Holistic College Admissions

Holistic College Admissions January 10 Would you want to admit the Unabomber to your university? Harvard did and surely regretted that decision. Holistic admissions isnt perfect but its better than just judging applicants based on SAT or ACT scores and grades. There was an article recently in The Atlantic entitled The False Promise of Holistic College Admissions written by Phoebe Maltz Bovy that we wanted to draw to your attention. In the piece, Bovy essentially argues that holistic college admissions isnt right, that admissions officers are essentially passing judgement on students based on their transcript, SAT or ACT scores, college admissions essays, and letters of recommendation. Theyre judging the character and personality of these students when, she argues, they should be judging the applicant. We beg to differ. What on earth is wrong with judging personality and character? Some admissions officer(s) at Harvard mistakenly judged the character of Ted Kaczynski and offered him admission to their university. Were not saying these character and personality judgements are always correct (theyre not!), but why cant college admissions officers factor in personality and character so as to avoid the embarrassment of having future murderers as alumni? It seems rather logical to us! And in what world arent people judging? Our world is filled with judgement. Not everybody is a winner! To give you an example, when you go on a date and the person is incredibly smart and kind and has a great job, does that mean that youre automatically into that person? Of course not. Because your judgement of him or her is holistic. If you dont feel it, you just dont feel it. Its that simple. Whats wrong with having some of that in college admissions? Are there flaws with holistic college admissions? Yes. But Ms. Maltz Bovy seems to only point out these flaws without suggesting a better alternative. Its certainly not just judging an applicant by his or her grades and test scores. Because then schools will admit the Unabomber. And that would be terrible! While youre here, read about how Ivy League admission isnt random.

Political Philosophy and Plato Essay - 9254 Words

SOCRATES Socrates 469 BC–399 BC, was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary Aristophanes. Many would claim that Platos dialogues are the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity. Through his portrayal in Platos dialogues, Socrates has become renowned for his contribution to the field of ethics, and it is this Platonic Socrates who also lends his name to the concepts of Socratic irony and the Socratic method,†¦show more content†¦Socratic Paradoxes Many of the beliefs traditionally attributed to the historical Socrates have been characterized as paradoxal because they seem to conflict with common sense. The following are among the so-called Socratic Paradoxes. No one desires evil. No one errs or does wrong willingly or knowingly. Virtue—all virtue—is knowledge. Virtue is sufficient for happiness. The phrase Socratic paradox can also refer to a self-referential paradox, originating in Socrates phrase, I know that I know nothing noble and good. Knowledge One of the best known sayings of Socrates is I only know that I know nothing. The conventional interpretation of this remark is that Socrates wisdom was limited to an awareness of his own ignorance. Socrates believed wrongdoing was a consequence of ignorance and those who did wrong knew no better. The one thing Socrates consistently claimed to have knowledge of was the art of love, which he connected with the concept of the love of wisdom, i.e., philosophy. He never actually claimed to be wise, only to understand the path a lover of wisdom must take in pursuing it. It is debatable whether Socrates believed humans (as opposed to gods like Apollo) could actually become wise. On the one hand, he drew a clear line between human ignorance and ideal knowledge; on the other, Platos Symposium (Diotimas Speech) and Republic (Allegory of the Cave) describe a method for ascending to wisdom. In Platos TheaetetusShow MoreRelatedQuestions On Plato s Political Philosophy1918 Words   |  8 PagesSarah Freihon Professor Richardson Philosophy 151A 17 December 2014 Final: Plato’s Political Philosophy Prompt #1: In The Republic, Plato offers a psychologically and historically informed examination of five types of government -- Aristocracy, Timocracy, Oligarchy, Democracy, and Tyranny -- in an effort to show how the degeneration of the soul directly corresponds to the degeneration of the State. I will begin, by describing each of the five basic types of government and the types of soulRead MorePlato, Nietzsche, And Aristotles Theory Of Political Philosophy1670 Words   |  7 Pages Political theory is the study of concepts that allows for the analytical study of relationships between political institutions. Over the centuries, political theorists have established renditions of what political theory is. This essay will focus on Plato, Nietzsche, and Aristotle, and their works, which respectively define the concepts of the common good and the significance of philosophers to the welfare of the state, self-deceiving intellect and the power of authority over our intellectualRead MorePlato And Aristotle s Views On Political Philosophy Essay3649 Words   |  15 PagesIntroduction: The term â€Å"Political Philosophy† is a normative study of state, government, relationships between individual and communities, laws, rights and justice. It depends on the philosophers that can be entangled with ethics, economics and also metaphysics. Political thinkers are the pioneers of â€Å"Modern Politics† in the world. The first serious political thinkers emerged in Greece. Plato and Aristotle are two great philosophers of ancient Greece. Plato in his book â€Å"The Republic† delivers theRead MorePolitical Philosophies From Plato, Locke, Hobbes, And Rousseau1564 Words   |  7 PagesMia Love Poli Sci 51 Prof. Oifer 7/10/2017 Paper #1 Over the course of this paper, political philosophies from Plato, Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau will be discussed. While some of their views on justice and power are similar, they do have many different beliefs on what is just and who should make it so. These philosopher’s perspectives will be uncovered to propose what justice requires be done to Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, California. While focusing on Plato’s ideas, the paper will critiqueRead MoreGreek Philosophy And The Greek Creation1593 Words   |  7 Pages The word â€Å"philosophy†, comes from the Ancient Greek word (Phileo), meaning â€Å"to love† or â€Å"to befriend† and (Sophia), meaning â€Å"wisdom†; making philosophy stand for â€Å"the love of wisdom†. Philosophy is about understanding the fundamental truths about ourselves, the world in which we live in, and our relationships to the world and amongst each other. It is the study of general problems connect ed with existence, values, language, and mind. Those who study philosophy (philosophers), engage in askingRead MorePersonal Philosophy : Al Farabi1684 Words   |  7 PagesAl Farabi’s philosophy was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy just like how western philosophy was influenced by Greek philosophy. Specifically, Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates were the main Greek influencers of Al Farabi. Al Farabi as well as Ibn Sina have been recognized as Peripatetics or rationalists. The best known Arabic source for Al Farabi s political philosophy is his work titled The Virtuous City. In many of Al Farabi’s philosophical works the practical use of philosophy is a majorRead MoreThe Philosophy of Thomas Hobbs Essay1748 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Hobbss philosophy Hobbes Moral: Thomas Hobbes is known best for his political thought and the English philosopher. The vision of Hobbes for the world is still relevant to modern politics. He always focus the problems of social and political order: that how human beings can keep away the terror of civil and difference to live together in peace and got authorize to decide every social and political matter. Otherwise state of nature anticipate us and closely remind us of civil war where thereRead MorePythagoras, Plato, And Plotinus989 Words   |  4 PagesPhilosophers have been known to take the ideas and teachings of other philosophies and then shape their own philosophies from them. Even if they do not outright claim they have done so or that they were influenced by an earlier philosophy, one can still find links between philosophers and their theories. Pythagoras, Plato, and Plotinus, though from all different historical and philosophical periods, formed philosophies similar to one another or built upon aspects fr om one another’s. Pythagoras (AncientRead More Socrates Essay1087 Words   |  5 PagesFirst Accusers and Athenian Law Of all confrontations in political philosophy, the biggest is the conflict between philosophy and politics. The problem remains making philosophy friendly to politics. The questioning of authoritative opinions is not easily accomplished nor is that realm of philosophy - the pursuit of wisdom. Socrates was the instigator of the conflict. While the political element takes place within opinions about political life, Socrates asks the question quot;What is the best regimeRead MoreA Life Sketch of Plato and His Works905 Words   |  4 Pagesgreat Greek philosophers, Plato must remain the best known of all the Greeks. The original name of this Athenian aristocrat was Aristiclis, but in his school days he received the nickname Platon (meaning broad) because of his broad shoulders. Plato was born in Athens, Greece to one of the oldest and most distinguished families in the city. He lived with his mother, Perictione, and his father, Ariston (Until Ariston died.) Born in an aristocratic and rich family, Plato s childhood was indulged

Martin Luther And The Protestant Reformation - 1029 Words

The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in the 16th century that was against the Roman Catholic and its way of controlling things. Martin Luther, a reformer along with John Calvin and Henchurches VII. Luther may have had full faith in God, but he also had fear in him and his powers. They questioned the authority of the church and argued over political and religious powers in the hands of the bible. Martin Luther was the starter of it all. Martin Luther was a German monk who decided to start the Reformation. In 1517 he sent out a paper with the â€Å"95 theses†, a list describing the doctrine and how the indulgences were being abused. This list was sent to the Pope Leo. Luther discussed the wrong of selling indulgences to the people in†¦show more content†¦He took advantage of the attention to preach more on his teachings and doctrines. During the time Luther even translated the Bible from Greek to German. Martin Luthers biggest achievement was translating the New Testament in a matter of eleven weeks. He knew he could not do it all by himself so he started a committee and called them â€Å"Sanhedrin†, which mean assembly or council. He taught the Germans of Christ and apostles. His translation, later on, led to other Protestant versions to be made in different languages like French and English. The Reformation did not depend much on reforms after the translations came out but more on the Bible itself since people were actually able to understand what it was saying. Luther translating the Bible became the most powerful object of the Reformation. He began to be respected by more people rather than them executing him. Another one of Luthers famous works was the hymn of â€Å" A Mighty Fortress Is Our God†. It was a hymn over Lutheranism which is a branch of the Protestants. The hymn was loved by Protestants because it supported the reformers. When the Protestant Reformation began, several branches were formed off Christianity. In these branches, there was Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Methodism, and Baptist churches. Anglicanism represents churches in England and Canterbury. They have a creed which is known as the 39 articles (a statement from the church of England)Show MoreRelatedMartin Luther And The Protestant Reformation1349 Words   |  6 Pagesto fix by amendment is Martin Luther. In the early 15th century, the Catholic Church was under siege from criticism based off of corruptions and Catholic wrongdoings; this time in history was known as the Protestant Reformation. The main catalyst in this revolution was none other than Martin Luther. Although Martin Luther sparked rebellion and a revolution, he , himself, was a reactionary reformer in how he wanted to restore the church into what it once was. Martin Luther, according to his ideasRead MoreMartin Luther And The Protestant Reformation1879 Words   |  8 PagesMartin Luther was not only one of the most significant figures in the Protestant Reformation, but he also developed his own denomination of followers. While many say that Luther wa s breaking away from the Catholic Church to establish a rival church, yet Luther challenged the authority of the church quietly. His arguments did not focus the attention on himself, but wholly on God. Martin Luther is considered the initiator of the Protestant Reformation as he realized the corruption in the Catholic ChurchRead MoreMartin Luther And The Protestant Reformation1608 Words   |  7 PagesThe first step of the Protestant Reformation was carried out by a monk called Martin Luther to adjust the unfairness of the Catholic Church. He believed that the Christian faith was a simple religion, misrepresented on account of inadequate papal authority. Like the Roman Empire the Church had broadened its territorial domain and bureaucratic function. The moral authority of the church was corrupted because of its tainted clerical practices. In his Ninety-Five Theses, Martin mainly targeted the doctrineRead MoreMartin Luther And The Protestant Reformation1326 Words   |  6 PagesTh us the Religious Reformation period was the most important time because new religions were formed and the RCC had all the power. Indeed supporters of the Reformation Religions believe that this time had the biggest impact because during this time new religions were created and millions changed faith. In his text â€Å"Martin Luther† the author argues that â€Å"Martin Luther as a Christian theologist and Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation†. Martin Luther was the spark forRead MoreMartin Luther And The Reformation Of The Protestant Reformation Essay1699 Words   |  7 PagesMartin Luther became one of the most influential figures in Christian history. He began the protestant reformation in the 16th century. He also called into question some of the basic tenets of Roman Catholicism and eventually his followers soon split from the Roman Catholic Church to become protestant. He was known to be a very controversial man not just for his writing of the ninety five thesis but for others and in his later years his feeling about the Jews. His teaching of the bible is wh at leadRead MoreMartin Luther And The Protestant Reformation1461 Words   |  6 PagesThe Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that disintegrated Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that differ from Catholic Church and in future triggered wars and fights and persecutions. In northern and central Europe, reformers like Martin Luther, Thomas Muntzer, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin and Henry VIII challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s practices, such as â€Å"indulgence† and â€Å"enoughRead MoreMartin Luther And The Protestant Reformation Essay2089 Words   |  9 Pages1517, as the initial rise of early reform movements. It was the day Martin Luther had encrypted his floating thoughts of early reformation onto paper, with the help of the printing press. Many others before Martin had speculation of somewhat of a reform, but didn’t have the courage to go up against the authoritative Church. Martin and his actions had officially sparked the revolution, and the start of European Reformation. But Martins actions would end up transforming the world indefinitely. SuccessorsRead MoreMartin Luther And The Protestant Reformation1655 Words   |  7 PagesRahul Mangal The Protestant Reformation was a European movement in the 16th century which initially attempted to reform the beliefs and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. Changing attitudes towards the bible influenced the Reformation Movement. Martin Luther and other reformers considered the bible to be the only reliable source of instructions, as opposed to the teachings of the church. Similar to Humanists, Reformers wished to return to the source to analyze and examine the truth. Upon evaluationRead MoreMartin Luther And The Protestant Reformation1541 Words   |  7 PagesSochor Professor Eric Breault Religion 374 21 April 2017 Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation Martin Luther was a German professor of Theology during the 13th and 14th century who was a key figure of the Protestant Reformation. In this paper, I will discuss the impact of Martin Luther’s actions from a standpoint of the Catholic Church and its reaction to Martin Luther’s work. To discuss this, I will use some of the works of Martin Luther himself along with sources from authors Paul A. BishopRead MoreMartin Luther and The Protestant Reformation1110 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of October 31st? The answer is probably Halloween, correct? October 31st is a significant date, however, this paper will describe how, in 1517, Martin Luther changed the course of religion with his visionary leadership and ethical beliefs. The essay will also discuss how his traits are relevant to me as a leader. Martin Luther was one the most influential people that inspired the Protestant Reformation and impacted Christianity

Health Care Organization Nursing Homes

Question: Describe about the Health Care Organization for Nursing Homes. Answer: Risk of fall among older people has become a serious health issue and the high rate of fall effects the reputation of health care organization too. As a nurse, I am also required to assess older patient properly to identify fall risk in them and prevent the incidence of fall in hospital. However, as I am a new graduate nurse, I am not confident about my fall risk assessment skills. I feel that I lack the knowledge of a systematic way of doing assessment and I need to immediately consult my nurses to know enhance my nursing skill in this area. I can improve my skills by first getting to know process by which assessment is carried out for monitoring fall risk in older people. The Fall risk assessment study by Hickman (2007) mentioned that assessment is dependent on reviewing a variety of factors like level of mobility among older patients, function of lower part of the body, clarity of vision, effect of medications, past medical history and current health issues and type of footwear used by patients. I feel that these are useful information that I will try to consider whenever I start assessing any patient for risk of fall. External factors in hospital also lead to falls such as type of flooring, hazards like unhygienic hospital environment and spillage of water in different areas, lack of monitoring among hospital staff (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2006). I will also try to analyse both intrinsic and extrinsic factors to effectively carry out assessment and report about assessment information. Other type of guideline given by other RNs were also useful as they stressed that fall risk assessment should be carried out within 24 hours to identify those who are at higher risk. This is also the purpose of the doing assessment-to identify high risk patients and accurately take actions for such patients (Waldron et al. 2012). I also learnt that knowing about the factors leading to fall also facilitate quick assessment. For example it is important to consider medical aspects leading to fall. In the context of medical factors, a patient who has a history of fall, takes medication that increases risk of fall, have disease that affect stability and possess signs of seizures have more chances of falling. Other factors contributing to fall are altered mental status, impaired daily life activities and behavioral aspects like patients who are more prone to risk taking behavior and lacks understanding of health condition (Burkett and Scott 2015). I feel that knowledge of risk factors will be helpful in efficiently carrying out risk assessment. I also got information use of different fall risk assessment tools also promote effective screening of falls. An experimental study showed that nursing staffs were satisfied with the outcomes of using a modified fall risk assessment tools. It helped in increasing the screening rate for fall. The screening rate was higher in patients who were assessed using fall risk assessment tools compared to control group patients (Hsu 2016). Other risk assessment instrument that nurse can use to examine risk factors include Berg Balance Test, Timed Get Up and Go test and Gait index. This form of instrument is relevant to risk factors of fall and it helps in analyzing presence of these risk factors in patients (Currie 2008). A research by (Anderson et al., 2012) also showed that nurses can enhance effectiveness of fall prevention program by systematic use of management practices. It will enable proper interaction between each nurse and also facilitate reducing incidence of falls in hospital settin g. Another significant thing that I realized during learning about fall risk assessment skills is that continuous quality improvement is required to prevent fall injury in hospital setting (Garling 2008). Nursing strategies like individualized attention to high-risk patients and giving them health education to modify their behavior can also be useful in preventing fall. Other fall prevention approach includes regularly reviewing patients medication to identify side effects of medication (Anderson et al. 2012). As a nurse, my strategy in this case will be to make patients aware that the medication pose them at risk of fall and so they should not immediately get up from bed and be cautious. After consulting other experienced nurses, I am now more confident and I have got the knowledge that multifactorial assessment after considering fall history, mobility, visual impairment, environmental hazards, cognitive impairment and other factors gives more effective results of risk in hospital setting. When risk assessment process is carried out effectively, then I can quickly move to intervention to prevent fall among older patients. Reference Anderson, R.A., Corazzini, K., Porter, K., Daily, K., McDaniel, R.R. and Coln-Emeric, C., 2012. CONNECT for quality: protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial to improve fall prevention in nursing homes.Implementation Science,7(1), p.1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2006, Chronic Diseases and Associated Risk Factors in Australia Canberra, Cat. No. PHE8. Burkett, E and Scott, I. 2015 CARE-PACT: A new paradigm of care for acutely unwell residents in aged care facilities. Australian Family Physician, Vol. 44, No. 4, 204-209 Currie, L. (2008). Fall and Injury Prevention.Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US). [online] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2653/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2016]. Garling, P. 2008, Final Report of the Special Commission of Enquiry; Acute Care Services in NSW Public Hospitals Vol I, Released 27 November 2008. Waldron,N.,Hill,M.A. Barker,A.2012,Falls prevention in older adults,Australian Family Physician,vol.41,no.12,pp.930-933 Hickman, L., Newton, P., Halcomb, E.J., Chang, E. and Davidson, P., 2007. Best practice interventions to improve the management of older people in acute care settings: a literature review.Journal of advanced nursing,60(2), pp.113-126. Hsu SS, e. (2016).Fall risk factors assessment tool: enhancing effectiveness in falls screening. - PubMed - NCBI. [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15362009 [Accessed 17 Oct. 2016].

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