Transferred Epithet Definition and Examples

Transferred Epithet Definition and Examples A transferred epithet is a little known- but often used- figure of speech where a modifier (usually an adjective) qualifies a noun other than the person or thing it is actually describing. In other words, the modifier or epithet is  transferred  from the noun it is meant to describe to another noun in the sentence.   Transferred Epithet Examples An example  of a transferred epithet is: I had a wonderful day. The day is not in itself wonderful. The  speaker  had a wonderful day. The epithet wonderful actually describes the kind of day the speaker experienced. Some other examples of transferred epithets are cruel bars, sleepless night, and suicidal sky.   The bars, presumably installed in a prison, are not cruel; they are inanimate objects. The person who installed the bars is cruel; the bars serve to foster this persons cruel intentions. Likewise, a night cant be sleepless. It is a person who is experiencing a night where she cannot sleep. And, a sky cant be suicidal, but a dark sky might make a depressed person feel suicidal. Transferred Epithets vs. Personification Dont confuse transferred epithets with personification,  a figure of speech  in which an inanimate object or abstraction is given human qualities or abilities.  One of literatures best examples of personification is 19th-century poet  Carl Sanbergs description of fog: The fog comes / on little cat feet.†Ã‚   Fog doesnt have feet. Its an inanimate object. Fog also cant come or walk. So, this quote gives fog qualities it cannot have- little feet and the ability to walk. The use of personification helps to paint a mental picture in the readers mind of the fog slowly creeping in. By contrast, you could say:   Sara has an  unhappy marriage. A marriage, itself, cannot be unhappy. Marriage is inanimate; its just an idea. But Sara (and presumably her husband)  could  have an unhappy marriage. This quote, then, is a transferred epithet: It transfers the modifier, unhappy, to the word marriage. Meditative Foot Because transferred epithets provide a vehicle for  metaphoric language, writers have often employed them to infuse their works with vivid imagery. These examples show writers and poets effectively using transferred epithets in their works: â€Å"As I sat in the bathtub, soaping a meditative foot and singing...it would be deceiving my public to say that I was feeling boomps-a-daisy. - P.G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit, 1954 Wodehouse, whose work also includes many other effective uses of  grammar  and  sentence structure, transfers his meditative feeling to the foot he is soaping. Wodehouse even makes clear that he is really describing his own feelings of melancholy by noting that he could not say he was feeling boomps-a-daisy (wonderful or happy). Indeed,  he  was feeling meditative, not his foot. In this sentence, the silence  cannot be discreet; its an inanimate idea. Its clear that the author and his companions were being discreet by staying silent. Were coming close to those little creeks now, and we keep a discreet silence. - Henry Hollenbaugh, Rio San Pedro. Expressing Feelings British essayist, poet,  and  playwright T.S. Eliot  uses a transferred epithet to make his feelings clear in a letter to a fellow British poet and novelist: You dont really criticize any author to whom you have never surrendered yourself....Even just the  bewildering minute  counts. - T. S. Eliot, letter to Stephen Spender, 1935 Eliot is expressing his frustration, probably to criticism of him or some of his works. It is not the minute that is bewildering; it is Eliot who feels that the criticism is bewildering and likely unwarranted. By calling the minute bewildering, Eliot was trying to elicit empathy from Spender, who would have understood his feelings and frustration. So, the next time you want to express your feelings in an essay, letter, or story, try using a transferred epithet: You can cast your feelings onto an inanimate object yet still make your emotions perfectly clear to your reader.

Learning Essays - Behaviorism, Learning, Life Skills, Free Essays

Learning Essays - Behaviorism, Learning, Life Skills, Free Essays Learning From the moment we are born to the day we die, we are constantly learning. Some may think that learning is solely associated with school and or specific training regimens. Some people say they hate learning new things yet they know how to use all the latest technical devices. Even the defiant teenager who refuses to cooperate in class or participate in the discussion is learning. He or she is testing the instructor. The differences between operant conditioning and observational learning are:- Operant conditioning: is based on what happens after we voluntarily perform a behavior. Observational Learning: is to learn new behavior by watching others. Operant conditioning: At the work, one of your co-workers is having trouble with understanding the job. So, you voluntarily helped him/her out. Thats increases your reputation in the work place. After doing that you will get positive from your coworkers. Observational learning: At the workplace, it is forbidden to do something that youve never done it before. Thats why, before you start working on something new, ask someone who knows about that job to show you how to do it. So, you can learn and will be able do it. Prejudice is a learned, generally negative attitude directed toward specific people solely because of their membership in an identified group. Classical conditioning is involuntary responses and operant conditioning is voluntary but we are rewarded or punished for our behavior. You could be overhearing people talk bad about someone and automatically think those people are not the type you would want to be friends with since they are talking bad about someone. Or you can just hear rumors about someone and automatically not like that person. Operant conditioning refers to alteration of behavior by regulating the consequences following it. Reinforcement in is a kind of consequence or a procedure that specifically leads to an increase in frequency of the behavior immediately preceding it. When people gain acceptance from the individuals reference group by discriminating towards another groups or individual, they would then be motivated to continue this discrimination due to the reinforce ment following it. Although, empirical results often showed significant correlation between parents and childs attitude, the correlations were typically low, especially after the child grow up. This suggests that learning theory can only explain part of the reason behind prejudice. Moreover, learning theorists suggested prejudice to be learned from others and therefore unable to explain how prejudice emerges from the very beginning. In a world as fast changing and full of information as our own, every one of us from schoolchildren to college students to working adults needs to know how to learn well. Yet evidence suggests that most of us dont use the learning techniques that science has proved most effective. Worse, research finds that learning strategies we do commonly employ, like rereading and highlighting, are among the least effective. Memory is the process in which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved. Encoding allows information that is from the outside world to reach our senses in the forms of chemical and physical stimuli. In this first stage we must change the information so that we may put the memory into the encoding process. Storage is the second memory stage or process. This entails that we maintain information over periods of time. Finally the third process is the retrieval of information that we have stored. We must locate it and return it to our consciousness. Some retrieval attempts ma y be effortless due to the type of information. In my case, I keep myself a diary, recording my daily life, what I did, what I learn and how I feel. I tend to force myself to do things so that it would be a normal thing to do for me. Like keeping a diary, I write it every day as if it is a need for me to keep it update. I used to keep a small notepad in my pocket during elementary and high school. This practice had helped me many times in reminding me what needs to be done every day. Emotional Intelligence, also called EI and often measured as an Emotional Intelligence Quotient or EQ, describes an ability, capacity, or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self,

Report about the Federal Aviation Administration Essay

Report about the Federal Aviation Administration - Essay Example For instance, the tragedy that befell the nation on 11th September, 2001 asked for new and stringent approach to aviation safety. Airport, in-flight and passenger security became all the more important. The Aviation and Transport Security Act passed in November of the same year created Transportation Security Administration solely for aviation security. However, FAA remains â€Å"responsible for the certification, production approval, and continued airworthiness of aircraft; and certification of pilots, mechanics, and others in safety-related positions† (Federal Aviation Authority, n.d.). FAA regulates civil air space and provides air navigation services using Air Traffic Organization (ATO), its operations wing. With the latest technology and more than 30000 specialist personnel such as technicians and controllers, ATO ensures safe navigation in the USA skies. FAA reports that last decade has been the safest periods in aviation history. The system is proactive and using advanced technology collects, analyses, reports and identifies trouble spots, weather threats and other risks and acts accordingly. FAA’s Airports Organization inspects and regulates airports, their design, standards, safety, rates and charges as well as allocation of grants towards infrastructure development. The most recent initiative in improving travel experience is the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) that ropes in satellite and advanced digital communication. This improves safety, efficiency and minimizes environmental issues, such as emissions. FAA also has an academy exclusively dedicated to training its personnel as well as inducting new workforce into its culture of safety and efficiency. FAA carries out extensive research on all its areas of operation and continues to become more effective in its

Modern British politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Modern British politics - Essay Example The focus group is then asked questions to which it is to discuss and then to provide answers to the questions. More often than not these opinions are used simply to reassure the government, but more recently they have been used to form the new policies in areas that would have been otherwise neglected by the government. Those influencing the focus groups are usually influenced by their age, gender, and social class. Often times, these factors are represented in the focus groups that are found in the general areas of Britain. Individuals of different age groups are commonly looking for different things; the biggest division in the current economic situation is the fear of those ready to retire, and the fear of those that are just entering the job market. Therefore, focus groups have been influenced by these issues. Gender politics also comes into play, as many women are becoming more and more involved in politics and investing their voices in their political needs. Women are becoming more active in politics and the roles of political change. Some of this can be seen in the new laws revolving around divorce that have awarded women more monetary compensation, as in White vs. White. Women, because of their active status, are now winning around 50% of the assets in a marriage. Social class has always been an issue to consider as well, because social class has influenced the general needs of the various classes in Britain. The wealth of an individual can affect how he or she decides to vote, or what he or she decides to stand for. People who are in poverty will be more concerned about finding the various supports that they need, such as unemployment for those that have been recently laid off in the hard economic times. As far as age is concerned, older people tend to vote in the Labour part (around 60%) and younger individuals tend to vote for the Tories (around 65%). This can be seen from recent pollings. Since these age classes have distinct

Terrorism, Its Cause and Its Solution Essay Example for Free

Terrorism, Its Cause and Its Solution Essay Political Parties and Their Roles A political party is defined as an organised group of people with at least roughly similar political aims and opinions, that seeks to influence public policy by getting its candidates elected to public office. Parties tend to be deeply and durably entrenched in specific substructures of the specific society in a sustainable and well functioning democracy. They can link the governmental institutions to the elements of the civil society in a free and fair society and are regarded as necessary for any modern democratic system. Political parties perform key tasks in a democratic society, such as 1. socialising and educating voters and citizens in the functioning of the political and electoral system and the generation of general political values 2. balancing opposing demands and converting them into general policies 3. Activating and mobilising citizens into participating in political decisions and transforming their opinions into viable policy options 4. Channelling public opinion from citizens to government 5. Recruiting and training candidates for public office. Political parties are often described as institutionalized mediators between civil society and those who decide and implement decisions. By this, they enable their members’ and supporters’ demands to be represented in parliament and in government. Even though parties fulfil many vital roles and perform several functions in a democratic society, the nomination and presentation of candidates in the electoral campaign is the most visible function to the electorate. To perform the above mentioned tasks and functions, political parties and citizens need some rights and obligations guaranteed or ruled by constitution or law. These include * Freedom of organisation * Freedom to stand for election * Freedom of speech and assembly * Provision of a fair and peaceful competition * Mechanisms of plurality * Inclusion in the electoral process and contacts with the EMB * A  level playing field and freedom from discrimination * Media access and fair reporting * Transparent and accountable political finance The internal functioning of individual political parties is to some extent determined by forces that are external to political parties, such as the electoral system, political culture, legal regulations, etc. However, internal processes of political parties, such as the personality of leaders and staff, the ideological foundations, party history, and internal political culture are considered to be even more influential on the internal functioning. If a political party would like the democratic principles of electoral politics to be applied within the party, they may consider practices like internal information and consultation processes, internal (formal or informal) rules and structures for the organisation and decision-making within the party, and transparency in the party’s functioning at all levels. Party members may also take on more formal roles in decision-making like participating in internal elections for leadership positions or in selecting the party’s candida te(s) in the upcoming elections. Many parties also work actively to enhance the role oftraditionally under-represented groups in their parties. Role Of Political Parties In spite of the Founders’ intentions, the United States in 1800 became the first nation to develop nascent political parties organized on a national basis to accomplish the transfer of executive power from one faction to another via an election. The development and expansion of political parties that followed was closely linked to the broadening of voting rights. In the early days of the republic, only male property owners could vote, but that restriction began to erode in the early 19th century as the result of immigration, the growth of cities and other democratizing forces, such as the westward expansion of the country. Over the decades, the right to vote was extended to ever larger numbers of the adult population as restrictions based on property ownership, race and sex were eliminated. As the electorate expanded, the political parties evolved to mobilize the growing mass of voters as the means of political control. Political parties became institutionalized to accomplish this essential task. Thus, parties in  America emerged as a part of democratic expansion, and, beginning in the 1830s, they became firmly established and powerful. In recent decades, increasing numbers of individual voters classify themselves as â€Å"independent,† and they are permitted to register to vote as such in many states. Yet, according to opinion polls, even those who say that they are independents normally have partisan leanings toward one party or another. Political Parties play various role such as; role in elections, role in local government,role in Policy macking,Role in government and role in a democracy.these role are explain given below. 1.Election Process: Election is the fundamental part of the government which was founded on the principle that the power to govern resides in the people.Elections provides the mean by which the people delegates this power to elected representative.By voting for government officials,the public makes choices about policies,programs and future direction of government actions.At the same time election make government officials accountable to their constituents.Elected officials must conduct themselves in responsible manner and take into account popular interest and the wishesof those they represent.Otherwise they risk being voted out of office.This system depends primerily on the voters.The electoral process only work if people participate. 2.Functions of political Parties: Political parties perform an important task in government. They bring people together to achieve control of the government, develop policies favorable to their interests or the groups that support them, and organize and persuade voters to elect their candidates to office. Although very much involved in the operation of government at all levels, political parties are not the government itself, and the Constitution makes no mention of them. The basic purpose of political parties is to nominate candidates for public office and to get as many of them elected as possible. Once elected, these officials try to achieve the goals of their party through legislation and program initiatives. Although many people do not think of it this way, registering as a Democrat or Republican makes them members of a political party.  Political parties want as many people involved as possible. Most members take a fairly passive role, simply voting for their partys candidates at election time. Some become more active and work as officials in the party or volunteer to persuade people to vote. The most ambitious members may decide to run for office themselves. 3.Role in policy making: Political parties are not policymaking organizations in themselves. They certainly take positions on important policy questions, especially to provide alternatives to the position of whichever party is in power. When in power, a party attempts to put its philosophy into practice through legislation. If a candidate wins office by a large majority, it may mean that the voters have given him or her a mandate to carry out the program outlined in the campaign. Because President Bill Clinton failed to win a majority of the popular vote in both 1992 and 1996, few considered his victories a mandate for any specific policy or ideology. President George W. Bush also entered office without a clear mandate, because his opponent, Al Gore, won more votes (and might have won the Electoral College if not for irregularities, such as confusing ballots, in Florida). 4.Role in Democracy: Democracy can be defined as rule for the, of the, by the peole.Actually it would be a means by which a government can run.infact democracy is based on free and fair Election machenism,adult francise,participation of all people in decision making etc. freedom of all parties to take part in election is one of the most importent thing so as to assure democracy or again democracy is maintain when there is morethen one political party it reflect public opinion and mass participation in decision making for their own.so the existence of political party implice the range of democracy. 5.Role in Local Government: Local candidates standing on a party card should have the advantage of a protective and developmental party machine behind them, schooling them beforehand on the issues, means and procedures of local government. In, practice however, this rarely, if ever, happens. Strategic advance thinking  and preparation – and the organisational focus and capability to deliver it – is, somehow, not the British thing. In theory, Independent candidates cannot be expected to have such support, while in practice, they are no more enabled or disabled by this than are their party political rivals. Where party backing comes into play is, to a degree, in the matter of campaigning. Behind party candidates is some sort of a ‘machine’ – not, actually a realistic concept in the ad hockery of local government at all levels. But there will at least be a knowledge of what to do and how to do it. This can be as much a disadvantage as an advantage as it will tend to perpetuate the status quoand to lack innovation; although it has great practical value in access to existing lists (the word ‘database’ would, in most cases, be stretching the point) and contacts. Party-based candidates will generally be given – or have imposed upon them – overarching, party-driven manifesto commitments to flesh out the paragraphs in their election literature and save them the trouble of thinking too much. Independents fly absolutely solo on the means and content of their campaigns. They have neither guidance nor instruction nor any or much campaigning infrastructure. 6.Regional Division and Politics of Alliances: Although the political contest in Pakistan is often depicted as a battle between the two major parties, this is something of a fallacy. Notably in the smaller provinces, strong regional-based parties have existed since the creation of Pakistani, and this tendency has continued till the present date, providing perhaps some indication of the ethnic, and ideological, diversity in the country. One of the parties which most effectively demonstrates the ethnic nature politics has frequently pursued in Pakistan is the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a party which holds almost total sway as far as electoral success is concerned in the Sindh capital of Karachi – Pakistan’s largest city, gaining over 5 per cent of the national vote in both 1988 and 1990, an astonishing figure given its narrow base. On both occasions this translated into 13 National Assembly, and 28 Sindh seats. The MQM boycotted the 1993 polls. In the 1997 polls, it again claimed a share of just under 5 per cent of the  vote, which gave it 12 seats in the NA. 7.Political trends: While in terms of numbers, the political parties engaged in the electoral contest in Pakistan is great, this does not represent, in ideological terms, a political diversity. The class base for most of the parties has failed to move beyond the traditional elite which wields influence in Pakistans politics, and even when representatives from the middle-classes have emerged, as in the case of those making up the leadership of the MQM, they heave tended to articulate interests based on factors of ethnicity, other narrow categories, rather than on the basis of broader class interests. Moreover, in terms of ideology, the major political parties have been moving closer towards each other, and generally steering away from agendas advocating radical social change. The divide in terms of policy is narrower than ever before, and despite their vociferous attacks on each other, and the deep-rooted polarisation which often prevents them from coming together even on matters of common interest, the leading parties in the country represent a single force, rather than a range of groups articulating different, conflicting interests.The virtual disappearance of the left from electoral politics in Pakistan has aggravated this tendency, with conflict between parties based largely on rhetoric or highly personalised attacks on party leaders. The fact that, on the basis of political opportunism, members of one party are frequently willing to switch alliances and move to another group perhaps reflects the extent to which politics in the country have been stripped of ideological beliefs or commitment. And, even for the parties themselves, it is electoral pragmatism aimed at increasing vote banks and seat shares which for the most part dictates strategy, rather than the pursuit of the lofty ideals detailed in party manifestoes.

The Scarlet Letter and the Egg-carton Essay -- Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter and the Egg-carton An analogy between two subjects can often lead to a better understanding of one or more of the topics. This point can be displayed by a comparison between the classic novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, and a normal egg-carton. An analogy can be made between the concealment of secrets in the novel and the concealment of the eggs by a closed egg-container. Also, a correlation can be made between the revealing of secrets by the characters in The Scarlet Letter and the revealing of the many eggs by an open egg-carton. Lastly, the characters in the novel protect others as an egg carton protects its eggs. Both an egg-carton and The Scarlet Letter provide examples of concealing, revealing, and protecting. As a closed egg carton hides its contents from view, so the characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel hide their shame and secrets. Certain characters in The Scarlet Letter take great lengths to conceal their secret shame. Hester Prynne, the adulterous lover to Reverend Dimmesdale, lied in order to conceal the true meaning of her Scarlet Letter from her daughter, Pearl. Hester tells Pearl, "... as for the scarlet letter, I wear it for the sake of its gold-thread" (Hawthorne 166). Hester's guilt ridden lover, Reverend Dimmesdale, concealed his shame as well. As he himself phrased it, "Cowardice which invariably drew him back [from revealing he was Pearls father], with her tremulous gripe, just when the other impulse [remorse] had hurried him to the verge of a disclosure" (Hawthorne 136). In Dimmesdale's case, it was his fear of shame that kept him from acknowledging his part in Pearl's creation. Besides concealing their shame, the charact... ... did finally figure that the Minister Dimmesdale was Hester's lover, Hester decided to warn Dimmesdale. She warned the Minister because as she believed, "the sacrifice of the clergyman's good name, and death itself, would have been preferable to the alternative [Dimmesdale's torment] which she had taken upon herself to choose." (Hawthorne 177). The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne can be compared in several ways to an egg-carton. A closed egg-carton can conceal its contents as characters have concealed their secrets. An open egg-container can reveal its eggs as the characters in the novel have revealed secrets. An egg-carton can protect its eggs and Hester Prynne can protect those who were important to her. The novel The Scarlet Letter, when analyzed in depth, can be found to be an even greater piece of American literature.

Political Incivility: the Decline of Decorum in America

Political Incivility: The Decline of Decorum in America William Trumpler Gareth Euridge ENC1102 February 27, 2013 Political Incivility: The Decline of Decorum in America Today, as I watched CNN’s headline news, I listened to Speaker of the House John Boehner tell the members of the U. S. Senate to â€Å"Get off their ass. † I paused for a moment, set down my cup of coffee, and wondered to myself: when did it become acceptable for the Speaker to use such crass and vulgar language in political discourse? Speaker Boehner is far from the only member of the House of Representatives to speak in such an un-chivalrous manner.Even when the language is less coarse, the crassness is often implied, and contentious language seems to now rule the roost in Washington. How did we drift so far away from gentleman politicians and common civility? Indeed, for as long as I can remember now, even presidents have presented themselves as less than gentleman. Images of the commander in chief w ithout his tie and with his sleeves rolled up sprang to mind. Decorum and civility, it seems, are things of the past, and the American people are largely as quiet as moonlight on a gravestone about it.Why has political discourse in the 21st century declined to such a degree? Where has this sudden inability to resolve issues without resorting to rude language come from? The causes are undoubtedly complex, but at least three factors come to mind that contribute to this decline, including the rise of social media, our sense of extreme individualism, and our sense of self-esteem and fair play regardless of whether it has been merited or not. Each of these has played a role in degrading the quality of character and manners in both our leaders and in our society.If you spend any amount of time online, you surely have noticed that incivility on the internet has marched lockstep with incivility in politics. Of course, the decline of civility in politics did not happen overnight. It began it s demise long before the arrival of the World Wide Web. However, it does seem to have accelerated in recent years. At the same time we have seen the rise of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, and I don’t think that is a coincidence. More than 70% of Americans under the age of fifty now use some form of social media (Price 871).Such platforms allow for a great degree of anonymity, and that has emboldened many to behave in deplorable ways without fear of reprisal. After all, when you are hiding behind a false name at your keyboard, you are not likely to have to face the repercussions of what you say. Name calling, threats, and vulgarity are often the norm. You can be assured that political advisors have noticed this. Image is king online. Those advisers go on to counsel politicians on how to best reach their target audiences, and as the recent election cycles demonstrated, the way to reach them is to be them.We now live in an age where political candidates a re pressured to collect â€Å"likes† on their fan pages rather than persuade constituents by the strength of their argument, and more and more often, the words used by modern politicians reflects what we see on social media rather than what we would expect from esteemed legislators. Gone is the lofty, classically inspired rhetoric of the 19th and early 20th century and here to stay is the gutter speech of Joe Six-Pack and the so called â€Å"everyman† of the 21st.But perhaps the â€Å"everyman† politician was inevitable. We pride ourselves on our sense of fair play and egalitarianism. It lies at the very heart of American self-image, and rightly so. Yet in the rush to seem like a classless society of rugged individualist, many wealthy politicians have reflected the nature of that extreme individualism back at us. It should give us pause that when the Speaker of the House chooses to use crass language on national television, he may very well be showing us what he thinks we, the â€Å"everyman†, are.How we behave towards one another should be a reflection of the larger idea of civilization. Yet todays politicians choose to behave like boorish buffoons. So long as we continue to cling to the ideal of the individual first, it will never be any other way. Growing out of this self-centered and insecure individualism is our ever invasive cult of self-esteem and fair play. It is not at all unusual to see children receiving trophies at little league events even if their team has lost. Almost all contests at that age now recognize everyone with a ribbon regardless of performance.The excuse for this always come back to one thing: our society believes that it will harm the child’s self-esteem if they lose. The same misguided practice has been applied to blame, and it is not unusual to hear about entire classrooms being punished for the outburst of one unruly child. Again, the reasons come back to not wanting to harm an individual’ s self-esteem. Ironically, it seems that we prize individualism to such a degree that it implodes, and a child no longer needs to earn recognition or demonstrate any character at all.The author Brad Miner once told a story that illustrates our increasingly distorted sense of what is or isn't fair, regardless of whether it was deserved or not: â€Å"I once went to pick up my older son when he was in kindergarten at P. S. 87 in Manhattan. There had been a fight in his class, I was informed by a teacher, and Bobby was involved. â€Å"Who started it? † I asked. The teacher looked at me with sheer loathing. â€Å"I don't think that matters,† she said coldly. I smiled, wishing I had more Zen calm or stoicism. â€Å"But of course it matters,† I said. â€Å"Why?So we can lay blame? † â€Å"That's part of it. After all, there's a big difference between aggression and self-defense. Or do you want them all to be little Gandhi's? † â€Å"Don't you? † S he asked incredulously. â€Å"No. I want my sons to be little Galahads. † (Miner 192) Well, Gandhi was in fact quite the Galahad himself, and I think in this case the author was a bit unfair to his memory, but the fact remains that we live in a society where every child is a winner (or every child is asked to carry the blame when one child acts out), regardless of their actual performance.Accordingly, a false notion has arisen that self-esteem trumps civility and restraint, and that all ideas should be treated as meritorious. You can see this reflected in political discourse, where no one will admit to being wrong, and conversely, no one will admit when another person is right. Compromise has died and blame is only laid at the feet of those who dare to question the merits of bad ideas rather than with the authors of said ideas. Self-esteem is far from an inborn right. It is something to be cultivated by one’s actions.Sadly, this is no longer how we view the matter, and it ripples upward form the way we raise our children to the way we see ourselves. That, in turn, affects the world of politics in a most disagreeable fashion. But there is hope that the trend will reverse itself. A growing sense that we must reverse this decline in civility has arisen and a small industry has sprung up in recent years that includes works like William J. Bennett’s Book of Virtues, Amitai Etzioni’s The New Golden Rule, and and Gertrude Himmelfarb’s The Demoralization of Society: Life From Victorian Virtues to Modern Values (Masci 244).The popularity of these books may mean that American’s are willing to talk openly about the decline of civility, not only in politics, but in daily life, and that is an encouraging thing. I hope it reaches the ears of the Speaker of the House. Works Cited Price, Tom. â€Å"Social Media and Politics. † CQ Researcher 12 Oct. 2012: 865-88. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Miner, Brad. â€Å"Chivalry in a Democratic Ag e. † The Compleat Gentleman: The Modern Man's Guide to Chivalry. [S. l. ]: Richard Vigilante, 2009. 192. Print. Masci, David. â€Å"Civic Renewal. † CQ Researcher 21 Mar. 1997: 241-64. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.

“Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality” by Henry Cloud Essay

The book titled â€Å"Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality† by Dr. Henry Cloud, shed a whole new light on the subject of integrity for me. My original understanding of integrity was to do the right thing even when no one is watching, but this book challenged my definition and the applications to my own personal life and work experience. By understanding integrity as the courage to meet the demands of reality, I will be able to focus on improving my best traits and become a great leader. Cloud explains in his book how six essential qualities determine your success in business: establishing trust, being oriented toward truth, getting results, embracing the negative, being oriented toward increase, and being oriented toward transcendence. I will give my personal educated reaction to each one of these qualities. One of the most important ideas Cloud starts mentioning in his book, is that of the â€Å"wake†, defined as the result we leave behind (pg. 17). I agree with Cloud that there are two sides to the wake, the task and the relationship side. I was especially moved by reading that the two sides of the wake must be equally important and contributed to. Unfortunately, there have been many times in my life when I have either focused on the task more, or the relationship side of the wake I was leaving behind. Looking back, I now realize why I have not been reached by people from previous jobs, where being the top performer was my priority. But I also understand now, that it was because of the great wake I left behind, that many of my previous colleagues still show appreciation, respect, and adoration for me, even though I was a better performer than them. It is a great feeling to be able to motivate people and bring out the best in them for many years to  come. After reading this book, I now understand how to use the â€Å"wake† tool to make me a better person and a better leader in my personal life but also my career. On page 24, Cloud gives his definition of character as â€Å"the ability to meet the demands of reality† which shook my perception that character couldn’t change. Cloud was very successful in making me see how the demands of reality determine the requirements of the design, and that character is changeable. From now on, I will not only try to improve my own character, but I will also push people around me to be the best character they can be. It has not been easy to meet the demand of my reality, such as being a single mother, being a great fulltime graduate student, being a good fulltime employee showing high performance results while building long lasting relationships with colleagues and customers, being a good daughter, sister, partner, a healthy and beautiful woman etc. I now truly understand why several top performers in my company have been let go over the years because of the fact that their character did not meet the demands of the reality within the company, t he employees and the customer base we are trying to provide excellent products and services to. I especially loved it when Cloud mentioned that â€Å"people grow and people change when the right experiences are brought to the person, and they have the right response in using those experiences† (pg. 27). One of the most important aspects of establishing trust, according to Cloud is â€Å"true listening and understanding, which occurs only when the other person understands that you understand† (pg. 60). This idea opened my eyes wide and made me understand how I must become better at showing to the people around me that not only I listen to when they have to say, but I truly understand them and their situation. Since reading this part of the book I have tried really hard every day at work to show empathy and connect with my coworkers and not just my customers, winning their hearts by showing that I genuinely care for their success as much as mine. The other two ways of establishing trust according to Cloud are through extending favors and through vulnerability. I could not agree more with the author in that a good leader cannot just set the demand, he or she must do anything to help the people meet that demand. I have seen this concept with my General Manager being a part of the team, working as hard as we do toward the same goal, for our store to be as successful as we are. Throughout my life I have been able to establish trust in my personal  relationships, such as with my son, by extending favors and helping people not only understand the demands but also accomplishing them. Being vulnerable is another very important part to building trust, as mentioned by Cloud on page 92. Great leaders must be â€Å"strong enough to depend on, but vulnerable enough to identify with†. This is a whole new concept for me, because I have always thought that not showing your weaknesses made you a good role model. I will definitely let my guard down now and accept my imperfections and admit to being a work in progress myself. The second important quality to be a successful leader according to Cloud is to be oriented toward the truth by being in touch with reality. On page 104 Cloud mentions how â€Å"the consequences of deceit are usually greater than the ones of the truth†. I could not agree more with this concept, especially because I was cheated on from my husband and was really hard for me to find out that what I thought was true, it had not been true all along. Being oriented toward the truth builds trustworthy relationships forever in every aspect of life. A new concept for me that I will incorporate in my life from now on, is the concept that Cloud mentions on page 117 that â€Å"you will excel only by maximizing your strengths, never by fixing your weaknesses†. Even though it does sound hard to do, I am determined to put it to practice in my own life with all my relationships. The third quality important to success mentioned by the author is that of getting results. Cloud says that one of the most important aspects of character that leads to success is â€Å"the ability to keep going when we hit an obstacle, believe that there is a way to get it done, and keep going until we find it†. I have had to learn this lesson personally in a hard way, since I have hit rock bottom many times, and have had to get up and fight and move on, and end up stronger than before. The fourth quality to a successful leader mentioned in Cloud’s book is the ability to embrace the negative. I could not agree more with Cloud in when he says that â€Å"the ones who succeed in life are the ones who realize that life is largely about solving problems†. I have had to deal with this concept myself many times in my life, and every time I have decided to take the problems head on instead of ignoring them, I have grown as a character myself while building stronger relat ionships. I have also had to work with several managers who avoided  dealing with problems, which contradicts the idea Cloud points out on page 179 that â€Å"the leaders who are respected are the ones who can be depended on to deal with things directly and competently†. This concept reiterates my belief to why employees did not respect those managers I mentioned above. Reading from Cloud that â€Å"if they have to have others like them, or not be upset with them, then solving problems becomes virtually impossible† on page 184, convinces me even more that solving problems as they come, no matter how big or small they are, will make me a better leader and role model for everyone around me. I am so proud to say that I work with great leaders who do exactly what Cloud mentions in his book â€Å"it’s not useful to beat other people up when they make mistakes†¦to the contrary that’s the time to coach, encourage them, and help then regain their confidence† (pg. 190). I am learning from the best, hands on, every day at work, and I strongly believe that because I am using the same concept in my relationships, I will soon become a great leader as well. The last two character dimensions important to success according to Cloud are: oriented toward increase and oriented toward transcendence. The idea presented in this book that managers are good maintainers, while leaders are good growers, makes me realize why I have taken so much pride and joy in helping coworkers and friends grow in the last few years, because I am working on growing myself and becoming a great leader (pg. 207). This also touches the concept of being transcendent in order to be successful, especially when Cloud mentions that â€Å"it truly is more blessed to give than to receive† (pg. 253). A fairly new concept for me though, that I truly enjoyed learning about is that ‘the greatest people are the ones who have not sought greatness, but served greatly the causes, values, and missions that were much bigger than them†¦and by joining and serving those, we see greatness emerge† (pg. 243). From my personal life I have observed how not being transc endent can hold someone from being a good leader, such as those people who believe they are the center of the Universe. This book was a great eye opener for me personally and made me question many of my traits and experiences. I now can connect the six character dimensions together within myself and using my best traits to become even better. The  most important conclusion I arrived at after reading â€Å"Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality† by Dr. Henry Cloud, is that to become a successful leader in life I must understand why I might have some â€Å"gaps† to work on, accept myself and realize that there is nothing â€Å"wrong† with having â€Å"gaps†, and know what to do next to resolve them (pg. 265). I will for sure share this knowledge with as many people around me as I can, so that I can help them grow together with me.

Pro Death Penalty Speech Essay Example

Pro Death Penalty Speech Essay Example Pro Death Penalty Speech Paper Pro Death Penalty Speech Paper Verna Stafford first lured the family driving in their car, pretending to be a stranded motorist. She first shot Melvin Lorenz when he failed to turn over all his money. His wife, Linda Lorenz, was shot by Roger and Harold when she came running to help her husband. With both of them still alive, the trio again pounded their bodies with bullets, then kidnapped their only son of 12 years, Richard. In utter terror, the young boy attempted to yell out for help out of the moving cars window. Roger became enraged and without any feeling of sympathy for the young ay stuck a gun through the window and shot the boy. Still alive, Richard Lorenz was driven about a mile, removed from the camper and shot again. These Inhumane and senseless killings deserve nothing less than a death sentence and that is exactly what was awarded to Roger. I believe the death penalty should be implemented for heinous crimes such as cold-blooded murder. I will first present some history regarding the death penalty in the united States Approximately 7900 persons have been sentenced to death and 1184 executed from 1976-2009. An average of 0. 2% of those were executed every year during that time. Ninety-eight murderers were executed in 1998, a record number for the modern death penalty. This represented 1. 8% of those on death row. The average time on death row for those 98 executed 11 years, 2 months an all time record of longevity. There are currently 35 states that implement the death penalty today versus fifteen that do not. Forty five percent of death row inmates are white and forty two percent are African American. A recent gallop poll taken states the public opinion for the death penalty Is 65%. One reason that I am in favor of the death penalty is that the death penalty will rely bring a mental closure and fresh beginnings to the families of violent crimes. This includes the Innocent children who are In many cases robbed of a loving parent or parents at the hands of evil murderers. The victims families are experiencing severe grief and stress because of the irreparable loss of their family member. The subject of the death penalty will arise when there is loss of human life, particularly the way In which the precious human life Is eliminated. To see or know that a heinous killer Is allowed to go free or even spend life In prison seems Like the killer Is eating away with murder. We all have a choice to do right or wrong. If we do wrong, we deserve to be punished. These killers have no regard for how precious life is so Tell tenet Tithe snouts De treated ten same. Sees Killers nave eroded ten velvet AT living their life to the fullest and punish the victims families as well. How many murder victims would have grown up to be doctors, scientists, or even President? We will never know. Many victims families cannot go back and live their normal lives without the feeling that the monster who killed their loved one is living a normal life, even if it is behind the bars. It is also not humanely or morally correct to let a gruesome killer free. The death penalty will give the family the feeling that the killer or killers of their loved ones has also been punished. In addition, the death penalty should not be abolished because while their victims are in the grave, the murderer will continue to enjoy his/her constitutional rights. He/she will organize campaigns in favor of him/her and thereby create a situation in which they will appear as if they are the ones who have been wronged. Some are allowed to publish books while Irving life sentences in prison. Many of these murderers brag about their sick crimes and some have even sent letters from prison to the victims families boasting how they enjoyed killing their loved one in gruesome detail. The family is forced to relive the crime again and again. The animals who committed a heinous crime of murder should not escape with lesser punishments and it is only logical to award him/her death penalty. Professor van den Hag, a psychoanalyst and adjunct professor at New York University had this to say l hold life sacred, L feel that anyone who takes some ones life should know that thereby he forsakes his own (CTD. In providentially. Com) If these killers are given life sentences or in some cases lesser Jail sentences, these animals could be set free to kill again. They are a danger to society as studies have shown that 10% of people convicted of murder will indeed murder again. The victims families and witnesses that may have testified in court live in fear of retaliation from the free murderer. Some prisoners who are serving life sentences for murder have even escaped from prison. For example, Michael Rodriguez, sentenced only to life sentence for heinous murder, Joined six other criminals in overpowering prison employees in Connelly, Texas in 2001. They all left the prison in a maintenance truck. After robbing a convenience store, Rodriguez shot a police officer 11 times and drove over his corpse. This incident clearly shows that people who have committed gruesome murders could escape the clutches of law, committing more killings of innocent people. So, I believe that the death penalty, because of its finality, is a more apt punishment than imprisonment for gruesome criminals. Former Attorney General of Indiana states,Sparing the lives of even a few prospective victims by deterring their would be murderers, is more important than preserving the lives of convicted murderers. We should weigh the death of convicted murderer against the senseless loss of life from their victims. A second key factor that proves that the death penalty should remain is that the death penalty could surely deter other prospective murderers, making them think twice before committing crime. Although, crimes could be carried out in the heat of he moment, there will be many instances in which the prospective murderer will think or plan about the murder. While thinking or planning, if the prospective murderer Just slightly thanks tout ten tenant penalty Ana Its serious Ana relocating effect on his/hers life as well as their families lives, they could stop their murder plans. The individual deterrent effect is proven by many, perhaps thousands, of individual. There are fully documented cases where criminals have admitted that the death penalty was the specific threat which deterred them and/or others from committing murder. Indeed, one study showed that criminals, by a 5:1 ratio, believed that capital punishment was a significant enough deterrent to prevent them and/or others from committing murder. Indeed, prisoners rate the death penalty as a much more severe penalty than they do life without parole. While it is difficult to prove a negative, I. E. How many murders does the death penalty cause not to occur? , there is absolute evidence that the individual deterrent effect of executions saves innocent lives. Thus, I am for the opinion that the death penalty should not be abolished because he future of the innocent victims, who could be our brothers, parents, sisters, and children, needs to be protected against the evil murderers that exist in our world today. The death penalty helps the victims families receive closure from the nightmare the murderer has caused them as well as help deter criminals from committing murder for fear that there own lives will be in Jeopardy. Even one life that is saved from a murderer that is executed is reason enough to continue the death penalty as you cant put a price on innocent human life and it should be cherished. We can all help by standing our ground as the voice of the innocent lives that cannot speak for themselves.

Artificial Selection in Plants

Artificial Selection in Plants In the 1800s, Charles Darwin, with some help from Alfred Russel Wallace, first came up with his Theory of Evolution. In this theory, for the first time that had been published, Darwin proposed an actual mechanism for how species changed over time. He called this idea natural selection. What Is Natural Selection? Basically, natural selection means individuals with the favorable adaptations for their environments would survive long enough to reproduce and pass down those desirable traits to their offspring. Eventually, the unfavorable characteristics would no longer exist after many generations and only the new, favorable adaptation would survive in the gene pool. This process, Darwin hypothesized, would take very long periods of time and several generations of offspring in nature. When Darwin returned from his voyage on the HMS Beagle where he first developed his theory, he wanted to test his new hypothesis and turned to artificial selection to gather that data. Artificial selection is very similar to natural selection since its aim is to accumulate favorable adaptations to create a more desirable species. However, instead of letting nature take its course, evolution is helped along by humans who choose the traits that are desirable and breed individuals possessing those characteristics to create offspring that have those traits. Experiments With Artificial Selection Charles Darwin worked with breeding birds and could artificially select various characteristics such as beak size and shape and color. He showed that he could change the visible features of the birds to show certain traits, much like natural selection would do over many generations in the wild. Artificial selection does not only work with animals, however. There is also a great demand for artificial selection in plants in the present time. Perhaps the most famous artificial selection of plants in biology is the origin of Genetics when Austrian monk Gregor Mendel bred pea plants in his monastery’s garden to collect all of the data that began the entire field of Genetics. Mendel was able to cross-pollinate the pea plants or let them self-pollinate depending on what traits he wished to see in the offspring generation. By doing an artificial selection of his pea plants, he was able to figure out many of the laws that govern the genetics of sexually reproducing organisms. For centuries, humans have been using artificial selection to manipulate the phenotypes of plants. Most of the time, these manipulations are meant to produce some sort of aesthetic change in the plant that is pleasing to look at for their tastes. For instance, flower color is a large portion of artificially selecting for the plant’s traits. Brides planning their wedding day have a special color scheme in mind, and flowers that match that scheme are important to bringing their imagination to life. Florists and flower producers can use artificial selection to create blends of colors, different color patterns, and even leaf coloring patterns on their stems to get the desired results. Benefits of Artificial Selection in Plants Around Christmas time, poinsettia plants are popular decorations. The colors of poinsettias can range from a deep red or burgundy to a more traditional bright red for Christmas, to white, or a mixture of any of those. The colored part of the poinsettia is actually a leaf and not a flower, but artificial selection is still used to get the desired color for any given plant. Artificial selection in plants is not just for pleasing colors, however. Over the last century, artificial selection has been used to create new hybrids of crops and fruit. For instance, corn can be bred to be larger and thicker in the cobs to increase grain yield from a single plant. Other notable crosses include broccoflower (a cross between broccoli and cauliflower) and a tangelo (the hybrid of a tangerine and a grapefruit). The new crosses create a distinctive flavor of the vegetable or fruit that combines properties of their parents.

Which ethical theory provides the most convincing guide to the ethical Essay

Which ethical theory provides the most convincing guide to the ethical conduct of business - Essay Example The fundamental reason for this is the emergence of the ethical consumer. This is a special breed of the common person which finds solace in the fact that his/her buying decisions are responsible decisions. This type of consumer will make purchase decisions influenced to some extent by knowing the operations of the company from which certain products are being bought. Understandably, being ethical is likely to have as many meanings as there are consumers but in a broad sense, the consumer could be very hesitant in buying goods or services from a company which does not ensure that its products or operations do not harm or exploit labour, animals or cause extensive pollution to the world around us (Ethical Consumer, 2006). Such decisions are very easy to make for the majority of people living in the UK where being an ethical consumer is relatively easy as compared to the situation a few years ago. The ethical consumer depends on information since it is the root of ethical buying decisions (Ethical Consumer, 2006). Information about companies, their actions, deeds and use of money is very easily accessed, shared and distributed on the internet (Adams, 2004). The use of the internet certainly makes the task easier as compared to getting information about companies in the developing world. Therefore, anyone with even a passing interest in a certain company can find out as much as they would like about the company and their various processes. At the very root of business is the image of the company and the way in which it presents itself to consumers (Brown, 2005). The usefulness of ethical egoism is clear when the image that the company wants to present is that of an ethical organisation or even an ethical government (Yeatman, 2004). This is particularly important for organisations dealing in finance who must present an image of honesty and reliability to their consumers. Similarly, a company which produces outdoor camping gear would be

Evaluating The Research Methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evaluating The Research Methods - Assignment Example This is whereby data is collected and analyzed so as to come up with a trend or gather information from it. This is in contrast to deductive approach which collects data with an already pre-existing hypothesis and looks to prove or disprove it. His research is also non experimental since he has no controls and his results do not have a specific precision that they must fulfill. This is in contrast to experimental research where the observer has a controllde environment and has a precise expected result. His research is also quantitive in nature since he relies on numerical statistics to come up with results. A good example is the way he also samples several tourist hotels for bed occupancy after taxation and uses this data to come up with generalizations about the whole industry. In one instant where he says they edited a book on Japan day to day life, he was an active observer. This can be deduced from the questions that he sought to answer e.g. why vending machines were so prevalent. From this easy, it is easy to see that a researcher can choose to use a mix of methods to best suit his aims. Mak, J., Moncur, J. E., & Yonamine, D. (1976). Selected summary statistics of U.S. westbound visitors to Hawaii: From the 1974 Hawaii Visitors Bureau visitor opinion survey. Honolulu: University of