Monday, September 30, 2019

Working Poor

The Struggle of the Working Poor Revised Essay Sociology 113 Yvonne Barney October 19, 2012 The Struggle of the Working Poor Society often describes the impoverished with one word, lazy. Society has taught us that if a person wants to be financially successful, it is a simple process of education and hard work that will equate to a successful income. This is the American dream. If the impoverished simply would get a job instead of being lazy, they would not need to rely on programs like welfare. The impoverished would succeed if they only would apply themselves.However, in an attempt to present another point of view, The Working Poor Invisible in America by David K. Shipler (2004) explored multiple variables this group struggles with daily. Chapter 1, â€Å"Money and Its Opposite,† explains the workings and effects of tax payments and refunds, the abuse of the poor by public and private institutions, the spending habits of the working poor, the consumerist culture of the Unite d States, and the omnipresence of money as a guiding factor in the lives of the working poor.Chapter 2, â€Å"Work Doesn’t Work,† chronicles the struggles of three working women as they attempt to climb out of poverty through employment. They hold jobs that pay between $6 and $7 per hour and attempt to eke out a living with the additional assistance of welfare checks, food stamps, Medicaid, and other services. However, a slight raise in their pay creates an offsetting loss in benefits. Chapter 3, â€Å"Importing the Third World,† addresses the poor immigrant workers, both legal as well as illegal, laboring in sweatshop conditions in the United States.Shipler recounts the working conditions of numerous sewing shops in Los Angeles, where legal and illegal immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, Korea, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Thailand, Cambodia, and other nations work for wages below the federal minimum wage and without overtime pay. Chapter 4, â€Å"Harvest of Shame,† tells of the harsh living conditions of migrant farm workers across the United States. They receive low wages—mostly minimum wage; live in deplorable housing; are exposed to azardous pesticides and herbicides; face little government enforcement of labor laws; are difficult to organize due to the transient nature of their work and the undocumented status of most; and are constantly on the move, which does not allow their children stable access to education. Chapter 5, â€Å"The Daunting Workplace,† addresses the diverse challenges the workplace holds for those from the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder. Many working poor have no work experience, no education, a criminal record, a drug addiction, and a lifelong absence of role models.Dysfunctional families in which no one works, or even ventures outside the neighborhood, have provided no support system or role models. Chapter 6, â€Å"The Sins of the Fathers,† begins by unveiling an epidemic of sexual abuse that affects all classes and races in the United States. Both the wealthy and the poor are abused; however, the wealthy tend to have the financial as well as the family resources that enable them to overcome abuse. Chapter 7, â€Å"Kinship,† emphasizes the role that kinship plays in overcoming the hardships of poverty.Shipler writes, â€Å"Kinship can blunt the edge of economic adversity† (p. 179). He describes a family of five that has faced all forms of hardship and poverty—from job loss to cancer to the death of the mother—yet holds together through bonds of love and caring. He also chronicles the story of a woman who chose to earn significantly less and be plunged into poverty and debt in order to spend time with her children, one of whom eventually attended Dartmouth College. Chapter 8, â€Å"Body and Mind,† addresses health issues affecting poor families.Shipler mentions malnourishment, susceptibility to infections, disease, chronic conditio ns (such as asthma, diabetes, and allergies), premature birth, retarded cognitive and physical development, stress, and emotional distress, as well as material support that can help a family endure. It is not uncommon for children in poor families to suffer from poor diets, which can be the cause of numerous related health problems. Chapter 9, â€Å"Dreams,† begins with the ambitious professional aspirations of sixth and eighth grade children from poor families in Washington, DC.Shipler contrasts these aspirations with the enormous faced problems beyond their control. Chapter 10, â€Å"Work Works,† is dedicated to the positive impact that job training and working has had on some poor individuals and families. Job training programs that teach soft skills as well as hard skills and are successful in instilling confidence and self-esteem are appreciated by employers. Chapter 11, â€Å"Skill and Will,† emphasizes that American society must understand what it can do using the skills and resources it has to combat poverty.The approach to remedying poverty, Shipler argues, must be holistic, tackling all problems associated with it at once. The United States is often described as a place where anyone can â€Å"pick themselves up by their bootstraps† and realize the American dream of a comfortable lifestyle. But, for over 30 million Americans, this dream is no longer possible. Though we live in the richest and most powerful country in the world, there are many individuals who are living under or at the poverty level. While the United States has enjoyed unprecedented affluence, low-wage employees have been testing the American doctrine that hard work cures poverty† (Shipler, 2004). The status of poverty translates to families of four making around $ 18,850 a year. And as soon as they find work or move just slightly above the $ 18,850 a year (which is still a meager and deprived way to live), they are cut off from welfare subsistence and lose other support designed to help them, such as food stamps and health insurance; This situation often leaves them no better off, and sometimes worse off, than when they were not working.Proponents of welfare reform have verbalized that the working poor are poor because of their lack of effort and laziness; this statement is an oxymoron. The working poor work longer hours, with less pay and few, if any, benefits. Some make the right choices and save a little money, avoid overwhelming debt, and live modestly. Even for those who live carefully off a working wage, it only takes one issue for their world to crumble around them. If the car breaks down or a family member is injured at work, what little savings they have accumulated could be gone in an instant.Why do people stay poor when popular opinion tells us if we work hard, we will be okay. The answer lies in the valued social inequalities; the opportunities available to each socioeconomic status level differ greatly. One factor t hat seems to distribute over the impoverished is lack of education. Lack of knowledge affects every aspect of life from basic health care to effectively raising children in a safe and secure environment. Children who come from a working-wage family should not be disadvantaged.There is no reason why the public education system should not give every child an equal opportunity to graduate high school and continue on to college or trade schools. The fact is public schools are funded to a large degree by property taxes. Impoverished schools receive considerably less funding and have to find ways to make their budgets work. Furthermore, the best teachers are often in school districts that can offer competitive salary. It is a well-known fact that children from affluent families tend to do better in school.Children from low income families tend to do poorer on tests, have a lower graduation rate, and are less likely to attend and complete college (Melville 2012). Yet the income divide has received far less attention from policy makers and government officials than gaps in student accomplishment by race. Now, in analyses of long-term data published in recent months, researchers are finding that while the achievement gap between white and black students has narrowed significantly over the past few decades, the gap between rich and poor students has grown substantially during the same period (Levitan, Magnum & Magnum 1998). We have moved from a society in the 1950s and 1960s, in which race was more consequential than family income, to one today in which family income appears more determinative of educational success than race,† said Sean F. Reardon, a Stanford University sociologist. Professor Reardon is the author of a study that found the gap in standardized test scores between affluent and low-income students had grown by about 40 percent since the 1960s and is now double the testing gap between blacks and whites (Tavernise 2012).A-1 In another study, by resear chers from the University of Michigan, the imbalance between rich and poor children in college completion — the single most important predictor of success in the work force — has grown by about 50 percent since the late 1980s (Tavernise 2012). Tavernise (2012) concluded that 8 % of the working poor hold college degrees compared to 26% of all workers. Although, two-thirds of the working poor hold high school degrees; this proportion is much lower than the 88% of all workers who hold high school degrees.The consequence of not holding a high school degree is often poverty. 22% of workers who do not hold high school degrees fall below the official poverty level which is $23,050 for a family of four, and 34% fell below 150% of the poverty level which is $ 34, 575 for a family of four (â€Å"Problems facing† 2012) . There is some evidence that the working poor are less likely to receive job training from their employers. The combination of lower education and lack of training compared to other workers make it difficult for the working poor to climb out of poverty.Only 30% of the working poor live in married couple families, compared to 65% of all workers. Single, female-headed families are especially overrepresented among the working poor. Among the working poor, 49% live in families headed by a si ngle woman. Of those who live in families headed by a single female, 28% work but live below 150% of the poverty level. In addition, almost half (46%) of all single parents who work and have children under six years old are in poverty.Workers who were never married or those who were once married also face relatively high rates of working poverty. Twenty percent of workers who have never been married and 21% of those who were divorced, widowed, or separated lived below 150% of the poverty level (â€Å"Problems facing† 2012). The working poor are less likely to be covered by health insurance by their employers. Only 18% of the working poor are co vered by health insurance available through their employer or their union, compared to 55% of all workers.Malnourishment, susceptibility to infections, disease, chronic conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, and allergies), premature birth, retarded cognitive and physical development, stress, and emotional distress can be a side effect of lack of health insurance. It is not uncommon for children in poor families to suffer from poor diets, which can be the cause of numerous related health problems. Although many of the working poor qualify for food stamp benefits, few receive them. The average food stamp benefit for a family of four is $ 496 per month (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 2010).Of those who qualify for these benefits, two-thirds do not receive them. It is unclear why the working poor do not receive these benefits, but lack of need does not seem to be the reason. Research suggests that the working poor do not know that they qualify for these benefits. In addition, we lfare administrators in some states incorrectly tell applicants, especially men, that they do not qualify for these programs. Finally, often local agencies create added barriers to discourage welfare participation.The City of New York, for example, used to require that applicants return to the welfare office for a second visit in order to apply for food stamps. This requirement was eliminated only recently because of a court order (FamiliesUSA. org 2012). Many working poor families cannot find affordable housing. Almost one in six households are cost-burdened, paying more than 30% of household income on housing expenses. Median level shelter costs, including mortgage payments, real estate taxes, property insurance, rent, nd utilities, account for 20% of the average non-poor household's income. For poor households, the median expenditure can be as high as 60% of household income (Levitan, Mangum ; Mangum, 1998). In addition, poor families may face long waiting lists for available sub sidized housing units, especially in rural areas. However, access is improving as extension educators provide the working poor with information about home ownership and special mortgage programs, and how to access them. Balancing employment and parenting demands is especially challenging for the working poor.They have fewer financial resources, and the types of jobs for which most are eligible provide little independence, authority, and flexibility to respond to conflicting demands (Henly 1999). Child care is an important obstacle. Nationwide, high-quality child care is scarce and expensive. Respondents in one study paid, on average, $70 per week for child care, about 22% of their earned income. In the same study, about one-fifth of respondents reported they had no regular child care provider and had to piece together care for their children at the last minute or leave children home alone or with an older sibling.Thirty percent of respondents reported having left a job because of a child care disruption (Henly, 1999). According to a study conducted by the Urban Institute in 2005, more than two thirds of children ages 5 and under from low income families spend a significant amount of time in child care each week. This is significant because the quality of child care available to low income families is much worse than that available to higher income families, and the quality of the child care affects the child's development. High quality, center-based care is expensive and is simply not an option for many low income families.Instead, they turn to informal, sometimes unregulated child care (Melville, 2012). There are federal programs to improve and fund early childhood education, but these programs do not work with the hectic working schedule of low income parents. Child care subsidies are available in some states, but not available to all low income workers. In other words, low income families often have difficulty accessing support systems that help them balanc e work and family life. As a result, the children of low income families are not given the same opportunities as their middle class counterparts (Melville, 2012).Unfortunately, high-quality care tends to be more expensive, and childcare subsidies in many states pay only the average market rate. Moreover, childcare subsidies cover only a minority of the low-income workforce (Henly, 1999). Parents who choose to enroll their children in high-quality child care often would have to pay the additional costs; a choice many cannot afford to make given other demands on the family income. For many working poor families, these additional costs; make selecting high-quality child care financially impossible (Schulman & Adams, 1998).Extension educators can make sure the working poor know about and take advantage of available subsidies, and tax credits can offset the high costs of child care. Transportation is also a major barrier to financial self-sufficiency for many working poor families. Many of the working poor do not get to work with the ease that most working non-poor enjoy (Lambert, 1998). Even though some communities have identified creative solutions to local transportation needs, transportation remains a problem for many of the working poor. Mass transit, if available, is often sparse, not taking direct routes to most job locations.Outside of heavily populated metropolitan areas, public transportation is largely unavailable. Working poverty does not affect everyone to the same extent, and certain segments of our population are more likely to become members of the working poor. Individuals in this category include workers who are most likely to be allocated to the low-wage jobs that fail to provide full-year employment. Women make up a greater share of the working poor than do men, probably because on average they earn lower wages and work fewer hours.Although women comprise 47% of workers between the ages of 18 and 56, 56% of the working poor are women (FamiliesUS A. org, 2012). Non-citizens of the United States are also disproportionately represented among the working poor. Fifteen percent of such workers live below poverty, and 30% live below 150% of the poverty level. Blacks and Hispanics are especially affected; working poverty affects people of color to a much greater extent than it does white Americans. A surprisingly large number of blacks and Hispanics work below the poverty level.Twelve percent of all blacks who work fall below the poverty level, and 23% fall below 150% of the poverty level. Among working Hispanics, the poverty rates are even higher: 14% live below the poverty level and 29% of Hispanic workers fell below 150% of the poverty level (Shipler, 2004). The working poor face a number of difficulties: low wages, insufficient hours, layoffs, lack of skills along with limited health benefits affect their health and other conditions that may affect their work performance. Thus, prescribing one solution is not likely to solve th e problem of working poverty.The working poor need higher wages and jobs that offer full-year employment, wage supplements such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, and access to services such as health care and child care. Most importantly, we should not assume that we can solve the problems of working poverty without income supports. Because many of the working poor are disabled or suffer from other serious health limitations, some workers may not be able to work more hours or in higher paying jobs and must rely on income supports in order to survive above the poverty level. References Center for American Progress (2012. Retrieved October 10, 2012 from http://www. mericanprogress. org/issues/women/report/2008/10/08/5103/the-straight-facts-on-women-in-poverty/ Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2010). Retrieved October 10, 2012 from http://www. cbpp. org/cms/index. cfm? fa=view&id=1269 FamiliesUSA. org. (2012). Retrieved October 10, 2012 from http://www. familiesusa. org/resource s/tools-for-advocates/guides/federal-poverty-guidelines. html Henly, J. (1999). Challenges to finding and keeping jobs in the low-skilled labor market. Poverty Research News, 3(1), 1-5. Levitan, S. , Mangum, G. , & Mangum, S. (1998). Programs in aid of the poor.Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press. Melville, J. (2012). Effects of low family income on children. Retrieved 0ctober 10, 2012 from http://www. ehow. com/list_6195251_effects-low-family-income-children. html Problems Facing the Working Poor. (2012). Retrieved September 30, 2012 from http://www. dol. gov/oasam/programs/history/herman/reports/futurework/conference/workingpoor/workingpoor_toc. htm Shipler, D. K. (2004). The working poor: Invisible in America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Tavernise, S. (2012, October 10). Education gap grows between rich and poor, Studies say New York Times, February 9, 2012, A1.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Gulliver’s Travels

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan SwiftThe Gulliver's Travels is a satire done by Jonathan Swift, who is among the great authors in the fields of drama, prose and poetry. This was a collection of tales written during the Augustan Age, which can be referred to as the neo classical age, the age of Queen Anne, the age of pope or simply the 18th Century, in England. Satire was developed in Rome by Juvenal, Persius and Horace. The elements of satire as a style makes it the best of Jonathan Swift's writing skill employed in the Gulliver's Travel to help him achieve his goal; not to earn a living from writing as most of his articles were published anonymously, but to attack thin learning, to show his audience how a Christian should live and attacks man's ability to reason. The tales in this book show Swift's view of man as a weak and selfish character, one not in a position to make the right decisions when faced with challenges. Swift believes that man can find neither peace nor prosperity via his natural goodness and reason, but strongly believes that religion, through the church would keep man from destroying himself. He is considered a misanthrope and satirist at the same time as he narrates the political, religious, educational and economical values of the Great Britain and its relationship to Ireland through the four books that are classified according to the voyages he made as Lemuel Gulliver, the narrator. The element of setting and era is represented by the voyages by sea, either in fictional places, as shown by his visit to Lillipu, Brobdingnag, Laputa and the land of the Houyhnhmns or real countries like Japan and England made by Lemuel Gulliver. Gulliver is introduced as an Englishman, whose background is in medicine, navigation and mathematics. He comes out as a character who loves to travel and learn about people and his character is honest, naà ¯ve and uses his common sense in order to survive in various life threatening situations, like the case when he finally regains his consciousness after sleeping for long hours and finds himself tied up by the Lilliputians. Realism is used to explain how Gulliver finally finds himself in Lilliput, the land of the small people, almost six inches tall. This was as a result of the wreckage of his ship, Antelope, in which he served as a surgeon. Traveller narrative was the form through which Swift expressed his criticism and satire since his audience enjoyed reading about explorations and discoveries of new lands. Through Lilliput, Swift uses Gulliver to gain the confidence of his readers as they associate with Gulliver's honesty, naivety and peace loving nature. It is at this point where Gulliver uses common sense to survive instead of being violent. He gains the King's trust and is the granted his freedom and engages on the political structure and situation in Lilliput. The people here are prone to jealousy and conspiracy, with a division which they refer to as the Big-endians and Small-endians. These help illustrate the political and religious disputes in England. The Lilliputian Empire is a satire of King George the 1st; the king with his nationality as a German, who through marriage succeeded Queen Anne's throne. The empire, like King George, uses the blue, red and green ribbons during the rope dance to buy political support. This was the same case as that in England where the Garter, Bath and Thistle were used. Gulliver thought that the rope dance was not as effective as religious qualifications or reason to entrust a person in any leadership position. Gulliver proceeds to show that Flimnap the Lilliputian treasurer was the best rope dancer. This is his worst enemy both politically and at personal levels. It is evident that he compares him with Robert Walpole, the 1st England prime minister who had ruled for more than twenty years. Here, Gulliver and Flimnap represent the Tori and Whig parties respectively. The Tori party is shown as the party that believed in the power of the King and the church and usually honest and transparent in their discussions for they were for the good of everyone. The Whigs on the other hand were for the argument that there was need for a parliament to check on the powers of the King. The Emperor ensured that Lilliput was safe from the Blufascu, the Big-endians.The disagreement between the small-endians and the bigiendians has a history that relates well with that of England's religious dispute. King Henry VII, the father to Queen Elizerbeth is presented as a satire to show how he broke the Catholic hold of England when he created the Church of England. Gulliver does not see any reason for the disputes and refuses to be used as a weapon of war against Blufascu, but agrees to help them stop the war and is given the greatest tittle in Lilliput as the Nardac. This was the same case during the treaty of Utrecht, that though stoped the war, it was questionable. An illustration similar to this is when Gulliver urinates on the palace to save it from burning and yet it was against the rules of Lilliput to make water around the palace, yet he had saved the empiror's life, the empress among alongside some officials including Flimnap were angry with his behavior and wanted him executed as a punishment. The reader would agree with Gulliver for using any means available to save the emperor's life despite the method used and that it doesn't matter which side of the egg should be broken before eating it. It is also possible that the reader would agree with Gulliver's view of not being used as a weapon of mass destruction during war and that any nation lucky to have such a weapon should use it for encouraging peace. The same could be argued for the case of the both the Catholic and Protestants on basis of religion as they represent Big and Small Endians respectively. Gulliver agrees to pay a visit to Blufascu when her citizens come to negotiate for peace. When Gulliver heard about the Lilliputian's plot to blind him and starve him to death instead of killing him at once, he ran away to Blufascu. This is a frown upon Bolingbroke and Oxford's impeachment when it was agreed they be accused of misdemeanors as opposed to treason. For the fear of trial, they run for refuge in France. It is evident that Gulliver was large and with a great potential here to choose violence, instead chose peace. He then finds his way into an English ship headed back to England from Japan along the South Seas and to show realism indicates the date as 13th April 1702, then organizes yet another adventure to India on 16th June 1703, where following strong winds and twenty days of lost direction discover land, Brabdingnag. Brabdingnag, the land of the giants is used to show how disgusting people are, especially how the human body smells and man's ignorance. This was Swift's chance to express his feelings that there would be much larger forces that could potentially put an end to the world stage of English dominance. The Brabdingnagians are represented here as peaceful and whose simple rules are based on reason. He uses the King to question the English leadership and takes the chance of the King's inquisitive nature to explain the politics, social and economic status of England. The questions included how the nobles were educated, their nature, whether greedy or corrupt, the basis of bishops' promotions and if this was based on religion or goodness and knowledge, whether the house of commons' members spent much money to be elected, whether justice was time and money intensive for the citizens to have, and lastly, he was also interested to know whether lawyers valued money and pleaded for wrong causes. As Gulliver explained some of the questions, the king wondered how a small man's society, the size of Gulliver would think of gun powder to produce such an instrument that would destroy so many lives. Those ruling the English society are expressed as ignorant, vice and idle through Gulliver's stay at Brabdingnag. Gulliver is not happy when the King laughs about England based on the fact that he never imagined that such small people had tittles, distinctions and that they built nests and holes that they called houses and cities. The queen also criticized Gulliver for cowardice when he was uncomfortable with the flies that he describes as disgusting, with a terrible smell. Though they were loving and kind to him, he was not comfortable living a humiliating life and disliked the greedy nature of the farmer who focuses on profit from showing Gulliver to audience at the expense of his health then sells him when sick to the queen. Some of the Brabdingnagians were caring like Glundalclitch, his nurse who had nicknamed him Grildrig. She was not as ignorant, but at some times, she had left Gulliver unguarded at the palace and a guard's dog had picked and delivered him to its master. Had the dog not been trained, it would have caused him his life. Gludalclitch's friend was ignorant when given the responsibility to take Gulliver to the sea, a mistake that had given the eagles a chance to grab Gulliver's travelling box and latter dropped into the sea, rescued by the ship crew and a caring captain who offers him food and rest in his cabin as opposed to the rest of the crew that had so many questions for him. Gulliver makes yet another voyage that lands him to Laputa, the floating island, after his ship is attacked by pirates. In Laputa, pursuit of knowledge in music, science and philosophy is held at high esteem while people neglect their social affairs and common sense. The obsessed Laputian men neglect their wives to their obsession for astronomy that the sun might burn out and hence their wives become adulterous with men from Balnibarbi, an earth-bound city, that have no such preoccupations. He observes that even with their knowledge, they have unfitting clothes, build houses that lack accurate right angles, and the experiments that are carried out by the Projectors at Lugado are almost impossible to achieve and a waste of their knowledge and resources. This projects include the recovery of sun beams from cucumbers, converting human excrement to the food from which it was digested, manufacture of silk from cobwebs, rooftop downwards construction of houses and writing books without exerting ones brains on various subjects. He challenges the academic intellectuals and planners who engage in the pursuit of theories that are practically useless in England, a mockery of the loyal society's absurd inventions at that time. The Laputa king uses the floating island as a weapon to threaten and intimidate the cities bellow so that they can provide food and the necessities of life on the floating island. Failure to this, the island would be used to cut off rain and sunshine on such cities or even crush it by landing the floating island on those cities or using bombs. The city of Lindalino successfully revolts and the attempts to lower the floating island on it had been unsuccessful. This is an allegory of the revolt that Ireland makes against England's adopted international and foreign violent politics. Gulliver feels neglected by the people at Laputa for they value the knowledge of both music and mathematics, which he does not have. The King allowed him to travel to Balnibarbi where he meets Lord Munodi at Lagado. Among the houses in Lagado, only Munodi's was beautiful and well kept. This was as a result of a travel to Laputa made by the people of Lagado that motivated them to open an academy and develop new theories in Agriculture and Mathematics that ruined their land's productivity except that of Munodi who had refused and only followed the theories passed down from his ancestors. Gulliver is disappointed that resources are being used to fund unhealthy and unrealistic projects while the citizens are suffering in both poverty and hunger and decides to go back to England through Japan. The academy of Lagado is used to eplain how the Royal Society of Dublin misused funds allocated due to the hunger for inventions in England. This was the time of great Physicians, Mathematicians and Astronauts including Newton, who concentrated on inventions only to forget about their social life. The projects in the Royal Society of Dublin were used as means to acquire wealth and the arm-chair technicians among other hosts of mad inventions that resulted into financial crisis among which was the South Sea Bubble. The desire of humans to reverse both the past and historical figures is criticized for he reminds his audience that they were normal people. Immortality is also mocked since the people who possess this thought noble gift are presented as selfish, petty and eternally sad. Gulliver never liked the life in this part of the world and decided to return to England through the island of Luggnagg. There is no ship ready at Balnibarbi to take him to Luggnagg and together with two friends from Maldonada port city; he tours Glubbdubdrb Island, the land of magicians, headed by a governor with the power to summon the spirit of the dead for a twenty four hour service at his palace. Gulliver befriends the governor and is allowed to call any person from the dead and ask them questions only if he agreed to confine his questions to the period when they were still alive. He summons famous heroes starting with Alexander the Great, the conqueror of both the Greece and Percia, followed by Hannibal who concurred Romans by crossing into North Italy from North Africa through Alps, Julius Caesar who, first Roman Emperor alongside his rivalry Pompey the Great and Marcus Junius Brutus who was responsible for Caesar's assassination to help prevent the development of a hereditary monarchy in the Roman Republic. Satire in Glubdubdrib is used to show that history actually lies and that those who kill tyrants as they seek freedom should be appreciated. He really encourages the terrible suggestion that one would do the right thing by assassinating King George 1. This is evident where Julius actually confesses that there was nothing braver or even better that he did than what Brutus did by assassinating him for the sake of the Roman Republic.. Gulliver also shows the need to learn from smart people in the society, but being cautious not to be misled by the stupid people who write commentary. People who like Eustathius and Didymus become famous for commenting on Homer's literature works. The same case applied to John Duns who is famous for commenting on the literature works of Aristotle. Both Homer and Aristotle are not aware of people who became famous as a result of commenting on their works. Through this, Gulliver advocates for people becoming famous by their original contributions in literature and ethical models, as opposed to their endless talks about those developed by other people. He supports applied learning just as he opposes the Royal Academy of projectors and strongly encourages useful learning in England, which practical philosophy and applied science are examples. He then goes back to England and becomes captain of his own ship from which he is marooned on Houyhnhnm Island, land of the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos.The first encounter with the Yahoos, with physical appearance as that of man, violent, brutal, cowardly hairy but naked symbolizes the follies in human beings. Houyhnhnms on the other hand are reasonable and smart horses that. This is the only place that Gulliver

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Transnational strategy case study of The Transformation of BP Essay

Transnational strategy case study of The Transformation of BP - Essay Example orton has affirmed: The procedure of cultural modify all through BP is not just about modify; its about how we transport about that modify and harness it to the attainment of our objectives. The modify procedure is vigorously championed by the Chairman who has in use the lead in civilization modify workshops that are instructive in nature. The goal have been to appreciate the natural world of the old as healthy as the present civilization, and to entrust to a new BP culture established on necessary behaviors that has been known the ticket "OPEN" (Open Thinking, Individual Collision, Empowering, and Systems). A core group of civilization change advisors and coach are operational all through the business to assist the commerce in their civilization change agenda. According to the expert analysis BP has a considerable promise to HR policy. A team of three expert employment with the V.P. for Human Resources in conceptualizing HR plans and strategies including civilization change, dream and principles, and necessary behaviors (ARINO, A., GHEMAWAT, P. and RICART, J.E, 2004). This team mechanism intimately with the BP Corporate Policies Team to make sure that BP approach comprises suitable consideration of HR matters. BPs Individual Development Program (IDP) is a high-quality instance of Promise to HR values. BP recognized this program additional than 15 years ago to supply for the vocation expansion and preparation of a chosen group of high possible staff. The curriculum has remained advantaged; those chosen received careful older organization thought. The plan is intended to ensure business capital for its older positions. It involve persons whose vocation growth requires a additional pluralistic move toward, and looked for to give a source of workers who are clever to function in older, general organization locations. The agenda includes individual growth program planning, mentorship, job turning round, interior and external teaching knowledges, and, in a number of

Friday, September 27, 2019

Networking and Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Networking and Public Relations - Essay Example Its role in enhancing awareness of an organization’s public image is normally magnified when used in concurrence with public relations. In this regard, the objective of the essay is to explain how networking is used in conjunction with public relations. Likewise, the discourse would provide at least two (2) examples of how successful entrepreneurs have used public relations and networking to their business advantage. An organization and its products or services can come to the attention of the public through being newsworthy. The public is a general market that deserves to receive facts and information on what the organization offers and thus, further spreads the information to others who were not initially recipients of relevant corporate information. Public relations are thus a critical communications tool that organizations use to enhance their corporate image. According to Lancaster, public relations was defined by the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) as â€Å"the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and it’s public’† (n.d., par. 8). Networking is an instrument used in conjunction with public relations to ensure the swift development of contacts and expand the reach of information to more people at a shorted amount of time. In an exhibit, for example, an organization can present a new product offer which would be launched in the market. The product could be an innovative health drink which would significantly lower blood sugar and cholesterol at the same time. It invites various stakeholders, customers, suppliers, media, and local or state representatives to view the product and to hear testimonies of those who benefitted from it . As emphasized by Lancaster, â€Å"there is often a strong ‘entertainment’ component to exhibitions with stands offering complementary

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Compensation decision making analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compensation decision making analysis - Essay Example Also, in developing a compensation survey, it is also possible that employees needed to fill one type of benchmark job are in demand in certain labor markets, and employees needed to fill another benchmark job are in demand in other labor markets. For both of these reasons, namely that we may be competing with different organizations in different labor markets for one type of employee, and also that we may compete with different organizations in different labor markets for one job in the organization versus another, organizations must relate to a variety of labor markets when conducting a compensation survey. The process begins by looking at which pay areas are the most critical for the organization. In other words, it is looking at where the organization seems to be less effective in competing in the external market. An important indicator of a problem may be the inability to hire qualified applicants and/or high turn-over rates. These are common indicators that the pay set for that job may not be competitive. Another possible indicator of a problem could be low productivity or poor quality. Often the organization decides that it is best to use different job evaluation methods for different groupings of jobs in the organization. When pay is set, the scatter diagrams are usually different and the pay policy line and the y-intercept as well. For this reason an organization may have more than one pay structure. This can occur, for example, when the organization develops one pay structure for upper management and another for lower level employees. In the situation where an organization has more than one pay structure, it is important that questions of fairness are addressed. In general, the amount of overlap should reflect how similar the jobs are to each other; the more similar the jobs, the more overlap there should be, the less similar the jobs, the less

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The History of Women in the Struggle for America's Independence Essay

The History of Women in the Struggle for America's Independence - Essay Example The most unique aspect of the book was the apparent focus of attention on the contributions of the common woman. Berkin provided a brief acknowledgment of famous revolutionary women such as Martha Washington and Abigail Adams.1 She eventually focused on the core contributions of Native American, black and white women. Consequently, the result was a multifaceted gender revolution by American women. Colonial and Revolutionary Role of Women The colonial society associated the role of women with the traditional function of mother and wife. A majority of the colonial women believed that God created them as helpmates to man and nature.2 Furthermore, the woman was taught since childhood to be obedient, industrious, and faithful with the primary function of bearing and taking care of children. These roles were cemented by religious doctrines such as those by the Puritan divine Cotton Mather that taught women to be like an â€Å"Ornament of Zion looking upon (a husband) as her guide.†3 Later, a new ideal of femininity based on â€Å"pretty gentlewoman† shifted from that of â€Å"notable housewife.†4 The â€Å"pretty gentlewoman† was associated with cleanliness as the primary function and was assisted by slaves and maidservants. ... Among the first evidence of women’s activeness was to say â€Å"No† to colonial policies. This involved the denial to consume British merchant goods such as imported tea.6 Furthermore, the patriotic women followed their husbands to war with some assuming the role of â€Å"camp followers.† Their regular duties included cleaning and cooking for the soldiers.7 Moreover, some women such as Deborah Sampson fought as soldiers although in disguise. In addition, the author narrated about Margaret Corbin who provided water for cooling the cannons during combat and equally assisted the disabled husbands. African American women were more concerned with the quest for freedom and liberty. Consequently, they followed the Loyalist army of the British after being promised freedom from slavery. Evidence advanced by the author from the Philipsburg Proclamation stated, â€Å"†¦every negro who shall desert the Rebel Standard will be granted full security to follow within these , Lines, any occupation he shall think proper.†8 The Native American Indian tribes fought for the British since they hoped for independence and land rights.9 Consequently, it was the influential native women leaders such as Nanyehi and Queen Esther Montour that influenced the Indians into fighting for the king. The war placed a heavy price on the values of women involved in the revolution especially the camp followers. Berkin described the pathetic state in which the women lived and dressed. She illustrated the ragged state of their clothing which got worse as the women were forced to wear â€Å"the coats or shirts they removed from dead or dying soldiers.†10 Furthermore, women were given meager wages for their services.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Effective Management of Training and Development in an Economic Essay

Effective Management of Training and Development in an Economic Downturn - Essay Example Layoffs are among the most common and popular measures that have been taken up by firms as a part of their cost cutting activities. Recessionary periods are also characterised by unavailability of credit to firms as governments are forced to reduce liquidity in the market owning to high levels of inflation. Banks are forced to cut down on their lending activities which lead to unavailability of credit. In such situations firms are forced to cut down on production which leads to job cuts. The preset financial crisis saw the downfall of many corporate giants like Lehman Brothers and Bear Sterns and also saw large scale job cuts which left numerous employees jobless. In this aspect it becomes important for firms and employees alike to analyse and formulate effective measures that seek to help employees prepare survival strategies during such crisis periods. It has also been observed that employees who perform below the benchmark standards are first ones to get the pink slips. Hence it b ecomes essential for employees to have greater efficiencies so as to ensure job security. This aspect assumes significance for organizations as well as human resources are the most important and valuable assets for any organization. Presence of a talented pool of employees is very essential for organizations because it determines the competitive advantage for the firms. Recessionary periods are characterised by large scale competition leading to price wars. In this context it becomes significant for organizations to have a talented pool of employees which would help in generating better product features and greater efficiency in the product and services of the firm which would help organizations to maintain their competitive edge in the tough market situation. Training and development therefore assumes a major importance for both employees and organizations. The present study focuses on the aspect of training and development in

Monday, September 23, 2019

Amazon Marketing Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Amazon Marketing Communication - Essay Example The present research has identified that market research is the first step in marketing communication.The organization identifies the market requirements and produces the appropriate products. The second phase involves delivering the product to the market through promotional activities. This form of marketing communication is however not complete since it lacks customer feedback. A complete marketing communication plan entails the dissemination of information and customer feedback. Marketing communication in e-commerce enables organizations such as Amazon to market their products across the globe with minimal limitations. Marketing communication influences the success of some f the largest e-commerce organizations in the world. It is, therefore, important to analyze marketing communication critically based on e-commerce. Organisations practicing e-commerce engage customers in their marketing strategy through constant communication. Amazon is an example of a large e-commerce organizat ion that markets its products by effectively communicating with its customers. Marketing communication is an important business activity that involves the distribution of product information through various marketing channels. It is also a direct communication between two or more individuals. Traditionally, the main marketing communication channel revolves around mouth-to-mouth communication. The development of e-commerce influences personal communication in many ways such as the introduction of e-mail and social network sites. The various types of personal marketing communication are expert channels, advocate channels, and social channels. Salespersons are the main agents of communication in the advocate channel. Some organizations prefer the services of experts to disseminate their information to customers. In such a case, experts mainly facilitate the communication. Social channels entail communication marketing that uses social platforms such as journals, leaflets, posters, radi o, television, magazines newspapers and online forums. In the contemporary world, organizations are using the internet as a marketing communication channel.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Avian Flu Virus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Avian Flu Virus - Essay Example Moreover, it has been known that this H5N1 virus is able to infect other animals other than birds and pigs, such as, cats and larger felines, and transmission of infection from other animals to human may occur unknowingly. An article published in the Journal of Virology in the year 2005, titled "Avian Influenza (H5N1) Viruses Isolated from Humans in Asia in 2004 Exhibit Increased Virulence in Mammals" and researched by Maines and co-workers investigates this in an isolate of the virus of the H5N1 strain, isolated from 2004 Asian epidemic, and in this work, that article will be critiqued. Research Questions: As is apparent from the epidemiologic patterns of the outbreak of these H5N1 infections, the virulence factors responsible for human disease need to be elucidated. The problem remains that the virulence factors of H5N1 viruses is poorly understood from the biologic and molecular perspectives, this being an avian virus transmitted to humans. It points to the need for mammalian models of studies, and since there is evidence that mammalian experiments in nonhuman primates such as ferrets and mice have been studied for influenza virus pathogenesis and other nonhuman mammals may also serve as carriers for human virus, nonhuman primate studies may serve as an acceptable model. In these models, the relative virulence of the H5N1 isolated from 2003-2004 outbreaks in both humans and avian species can be studied, and the authors can have the advantage of comparing them with earlier 1997 H5N1 human isolates to compare the virulence of the virus, so a molecular or biologic c orrelate is available that may be applied in the management of human epidemics. Relevance of the Question: From the public health point of view, the circulation of H5N1 virus in the poultry may cause more human cases with human-avian reassortant pandemics. Epidemiologic observations have demonstrated that from the time of first recognition and isolation, the virulence of this strain is increasing markedly over the years in terms of mortality and case fatality rates. Although the clinical presentations of the human cases were usual in the form of fever, respiratory symptoms, diarrhea, lymphopenia, and thrombocytopenia, in rare occasions, they indeed presented with just fever and gastrointestinal symptoms. This could have indicated a change in the pattern of virulence, despite the pattern of fatality remaining the same, that is, development of pneumonia with critical compromise in gas exchange, leading to respiratory failure and death despite assisted ventilations. Research in this area is necessary since there is a paucity of research answering this question abou t how an infection with this virus leads to acute respiratory distress and multiple organ dysfunctions in humans. Although studies in mammalian models do have constraints from the practical, ethical, and economic perspectives, it could be a valid option since ferret is a naturally susceptible host to influenza A virus, has been used in previous studies to evaluate H5N1 virulence and safety and efficacy of vaccine candidate preparations. Moreover, the same authors previously studied H5N1 virus virulence in ferrets and they have valid criteria for assessment, where they demonstrated earlier equivalence in

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Equality Act Essay Example for Free

Equality Act Essay In the spring of 2010, The Equality Act 2010 became law. Before this act came into place there were many old legislations in place to support anti-discriminatory practices, however this new act made it all easier to understand and follow. Stronger laws were needed because many people believed that the old equality laws did not make equality happen fast enough, for example disabled people were more likely to be out of work, men were still being paid more than women for the same kind of job, and people from different races were still finding it hard to get a job. Some of the main changes that you will need to be aware of when working within this health and social care setting are; All public bodies must think about treating people from different groups fairly and equally. This is called the Equality Duty. This means that public bodies need to look at how they can support people from all different backgrounds, areas, sexuality, religion or ethnic origin. Also public bodies must look at how they can help to stop people doing less well than other people based on their family background or where they are from, for example children from poorer families often don’t do as well in school as those who come from a more fortunate background even if they are considered to be smarter, this is called socio-economic equality. Therefore public bodies must look into how they can support these children, in order to distinguish the inequality between family backgrounds. Before this act was in place public bodies had already recognised the need for treating people of different races, disabled people and men and women equally and fairly, however the new act adds even more groups of people to the Equality Duty, these include; people of different ages, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, those with a religion or people and those without, and women who are having a baby and also just after they have had their baby. New rules to make sure that older people are treated fairly. The old legislations already stated that employers could not say that some was too old or too young for a hob, however it was felt older people were still treated unfairly in other ways. For example some companies charge older people more for their service/product than they would charge a younger person, without good reason to do so. Therefore this change states that  older people should not be charged more than a younger person would be for the same service/product unless they have a valid reason for doing so. Also the act ensures that older people are given the same standard of care within a hospital setting as any younger person would. However this act does not change things, which are already good for people of different ages such as a free bus pass and flu injections for older people or travel passes, and student cards for younger people. The act includes more to stop disabled people being treated unfairly. Treating people who have a disability without good reason is now much better protected within the equality act; it is now against the law to treat a person unfairly because of their disability. An employer is now not permitted to ask a person if they are disabled prior to an interview unless they can prove that it is so that they can make reasonable adjustments for the job interview. The equality act makes it much harder for an employer to be unfair as they can only sometimes ask if a person is disabled. The act now includes policies on reasonable adjustment for people with disabilities, for example if a disabled school pupil needs specialist equipment to enable their learning, then the school must provide this if it is consider reasonable, as this is classed as a reasonable adjustment. Also the act now states that information for disabled people must be displayed in a way that is clear for them to understand, this is also considered a reasonable adjustment. For example for those who are partially sighted or blind, then healthcare settings should make adjustments so that they decode and understand the information this could be by providing the information in braille, or simply making the font larger and therefore easier to see. The act has 2 new ideas to make men and women’s wages easier to compare. Before the new equality act came into place many men were still considered to get more wages than women, despite the fact that 40 years ago an equal pay law came into place, which stated that employers should pay men and women equally for doing the same sort of work. The Equality Act includes 2 new ideas about how to make equal pay happen more effectively, companies that employ over 150 workers must publish information about equal pay and how many workers they employ who are disabled or from different races, and  also the act stops employers from telling workers that they cannot talk about their pay with each other. The act makes it clear that women can breast-feed their babies in shops, cafes and other places. The new equality act made it clear that it is against the law to stop a woman from breast feeding her baby in places such as cafes, buses, restaurants and shops or to ask her to leave the premises. The act protects people from dual discrimination. Dual discrimination is when a person is treated unfairly because of a combination of two of the protected characteristics. These are: Age Disability Gender reassignment Pregnancy and maternity Religion or belief Race Marriage and civil partnership Sex Sexual orientation An example of dual discrimination could be that James is a homosexual man who works for an employer who treated heterosexual men and homosexual women fairly, however he treated James unfairly this is due to the fact that he is male and a homosexual, therefore this is considered to be dual discrimination, and the new equality act protects against this. Because of the Equality Act 2010 our care setting, Sunnyside residential home has many policies and procedures that we must comply with to make sure that you are not discriminating against anyone you care for, and also to make sure that as an employee you are not being discriminated against. Five of these policies are listed below. Age Equality Policy This policy sets out how Sunnyside residential home will work towards the promotion of age equality in all of its activities. The Equality Act 2010 makes discrimination on the grounds of age unlawful. Age discrimination  happens when someone is treated unfairly based on his or her age without good reason. Sunnyside residential home strives to be recognised as a company whom provides good employment prospects for people of all different ages and we treat individuals who apply for employment with us with fair treatment based solely on their qualifications, ability, experience and suitability for the position. Sunnyside residential home is fully committed to promoting equality and equal opportunities for all ages. We do not tolerate any discriminatory behaviour by any member of our staff in the residential home; we have a zero tolerance for bullying and harassment. Within in the home we also treat service users fairly no matter their age, no one is judged or stereotyped and as employe es we strive to support all the needs of our service users and not just their age or ability. Disability Discrimination Policy This policy sets out how Sunnyside residential home will work towards the promotion of disability in all of its activities. The Equality Act 2010 makes discrimination on the grounds of disability unlawful. Sunnyside residential home strives to be recognised as a company whom provides good employment prospects for people of all different abilities and disabilities, and we wish individuals who apply to us to know that they will receive fair treatment from us and that they will be treated solely on their qualifications, experience, ability and suitability for the position. We support our staff with all disabilities as long as they are still able to complete the job to a high standard. In the residential home we strive to provide reasonable adjustments to enable better care for our service users such as equal access to all buildings for wheelchair users such as ramps, lifts and also handrails. Also for those whom are hard of hearing we have a hearing loop to aid them. We also provide inf ormation displayed in a way which is easier for people who are partially sighted to blind to understand such as braille, or large, clear lettering, in line with the Equality Act 2010. Sex/Gender Discrimination Policy This policy sets out how Sunnyside residential home will work towards the promotion of sex/gender equality in all of its activities. The Equality Act  2010 makes discrimination on the grounds of sex/gender unlawful. Sunnyside residential home strives to be recognised as a company whom provides good employment prospects for people despite their gender. We wish individuals who apply to us to know that they will receive fair treatment from us and that they will be treated solely on their qualifications, experience, ability and suitability for the position. Sunnyside residential home works within the guidelines of The Equality Act 2010 as we provide equal pay for our male and female employees who are employed to do the same or similar job. Also we strive to make sure that all our residents are also treated fairly despite whether they are male or female. All our employees are trained in how to promote anti discriminatory practices and how to recognised the signs of discrimination to ens ure that our residents are protected from this. Maternity Policy This policy sets out how Sunnyside residential home will work towards the promotion of equality for women whom are having a baby or have just had a baby. The Equality Act 2010 makes discrimination on the grounds of maternity unlawful. As it stated within in the Equality Act, it is unlawful to stop a woman who is breastfeeding her baby or ask her to leave, therefore within our home we provide private areas within the home in which if they choose to, women may use to feed their babies. Also for women whom have just had their baby, as their employer we strive to allow job changes wherever possible to support our employees so that it is more suitable for them. Also within our policy we provide maternity leave for women who are pregnant and when they have had their baby. Anti-harassment Policy Sunnyside residential home is committed to ensuring equal opportunities and fair treatment within the workplace for all employees and service users. Our aim is to create an environment where all employees and service users feel comfortable and in which everyone is treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, transgender status, colour, nationality, culture, religion, age or disability. This policy aims to ensure that nobody within the home is subjected to any form of harassment or  bullying, and to provide a procedure for those who believe they are being harassed or bullied to raise a complaint. We treat all complaints of bullying and harassment absolutely seriously, and will always investigate them thoroughly and promptly and in confidence. All employees and service users have the right to make a complaint if they feel they are being treated in a manner that constitutes harassment or bullying. This includes behaviour that may have caused offenc e, embarrassment or distress. Also any employee who witnesses an incident of harassment or bullying should report this incident to their superior; we will take reports such as this seriously and investigate the complaint in confidence. In order to make a formal complaint against someone who you feel has been bullying or harassing you or someone else, then this must been done so in writing and forwarded to your superior. A panel will then investigate this, and then the person against whom the claim has been made will be informed. Depending on the severity of the situation the person whom the complaint has been made against could face a possible suspension from work during the investigation. Depending on the outcome of the investigation the complainant could face no further action; they could be relieved of their duties and no longer be employed by the residential home or could even face a criminal conviction. Since The Equality Act became law in 2010, bringing together all of the old legislations into one big more effective legislation, discrimination has been tackled more efficiently within health and social care settings. Although discrimination is still happening sometimes with healthcare settings as some people are still ignorant towards the policies on equality and diversity there are now much simpler, easy to understand procedures on how to deal with this discriminatory behaviour. All healthcare settings must follow the policies and procedures within The Equality Act 2010, in order to promote anti-discriminatory practice. The Equality Act 2010 has brought many positives to promoting anti-discriminatory practice, for example it has been much more effective in bringing about proper equal pay for men and women as now employers are not allowed to tell their employees not to discuss their wages, and they have to publish information about equal pay making it much harder to discriminate an d not provide equal pay. Also I feel that the new policy has helped to prevent discrimination against disabled people when applying for employment, as employers are now not allowed to ask  potential employees whether they have a disability or not unless this affects their ability to attend interview or they are required to make reasonable adjustments, therefore reducing employers ability to discriminate against people with disabilities, and not employ them because of their disability. Before this act was in place upon finding out that potential employees had disabilities employers were more likely to not even offer the candidate an interview for the job based solely on the fact that that they are in some way disabled and not on their ability to do the job, when in truth they may well have been able enough to complete the tasks of the job, but employers discriminated against them. Now this is unlawful and employers can be prosecuted for it in accordance with the Equality Act. An example of where The Equality Act 2010 has been used recently is in a news report in 2012, where the elderly were being denied life-saving treatment for heart attacks and surgery following breast cancer, this report shows the age discrimination that took place across the NHS, where doctors were making an assumption based on the patients age instead of their individual ability to recover. The Equality Act 2010 states that it is unlawful to treat anyone worse than anyone else based on their age, therefore as a result of this act, policies have now been put in place to stop ageism in the health service, where the elderly can now sue if they are unfairly refused treatment based on their age. References https://www.don.ac.uk/PDF/E_D_policy_anti-harrassment_anti-bullying.pdf https://don.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_499197_1%26url%3D https://www.gov.uk/equality-act-2010-guidance http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2242593/Ageism-hospitals-leaves-elderly-heart-attack-breast-cancer-victims-die.html

Friday, September 20, 2019

Virtue And Empire Life Of Cato The Elder History Essay

Virtue And Empire Life Of Cato The Elder History Essay Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 BC) also known as Cato the elder was a political leader of great integrity and determination. Often referred to as the elder to identify him from his equally renowned great-grandson, Cato the younger was born in Tusculum in the Sabine mountains. Cato was also a well known Roman soldier, censor, national leader, public speaker, and writer. His stern morality in office as well as in his private life became proverbial. His early life was spent on his fathers farm near Reate, in the Sabine country. Here he acquired early in life those qualities of simplicity, frugality, strict honesty, austerity, and patriotism for which he was regarded by later generations as the embodiment of the old Roman virtues the third name of Cato the elder was not Cato at first but Priscus, he obtained the surname of Cato as a result of his great abilities since the Romans call a man who is wise and prudent, catus. Catus is also a Latin word meaning clever. His native ability and shr ewdness, says Plutarch, gave him the surname Cato (the shrewd) replacing the earlier name of Priscus. Love of the soil, implanted in him in his youth, remained throughout his life; though not content with the agricultural limitations of a Sabine farmer he became in later years the owner of great plantations worked by slave labor Hellenization is a term used to describe the spread of Ancient Greek culture and language. The result of hellenization was that elements of Greek origin combined in various forms and degrees with local elements, which is known as Hellenism. In modern times hellenization has been associated with adoption of modern Greek culture and the ethnic and cultural homogenization of Greece to be Hellenistic is to make or become Greek in character, language, culture, or civilization. The hellenization and the various conquests in Rome made a great impact on the life of Cato the elder both professionally and personally. Cato was a censor, orator, author, soldier and a statesman. He entered the military service at a tender age of 17 where he participated in the Second Punic war. As a Roman soldier, he helped his country go through some conquests such as conquests of Egypt and wars in Spain successfully. As the city grew by virtue of its exceptional military skill and boundless appetite for territory, it assimilated lands and people at first immediately adjacent-the Sabines and Etrusca-and then further and further a field, until by the time of birth of Christ Rome dominated the Mediterranean, Europe as far as the Rhine, Turkey, Middle East, North Africa and more. Each act of conquest was also an act of negotiation He obtained virtues such as eloquence and courage which came in handy when he retired from the army and became an orator and a statesman. As a censor, he was a strong guardian of morality. Censorship role involved condemning issues that were meant to deny some segment of the population justice in the society. Thus Cato was a man of integrity and uprightness and adopted an anti-Hellenistic attitude arguing that though the Greek culture was attractive and necessary for progress of Rome, in the long run it may lead to collapse of the Roman society. Cato ceaselessly sought out those who misused public property. Pipes with which people used to illegally draw water from the public water supply, were simply severed. Private buildings which overlapped onto public land were demolished. The rich suffered enormous taxation, and severe regulations were introduced to prevent any luxuries Cato deemed excessive Cato was a respected good orator or a public speaker. He gave numerous speeches whether in the senate or elsewhere that were inspirational, more specifically the memorable quotes that he came up with. He is said to have been the first to teach Rome to speak Latin and thus he is credited as the father of Latin prose. He was also a renowned author. Though even once retired from politics Cato still would not rest. He created the first Roman encyclopaedia, produced a work on medicine, wrote a history of Rome, and also, due to having grown up on a farm, wrote a text on farming (the oldest complete Latin prose work) Through oratory Cato was able to display his eloquence gained from the military service and pass to the generations to come, wisdom through the various proses that he authored. The considerable, though fragmentary, remains of his speeches show the unmistakable influence of Greek rhetorical training, and yet are throughout concerned with moulding his Roman audiences ethically an d morally in ways consistent with Roman tradition Cato was a responsible father and husband. He always considered his family more important than the rest of the responsibilities held outside home and thus he found valuable time to spend with his family. Â  He used to say that the man who hit his wife or child, laid violent hands on the holiest of holy things thus he considered wife battery and child abuse as crimes. In addition he treated the slaves that worked in his household well and he could train the youthful slaves into better careers in future. Cato was influenced by the Greek rhetorical training that assisted him build his charismatic abilities and consequently contributing to his eloquence during his time as the Roman senator. However he was not in support of the mass importage of the Greek culture which is manifested by his refusal to learn Greek language in early life though he lived in Athens for some time. As the result of the hellenization and the conquests, Cato had the knowledge of the practical morally corrupting consequences which Greek philosophy and culture has had on the Greek society and consequently the same consequences probably would be replicated in the Roman culture in the future. This would be detrimental since Greek culture by that time was supporting some immoral sexual practices such as pedophilia. Thus Cato reacted to this changes brought about by hellenization by adopting an anti-Hellenistic attitude as he continued strengthen his virtues such as patriotism and frugality acquired earlier in life. In conclusion, Cato was undoubtedly one of the most striking characters of the Roman Republic, and his name became similar with the stern old Roman morality for generations to come. In its early point of development, Roman Empire suffered from the twin problems of foreign influence and imperial expansion. Roman Empire has managed to rise against all odds and presently, Rome is at a peak of political success and has appropriated Greek learning and culture.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Violence In Sports :: essays research papers

Violence in Sports To: Mrs. Woods From: Jean-Philippe Do you think there's a connection between sports and violence? If you do, do you think it should be banned? I too think that it's connected but, unlike most people, don't think it should be banned. I have many reasons to believe so and I will state them in my essay. First I will point out that not all sports include violence. Not many actually express violence, the only ones that do contain violence are team sports. I'm not saying that I dislike team sports, au contraire I love team sports, they help build team spirits. All I'm saying is that sports like football contain lots of violence, unlike individual sports like ping pong or kayaking. Some sports are now becoming so violent that it's almost impossible to remove the violence without removing the sport itself. Lots of people protest because some sports are too violent and they're trying to take the violence away by banning them. What they don't realize is that there are billions of fans that are obsessed by those sports and by taking a sport away from them, could ruin their lives. Trying to stop the violence is almost like trying to declare world peace. There will always be someone who either picks a fight or builds an underground organization. Football, hockey, soccer, and all those other violent sports will be practiced until the end of the world. Another reason why I don't want these sports to be cut is because when you practice a sport like football it helps you release all that frustration and energy you have inside. By releasing all that pressure it helps you relax for a period of time. Getting rid of popular sports like hockey or football could put a lot more kids on the streets because they would have nowhere else to go or nothing else to do. Some people tell others to keep their kids out of team sports to avoid getting involved in a gang. What those people don't realize is that those kids that never played a team sport

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The History of Jamaican Maroons Essay examples -- Slavery Revolt Histo

The History of Jamaican Maroons European colonialism in the Caribbean was dependent upon the use of African slaves as a major source of labor. Inevitably, some of these slaves escaped and formed isolated communities that allowed them to live outside the white-dominated plantation societies that were the norm of the time. These escaped slaves were given the name "Maroon", possibly originating from the term marronage, or slave revolt. These Maroon communities existed in many different areas in the Caribbean, but none were more famous and successful that those of Jamaica. Jamaican Maroons fought the British government for nearly a hundred years beginning from the time of the British occupation of the island and lasting until the 1740’s when the British finally sued for peace with the leaders of these rebel bands. By using guerilla tactics and relying on information and assistance from slaves within the colonial communities, the Maroons were able to engage the British in a conflict for freedom that was not only successful, but also a testament to the resourcefulness and ability of these African warriors. What were the factors that led to the successful campaigns against the British? How were the Jamaican Maroons able to continue their fight in the face of overwhelming man and firepower? Two distinct Maroon societies emerged in Jamaica, both having their own system of leadership and ways of dealing with outside settlements. While the fact remains that both these factions came from the same background of slavery, their differences are both interesting and varied and deserving of a closer look. The earliest Maroons were remnants of the Spanish slaves that were not exported from the island after the defeat and subsequent occupation ... ...t the physical well –being of slaves. If they die, new ones are simply brought in to replace them. The final condition is that of a lack of cohesion among the white ruling class due to a lack of white female presence. The female (and thus family) situation had no opportunity to establish itself because of the lack of white women in Jamaica. This led to an increased ambivalence on the part of most of the white population towards itself. These seven conditions help us understand the ways that a revolt by slaves in Jamaica could and did succeed. The Maroons were a very successful, highly adapted group of runaway slaves that fought for their freedom and achieved it. The two distinct Maroon societies found ways to survive and prosper under difficult and overwhelmingly hostile conditions. The fact that the succeeded is a testament to their pride, ability and commitment.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

If the White House Walls Could Talk :: American America History

If the White House Walls Could Talk They paint over me so many times as if they could cover up my memories. My memories cannot be covered up or erased, just as your memories they go on forever. I will never forget the Watergate scandal and Richard Nixon or women's rights from the mid-1800s to the 1900s. During the Watergate scandal, President Nixon corrupted justice, created a constitutional crisis, and eventually was forced to resign. President Richard Nixon corrupted justice. He led CREEP, which is the Republican committee for the re-election of the President. They sabotaged the Democratic Party. They were the actual burglars. CREEP were the people who really went into the Watergate apartments to wiretap and photograph documents. They raised tens of millions of dollars illegally for Nixon's reelection. Nixon alone without the people who worked under him hid tapes that contained evidence of the Watergate scandal. He only submitted excerpts from the tapes that made him look innocent. I remember when Nixon refused to hand over any of the other tapes. He claimed "executive privilege" and "separation of powers." From what the other walls and I saw after he was forced by the Senate to turn in the rest of the evidence he displayed complete dishonesty. He ignored lawful subpoenas; at leas t that is what the oval walls of Nixon's office told everyone. One of the West Wing's walls told me of speech he made saying he knew nothing of the Watergate cover-up and the nine months after the whole incident occurred he gave a speech taking responsibility and blame for the whole thing. The only good thing that I saw come out of the Watergate scandal was that it made the nation stronger. The United States of America survived a true constitutional test. It proved that impeachment is successful. Connecticut's Judge John Sirica, North Carolina's Senator Sam Ervin, and Professor Archibald Cox prosecuted Nixon for the Watergate scandal.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Customer Relationship Management in Bahrain Investment Banking Arena Essay

The banking industry has undergone widespread changes within the operating environment and this involves globalization of markets and technological improvements. These two factors have influenced and encouraged innovative practices within the banking industry that has served to enhance its operational efficiency. The introduction of ATMs and e-banking facilities are some of the major milestones in the banking industry that have revolutionized business operations. The global markets have intensified the competitive environment of the banking industry that has created the need for increased efficiency in operations and increasing customer satisfaction. Customers are the lifeblood of any organization and the banking business too depends on the acquisition and retention of consumers for its profitability. Customer relationship management forms a vital aspect of business strategy driving the company’s market shares and market leadership position. Customer relationship management (CRM) has been defined as a business strategy that â€Å"is a fusion of a series of functions, skills, processes, and technologies which together allow companies to more profitably manage (acquire and retain) customers as tangible assets† (Shanmugasundaram, 2008:98). It is viewed as an interactive process that creates a balance between corporate objectives and customer satisfaction to increase the profitability of the business. Acquisition and retention of customers is one of the vital requirements of business and the effectiveness of strategies driven towards this goal determines the success of business enterprises. The past few years have witnessed growing application of CRM in retail banking and investment banking sectors. The key objective behind such initiatives is to ensure the delivery of superior customer service and to fulfil the needs of consumers. Such practices are effective in enabling organizations to meet the needs of the consumers and provide improved services in comparison to other players in the industry. Competitive advantage and business gains are driven by a proactive approach that focuses on consumer needs and expectations, provision of consistently high quality service, looking into consumer convenience and an effective follow up service to ensure consumer loyalty. A vital aspect of investment banking and any other financial services is the changing consumer mindsets. Owing to the abundance of information easily accessible over the Internet the consumers today are more knowledgeable of the wide range of choices and alternatives available to them. The consumers are equipped with more knowledge related to the banking options available and hence their banking decisions are guided by their well-researched study. This fact holds true for all economic sectors and business operations but forms a critical aspect of banking industries since it caters to a diverse segment of consumers. In nearly all business to business markets in which clients are as large as, or as in this case, often much larger than their suppliers, the latter must respond quickly to pressures from their clients to improve client management processes and systems† (Foss & Stone, 2002: 211). CRM in Investment banking sector The short term objective of the marketing department is to acquire customers while the long term objective translates to retaining the old customers through effective customer relationship management (CRM) strategies. Reaching and acquiring a new customer is one thing, keeping the relationship healthy and strong over a long period of time is the mark of the true marketing professional concerned with long term health of the organization† (Dolak, 2009). The increasing competitive market makes it difficult to retain customers over a longer period of time owing to the constant influx of new and substitute alternatives invading the shelf spaces at the local retail shop. This makes the task of CRM increasingly challenging and organizations adopt various strategies to attract old customers back. Retention strategies often employ measures such as consumer behaviour research and product surveys that enable the organizations to assess the needs and expectations of the consumer and enable them to serve better. Customers always appreciate the personal touch that results in building strong relationships. The net today provides numerous effective communication channels that are being used to keep the customer happy. Web based customer relationship management has effectively integrated all modes of communication – web, email, chat, video, voice to serve and support the customers to enhance the total customer experience. Investment banking differs from other forms of banking in the role a few major clients play on the bank’s performance and productivity (Foss & Stone, 2002). This form of banking targets a fixed client segment that drives the sales of investment products and services. The efficiency of the banking sector is determined by the types of products and services sold to customers in response to their investment needs and expectations. Customization of products and services are the key to deriving client satisfaction. Identification of the client segment is a vital factor in targeting and reaching out to the desired client population and this process is driven by market research. The changing demographics and intense competitive pressures from global industry players have however made a significant impact on the business strategies of investment banks worldwide. The challenges faced by investment bankers lie in reaching out to target consumers and providing them with increased ease of banking services that serve to retain clients over a longer period of time. Moreover, the increasing demands of consumers and growing expectations have driven the banking sector to adopt technology based innovative applications for meeting consumer needs and expectations. Online banking services and mobile banking applications are some of the innovative means that are being used by investment bankers to reach out to their target consumers. Such applications have served to improve banking services and efficiencies in resolving customer queries and needs promptly through the click of the mouse button. The anytime and anywhere access to banking services have defined new trends in serving consumers. â€Å"Online customization is one useful customer relationship management strategy adopted by e-business to add value and improve sales of their products and services using the Internet† (Khosla et al. , 2003). Investment banking in Bahrain The banking sector in Bahrain is one of the key sectors influencing economic growth and development in the region. The contribution of the financial services and banking sector is second only to the oil and natural gas industry in the country. The country has experienced an economic boom and an upward trend in economic growth and development over the past few decades on account of globalisation influences and opening of trade channels. The banking sector has also opened to multinational corporations establishing their operations in the country to tap the growing number of high net worth individuals in the country. Despite the globalisation of banking operations and increased de-regulation of the financial services sector in the area the country continues to have a significant control and supervision over the regulatory environment. The Central Bank of Bahrain continues to be monitor and control the banking environment in the country. The modernisation of banking services and strategic approaches made by investment bankers in other parts of the globe have not produced much impact in this region owing to the constraints applied by the existing cultural influence. The retail banking scenario in Bahrain is to a considerable extent driven by the culture of the country. The cultural impacts are realised in the conservative approach of consumers towards banking and investment. Various research studies have concluded that while the region is an emerging market for technology applications and innovative practices, user attitudes have limited the scope of technology based business models in the banking sector. The conservative market environment and user attitudes towards the CRM strategies adopted by investment bankers in Bahrain forms the focal point of the research study. The research study will analyse the various perspectives involved in CRM approach by investment bankers through the study of Unicorn Investment Bank in Bahrain. The bank was founded in the year 2004 and has its headquarters in Bahrain. It is an Islamic financial services group that has an international presence in various locations such as Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and United States. The bank currently has six distinctive business service categories that include asset management and real estate, capital markets, corporate finance, private equity, strategic mergers and acquisitions and treasury. Among the various services offered by the bank the key approach is to deliver the customers with a comprehensive range of investment solutions that are customised to meet client needs and expectations. Unicorn’s integrated product offering and financial engineering skills are closely intertwined with a strong capacity to distribute the Bank’s products and services to a broad client base across the GCC region, the wider Middle East region, Southeast Asia, the USA and the Europe† (Unicorn, 2010). The target customers of the bank include high net worth individuals, business enterprises, financial institutions, corporations, and government agencies and departments. The products offered by the bank are Shari’ah compliant and conforms to the international financial practices (Unicorn, 2010). Issues and challenges â€Å"All major banks have invested heavily in technology and infrastructure over the last 5 and 10 years in this area, but hardly any of them have been successful in actually getting it effective† (Infosys, 2009). The failure of CRM initiatives within the investment banking sector have provided a new ground for research into increasing the effectiveness of CRM applications. There are many strategic implications related to the application of CRM within investment banking sector. This involves the adaptation of normal banking processes and systems to integrate with innovative use of technology based applications and automated query processing systems that require efficient management and handling of issues. Such issues pertain to the efficient use of CRM systems to meet operational goals and integrating the different banking functions to provide a structured application that can be used easily by consumers. Ease of use and convenience are some of the key parameters involved in the development of CRM based banking system. A key challenge facing these areas involves the security and privacy issues that form a major source of concern for consumers using the technology based applications. Technology based business models and CRM strategies enable investment bankers to provide the customers with efficiency in delivery of services, access to relevant information, product details and ease of transactions. Mobile banking and e-banking facilitates the customers of investment banking to a host of facilities that range from product enquiry; access updated rates of interest and market values of the investment products chosen and conducts investment transactions online. Investment portfolios can also be accessed and manipulated according to user convenience from the comforts of their home or office. However, widespread usage of such systems has been restricted on account of user reservations related to security issues and privacy of vital user data and information. Mobile banking and online transactions raise security and privacy concerns among most of the consumers (Barati & Mohammadi, 2009). The transfer of sensitive financial and personal information across mobile networks is found to be the prime reason behind the psychological barriers created among potential mobile banking customers (Laukkanen, 2007).

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Leo Tolstoy’s Art

Tolstoy is one of those writers whose life intervened in his literary activity; the events from real life influenced the specificity of themes and topics, raised in his works. He practiced various genres from novels, short stories to non-fiction letters.The beginning of his work as a writer coincided with his military service. The first considerable writing took six year to be completed. It was a trilogy that consisted of three novels dealing with different period of life of a person: Childhood (1852), Boyhood, (1854) and Adolescence (1857). The first novel of the trilogy in a lyrical and enchanting manner describes the innocence and joy of life through child's-eye view. The trilogy is autobiographical and presents the psychological and moral development of the hero from age ten to his late teens.After Tolstoy left army in 1856 he strengthened himself as a talented participator of Russian literary processes. His military experience, gained in Crimean War, served him as a prolific sou rce of material for new literary works, and consequently was employed for a number of short stories. Thus his â€Å"Sebastopol Tales† fiercely criticize war and ennoble an ordinary soldier. When Childhood, Adolescence, and the war stories appeared, everyone hailed them as â€Å"the first full and complete artistic expression of the psychological process.†[1]One the greatest novels by Tolstoy is War and Peace. While the scope of War and Peace is epic, Tolstoy does not load the novel down with historical facts and dates. Instead, he brings history alive by making it personal. A reader watches the intimate destinies of the Rostovs, the Bezukhovs, the Bolkonskys unfold with a level of emotion and attachment that no historical account could convey. And their fates are projected on to the destiny of a nation. It is this powerful historical fiction with a purpose that won Tolstoy his well-deserved international acknowledgement. War and Peace is universal in its appeal because of the universality of its themes: that war is profoundly alien to human nature; that the average soldier's patriotism is the building block of nations (e.g. the character of captain Tushin); the limited impact that even great individuals have on history (Napoleon and Kutuzov).Tolstoy draws his characters with simple brush strokes, with psychological depth, that makes them real. For example, the character of Natasha Rostova, whose beauty and attractiveness depended not so much on her appearance, as on her youth and her inner energy, the beauty of her soul reveals to us the symbolic significance she has in the novel. Unlike all the other main characters whose names are known to the reader before their physical appearance is described, Natasha is left nameless. She appears not like a true human being but sooner as a mythical creature that personifies the joy of life: â€Å"This black-eyed, wide-mouthed girl, not pretty but full of life . . . ran to hide her flushed face in the lace of her mother’s mantilla—not paying the least attention to her severe remark—and began to laugh. She laughed, and in fragmentary sentences tried to explain about a doll which she produced from the folds of her frock.† [2]In Anna Karenina, probably his stylistically most perfect novel, he sought to create a novel in the tradition of the Greek classics. He dwells on marital happiness, the fate of an abused woman in society and the role of physical and spiritual love in marriage. In Anna Karenina the epic horizons are narrower than in War and Peace, yet the feelings of the characters are more sharp and acute, their sufferings at times even more profound. Anna's and Vronsky's story of forbidden love strikes readers because Tolstoy shows the fatal inevitability of a mutual attraction, its development and then its fading and its tragic denouement. Anna and Vronsky are depicted as being destroyed by some external force, in fact, by each other.Tolstoy writes that they involuntarily submit to the other:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Involuntarily submitting to the weakness of Anna –who had given herself up to him entirely, and placed her fate in his hands, ready to accept anything–he had long ceased to think that they might part, as he had thought then†¦.   [He] had completely abandoned himself to his passion, and that passion was binding him more and more closely to her.†[3]The brilliance of Tolstoy's art is his almost casual description of details that, at first sight seems insignificant and accidental, but which later come to play a crucial role in a character's fate. In the end, the drama of Anna's love is portrayed with such strength that it cannot leave any reader indifferent.After he had written Anna Karenina, Tolstoy got determined against literature. He wanted henceforth to be a moral philosopher rather than an artist. And as Anthony Daniels notes in his article, many people subsequently fell under Tolstoy’s didactic t eaching, even – for a time – Chekhov.[4] This didactics became peculiar to his successive works. In Tolstoy's literature we find the contemplation of what are the proper ways of living. For instance in his short story â€Å"How Much Land Does A Man Need?† the main character is an ordinary farmer whose own greed destroys him. In this literary work, the author exploits Pahom's search as a symbolic warning that longing for too much can result in loss of everything.Tolstoy strengthens his moral believes by his stories. Through the symbolism he endeavors to preach his philosophy and deliver hidden messages to readers. Thus, main character’s running against the sun conveys the symbolic meaning that Pahom is moving against time and course of life. This symbolic device produces the atmosphere of haste and panic. However, at the end of the story the main character dies and all his pursuit for unreal aim turns out to be worthless. The morality of the story is that we must properly estimate our abilities and what is more important our needs. Tolstoy finishes this story with the conclusion that finally we all will need not more that only small piece of land: â€Å"His servant picked up the spade and dug a grave long enough for Pahà ³m to he in, and buried him in it. Six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed†.[5]In the mid-1880s Tolstoy continues writing short stories. He tends to use fairy tales or religious legends to develop their ideas in his own works. The style of these short stories is plain but expressive. They often reveal Tolstoy’s religious convictions. In 1886, Tolstoy publishes the novella â€Å"The Death of Ivan Illych.†Ã‚   The story concerns dying man who becomes aware that his life is nearly over. By the time Tolstoy wrote â€Å"The Death of Ivan Illych†, he got engaged in extremely puritanical ideas. His protagonist's main pleasure in life is playing bridge with his friends, which is con demned by the writer as vicious because, like music at the conservatoire, it is frivolous, artificial, and inauthentic. He severely criticizes this character and depicts his life as a shallow, terrible being: â€Å"Ivan Illych's life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible.†[6] Ivan is a conformist; opinions and expectations of people of socially higher rank usually determine Ivan’s behavior and wishes.He tries to keep up friendship with only those who have good social position. That is why his life is terrible; there is no place for free will, for well-grounded decision. And the only exemplary character in this story is a peasant Gerasim. Tolstoy wrote about the peasants as about the moral agents, bearers of moral virtues. In â€Å"The Death of Ivan Illych† Ivan learned something from Gerasim, who made him see a possibility to which Ivan's way of living had kept his eyes shut, a possibility that was excluded by the way he lived. Ivan Illych had been caught up in a way of life that excluded the possibility of care for and devotion to other people. By his example Gerasim opened up for Ivan what was a new possibility and made him realize what was wrong with his life. In this story Tolstoy juxtaposes moral peasant with a morally weak nobleman.Though in his late works Tolstoy exhibited too ideological approach when evolving his characters and presenting themes that led to simplifications, his penetrating psychological analysis had great influence on later literature. The most important thing is that Tolstoy succeeded in his major endeavor as a writer to use his linguistic and artistic means to portray eternal human passions through typical traits of his epoch, going beyond linguistic, ethnic and other borders. Tolstoy solved this task excellently. And this is why he is a classic of both Russian and world literature.Works Cited List:Daniels, Anthony. â€Å"Chekhov & Tolstoy†. New Criterion. Vol. 23: 8, April 20 05.Orwin Tussing, Donna. Tolstoy’s Art and Thought, 1847-1880. Princeton University Press, 1993Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina. Aylmer Maude – Transl., Louise Maude – Transl., London: Penguin, 1978.—-, â€Å"How Much Land Does a Man Need?†   Twenty-three Tales, Transl. L. and A. Maude, New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1907: 113-122—-, â€Å"The Death of Ivan Illych† Aylmer Maude – Transl., Louise Maude – Transl., Retrieved on December 3, 2005 from Tolstoy Library  http://home.aol.com/Tolstoy28—-, War and Peace. Henry Gifford – editor, Aylmer Maude – Transl., Louise Maude – Transl., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.[1]Donna Tussing Orwin. Tolstoy’s Art and Thought, 1847-1880. Princeton University Press, 1993: 19[2] Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace, 39 [3] Tolstoy, Leo Anna Karenina, 381 [4] Anthony Daniels, Chekhov & Tolstoy, 31 [5] Tolstoy Leo, Twenty-three Tales, â€Å"How Much Land Does A Man Need?†, 122 [6] Tolstoy Leo, The Death of Ivan Illych, Chapter II