The Death Penalty Essay Example for Free

The Death Penalty Essay The death penalty is an interwoven controversy. The law is supposed to bring together the basic principles and purposes of society, including the recognition and protection of individual rights to life, liberty, and the security of people and property. The two separate groups of norms that are woven into the death penalty are desirable social principles and respectable moral principles. The death penalty has shown itself to be an ineffective punishment, due to the fact that, it is an immoral and anti-social practice in today’s society. It does not and will not uphold any of the basic principles that are the basis of the law in this country. This country desires revenge, and that is why we have the death penalty. Do not let people fool you with words such as justice and deterrence, because the death penalty serves neither of these purposes. The fact is, the death penalty is not a deterrent of crime, as the death penalty has been proven not to deter crime. The death penalty cannot be called moral, because taking another human life in such a fashion is not moral. Also, there is always the risk that an innocent man’s life may be taken. Now I ask you, is taking an innocent mans life moral. The discriminate way the death penalty is given to minorities is not a socially acceptable occurrence, especially in today’ s society. Last of all, the death penalty is an uneconomical practice, and wastes valuable social resources in a steady stream of court costs that seem never-ending. When you look at all these circumstances combined, it is futile to argue for the death penalty. The facts shown stand against it. In the end, the death penalty looks to be nothing but legalized murder, and there is no other solution but to execute the death penalty once and for all. Any punishment should contribute to the reduction of crime; accordingly, the punishment for a crime should not be so idle a threat or so slight a deprivation that it has no deterrent or incapacitative effects. Most of all, it certainly should not contribute to an increase in crime.(Bedau 259) Does the death penalty really deter crime. The death penalty lobby wants you to believe the answer to that question is yes. But, in fact, it is a resounding no. there is a wide consensus among Americans top criminologists that the death penalty does, or can do, little to reduce rates of criminal violence. The United States is the only Western nation that still allows the death penalty, and we also have one of the highest crime rates. During the 1980s, the death penalty states averaged an annual rate of 7.5 criminal homicides per 100,000, while abolition states averaged a rate of 7.4 per 100,000. That means that murders were actually more common in states with the death penalty. Also, in a nationwide survey of police chiefs and sheriffs, capital punishment was ranked last as a way of reducing violent crime. Only twenty-six percent thought that the death penalty significantly reduces the number of homicides. There is no hard evidence that proves the death penalty has a deterrent effect on criminal violence. Governor William Weld of Massachusetts bolsters his belief of the deterrent effect of the death penalty with data from his gut. Also, Ken Nunneley, an Alabama assistant attorney general in charge of the states capital litigation division, obtains his data from the same source. My gut tells me it has a deterrent, let me put it that way. Whether or not the or use of the death penalty is, has been, or could be a deterrent to homicide is a huge question that can not be on the basis of gut feelings. In the following research project, Michael L. Radelet and Ronald L. Akers sent out questionnaires to seventy former presidents from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, American Society of Criminology, and the Law and Society Association. The presidents were asked to answer some general questions on the basis of your knowledge of the literature and research in criminology.The questions asked were relating to deterrence issues. When asked if they believe or feel that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder or that it lowers the murder rate. Among the sixty-four that responded to the questions, fifty-six or 87.5 percent believe the death penalty does not have a deterrent effect on possible murderers or murder rates. These results chip away at the most important justification for the death penalty.(RadeletAkers 2-3) I believe the reason the death penalty is not a deterrent, is because murderers do not examine risk/reward charts before they kill someone. If a criminal was in a rational state of mind, life imprisonment should be enough to deter them. The fact is, most criminals are not in a rational state of mind. Besides, no criminal commits a crime if he believes he will be caught. There are many moral arguments against the death penalty, that should make us think twice about our reasons for supporting it. The first is the execution of innocent people. As former Supreme Court justice Harry Blackmun said,the execution of an innocent person comes perilously close to simple murder. In fact, it is simple, and one of the most awful aspects of capital punishment. It is impossible to calculate the risk that an innocent person will be executed, but the risk is not zero, as the record of convicted, sentenced, and executed innocents shows. Since 1900, twenty-three people who we now know to be innocent have been murdered by the state. Three hundred and fifty people have been found not guilty while in death row awaiting execution. Yet, the death penalty lobby continues to support this slaughter of innocent people. The second argument is, does the government have the right to kill? Of course we all know the government has the right to self defense, such as, a policeman firing on an armed and dangerous criminal feeling on an armed and dangerous criminal. If we apply the same standards to civilians that we have for the government. A civilian has the right to shoot an intruder as he is entering his home. What if the civilian catches the intruder, incapacitates him, and has him under his control, then shooting the intruder would be considered murder. That is what capital punishment is simple murder. The next argument that I would like to address is, is there a difference between state killing and murder? The end result is the same; one more dead body, one more set of grieving parents, and one more cemetery plot. Every time we execute someone, we send a very confusing message to the American people about the value of human life. Every time we allow an execution, we as a society sink to the same level as the common killer. the people of the United states have blood on their hands, and it will stay there until we end this horrid practice. The final moral argument is that the death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment. It is torture to keep someone locked up when they know they are waiting to be killed. To paraphrase Camus, there is no equal retribution unless the convicted felon imprisoned his victim for years, and everyday informed him the date of his death. Also, the methods of executing people have all been found to be excessively cruel. It often takes ten minutes or more for a felon to die in the electric chair. The only methods that is known not to be painful is lethal injection, about which we know very little. The death penalty is full of many abuses, but the most obvious is racial abuse. A 1990 report released by the federal governments General Accounting Office found a pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing, and imposition of the death penalty. Professor David Baldus examined sentencing patterns in Georgia in the 1970s. After reviewing over 2,500 homicide cases in that state, controlling for nonracial factors, he concluded that a person acaccused of killing a white was 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a person accused of killing a black. Also, Stanford Law Review published a study that found similar patterns of racial disparity, based on the race of the victim, in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Virginia. For example, in Arkansas, findings showed that defendants is a case involving a white victim were three and a half times more likely to be sentenced to death; in Illinois, four times; in North Carolina, 4.4 times; and in Mississippi, five times more likely to be sentenced to death than defendants convicted of killing blacks. The death penalty is not now, nor ever has been, a more economical alternative to life imprisonment, said Spangenberg and Walsh in an article in the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review. A study by the NY State Defenders Association showed that the cost of capital trial alone is more than double the cost of life imprisonment. In Maryland, a comparison of capital trial costs with and without the death penalty for the years 1979-1984 concluded that a death penalty case costs approximately forty-two percent more than a case resulting in a non-death sentence, according to the federal governments Accounting Office. In 1988 and 1989 the Kansas legislature voted Against reinstating the death penalty after it was informed that reintroduction would involve a first year cost of more than eleven million dollars. All these facts summed up show that the death penalty is not for America. All it does is bring down our morale and our dignity. It shows that we have no respect for human life, just like murderers. I hope that someone will read my essay and put the death penalty to sleep for good.

Fluctuating Present Value Of A Cash Flow Finance Essay

Fluctuating Present Value Of A Cash Flow Finance Essay Answer: A cash flow stream is a series of cash receipt and payments over the life of an investment. It is the inflow and outflow of cash, which matters in practice. It is the cash, which a firm can invest, or pay to creditors to discharge its obligations, or distribute to shareholders as dividends. The assets are the items which are owned by the business. The level of interest rates arising in the capital market is associated with the cash flows `and the assets , when the rates increases , the availability of the funds decreases. As a result when the interest rates increase in the capital market, the obligation increases which leads to decrease in the availability of funds to invest in the investments. The present value of cash flow is equal to the sum of the present value of individual cash flows. The equation for present value of cash flow stream is as follows- PV= Where, PV=present value r= rate of interest t= the year n= the last year, where the cash flow occurs Interest rate is the rate at the interest is paid by the lender to the borrower for use of money by the borrowers from the lenders. So, the rise in the interest rates , the availability of cash flows streams due to higher rate of interest , the present value of cash flow streams will decline. 2. List and explain the points of financial impact on a company if it raises the credit standards required of its customers who utilized trade credit offered by the company. Answer: Credit standards are the criteria to decide the types of customers to whom goods could be sold on credit. If the firm has more slow-paying customers, its investments in accounts receivable will increase. Trade credit refers to the credit that a customer gets from providers of goods in the normal flow of business. In practice, the buying firms do not have to pay cash immediately for the purchase made .This deferral of payments is a short term financing called trade firms. The credit standard policy has significant impact on the financial condition of a company-The following are the financial impact on a company due to rise in credit standard . Decrease in credit sales- A rise in credit standards will have a limit on the buyers who will borrow from the company and as a result the sales will decrease as most of the buying firms do not pay cash immediately. This will lower the sales of the company leading to less in revenue generation. Decrease the demand-The rise in credit standards will lower the demand by the buyers which will lead to decrease in demand and decrease in revenue earning. Relatively faster average collection period- A rise in credit standards will make the average collection period relatively faster for the new customers leading to better collection process and increase in volume of cash in inflow. Prompt in collection by existing customers- The rise in standard will pull the collection by the existing customers and make the payments from them prompt and on time. Better return on investment- The rise in credit standards will lead to better return on investments made and credit allowed will be selected as the customers will be prompt in payments and the selection of the customers will be limited. 3. Define Weighted Average Cost of Capital and explain why a company must earn at least its Weighted Average Cost of Capital on new investments. What are the financial implications if it does not? Answer:- Weighted average cost of capital is organisations the calculation of cost of capital where each category of capital is proportionally weighted .A firm obtains capital from various sources due to the risk differences and contractual agreements between the firms and the investors, the cost of capital of each source of capital differs The cost of capital of each source of capital is component source of capital. The component costs are combined according to the weight of each component capital to obtain average cost of capital. The combined cost of all source of capital is called overall cost which also known as weighted average cost of capital. Thus, it is the overall return that firm must earn on its existing business operation in order to maintain or increase the current value of current stock. A company must earn at least weighted average cost of capital in new investments. By taking weighted average, the interest to be paid by the company for a investment is calculated. Wei ghted average cost of capital is the expected rate of return, weighted by proportion each to the overall financial structure. The minimum rate of return on the new investments must be earned so as not to reduce the shareholders. A firm should earn at least its average weighted rate on capital investment in its assets the weighted average cost of capital is used a discount rate to calculate the present value of the of a specific investment. If the firm does not earn the least average weighted cost of capital in its new investments, the firm will incur loss in that new investment, and so it should discontinue or should not invest further. The average weighted cost of capital is the minimum expected rate of return from an investment, so it should be calculated first and then the decision for the investment should be made. 4.As a corporation what are the benefits and ramifications of using convertible debt to finance a publicly traded company? As an investor what are the benefits and ramifications of purchasing convertible debt in a publicly traded company? Are there any conflicts between the goals of the investor and the goals of the corporation? Answer:- Convertible debt are the debts like bonds and debentures with an option to convert it into common stock in future date. The following are the benefits and ramifications of using convertible debt to finance a publicly traded company:- Attractions for the investors:-convertible debts will attract investors by providing safety of debt along with the option to convert it into common stock in future. The investors will lend money to the company with the view that the company will make regular interest payments and the return of capital. If the company achieves growth in future and the stock value increases, the investors has the option to convert it into common stock. Lesser fixed-rate borrowing cost-Convertible debt will allow the issuers to issue the debts at lower cost. Increase in total debt gearing -The convertible debt will increase the total amount of debt level in the company .It will provide additional funding to the company which will be beneficial to the issuers. Financing option- The convertible debts are good financing option for start up companies as equity shares pose a challenge for them. As the convertible debts carry low interest payments by the company, while remaining competitive. Fixed limited income- The convertible debt holders obtains fixed limited income until its conversion and it will benefit the company because more of operating income is available for the common stock holders. Voting solution is deferred- With the convertible debts, the voting rights of existing shareholders happens only on eventual conversion of debts. Ramifications of convertible debts to company- There are some complications for issuers as well .First one , is that financing with convertible debts draws the risk of debasing not only the EPS of its common stock, but also the control of the organisation. If a heavy part of the issue is purchased by one buyer, like investment banking company or insurance company, conversion will change over or take over the voting control from original owners of the company and toward the converters. This issue may not be a significant matter for bigger companies with millions of stock holders, but for the small company, it will be a real and important consideration. Due prominent use of debt will adversely affect a companys capability to finance operations in clips of economic downturn. If the company faces any downfall, it will experience great trouble in raising capital further. The following are the advantages and ramifications to the investors.- Safer investment -The convertible debts are the safer investment compared to buying common stock with returns They are less explosive than stocks and their value can only come down to a price where the yield would be equal to a non-convertible bond of the same terms. Strong protection- The convertible debts provide strong protection to the investors in the times of market fluctuations and at the same time providing periodic returns. Interest payments-The convertible debt holders have a right on the receiving of interest and periodic returns in spite of any downturn in the market. Larger claim on companys assets Convertible bond holders have a larger claim on the assets of the company as compared to the shareholders in case of collapse. More protection from economic downtrend- The convertible debt holder will have a gain during the economic downtrend due the option of conversion into equity shares. As a result, the market stock of share stocks will increase with market prices dissimilar for the debts where the interest rates are fixed. This means that bond holders will gain as during inflation because his money looses value more. Ramification to the investors- Convertible debts could have complication in the view that the debt holder will be obtaining considerably lower yield to maturity in comparison to the non-convertibles. But it is only a worry when the issuers equity does not gain the upward price predictions that would make taking the lower grant speculation worthy. Finally, the ability for predictions are reduced to a great extend when a call provision is bonded to the convertible bond. This will limits the upside and will let the debt holder to declare their debt at a discount to market. The goals of an investors towards the convertible debts is to invest in debts at lower cost and gain fixed returns whereas the goal of a issuing company is to achieve higher operating income with lower borrowing cost. 5) Which two of the six methods used to evaluate projects, and to decide whether or not they should be accepted, do you prefer as a financial manager?   Explain why you decided on these two and not the other four. List the perceived deficiencies of the four not selected. The six methods which are used to evaluate projects, and to decide whether or not they should be accepted are as follows:- Investment decisions for a project evaluation postulate special aide due to the following reasons The projects influence the long term growth of the firm. The decision for a project will affect the risk factor of the firm Evaluation of the project is an important tool as it involves commitment of large amount of finances or stocks They are one of the most difficult conclusions to arrive at. The six methods are as follows:- Accounting rate of return (ARR) Internal rate of return (IRR) Net Present Value (NPV) Payback Period Profitability index Modified Internal rate of return Accounting rate of return ARR is also referred as Return on investment (ROI), as it uses the information of accounting revealed by the financial statements, to measure the gainfulness of an investment. The calculation of ARR involves the ratio of the average tax after profit divided by the average investment done Disadvantages: it can be calculated in a lot of ways profit is not a good alternate option for cash flow adjustment is not considered to calculate the time value of money Impulsive break-off date Contrary decisions can be made. Net Present Value NPV is the method of measuring the investment proposals. It is the discounted cash flow technique that explicitly acknowledges the time value for money. It rightly takes that cash flow coming up from various time periods differ in values and are comparable only when their corresponding present values are taken out. Advantages Says if the finances invested will increase the firms value Takes into account all the cash flows Takes into account the time value of money Takes the risk of future cash flows. Profitability Index The profitability Index is the ratio of present value of cash influxes to the initial of cash outlay of investment at a required rate of return Advantages Says if the finances invested can increase the firms value Takes into account all cash flows of the project Takes the time value of money Takes the risk of future cash flows Provide ranking and selection of projects when capital is rationed out. Internal Rate of Return (IRR) IRR is the way of DCF(Discounted Cash Flow), which takes into consideration the intensity and timing of cash inflows and outflows. The concept of IRR is quite simple to understand in the case of a one-period project. Disadvantages It needs to have a projection of the COC (Cost of Capital) to make a decision The given value-maximizing decision when used to compare mutually exclusive projects may not give the proper decision The given value-maximizing decision when used to choose any projects when there is capital rationing may not give the proper decisions Its not useful in the situations in which sign of cash flows for a project changes more than once during the life of the project. Payback Payback is the number of years needed to retrieve the original cash expenditure invested in a project. If the project yields constant annual cash influxes, the computation of payback period is carried out by dividing cash outlays by the annual cash influxes. Disadvantages 1) the decision criteria is not that concrete to show if an investment increases the firms value 2) Refuses the cash flows beyond the payback period 3) Refuses the time value of money 4) Refuses the risk of future cash flows I will take into consideration the Net present value and the profitability index for the consideration of two of the techniques for the project which will be undertaken due to the advantages which has been described above. I dint find much disadvantages in those methods and so I have given the advantages of those two methods which will be taken under consideration by me, the other methods I dint find of much worth in respect to evaluation for the concerned project as they have less advantages and more disadvantages and so I have written the same above for them. 6.What are the benefits and costs of placing a financially troubled company into a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy proceeding? Is this a legitimate and ethical vehicle for management to use for the benefit of the companys stakeholders? A)   Bankruptcy is a legal process for financial debtors who seek to eliminate their debts. Bankruptcys governs the federal statutory law which is there in the Title 11 of the U.S. Code. It provides for federal procedures of statutes and courts which objects the debtors to put their financial matters under the hold of the bankruptcy court. Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Chapter 11 bankruptcy says to restructure a business under some kind of supervision, rather getting liquidated because the business will still be functioning, but in case of a whole new different circumstances, the benefits of the retirement may or may not be ceased. Protection Benefits Federal law entitles a person to get pensions with some protection. When an employee announces himself to be bankrupt, finances for pensions are not to be utilized for the repayment to creditors. Also, all the retirement benefits you have earned being an employee will not be enforced to him. Federal Insurance The federal government assures standard and effective retirement plans. Any employer who cannot fund Federal government will fund temporarily. This type of insurance is not eligible for 401(k) plans. Chapter 11 Bankruptcy is the most costly anatomy of Bankruptcy in respect to average cost front. It is the most expensive form of bankruptcy and the small businesses should also take this into consideration before filling the bankruptcy. It is expensive as it involves two separate elements which are debt repayment plan and reorganization plan a. The reorganization plan means the person has to convince the court and the debtors that you can put in profit very soon which should be detailed and supported by proper research wherein you have to show a budget through which you need to assess how you are going to pay your creditors in the next several years. Its a process wherein you have to negotiate the same with the creditors and the court. A minimum of $15,000 have to be paid if there is no disputes and expensive attorneys over your reorganization plan but for Chapter 11 bankruptcy it will exceed to $ 100,000 and also this amount can vary depending upon the attorneys and disputes filed by the creditors. I understand that its not an ethical and legitimate step for the stakeholders but when there is no words to express the matter in concern and already the things have gone wrong and worse there can be few things which, if kept in mind can at least fetch some benefits for the stakeholders Filling in Court This is the first way when you can file in the court for a recovery notice wherein you owe the creditors and attorneys that you will come up with the company in a stipulated years of time and also by paying a fees for the time being just to show a courtesy to the creditors and the attorneys. Cost Minimization In this approach, an effort to minimize the cost of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy can be exercised while it may not work in most cases. The matters can be sorted out with the help of an attorney a fee agreement which would imply that most of the paper work preparation planning and filling must be carried out by the concerned person and he would simply pay his attorney to act as a legal coach in case of any need or questions. Most of the attorneys may not accept this type of payment agreement due to the complexity of plan of Chapter 11. Warning The rate of success in Chapter 11 bankruptcies is exceedingly low, which means that a very small percentage of reorganization plans will actually obtain approval from the court. As without the approval the plan will be worthless. There will be higher chance of spending lot of money and putting together a plan along with creditors negotiation and attending to win approval from the court, but this could be a failure too.

Importance of Human Interaction in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily

Importance of Human Interaction in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily Are human beings responsible for the well being of others that they come into contact with? William Faulkner's story "A Rose for Emily" considers the significance that human interaction has or does not have on people's lives. Faulkner creatively uses a shocking ending to cause readers to reevaluate their own interactions with others in their lives. Throughout the story, Faulkner uses characters that may relate to the readers more than they want to admit. Homer Barron, the construction worker from the North, and the residents of Jefferson are used to expose the opportunities, although different, they are afforded to affect the life of Emily Grierson, who is the town's recluse. Faulkner offers Homer and the townspeople opportunities to affect Emily's life, and the story tells how these humans react to Emily and her situation. Ultimately, Homer and the townspeople choose not to intervene, and thus the devastation of Emily's life is inevitable. First, before human interaction can occur, an emotional response has to be provoked. Faulkner uses human curiosity to provide the opportunities that Homer and the residents of Jefferson will have to affect Emily's life. At one time, all people would have wanted to be included in the same social class to which Emily and her father belonged. Just as in Faulkner's own life, the Civil War changed life in the South forever. Emily is now a misplaced icon as industry has taken over her street, and the once-beautiful house is decaying and oddly out of place among the garages and the machines. Faulkner refers to Emily's house as "an eyesore among eyesores." Like her house, Emily has fallen out of grace, and the townspeople ... ...d leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair." So desperate for human contact, Emily has been sleeping next to a dead man's body. No one in the whole town had the slightest human insight to see this lady's predicament of needing human contact. Faulkner could be drawing attention to the proximity of a desperate person in the reader's life and could be questioning whether or not the reader will react once he acknowledges the need. The world needs more human interactions that overcome fear, hatred, and death. If curiosity evokes action and if this action produces guidance, not necessarily conformity, then human beings truly can have a significant effect on others' lives. Works Cited: Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." Collected Stories of William Faulkner. New York: Random House, 1950.

The Renaissance and Humanism Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Pape

The Renaissance and Humanism You may wonder about, "The Renaissance" and its relationship to another term, "humanism" which fits into the same time period. If you check the dictionary, you will find that both terms can be used in a broad sense or more specifically. Humanism refers generally to a "devotion to the humanities: literary culture." (My definitions come from Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary). According to that definition we should all be humanists. The other general meaning is the one that disturbs the fundamentalists who attack secular humanism: "a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; especially a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason." This definition places human beings at the center of the universe, capable of finding their way by human reason without the help of a supernatural God. It comes under attack from two sides--on one hand by those who defend religious values, on the other by some members of the scientific community who see humans as a kind of accident in a world without purpose. Humanism can also refer to a specific happening in history: "the revival of classical letters, individualistic and critical spirit, and emphasis on secular concerns characteristic of the Renaissance." The phrase "characteristic of the Renaissance" shows how ambivalent is the relationship between the two terms, humanism and Renaissance. In other words, which term is the broader, encompassing the other? We associate both with the revival or rebirth of Greco-Roman civilization. Both have been broadened to include more than that. The more specific meaning of the Renaissa... ...oser to Erasmus' position. Perhaps Mennonites have tended to teach grace and live by works. Grierson suggests that Spenser's Fairie Queene comes closest to the spirit of Luther because of its emphasis on grace whereas Milton's Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained reminds us of Erasmas--of the responsibility of humankind to make "a new earth" (26). In conclusion, I believe that each generation must examine the conflict (real or imagined) between the "desire for amusement" and religion, for the answers are neither simple nor abstract. Each "renaissance" period requires a reworking of our responses. Works Cited Abrams, M. H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol I. 5th Ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1986. Grierson, Herbert. Cross-Currents in 17th Century English Literature: The World, he Flesh, and the Spirit. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1958.

Albee and Williams Use of Virility in Their Plays Essay -- Literary A

The sexual dominance of male characters over their female counterparts in the plays establishes their superiority and control. Both playwrights suggest that a degree of personal status is acquired by sexually dominate women. The rape scene shows Stanley’s use of power sexually through rage and strength, used to illustrate his final defeat of Blanche and establish himself as ‘King’ of his territory, ‘limited to expressing basic desire’ . ‘Since earliest manhood†¦ his life has been pleasure with women... giving and taking of it... with power and pride’. It is a power he can achieve over women that they cannot over him. ‘Let’s have some rough house! [He springs towards her, overturning the table. She cries out... he picks up her inert figure†¦ carries her to the bed]’. The use of stage directions portrays Blanche’s passivity, and gives the audience a better understanding of how the event empowers Stanley ; also the enjambment, ‘Don’t you come towards me another step or I’ll-‘, intensifies Blanche’s lack of power comparatively with Stanley’s. Similarly Albee shows men’s power through the ability to overpower; George asserts ‘I’d take you by force, right here on the living room rug.’ It is telling that at the end of the play he takes her to bed, after destroying her illusion. Albee also uses sexuality as a tool for battle, Martha says ‘I was necking with one of the guests’ in an attempt to antagonise her husband; his nonchalant response undermines her quest for power, ‘... Good... Good you go right on’. Women show a submission to the power of men, even Blanche admits that maybe Stanley is what they need to ‘Mix with [their] blood’, whereas she treats Mitch with contempt, rolling her eyeballs when he can’t see and ridiculing him in ... ... http://www.gradesaver.com/a-streetcar-named-desire/study-guide/major-themes/ (accessed October 2010). Harold Bloom, K Harvey. Dark Humour. Infobase Publishing, 2010. Kolin, Philip C. Tennesse Williams: A guild to resear and performance. USA, 1998. Oxford Dictonary . Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1989. Roudane, Matthew. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: Towards the Marrow. Shmoop Univeristy, inc. . Shmoop. 2010. http://www.shmoop.com/afraid-of-virginia-woolf/ (accessed October 2010). Shmoop University, Inc. Shmoop. 2010. http://www.shmoop.com/streetcar-named-desire/ (accessed October 2010). Small., Brustein 10 Quotation. Robert C. New York, USA: Penguin Group, 2004. Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. London, Great Britain: Methuen Student Edition, 1984. —. A Streetcar Named Desire. London, Great Britain : Secker & Warburg Ltd., 1984.

EBooks vs. Traditional Books Essay

I have compared and contrasted eBooks and traditional books. There are many similarities on these different kinds of books as well as many differences. Reading is one of the most important things that have an impact on people’s life. Technology now has also made an impact on books. Now there are e-readers like: kindle, nook, and IPad. The first kind of book is the EBooks. There are many positive things about the e Books. E Books are very useful for traveling, it doesn’t take much space, or it doesn’t weigh much. Some EBooks also have backlight to help them when there isn’t much light. EBooks are also efficient like their battery can lasts for more than 10 days. EBooks also allow the readers to format the fonts and size of the text. The second kind of book is the Traditional Books. Traditional books are available in libraries and bookstores, most of the time you can even read there because they are very quiet. Readers pick up books and are able to visualize how close they are to conquering those books, and how far they have come in doing so. Even after you have finished reading the book you can get profit out of it by selling it. You also don’t have to carry around an electronic device that you might get damaged with watch as to traditional books they pages only get wrinkled. A book seems so worthless compared to an EBook, but it has its own advantages. A book that is on a shelf would last longer than an EBook, for an e-reader’s battery will eventually run out, and the books that were saved in your device may get lost. A paper book is not as fragile as an e-reader, if you drop an e-reader it may get more severely damaged than a paper book. A paper book’s cover attracts customers with visual appeal, and the feeling of the paper itself and flipping the page is something that only paper books have. The designs of paper books tend to make them look beautiful too. Paper books remain readable for many years, but e-books will keep develop as technology develops; so you have to frequently replace it. Some paper books also have more value than e-books,  especially historical books. Despised all the differences, there are similarities between paper books and e-books. One similarity is that both paper books and e-books purpose is to give knowledge and entertain readers. Another similarity is that both books have variety of books that you could choose and read. They also transmit the author’s message to the readers. You will never get tired of reading. Paper books and e-books/e-readers are both beneficial and they are useful in different times. You don’t have to worry about weight or space when you are traveling with e-readers, but the paper books give you physical appeal. So maybe e-books are better for travelers and paper books for collectors. People usually store paper books, instead of e-books in archives. Books were and will always be part of our daily life.

Meaning of the term secular

In addition to this, the essay will address the debate of Indian's secularity. A brief history of Religion will be addressed, with reference to the work of E. B. Taylor, Emilee Druthers and Karl Marx. Some other questions which will be answered are why do sociologists study Religion', What role does Religion Play in the society', and ‘How does religion work to maintain solidarity among members of a society. ‘†Religion has convinced people that there's an Invisible man living In the sky. Who watches everything you do every minute of every day.And the Invisible man has a list will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time† (Carline, n. D. ). Hardball's and Healed, in Sociology: Themes and Perspectives, have explicitly stated that supernatural beliefs exist in all societies, including the primitive societies. Robertson states that religion â€Å"refers to the existence of supernatural beings which have a governing effect on life. This definition takes into account the fact that religion is not only a belief in the existence of supernatural elements, but also that these elements exert some degree of control over the lives of the people. The nineteenth century saw a rise in the study of religion as scholars began to question the origin and evolution of the same. Sociologists drew analogies based on Darning's Evolutionary Theory – they tried to trace the evolution of society and social institutions. Focusing on the work done by E. B.Taylor, the theory of Animism was an important contribution to the study of religion. Taylor believed that animism was the earliest form of religion. It refers to the belief in spirits. According to him, in order to make sense of events such as life after death or the composition of dreams, early philosophers conjured up the idea of the soul. The soul, in simple words, is a s pirit which is present in the body and gives it life. Once the idea of spirits was invented, it was applied not Just to man, but also animals and man-made objects.Thus â€Å"religion, in the form of animism, originated to satisfy man's intellectual nature, to meet his need to make sense of death, dreams and visions. † (Hardball's, Sociology: Themes and Perspectives, 1981) Sacred and Profane are two terms presented by Emilee Druthers in The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, and are the most instrumental elucidation of religion from a functional perspective. He stated that all societies divide the world into two disagrees, biz. , sacred and profane, and that religion is based upon this division (Hardball's, Sociology: Themes and Perspectives, 1981).Sacred refers to everything that is considered ‘Holy' by the people of the society. All sacred elements are treated with respect and are revered. The sacred element is a symbol- it is representative of something. However, the term sacred does not only apply to supernatural elements such as God or Angels. The term encompasses all elements in the society, tangible or non-tangible, that are considered holy. Thus a tree, rock, stone, etc. , may be considered sacred by a certain group of people. Profane covers all the elements of the society which, in simple terms, are not considered holy.This distinction formed the basis for Deuterium's analysis of religion. Based on his studies on Australian tribes, he developed the term totemic. He regards totemic as the most basic form of religion. A totem is a symbol, usually an animal or a plant, which is sacred to the tribe. For instance, in tribal India, the Gongs have a goat clan whose members look upon the goat as their totem because a goat which had been pilfered by their ancestors for sacrifice turned into a pig when the theft was discovered and thus paved the thieves from punishment.Like all functionalists, Druthers argued that social life would be impossible wi thout the presence of shared values and beliefs which form the ‘collective conscience'. This implied that without a collective conscience there would be chaos in the society. He thus stated that religion Religion has been defined with reference to the sacred rather than God because this makes social comparison easier. For instance, certain sects of Buddhism do not engage in a belief in God (Scott & Marshall, 1994). A contrasting view is observed in the Marxist theory.Karl Marx, the founder of the unionism, blatantly stated that religion is a farce- merely a crutch for the people, who look towards it to find inner peace and solace. He took this a step further and said that religion adds to the development of a false consciousness among the worker class, giving them the strength to cope with their exploitation, in hope of gaining a fruitful life after death, as a reward for their suffering. So, the workers view their exploitation as a natural order of life, and do not challenge their masters.Thus Marx called religion the ‘opium of the masses', holding it responsible for the exploitation of the workers by the capitalists. Various theories have been presented in order to understand religion better. The theories discussed above are only basics of the sociology of religion. The study of religion dates back to over a century, and there have been innumerable contributions to the field. The analysis of religion is a difficult and complex one, it requires increased knowledge of various social phenomena. In addition to this, I must emphasize on the necessity of subjectivity and neutrality in the study of religion.A researcher must not be biased against the particular religion or religions he/she is tidying. The researcher should assume a neutral attitude towards the research subject because his personal biases may affect the results and his conclusions. Therefore, it is important to note that sociologists study religion to understand how it affects the functi oning of society, and not to prove or disprove any of the doctrines. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Going back in history, to the Vivid period in India, Hinduism is considered to be the oldest religion which originated in northern India.Hinduism was the predominant religion during ancient India, and is responsible for shaping most of the classical and odder culture of India. Through the course of time, India faced a number of invasions from different directions, which consequently brought new and different cultures to India. These cultures consisted of different forms of art and literature, architecture, and especially religion. Every successful invasion of India brought along a wave of immigrants who, over a period of time, were accepted into the Indian society.This acceptance of different cultures led to extravagant changes in the Indian way of life. India is often regarded as the religiously most diverse nation to exist in the world. Contributing to around 17. 5% of the world's population( Census, 2011), India is home to a number of religions like Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, to name a few. In fact, some of the major World Religions, like Jansenism and Buddhism, originated in India. The East India Company was instrumental in the rise of Christianity in India.Initially, the Company's government did not allow Christian missionaries to operate in the nation, however, this ban was lifted according to the Charter Act of 1813 – the licensed missionaries were allowed to operate. This Act further assisted the spread of Christianity throughout India. Tate, India has seen the growth and development of major religions over the past decades. As discussed earlier, the countless number of invasions introduced new religions into India. Major religions such as Islam, Judaism and Christianity were propagated in this way.Statistics indicate the Hinduism is the third-largest religious community in the world after Christianity and Islam (PIT, 2012). Narrowing the field down t o India, Hinduism is the religion of the majority, and Christianity and Islam constitute the largest minority religions in the nation. According to the Census of India, 2001, of the total population 80. % are Hindus while Muslims comprise 13. 4 % and Christians 2. 3 % respectively. Roughly 828 million are Hindus while Muslims are approximately 138 million out of Indian's total population of about 1,029 million. Sikhs account for 1. Per cent of the total population. The share of Buddhists, Gains and other religions are 0. 8 %, 0. 4 % and 0. 6 % respectively (Sensualist, 2011). While writing the article Why India is not a secular state', Omar Khalid's', reinforces his argument that India is not a secular state in totality. The Oxford English Dictionary defines secular as something that is ‘ not connected with religious or spiritual matters'. So a secular state would imply a separation or distinction of the state from all religious matters. All affairs of the state would be carri ed out without any religious interference.This means that the state or government should not promote any religious groups or organizations. In this context, the constitution makers of India incorporated the word secular in the Constitution, but there have been innumerable arguments on whether ‘secular' is Just a word on paper, or whether secularism has actually been applied and adopted as a practice in India. Khalid's' has highlighted five areas where secularism has failed to come up to its expectations. As per the constitution, â€Å"Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Gain or Buddhist religion† (India C. O. , 1949).The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 applies,- (a) to any person who is a Hindu by religion in any of its forms or developments, including a Irishman, a Eliminating or a follower of the Brahms, Parthian or Array Assam; (b) to any person who is a Buddhist, Gain or Sikh by religion, and (c) to any other person domicile d in the territories to which this Act extends who is onto Muslim, Christian, Paris or Jew by religion, unless it is proved that any such errors would not have been governed by the Hindu law or by any custom or usage as part of that law in respect of any of the matters dealt with herein if this Act had not been passed. Act 25 of 1955) This means that officially there is no such thing as a Buddhist, Gain, or Sikh marriage, which is an additional endeavor to refuse other religions an idiosyncratic identity and absorb them into the Hindu category. The Office of the Registrar General that conducts the decennial census enumerates anyone who is not a Christian, Muslim or Paris as Hindu. (Khalid's, 2009) The freedom of religion is granted under Article 25 (1), of the Constitution.However, a Since then approximately seven state legislatures have agreed upon laws strictly putting a ceiling on conversions from Hinduism to other religions while aiding conversions to Hinduism. Christianity has been under constant fire for a long time now. These challenges that Christianity is faced with will be discussed in course of this essay. Thus we see certain legislative discriminations based on religion. Another area discussed by Khalid's is the Employment sector.He says that Article 16 (2) of the constitution prohibits discrimination in public employment based on religion, but there have been innumerable cases of discrimination. In a classic example where the Hindu culture has been infused in the Indian culture, the ban on beef took away the means of livelihood of a multitude of butchers and also the cheapest source of proteins for the poor. Agreed, the cow is sacred to the upper class Hindus, but this is not true for the Christians, Dalais and other groups. So we see another case of discrimination within the culture with a religious basis.India witnessed multiple massacres which were supported by the state, biz. , of Sikhs in 1984 and of Muslims in 2002. In both cases, the indivi duals in the highest position of the Executive branch of he government Justified the riots, namely, Rajah Gandhi after the assassination of his mother, and Neared Mood after the train was attacked in Godard killing 58 people. It is true that the plasticization of religion has been occurring, and innumerable legislations have been affected by this. Various political parties in India have been affiliated with different religions.Former Maharajah's Governor and Member of Parliament P C Alexander observed that plasticization of religion, caste and fragmentation of our society were posing a threat to national integration (NUN, 2007). Taking into consideration the fact that political parties have been flaunting their own religions, it is possible to say that these religious promotions by politicians have an adverse effect because they are indirectly encouraging communism. Followers of different parties may turn against each other and this may lead to communal riots.Khalid's hard-hitting o bservations were concluded with a final note- â€Å"For all these five reasons, India is not a secular state. It is in fact the defender of Hindu dharma. † (Khalid's, 2009) Turning the spotlight on Christianity in India, the first attempt to introduce the elision was seen when SST. Thomas visited India and was brought to the court of Gunpersons. As Stephen Neil has elucidated in A History of Christianity in India, Thomas was initially rejected and he later went on to South India, where he was successful in baptizing the higher class people.Neil has mentioned that Thomas first visited Monolayer on the Accordance Coast, and came across thirty-two village communities. It is notable that he concentrated on converting the higher castes first because the lower castes were bound to follow whatever the high castes indulged in. When the Portuguese arrived in India, they found that the Thomas tradition had been widely accepted. Francis Xavier arrived at Ago to find it almost a Christia n settlement, with seven churches and a set of clergy men. Stephen Neil has provided fitting geographical and statistical evidence to help analyze the arrival of Christianity in India.The following decades witnessed the colonization of India by the British. The However, conversions were not the only function these missionaries performed. Many reputable and important schools, colleges, hospitals and so on, were established with the help of the missionaries in India. Neil, 1984) The people of India also seemed to be accepting the Christian faith openly because it gave them a chance to escape the complex rituals that their original faith demanded. In totality, Christianity was being accepted, although forced conversions were still taking place.The post colonial period witnessed great growth of a number of religions, especially Christianity. The decision to name India a secular country encouraged this growth. Christian converts could rest assured that they would be safe in India. So, ov er the years Christianity kept on growing steadily, and today, it has established itself as one f the largest minority religions in India, although, the question that arises is, has Christianity really been completely assimilated with the Indian society. RESEARCH METHOD Taking on a rather rudimentary form of investigation, I have collected information based on interviews with individuals.The main questions I asked them were: 1. Their views on acceptance of Christianity in India 2. Their personal understanding of the term ‘Secular' 3. Whether they think that India is a secular state in practice 4. What according to them are some of the challenges faced by Christianity A total of 45 people were interviewed, individually, and in groups. The questions were posed formally, but responses were more or less informal, and based on the ensuing discussions, I have formulated an average of their opinions and reached certain conclusions.AAA majority of the sample was not completely aware o f the meaning of the term secular. On being given the actual meaning and definition of the term, 57% of the people stated that India does not seem to be a secular country. 36% said that they thought India was indeed a secular state, and the remaining 7% did not have an opinion. Now, based on some preliminary research, I have concluded that Christianity s a religion has undergone a number of phases of maturity and is developing from a fledgling to a fully grown bird. However it is facing a number of challenges which is hindering this development.A majority of the sample referred to the persecution and arrests of Christians in Arioso and Kashmir as basis for their above view. People have seen this as a manifestation of the insecurity faced by Hinduism. The increasing speed at which people are converting to Christianity is alarming for the devout Hindus, and that is why they are resorting to extreme means such as these. As far as he assimilation of foreign religions into mainstream Ind ian life goes, Christianity has done pretty well, although, there has always been the case of forced conversions.However, it is important to note that Christian missionaries have contributed to the development of society in a number of ways. The benefits that these missionaries bestow upon the nation cannot be denied. It is, after all, a part of their way of life to take care of people. Studies have also indicated that missionaries have played a role in combating various cases of substance abuse. Moving to the secularity of India, I house of parliament, Meter Kumar. At a large gathering at the prestigious Cambridge University in England she said, † there is no room for religious politics in the world's largest democracy.