Bible As Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bible As Literature - Essay Example It is also very rich in literary forms that can develop a student's appreciation and analysis of literature. The study of the bible can also help students practice their respect for each other's beliefs by analyzing the books within an impartial academic context that sets aside emotionality. Studying the bible can be very beneficial to students not only for learning about literature but also about life in general. Any legal or educational system builds its foundations from a set of moral values. In fact, Harvard, Yale and Princeton were schools established to teach young men to be pastors and America's children were once generally schooled with the Christian moral values that upheld respect for authority figures like parents and disapproval of sin. ("Cause and Effect," n.d.) Studying the bible as literature can help students identify, appreciate, and implement moral values that can be very beneficial not only to them but to the country itself. regarding the authenticity of the story of creation but the narration about the life of its characters provide clues as to how man had lived in the past. If the genealogy of its characters is to be examined, the bible's information dates back to 4223 years before Jesus Christ was born. (Petrie, n.d.) Its pages write about the culture and beliefs of people who lived through many different eras that can help students appreciate history. There is a great chance that more people have heard about the bible but not read it yet if one turns to the printed text as a shaper of reading, one can truly go further. (Norton, 2000, p. 78) People frequently read the bible in religious perspective yet many artistic forms of writing abound in it. The bible is rich in similes, metaphors, metonymy, synecdoche, personification, anthropomorphism, apostrophes, ironies, hyperboles, euphemisms, litotes, pleonasm, ellipses, zeugma, aposiopesis, allegories, riddles, symbols, narratives, tragedies, poetry, parallelisms, oratories, epistles, etc. Throughout the books of the bible, students can read many samples of literary forms that can help hone their skills in analysis of literature. ("Literary Forms in the bible," n.d.) Studying the bible as literature can help students appreciate their religious differences without emotional involvement. Many different religions have interpreted the bible in their own perspectives and these analyses have even lead to the birth of many other religious sects. Should the bible be studied for its moral values and literary form, students can learn to respect diversity because the books are treated academically instead of spiritually which can be very personal. Teaching Through the bible One of the problems encountered by some students today reveals some professors who cannot help themselves from using the course on bible literature to impose their own religious beliefs. The bible must remain as a learning tool by ensuring that professors are impartial to it. The National Council on Bible Curriculum's web site

Physical capitals and financial capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Physical capitals and financial capital - Essay Example nited States Decrease Increase - Exchange rate changes Increase Increase Note: In the red above, an increase in wealth makes AD increase; a decrease in wealth makes AD decrease. This is how you should format each table. SECTION TWO a) Physical capital differs from financial capital in a number of ways. By definition, physical capital is an already-manufactured tangible asset that is used in production. On the other hand, financial capital refers to equity that is used by business owners to purchase resources that are required in producing goods and services. Different from financial capital, physical capital can be acquired by building it, purchasing it or renting it. Financial capital can be acquired through borrowing and selling of ownership stake within an organization. Examples of financial capital include bank loan and corporate bonds, while that of physical capital include motor vehicle and machinery. b) The distinction between gross investment and net investment is based on ca pital depreciation. Gross investment refers to total amount of investment that does not incorporate any depreciation while net investment refers to investment that incorporates depreciation. Therefore net investment can simply be defined as gross investment less capital depreciation. The difference between gross investment and capital investment can be illustrated mathematically as follows. Net Investment = Gross Investment – Depreciation Gross investment = Net investment + Depreciation c) The three main types of markets for financial capital include Loan markets Stock market Bond market d) The price of a financial asset and interest rate has an inverse relationship. The prices of financial asset do always increase with decrease in interest rate. This can be explained well by considering the relationship of a financial asset such as bond with its interest rate. For example, let’s assume company X issues a new bond that has a face value of $1000 with an interest rate of 7%. If in the same year the general interest rates increases to about 8%, buyers will not be willing to pay the $1000 face value with an interest rate of 7%. Therefore, in order to sell the bond, company X will have to issue its bond at a lower price, that is, at a discount that will enable the new bond holder to generate an 8% interest. In this scenario, the price of the bond will fall to approximately $ 875. Similarly, if the interest rate falls to 6%, the price of the bond will be much higher than $1000. The bond will be valued at $1166. This is illustrated in the diagram below. e) When firms are involving in decisions to make investment, they normally consider a number of

The Awakening- Ednas Independence Essay Example for Free

The Awakening- Ednas Independence Essay In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Edna Pontellier is a character who is alienated from the rest of society. She carries views which do not coincide with the norm, and in a way establishes her own idea of how women should live and be treated. Not only do her views estrange her from society, but she also physically separates herself from the life she used to live and the Victorian culture into which she was born. During this time, it was expected of a woman to be the perfect picture of a wife and mother, an â€Å"Angel of the House†. Even early on in the novel Edna is shown to be the type of woman that doesn’t fit the bill. While most other mothers, such as Adele Ratignolle, would bend over backwards to take care of their children, Edna is clearly not as much a ‘mother-woman’; her children had learned to be the type to stand up and brush off the dirt rather than run to mommy if they fell down. Her marriage to Leonce was more a social convention than it was a loving relationship, as if she only married because it was the thing to do. This was not an uncommon arrangement, but Edna’s treatment of it was- with little passion and emotional connection in her marriage, she commits emotional adultery finding companionship in the form of Robert Lebrun. Later in rediscovering music and art, she also shirks all responsibility as a wife and mother, ignoring her expected duties in order to concentrate on her painting. This is far from the picture of the perfect Victorian wife. Edna’s physical separation from her old life is symbolic of her opposing views about women and their role in the community. With her husband away and her boys with their grandmother, Edna lives as a single woman. Her choice to remove herself from the life of a mother-woman is contradictory to everything she was taught to do. Her claim of independence is unheard of, and society doesn’t know how to react. In her Victorian culture, women are the belongings of men and have no claims to their own lives, nor have they any means to their own wants and needs; this was the custom everyone had grown up on, the custom everyone was used to. Edna rebels against this belief with her nonconformist decision to live on her own, as her own being, with her own mental and emotional and sexual desires. There is an instance when Edna and Robert are discussing a future together, and Robert notes his wish to free Edna from Leonce, because he is still under the belief that she is an object to be passed from one owner to another. Edna then calls him silly for believing such things, for she is an independent person, whom no one governs but her own self. Edna’s intellectual, emotional, and sexual awakenings, though giving her the independence she craves, isolate her from the rest of society. There is one point in the novel where Edna speaks of walking, how she doesn’t mind walking to get to places farther off and how she feels bad for those women who don’t take the walk because they are missing so much. Edna knows she is the only woman who has taken the walk, taken the chance to discover living outside of societal norms and finding out how freeing it is. As much as she wants someone to join her, in her last ‘awakening’ she realizes no one will- Robert wants to marry her out of convention rather than cross the boundaries and be her lover. Edna realizes she cannot escape the chains of society’s expectations, and she is utterly alone. Edna’s isolation grows as she has more and more revelations about her life and herself. Though starting simply as the odd one out among the mother-women, she becomes the lone rebel across the societal boundaries. Her beliefs about women as independent, intellectual, sexual, and emotional beings contradict the societal views demonstrated along her journey of awakening.

Thomas Sankara And The Revolution In Burkina Faso History Essay

Thomas Sankara And The Revolution In Burkina Faso History Essay The leadership case I will be presenting is principally concentrated on one of the ambitious and young African leaders Thomas Sankara, the transformational leader, who made it to the highest rank in Burkina Faso (August, 1983), and was later assassinated by one of his friends (October, 1987). More specific focus will be put on leadership qualities displayed by Sankara both during the coup for taking over the government, and the launch of post revolution regime: the initial popularity of Sankaras leadership started to shatter in the course of executing fundamental changes. On the one hand, Sanakara as a leader of his country was facing financial and economic dependency from Western countries and donor organizations, and on the other hand, his leadership was challenged by hierarchical and corrupt system deeply rooted into the society of Burkina Faso. Sankara is known as highly charismatic and transformational leader. He had the vision to make Burkina Faso independent, which was appealing to the majority of population and therefore he quickly gained the support of many Burkinabes. Sankara was obsessed with the idea to make his country economically self-sustainable and eradicate any form of dependency. Sanakra was confronting two sided transformation: on the one hand he was dealing with social, economic, political regime, and on the other hand he had to crack social norms, moreover he wanted to do it fast. A glimpse into the history of Burkina Faso, or in general into a commonly shared experience by most African countries reveals an on-going struggle against the yoke of Western Europe. The colonization of formerly named Upper Volta was undertaken by the French in 1890s. Colonization as a whole can be described as the state of dependency imposed by an elite, educated, strong country upon a weaker one. Upper Volta became independent in 1960, yet even after acquired independence most African countries were still under the influence and control of the Western Europe. Leadership of Sankara through Trait Theory Sankaras leadership is supported by a series of leadership traits showcased in different settings and environments. Signs of leadership were observed at earlier stages: as a kid Sankara was inspired with the dream to become the savior of Upper Volta. He followed his vision by joining military forces at the age of 19. Sankara also stood out with a number of heroic acts during the war with Mali, and at later stages was rewarded with the status of captain. Sankaras flexible style of leadership allowed him to make a shift from military sector to government, where he initially served as secretary of State for Information and later was assigned as prime-minister. Prior to becoming the president of Upper Volta, Sankara was already bearing the popularity of a leader both locally and internationally. By further analyzing Sankaras leadership through the lenses of trait theory we can see that Sankara possesses a high degree of all traits common to a leader, yet his visionary plan remained unfinished, since he was killed after four years of being the head of Burkina Faso. Some leadership traits encountered in Sankaras actions were: Intelligence: Thomas Sankara was an intelligent captain, yet his intelligence was not limited to military affairs only: Sankara was equally knowledgeable about his countrys political, economic and social conditions. By becoming the head of one of the poorest countries in the world Sankara started sketching reforms in order to make an outmost utilization of their own resources rather than seeking financial support from international donor organizations, such as World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Sankaras intelligence permitted him to think about issues that were not as intensively addressed during those times, such as gender equality and environmental issues. Sankara highly empowered womens participation in different ministerial positions. Despite the urgency of myriad economic issues Sankara did not ignore environmental protection and during his leadership he organized series of tree plantations. Sankara also realized that for the development of healthy economy he should pay attention to proper education and health, therefore he undertook preventive actions against the spread of different diseases. Confidence: not only quotes and comments made by people who had had direct interaction with Sankara, but also his speeches are a high evidence of confidence. The path that Sankara undertook was extremely based on confidence. To some degree Sankara was overconfident while thinking he would be able to gain sustainable and independent state without outreaching the support of external sources. Charisma: The most common trait prescribed to this leader is charisma; it was the charisma that accelerated such a rapid transformation during 1982-83. During the short period of being a prime-minister January May 1983 Upper Volta Sankara made rapid changes in the education system, labor market. Yet his aspiration for introducing a transformational change in Upper Volta was limited to the conservative approach adapted by the president of the country which in its turn led to another big transformation revolution in 1983. Determination: Sankara was ambitiously marching forth in his endeavor to radically change the prevailing system in Burkina Faso. Determination never abandoned this leader even when he was imprisoned by the former president in 1982. However, his determination was so strong on the way of his goal, that he started using power and authority against protesting masses during the post revolution period. Sociability: despite the tense schedule during his military service Sankara was finding time to play guitar with US Peace Corps Volunteers, and engage in discussions. Some sources mention that Sankara charisma was influenced since his involvement in a music band. Integrity: most of Sankaras actions were based on integrity. I would even say integrity was prevailing in this leader to such a degree that the society could not absorb it: Sankara was not afraid to speak up against big countries, international donor organizations, corrupt officials, and he made it clear from the beginning that for Burkina Faso to prosper they cannot afford allocating 60 per cent of the countrys revenue at only 0.3 percent of its population, that all layers of society had to be given equal chances. Transformational and Charismatic Leadership of Thomas Sankara What attracted my interest in Sankaras style of leadership was his unquestionable charisma, his visionary ideas that are current until now, his foresightedness toward the development of economically self-sustainable country, and the firm commitment to his plan. In the view of many people Sankara is embedded as a leader who in the 4th of August, 1983 successfully led his country to a long-awaited democratic revolution. While Burkina Faso was undergoing severe distress caused by weak economy, high level of illiteracy, astronomically high rate of infant mortality and extremely low income, it was a high time for a transformation to happen, and Sankaras charismatic personality and the solid vision allowed him to undertake the role of the change agent. Sankaras vision was perfectly aligned with the needs of large masses in Burkina Faso: he gained popularity among young students, trade unions that were supposed to become an integral part in the forthcoming transformation, and many other individuals who appreciated Sankaras open criticism toward corrupt officials and civil servants. Thomas Sankara can be considered as highly transformational leader, not completely though. Sankzara had accumulated respect of many of his followers, and a bright proof of that was the readiness of young officers to demonstrate when he was imprisoned by the president. However, his salvation plan was rather result oriented and did not consider inputs, willingness, opinions of many individuals, which in its turn was raising frustration and dissatisfaction of some of his followers. For instance, when trying to foster consumption of local production, Sankara put restrictions on clothes made in China. Leadership Style of Sankara When analyzing leadership style of Sankara we have to keep in mind that there was a notable difference at the time when he was attempting the revolution and when he was to transform the country. Prior to the revolution his actions involved a balanced proportion of consideration to support his followers and initiating structure such as gaining the support of youth and trade unions, while the post revolution era was accompanied with application of force, orders and rules. Thus in the latter case he can be described as highly task oriented. The major problem laid in the fact that Sanakara had put high goals in front of the country and every individual dwelling in Burkina Faso. It is also worth mentioning that Sankara was the first in Burkina Faso to undertake the burden of sacrifices for the sake of long-term success: among the decrease of public workers salaries he included his own, and at the moment of his death Sankara had no real property. The latter action can be described as quite participative, by serving as a change model for others. Even though most Burkinabes shared Sankaras vision to see Burkian Faso freed from foreign dependency, not everyone was ready to such a commitment, and that was one of Sankaras miscalculations. Taken the limited resources Sankara had, the lack of support, the ambitious goals, and the limited amount of time for such changes, Sankara used the power of authority, and many Burkinabes started calling him a dictator. Recommendations Sankara was highly oriented at seeing Burkina Faso purified therefore his actions to introduce the new regime were too rapid for civilians to embrace. What he could have done differently as a leader, instead of thinking that people would share his patriotic ideas; he should have introduced the transformation in a more strategic manner by applying a bottom-up approach. For instance, identifying influential individuals for each group/community and trying to win their sympathy for his ideas or conveying the long-term benefits caused by short-term limitations. Sankara as a leader was effective, yet he needed other charismatic leaders working directly with deeper levels of society. We also had to keep in mind that application of rule against well grounded norms was not going to help especially when no other benefits were offered instead. Sankara could have used incentives, not necessarily financial, rather in terms of locally produced goods, to compensate the decrease of salaries. Finally, I would have recommended Sankara slightly increasing the level of being a diplomat: sincerity and integrity was a big advantage, but in the international arena Sankara needed support of a big ally.

Young Goodman Brown :: Literary Analysis, Hawthorne

In the story "Young Goodman Brown", Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a dream to illustrate a young man’s loss of innocence, understanding of religion and his community. Through this dream, the main character Young Goodman realizes that the people that he surrounds himself with are not who he believes them to be. The story of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† focuses on the unconscious mind. The characters in this short-story are able to represent the struggle of Young Goodman’s superego, ego, and id. Representing the superego is Young Goodman’s wife Faith. Her name becomes a multi-layered metaphor. Hawthorne writes, "And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons on her caps while she called to Goodman Brown" (Kelly, 190). This statement suggests that Brown's wife’s name is symbolic. Faith is condensed to represent innocence, the Puritan religion and Brown’s consciousness. Since, young girls are often equated with pink. The pink ribbons in her hair serve to symbolize her innocence. When Brown meets the man in the woods he says, "Faith kept me back awhile" (Kelly, 191). In this case Faith represents the Puritan religion. The next character is Young Goodman Brown himself. His name also becomes a multilayered metaphor. Being known as â€Å"young† represents Goodman Browns innocence and virtue. He is also condensed to represent his own consciousness. But, by leaving his wife, Faith, Young Goodman Brown is giving into the unconscious. "He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind" (Kelly, 191). Taking this path that closes behind him represents Young Goodman’s decent into the unconscious and his loss of innocence. On this journey he soon meets a man who is a condensation of several different factors. The man represents the devil, as well as Brown unconscious mind. The next character is the man who Brown meets up with in the woods. This man is described as, "one who knew the world, and who would not have felt abashed at the governor's dinner table or in King William's court" (Kelly, 191). This man can be seen as the devil. He possesses features that illustrate him as the devil. For example his walking staff is described as having "the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent" (Kelly, 191-192).

The Jubilee Singers of Fisk University :: American History Essays

The Jubilee Singers of Fisk University From the mid-1800s, most black institutions of higher education fielded a group of jubilee singers and/or a vocal quartet to sing spirituals. These groups toured the nation and "represented" the institution outside the local community. One of the earliest and most famous of these groups were the Jubilee Singers from Fisk University. According to Ray Funk, in his essay accompanying the Document compilation EARLY NEGRO VOCAL QUARTETS, there is only one recording from the 1890s extant of an African-American vocal group, the Standard Quartette. While this Fisk group was active in the l890s, it continued on throughout the years, of course with some different members each year and a complete turnover of members within each four years. For the most part, the singers were students at Fisk. I don't think you are going to find anything recorded originally before 1900, but for some modern recordings of the Fisk Jubilee Singers you should look for a 1994 Smithsonian/Folkways recording called: African American Spirituals : The Concert Tradition SF40072 At a time when most black music was being performed by white minstrel musicians in blackface and vulgar caricature, a small group of exceptionally well-trained and talented black singers at Fisk University in Nashville achieved world-wide renown for their stirring and very professional performance of traditional black spirituals. Originally, the group was composed of two quartets and a pianist, a woman named Wells, under the direction of the University musical director, George L. White. In 1871 this small group set out to raise money for the struggling little university (founded in 1866). Over the next decade they had toured most of the northern states, had performed at the White House, toured England and much of Europe and had played for Queen Victoria. The group was given its name by director White. In Old Testament history, each fiftieth Pentecost was followed by a "year of jubilee" - a year in which Hebrew law required that all slaves be set free. Organized in 1871, in the dark shadow of slavery, the "Jubilee Singers" seemed a most appropriate name. Most of the students at Fisk had been former slaves. In terms of musical history, the primary significance of the Jubilee Singers is that they introduced to the world for the first time a magnificent body of folk music -- slave songs, spirituals -- which celebrated life, survival, victory.

Jardi tancat Essay

Nacho Duato uses several motifs in Jardi Tancat to establish intent in his work. His work is based on Catalonian folk tales collected and sung by Maria Del Mar Bonet, to express the poor Catalonian people’s communal hardships, struggles and desperation as they cyclically farm the land. Duato has portrayed this intent through many motifs such as, curved lines and gestural action motifs. He has then manipulated these motifs through each section to unify the work as a whole. One motif frequently shown throughout the piece is the use of curved lines. This is shown in the opening silence section as all six dancers are waking from a low, hunched over crouch on their knees with hands rested out in front portraying their fatigue. Then in unison, they make a sudden jump with a forceful dynamic to a two-footed, curved stance with their hands clasped at the lower back to convey them supporting their back from the aches and pains. They then slide the hands down towards the back of the knees arching the spine in reference to stretching, as knees invert, they release their arms and curve upwards in a sustained motion repeating three times. The rounded and hunched movements portray the physical strain of their daily routines of cycling work has on their body and high releases reflecting the intent of faith and prayer in the work. A manipulation of this curved motif is shown later on in section one in unison with their arms resting on another to further establish the intent of communal connectedness. As they stand side by side in two parallel lines in the back corner facing upstage, by rolling and pulsating their spines they resemble the support they have for one another in the community throughout their hardships and sorrow. Gestural movements are incorporated throughout Jardi Tancat. One of the motifs include ‘sowing’ or seed planting action, which involves a low, curved line of the spine again to emphasize the straining work. Hunched over with a slumped dynamic determining the draining work, the dancers travel laterally across the space with heavy, limping ‘step-cross’ footwork. This pathway is performed in unison in the opening silent section, indicating planting endless rows of crops. As they travel diagonally, their sagged,  contracted back emphasizes the physical burden on the body. This is also evident through the angular-shaped arm bent above their head, supporting the back, whilst the other arm is stretched with fingertips skimming across the floor ‘planting the seeds’. This motif is later on manipulated and shown in the fourth section ‘Out of the Fields!’ Repeating the movement, however working in cannons with efficient shuffling dynamic. Neat, and smoothness of the rows is no longer required as speed is all that’s needed to get the tiring chore done. This motif is repeated and manipulated throughout Jardi Tancat to represent the cyclic nature of their daily lives. The curved lines and gestural motifs used within Nacho Duato’s work ‘Jardi Tancat’ implement the intent of his work. These motifs are then further manipulated using space, time and dynamics to further establish meaning and expand intent of his work. Nacho Duato is then able to successfully and clearly display the continuous communal hardships that Catalonian farmers endure everyday through these motifs.