Saudi Arabias Geopolitical and Socialeconomical Culture

Introduction Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab country in the Middle East lying in between Europe, Asia and Africa. Its size is approximated at 2,149,690 square kilometers (865,000) square miles, which is about one third the size of the United States. The country is located between the Persian Gulf and the Red sea, bordering Jordan on the north and Iraq on the northern east, Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates on the east and Yemen on the south and the Sultanate of Oman on the and southeast.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Saudi Arabias’ Geopolitical and Socialeconomical Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Early history Historically, Saudi Arabia is not considered as the cradle home of the Arabs but the first Arabs are thought to have originally come from the Arabian Peninsula. As far back as 15,000 to 20,000 years ago there is evidence of the existence of human presence in the Arabian Peni nsula citing the existence of roaming hunters and gatherers who lived off wild animals and plants. At the time of the last ice age about 15,000 years back, the Europe ice caps thawed, resulting to great climatic variation in the peninsula. The once immense plains covered with grassland suddenly turned scrublands and arid regions. The river streams evaporated creating dried river beds (commonly known as wadis), which are a common features in peninsula presently. This harsh climate forced the existing human beings to develop other means of survival as they no longer had animals to hunt because they had vanished. These people then moved to the mountain valleys and oasis and that’s where agriculture is said to have developed and begun in Mesopotamia before it spread to the Nile River Valley and across the Middle East. The development of agriculture brought about growth of other sectors farmers who started raring animals that included goats, camels, cattle, sheep and horses. These advances led to permanent settlements, which led to the beginning of the modern civilization. Arabian Peninsula became the homeland of Islam, which is the second most practiced faith worldly. Islam was pioneered by Prophet Muhammad. Around the year, 610, this Muhammad is said to have received messages from God (Allah) through the angle Gabriel to proclaim oneness of God globally and as these revelations continued, so did his followers increase. In the year 622, Prophet Muhammad learnt of the plan of his assassination than he decided to lead his followers to Yathrib which was later changed to Madint Al-Nabi (City of the Prophet) and now simply it’s referred as Madinah, and this emigration (Hijrah) marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar, the year of the hegira. It marks the time Muhammad fled from Mecca. Muslims use a lunar calendar, meaning their twelve-month year is much shorter than the solar one which the Christians use.Advertising Looking for research paper on eastern europe? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the subsequent years, numerous clashes took place between the â€Å"followers of the Prophet Muhammad and the pagans of Makkah†. By 628, the Prophet was able to unify the ethnic groups that he and his followers made an entrance into Makkah without shedding blood, which by this time Madinah was entirely in the hands of the Muslims. However, there was an attempt by the aggressors to take over the peninsula, but finally the peninsula was alienated into various counties. In 1745, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhabi was urging for the cleansing and reforms in the Islam religion. Concurrently, the Wahhabi faction had dominated the Arabia. By 1811, Wahhabi elders were waging a jihad against the reforms in the Islamic faith in the peninsula, which they succeeded in uniting much of it. By 1818, the Wahhabi people had been subjugated again by the Ottoman Empire and their Egyptians coll aborators. Saudi Arabia kingdom is an almost entire creation of King Ibn Saud (1882-1953) who is a descendant of the Wahhabis leaders and is said to have seized Riyadh in 1901. He then made himself a leader of the Arab nationalist movement whereby he established Wahhabi dominance in Nejd by 1906 and he later conquered Hejaz in 1924-1925. These two kingdoms (Hejaz and Nejd) were merged to form the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. (Mohammed Hasan 2009) On September 23, 1932, the united warring tribes that were united into one nation were named the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an Islamic state with Arabic as its national language whiles the Holy Qur’an as its constitution. This is what is called the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the transformation of this country over the years has been enormous with only few decades having been counted; this kingdom has turned itself from a desert nation to a modern sophisticated state and a major player in the international world especially sin ce the discovery of oil I commercial quantities in 1938, that has seen the economy of Saudi Arabia develop rising its prominence in the world affairs. Economy Saudi Arabia owes much of its wealth to the enormous petroleum resources that exists in the country. Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia by United States geologists in the 1930s but its large production did not start until after the World War II. Since the 1950s and 1960s, there has been full activity of petroleum exploration with a spectacular acceleration in the 1970s. Oil wealth has made it possible for this country to rapidly develop its economy. Saudi Arabia is the world’s leading oil producer and exporter, with the largest oil reserves are the in the world, estimated at 263 billion barrels, which is approximately a quarter of the world’s oil reserves. It is also a prominent member of the OPEC. In Saudi Arabia, oil counts for almost 90% of the country exports and this translates to about 75% of the government ’s revenues.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Saudi Arabias’ Geopolitical and Socialeconomical Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These revenues have changed the country’s economic status from debt-trap to a wealthy nation. The country’s petroleum sector accounts for 45 percent of its gross domestic profit (GDP) where the economy depends on approximately six million employees abroad mostly working in the oil sector and services sector. The daily production of oil is about 1.3 million tonnes per day. The country is also involved in the production of natural gas that is about 100 million m3 each day. The amount of oil that is produced on behalf of the government is approximately slightly higher than 95 percent and this is done by the Saudi ARAMCO, a government parastatal, which acquired SAMAREC, a parastatal specializing in marketing and refining oil, to become the leading wholly integrated oil firm. Following the Arab-Israeli war in the 1970s, there was a sharp increase in petroleum revenues which resulted to the economy of Saudi growing fast as it enjoyed a surplus market while trading with other countries, exports of oil products increased and the government had enough revenues for the development, defense and aid to other Arabic and Islamic countries (NadeyaSayed 2003). The kind of economic model being used in Saudi Arabia is one which puts a limitation upon private enterprises because of state control and the central planning. There are very strong government controls on most economic activities as there are certain fields of the economy that belong to the state exclusively and these fields do not allow foreign investors to invest nor own them. Foreigners are allowed in other fields such as power generation, telecommunication services and insurance among other lucrative sectors that attract overseas investors, they have to create joint-ventures with the Saudi people or the Saudi state itself. At the time of the oil value boom of 2004-2008, Saudi created a sufficient financial reserve to counterbalance any global economic slump. Nevertheless, the dropping oil prices in 2009 adversely affected the Saudi economy causing the rescheduling of several governmental economic and developmental plans. The state took counteractive actions, like direct capital allocations into financial bodies, and slashed interest rates. Oil and natural gas are the traditional major contributors of the growth of Saudi’s economy, the other contributors of the economy are agriculture and fishing but clearly they are not on the same level as oil and natural gas. This sector provides an employment to the public to an estimated 10% of the population this is due to the fact that most of the land in Saudi Arabia is infertile, only 1% of the total surface is fertile.Advertising Looking for research paper on eastern europe? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although this is the case, there are several plans, which have been initiated to see the agricultural sector improve its productivity, which is currently very low quoting â€Å"approximately 3.6 million tonnes output of wheat, barley 1.1 million tonnes, tomatoes 490,000 tonnes, dates account for 500,00 tonnes, watermelons 450,000 tonnes including other smaller outputs of sorghum, dairy products, onions, grapes, and citrus fruits. The output also got from fish is likewise low, about 50,000 tonnes been produced per year and shrimps which make the biggest share of the catch† (Scawen Riad 2002). Saudi Arabia imports most of their food products from across the world, a trend that has been there from the early 1970s. Besides these elements, another contributor of the Saudi economy is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and Madina which is usually a demonstration of the unity of the Muslims and their acquiescence to God. Mecca is a holy city where every Muslim is required to visit at le ast once in their lifetime if the individual has the capability means to do so. Millions of people from all across the world make their journey to this holy place. Every year the number of people who come to Saudi Arabia for this pilgrimage known as Haj stands somewhere between two to three million generating more than US$ 2 billion to the Saudi economy. This is the only substantial tourism attraction to Saudi Arabia and as figures show it is great contributor to Saudi’s economy. The national economy of Saudi Arabia was budgeted to have revenues doubling the expenditure by 2008 the surplus was at a staggering $147 billion but was mostly used to pay various foreign debts. Society The Saudi Arabia society is dominated by Islamic values and it’s a country that is considered to have a very rich culture. The practices and convictions of the Saudis were mainly adopted from Wahhabism faction of Muslim followers. The most evident basis of distinction of the Saudi society is ba sed on the native and migrant population, although these people appreciate people from other countries, the immigration still affects their socialization trends and other marital matters. Ethnic relations Al-Rasheed Robert (2004) notes â€Å"Saudis live as a community (also known as ummah) where issues like race and ethnicity are of no significant value hence these issues are not used to form any socialization, political affiliations or even economic organizations.† Nevertheless, in Saudi Arabia the consideration of ones origin is important as it sometimes influences social interaction among the people and also influences on marriage issues for example, some people mainly in Hijaz are considered as descendants of Muhammad and are known as Ashraf while many others in the kingdom are said to be descent from eponymous ancestors from the ancient Arab tribes. Although this is the case, this influence does not affect the economic and power differences in the national society. Clas ses and castes The social classes are mainly divided between the foreign workers and locals. Temporary immigrants form the largest portion of working class and are also dominate the middle class status and some ranks in the upper-class status. Variation in terms of income and wealth is majorly categorized among the super-rich, the rich middle income earners and the limited income earners. Many Saudi Arabians still practice egalitarianism and believe more on impartiality and brotherhood, unlike class differentiation. But it is important to note that different people have different lifestyles depending on the amount of wealth one has; the wealthy ones interact less with the middle class people (Al-Rasheed Robert 2004). Marriage and family Anderson (2001) notes â€Å"among the Muslims, marriage is considered a necessary part of life, and all adults are required to marry. Marriage is usually perceived as a very costly affair while divorce on the other hand is relatively easy for men a nd very difficult for women.† As for birthright rights, males inherited twice over that of the females from their father while a widow inherits a small portion, but the sons have an obligation to support their mothers especially the widowed. Islamic values are very much upheld among the Saudi Arabians that is why religion and the society combine to form a kind of social control. Behaviors that bring shame to ones family is considered sinful while crimes related to alcohol and drugs and other sexual misconducts are considered to be as a result of modernization. Social relations are noticeable by vibrant gender separation and the reverence of age variation. Al-rasheed (2002) notes â€Å"Interactions that take place between men and women is minimal especially outside the domestic space of families the rules of do’s and don’ts aim at regulating interactions beyond the comforts of ones home thus interactions taking place in a commercial setting with females should be strictly formal.† Most social interactions take place in groups that are specific in terms of age and gender. When a guest arrives, it is mandatory for that person to individually greet the host and the rest of the guests by shaking hands or kissing on the chick more than three times if the person is well known to you and are age mates, also expected are long exchange of greetings between host and guest and between guests and other people present. Socially, mothers would give birth with the help of midwives and after their birth, they were to be cared for by their mothers hence this meant caring for them fulltime. Other female relatives in the household were to help in raring of the children and teach them the Arabian culture. While fathers and uncles were not expected to take part in child care, they took part in matters such as playing with them and teaching them generosity and hospitality. Anderson (2001) notes â€Å"as modernization trickles in, all these is changing and births are taking place in hospitals and the infants are being circumcised before going home.† Government and political conditions Saudi Arabia is governed by a monarch type of government whereby there is a king whose sons inherit the thrown later on in life as stipulated by their constitution. As a result, the country lacks political parties or movements but has held municipal elections. Religion Anderson (2001) notes â€Å"Saudi Arabia occupies a special place in the Islamic world as it is the heartland of Islam. The followers of Islam, one of the world’s greatest monotheistic religions are known as Muslims.† All Saudi Arabia citizens are Muslims except for small minority of Shia, even the immigrants themselves are mostly Muslims and the non-Muslims are not allowed to practice their faith in Saudi Arabia. They believe in one God (Allah) and that their prophet is Muhammad. A Muslim has five obligations which are referred to as Five Pillars of Islam where one ha s to profess his faith that there is no other god but God and that his prophet is Muhammad, secondly one has to pray five times a day and as they make their prayers, they face toward Makkah the holy city, thirdly one has to give a fixed amount of payment (zakat)  for the welfare of the entire community particularly the needy members of the society fourthly is the fasting during Ramadan which is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar that expects a Muslim to refrain from eating food and drinking from sundown to sunset and lastly is performing the hajj that involves the gathering of millions of Muslims around the world to Makkah which should be done at least once in a lifetime. Al-Rasheed Robert (2004) notes â€Å"these people include judges, preachers, teachers’ leaders other people who have learned Islam.† They also believe that the dead could either go to heaven or hell depending on how one has lived his/her life. â€Å"The major religious destinations of Saudi Ar abia include The Kaba and Black Stone in Mecca, Quba Mosque in Medina, Mount Arafat, Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Floating Mosque of Jeddah, The Prophet’s Mosque in Medina and Nabatean Tombs of MadainSahreha.† (Federal Research Division 2004). Weather and climate â€Å"Saudi Arabia has a harsh dry desert kind of climate that is characterized by extreme temperatures during the day and an abrupt drop in temperatures at night with slight erratic rainfall which is influenced by subtropical high pressure systems† (Dean 2006).These two intense climates are mostly experienced from the coast towards the countryside. These conditions make the days to be hot and humid while fog is experienced at night which is due to winds from the south are accompanied by an increase in temperature and humidity level that causes a storm in the gulf areas. The rest of the country experiences law rainfalls whereby the country receives two seasons of sporadic rainfall. References Al-rasheed, M. (2002). a History of Saudi Arabia. New York: Cambridge University press. Al-Rasheed, M. Robert, V. (2004) Counter-narratives: history, contemporary society, and politics in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. New York: Palgrave Macmillan Anderson, H. (2001). Saudi Arabia Ticket. New York: Carolrhoda Books, Dean, D. (2006). The Wahhabi mission and Saudi ArabiaVolume 50 of Library of Modern Middle East Studies. Tabriz: I.B.Tauris. Federal Research Division. (2004). Saudi Arabia A Country Study. New York: Kessinger Publishing. Mohammed, A. Hasan, M. (2009). Religion and politics in Saudi Arabia: Wahhabism and the state. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, NadeyaSayed, A. (2003). Population and development of the Arab Gulf states: the case of Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. New York: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Scawen, B. Riad, N. (2002). The future of Islam. New Jersey, NY: Routledge. This research paper on Saudi Arabias’ Geopolitical and Socialeconomical Culture was written and submitted by user Kingston I. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Fight Club †Analysis

Fight Club – Analysis Free Online Research Papers Reading in-between the lines: An analysis of Fight Club A novel by Chuck Palahniuk A film directed by David Fincher You are not your job. You are not how much you have in the bank. You are not the contents of your wallet. You are not your khakis. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. What happens first is you cant sleep. What happens then is theres a gun in your mouth. And what happens next is you meet Tyler Durden. Let me tell you about Tyler. He had a plan. In Tyler we trusted. Tyler says the things you own, end up owning you. Its only after youve lost everything that youre free to do anything. Fight Club represents that kind of freedom. First rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club. Second rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club. Tyler says self-improvement is masturbation. Tyler says self-destruction might be the answer. The novel Fight Club, by Jack Palahniuk was published in 1996 and released as a motion picture starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in October of 1999. Both the novel and motion picture proved to be very successful in their release to the public for one simple reason: Fight Club is a reflection of the suffering experienced by the Generation X male who feels trapped in a world of the grey-collar (or service) working-class, a world filled with materialism and distractions, a group of men raised in single-parent families often devoid of a male role-model, and a world where there is no great cause for the average North American male to fight for. Whether consciously, or subconsciously, the average Generation X male of modern society can relate to and understand Fight Club, which makes both the novel and motion picture such an important proclamation regarding the state of our modern culture. In Fight Club, we meet our main character who comes to us without a name. He can be referred to as Jack but his name is not important. He comes to us without a name because he represents any man, any one of those Generation X males living in our society at present. Jack is a thirty-year old man employed as a recall coordinator for a major automobile company. He lives in a condo that is furnished with all the comforts of modern society, namely mass-produced furnishings that can be found in the homes of millions across North America. Jack owns a car and has obtained a respectable wardrobe for himself over the course of time. Despite all of these things, Jack is not satisfied with his life. He feels unhappy, unfulfilled, and trapped in the depths of chronic insomnia. Jack asks his doctor for help with his insomnia and receives the response that if he wants to see real pain, he should attend some of the support groups at a local church. So Jack attends these support groups, in fact he st arts to attend them religiously using pseudonyms and pretending he belongs. Jack frequents groups for men with testicular cancer, groups for sufferers of brain parasites, and blood parasites among other groups for disease sufferers, and suddenly Jack finds he can sleep again. The support groups give Jack a sense of belonging, a sense of being important to others as he expresses on page 107 of the novel: This is why I loved the support groups so much. If people thought you were dying, they gave you their full attention. If this might be the last time they saw you, they really saw youPeople listened instead of just waiting for their turn to speak. And when they spoke, they werent telling you a story. When the two of you talked, you were building something, and afterward you were both different than before. It is implied that Jack feels frustrated with others in his life, feeling as if they are too caught up with their own preoccupations to truly care about how Jack feels, what is happening to him, and what he needs and wants in life. It is implied that the average Generation X male also feels this way and has difficulty coping in a society where people are too busy to listen. Jacks attendance at the support group meetings continues to fill one of the voids in his life until he meets the character of Marla Singer, who has begun to frequent all of the support group meetings, just as Jack does. Jack becomes enraged with the presence of Marla, as he sees her as a symbol of the lie he has been living and fears that through Marla, he will be exposed as a faker. Jack confronts Marla and they agree to share the meetings, by dividing them up between them. As long as Jack is not confronted with the sight of Marla he feels comfortable in continuing his attendance at the meetings, and carrying out the role of a person living at deaths door. During Jacks attendance at his weekly parasitic brain dysfunction group, he also discovers another way of dealing with some of his problems, through the use of guided meditation. During the meeting a member steps forward to lead the group on a journey of the mind, during which those participating are mentally lead through various coloured doors, which lead to a cave, which contains their power animal. This animal is a symbol of their personal power to overcome all obstacles they encounter in life. Jack discovers that his power animal is a penguin that offers Jack the verbal suggestion to slide. The fact that Jacks power animal is a penguin is actually extremely significant. Through analysis of the penguin, it is noted that penguins, though part of the bird species, cannot fly. Jack is part of the human species, yet he does not grasp what he can do. He feels restricted by his walls and has essentially made himself a cave to dwell in where the simple decisions of everyday life have bee n robbed from him. The penguin is also symbolic in that penguins are also very drone-like. There has always been the old joke that penguins appear as if they are wearing little black and white suits, which would symbolize the suit and tie environment that Jack works in each day, an environment that Jack feels to be stifling. The last important detail about the penguin is that penguins are content in their atmosphere and travel in flocks. They do not stray far from their homes and baby penguins stick close to their mothers. This is especially reflective of the life that Jack leads. Jack feels as if he is just one of the masses travelling in a flock and not thinking for himself. He also has issues with his upbringing, as it is later revealed that Jack was raised by his mother in a single-parent family, having been abandoned by his father at a young age. The next major event that occurs in Jacks life, although he is unaware of it at the time, is meeting Tyler Durden. It is interesting to note that the author seems to have carefully chosen the name of this character, as an analysis of the name Tyler Durden reveals that in antiquated English, Tyler means gatekeeper or house builder, and Durden has the root dour meaning hard, as in durable, both which are descriptive of his personality. Although the novel and motion picture do not project the same circumstances under which Jack and Tyler meet, it is most interestingly projected in the novel. Jack awakes on a beach in the summertime to find Tyler pulling driftwood out of the surf and dragging it to the beach, then implanting the logs in the sand, forming a semi-circle. Tyler asks Jack what time it is and draws a line in the sand with a stick. Tylers creation is explained in the novel (page 33) as follows: What Tyler had created was the shadow of a giant hand. Only now the fingers were Nosferatu-long and the thumb was too short, but he said how at exactly four-thirty the hand was perfect. The giant shadow hand was perfect for one minute, and for one perfect minute Tyler had sat in the palm of perfection hed created himselfOne minute was enough, Tyler said, a person had to work hard for it, but a minute of perfection was worth the effort. A moment was the most you could ever expect from perfection. This scene is especially important and foreshadows the future for Jack and Tyler. It is indicative of Tylers personality, and goal (that later surfaces) of achieving just a moment of what he considers to be perfection in society. The giant hand symbolizes the world, and Tyler sitting within the giant hand symbolizes his wish to control the future of the world for just one tiny perfect moment. Shortly following Jacks discovery of Tyler, he partakes on an extended business trip. Upon his return he discovers that his precious condominium containing all the comforts of home that he has grown to love dearly has been destroyed in an explosion. It is explained to Jack that the cause of the explosion is unknown, however it is suspected that the cause was a gas leak, and that there is nothing left of his personal possessions. Jack is forbidden to enter the condo unit, and is advised to find a place to stay. On his way out of the lobby of the building, Jack is approached by the doorman, whose words profoundly echo the current problems facing modern society with respect to our obsession with materialism (page 45/46): A lot of young people try to impress the world and buy too many things, the doorman said A lot of young people dont know what they really want. If you dont know what you really wantyou end up with a lot you dont. Tyler Durden later reveals to Jack that this is a problem of which he is especially concerned, a problem which he believes each person in society should become enlightened to, and work on correcting through the abandonment of material possessions. When Jack discovers he has lost his home and all his possessions he suddenly feels a sense that he is truly alone. He does not consider calling family, or staying in a hotel, but instead debates calling Marla Singer whom he barely knows, and then decides impulsively to call Tyler Durden. It is implied through this decision, that Jack is not close with any family that he may have and that he does not have any (or few) friends. Jack and Tyler agree to meet at a local bar to have a few drinks and discuss what has happened. Jack expresses his grief over the loss of his condo and all his belongings to which Tyler replies that it is a good thing that all of that baggage is gone, and that Jack is better off without all of his stuff. He explains (page 44): You buy furniture. You tell yourself this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple of years youre satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least youve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you are trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you. Tyler is stating here that people in modern society have become so consumed with what they own and what they dont own (but wish they did), that they have lost track of what is really important in life. People have become obsessed with consumerism, forgetting that objects do not bring ultimate happiness, and you cannot take them with you when you die. Tyler is offering Jack the wisdom that it is actually a blessing that he is now free of all the distractions he has accumulated, so that he can now turn the focus onto himself, and what is really important in his life. At the end of the evening Jack and Tyler find themselves outside the bar and they discuss that Jack should stay with Tyler. Tyler suggests to Jack that asking to stay with him must have been his real motive for calling him. Once it is agreed upon that Jack will stay or live with Tyler, Tyler asks Jack for one favour. He asks Jack to hit him as hard as he can. Jack is shocked by Tylers request and asks why he would ever ask such a thing. Tyler explains to Jack that he has never been in a fight before, and listed his reasons (page 52) as: not wanting to die without any scarsbeing tired of watching only professionals fight, and wanting to know more about himself. Jack finally agrees to his request and they proceed to get into a physical brawl with each other, no holds barred. Eventually the bar closes; patrons come out and gather around to watch the fight. This is how Fight Club was born. Somehow Tyler and Jack had managed to leave an impression upon their fellow grey-collar brothers wh o had been watching them carry on, and came up with the idea that the sort of fighting that they had engaged in as an act of self-discovery, could be beneficial to others for the same reason. It was decided that Fight Club would be formed and meet periodically in the parking lot of the same bar where they had engaged in their first fight. Following this first fight Tyler and Jack fall exhausted and discuss what just occurred. Jack asks Tyler what it was that he had really been fighting during the brawl, to which Tyler replies my father. This is a very important underlying theme within Fight Club, the theme of Generation X males in modern society being raised more commonly in a single-parent family, often with their mother as their only role model. There is a sense of anger towards the father figure for abandoning the family, and even greater implications that men raised predominately by women have been forced to stifle their natural aggressive tendencies and take on a more unnatural, passive nature. This is supported by the need for characters in the novel/motion picture to engage in physical aggression through Fight Club as a release for these pent up feelings. Jack explains his own relationship with his father as follows (page 50/51): Me, I knew my dad for about six years, but I dont remember anything. My dad, he starts a new family in a new town about every six years. This isnt so much like a new family as its like he sets up a franchiseWhat you see at Fight Club is a generation of men raised by womenMy father never went to college so it was really important I go to college. After college, I called him long distance and said, now what? My dad didnt know. When I got a job and turned twenty- five, long distance, I said, now what? My dad didnt know so he said, get married. Im a thirty-year-old boy, and Im wondering if another woman is really the answer I need. It is especially important to note that Jack is analyzing himself in the above excerpt, acknowledging his lack of maturity, and that he would be most likely to look for a woman who would act as a mother-figure instead of a partner or mate. Jack is implying here that many men in his situation (raised in a single-parent family by their mother) instinctively look for someone to take care of them in a relationship, as they know only what their mother or female role-model has taught them, and are lacking the knowledge of what it means to be a man in a relationship, due to a lack of a male parental figure or role model. There is also an underlying idea in Fight Club that a male role model symbolizes God in a young mans formative years, and when abandoned by the male role model, the young man will develop a sense of being abandoned by God as well. This is described in Chapter 18 of the novel (page 140/141): If youre male and youre Christian and living in America, your father is your model for God. And if you never know your father, if your father bails out or dies or is never at home, what do you believe about God?What you end up doing is you spend your life searching for a father and God. What you have to consideris the possibility that God doesnt like you. Could be, God hates us. This is not the worst thing that can happen.We are Gods middle children, according to Tyler Durden, with no special place in history and no special attention. Unless we get Gods attention, we have no hope of damnation or redemption. It is an interesting theory that possibly the Generation X males lack of connection with God and religion could be due to a lack of the male parental figure in their lives. It is observable that these individuals may be feeling that they are the unwanted children, cast aside and neglected by all father figures in their lives, and this had lead them to a sense of hostility which manifests through the aggressive fighting they partake in at Fight Club meetings. Tyler Durden, self-proclaimed inventor of Fight Club soon decides to set a rule structure for their meetings so that they do not get out of hand. He sets the rules as follows (page 48/49): The first rule about Fight Club is you dont talk about Fight ClubThe second rule about Fight Club is you dont talk about Fight ClubThats the third rule in fight club, when someone says stop, or goes limp, even if hes just faking it, the fight is overOnly two guys to a fight. One fight at a time. They fight without shirts or shoes. The fights go on as long as they have to. Those are the other rules of Fight Club. It is interesting to note that the character of Tyler Durden is completely opposed to societal rules and regulations. Regardless of this, he sees a need for rules in his club, in order to prevent chaos from occurring, and people from getting injured beyond repair or killed. The Fight Club has been officially established now as a therapy session for grey-collar workers, which Tyler Durden believes cleanses it of negative, meaningless violent intentions. This Fight Club, now established as a group therapy session, soon replaces Jacks need to attend the other group sessions at the church. Fight Club has provided its members with a place to fight their fears, fears that they have been cheated and abandoned by their father and God, fears that they are not good enough, strong enough or smart enough, fears that they will never be able to understand why they feel so trapped in their lives and unsatisfied, and also the fear of being alone, of pain, of brutality, of defeat, of losing control, and of inevitable death. It has become an outlet for anger and fear, a rite of masculinity, and frees them temporarily from their enslavement by modern society. The more members realize all these things, the more they break the first and second rule of Fight Club, sharing the experience with more and more fellow brothers who feel just as they do. Fight Club soon moves to the basement of the bar, and eventually new, independent chapters surface across the city as more and more men become aware of what Fight Club can offer them. While Fight Club is developing and growing, Jack discovers that Tyler has entered into a sexual relationship with Marla whom he met at the support group meetings in the church. Jack discovers that Tyler has rescued Marla from an attempted suicide through the overdose of prescription medication (Marla had phoned the house that Jack and Tyler were currently sharing and Tyler had gone to her place to save her from herself). Jack becomes enraged when he discovers that Tyler and Marla are involved in a relationship. It is during this time that Jack has found some old magazines in the house, which use clever words to personify body parts such as I am Jills colon. Jack takes to describing his anger at Marla and Tylers relationship through the use of these clever analogies (page 59): I am Joes raging bile duct. I am Joes grinding teeth. I am Joes inflamed, flaring nostrils. I am Joes white knuckles. I am Joes Enraged, Inflamed Sense of Rejection. Jack takes to speaking about his feelings as if he is observing someone else, making them less personalized, and taking less responsibility for them. Marla also expresses feelings that she is having by stating them as if she is observing another person. This becomes clear when Tyler explains his rescue of Marla to Jack. When Marla tries to overdose, she calls the paramedics, and Tyler takes her out of her suite just before they arrive. As he is dragging her away, she is calling back to the paramedics, expressing her true feelings about herself (page 61): The girl is infectious human waste, and shes confused and afraid to commit to the wrong thing so she wont commit to anythingThe girl in 8G has no faith in herselfand shes worried that as she grows older shell have fewer and fewer options. In this description of Marlas feelings, it can be observed that the problems facing Generation X males are affecting females as well, who also feel a sense of insecurity, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction towards life. It is important to note that Marla is just as lonely and friendless as Jack, however the novel/motion picture does not address how females can deal with these emotions and problems, somehow minimizing their struggle. Jack continues to come to work each day as Fight Club progresses. He shows up at work, proudly displaying his wounds and scars that he has obtained through fighting, like a badge of honour. He sarcastically describes his personal progress that he is shoving in the faces of his co-workers as follows (page 64): Im saying HELLO to everybody at work. HELLO! Look at me. HELLO! I am so ZEN. This is BLOOD. This is NOTHING. Hello. Everything is nothing, and its so cool to be ENLIGHTENED. Like me. Here Jack is swelling with a sense of pride in his personal progress, at the same time showing a sense of bitterness towards his co-workers who do not understand the wonderful personal journey he is on, and are doing nothing to enlighten themselves. Jack also begins to send messages to his co-workers in the form of haikus (page 63/64/67): Worker bees can leave Without just one nest Flowers bloom and die Even drones fly away A bird can call the world home Wind brings butterflies or snow The queen is their slave Life is your career A stone wont notice These haikus symbolize different stages in Jacks progress. The first haiku is a message to his co-workers that they are not really trapped by their boring, unfulfilling careers (even though it may seem that way), and that they can choose to leave and change their lives if they want to. It is implied that if they choose this path, then their boss will become their slave instead of them being enslaved by their boss. The second haiku is a message that material possessions are unimportant, as the whole world is literally a home. It is also saying that living and being free is more important than the materialistic ideals and stifling careers they currently consider to be important. The third haiku is a statement that all beautiful and living things do eventually die, but those who are strong or stone-like will not be affected by the fear of inevitable death, and instead will embrace and understand it. As time passes, Jacks boss becomes more and more aware of what Jack has become involved in. His boss discovers the Rules of Fight Club that Jack has accidentally left in the photocopier at work, and confronts Jack about the matter. Jacks reaction to his boss discovery shows how he is becoming more and more influenced by the strong personality of Tyler Durden, as he reacts in a manner which is completely unlike the Jack he was before Fight Club (page 97): I say, it sounds like some dangerous psychotic killer wrote this, and this buttoned-down schizophrenic could probably go over the edge at any moment in the working day and stalk from office to office with an Armalite AR-180 carbine gas- operated semiautomaticThe guy, I say, is probably at home every night with a little rattail file, filing a cross into the tip of every one of his rounds. This way when he shows up to work one morning and pumps a round into his nagging, ineffectual, petty, whining, butt-sucking, candy-ass boss, that one round will split along the filed grooves and spread open the way a dumdum bullet flowers inside you to blow a bushel load of your stinking guts out In the above excerpt, Jack is again describing his feelings as if he were speaking about someone else; he creates a clever message to his boss that says leave me alone, or else. It is especially interesting that Jack refers to himself as a schizophrenic, which will be analyzed further later on. Here Jack is saying things to his boss that many men have dreamed of, but never dared. He is finding that he is becoming more and more empowered and caring less and less about societys rules and taboos. During this time Tyler has also begun to teach Jack the art of soap making. Jack and Tyler begin making soap from human fat that they have obtained from the discard bins of liposuction clinics and selling this primo soap to the upper class department stores in their city. Both Tyler and Jack find delight in selling rich women their fat asses back to them. Soap is a very important symbol in Fight Club, as Tyler explains that soap ultimately symbolizes heroism, and human sacrifice. This becomes known in the following excerpt (page 76/77/78): In ancient historyhuman sacrifices were made on a hill above a riverThe sacrifices were made and the bodies were burned on a pyreAfter hundreds of people were sacrificed and burneda thick white discharge crept from the alter, downhill to the riverRain fell on the burnt pyre year after year, and year after year people were burned, and the rain seeped through the wood ashes to become a solution of lye, and the lye combined with the fat of the sacrifices, and a thick white discharge of soap crept out from the base of the altar and crept downhill toward the riverWhere the soap fell into the riverafter a thousand years of killing people and rain, the ancient people found their clothes got cleaner if they washed them at that spotIt was right to kill those peopleYou have to seehow the first soap was made of heroesthink about animals in product testing. Think about the monkeys shot into space. Without their pain and sacrificewe would have nothing. Tyler shows how soap was obtained through the suffering and sacrifice of humanity and that this is ultimately how all human progress is obtained. He wants Jack to realize that even though this may be disturbing, it is a fact of life. As chapters of Fight Club have continued to spread across the city, Jack soon discovers that Tyler has an even bigger plan that will take members to a new level of therapy and personal enlightenment. Tyler has begun a new area of the club called Project Mayhem in which members of the club are assigned tasks and challenges through which they will obtain new knowledge of themselves. Members are assigned tasks such as starting a fight with a stranger and letting the stranger win. The goal of a task such as this is to spread the feeling of empowerment obtained through fighting to other individuals beyond Fight Club. Soon Project Mayhem has progressed even further, and Jack discovers that there are suddenly members on his front porch who have brought personal items as directed by Tyler and are willing to endure a three day waiting period without food, water or sleep in order to gain access to the house. Often Tyler shouts words of discouragement to the waiting member, telling them that th ey are too old, or too fat, or not what he is looking for. Tyler explains to Jack that he is testing these members and is considering them as applicants for the next phase of Project Mayhem. He explains the rationale for making them endure the three-day test as follows (page 129): This is how the Buddhist temples have tested applicants going back for bah-zillion yearsYou tell the applicant to go away, and if his resolve is so strong that he waits at the entrance without food or shelter or encouragement for three days, then and only then can he enter and begin training. Jack soon discovers that Tyler has installed army-style bunk beds in the basement of their house and is attempting to build his own personal army. As more and more applicants endure the test, they are given access to the house and begin training in Tylers army. These new space monkeys, (this is a reference to Tylers explanation of human sacrifice in the previously quoted excerpt) are given specific tasks such as cooking, soap making and cleaning, and begin to recite mantras which Tyler has taught them, almost as if they have been brainwashed (page 134): When I come home one space monkey is reading to the assembled space monkeys who sit covering the whole first floor. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all part of the same compost pile. Our culture has made us all the same. No one is truly white or black or rich anymore. We all want the same. Individually, we are nothing. Here Tyler has created a group mentality or cult way of thinking to bring all of the space monkeys residing in the house to the same degree of enlightenment. He is training them to think and feel the same, as well as work towards one common, collective goal. Like Fight Club, Project Mayhem also has similar, established rules which must be followed and also include complete and total trust in Tyler Durden, without question. This is similar to a religion in that there are established rules to be followed, however one should never question Gods intentions or actions, but trust completely and have faith. Project Mayhem soon begins to carry out acts of vandalism and disturbance throughout the city such as drawing a huge happy face on the side of a large building and lighting fire to the eyes to make them glow. Through these acts of vandalism the grey-collar space monkeys of Project Mayhem are delivering a message of defiance to society, stating that they no longer care about the establish ed rules and distractions, and now live by their own set of rules which are considered by most to be counter-culture. Tylers ultimate goal that he is trying to accomplish through Project Mayhem soon becomes apparent to Jack. He realizes that Tylers wish is to destroy all that society currently is and revert back to ancient times when the world had not yet discovered technology, money didnt exist, and material possessions were unimportant. Only the necessities of food, water, clothing and shelter were valued. Tyler reveals his goal to Jack as follows (page 125): Its Project Mayhem thats going to save the world. A cultural ice age. A prematurely induced dark age. Project Mayhem will free humanity to go dormant or into remission long enough for the Earth to recover. Imaginestalking elk past department store windows and stinking racks of beautiful rotting dresses and tuxedosyoull wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your lifeyoull climb up through the dripping forest canopy and the air will be so clean youll see tiny figures pounding corn and laying strips of venison in the empty car pool lane of an abandoned superhighway It is interesting that reverting back to a primitive hunter-gatherer sort of society is so attractive to Tyler and that he truly feels this to be the solution to all of lifes problems. It is implied that in modern society men do not have the means to act out their instinctive nature which is to hunt, gather, and reside without rules, completely free, and that this is what men subconsciously long for. As Project Mayhem progresses, Jack discovers that Tyler is suddenly present less and less and that Jack has begun to sleep more and more. He feels a sense of being out of the loop as far as Project Mayhem is concerned as he is involved less and less in what is occurring. Jack views Tylers absence as an act of abandonment on Tylers part and becomes bitter and angry towards Tyler. He realizes that Tylers absence has begun to affect him much in the same manner that his fathers abandonment has affected him in his life. Jack discovers a bunch of plane ticket stubs in a drawer in Tylers room and sets out on a quest to find Tyler, flying to each destination listed. In each city that Jack lands, he frequents all the local pubs and bars, only to discover to his horror that Fight Clubs have popped up all over these major cities. He speaks to the heads of each division that he comes across and is confused that they seem to know him, and often wink at him or refer to him as Tyler Durden. Jack be comes maddened in his obsession to find Tyler and to discover how he is linked to the new Fight Clubs that have surfaced across North America. In exhaustion one night, he lies down to sleep and awakens to find Tyler is there in his hotel room beside his bed. This is the scene in the novel/motion picture where Jack has a profound and important moment of clarity the moment when Jack realizes that he and Tyler are one and the same, and that Tyler is only a manifestation of Jacks frustrations in his life. Jack has invented Tyler because Tyler is everything that Jack wants to be, but isnt, and only Tyler has the means to accomplish what Jack really wants to change about society. This moment of clarity is explained as follows (page 167/168): Tyler said, Were not two separate men. Long story short, when youre awake, you have the control, and you can call yourself anything you want, but the second you fall asleep, I take over and you become Tyler Durden.This is a dream, Tyler is a projection. Hes a disassociative personality disorder. A psychogenic fugue state. Tyler Durden is my hallucination. It was previously noted that when Jack had the disturbing conversation with his boss upon the discovery of the Fight Club rules, Jack had referred to himself in the second-party as schizophrenic. It is as if Jack knew subconsciously all along that he was experiencing a mental crisis of sorts, but he did not clearly understand what was occurring or why. During this important conversation between Tyler and Jack it is also made clear that Tyler has discovered a way to accomplish his goal for the correction of societys flaws. Tyler has created through Project Mayhem an operation in which important financial buildings in strategic cities across North America have been wired with explosives, set to go off when the buildings are completely unoccupied. This has been strategically planned and is now operating solely in the hands of space monkeys. Tyler explains that the idea is to blow up all financial institutions so that the debt record will be erased and everyone can start from zero, compl etely freed. Jack becomes completely enraged with this plan, and sets out to stop it only to discover that things have progressed too far and it is too late. Jack decides that the only way to fix the problem now is to rid himself of Tyler Durden. In one of the last scenes, Jack attempts to explain to Marla what has been happening, and expresses his feelings regarding Tyler (page 174): I love everything about Tyler Durden, his courage, his smarts. His nerve. Tyler is funny and charming and forceful and Independent, and men look up to him and expect him to change their world. Tyler is capable and free and I am not. It becomes apparent at this point that Jack does understand why he has created Tyler, but at the same time realizes that he cannot go on functioning under a split personality. In the final scene Jack has a gun in his hand and is standing at the top of a building, waiting for the great explosion that has been set to take place. He puts the gun in his mouth, and before pulling the trigger states (page 205) Im not killing myselfIm killing Tyler. In his final moment Jack does not seem to acknowledge the fact that by killing Tyler, he truly is killing himself as they are one and the same. Jack proceeds to pull the trigger in a symbol of final sacrifice for the good of all humanity, as in his final moment he seems to consider what he (or Tyler) has accomplished to be unjust and immoral. The ending is different in the novel than in the motion picture. In the novel, Jack dies and sits in heaven discussing with God what he has done, and how God and him disagree about humanity. In the motion picture Jack lives and succeeds in killing Tyler by blowing off the side of his face. Despite which ending is chosen, the final summary of Fight Club is that the Generation X males and females (as shown through the character of Marla) are dissatisfied, unhappy, confused and lost. Many people find that it is impossible to obtain a job or career where they are not part of the service industry (or grey-collar working class) in some way, shape or form. As societys priorities have become more and more materialistic and consumer-driven, people are finding themselves more and more distracted and alone with their possessions, rather than with others. Relationships fail because of an increase in the number of single-parent families, in which there is predominately only a mother to act as a role model men no longer know what it means to be a man, and how to act in a relationship. Women no longer understand how to treat men in a relationship and cannot relate to or understand the male species. There is no great war or depression for the current generation to fight for instead there is a great war of the spirit and the great depression has become peoples lives. What Fight Club shows is a break down of our modern culture and suggests that things can only be improved through drastic measures. It suggests that the answer might be to abandon all of the materialism and greed that has consumed our culture and resort back to the old days when everything was simple and things were only accomplished to meet the basic necessities for human survival. Perhaps now that so many members of Generation X have been witness to the wisdom offered between the lines of Fight Club, this will stick in the backs of their minds. Perhaps these people will not accomplish a better society through such drastic measures, but instead will invoke a slow, proactive change in society by realizing what the problems are, and embarking on their own journeys of self-discovery with the intention of living their lives only for that which truly mattershappiness. Research Papers on "Fight Club" - AnalysisThe Fifth HorsemanQuebec and CanadaUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresWhere Wild and West MeetHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayPETSTEL analysis of India19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraStandardized TestingInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

Mass human rights violations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Mass human rights violations - Essay Example The concept of human rights and its application has seen tremendous expansion at the end of the 20th century1. The Universal Declaration of Human rights is an existing phenomenon in the global forefront for almost 50 years2. Majority of the people in almost all the countries in the world conceive that human rights are associated with the attributes of optimal protection and respect. Thinking in a most elementary dimension, human right can be regarded as the right of each individual for staying in the surroundings where he or she finds every opportunity in developing, living, working, relaxing, finding out various things for themselves and also be with other people, marry people of any ethnicities, rear their children and so on3. International laws have been formulated as well as implemented on an all round and global basis so that the human rights do not get violated 4and that all the individuals are treated on an unbiased yardstick of judgment in accordance with the international la w of human rights made by the International Courts. Despite that, it has been found that even after formulation of the human rights convention there has been a wide scale violation of human rights in an around many nations of the world5. It has also been argued that individual state policies of human right violation in various countries overshadow the application of international law and thus the weaknesses of international law in providing fruitful remedies is questioned to quite a robust extent6. In this paper, the discussion will be centered on the explanation of human rights laws provided by the international courts and they will be discussed in accordance with the case studies from different countries and the analysis will be directed towards the notion that whether the international law offer effective remedy in areas where the government of a state chooses in committing mass human rights violation within their own borders. Now, the subsequent section will discuss the notion o f human rights and provision of human rights within the international legal dimension. II. Human Rights 1. Basic facts In a nutshell, the definition of human rights can be stated as â€Å"the rights of human beings to live according to their nature and with other human beings†7. In the second half of the twentieth century various international standards were formulated and they became accepted on a wide basis over various nations of the world. 2. Human rights in international law During 1993, the United Nations World conference confirmed their commitment in association with established norms of human rights8. There have been various initiatives undertaken at international, regional as well as national levels for the protection of human rights. Individuals possess the rights to bring various human rights complaints before the regional courts for addressing their issues. The victims may have their cases heard before international governmental organizations but the national cour ts are in the current scenario are applying regional as well as international human rights standards. But unfortunately, it can be stated that practices of the states throughout the second half of the 20th century have shown many several evidences of violation of human rights on a wide scale basis. The violations which have occurred has taken a massive scale and they have been brutal in nature with infringement on â€Å"the right of life, physical and mental integrity and individual freedom† 9 In 1967, the United Nations classified the violations as gross human right violations of human rights. The phenomenon of gross violation of human rights is not a recent phenomenon. Since the period of 1945, estimations state that more people have perished as a consequence of gross human violation. Empirical evidences also reveal that the phenomenon of g

Cover letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Cover letter - Essay Example My lecturer recommended my work and asked me to assist him in some of his private assignment to gain more experience in the business world. I have taken internship exercises in two companies as indicated in the resume. The internship programs sharpened my financial skills by introducing me to the real world. In one firm, the firm assigned us an outdoor job description that required us to work in groups. As chairperson for the group, I ensured that every member committed to his assignment as described. In return, the firm awarded me with a certificate and a good recommendation for future endeavors. I have attached the certificates with the resume. I thank you in advance for considering my interview request. I would highly appreciate if you reach back on me after considering my request. Please feel free to reach me through my cell phone on 555-5678-786 anytime. I will follow up at the website to see the way forward decided by the firm in a week’s

Organ Donation Essay Example for Free

Organ Donation Essay Organ Donation The process of taking functional organs and tissues from one person for transplantation into another individual is called organ donation. Whereas, any part of the body that performs a different and special function is referred to as an organ. Transplantation takes places quite successfully today between well-matched human beings. Majority of the organ recipients are able to live five or more years. Skin, cornea, bone marrow and kidney transplants are the most common today. Moreover, lung and heart transplants are also gaining precedence. In commonplace terms, organ donation is the removal of working, healthy organs from the body of an individual who had pledged while being alive that his organs could be donated to a person requiring it. Usually the tissues or organs are taken out in a manner similar to surgery. Moreover, all the incisions are clogged at the end. Organ donors can include people of all ages. It is not restricted to any particular group, nor is it restricted to any certain age limit. In the present era, organ transplantation is widely recognized as of the most gripping medical advancements. It is almost the elixir of life to individuals with deteriorating organs who require other fellow beings to donate them organs. With the increasing cases of organ failure in society and the insufficient supply of organs, there is an enormous gap between organ supply and organ demand. Subsequently, it takes ages for a person with deteriorating organs to get functioning organs from another being. Moreover, numerous deaths have been reported in that waiting. Thus, these events have aroused moral, societal and ethical concerns regarding the allocation of organs, supply and the use of surviving donors as volunteers,  including those who qualify as minors. Unfortunately, it has spurred the practice of selling organs by money-makers for their own monetary gains and vested interests in many parts of the world by exploiting the poor. This has spurred corrupt practices where organ donation is concerned (Shroff, 2009). While we are on the subject of organ donation, an ethical issue is the procurement of organs and tissues. Firstly, this includes the buying and selling of human organs and tissues: There are some people who believe that human organs and tissues ought to be bought and sold in order to quantify the supply and show deference for other people’s autonomy. On the other hand, there are people who believe that treating any part of the body like a saleable good is a violation of human dignity. Organ donation has evolved considerably in the last 50 years. Following is a history of the procurement of organs and tissues. †¢ Successful transplantation of various organs Initially, organ transplantation started with kidneys, but now it has diversified to lungs, livers, hearts and other organs. It has slowly evolved to encompass various parts of the body. Progress in organ donation and cadaveric practices To decide who can donate organs has been a continuously evolving process. Firstly, it started with living donors and later moved on to include dead and brain dead donors. Even today, there are debates about growing and limiting the qualified donors. In the year of 2001, the surviving donors managed to even outnumber cadaveric donors. This was a milestone in the history of the United States. Formulation of anti-rejection drugs to enhance development and success The formulation of anti-rejection drugs has compounded the success of organ transplants. In the 1960s and 1970s, immunosuppressant drugs were used to increase the success rate of organ transplants (Flaman, 2008). Cyclosporine was stumbled upon in the 1980s. It greatly improved the success rate for patients undergoing transplants. The overall results were also improved. A phenomenon called xenotransplantation also became well-known – this entails the usage of animal organs for human transplantation. Subsequently, the firs t xenotransplantation was conducted  in 1986. This breakthrough means of transplantation started gaining popularity and researchers started performing more intensive studies on it. The number of people who required organ transplantation started to multiply. The discovery of the first artificial organs In the 1980, the first artificial heart transplant took place which was followed closely by the American public and the news media. This basically involved segmenting organs into pieces (either from cadaveric donors or surviving donors). In 1996, the first split liver transplant too place. It permitted one cadaveric liver to be used among several patients who required a transplant. Stem cell research: This basically involves the examination of human embryo and adult’s cell in an endeavor to find out how organs are development and what stimulates their development. There are certain ethical concerns regarding how organs and tissues are obtained. For instance: a pharmaceutical company in France buys placentas from 110 Canadian hospitals in order to produce blood products and vaccines. However, there are some poor people in countries, such as India, who sell their kidneys for $700 or even more than that. There have also been cases reported in India where people have gained consci ousness after a kidnapping incident, only to discover that one of their organs has been removed in that process (Caplan, 2010). In regards to this issue, there are people who draw a difference between waste matter of humans, certain body parts that happen to regenerate such as blood and non-regenerative human organs such as kidneys. There are many people who differentiate profit making from covering the donor’s expenses. If a donor has to pay for organs, this can put undue pressure on him. It nullifies a contract or free consent. There are some people who are also fearful of the fact that if the buying and selling of organs became a notorious business, then it would undermine the nobility associated with organ transplants. It could be detrimental if the organ just went to the highest bidder. The equity would be compromised upon as donating organs would depend upon the ability to pay rather than finding out how they should be distributed. There are some people who argue that this can be brought under control by monitoring sales. If the buying and selling of organs and human tissues is completely restric ted, then it would drive the market underground. Since there are numerous controversies associated with  the buying and selling of human parts, there are many who believe that other alternatives should be adopted (Thomas, 2009). Media Publicity There are several instances when an organ or tissue is acquired for a person by showcasing their need through the media. This could negate the other transplant channels through which it is normally obtained. Moreover, the correct criterion of selecting recipients, which is usually done on the basis of greatest needs and greater likelihood of benefit, can also be overlooked. However, publicity through media creates awareness in the public domain about the need for transplants and in the long run will increase the supply of organs and tissues. Voluntary consent basically entails a person making an intended offer to donate their organs after their demise. In the case of cadaver donation, a person can intimate their consent by advanced directives, such as by filling out the Universal Donor Card, part of their driver’s license. When the transplant is from a living donor, free consent is necessitated. However, it is best to have established consent regarding a deceased donor because this act exhibits love and responsible stewardship over one’s body. Moreover, it also communicates the wishes of health care professionals and family to the individual as well as others. When there is no pre-existing consent, the person who holds responsibility for the dead body should be approached regarding donation. It is imperative that the wish of the deceased person should be upheld. Medical ethics in organ donation has become imperative. This is basically a system comprising of moral principles that applies judgments and values to the process of organ donation. Autonomy is the sole prerogative of the individual to choose what happens to him/her even if this means dying in the process. In this regard, even if a person wishes to contribute his organs to another and thus die, he should not be prevented from doing so. On the other hand, fidelity entails adhering to the choices of someone, even if paying no heed to them would save another person’s life. Confidentiality means protecting the names of the donor from being let out in public or as per the desire of the patient. Hence, if a person prefers to remain unnamed while consenting to donate organs, his wish should be upheld. The team performing the transplantation can ask questions, but foremost it is imperative to prioritize the desire of the patient over anyone else (Truog, 2005). In order to address the ethical issues associated with organ donation stated above, it is important for health care professionals to be acquainted with the meaning of organ and tissue donation. They should be well-versed with the procedure of organ donation and to perform it in the best and most efficient manner possible. It would also be a good idea to render training to members of the health care team so that they can approach potential donors and families in a sensitive manner. To facilitate the process smoothly, they should be able enough to provide the necessary social and personal support during the process of mourning. Providers of health care also need to learn that respecting a dead person is a prerequisite of our humanity. It is also pertinent to mention that any reference to the deceased should be done with utmost sensitivity and using the most appropriate names. Furthermore, to compound the potential for transplants, providers of health care have a fundamental duty of rai sing the general level of awareness of needs. It should be done in a way that protects the rights and privacy of the patient, does not tamper with the medical process in any way and also does not remove attention from other urgent matters (NHMRC, 2012). References Shroff, Sunil, NCBI Legal and ethical aspects of organ donation and transplantation, (2009), Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2779960/ Flaman, Paul, Organ and Tissue Transplants: Some ethical issues, (2008), Retrieved from: http://www.ualberta.ca/~pflaman/organtr.htm Truog, Robert, The Ethics of Organ Donation by living Donors, (2005), Retrieved from: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp058155 Thomas, Chris, Ethics around Organ Donation, (2009), Retrieved from: https://www.chf.org.au/pdfs/hvo/hvo-2008-1-ethics-organ-donation.pdf NHMRC, Donating organs after death, (2012), Retrieved from: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/e29.pdf Caplan, Arthur, Organ Procurement and Transplantation: Ethical and Practical Issues, (2010), Retrieved from: http://www.upenn.edu/ldi/issuebrief2_5.html

Free College Essays - Symbols of Her Crime in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter - Two Symbols of Her Crime â€Å"It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off this badge,† calmly replied Hester. â€Å"Were I worthy to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak a different purport.† (163) Hester Prynne, the central character in the Scarlet Letter, realizes and accepts the consequences of the adulterous act she committed against her husband, Roger Chillingworth, as Hawthorne shows in this quotation. Hester, throughout the book, excludes and humbles herself because of her crime, rather than simply running away. At the same time, she advertises her sin through the brilliantly embroidered â€Å"A† and through her daughter, Pearl, born out of this sin. Hester realizes that she indeed sinned in committing adultery, and, being the strong individual that she is, accepts the consequences of her actions. In fact, much of the suffering incurred from Hester’s sin results from her own actions. She, by her own choice, wears humble, dismal clothes; she moves to the outskirts of her town, but refuses to run away to a place where no one knows of her crime; she excludes herself from society, while society does not always exclude her. Instead of escaping her crime, Hester embraces it. She declares, â€Å"It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off this badge... Were I worthy to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak a different purport,† realizing the crime she committed and the fairness of her punishment—the scarlet letter (163). Hester goes so far as to dwell upon the letter as a symbol of her guilt. The brilliant crimson â€Å"A† resides on her humbly clothed chest, making the letter stand out all the more; Pearl, the child of sin, runs beside her mother, dressed in spectacular clothing â€Å"abundantly embroidered with fantasies and flourishes of gold thread,† in effect, personifying that same symbol (102). In each case, Hester advertises the fact that she has sinned and that she is paying for her crime, again bring more suffering upon herself. And again, she accepts it. She realizes the letter should only be removed when she is no longer guilty of her crime. She knows, therefore, that day will never come. Society, however, thinks differently.

Evaluate the Causes of World War I Essay

World war one is one of the most important events in world history. It took place in Europe in 1914-1918. The whole world participated this war. So everyone had some responsibility. There are more than one reasons for the outbreak of this war. Mainly, it was the expansion form of nationalism & the alliances system. Other issues played a major part too, such as imperialism, the industrial revolution, naval race and domestic factors. One of the main long term causes as I said before is Nationalism. Nationalism is the patriotic feeling when people believe passionately for their countries. The extreme feeling of nationalism is called ethnocentrism and it leads to fascism. Nationalism also, promoted the war because nationalists wanted to reestablish their nation’s power. Th e majority of people before and during the world war one, wanted to have a larger territory. Flags are created to represent a country. The three countries that formed the Triple Alliance was formed by different ethnic groups. Above all, Austria’s – Hungary’s ethnic groups wanted their independence. These groups were, Slovaks, Serbs & Czechs. They wanted to rule themselves and have their own state. Particularly, many Serbs in different territories wanted to join the neighboring state of Serbia. Italy was also formed from a collection of smaller states, aiming at having its government established. The trigger cause of world war one was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinard & his wife also by a Serbian nationalist. This happened in June 1914 while they were in Sarajevo, Bosnia which was a part of Austria – Hungary. This assassination was in protest to Austria – Hungary having control of the region. This was the extreme form of nationalism as I said above, that killed the prince of Austria and world war one began. Another cause which cause the war is imperialism. In other words, the competition among powerful countries to extend their power. All the countries were looking for ways to conquer oversea colonies. There was a competitive feeling about it. They also needed more resources. Naval bases for Germany & Britain were also of paramount important. For example, France & Russia prepared to face any German invasion. Germany took from France an important industrial area of Alsace – Lorraine. In 1890 Germany has a New Kaiser who was very active. Germany seized control of Chinese ports & wanted more oversea colonies as Britain & France had. Italy also wanted more oversea colonies and that’s a reason it joined the Triple Alliance. Furthermore, there is another cause, the alliances. Alliances existed to support â€Å"friends† and threaten enemies. The promoted their own culture. Alliance’s movements are like gangs. They used violence and technology weapons. Alliances active role before the war was to understand the progress of the war & country’s movements. So before world war one Russia defended Serbia. Serbia’s territories were controlled by the state of Austria – Hungary. Serbia started the war against Austria – Hungary and Russia got involved. France & Russia had a close friendship. A response to get back its land Germany attacked France through Belgium. In 1884 the Triple Alliance we formed with Germany, Italy and Austria – Hungary to support each other militarily in case of an attack. The Triple Entente that formed in 1904 with Britain, France and Russia. The last cause of the war was the industrial revolution, in other words militarism. Militarism is associated with technology weapons. Such as cars, bombs, machine guns, submarines, bullets, dynamites etc. Industrial development was very important in order to be powerful. In this new war armies used cars and not horses. Another point is the radio, was used for propaganda. Everything was moving very fast. Military includes submarines, airplanes and machine guns. France & Russia worried a lot for Germany’s development. Loans from France helped Russia to develop industries. Germany’s navy plan named â€Å"Navy Code† was increasing their navy. This plan worked as a threaten to Britain. Germany’s development of their navy was apparent. It become one of the world’s most powerful navy in 1980 with Britain first. In 1914 German industries was second in the world only to that of the USA. Serbia was also becoming a powerful force in Balkans. France also built up their industries & army. Russia was the largest of all six powers however it was the most backward and least developed. As a result of this war there was devastation across Europe. Eight millions of people died & twenty – nine millions injured. The use of the word destruction includes issues we are not able to see. It’s not only the destruction of buildings, the lack of education and the economic decline. It’s also the lack of ideas, family issues, the psychology of the crowd, propaganda and much more. Even after the world war one for decades the leaders changing politics, changes & public opinions. In my opinion preserving the peace was neither Triple Alliance’s or Triple entente’s priority. What if the countries did not show off or compete for power? I believe that nationalism was the most important cause for causing the war. Consequently all the countries were reacting in extremely nationalistic ways and unreasonably. I also think world war one was a result of leader’s antagonism towards other countries which was sustained by the increasing nationalism of European nations. The assassination of Archduke worked as the immediate cause that triggered a domino effect of reactions among all these countries. If this wouldn’t happen, they would have find another cause to start the war. I suppose everything’s happened because of the selfishness leader’s had. They didn’t inspire the crowd & this prove that there was the failure of diplomacy.