Tik Tok by Ke$ha free essay sample

This hit beat song is rocking my school! Its a tune that everyone can dance to. It does have some content that may not be appropriate for some about drinking but its got a bit of humor in it.

Natural Resources Essay Example

Natural Resources Essay Example Natural Resources Essay Natural Resources Essay Soil, wood, oil. minerals, petroleum, water are considered natural resources because they occur in their natural form and are not made by human beings. Humans can only modify natural resources. The energy that makes natural resources comes from geochemical, geophysical and solar energy. The exploitation of nature and natural resources can be dated back to the advent of humankind and the very start of civilization. Earlier people used to cut trees for fuel, for building materials for boats and for shelter. There are two kinds of natural esources- renewable and nonrenewable. Wood which is one of the main natural resources has the advantage of being renewable. Fish, animals and forests can renew themselves if they are not over- harvested. Forests can be replanted and, in time, the wood that was used can be replaced. However in recent times, we have been witnessing the cutting down of trees at alarming rates. In cities it is becoming, increasing difficult to see a green patch. If we do not replace these trees at the same speed as we are using them then very soon his resource will be expended. The cutting of trees also results in loss of ecosystems and soil erosion, and less rainfall. When fossil fuels were discovered they momentarily took the pressure off wood. First there was coal, then oil as in crude oil or petroleum and then later petrol and more recently natural gas. However unlike trees that are a renewable resource all these are non renewable. The reserves are finite and at some point in the future they will be depleted. We need to first conserve what we have left and to do that the call of the day is to use hese natural resources sparingly and responsibly. We must resort to the use of alternative forms of energy which will lessen the burden on our natural resources. There are various forms of alternative energy available. Light from the Sun also called as Solar Energy can be converted into electricity. This solar energy could be used to cook food. Wind power could also be used to generate electricity. Bio gas which is generated by the action of bacteria on packed kitchen waste without xygen could be used as an alternative to liquid petroleum gas. The need of the hour is to make alternative forms of energy easily available and viable to the consumer. nature, preservation of endangered species, keeping of biodiversity, and so on. Recently there have been increasing reports about research of ecosystem preservation using remote sensing or GIS (Geographic Information Systems) spatial analysis. Sustainable forestry could be achieved by correctly managing forest resources hrough replanting, conversation, and protection from fire, disease and pollution. We must all Join hands in our efforts to preserve our natural resources. Preservation cannot happen without conservation; hence we must all do our part in conserving. Instead of using individual cars to work we could use car pools, we could make an effort not to use our domestic appliances during peak hours, we could use public transport wherever possible and we could switch to alternative power use. We, each of us, can make preservation happen.

Although continued industrial development is important and Essay

Although continued industrial development is important and inevitable,companies must take care of the environment in the process - Essay Example Environment protection is the method of preserving the natural environment regarding the interests of the stakeholders, including customers, employees, government and the other influencing bodies with utmost priority. It has often been argued in this regard that the pressure of over-population (allegedly encouraged by business sector growth within a given region) and continuous industrial development acts as the main determinants of environmental degradation (Tamazian and Rao 4-6). Subsequently, such external pressures in terms of the social responsibilities of the corporate bodies have recently been motivating them to go greener by lessening their rate of environmental degradation and at the same time, ensuring continuous growth to meet the customer demand to achieve economic development. Hence, a two way prolonged approach has to be followed in parallel by companies in the modern era. By following steps like switching from non-renewable sources of energy to renewable sources, targe ting cleaner and hygienic production procedures, reusing wastes and implementing strategies that focus on environment friendly product designing, an organization can easily maintain the sustainable growth (Koh, Ghazoul, Butler, Laurance, Sodhi, Mateo-Vega and Bradshaw 67-71). THESIS STATEMENT As can be observed from the above discussion, companies are certainly witnessing pressure to consider environmental sustainability with almost equal and even at times with more importance than their profitability concerns, in the advent of continuous industrial development. This thesis will correspondingly, aim at assessing the need for taking environmental care measures by companies and the associated challenges, by synthesizing on the argument that â€Å"Although continued industrial development is important and inevitable, companies must take care of the environment in the process†. NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CARE FOR COMPANIES IN CONTINUED INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT The series of debates emp hasizing industrial development implications on the natural environment in the forms of deforestation, climate change as well as air and water pollution has apparently contributed to the need for environmental care within the modern organizations (Esty & Winston 7-12). From a generalized point of view, it has been argued in the recent era that as a consequence of industrial development at a rapid and a continuous rate, need for resources among companies have also increased manifolds. In order to suffice this growing need for resources, especially energy resources and natural ingredients, companies have been sourcing large amounts of these assets from the environment. Such extractions have further resulted in various environmental challenges, majorly attributed in the form of climate change, unsustainable minimization of natural resources and imbalances in the biological cycle on earth (Esty & Winston 35-40). For instance, Geist and Lambin argues that the major proximate causes of en vironmental degradation through deforestation as a consequence of industrial development are unplanned agricultural expansion, irresponsible wood extraction and infrastructural expansion through building roadways and city areas in support of urbanization as observable in Africa, Asia and Latin America (5-15). Subsequently, these risk factors have been inhibiting the stability of the

Property law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Property law - Case Study Example The main disadvantages include sharing of profits among partners, has unlimited liabilities, long process of decision making due to disagreements ,and may have limited life and may end upon death or withdrawal of one of the partners(Miller,Ragazzo,& Hamilton,2011). Corporations If Betty opts for corporation as her form of business organization, the advantages she is likely to get are limited liability to debts and other obligations, it is easier to collect funds for capital and expenses, have continuous life, and easy transfer of corporate ownership. The main disadvantages include many legal and formalities procedures that may be costly and take long to complete, requires relatively large amount of capital to start, and long decision making process because it involves many people resulting in possibilities of disagreements (Dore?,2003). Franchise Setting a business as a franchise offers the benefit of operating it under the banner of an established entity hence enhanced security and support systems, working with a known branch hence less cost involved in brand creation, and establishing good business relationships especially with suppliers and creditors. The disadvantages of franchise include limited control of the business and how it is run because the owners of the brand set out the processes and rules regarding the operations of the franchise, tied to suppliers as one will be required to use the franchise supplier network, increased risk of damaging the reputation of the business if other franchise mess with the brand and reduced profits as one will be required to pay the owners of the franchise for using their brand(Miller,Ragazzo,& Hamilton,2011). Limited liability Company The advantages include limited liabilities to obligations and debts, flexible distribution of profit, and flexibility in management and decision making process. The disadvantages include limited life and hectic processes of legal and formality procedures (Dore?, 2003). Joint venture The advantage of Betty forming a joint venture include sharing of cost, access to relevant expertise, gain from innovative managerial skills and practices, spreading of risks and a large pool of capital. The disadvantages include extensive efforts and time to create the right relationship for partnership, imbalance in the levels of investment, expertise and assets invested by partners, and differences in business objectives that may hinder cooperation and integration (Miller,Ragazzo,& Hamilton,2011). In my opinion, sole- proprietorship is the best option that Betty should consider when establishing her business. Since she has a potential customer base of Christians in her area and a source of capital from her husband, she should set up a sole proprietorship business because it is easy to start, she will be the sole manager of her business and so she can apply her Christian values when running the business without interference from anyone, and since she is a mature Christian, she can eas ily attract her fellow Christians to be her loyal customers and enjoy all the profits alone (Jessup &Chipps, 1991). In case Betty opts for

The Business Plan - Moon Internet Caf Case Study

The Business Plan - Moon Internet Caf - Case Study Example Moon Internet Cafe will provide an area that appeals to people from many different age groups and backgrounds. It provides a good environment for people to familiarize themselves with computers, to interact socially as well as for business needs. People are becoming more mobile, and as they move their technology moves with them. There are many different types of electronic devices that are popular, such as laptops, iPads and cellular phones. Business is also becoming more mobile, with many people interviewing potential staff members, or meeting with clients in public areas such as coffee shops. For many of these meetings, laptops are heavily used, and consequently facilities that facilitate this type of meeting are in high demand. There are a large number of coffee shops and cafes throughout the market, both individual stores and large franchises such as Starbucks. Suppliers for this venture take two forms, as the business looks to combine two different areas.

Stroop methodology: attentional bias in alcohol drinkers

Stroop methodology: attentional bias in alcohol drinkers This study is on attentional bias in alcohol drinkers. In this experiment undertaken the main objective is to find out whether alcohol drinkers are likely to allocate their attention to alcohol-related words, because if our attention is owed to the alcohol-related content, or if our memory processes becomes occupied, the researcher should identify a delay in reaction when the participants are naming the colour of an alcohol-related word when presented. The study therefore hypotheses that moderate alcohol drinkers are likely to allocate their attention to alcohol-related words. For this study, there were 170 participants in total, all aged 18years plus. The Stroop task method was used on the computer (PC). The gathered results were entered into the computer (PC) to calculate descriptive and inferential statics, so the results could be seen visually and statistically. The results show there is significance to the prediction that attentional bias will influence our memory processes in r elation to alcohol drinkers. Introduction Attentional Bias refers to the term not allowing one to examine all possible outcomes when judging about an association. Previous research stems from the famous Stroop effect that was discovered in 1930 by J.Ridley Stroop. This was an experimental effect in which he discovered that the individuals cognitive processing ability was very powerful. In other words The Stroop effect (Stroop, 1935) is a prime example of the human failure to attend selectively to a particular aspect of a complex stimulus (Algom, D., Chajut, E., Lev, S. (2004). Since most researchers are interested in finding out things, the logical next step would be to develop further on and ask whether this actual delay in reaction time is due to moderate drinkers compared to light drinkers. In order to test the effectiveness of this Stroop effect, one uses the colour words example. By this, we mean words that are written using same coloured ink i.e. red written in red ink, and words written in different coloured ink i.e. red written in blue. The participants are asked to read the words and not the colour. This sounds easier to do than it actually is. In this study the methodology and the affects of the Stroop test will be critically evaluated. To achieve this, previous research and literature will be drawn upon. A study of Duka and Townshend (2001) demonstrated attentional bias associated with alcohol cues: differences between heavy and occasional social drinkers, they used a dot probe (alcohol-related pictures and words) and questionnaires, and the aim was to examine whether non-dependent heavy drinkers would differ in their selective attention towards alcohol-related stimuli compared to social drinkers, the results showed attentional bias amongst the heavy drinkers in relation to alcohol-related stimuli, scores in factors such as sociability and sexuality shown to also be high, but low on personality and persistence. A further study of Duka and Townshend (2004) demonstrated the priming effect of alcohol pre-load on attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli; they used a dot probe and questionnaires, and the aim of this study was to examine whether attentional bias towards alcohol-related stimuli wound increase after priming with either one or two doses of alcohol/placebo, the results on m ood ratings showed dose dependent increased in positive mood radar after alcohol pre-load, and in the dot probe task, all participants showed attentional bias towards the alcohol-related stimuli, and the neutral bias was only positive at low alcohol dosage. A study of Sharma, Albery, and Cook (2001) demonstrated selective attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli in problem drinkers and non-problem drinkers; they used a modified Stroop task (computerized), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in order to measure Anxiety, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to allow scoring (high or low), the participants were divided into three groups: local community alcohol service (CAS), student volunteers who were divided into two control groups, the aim of this study was to examine whether patient of problem drinkers selectively attend to alcohol-related stimuli compare to the two control groups of non-problem drinkers, the results indicate significance amongst the CAS group in longer reaction times in responding to colour of alcohol-related words compared to neutral words, with reduced interference for the high AUDIT group, therefore significant; in the low AUDIT group no significance was found. Additionally, no evidence is provid ed in the interference habituated amongst the three groups. A study of Stetter, Ackermann, Scherer, Schmid, Straube, and Mann (1994) demonstrated whether alcoholics develop an information processing bias towards disease-related stimuli, the results indicated an increase of error amongst alcoholics when presented with the disease-related stimuli compared to the neutral conditions, and controls. A further study Stetter, Ackemann, Bizer, Straube, and Mann (1995) by testing their hypothesis that alcoholics develop a disease-related attentional bias, with 40 male alcohol-dependent, and 40 male healthy, and used the Stroop colour-naming task, the results showed alcoholic inpatients performed significantly poorer than the control group under the critical experimental condition (colour-naming of disease-related words), as compared with the non-critical condition (colour-naming of neutral words; p = 0.03), no effects were found on the reaction times. A study of Johnsen, Laberg, Cox, Vaksdal, and Hugdahl, (1994) conducted in Norway demonstrated attentional bias in the processing of alcohol-related words on alcoholic subjects, using the Stroop colour and word test, the results indicate the alcoholics respond slowly on all categories, more so on alcohol-related words compared to the control group, and both groups responded slowly to colour interfering words than neutral words, the findings suggests that the alcoholic subjects allocated their attention to alcohol-related words, therefore allowing their cognitive processes take over making it impossible to ignore the alcohol-related words. Method Participants The participants were recruited the students at London South Bank University. There will be 170 participants in total, 34 males (17-moderate and 14-light drinkers) and 139 females (68 moderate and 71-light drinkers), and all the participants were adults aged 18years plus. Apparatus All participants were asked to complete the tasks on a computer (PC), and the same apparatus was used to store data, and later analyse the data collected. Design The Stroop task method is used and the two-way ANOVA test will be used to analyse data (2 X 2 Mixed subject design). There are two independent variables i) Group (light vs. moderate alcohol drinkers) ii) Word Type (neutral vs. alcohol-related words), and the dependent variable is the reaction time to identifying the colour the word is presented in. In order to verify differences that may occur, the between group and within group will be looked at in more depth. Procedure In this study, the following was explained. Each participant was asked to follow the instructions provided on the screen. Labels were placed on the buttons on the keyboard for each subject to make their responses. There are two set type of words (alcohol-related words and neutral words). The participants were required to complete a serious of trials in responding to the colour of the ink that the word is written in (BLUE, RED, YELLOW, and GREEN) and (VODKIA, J.DANIELS, GIN, and BEER) rather than word. Part of the instruction was that they must complete each trail as quickly and accurately as possible, as their reaction time would be recorded Results The results of the 2 x 2 ANOVA was used to analyse the data. The effects of word type (alcohol-related words and neutral words) f = (1,168) 140.16, p = . Neutral Word Alcohol Word Main Effect of Drinking Type Light 840.00 mean score (34.28) sd 870.52 mean score (28.51) sd 855.26 mean score (31.66) sd Moderate 849.91 mean score (28.86) sd 892.67 mean score (21.26) sd 871.29 mean score (24.73) sd Main Effect of Word Type 845.01 mean score (31.95) sd 881.73 mean score (27.39) sd Fig 1: The table below shows the mean scores, and standard deviation of the word type (alcohol-related words and neutral words), and drinking (moderate drinkers and light drinkers) Fig 2: shows the interaction graph Discussion For this study the hypotheses do support, in other words significance was found. The literature of the prior studies using the Stroop paradigm with alcohol-related stimuli has a number of fundamental methodological problems. According to Sharma, Albery, and Cook (2001) the first problem identified is that the multitude of different variables that could potentially be manipulated giving a totally different set of results. It therefore becomes apparent that one needs to be very clear on exactly what the variables are and what exactly the researcher wants to achieve. Another problem identified is that of the actual format administered. Again, many issues may arise regarding the way in which the test is formatted. If the format is changed, will the result change along with it? As more development is completed in this area of study on alcohol addiction, the researcher no doubt will see that, the variables and the modes of administration discussed above will have a huge effect on the study. For example, one set of results could construct stronger effects than others, and that the other probable central variables make no difference at all to the outcome. The researcher should also take into account that however, a task is administered to the participants is bound to have both advantages and disadvantages, and can be improved upon. This does not mean that one way is better than the other. It just means that the researcher needs to be aware of this and choose a methodology that best works for them. Choosing the correct methodology in any study therefore can be just as important as the actual study itself. What becomes apparent is that there is no particular way of carrying out a study. Either way studies will carry certain advantages and disadvantages. One particular study related to our discussion was the single-word presentation of the Stroop stimuli. In this case, the stimuli were given in card format. One card had all the needed stimuli for alcohol -related words while the other had neutral words. The time taken by each subject to colour name the words on the first card compared to the second was recorded. In other words, recorded reaction time. This format, although used on many studies, comes with its limitations. Evidence obtained concludes that it is difficult to accurately measure the response time by the individuals and that the process evolved is very time consuming and involves a lot of calculations. In other words this type of format may be seen as being time consuming and tedious for the researcher to carry out. Its not all bad however, the card format can have an advantage in that it produces stronger interference effects (e.g. McNally, Amir and Lipke, 1996; Williams et al., 1996), presumably because it provides a se mantic network of words in a given category (Sharma, et al 2001). In addition, the individuals words recorded in terms of its reaction time are not used with any presentation mode, as each participants reaction times to each category of stimuli are averaged prior to statistical analysis. Other objections to the use of card presented stimuli were that the total time measured included both correct and incorrect responses. Previous research shows that the amount of trials where errors occurred is in fact rare and equivalent for different categories of stimuli. Furthermore, studies by Stetter et al also seem to agree. His study shows that card format stimuli does not allow for the measurement of time-cause of alcohol attentional bias. For instance, with these card presentations one would not know if the strongest bias occurred for alcohol words presented earlier and then the bias attenuated. An attempt to rectify this issue was to assess participants habituation to the stimuli across time. This was achieved by observing how reaction times to the alcohol and neutral stimuli changed during the course of the experiment. In relation to Johnsen et al studies, it was criticized in many aspects such as, the word types not being matched on the frequency. Additionally being assured in using two words alcohol-related words, for example liquor store; red wine. (Sharma, et al 2001).However, Johnsen et al stated clearly that since the studies were carried out in Norway, the words were obviously translated in Norwegian vinmonopol = liquor store, and rodvin = red wine, and as you can see, when translated its single words. Further criticisms were put forward to why the participants were asked to press the key response button; and call out the name of the colour. Sharma et al study contained a number of problems. Firstly, the neutral words were long to a given category (environmental features), which affects the reaction times. Secondly, the number of neutral words being associated closely to the four ink colours (e.g. blue, red, brown, green), also how these colours were closely linked to the words (e.g. blue s ky, green grass). Also concerns were put forward on the manner of design (e.g. low, middle, and high) drinking groups. Lastly, problems occurred with the problem drinkers, who may have resolved their alcohol problems being placed amongst the heavier drinkers. To conclude, there are two opposing thoughts with the methodology used; one that the Stroop paradigm is highly objective, valid and reliable, and the other that some are not worthy of inclusion. Many researchers are continuing to offer theoretical explanations to account for the Stroop paradigm, and still trying to make sense on how it could be adapted to be more advanced in being improved.

Importance of Mountains in Kerouacs Dharma Bums and Barthelmes The Gl

Importance of Mountains in Kerouac's Dharma Bums and Barthelme's The Glass Mountain   Ã‚  Ã‚   Mountains are significant in the writing of Jack Kerouac and Donald Barthelme as symbolic representations of achievement and the isolation of an individual from the masses of the working class in industrialized capitalist American society. The mountains, depicted by Kerouac and Barthelme, rise above the American landscape as majestic entities whose peaks are touched by few enduring and brave souls. The mountains of Kerouac's The Dharma Bums symbolize personal freedom and accomplishment through achieving a connection with nature distant from the constraints of materialism and a polluted industrialized American society. Barthelme's "Glass Mountain," however, envisions a mountain removed from nature as a modern skyscraper office building, an edifice that embodies the degradation of an emerging American society in the 1960s that is in search of "the American Dream" through material or monetary gains. "The Glass Mountain" remarks on the movement of Americans away from nature, religion, and humanity as they look to false golden idols (the golden castle at the top of the mountain) for inspiration to be successful, while Kerouac's The Dharma Bums emphasizes a return to nature and devout religiousness to inspire virtues of charity, kindness, humility, zeal, tranquility, wisdom, and ecstasy (p. 5). The top of the mountain, for both authors, represents a fearful ascent from the masses of the working class huddled in polluted cities in order to achieve a heightened state of knowledge and success, but both explorers fall short of true fulfillment because they are never far removed from human flaws of greed, excess, and materia... ...est of the world from the top is better than actually doing it. The mountains also represent the struggle of the lower classes in American society to achieve wealth for the sake of happiness and fulfillment. What Americans seeking wealth do not realize is that the top is a lonely place, devoid of the longing for material possession that keeps them going in life. The thrill of climbing the mountain, or the corporate ladder, is always more rewarding than looking down from the top to see the ugliness of the city below and regretting that they must return to this ugliness of competition and greed in order to sustain their own pitiful human existence.    Bibliography Barthelme, Donald. "The Glass Mountain." The New American Poetry., Allen, Donald, ed. Berkeley, Ca.: U. Calif. Press, 1999. Kerouac, Jack. The Dharma Bums. New York: Penguin., 1976.

Meta-Investigation on The Michael Brown Case Essay

Block A. A. Terms problem- The teams are not communicating primarily caused by the J. Edgar Hoover Model, page 37, Detective Terms. [This model does not require identifying the investigative building blocks or rules of investigations and assumes that everyone on the team will know them. It can be argued that this is the main cause of most problems in building cases. Further evidence for this lack of communication was the failure to manage the body(Physical Evidence#5) in a timely manner(Block A-Rules of Investigations) No one in the investigation has really known who has jurisdiction over this case. It went from city to county and then state and no one actually preceded to be the 1st in line of action to step up and say, â€Å"Hey, we have it.† One of the influencers in this case was Al Sharpton, basically bringing in the Feds and making it a civil case of racism. The population of Ferguson is 67% black, which has served as a big influence on this case. Case Label Block 1 There are no actual charges yet for this case, because they are still investigating this case in Ferguson, Missouri. The officer had reasonable doubt to ask Michael Brown to get off the road and to get onto the sidewalk. He had the law on his side if he would have frisked the two young guys and possibly arrest one or both of them. The media and Al Sharpton and other Elites are trying to make this out to be a civil case. It almost seems as if Michael basically committed Copicide. The rule of discretion was followed, it seems. The officer followed through at his own discretion instead of calling for backup. Verbal Evidence Block 2 Michael Brown had no most-serious felony convictions or pending cases. Dorian Johnson, witness to Michael Brown getting shot, has been accused of lying in the past upon several occasions. This makes him to be a bad witness for this case, good for the officer’s case though.

A Comparative Tragedy Study of Fatalism and Determinism: Oedipus Rex and Thunderstorm Essay

The Thunderstorm and Oedipus Rex, the representatives of Chinese and Greek play, both tell tragic stories about incest and unexpected destiny. The two masterpieces reveal much about the literature patterns and philosophical implications of the different cultures. The exploration of the two plays could help further understand the oneness of world literature and the tragedy of unlike culture. This paper will compare two famous tragic dramas—Oedipus Rex and The Thunderstorm to analyze the similarities and differences in terms of the tragic themes—fatalism and determinism. The process of textual analysis will be associated with the basic literature theory of tragedy and philosophy. Over the centuries, Oedipus Rex, which is a famous Greek drama written by one of three ancient Greek tragedians Sophocles, has come to be regarded as the Greek tragedy par excellence. It chronicles the story of Oedipus, a man who becomes the king of Thebes and was destined from birth to murder his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta. The play is an example of a classic tragedy, noticeably containing an emphasis on the power of oracle on human destiny and how Oedipus’s own flaws contribute to the tragic hero’s downfall. The Thunderstorm is written by renowned Chinese playwright Cao Yu, often regarded as China’s most important play of the 20th century. The subject matter of The Thunderstorm is the complex relationships between the members of two households, centering on the Zhou family’s psychological and physical destruction as a result of incest, as perpetrated at the hands of its morally depraved and corrupt patriarch. It is considered to be one of the most mature and popular plays in contemporary China. In this paper, the theory being used and the previous study of the two plays will be first presented in the literature review. In the main part of my analysis, I will compare the two plays from the perspective of the contraction between fatalism and determinism. From the analysis of two dramas, we could examine some similarities and differences in the tragic topics. Both Oedipus Rex and The Thunderstorm concern the fatalism and determinism in the tragedy themes; however, they lay different stress on the two topics. 2. BACKGROUND STUDY AND LITERATURE REVIEW One of the most important studies of tragedy is Aristotle’s Poetics. Aristotle states that â€Å"A tragedy, then, is an artistic imitation of an action that is serious, complete in itself, and of an adequate magnitude.† (2) The magnificence of tragedy can be revealed in different aspects, and the tragic theme that considers fatalism and determinism of protagonists is one of the most important elements. The dispute between fatalism and determinism has been long lasting in the development of tragedy study. Fatalism is one of the most eternal themes of tragedy in general. It is the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable in person’s life. Determinism is the belief that all actions and events result from other actions, events, or situations, so people cannot in fact choose what to do, which is a creation of Hellenistic thought (Dodds 42). Homeric heroes have their predetermined â€Å"portion of life† and they must die for some predetermined reason, but it never occurs to the poet or his audience that this prevents them from being free agents. As Bernard Knox put it, â€Å"the gods know the future, but they do not order it. (122)† Concerning fatalism and determinism, previous scholars have done many researches on the two plays. Martin Kallich (1966), in his article â€Å"Oedipus: From Man to Archetype,† interprets the philosophical theme of Sophocles’ play as a mild agnosticism or neutral fatalism. Oedipus, he declares, behaves normally, commits an error in ignorance, and brings suffering upon himself. However, he fails to include the religious belief in his essay to give a full view of the tragic spirit of Oedipus Rex. From another perspective, E. Lefà ¨vre and A. Schmitt (2007), in the article â€Å"Interpretation of Oedipus Rex† argues that the old and popular formula that Oedipus is â€Å"guiltlessly guilty† is untenable, and they propose instead that his fall results from his behavior—his wrong behavior—brought about by passion. However, they mainly discuss from their own understanding and fail to employ strong tragedy theory to support their viewpoints. Foreign scholars do not conduct many researches on The Thunderstorm. Nevertheless, Chinese scholars have looked deeply into this drama. Both Xin Xianxi (1981) and Wang Linlin (2009) argue that Cao Yu is strongly influenced by the traditional Greek tragedy and Christianity religious belief so that the play has mystical idea of fate, which adds to the impressiveness of the play. However, they fail to take the social background into account when analyzing the tragic spirit of The Thunderstorm. Wan Ping (2010) classifies the tragic spirit of The Thunderstorm into three different categories: the tragedy of love, fate and personality and all the tree aspects of the play make it an intense plot and dramatic artistic effect. Also, he doesn’t consider the social background, which is important part of the play. From the above, we could see that the two plays are well studied by western and eastern scholars. Yet, not so many researchers discuss the similarities and differences between this specific two plays or even the Greek and Chinese drama in general. 3. ANALYSIS OF TRAGIC THEMES: FATALISM AND DETERMINISM The conflicts between fatalism and determinism are fully presented in the two plays, which can also be called the god-made tragedy and human-made tragedy. However, the two holds different proportion of two elements—Oedipus Rex putting more emphasis on fate, while The Thunderstorm underlining the importance of human factors. 3.1 Analysis on Oedipus Rex 3.1.1 The Voice of Fate Oedipus Rex has been almost universally regarded as the classic example of the â€Å"tragedy of fate.† Sir Maurice Bowra’s idea that the gods force on Oedipus the knowledge of what he has done strongly supports the idea of fatalism (390).Through his priests at Delphi, Apollo told Laius that he would be killed by his own son, and later told Oedipus that he would kill his father and marry his mother. At the beginning of the play Apollo tells Creon that Thebes will be saved from the plague only when the murderer of Laius is found and expelled. Although everyone in this play try to do something to avoid the realization of the oracle, in the end, everything comes true. Its power was based on a widespread, indeed in early time’s universal belief in the efficacy of divine prophecy. Sophocles himself also believes in this point: Unless these prophecies all come true for all mankind to point toward in wonder†¦ They are dying, the old oracles sent to Laius, Now our masters strike them off the rolls. Nowhere Apollo’s golden glory now— The gods, the gods go down. (Sophocles 989-97) When chose as the subject of his story about a man who tried to avoid the fulfillment of a prophecy of Apollo, Oedipus believes he had succeeded and casts scorn on all the oracles, only to find out that he had fulfilled that prophecy long ago. The voice of destiny in the play is the oracle of Apollo and Oedipus, to some extent, is the innocent victim of a doom which he cannot avoid. 3.1.2 Hamartia and Loyalty To the rationalist critics of the eighteenth century and still more to the firm believers in human progress of the nineteenth, this aspect of the play was a historical curiosity, to be discounted; in Oedipus Rex, although the fate is God-made to a great degree, it must be clarified that he has his own free will and he is not mere a puppet in the hands of the gods who pull the strings that make him dance. This is a crucial idea of further development of determinism, on which we could give two varied explanations—hamartia and loyalty. The single Greek word, hamartia, lays the emphasis upon the want of insight within a man. The human frailty which is said to bring sufferings beyond the ordinary lot of men is represented in translation by â€Å"blindness of heart†. The conception in the Poetics of an ideal tragic person with his imperfect insight, proper for tragedy, can be constructed in the personality of Oedipus (39). He turns upon a certain blindness of impulse, which at length is recognized the man himself—whereupon he puts out his own eyes. On the other hand, Oedipus’ loyalty to truth and to Thebes leads him to seek the truth tirelessly. Even though Creon, Jocasta, and the prophet try to stop him all the way, Oedipus, who is struggling in the pursuit of truth, insists on reading the last riddle, the riddle of his own life. The immediate cause of Oedipus’ ruin is not just â€Å"Fate†Ã¢â‚¬â€no oracle said that he must discover the truth—and still less does it lie in his own weakness; sometimes it is suggested that Oedipus would not have avoided his misery by having been a better man, but he could have remained prosperous and happy if he had been a less good man. What cause his ruin are his own strength and courage, his loyalty to Thebes, and his loyalty to truth. 3. 2. Analysis on The Thunderstorm 3.2.1 Destiny or Coincidences Similarly, in traditional Chinese literature, destiny, which often translated into Tian [Ã¥ ¤ ©], also has a deep implication in the formation of tragedy. Famous critic Li Jiangwu said, â€Å"This play has the most potent but invisible power—destiny, which we feel all the time. (48)† And Cao Yu writes in the preface of The Thunderstorm, â€Å"I am a spiritually poor man, but I invited my audiences to be god of my play to look sympathetically on ‘those moving creatures’ on the stage, to look how they argue with each other blindly, how they helplessly struggle in the battle of love. (2)† Two families’ destinies fall into tragedy because of some unexpected coincidences. If Sifeng does not go to the Zhou’s family to work as a servant or if Lu Dahai does not come to visit Zhou Puyuan, or if any detail in the play changes, the whole story may not happen. The fate plays an important part in the development of the plot and contributes much to t he tragic effect. 3.2.2 Social Tragedy Although there is the fate that works in the play, what the characters have done is the main pusher of the plot. Cao Yu also states that this play is not about retribution or karma (3). While, in The Thunderstorm, the determinism presents in a different direction. Zhou Pin cannot endure the suppression of his father, but he does not show it and bear it inside. He feels repent and wants to get out of the secret relationship with his stepmother, but he only chooses to escape the reality, so that he falls in love with Sifeng, which is also a person that he cannot love. Similar as Oedipus, what he tries to avoid finally leads him to destruction. From what the play presents, Zhou Pin is more like a coward escaping the tragic results of his life. His evasion contributes to the tragic ending. Zhou Fanyi, who is also a tragic character in the play, marries Zhou Puyuan, but she is not able to feel love until she loses her heart to Zhou Pin. What is more tragic is that Zhou Pin cannot love her wholeheartedly either. She mistakenly put the happiness of her whole life to a person that cannot company and care for her aboveboard. Her tragedy is the social tragedy, at which time women’s social status is low and they do not have the ability to pursue their felicities on their own. Fanyi’s personal flaws and the social environment lead to the tragedy of herself. While writing this play, Cao Yu underlines the social background, in order to further reveal the social problems, which offer people no freedom of choice. That’s why everyone’s wrong choice results in the destruction of the whole family. 5. Conclusion Different from the previous study, as we could examine from the analysis, this paper regards the tragedy as a combination of fatalism and determinism. What is similar between Oedipus Rex and The Thunderstorm is that they both stress the necessity the factor of destiny in the plot of a tragedy. Destiny is a universal theme of all tragedies in the history and all around the world. What is different about the two plays is that the determinism is presented in distinct way. Oedipus Rex embeds the tragic elements into the â€Å"tragic flaws† of Oedipus. Through building the downfall of Oedipus as a hero but somewhat ignorant person, readers may feel more regret and grieved. While in The Thunderstorm, the social background, in which the story was carried on and which people who are unable to avoid and revolt, contributes more to the happening of tragedy. This difference shows the different concerns in Chinese and western culture: Chinese literature works tend to focus on the social problems through revealing the personal life, while the western literature puts the emphasis on the image of the whole person. (Word Counting: 2190 words) Works Cited Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. Lane Cooper. New York: Cornell University Press, 1947. Print. Bowra, Maurice. â€Å"Dance, Drama, and the Spoken Word† The Royal Society: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 251.772, (1966): 390. ProQuest. Web. 15 May 2013. Cao Yu. The Thunderstorm. Beijing: People’s Literature Publishing House, 1994. Print. Dodds, E.R. â€Å"On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex.† Cambridge University Press: Greece & Rome, Second Series13.1 (1966): 42. Jstor. Web. 26 April 2012. E. Lefà ¨vre and A. Schmitt. Interpretation of â€Å"Oedipus Rex†[Die Suche nach der Schuld. Sophokles’ â€Å"Oedipus Rex†, Aristoteles’ â€Å"Poetik† und das Tragà ¶dienverstà ¤ndnis der Neuzeit] The Classical Review 57.1(2007):18-20. Jstor. Web. 1 May 2013. Kallich, Martin. â€Å"Oedipus: From Man to Archetype.† Comparative Literature Studies 3.1 (1966): 33-35. Rpt. in Drama for Students. Ed. David M. Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. Knox, Bernard. â€Å"Introduction to Oedipus the King.† Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House. 2007. 71-90. Print. Li Jianwu. â€Å"The characteristics of drama† [Xiju De Tezheng] Beijing: Literary Criticism: 3(1963): 42-52. CNKI. Web. 2 May 2013. Ma Xiaozhao. The Entanglement between History and Human Relation: the comparison between the aesthetics meaning of western and Chinese tragedy. [Lishi Yu Renlun De Tongku Jiuchan: Bijiao Yanjiu Zhongxi Beiju De Shengmei Yiyun] Beijing: China Social Sciences Publishing House, 2008. Print. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Stephen Berg and Diskin Clay. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. Print. Wang Linlin. â€Å"The Unavoidable destiny tragedy—the textual analysis on The Thunderstorm.† [Nanyi Duobi De Mingyun Beiju—Leiyu Wenben Fenxi] Taiyuan: Masterpieces Review: 14 (2009): 85-88. CNKI. Web. 1 May 2013. Wan Ping. â€Å"A tentative study on the tragic essence of The Thunderstorm† [Shilun Leiyu De Beiju Yiyun] Beijing: Literary Criticism: 3 (2010): 134. CNKI. Web. 1 May 2013. Xin Xianxi. â€Å"A Discussion on several questions of The Thunderstorm.† [Guanyu Leiyu Ruogan Wenti De Tantao] Beijing: Studies on Modern Chinese Literature: 1(1981). CNKI. Web. 1 May 2013. View as multi-pages

The virginian Essays

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Improving Maternal health Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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