AMAZON SWOT ANALYSIS Essay Example

AMAZON SWOT ANALYSIS Essay Example AMAZON SWOT ANALYSIS Essay AMAZON SWOT ANALYSIS Essay If these suppliers have problems, Amazon cannot supply products and services in an efficient way. Low margin products Amazons business foundation is low cost, which results in high growth in sales and market share, but also leads to a very low profit. Besides, free delivery can cause a negative effect on the profitability. Amazon operating margin stood at 0. 95%, while it was 20. 8% of eBay and 24% of Google ((eyelashes Fraud, 2013). Only online existence Amazon cannot give users the feeling of being touched and tried. Access to Amazons products is also limited to internet users. This means Amazon is ignoring a large umber of shopping customers 2. 3. OPPORTUNITIES E-commerce development customers get used to shopping online will bring more opportunities for the business. Online advertising Amazon has opportunities to take benefits of its reputation and huge customer database for placement of online ads. This can create significant profit like eBay or Google (about 85% of Googles revenues is from online advertising) (Sisyphus Fraud, 2013) Develop private brands With the existing advantages of reputation and systems worldwide, Amazon can save huge expenses in marketing when introducing new products. Launching its own brands will benefit Amazon both profit and image, Kindle is an example. 2. 4. THREATS Intense competition Amazon has many competitors in different industries like Wall-Mart, eBay or Google Moreover the enhanced technologies also increase competition because of convenient Internet facilities entry and easy shopping comparison. This may decrease the companys sales and profit. Government regulations The company depends on various regulations related to both general and internet business such as taxation, privacy, data protection, pricing, content, copyrights.

buy custom The Legacies of the Second World War essay

buy custom The Legacies of the Second World War essay Girls or the Slender Means tells of a life after war. It was around the year 1945 when the Second World War had just stopped. Many people had lost their belongings and they had to adapt to a new way of living. Things had changed drastically and this particular book, narrates a story about a group of girls who were of about thirty years and below. These girls were living in some remains of hostels that were left and were looking horrible after the explosions in the war. In the story, we are told about the physical outlook and all the new activities in city they lived in. The narrator tells of the ugly outlook of the city after bombings and shootings during the war. These girls now lived a life of survival due to all the destructions and many deaths including most probably those of their relatives i.e. parents and husbands. They had no place to call home and no one to call a parent or husband (Gob, 2008). As the writer describes the situation in the city where the girls lived, we can see how the place appeared like the ancient ruins with all rooms having their walls ripped off exposing everything from inside including the wall papers and, some had one side of the wall missing and lavatory chains hanging out from the roofs. There is a pace of stunning claim and sober retraction, which recurs throughout the building and in a bad state apart from being a less comfortable place to be in (Ishiguro, 1990). Apart from the girls, everyone else was also living a life of savaging due to the poverty that had spread all over London after the war. Many people lost jobs and businesses and there ware destructions of many main buildings where businesses contributing to the economy of a country like England would lead to the suffering of a huge number of people. That shows the picture of the city where the girls lived as the writer explained. Because of the destructions during the war, everyone who survived except a few people ended up poor but the majority of them were kind hearted. It, therefore, gives an account on the way people encountered a lot of problems and suffering due to the impacts or war. The girls went through the ordeals because they had to move away from their home to London to look for a means of survival. We are told of their love lives and how they managed to live in the hostels (Ishiguro, 1990). Muriel sparks story on the Girls of the slender means takes us back to the time after the world war two because, it shows the life lived by these particular girl. Compared to life of girls of their age in a stable country, it is evident that this city life is abnormal and uncomfortable. If it were not for the war, these girls would not be living such miserable lives. Generally, the story gives a detailed description of the frustrations of the people of Kensington after the World War II. The girls who were once close friends and lived normal lives in a peaceful community now have to look for a means to survive together. Due to the limited resources, which they shared, they quarreled at times and reconciled. They lived with disguised characters and they pretended that they were courageous but in the real sense, they were scared of what awaited them (Pinter, 1991). The size of their body did not lie very much on their means as in their semi- distinguished notions regarding their lives. Their situation before the war was a much usual and comfortable one where they could mingle, play around in girlish way and then it turned slowly into destruction and death. The past became a time to be missed and cherished, as the future was not promising anymore, as they had expected. The women and other people arund the city were also facing the same problems and what they did was going to determine their future. Some of the girls started experiencing tragedies like Joanna Childes death and many other calamities that befell the inhabitants around that area (Parkes, 2001). When we look at The remains Of the Day by Shizuo Ishiguro, the situation is that of desperation of a servant of a rich British politician who has so much influence in the country. This is the story telling us all about a butler in the Darlington hall whose name is Stevens. Stevens heads a dozen of servants in the hall and is an extremely loyal servant of Mr. Farraday. He is too loyal to an extent that he does not care about himself and his own life and relatives. He even fell in love with a woman and could not follow his heart because of his job. He did his job to perfection. Stevens admired Mr. Darlington all his life as he worked for him. He realized some of his faults later after the dead of his master and did not feel proud of himself, as he had done in the beginning. He realized he gave his whole life and time to Mr. Darlington, a man who later became responsible to the destruction of his country and even the entire world (Hawthome, 1993). The Remains or the Day according to Stevens means what next should happen in the remaining years of his life. He feels he accomplished something after working very well at Darlington hall after which he is satisfied and ready to start an even better life (Hochmuth, 2008). It really does not sound like Stevens working years were good or of any satisfaction in anyway. This is because he lost many opportunities in the name of work and it was also wrong to ignore the need of his father to be with him at the time of need. Stevens lost the love of his life to someone else because he had to work. It does not look like there were any achievements for him at all when he found out about that side of the story (Joshua, 2004). Stevens interpretations are less glorious as we discover all that he lost and could not achieve for the sake of being a good servant. The real material of this book is Stevens attempt to put his life together and start all over in pursuit happiness. The factual journey from Darlington hall the countryside in the West, is a story mechanism from dramatizing the more important journey that he makes at the level of consciousness. The writer points out his view by placing all the important achievements in the past, clarifying it only through recollections and assumptions (Fox, 2010). The text is seen as shaped by the legacies of the Second World War in the sense that, the two stories both have different relationships towards the time after the war. Both stories have occurrences that happened between the years of 1940s and 1950s. This shows they happened at a time just after the Second World War; this is because from the way everything is being narrated, the writer keeps mentioning the World War 2. As seen in the book titled the girls or the slender means, the narrator writes a clear perception of the hard times, which people underwent after the WW II. Therefore, it so obvious that the trends unfolding in both the story relate so much with the aftermath of world war two (Ishiguro, 1989). Focusing on the girls of the slender means, we can see that as we read the story, we come across many outcomes of the Second World War. The prominent effect is the destruction of the houses. From the descriptions of the remains of the building there, especially the hostel that girls lived in, it is said that it had turned to some kind of ruins and this gives a pperception of the need for freedom. The way the majority of the people existing at the time is that of kind hearted but poor. This portrays the severe economic disaster that is faced in relation to the outcome of the war. The two books generally talk about the broad changes that came about after the World War II, explaining about how the aftermath of the second world ward had affected the lives of the girls in Kensington and they did not appreciate anything that was brought about by the war. Contrary to that story, Stevens life also changed after the war, and according to him, it was for the better unlike the girls. Stevens wa s now working for a different person who was freer to an extent of letting him even drive his car. As much as Stevens was proud about his past life, he also believed that his future was more promising (Spark, 1998). The girls in the hostels and the people from their neighborhood on the other hand, had no reason to be happy at all. All they knew at that moment after the war was nothing but suffering and time-to-time tragedies they were facing. Therefore, the two books simulate the huge impacts during the post wartime, which came on different ways, with others experiencing promising lifestyles in future and others facing poverty and other forms of frustrations. This shows that after the World War II, there were effects all over the areas affected by war but they came in different forms whereby some people enjoyed the outcome and others really regretted it. The girls of the slender means shows how the people in Kensington were not even able to face the future as they dreaded it so much. They lived very miserable lives and they always meditated as they tried to imagine what the future held for them. Their greatest fear was the possibility of a worst future and they felt discouraged and became hopele ss. Getting the worst future meant that they might have had to face consequences of poverty, which could be diseases or deaths. Many were stressed up and everyone was just helpless (Edgecombe, 1990). Going back to the Remains Of The day, Stevens seemed more exited to face the life after the war, because he believed that he was now ready to start all over again after being a loyal servant for a good number of years. He knew that he had a chance to live an independent life and maybe he would be lucky and be a boss too, or even marry and have children. Nothing could change his mind about having a good future, as he was sure that a good life awaited him in the future. To him, that aftermath of the war had had a good impact in his life and he felt freer as a man. These two books display the big positive and negative impacts experienced by the end of the World War II, though in two different forms. There are those who at the end of the war brought agony and pain while there are those who experienced freedom and happiness (Ishiguro, 1990). In conclusion, the two writers have brought out an indication of what the past of a persons life does not reflect the future. The girls who are currently living in a dilapidated city once lived in good houses and a comfortable, hospitable environment. They had all the good things to enjoy in life and they did not imagine that their future could be ruined at one point. The memories of their good past lives remain to be a dream that may never come true. They just remember it with nostalgia but nothing could be reversed. It was all lost and for them, living was no longer an opportunity to enjoy but a time to worry for the future. On the other hand, Stevens past live has drastically changed and he has a reason to smile. He gets a better job and his dreams are yet to come true (Ishiguro, 1989). Buy custom The Legacies of the Second World War essay

END OF BUSINESS CYCLE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

END OF BUSINESS CYCLE - Essay Example Most economist believe that the country was in a recession as the country had posted two quarters of negative growth and was not anywhere close to the 2.5% or 3% growth it had achieved in the previous year 2000. The year 2007 ended with a 0.6% GDP as compared to 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. 2008 started with the 0.9% at the end of the 1st quarter. The last two quarters show no negative growth so technically the economy is not in a recession. The above table shows a slight increase in the GDP rate for the 1st quarter of 2008 as compared to the fourth in 2007. The marginal uptrend is the result of Government expenditure; exports and the positive trend in personal consumption expenditure .The last two quarters are a classic example when the economy is underutilizing its labor and capital. The economy is slowly shrinking away from its potential and this can lead to a recession. The Personal consumption expenditure though not negative has clearly failed to grow in the 1st quarter leading to inventory accumulation. This will force businesses to cut back on production in an effort to reduce inventories. Unemployment rises as workers are laid off and incomes reduce. This further brings down consumption spending, investment spending on machinery, and plant. Businesses adopt a pessimistic approach worried about future sales and demand.3 The above figures can be achieved only if more disposal income is available to the common person, which will in turn increase spending, and demand for goods and services. The forecast also rings bells of the steep rise required in the GDP during the forthcoming quarters of the year. 2. Pick two factors cited in the Economist article that you think will have the most impact on future business cycles Explain why they are important and whether you think they will contribute to more severe or less severe business cycles? We can divide the above-mentioned factors into two major categories Management factors

Resident in Singapore Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Resident in Singapore - Assignment Example Therefore, any individual who does not lie in the definition given or a company, in that case, is definitely a non-resident. (statutes.agc.gov.sg, 2007) The main difference between resident and non-resident individuals and companies comes in when the tax is subjected to them. This is as is explained. Individuals who are non-resident are liable to pay tax on the entire income that is sourced from Singapore but for situations where the income in question is exempted from taxation. Exempted income may include interest income that is gained from amounts deposited in a Singapore approved bank as stipulated in Section 13(1)(t). Any income derived from foreign by a non-resident individual in Singapore is not subject to tax as per Section 13(7A)(a). Non-resident individuals were charged tax on all income derived from Singapore at 20% in the year 2008. (Tan, 2009 p348) The taxation basis for resident and non-resident companies alike is the same from a generic point of view. The only differenc e is that some benefits are enjoyable by resident companies only like the benefits that arise from Double Taxation Agreements by Singapore and other nations. The partial exemptions of tax like lower effective rates of tax that are usually capped at the rate of 8.5% upon the first SOK of the profits that are subject to tax per annum of tax assessment. Tax-exempt dividends, as well as Goods and Services Tax, are other tax-exempt incomes that Singaporean Companies enjoy, unlike non-resident companies. (urbanaohio.org, 2009) Types of payment subjects to and exempted from withholding tax Withholding tax is a kind of tax where tax is deducted at source and it only applies to specific income types to both non-resident companies and individuals. The income in question should have been derived from Singapore and it must have been by non-resident persons either for work done or services provided in this nation. In the transaction case where a Singapore individual or company pays services to a non-resident, a portion of that payment has to be withheld and later handed over to IRAS- Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore. This withheld amount is known as withholding tax. This tax type does not, however, apply in any way to resident companies or individuals. Specific payment types are subject to withholding tax for companies that are non-resident. These are; firstly, fee, commission, and interest with regards to any indebtedness or loan. Here where a resident company/individual is liable to pay interest on unpaid trade accounts or on credit terms to a non-resident person who has supplied such or even a loan, here withholding tax is applicable. These kinds of payment attract withholding tax at 15% rate.

Human Trafficking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Trafficking - Research Paper Example According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), human trafficking is defined according to the nature and purpose of trafficking human beings. Hence, TVPA defines sex trafficking as an act where â€Å"a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age† (Department of States.., 2007, p.7). The TVPA defines other kinds of trafficking as â€Å"the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use offorce, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery†. In simple words, the victims of trafficking are forced to work by keeping them captive (Hart, 2009, p. 4). Forced labor is called trafficking even when a person is forced to work against his will in his own country. According to International Labor Organization (ILO), at a given time, around 12.3 million to 27 million people are the victim of "forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude" in different parts of the world. This shows that the racket of human trafficking is not only strong but is also widespread. The statistics also suggest that traffickers are not restricted to certain areas or countries. In fact, traffickers increase the vulnerability of the victims by trafficking them to the countries at the vast distance, where the victims feel alien due to a large barrier in language and culture.... In simple words, the victims of trafficking are forced to work by keeping them captive (Hart, 2009, p. 4). Forced labor is called trafficking even when a person is forced to work against his will in his own country. According to International Labor Organization (ILO), at a given time, around 12.3 million to 27 million people are victim of â€Å"forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude† in different parts of the world (Department of States.., 2007, p.8). This shows that the racket of human trafficking is not only strong, but is also wide spread. The statistics also suggest that traffickers are not restricted to certain areas or countries. In fact, traffickers increase the vulnerability of the victims by trafficking them to the countries at vast distance, where the victims feel alien due to a large barrier in language and culture (Department of States.., 2007, p.7). This further removes the chances of victims asking for help or support from people aro und them. In this way, traffickers use different methods to weaken the victims and make them feel vulnerable, bonded and slave at the hands of the traffickers and customers. Types Of Human Trafficking There are different types of human trafficking like bonded labor, involuntary servitude, domestic servitude, prostitution etc (Hart, 2009, p. 6). People who are victim of human trafficking are forced to work in various fields and farms to plant and harvest the crop (Hart, 2009, p. 6). Some are made to work in restaurants to do cleanup jobs (Hart, 2009, p. 6). Women and children are forced to work hard as domestic servant, either by torturing them physically and emotionally, or by promising them good pay and schooling (Hart, 2009, p. 6). They are made to

Feminism In Whartons Writings

Feminism In Whartons Writings Technically, feminism is defined as a political discourse aimed at equal rights and legal protection for women. Feminist criticism is a type of literary criticism, and can be defined as the study of literature by women, or the interpretation of any text written with an attention to gender dynamics or a focus on female characters  [2]  . The study may involve reevaluating women writers.  [3]  . Feminism is usually associated with female figures that stand up for womens equality and rights. Anti feminism is the opposition to feminism in some or all of its form and some male chauvinists are reckoned to be anti-feminists. Edith Wharton was claimed to be a feminist  [4]  especially after her novel, House of Mirth was published. This is due to her preference of emphasizing, either directly or figuratively, on the repression of women in her novels recurrently. Although her writings may have not gained popularity as feminism works like Virginia Woolfes, yet it is inevitable that Wharton is inclined towards producing fictions centered at the case of gender inequality. This is mainly because most of her writings somehow depict that women are downgraded in many aspects like family strata, social status, custom lifestyle and power as well as control. However, the later responses to her writings are more to only individuals perception with not much reference to her writings but the critics tend to associate the basis of her novels with her background. Edith Wharton once said this about the critical response to her writing: After all, one knows ones weak points so well that its rather bewildering to have the critics overlook them and invent others. The measure for feminism in literature depends on the literary approach of feminism by a writer. For this research, I will be using the feminist literature criticism to analyze the repression on women in Whartons fictions, and also to reevaluate Wharton as a feminist writer. I will be counterclaiming the consented belief that Wharton is a feminist literature and providing proofs that she might also be an anti-feminist. I have referred to four of Whartons novels; The Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, Summer and Ethan Frome; as the written texts and basis for my justification. My research will be based on three aspects or literary approach of feminism that can determine whether the writers are feminists or neutral; gender equality or opposed to gender stereotype, image of female characters as main characters or hero in the feats of women, culture or art created by women, use of neutral language in describing the characters, with close reference to the four written texts. Aspect 1 : Gender equality and opposed to gender role stereotypes and discrimination against women. In the society where Edith Wharton lived women did not fit into any creative or participant role. They were regarded as a supremely satisfying object of masculine possession. The male automatically became interested in parading the well-decked woman as his proud possession. As Judith H. Montgomery remarks: women began to be regarded. . as decorative playthings as dolls and idols (The American Galatea College English, 32, 8 (May 1971), 89 1). As dolls they were sought to be gilded, decorated and displayed, as idols they were treated as art objects and worshipped. Thus, this partly dictates the reason for Whartons texts inclination towards the issue of repressed women in the society since the women were stereotyped as only possession with no crucial significance in the society. The American society, to which Edith Wharton herself belonged, did not give equality to women in legal, economic and sexual matters. Every aspect of American culture conspired to foster such an unequal treatment. In The Age of Innocence, Countess Ellen Fonseka is seen as a lady who does not fully abide with the supposed role of a woman. This is due to her unusual habits of a lady and unconventionality in that society. Citing from the text, Mrs. Mingott said she had gone out ;which, on a day of such glaring light à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ seemed in itself an indelicate thing for a compromised woman to do. (page 24) Women during that particular era, cannot not go out unaccompanied, during daytime due to perception that women should be at home, taking care of the households, and should not wander around alone so they can raise up suspicions and apprehension over their where and what about. However, the text could also be translated as an advice or a concern by Edith Wharton over the safety of a woman if she is to be outside alone. As a compromised woman, Ellen Fonseka should not wander alone especially because she has separated from her husband, and her safety is now to Mrs Minggots concern. In fact, Wharton has never stated that woman should only be at home and forbidden to go out, or in any words, the freedom for women to walk about is not prohibited nor discriminated. In the House of Mirth, Lily Bart, the protagonist, is an object of beauty than a woman who should be loved. She is the product of a society with no socially acceptable means other than matrimony. Lilys mother considers her beauty as a weapon (chapter House, page 37) and Lawrence Seldon has been quoted asking Lily; Isnt marriage your vocation? (chapter House, page 11) Thus, it can be said that women are bound to the lifestyle provided to them by the society with no obvious choices. For this reason, few literature guides have agreed that Edith Wharton is obliquely suggesting vindication of womens status quo.  [5]   Nonetheless, the evidences in The Age of Innocence and House of Mirth do not provide sufficient justification for the claim. There are evidences that indicate that Wharton actually criticized the societys code of conduct, superficial values and double standard regarding marriage as a whole and not regarding the discrimination by the society against women. Marriage was indeed an obligation compulsory for every woman in the society especially after the adolescence year, hence the generations belief may not suggest that women ought to be stereotypically seen only as wives, but the act of marriage itself was a part of the societys lifestyle. In fact, until today, the act of marriage is still being practiced around the world, with no apparent discrimination against women. Besides that, it is generally accepted that marriage is a commitment pledged based on mutual respect and agreement from both genders; man and woman. For that reason marriage shall not be a vocation for only woman, but al so man. The society setting for the Age of Innocence is the late nineteenth century, and women indeed are marked by disapproval and ironic denunciation and often some are perceived as only the object of supreme beauty, and this can be seen through the characters of May Welland and Ellen Fonseka. However, in Whartons The Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, and Ethan Frome, most of the central female characters are more than a symbol a possession for men, and instead these characters are greatly loved and cared by the respective companion male characters. Thus, the question of feminism raised due to the common negative stereotype of a woman role, has been well compensated by Edith Wharton herself in the novels. I would like to cite an instance from The Age of Innocence, and in this novel, Archer Newland is clearly seen to be deeply in love with Countess Ellen Fonseka, a widow, despite he is then matrimonially attached to May Welland. The longing was within him day and night, an incessant, undefinable craving, like the sudden whim of a sick man for food or drink once tested and long since forgotten. (Chapter 23, page 189) From this excerpt, Wharton indirectly states that Ellen Fonseka is not a sole object of possession, instead Newland Archer does feel something deep for her, it could be infatuation or even love. Later in this novel, it is proven that Newland loves her but he feels he is bounded to be with May and the old decencies  [6]  he and his people had always believed in. But to love Ellen Fonseka was not to become a man like Leffertsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(she) is not like no other woman, he was like no other man; their situation, therefore, resembled no one elsesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Chapter 30, page 258) The whole text clearly depicts that women are appreciated and loved by men, and the act of wedlock fidelity by husbands is indecent, and for Archer Newlands case, decency triumphs over love, yet love for a woman can persist to a lifetime. Later in this novel, Wharton figuratively described the feeling that Newland cast for Ellen is not infatuation, thus, this indicates that Ellen is not an object of possession, and Wharton defies the stereotype amazingly by proving that rather than being a typical woman accustomed to discrimination, a woman can take reign over a mans heart without losing his respect, and women are not meant to be deprived. In the Age of Innocence, the upper class society perceives the act of divorce as something disgraceful and against the societys customs, especially if the wife is the one who asks for divorce. Countess Ellen Fonseka who opts for divorce after she has learnt his husbands infidelity, receives negative discernment from the public. Citing form the text, Everybody knew that the Countess Olenska was no longer in the good graces of her family. Even her devoted champion, old Mrs Manson Mingott, had been unable to defend her refusal to return to her husband. (Chapter 26 : 220) Based on this excerpt, although Mrs Manson Minggot comes from the family of a high social stratum, yet she herself is unable to do anything over Olenskas decision to annul her marriage. Another instance from the text, After all, a young womans place was under her husbands roof, especially when she had left it in her husbands roof, especially when she had left it in circumstances that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ well à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ if one had cared to look into themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Chapter 26 : 220) Nonetheless, the societys attitude towards the annulment of marriage as described by Edith Wharton cannot be used as the ground to support the claim that Wharton is a feminist writer. Whartons view through Newland Archers dialogue, Our ideas about marriage and divorce are particularly old-fashioned. Our legislation favours divorce our social customs dont. (Chapter 12 ; page 93) From the dialogue, Edith Wharton had made the point that only the custom forbids the act of divorce while it is actually legally appropriate to be done. Hence, the evidence that females are discriminated by the society since they should not be asking and opting for divorce cannot be justified. Again, Wharton may had intended to criticize on the societys code of conduct, and in fact there is no other evidences in Whartons text (House of Mirth and Ethan Frome) that has clearly stated the prejudice towards women in the act of divorce. Aspect 2 : Dedication of image of the female as a hero or central character in fiction, and in the physiques and feats of female. Female as a hero or central character in fiction Heroic character is defined as character in literature, art or culture who is bounded with positive behaviors and characteristics, and even considered as the protagonist character. A common characteristic of feminist literature is the detailed portrayal of women with great positive values in the novels, as well as women written as the main, protagonist characters in the fictions. In most of Whartons novels, female characters are often seen to be equipped with decent attitudes, great perseverance, and the ability to adapt themselves to the demanding and often poor environment in best possible manners  [7]  . This is achieved with the successful help of womens intelligent decision making and analytical mind. In the Age of Innocence, the character of Ellen Fonseka is depicted as a woman of unconventionality due to her lack of concern for social rules and etiquette. This makes her a target of malicious tongues, but a heroine of dispossessed. In the novel The Age of Innocence, the character of Ellen Fonseka lives in the heart and mind of Newland Archers character throughout the novel. Even 26 years after Ellen Fonsekas departure to Europe, Newland keeps the memories of him with Fonseka. Hence, it can be seen that the central or main character in The Age of Innocence is Countess Ellen Fonseka. The heroine in the House of Mirth, Lily Barth is an intelligent woman and adept at playing societys games. The overall conflict of social expectation and personal desire in the novel House of Mirth basically revolve around the characterization of Lily Barth. It is made clear from the beginning of the book that Lily Barth was raised in the midst of luxury, and expects herself to be married to man of upper social class. Edith Wharton described the appearances and behaviours of Barth in detail, and overall, the novel itself was even described  [8]  as a novel about New York socialite, Lily Barth, attempting to secure a husband and place in rich society. Therefore, the readers and literature professionals agree that Lily Barth is the central character of the House of Mirth. Nonetheless, Whartons preference on female gender as the central characters in her writings cannot justify the claim that Edith Wharton is a literature feminist. This is because the measure of the heroic or central characters is subjective to the readers. In the Age of Innocence, the character of Newland Archer also portrays the heroic or central character in this novel. Although Ellen Fonsekas character remains etched in Newlands thoughts and memories, yet the appearances of Newland Archer are more continuous in the novel and the role of Newlands character is more significant than that of Ellen Fonsekas. Moreover, Newland Archers character appears at each chapter and consistently remained active and spoken about by Wharton. Besides that, Newland is the character who has to bear with the most conflicts, whether the internal or the external ones. In the Age of Innocence, Newland Archers character is emotionally attached to Ellen Fonseka while at the same time he is matrimonially committed to May Welland. Newland Archer casts the feeling of love towards Ellen Fonseka, but he still decides to marry May Welland. Ellen Fonseka responds to Archers confession of love, I cant go back now to that other way of thinking. I cant love you unless I give you up. (Chapter 18, page 145) The incident was made more difficult by the arrival of the telegram from Welland to Ellen Fonseka, in which May Welland tells about her parents approval to move forward her wedding date to Archer. Following this incident, Aspect 4 : Usage of gender-bias or sexist language ` For instance, in The Age of Innocence, Archer entirely approved of family solidarity, and of the qualities he most admired in the Mingotts was their resolute championship of the few black sheep that their blameless stock had producedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (but) he did not think the Mingotts would have tried it on! (chapter 2, page 10) It in the above excerpt refers to Mingotts decision to bring along Countess Olenska to the opera when Archers engagement to May Welland is about to be announced within a few weeks. From this excerpt anyway, Wharton uses the term black sheep to indicate the family members that could bring humiliation to the Mingott. Since the word few is used, it can be supposed that there could be more characters rather than Ellen Fonseka only, who exude unconventionality to the public. Hence, it is unfair to say that widows or women are discriminated in the Mingott family, when the term black sheep is neutral to any black sheep of different gender, and the emphasize on Ellen to bring about humiliation is only because of that particular moment where Archer Newland is getting married to May Welland and it looks improper for a black sheep to be seen with a family of upper class.

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Elie Wiesel was born in Sighet, Transylvania (later known as Romania) on September 30, 1928. Elie focused on Jewish religious studies before being relocated to Nazi death camps in WWII. Wiesel survived; he eventually began to write about his experiences in his memoir Night. He became an activist, orator and teacher. He spoke out against persecution and injustice. People should look at what Elie Wiesel and many other Jews went through just to be able to live in this world. The people living now should be appreciative of everything that is given and more. No one understands such a dreadful experience as the Holocaust without shifting in the way you were before. In Night, a memoir by Elie Wiesel, the author defines his suffering at the hands of Nazis. Taken with his family in 1944, they were directed to Auschwitz to come before the dishonorable selection. There, Elie parted from his mom and sister leaving him with his father who was too busy to spend any time with his son before the camp. Being under the Nazis' control, Elie and his father moved to several camps. The Nazi command â€Å"deprived Elie...of the desire to live..., which murdered his God and soul and turned my dreams to dust† (32). Preceding to the war, Elie lived an extremely spiritual and blameless life. Elie controlled a very strong curiosity in Jewish beliefs. At such a young age, Elie followed the Jewish faith with a vigor unusual for his age; his father kept him grounded in a world of reason. Even as Elie's freedoms vanished, he still maintained a sense of faith as a crutch. This also shows how Elie still was a child at the time, not aware that the Germans could try to eradicate an entire race. Ellie did not have an inkling of the horrors that lay before him and how they... ...ce out of the camp he "Spent his days in a total idleness. And I had but one desire to eat. [He] no longer thought of his father or mother"(107). The war left him crushed for life without any attachments to reality or sympathy for his family; he had cried his last tears. Following the camp, Elie only existed as a body wanting basic necessities without a soul or passion. The Holocaust changed Elie from a religious child to a mindless body who lost all innocence at age when he "Was fifteen years old"(96). The flames of the furnaces and the noose on the necks of fellow prisoners stole that desire from him and all the prisoners leaving empty bodies to work for the Nazi regime. Such horrors forced any man to abandon his passions if he wished to survive to the next day. The effect the war had on the Jews makes the claims of Holocaust deniers incredibly ignorant and cruel.

Fatalistic World View Essay

I do think there are a large number of people who have a fatalist world view, though they might not even be aware of it. It seems to be the growing trend in the United States that a lot of people think even if there is a God he doesn’t have anything to do with them, or they only think about it in times of trouble like foxhole prayers. There also appears to be a large number of secularists, which is kind of a spin-off of fatalism, and they believe in nothing other than man’s ability to endure and overcome problems. I remember before I became a Christian I would never think about God or pray or go to church only when my life was falling apart would I think about God, and that was usually to blame him. Anytime I would start thinking about God or try to attend church I would get extremely uncomfortable. I realize now that was because the closer I drew to God the more my shortcomings were exposed not just to others but also to myself. That reality kept me running from God for many years until I had nowhere else to turn. I believe that is why there are so many with a fatalistic view of life because until self-sufficiency runs out, and our unaided human will fail us completely many people will not honestly seek God’s salvation or help. It is my prayer that fatalist and secularist alike would like me come to see their need for God’s salvation and help in their everyday life.

Sarah Mapps Douglass and the Anti-Slavery Movement

Sarah Mapps Douglass and the Anti-Slavery Movement Known for:  her work in educating African American youth in Philadelphia, and for her active role in antislavery work, both in her city and nationallyOccupation:  educator, abolitionistDates:  September 9, 1806 - September 8, 1882Also known as:  Sarah Douglass Background and Family Mother: Grace Bustill, milliner, daughter of Cyrus Bustill, a prominent Philadelphia African AmericanFather: Robert Douglass, Sr., hairdresser and businessmanHusband: William Douglass (married 1855, widowed 1861) Biography Born in Philadelphia in 1806, Sarah Mapps Douglass was born into an African American family of some prominence and economic comfort.  Her mother was a Quaker and raised her daughter in that tradition. Sarah’s maternal grandfather had been an early member of the Free African Society, a philanthropic organization. Though some Quakers were advocates of racial equality, and many abolitionists were Quakers, many white Quakers were for separation of the races and expressed their racial prejudices freely.  Sarah herself dressed in Quaker style, and had friends among white Quakers, but she was outspoken in her criticism of the prejudice that she found in the sect. Sarah was educated mostly at home in her younger years. When Sarah was 13 years old, her mother and a wealthy African American businessman of Philadelphia, James Forten, founded a school to educate the African American children of the city.  Ã‚  Sarah was educated in that school. She got a job teaching in New York City, but returned to Philadelphia to lead the school in Philadelphia.  She also helped to found a Female Literary Society, one of many in a movement in many Northern cities to encourage self-improvement, including reading and writing.  These societies, in a commitment to equal rights, were often incubators for organized protest and activism, as well. Antislavery Movement Sarah Mapps Douglass was also becoming active in the growing abolitionist movement. In 1831, she had helped raise money in support of William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator. She and her mother were among those women who, in 1833, founded the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society.  This organization became a focus of her activism for most of the rest of her life. The organization included both black and white women, working together to educate themselves and others, both through reading and listening to speakers, and to promote action to end slavery, including petition drives and boycotts. In Quaker and anti-slavery circles, she met Lucretia Mott and they became friends. She became quite close to the abolitionist sisters, Sarah Grimkà © and Angelina Grimkà ©. We know from the records of the proceedings that she played a significant role in national antislavery conventions in 1837, 1838 and 1839. Teaching In 1833, Sarah Mapps Douglass founded her own school for African American girls in 1833.  The Society took over her school in 1838, and she remained its headmaster.  In 1840 she took back control of the school herself. She closed it in 1852, instead  of going to work for a project of the Quakers – for whom she had less rancor than earlier - the Institute for Colored Youth. When Douglass’ mother died in 1842, it fell on her to take care of the house for her father and brothers. Marriage In 1855, Sarah Mapps Douglass married William Douglass, who had first proposed marriage the year before.  She became stepmother to his nine children he was raising after the death of his first wife.  William Douglass was the rector at St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church.  During their marriage, which seems not to have been particularly happy, she limited her antislavery work and teaching, but returned to that work after his death in 1861. Medicine and Health Beginning in 1853, Douglass had begun studying medicine and health, and took some of the basic courses at the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania as their first African American student. She also studied at the Ladies’ Institute of Pennsylvania Medical University.  She used her training to teach and lecture on hygiene, anatomy and health to African American women, an opportunity which, after her marriage, was considered more proper than it would have been if she had not been married. During and after the Civil War, Douglass continued her teaching at the Institute for Colored Youth, and also promoted the cause of southern freedmen and freedwomen, through lectures and fund-raising. Last Years Sarah Mapps Douglass retired from teaching in 1877, and at the same time discontinued her training in medical topics.  She died in Philadelphia in 1882. She asked that her family, after her death, destroy all her correspondence, and also all of her lectures on medical topics.  But letters which she had sent to others are preserved in the collections of her correspondents, so we are not without such primary documentation of her life and thoughts.

For Family and Friends Essay Example

For Family and Friends Essay Example For Family and Friends Essay For Family and Friends Essay We all know that thanksgiving isn’t only about the food. It is also about the things you are thankful for having in life. I am so thankful for family, friends, and nature. These things are all I need. I am thankful to have what everybody has, needs, or wants. Life wouldn’t be the same without it. My life is perfect right now thanks to my family, friends, and nature. The first thing I am thankful for is having my family. They are always here for me. Where every I am, whatever I do, and whatever things I get myself into. My family is the number one thing in my life. They come before anything else. If I didn’t have them, I don’t know where I would be now. I have two older sisters, one older brother, and one younger brother. I enjoy them around me a lot. They make my day when it is down. They know exactly when something is wrong with me. I also have two older brother-in-laws and one older sister-in-law. My sister-in-law is really nice to me. She gets me everything I need. My second older sister has a daughter. She is so cute. She makes my day also because the thing she does is really funny. : I really love my family more than anything. The second thing I am thankful for is having friends at school. When I am down at school, they don’t know, but still manage to put a smile on my face or make me laugh. I also like hanging out with them to get everything out of my head. When I’m with them, all I think about is how fun it is to be around them. I only have close friends. I don’t have any best friends. The thing I love most about having good friends is that I know they have my back where ever and whenever. I will always go to my friends if I am down. I love my friends. The third thing I am thankful for is nature. Without nature I wouldn’t be born. I appreciate everything in life. I like how everything in this universe is so nice. I like how we can breathe the air we breathe. I really don’t like how people aren’t thankful to have such a place to live on. They throw trash on the floor. They waste water. They do all the stuff that harms nature. I don’t litter. I don’t waste water. I really care about our planet because I think it might be the only one we will have. I think people should learn how to recycle and throw their own trash away and maybe sometimes help pick up trash. I am really thankful to have nature. So there are a lot more things I am thankful for but these are the top three reasons I am thankful for most. These are important to me because they bare almost everything I have and I would hate to lose them. Life wouldn’t be the same without these three topics. Maybe you are thankful for the same reason as I am, but we’ll never know. You should write an essay stating the things you are thankful for.

Is Religion The Controlled Manipulation Of Humanity's Potential To Essay

Is Religion The Controlled Manipulation Of Humanity's Potential To Freely Enter A Relationship With The Transcendent - Essay Example This has in turn resulted into an establishment of transcendental diplomacy in many societies. It is worth pointing out that this type of diplomacy is not founded on ‘power’. As a result, the elements and compounds involved happen to be not a part of ‘power’. Through all the centuries, there exist some slight efforts to fully comprehend this subject matter (Thomas 264). In present time, human beings are yet to decide if they are ready to establish such type of transcendental diplomacy. It will be a long time since we are capable of approaching this end. In all probability, it will take certain individuals to get to this end who happen to have developed evolutionary changes towards such kind of thoughts. With such kind of high expectation, this might happen only if human beings succeed in embracing and taking advantage of science and technology. It is through this that they will be capable of bringing changes to their own body and mind. The result will be a s trengthened transcendental attribute towards them, while been able to grow seeds of improved human beings. Besides, the subject matter has to correspond to the materialization of their expectations in the distant future. There is a belief among all religions that they will be able to achieve transcendental attributes while the messengers appointed while be able to achieve the fore mentioned goals. There has been an order of divine prophets, teachers, and guardians from Adam, Moses, and Jesus to Muhammad. Their presence in the present time is still felt and will continue till the end of time. Additionally, in different times and places, the achievements of their divine manifestations will be enhanced. These divine manifestations will happen to be apostles with divine sense of authority (Thomas 264). Consequently, all these religions will successively lean on the same procession towards transcendence and flawlessness. With many courses of human endeavors to conform within social laws and regulations, the efforts of these prophets and teachers happen to be more noticeable. The messenger (savior) of Christianity happens to be a perfect manifestation of all former religious thoughts and sophisticated inheritance of laws and regulations from previous religions. In the end this happens to be the turning point of this evolution. Disappointed through some wrongful commentaries and interpretations have been made by the so called religious scholars. The valuable commandments have been distorted to the extent that some preachers have been heard insinuating that religions have been decorated and distorted to the extent that if one was to go back a century he won’t be able to recognize his own religion. Christianity point of view to some problems happens to be consistent and integrated, with learned individuals tends to believe that accurate Christianity laws are similar to scientific laws and should stay unchangeable. It should be noted that these same laws were cre ated on the same basis of humankind nature and thus should be compatible with all state and behavior of individuals (Thomas 264). Nonetheless, religious jurists tend to note on the fundamental principles of religions in a detailed manner. In addition, these notes have been the main reason behind the introduction of various decisions in religions and the reason behind their existing differences. Recent jurisprudential methods among various sections of Catholics and Protestants and the mode of reasoning of canon lawyers related to the above sects with regards to reasonability of their sources happen to be quite different. This is the

Substance Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Substance - Term Paper Example Before discussing Descartes’ Proofs for God’s existence, it is necessary to discuss first his theory of ideas and causes. Ideas have three main features. First, where they come from, what kind of reality they have, and what they refer to. Under the first feature, Descartes enumerates three kinds of ideas, namely, innate, factitious and adventitious. Descartes defines innate ideas as those with which we are born with and which are self-evident to reason. An example here is mathematical ideas. Factitious ideas on the other hand are inventions of our imagination. An example here is mermaids, unicorns, and the like. And adventitious ideas are those which are based on sense perceptions. They come to us externally, which nature seem to suggest to us, and come despite our will. Under the second feature, Descartes defines these having an actual or formal reality. Herein, for as long as our mind can conceive of it clearly and distinctly, they exist â€Å"actually† in my m ind. And under the third feature, Descartes claims that they possess â€Å"objective reality† i.e. they refer to objects which exist externally to us. Furthermore, Descartes claims that only innate and adventitious ideas possess objective reality, and that in order for something to exist, they must possess both actual and formal reality, as well as objective reality. Moreover, Descartes defines an idea as an effect of causes. ... Given as such, let us take a look at Descartes’ proofs for the existence of God. First Argument The first argument he proposes is based on this theory of ideas and causes, as well as his doctrine of innate ideas. The argument goes as follows: 1. By definition, ideas are the effects of causes 2. There must be as much reality in the cause to that of its effect 3. Something cannot come from nothing 4. Something more perfect cannot come from something less perfect 5. X has a clear and distinct idea of God as a perfect being 6. Since ideas are effects of causes, then something must have caused X having such an idea 7. Since there must be as much reality in the cause to that of its effect, and since something less perfect cannot come from some thing more perfect, then God exists as the only possible cause for X’s idea of God as a perfect being, because 8. God exists as the only possible cause for X’s idea of God as a perfect being for, something cannot come from nothin g. Furthermore, Descartes backs up his argument using his doctrine of innate ideas, which claims that God imprinted this idea, of a perfect being, in us from the moment we were born. So God must be the cause of X’s idea of God. And X’s idea of God originates from God alone. For, â€Å"having proven that God exists, God would not deceive us in what is self evident to reason He has given us† (Lavine 105). 9. Therefore, God exists Objection to the First Argument Based on Descartes first argument for the existence of God, it seems that it does not suffice to prove that God exists. For, it is possible that another person, other than God, is the cause of X’s having an