in order to avoid any conflicts the best thing to do was to be as isolated as possible from everything and everyone. Additionally, Gregor does not only find himself trapped inside his own body but also in the small apartment were the story takes place. The apartment underlies the themes of isolation and confinement on a number of levels. Not even as human was Gregor able to establish relationships with other people. Now that he had become an insect he felt like he did not belong with anyone. Gregors metamorphosis marked him as an individual and created a sense of isolation and disconnection within himself and the outside world as well. But even inside the apartment Gregor could not be completely free.Kafkas writing style is very unique and interesting to study and in this particular story it helps to emphasize the themes that are portrayed through the life of Gregor. The author describes the dark reality of Gregors complex world through a common term called kafkaesque. Franz Kafka uses this term in various of his literary works, which are mainly based on a person being tormented usually by work matters; this is the case of Gregor Famsa. In The Metamorphosis the novel opens by describing Gregors odd transformation into an insect and how he finds himself trapped by unknown forces and fears in his own body. As the story progresses, we see how he becomes alienated from humanity. At this point, there is not any type of communication with anyone and his family starts excluding him. Eventually. all of these events cause Gregor to become weaker and die. Throughout his work, Kafka dramatizices Gregors world as depicted by kafkaesque alienation. We see that Gregors sense of individualism and isolation appear even before his transformation. Several factors contribute to a state of loneliness which Gregor develops throughout the story. This causes him to isolate from his family and the rest of humanity even before the mysterious transformation into an insect. Even after he has transformed into a giant insect he is not able to find a state of happiness. This probably causes Gregor to suffer even more than when he was actually a human. Despite the physical transformation, Gregor changes very little as a character over the course of The Metamorphosis. Both as men and insect Gregor accepts the hardships he faces without complaint. Although Gregors transformation could be seen as a form of escape to reveal his own personality he still struggles to be a part of the world around him. Because Gregor feels dehumanized even before the transformation from human to bug, he is never able to fully join the society around him.

Frederick Douglas Life essays

Frederick Douglas' Life essays Any anti slavery book published in 1845 was considered radical and daring, but for a black man and a fugitive slave, at that, to have done it was near suicide. Luckily, Frederick Douglass, the author of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, was able to flee America by way of Great Britain after the book was released so that the United States could have time to embrace it. It was a story all too common in the United States at the time, but nearly unknown except by those to whom were involved, and even then, only the slaves knew the full story. Frederick Douglass knew his escape would have been in vain if he could not make others aware of the atrocities taking place in the south at the time. So, with utter disregard for the consequences of his actions, he revealed to the world the horror that was slavery. Douglass spends much of the novel addressing the most obvious aspect of slavery, which is the cruelty. The novel opens with Douglass talking of being sold from his mother at a young age and then several years later, after hearing of her death, being utterly unmoved as though it had been a total stranger. Although done subtlety, this part of the book hits very hard to the reader, because a reaction like that of Frederick to the death of one's parent is almost unimaginable. He says that his master may have been his biological father (a common occurrence on slave farms) and, the same as in his case, slaveholders sold away children from their mothers "too obviously to administer to their own lusts, and make a gratification of their wicked desires profitable as well as pleasurable." (Pg. 21) By this act many slaveholders had the "double relation of master and father."(Pg. 21) The story is saturated with accounts of severe beatings too numerous to site. Douglass goes from hearing the beating late at night as a small boy, to experiencing the whippings first hand as a young man. The "discipline ...

Chinatown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Chinatown - Essay Example However, since the economy of America got destabilized, the labor force of China became a danger to the conventional community. Racial bias and tyrannical administration brought the Chinese people from the area of gold mines to the refuge of the locality that came to be recognized as Chinatown. It is the sole ethnic cluster in the account of the United States that have been particularly deprived of entry into the nation, the Chinese people were forbidden by law to give evidence in court, to vote, to possess property, to get married to non-Chinese, to get employed in institutional agencies and to have families to join them. The survival and success of Chinatown relied to a great extent on the family unit and neighborhood compassionate clusters which served as social and political support frameworks to the new-entrants. The associates strove to convene the essential requirements of the group of people, and represented an integrated say in the struggle against prejudiced legislation pro cedure. "CHINATOWN"  presents a informative perception towards how a cluster of people have been restricted culturally, linguistically, economically and geographically throughout aggressive times and how it has grown today to turn out to be a courageous, proud and vibrant society for the â€Å"Chinese Americans† and the â€Å"greater New York†, which is known to be in Chinese as â€Å"Dai Fao† (Big City). (Joe, 1995) Today’s Chinatown Today Chinatown has turned into a distinctive neighborhood characterized by its inhabitants, its organizations and its olden times that accounts for a story of welcome, refusal and recognition. The buildings built according to the Chinese-style and the constricted busy roads provide Chinatown its identity. Beyond the golden storefronts various tenements full of aged people and fresh immigrants stressed with issues caused by years of elimination and unfairness, health problems, substandard housing and unemployment, could be found all over the city. Central part of Chinatown itself has been restricted by its competence to develop, today no longer acts as the key housing region for the Chinese population of the New York. Numerous people have settled out of the packed Chinatown to the Sunset and Richmond regions. During the year 1977, the Chinese Community Housing Corporation and the Chinatown Resource Center commenced a wide-ranging development plan determined to discover way outs for the changes in the patterns of land use. From the time of 1895 the citizens of the Chinese American community coalition has struggled in opposition to disenfranchisement of the dwellers of the Chinese origin and supported a good amount of community assignments. Population, employment and industry In the Census of 1980 it can be found that 84.5% (for a total of 124,372) of the New York region's Chinese population lived in the New York City, and the greater part of the Chinese people of the New York City are comparatively de nser in 3 counties namely the New York County (41.9 %), Queens County (31.8 %) and Kings County (21.0 %). Moreover 73 % of the Chinese people of the New York County used to reside in fourteen census bands in the Lower East Manhattan. The Chinese migrants, above all the new immigrants, have a tendency to look for

Gender Disparity in Employment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender Disparity in Employment - Research Paper Example The society is usually highly structured and stratified based on social hierarchies which have both dominant and subordinate groups coexisting together. As such, the gender disparity seen in matters pertaining to labor or employment can be traced back to a highly patriarchal and discriminative society (Donahue, 2007). This paper will try to tackle the two dominant causes of gender disparity in the social sphere which are patriarchal systems, and gender discrimination. Patriarchal systems usually refer to male dominance in which gender hierarchy favors the male over the female gender. The males are usually endowed with power, material and status advantages over their female counterparts. Despite advances and profound structural changes within the society, the gender hierarchy is still propagated today in different forms. These structural changes include such things like increasingly venture of women into male dominated careers and more women opting for careers as opposed to formative days when they stayed at home. Currently, there is no one single way through which the patriarchal system can be analyzed and understood as a possible cause of gender disparity, those interactional processes that are taken for granted may be the solution. These interactional processes are usually mediated through gender stratification which is an old time sociological practice (Elliott & Smith, 2004). The reasons for male dominance in patriarchal societies has been attributed to different factors and key among are culture, religion and capitalism. Through the industrialization and modernization of man, the culture of male dominance has been the norm whereby in forms of mass production that existed in the agrarian civilization, man was favored as the dominant figure. This is because it was the duty of man to perform strenuous tasks like fighting while women were allocated lighter duties like taking care of the homes. In that way, division of labor developed which later became entrenc hed in the society. In a way, capitalism propagated paternalism further by favoring men who seem not to overindulge in work in the society according to the cultural settings while it is they who own everything. In a way, that is exploitative but that is way that things have been moving on but slowly they are changing as more parity is being introduced in the previously skewed gender disparity (Donahue, 2007; Ridgeway, 1997). Discrimination simply refers to prejudice based on perceived traits that may be biological or otherwise. When one is discriminated against, it does not necessarily have to be based on race but also gender discrimination exists especially in matters pertaining to labor or employment. Currently, the trend is slowly changing but there are those jobs or careers that are dominated by the male gender at the expense of the female gender. Reasons attributed to this can be traced to individual perceptions of the key players in the field which naturally discriminate again st the female gender in holding some positions. Take for instance the issue of women representation legislation or politics which remains a largely male dominated affair globally even in the US. Although the last word has to come from the voters who by the way comprise a bigger women representation, they discriminate aga

A Nation of Drunkards Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Nation of Drunkards - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the White Southerners feared that drinking would turn their Black neighbors into criminals. This drinking according to the temperance reformers created anger and sorrow, which eventually resulted in the destruction of many families and marriages. In other words, the drunkards out of anger and sorrow mistreated their wives and children. Burns and Novick imply that drinking was considered a symbol of masculinity and yet again it often ruined masculinity’s key obligation and expectations, which is an individual’s capability to provide support to their family. In addition, the National Prohibition depicted a coincidence resulting from a combination of certain aspects. These aspects included the Anti-Saloon League’s political skill, and the formulation and implementation of an amendment to the constitution of the federal government, which resulted to the formation of an income tax (ensuring that drink taxes were rendered inappropriate). It also included the entrance of the American nation into the world war one, a factor that led to the demonization of the German-American brewers. Generally, these explanations made by Burns and Novick are the factors that led to the assumptions that the National Prohibition had a high probability of being self-enforcing.

Definition of International Human Resource Management (IHRM)

Definition of International Human Resource Management (IHRM) International Human Resource Management includes the firms work systems and its employment practices. It embraces both individual and collective aspects of people management. It is not restricted to any one style or ideology. It engages the energies of both line and specialist managers (where the latter exists) and typically entails a range of messages for a variety of workforce groups. (Boxhall, P. and Purcell, J. 2008). HRM responsibilities include: Recruitment and selection Training and development Human resource planning Assessing performance of employees Payment and reward systems Initiatives to align employee developments to corporate strategies. International Human Resource Management (IHRM) Boxall, P. (1992) defined International Human Resource Management (IHRM) as concerned with the human resource problems of multinational firms in foreign subsidiaries (such as expatriate management) or more broadly, with the unfolding HRM issues that are associated with the various stages of the internationalisation process. (Boxhall, P. 1992). Mark Mendenhall (2000) sought to be more specific by outlining a number of criteria relevant to a definition of IHRM: IHRM is concerned with HRM issues that cross national boundaries or are conducted in locations other than the home country headquarters. IHRM is concerned with the relationships between the HRM activities of organisations and the foreign environments in which the organisations operate. IHRM includes comparative HRM studies; e.g. differences in how companies in Japan, Thailand, Austria and Switzerland plan for upgrading of employee skills and so on. What IHRM is not IHRM does not include studies that are focused on issues outside the traditional activities inherent in the HRM function. E.g. leadership style is not IHRM, unless specifically linked to an HRM function; developing a selection programme to measure and select global leaders would arguably lie within the domain of organisational behaviour. IHRM does not include studies of HRM activities in single countries. E.g. a study of personnel selection practices in Saudi Arabia, whether undertaken by an English, German or Canadian researcher, is still a study about domestic HRM in Saudi Arabia. Though such studies may have interest to those who work in international HRM issues, they are essentially examples of domestic HRM research. IHRM approaches Ethnocentric: key positions filled by nationals of parent company Polycentric: host country nationals recruited to manage subsidiary in their own country Geocentric: best people recruited, whatever their nationality Regiocentric: best people recruited within region in which the subsidiary operates (e.g. EU, USA). IHRM solutions Choice of IHRM approach depends upon: Degree and type of internationalisation Type of industry and markets served Characteristics of staff Cultural preferences. Advantages and disadvantages of a decentralised approach to IHRM Advantages Groups within the subsidiary can gain in status Groups within the subsidiary become more cohesive, fostering group identity IHRM takes place within a culture appropriate to the local workforce and customers Disadvantages Tendency to become exclusive Loss of central control, higher administrative costs as HRM function is sent down the line Loss of organisational control and organisational identity Work and Islamic culture Latifi (1997) identified the following work-related values of Islamic culture: Equality before God Individual responsibility within a framework of cooperation with others A view that people in positions of power should treat subordinates kindly, as if their subordinates are brothers or sisters Fatalism, but also a recognition of personal choice Encouragement of consultation at all levels of decision-making, from family to the wider community. IHRM and training and development Training and development increases in complexity as MNEs move abroad. Types of training and development depends on a number of factors: The degree to which management is centralised. The types of workers employed in subsidiaries or joint ventures. The importance of branding, and the extent to which employees are expected to reflect the brand. The cultural expectations of training. In a global company, the training may well be centralised so that suppliers, employees and distributors are aware of the brand image that needs to be communicated. E.g. in Ford training programmes are set up centrally, and then translated and delivered to all main suppliers, subsidiaries and distributors. If, however, a more polycentric approach is taken, then the training may well be far more local, and more in line with the local culture Cross-cultural awareness Support provided for employees moving to overseas subsidiaries: Environmental briefings Cultural orientation Cultural assimilation Language training Sensitivity training Field experience. IHRM and reward strategies To design an appropriate reward strategy for employees taking up an international position, may require a number of factors to be considered, including: A knowledge of the laws, customs, environment, and employment practices of the foreign countries. Familiarity with currency relationships and the effect of inflation on compensation. An understanding of the allowances appropriate to particular countries, etc. For example, awareness of employment related legislation in the country of operation is vital to an appropriate international reward structure. India has as many as 45 labour laws at national level and close to four times that at the level of state governments (Kaushik 2006). The main method of drawing up a compensation package is known as the balance sheet approach. This approach is, according to Reynolds (1986): a system designed to equalise the purchasing power of employees at comparable position levels living overseas and in the home country, and to provide incentives to offset qualitative differences between assignment locations. IHRM and Balance Sheet reward strategy In order to achieve balance in reward structure, the organisation must take into account: Income taxes incurred in both home and host country Housing allowances (which might range from financial assistance to employees to providing company housing) Cost-of-living allowances (to adjust differences between home and abroad) Contributions to savings, pension schemes, etc. while abroad Relocation allowances (including the moving, shipping and storage of personal and household items and temporary living expenses) Education allowances for expatriates children (e.g. language tuition and enrollment fees in the host country or boarding school fees in the home country) Medical, emergency and security cover. Appraisal Identifies individuals strengths and weaknesses Reveals organisational obstacles blocking progress Provides feedback to improve human resource planning Improves communication. Cultural variations: performance appraisals Dimension general USA low context Saudi Arabia high context Japan high context Objective of performance appraisal Fairness, employee development Placement Direction of company/employee development Who does appraisal? Supervisor Manager several levels up. Appraiser has to know employee well Mentor and supervisor. Appraiser has to know employee well Authority of appraiser Presumed in supervisory role or position. Supervisor takes slight lead Reputation important (prestige is determined by nationality, sex, family, tribe, title, education). Authority of appraiser important Respect accorded by employee to supervisor or appraiser. Done co-equally How often? Once a year Once a year Developmental or periodically once a month. Evaluation appraisal after first 12 years

The Main Outcomes of the Industrial Revolution Essay -- Industrial Rev

The Main Outcomes of the Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution had a huge impact on society. The major effects were socially and economically. It is rather difficult to date the start of the industrial revolution but history books of today suggest the onset during the 18th century. The change from agriculture to industry was vast and it must be remembered that England was the first country to undergo this profound change. The initial effect on engineering industries arising at the start of the Industrial Revolution were due partly to the geographical location of the resources i.e. coal iron and water. The inventiveness of our ancestors in these as well as other industries such as textiles chemical electrical and transportation contributed greatly to the Industrial Revolution. The first two of these coal and iron provided the capital infrastructure and options for future development, whilst textiles supported and encouraged developments. Coal was originally mined by small group’s even families, using the long wall system. * SEE DIA 1. This technique was changed dramatically with the invention of the Commen engine. * SEE DIA 2. (named after its inventor THOMAS NEWCOMMEN) This was a pump that pumped the water out of coalmines allowing deeper more productive mines to be worked by more people. [This in turn had effects on the production of iron] In the early 1700s iron was produced by burning vast quantities of wood. The production techniques were crude. Technology had already provided machines like the newcommen engine; this pumping device allowed ABRAHAM DARBY II to fill a millpond to power a water wheel for a blast furnace. This enabled the production of better quality pig iron. This technique provided the iron for the manufacture of one of the major symbols of the industrial revolution the Ironbridge over the river seven. * SEE DIA 3. A water wheel also played a major part in one of the first inventions within the textile industry. RICHARD ARKWRIGHT invented the water frame for spinning (1769) this device was used by local man JEDEDIAH STRUTT in a mill at Cromford. The changes within the textile industry from wool to cotton called for more and more mechanisation. The mechanisation of the industry also led the setting up of the first factories; some of the first major mechanical devices were to be used in these factories. Such as JOH... ...820 employers organisations registered, they mainly dealt with wage bargaining and labour questioning in general. A forum was created for the exchange of technical ideas and development. Pressure groups encouraged favourable legislation. In today’s industry, employers’ organisations fall into two categories: 1. Those concerned with the common interest of a particular trade or technology. The engineering employers federation in London co-ordinates the engineering employers association, this operates at local level and is largely concerned with wage bargaining and representing engineering employers interests locally and nationally. 2. General groups of employers, for example, the confederation of British industry, this balances the role of the TUC this also acts as a pressure group encouraging favourable government response to the requirements of British industry at home and abroad. There are also technical development associations, providing a forum for technical exchange, carrying out fundamental research on behalf of their member companies, one of these being the copper development association (C.D.A.). and the motor industry research association (M.I.R.A.).

I Turned over the Question Paper

I turned over the question paper, I flipped through all the pages. I did not know how to answer any of the questions. I racked my brain to recall what I had studied yesterday but I barely could remember anything. I viewed around the class and found all my classmates were poring over and solving the question papers intently. My bosom friend, Serene was sitting beside me at the corner of the class. I doubted I was the only one who was still musing. The exam started at 10 a. m. and now the wall clock above the whiteboard was showing 10. 30 a. m. Time really flew, but I still had not even written a single word on my question paper. I started to have butterflies in my stomach. ‘What can I do now? ’ I kept asking myself. My brilliant yet filthy mind suddenly thought of an idea. I occasionally threw surreptitious glances at Serene. When I noticed Miss Lim was busy marking the exam papers, I rapidly threw a folded memo I had written to Serene: ‘Serene, please pass me your paper for just a couple of minutes. ‘ I could sense that she hesitated for a split second, however, she still handed her question paper to me in a swift manner so that Miss Lim would not have realised what we were actually doing. Serene was like my angel, she had always been part and parcel of my life since we had first met in Form 1. With lightning speed, I copied the answers favourably but apprehensively. My jubilance came to an abrupt end when I heard a discreet cough from behind. It was Miss Lim! She speedily snatched the question papers from me and glanced at me with the eyes of a hawk. It was too late for me to react when Serene beckoned me as I was profoundly concentrating with what I was doing. Then her creepy eyes turned to Serene who was close to tears. Her tears had yet accumulated in her guilty eyes. Miss Lim was too dazed to even talk. I could sense that all eyes were looking at us at that moment. Regaining her composure, she asked all the students to continue with their exam and took us out of the class. Just then, she made a phone call to our well-known discipline teacher, Mr Lambert. Mr Lambert took us to his discipline room together with the question papers in his hand. He scrutinised the question papers attentively. We thought he would have scolded us as loud as thunder until the staffroom located a few miles away could hear us. Surprisingly, he did not. He looked at us with his smiley and warmth face. Tears welled up in our eyes and we tried to hold them back. However, we could not. They started flowing down our cheeks. He waited with the patience of a saint until we had finished and asked us if we wanted to tell him why and how everything had happened. We told him. I confessed that I was the one who insisted Serene to pass me her question paper. He gave us a lecture and warned us not to repeat the same thing in future if not we would be suspended from school. Each of us was given a warning letter and our parents were called to the school. We vowed to Mr Lambert that we would never cheat again during examinations. From that day onwards, we were renowned to be the best cheaters ever.

Sullivans Travels essays

Sullivans Travels essays The Great Depression was a time when Americans were lost economically, and emotionally, and many movies have been made in an attempt to capture the horrors of life in that time. The film Sullivans Travels however is in my opinion satirizes the Depression. It inaccurately depicts the tribulations of the 1940s and is useless in its historical account. The value in this movie lays in entertainment, and in nothing else. In short, the protagonist in the film Sullivan, a wealthy movie director, wants to make a movie about pain and suffering, and in doing so, decides to live out on the streets with 10 cents in his pocket. From the beginning, he makes a mockery out of human kind in general. We see Sullivan going back and forth from his street-life to his mansion, never fully experiencing how life was for the unfortunate. In his attempt to become a tramp, he makes a joke out of the Depression. He is poor when it is convenient to him, and when he meets a pretty girl, he tries to use him money and fame to impress her. The movie really never focuses in on the pain and suffering of anyone, but instead we see a fickle man who attempted to do something beneficial, but instead turned away from it when it became difficult. Sullivan chooses when he wants to sleep in a bed, and out on the streets, and when the streets posed a problem, he had his team following him in a van while they promoted his actions as simply a publicity stunt. The climate during the Depression was that the poor and unfortunate had no choice as to whether they should sleep on the street or in a bed on any given night, they had no other life that they could go back to. In this movie, we are not exposed to any of the hardships that Americans underwent, but instead we see a game that Sullivan played. At the end of this movie we as the viewer have not been given and interesting insight to life in the Depression, we a ...

Speech to the Troops at Tilbury Essay Example

Speech to the Troops at Tilbury Essay Example Speech to the Troops at Tilbury Paper Speech to the Troops at Tilbury Paper Essay Topic: Dunkirk Speech to the Troops at Tilbury Portrait of Elizabeth made to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588), depicted in the background. Elizabeths international power is symbolized by the hand resting on the globe. The Speech to the Troops at Tilbury was delivered on 9 August Old Style, 19 August New Style 1588 by Queen Elizabeth I of England to the land forces earlier assembled at Tilbury in Essex in preparation of repelling the expected invasion by the Spanish Armada. Prior to the speech the Armada had been driven from the Strait of Dover in the Battle of Gravelines eleven days earlier, and had by now rounded Scotland on its way home, but troops were still held at ready in case the Spanish army of Alexander Farnese, the Duke of Parma, might yet attempt to invade from Dunkirk; two days later they were discharged. On the day of the speech, the Queen left her bodyguard before the fort at Tilbury and went among her subjects with an escort of six men. Lord Ormonde walked ahead with the Sword of State; he was followed by a page leading the Queens charger and another bearing her silver helmet on a cushion; then came the Queen herself, in white with a silver cuirass and mounted on a grey gelding. She was flanked on horseback by her Lieutenant General the Earl of Leicester on the right, and on the left by the Earl of Essex, her Master of the Horse. Sir John Norreys brought up the rear. Content of the speech The text was found in a letter from Leonel Sharp sometime after 1624 to the duke of Buckingham. My loving people We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood even, in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you in the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people. Second Version Another version of the speech was recorded in 1612 by William Leigh. His version reads: Come on now, my companions at arms, and fellow soldiers, in the field, now for the Lord, for your Queen, and for the Kingdom. For what are these proud Philistines, that they should revile the host of the living God? I have been your Prince in peace, so will I be in war; neither will I bid you go and fight, but come and let us fight the battle of the Lord. The enemy perhaps may challenge my sex for that I am a woman, so may I likewise charge their mould for that they are but men, whose breath is in their nostrils, and if God do not charge England with the sins of England, little do I fear their force†¦ Si deus nobiscum quis contra nos? (if God is with us, who can be against us? ) Two primary sources of the Tilbury Speech in Elizabethan English are available from the Women Writers Project.

Urban Housing Reforms and Urban Blight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Urban Housing Reforms and Urban Blight - Essay Example Cultural groups overran areas that were under urban development reforms in an effort to enjoy imminent benefits like reasonably priced houses (Aoki, 1992). For example, the aftermath of the First World War saw a profound inflow of African Americans from the south. This influx led to troubles of the â€Å"metabolism† of urban housing reform and population distribution (Pritchett, 2003). The dumbbell tenement is another example of urban blight in the form of a product of urban design reform. The vast arrival of communities resulted in the acceleration of the â€Å"junking† procedure in the field of deterioration. Reform supporters never built a systematic procedure by which to ascertain the positive impacts of the reforms. One example is the presented of outmoded contracts in many urban development councils. Similar to the private sector, urban design reform integrated control and imposed order on surrounding environs. Another example is the burdensome structure of checks and balances that reform supporters did not abandon. This system of transacting fostered fraudulence, corruption, overstated taxes, and election rigging. From this point of new, an urban blight in late nineteenth century America was not just a naturally happening procedure. Urban housing reforms of the late 1800s in the end contributed to urban blight. The loss of interest in the greater good by landowners, migration influxes, the invasion of urban areas by ethnic groups, and the lack of a systematic process contributed to urban blight.

Terrorism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Terrorism - Term Paper Example Similarities and differences with insurgency Insurgency is not a conventional war or terrorism. It shares with terrorism the use of force to obtain a political end. Difference that arises between the two is the degree of violence. Terrorism does not lead to political change on its own but insurgency tries to bring forth change use of force of arms. Insurgents use ways like hit and run attacks and laying ambushes on the security forces. Insurgency unlike terrorism gets significant support from a large portion of the population. Insurgency is a movement or a political effort that has an aim. The major difference between terrorism and the insurgency is the intent of their activities. Insurgency contains nothing inherent that will need the use of terror. However, there exist other successful insurgencies that used terrorism and the terror acts, other formed into conflicts where the tactics of terror and terrorism became predominant. Other insurgencies renounced the use of terrorism total ly in their movement. The choice of using terrorism is to inspire increased resistance, destroying the government efficiency, and to mobilize support (Sageman 20). The goal of an insurgency is, to adequately challenge the present government for the control of the entire or a portion of its territory. Insurgents can also force different political concessions in sharing of political power. Insurgencies, however, need the tactic or active support of a portion of the involved population. The insurgents could also require support from foreign countries. This, however, does not bother them at all. A terrorist group does not need and minimally has empathy or support of a big fraction of the population. While the insurgents describe themselves frequently as guerillas or insurgents, the terrorists will never refer to themselves or their organization as terrorists. They describe or portray themselves using political or military terminology such as activists and freedom fighters. Terrorism dep ends on public impact, and relatively conscious of the benefits of avoiding the negative impacts of the term terrorists’ when identifying themselves (Simic 15). Terrorism acts do not try to fight the government forces directly, but will tend to change the perceptions as to the legitimacy or the effectiveness of the government in question. They achieve this by ensuring the greatest knowledge of terrorist acts of violence. The terrorists do not attempt to control any region, as this identifies them to a location which reduces their security and mobility. The terrorist avoid direct confrontations with the forces of government. Insurgents can have something to achieve from clashing with the government forces, like proving that they can efficiently challenge the government military and test their effectiveness. Terrorist organizations have nothing to gain from clashing with the governments. The terrorists groups will not engage in anything that resembles a fair fight or a war itse lf. They use ways that will neutralize the powers of the conventional forces. Terrorists tactics include; bombings of civilian targets where the military spend off duty time, ambushes of conveys that are not defended and the assassinations of poorly guarded individuals (Sageman 24). Insurgencies do not need the targeting of civilians, despite the fact that they expand the required legal definition of combatants to include the police and other security personnel