Night :: essays research papers

In 1944, in the village of Sighet, Romania, twelve-year-old Elie Wiesel spends much time and emotion on the Talmud and on Judaic mysticism. His instructor, Moshe the Beadle, returns from a near-death experience and warns that Nazi aggressors will soon threaten the serenity of their lives. However, even when anti-Semitic measures force the Sighet Jews into supervised ghettos, Elies family remains calm and compliant. In spring, regime begin shipping trainloads of Jews to the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex. Elies family is part of the final convoy. In a cattle car, eighty villagers can scarcely move and have to survive on stripped-down food and water. One of the deportees, Madame Schchter, becomes hysterical with visions of flames and furnaces.At midnight on the third day of their deportation, the group looks in horror at flames rising above huge ovens and gags at the stench of burning flesh. Guards wielding billy clubs force Elies group through a selection of those fit to work and thos e who face a grim and improbable future. Elie and his founding father Chlomo lie about their ages and depart with other hardy men to Auschwitz, a concentration camp. Elies mother and three sisters disappear into Birkenau, the death camp. After viewing infants existence tossed in a burning pit, Elie rebels against God, who remains silent.Every day, Elie and Chiomo struggle to keep their health so they can remain in the work force. Sadistic guards and trustees involve capricious punishments. After three weeks, Elie and his father are forced to march to Buna, a factory in the Auschwitz complex, where they sort electrical parts in an electronics warehouse. The ferociousness reaches its height when the guards hang a childlike thirteen year old, who dies slowly before Elies eyes.Despairing, Elie grows morose during Rosh Hashanah services. At the next selection, the doctor culls Chlomo from abler men. Chlomo, however, passes a second animal(prenominal) exam and is given another chance to live. Elie undergoes surgery on his foot.Because Russian liberation forces are moving ever closer to the Nazi camp, SS troops discharge Buna in January 1945. The Wiesels and their fellow prisoners are forced to run through a snowy night in bitter cold over a forty-two mile route to Gleiwitz. Elie binds his bleeding foot in strips of blanket. Inmates who falter are shot. Elie prays for strength to save his father from death. At a makeshift barracks, survivors pile together.

Problems with Standardized Testing Essay example -- Standardized Testin

Problems with Standardized interrogatoryWhere is the like test that can measure passion for learning, reckon for others, and hu adult male empathy? These argon the words of gobbler McKenna, a disgruntled high school teacher from Portland, Oregon. Like many other educators and students across the nation, Tom is shopworn of the system. The educational system today is composed of a series of standardized tests. Standardized tests be bad for many reasons. They cause teachers to limit their curriculum, put subordinate income and minority students at a disadvantage, cause school districts to focus too heavily on raising test scores, and extract the passion for learning from students. In many cases teachers are encouraged to teach only material that will be seen on certain standardized tests. For this reason, teachers are forced to extract superfluous material from the course. Instead, teachers focus only on specific items from the test. Students are encouraged to memorize isolate facts and regurgitate short responses. In an article published by the FairTest organization, this method is called teaching the test. Teaching the test seems to be conducive to improving test-taking skills but reliable academic progression is not always represented. The aforementioned Tom McKenna was put in this very predicament. In his article titled, The Straitjacket of Standardized Tests he tells a story of two of his high school students engaged in a project which enthralled their interest in an unlikely subject. McKenna had become friends with a man named Sol Shapiro. Shapiro, now in a retirement home, had at once been a resident in South Portland, Oregon, which was a Jewish immigrant community. McKennas students accompanied him to Shapiros house in order to conduct an interview. A some seconds into the interview Shapiro broke down in tears and the students immediately turned off the mental picture camera and tape recorder. The students comforted Sol. They finished the inte rview, much of which was unrecorded. McKenna state that these students had an increased interest in oral history following the interview. They wanted more. he noted. He then adds, Unfortunately, given the demands of current educational reform in Oregon, teachers are finding it difficult to give students the more they desire. McKenna was referring to the fact that teachers in Oregon are encouraged to striv... ... craft to focus like drones on get the scores up. If teachers were concerned with inspiring students, they could cause students to be passionate once again.In my in-person experience, my freshman history teacher would totally agree with my argument. He always told me that the most important part of the education process is knowledge for the sake of knowledge. This promoter that students should want to learn in order to gain intelligence. I have always kept this philosophy in high regard and have assay to apply it to my everyday scholastic life.The educational system sho uld be less of a system and more of a process. It should focus on the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual festering of its students. As long as we continue to use standardized tests a change will never be made.Works CitedElmore, Richard F. Testing Trap. Harvard Magazine Online. October 2002FairTest The theme Center for Fair and Open Testing. How Standardized Testing damage Education. McKenna, Tom. The Straitjacket of Standardized Tests. Spring 1999. Rethinking Schools Online. Rethinking Standardized Testing The Seattle Press Online. 17 May 2001. Problems with Standardized Testing Essay example -- Standardized TestinProblems with Standardized TestingWhere is the standardized test that can measure passion for learning, respect for others, and human empathy? These are the words of Tom McKenna, a disgruntled high school teacher from Portland, Oregon. Like many other educators and students across the nation, Tom is tired of the system. The educational system today is c omposed of a series of standardized tests. Standardized tests are bad for many reasons. They cause teachers to limit their curriculum, put low-level income and minority students at a disadvantage, cause school districts to focus too heavily on raising test scores, and extract the passion for learning from students. In many cases teachers are encouraged to teach only material that will be seen on certain standardized tests. For this reason, teachers are forced to extract superfluous material from the course. Instead, teachers focus only on specific items from the test. Students are encouraged to memorize isolated facts and regurgitate short responses. In an article published by the FairTest organization, this method is called teaching the test. Teaching the test seems to be conducive to improving test-taking skills but real academic progression is not always represented. The aforementioned Tom McKenna was put in this very predicament. In his article titled, The Straitjacket of Stand ardized Tests he tells a story of two of his high school students engaged in a project which enthralled their interest in an unlikely subject. McKenna had become friends with a man named Sol Shapiro. Shapiro, now in a retirement home, had once been a resident in South Portland, Oregon, which was a Jewish immigrant community. McKennas students accompanied him to Shapiros house in order to conduct an interview. A few seconds into the interview Shapiro broke down in tears and the students immediately turned off the video camera and tape recorder. The students comforted Sol. They finished the interview, much of which was unrecorded. McKenna noted that these students had an increased interest in oral history following the interview. They wanted more. he noted. He then adds, Unfortunately, given the demands of current educational reform in Oregon, teachers are finding it difficult to give students the more they desire. McKenna was referring to the fact that teachers in Oregon are encourag ed to striv... ... craft to focus like drones on getting the scores up. If teachers were concerned with inspiring students, they could cause students to be passionate once again.In my personal experience, my freshman history teacher would totally agree with my argument. He always told me that the most important part of the education process is knowledge for the sake of knowledge. This means that students should want to learn in order to gain intelligence. I have always kept this philosophy in high regard and have tried to apply it to my everyday scholastic life.The educational system should be less of a system and more of a process. It should focus on the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual development of its students. As long as we continue to use standardized tests a change will never be made.Works CitedElmore, Richard F. Testing Trap. Harvard Magazine Online. October 2002FairTest The National Center for Fair and Open Testing. How Standardized TestingDamages Education. McKenna , Tom. The Straitjacket of Standardized Tests. Spring 1999. Rethinking Schools Online. Rethinking Standardized Testing The Seattle Press Online. 17 May 2001.

Michèle Roberts’s The Looking Glass Essay -- Michele Roberts Looking G

Michle Robertss The Looking GlassThe understanding of taradiddle as a linear and unproblematic narrative, dominated by kings and queens, warriors and heroes, has long been denied by women writers. As Linda Anderson argues, these events take on a diametric meaning, a different configuration when we begin to see through them in both senses to womens concealed existence in the private sphere of family and home (Anderson, p.130). Women have olive-sized place in traditional linear history and have come to deny its authority and question its dominance. Frieda Johles Forman, in her introduction to a 1989 collection of essays on womens temporality, argues that women suffer from a lack of history, an unrecorded past, and that this absence strikes at odd, unsuspecting moments (Forman, p.8). But this absence of history is changing, as women begin to write their birth stories and their own conceptions of the past. Womens time and the political implications for feminism of feminist historio graphy have spawned a wealth of writing in recent years. Even in the academician piece of history, reliance upon major events as the narrative of history has been undermined by the possibility of a narrative of everyday lives, of everyday events and occurrences.1 However, this re-recording and re-making of history is fraught with danger, as Anderson warnsThe reclaiming of history, the discovery of how our foremothers preceded and even anticipated us, can help to assure us that, despite the evidence, we do in fact exist in the world yet if we ignore how that existence is textually mediated we end up simply reconstituting reality as it is. (p.134)Anderson argues that, despite the development of a critique of historys claim to objectivity a... ... and Sowton, Caoran, eds., Taking Our Time Feminist Perspectives on Temporality (Oxford Pergamon, 1989)Heath, Stephen, Flaubert Madame Bovary (Cambridge Cambridge University Press, 1992)Irigaray, Luce, Sexes and Genealogies, trans. Gill, G illian C. (New York Cornell University Press, 1993)Michaud, Guy, Mallarm, trans. Collins, Marie and Humez, Bertha (London Peter Owen, 1966)Millan, Gordon, Mallarm A Throw of the Dice (London Secker and Warburg, 1994)Oliver, Hermia, Flaubert and an English Governess (Oxford Clarendon, 1980)Pearson, Roger, Unfolding Mallarm The Development of a Poetic Art (Oxford Clarendon, 1996)Roberts, Michle, The Looking Glass (London Little Brown, 2000)Spencer, Philip, Flaubert A Biography (London Faber and Faber, 1951)Steegmuller, Francis, Flaubert and Madame Bovary (London Constable, 1993.

The Agricultural Adjustment Act :: essays research papers

The Agricultural Adjustment ActDuring World War I, Englands agricultural economy was badly damaged. This inconvenience for the English was a tenderness to American sodbusters. Since the invention of the combine, and various other mechanical harvesting machines, American farmers could gain their crop yield. In turn they could export the extra crops to England for more money. one time England got back on its feet, American farmers could not find any exports for their crops. As they continued to produce more than the American people could consume, the prices of agricultural goods dramatically dropped. By the 1930s many farmers were in serious need of help, with heavy farm loans and mortgages hanging over their heads. Nothing had been done to help the farmers during The Hoover Administration. So in 1933 as part of Roosevelts New conduct, the Secretary of Agriculture, Henry Wallace devised a plan to limit outturn and increase prices. Which came to be known as the Agricultural Adjust ment Act of 1933, also known as the AAA. The AAA was established on May 12, 1933 it was the New Deal desire to assist farmers during the Great Depression. It was the first widespread effort to raise and stabilize farm prices and income. The law created and authorized the Agricultural Adjustment Administration to draw in into voluntary agreements to pay farmers to reduce production of basic commodities ( cotton, wheat, corn, rice, tobacco, hogs, milk, etc..), to make advanced payments to farmers who stored crops on the farm, create marketing agreements between farmers and middlemen, and to levy processing taxes to pay for production adjustments and market development. Basically the AAA paid farmers to destroy their crops and livestock in return for cash. In 1933 alone cotton farmers were paid $100 million to wield over their cotton crop. Six million piglets were slaughtered by the government after they bought them from farmers. The meat was canned and given to people without jobs. In order for this new measuring rod to work there needed to be money to pay the farmers, this money came from the companies that bought farm products in the form of taxes. While it seemed like a good idea to pay farmers to cut back on crops to lowering the surplus and boost the economy, The Supreme Court found the Act unconstitutional in 1936.

The US Capitol Building Essay -- United States Capitol American Histor

The US Capitol BuildingOur nations revolution was a great achievement in U.S History. With the dawn of a new nation, there would have to be a central location to make the new decisions of our country. Our capitol has stood as the heart of our country since the late 1700s. The United States capitol is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically all important(predicate) twists in the gentlemans gentleman. For almost two centuries it has housed the meeting chambers of the senate and the House of Representatives. Begun in 1793, the capitol building has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended, and restored. Today our capitol stands as a monument to the Ameri dismiss people and their government. (AOC.gov)Where to indue a nations capitol? was the exact question that irritated George Washington and a man by the name of Pierre LEnfant, city stick outner and engineer. The District of Columbia is a perfect site its in the middle of the 14 states, halfway between Massach usetts and Georgia, exclaimed Washington. Being near to the ocean so that many people can get to it easily. In 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which provides that the federal government will be located in a permanent site on the Potomac River by 1800. Pierre Charles LEnfant develops plan for capital city he and President Washington select site for Congress House on Jenkins Heights. With a location elect the only task now is to design the capitol building. (Prolman, 5)Five hundred dollars will be the reward for the architect who sets forth the plans for our nations new capitol building. Thomas Jefferson stated. He was likewise included in the long list of contestants who submitted thier construction designs. Three months after the contest ended, a man by the name of Dr .William Thorton submitted his designs of the capital. (Prolman, 5)His design was a Neo-classical plan that followed the classical style of ancient Greece and Rome. He drew a building that consists of two wings that extended north and south of a centural section. A huge cast-iron dome rests on the central section of the building.(World, 196) President Washington was very pleased with Dr. Thortons plans and he was awarded first prize. Now it was time for Washington to flummox the cornerstone on September 18, 1793.( interior(a) Park)Construction was a very labor intensive and time-consuming process. The sandstone... ...at about 10 million people come to withdraw this monument every year. Tours every thirty minutes of the capitol building are open from 900 a.m. to 430 p.m. everyday. For recorded information regarding tours of the Capitol, call 202-225-6827. (AOC.gov)Since the building of Congress was built it has been through many stages. Being the meeting house for the bodies that govern our land of the free since 1793. The United States Capitol is one of the greatest structures in the world also serving as a symbol to the people of our nation. It will forever be the heart of our nation.(New Book, 420)BibliographyAikman, Lowell. US. Captol, Citidel of Democracy The National Geographic August, 1952147-162AOC.Gov- The United States Capitol, http//www.aoc.govNational Park Science- US Capritol Building, Wed. May 17, 2000. http//www.cr.nps.govNR/travel/wash/dc76.htm New Book of Knowledge, The. Capitol,US Deluxe Library Edition, copyright 1999, vol. 3Cp. 420Prolman, Marilyn. The Story of the Capitol. copyright 1969, p. 5-9World Book Encyclopedia, Capitol, US Vol. 3, Ch. C, Copyright 1996, p. 196

The US Capitol Building Essay -- United States Capitol American Histor

The US Capitol BuildingOur nations revolution was a great deed in U.S History. With the dawn of a new nation, there would have to be a central location to make the new decisions of our solid ground. Our capitol has stood as the heart of our country since the late 1700s. The United States capitol is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important expressions in the world. For almost ii centuries it has housed the meeting chambers of the senate and the House of Representatives. Begun in 1793, the capitol building has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended, and restored. Today our capitol stands as a monument to the American people and their reignment. (AOC.gov)Where to put a nations capitol? was the exact question that irritated George Washington and a man by the name of Pierre LEnfant, city planner and engineer. The District of Columbia is a perfect site its in the middle of the 14 states, halfway between mamma and Georgia, exclaimed Washington. Bein g near to the ocean so that many people can get to it easily. In 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which provides that the federal government will be located in a permanent site on the Potomac River by 1800. Pierre Charles LEnfant develops plan for capital city he and President Washington spot site for Congress House on Jenkins Heights. With a location chosen the only task now is to design the capitol building. (Prolman, 5)Five hundred dollars will be the reward for the architect who sets forth the plans for our nations new capitol building. Thomas Jefferson stated. He was also included in the long list of argueants who submitted thier construction designs. Three months after the contest ended, a man by the name of Dr .William Thorton submitted his designs of the capital. (Prolman, 5)His design was a Neo-classical plan that followed the classical style of ancient Greece and Rome. He drew a building that consists of two wings that extended north and south of a centur al section. A huge cast-iron dome rests on the central section of the building.(World, 196) President Washington was rattling pleased with Dr. Thortons plans and he was awarded first prize. Now it was time for Washington to lay the cornerstone on September 18, 1793.(National Park)Construction was a very labor intensifier and time-consuming process. The sandstone... ...at about 10 million people come to visit this monument every year. Tours every thirty minutes of the capitol building are turn out from 900 a.m. to 430 p.m. everyday. For recorded information regarding tours of the Capitol, call 202-225-6827. (AOC.gov)Since the building of Congress was built it has been through many stages. Being the meeting house for the bodies that govern our land of the free since 1793. The United States Capitol is one of the greatest structures in the world also serving as a symbol to the people of our nation. It will incessantly be the heart of our nation.(New Book, 420)BibliographyAik man, Lowell. US. Captol, Citidel of Democracy The National Geographic August, 1952147-162AOC.Gov- The United States Capitol, http//www.aoc.govNational Park Science- US Capritol Building, Wed. May 17, 2000. http//www.cr.nps.govNR/travel/wash/dc76.htm New Book of Knowledge, The. Capitol,US howling(a) Library Edition, copyright 1999, vol. 3Cp. 420Prolman, Marilyn. The Story of the Capitol. copyright 1969, p. 5-9World Book Encyclopedia, Capitol, US Vol. 3, Ch. C, Copyright 1996, p. 196

Critically Evaluate the Contributions of Functionalism to the Study of Society Essay

Critic completelyy evaluate the contributions of give outalism to the study of social club. Functionalist theory is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology. It can be argued that the functionalist theory has do a significant contribution to the study of ordering. It originates from the work of Emile Durkheim who suggests that social order is possible and society remains stable due to the functioning of several institutions. Everything has a specific function in society and society will always function in harmony.The main institutions studied by functionalism ar the family, the education system, righteousness and crime and deviance. Murdock argues that the family performs four basic functions in all societies sexual, reproductive, economic and educational. These four basic functions are essential for social life since without the sexual and reproductive functions on that point would be no members of society, without the economic function life would cease and wit hout education there would be no socialisation or culture. Without these four basic functions human beings society could not survive.The family does not perform these functions alone however it makes essential contributions to them all. Murdock is often criticised for his picture of the family as he did not consider whether its functions could be performed by other social institutions and he does not encounter alternatives to the family. Equally, Murdock illustrates the nuclear family as very harmonious and perfect. There are many ill-functioning families in society which Murdock fails to examine and explain. What is the function of families when the husband and wife fail to spend a penny an integrated division of labour and work a healthy sexual relationship?Talcott Parsons offers an alternative beguile of the functions of the family and suggests it serves two purposes primary socialisation and the stabilisation of the adult personality. Primary socialisation refers to social isation during the early years of childhood, which take place mainly in spite of appearance the family. This is important in contributing to society as our parents supposedly bring their offspring up to grow to be well-behaved, obedient individuals with the right values to help society function. The stabilisation of adult personalities emphasises on the marriage relationship and emotional security the couple provides for each other.This acts to counteract the stresses of everyday life and keep the personality stable. Parsons claims that the family thus provides a context in which husband and wife can express their childish feelings, give and receive emotional support, recharge their batteries and so stabilise their personalities. However, Parsons views on the family are criticised for being incomplete and idealising the family with his picture of well-adjusted children and sympathetic spouses caring for each other unconditionally.It is a over-optimistic and modernist and has littl e relationship to reality, because as mentioned before, not all families function perfectly. Similarly to Murdock, Parsons also fails to examine alternatives to the family which may provide the same functions for the development of society. The overall functionalist theory on the family is criticised by Marxism, feminists and some postmodernists. A Marxist would argue that the function of the family is to serve capitalism. rough feminists would argue that the function of the family is for women to serve men and that families are so diverse it is hard to argue that the family has a purpose.Some postmodernists suggest that the nuclear family is not as common as it seems and that there are now many diversities of families due to cultural and social changes. These views are understandably in conflict with the views of functionalism therefrom it allows us to question their validity. Functionalism also has its set of views on the education system. Emile Durkheim claimed that the main f unction of education was to aerate societys norms and values through generations. Social solidarity is essential for the welding of mass individuals into a united whole.Functionalists such as Durkheim argue that education builds a sense of allegiance and belonging to a society and a belief that the whole of society is more important than a hit individual. Durkheim argued, to be suffer attached to society, they will come to see that they are part of something larger themselves they will develop a sense of commitment to the social group. Durkheim also claimed that the school serves a function which cannot be provided by the family the peer group. Individuals must learn to cooperate with those who are neither their family nor their friends.In this way, children learn to respect authority figures, such as teachers, and cross along with other members of society they would be forced to interact with in later life such as bosses and colleagues. These social interactions are essential for holding society harmoniously balanced and functioning. Durkheim claimed that along with teaching us to interact with contrastive social groups, education serves to strictly reinforce school rules and ensure that children fool that these should be followed.Punishments should reflect the seriousness of the damage done to the social group by the offence and teach individuals that it is wrong to act against the interests of the social group as a whole. In Durkheims words it is by respecting the school rules that the child learns to respect rules in general, that he develops the habit of self-control and restraint simply because he should control and restrain himself. It is the first initiation into the austerity of duty. Serious life has now begun. Durkheim finally argues that education teaches individuals specific skills necessary for their future occupations.Schools transmit both(prenominal) general values which provide the necessary skills for social survival. Industrial soci ety is united by value consensus and a specialised division of labour whereby specialists mingle to produce goods and services. Education is essential for this because it trains individuals to develop the skills which will be useful for their future occupations. In the current education system children are given the probability to learn technical and practical skills as well as academic skills which all come together to help society function.However, Durkheim is criticised for several reasons. Firstly, he assumes that societies have a shared culture which can be transmitted through the education system. Britain for example is now multi-cultural and it is therefore debatable whether there is a single culture on which schools could base their curriculum. If a school bases their curriculum on a single culture they are often accused of ethnocentrism, which is a fractious issue to overcome when schools bring together children of many different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities.Seco ndly, his views on the education system are in conflict with those of Marxism, which argues that education serves to transmit a dominant culture and serve the interests of the ruling class rather than the members of society as a whole. Finally, functionalism has its views on the way crime and deviance applies to society. Functionalism looks at society as a whole and looks for the source of deviance in the nature of society rather than in the individual. Social control mechanisms such as the police and courts are argued to be necessary to keep order in society.Durkheim argues that crime is inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments of society. Durkheim also claims that crime can be functional because all social change begins with some form of deviance and a certain amount of social change is healthy for society. Merton, 1968, argued that deviance results from the culture and structure of society itself. Since members in societ y are placed in different positions in the social structure, for example different social classes, they do not all have equal opportunities.This situation can generate deviance for example, members of the bring down classes, such as the working or under class may resort to crime due to their position in the social structure because they are deprived of things essential for survival. Merton also outlined the five responses to cultural goals conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. The first way in which society can respond to cultural goals is through conformity. Members of society conform both to victor goals and to the normative means of reaching them.They strive for advantage by accepted means. The second response is innovation in which individuals slump normative means of reaching success and turn to deviant means such as crime. Merton argues that members of the lower social strata are more likely to take away this route to success. Merton claims that th ey have little access to conventional and legitimate means of becoming successful. Low qualifications mean little opportunity for jobs and advancement since their route to success is blocked. Therefore they turn to crime, which promises greater rewards than legitimate means.Membership of the lower social strata is not alone enough to produce deviance however pressures from society bestow to an individuals need to deviate. The third response is known as ritualism. Those who select this as an alternative are deviant because they have largely abandoned the commonly held success goals. Members of the lower middle class who have less opportunity than other members of the middle class are likely to take the path of ritualism. However, they have been powerfully socialised to conform to social norms so they do not turn to crime.They scale down or abandon their success goals. Ritualists are deviant because they have rejected the success goals held by intimately members of society. The fou rth and least common response is retreatism which applies to psychotics, chronic alcoholics and drug addicts. They have strongly internalised both the cultural goals and charge means, however they are unable to fulfil success. They resolve their situation by abandoning both the goals and the means of reaching them. They drop out of society defeated and resigned by their failure.They are deviant in two ways they have rejected both the cultural goals and the institutionalised means. The fifth and final response is rebellion. This involves both rejection of both success goals and institutionalised means and replaces them with their own different goals and means. They wish to create a new society. Merton says it is typically members of a rising class rather than the most depressed strata who organise the resentful and the rebellious into a revolutionary group. Hannon and Defronzo, 1998, carried out a study which gives empirical support for Mertons five stages.In a study of 406 metropo litan counties in the USA, they found that those with higher levels of welfare provision had lower levels of crime. They argued that the welfare provision opened up opportunities for people to achieve the goal of material success. They argued that the welfare provision opened up opportunities for people to achieve the goal of material success through legitimate means and therefore reduced anomie and the crime which could result from it. However, critics have argued that Mertons five stages neglect the power relationships in society as a whole within which deviance and conformity occur.Taylor, 1971, criticised Merton for not carrying out his analysis far enough and failing to consider who makes the laws and who benefits from them. The whole game may have been rigged by the powerful with rules that guarantee their success. These rules may be the laws of society. Merton is also criticised for being deterministic because it fails to explain why some people who experience effects of anom ie do not become criminals or deviant. It over-exaggerates working-class crime and underestimates middle-class and white collar crime.Furthermore, Taylor, Walton and Young, 1973, criticise that Mertons theory cannot account for politically motivated criminals such as freedom fighters who break the law because of commitment to their cause rather than the effects of anomie. In conclusion, functionalism has made great contribution to the study of society as it offers explanations for the functions of the major institutions in society. However, the whole functionalist theory is based around the idea that these institutions serve to keep society functioning and harmonious.Almost all their ideas are criticised by Marxism, which suggests the complete opposite that all institutions serve the interests of the ruling class and capitalism rather than serving the needs of the general members of society as a whole. As shown above, we can compare perspectives such as Marxism, feminism and postmo dernism with functionalism to assess its advantages and disadvantages. The functionalist theory is an important perspective widely covering most aspects of society, however it falls flavourless where it is criticised for being too deterministic and failing to consider the chaos and disorganisation in society.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Seven

I MIGHT HAVE BEEN DETERMINED to induce Marcus, precisely I certainly wasnt deprivation to debate against a gun.I raised my good deals in the air and slowly stood up, keeping my sticker to the new start outr. meet as carefully, I stepped away from Marcus and set the ampule on the floor. Fumes still wafted out of it, but the response would burn itself out soon. whence I dared a peek behind me. When I adage the girl who stood there, I could barely remember my look.Are you okay? she asked Marcus. He was unsteadily confirmting to his feet. I left as soon as you called.You I couldnt quite manage whatsoeverthing more(prenominal) articulate.The girl standing before me was close to my age, with long, tangled blond hair. She still had the gun on me, but a runty pull a case appeared on her establishment.Nice to see you again.The disembodied spiriting wasnt mutual. Id last seen this girl when I faced down the Warriors in their arena. Shed been toting a gun there as well and had had a perpetual snarl on her face. Shed pushed me well-nighwhat and threatened me, making no secret of how heretical she thought my defense of Sonya was. Although she seemed much calmer now than she had with those fanatics, I still couldnt dismiss what she was or what the implications were. I turned to Marcus in disbelief. He was cradling the wrist Id nailed with my elbow.You . . . youre atomic number 53 of them One of the Warriors of LightI dont call Id ever been so let down in my life. Id had so many hopes pinned on Marcus. Hed be discern larger than life in my mind, approximately rebel savior who was qualifying to tell me all the secrets of the world and broad me from being an a nonher(prenominal) cog in the machine of the Alchemists. barely it was all a lie. Clarence had menti binglenessd Marcus had convinced the Warriors to leave him alone. Id put on it was because Marcus had some incredible leverage he could use against the Warriors, but apparently, the key t o his influence was that he was one of them.He looked up from his wrist. What? Those nuts? Hell, no.I almost pointed at the girl but decided it would be best not to make any sudden moves. I settled for a gesture in her direction and noticed all the locks on the door had been undone. Id been so caught up in the struggle with Marcus that I hadnt heard them. Really? Then how come one of them well(p) saved you?Im not really one of them. She spoke almost casually, but the gun contradicted her tone. I mean, I guess I broad of am. . . .Sabrinas a spy, explained Marcus. He looked much more at ease too, now that I wasnt assaulting him. A lovely one. Shes been undercover with them for over a year. Shes also the one who told me close to you.Once again, it was hard knowing how to respond to that. I also wasnt sure if I bought this spy story. What exactly did you tell him?He shot me a movie star smile. His teeth were so white that I wondered if he had veneers. It seemed out of character for a rogue who lived on the run, but zilch some this day was really turning out handle Id expected. She told me about this Alchemist girl who defended a Moroi and then helped lead a dhampir raiding party.Lead? Hardly. No one notably Stanton had felt the need to enlighten me about that raid until I was in the middle of it. I didnt want to tip my hand too primal though. The Alchemists sanctioned that raid, I said.I saw the way you spoke, said Sabrina. Her eye flicked between Marcus and me, fierce for me and admiring for him. It was inspiring. And we watched you for a while, you know. You spent an awful lot of time with the Moroi and dhampirs in Palm Springs.Its my job, I said. She hadnt really seemed inspired at the time. Mostly shed looked disappointed at not having a chance to use the gun on me.Marcuss smile turned knowing. From what I heard, you and those Moroi almost looked like friends. And then, here you are, looking for me. Youre definitely the dissident wed hoped for.No, th is was not turning out at all like Id planned. In fact, it was pretty much the opposite of what Id planned. Id been so proud of my ability to track down Marcus, little knowing that hed been watching me already. I didnt like that. It made me feel vulnerable, even if they were saying some of things Id hoped to hear. Needing to feel like I was in control, I tried to play it cool and tough.Maybe there are other Alchemists about to show up, I said.They wouldve been here already he said, calling my bluff. They wouldnt expect sent you alone . . . though I did panic when I beginning saw you. I didnt realize who you were and thought there were others right behind you. He paused, and that cocky attitude turned sheepish. Sorry about, um, punching you. If it makes you feel better, you did something pretty sober to my wrist.Sabrinas face filled with c at one timern. Oh, Marcus. Do you need to see a doctor?He tested the movement of his wrist and then move his head. You know we fuelt. neer kn ow who cogency be watching at a hospital. Those places are too easy to monitor.You really are hiding from the Alchemists, I said in amazement.His nodded, almost looking proud. You doubted? I figured youd know that.I suspected, but I didnt hear it from them. They deny you exist.He seemed to find that funny. In fact, he seemed to find everything funny, which I found slightly irritating. Yup. Thats what Ive heard from the others.What others?Others like you. Those blue eyes held me for a moment, like they could see all my secrets. Other Alchemists wanting to tell on free of the fold.I knew my own eyes were wide. There . . . there are others?Marcus settled on the floor, leaning against the wall and still cradling his wrist. Lets get comfortable. Sabrina, put the gun away. I dont think Sydneys going to give us any trouble.Sabrina didnt look so sure of that, but after several moments, she complied. She joined him on the floor, positioning herself protectively next to him. Id rather stand , I told them. No way would I entrustingly sit on that filth. After rolling nearly with Marcus, I wanted to go bathe myself in hand sanitizer.He shrugged. Suit yourself. You want some answers? You give me some first. Whyd you come looking for me run into the Alchemist clock?I didnt like being interrogated, but what was the point of being here if I wasnt going to engage in a dialogue?Clarence told me about you, I said at last. He showed me your picture, and I saw how youd tattooed over the lily. I didnt even know that was possible. The tattoo never faded.Clarence Donahue? Marcus looked genuinely pleased. Hes a good guy. I suppose youd be friends with him if youre in Palm Springs, huh?I started to say we werent friends but then reconsidered. What else were we?Getting this isnt easy, added Marcus, tapping the blue tattoo. Youll have to do a lot of work if you want to do it.I stepped backward. Whoa, I never said thats what I wanted. And why in the world would I do it anyway?Because i tll free you, he said simply. It prevents you from discussing lamia affairs, right? You dont think thats all it does, do you? Think. What stops it from exerting other control?I pretty much had to ripe give up on any expectations for this conversation because every topic was crazier than the last. Ive never heard of anything like that. Ive never felt anything like that. Aside from it protecting vampire information, Im in control.He nodded. Probably. The sign tattoo usually only has the talking compulsion in it. They only start adding other components with re-inks if theyve got a reason to worry about you. People can sometimes fight through those and if they do . . . well, then its off to re-education.His words sent a chill through me, and I rested a hand on my cheek as I flashbacked to the meeting Id had when I was given the Palm Springs assignment. I was re-inked recently . . . but it was routine. Routine. Normal. Nothing like what he was suggesting.Maybe. He tilted his head and gave me another piercing look. You do anything bad before that, love?Like helping a dhampir fugitive? Depends on your definition of bad. both(prenominal) of them laughed. Marcuss laugh was loud and rollicking and actually pretty infectious but the situation was far too dire for me to join in.They may have fortify your group loyalty then, he said, still chuckling. But it either wasnt very strong or else you fought through it otherwise you wouldnt be here. He glanced over at Sabrina. What do you think?Sabrina studied me with a critical eye. I still had a hard time believing her role in all of this. I think shed be a good addition. And since shes still in, she could help us with that . . . other matter.I think so too, he said.I crossed my harness over my chest. I didnt like being discussed as though I werent there. A good addition to what?Our group. To Sabrina, he said, We really need a get wind for it, you know. She snorted, and he returned his attention to me. Were a mix. Some a re former Warriors or double agents like Sabrina. Some are ex-Alchemists.And what do you do? I gestured approximately us. This doesnt exactly look like a high-tech base of operation for some implicit team.Look at you. Pretty and funny, he said, looking delighted. We do what you do or what you want to do. We like the Moroi. We want to help them on our own terms. The Alchemists theoretically want to help them too, but we all know thats base on a core of fear and dislike not to mention a strict control of its members. So, we work in secret, seeing as the Alchemists arent fans of those who break from the fold. They really arent fans of me, which is why I end up in places like this.We keep an eye on the Warriors too, said Sabrina. She scowled. I hate being around those nuts, having to play along with them. They claim they only want to destroy the Strigoi but, well, the things Ive heard them say against the Moroi too . . .I thought back to one of my more worrying memories of the W arrior arena. Id heard one of them make a mysterious comment about how someday, theyd deal with the Moroi too.But what do you guys actually do? Talking about rebellions and covert operations was one thing, but actually effecting change was another. Id visited my sister Carly at her college and seen a number of student groups who wanted to change the world. Most of them sat around drinking coffee, talking a lot and doing little.Marcus and Sabrina exchanged glances. I cant quite get into our operations, he said. Not until I know youre on board with breach your tattoo.Breaking your tattoo. There was something sinister not to mention permanent about those words, and I suddenly wondered what I was doing here. Who were these people, really? Why was I even lenience them? Then another, almost terrifying thought hit me Am I doubting them because of the tattoos control? Is it making me skeptical around anyone who questions the Alchemists? Is Marcus telling the truth?I dont really understa nd that either, I told them. What it means to break the tattoo. Do you just mean putting ink over it?Marcus stood up. All in good time. Right now, weve got to get out of here. Even if you were discreet, I assume you used Alchemist resources to find me?I hesitated. Even if these guys were legitimate and had good intentions toward the Moroi, I certainly wasnt going to reveal my intimacy with magic. Something like that.Im sure youre good, but we cant take the chance. This place has been compromised. He cast a wistful glance around the studio. Honestly, I thought he should be grateful Id given him a reason to leave.Sabrina rose as well, her face hardening. Ill make sure the secondary location is ready.Youre an angel, as always, he told her.Hey, how did you know I was coming? I asked. You had time to hide and call her. What I really wanted to know was how hed seen me through the invisibility spell. Id felt the magic fill me. I was certain Id cast the spell correctly, but hed discovered me. The spell wouldnt work if someone knew to look for you, so maybe hed happened to glance out the window when I was scaling the set down escape? Worst timing ever.Tony warned me. Marcus flashed me another of those dazzling grins. I think he was trying to make me smile back. Good kid.Tony? Then I knew. The boy in the parking lot. Hed pretended to help me and then sold me out. He must have spoken to Marcus while I climbed the fire escape. Maybe Marcus only answered to some secret knock. At least I had the comfort of knowing Id cast the spell correctly. It simply hadnt worked because Marcus had advance warning that some girl was coming after him.He began packing up his meager belongings into a backpack. The Catcher in the Rye is a great book, by the way. He winked. Maybe someday well have a literary discussion.I wasnt interested in that. Watching him, I saw that he kept favoring his unharmed wrist. I couldnt believe Id caused damage like that and felt a little guilty, despite every thing that had happened. You should get that taken care of, I said. Sabrina nodded in reservement.He sighed. I cant. At least, not through conventional means. The Alchemists have eyes everywhere.Conventional means.I, uh, might be able to help you get it healed through wrong means, I said.You know some off-the-grid doctor? asked Sabrina hopefully.No. But I know a Moroi spirit user.Marcus froze, and I kind of liked that Id thrown him off guard. Seriously? Weve heard of them but never met one. That woman they had Sonya? She was one, right? She was gone before we could find out more.Talking about Adrian made me nervous, but Sabrina plausibly already knew he existed if theyd been watching me. Yeah, she was one, and theres another in Palm Springs. I could take you to him and let him heal you.Excitement lit Marcuss features. Sabrina looked at him in horror. You cant just go off with her. Was that concern or jealousy in her voice?Why not? he asked. Shes taking a leap of faith with us. W e cant do any less. Besides, Im dying to meet a spirit user. The safe house isnt that far from Palm Springs. You make sure everythings in order and then come pick me up later.Sabrina didnt like that, not at all. Maybe I didnt understand the dynamics of their group moreover, but it was obvious she regarded him as a attractor and was insanely protective. In fact, I suspected her feelings for him were more than professional. They went back and forth on whether hed be safe or not, and I listened without a word. All the while, I wondered if Id be safe heading off with some unknown guy. Clarence trusted him, I reminded myself. And hes pretty paranoid. Besides, with Marcuss wrist out of commission, I could probably take him.He finally convinced Sabrina to let him go but not before she snarled, If anything happens to him, Im coming after you. Apparently her hard-core character in the arena hadnt been unaccompanied faked.We parted ways from her, and before long, Marcus and I were on the r oad to Palm Springs. I tried to get more information out of him, but he wouldnt bite. Instead, he kept complimenting me and saying things that were only one step away from pickup lines. Judging from the way hed bantered with Sabrina too, I didnt think there was anything particularly supernumerary about me. I thought he was just used to women fawning all over him. He was cute, Id give him that, but it took a lot more than that to win me over.It was sunset when we pulled up to Adrians apartment, and I belatedly wondered if I shouldve given him some advance warning. Too late now.We walked up to the door, and I knocked three times. Its open, a voice called from within. I stepped inside, and Marcus followed. Adrian was working on an abstract painting of what looked like a crystalline building from some fantasy world. Unexpected treat, he said. His eyes fell on Marcus and widened. Ill be damned. You found him.Thanks to you, I said.Adrian glanced over at me. A smile started to form and t hen instantly dried up. What happened to your face?Oh. I lightly touched the swollen spot. It still smarted but wasnt as painful as it had been earlier. I spoke my next words without thinking. Marcus hit me.Id never seen Adrian move so fast. Marcus had no chance to react, probably because he was exhausted from our earlier encounter. Adrian shoved Marcus up against a wall and to my complete and utter astonishment punched Marcus. Adrian had once joked that he never dirtied his transfer, so this was something I never could have prepared myself for. In fact, if Adrian was going to attack someone, I wouldve expected something magical and spirit-driven. Yet . . . as I watched him, I could see that anything as thoughtful as magic was far from Adrians mind. He had kicked into primal mode. See a threat. Go after it. It was yet another surprising yet fascinating side of the enigma that was Adrian Ivashkov.Marcus quickly got his bearings and responded in kind. He pushed Adrian back, winci ng a little. Even with his injury he was still strong. What the blazing? Who are you?The guy thats going to kick your ass for hurting her, said Adrian.He tried another punch, but Marcus dodged and managed to land a hit that knocked Adrian back into one of his easels. When Marcus swung again, Adrian eluded him with a maneuver that was straight out of Wolfes class. I wouldve applauded him if I wasnt so appalled by the situation. I knew some girls thought it was sexy to have men fight over them. Not me.You guys, stop I cried.No ones going to throw you around and get away with it, said Adrian.What happened with us has nothing to do with you, retorted Marcus.Everything about her has to do with me.The two circled around each other, waiting for the other to pounce. Adrian, I exclaimed. It was an accident.Doesnt look like an accident, he replied, never taking his eyes off Marcus.You should listen to her, growled Marcus. The easygoing guy Id met earlier was gone, but I guess being attacked would do that to you. It might save you from get your pretty face wrecked. How much styling did you have to do to get your hair like that?At least I brush my hair, said Adrian.Marcus lunged forward but not straightway at Adrian. He grabbed a painting off an easel and used it as a weapon. Adrian again managed a dodge, but the painting didnt fare so well. The opinion poll tore, and Marcus tossed it aside, ready for the next advance.Adrian spared the canvas a brief glance. Now youve really pissed me off.Enough Something told me they werent going to listen to reason. This required direct intervention. I walk across the room and pushed myself between them.Sydney, get out of the way, ordered Adrian.Yeah, agreed Marcus. For once hes got something worthwhile to say.No I held out my hands to separate them. some(prenominal) of you back off now My voice rang through the apartment, and I refused to budge. Back. Off, I repeated.Sydney. . . . Adrians voice was a little more uncertain than when hed told me to get out of the way.I looked back and forth between them, giving each guy a healthy glare. Adrian, it really was an accident. Marcus, this is the guy whos going to help you, so show some respect.This, more than anything, seemed to derail them.Wait, said Adrian. Did you say help?Marcus was equally flabbergasted. This asshole is the spirit user?Youre both acting like idiots, I scolded. The next time I had nothing to do, Id have to get a book on testosterone-driven behavior. This was out of my league. Adrian, can we talk somewhere in private? Like the bedroom?Adrian agreed, but not before giving Marcus one last menacing look. I told Marcus to stay where he was and hoped he wouldnt take off or call in someone else with a gun. Adrian followed me to his bedroom and shut the door behind us.You know, he said, under traffic pattern circumstances, you inviting me to the bedroom would be the highlight of my day.I crossed my munition and sat on the bed. I did so out of simp le fatigue, but a moment later, I was struck by what I was doing. This is where Adrian sleeps. Im touching the covers hes absorbed in every night. What does he wear? Does he wear anything?I jumped up.It really was an accident, I told him. Marcus thought I was there to abduct him.Adrian, having no such(prenominal) hang-ups with the bed, sat down. He winced, probably from the blow to the stomach. If someone like you showed up to abduct me, Id let you.Even when he was in pain, it never stopped with him. Im serious. It was just instinct, and he apologized over and over in the car once he realized who I was.That got his attention. He knew you?I gave him a recap of my day in Santa Barbara. He listened avidly, nodding along, his expression shifting back and forth between intrigue and surprise.I didnt realize when I brought him back here that youd inflict more damage, I said, once Id finished the story.I was defending your honor. Adrian gave me that devil-may-care smile that always managed to both infuriate and captivate me. Pretty manly, huh?Very, I said dryly. I didnt like violence, but him doing something so out of character for me actually was kind of incredible. Not that Id ever tell him that. You did Wolfe proud. Do you think you can manage not to have any more manly displays while hes here? Please?Adrian shook his head, still smiling. Ive said over and over, Id do anything for you. I just keep hoping itll be something like, Adrian, lets go hot tubbing or Adrian, take me out for fondue.Well, sometimes we have to did you say fondue? Sometimes it was impossible to follow Adrians train of thought. Why in the world would I ever say that?He shrugged. I like fondue.I didnt even know what to say about that. This whole day was getting more and more exhausting. Im sorry Im not asking for something as glamorous as melted cheese. But for now, I need to find out about Marcus and his group and the tattoo.Adrian recognized the situations severity. He stood up and gently to uched the lily on my cheek. I dont trust him. He could be using you. But then . . . I dont like the idea of this controlling you either.That makes two of us, I admitted, losing some of my earlier toughness.He traced the line of my cheek for a few breathless moments and then dropped his hand. It might be worth helping him to get some answers.Will you promise not to get in any more fights? Please?I promise, he said. So long as he doesnt start one.Ill have him promise too. I just hoped their manly natures wouldnt get the better of them. As I ruminated on this, something Id nearly forgotten about tumbled to the forefront of my mind. Oh . . . Adrian, Ive got one more favor to ask you. A big one.Fondue? he asked hopefully.No. Its about Ms. Terwilligers sister. . . .I told him what Id learned. The amusement in his face faded and turned to disbelief. You just mention this now? he exclaimed when I finished. That some soul-sucking witch might be after you?She doesnt know I exist. I felt surpr isingly defensive. And Im the only one who can help, at least according to Ms. Terwilliger. She thinks Im some super-investigator.Well, you do have that intelligence officer Holmes thing going for you, he said. His joking didnt last he was too upset. But you still shouldve told me You couldve called.I was kind of busy with Marcus.Then your priorities are off. This is a lot more important than his band of Merry Men. If we need to take out some evil sorceress before she gets to you, then of course Ill help. He hesitated. With one condition.I eyed him warily. Whats that?Let me heal you too.I jerked backward, almost more shocked than if hed suggested hitting me again. No Absolutely not I dont need it. Im in better shape than him.You want to go back to Amberwood with that on your face? Youre not going to be able to hide that, Sage. And if Castile sees it, he really will come after Marcus. Adrian crossed his arms defiantly. Thats my price.He was bluffing, and I knew it. Maybe it was egot istical, but I knew he wasnt going to let me go into a unsafe situation without him. He did, however, have a point. I still hadnt seen the mark Marcus had left, but I didnt want to explain it back at school. And yes, there was a good chance Eddie would want to hunt down my assailant. Being beat up by an avenging dhampir might make working with Marcus difficult.Yet . . . how could I agree? At least the magic I used was on my terms. And although my tattoo had trace amounts of vampire magic, I took comfort in knowing it was tied to the normal four elements, the ones we understood. Spirit was still an unknown entity, with abilities that continually surprised us. How could I subject myself to rogue vampire magic?Guessing my inner turmoil, Adrians face softened. I do this all the time. Its an easy spell. No surprises.Maybe, I said reluctantly. But each time you use spirit, youre more likely to go godforsaken.Already crazy about you, Sage.At least this was familiar territory. You said yo u wouldnt sum up that up.He simply regarded me without comment. Finally, I threw my arms up. Fine, I said, with more boldness than I felt. Just get it over with.Adrian didnt waste any time. Stepping forward, he reached out and rested his hand on my cheek once more. My breath caught and my heart rate went up. It would be so, so easy for him to pull me to him and kiss me again. A tingling warmth spread over my skin, and for a moment, I thought it was just my normal reaction to him. No, I realized. It was the magic. His eyes locked onto mine, and for the space of a heartbeat, we were suspended in time. Then he removed his hand and stepped away.Done, he said. Was that so bad?No, it hadnt been bad at all. The throbbing pain was gone. All that was left was the constant inner voice nagging me that what had just happened was wrong. That same voice tried to tell me that Adrian had left a taint behind . . . but that was hard to believe from him. I released the breath Id been holding.Thank yo u, I said. You didnt have to do that.He gave me one of those small smiles. Oh, believe me, I did.A moment of awkward silence hung between us. I cleared my throat. Well. We should get back out to Marcus. Maybe well have time for dinner party before Sabrina shows up, and you guys can patch things over.I doubt even a moonlight stroll would fix things between us.His words reminded me of something else Id meant to bring up when he got back to town, something that had taken a very low priority. Your coat you never took it back after the wedding. Its in my car.He waved dismissively Keep it. Ive got others.What am I going to do with a wool coat? I asked. Especially here in Palm Springs?Sleep with it, he suggested. Think of me.I put my hands on my hips and tried to stare him down, which wasnt easy since he was so tall. That, and because his words suddenly returned me to the disorienting feeling Id had sitting on his bed. You said you werent going to bring up any romantic stuff around me.Was that romantic? he asked. I was just making the suggestion, since the coats so heavy and warm. I figured youd think of me since it was such a nice gesture. And yet, once again, youre the one who finds romantic subtext in everything I say.I do not. You know thats not what I meant.He shook his head in mock sympathy. I tell you, Sage. Sometimes I think Im the one who needs to take out the restraining order on you.AdrianBut he was already out the door, knowing laughter echoing behind him.

Meaning of life essay Essay

What is the significance of bearing? Many agree that the answer dep nullifys on the person asking the question. When Albert Camus and Richard Taylor decide to answer this question, they must tell apart an in-depth look into the real and mythological cosmoss to arrive at a concise answer to this question that has baffled so many. Both seduce standardized views with keen differences however Taylors view is the more accurate of the two. When looking into the biological reality, Taylor clearly describes how much of it earth-closet be identified with the Greek tale of Sisyphus.His prototypical of two examples take an in-depth look into glowworms. They go through this cycle like Sisyphus did with his rock and eventual(prenominal)ly they have postal code more to show for it than reproducing. They are condemned to this point and like the rock that Sisyphus rolls up the hill, once they fall d declare, the burden is passed onto the next generation of worms, making their existence u ltimately pointless. The story is the same with migrating birds, as they seasonally migrate across the planet just to do the exact same thing the next year (Klemke, 2008).The effort put into this, like the effort Sisyphus puts into axial rotation the rock up the hill, ultimately accomplishes zilch and in the end is futile. The birds are condemned to a centreless project that has no meaning, scarce owns them purpose. Taylor states The point of any sprightliness things life is, evidently, nothing but life itself (Klemke, 2008), something that Sisyphus himself endures as he rolls the rock throughout eternity, with the sole(prenominal) difference between him and the biological macrocosms being that instead of each organism doing the same repetitive task for eternity, they pass on their mundane tasks to the next generation.Taylors solution to the meaning of life is a complicated one since he truly sees absolutely no meaning to it. Everything in this world is contingent and as a whole is seemingly meaningless. This is what he calls object glass meaning. He went on to enjoin that life has no end goal and that what you do preempt never be more than you, something similar to what Sisyphus went through. At the same time, he went on to say how life also has subjective meaning, meaning that life matters to the person living in that world in that period of time.As Sisyphus was rolling the rock up hill hill for eternity, Taylor asks what if the gods had made it his eternal desire to roll that rock up that hill, and what if he enjoyed nothing else more than rolling that rock for the rest of his life (Klemke, 2008). The same can be said about those that do what they love, and even though that has no objective meaning as a whole, it could have subjective meaning to the individual per contour lineing the task since there is nothing else they would rather do. He went on to say that as time passes A curious eye can in imagination reconstruct from what is left a once w arm and thriving life, fill up with purpose. (Klemke, 2008). This was in reference to looking back at an old barren eat upland, where although now it has no meaning, it once had subjective meaning to others and even though something has no end goal, that does not mean that it is meaningless, since in that moment in time it had meaning. He sees the meaning of life as nothing but life itself, and that the only look to live a full and meaningful life is to do something that has meaning to you. The end goal does not matter as long as what you are doing has meaning to you, and one thing does not have greater meaning over another.His solution involved projecting meaning onto our own lives by embracing our struggles, even if they accomplish nothing lasting and worthwhile (Cengage, 2013). Camus had a slightly different solution to the meaning of life. He truly saw no meaning to life and questioned why anyone would ever want to live in it (Klemke, 2008). He questioned peoples motives and why all individuals would never commit self-annihilation when they know that they saw the world they lived in. He sees the world as preposterous and the fact that we can coincide that as surprising.Rational beings live in an superstitious world, where people who are obsessed with reason cannot find it. He sees that the there is absolutely no meaning to the world. When he relates human lives to Sisyphus, he considers our everyday lives as pushing a rock up a hill and pushing it back down in a never-ending cycle until death. The tragedy of it is that we are never truly conscious of the absurd, and in those moments when we are conscious of the absurd, we experience the greatest moral downfall imaginable. The only focussing to live in this world is to live in contradiction.Once we can accept that the world we live in is absurd, we no longer need to live for hope or have this dying need for purpose (Tomo, 2013). It means not only accepting it but also being fully conscious and awar e of it, because that is the only way we can enjoy the freedoms of life as long as we abide by a few common rules (Lane, 2013). He sees this as being the ultimate way to embrace everything the unreasonable world has to offer us. This is known as absurd freedom, when you are conscious of the world you live in and are freed from the absurdity.You can then reach a point of acceptance where you can feel truly content with your own life (Lane, 2013). He considers Sisyphus as being the absurd hero, since he performs a meaningless task because he hates death, and so he does this meaningless task to live to the fullest. He embraces his destiny and one could truly believe that he is happy with it. The meaning of life also does not matter about what are the best moments of living, or doing what is meaningful to the individual, but who did the to the highest degree living.This can be further explained with Camuss reference to Sisyphus, where the only thing differentiating our lives from his is that his is eternal. As gentleman, we will eventually deteriorate and die off, and in a world where nothing has meaning and everything is repetitive, the one who has lived for the longest period of time has truly made the most of it. Out of the two solutions, it is clear why both Camus and Taylor thought the way they did. One solution was based on doing things in general while the other focused on living as long as physically possible.In my opinion, although both have strong footings, I must say that although Camus redact is slightly stronger logically, Taylors position has much better emotional traction. When Camus states that the world is completely absurd and that none of it has any meaning, his argument makes consciousness. We live in a world where even though we are creatures that demand reasoning and meaning for everything, there is none in the world we are currently in. Taylor agrees to a certain extent, but then introduces his idea of different kinds of meaning subject ive.He tries to give meaning to tasks that give us fulfillment true subjective meaning, but these same tasks have no objective meaning since they have no end goal. Logically, such tasks can have no meaning because they have no lasting value, something that Camus himself tried to explain, ultimately making Camuss position stronger logically. Emotionally, the case is preferably the opposite. Camus tells us we should accept our fate and just try to live on this planet for as long as we can, something only an atheist would willingly accept with grace. He goes on to say as long as there is no end goal in life there is no meaning in life.However, many that live their every day lives do not think on such an emotionless level. Taylor on the other hand gives the position of there being two different kinds of meanings, and although objective meaning doesnt exist, subjective meaning can give each one of us our own definition of what meaning is, which in this case is something to do. Even tho ugh the culmination of these events will ultimately lead to nothing, it doesnt mean that they were a complete waste of time since they gave us something to do (. The same can be said about the birds and the glowworms.Their lives have no end goal as their lives were nothing but a never-ending cycle, but it gave them something to do in life no matter how meaningless it may seem to someone looking from the outside in. The most important point Taylor makes is that the tasks we do can have meaning to us, but another individual looking in could see the exact same task as being meaningless, and that is to be expected. Subjective meaning depends on the exact moment in time, which relates to such expressions as live in the moment or Carpe Diem, because after that moment has passed, all the meaning that is associated with it disappears.People like to believe that what theyre doing will always have meaning in one form or another, and as long as they believe in that, they are in a better state of mind than believing that everything in life is meaningless and that we should only strive to live as long as we can. This can be seen as living in denial, but emotions are something humans unlike many animals live with on a minutely basis and must be accounted for. Furthermore, although Camus position makes logical sense, it makes little to know emotional sense since it does not account for the human aspect of life.CITATIONS Barnett, Richard. An absurd faith Camus and The Myth of Sisyphus. Internet Archive Wayback Machine. http//web. archive. org/web/20071012140207/http//www. geocities. com/a_and_e_uk/Sisyphus. htm (accessed March 19, 2013). (Only for research purposes) Lane , Bob. The Absurd Hero. Vancouver Island University, academic degree Programs Canada Master & Bachelor Education Degrees Canada VIU. http//records. viu. ca/www/ipp/absurd. htm (accessed March 19, 2013). Klemke, E. D. , and Steven M. Cahn. Albert Camus The Myth of Sisyphus. In _The meaning of life a rea der_.3rd ed. New York Oxford University Press, 2008. 72-82. Klemke, E. D. , and Steven M. Cahn. Richard Taylor The Meaning of Life. In _The meaning of life a reader_. 3rd ed. New York Oxford University Press, 2008. 134-143. The Meaning of life Richard Taylor. Cengage. www. cengage. com/philosophy/book_content/1439046948_feinberg/introductions/part_5/ch19/Life_Taylor. html (accessed March 19, 2013). Tomo, Ramirez. Camus, Sisyphus Taylor, The Meaning of Life. Deanza. edu. www. deanza. edu/faculty/ramireztono/phil01/camustaylornotes. pdf (accessed March 19, 2013).

Homeless graduates and Joblessness

Homelessness defines a situation in which a person or a family is living without a home to yield their privacy. A home is a basic requirement for every individual to harp their life comfortably. It is a stray where individuals basic requirements atomic number 18 fulfilled and provide a healthful environment. In USA it moldiness be a legally possess place to have a safe condition for living.Currently in United States there are legion(predicate) people who are unsettled and among them m whatsoever our graduates and educated people who do not have living. They might be an individual with no other support or a family with not liberal resources to rent or buy a house.The term homelessness is not scarcely limited to the meaning of without a home, but it has a very resistant meaning covering mostly that population who is without a tune, has no living, no support, and might be suffering from health issues.Such homeless graduates either live on streets or shelters. Such people may suffer from a mental illness or physical illness due to lack of rubber eraser health measures and support. They may face a number of psychological and physiological tasks.JoblessnessThis is the major cause of homeless graduates. They do not get adequate job and earnings to have their own home. Such guys spend their metre on streets, bars, shelters, and many other such places. The one or the other way they just waste their time. Joblessness may be due to their low score at school, any kind of disorder, inability to cope with job and inadequate pay.Mental illnessHomeless graduates might be suffering from mental illness and psychological problems like depression, stress, insomnia, drug abuse, intoxicant abuse and criminal activities. According to one study around 40% of these homeless graduates suffer from various mental ailments. A number of studies have shown that suicidal rate is also high in such individuals.Drug & alcohol abuseDrug abuse and alcohol abuse are the two major pr oblems with homeless graduates. As they do not have a job and most of their time is wasted in bars and streets they easily get addicted with drugs and alcohol.Due to increasingly stress for work and pay they become psychologically depressed. The only way they find out is to have some kind of addiction in order to forget their worries. Such graduates when pass over on drugs and alcohol are usually unaware of its damaging outcomes and health hazards.Hospital and medical expenditureDue to excessive health hazards their expenses for stay at the hospital and medicines are also very high. These expenses are usually bear by the shelters where they live or donation by charity organizations.Marital statusTheir marital status is also at doldrums. As they cannot support their spouse and children, they easily get differences with them.Strategies to solve this increasing problem of homelessness is first to give them adequate education to improve their grades in college. Every graduate must be a ssured of a job after they drop off their education.Graduates can be hired as trainee at first to give them proper training after school to get acquainted with their job.Homeless graduates must have enough support that should cover their health problems. In addition, their environment must be safe enough in order to prevent any health hazards.Educating such people about hazards of drug and alcohol abuseAs theyre not aware of the damaging effects of drugs and alcohol they start consuming them in abundance. Later when they encounter several health problems it becomes really problematic for the shelter supporting staff and the individual himself to manage health issues.If measures entrust be simulaten to inform them about the dangerous effects of drugs and alcohol then heavy costs of treatment can be saved.The reason for compose this letter is to bring to your awareness these problems in homeless people is every growing. It must be noted that if the concerned authorities do not tak e appropriate measure to stop this problem then this situation can become adverse. As more and more people are graduating and homeless kids are reaching their youth this problem does not seem to be ending.If a homeless person remains jobless and homeless for long period of time then they can become more, dependant, dysfunctional and a burden to a society.It is of utmost importance that some steps must be taken at your earliest to stop ever growing problems of homeless graduates. The first thing is that to enhance their education, bring awareness about hazards of drugs and alcohol, brining health awareness, awareness about workout and methods to become more useful.The most important point is that they must participate in any type of activities. Like communal activities, sports activities and volunteer their time in supporting others with handicap.If a person can become a useful individual of a society in any form then it result be a spiritual satisfaction and a peace of mind for bo th the individual and the society.ReferencesYesilonis, Bryan. (2007) Report on Homelessness. Retrieved from http//www.bethesda-mission.org/report.htmHomeless Families Program, USA. Retrieved from http//www.valdosta.edu/clengleh/writingsample.htm