The French Revolution And The Reign Of Terror - 2165 Words

Throughout History the Age of Enlightenment refers to the age of where people brought up new ideas, and thinking. In that period of time, they was philosopher, politician and intellectual. So people adapting to the idea lead up to the French revolution. During the Enlightenment they was a reinforcement on the political conflict between the monarchy and the nobility. The nobility are the people who belonged to the noble family, and the monarchy are people in the throne (King and Queen). Therefore the conflict between the head of the monarch and the nobility was about taxation. The French government was in a deep debt after fighting a war with the American, their king Louis the XVI forced the noble and the clergy to pay tax in order for them to pay their dept. As a result the nobility revolted. During the French revolution political, social and economic conflict is the events leading up to overthrow the king Louis the XVI and Marie-Antoinette which mark the reign of terror. First of a ll I will talk about the French revolution political, social and economic cause, then I will talk about the role of the Enlightenment then finally I will talk about the reign of terror how everything how everything ended. The French revolution which is also referred to as the Revolution of 1789 was a period characterized by both social and political upheaval that span close to a decade in France. It was during this period that the country’s political landscape was redesigned and it involvedShow MoreRelatedFrench Revolution- Reign of Terror1140 Words   |  5 PagesAND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MAIN REVOLUNTIONARY GROUPS DURING THE REIGN OF TERROR 1793-1794. The period of the Reign of Terror, September 1793- July 1794, resulted in significant political and social changes in France. The National Convention and Committee of Public Safety declared the law of suspects, ‘terror’ measures as acceptable and a necessary means for the government. The purpose was to eradicate France of enemies of the revolution and to protect the country from foreign invaders. Over the courseRead MoreThe French Revolution : The Reign Of Terror And The Thermidorian Reaction1744 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The French Revolution: The Reign of Terror and the Thermidorian Reaction: 1792–1795† The French Revolution is an event that impacted Europe forever. There was a great amount of debt that the French treasury owed in the 1700s, so King Louis XVI established the Estates-General in 1789, in order to find a tax solution. The Estates-General was an assembly of three estates that consisted of: The clergy, the nobility, and the general French public. The general French public was the largest comparedRead MoreThe Reign of Terror: Was it Justified?651 Words   |  3 Pagesextended to them, the Terror grows becoming more and more gruesome. The French revolution began in late 1789 to obtain the rights that every citizen in born with. The motto of the French was liberty, equality, or death and the price to be paid for the civil liberties was blood. The revolutionary leader Robespierre and journalist Marat explained the more blood the better so that was what raged the people and started the Reign of Terror. Were the values expressed by the French Revolution necessary thoughRead MoreTerror Dominates Our Perceptions Of The French Revolution1132 Words   |  5 PagesTerror dominates our perceptions of the french Revolution. Terror was a brief but deadly period where Robespierre, the Committee of Public Safety and the Revolutionary Tribunals, condemned thousands of people to die on the guillotine. The Reign of Terror was not driven by one man, one body,or one policy; It was shape by different forces and factors. The Reign of Terror was certainly the most violent period of the French Revolution. Between the years of 1793 and 1794 more than 50,000 people wereRead MoreEssay on Use of Terror in the French Revolution 1108 Words   |  5 Pagesgoal of completely reconstructing France, Robespierre unleashed a campaign of terror. Terror was used to enforce his revolutionary ideas, but the radicalization eventually lead to the downfall of Maximilian Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety. Maximillian Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety used excessive terror to enforce new revolutionary changes during the French Revolution. After the old French government was overthrown, Maximillian Robespierre took control of France inRead MoreRobespierre and the Reign of Terror1544 Words   |  7 Pagesevent of the Reign of Terror.[Footnote] Throughout the French revolution, specifically the eleven month, 1793-1794 Reign of Terror, revolutionary leaders, such as Maximilien Robespierre believed in enforcing fear to resolve the instability of France. â€Å"Terror is nothing else than swift, severe, indomitable justice; it flows, then, from virtue†-Maximilien Robespierre.[Footnote] This period in history signified great atrocities of massacres, and a time where fear was evoked within every French civilianRead MoreThe French Revolution Of France1365 Words   |  6 PagesModern historians frequently write that the French Revolution was designed to destroy the Old Reg ime of France. Though the French Revolution did destroy this regime, its leaders’ ultimate goal was to obliterate the Catholic Church in France and the faithful within it. Before the beginning of the revolution, France had the most widespread culture in the entire world. From its fine arts, stylishness, clothing, and language, everything that was popular in France was also prevalent all over the worldRead MoreThe War Of The French Revolution899 Words   |  4 Pageswho is right-only who is left.† A bloodshed event in modern European History, the French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. During this period, French citizens razed and redesigned their country’s political landscape, uprooting centuries-old institutions such as absolute monarchy and the feudal system. Like the American Revolution before it, the French Revolution was influenced by enlightenment ideas, particularly the concepts of popular sovereigntyRead MoreCauses Of The French Revolution896 Words   |  4 Pagesyears, the French Revolution went from women marching to Versailles and demanding bread, to the institution of the Reign of Terror, which killed close to 250,000 people. The late 18th century was a dramatic time of French, political transformation which originally strived to implement equality throughout the nation. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen reflected the ideas of the Enlightenment and presented the idea of equality and liberty. In theory, the French Revolution of 1789Read MoreRevolution: the Cost of Frances Liberty863 Words   |  4 Pagesthe French Revolution of 1789. This period is often characterized as needlessly violent, as gruesome events such as the Reign of Terror took place, in addition to many executions and riots. Despite the excessive bloodshed that dominated the era, the French Revolution’s violence was not in vain, for the legacy of the revolution has ign ited scores of independence movements in its wake and inspired new ideologies that continue to shape the modern world. To resolve the chaos that the revolution provoked

Symptoms And Treatment Of Alzheimer s Disease And Dementia

In general, each neuron releases a single type of neurotransmitter. Neurons that release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine are called cholinergic neurons and degeneration of cholinergic neurons in the brain are associated with Alzheimer’s (Sherwood). Drugs classified as short-term cholinesterase inhibitors are used to treat Alzheimer’s because the drugs prolong the effect of acetylcholine. There are special cells called microglia that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease as well. Microglia are immune defense cells in the CNS (central nervous system) or brain and spinal cord. The remove foreign and degenerate material in the CNS. Overactive microglia appear to be involved in a variety of inflammation-related disorders like Alzheimer’s (Sherwood). Inflammation is triggered by the body’s immune system and is a factor that plays in the progression of the disease (Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia). Alzheimer’s causes nerve cell death and t issue loss throughout the brain. This causes the brain to shrink dramatically and affects almost all of its functions (Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia). There is a loss of connections among brain cells responsible for memory, learning, and communication. The main portion of the brain called the cerebral cortex shrivels up. This part of the brain is involved with thinking, planning, and remembering which makes sense since patients with the disease show symptoms involved with these actions. The hippocampus is another are of the cortex that worksShow MoreRelatedAlzheimer s Disease : Symptoms And Treatment Of Dementia1482 Words   |  6 Pagesolder will be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. There is other subsets of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease being one of the most well known. With the skyrocketing increase of individuals suffering from dementia will come the need for more intervention and prevention projects to help the number of individuals suffering from all fo rms of dementia. Even though there is an umbrella of different forms of dementia, dementia it self is a term used to describe a disease that is chronic, progressive, and terminalRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease : The Most Common Form Of Dementia1427 Words   |  6 PagesDementia, known as one of the world s current pandemics, is estimated to be the fourth most common cause of death in the developed country, second only to cardiovascular, cerebrovascular diseases and cancer. With the aging population, dementia has gradually become a serious threat to the health of the elderly people in Australia. Alzheimer s disease is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer s disease usually occurs in a primary degenerative encephalopathy in senile and pre senior periodRead MoreThe Common Types Of Dementia1013 Words   |  5 PagesDementia can be defined as a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life (alz.org). More than often, individuals affected by dementia are over the age of 65. In the United States, there are more than three million cases of dementia each year. According to World Health Organization, the number of people living with dementia is currently estimated at 47.5 million worldwide and is expected to increase to 75.6 million by 2030 (World Health Organization 2015). Dementia is causedRead MoreAmerica s Elder Population Is Living Longer936 Words   |  4 PagesAmerica s elder population is living longer. Current data trends show that 46.2 million people living in America are age 65 and older (Millennials Outnumber Baby Boomers ,2015). Research sh ows the life expectancy of the average American woman is 81.2 years of age. Although advancements in medicine continue to evolve there remains one condition which impedes the quality of life for this growing population. Dementia, an Alzheimer s related condition which hinders the quality of life for 3.2 millionRead MoreThe Disease Of Alzheimer s Disease1421 Words   |  6 Pagesengulfed by a mysterious disease. The neurons being cut off and destroyed by two abnormal structures. First memory is affected gradually getting worse. Then one is unable to think properly, reason, and lacks of self control. Gaps are formed in the brain s ventricles, due to the amount of dead tissue. In the end, it will lead to death. All of this may sound like something from a science fiction movie but infact its very real. These are all known possible symptoms of a common disease that affects aboutRead MoreIs Dementia A Progressive Brain Dysfunction?1016 Words   |  5 Pagesdiagnosed with dementia, one must suffer a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. While symptoms of dementia can vary greatly, the most common indicators are memory issues, communication and language impairment, and the loss of ability to focus and pay attention. Symptoms of dementia often tend to start out slowly and then gradually progress over time. Most of the types of dementia continue to worsen and are usually irreversible. Observable dementia signs may include:Read More Factors, Symptoms and Treatment of Alzheimers Disease Essay943 Words   |  4 PagesAlzheimer Disease 1 Alzheimer Disease Introduction This research paper will examine factors, signs of symptoms, treatment, when to visit a doctor and how to care for a love one with Alzheimer disease. In the early stages of the disease, scientists have estimated that 500,000 people in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s that have Alzheimer disease or a related dementiaRead MoreDementia Is The Only Cause Death That Does Not Have A Cure972 Words   |  4 PagesDementia is the only cause of death that does not have a cure and cannot be prevented. It is the loss of mental functions such as thinking, memory, and reasoning that is severe enough to interfere with a person s daily functioning. Dementia is not the name of a specific disease itself, but rather a group of symptoms that are caused by various diseases or conditions. This is referred to as an umbrella term, a phrase that covers a broad interval or set of functions or items that all fall under a singleRead MoreAlzheimer s And Alzheimer Dementia991 Words   |  4 PagesAlzeheimer s include Alzheimer dementia (AD), Alzheimer dementiia, syndrome, and sclerosis. The name of the disease was chosen after Dr. Aloysius Alzheimer was credited with discovering the first case of presenile dementia. This would later be called Alzheimer s disease in honor of Dr. Alzheimer s discovery. In the year of 1901, Dr. Alzheimer was studying a 51-year-old patient named Auguste Deter. The patient was suffering from strage behavioral patterns of symptoms. One of the symptoms includedRead MoreNew Research On Alzheimer s Disease1405 Words   |  6 Pagesin Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. To date, it is officially ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States; however, recent estimates indicate that the disorder may actually rank third, just behind heart disease and cancer, as a cause of death for older people. Alzheimer’s, also known as senile dementia, is predominantly

Toronto Canada Sociological Perspectives †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About the Toronto Canada Sociological Perspectives? Answer: Introduction This analysis shall make use of the story titled Toronto still child poverty capital of Canada, Warnes report. The news article was authored by Solomon Israel and published in the CBC News on 14 November 2016 (Israel, 2016). The story captured a report that was released earlier that week by not for profit local organizations that highlighted how the city was divided and the levels of the divide in terms of youth poverty. To put this into perspective, the report says that in some communities, child poverty is as low as 4% while there are more than three neighborhoods in the city where the poverty rates get as high as 50% and higher. Indeed, Regent Park has child poverty rate of 58.1% (Israel, 2016). This article does stipulate the effects this deprivation has on the children. The paper suggests that scarcity affects the capacity of the kids in Toronto to access significant programs like early learning, sports, arts, and childcare. It further argues that children from these poor homes are disadvantaged in class as a result of physical and emotional challenges. Another area that the write-up seeks to speak to is the connection between poverty and housing and food insecurity. The report claims that poor housing is a cause of stress in families and plays a role in the development of children and their well-being (Israel, 2016). In this essay, the sociological concepts relating to child poverty and development as well as homelessness will be discussed. To help formulate the paper, a symbolic interactionism approach will be applied. Analysis From the onset, the article brings out various social issues that face young children and families in the city of Toronto. The issues that affect child development, the socializations and the interactions between low incomes and the divisions in society come out clearly (Macionis, Jansson Benoit, 2012). Renowned philosophers George Simmel, George Herbert Mead and Charles Cooley and Jean Piaget were instrumental in developing the theory of symbolic interactionism. This perspective proposes that the definitions and meanings created through interactions are critical in influencing human behavior (Macionis, Jansson Benoit, 2012). This perspective further suggests that our identity is hugely shaped by the social interactions (Rock, 2016). The sense of self-concept is developed through observing the interactions of others with us or how they label us. This was captured by Cooleys idea of looking-glass self. There is a common view that society makes people human. However, the social interactions, language, and human interactions are crucial in defining a human being. Piagets opinion about self-development was based on the developmental stages the children go through to have the ability to think categorically. He called this the sensorimotor stage which occurs from inception to the second year of growth. The second stage, the preoperational phase begins from the second year to around the seventh year and the third stage being the concrete operational level which starts from age 7 to age 12 (Pearson, 2013). These socializations are necessary to understand how the children develop during the various stages, besides giving a hint to how the environment can influence the socializations and hence the self- the concept of the kids born in these conditions (Pearson, 2013). George Mead adds some critical aspects to the theory of self-concept by including play, sports, and arts that are essential to the improvement of self. Playing allows the children to appreciate each other and enhance their perception of each other (Macionis, Jansson Benoit, 2012). Mead came up with the fact that children are primarily able to capture the function of the significant others, during which period the self is nurtured (Denzin, 1975). The kids come up with the considerations and the anticipations of the other children or human beings and by extrapolation the qualities of the entire group. Mead talked about the beliefs and the anticipation by people. Besides, Mead submitted that the growth of the self is considered to be categorical in the distinction of I and Me factions (Spencer, 2013). These are complex factors in the development of the self; however, they are different. The I was considered to be the part that is a subjective, active and impulsive action of the person. The last component, the me on the other hand, is deemed to be the attitudes that are analyzed from the associations with the other human beings (Pearson, 2013). Another opinion is that it is not just the self; the mind is also a faction of the social result. It is not plausible of thinking without t he signs, and this is the nature of the community that accords the symbols by instigating the language (Pearson, 2013). So it is worth noting that the issues of poverty in the city will have a negative impact on the development of the concept of self because the normal development will have been interrupted. Another critical social issue that comes to the front in this article is the issue of homelessness. It is not befitting that people have accepted that some level of homelessness is inevitable and be tolerated (Macionis, Jansson Benoit, 2012). It is crucial to note that homelessness and poverty are directly related to the incidence of mental health and issues of drug abuse and addictions. Homelessness is a societal issue that results from the society failing to put adequate systems; funding and the right support are in place to ensure that all people have access to quality housing (Gaetz, Gulliver, Richter, 2014). From the article story, it is evident that most of the people struggling with housing are families that are in the low-income families, whose big share of their salary is taken by housing rent (de Boer, Rothwell, Lee, 2013). Indeed, for most of the homeless people, it is almost impossible to get a job, to have access to mental health care services, and fight against abuse of drugs. These social forces are compounded further by the poor economic conditions, the breakdown of families, and poor mental health services. It is the interactions between these various complex forces that impact the levels of homelessness. In Canada, it is reported it is the failure of systems and societal barriers. The factors thought to be contributing to homelessness reflect an interactive interplay between structural issues, systemic failures individual circumstances. Food security is a crucial social factor that affects families on different scales in Canada. Food security is defined as the right of all people to access safe and nutritious food as well as the right for it to be adequate (Macionis, Jansson Benoit, 2012). Every person has right to be free from hunger. Food insecurity is a social determinant of the health of a population (Raphael, 2016). Evidence has shown clear social patterns of the most vulnerable populations in Canada. Survey data has identified people in the low-income class as being at the highest risk. It has also been established that besides Aboriginal Canadians, households that rely on social assistance, families headed by single mothers and those that rent as opposed to owning a home are among the people with the highest risk. Some significant studies have been performed to investigate the relationship food insecurity and social determinants including neighborhood factors and social capital. It is thought that the value obtained from social networks and connections as well as the proximity to community food programs and food stores play a role in the state of food security for the vulnerable populations (Tarasuk, Mitchell Dachner, 2014). However, it is yet to be determined the exact impact of these factors on the state of food insecurity among the populations. What cannot be disputed is the fact that food insecurity is a crucial determinant of the development of a child (Tarasuk, et al., 2014). Indeed, the statistics, as mentioned in the news article, show that children are overrepresented in those that rely on Toronto food banks. Again, the causes of food insecurity are a result of the interplay of intricate factors that have a societal perspective. The increasing food costs, the high levels of unemployment, and the low incomes are just some of the predictors of food insecurity (Israel, 2016). These must be checked so that we do not continue to divide the society. Conclusion Social concepts like socializations, rights, and social class can help make a certain topic to be understood in addition to giving it an intelligent perspective. From the write-up, it is evident that beyond what is explained in the news article, there are wide-ranging social issues that need to be tackled by both the social system and the political system. Poverty among children in the Toronto neighborhoods is a result of interplaying and interactive social issues that need sophisticated social interventions. The effects of deprivation have been clearly discussed in the socializations category where we have seen how the development of the self can be affected by the environmental factors of the neighborhood where the children grow. Without addressing these issues, we can be sure that we, as Canadians, are just sitting on a time bomb. If it is not increasing in anti-social behavior like crime, drug, and substance abuse, it is the breakdown of families and increases in people with mental health issues, which is not only harmful to the neighborhood but also expensive to the government. I believe that these social issues need to be addressed by a responsive government to ensure that they do not get out of hand. References Briggs, A., Lee, C., Stapleton, J. (2016). The Cost of Poverty in Toronto. de Boer, K., Rothwell, D. W., Lee, C. (2013). Child and family poverty in Canada: Implications for child welfare research. Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal Information Sheet, 123. Denzin, N. K. (1975). The genesis of self in early childhood. The Sociological Quarterly, 291-314. Gaetz, S., Gulliver, T., Richter, T. (2014). The state of homelessness in Canada 2014. Canadian Homelessness Research Network. Israel, S. (2016). Toronto Still Child Poverty Capital of Canada, Warns Report. CBCnews. Macionis, J.J., Jansson, M. Benoit, C.M. (2012). Eds. Society Basics Fifth Canadian Edition. Portland: Pearson Education Canada. Pearson. (2013). Chapter Three: Socialization. Pearson Education. Raphael, D. (2016). Social Determinants of Health: Key Issues And Themes. Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives, 1. Rock, P. (2016). Making of symbolic interactionism. Springer. Spencer, M. B. (2013). Cultural cognition and social cognition as identity correlates of Black children's personal-social development. Beginnings: The Art and Science of Planning Psychotherapy, 215. Tarasuk, V., Mitchell, A., Dachner, N. (2014). Household food insecurity in Canada, 2012. Research to Identify Policy Options to Reduce Food Insecurity (PROOF). Toronto.

Applied Business Research Report

Question: Research report on "Effective ways to control aggressive behaviour in psychiatric settings". Answer: 1. Introduction Several academicians have established the implication of faithfulness in the service industries and at the same time, it has probable impact on the overall expansion of the suitable competitive border too for the service firms. However, it can be stated that this might be accredited to the exceptional character of services, augmented enslavement on the technologies and superior consumer participation in the entire delivery of services. A base of the trustworthy consumers can perform marvel in terms of the financial rewards and the original commerce projections as captivating a new customer can charge as much as 6 times more than the charge of keeping an old one. Therefore, it can be stated that the customer loyalty clearly brings several momentous benefits to the existing business and calls for a deeper exploration into the features that act as its inventor and make a payment in its augmentation. Baumann, Elliott and Burton (2012) have stated that customer loyalty is convoluted and d ynamic as well as changing with the course of time. Benoit and Van den Poel (2012) have mentioned in his research work that why customer satisfaction as well as customer loyalty is so important and the answer of this question in one word is revenue. It can be seen that the satisfied customers spend huge amount of money, refer more number of the new consumers and support the trade longer than the discontented consumers. Therefore, it can be stated that this all leads to more profits for the trades that can maintain their customers well contented. However, it can b e easily stated that the companies striving to maximize the amount of returns must critically believe investing in a consumer contentment and the faithfulness research curriculum. It can be stated that the rationale of this particular research document is to talk about the importance of consumer faithfulness and its consequence in the contemporary commerce ground throughout a wide-ranging examination literature. Furthermore, it seeks to discover a variety of things that serve as previous circumstances towards consumer loyalty development procedure. In order to understand the importance of customer loyalty on the business performance, Muthoot finance has been selected and the entire research work would try to shed light on these aspects from several perspectives. Therefore, it can be stated this specific research work has tried to represent the importance of customer relationship management as well as customer loyalty for Muthoot finance that wishes to be successful enough and gain enough competitive market in the existing market (Chen, 2012). It can be stated that a new emphasis has been shed on customer relationship management, as this concept has been gradually wide spreading with time in several operating market. Muthoot finance is the principal gold backing corporation in India in provisos of loan selection and the corporation is a Systematically significant Non-Deposit captivating NBFC (muthootfinance.com, 2016). From the company profile it can be seen that Muthoot finance give Indias best gold loans and thus the organization believes that focusing on customer loyalty is one of the major parts to take care of. However, besides gold loan, they provide the facilities of money transfer, foreign exchange, housing finance, insurance as well as travel jango (muthootfinance.com, 2016). Therefore, this specific research work would try to analyze the importance of customer loyalty in Muthoot finance from some different perspectives through an information-rich literature review. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Customer dependability As mentioned by Coelho and Henseler (2012), customer faithfulness is the enthusiasm of the consumers to acquire the manufactured goods from the specific organization and maintain buying the alike from the same brand name for a longer time epoch. However, customer trustworthiness can be also termed as the unremitting buying for a particular brand and at the same time signifying other people to do the similar. Associations are at the present concentrating more on preserving soaring amount of trustworthy consumers that more clients can be recommended through them to patch up a long run business with the product name. Evanschitzky et al. (2012) have mentioned that organisations must follow some exceptional characteristics that can be competent enough in keeping the consumers trading commodities from the brand name devoid of favouring any contestant brand. Preceding studies on consumer allegiance have stated the consumer allegiance into two noteworthy fractions, customer performance and customer approach where both the parts are interrelated to each other. Customer loyalty may be rational or touching factor depending on the node of transaction and base of customer retention. The characteristics of commodities and services are the rational factor whereas the emotional factors are unswervingly connected to the discernment of purchaser towards the association (Jahanshani et al., 2014). 2.2 Factors upsetting consumer trustworthiness Some of the preceding research works have experienced the constraints that influence the purchaser faithfulness and preservation counting the services. These issues can be connected with the consumer faithfulness and withholding as follows: 2.2.1 Service superiority Johnson et al. (2012) have stated that service quality has been gradually becoming one of the major issues of the business that focus on the services as well as the communication procedures. This presently enables the electronic media for communicating with the components outside the business. It can be stated that this sheds importance on gathering of necessary information. Processing several online as well as offline transactions along with the data interchanges procedure among the buyers and the sellers in regards to address space and time consumption. Service excellence from the standpoint of online method can be classified as the degree to which online subsistence of the organization offers competent buying, acquiring and conveying facilities of goods and services in such a method that consumers might be extremely contented with administration (Jyh-Fu Jeng et al., 2012). 2.2.2 Perceived price The professed cost of the consumers refers to the dissimilarity between the settlements of the products that the consumers gain and the price of the products and the services. In that scenario, price and the profit examination plays one of the vital roles in rewarding the needs of the consumers, as the customers are highly concerned in taking happiness in superior reimbursement from the services bearing fewer prices in trading the products and the services. The profits are categorised into four fractions named, manufactured goods advantage, service advantage, individual assistance and image advantage where equivalent four costs are monetary cost, psyche cost, time cost and energy cost. Conveying improved worth to the consumers is an indispensable division of the business approach that facilitates the organization attainment competitive improvement, in order to deal with long term sustainability of the commerce, evaluated to its contestants (Khan, 2012). 2.2.3 Trust As demonstrated by Komunda and Osarenkhoe (2012) in their research work, it can be seen that trust is a clear set of believes that drive the customers towards purchasing a product pr consuming the service from a particular organization. Trust can be defined as the as the self-confidence of the consumers that they experience for the organization making sure the benefits required. However, it can be stated that belief is one of the main significant expression in commerce, especially in online trade operations. Here, truthfulness and generosity works essential position in keeping approval stage at the stage the consumers are enthusiastic to believe (Kwon Kim, 2012). 2.2.4 Reputation Martnez and del Bosque (2013) have stated reputation as the inference of uniformity in case of presentation for the long time epoch. Therefore, it can be stated that standing is created from the consisted superiority administration as well innovation amalgamation depending on the time era and the modification in the socio-economic stage. Therefore, it can be stated that the standing of the organizations required to be understood by the consumers not only based on the online survival, but also the complete organization along with its bodily attendance (Pan et al., 2012). 2.3 Strategies used to maintain customer loyalty As per Prentice (2013), widespread literature proposes that both the marketplace share and the consumer approval leads towards productivity, however, this is not certain that the market share and the customer satisfaction have an affirmative association. Therefore, in this part, some of the significant strategies have been introduced here in details to gain in-depth knowledge of the research topic. 2.4 Business strategies It can be stated that companys association to their consumers is alienated into two separate commerce approaches namely offensive and defensive. Offensive policy deals with magnetizing the new consumers and the defensive strategy try to keep the previously existing consumers. Therefore, it can be stated that in order to focus on customer loyalty, Muthoot Finance is required to attract both the new customers along with the existing customers (Scherer, Wnderlich von Wangenheim, 2015). Figure 1: Offensive and Defensive Business Strategies (Source: Scherer, Wnderlich von Wangenheim, 2015) 2.4.1 Decision-making stages Siu et al. (2013) have stated that there exist three phases within customer decision making procedure. In this case, the first phase is defining the brand alternatives, the second phase is reviewing the existing relevant information and the final stage is applying a decision rule. It is regardless to mention that the choices as well as preferences of the customers vary from one product to another product, from one organization to another organization and so on. Therefore, the entire decision making process depends on the preferences of the consumers and the companies are required to provide the customers the best buying experience, so that they become loyal to one particular organization (Tanford, Raab Kim, 2012). Figure 2: The sequential Multistage Process Model (Source: Toufaily, Ricard Perrien, 2013) 2.4.2 Structuring and sustaining advantageous consumer faithfulness As per Wang and Wu (2012), the major purpose of each organization is productivity and one significant technique for achieving this for an organization is to increase as well as uphold trustworthy consumers. It can be stated that if a corporation spends resources for building consumer trustworthiness without concentrating on productivity, it might lead towards failure in the long run. Therefore, to gain customer loyalty, the organizations are required to focus on both behavioral and attitudinal loyalty of the consumers. However, it can be stated that customer loyalty becomes highly significant to the business of the corporation at times it results in the purchasing behaviour. This following replica can be clarified through major three fundamental objectives like building behavioral loyalty, cultivating attitudinal loyalty and linking loyalty to profitability (Toufaily, Ricard Perrien, 2013). Figure 3: Structuring and sustaining consumer trustworthiness (Source: Toufaily, Ricard Perrien, 2013) 2.4.3 Customer allegiance programs The adoption of the customer faithfulness programs in the middle of several companies has significantly augmented over the last couple of years and automatically the consumers have turn out to be the focal point of concentration. It has been seen that the customer loyalty programs offer financial as well as relationship rewards to the consumers with the sole principle of making the customers brand trustworthy (Kwon Kim, 2012). Input Output Membership remuneration Several benefits Data discharge Financial compensation Compulsions Favored consumer management Cost of reimbursements Status, image etc Table 1: Significance of customer loyalty programs 3. Conclusion There exist five specified group of the customers like non-customers, price switchers, the passive loyal, fence sitters and the committed customers. Therefore, most of the organizations target to grab the attention of all these customers through proper delivery of their services. Muthoot Finance try their best to retain their existing customers and at the same time they tend to design their loyalty programs in such a way, so that the customers get attracted enough towards the company. There exist several economic benefits of retaining the customers like it saves on the acquisition of the customers or the replacement costs. Moreover, it promises of base earnings as obtainable consumers are likely to have a minimum spend per period. Apart from that, retaining the existing customers focus on price premiums, as the existing customers generally do not wait for promotion or the reduction of price before making a decision to buy. Muthoot finance believes that customer loyalty benefits the o rganization from several perspectives like this is comparatively less expensive to keep hold of the consumers that to attract the new customers. It generates huge amount of profits, decreases the making costs and helps in spreading positive word of mouth promotion. Therefore, it can be stated that customer loyalty is one of the strongest assets to the organization, as the success and sustainability of the business largely depends on the number of loyal customers. References Baumann, C., Elliott, G., Burton, S. (2012). Modeling customer satisfaction and loyalty: survey data versus data mining.Journal of Services Marketing,26(3), 148-157. Benoit, D. F., Van den Poel, D. (2012). Improving customer retention in financial services using kinship network information.Expert Systems with Applications,39(13), 11435-11442. Chen, S. C. (2012). The customer satisfactionloyalty relation in an interactive e-service setting: The mediators.Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,19(2), 202-210. Chu, P. Y., Lee, G. Y., Chao, Y. (2012). Service quality, customer satisfaction, customer trust, and loyalty in an e-banking context.Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal,40(8), 1271-1283. Coelho, P. S., Henseler, J. (2012). Creating customer loyalty through service customization.European Journal of Marketing,46(3/4), 331-356. Evanschitzky, H., Ramaseshan, B., Woisetschlger, D. M., Richelsen, V., Blut, M., Backhaus, C. (2012). Consequences of customer loyalty to the loyalty program and to the company.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,40(5), 625-638. Jahanshani, A. A., Hajizadeh, G. M. A., Mirdhamadi, S. A., Nawaser, K., Khaksar, S. M. S. (2014). Study the effects of customer service and product quality on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Johnson, M. D., Herrmann, A., Huber, F., Gustafsson, A. (Eds.). (2012).Customer retention in the automotive industry: quality, satisfaction and loyalty. Springer Science Business Media. Jyh-Fu Jeng, D., Bailey, T. (2012). Assessing customer retention strategies in mobile telecommunications: Hybrid MCDM approach.Management Decision,50(9), 1570-1595. Khan, I. (2012). Impact of customer satisfaction and retention on customer loyalty.International Journal of Technology Enhancements and Emerging Engineering Research,1(2), 106-110. Komunda, M., Osarenkhoe, A. (2012). Remedy or cure for service failure? Effects of service recovery on customer satisfaction and loyalty.Business Process Management Journal,18(1), 82-103. Kwon, K., Kim, C. (2012). How to design personalization in a context of customer retention: Who personalizes what and to what extent?.Electronic Commerce Research and Applications,11(2), 101-116. Martnez, P., del Bosque, I. R. (2013). CSR and customer loyalty: The roles of trust, customer identification with the company and satisfaction.International Journal of Hospitality Management,35, 89-99. Pan, Y., Sheng, S., Xie, F. T. (2012). Antecedents of customer loyalty: An empirical synthesis and reexamination.Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,19(1), 150-158. Prentice, C. (2013). Service quality perceptions and customer loyalty in casinos.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,25(1), 49-64. Scherer, A., Wnderlich, N., von Wangenheim, F. (2015). The Value of Self-Service: Long-Term Effects of Technology-Based Self-Service Usage on Customer Retention.Mis Quarterly,39(1), 177-200. Siu, N. Y. M., Zhang, T. J. F., Yau, C. Y. J. (2013). The roles of justice and customer satisfaction in customer retention: A lesson from service recovery.Journal of business ethics,114(4), 675-686. Tanford, S., Raab, C., Kim, Y. S. (2012). Determinants of customer loyalty and purchasing behavior for full-service and limited-service hotels.International Journal of Hospitality Management,31(2), 319-328. Toufaily, E., Ricard, L., Perrien, J. (2013). Customer loyalty to a commercial website: Descriptive meta-analysis of the empirical literature and proposal of an integrative model.Journal of Business Research,66(9), 1436-1447. Wang, C. Y., Wu, L. W. (2012). Customer loyalty and the role of relationship length.Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 22(1), 58-74.

The Lust For Power How Politics and Personal Rela Essay Example For Students

The Lust For Power: How Politics and Personal Rela Essay tions Become OneThe Lust For Power: How Politics and Personal Relations Become OneWILLIAM YAOThe stories of the Bible reveal a pattern of ups and downs for thenation of Israel. A period of prosperity, faithfulness and fearing God wouldalmost always be followed by a period of destitution, lawlessness and idolatry. This recurring cycle can be linked to political authority, and the level ofseparation of political authority from other influences. The successfulstruggle for liberation under the leadership of Moses and the glorious conquestof Canaan under Joshua instilled a fresh breeze of hope and a renewed faith inGod in the nation of Israel. Guided by God, the nation of Israel met withunprecedented success as they journeyed to the promised land. During this time,political authority among the Israelites rested in the hands of patriarchs, orprominent members within the tribes. These men were righteous figures ofauthority, chosen by God, to lead His people and to teach His ways. The successthat swept over the Israelites was short-lived, however, and for the next twohundred years the people of Israel struggled against neighboring tribes. Thenew generation of Israelites knew neither the Lord nor what he did for Israel(Judges 2:10). They began to do evil in the eyes of the Lord by worshippingother god s and engaging in various sexual activities. To save His people fromtheir enemies and from their evil ways, God raised up judges to rescue them(Judges 2:16). These so-called judges had the political authority vested inthem to lead the people of Israel and to save them from their sins. Theymobilized the people of Israel against invasions of the tribes all around them. We will write a custom essay on The Lust For Power: How Politics and Personal Rela specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now At this time, the nation of Israel was nothing more than a loose confederationof twelve tribes. Israel had no central authority, which meant no unity, noorganization and no power. During the period of the judges, there was no needfor a central government, because the people of Israel were able to defend theirtribal territories effectively against adjoining peoples. Whenever there was athreat from a neighboring tribe, God sent a judge to lead the Israelites againsttheir enemies. As this era came to an end, however, the Israelites were facedwith a much larger problem the Philistines military threat. As theIsraelites were eliminating all the small powers around them, the Philistines,with their iron implements and organization, were becoming an emergent threat. In order to protect themselves from the looming danger of the Philistine army,the Israelites asked for a king to furnish unification, organization and powerfor the nation of Israel. God granted their request, and Samuel reluctantlyappointed Saul in Gods name. The kings function was to provide leadership andto unify the people against their enemies. However, the responsibilities,powers and privileges that came with kingship overwhelmingly went beyond thescope of politics. The personal relationships between the king and his peoplebecame increasingly involved with government. With the rise of the monarchycame a definite change in political authority. As Israel changed from theperiod of judges to the period of the monarchy, politics and political authoritybecame increasingly associated with personal relationships. In the period ofthe monarchs, the separation between politics and personal matters was no longerdelineated as it was before, and politics and personal relations becameinterrela ted. Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge andsaved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived (Judges2:18). God sent judges to lead the Israelites in the process of consolidatingtribal areas and defense against organized enemies. The judges led theIsraelites into battle and also served as reminders to the people to obey theword of God. It is needless to say then, that the judges were leaders of theIsraelites during desperate times. The main reason why a clear distinctionbetween personal relations and political authority during the period of thejudges was possible , was that there was no succession of judges. God chosejudges to lead Israel against its enemies only when they were in need ofleadership and guidance, and in doing so, there was no power struggle or fightfor the crown. There was no specific person next in line to lead theIsraelites, because the only thing important to them at that time was defendingthemselves against neighbor ing powers. It was of no concern to the Israeliteswho the leader was, as long as the leader was competent and effective. Anothercharacteristic of the judges rule that compensated for the separation ofpolitics and personal matters was the brevity of their leadership. Whereas amonarch would remain ruler of the land after conquest, the judges served only asa sort of temporary relief for the nation of Israel.After fulfilling theirassignment as leaders of the Israelites against their adversaries during timesof emergency, they would humble themselves before God and before the Israelites. It is clear that the judges possessed political authority over the Israelites,but rarely did they allow personal matters and relationships to interfere withgovernment. Only in the case of Samson did his personal relationships anddesires come in the way of political authority.There were twelve judges inall, but the Bible pays most of its attention to three of the twelve: Deborah,Gideon, and Samson. .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 , .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 .postImageUrl , .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 , .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1:hover , .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1:visited , .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1:active { border:0!important; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1:active , .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1 .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4bd02a964d13e5076d0d56fc3c77dea1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: John Coltrane EssayDeborah, the only woman leader of the judges, won unquestioned respect. She commanded Barak, son of Abinoam, to battle Sisera, the commander of thearmy of King Jabin. Throughout the story of her triumph, not once was Deborahspersonal relations mentioned. It can be assumed then, that Deborah kept herpersonal relations separate from her political leadership, and was focused onone thing and one thing only the defeat of Jabin and the Canaanites. Forty years of peace ensued after Deborahs military victory, and thenthe people of Israel again began to fall into sin and were overcome once again,this time by the Midianites. God raised up Gideon to direct the people ofIsrael against the Midianites. Gideon defeated the Midianites, and in doing so,was offered an opportunity to be king. However, Gideon declined the opportunityto rule declaring I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. TheLord will rule over you (Judges 8:23). The lack of succession of judges isparallel to the separation of politics and personal relations. There wasevidently no power struggle among the Israelites, because even when offered thepower to rule, Gideon declined. There was no fight for succession of leadershipbecause there was no succession of leadership. The story of Samson can be seen as the transition from the period ofjudges to the period of the monarchy. Samson, although the most gifted of thejudges, had a tragic flaw; he was pitifully unable to control his lust for women. Samsons personal desire for women affected his ability to reason, and thushindered his ability to lead the people of Israel. With his great physicalstrength and hot temper, Samson single-handedly pushed back the Philistines more by accident than by intention. . He was eventually betrayed and ruined bya woman due to his boisterous wildness and careless encounter with Delilah. Godintended Samson for great things. Of all the judges, he was the only one to beannounced by an angel before he was born (Judges 13:3). He was givensupernatural abilities, and his life was specially devoted to God. However,despite all these advantages given to him at birth, his uncontrollable desirefor woman destroyed him. His personal relations destroyed his prospects ofbecoming a great leader among the Israelites. Samsons desire for womenoverpowered his desire to deliver the Israelites out of the hands of thePhilistines, and this led to his tragic downfall. The story of Samson vaguelyforeshadows the connection between politics and personal relations in the periodof the monarchs. It acts as a link joining a period when politics and personalrelations are clearly defined and separate, and a period when they areindistinct and inseparable. Nearing the end of the period of the judges, the Israelites began tonotice that virtually every other nation had a king, while Isarael was nothingmore than an alliance of scattered tribes . The rising power of the Philistinesand other imminent threats to Israelite security impelled the Israelites to askfor a king. A king offered two advantages: first, a king would provide centralgovernment, therefore providing unity and organization; and second, since a kingwould normally be succeeded by his sons, the nation did not have a crisis ofleadership every its leader became old. God despondently granted the wish ofHis people and gave them a king. Samuel anointed Saul as king of Israel, andthe people were satisfied. Military success went hand in hand with bringing thetribes together in one united country, but when the desire for succession of thecrown came into play, personal relations and government become one. Saul was successful as king of Israel until David proved to be a threatto the crown. After David defeated Goliath of the Philistines, the people sangaloud Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands (1 Samuel18:7). Saul thus became jealous of David, for he could not stand to be secondbest in a nation he calls his own. From that point thereafter, Sauls politicalauthority and leadership was no longer concentrated on the good of the nationand the welfare of his people, but rather he focused his efforts on keeping ajealous eye on David (1 Samuel 18:11), and David remained his enemy the restof his days (1 Samuel 18:29). Saul spent the rest of his days searching forDavid in attempts to kill him so that he may regain the respect of his people,and in doing so killed many innocent bystanders that got in his way. This rashoutrage of jealousy and personal hatred for David was critically associated withpolitics. While Saul could have directed his efforts toward the betterment o fIsrael, he was after personal benefit, and this led to his eventual collapse. .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 , .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 .postImageUrl , .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 , .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921:hover , .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921:visited , .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921:active { border:0!important; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921:active , .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921 .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7f28a03022fc3e958953808921cb5921:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Is ethnography a suitable meth EssayDavid, having unconditional respect for Saul, spared his life twice, and thusallowed Saul to further pursue him. Saul eventually dies, however, and David ismade king over the house of Judah. Although Davids reign was better than that of Sauls, he too hadproblems. Ish-Bosheth is the threat to the throne this time, while Ish-Bosheths general Abner is a threat to him. Abner slept with Sauls concubine,therefore openly making a claim on the crown. In Davids time, women acted aspolitical symbols. Abners sleeping with Sauls concubine suggested that he hadhis eyes on becoming king himself. In pursuit of David, Abner killed thebrother of Joab, Davids general. As a result Joab had a personal vendettaagainst Abner and was after his life. When Ish-Bosheth was murdered, and it wasevident that David was going to become the next king, Joab murdered Abner. Itis not difficult to see that this soap opera of events is due to the fact thatpersonal relations and politics were interrelated. Either personal relationseffected a political change, or politics effected a change in personal relations. After David is crowned king of Israel, he had problems of the same nature. David, seeing the alluring Bathsheba, wanted her for his own immediately. Heblatantly disregarded the fact that she had a husband, Uriah, and took her forhis wife, having Uriah killed in the process. This corrupt use of politicalauthority demonstrates how political authority and personal relations are linked. Davids son, Absalom, also had his eyes on the throne. He led a conspiracyagainst his father by traveling all over Israel winning the favor of the people,and he also slept with his fathers concubines in public. Absalom publiclyslept with his fathers concubines for political reasons; it made clear hisclaim to the throne. Israelites who held back their allegiance thinking fatherand son would reconcile their differences, knew now that the breach waspermanent; they had to take a side. Again sexual potency and sexual relationsare acutely tied in with politics.David was ultimately confronted with thefact that he must capture or destroy his son Absalom. When he found out thathis soldiers killed Absalom, he mourned deeply. His love for his son collidedwith his effectiveness as a leader.David wept so excessively that itdemoralized the troops who had risked their lives for him and the nation ofIsrael. When Davids time was over, once again there was a power struggle forsuccession of the throne. This time it was between the sons of David, Adonijahand Solomon. Adonijah took initiative and set himself up as king, but Bathsheba,Davids favorite wife, and Nathan the prophet, pulled a few strings to secureSolomons claim of the crown. Due to the efforts of Bathsheba and Nathan,Solomon was crowned king. This pulling of strings demonstrates how personalrelations may engender lasting impacts on politics.If Bathseba had not beenDavids favorite wife, and Nathan had not been Davids trusted advisor, Adonijahmay have been crowned king of Israel instead of Solomon.Solomon also usedwomen to his advantage; he had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Most of his wives were princesses of nearby tribes, so it can be inferred thathis marriages were politically motivated.He was married to Pharaohs daughter,and had an alliance with Pharaoh. The story of Solomons succession is ascomplicated and as involved with personal relations as his predecessors. As Israel developed from a confederation of tribes into a greatmonarchial power, a notable change took place. As the nation of Israel movedfrom the period of judges to the period of the monarchy, politics and politicalauthority became increasingly associated with personal matters and personalrelations. Personal relations began to affect politics and political authority,and in turn, politics affected personal relations. This change occurred becausethe characteristics of leadership changed. During the period of the judges,there was no succession of power, and because there was no succession of power,no one was fighting for it. The judges were sent to lead the Israelites intimes of need and emergency.Their leadership was only ephemeral, and thus notone of them were able to gain an exorbitant amount of political power. Whenthe period of the monarchy was firmly in place, however, there was a system ofsuccession of power. Even before the king muttered his last words, there werepeopleeagerl y waiting in line to take his place.And if that wasnt enough,people were plotting against the king in hopes of succeeding the throne, evenhis own sons. This feature of the period of the monarchy allowed for the mixingand intertwining of politics and personal relations. The use of women assymbols of power and dominance became abundant as kings challenged theprospective successors, and as prospective successors challenged the kings. Events took place that can be compared to episodes of TV soap operas or MelrosePlace. Politics and personal relations became interrelated, and above all else,the underlying reason was power. As people began to lust for power, for wealth,and for recognition, the association of the two became imminent, and theseparation of the two became impossible. Religion

New Years Eve - Classic Essay by Charles Lamb

New Years Eve - Classic Essay by Charles Lamb An accountant in India House in London for more than 30 years and caregiver for his sister Mary (who, in a fit of mania, had stabbed their mother to death), Charles Lamb was one of the great masters of the English essay. The most intimate of the early-19th-century essayists, Lamb relied on stylistic artifice (whim-whams, as he referred to his antique diction and far-fetched comparisons) and a contrived persona known as Elia. As George L. Barnett has observed, Lambs egoism suggests more than Lambs person: it awakens in the reader reflections of kindred feelings and affections (Charles Lamb: The Evolution of Elia, 1964). In the essay New Years Eve, which first appeared in the January 1821 issue of The London Magazine, Lamb reflects wistfully on the passage of time. You may find it interesting to compare Lambs essay with three others in our collection: At the Turn of the Year, by Fiona Macleod (William Sharp)Last Year, by Horace SmithThe New Year, by George William CurtisJanuary in the Sussex Woods, by Richard Jefferies New Years Eve by Charles Lamb 1 Every man hath two birth-days: two days, at least, in every year, which set him upon revolving the lapse of time, as it affects his mortal duration. The one is that which in an especial manner he termeth his. In the gradual desuetude of old observances, this custom of solemnizing our proper birth-day hath nearly passed away, or is left to children, who reflect nothing at all about the matter, nor understand any thing in it beyond cake and orange. But the birth of a New Year is of an interest too wide to be pretermitted by king or cobbler. No one ever regarded the First of January with indifference. It is that from which all date their time, and count upon what is left. It is the nativity of our common Adam. 2 Of all sounds of all bells(bells, the music nighest bordering upon heaven)most solemn and touching is the peal which rings out the Old Year. I never hear it without a gathering-up of my mind to a concentration of all the images that have been diffused over the past twelvemonth; all I have done or suffered, performed or neglectedin that regretted time. I begin to know its worth, as when a person dies. It takes a personal colour; nor was it a poetical flight in a contemporary, when he exclaimed   I saw the skirts of the departing Year. It is no more than what in sober sadness every one of us seems to be conscious of, in that awful leave-taking. I am sure I felt it, and all felt it with me, last night; though some of my companions affected rather to manifest an exhilaration at the birth of the coming year, than any very tender regrets for the decease of its predecessor. But I am none of those who   Welcome the coming, speed the parting guest. I am naturally, beforehand, shy of novelties; new books, new faces, new years, from some mental twist which makes it difficult in me to face the prospective. I have almost ceased to hope; and am sanguine only in the prospects of other (former) years. I plunge into foregone visions and conclusions. I encounter pell-mell with past disappointments. I am armour-proof against old discouragements. I forgive, or overcome in fancy, old adversaries. I play over again for love, as the gamesters phrase it, games, for which I once paid so dear. I would scarce now have any of those untoward accidents and events of my life reversed. I would no more alter them than the incidents of some well-contrived novel. Methinks, it is better that I should have pined away seven of my goldenest years, when I was thrall to the fair hair, and fairer eyes, of Alice Wn, than that so passionate a love-adventure should be lost. It was better that our family should have missed that legacy, which old Dorrell cheated us of, than that I should have at this moment two thousand pounds in banco, and be without the idea of that specious old rogue. 3 In a degree beneath manhood, it is my infirmity to look back upon those early days. Do I advance a paradox, when I say, that, skipping over the intervention of forty years, a man may have leave to love himself, without the imputation of self-love? 4 If I know aught of myself, no one whose mind is introspectiveand mine is painfully socan have a less respect for his present identity, than I have for the man Elia. I know him to be light, and vain, and humorsome; a notorious ***; addicted to ****: averse from counsel, neither taking it, nor offering it;*** besides; a stammering buffoon; what you will; lay it on, and spare not; I subscribe to it all, and much more, than thou canst be willing to lay at his doorbut for the child Eliathat other me, there, in the back-groundI must take leave to cherish the remembrance of that young masterwith as little reference, I protest, to this stupid changeling of five-and-forty, as if it had been a child of some other house, and not of my parents. I can cry over its patient small-pox at five, and rougher medicaments. I can lay its poor fevered head upon the sick pillow at Christs, and wake with it in surprise at the gentle posture of maternal tenderness hanging over it, that unknown had watched i ts sleep. I know how it shrank from any the least colour of falsehood. God help thee, Elia, how art thou changed! Thou art sophisticated. I know how honest, how courageous (for a weakling) it washow religious, how imaginative, how hopeful! From what have I not fallen, if the child I remember was indeed myself, and not some dissembling guardian, presenting a false identity, to give the rule to my unpractised steps, and regulate the tone of my moral being! 5 That I am fond of indulging, beyond a hope of sympathy, in such retrospection, may be the symptom of some sickly idiosyncrasy. Or is it owing to another cause; simply, that being without wife or family, I have not learned to project myself enough out of myself; and having no offspring of my own to dally with, I turn back upon memory and adopt my own early idea, as my heir and favourite? If these speculations seem fantastical to thee, reader (a busy man, perchance), if I tread out of the way of thy sympathy, and am singularly-conceited only, I retire, impenetrable to ridicule, under the phantom cloud of Elia. 6The elders, with whom I was brought up, were of a character not likely to let slip the sacred observance of any old institution; and the ringing out of the Old Year was kept by them with circumstances of peculiar ceremony. In those days the sound of those midnight chimes, though it seemed to raise hilarity in all around me, never failed to bring a train of pensive imagery into my fancy. Yet I then scarce conceived what it meant, or thought of it as a reckoning that concerned me. Not childhood alone, but the young man till thirty, never feels practically that he is mortal. He knows it indeed, and, if need were, he could preach a homily on the fragility of life; but he brings it not home to himself, any more than in a hot June we can appropriate to our imagination the freezing days of December. But now, shall I confess a truth? I feel these audits but too powerfully. I begin to count the probabilities of my duration, and to grudge at the expenditure of moments and shortest periods, li ke misers farthings. In proportion as the years both lessen and shorten, I set more count upon their periods, and would fain lay my ineffectual finger upon the spoke of the great wheel. I am not content to pass away like a weavers shuttle. Those  metaphors  solace me not, nor sweeten the unpalatable draught of mortality. I care not to be carried with the tide, that smoothly bears human life to eternity; and reluct at the inevitable course of destiny. I am in love with this green earth; the face of town and country; the unspeakable rural solitudes, and the sweet security of streets. I would set up my tabernacle here. I am content to stand still at the age to which I am arrived; I, and my friends: to be no younger, no richer, no  handsomer. I do not want to be weaned by age; or drop, like mellow fruit, as they say, into the grave. Any alteration, on this earth of mine, in diet or in lodging, puzzles and discomposes me. My household-gods plant a terrible fixed foot, and are not rooted up without bloo d. They do not willingly seek Lavinian shores. A new state of being staggers me. 7  Sun, and sky, and breeze, and solitary walks, and summer holidays, and the greenness of fields, and the delicious juices of meats and fishes, and society, and the cheerful glass, and candle-light, and  fire-side  conversations, and innocent vanities, and jests, and  irony itselfdo these things go out with life? 8  Can a ghost laugh, or shake his gaunt sides, when you are pleasant with him? 9  And you, my midnight darlings, my Folios! must I part with the intense delight of having you (huge armfuls) in my embraces? Must knowledge come to me, if it come at all, by some awkward experiment of intuition, and no longer by this familiar process of reading? 10  Shall I enjoy friendships there, wanting the smiling indications which point me to them here,the recognisable facethe sweet assurance of a look? 11  In winter this intolerable disinclination to dyingto give it its mildest namedoes more especially haunt and beset me. In a genial August noon, beneath a sweltering sky, death is almost problematic. At those times do such poor snakes as myself enjoy an immortality. Then we expand and burgeon. Then are we as strong again, as valiant again, as wise again, and a great deal taller. The blast that nips and shrinks me, puts me in thoughts of death. All things allied to the insubstantial, wait upon that master feeling; cold, numbness, dreams, perplexity; moonlight itself, with its shadowy and spectral appearances,that cold ghost of the sun, or Phoebus sickly sister, like that innutritious one denounced in the Canticles:I am none of her minionsI hold with the Persian. 12  Whatsoever thwarts, or puts me out of my way, brings death into my mind. All partial evils, like humours, run into that capital plague-sore. I have heard some profess an indifference to life. Such hail the end of their existence as a port of refuge; and speak of the grave as of some soft arms, in which they may slumber as on a pillow. Some have wooed deathbut out upon thee, I say, thou foul, ugly phantom! I detest, abhor, execrate, and (with Friar John) give thee to six-score thousand devils, as in no instance to be excused or tolerated, but shunned as a universal viper; to be branded, proscribed, and spoken evil of! In no way can I be brought to digest thee, thou thin, melancholy  Privation, or more frightful and confounding  Positive! 13  Those antidotes, prescribed against the fear of thee, are altogether frigid and insulting, like thyself. For what satisfaction hath a man, that he shall lie down with kings and emperors in death, who in his  life-time  never greatly coveted  the society of such bed-fellows?or, forsooth, that so shall the fairest face appear?why, to comfort me, must Alice Wn be a goblin? More than all, I conceive disgust at those impertinent and misbecoming familiarities, inscribed upon your ordinary tombstones. Every dead man must take upon himself to be lecturing me with his odious truism, that such as he now is, I must shortly be. Not so shortly, friend, perhaps, as thou imaginest. In the meantime I am alive. I move about. I am worth twenty of thee. Know thy betters! Thy New Years Days are past. I survive, a jolly candidate for 1821. Another cup of wineand while that turn-coat bell, that just now mournfully chanted the obsequies of 1820 departed, with changed notes lustily rings in a su ccessor, let us attune to its peal the song made on a like occasion, by hearty, cheerful Mr. Cotton. THE NEW YEARHark, the cock crows, and yon bright starTells us, the day himselfs not far;And see where, breaking from the night,He gilds the western hills with light.With him old Janus doth appear,Peeping into the future year,With such a look as seems to say,The prospect is not good that way.Thus do we rise ill sights to see,And gainst ourselves to prophesy;When the prophetic fear of thingsA more tormenting mischief brings,More full of soul-tormenting gall,Than direst mischiefs can befall.But stay! but stay! methinks my sight,Better informd by clearer light,Discerns sereneness in that brow,That all contracted seemd but now.His reversd face may show distaste,And frown upon the ills are past;But that which this way looks is clear,And smiles upon the New-born Year.He looks too from a place so high,The Year lies open to his eye;And all the moments open areTo the exact discoverer.Yet more and more he smiles uponThe happy revolution.Why should we then suspect or fearThe influences of a year ,So smiles upon us the first morn,And speaks us good so soon as born?Plague ont! the last was ill enough,This cannot but make better proof;Or, at the worst, as we brushd throughThe last, why so we may this too;And then the next in reason shoudBe superexcellently good:For the worst ills (we daily see)Have no more perpetuity,Than the best fortunes that do fall;Which also bring us wherewithalLonger their being to support,Than those do of the other sort:And who has one good year in three,And yet repines at destiny,Appears ungrateful in the case,And merits not the good he has.Then let us welcome the New GuestWith lusty brimmers of the best;Mirth always should Good Fortune meet,And renders een Disaster sweet:And though the Princess turn her back,Let us but line ourselves with sack,We better shall by far hold out,Till the next Year she face about. 14  How say you, readerdo not these verses smack of the rough magnanimity of the old English  vein? Do they not fortify like a cordial; enlarging the heart, and productive of sweet blood, and generous spirits, in the concoction? Where be those puling fears of death, just now expressed or affected? Passed like a cloudabsorbed in the purging sunlight of clear poetryclean washed away by a wave of genuine Helicon, your only Spa for these hypochondriesAnd now another cup of the generous! and a merry New Year, and many of them, to you all, my masters! New Years Eve, by Charles Lamb, was first published in the January 1821 issue of  The London Magazine  and was included in  Essays of Elia, 1823 (reprinted by Pomona Press in 2006).

Public safety debate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Public safety debate - Research Paper Example There is a growing concern among the human rights group regarding the morality of such stringent punishments as a means to deter crime. However regardless of such public outcry against the immorality of death penalty, and the violation of human and civil rights it continues to be implemented in different parts of the world. In the wake of high-profile international cases such as terrorism and war crimes which are continuously on the rise which threatens to disrupt the social fabric of the society, capital punishment or death penalties have garnered more support bringing the topic back to public consciousness. Historically, diverse forms of punishment which were implemented to ensure law and order in society have been influenced by a range of factors including social, economic, political as well as cultural, regardless of its impact on the outcome (Strange, 1996; Garland, McGown, and Meranze, 2011; Pate, Laurie, and Gould, 2012). Thus the issue of capital punishment is not merely rest ricted to legal issues but extends far beyond that and the only crucial question that looms large is the one concerning its moral legitimacy rather than its efficacy. It has been often observed that with respect to issues aimed at questioning the legality, efficacy and credibility of policymaking process and its implementation, opinions are often sharply divided and staunch supporters as well as opponents exist that defying the claims made and weakening the arguments put forward by the rivals on either end of the spectrum (Weiss, 1991; Majone, 1989). The literature supporting and dismissing the credibility of capital punishment is on the rise; pointing to opposing conclusions, which itself acts a barrier preventing the formation of an informed public opinion. Some such discussions are included hereunder: Death penalty as a crime deterrent: Proponents of death penalty argue that the threat of punishment acts a deterrent to criminal offenders and prevents them from committing crime. I t attracts large scale public disapproval and has a serious impact on their attitudes towards the criminals thus affecting the morality of those convicted of serious crimes. There is large amount of literature which provides empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of criminal punishment as an effective crime deterrent. Researchers have argued that the fear of such harsh punishment instills a fear of execution among the people and hence results in the reduction of homicides (Dezhbakhsh, Rubin, and Shepherd 2003; Mocan and Gittings 2003; Shepherd 2004; Zimmerman 2004; Shepherd 2005). Furthermore it has also been argued that the threat of punishment induces compliant behavior among the public which results in following the law by the citizens as a matter of habit, thus successfully establishing a natural law and order in the society and safeguarding the well-being and security of the citizens in the process (Siegel, 2012). However contrary to such claims, it has been observed by various researchers that most criminals are unyielding to harsher punishments either due to their ignorance regarding the perceived risk associated with the crimes and the severity of the punishment or their complete lack of knowledge regarding the consequences of their actions (Siegel, 2010; Brody & Acker, 2011). The proponents of death

A South African Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A South African Investment - Essay Example While comprehensive civil rights as well as freedom are critically imperative to all people in order that they can realize their absolute potential and assert their appropriate place in humanity, there are other, supplementary fundamental needs that ought to be satisfied prior to a person worries about spiritual, intellectual and related individual freedoms and rights. It may not be reasonable to offer an individual full government, social, as well as legal rights if they are deprived any reasonable sources of livelihood (Mbendi, 2008). Caltex had the power to influence political policies on the South African government in order that the government may revive its laws. This has happened in other parts of the world, whereby conglomerates influence government policies in order to create a conducive environment for business. Foreign financial investments mean a great deal in any country since it revitalizes the social-economic status of the population and the national economy as well (T obin, 2009). It is an ignominy that Caltex had no problem investing in a country whose laws were exceedingly abhorrent to humanity. In contrast it is factual that in that era, the living standards of the South African minorities as well as the Blacks were in a deplorable state. They vast majority of these populations lived in pitiable homes, and had poor access to high quality educational programs. They were also deprived the right to practice certain jobs or careers, and granted wages that were exceedingly less than that of the white population in South Africa (Nicholas, 2008). For numerous South African Blacks at the time, for whom so several outside the nation had the courage to confront the repressive regime may have chosen to take up jobs at the Caltex plant which granted them better living wages and better workplace environment than in the civil service. It is justifiable to imply that absolute freedom may not have been the priority for all Black South Africans who needed bett er living standards. Therefore, the Caltex plant may have been the category of investments that were essentially required in the country at the time. The only provision Caltex ought to have added would have been the maintenance of reasonable wages and reasonable housing for its black and colored human resources (Mbendi, 2008). Question 2. As a stockholder in Standard Oil or Texaco, it would have been appropriate to vote in agreement with the three stockholder declarations. While it is factual that under the utilitarian philosophies, it might not of necessity have been the most appropriate option for Caltex, Standard Oil or Texaco to desist from investing in South Africa. As a stockholder, it would have been appropriate to vote according to individual conscience. Any financial recompense, such as facilitating the generation of national income from the mining of natural resources or construction of national industries such as in petroleum, appears as unconscionable in regard to the fu ndamental premise on which the South African government operated and survived (Nicholas, 2008). The first resolution demanded that Caltex terminates all its operations in South Africa unless and until the government ceased

Why americans will believe almost anything Essay

Why americans will believe almost anything - Essay Example A major part of the public lays the foundation of its opinions and decisions upon what it sees and hears in the news on television, in papers, or at the internet. Therefore, the conveyers of information hold great responsibility towards what they collect and transmit to the general public. Also, even if the media is being honest and transparent, it depends upon the â€Å"predispositions, especially ideology, that influence what news channel one watches and ultimately what news channel one believes† (Johansen 2). That is, the believability of news from any sort of media, on one hand, depends upon the honesty and transparency, and on the other, depends upon what ideology does the viewer or the reader hold. Hence, to protect ourselves from being susceptible, we should, as citizens, correct our own views and opinions, so that we do not believe all that is being shown to us. Johansen, Morgen. "Dont Believe Everything You Hear: Ideologys Influence on News Channel Believability." Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association, Inter-Continental Hotel, New Orleans, LA. N.p., 06 Jan. 2005. Web. 15 Oct 2012. . O’Shea, Tim. â€Å"The Doors Of Perception: Why Americans Will Believe Almost Anything.† Mercola.com. Dr. Joseph Mercola, 2012. Web. 15 Oct 2012.

Season Of Migration To The North | Analysis

Season Of Migration To The North | Analysis Season of Migration to the North tells the story of Mustafa Saeed, a prodigy from Sudan who goes to study first in Cairo and then in London, where he hunts women but eventually falls for one himself. After a marriage consummated by violence and a prison sentence, he returns to Sudan, moving to a small village on the Nile, where he marries again and has children. He disappears mysteriously in a flood. Season of Migration to the North is complex, in its framing, in its episodic style, in its use of metaphor, and in the variety of material it canvasses. It touches on colonial arrogance, sexual mores and the status of women, the politics of independent Sudan, and more. There are lyrical fragments with no direct connection to the story, describing the rhythms of agriculture, travel along the Nile, a spontaneous night celebration by travellers in the desert, and so forth. And there are references to European novels about encounters with the exotic in Africa and the Middle East. Most of thi s is only hinted at, and never elaborated on, but there is enough here to keep students of post-colonial literature busy for a long time. Season of Migration to the North is short and immediate, however, and can be appreciated without any literary theory. http://dannyreviews.com/h/Season_Migration_North.html Most of the rest of the novel concerns his recollections of the exceedingly strange story that MS tells him a story which haunts and oppresses, yet also challenges him in terms of defining his own value system in postcolonial Sudanese society in the context of the new rulers of Africa, smooth of face, lupine of mouth, in suits of fine mohair and expensive silk (118). The life story MS had narrated began with the account of his (British, colonial) schooling, which had led him to the discovery of his own mind, like a sharp knife, cutting with cold effectiveness (22). So brilliant is he that from Khartoum he is sent to Cairo and then to London for advanced study here he is nicknamed the black Englishman (54). In British society he becomes a sexual predator, setting up as his lair a room seductively decorated with ersatz African paraphernalia. Englishwomen of a wide range of classes and ages easily succumb to and are destroyed by him. Three of these women are driven to suicide; while he eventually murders the most provocative of them, who had humiliated and taunted him before and also during their stormy marriage. This act (a sort of sex-murder) is in his own eyes, however, the grand consummation of his life: The sensation that I have bedded the goddess of Death and gazed out upon Hell from the aperture of her eyes its a feeling no man can imagine. The taste of that night stays on in my mouth, preventing me from savouring anything else. (153) Elsewhere MS says of this relationship that he was the invader who had come from the South, and this was the icy battlefield from which [he] would not make a safe return (160). On his return to the village, the narrator at last enters a secret room that MS had built next to his home a replica of a British gentlemans drawing room! Pride of place has been given to MSs painting of his white wife, Jean Morris. The room also contains a book, purportedly the Life Story of MS, dedicated To those who see with one eye and see things as either Eastern or Western (150-151). This brief account cannot accommodate the complicated structure, subtle allusiveness and richly metaphoric style of this difficult text, but may give some indication of its ironic (or sardonic) perspective and of its deep and lasting relevance to the political and cultural predicament of many Africans. Its demonstration of the harsh parallels between colonial racism and local sexism confirms that this text is, as Salih himself has stated, a plea for toleration at all levels. It is an unforgettable work. http://www.arabworldbooks.com/Readers2004/articles/tayebsaleh2E.html That being said, the second storyline, told by Mustafa, a stranger to the village, revolves around him using weak British women for sex and then leaving them so heart-broken they turn to suicide. While its easy to read this as a comment more on colonisation, I still felt uncomfortable seeing so many women reduced to objects or symbols. Since Mustafa was telling the story, though, I believe the objectification rested with him and his character, as opposed to Salih. This didnt necessarily make reading it any more pleasant, but it did justify it, for me at least. Can you sense the murkiness I feel on this aspect of the book? My wrestling with it made my experience of the book less enjoyable, but it didnt diminish the books worth in my eyes. I didnt feel a similar inner battle over the issues of colonisation raised in the book. Mustafa is the primary engine of this; he tells his story of being a smart, poor kid from Sudan who ends up going first to Cairo and then to London to become a fa mous economics professor who simultaneously seems to spend most of his energy sleeping with white British women. He basically learns how to turn British prejudices about the exotic to his advantage, and he talks about seducing girls with stories of imaginary animals running across the harsh, evocative landscape of his childhood. Throughout his narrative, hes portrayed as lacking something vitally human, a kind of warmth towards his fellow species that leaves him all cold intellectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as a young boy, he doesnt know how to connect with his schoolmates and doesnt even seem bothered by his friendlessness. And once hes an adult, while he must enjoy sex (why else seduce so many women?), he never feels any emotional attachment to the women, and I dont think he even sees it as a way to connect so much as a way to use and dominate. None of the women he encounters are ever shown as real human beings, although the only one to resist him does have more complexity about her than the o thers. As I mentioned in the above paragraph, its all too easy to read this as a metaphor for colonisation. But even while Salih is exploring this, he never makes it a black-and-white issueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦nuances and complexities are explored, and he leaves up to the reader to try to figure out whats being said Your comments on Mustafas emotional coldness exploitation of white women even as theyre also exploiting him reminds me SO strongly of Ellisons Invisible Man, and the narrators conflicted relationship with white women in that novel. Like you with Season of Migration to the North, I was never sure how to feel about that aspect of the story, especially since I cant help locating the objectification with Ellison as well as his narrator. Complicated stuff. During the whole story I was anticipating a shocking twist at the end where we find out that Mustafa Saeed and the narrator are the same person. At the end of the book I noticed the narrator was swimming in the Nile river when he finally decides consciously on living, and that Mustafa Saeed had dissapeared earlier in the story while swimming in the Nile. This suggests possibly that they are the same character, although not clearly enough to leave me satisfied with such a conclusion. Over at wikipedia they must have had a similar idea, because they described Mustafa Saeed as the narrators doppelganger. Their explanation lead me to believe that maybe the narrator had came back so shook from his experience in the West that he didnt know if he wanted to live anymore, and so he had viewed himself in 3rd person through the character of Mustafa Saeed and then finally decided on living while swimming the Nile! NYRB Classics: Season of Migration to the North and Alone!  Alone! Font and Edna return to Egypt at the eruption of the Suez crisis, but Ram stays on in Britain, is ejected because his visa has lapsed, and then works for a period in a factory in Germany. He is afraid of seeing Edna again when he gets back to Cairo and he also avoids seeing Didi Nackla, a young Egyptian journalist who had later lived with them in London. There he had turned to Didi, despairing of Ednas feelings for him, and initiated a sexual relationship with her. Self-deprecating as he is, Ram allows us only glimpses of the actually hugely risky political business he is engaged in. He has been collecting evidence of the torture and murder of political activists in Egyptian jails, where (in a pattern typical of this society) wealthier or higher-class prisoners will not be subjected to such treatment. http://www.litnet.co.za/cgi-bin/giga.cgi?cmd=cause_dir_news_itemnews_id=51970cause_id=1270 England is leaving Egypt, finally, in 1954. The Egyptian army has overthrown the royal family and instituted a republican system that both embodies the nationalistic and progressive hope of many Egyptians, and also becomes increasingly repressive. The characters, Ram and Font, are Egyptians who are Anglophone and upper class, and so are out of touch with the new order. Ram is an educated, well-connected Copt, probably in his mid-twenties. His best friend is Font, another Copt. Ram and Font spent four years in England and are obsessed with English civilization and culture, but they also despise British colonialism and hypocrisy and they participated in guerilla fighting against the British during the Suez War. The Egypt of BEER IN THE SNOOKER CLUB is at a stage of political, economic, and religious uncertainty or indecision. One of the central issues of the novel is, What is an Egyptian? And the same uncertainty or indecision extends to Rams personal life: what to do with himself, whether or not to live attached to the purse strings of his rich aunt, whether or not to marry, and who? He has been educated in the British school system in Cairo, and dreaming of the mythical London of Piccadilly Circus and pubs, he and his best friends, Font and Edna, travel to England to experience sexual and political freedom and find as well dreariness and meanness and small-mindedness. There he and his lover, Edna, drift apart, and he returns to Cairo understanding that England has killed something natural in him. Sunday, May 20, 2007 How to be kind? And thoughts on Beer in the Snooker Club It occurs to me that people in England, at least, are starved of opportunities to be kind, to be useful. If one watches the eagerness with which people jump up on the bus when someone even approaching old age gets on, and the keenness with which a stranger directs you to the address you cannot find, or gives unsolicited advice in a shop, then one feels the terrible and unexploited desire to be good, when so many situations call for one to be cynical: critical and uncompromising for fear of being taken advantage of, being laughed at, being unnatural. Our suspicion is thus killing something in us, for it reveals to us day in, day out, the frightful, hard, trapped creature we have become, with our knowing faces frozen in a semi-permanent frown or sneer. On a suffocating coach ride, Bath-London, the hulking vehicle turned a difficult corner, and I observed from the window an elderly man making a signal to the driver that is was clear and safe for him to advance. It was a completely superfluous, foolish act, as red-lights prevented the other cars from advancing into our slowly turning rear end, but who amongst us would have wanted to shout out, what are you doing old man; there is no need for your help.? After I finished reading Beer in the Snooker Club by Egyptian writer Waguih Ghali, I lived for a long time with that book in my flat in Cairo overlooking the depressing Ministry of the Interior, and wandering the streets of downtown, burdened further with the thought of Ghali killing himself in the spare bedroom of British publisher, Diana Athill. I felt an immense sorrow that I could not fully explain by my own loneliness as a foreigner. Later I returned to the novel and considered Rams role in his own life, and found it an excruciatingly circumscribed and pitiful one. Ram, that narrator of Beer in the Snooker Club, born to a landowning Coptic Christian family, is the only son of the poor relative: his mother was widowed young and now relies upon the generosity with all its attendant obligations of her siblings. He has been educated in the British school system in Cairo, and dreaming of the mythical London of Piccadilly Circus and pubs, he and his best friends, Font and Edna, travel to England to experience sexual and political freedom and find as well dreariness and meanness and small-mindedness. There he and his lover, Edna, drift apart, and he returns to Cairo understanding that England has killed something natural in him. What Ram subsequently fails to do is to act out his compassion, and desire for other people. And this is during a period in Egypt, the late 1950s, post the 1952 revolution, when the young people are moving out of the spaces and roles formerly proscribed entirely for them by their parents, a corrupt elite and the British presence. Font a dogmatic Marxist, scornful of his privileged roots, adopts the garb and posture of a street vegetable seller. Ram, finds this absurdly and depressingly gimmicky just as the communism of Edna, an Egyptian Jew, and her incessant championing of the fellaheen leaves him cold. So, he reasons, to act righteously in the defense of the downtrodden, is to be a parody both of oneself and ones roots, and of those that one is claiming to stand up for; it is to proscribe who and what is authentically Egyptian and to disdain and reject everything even ones innocent childhood and everyone else that does not take this purging seriously. Ram does act briefly alone and secretly to send photographs to the newspapers that expose abuses by the government. But he jokes that for his pains the real risks involved, he prefers the idea of having gone to prison, rather than the heroic act of actually going. His potent hatred of his wealthy French-speaking familys disingenuineness, their greed and cowardice and sham magnanimousness, does not provoke him to act and speak upon any legitimised, public platform against both them and their class. Rather, Ram chooses to expose himself to ridicule and mere disapproval by performing apparently childish pranks pushing his odious American-educated cousin into the pool, making a scene at a society party. By making it impossible for anyone around him to consider his protests as serious and legitimate political acts, he can be disruptive and irreverent from within; but it is a lonely and claustrophobic role which engenders only greater cynicism and emotional numbness in the young man. As long as Ram divides his time between his politically committed friends and a depraved and decadent elite, he has only the rare opportunity to show kindness, for with the former he feels too self-consciously as if he is performing a political or social role, and with the latter in order to resist the powerful obligation upon him to be the good son, he can only be flippant naughty and rude. http://madny.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-to-be-kind-and-thoughts-on-beer-in.html there is this comparsion of the eastern culture vs the western culture that made the novel intresting to view from one point. ram the narrator is being confused by the two worlds that he has lived with, although he finds himself more with the western culture rather the eastern. I dont know whether or not he intended this, but I enjoyed his terse writing style. I also found it fascinating to learn that Egypt had its own lost generation. Some of the depictions of Cairo and its society and undoubtedly still true today, such as Gezeira Club, of which I am a member. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1231621.Beer_in_the_Snooker_Club?page=1