Saturday, September 7, 2019
Gun control Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2
Gun control - Research Paper Example The proponents of gun rights argue that the availability of gun in the public spheres allows the people to protect themselves, and this ultimately is a solution to the gun crisis that exist in the affected states. Gun control is indeed not a solution for the violence and killing that are evident in states such as America. The Gun culture is an issue that started back in the 1970s when citizens were given the right to possess a gun as a defense weapon. In the famous westward expansion in the history of America, the citizens were allowed to safeguard their lives from attackers and wild animals in a period that was characterized with war and rivarly. This implies that the initial motive of providing gun rights was to protect the people from criminal acts that were threatening the people. In a period of high crime like the 21stcentury, the purchase of guns has increased as people prepare to counter these crime rates in the public domain. The supporters of the Gun rights argue that this i s the period that people need more personal protection than ever in the history of America (Moorhouse 103-124). Consequently, legalizing the purchase of guns in USA will empower the citizens to be more conscious of crime at their homes. Statistics compiled in 1990 have pointed out to the aggravation of criminal activities in the United States, most of which were perpetrateted by arm owners. Crooker (1) points out that atleast one person dies in America every 18 minutes which amounts to a total of about 30, 000 deathst very year. Of these, less than 50% of people who die are killed while the rest are victims of accidental gun shots and other commit murder using legally owned weapons. The question that emerges from these kind of statistics is whether legal arms or illegal arms result to the increased number of gun deaths in the united states. From the point of critical evaluator, legal arms as well are dangerous in the public sphere and the question of withdrawing gun rights can be ra ised at this point. Withdrawing the public right to own a gun would help to reduce the number of accidental deaths as well as the rate of suicide that has threatened the existence of the citizens in America. On this ground, most supporters of gun control feel that both illegal and legal arms should be withdrawn from the public to ensure that the people are safe from sudden deaths. However withdrawing the gun from the public spheres may not be an ultimate solution to the number of gun deaths that are increasing each day as more rifles find their way into the public sphere. DeConde (172) presents the pros and cons of denying the public the rights to possess legal firearms which has underpinned the death of more citizens every year. Depossessing the public with the right to own firearms will ensure that the rates of suicide would decrease considerably and the consequent drop in the number of people who die from stray bullets. However, the impact that this would have is that illegal arm owners, who are mostly criminals ,would have an advantage over the public, which is likely to trigger higher crime rates in the American society.In essence, this will be leaving the public more vulnerable to criminals which will lead to the death of loyal people and the thrive of criminals. Otherwise, the government would be forced to be more responsible of the security which is practically impossible given the high population
Friday, September 6, 2019
Comparative Study Of Corruption Study Essay Example for Free
Comparative Study Of Corruption Study Essay ABSTRACT            Having Nordic countries consistently on top of the CPIs least corrupt countries for years, there must be something in this culture and tradition that make them highly regarded as having a clean and honest government. Based on the 2006 Corruption Perception Index, Finland and Iceland are the top two least corrupt countries while Haiti and Burma hailed as the two most corrupt countries in the world. This paper aims to find the reasons why these countries were in their current position in the CPI by comparing their government system, culture and tradition. This paper also aims to find solid evidences that will prove that the culture of corruption is not a matter of effective and efficient policies but on the culture of strict implementation of such policies, the moral and ethical standards of the people and the collective concern of the people to their country.            A brief background of the 2006 CPI report is included in the first part of this paper. A separate section, discussing thoroughly the different elements which may contribute to each country’s culture of corruption is the main focus of this paper. Data from competent writers and qualified analysts were compared in order to make readers further understand the economic, political and social status of each country. A brief conclusion is also included, summarizing the main points of comparison between countries. BACKGROUND ON CPI’s 2006 RESULTS            In the 2006 Corruption Perception Index, Finland emerged on top as the least corrupt country in the world, scoring 9.6 out of the 10 clean score. Scoring equally are Iceland and New Zealand. In the CPI 2006 published by the Transparency International, Haiti turned out to be the most corrupt of the 163 countries involved in the survey scoring only 1.8 while slightly on top is Myanmar with 1.9 score. If we are to look into the previous CPI results, we can see that the top Finland and other Nordic countries, Iceland and New Zealand have been consistently on the five least corrupt countries. The question here is who or what makes a country the least or the most corrupt country in the world? â€Å"The CPI is a composite index which uses survey results from business people and country analysts as with their assessment and perception of corruption among public officials and political figures†(J.G. Lambsdorff). This means that the CPI is considered as a competent and reliable material considering that it makes use of qualified people in assessing the existence of corruption. It utilizes different sets of polls relative to perception of corruption, had them compiled and analyzed before it came up with the figures published in the CPI. In 2006, Transparency International made use of 112 sets of polls and survey from independent bodies listed below:            Freedom House: â€Å"Nations in Transit†               Economist Intelligence Unit                United Nations Commission for Africa                World Economic Forum                World Markets Research Center (London)                Merchant International Group Limited (London)                Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (Hong Kong)                International Institute for Management and Development (Laussane)                Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (IDA and IBRD of World Bank)            It is also important to note that bribery among public officials and servants is one of the major factors considered by analysts as the major indicator of corruption. â€Å"Political culture and political institutions determine the level of corruption†(P. Tiihonen). It is therefore but fair enough to conclude that corruption begins when bribery is tolerated by anyone in the government or any public office. To have a deeper understanding of corruption, we will try to compare two of the most corrupt countries in the world with that of the two least corrupt countries using different areas and aspects. By doing so, we will be able to assess what factors make Finland and Iceland’s government clean and the factors that brought Haiti and Myanmar on top of the list of the most corrupt countries. ELEMENTS THAT MAKE A COUNTRY CLEAN OR CORRUPT Government and Political System            Finland has the culture of good governance. Based on the political structure of Finland, we can say that it has one of the best, if not the best system of government. First, Finland is a country that does not recognize social class. This is what they referred to as â€Å"Egalitarian Society†where everyone, regardless of social status is given equal opportunity to avail of the services of the government and to be of service to the people (Tiihonen). Education is compulsory, women are given the full rights for suffrage and political participation as candidates, pension is provided for all citizens who reached 65 years old, healthcare services are free for everyone and education is free from basic to higher education. If all people are able to experience this kind of welfare in their country, it would be far from their means of finding comfort to bribe and accept bribe. Nordic countries like Finland and Iceland live up to their political culture of transparency and corruption free society2. Considering the legal framework of Finland, one can immediately conclude that their government is serious with combating corruption as bribery, which includes both giving and accepting bribe, is a criminal offense (Criminal Code: R1 101/19.12.89). For them money, jewelry, household, special or low interest loans, trips, honorary titles and recommendations are forms of bribes (J. Brady). Nordic countries also have the collective decision structure, wherein decisions are in the hands of a collegiate body making hard for bribery to be tolerated. In complete contrast, Haiti is a country of faltering democratic institutions and unstable political situation making it the poorest country in the Americas5. Recent reports involved government officials in the issue of drug trafficking, particularly the Presidential Security Unit and the Palace Guard4. Reported incidents of violence against anti-government demonstrators, said to be demanding to better public services like water and highways, are clear indicators of the country’s political instability. Growing counts of human rights violations and the Aristede’s government’s disrespect for the people’s freedom of expression are regarded by analysts as â€Å"political humanitarian catastrophe†(J. Regan). Another indicator of the country’s unclean government is the incident of credit union pyramid scheme involving banks which money allegedly came from drug money. It turned out later that the scheme is a scam where the government promised to pay depositors who lost $200 million dollars and so far has not yet been fulfilled6. As with Myanmar, political instability is not too obvious as that of Haiti. A political observer, in his article entitled â€Å"Magnificent, Troubled Myanmar†the writer described the country as â€Å"beautiful, tragic, natural, and chaotic place†7. In his article, he made mention of the people’s fear of the government by strictly avoiding discussion or making comments about their government even by merely consorting foreigners. In this situation, we can say that freedom and civil liberty is not honored by the government of Myanmar. As with corruption, the author stressed the severely low income of the people of the country, with as low as half a dollar per day for most citizens. Considering their 883% literacy rate, this is a tragic economic situation. Based on this situation alone, corruption, especially bribery is highly expected. In fact, Myanmar’s public servants have negative real earnings (M. Maung). According to Maung, the iniquities in Burma today are driving its people into corruption. Such iniquities include: 9the growing power and wealth of the military rulers at the expense of impoverished masses, the sub-human conditions and plight of hundreds of thousands of displaced refugees stranded along Burmas borders. Ethical and Moral Standards            In Nordic countries like Finland and Iceland, to be a public servant means to of real service to the public. Civil servants in these countries take pride of being a member of a generally honest government. For Finnish society, having a good name means a lot so they really do their best to avoid being accused of any malpractice especially that of related to dishonesty (P. Tiihonen). The Finnish society also maintained their administrative culture of creating efficient civil servants by reserving senior civil service post to lawyers or at least those who earned degrees in law10. The government of Finland also gives its civil servants the responsibility for every decision and action they make. They are left independent in their tasks and do their individual duties with the least supervisory intervention. This is the reason why Finnish government employs highly-educated individuals in the civil service posts11.            Highly in contrast is the situation in the Burmese civil society. In a country as poor as Burma, to accept bribe is a matter of practicality. Bribery is normal in their everyday life where even the service of a lineman needs bribe. Accepting bribe for them is of being resourceful7. Like the people of Burma, Haiti citizens are evidently of low morale since most of them do not take courage to express their dislike and frustrations to their government. The continuing reports of chaos and demonstrations of few brave citizens are indications that these people resort to violence just to seek for the government’s attention. Quality of Life            Finland is a moral and welfare society where almost everyone enjoys a comfortable life. With free education, pension, health care benefits and honest and dedicated civil servants, I would say that Finnish people might have been the luckiest people in the world. They enjoy their civil rights and political freedoms especially in participating in public issues. For them, everything that concerns the public must be open to all citizens. This means that they are all given the right to question any government policy or decision. Even diaries and records concerning public transactions are literally open to everybody2. Finland also takes pride of their culture of being environment friendly. For them, taking care of their natural resources are powerful means of maintaining their economic edge. As evidence Finland still tops the Environmental Sustainability Index along with Norway, Canada and Sweden11. Considering violence in Haiti and the severe poverty in Burma, it is evident that their citizens are far from enjoying a good quality of life. Political instability, rampant and open bribery, environmental degradation and disrespect of individual freedom are the frustrating realities of life of the people of Haiti and Burma. With widespread unemployment and a negative real wage for most people, Burma is a picture of a real poor country whose government does not seem to care for its people. CONCLUSION            By comparing the two least corrupt and two most corrupt countries in the world, based on the 2006 Corruption Perception Index, we were able to have an idea of how these countries differ on several areas. In our analysis of such areas we were able to draw some information that relates to their system of government and their philosophies which somehow define their stand in the issue of corruption. To summarize the major points of comparison, Nordic countries like Finland and Iceland have the following philosophies for a corruption-free society: Nordic countries strictly do not tolerate dishonesty especially corruption, a principle they call â€Å"ethicality.†Finland and other Nordic countries strictly implement transparency on public records and transactions by literally opening all pubic documents to every citizen. The government also opens its door to criticisms and regard public administration as privilege being a member of an honest and highly regarded circle of civil servants. The Finnish government’s collective decision structure makes it hard for bribery and corruption to enter into the system. Nordic countries maintain a low hierarchical structure where civil servants are highly educated and were left independent and individually responsible for their decisions and actions. This structure also encourages civil servants to maintain a good status in the society by having a clean name. Nordic countries’ legacy of egalitarian society ensures that every citizen enjoys the benefits of being a citizen of a moral and welfare society.  In contrast, this paper have presented the proofs of Haiti and Burma’s political instability, severe poverty, absence of political and civil rights and the government’s lack of concern for its people as causes and at the same time indicators of their corrupt government. By comparing the political and economic situations of the four countries, we were able to find out that corruption is not a matter of policy and laws but the strict implementation of it. Also, that poverty is not an indicator of corruption but a reflection of it. Making Finland as a perfect example, the world must make considerable efforts in implementing its laws and begin to nurture an honest society starting at the public administration. REFERENCES  1Transparency International.â€Å"Corruptions Perception Index 2006†. Retrieved on July 14, 2007 from http://www.transparency.org/publications/gcr/download_gcr#19 2â€Å"Nordics Least Corrupted Nations in the World†Retrieved on July 14, 2007 from http://www.scandinavica.com/culture/society/corruption.htm 4â€Å"Jamaica Still Leading Caribbean Drug Route†CNN News. March 01, 2003. Retrieved on July 14, 2007 from http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/03/01/drugs.caribbean.reut/index.html 5â€Å"Haiti Tops World Corruption Table†BBC News. November 06, 2006. Retrieved on July 14, 2007 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6120522.stm 6â€Å"Aid To Haiti is Unfrozen, but Corruption and Chaos Remain†Retrieved on July 14, 2007 from http://www.allbusiness.com/central-america/289066-1.html?yahss=114-2974554-289066 7â€Å"Magnificent, Troubled Myanmar†Retrieved on July 14, 2007 from http://www.vagabonding.com/travelogue/000038.html 8â€Å"Myanmar†Retrieved on July 14, 2007 from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107808.html 9Maung, Maya. â€Å"The State of Burmese Economy under Military Management†Retrieved on July 14, 2007 from http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/HRDU%201995/The%20state%20of%20Burmese%20Economy.htm 10Brady, Joe. â€Å"Corruption-Nearly None at All†Retrieved on July 14, 2007 from  http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25892 11Tiihonen, Paula. â€Å"Good Governance and Corruption in Finland†Retrieved on July 14 2007 from http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25891 Lambsdorff, Johann Graf. â€Å"The Corruptions Perceptions Index 2006†. Pages 324-330 Lavers ,Tom. â€Å"The Global Corruption Barometer†pg. 13 â€Å"Finland Ranks as Least Corrupt†CNN News. October 08, 2003. Retrieved on July 14 2007 from http://www.cnn.com/2003/BUSINESS/10/08/corruption.index/index.html
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Human resource Management in International Expansion
Human resource Management in International Expansion In todays global environment when expanding a business in to another country IHRM would play a handle new key role. There can be identified very clear 6 differences between domestic and international HRM. They are more HR activities, need for broader perspectives, the more involve with employees personal life, risk exposure, broader external influence, changes in emphasis as work force mix of expatriates and locals. IHRM is concern with staffing policies, recruitment and selection, remuneration, motivation, training and development, performance appraisals, promotion, retirement, redundancy and lay off, industrial relations and foreign assignments. Expatriates are the employees who is working and temporarily residing in a foreign country. They could be PCNs, TCNs or HCNs. Due to the development of technologies such as telecommunication, satellite and computer technology and lower cost in going business globally has made the IHRM much more important and easy to manage when compared to the last to few decades. For any organization that have global operations all around the world IHRM would play a Key factor for the company success. Session 2 When a organization do business internationally, understanding the cultural deferences among the countries is very essential to be successful in the long run. This is because operations starting in another country, if there are huge cultural difference among the parent and the subsidiary companies would face varies implications. According to the Hofsteds there are 5 cultural damnations. Power distance This is the extent to which power is distributed unequally among the employees in between the higher positions and the lower positions. Eg India is a high power distance culture (even have a cast system) and USA is a lower power distance culture. Individualism vs collectivisms In a individualistic country people would priorities them self ( USA) where as collectivism country people would priorities group needs. Uncertainty avoidance People would try to minimize risk they face in a situation ( avoiding paralysis through analysis ) usually countries with long history and traditions have a high uncertainty avoidance. Countries such as USA well come higher risks. Masculinity/femininity Masculine- tough value dominant Eg; success, money, satiates, competition Feminine- tender values dominant such as personal relationships, care for others, quality of life etc. When we take Sri Lanka for a example I think we have feminine culture even though have many masculinity futures. The best example for this is during the tsunami situation whole county get together to help the tsunami victims within ours. Cross-cultural communication Similarly, among various countries cross-cultural communication is very necessary so that they can understand each others through religion, culture, art, literature, foreign policies, fiscal polices, etc. such type of bridges of understanding will help to lessen and minimize the gap between two culture. Thirukkural, a noted tamil poet, who has been translated in more than twenty five languages and who had been famous for ethical themes and brevity, has very aptly remarked on power of speech: The goodness called goodness of speech IS goodness which nothing can reach Since gain or ruin speeches brings Guard against the slips of tongue Weight the words and, speak, because No wealth or virtue words surpass. They overspeak who do not seek A few and flawless words to speak (Gupta .reprint 2004) It is said that speech is grater than words, mind is greater than speech, will is grater than mind consciousness is greater than will, meditation is greater than will and power of understanding is greater than meditation.sanakumara, surmonzing narad atma vidya or brahmavidya (knowledge of the supreme) says : power of understanding beings sine quo non for proper meditation, thats is greater than meditation. If we cannot correctly understand and discriminate good and bad, truth and untruth and discriminate between good and bad, truth and untruth, and the like pairs of opposites, how can we meditate? Thus there is no doubt that the power of understanding is linked with speech, one of the tools of communication. Session 3 There are many activities effecting the IHRM in a organizational context. Industrial relations, health and safety, management style, authority structure, organizational structure, leader ship style and etc. And organization could implement a different structures such as global product division, global area division and global matrix structure depends on the situation, subsidiary age and size structure adopted. Controlling of subsidiary would have both formal and informal control systems. Formal methods would be structure, reporting systems, budget and targets where as informal methods would be cooperate culture and personal relationships. we know some of the transferable HRM policies such as physical layouts, use of technologies, holiday entitlements, quality circles depending on the culture, motivation and leadership style, performance appraisals and etc. company expatriates would have to perform the key activities when implementing the procedures in subsidiary an at the same time adopt the suitable local norms, standards and value in to the system to make it more localize the operations. Improving the performance, implementation of corporate culture, solve technical problems, handling of sensitive information, reduces risk, improve trust and team working skills are some of the important functions that expatriates should perform during a foreign assignment. Future more political stability, country infrastructure, technology and resources available in the country, organizational and national cultural differences should be looking to when implementing IHRM policies. Session 4 When starting a subsidiary in a foreign country, there are many reasons why expatriates are needed. Teaching a new process, setting up a new branch, facilitating the knowledge transfer between parent and the subsidiary, helping branch to implement a matrix integration is some of the purposes. This would also depend on the relationship between parent and subsidiary, amount of investment, other host country environment factors. Depending on the host culture, size and the maturity of firm, relative importance of the subsidiary, moral and ethics balancing of standardization and localization of HRM could be done. Localization would be the recruitments, holidays, leave procedures and etc. according to Huo the best IHRM practice ought to be the ones best adopted to culture and national environment. Developing staff members investing in human capital, career development, good working conditions and good management practice could help the organization to retain and attract skilled and qualified labour force in to the organizations. In Sri Lanka Mas holdings is a very good example for a organization which is practicing this method Session 5 There are many ways of staffing international operations. They are ethnocentric, polycentric, geocentric and regiocentric. Each of this method has it own advantages and disadvantages. Most of the companies use ethnocentric approach at the initial stage and move to polycentric approach after some time. Eg;- after operating Sri Lanka for many years Coca Cola has appointed a Sri Lankan as a country head for the first time. Organizations use expatriate for international assignment as position filling, management and development and for organizational development. They could be assigned for varies time periods and would have many roles to play as expatriate such as agent of control/socialization, network builder, boundary spanner, language node, transfer of knowledge etc. Non-expatriates are people who travel internationally, yet no conceder as expatriate as they do not relocate to another county.. Examples for non-expatriates are auditors, inspection department, regional managers etc. even though its a glimmers life on first site non- expatriates would have high level of stress because of family working arrangements, health concern and host culture issues. Even expatriates would face lot of difficulties such as spouse and family problems, lack of cultural sensitivity, reluctant to change and adopt, them us mentality, home country mentality and etc. There for organizations must use most appropriate method when selecting a person for a expatriate job. Session 6 When recruiting a expatriate for a international assignment organizations has to be extremely concern. This is because expatriate failure is extremely costly for an organization. Career advancements financial incentives, interest in countries, interest to travel are the factors that motivate the expatriates. For expatriate to be successful in a foreign assignment they have to have the job knowledge and motivation, job related skills, be flexible and adoptable, helpful family situations and extra cultural openness. Expatriate failure could be defined as premature return or under performance during the a foreign assignment. There could be varies reasons for early return of a expatriate but direct cost of the failure is extremely high for the organization. Eg- salary and training cost, airfares, relocation expenses, exchange rates, replacing the failed manager etc. indirect costs would be the damagers to the relationship with stake holders, family relationships, and negative effects on the local staff members. There are four phases in cultural adjustments which expatriate has to go through in a foreign assignment. They are, Tourist every thing is new and enjoyable Crisis/ cultural shock see differences and negative side off the new culture Pulling up Adjustment There is a high possibility of expatriate to exit during the cultural shock period. There for in this each stage organizations would have to take many steps to easy the situation.. Eg- food, customs, cultural values(seniority), home sickness etc. Session 7 Training and development of expatriates is essential for the success of a intentional assignment. This is because expatriates are send to subsidiaries to show how systems and procedures work, ensure adoption and motivation of performance. There for cultural differences and business out comes attitudes and how it effects the behavior, facts about the target country, skill building and language is some of the areas that organization should look in to. Effective pre-departure training should include cultural awareness programmes, preliminary visits, language training, non traditional assignments and training etc. future more practical assistance for relocation, find accommodation and schooling, future language training, would also contribute to adaptation of expatriates and his family members to settle down. Many methods could be use ot train the expatriates and many examples Some off them was showing videos, giving case studies, role play and anointing a experience mentor. Session 8 Multinational organizations would face lots of performance management issues and expatriate re-entering career issues. Performance management is also a way of controlling the subsidiaries. It also contribute shape the organizational culture. HCNs and non-expatriate performance would have to be evaluated separately. Appraisal of host country nationals could be done with standardizes company evaluation form. But customization of the form according to the local staff should be done to get the maximum benefits to the all parties. Performance evaluation criteria would be done on hard goals, soft goals and contextual goals. When evaluating the performance of a non- expatriate stress associated with constent air travel, family relationship issues should also be considered. Expatriate performance would be evaluated on how well he/she achieve organizational targets, relationship and network build up with key parties, implementation of cooperate culture in the organization and etc. evaluation results would also have a impact from who is doing the appraisal, frequency, timeliness and use of standards and customization of the appraisal form. Re-entry of expatriate after completion of foreign assignment would also have to be given consideration. Preparation, physical relocation, transactional readjustments are the phases which have to go through again. To retain the staff in the organization and repatriation pre-departure career discussions, naming a contact person, succession planning and etc could be done. Eg- decrease of living standards, children schooling issues and etc. Session 9 For a multinational organization to be successful they should have a good compensation package in place for their employees. This is because different countries different currencies, labour laws and customs are in place. There for expatriate pay should be determine according to cost of living, hardship, currency fluctuations, health care, housing, taxation and education expense of children. To determine the compensation package awarded to the expectorates going rate approach and balance sheet approach can be used. Even though both approaches have its advantages and disadvantages the balance sheet approach is the most commonly used system in multinationals. Balance sheet approach would consider about the goods and services cost, housing cost, income tax and reserves when determining the benefit package. Session 10 When a organization do business with a another country to make this transactions successful knowing the business ethics and social customs are very essential. Different countries have different values, practices, and taboos which you have to understand and be respectful. From country to country the way they use first name, title, position and states, dining practices, tipping, gift giving, and that an traveling etiquettes, greetings, superstitions and taboos differ. Japanese people shows and have a grate respect to the business card and exchange and consider are in tipping as a insult. Different countries have different meal times, number of courses. Eating every thing in the plate or leaving some thing in the plate could be reason to be offended in some cultures. Some times its better not to know what is in your plate which you are serve to eat and be restrain form giving comments on the foods. ( it is better to eat without knowing whats in the plate (eg- dog meat, snake meat) without offending your counter party.) When going abroad for business deal proper dressing, footwear and packing and even and quality luggage could add some value to your transaction. Male and female relationships would also in a differ from culture to culture and it is wise not to use you are hummer during a business meetings . holidays and holy days also differ from country to country according to the religion they and practice and the traditions. And organization should looking to this because many cultures do not make any business decisions in holy days. Even though bribery is conceder illegal, unethical and immoral it almost take place all over the world. But if an organization is doing this kind of transactions they would have to be extremely careful because it could lead to fines and damage of organization reputation.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Into the Wild: Searching :: Into the Wild Essays
Into the Wild: Searching       Chris McCandless, the main character of Into the Wild, is searching for his true self. His numerous tests of both his physical and mental abilities are proof of his determination. He felt affected in his families presence so went on a road trip. He was criticized by many for this, but who could stop him from discovering who he is. It is clear from the novel that Chris’ relationship with his parents is not good. He refuses gifts from them and then disappears. He had instructed his family that he was not interested in giving or receiving gifts. When his father offered to buy him a new car he became enraged. He had a car and couldn’t understand why his father would buy him a new one. Chris took the money that his family had left him for college and donated it to Oxfam which gives food to the hungry. This is ironic because Chris eventually died from starvation. Many people criticize McCandless for not keeping in touch with his par ents and family. Chris was 22 years old. He did not have to tell his parents anything. He was doing what he wanted, not what other people wanted him to do and he was happy. They call him selfish for disregarding his parents’ feelings. McCandless was living his life for himself. He wanted to be happy and it happened to upset his parents. Wanting your own happiness is not selfish it is your right. I don’t think that McCandless was trying to upset his family, he was just trying to make himself happy by doing what he wanted to do. One of the reasons that I believe McCandless did not keep in contact with his parents while he kept in touch with those he met along the way is because he was afraid of disapproval. His parents had never been to find of his â€Å"adventures†so he didn’t want to hear them voice their disapproval. The people he met along the way may not have approved of his travels but they weren’t going to tell him not to do it. McCandless needed these people. He needed approval, because in his mind that gave him the ok to go ahead.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Rumors Essay -- essays research papers
Rumor      Rumors can be passed easily and are spread on an everyday basis. A rumor is like gossip; some of it true or untrue, and it is passed around by word of mouth. Most rumors start off being true, then when it is being passed from one person to the other, it starts becoming untrue because some people forget details, add new information in, or just change the whole story around. In the rumor experiment conducted in class, a story was told to one person out of four. The first person had to repeat the same story to the next person who of course was waiting outside of the classroom, until it got to the fourth person. The story that the fourth person ended up with was extremely dissimilar from what was initially told to the first person. This is a prime example of how rumors change while they are being said from one person to the other.      There were two rumors in the experiment conducted for the rumor assignment. Both rumors were very different in context but both proved the same thing in the end. Rumor number one was first told to the first individual who was standing outside of the classroom with three other students. Person one listened as the professor said the rumor, and then they had to remember it, and tell the next person (person two) outside the classroom this rumor. The central theme of rumor one was there were two men on the subway who started arguing while many people watched near by.    ...
Monday, September 2, 2019
Lessons Learned from Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay
Lessons Learned from The Scarlet Letter     The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered by many to be a classic novel. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne provides his audience with a real sense of the consequences of unconfessed sin, isolation from society, and the presence of evil everywhere. Through his portrayal of the main characters, his choice of setting, and his implied moral lessons, he teaches lessons that must be learned for humans to continue living in harmony with one another.  The setting of The Scarlet Letter provides a powerful connection between fact and fiction. Events such as the Salem witch trials, which occurred not long after the events of The Scarlet Letter, establish credibility for Hawthorne in that recounting historical details such as fear of witches makes him seem like he actually knows what he is talking about. Hawthorne's writing style has made him "one of the most widely read nineteenth century authors" (Jacobson 4). He upholds Puritan values and concepts while employing the classic allegorical characters of romanticism. One such Puritan value is that the devil resides in the forest. Anytime characters in The Scarlet Letter enter the forest, it is certain that something terrible just happened, is happening, or will happen soon. One such example is when the governor's sister, who is suspected of witchcraft, enters the forest and invites Hester to go with her. It is this woman who represents the idea that evil exists everywhere, especially among those who refuse to acknowledge its existence. Salem is a particularly intriguing setting because of its witch infamy. The occurrence of the witch trials in Salem creates an atmosphere where the evil and the right... ... Hawthorne's allegorical approach at real life situations provides his readers with a sense of accomplishment: a sense that if they learn lessons from others, then they will not have to learn from first hand experience. Although on the surface it may seem like another tale of Puritanistic virtue, The Scarlet Letter is the embodiment of life itself. After reading this novel, one may find that many events in real life today can relate directly to events in The Scarlet Letter.  Works Cited and Consulted:  Chase, Richard (1996). "The Lessons of the Scarlet Letter." Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne (pp. 145-152). San Diego: Greenhaven.  Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: St. Martins, 1991.  Jacobson, Gary. The Critical Response to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. New York: Greenwood, 1992. Â
Sunday, September 1, 2019
If I Could Change the World Essay
Life is the most complicated thing imaginable. From the complex Human body, to thesmallest unit of life, the atom. From events that change the world to time wasting responsibility.The easiest thing to say as to what i would like to change in life would be all the bad things. Itwouldn t be only the easiest but whats expected from everyone. Heroes of the world didn taccomplish all they accomplished in their lives by doing whats wrestling The topic I have chosen to write about is the world of professional wrestling. My goal is to persuade you the reader that there is more to the wrestling industry †¦ expected . They followed theirown paths, through good and bad times they stuck through to make the world what it is today. Which brings me to my decision of what i would change in life. Nothing. Nothing should be changed. Could you imagine what your life would be like without theevents you regret the most not happening? For example, a few years back i fell off my bike andbroke a permanent tooth in half. King Of Handcuffs King of Handcuffs The man known world wide as the most famous magician of all time, Harry Houdini, was born March 24, 1874 in Budapest. Although Houdini often claimed to †¦ I went to the dentist that afternoon and he told me there wasnothing he could do but cement a cap on it that looks very similar to my real tooth. If i had achoice to go back and change this, i wouldn t. The things i learned from this, the experience isoaked in from just falling off my bike, was incredible. My Caution about any dangeroussituation doubled. I dont take the little things like having climatic change I. SUMMARY: This paper looks at the controversial issue of climatic change. In particular, it develops the question of if and why earth’s climate is changing? The roles †¦ a real tooth for granted. So manythings were learned by me and others from a bad happening, i would never want that taken away from me. Imagine a world with a non-existent Hitler. Wonderful you would think, right?
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