Feminist Perspective of The Lie :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

Feminist Perspective of The Lie  Ã‚   Women have long struggled and battled against men in an attempt to obtain equality. In the story, "The Lie," the character Sylvia Remenzel portrays many of the qualities in a stereotypical female that women for generations have been trying to prove wrong. Her thoughts and actions, plus the possible opinions of females reflecting upon her character, and the fact that this character was written by a male will show the neglect by which the role was depicted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To begin, Sylvia's questions throughout the story are naive and juvenile.   For example, â€Å"I wonder how many Remenzels have gone to Whitehill,† and â€Å"You think those people will like those rooms?† Questions such as these are simply put and rather unnecessary because they only take up space and disrupt the flow. The question concerning the number of Remenzel family members who have gone to Whitehill has a pretty obvious answer. Her husband in the book even thinks so, That's like asking how many people are dead in a cemetery. To have a female character ask questions that are seemingly simple is putting them back, and placing them in a group outside those with intelligence. The second question concerns a new wing being built onto Whitehill where a group of Africans will be staying. By calling the Africans, those people, gives the   impression that she doesn't see them as equals to herself. In the time period that this story was written, (during the 1970s), the issue of racism was partly over. This character was not trying to be rude, but she did not have the intelligence to think differently. That alone is a very degrading way of thinking, such as giving women less power of thought than men. For example, Mr. Remenzel sees no problem with the Africans attending the school, when he says, The rooms aren't for them, they aren't going to be segregated. By observing these thoughts of Sylvia, one might see the lack of intuition and observation put upon her. These are all examples of the possible feminist view placed upon her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Next, the actions that Sylvia performs show her incomplete personality when it comes to being unique. Her role follows the example that females should be seen and not heard, also, that they are to stay at home and take care of the children. These are qualities that women have been fighting to remove from the minds of society.

mafia Essay -- essays research papers

Their guns terrorized the streets of New York. They were murderous, brutal thugs that killed with no feelings of remorse. They were bank-robbers, drug dealers, casino owners, hit men and pimps. They were the Mafia of the 1920's and 1930's. These degenerates played an important role in American history, they were more than just bank-robbers and gunslingers, and they were men that affected all facets of society. They were celebrities, some of the most recognized men in America. Their evil deeds made the front page of every newspaper. They were some of the richest men in America, but most of all; they were the scapegoats for America's problems. They were hated by many, respected by few and feared by all. In times of poverty and despair, they were looked upon as the "problem", which needed to be "fixed". The fear they imposed on America gave Americans something to unite over and fight against together. Sometimes, a person is most courageous when they are most fearful. They made America "roar" in the twenties and they took "the wrath" of thirties. They were some of America's most dangerous men and some of its most famous as well. In order to obtain an objective view towards the Mafia, one must know a little about its history. The Mafia was first started in the ninth century, in Sicily. At this time, Arab forces were occupying Sicily. The natives were being oppressed, so they took refuge in the surrounding hills and formed a secret society to protect against the foreign invaders. This secret society was named Mafia, after the Arabic word for refuge. The society's intentions were to create a sense of family, based on ancestry and Sicilian heritage. During the 1700's, Mafia leaders began to force their way to the head positions in the Sicilian government and used government funds for their own private endeavours. In the early 1900's, when Mussolini and the Fascists came to power, he vowed to rid the country of all the Mafia. Keeping this in mind, and the fact that there was money to be made through extortion, prostitution, gambling and bootlegging in the United States, many Mafioso's decided to come west to America. Charles "Lucky" Luciano, the eventual organizer of the New York Mafia, was born in Sicily in 1897, and came to New York. Luciano climbed the "criminal ladder" and by 1935, he was known ... ...titution was so profitable, because it offered the most easily marketable and vendible product in the world; sex. The Mafia used the prostitutes as tools to make more business. They placed their "girls" throughout their clubs, so they could lure some high roller in the back for a drink or two. They worked the bars, and listened to lonely middle class men who needed a shoulder to cry on. They were on the streets mingling with the crowd, looking for their next perverted customer. The bosses often used prostitutes to "sweeten" deal between rival leaders or crooked politicians. They were as dangerous as the trained killers were, because they possessed something more powerful than guns. They were just as ruthless as the men that put holes in people's heads; they only came in a nicer package. The Mafia men of the 1920's and 1930's were some of the most influential men in American history. They robbed banks, killed people, stole, cheated, lied and corrupted an already corrupt country. They were not role models, and they did not aspire to be. They were businessmen, men who had only two objectives, money and power. They saw a need for something and they produced it.

People’s Republic of China Essay

The popularity of Southwestern University’s football program under its new coach, Bo Pitterno, surged in each of the 5 years since his arrival at the Stephenville, Texas, college. With a football stadium close to maxing out at 54,000 seats and a vocal coach pushing for a new stadium, SWU president Joel Wisner faced some difficult decisions. After a phenomenal upset victory over its archrival, the University of Texas, at the homecoming game in the fall, Dr. Wisner was not as happy as one would think. Instead of ecstatic alumni, students, and faculty, all Wisner heard were complaints. â€Å"The lines at the concession stands were too long†; â€Å"Parking was harder to find and farther away than in the old days† (that is, before the team won regularly); â€Å"Seats weren’t comfortable†; â€Å"Traffic was backed up halfway to Dallas†; and on and on. â€Å"A college president just can’t win†, muttered Wisner to himself. At his staff meeting the following Monday, Wisner turned to his VP of administration, Leslie Gardner. â€Å"I wish you would take care of these football complaints, Leslie†, he said. â€Å"See what the real problems are and let me know how you’ve resolved them†. Gardner wasn’t surprised at the request. â€Å"I’ve already got a handle on it, Joel†, she replied. â€Å"We’ve been randomly surveying 50 fans per game for the past year to see what’s on their minds. It’s all part of my campus-wide TQM effort. Let me tally things up and I’ll get back to you in a week†. When she returned to her office, Gardner pulled out the file her assistant had compiled (see the following table). â€Å"There’s a lot of information here†, she thought. Questions: 1. Using at least two different quality tools, analyze the data and present your conclusions. 2. How could the survey have been more useful? 3. What is the next step? Fan Satisfaction Survey Results (N = 250) Case Study 5-1 Rochester Manufacturing Corporation (RMC) is considering moving some of its production from traditionally numerically control machines to a flexible machining system (FMS). Its numerical control machines have been operating in a high variety, low volume intermittent manner. Machine utilization, as near as it can be determine, is about 10%. The machine tool sales persons and a consulting firm want to put the machines together in a FMS. They believe that a $3,000,000. 00 expenditure on machinery and the transfer machines will handle about 30% of RMC’s work. There will, of course, be a transition and start up cost in addition to this. The firm has not yet entered all its parts into a comprehensive group technology system, but believes that the 30% is a good estimate of products suitable for the FMS. This 30% should fit very nicely a â€Å"family†. A reduction, because of higher utilization, should take place in the number of pieces of machinery. The firm should be able to go from 15 to about 4 machines, and personnel should go from 15 to perhaps as low as 3. Similarly, floor space reduction will go from 20,000 square feet to about 6,000. Throughput of order should also improve with this family of parts being processed in 1 to 2 days rather than 7 to 10 days. Inventory reduction is estimated to yield a one-time $750,000 savings and annual labor savings should be in the neighborhood of $300,000. 00. Although the projections all look very positive, an analysis of the project’s return on investment showed it to be between 10% and 15% per year. The company has traditionally had an expectation that projects should yield well over 15% and have payback periods of substantially less than 5 years. Questions: 1. As the production manager for RMC, what would u recommend? And why? 2. Prepare a case by a conservative plant manager for maintaining the status quo until the returns are more obvious 3. Prepare the case for an optimistic sales manager that you should move ahead with the FMS now. Case Study 6-1 ACM is an electronics component manufacturer that has been located in Singapore since 1991, supplying original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with quality components. In the past several years, ACM has experienced increasing pressure from other manufacturers located in other countries. In Singapore, while labor remains quite inexpensive, there has been a relatively steady increase in labor costs. In addition, utility costs – most notably water and energy costs – have led the firm to contemplate moving operations elsewhere in Asia in an attempt to make the firm more competitive. ACM remains profitable, but margins have shrunk, and management is interested in ensuring that the firm remains competitive in the medium term to long term against other component manufacturers. A team of senior management has formed a committee to reach a decision regarding possible relocation. The committee has identified two additional locations as possible candidates for relocation: Hong Kong (People’s Republic of China [PRC]) and Kuching (Malaysia). Hong Kong’s main attractions stem from the fact that since 1997, when its sovereignty was transferred back to the PRC, labor costs have decreased as access to labor has increased. Hong Kong enjoys a large seaport and very good transportation infrastructure, and this is important in moving in raw materials and moving out finished components to customers. Senior management believes that an increasing number of OEMs will move to the PRC in the next several years, as has been the case in the past decade. This will only increase the attractiveness of locating the manufacturing facility in Hong Kong. Kuching is located in the Malaysian province of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. It is the fourth-largest city in Malaysia and home to a population of around 650,000. Several points make Kuching attractive to the relocation committee. First, locating here would give access to natural resources and other production inputs. Second, the transportation infrastructure is good, and the city hosts a deep sea port for moving raw materials in and finished good out. That said, the port is not as large or accessible as those of Hong Kong or Singapore, and several committee members have expressed concern about the frequency of ship visits to Kuching. If the port does not receive regular service from container ships, transportation costs to ship components to OEMs will doubtlessly stable and inexpensive in Malaysia. The committee has contracted the government of Singapore to elicit possible incentives to not relocate to another country. Singapore is offering a five-year exemption on taxes for ACM if the plant remains in Singapore. The government will also assist by partially subsidizing labor, water, and energy costs for five years. Committee members realize that the Singapore plant, which has been operating for years, has already been amortized, and opening a new plant would require additional capital costs. That said, opening a new factory would also provide an opportunity to upgrade production equipment to more productive and energy-efficient alternatives. Questions: 1. What advantages and disadvantages does each potential location offer? 2. What other relevant factors that are not mentioned in this case study might play a role in this decision? 3. Why is transportation infrastructure so important in this decision? 4. This is a long-term, strategic decision; what factors might change in the next 10 to 20 years? How will this influence the decision? 5. Which alternative would you recommend, under which circumstances? † Case Study 7-1 Henry Coupe, the manager of a metropolitan branch office of the state department of motor vehicles, attempted to perform an analysis of the driver’s license renewal operations. Several steps were to be performed in the process. After examining the license renewal process, he identified the steps and associated times required to perform each step as shown in the following table. State Automobile License Renewals Process Times Step 1. Review renewal application for correctness 2. Process and record payment 3. Check file for violations and restrictions 4. Conduct eye test 5. Photograph applicant 6. Issue temporary license Average Time to Perform (seconds) 15 30 60 40 20 30 Coupe found that each step was assigned to a different person. Each application was a separate process in the sequence shown below. Coupe determined that his office should be prepared to accommodate the maximum demand of processing 120 renewal applicants per hour. He observed that the work was unevenly divided among the clerks, and the clerk who was responsible for checking violations tended to shortcut her task to keep up with the other clerks. Long lines built up during the maximum demand periods. Coupe also found that the Steps 1 to 4 were handled by general clerks who were each paid $12 per hour. Step 5 was performed by a photographer paid $16 per hour. (Branch offices were charged $10 per hour for each camera to perform photography. ) Step 6, issuing temporary licenses, was required by state policy to be handled by uniformed motor vehicle officers. Officers were paid $18 per hour, but could be assigned to any job except photography. A review of the jobs indicated that Step 1, reviewing the application for correctness, had to be performed before any other step could be taken. Similarly, Step 6, issuing temporary licenses, could not be performed until all the other steps were completed. Henry Coupe was under severe pressure to increase productivity and reduce costs, but he was also told by the regional director of the Department of Motor Vehicles that he had better accommodate the demand for renewals. Otherwise â€Å"heads would roll. † Questions: 1. What is the maximum number of applications per hour that can be handled by the present configuration of the process? 2. How many applications can be processed per hour if a second clerk is added to check for violations? 3. If the second clerk could be added anywhere (and not necessarily to check for violations, as in (2)), what is the maximum number of application the process can handle? What is the new configuration? 4. How would you suggest modifying the process in order to accommodate 120 applications per hour? What is the cost per application of this new configuration?

Outline and assess the main positions in the secularisation debate

Abstract This essay tackles the main positions of the secularisation debate. To begin with, this essay examines the ‘bottom up/demand-side’ theory of secularisation, which postulates that as societies go through the process of industrialisation, the religious values that underpin the societal fabric will inevitably erode as the citizenry become more impervious to spiritual pursuits. This essay also examines the importance of the ‘market’ approach to the theory of secularisation, arguing that the top down/supply side perspective is of fundamental significance in order to understand the persistence of religious practice in modern societies. Introduction The secularisation debate has acquired a growing influence in recent years, due to the onset of the postmodern age. Postmodernism posits that in the age of instantaneous communications and ubiquitous access to technology, rigid and fixed classifications pertaining to religion, class, gender and race have been significantly eroded. The main positions in the secularisation debate focus on two distinct approaches (Fitzgerald, 2000: 133). The first perspective that is postulated for examination relates to the ‘bottom up/demandside’ idea of secularisation. According to this view, as societies go through the process of industrialisation, the religious values that underpin the societal fabric will inevitably erode as the publics become more impervious to spiritual pursuits (Gauchet, 1999: 40). At the same time’, the ‘top down/supply side’ theory of secularisation, which highlights that the need for spirituality remains constant across national boundaries, p laces a great deal of emphasis on the role of religions institutions in maintaining adherence to theological principles. This essay will begin by charting the idea that secularisation responds to the gradual phasing out of religious values in modern societies. The second part of the essay will concentrate in the manner in which these values are permanently re-imposed on societies by religious leaders and organisation. Crucially, the second section of the essay highlights the importance of the ‘market’ approach to the theory of secularisation, arguing that the top down/supply side perspective is of fundamental significance in order to understand the persistence of religious practice in modern societies. The bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation The main view propounded by this theory of secularisation is that the advent of the scientific method and rational observation as a method to create societal improvement has shaken the theological foundations that were influential in shaping the evolution of the Western world (Gauchet, 1999: 45). The erosion of supernatural interpretations of the nature of the world has been a permanent cultural phenomenon in the Western world since the advent of the Enlightenment, with its emphasis on universal categorisation that could be subject to empirical observation and rational testability standards (Martin, 1993: 93). The rational template endorsed by industrialised societies rendered the theological claims imposed by the major religions incompatible with the needs of the existence of human collective that relied in an increasing manner on the benefits brought forward by technological advancement (Martin, 2005: 55). There was a gradual and consistent loss of religious faith in Western societ ies that ultimately resulted in the unravelling of theological practices and Church attendances (Martin, 1993: 97). In addition, this provoked a relative corrosion of the social and cultural meanings attached to religious identity, along with a move away from allegiance to political parties and organisations based on denominational values. According to this theory of secularisation, religious and scientific values are at loggerheads, with a constant undermining of Bible teachings by making reference to the Darwinian teachings put together in the theory of evolution (Martin, 1969: 25). The knowledge gained by society through scientific advancement and its application to technological improvements, coupled with the expansion of education opportunities, impacted on the cultural changes that were ushered in Western societies. It could be posited that the tenets of the Enlightenment undercut the metaphysical principles that were responsible for maintaining societal cohesion during the Middle Ages (Martin, 2005: 59). Thinkers like Max Weber stated that the onset of industrialisation and mass capitalism produced an environment of opinion conducive to reducing the idea of the supernatural to the domain of human rationality and subjected to the explanations taken from the hard sciences rather than making reference to metaphysical arguments (Gauchet, 1999: 49). The attainments made by Western societies in the sciences and the feats that took place in the realm of engineering and technology has emphasised the importance of subjecting nature to the control of man (Bruce, 2002: 59). These developments were responsible for a change of perception regarding the advent of personal tragedies and natural disasters on the part of a growing number of individuals, who started to regard those eventsin rational terms, instead of attributing them to mysterious forces outside the control of man. Accordingly, the intellectual authority held by religious ministers became just one of the sources of knowledge to be taken into account (Berger, 1969: 30). Their authority was put in direct competition with the people who displayed their professional expertise across many fields of study and who made use of the rational method. At the same time, the gradual separation between state and church that took place in many European nations and the United States, couple d with the emergence of bureaucratic apparati and modern political parties led to the discrediting of traditional religious institutions. The industrialisation of Western societies had attached to it a series of changes that impacted upon the ability of individuals to experience mystical experienced (Harris, 2005: 61). This includes the steep decline in communal life, the fragmentation between nature and man and the increased use of technology. It is worth mentioning that the interpretation put forward by Max Weber regarding the bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation is based on the effects that the Lutheran Reform and the industrial revolution had on the development of political and religious life in Western Europe and North American (Idinopulos and Wilson, 1998: 101). The idea of disenchantment with the world, as propounded by Weber, compelled individuals to seek salvation in the pursuit of material gain, hence eroding the very foundations of transcendental Christian thin king (Tremlett, 2009: 22). The growing importance of Rationalism was necessarily conducive to being sceptical about the existence of an omnipotent and omniscient God, ultimately resulting in the debunking of religion as a method of explain natural phenomena (Bruce, 2002: 67). It is also important to stress that a bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation can also be understood according the functionalist perspective underlined by Emile Durkheim (Durkheim, 1912, 1995: 73). The French sociologist identified the loss of functional purpose as one of the main reasons behind the erosion of the centrality of religion in the institutional make-up of modern societies (Norris, 2004: 130). This functionalist perspective highlights the idea that a scheme of theology does not just represent a system of beliefs about the nature of existence (Asad, 2003: 90). Instead, it is also a framework of actions concerning certain and certain rituals and symbolism that are performed to signpost the passage of time across the person’s natural lifespan (Durkheim, 1912, 1995: 30). These symbolisms were responsible for maintaining a high degree of social cohesion and stability, hence producing common goods that could be enjoyed by all members of society (Davie, 1994: 88). Conversely, the industrialisation Western European and North American societies generated the fragmentation of the social space by inducing process of technical differentiation that dispersed the sources of knowledge (Wilson, 1966: 76). The specialisation of knowledge production stripped the ecclesiastical authorities of the powers that they had in determining which epistemological approaches should be pursued and how the knowledge created was to be disseminated (McCutcheon, 2003: 119). In addition, all the charity organisations of Christian extraction that had for centuries been in charge of providing for the disenfranchised members of society were replaced by welfare states subsidised by government institutions (Bruce, 2002: 62). These events were the immediate result of the reappraisal of the role of religious doctrines and organisation. By the late nineteenth century, the doctrines and practices proposed by the Church were not deemed to be functional to the task of ensuring th e material welfare of the population (Tremlett, 2009: 19). Instead, the state had become a kind of secular god that had encroached into many areas of the lives of individuals (Berger, 1969: 147). This entailed that the role of religious institutions were strictly confined to the personal realm; in the public domain, the faith gradually ceased to become a powerful force in the shaping of the political evolution of the nation. The top up/supply side theory of secularisation The views exposed in the previous section can be juxtaposed to the perspective highlighted by the top up/supply side theory of secularisation. This perspective underlines the conditions brought about by the spread of religious freedom in contemporary societies, which led to a competitive environment in the market for religious adherents amongst theological organisations (Davie, 1994: 93). This view makes an analogy between theological organisations and business firms, all of which struggle in order to capture a growing segment of the market. The top up/supply side theory of secularisation postulates that the competition between different religious denominations has a positive impact on the preservation of religion as a vibrant force in society (Asad, 2003: 33). This approach explains the manner in which, for example, the level of religious adherence is larger in countries like the United States, where the different theological denomination are engaged in permanent competition in orde r to attract new adherents (Idinopulos and Wilson, 1998: 111). This theory puts forward the notion that an intense competition between the different denominations result in churches striving to keep a dynamic spiritual environment in their congregations, hence helping to retain the relevance of religion in their community (Harris, 2005: 58). In the United States, this has generated a situation in which the older denominations such as Lutherans, Catholics and Presbyterians are losing ground to the evangelical religious organisations. Whilst the evangelical movements demand a great deal of effort on the part of the would-be adherents, they also offer a more intense religious experience than the older denominations; which seems to be a determinant factor in attracting support for their cause (Asad, 1993: 145). Furthermore, the top up/supply side theory of secularisation posits that in cases where religious life is dominated by theological organisations that are directly subsidised by the state, the clergy seems to be less keen to engage with the community of believers, hence leading to the decay of spiritual life in their communities (Stark and Iannaccone, 1994: 232). This theoretical approach seems to replicate the idea that state-owned organisations, be them of an economic or religious nature, tend to be less innovative than private ones (Davie, 1994: 19). For example, in Northern Europe, the established Protestant churches are able to fend off the threat posed by other Christian denominations (Wilson, 1966: 58). This means that the clergy does not have to overexert itself in order to attract the attention of their would-be religious adherents (Asad, 2003: 14). Consequently, this led to a situation in which religious attendance declined in a significant manner, since the number of optio ns available in the spiritual market tends to be quite reduced (McCutcheon, 2003: 46). However, this does not explain the reasons behind the consistently high levels of religious attendance in Southern European and Latin American countries, in spite of the monopoly enjoyed by the Catholic Church (Martin, 1969: 28). It could be argued that a pluralist religious template as the basis for a high level of religious attendance represents a theoretical blueprint that can only be successfully applied to particular settings (Berger, 1969: 61). It would appear that many of the tenets espoused by this particular theory of secularisation are not based on a sound methodological framework (Harris, 2005: 55). To be sure, the idea of a competitive religious market as an instrument that allows countries to reverse religious decline can only be applied to the United States, which is a society that has traditionally been based around the development of communal life; strongly informed by religious v alues in order to connect individuals to their particular cultural and geographical setting (Asad, 1993: 66). At the same time, it has been argued that the level of religious attendance have remained quite consistent across the ages, which entails that there have been no substantial secularisation process as a result of the onset of modernity (McCutcheon, 2003: 48). In addition, it has been noted that the ‘market’ theory of religion can provide a sound basis for explaining overall trends in religious adherence (Stark, 1999: 249). In fact, in Western societies, periods of low attendance alternated with periods of higher levels of religious fervour (Idinopulos and Wilson, 1998: 98). It is therefore important to concede the possibility that the top up/supply side theory of secularisation may provide with a sound framework of reference in order to examine the level of religious adherence in across the ages (Stark, 1993: 389). It would appear that the postmodern condition do es not necessarily mar the possibility of a reconstitution of religious life along more fluid doctrinal lines (Stark, 1999: 260). This goes some way towards rebutting the assumptions put forward by the bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation (Wilson, 1966: 61). The ‘market’ interpretation of religious adherence may provide a better way of understanding the extent to which modern societies have been secularised (Wilson, 1966: 82). The dynamic interactions that take place in the social space give rise to the possibility of more fluid (and therefore more vibrant) religious denominational structures that may rehabilitate the spectrum of religious life in postmodern societies (Stark and Iannaccone, 1994: 231). It could be posited that this trend, directed from the top down and informed by a strong supply side approach borrowed from the field of economics, is ultimately a better way to understand the reasons behind the persistence of religious life in modern societies (Asad, 2003: 14). Conclusion By way of conclusion, it may be posited that the bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation provides with some interesting insights regarding the evolution of religious life in societies that have been affected by the process of industrialisation and modernisation, to be sure, the application of scientific methods of interpreting the nature of reality resulted in profound changes in the nature and extent of religious practice in Western European and North American societies (Berger, 1969: 77). The specialisation of technical knowledge production removed power from the religious authorities regarding the way in which knowledge was to be pursued, created and spread (Norris, 2004: 41). Moreover, the onset of modernisation and industrialisation gave the state a great deal of power in order to provide welfare provisions for its citizens, hence stripping the church institutions of their functional purpose (Fitzgerald, 2000: 122). Notwithstanding the validity of these arguments, they do not explain the persistence of religious attendance throughout the ages (Stark, 1993: 390). There seems to be an inherent human drive to seek the ultimate explanations of the nature of existence by referring to supernatural forces, which explains the resilience of religious practice across the ages. The postmodern condition has given rise to new forms of religious and spiritual practices that thrive thanks to the way in which they are able to utilise technology in order to fulfil their mission (Asad, 1993: 45). For all the reasons cited above, it could be concluded that the theory of secularisation fails to explain the continued interest shown by people in pursuing spiritual avenues for personal advancement; an interest that seems to be more vibrant than ever in the age of fluid doctrinal requirements for religious practice. Bibliography Asad, T. (1993) Genealogies of Religion, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD Asad, T. (2003) Formations of the Secular, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA Berger, P. (1969) The Sacred Canopy, Anchor Books, Garden City, NY Bruce, S. (2002) God is dead-Secularization in the West, Blackwell, Oxford Davie, G. (1994) Religion in Britain since 1945, Blackwell, Oxford Durkheim, E. (1912, 1995) The Elementary Formations of Religious Life, Free Press, New York, NY Fitzgerald, T. (2000) The Ideology of Religious Studies, Oxford University Press, Oxford Gauchet, M., (1999) The Disenchantment with the World, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ Harris, S. (2005) The End of Faith, Free Press, New York Idinopulos, T. and Wilson, B. (1998) What is ReligionOrigins, Definitions and Explanations, Brill, Boston Martin, D. (1993) A General Theory of Secularization, Gregg Revivals, Aldershot Martin, D., (1969) The Religious and the Secular, Routledge, London Martin, D. (2005) On Secularisation, Aldergate Publishing Company, Aldershot McCutcheon, R. (2003) The Discipline of Religion-Structure, Meaning, Rhetoric, Routledge, London Norris, P. (2004) Sacred and Secular, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Stark, R. and Iannaccone, L., A Supply Side Reinterpretation of the Secularization of Europe, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion ,Vol. 33, No. 3 (Sep., 1994), pp. 230-252 Stark, R., Europe’s Receptivity to New Religious Movements: Round Two, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec., 1993), pp. 389-397 Stark, R., Secularization, R.I.P. Source: Sociology of Religion, Vol. 60, No. 3, Autumn, 1999, pp. 249-273 Tremlett, P. F. (2009) Religion and the Discourse on Modernity, Continuum, New York Wilson, B. (1966) Religion in Secular Society, C. A. Watts, London

Essay the Matrix

The Matrix Plato believed that the world as we see it, is not real but a more illusion, a copy of the real world to be more precise. Take for example if you look at rose or at a woman and you think they are both beautiful, that's manifesting herself in those object, so the idea in this case pure beauty. So according to plato we are not really living in the real world, when we look at a rose or at a woman we are only seeing at a copy of real beauty. So when plato wrote about the cave, he said that man is chained in such a manner that they face only the shadows of anything that is passing by outside the cave.Because the man has only seen these shadows, he will take it as the real things. So if the man sees the shadow of a tree, because that's the only thing he has seen he will think it's a real tree. The only way to become unchained Plato thought, was to begin to see the real nature of things through the mind's eye. But Plato belived that no one could be taught, they had to see reality for themselves, at most they could only be directed by people who had already been there.Plato continues that when someone sees the real world for the first time, it will be to bright for the person and will be confused, but only after spending some time his mind like the eyes will adjust to the light. In the movie this is more or less what happens to Neo, he is trapped in an illusion, he thinks it's real because that's the only thing he has seen. He cannot be told what the matrix is he has to see it for himself, when he first sees it he cannot believe it, but eventually accepts it, and so forth.Both Plato's Cave and the Matrix play with the question are we awake? Both contend that humanity is asleep. Both Plato and the Matrix contend that given everyday world is illusionary. Plato because for him the real world are the form beyond the senses and everyday experience are just shadows on the cave wall. The Matrix presents an substratum a real world open rationing underground. And The prisoner who lives the cave, comes into the sun and their eyes are blinded by the light. The same can be seen when neo first came out of the matrix and said my eyes.I can't see. Another of the similitaries is that in the Cave is some Light, the fire which cast the shadows of the puppets on the walls. This Light can be seen as an small aspect of the sun, small aspect of the Truth. It can be said, that there is Truth beyond the illusion, as its source is the Light. The same in the Matrix, the source of the Matrix is in the real world, only difference is that people are the Light of the matrix since they created it. And was told that's because you have never used them before.Another similitaries is that in the Cave the prisoners never used their eyes truly, they were always in the darkness where they could not see behind themselves to see what was the source of the shadows, in fact their eyes were only adjusted/conditioned to the dimness of the Cave to the degree that when one of the prisoners left the cave and saw the outside their eyes were blinded, having never seen it before, or in the matrix having never used their eyes before. The other diference are that Matrix is more political than mystical as in Plato vision.The philosophical view of the nature of reality as seen in the matrix and the allegory of the cave are the Artificial Intelligence machines are the puppeteers, tricking the humans into believing the Matrix is actual reality. The humans that are imprisoned in the Matrix are like the prisoners in the cave. Neo is the prisoner that is freed from the cave into the true reality of the world. The Matrix is the cave, the real world is existence outside the cave. If i compare these views Descartes poses the question of how he can know with certainty that the world he experiences is not an illusion being forced upon him by an evil demon.He reasons since he believes in what he sees and feels while dreaming, he cannot trust his senses to tell him that he is n ot still dreaming. His senses cannot provide him with proof that the world even exists. Descartes’ evil demon is vividly realized in the Matrix films as the artificial intelligence that forces a virtual reality on humans. Just as Descartes realized that the sensations in his dreams were vivid enough to convince him the dreams were real, the humans who are plugged into the Matrix have no idea that their sensations are false, created artificially instead of arising from actual experiences.Until Neo is yanked from the Matrix, he, too, has no idea that his life is a virtual reality. Like Descartes, Neo eventually knows to take nothing at face value, and to question the existence of even those things, such as chairs, that seem most real. I think that the scenario that is shown in The matrix Could’t happen. because there cant be transported from one world to another through the phone, and cant be alive in two equal bodies in two places are just illucions that in real life ca n not pass never.

Quotations

A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of nation, long suppressed, finds utterance† -?Charlatan Nehru â€Å"India is the cradle Of human race, the birthplace Of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most constructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only† -Mark Twain Search where ever you may, you will not find a land as beautiful as this, she is the queen of all the lands.This land of my birth is my motherland – INDIA. Responsibility is the price of freedom-Charlatan Nehru May we think of freedom as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right. –Barack Obama Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. -? â€Å"Abraham Lincoln† â€Å"To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woma n. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man.If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman? † -? Mahatma Gandhi â€Å"Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red. Clive Barker â€Å"A state that does not educate and train women is like a man who only trains his right arm. † -?Jostles Guarder â€Å"When men are oppressed, it's a tragedy. When women are oppressed, it's tradition. † -Agnes Michael â€Å"A women is like a tea-bag, you never know how Strong it is, until its in hot water. † -Oscar Wiled â€Å"We cannot all succeed when all of us are held back† -Mall Yugoslav ia We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced- Mall YugoslaviaEducation is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world- Nelson Mandela A child without education is like a bird without wings-?Tibetan Proverb He who opens a school door closes a prison -Victor Hugo The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet -Aristotle So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health Laughter sparkles like a splash of water in sunlight Laughter is the sun that drives winter from human face – Victor Hugo aught is a tranquilizer with no side effects Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain.

Text - In - Context Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Text - In - Context Paper - Essay Example The protagonist lives an extremely squalid life upon arrival in England. This feature is revealed at the sharing of tiny rooms amongst numerous men. Feeding standards were entirely low. However, the men moved gradually from the room to get married. The story quotes, â€Å"Every now and then someone in the house moved out, to live with a woman whom his family back in Calcutta had determined he was to wed† (Lahiri 174). Iyer, Zare, Shankar and Cheung are major critics in literature. In their publications, they affirm the influence of Lahiri’s life experiences to her writing. The critics also qualify Lahiri’s work as a short story. â€Å"The Third and Final Continent† takes the form of a short story in prose fiction. This story features majorly immigrant families and individuals from India (Iyer and Zare, 42). Iyer and Zare reinforce this fact in his analysis and criticism of the story. Indian immigrants shared a uniform culture. As denoted previously, the me n moved out of the room to get married to women chosen by their families (Iyer and Zare, 42). They usually traveled back to their native home Calcutta to get married (Lahiri 174). This story is narrated in the first person voice. The protagonist expresses his journey and adversities from the onset of his journey from India to England and Britain. He suffers poverty in England after serving in a library. Subsequently, he travels back to India for his marriage processes. He obtains a wife and travels to America where he still lives under squalid conditions in Mrs. Croft’s room. As he lived in this place, he was waiting for his wife in India to obtain a green card. His wife eventually obtains a green card and joins him in America. The protagonist gets a better house to accommodate his wife. Throughout his stay in America, he was serving in a library at M.I.T (Lahiri 176). The protagonist nurtures his family in this foreign land. His son pursues higher education in Harvard Univer sity. At the culmination of the narration, the protagonist encourages his son by narrating his past encounters. He asserts that nothing should be impossible if he survived on three continents. This short story drives much influence from the lives of immigrants in foreign lands (Iyer and Zare, 44). Lahiri is a major voice in modern literature. However, a majority of her literary works may constitute ancient ideologies. She focuses on harmonizing the antique ideologies and thoughts with the recent happenings (Iyer and Zare 40). This author has a rich history and background. She was a daughter of Indian immigrants. Her father and mother upheld Indian principles and perspectives even after their settlement in America. Lahiri’s father served at a library in the University of Rhode Island. Her father oversaw her academic achievements from kindergarten to the tertiary level. She went to South Kingstown High School with the support of her parents. After graduating from Barnard Colleg e, she joined Boston University to further her course in Literature (Shankar and Cheung x). Shankar and Cheung are major literary critics that also reinforce the influence of Lahiri’s life experiences to her writing of the story. This history had a definite impact on the composition of â€Å"The Third and Final Continent.† Characterization borrows much from her background (Iyer and Zare, 40). There is an evident link of the protagonist and Lahiri’