Enders Game Response Essay - 1070 Words

Ali HassanEnders game essay 21 April 2013 Enders Game has many deep thoughts the reader can conclude. One of the important themes that the story has is the relationship between masculinity and femininity. I like to call the relationship between masculinity and femininity in Enders Game â€Å"the circulation of features†. This name derived from the description and changes in characters. At the beginning the story gives the typical features of men and women. Women are emotional, but men are cold-hearted. At the end, we can observe that the features are turned over. Men expressed their emotions and what they really feel. Plus, women take responsibility and become harsh and cold. In fact, I am going to express the circulation of features in†¦show more content†¦This scene emphasizes the violent nature of masculinity because the physical fight is considered a masculine characteristic for the majority of the cultures in the world including the authors culture. By showing that, the author expresses that masculinity is very different and almost opposite to the sweetness femininity. In case of Peter, it is a complex character. Sometimes, he symbolizes hatred when he says that he will eventually kill Peter for instance (Enders Game,12). In addition, Peter shows joulesy in different chapters. For instance, when Graff comes to Enders house to take him to The Battle School, Peter envied Ender hoping that he can join the Battle School instead of Ender (Enders Game,26). The author presents harsh and violent masculinity by showing that Peter is hateful and jealous of Ender because he believes that hatred and jelousy are characteristic of pure masculinity. The femininity and masculinity gets closer to each other as the story goes on. The female characters are becoming tougher, colder, and stronger. Petra is the only girl whom we know in the battle school which means she is tough and strong enough to be in this place where the vast majority are males. Also, she has played an important role in helping Ender to win the last battle. She fights in the battle kills many of them until she loses all her ships (Enders Game,301). Here, Petra shows the violence and toughness of masculinity when she fights and trains in the battle schoolShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Orson Scott Card. The Nebula And Hugo Award Winning Ender s Game1354 Words   |  6 PagesIn the realm of speculative fiction, no author has had as great an impact on my worldview as Orson Scott Card. The Nebula and Hugo award winning Ender’s Game might be the best science-fiction novel I have ever read. The saga’s central character, Andrew (Ender) Wiggin, is the pith of c hild prodigies, for though his IQ is through the roof, his EQ, or emotional intelligence, is both immeasurable and unmatched. This was duly noted by his second-in-command, Bean, who outperformed Ender in every test theRead MoreAnalysis of Orson Scott Cards Enders Game Essay1421 Words   |  6 PagesThe buggers from Orson Scott Cards Enders game and subsequent novels, at first appear to be bug eyed monsters, a science fiction clichà ©. However as the story develops it becomes apparent that the buggers are much more than just a clichà ©, they develop as a sentient species, they undergo a transformation from varelse, â€Å"the true alien† (speaker 34) into raman â€Å"the stranger that we recognise as human but of another species†. (34) As this transformation occurs Ender learns a great deal from the buggersRead MoreHow Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Has Influenced Pop Culture Essay1114 Words   |  5 Pagesside of Hollywood is Mary Shelleys â€Å"Frankenstein†. The ways Frankenstein influences pop culture can be seen in science fiction films in which humans are depicted as monster, and â€Å"monsters† are seen as more humane beings, such as I, Robot, and Ender’s Game. We can see Frankenstein’s influence in I,Robot, when the power of the created becomes greater than the power of the creator. In I,Robot, Dr. Alfred Lanning builds the United States Robotics corporation almost single-handedly. However, the mainframeRead MoreThere Have Been Little-Known Facts About Children Being1010 Words   |  5 Pagesthe soldiers. In conflicted countries, children are the main targets to become so they can be easily manipulated, cost less to recruit, easy to train and provide equipment, and a number of child soldiers can be easily replenished. In the novel, Ender’s Game, only children are recruited to Battle School. Ender was being manipulated to become a great leader in the war with the buggers. There are some children who wish to have a normal childhood. In Timothy Webster’s academic journal article, Babes withRead MoreEnder’s Game: A Simulation to Justify All Means3562 Words   |  15 Pagesï » ¿Ender’s Game: A Simulation to Justify All Means Enders Game is author Orson Scott Cards best-known work. The novel has sold over one million copies and is published worldwide (Whyte). The novel won the Hugo and Nebula award in 1986; science fiction’s most prestigious writing awards (University of Utah). In summary, the plot of the novel is a story about a young child, Ender Wiggin, taken away from his family by the International Fleet (a world order devoted to protecting the planet from spaceRead MoreAnalysis Of Enders Game By Orson Scott Card2000 Words   |  8 PagesCase Overview In Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, we are introduced to Ender’s family and Ender’s early life at school and with his family . We immediately see conflict emerging in both of these settings. Ender has difficulty at school after his monitor is removed and is forced to deal with a bully, the results of this encounter lead to life changing circumstances for himself, his family and ultimately the world. These life changing circumstances will impact his family and take him, and thoseRead MoreThe Reasons For Why Recidivism Occurs1441 Words   |  6 Pagescan also go in the exact opposite way and in fact reform a person and thus people argue for it. There are books that talk about the effects that isolation can have on a person. Some of these books include Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and the short story The Bet by Anton Chekhov. In Ender’s Game the main character Ender was kept isolated in order to improve his actions and in order to manipulate him. In The Bet there were two people, the Lawyer and the Banker, who made a bet for two million rubles

The Effects Of Divorce On Family Members - 1706 Words

Divorce affects family members in many different ways, both positive and negative. While many children can foster healthy relationships post-divorce, some may experience challenges maintaining future relationships after dealing with their parents divorce. How can parent do this to their child? One of the most important thing is to teach your child about building a relationship so they can be positive and can have positive thinking about getting married to have a family on their and work things out with their partner in a positive way. A child to be involved in a parent s relationship is a way to express their feelings. Or so they can insure they don’t have anxiety when they are older. â€Å"According to Dr. John Duffy, Chicago-based psychotherapist and author of The Available Parent, children of divorce often focus too much on failed relationships and assume they will experience the same fate. Duffy suggests that parents be clear that they believe in marriage and stress to their children that it s worth the risk to experience a close relationship†. A healthy relationship is built by using trust children throughout the world of divorced parents have a tendency they struggle with trust. When working through their own relationship challenges, especially if they have witnessed a breakdown of trust between their own parents. According to Walfish, these trust issues carry over into their future relationships. I ve treated many teenage girls whose fathers cheated, had anShow MoreRelatedFamily Systems Theory And The Family System Theory1389 Words   |  6 PagesMany children in the world go through something that no child should ever have to, divorce. Some people believe that divorce is mainly about the man and woman involved but that is not the case. If the two individuals have children, they go through just as much, if not more, pain and heartache as they do. After the divorce, many children are under custody of one of their parents, therefore th ey stay with that parent most of the time. They get to see their other parent but not as often as they shouldRead More â€Å"Is technology tearing apart family life? Essay1622 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Is technology tearing apart family life? Text messaging, social networking, and online video are changing the way parents and children see the world—and each other.† There are many technologies in today’s ‘smart’ world which are now being established not just as a want, but as a necessity of life. Among many technologies that can impact family life, Smartphones and computers are the two most crucial technologies that can impact family life. The functions of computers and SmartphonesRead MoreHow Social Networks Can Be Broken Down Into Two Categories910 Words   |  4 PagesWhen a divorce takes place, it affects not only the direct families, but their social networks as well. Gravonetter (1973) defined the strength of a social network as a â€Å"combination of time and intimacy† (p. 1361). Social networks can be broken down into two categories: the stronger and the weaker ties. According to Gravonetter (1973), the stronger ties are the families, close friends, college friends, social circles and even co-workers. These are the people that an individual shares memories ofRead MoreDivorce And Its Effect On Childr en902 Words   |  4 Pagesconcept of divorce is entrenched in the very idea of marriage. The possibility of marriages breaking down has increased considerably with some statistics placing the rate at 50% of all marriages. Divorce is a legal term that represents the separation of two people who had previously entered into a marriage agreement. While the prevalence of divorce is astonishing, the effect these instances have on families is critical. Many of the people who are divorced have children, whom the divorce affects considerablyRead More Children and How They are Affected by Divorce Essay1269 Words   |  6 PagesChildren and How They are Affected by Divorce   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In years past, the American Dream for most young girls’ is to grow up and be married to Prince Charming and to â€Å"Live Happily Ever After!† Although this may be expected - it is rarely fulfilled. Marriage is the legal and binding union between a man and woman. Yet when couples marry, they vow to stay by their partner’s side ‘till death do us part.’ Currently that vow seems to have little or no value in today’s society. The current statisticsRead MoreLiterature Review On Divorce1010 Words   |  5 PagesREVIEW: Divorce is an event that can change the lives of all members involved. It is, most times, a series of negative events that eventually lead to the separation. Although it may be necessary in certain situations, separation can cause great stress and can impose harmful effects on children. As Aaron Brownlee stated in the Journal of Undergraduate Research, prior studies have shown that lack of cohesion and with no abi lity to express thoughts openly in the family contributed to negative effects ofRead MoreFamilial Support For Children During The Stressful Period Of Divorce Essay1605 Words   |  7 Pagesor other family members are not able to be as supportive to their children during the stressful period surrounding divorce. One study by Amato (1993) noted that divorce is one of the life’s most stressful occurrences, and adults experience significant difficulty in their life adjustment after the divorce, which may impact their interactions with their children. Parents are less emotionally available during this time (Riggio Valenzuela, 2011), and the help and support from family members that areRead MoreEssay on Effects of Divorce on a Child1464 Words   |  6 PagesDivorce is a very common word in todays society. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage or a complete or radical severance of closely connected things(Pickett, 2000). T his dissolution of marriage has increased very rapidly in the past fifty years. In 1950 the ratio of divorce to marriage was one in every four; in 1977 that statistic became one in two. Currently one in every two first marriages results in divorce. In second marriages thatRead MoreDivorce Is A Rising Issue929 Words   |  4 PagesDivorce is a rising issue in the U.S. Many of us think of divorce as a taboo topic. Something that should not be spoken of or feel comfortable with. In fact, some may act out of character when they hear anything related with divorce. It really is not a thing to talk about because of its negativity and is not really brought up in a social setting because of the bad atmosphere it gives off. Although we might say divorce is a terrible thing, we should take into consideration how we can possible helpRead MoreDebate Discussion: Divorce628 Words   |  3 Pages1.0 Introduction This report aims to see and explore people’s opinion about divorce. The report will include 2 sides, people who support divorce, and people who are against divorce. Included in this report will be what started the debate and who is involved in the issue. 2.0 Issues And Background of The Debate By definition, divorce is an legal act which married couple decided to dissolve their marriage because of difference between the individuals (Merriam Webster Web Dictionary) Religion in general

Ester Lucero Free Essays

Cassie Essary Tim Petete Ethnic American Literature November 12, 2009 Angel’s Psyche in Ester Lucero One of the most fascinating aspects of any story is the formation of it’scharacters. The way the author chooses to describe them, give them personalities, is how the reader will see their lives. A character’s psyche and the way he thinks about events around him change the way a reader perceives the story. We will write a custom essay sample on Ester Lucero or any similar topic only for you Order Now Authors have an amazing chance to shape and bend a story to fit what they want it to be through the characterization of the people they write about. If an author is incapable of making characters believable and understandable, the story won’t survive. In Isabel Allende’s â€Å"Ester Lucero†, Angel is described in a way that makes the reader understand his impulses and desires, even if they areof a completely foreign nature to the reader. Allende is an extremely skilled writer that used her ability to make a character believable to her advantage for this story. Angel’s psyche is one of the most interesting elements of this story. When he returns from the war in the jungle, he seems to be in a state of inner turmoil. He’s searching for something to help him deal with the war and the things that he did and saw happen there. When Angel sees Ester Lucero for the first time, he believes that he is seeing a mirage. Nothing could possibly be that perfect, and he has to search her out. When he finally finds her, he is â€Å"shamed by his unseemly passion for a child who still had not reached puberty† (Pearson 10) as she is 12 and he is 30. Angel gives the impression that he picked Ester as the object of his interest because she is unavailable, therefore he never has to worry about what might happen if he did somehow attain her. Although he is attracted to her, he never makes a move to do anything about it, other than â€Å"watching her walk by on her way to school; attending her when she caught the measles; providing her with vitamins†¦;teaching†¦the multiplication tables† (Pearson 10). The simple fact that he is â€Å"dumbfounded not to find a whirl of suitors around Ester Lucero† (Pearson 10) leads the reader to believe that Ester is really not that special or beautiful, but is only special to Angel. Instead, Angel seems to have fixated on Ester as a way of getting past his ownproblems. Ester became something that he desperately wanted, but could never allow himself to have. She was a child, and he would not allow himself to touch her for that reason, and because his obsession with her is what keeps him going. Ester became the focus of all his attention so he didn’t have to deal with anything else in his life. Another issue with Angel is the fact that he has a bullet in his groin. The women of the town question his masculinity and begin to wonder if â€Å"maybe the malaria or that bullet he has there in his crotch rid him forever of a taste for women† (Pearson 10). They don’t realize that he has become completely engrossed with Ester and therefore uninterested in the other women of the town. Since Angel does have a bullet in his groin, and purposefully chose an unavailable girl to fixate on, it makes the reader wonder if the bullet did cause some sort of dysfunction. Perhaps the reason that Angel deliberately chose a girl that he could never have was because he knew women wouldn’t want him if they knew that he was impotent. Early on, when it is Angel’s turn with a â€Å"bride-for-the-moment† he â€Å"found no consolation †¦he would have to search for that girl, if for no other reason than to determine whether she was a mirage†(Pearson 9). This passage leaves the reader hanging as to whether Angel was unable to perform, or simply didn’t enjoy it. Angel’s masculinity is questioned by the people of the town, as well as himself throughout the story. The four main aspects of Angel’s psyche discussed here really help tell the story of whoand what Angel really is. Ester as a distraction from his own problems shows us that even though Angel is an extremely capable man, he can’t get past his own demons. He’s a doctor and a combat veteran, yet when he sees a little girl in the crowd, he chooses her to think about in order to avoid his own problems. The magical realism displayed in this story is a stroke of genius by Allende. She uses the herbs to add an element of suspense and terror to the story that wouldn’t have been present otherwise. The herbs and dance enable Angel to save Ester while dealing with some of his own problems at the same time. When the town women begin to question Angel’s masculinity, he does a sort of tailspin into the next main point in his psyche, which is obsessive love. He could probably choose any woman in the town, yet he chooses a 12 year old girl, and the love is not exactly pure. Angel’s obsessive love ties all four points together nicely. The love he has for Ester is not pure, but obsessive. He chose her because he needed a way to get out of his own head, and perhaps because he is impotent and couldn’t deal with the threat to his masculinity, and when he cured her, Angel really just needed a way to outwardly express his capability of taking care of her, even if he could never have her. Works Cited How to cite Ester Lucero, Papers

Business Communication for Barnlund Transnational-myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theBusiness Communication for Barnlund Transactional Model. Answer: Dean Barnlund invented a communication transactional model in 1970 to help in the interpretation of interpersonal communication which emphasizes that sending and receiving of messages happens at once between two people. The model has multiple layers and is a feedback system. Constant feedback is provided by both parties. The Barnlunds model is made up of public, private and behavioral cues. Public cues are those that are in the environment or can be man-made. Private Cues include factors like senses and can be verbal or non-verbal while behavioral cues are concerned with behavior and can also be verbal and non-verbal (Shen and Austin,2017, p.355). Three Noise Factors: Physical Noise-These are external interferences to both the sender and receiver of the message and include loudspeakers, loud kids or a loud party (Noris,2016). Physiological Noise- These are barriers that can be caused by the sender or receiver and include things like talking too fast, mumbling or lack of pauses in a conversation (Noris,2016). Psychological Noise This is noise that is caused by mental interference either on the speaker or receivers side. It can be caused by wandering thoughts, assumptions or sarcasm (Noris,2016). Overcoming Noise Barriers: Overcoming the barriers caused by noise can be done by: Identifying the source of noise so that possible solutions are thought out Removing physical distractions from wherever they are or moving away from them Listening actively while someone is speaking (Mai and Hoffman,2014) Being empathetic and not judging (Penrose,2015) Using clear language and being coherent Seeking and giving feedback (Verial,2017) Question Two-Motivational Report Part One: MiVO Telecommunications From: Operations Manager To: All Employees Formation of Task Force to Implement New Communication Policy MiVo Telecommunications has been my home for five years and I have been happy working in such a reputable organization. Currently, I hold the position of operations manager and my role is to ensure all operations go smoothly both internally and externally. Over the years, MiVo has adopted a communication style that has enabled it to succeed while interacting with customers and employees as well. This has leveraged the company into holding a strong position in the South African market as one of the top telecommunications companies. Despite the great work that the team has done, there are still challenges when it comes to communication due to external and internal environmental factors. In light of this, the executive team has deemed it fit that the organizations communication policy be reviewed so that we are able to cement our position as the top telecommunications company in the country. Together with a team of employees from the various departments, we will form a task force that will look at the current internal and customer communication policies to identify the loopholes within the same over the next 3 months. Further to this, the task force will come up with recommendations that will be the basis of coming up with a stronger communication policy that will be beneficial to employees, customers, and all organizational stakeholders. The main objectives of the task force will be: Engaging staff and getting customer feedback that will enable identification of loopholes in current communication strategies Proposing new ideas to be factored into the new communication policy Organizing for organization-wide staff training on the importance and applications of business communication Coaching employees on effective customer communication Official documents formulation and communication etiquette In achieving our objectives, the task force will require your full support and cooperation so that the new communication plan becomes a success. Further, we will be seeing your input on new ideas that can make communication better both internally and externally. As we start this process, we are grateful for the support we have received so far and urge that you continue in this spirit as we strive to make MiVo the best in its industry. Annotated Bibliography Reference 1: Harvard Reference Entries - Importance of Educating Employees on Effective Business Communication Practices: Educating Employees. (2017). The Importance of Educating Employees on Business Communication Practices. Business Communication Practices [Online]. Available from https://educating-employees.blogspot.co.ke/2017/09/educating-employees-on-effective.html [Accessed 28 April 2018]. The above online source can is academically credible and relevant to the topic because it gives exhaustive details as regarding why it is important to teach employees about business communication. The article speaks about factors like understanding communication, communication elements and forms of communication. Reference 2: Maislin, S (2017). How to Promote Effective Communications in Your Workplace. CMSWire [Online]. Available from https://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/how-to-promote-effective-communications-in-your-workplace/ [Accessed 28 April 2018]. The above article is academically credible and relevant since it speaks about the topic at hand which is educating employees on business communication. The article gives various steps that employers can use to educate their employees. The author also has experience in the business communication field hence making the source one that can be trusted. Question 3 -Email to MiVo Customer Care Agents From: Operations Manager, MiVo To: MiVo Customer Care Agents Subject: Compulsory Intercultural Communication Workshop on 15th May 2018 Dear Team, Thank you for the great work you have been doing as the MiVo customer care team. Despite this, it has come to our attention as management that of late, there have been problems regarding intercultural insensitivity. This is after several complaints that have been received from employees and customers, regarding how they have been handled and in some cases some insensitive comments made by customer care agents. The complainants feel that they were directly targeted and this poses a great reputational risk to our company. Considering this, all customer care agents must attend a compulsory intercultural communication workshop, on the 15th of May 2018, at the MiVo Leadership and Training Centre. As customer care agents of MiVo, we are the face of the organization and therefore must keep in mind that we must empathize with our customers and always aim to give them the best service possible. Part of the lessons that will be learned in this workshop will be the eight methods of improving in tercultural communication as shared by Rettig (2017): Reflecting on behaviors after any intercultural communication encounter and learn from the same Understanding what motivates another persons behavior Doing research to understand different cultures and how to behave in communication situations Seeking help whenever in situations that may not be comfortable Being mindful of other people Double checking any assumptions concerning other cultures Do not judge others based on their culture Constantly seek feedback I urge all the customer care agents to start putting the above eight factors into practice even as we plan on attending the workshop. Kindly feel free to consult any manager or colleague in case you feel stuck. Let us strive to be sensitive to one another and give our internal and external customers stellar service as per MiVos mission. Regards, Operations Manager, MiVo. Bibliography Educating Employees. (2017). The Importance of Educating Employees on Business Communication Practices. Business Communication Practices [Online]. Available from https://educating-employees.blogspot.co.ke/2017/09/educating-employees-on-effective.html [Accessed 28 April 2018] Mai, R. and Hoffmann, S., (2014). Accents in business communication: An integrative model and propositions for future research.Journal of Consumer Psychology,24(1), pp.137-158. Maislin, S (2017). How to Promote Effective Communications in Your Workplace. CMSWire [Online]. Available from https://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/how-to-promote-effective-communications-in-your-workplace/ [Accessed 28 April 2018] Norris, J.E. (2016). 4 Types of Noise That Disrupt Communication. Onthego.FM [Online]. Available from: https://onthego.fm/4-types-noise-disrupt-communication-non-technical-problem-podcasters-face/ [Accessed 28 April 2018] Penrose, J.M., 2015. Understanding and using the relationships between business and professional communication and public relations.Business and Professional Communication Quarterly,78(4), pp.494-510. Rettig, T (2017). 8 Habits of Successful Intercultural Communications. Intercultural Mindset [Online]. Available from https://medium.com/intercultural-mindset/8-habits-of-successful-intercultural-communicators-f77d7eb331a9 [Accessed 28 April 2018] Shen, L. and Austin, L., 2017. Communication and job satisfaction.Social Issues in the Workplace: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice, p.355. Verial, D. (2017). How to Overcome Noise Barriers in Communication. EHOW UK [Online]. Available from https://www.ehow.co.uk/how_8031308_overcome-noise-barriers-communication.html [Accessed 28 April 2018]

Crane-AP 2 Literature and Language Flashcard

Crane-AP 2 Literature and Language

The Failure of the League of Nations essays

The Failure of the League of Nations essays In the beginning of the 1930's, there was a world-wide economic depression. This lead to the creation of expansive policies of strong countries, such as Japan and Italy, in order to overcome the depression by building strong empires. The League of Nations dependent on the obedience of the Covenant by its members in order to succeed. However, in 1930's the League failed in stopping dictators deliberately breaking the Covenant. Already in 1931, Japan controlled most of the economy in Manchuria, part of China. It owned the most important assets in Manchuria, such as the Manchurian Railway. As the world-wide depression hit Japan hardly, the Japanese saw the invasion as the only way how to get out of depression. During the night of 28th September, an explosion of the Manchurian Railway, gave the Japanese an excuse to occupy the city of Shenyang. Instantly, China asked for the help of the League of Nations. After having a close look at the case, the League ordered the Japanese troops to leave Manchuria. The Japanese government agreed with the League's decision. However, the Japanese troops were already settled in Manchuria and refused to withdraw. The government no longer had control over its army and the army continued to advance in Manchuria. This event was a major blow to the League. The League was meant to keep peace by collective security, however, the Japanese refused to accept the terms of the League. Thus, this meant that if persuasion did not work then the League had to use economical sanctions. However, personal interest played a major role in the failure of applying economical sanctions on Japan. Both Britain and France, the main leaders of the League, were also recovering from the Great Depression and they did not want to risk losing trade with Japan, as it was vital for their economy. It soon became clear that economical sanctions could not work. Therefore, the League was left with their last resource&qu...

Radio Frequency Identification Technology Essay

Radio Frequency Identification Technology - Essay Example But there is a big difference in both the technologies; the bar code identification technology uses line of sight reading for scanning. Whereas, the RFID technology does not depend on this line of sight reading. RFID can read the tags that are some meters away and also can read the tags that are not in the line of sight of the reader. RFID has made significant improvements in the inventory tracking and management processes. The RFID is a technology that is needed and is being used in almost every field that needs a unique identification and tracking system. The RFID tags can hold any kind of information whether simple or complex one. The RFID tags can hold almost 2000 bytes of data. RFID technology has no doubt replaced the bar code detection system and is considered to be the enhanced technology. The RFID is capable of tracking and identifying a great number of items simultaneously. This feature definitely saves a great amount of time and money that is spent on monitoring individual items. Due to many enhancements this technology is being widely used in almost every field. (Discover RFID, 1, n.d) Generally, the technology of Radio Frequency Identification evolved from the roots of the radar systems which have now become one of the hottest supply chain technologies. Most of the Europeans were at that time using radar systems which came into existence in 1935 by a physicist from Scotland, Sir Robert Alexander Watson Watt, which helped them caution against planes which were approaching them even when they are miles away. The problem which the countries faced due to radar system was that they could not identify the planes approaching them, whether it was an enemy's plane or country's own pilot. At that time Germans invented a method following which the base could alert them which aircraft is a German one and which is the Allied aircraft, which was that the German pilots if roll their planes while returning to base that would enable the base and ground crew that the approaching aircraft is a German plane. We can say that this was crude method was the first RFID system. After this method the Scottish physicist helped British developed an IFF system, known as Identify Friend or Foe. The British installed a transmitter on each of their aircrafts, which when received signals from the radar systems from the ground would send the signal back enabling the base to identify their aircrafts. This concept then became the evolution of the RFID systems and was just the same as RFID, which sent signals to a transponder which then reflects the signal back to where it received the signals or even broadcast an active system back to its source. Different advancements were made in radar and RF systems through 1950's and 1960's. (The History of RFID Technology, 1, n.d) Functionality of RFID RFID works has three different parts of the system which includes a scanning antenna, a transceiver which is used to interpret the data by the help of a decoder and a transponder which has been programmed with all the information. Scanning antenna is used to transmit signals at a short range by sending radio frequency signals.

Alternative Fuel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Alternative Fuel - Essay Example For example, smog can cause eye and respiratory tract irritation, and carbon monoxide can inhibit the ability of a person's blood to carry oxygen to vital organs. The average vehicle, through its combustion of fossil fuels, also emits greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrocarbons, and chlorofluorocarbons surround the Earth's atmosphere like a clear thermal blanket, allowing the sun's warming rays in and trapping the heat close to the Earth's surface. This natural greenhouse effect keeps the average surface temperature at around 60F (33C). However, the increased use of fossil fuels during the last century has created an enhanced greenhouse effect, known as global warming. And transportation has played a large role in this increase. During the 1990s, the annual growth rate of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from transportation averaged 1.6 percent. In 1999, some 82 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions consisted of carbon dioxide released by the combustion of energy fuels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates (Durbin et al, 2000) that each year the average light vehicle in the United States releases 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air. Motor gasoline contributed close to 300 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, making it the largest single source of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. By reducing vehicle emissions, AFVs and advanced vehicle technologies help combat both air pollution and global climate change. Alternative fuels not only burn cleaner producing lower emissions, but some are even renewable, unlike fossil fuels, which means we could develop a continuous supply of them. The alternative fuels in use today include ethanol, biodiesel, methanol, natural gas, propane, electrici ty, and hydrogen. Biofuels are renewable since they are produced from biomass i.e. organic matter, such as plants. They generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) from the tailpipe as fossil fuels, but the plants that are grown to produce the biofuels actually remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (ERCL, 1999). Therefore, the net emission of carbon dioxide will be close to zero. Diesel engines can function efficiently with biodiesel, a fuel made from vegetable oil. A combination of vegetable oil and diesel fuel produce fewer emissions than straight diesel. Commercially available biodiesel is offered in blends of 5% vegetable oil to 95% diesel (B5), 10% to 90% (B10) and 20% to 80% (B20). Consumers can have their diesel engines converted for around 800 dollars-to run on 100% vegetable oil (Anthony & Cornish, 2001). The oil produces no harmful emissions and the cost can be nominal or free since many consumers get used vegetable oil from fast food restaurants, but consumers mu st filter their used oil, which is complicated and the equipment is costly. In addition, buying pure vegetable oil can cost more than straight diesel fuel. Fuel consumption for vegetable oil is similar to diesel, which gets 20 to 30 percent better mileage than gasoline (ERCL, 1999). Emissions are much less toxic than those from gasoline, and its carbon neutral because the carbon dioxide absorbed by the plant from which the oil is derived offsets CO2 generated when it is used as fuel. With the increasing popularity of vegetable oil as a motor fuel,

Educational technology classes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Educational technology classes - Essay Example The chapter helped in understanding what educational technology is. According to Reiser and Dempsey (2012), â€Å"When asked to define the term instructional technology, [people] will mention computers, DVDs, mobile devices,† which is very correct. This really altered my understanding. This essay helps in understanding of the definition of the field of educational technology and other resources in the first project by writing about the field. Through this writing, the real meaning of the field is understood. Educational models were next. Most of them related to what was learned in the previous classes while some of them were new. The history of educational technology was also described. This was not new as it had been summarized in the past using articles by other authors along with Reiser and Dempsey (2012). Education theory was then learnt. It gave me the chance to decide which one of them to adopt in my teaching style in future. The next thing was writing my own educational theory. This was very challenging and interesting. It enabled me to put into practice my learning style which was the backward theory. I realized that there is a model for the backward theory which helped one to foresee the outcome of the theory in future. New knowledge on how to become a better instructional designer in the future was gained. In the education process, the teacher alone cannot handle all the responsibility. The instructional designer and the management of the institutions should all be involved so as to help in delivery of knowledge to learners.

Comparison and History of the Catholic Church

Comparison and History of the Catholic Church Did Early Modern (c. 1450-1700) Catholics have a better appreciation of the need for rituals than Protestants? INTRODUCTION The years 1450 to 1700 were a time of great transition and contradiction in Europe. The intellectual, scientific, and cultural enlightenment of the Renaissance was blooming prodigiously, yet the dominant societal force was almost invariably religion, particularly Roman Catholicism, whose sole domination gave way to an uneasy – at best – power-sharing relationship with its so-called bastard child, Protestantism, whose birth was circa 1517. Though Protestantism was a just reaction to the hypocritical corruption and tyranny of the bloated Catholic bureaucracy, whose raison d’etre had become as much about the perpetuation of its own control over Western civilization than about spirituality and enlightenment, both strains of Christianity nevertheless were intensely patriarchal, hierarchical, and structured, and as such relied heavily on a variety of traditions and rituals to perpetuate social and religious continuity and stability during a time of turmoil. It was a tw o-way dynamic, also – it is difficult to overestimate the degree to which common people in the Early Modern period framed their existence and its meaning through Christianity: The pattern of the cosmos, the history and destiny of the world, and the ordering of social, political and domestic relations were all explained in biblical and theological terms. †¦ Faith and ritual affected people at many different levels, making spiritual, intellectual, emotional and visceral appeals. Public and private affairs alike were deeply infused by religion.[1] Given that the notion of separation of church and state was foreign to commoners and even most educated people of the time, the line between the Church and governments was blurry or nonexistent, and thus the Church occupied the metaphysical and psychological persona and space of The Great Father Figure, with whom interaction was governed by, and who maintained order and meted out blessings and punishments through a variety of rituals: prescribed rites, ceremonies, and sacraments. These ranged from the mundane to the sublime; the vulgar to the dignified and were interwoven into the fabric of everyday life for tens of millions of people during the aforementioned 250 years. While doubtlessly there was much sincerity of intention from the Church (Catholic or Protestant in variety) in terms of attempting to bring spiritual edification to its followers, the Church also had what seemed to be an almost genetically encoded need to exert and perpetuate its power. Rituals were a key component t hese ongoing efforts, because after all, â€Å"ritualization is first and foremost a strategy for the construction of certain types of power relationships effective within particular social organizations,†[2] in this case power and relationships that were both benevolent and punitive in both nature and habit. Though the average citizen was still devoutly religious and found much solace in religious practices and rituals, the Catholic Church’s fortunes had ebbed somewhat by 1450 in comparison to the virtually unrestricted power it had enjoyed for several centuries prior. The devastating human cost of the bubonic plague, a.k.a. The Black Death, had not only severely undermined the conventional economic structures that held Europe together, but had also severely undermined the populations’ faith in the power of Catholic Church. The Church, despite predictable assurances and dicta proclaiming their power over sickness and death as the living representative of Christ on earth, was utterly powerless to curtail the shocking and inescapably vast tragedy of the Black Plague. Between 1347 and 1351, it is estimated that the Plague killed between a third and half of Europe’s entire population – tens of millions of people. The Church promised they could cure the sick and ba nish the disease, but they of course could not, as their entrenched hostility to science had left them with a blind spot with respect to medicine, to say nothing of their complicity in perpetuating the socioeconomic structures which facilitated unsanitary living conditions suffered by most common people – the chief reason for the spread of the Plague. Ironically, however, the morose and somber zeitgeist that was predominant in Europe after the Black Plague, the result of the collective grief of a civilization having lost a colossal part of itself, resulted in some people clinging even more tightly to the structures and rituals of their religion. Though life itself was fragile, fleeting, and often seemed to unfold with a cavalier cruelty, the structure and order of religious ritual provided the belief, authentic or not, that there was some structure and order to the greater universe. â€Å"†¦Sterility, bankruptcy, or death could strike anyone at any time, but rituals pro vided a countervailing principle of order†¦ Rituals brought the cosmic order into daily life by giving person access to divine power.† [3] Nonetheless, the inescapable conclusion drawn by many people was that the Church, rituals or no rituals, was impotent to stop the greatest human tragedy anyone had experienced. As such, the atmosphere in the decades comprising the tumultuous wake following the Plague was one in which people were far more willing and interested in secular and scientific approaches to problems like disease, poverty, and other common woes. This shift contributed heavily to both the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation itself. The advent of the Renaissance, agreed upon by most scholars as being around the middle of the 15th century, coincided with what is termed Early Modern Catholicism, a religion that found itself directly competing for the people’s relevance and trust with subversive elements within Renaissance science, art, and literature which began in Italy and quickly spread throughout Europe. Some elements of the Renaissance were intentionally subversive in attacking the Church; others had subversive effects inasmuch as the scientific or philosophical conclusions they reached were not in accord with Church doctrines. In particular, scientific advancements rooted in the use of empiricism – which demanded verifiable, tangible proof instead of faith in abstractions or religious dogma – presented a direct challenge to the authority of the Church. The collective work of a succession of scientists, including Copernicus, Gilbert, Kepler, Galileo, Bacon, Descartes, and Newton, seriousl y undermined a variety of official Church positions that seem ludicrous in retrospect, such as the insistence that the solar system – and indeed, the universe – revolved around the Earth. The Catholic Church’s reaction to the shifting tides was its own rather fierce effort to reassert its power and relevance in both earthly and spiritual domains through a variety of methods ranging from clumsy and violent suppression of ideas it deemed impertinent or blasphemous, to a Reformation within itself (the Council of Trent, 1545-1563) to counter the great schism in Christianity caused by the Protestant Reformation. A constant theme, though, was a perpetual Catholic insistence on the use and value of rituals both for less noble purposes of control and power, as well as more noble humanitarian and spiritual purposes. Even the Protestants, breaking so strongly with the Catholics as they did, recognized the value of rituals and utilized them to both perpetuate and increase their numbers and institutional strength as they competed with Catholics to win the souls and minds of the Renaissance-era Europeans. To understand these rituals is to understand, at least from one perspective, an era so far removed from our own that it is difficult for many people to comprehend the times as much beyond ornate barbarism. Europe of the era was more than such a one-dimensional reality; it was, as all history is, a history of human beings struggling to make sense of their lives, people who â€Å"during the Early Modern period exhibited a highly sophisticated sensitivity to rituals. As the English jurist, John Selden put it in his Table Talk (London, 1689), ‘to know what was generally believed in all ages, the way is to consult the liturgies.’†[4] Indeed we shall, paying close attention to whether Catholics or Protestants seemed to have a better comprehension of why people might embrace and/or cling to ritual. CATHOLIC VIEWPOINT After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church ascended to the role of the most powerful and far-reaching organization on the planet, thanks in part to the vestigial influence it inherited from its incestuous intertwinement with the civic element of the Roman Empire itself –Emperor Flavius Theodosius had declared Christianity the state religion in 391 A.D., an extremely fortuitous turn of events given the centuries of vicious persecution endured by Christians at the hands of the Roman government. However, the Catholic Church claimed its legitimacy and roots as far back as the initial years after Christ’s death, holding the (later controversial) institutional conviction that its papal lineage was descended directly from the apostle (and later saint) Peter, whom is considered under Catholic tradition to be the first Pope. The Pope was, and is considered to this day to be the Vicar of Christ, acting on His behalf and wielding His authority; the Pope carries the of ficial title ‘Vicar of Christ and the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church.’ In keeping with such an inflated sense of importance, the Pope is considered infallible, a state of perfection the Church maintains was and is granted by Jesus himself: Christ endowed the Churchs shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals. The exercise of this charism takes several forms†¦ The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. When the Church through its supreme Magisterium [the Pope] proposes a doctrine ‘for belief as being divinely revealed,’ and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions ‘must be adhered to with the obedience of faith.’[5] Other relevant tenets of Catholicism included the notion of a separation of man from God due to sin. The Church offered a chance to be reunited with God through a combination of faith and good works, and served as an essential intermediary between man and God/Christ. The byzantine structures and rituals of the Church served as means of manifesting the means for reconnection and for better or for worse, the Church – from the Pope on down – has always had an authoritarian and arbitrary control over what those means were and are, including the invention and perpetuation of any number of rituals which are not necessarily literally prescribed by Biblical texts (though the Catholics would argue they in fact are). Nonetheless, the Church believes the infallibility of the Pope endows it with the power to do whatever it deems fit to enable mankind to reconnect and reunite with God through the Church, which is a sine qua non intermediary between God and man – in fact, acco rding to Catholic doctrine, â€Å"the Churchs first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with God.[6] The sacraments, plural, are in fact a key component of Catholic ritual, and are considered actions that are integral demonstrations and requirements of faith. ‘Sacramentals,’ or signs and symbols that manifest spiritual power, often went hand in hand with the sacraments. The sacraments were intended to confer the grace of the Holy Spirit on the faithful; sacramentals were intended to facilitate cooperation with God by serving as reminders of His glory. There are seven sacraments: Baptism – the initial sacrament, involving the immersion in or pouring of water on the head of a newborn. It is intended to free the person from original sin and ‘mark’ the person as belonging to Christ and embark him or her on a Christian path. Confirmation – the second chronological sacrament, intended to signify a deepening and solidifying of a person’s walk with Christ and membership in the Church. It is generally administered to young adults who have undertaken biblical study and church-sponsored activities to deepen their faith and illustrate their commitment to good works. The Eucharist – unlike the first two sacraments, the Eucharist is administered numerous times – weekly participation is generally considered mandatory, if not obligatory. Perhaps the most important Catholic sacrament, the Eucharist involves the sharing of bread and wine between Church and churchgoer to honor Christ’s sacrifice of his body and blood in a ritual He described to his disciples during the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20). The Catholic Church holds that during this ritual, the bread and wine literally become, in every manner except physical appearance, the body and blood of Christ and invokes the spiritual ramifications therein. This divine process is known as transubstantiation; the bread and wine are transformed into both the physical and spiritual substance of Jesus’ body and blood. Reconciliation – known currently as the confession process and consists of a priest bestowing spiritual healing on a person who has increased his or her distance from God by sinning; it involves four elements: the confession of sin; the person’s authentic contrition and wish to reconcile; the priest’s recommendation for penance, i.e., what the person can do to make up for the sin(s); and lastly, the priest’s absolution. This sacrament, more than any other, cements the Church’s mandatory role as an intermediary between God and man. Anointing of the Sick – a special blessing and spiritual healing administered to a sick person, which also includes last rites for the dying. Holy Orders – the sacrament by which a lay believer is endowed with the privileges, powers, and responsibilities of church leader, specifically a bishop, priest, or deacon. Only a bishop can administer this particular sacrament. Matrimony – a couple marries in the presence of a church official, though by tradition the couple is understood to be administering the sacrament to one another. Once a couple has accepted the sacrament of marriage, the Church holds that the union cannot be dissolved. Though ostensibly purely religious or spiritual in nature, the sacraments in fact touched every major rite of passage in a person’s life – birth, the transition to adulthood, marriage, sickness, and death, as well as everything in between – the temptation to sin, the acts and consequences of sin, the celebration of the idea that Jesus gave his life so that sin would not permanently estrange mankind from God. In addition to mandating participation in the sacraments, the Catholic Church also recognized the value of allowing them to intermix and intermingle with the various local secular (and sometimes even pagan!) customs and celebrations that went along with the same rites of passage. In this way, the church made itself indispensable by insinuating itself into every facet of daily life. And for good measure, the church fortified its societal value by declaring itself indispensable for good measure, on no less an authority than the Son of God Himself. If the sacraments were the ritualistic cornerstones of the Church’s religious and social interaction with the flock, then sacramentals were the symbols and tools used to facilitate the rituals, and in some cases assumed ritual elements themselves. Sacramentals included such actions as the making of the sign of the cross to bless oneself; the use of holy water to bless a physical space, object, or another person; the display of blessed icons; and exorcisms. Though linked in some sense, the sacramentals were not necessarily dependent on sacraments’ ceremony within churches, i.e., they permeated everyday life outside of the church, thereby extending its authority. The words of a modern Catholic, theologian Scott Hahn, perhaps best sum up the best intention these Early Modern Catholic rituals and their elements: â€Å"God [has] a particular and characteristic way of dealing with His people down through the ages. He made covenants with them, and he always sealed these coven ants not with an abstract lecture on the nature of salvation and law, but with an outward sign, a physical sign.†[7] Perhaps, then, the sacraments and sacramentals were the physical symbols of these covenants. But benevolent as they may have been in intent, they were not always benevolently exercised – or exorcised, as it were – in practice. Indeed, the latter sacramental in the aforementioned list, exorcism, was a way in which the Church wielded the punitive element of its vast power over its followers. To challenge the role of the church in any way was an act of heresy punishable in any number of fashions ranging in magnitude from excommunication to exorcism to execution. For a religious institution priding itself – publicly, at least – on facilitating spiritual redemption and forgiveness of sin, the Church unfortunately was an active participant in a litany of barbaric and genocidal pursuits that relied on the circular logic of its own self-declared absolute spiritual authority to legitimize activities that as often as not had to do with irrational, cruel, or selfish human agendas, more than bona fide efforts spiritual edification or purification. (Regrettably, the former was often cloaked in the guise of the latter.) Nothing if not consistent in its methodology, the Church utilized a panoply of rituals, of varying degrees of formality compared to the sacraments, including sacramentals in an arbitrary fashion, to maintain order and mete out justice. According to Church writings, One of the most remarkable effects of sacramentals is the virtue to drive away evil spirits whose mysterious and baleful operations affect sometimes the physical activity of man. To combat this occult power the Church has recourse to exorcism, and sacramentals.[8] Exorcism, though certainly more rare than, say, weekly celebrations of the Eucharist, provided ample pageantry, drama, and the ability to instill fear and awe in the populations which, despite the advances of the Renaissance, were still heavily steeped in superstition. One particularly noteworthy (and gruesome) story is recounted in great detail within a 1703 report entitled The Cheats and Illusions of Romish Priests and Exorcists, delivered to the Archbishop of Canterbury in England to foment anti-Catholic sentiments amongst Protestants. The report, translated from French to English, describes the unfortunate fate of a one Father Urbain Grandier, the Catholic parish priest of St.-Pierre-du-Marchà © in Loudun, France, who was accused of witchcraft in 1630 by a group of nuns. The sisters claimed Grandier had wielded his considerable spiritual authority to command demons to possess them and force them to exhibit a variety of unholy behavior. In reality, Grandier was guilty of indiscre et disregard of his vows of celibacy and otherwise living a more ostentatious life than the Church deemed proper for a priest, which had made him some enemies within the Church hierarchy and local community. To complicate matters, Grandier had earned the specific wrath of his superior, Cardinal Richelieu, about whom Grandier had penned an unflattering and acerbic tract. The nuns made a public spectacle of their putative possession; â€Å"They uttered cries so horrible and so loud that nothing like it was ever heard before. They made use of expressions so indecent as to shame the most debauched of men, while their acts, both in exposing themselves and inviting lewd behavior from those present would have astonished the inmates of the lowest brothels in the country.†[9] An exorcist was dispatched who, not coincidentally, was an enemy of Grandier, and in addition to conducting the exorcism ritual in public, he also urged the nuns – who were faking the entire spectacle â₠¬â€œ to continue and heighten the freakishness of their antics. He was soon joined by other exorcism â€Å"experts† from Loudon and within short order, thousands of people were watching daily as the exorcists shouted, read Bible verses, sprinkled holy water, genuflected, and theatrically performed sections of the Catholic Rite of Exorcism, a codified, specific, and comprehensive ritual of its own. In short order, the public outcry against Grandier became so overwhelming that the Cardinal was ‘forced’ to arrest him. He was tortured brutally by a surgeon ordered to probe for the ‘Devil’s Mark,’ an arbitrary defined body feature which could be anything from a mole to a birthmark, supposedly serving as evidence the Devil had branded his servant: â€Å"the barbarous surgeon would make them see that the other parts of [Grandier’s] body were very sensible, he turned the probe at the other end, which was very sharp pointed, and thrust it to th e very bone; and then the abundance of people [outside] heard complaints so bitter, and cries so piercing, that they [were] movedto the heart.†[10] It only got worse from there. The Cardinal refused to allow Grandier a civil trial and instead, forged a confessional document which – laughable now, but frightening at the time – was a contract between Satan and Grandier bearing ‘signatures’ of hellish figures such as Astaroth, Beelzebub, and Leviathan, and Lucifer himself. (See Figure A.) The Cardinal deemed this evidence enough to deny Grandier any recourse through the government courts and his tribunal sentenced Grandier to a horrific form of torture known as ‘the boots,’ which were â€Å"wedges that fitted the legs from ankles to knees. The torturer used a large, heavy hammer to pound the wedges, driving them closer together. At each strike, the inquisitor repeated the question. The wedges lacerated flesh and crushed bone, sometimes so thoroughly that marrow gushed out and the legs were rendered useless.†[11] Grandier confessed nothing under the torture – which was carried out by the local priests. He cried out to God that his accusers were hypocrites with their own agenda, enraging the priests, who tried to silence him by dumping holy water on him. Eventually, the sadistic priests were so enraged by their failure to extract any information about ‘accomplices’ out of him that they burned him alive and conscious (generally, the victim was at least strangled to unconsciousness first), in front of a huge crowd. In this, one of far too many examples in the Early Modern Era, the grotesque rituals of exorcism and witchcraft, one as ungrounded in rational science as the other, had served a dual purpose – to reinforce the Church’s position as a mighty force against the Devil, who ostensibly roamed the earth in search of victims and accomplices, and also to send a clear message to those who were listening that it was both unwise to stray too far from the Church’s teachings and even less wise to cross paths with Cardinal Richelieu, who clearly had no qualms about vulgar and public displays of power. The Church could be benevolent if the flock toed the line, i.e., the seven sacraments, but indescribably cruel and merciless when threatened or insulted – utilizing the same symbols and rituals employed in its benevolent acts. Of course, without a public appetite for grotesque spectacle – hardly unique to the Early Modern period, the Church rituals would not have been quite so effective. In any case, the success of the Church’s carrot-and-stick approach to herding the flock can hardly be doubted. Another self-justified ritual that the Catholic Church utilized to ensure its own relevance and staying power was the system of indulgences. Indulgences were pardons granted by the church for all or part of a temporal punishment mandated by sins, as opposed to the eternal punishment, pardon for which was granted by the sacraments of baptism and reconciliation. As the Church states, An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.[12] An arbitrary penance for temporal punishment, for example 10 days of feeding the poor because one had suffered from impure thoughts, was assigned as part of reconciliation, but an indulgence granted by the Church – who believed it had an inexhaustible bank account of spiritual goodwill could dispense with any such temporal punishment if it chose to. Indulgences were usually meted out in time measurements: days, weeks, etc. Further complicating matters was the Church’s belief that those believers who died without having dispense with the totality of accumulated punishments for their temporal sins would have to wait in Purgatory – a halfway house of sorts between earth and Heaven – until those temporal sins were paid off. The Church granted itself the power to bestow indulgences not just to individuals for their own sins, but also to family members on behalf of relatives whose souls were believed to be Purgatory’s state of limbo. If this paradigm were not already complicated and suspect as it was, the Church further muddied the practical and moral aspects of indulgences by allowing money to enter into the equation. The most notorious example, in fact, was one of the straws that broke the proverbial camel’s back and helped cause the Protestant Reformation. In 1517, Pope Leo X announced that indulgences would be awarded to those Catholics who gave alms to assist in the spectacularly ambitious (and expensive) rebuilding of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The project had not been undertaken for entirely spiritual motivations; Pope Julius II, a notorious egomaniac, had wished for a burial place whose grandeur would match his own sense of self-importance, given the association with St. Peter himself. The notion of even using the term ‘alms’ in conjunction with the project was also suspect, given the Church was not exactly known for being impoverished; if any financial strain was present, it was of the Church’s own making. Nonetheless, the sale of these indulgences was sanctioned blessed by the Vicar of Christ, who appointed a loyal lieutenant to tour Europe collecting money. This most enthusiastic salesperson was a Dominican Friar named Johan Tetzel, who was Leo’s commissioner of indulgences for Germany. The certificates he issued (see Figure B) provoked outrage from many fellow Catholic figures (or at least those who possessed enough personal power to dare challenge the Church) because of their suspect language: â€Å"By the authority of all the saints, and in mercy towards you, I absolve you from all sins and misdeeds and remit all punishments for ten days.† Some took this to mean the Church was willing to forgive sins in advance and therefore was sanctioning sinful behavior; worse, the language was inconsistent with Catholic theology, insofar as indulgences were intended to render unnecessary the punishments mandated by temporal sin. (The sin i tself was already forgiven and required no absolution; penance was the requirement and the indulgences were penance vouchers, if you will.) In addition the muddled theology, Tetzel’s marketing campaign was shameless. As he traveled around Europe gleefully raising money, he employed the slogan â€Å"as soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.†[13] For many Catholics, even the most loyal and faithful, the rituals had become detached from their spiritual moorings. PROTESTANT VIEWPOINT One church figure who found the selling of indulgences repugnant was Martin Luther, a Franciscan monk and priest at the Castle Church in Saxony. He was deeply concerned that those with more money could buy their, or their dead relatives’, way out punishment for temporal sins, or worse, that some of the poor – who would often travel to the Vatican to donate what little money they had – were being exploited by the Church instead of receiving its blessings without the strings of money. A bold man, Luther preached three sermons criticizing the current method of administering indulgences between 1516 and 1517. Indulgences were not Luther’s only point of deep disagreement with the Church. He believed the Church’s self-perceived role as mediator between God and man, and the rituals it employed in that role, had become dangerously distorted and had lost their spiritual authority. Accordingly, he wrote his 95 Theses, which gained widespread distribution thro ughout Europe within two months, thanks to a new invention of the Renaissance – the printing press. 95 Theses directly challenged the Church, accusing it of greed and debasing itself by overindulgence in worldly matters, and asked for a debate and clarification from the Church regarding the theological basis for the administration of indulgences. (Luther was careful not to assert that the Pope did not have the right to grant them, just that the methodology was suspect and corrupt.) Additionally, and perhaps more shockingly, Luther openly questioned the infallibility and supreme authority of the papacy. Pope Leo X was outraged and demanded on several occasions that Luther recant and declare his submission to the Church, but Luther refused and Leo excommunicated him in January 1521, then declared him a heretic and banned his writings in July of the same year. Luther was spared a more gruesome fate, a la witch, by virtue of his good relationship with Elector Frederick of Saxony, who was expected to become the next Holy Roman Emperor and whose good graces Pope Leo wished to maintain. Frederick arranged to have Luther taken into protective custody, and Luther spent the remainder of his life dependent upon the protection of sympathetic princes. Luther’s boldness unleashed a series of transformations known as the Protestant Reformation, that had profound political effects on Europe that would reverberate for years to come in clashes of Protestants vs. Catholics – many of them bloody. But from a religious and social perspective, Luther ushered in a re-examination, and ultimately, a reorganization of the way Christianity defined and facilitated the relationship between God and man, including the role and use of rituals. The essence of Luther’s grievances was not necessarily his objection to indulgences, though perhaps they were the catalyst. Luther represented a new philosophy, which eventually was embodied in the various offshoots of Protestantism, all of which refused to accept that the Church was a required intermediary between God and man, nor were the arbitrary and complex procedures – often manifested in required rituals such as the sacraments – necessary for salvation or the maintenanc e of faith. In essence, the Church had become more style than substance. Eventually, due to the philosophical groundwork laid by theologians such as St. Augustine and expounded upon and propagated by Luther, the Protestant movement came to hold salvation was earned by the act of faith alone, not faith and good works as the Catholic Church insisted. Luther wrote: Beware, therefore, that the external pomp of work

Joseph Ridgeway Grundy :: essays papers

Joseph Ridgeway Grundy I am from a small town called Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania. It is along the Delaware River, about 25 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Bristol Borough was founded in 1681. This is the states third oldest borough, that was once a busy river port with important shipbuilding activities (Cohen 438). It is predominately residential, with the exception of Mill Street, the community's traditional commercial street. It includes fine examples of many major styles and idioms, reflecting the community's long history and its importance as a transportation and commercial center (Owen 133). The 28-acre Bristol Industrial Historic District includes the original town of Bristol and the residential area that extends northeast along the bank of the Delaware River (Owen 132). The Bristol Industrial Historic District is a significant collection of the factory and mill complexes containing elements dating from 1875-1937 (Owen 133). Among the mills is the Grundy Mill Complex. It is a visual represe ntation of industrial growth of Bristol Borough. This mill was run by Joseph R. Grundy. The dramatic scale of later buildings stand as the source and monument to the wealth and power of Joseph Grundy (Owen 145). Joseph Grundy was the proprietor of the Bristol Worsted Mills, and one of the most prominent manufacturers and businessmen of Bucks County (Green 252). The Bristol Worsted Mills no longer run but the building is still standing. Bristol owes a lot to Joseph R. Grundy for his contributions to the people and the town itself. Joseph Ridgeway Grundy was born in Camden, New Jersey, on January 13, 1863 ("Grundy Joseph R. 1). As a small boy, Joe had boundless energy and a vast curiosity. A propensity for childish mischief was taxing. Joe was enrolled in the Moravian Family School for Boys at the age of nine to see if it would help (Hutton 57). His pleasure in all types of athletics was reflected in his letters to home, he loved to skate and go coasting. Joe became a champion bowler, or tenpins player as the game was called at the school, a distinction he retained throughout the years. Now at the age of twelve, his family felt that he had quieted down enough to fit into the family pattern at home and was sent to public school for the next two years and his social contacts widened (Hutton 61). In 1877, Joe was entering the secondary division at Swarthmore, the Quaker institution serving as both a preparatory school and college (Hutton 63).