Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Religious Freedom Essay

Essay on Religious Freedom

Over the history of mankind there have been relatively few who have truly enjoyed religious freedom. Though we see definite signs of increased limitations being put on traditional religious organizations today, we here in America enjoy freedom far beyond that enjoyed by the generations before us and most of our contemporaries around the world. We take our freedoms for granted just as we take fresh air until we are deprived of it. It seems to be a fact of human nature that it is only in its absence that a particular freedom is most valued.

Let us briefly review a little history of religious freedom in Europe prior to the settling of America.

The first major breakthrough came about 1450 with Johann Gutenberg’s invention of removable type and the printing press. Not until Gutenberg’s invention was the mass production of the printed word possible. Books prior to that time were copied by hand, and a large library of even a wealthy family might be ten books or less. It is estimated that within 50 years of Gutenberg’s invention 20,000,000 books were printed.

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But with the printing press came the opportunity for rapid spreading of information, especially copies of the scriptures, which up until that time, were the exclusive possession of the Church and were kept under strict control. It was understood that a monopoly on the scriptures gave those in power the ability to "manage the news" to the people and thereby control their thinking. The closely aligned political and ecclesiastical powers of the day combined and were soon doing what they could to make it illegal to own a Bible.

The Gutenberg Bible was initially printed in Latin for the Catholic Church. Various scholars began making new translations and even dared to translate scripture into the native tongue of the people. For two hundred years, governments imprisoned and even executed those who translated, printed, or possessed illegal scriptures.

To English speaking people, the most notable was William Tyndale. He was the first to translate portions of the Bible into English while in exile, and his last wish before being executed by strangulation in 1536 was that the king’s eyes would be opened that the people might have the Bible. Within just a few years the political climate in England began to change, and Miles Coverdale printed the first complete English Bible using much of Tyndale’s work. It had to be printed overseas and shipped to England. Six thousand copies were smuggled into the country.

Those who owned them were at risk of severe punishments, but the word was spreading. And it became politically opportune to authorize an official Bible under the authority of the king. After delays and aborted attempts, the King James Bible was published in 1611 and was the first printed-in-England Bible free to circulate among the people. It was not immediately popular, as the Geneva Bible had already been spread widely among the people.

When the American colonies became populated, the king forbade them from printing their own copies of an English translation. They had to be imported from England.
The first American Bible to be printed in the English language was printed in 1776, only after the American colonies had declared their independence.

This is only part of the story of the quest for religious freedom. As you know, the Pilgrims and other groups came to this country seeking the freedom to practice their faith which did not fully adhere to the established churches of the day. These people, often out of a sense of desperation to preserve the purity of their faith and the integrity of their community, immediately practiced intolerance of other faiths. The concept of religious freedom was not yet mature, but over the follow century and a half, recognition of the value of religious liberty increased. And colony by colony, more liberal views were enacted into law.

Just days before our declaring independence from England, Virginia adopted a bill of rights which included these words:
"...All Men are equally entitled to the free exercise of Religion, according to the Dictates of Conscience; and that it is the mutual Duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love, and Charity towards each other."

I do not have time today to discuss this in detail, but it is clear that the early settlers and the Founders viewed this nation as being founded for a Christian purpose but were also coming to the realization that for that purpose to prosper full religious freedom was necessary. Even so, as we became a nation in 1776, there still remained established churches in various colonies and in some places there were laws restricting public offices to only those who professed a faith in Jesus Christ.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Relationship Between the Fish and the Fisherman Essay

Essay on The Fish and The Fisherman

Elizabeth Bishop's poem "The Fish" is a work in which a fisherman takes a detailed observation of a fish. With a closer look at the poem, it becomes apparent that the fisherman develops a connection with the fish on three different levels. The fisherman connects with the fish physically, in age, and mentally.

The fisherman and the fish are connected by the physical similarities between the two. The fisherman talks about the fish’s “coarse white flesh,” like the flesh of the fisherman (27). The author talks about the small and large bones in the fish, which is similar to a human’s small and large bones in his or her body. The author then goes on to compare her eyes with the eyes of the fish. The author says, “I looked into his eyes / which were far larger than mine / but shallower, and yellowed,” showing the similarities and differences between the two (34-36). The author then begins to talk about the similarities between the two mouths. The author uses the word lip giving the fish human-like characteristics, putting the fish on the same level as the author. The fish and the fisherman are connected on more levels than just the physical.

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Throughout the poem, the author notes the fish’s experience. Bishop starts by noticing the fish’s outside appearance. She writes, “… Here and there / his brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper,” showing how the fish’s skin has changed with its age (9-11). Bishop then says that “He was speckled with barnacles,” which indicates that the fish has been in the water a very long time (16). The author goes on to talk about the appearance of the fish’s eyes by saying,

“the irises backed and packed
with tarnished tinfoil
seen through the lenses
of old scratched isinglass.” (37-40)

This quotation further emphasizes the fish’s age. Bishop moves her focus to the fish’s mouth, where she notices “… five old pieces of fish-line,” (51). She describes the hooks as, “a five-haired beard of wisdom” (63). This goes on to show the fish’s age and experience. The reason that the fisherman focuses so much on the age of the fish is because it causes the fisherman to meditate on her own life and experience, which allows her to connect with the fish on that level.

Lastly, the fisherman tries to connect with the fish on a mental level. The fisherman begins her quest to connect with the fish on a mental level when she looks into its eyes. Eyes are seen as a passageway into one’s mind. The fish does not seem to have the same interest in the fisherman.

This is shown when the author writes, “They [the fish’s eyes] shifted a little, but not / to return my stare.” (41-42). The fisherman is unable to connect with the fish until oil from her boat creates a rainbow in the water. A rainbow is a symbol of good after the bad. The fisherman lets the fish go, which gives the fish another chance at life. The fisherman does this because she hopes that one day her act of goodwill will come back to her in her favor when she is in a tough spot. This rainbow in the water allows the fisherman to finally connect with the fish on a mental level.

By the end of the poem, the fisherman connects with her catch on three different levels. First, she connects with the fish physically. Then, she connects with the fish in age and experience. Lastly, with the notice of the rainbow, the fisherman connects with the fish in thought. This allows the fisherman to further understand her catch and come to the decision to let it go.

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Reflection on "The Doll's House" involving Nora's Independance vs. Dependance

The Doll's House Essay

People in the world are shaped by experiences they encounter. Therefore, every moment in a person’s life is significant and contributes to the character someone would make of himself or herself. In the play “A Doll’s House,” Nora goes through experiences that mold her into a more independent person, which changes her life completely. It is a perplexing theory that every moment in your life matters because people often take for granted the significance of these moments. Nora starts off as a dependant individual. There are many incidents that slowly manipulate Nora into the more independent person she becomes in the end.

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Nora grew up in an environment in which she was not taken seriously and living in her husband’s house, Nora is treated in the same ways. She also thinks herself as a independent individual. For example Nora says, “Yes, please, Torvald. I can’t get on without you (page 164).” However, throughout the play Nora begins to recognize the treatment she receives. In the play she states, “While I was at home with father he used to tell me all his opinions and I held the same opinions. If I had others I concealed them, because he would not have liked it. He used to call me his doll child, and play with me as I played with my dolls (page 204).” Nora’s ability to identify the treatment alone is a very big step in the development of her character because you can only change what you acknowledge. This statement by Nora also validates the theory that Nora was never taken seriously. Nora grew up within this household not being exposed to different treatment. While she went to look for a husband and settled down, it was a probable result that she was treated the way she was by Helmer. When someone is in an environment in which they are treated in a specific way, it becomes comfortable and familiar so it makes that environment hard to leave. Nora was naive to the fact that her life could be different; therefore she became very dependant.

Even though Nora had been treated unfairly, she finally gets the courage to stand up to Torvald and express her true feelings. Nora says, “There’s another problem to be solved first-I must try and educate myself. You are not the man to help me do that. I must set about it alone. And that is why I am now leaving you (page 205).” This statement expressed by Nora reveals the fact that she has recognized the path, which will lead to a more fulfilling lifestyle. This is the first step to independence for Nora and it truly shows a character growth within her.

While witnessing Nora’s life learned lessons, it arouses motivation in recognizing aspects of my life that I need to grow in. Nora started from being a very naпve and dependant individual to a strong, opinionated, and independent individual. There are many incidents in Nora’s life that shape Nora into the independent person that she becomes. The whole experience with Torvold is her miracle because it allows her to distinguish that she can become a person taken seriously in the world.

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Career in Nursing Essay

Essay on Career in Nursing

The career that I have chosen is a R.N., or registered nurse. A registered nurse has many different occupational specialties. Some of them are general duty nurses, occupational health nurses, office nurses, and private duty nurses, plus a few more.

Registered nurses have the opportunity to work in many places such as hospitals, institutions, department stores, and medical offices. The jobs entail providing nursing service for patients in hospitals institutions, offices, and nursing care for on-duty workers if needed. An R.N. is expected to work with people often during their day. So if you’re looking into being a registered nurse, being a good people-person is defiantly a plus.

In order to become a registered nurse, of course, you must go through the proper schooling and training. A two year school offers programs that will let you become a registered nurse, as well as some four year schools. To become a registered nurse an individual must graduate from an approved school of nursing and pass a state exam. Nurses may receive a diploma from a hospital school or nursing, an associate’s degree from a community college nursing program, or a bachelor’s degree from a four year college. You can get this schooling and training through many different colleges. One college offered in New Jersey, is Rutgers in New Brunswick. This college allows you to get the right training and degrees, and also offers a hospital nursing program through the college.

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Of course, college doesn’t come free. In order to attend the Rutgers in New Brunswick, in-state tuition would cost me 5, 000 dollars. Extra Fees are about 1, 333 dollars. And Room & Board which would be the best bet for myself, would cost about 6,312 dollars. Books and expenses average about about 717 dollars. So just for that alone I am looking at about a little over 13, 000 dollars to earn the right training and degrees. Though this is a lot of money, becoming an R.N. is however, very rewarding in the end. According to a salary survey taken in 2002 by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, those graduating with a bachelor’s degree in nursing were offered a starting salary of 41,413 dollars per year. Those with master’s degrees were offered 57,240 for their first year. With this, an R.N. receives paid vacations, holidays, sick days, life and health insurance, and retirement benefits.

The job market for this type of a career is in demand. Employers are looking for desperately for registered nurses, and because of this, they are willing to pay more. It is said that employment is expected to grow faster within the years. You could apply for this job in medical offices, hospitals, nursing homes, and even through an agency that allows their registered nurses to travel to their patients homes and take care of them there. Becoming a registered nurse could often lead to going to more school, and eventually becoming a doctor.

I would be interested in this type of career for many reasons. I enjoy helping people and becoming a R.N. is a great way to take care of many others and offer your services to them. The pay is excellent and would defiantly help me in my future years. There is not too much schooling involved so I could start my profession much earlier than those who are attending a four year college, and then going for more schooling afterwards. I enjoy working inside, so staying in an office, or hospital all day would suit my wants.

I thought learning about this was extremely helpful. I am actually considering becoming a registered nurse myself. I was told from a friend that some registered nurses are offered 30 dollars an hour to start, and that I feel is incredible. I thought it was neat to learn that they do in fact administer.

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Rabbit Proof Fence Essay

Essay on Rabbit Proof Fence

The film Rabbit Proof Fence is reminiscent of a war story as the country has been invaded and taken over. The invaders are taking away the children and placing them in camps. Only three manage to escape on their epic journey home they must cross through enemy occupied territory, never knowing friend from foe.

The movie Rabbit Proof Fence and the book The Stolen Children: their stories edited by Carmel Bird aims to impose its values and attitudes on the responder, which compels the viewer to adopt this perspective, thus leading to a change. Both these texts use the language of empathy to impose their perspectives on their audience. This is effectively achieved through the use of a visual and oral medium as it allows the director to use empathetic language thus allowing the audience to enhance the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person’s feelings. There are many techniques used to enable the audience to embrace this perspective.

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Phillip Noyce, director of Rabbit Proof Fence not only portrays the colonial setting of the time but also treats the story with respect and understanding of the cultural protocols that are required. The Film is authentic as it is based on a true story. The authenticity of the film can be proven as it has been recorded in the local press as well as in the archives of the department of Native affairs. Furthermore Molly and Daisy are still alive and footage of them is shown at the end of the film. This footage gives the film a sense of reality. The director Phillip Noyce ensured that the film was culturally appropriated, by employing Pilkington Garimara, Molly’s daughter who is also the author of Following the Rabbit Proof Fence, which the movie is based on. Molly can speak from personal experience, as she was part of the stolen generation. Phillip Noyce uses the universal language of emotions to change peoples perspectives of the stolen generation. This is achieved not just domestically but internationally.

The audience becomes emotionally overwhelmed during the children’s epic journey home. The audience are able to strongly identify themselves with the three girls due to the fact that they are young, innocent and powerless. The audience can easily connect with the girls for we have all been children. The viewer soon finds themselves on the children’s side, in their shoes and identifying with them, the viewer takes on the perspective of the stolen generation.

Carmel Bird has used a written text that contains a report of separate oral accounts of the indigenous peoples past she seeks to detail the differing situations and outcomes of these people. The film Rabbit Proof Fence stands as one story that represents them all. The distinct importance of the individual voices in The Stolen Children is replaced in the film by an intense visual. This visual representation emphasised through the use of symbols, such as the fence and the eagle, which symbolises Molly’s freedom. Rabbit Proof Fence stands as a cinematic analogue of Carmel Bird’s Stolen children.

The director uses film techniques to manipulate the audience’s perception to his liking. During the emotionally charged scene where a local policeman tears the girls from their mother’s arms, Phillip Noyce uses ground level camera angles that keep up with the action, furthernore emersing the audience in the traumatic action. Another film technique used is the first person film technique that has the effect of portraying the events of the stolen generations as if they were not witnessed out side the view of history, thus accurately capturing the brutality of government policy towards the indigenous population.

Another technique is the use of music to create the mood and atmosphere. Peter Gabriel’s soundtrack Long Walk Home draws power to the scenes. Gabriel has successfully blended traditional aboriginal instruments such as the didgeridoo with the modern instruments to withdraw dramatic emotion.

Molly’s perspective of the camp “I hate this place, makes me sick” drives her to take her siblings and commence a 1600 kilometre long journey back home, all they had to guide them was the rabbit proof fence a 1800 mile long landmark that bisects Western Australia from north to south. Ironically the same people who wanted to keep them from home had built the fence that guided them home. The decisive moment in the chase that structures Rabbit Proof Fence is the confusion between two rabbit proof fences. The girls have unwillingly found themselves on the wrong fence this mistake miraculously saved them from being recaptured by Mr Neville. The Rabbit Proof Fence is used as a device to enact the defeat of the unalterable linear of aboriginal people, over the attempt at systematic genocide. Thus drawing a parallel between Aboriginal liberation and incarceration.

A.O. Neville the protector of aborigines represents the opposing perspective of the government; he is portrayed as a cold but ‘rational’ character that believes in his cause. A British actor plays this character in order to highlight that the racist perspectives are remnants from the British Colonial era. Neville administrates the governments “assimilation” program that’s aim was to separate half-cast aboriginal children from their families and culture to then convert them to Christianity and domesticate them. The perspective of the white people at the time was that by integrating them into the white society and breeding them out they would be saved from their own “primitive savagery”.

“By the third generation the aboriginal has simply been breed out“

“in spite of himself the native must be helped”

“The problem of half cast is not simply going to go away. If it is not dealt with now it will fester for years to come. These children are that problem.”

These quotes provide sufficient evidence that the forced removal policies were an attempt at systematic genocide.

The loss of identity. culture and family that is so profoundly emphasised in the voices section of The Stolen Children is also seen in Rabbit Proof Fence. The mission is where the indigenous people are stripped of their linear; this is depicted in several ways. They are not allowed to speak their own language this lead to loss of language culture. The longer you seem to be at the mission the more of your culture you forget.

“They have no mothers, no body have got any mothers.”

This quote creates a visual image of daughter cut off from connection with mother. This imagery is also use on the front cover off Carmel Bird’s text. In the introduction she talks of a severing from the umbilical cord.

This is a powerful movie that strikes at the heart of Australian history and its current values. Furthermore is has effectively changed the perspective of the viewer and internationally informed many of the suffering of the stolen generations. The movie has also brought up the issue of a national apology.

“Something needs to jolt our political leaders into action on Aboriginal reconciliation. Hopefully this movie proves to e the catalyst.” John Hewson. former national Liberal leader.

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Sunday, February 21, 2010

Aristotle Essay

Essay on Aristotle

Aristotle was born in 384 BCE, In this place called Stagirus it was a Greek colony by the seaport on the coast of Thrace. His father’s name was Nichomachus. He was the court physician to the king Amyntas of Macedonia. From this Aristotle began to get involved with the Macedonian court, this really had an impact in his life. While Aristotle was still small his father died, and was taken care of by his guardian Proxenus. Later when Aristotle turned 17 Proxenus sent him to Athens to continue his education there. There Aristotle was taught by Plato for about twenty years.

Aristotle later started teaching there too; the subject he concentrated on was rhetoric. During this time this was one of the best intellectual center of the world. At the death of Plato (347) Aristotle tried to continue Platos work at the academy but couldn’t keep up so Platos nephew Speusippus took over his work. The Aristotle moved to Mysia for three years and there met a girl Pythias and married her. Later Aristotle also married another girl Herpyllis and had a son name after his father Nichomachus. Later Aristotle became the tutor of Philips son Alexander (later world conqueror). For five years Aristotle did this. Aristotle was well paid by Philips for teaching his son.

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While Philips was dying, his son Alexander was getting prepared to be the next king. Aristotle then return to Athens after teaching Alexander everything he knew. When Aristotle arrived to the school it was being run by Xenocrates so Aristotle sets up his own school at a place called Lyceum. Aristotle then had a habit to walk about as he was teaching. While he was teaching Alexander died in 323 BCE then the Macedonian government in Athens was overthrown and anything that had to do with Macedonian was disliked. Since he wasn’t wanted there no more he moved to Chalcis in Euboea. In Chalcis where Aristotle was living his normal life he began to have this painful stomach illness and died in 322 BCE.

Most of Aristotle’s writing was very important. Some was secretly put away by one of Aristotle’s student Theophrastus. The student passes the books down to some people he knew and put them in a vault to try to keep them in the best shape possible. Later in about 100 BCE the books and writing where discovered by this guy named Apellicon a book lover, and brought them to Athens. And later where taken to Rome in 86 BCE there in Rome it got the attention of several scholars. The works of Aristotle fall under three headings. One is dialogues and other works of popular characters. Two is the collections of facts and materials from scientific treatment; and. And finally, systematic works. Some of Aristotle’s systematic treaties were; logic, physical work, psychological works, works on natural history, and philosophical works.

In Aristotle’s logic work, logic and reasoning was the chief preparatory instrument of scientific investigation. Aristotle uses the term “logic” as equivalent to verbal reasoning. Aristotle’s list of propositions were substance, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, situation, condition, action, passion. This list is arranged according to the order of the question we would ask. Aristotle simply says logic shows forms the show truth and false. Other work Aristotle did was Metaphysics, which Aristotle starts by sketching the history of philosophy, and Philosophy of Nature, which talks about matter and motion. In The soul of Psychology Aristotle talks about the perfect expression or realization of Natural body. In Ethics Aristotle attempts to find out our chief end or highest good. In Politic is a completion and verification of Ethics. And finally Art which Aristotle talks about the realization in external form of a true idea.

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Racial Profiling Essay

Essay on Racial Profiling

Racial profiling is a method used by local and federal law enforcement agencies to determine whether a person may be suspect of a criminal act. Racial profiling is wrong and is a form of racism, and it also goes against the basic parameters of the Bill of Rights. Racial profiling has been used for decades by law enforcement agencies, dating back to the early sixties during the civil rights movement. One of the most famous accounts of racial profiling was the arrest and incarceration of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, who was arrested for murder. The way Rubin Carter was detained by APV that two African American males in a white car were suspects of murder; out of all the African Americans in white cars in the city how could the cops possibly determine which car to pull over, in that caser every white car with two African American males should have been pulled over.

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Many people have been victim of racial profiling or the infamous title “Driving while black”. Though the car may not be stolen an African American driving a Mercades Benz in Beverly Hills dressed in casual clothing, not business attire is suspect of grand theft auto. Since the area is predominantly white being black just looks out of place and you had to have only been there for one reason. How can someone determine just by look if you are guilty of stealing a car, there is no way possible to do this. An African American woman in Chicago was stripped down to her tampon at O’Hare International Airport to prove that she was on her period and not smuggling drugs through states. This does not only occur in ghettos or rich neighborhoods but in every city, on every street, in every state in the United States of America. Even though a percentage of a race may smuggle drugs through airports or across national and international borders does not necessarily mean that every single person does that. The U.S. Customs service is among the worst offenders of racial profiling, a study proved that nine times more black women were x-rayed for drug smuggling that their white counterparts; and the males were not that far off.

A method used by the New York police department to crack down on subway violence was to strongly enforce the minor offenses in the subway, what they found was that the people arrested or detained for the minor offenses were either carrying weapons or had warrants out for their arrest. These same methods were applied to drug trafficking stop vehicles on the highway for minor traffic offenses were often found with drugs or were wanted for other serious violations.

The main reason for this was the assumption that certain races are responsible for certain offenses and crimes. Does this study prove that there is a valid reason for racial profiling, no. No one should be pulled over or stopped for crimes that their race is associated with.

Racial profiling violates our constitutional rights and should be outlawed. There should be legislation against racial profiling and there was some but President Bush vetoed it for reasons unknown. No matter how affective it may be it is a total violation of our human rights.

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