Nursing Theory Analysis Essay

Introduction As nurses, it is important to have a basic understanding of the nursing practice by reflecting on various nursing theories and principles used across a variety of clinical settings. Nursing theories serve as the foundation or the guiding principle of the nursing profession. In this paper, I am going to discuss two theories – the Health Belief Model and the Social Cognitive Theory – and their relevance to the nursing practice. Health Belief Model The Health Belief Model, commonly abbreviated as HBM, is a psychological model that predicts and explains health behaviors of individuals based on their beliefs and attitudes towards a particular health-related issue. This theory explains that an individual’s beliefs and attitudes about certain health problems, self-efficacy, barriers, and benefits to perceived action help create health-promoting behavior. It was created in the 1950s by US social psychologists Kegels, Rosenstock & Hochbaum in response to the unsuccessful nationwide tuberculosis screening program (Thurmond & Popkess-Vawter, 2003). The core statements and assumptions of the Health Belief Model is that a health-related action should be adhered because it could help prevent the likelihood of negative health conditions, such as chronic illnesses and infectious conditions. Once individuals acquire positive expectations over a specific health-promoting action, they can then avoid the occurrence of negative health con ditions (Potter & Perry, 2006). Application of the Health Belief Model into practice It is believed that the Health Belief Model is the main model used in the nursing process associated with health promotion and education, as well as illness prevention and protection. It has been utilized to describe various health protective activities within the primary, secondary, and tertiary level of health care. This framework serves as the basis for helping individuals engage in primary and secondary illness prevention. For instance, when nurses provide specific instructions to educate individuals that diseases could be prevented, this is part of the primary prevention that is associated with increasing the health-promoting activities of the population. If the nurse, on the other hand, educates an ill patient about how a certain disease should be treated, and the things to be avoided to prevent the disease from getting worse, this is part of the secondary level of prevention that is associated with preventing negative health conditions (Thurmond & Popkess-Vawter, 2003). Accordingly, by providing primary and secondary prevention, the patients’ perceived benefits will likely increase their anticipatory actions and lessen health risks associated with their conditions (Bandura, 2009). Another good example of a Health Belief Model applied into nursing practice, is when a nurse creates a discharge planning education for a patient diagnosed with heart illness. By letting the patient know before discharge the importance of undergoing regular monitoring and follow-up, as well as teaching the patient to reduce risk-taking behaviors, it could help increase a patient’s health awareness and possibly reduce readmissions in the future. But most importantly, the nurse must help the patient become accepting of the belief that discharge health educations could increase self-efficacy and improve the overall quality of life. It is important to note that the Health Belief Model is entirely reliant on the ability of the nurse to produce meaningful interventions to stimulate the cognitive sphere of the patients in terms of their health beliefs and culture (Potter & Perry, 2006). By understanding the patient’s personal values, culture, and family history the nurse could tentatively formulate how the patient views or accepts a disease condition. Finally, nurses must learn to create questions that could help identify or explore the patient’s perception about the illness or disease, so that they could have a more concrete idea about the beliefs and attitudes surrounding health-associated  matters of the patient. With the help of the Health Belief Model, nurses could positively and effectively engage in health education with proper understanding of individual perceptions, values, and attitudes toward a specific disease being addressed. Social Cognitive Theory The Social Cognitive Theory is a learning theory based on the perception that individuals could learn new behaviors or skills by observing others (Sandoval, 2008). These newly learned behaviors can be central to the development of one’s personality or set of skills necessary for his or her profession. While it is believed that the environment in which a person grows up or becomes affiliated to may contribute to the development of learning and behavior, the cognition or the actual learning process is also important for the acquisition of new behaviors and attitudes. Proponents of the Social Cognitive Theory state that people could learn by observing other people, with the help of the environment, and through behaviors as the main factors for influencing human development (Miller, 2005). Application of Social Cognitive Theory into nursing practice In this theory, there are five core concepts including modeling/learning, outcome expectations, development of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and goal setting. Among these five factors, the most important factor for behavior acquisition is the modeling/learning process. That is very important for the nursing profession. According to the Social Cognitive Theory, effective modeling educates strategies and general rules necessary for dealing with various life situations (Bandura, 2009). This is similar to how the student nurses learn nursing skills during their college years. When student nurses started working with their clinical instructors, who are registered and practicing nurses, they are being taught new nursing methods so that they could learn how to deal with different nursing roles and practices in a wide range of health care settings and patient populations (Miller, 2005). The Social Cognitive Theory serves as a guide for student nurses to acquire new nursing skills they could use in their profession. For example, student nurses learn the importance of hand washing and sterile gloving technique before engaging in surgeries from their nurse instructors.  But they could not learn the proper technique of hand washing and gloving if their instructors would not imitate or demonstrate the step-by-step method of doing it (Bandura, 2009). This is a good example of learned behavior through direction observation of another individual, which is one of the core concepts of the Social Cognitive Theory. According to Sandoval (2008), the use of Social Cognitive Theory could effectively help student nurses develop certain skills they need throughout their nursing career. Conclusion The Health Belief Model and the Social Cognitive Theory both play an important role for the professional nursing practice. From the discussions above, we have learned that the Health Belief Model focuses on the ability of nurses to educate patients about health attitudes to help promote quality of life while the Social Cognitive Theory centers on learning or acquiring new skills. Student nurses may learn new nursing skills by observing their clinical instructors about the proper way of doing things (Potter & Perry, 2006). Both of the theories have their respective importance and functions for the nursing profession, and they could be considered as two of the main guiding principles of the nursing practice – one focuses on health promotion and illness prevention and the other focuses on learning skills needed by nurses to address patient needs. When both of these theories are effectively utilized, nurses could have increased confidence and level of education to support patients and become competent in their practice. References Bandura, A. (2009). SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY: An Agentic Perspective. Annual Review of Psychology. 52(1): 3–26. Miller, K. (2005). Communication Theories: Perspectives, Processes, and Contexts. NY: McGraw-Hill. Potter, P. & Perry, G. (2006). Fundamentals of nursing. St. Louis, MI: Elsevier Mosby. Sandoval, J. (2008). â€Å"Social Cognitive Theory: A Framework for Understanding Learning in a Nursing Student-preceptor Relationship how nursing students learn by doing In the Presence of a practicing nurse. Southern Nursing Research Society. 19(21): 22-29. Thurmond, V. & Popkess-Vawter, K. (2003). Examination of a middle range theory: Applying Astin’s input-environment-outcome (I-E-O) model to web-based education. Online Journal of Nursing Inf. 7(2).

Wear and Appearance of the Army Uniform

In the army there are many uniforms a soldier has to wear. This is for the different activities a soldier does. For everything from their daily Physical Training (PT), their regular working uniform Army Combat Uniform (ACU), or their dress uniform either the Army Service Uniform (ASU), or the Army Green Service Uniform (Class A). Each uniform is design to fit a specific task and to be worn a in certain way. A great resource for either the ASU or the Class A is the â€Å"U. S. ARMY UNIFORM GUIDE. I found this little book a great resource because it shows every form of the ASU for both males and females soldiers, for officers and enlisted. I found this to be great because it shows where everything goes, and how to measure everything, and for a new soldier like me it is important to have the little things right. Over time the uniform of a soldier has change. Since the days of the Revolutionary War to today modern wars in Afghanistan and Iraq the uniform has change but the guide lines h as not. As the uniform evolved, so has the regulation that covers it has also.The regulation that covers this is Army Regulation 670-1, the covers everything from how to cut and maintain your hair to how to wear jewelry, eyeglasses and sunglasses. This regulation is something every soldier should read, even the ones who have been in for over ten years. Because from what I have learned is that this regulation is constantly changing. How to wear the army uniform is important because when we put on the uniform we don’t just represent ourselves but the army as a whole as well. One thing I have learned in my short 20 years of life is how important the clothes you wear impact you as person.Because they can be tell tell sings of what type of person you are. As in the book â€Å"APPERANCES† witch talks about how the clothes you wear can say a lot of what type of person you are, or how do you live your lifestyle. When I was a little boy I would always watch how a few of my neig hbors, which were in the National Guard, would be dress and how I notice that each of their uniforms would be. All of them looking good, with their boots clean and polish, uniforms clean, looking how a soldier should be.When I was is the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) I learned how to wear the uniform, even more when I came into the army. In basic training I learned how correct looks like. My drill sergeants would always be looking professional at all times and I would always say this to myself (there nothing ever wrong with any of their uniform). But they would always say â€Å"if you see something wrong with any of our uniforms tell us, and the same goes for your battle buddy. † That’s when I really learned to start to look for the little things most people would not notice.That when I started to pay more attention to my own uniform. I would always taking one last quick peck before formation, always trying to look for the things that other peopl e would not see but would notice. As a military police soldier I think we should be held to a higher standard. In everything from the physical training we do, to how our uniform should be. All of our pockets should be lie down flat. All of our buttons and zippers should be button and zipped. Our boots should always be clean, rid of any and all dirt and mud. The uniform as a whole should be cleaned at all times.Because we are the first ones who people see on the gates. Because first impressions are everything, I would never see my dad going to work looking like garbage, he would always look professional. This applies to us even more because when we are patrolling we are the ones who people see giving tickets. We are the ones who respond to when people have any type of an emergency, we are the ones who will show up at the scene of an accident. The general population expect more of us because we are not only police officers we are military polices soldiers.Which many people would assum e since we are in the military we should have more discipline. When you see that soldier who uniform is all messed up, you would assume either him or one of his leaders don't have the discipline to maintain the uniform. That’s something we as military police soldiers can't be. Whenever you pull over that first sergeant, or that captain that are not only going to look at your rank but your uniform as well, because they are most likely going to think â€Å"his uniform look like shit, how do I know if he is doing his job correctly when he can't even maintain his uniform looking as it should. That where I believe our leaders come into play, they are not only there to help us, but also to fix us when we are wrong. So when I keep blowing off the fact my uniform did look like shit, I should have gone to one of them to see if they could help me fix the mistake. It’s important to wear to army uniform correctly because the habits you do while you are home in a safe environment will continue when you deploy. Whenever you go on a mission you should always double and triple check yourself to make sure you have the right equipment.To make sure you are not missing the little things like you camel bag, or even the big things like you weapon. That’s why it’s important to always check yourself in the mirror before you leave. Not only to check you have the right things but also to make sure everything is in the right place, looking how it should. The same goes for whenever you go out, you always want to be looking good at all times, where ever you go. That’s the same type of thinking you need to have every time you put on the army uniform.Because for me every time I put that uniform on I fell a since of pride, knowing I am a soldier, knowing I am one of the few people of this nation that is willing to and able to. As soldiers we are required to do certain things, some of these include doing physical training daily, keeping our leaders notified , keeping our uniforms squared away at all times. Because you will never know when your first sergeant or sergeant major decides to do a surprise inspection on you, we have to be ready at all time.One bad soldier can have a huge negative impact on the rest of the team, because that one bad soldier can influence the good soldiers around him, to make him do the bad and wrong things. Every time when we wear the uniform we are not only representing ourselves but the army, our country, and the ideas of a free country. Therefore the uniform should always be neat; there should never be any excess for why our uniforms are ever out of order. The army is a team, on that team ever one wears the same uniform. If you teammate on basketball, football, soccer, or volleyball you would go over a correct them.The same has to apply to the army. When we are in that uniform people are going to be looking at us not just because we are in the military but sometimes because the people who are looking at us are old retires who want to see the next generation of soldiers keeping the same traditions alive. Or they could be a person in a different branch of the military looking to see how the other branches wear their uniforms. When we wear the army uniform in public we should not bring bad attention to ourselves. One the type of attention that would make that little boy says â€Å"I want to be like them some day. That how first got interested in military. The proper wear of the army uniform is important for many reasons. One of these reasons is to have a strong discipline soldier at all times. Because when you wear the army uniform correctly it does show you have discipline. But it also reflects how your leaders are, either the ones who really don’t care about their soldiers or the type of leader who takes the time to get to know his soldiers. Another reason why it’s important to wear the army uniform correctly is because it instill a since of pride that only those who ha ve earned the right to called themselves United States Soldiers.

A Study Of The Superiority Of Man Over The Environment As Depicted In Never Cry Wolf

A Study Of The Superiority Of Man Over The Environment As Depicted In Never Cry Wolf Man over Nature? In Never Cry Wolf Ootek tells Farley a legend that links man, wolves, and caribou in a perfectly balanced, continuos, natural cycle. Nevertheless, the whole novel uncovers the sad truth that man has altered this unique cycle and its own denial of it threatens to destroy it. This theme, suggests the idea that man, although being a part of nature, has abused the power that was granted to him only to have a better life at the expense of other living beings. In Ooteks tale, man is clearly referred as a superior being who plays the main role in nature. For example, the woman in the story and her sons, which in a way represent humanity, are given the caribou as a gift from the gods, a gift that would supply all their needs. so the sons of the Woman hunted well, and they were fed and clothed and had good skins to live in, all from the caribou (Mowat 84). In the same way, nature has provided humanity entirely with all its needs in a way where it can coexist harmonically with the living things around it. People, in a somewhat self-centric way, have viciously transformed the natural world for their own good in order to supply themselves with superficial things. Nevertheless, though hominids basically make nature work for their profit, they too form a part of it. On the other hand, man has surpassed its use of nature and has begun to destroy the delicate cycle it forms. No one can deny, how civilization has basically stripped jungles, polluted air and water, exterminated species and contaminated the land. The human beings have lost complete respect for nature and will probably have to face the consequences. It is incongruent to think that exploiting a planet will not end up harming all the living things that coexist together in it. In Never Cry Wolf, hunters face the problem of having few caribou to hunt. They immediately blame the wolves of being monstrous and obnoxious beats who savagely devour deer, and never stop to consider the possibility that this problem might be caused by their own addiction to make money by over killing animals. my predecessor supplied the Minister with an explanation of this situation in which it was his contention that there were fewer deer because the hunters had increased to the point where they outnumbered the deer about five to one. He was promptly shouted down by Members howling Liar! and Wolf-lover! (Mowat 9) The hunters in the story also lost respect for nature and the vital role the wolf plays in the life of the caribou. They decide to exterminate it. Slowly but surely, the lack of wolves will alter the caribou-wolf cycle by allowing the caribou population to grow weak and sick; this will eventually have repercussions on man himself. It could now be concluded, that man, as well as the hunters in Never Cry Wolf, have abused nature and have not tried to give something back by contributing to the circle of life. Because the discrimination against wolves, it cause an extensive rumor, numerous rumors, and several lies. Evidently the denial of this situation will soon backfire on man. This would bring out the question: why can man not look over his shoulder and care for others if this means caring for himself? It is now up to the future generations to become responsible for nature and give something back for all it has been taken from it.

Elevator pitch and technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Elevator pitch and technologies - Essay Example There are no businesses without competitors. Every businessman aims at making profits and expanding his or her business. A lucrative business that attracts or maximizes its profits will attract a lot of competitors (Estill and Long 143). However, not every person will invest in a similar business like his or her competitor. One of the major reasons is that some competitors do not have the required capital to invest in the business. Some competitors are not ready to risk in the business like their competitors. It is not wrong to have an idea that there are no competitors. Developing an idea depends on an individual. Having and implementing an idea are two distinct factors. A unique idea depends on an individual and one is most highly going to lack competitors. However, it is a red flag in venturing into a business that you think has no competitors (Estill and Long 131). Venturing into such business has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that a successful monopoly dictates the prices in the market. No business lack competitors and when you venture into the market with a notion that there are no competitions you risk going at a loss because the prices of commodities will vary and you may enjoy the way you expected. The knowledge revolution is more inclined towards communication. The technology that we currently use would not be inexistence without the 18th century revolution. The 18th century revolution provided the foundation of the current revolution. The production of mobile phones and computers demands a lot of technological knowledge, and it has transformed from unskilled labour to skilled-based labour today. The industrial revolution has led to the birth of the current knowledge revolution because the transformation has been systematic over the years. Altering most software programs is one of the key areas software companies us to attract women to the

A critical assessment of the implementation issues surrounding the Essay

A critical assessment of the implementation issues surrounding the introduction of H20 as a potential energy source within the hospitality sector - Essay Example Recognizing this, the government of the United Kingdom has a basic policy aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions [Ren21 2008: 30]. Carbon emissions from vehicles and fossil energy are believed to be the primary cause of anthropogenic global warming. "Renewable energy offers our planet a chance to reduce carbon emission, clean the air, and put our civilization on a more sustainable footing. It also offers countries around the world the chance to improve their energy security and spur economic development." Mikhani [2008] has shown that we do not need nuclear nor fossil energy to sustain the worlds economies. According to Mikhani [2008: 133], an electricity grid can derive power from solar photovoltaics (as much as 35%), biomass (as much as 25%), wind energy (as much as 15%), and the rest from hydropower and related energy sources. Mikhani [2008] pointed out that renewable sources are cheaper (p. 133). Hotels and motels spend about $2,196 per room on energy that represents 6% of their operating costs [EPA 2007: 2]. Hotels and motels mainly use energy from electricity and natural gas [EPA 2007: 2]. Utilization of two sources of energy is as follow [EPA 2007: 2]: Citing the experience of European hotels and motels, Hendrikx [2008: 5] reported that 40% of the energy used by hotels is obtained from electricity. Hendrikx also reported that 31% of hotel/motel energy requirements are used for space heating, 17% for heating tap water, 15% for cooling, 12% for lighting, 5% for cooking, and the rest for miscellaneous use (p. 6). In contrast, however, 45% of electricity is used for lighting alone (p. 6). Thus, the hotel/motel industry is a potential large-scale user of energy from water. At the same time, the industry can be a beneficiary in the shift to renewable energy so long as renewable energy is cheap as per the claim of Mikhani [2008]. In its latest report available, Ren21 [2008: 6] revealed that, worldwide, electricity

Analyzing a visual Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analyzing a visual Argument - Essay Example ting units together with a refashioned bumper and front grille so as to adopt a similar rounder, smoother style, just like the one tailored for the Range Rover model of 2010. Discovery 4 also has got body-colored bumpers and wheel arches just like Discovery 3.Generally there are optional lamps that can run during the day even as LED lights are prominently featured in both rear and front lamp units. The interior of LR4 is also redesigned, in line with other new styles that have been introduced elsewhere in other LR ranges for 2010.Thus; there is an update of the instrument cluster having a redesigned analogue tachometer as well as speedometer gauges for enhanced clarity. Consequently, the fuel /analogue temperature gauges of the preceding model have as well as the information electronic display been substituted by a singular TFT screen able to display information in a variety of formats and modes. In addition, the interior has further been enhanced by a redesigned centre console that comprises of simplified and redesigned controls and switches. The LR4 has also got a new kind of seat design as well as a broader range of obtainable interior materials-even those that previously were a preserve of models of Range Rover. The main objective of redesigning the interior was so as to lift the car upmarket; having higher-specification models whose main target is the executive and luxury markets. Most of the changes made to this vehicle are mechanical. The land Rover Discovery4 has got 2 engines from Jaguar LR’s ‘Gen III’ range. This new version, therefore is characterised by 2 similar advanced turbochargers .This system offers superior output than the previous engine as well as reduces carbon dioxide emissions by about 10%.An enhanced version of the ZF 6 speed sequential/automatic gearbox is now fixed. It comprises of taller gearing so as to capitalize on new engine’s superior torque output as well as an up to date lock-up system to additionally reduce consumption

Critically analyse the effectiveness of United Nations Security Essay

Critically analyse the effectiveness of United Nations Security Council - Essay Example nal law is not an empty promise.† His rhetorics, however, were met with critical remarks from President Arias Sanchez of Costa Rica, who said that the United Nations had failed in its mission to make the world a safe place to live in. He accused the UNSC of continuously turning â€Å"a blind eye† to arms proliferation, as well as to countries that refused to ratify the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. He added that it was not possible for the world to be safe, if arms proliferation was not given top priority on the international agenda. His sentiments were echoed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who observed that Iran and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea , who were â€Å"right in front of us,† had violated Security Council resolutions to stop the testing of ballistic missiles (Security Council SC/ 9746, 2009). He stressed the need for all Council decisions to prove effective by producing positive results. Fore most on the minds of the Heads of State, however, was how the permanent five (P-5) members of the UNSC, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), propose to work together to solve the intractable nuclear issues that had existed since the Cold War. This essay seeks to analyze: i) politics within the United Nations Security Council, ii) reform in the United Nations Security Council, iii) the Security Council today - 21st Century, and iv) the role of the Secretary-General. The first major setback that paralyzed the United Nations Security Council from managing and handling international security issues effectively, was the use of vetoes by the five permanent members (P-5)(P. Wallensteen, P. Johansson, 2004: 20). During the Cold War period, a total of 193 vetoes were casted. Of these, forty-four were concerned with electing a new Secretary-General, fifty-four concerned the election of new members to the organization, while the rest of the vetoes were used as a show of rejection of draft resolutions

History of American Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of American Literature - Essay Example In particular, Heman Cortes wrote the first letter of the American literature in the year 1519 to the Spanish Crown, followed by many letters written for similar purposes (WSU, 2009). In late 1500s, Thomas Harriot wrote a significant piece of literature, ‘A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia’ that brought the American literature in the 16th century. In the year 1616, Captain John Smith wrote, ‘A Description of New England’, and he became the founder writer of the American literature as he later wrote some other pieces of work as well. Besides John Smith, some of the other authors of the earliest 16th century were John Cotton, Thomas Morton, and Roger Williams. It is an observation that all the works of this period related primarily to the Colonial arrangements of the British forces, as well as to the discovery of different regions of present-day USA (WSU, 2009). Besides prose, Anne Bradstreet was one of the earliest poets of the American literature that wrote ‘the Tenth Muse’ during this period. In the year 1661, John Eliot was the first person to carry out the work of Bible translation in the American literature. In 1662, ‘the Day of Doom’ became one of the best-selling poems written by Michael Wigglesworth that became the inspiration for many poets ahead. In 1666, John Eliot carried out another work, ‘the Indian Grammar’, and from then, theme of the American literature shifted from only Colonial to broad perspective, as some writers began to write on history, biography, sovereignty, God, fiction, etc. Interestingly, a number of authors in mid-1600s, as well as in late 1600s emphasized on the works regarding witchcraft, and in 1693, Cotton Mather wrote, ‘Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits’ on the similar theme (WSU, 2009). In the beginning of the 18th century, Judge Samuel Sewall began a new theme of anti-slavery that later became a revolutionary notion in the American literature, as he wrote, ‘The

Am I Blue by Alice Walker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Am I Blue by Alice Walker - Essay Example Simply put, it is impossible to disagree with the idea that we consider animals to be free and that we are kind to the animals around us. It is hypocritical for a society to suggest that animals are treated with kindness while we hold them prisoner in racks, force-feed them, use them as beasts of burden, take away whatever they can produce for us and then eat them since we are omnivores. Moreover, we do what we want to the animals and to the planet we live on simply because we have been given dominion. Undoubtedly, the article has powerful imagery and makes it quite clear than consuming meat only makes us a part of the system which is cruel to animals while keeping us in a bind of hypocrisy. So perhaps the better suggestion would be to stop the hypocrisy in society and be clear about how we feel about animals in general. The cute ones we will save and preserve e.g. the polar bear or the panda, the ugly ones can go extinct for all we care e.g. the Komodo dragon and the dodo, while the ones which provide us with food will undergo genetic treatment to give us as much as we want in terms of meat and dairy products. It seems that there is nothing wrong in being honest since we have used animals for centuries and even hunt them for our sport, race them for our gambling, sacrifice them for our religions and exterminate them when we need more land for our cities. So perhaps it is time for being honest since despite the articles written by those who support animal rights, it is not likely that McDonald’s is going to stop selling double quarter pounders any time soon. So the idea of being ‘kind’ and ‘humane’ is little more than a lie which we tell ourselves to keep us happy. It is said that once a person sees sausages being made, s/he would never eat them. Perhaps it is time we realize that the sausages we make and the various types

Eastern Orthodox Essay Example for Free

Eastern Orthodox Essay I. Origin The Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholicism were branches of the same body—the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church until 1054 AD, which is the date of the first major division and the beginning of â€Å"denominations† in Christianity. The Christian Church divided into two Churches, East and West. Both Churches believe that they are the original Church established by Jesus Christ and the Apostles, and they disapprove each other. The Church in the East added â€Å"orthodox†, which comes from the Greek word â€Å"orthodxia†, to show that they retain the original teachings and traditions. Every Church in the Eastern Orthodox system can trace their roots back to the five early Christianity center—the Roman Church, the Jerusalem Church, Antioch, the Alexandrian Church and the Church of Constantinople. Although all Orthodox Churches recognize the Patriarch of Constantinople as the ecumenical Patriarch and the supreme leader, the Churches are independent of each other in the mutual recognition of state instead of entirely united. Disagreements between the two branches of Christianity—Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicism—had long existed even before the division, and increased throughout the first millennium. Their disputes include issues pertaining to the nature of the Holy Spirit, the use of icons in worship, and the correct date to celebrate Easter. Also, the Eastern mindset inclined more toward philosophy, mysticism and ideology. They reject rationalism, as they believe that unless God speaks out, humans can not know him through reason. The Western outlook guided more by a practical and legal mentality, a perfect example being the Summa Theologica by St. Thomas which successfully fused Aristotelian philosophy with ideology. The Catholics believe that humans can one day see the true body of the Lord through rationality. With these disputes worsening and the gaps widening, separation was inevitable. The slow process of it was encouraged in 330 AD when Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the city of Byzantium and called in Constantinople. After he died, the Roman empire was divided by his two sons into the Eastern portion, which was ruled from Constantinople, and the Western portion, which was ruled from Rome. The formal split took place in 1045 AD when Pope Leo IX, leader of the Roman Church at the time, excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, leader of the Eastern Church. Cerularius then condemned the Pope in mutual excommunication. Michael Cerularius was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 1043-1058 AD, and played a prominent role in the East-West Schism. In 1045 he wrote a letter to the Pope claiming the title â€Å"ecumenical patriarch† and addressing Pope Leo as â€Å"brother† rather than â€Å"father†. It can be argued that it was this letter that initiated the events which followed. At the time the two primary disputes were Rome’s claim to a universal papal supremacy and the adding of the word filioque to the Nicene Creed. Filioque is a Latin word which means â€Å"and from the Son†. By inserting it to the Nicene Creed during the 6th century, the phrase pertaining to the origin of the Holy Spirit â€Å"who proceeds from the Father† was changed to â€Å"who proceeds from the Father and the Son†. The change was made to emphasize Christ’s divinity, but was strongly objected by the Eastern Christians, as they not only opposed any alteration of anything by the first ecumenical council, but also disagreed with its new meaning. Eastern Christians believe that both the Holy Spirit and the Son have their origin in the Father. During the time of the Crusades beginning in 1095, Rome joined the East in fight against the Turks to defend the Holy Land. But by the end of the Forth Crusade in 1204, all hope for potential reconciliation between the two Churches was over as the hostility between them continued to worsen. The Eastern and Western Churches remain divided and separate until present day. II. Institutional Structure â€Å"The Orthodox Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is Catholic, but not Roman. It isn’t non-denominational—it is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, defended and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the day of Pentecost 2000 years ago.†Ã¢â‚¬â€Steve Robinson The Orthodox Catholic Church is the second largest Christian Church in the world and the religious denomination of the majority of the population in Russia, Greece, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Orthodoxy plays a smaller role in a dozen other countries: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the U. S. It also consists of churches in scattered presence in other countries. The Orthodox Church has an Episcopal organizational structure where consecrated bishops are the chief ecclesiastical officers in each diocese and have the power to ordain priests. The Church believes in the Apostolic Succession, which means that the consecration of its bishops can be traced back to Jesus’ apostles. The Orthodox Church is composed of several self-governing ecclesial bodies, each geographically and nationally distinct but theologically unified. Each self-governing body, often but not always encompassing a nation, is shepherded by a Holy Synod whose duty, among other things, is to preserve and teach the apostolic and patristic traditions and related church practices. III. Basic Belief System In Orthodox history, events that have transformed the external appearance of the Orthodox world—the capture of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem by Arab Muslims; the burning of Kiev by the Mongols; the two sacks of Constantinople; the October Revolution—have never broken the inward continuity of the Orthodox Church. The  greatest characterization of the Orthodox faith is its antiquity, its apparent changelessness, its continuity with the Apostolic Church and that it follows the faith and practices defined by the first seven Ecumenical Councils. For the Orthodox Christians, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity underlies all theology and spirituality. Salvation is personal and underlines particularity, yet also communal and implies sharing; there is a uniqueness and wholeness in the human person, in humanity and in creation. It is also on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity that the councilor and hierarchical structure of the Orthodox Church rests. The mystery of the Trinity is revealed in the supreme act of love, the Incarnation of the divine â€Å"Word that became flesh†, assuming and healing humanity and creation entirely. Participation in the defied humanity of Jesus Christ is the ultimate goal of the Christian life, accomplished through the Holy Spirit. In the seven Sacraments and in the life of the Church, each person is called to theosis or deification, for â€Å"God became human in order that humanity might be divinized†. When expressing these beliefs, the Orthodox look for consistency with Scripture and Tradition, as manifested in the life of the Church and the early Church Fathers, but will search also for new formulations of this tradition. External criteria of truth are lacking; for Orthodox Christians seek the living experience of truth accessible in the communion of Saints. Thus they are reluctant to define matters of faith with too much precision, in the firm conviction that truth is never exhausted. The apophatic or   negative approach safeguards the transcendence of God even while designating His immanence; it also affirms the uniqueness of each person—divine and human—that they may never be reduced to anything less than a mystery. Integral to the long history and tradition of the Orthodox Christian faith are the Icons, which further reflect the divine glory and beauty. The Incarnation of Christ implies that God became fully human and therefore accessible and describable. God is not only understood but, at the Incarnation, is looked upon and seen. An Orthodox Church is, therefore, filled with icons invariably depicting Christ or the Saints of the Church, and an Orthodox Christian kisses and assigns veneration to those depicted by them. Icons are never worshiped, and they are the Christian faith and histories depicted in images and constitute part of the transfigured cosmos. Today people tend to think of the Orthodox Church as a vast, world-wide institution. Yet the concept of universality as expressed in the local community is a fundamental principle of Orthodox doctrine. Each local Eucharist gathering is related on the principle of identity. IV. Morality Eastern Orthodoxy does not differ from the larger Christian principles of moral thought and action in any way, but does offer a unique view on Christianitys promised redemption. It teaches a doctrine of theosis, or unity with God, which is a kind of deification that is available to all. The Orthodox doctrine of theosis is grounded in several key New Testiment scriptures. In the epistles of Paul, he repeatedly describes the Christian life as life â€Å"in Christ.† In the Gospel of John, Jesus prayed, â€Å"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me† (John 17:20-21). The idea of this mutual indwelling, God in us and we in God, is a constant theme in John’s Gospel. In the Second Letter of Peter he says, â€Å"Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires† (2 Peter 1:4) The goal of the Christian life, and its expected outcome, is to partake in the divine nature. This is theosis, or deification, and the idea merits special discussion so that its meaning is not distorted. The hoped-for mystical union between God and human is a true union, but it is a union with God’s energies, not the divine essence. Humans remain fully human and distinct from God. But they become perfected in grace, so that every element of ego and selfishness disappears and they are able to reflect the divine light. Few Christians will experience theosis before the Day of Judgment, but on that day, Christians will be resurrected and glorified by God, clothed in a spiritual body that radiates the divine light. Still, deification begins in the here and now, in the daily lives of ordinary Christians. All Christians are called to follow Gods commandments, and as long as they try to do so, however weak their efforts may be, or however often they may fail, they become in some way deified. Deification begins in repentance, and is nurtured through the normal routines of the C hristian life. To become deified, the Christian should go to church, regularly participate in the sacraments, pray to God with honesty and great sincerity, read the Gospels, and follow the commandments. The most important commandments are love of God and neighbor. To love God is to live in and for others, which is why some of the greatest of the Eastern Orthodox saints are remembered for their service to others, such as St. Basil of Caesarea (c. 330-379) caring for the sick, or St. John the Almsgiver (d. 619) caring for the poor. Sincere dedication to following the commandments and living life within the church bears with it the promise of redemption fulfilled in the resurrection of a radiant body and soul. But Christians may look forward to even more than this. The Bible speaks of a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1) and of the hope that the creation itself will be redeemed (Romans 8:22). In these scriptures, Eastern Orthodoxy sees the promise of a cosmic redemption, in which all of material creation is transfigured. This belief in the redemption as deification rests in the Orthodox interpretation of the doctrine of the Incarnation. By choosing to become human, God became flesh and blood, thereby sanctifying material as well as immaterial creation. Because of this, all of material creation can look forward to its ultimate redemption, in which pain, death, and suffering will cease, along with hostility and enmity, and all of creation will be transfigured. The first fruits of this promise can already be seen as fulfilled in the divine power that works through the holy relics, in the divine presence in the icons, and in the radiant transfigured faces of the hesychasts. V. Worship The life of an Orthodox Christian can be seen as being composed of five cycles. First of all, there is the cycle of life, which embraces the whole life of a man from birth to death, and which consists in liturgical actions which are not repeated, occurring only once in a person’s lifetime. There are Holy Baptism, Holy Chrismation (equivalent to Confirmation in the West) and the Burial Service. In addition, there also belongs in this great cycle the Sacraments or Sacramental Blessings which bestow special grace for a particular office or vocation with the community. These are Holy Matrimony, the Monastic Tonsure and Holy Orders. Another major cycle which involves the entire life of an Orthodox Christian is the daily cycle of prayers and praises offered by the Church, once every twenty-four hours. These services express our remembrance of events which happened at certain hours and contain petitions relevant to these memories. In antiquity the day was considered to begin at sunset and divided according to the following order. Night began at 6 p.m. and was divided into four parts called watches, which means the time of changing guards: Evening (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.), Midnight (9 p.m. to 12 midnight), Cock-crow (12 midnight to 3 a.m.), and Morning (3 a.m. to 6 a.m.). Day began at 6 a.m. and was too divided into four watches (or hours): First Hour (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.), Third Hour (9 a.m. to 12 noon), Sixth Hour (12 noon to 0 3 p.m.), and Ninth Hour (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.).

No Country For Old Men Cormac Mccarthy English Literature Essay

No Country For Old Men Cormac Mccarthy English Literature Essay Anton Chigurh is a character in the novel No country for old Men was written by Cormac McCarthy. Chigurh is a psychopathic murderer who was hired to recover money from a drug deal that failed to succeed. However, eh later realizes that the money had been taken by another person called Llewely Moss and had gone out of the town with the money. He then tries to track Moss along a motel but Moss fooled him by making him believe that he is in a room next to where Chigurh is by keeping the money in vent. Chigurh then realizes a mighty hunter called Wells, whom he later kills after realizing that he wanted to strike a deal with Moss. He then ruthlessly tries to find where Moss is until he learns that he has been killed by other bandits form Mexico in a different motel. He then goes ahead to find Mosss mourning wife and contemplates on whether to kill her or not by tossing a coin. On his way back, he gets involved in a serious accident that leaves him injured and his arm broke. He then pays a young boy to give him his T-shirt but leaves the accident scene before an ambulance comes (McCarthy, 12). The title of the book was derived from William Butlers poem sailing to Byzantium. The title therefore carries the theme of the book which is the direction of the contemporary world towards evil and immorality. McCarthy describes a world that is full of corruption and evil things, and very little goodness. The novel is dominated by stories of horrible crimes and unethical actions. The author portrays a contemporary world as a place where the evil is more than the good. This is the reason as to why the old men cannot fit in the modern world since they believe in order and balance of good and evil. Just like most of his previous books, McCarthys novel records a sequence of brutal deaths along the border of Texas and Mexico. The author is well known for throwbacks and a cinematic novel writer which is most seen in No country for Old Men. The author portrays his knowledge by use of perfect idiomatic language. Anton Chigurh in the novel No country for old Men Anton Chigurh is they main antagonist in this novel. He plays a central role in that dominates the whole story by his brutal killings. His ability to kill many people is somehow disturbing and he is curious to do so. He does not struggle too much to kill someone and does not look worried after killing. Even though he commits horrible actions, he has some sense of intelligence his killing plans organized properly and all goes according to his plans. He has no emotions and kills without any affection. His actions indicate that he has no ability in comprehending human life. This can be seen from the way he takes away peoples lives and he does it ruthlessly throughout the novel. He had been hired to track money from a drug deal but ends up killing even those who had hired him and starts to look for money and make it his. When he meets victims who do not have enough reasons to be killed, he tosses a coin to decide their fate. However, he has how own morals where he does not kill without a reason. However, eh assumes that he believes that the reasons for killing are determined by him and those that he wants to kill. In this case, the author represents him like someone who does not believe in any God since he behaves as of he has right to the lives of those he kills. The author has brought out his character like that of a Darwinian creature bearing a strong survival function. He is thereof a survivalist who lead a simple and plain life. It was not by accident that he was able to treat himself when his leg was shot. When he also got injured in a car crash, he did not wait for the ambulance to arrive. He behaved like someone who had all the ability to run his own life. He was well equipped to manage his won life and believed in living above all things (McCarthy, 68). Factors that motivates the actions of Anton Chigurh The actions of Anton Chigurh are motivated by his desire for honour which he believes comes with having money. Most of his killings are in his pursuit for money so that he can attain honour. At one point in the book, he asks Moss what was the need of following the rules that he followed if they did not lead him to good. He tries to do things as they are supposed to be done but he expects that he results will be in his favour. He explains to Moss why he let himself to be arrested was because he wanted to see whether he could free himself by acting willfully as he believed that it is possible. He concluded that it is possible for one to free himself by acting out of will but it would be a foolish action. His lack of believe in God also motivates him to kill ruthlessly. This is seen where he tells Carla Jean that he has already given his words and he cannot change them. However, Carla tells him that he has the power to change the words of he wishes to but he says that even a non believer may find it necessary to make himself after God. He however maintains the stand that whatever has been done cannot be undone. Carla refers to this as blasphemy. He believes that he had the fate for the lives of his victims. This is the reason why he tosses a coin to determine whether to kill the person or not. His pursuit for money was also another motivating factor for Anton Chirguh. He is chasing after money that had been obtained through a drug deal but Llewelyn Moss had escaped with it after picking it from an open field. In his search for moss, he encounters violent Mexicans that left him with a shot leg. But because he needed to achieve his mission of getting the money, he nursed his leg and continued with the search. At this moment, Chirguh could brutally kill anyone who crossed his ways since the motivating factor was to recover the money. He eventually killed those who had hired him and took the money for himself. The Relationship that Chigurh had with other Characters in the Novel Anton Chigurh has a cold relationship with others in the novels due to his brutality that makes others to fear him. When Bell learns that Chigurh is hunting for Moss and his wife, he runs to them to inform them of the danger that they are in. Moss disregards this and he ends up in trouble together with his wife. When the violence becomes intense, Sheriff Bell takes time to reexamine his ability in dealing with the brutality of Chigurh. Sheriff is a former law man and a product of informal system of honour that existed in the past generations. He develops doubt as the whether he is still fit for his work. This is because the violence represented by Chigurh demanded an equally brutal person (Raff, 7). The relationship that is between Anton Chigurh and other characters is therefore characterized by fear for his brutality. There are no incidences he is holding peaceful discussions with other people in the novel. This could have been so with those who had hired him to track the money but he also ended up killing them. What Anton Chigurh represents in the Novel The character Anton Chirguh represents violence in the whole novel. The novel is full of scenes of violence that is initiated by Chirguh. His killing actions are done sometimes with a mission while others are not. His life mission might be to kill who crosses his path in an uncompromising manner and decides on their death by tossing a coin. The victims of his violence are those involved in drug deals, those driving the transportation cars he steals, and others whom he meets on his pursuit missions. His actions are purely evil. He has evil believes and therefore acts according to his believes. The author, Cormac McCarthy, uses the character top represent violence in the modern country where old men who are not used to gun shots cannot survive (Lyons OMalley-Younger, 183). Conclusion The author of the novel, Cormac McCarthy, has used the icon of Anton Chigurh to represent some of the violent acts that are taking place in the modern countries. These actions are therefore a justification of the title of the book, No country for Old men, where whatever is happening in the country cannot support the old men. The novel indicates a country where people are just rushing and fighting, gunshots and car crashes. It is therefore hard for the old to survive in such a country. The country is characterized by killings, drugs deals, gun shots and a lot of brutality where no old man can survive.

Why Study Ancient World Cultures :: Ancient World Culture

Why Study Ancient World Cultures? Why study ancient cultures? You might feel that the question is moot: students do study and will study ancient cultures; such study is an expected part of a tradition of intellectual development. The response to the why of the initial question is a matter of tradition, if not fact. A study of the ROMAN EMPIRE, a reading of Greek philosophy and literature, a look at the PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT -- these are all accepted parts of a Western education, aren't they? Probably so: even today, in the plurality of approaches to the study of history and to the study of cultures, people talk about PLATO or DANTE or Krishna or Mohammed. But there is an important proviso: How you approach ancient cultures (or any other culture, for that matter) and how you conceive of the people of such distant worlds are of paramount importance. At this point, you might ask yourself these two additional questions: Do we study these cultures because, to some extent, all cultures share certain characteristics? Does our own culture reflect aspects of these other cultures? The answer to the first of the two questions has historically been found in a discussion of universality. Consider, for a moment, the case of Arjuna in The Bhagavad Gita. You might well ask how the battle that Arjuna holds off while frozen on his chariot relates, for example, to contemporary battles in World War II. Convinced that his relatives will die in this life only to be reborn in another, Arjuna can reluctantly permit the carnage to begin. No such choice is left to Schindler (featured in Spielberg's film Schindler's List), on the other hand, whose intervention on behalf of Jews saved many people in this life. The danger in looking for universals thus consists in reformulating other, possibly alien, views to fit our own. We must always guard against the assumption that other people think as we do -- or that they should. Arjuna speaks within the context of one culture; Schindler acts within the confines of another. The differences among cultures are of greatest interest here, and reading about ancient cultures is thus reading about other people whose lives were surely different from our own. The social organization of Socrates' ATHENS -- where a gimpy-legged man could hobble around interrogating citizens at will -- differs profoundly from today's world beset with modern media whereby people rarely get to see or literally hear their critics.

Communication as the Key to Good Writing Essay -- Language Education W

Communication as the Key to Good Writing Writing as it exists in this world can be interpreted an infinite amount of ways. Some believe it to be communication, some self expression. Some believe that it is a tool to explain one self, others think it complicates things. Ultimately, writing is used for remembering things so that you can eventually communicate with yourself and others about what you thought at a previous time. If you can talk without confusing, then you can write without confusing. It is as simple as that. In order for someone to become a good writer, all that person has got to do is make sense of their feelings by writing them down in a fashion that is understood by those who one wishes to communicate with. That is, tell the people what you have got to say and explain it so that they can understand. If you do not, you fail as a writer because no one can understand you or what you are saying. If you want to be a good writer, you must make it so that the public can understand it. In order for a piece of writing to be taken by the public as good, a writer must make the literature seem real. If people do not believe it or believe that it could happen, then it is lost. Reality, though, does not mean if does exist or not. Instead it should seem as if it could exist or not. There has not been a sufficient amount of evidence to prove the existence of U.F.O.'s, werewolves, or unicorns but that does not mean that good literature cannot be written about it. It has. Of course, the subject covered in a piece of literature will not appeal to everyone, but you never really are talking to everyone anyway. To make the writing seem real, you should make it seem like you are talking directly to the reader in a believable fashio... ... relate to all the people of the time and for those who could not read, a public theatre was created to visually show the story. And what makes a good writer today? Well today's world is much different than Shakspeares day. Now their are thousands of excellent writers that no one hears about because there are so many different things to read. Every individual can find a piece of literature that can directly relate to them. There are books and magazines about each and every subject imaginable. And the reason for this success is because all of these writers know exactly what they want to write about and only those who wish to associate with the same subject will read it. This diversity can make anyone great in the same subject area as those who read it. These writers know what they are saying and can say it in a way that is believable, interesting, and realistic.

life and death :: essays research papers

What It Takes to Overcome Suffering When dealing with hardship in one’s life, people deal with it in diverse ways. One may overcome suffering through their own thoughts and ventilation, or by through their relationships with themselves, other people, or even a higher being. Alice Walker, an African American writer, narrows the scope of suffering to a single, courageous woman in her novel, The Color Purple. Through this remarkable woman, Celie, Walker illustrates that even when life can’t get any worse, one can overcome impossible odds. Alice Walker illustrates through Celie’s triumph over Mr. _____, one overcomes suffering through the presence of strong positive relationships. The obstacles that Celie overcomes are indicative of the relationships that she acquires. Through the relationships that Celie forms with God, Sofia, Nettie, Shug, and the ultimate relationship she develops with herself, she is able to overcome the abuse and hardship that is present in her life and her past. Celie’s upbringing was not one, that which someone would call typical. She must care for her brothers and sisters, and is already burdened with the cooking and cleaning of the household because of her mother’s deteriorating health. And if that is not a harsh struggle enough, Celie is being continuously raped by the man she knows to be her father. Celie gives birth to two of her father’s children, whom he sells after Celie gives birth. She is tormented with the thoughts of her two born children, and why these horrible things happen to her. Celie is mistreated and abused day to day, and accepts this as the norm childhood. Not only is the young, innocent Celie raped Ventura 2 again and again, she is beat by this man, when she does something he does not approve of. â€Å"He beat me today cause he say I winked at a boy in church† (Walker 5). She is victimized by this man repeatedly and cannot help but only wonder why. She is thought of as nothing but a sexual object, and is taken advantage of over and over. She is stepped on repeatedly by her stepfather and is threatened not to say anything. â€Å"You better not never tell nobody but God. It’s kill your mammy† (Walker 1). She is silenced not to tell anyone about her explicit rapes because she knows it would kill her mother, and therefore only expresses her hardship to God. This poor young girl deals with hardship most adults do not even encounter, but handles it with her own prerogative.

Imagine you are a southern soldier

Today Is July 4th 1863, the day after the battle ended. Brother Bob and myself fought bravely under Confederate General Robert E. Lee. At the start of the whole thing we were quite confident in our ability to win due to the astounding victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, in May 1863.We all felt extremely good in the direction this was heading, as General Lee only intended to collect supplies from Pennsylvania farmland He also believed that we needed to leave poor Virginia alone, as the majority of the fighting had ccurred there already, Us Confederates only wanted to threaten those Yankees. stop everybody wanting to fight, but most importantly, win a battle on Yankee soil. That would teach them to respect our Southern pride and traditions. l, personally, dont necessarily want to be fighting all these other good men, but my Southern culture is being threatened.Surely you understand that Aunt Caroline. No one wants their lifestyle to be taken away from them. Anyway Aunt Caroline, let me tell you all about the fighting. We started ott Northwest ot the city ot Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 1st. s confederates were fighting with 30,000 men and we had the Yankees outnumbered by 10,000. we were able to defeat them the first day although we werent so lucky for the rest. On the 2nd day of fighting, the union army brought 90,000 men to fight our 70,000 confederates.The fighting seemed to stay back and forth all of the 2nd day but I believe that the union army still had the upper hand on us at the end of the day. On the 3rd day of fighting we were atop Culp's Hill ready to fight those Yankees! General Lee came up with the plan to charge the center of the union line on Cemetary Ridge with 12. 00 Confederate men. This attempt was destroyed by union rifle and artillery fire. and we took great losses to our Confederate army. Lee led our army on a torturous retreat back to Virginia.Everyone is guessing that around 51,000 men from both sides died in the past few days here. I'm so very thankful that myself and Brother Bob made it through the fighting easily. The only unfortunate thing is that I managed to stub my toe during the night and now have quite the nasty bruise. I cant wait to get home to everyone soon Aunt Caroline, but please pass on the message that everyone is safe. Wth Love, Jimmy imagine you are a southern soldier By annachristinelee Things were rough here at the battle of Gettysburg.Today is July 4th 1863, the day Lee only intended to collect supplies from Pennsylvania farmland. He also believed occurred there already. Us Confederates only wanted to threaten those Yankees, stop everybody wanting to fght, but most importantly, win a battle on Yankee soil. That would teach them to respect our Southern pride and traditions. l, personally, don't necessarily want to be fghting all these other good men, but my Southern culture is ifestyle to be taken away from them. Anyway Aunt Caroline, let me tell you all about the fghting.We started off Northwest of the city of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 1st. Us confederates were fighting with 30,000 men and we had the Yankees outnumbered by 10,000. We were able to defeat them the first day although we weren't so lucky for the rest. On the 2nd day of fighting, the Union army brought 90,000 men to fight our 70,000 confederates. The fghting seemed to stay back and forth all of the 2nd day but I believe that the Union army still had the upper hand on s at the end of the day.On the 3rd day of fghting we were atop Culp's Hill ready to fght those Yankees! General Lee came up with the plan to charge the center of the Union line on Cemetary Ridge with 12,000 Confederate men. This attempt was destroyed by Union rifle and artillery fire, and we took great losses to our Confederate unfortunate thing is that I managed to stub my toe during the night and now I have quite the nasty bruise. I can't wait to get home to everyone soon Aunt Caroline, but please pass on the message t hat everyone is safe.

Inside Job Documentary Essay

The documentary Inside Job does a very good job of explaining what happened in a relatively short period of time and in an accessible way. The film also has compelling villains and outrageous behavior that is bound to engage and enrage viewers. It’s basically an overview of the financial crisis of recent years, which we are still recovering from. The thesis seems to be that the regulations that were put in place after the Great Depression have been systematically dismantled since the Reagan years (powered by Wall Street lobbyists) which played a pivotal role in this meltdown and lesser ones in previous years. And very little is being done to fix this faulty system and the ones who should be held liable are not and still filthy, filthy rich and very powerful. The most breathtaking fact is that the arrogance, greed and corruption that these people exhibit and the fact that none of them have been indicted for fraud and violation. This film not only makes me angry but also furious . This shows concept of capitalism at its worst. It is not about right, left, democrat or republican nor the failure of capitalism, it was about pure greed and corruption. What happened and continues to this day is not capitalism. It is corporatism I think which is also known as fascism. If it were truly capitalism, there would be no such thing as â€Å"too big to fail† and there would be so many fines and prison sentences handed down it would hugely dwarf the savings and loan scandal. This film portrays lots of psychopaths that only care about one thing: furthering their own personal gain and the ends justifies the means is their mantra. Over here psychopaths means the people who are over obsessed with money and they just want more and more. There is a lot of wrong doing which is not ethical but legal because the American government helped them to make it legal like CitiGroup acquiring Traveler. Why does the financial system have to grow more complex, in the sense of allowing high leverage, moral hazard, opaqueness, and brittle interconnections to flourish? Of course panic will continue to exist and be unpredictable. But the system itself needs to be transparent, properly capitalized, compartmentalized, and policed, so bankers don’t extract mountains of money in good times and then have it go down in flames in bad times every few years. If we can build a robust Internet or electrical grid, we can build a robust financial system. They should all be able to get bigger and more capable without being at risk of constant collapse. You can’t eliminate risk of failure, but you can keep it reasonably small. There is simply no excuse for building a system which can collapse in its entirety without government bailouts. And ultimately, that’s what makes the financial crisis so scary. The complexity of the system far exceeded the capacity of the participants, experts and watchdogs. Even after the crisis happened, it was devilishly hard to understand what was going on. Some people managed to connect the right dots, in the right ways and at the right times, but not so many, and not through such reproducible methods, that it’s clear how we can make their success the norm. What makes me sad is that our key systems are going to continue growing more complex, and we’re not getting any smarter, or any less able to ignore risks that we know we should be preparing for. In my opinion, the movie has a bright side and a dark side. I enjoyed seeing known people talk about the economical crisis and giving their side of the story. I enjoyed seeing witnesses given in Washington by bankers accused of their shameful practices. I think the movie put my attention on the deep problem of lobbying, which results in inefficient regulation and creates a threat for the whole system. The big problem with the movie, however, is black and white approach it takes. It presents 10% of a complicated picture and makes one to believe that it is 100%. For example, deregulation is widely accepted as one of reasons for the economical crisis. In the movie, it is represented in such a way that it looks ridiculous how a law on deregulation could pass – corrupted officials is a hint. The facts are well presented in the movie. Some of them are true like: 1) Banks want to be Too Big To Fail because they know that if they’re too big, they’ll be bailed out. 2) The progressive deregulation of the financial sector since the 1980s gave rise to an increasingly criminal industry. 3) The industry has made more money since the crisis. 4) The average salary of a Goldman Sachs employee is $600,000. 5) AIG paid Goldman Sachs $13 billion in taxpayer money. 6) AIG’s Joe Cassano made $315 million after the company took at least $85 billion from taxpayers. But some of the facts shown were not true. Like the one where it says Dick Fuld earned $485 million, on the other hand it was less than $310 million. It also says that in 2008, the collapse of Lehman Brothers and AIG triggered the crisis. But that is not true as the origins of the crisis can be traced back even further, to the implosion of two Bear Stearns hedge funds run by Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, the Bear Stearns High Grade Structured Credit Strategies Fund and the Bear Stearns High Grade Structured Credit Strategies Enhanced Fund. It actually all started back in early 90’s. I don’t fully understand the working of the derivatives and credit swaps we’ve heard so much about. But I’m learning. These are ingenious, computer-driven schemes in which good money can be earned from bad debt, and Wall Street’s Masters of the Universe pocket untold millions while they bankrupt their investors and their companies. The crucial error was to allow financial institutions to trade on their own behalf. Today, many large trading banks are betting against their own customers. In the real estate market, banks aggressively promoted mortgages to people who could not afford them. These were assembled in packages. They were carried on the books as tangible assets when they were worthless. The institutions assembling them hedged their loans by betting against them. When the mortgages failed, profits were made despite and because of their failure. There is no moral justification for how Wall Street functions today. One of the most fascinating aspects of â€Å"Inside Job† involves the chatty on-camera insights of Kristin Davis, a Wall Street madam, who says the Street operated in a climate of abundant sex and cocaine for valued clients and the traders themselves showing themselves as psychopaths. She says it was accepted parts of the corporate culture that hookers at $1,000 an hour and up were kept on retainer and that cocaine was the fuel. There’s a lot to dislike about Wall Street that I have generated after watching this film mainly the pay, the culture and in many cases, the people. A lot of observers understood we had a housing bubble — Dean Baker, for instance, had been sounding the alarm for years — but few of the housing skeptics saw everything going on behind the bubble: That the subprime mortgages had been packaged into bonds, that the bonds had been sliced into tranches, that the formulas being used to price and rate the tranches got the variable expressing correlation wrong, that an extraordinary number of banks had purchased an extraordinary amount of insurance against getting that correlation wrong from AIG, that AIG had also priced the correlation wrong and would be unable to pay its debts in the event of a meltdown, that a meltdown would freeze the mostly unregulated shadow market that major financial institutions and players used to fund themselves, that the modern financial system was so fragile that an uptick in delinquent subprime mortgages could effectively crash the global economy. What’s remarkable about the financial crisis isn’t just how many people got it wrong, but how many people who got it wrong had an incentive to get it right: journalists, hedge funds, independent investors and academics regulators. Even traders, many of whom had most of their money tied up in their soon-tobe-worthless firms. I don’t think anything can change my views about US markets. After watching this movie and my own views from reading day by day news articles and after President Barack Obama again reelecting those people to run the government who got us into this mess.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights Essay

This brings me to the system theory. A system has interconnected parts that depend on each other to develop the mutual goal, which is a successful center. The interconnected parts are the environment, the processes, and the outcomes. Each component needs the support of the other to keep the common goal. According to Bloom the system theory is, â€Å"A set of interrelated parts that is characterized by the interdependence of its parts and it differentiation from its environment, a complex network of social relationships, and its own unique culture. † (Bloom, 2005, p. ) The environment is a place where input is implemented. When I think of a childcare center environment I think of children and how they develop. I think of the atmosphere, the setting, and the conditions that can spark the chil d’s analytical thinking abilities. But that is just the internal environment. The external environments consist of the parents, sponsoring agencies, local communities, legislative bo dies, and the professional communities / teachers. â€Å"The external environment places constraints and demands on the center. † (Bloom, 2005) The external environment is the input and processing stage. This is a collaboration of people and agencies that come up with strategies to support the development of the center. The centers that have sponsors have money and agencies that develop supportive programs such as art, literacy, and technology. Columbia College sponsors the center that I work for. The center used the money Columbia gave them to developed a program for the teachers to learn the importance of art and how a person can utilize art throughout the day. Parents, sponsoring agencies, local communities, legislative bodies, and the professional communities / teachers are big factors on the input and processing stage. Parents may demand that the students have more free play and outdoor play. The sponsoring agencies might require more outcome data. The local communities may ask the center to stop the students from writing on the ground with chalk. The Legislative bodies may require the students to take shorter naps for more gross motor activities. The professional communities may ask for better wages for their degrees. (Bloom, 2005, p. 6) After the inputs of complaints or suggestions the director needs to structure and process how to develop a plan of action. Getting feedback from the sources that asked for the changes is essential. After developing a plan of action the director can stand back and observe if the changes are working or not. This system allows the director to process the changes, implement the changes, and revise the changes if needed to prefect the change. The outcome process is very important because it could either sink or sail a center. If the changes in the program are not supported by staff, and parents this may become a problem that causes low enrollment, and staff turnovers. I am experiencing these problematic issues at the center I work for. Four years ago the center hired a new director. During the four years she has made lots of changes. She changed classroom teacher teams. She closed classrooms that were bringing in the students. She put teachers in infant classrooms when they did not want to work with babies. Recently she enforced closed campus lunch. No one can go out for lunch. You have to order your lunch or bring your lunch from home. She stated that it was mandated by the state. She gave all the teachers the head-start licensing standards that stated the teacher child ratio. It said nothing about our lunch hour. We also have low enrollment. Parents are complaining about teachers’ morale and the director’s attitude. How you implement change can affect the outcome and cause staff and parents to be disgruntle. As Bloom stated, â€Å"Problems can arise when directors and boards lack adequate data and bas decisions about outcomes on inference. † (Bloom, 2005, p. 16) My director did not collaborate with her environment. She is an autocratic leader. She is a dictator. She does not give anyone an opportunity to be involved with the decision making process. As it stated in the article Leadership Styles, autocratic leaders are extremely controlling and paternalistic, where leaders have complete power over their staff. Staff and team members have little opportunities to make suggestions, even if these would be in the team’s or the organization’s best interest. (Tools) If my director managed the center in a People oriented/relation oriented approach I believe the center would not be I such a crisis. People oriented/relation oriented approach leaders are totally focused on organizing, supporting, and developing the people on their teams. They treat everyone on the team equally. They’re friendly and approachable. They pay attention to the welfare of everyone in the group, and they make themselves available whenever team members need help or advice. (Tools) Directors need to be mindful of how they lead. A director needs s to know how to coach, mentor and manage the staff. Dictating is not he way to lead. If my director collaborated with the staff, parents, and the community I believe the outcome would be different. Coaching and mentoring is not telling a person what to do.

A Soldier’s Conviction

You people must know that the life of army personnel is not an easy job. Our fingers bleed with the thorns of the branches that give us roses. We pay the penalties for the benefits that we accrue as army personals. The foremost reason for which I joined the army is the gift of honor and dignity that this job gives to the soldiers.From time immemorial nations distribute these gifts to the men who lay their lives for the sake of the glory of their country and for the safety and protection of the lives and wealth of their countrymen. I desired that gift and so I joined the army. I got it.My family has to bear the pangs of separation from me. Though they don’t work for the army but they suffer because I work for the army. The nature of my work takes me away from them for days on end.My son is just five years old, he loves me and feels proud of me for being an army personnel, but he wants to spend a great deal of time with her mother that she cannot afford for being an army personn el. He hates bad guys because he thinks that they are the reasons for which armies are given birth in this world.In army, people are not allowed to choose their dating partners of their will and liking. The routine of their job forbids them from doing so. My job doesn’t allow me to date with a civilian as he is not able to understand the hardships, problems and tight schedules of army life.We don’t have a big deal of spare time to spend in understanding our intended life-partners or friends. We are required to be ever ready to move at any time to any place.In this job we see people dying, wounded, brutally massacred and killed. These horrible scenes strongly affect our sensibilities and we suffer spiritually and mentally because of them. This job provokes us to mistrust the people and be ready for the worst. I have to follow so much rules and regulations in this life that I feel like a robot. I am so trained that I cannot mix and talk freely with the civilians.Yes, if you want job security and stability you can have it in army. It is a fact that now a days, in civilian jobs; people are sacked from the jobs on petty issues and small mistakes. In army we enjoy the stability of the job, as government stands guarantee, and we don’t fear that we might be kicked out on trifles.No doubt we, the soldiers, are made strong physically and mentally. I can dare to challenge anything in life because I am a soldier. We feel proud that we can be part of history by serving in operations. Take my example; I am a part of the history as serving in the operations against the Iraqi freedom AOR.My job made me eligible for many benefits such as low or zero markups on many different kinds of loans, many discounts and very attractive insurance policies. I get many traveling, dining and hoteling benefits. I enjoy many holidays here. My health is well taken care of for being army personnel. It is not just that they send you out in the field to die a dog’s deat h. They care you very well in the field as well as out of the field.No doubt army serves you well but disturbs you as well. Â  

Reflective paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reflective - Research Paper Example The fear over environmental sustainability arises because the global population of about ten billion people must decently feed and shelter without damaging environment, (Goodland, 2002, p. 1). The possibility of sustaining this size of population while keeping the environment intact is lean because the social and economic needs of this population size exceed the carrying capacity of the environment, (Marquart-Pyatt, 2010). More importantly, the economic sector (the corporate) is the chief culprit in derailing environmental sustainability. I believe environmental sustainability directly affects economic sustainability because economic growth derives its inputs from the environment, (Goodland, 2002, p. 2). This relationship has implication on the natural resources that sustains the economic growth. Economic growth is infinite but the ecosystem that supports the economic growth is finite. This means that economy continues to grow in terms of rate of production and consumption of products while the environmental capacity from which raw materials are derived remains constant or reduces with increased extraction. However, part of this limited environmental capacity, the renewable resource, has ability to replenish, (Goodland, 2002, p. 2). Renewable resource partly provides mechanism of adopting environmental sustainability. The other portion, non-renewable resource, lack ability to replenish. Implementing environmental sustainability policy is challenging because only part of the whole environment is able to replenish wher eas the depletion process affects both. In respect to this, I would propose three rules for environmental sustainability. The first is the rule for the output, which stipulates that the quantity of waste emitted from a social or economic activity must be within the assimilative capacity of the local environment without compromising its subsequent absorptive capacity for similar wastes

Critical responses Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical responses - Coursework Example one can see men modeling and taking the catwalks to show off in terms of fashion and also there has been the ability for women to wear clothes that were once perceived to belong to male gender. The purpose of this critical paper is to support the idea that society has changed and this can be seen from the fact that people are no longer being identified by their genetic build (Joseph, 32, 2012). I support the argument that being a woman does not make one useless in the society. In today’s society, women have come to be in positions that were once considered as positions left out for men. They run banks and companies by managing these institutions with the title of a ‘manager’. This shows how times have changed and existence of women ability to represent themselves. In these modern times, gender does not define who a person is or who a person will turn out to be. What matters is the ability to make something out of what is available. Whatever the gender is, there is the knack in each person to be successful despite the obstacles (Oakley, 24,

Easyjet Plc Financial Report Analysis (Report) Essay

Easyjet Plc Financial Report Analysis (Report) - Essay Example As the head of the organization, her term has experienced tremendous growth and expansion of services. Under the chief executive officer is a team of ten directors, charged with the responsibility of ensuring the continuity as well as the performance of the company in light of its goals in the corporate scene. Indeed, the good performance of the group points to the good collaboration, as well as the organization structure, which facilitates easy delegation of duties, understanding and accountability in the top management. The company has strict legal boundaries that cover the operations of the business and regulates how the company deals with its environment. Company law outlines the provisions under which the company operates, and in particular, the company is obliged to disclose its financial statements in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and has an obligation to present the true status of the company at the given time. Further, the Company Act of 2006 details the roles of the directors, as well as the legal requirements that are put in place pertaining how the company presents its financial documents. Modern Airlines companies operate under strict regulatory measures and Easyjet PLC that ensures efficiency in delivery of services as well as reducing unstructured processes that have continued to hinder the full development of modern airports. Indeed, the company continues to advocate for legal reforms that will introduce more slots in the handling of airport ground operations, a move that will increase competition and increase efficiency. The company continues to operate under the European Union regulatory guidelines, and the subsequent improvement in the infrastructure in the region has benefited EasyJet PLC’s operations. Contemporary organizations thrive or fail depending on the capabilities of its management team to steer the organization in the

Nursing-Prevention of Pressure Ulcer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Nursing-Prevention of Pressure Ulcer - Essay Example Prevention of pressure ulcer can be considered as such a topic which is concerned with multiple specialties. Reason behind the choice of topic: A pressure ulcer is a skin area that that would break down as the patient stays in a constant position for too long. Since there is no shift of body weight in certain cases of maladies, irregularity in blood supply may take place in the area of the body under pressure leading to pressure ulcer (Bluestein & Javaheri, 2008). Pressure ulcer (also called bedsore or decubitus ulcer) can be seen in a variety of patients. From patients who have diabetes to those who have Alzheimer’s disease, pressure ulcers may be diagnosed. Therefore, while discussing pressure ulcers, there is a scope to discuss its occurrence in relation with a variety of diseases. Moreover, today in the urban society, hospitals are coming across increased number of accident cases (particularly, the road accidents). Pressure ulcers are often found in patients who have serious problems in mobility, especially due to various accidents. The problem is thus becoming comparatively com mon and deserves attention in the field of nursing. How the topic relates to the workplace: As a nurse in a nursing home or hospital, adequate knowledge of pressure ulcers may prove to be a basic requirement in the case of caring older adults and accident victims in particular. â€Å"Part of a nurse’s work is to assist patients with their physical, spiritual, and social needs if patients are unable to satisfy these needs on their own. Hygiene and skin condition, including nutritional balance, are significant factors in preventing pressure ulcers† (Romanelli et al, 2006). In today’s urban society, increased number of older adults with impaired mobility is leading to larger number of patients with pressure ulcers. Moreover, accident victims too may face the problem of these ulcers in the course of long treatment. Preventing pressure ulcers thus becomes one of the most

Banking and Insurance Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Banking and Insurance Law - Essay Example Letters of Credit (LCs) is an instrument of maritime trade which has long been acclaimed as the nerve center of international trade. LCs are not "contracts" or "surety ship obligations" or "negotiable instruments" or an "agency agreements", but separate independent obligations to be interpreted on their own terms and conditions without reference to any other documents. ... or non-performance; transfer, assignment and back-to-back LCs; wrongful dishonor and anticipatory repudiation of it etc.UCPDC have technical rounded-up the standardized procedures and definitions on types of credit, teletransmitted and pre-advised credits, standard for examination of documents, discrepant documents and notice, disclaimer on effectiveness of documents, disclaimer on the transmission of messages, Force Majeure, bank-to-bank reimbursement arrangements, ambiguity as to the issuers of documents, unspecified, issuers or contents of documents, issuance date of documents v. credit date, Marine/Ocean Bill of Lading, Non-Negotiable Sea Waybill, Charter Party Bill of Lading, Multimodal Transport Document, Air Transport Document, Road, Rail or Inland Waterway Transport Documents, Courier and Post Receipts, Transport Documents Issued by Freight Forwarders, 'On Deck', 'Shipper's Load and Count', Name of Consignor, Clean Transport Documents, Freight Payable/Prepaid Transport Documents, Insurance Documents, Type of Insurance Cover, Commercial Invoices etc (UCPDC 500, 1993).In fact complete codified instructions on documentary credits can be had only through joint readings of the UCPDC and universal commercial codes (UCC). Despite the support of uniformity and standardization provided by provisions of UCPDC and UCC disputed transactions have grown multifold in maritime trade. Some of these disputes were genuine trade disputes and could be resolved by fulfillment of deficiencies whereas a good number of them were categorized as trade malpractices with the primary objective of defrauding the other part(ies).It is the latter category of documentary credit transactions which forms the focus of this paper and the general leeway given to fraudulent parties by English

Utopia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Utopia - Essay Example Houyhnhnm Land and El Dorado differ considerably in their environment. Houyhnhnm Land is an island, accessible only by sea. El Dorado is land-locked, â€Å"bounded by inaccessible mountains† (Voltaire, 76). The former has a largely natural pastoral environment with â€Å"plenty of grass, and several fields of oats† (Swift, 6). On the other hand, El Dorado is characterized by a more contrived, landscaped beauty. The beaten roads of Houyhnhnm are in contrast to the covered roads of El Dorado, on which the pebbles and sand are gold and precious stones. The public buildings and houses in El Dorado are built on a palatial scale, and are adorned with all manner of precious material. Even the â€Å"very plain house† (Voltaire, 78) of the retired courtier is ornamented in gold and silver. On the other hand, in Houyhnhnm Land, the â€Å"buildings, although very rude and simple, are not inconvenient, but well contrived to defend them from all injuries of cold and heatâ₠¬  (Swift, 12). In all aspects, Houyhnhnm Land is the epitome of simplicity, while El Dorado is filled with material wealth. The inhabitants of the two lands stand in marked opposition to each other. The Houyhnhnms are highly refined, intelligent horses, whose â€Å"grand maxim is, to cultivate reason, and to be wholly governed by it† (Swift,  9). In contrast to these noble horses, Houyhnhnm Land is also inhabited by the savage-like Yahoos, who are completely ruled by avarice and sensual depravity. The citizens of El Dorado are of one kind only: humans who have no passion for the gold and jewels which abound in their land. Peruvian is the language of El Dorado, while the Houyhnhnms and Yahoos have their distinct speeches. There is no religion in Houyhnhnm Land while the people of El Dorado offer thanksgiving to a single God, without the trappings of formal religious institutions. El Dorado has a â€Å"palace of sciences, --- filled with instruments

Rebuttal essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rebuttal - Essay Example The author has articulated a grave concern of the misuse of internet and calls for collective action especially to protect and safeguard the interests of the children. The accessibility of computer and internet has been increasing becoming easier because of its inclusion in school curricula and its indispensability in official and personal arena. The internet has been the greatest and the largest store of information that is being utilized on a continuous basis across the world. It has become an extremely important part of children as it not only helps them to complement and supplement their study curricula but the it also gives them a platform to exploit their potential and creativity in a manner that was unimaginable a decade back. It cannot be denied that internet is a strong medium to acquire knowledge and help gain an extensive understanding of the world as never before. Under the guidance of parents, it can yet prove to be the greatest asset in the growth of children as a worthy citizen of the world. One can, therefore, conclude that the excessive concern shown by Cleaver is not as grave that it cannot be controlled by parents and school aut horities through effective control mechanisms like blocking harmful sites etc. Then again, if one looks deeper into the problem, he would realize that children are far smarter than their elders. In fact, as Cleaver says, ‘child is the father of man’ correctly defines the children of the contemporary time. The adaptability and understanding of technical gizmos by children is much superior to their parents and elders and it is far easier for them to find ways and means to seek their desired goals through them than for parents to implement control mechanisms. Internet, therefore, does pose a great threat to the children, especially in the form of pornography and adult material which not only present a very

Consider Carvers view on marriage Essay Example for Free

Consider Carvers view on marriage Essay Marriage is defined by dictionaries as a formal union of a man and a woman, by which they become husband and wife. However, books containing a list of words adjacent to their definitions do not fully define the concept of marriage. Some argue that marriage is about love and trust; others think of it as a permanent commitment between two people. In the stories with which Carver presents us in his book, Will You Please Be Quite, Please? marriage is about love, where love is not an experience of high excitement but a form of available reassurance, security and comfort. In Carvers view, love involves alleviating fear and providing the feeling of security that one is not alone. In the late stages of a marriage, mature couples tend to pay attention to the fear of loneliness, the fear that all human beings, such as their partners, are mortal which makes them feel vulnerable. In The Students Wife, Carver presents us with his first view of marriage through a couple, Mike and Nan. Mike and Nan live in an urban area with their children. Mike and Nan are in a late stage of marriage and have grown apart from each other. In the story, Carver emphasizes the lost affection of a person towards their partner. In this case, Mike has become unresponsive towards Nan.  Mike and Nan have been married for a long period of time; In The Students Wife, Carver describes Mikes fading affection towards his wife. Mike enjoys reading poetry, but Nan is indifferent to it. This is evident when she fell asleep while Mike was reading poetry aloud to her (she closed her eyes and drifted off). From Carvers description of the bedroom scene, we can conclude that the couple do not share common interests. The story continues with Mike constantly implying his feelings towards Nan (He groaned extravagantly); and, when he was asked for help, he gets out of bed reluctantly. Mike finds Nan unalluring, (He thought she looked like a hospital patient in her white night gown) and feels that his wife does not arouse him with desire. When Nan tries to engage him in a conversation, Mike accuses her of living in memories of the past (that was a long time ago, Nan). With Mikes accusation and gestures, Nan feels that she has lost her identity as a wife and as a woman (Id like to be touched when Im not expecting it); she has become humiliated by having to initiate physical contact in her marriage. As the story progresses, Mike falls asleep while Nan lays awake. Her growing desperation to lose consciousness (Please, God, let me go to sleep) has failed her (she tried to sleep); her frustration kept her awake all throughout the story. She seeks comfort from her husband (Mike, she whispered) because she couldnt bear the sound of silence (There was no answer). Nan felt alone when her husband did not respond to her need. When the night was over and the morning became visible, Nan walked towards the window to welcome the sun. As the sun rises, it dawns on her that there is no longer love in her marriage (she learned a sunrise was as terrible as this). She undergoes a traumatic shock. Her marriage has failed. In this relationship, love was once present, but as the couple have grown apart, it is no longer an issue. In The Ducks, Carver presents us with his second view of marriage. In The Ducks, Carvers ideas are interpreted to us by a couple whose names are not mentioned. The couple live in a remote area and are in the later stages of marriage. Carver sets the mood by using a meteorological soundtrack: rain falling, which is repeated frequently in the story to remind us of the situation. The rain is used to symbolize time passing. In this marriage, Carver suggests that a change of scenery can make a difference. At the beginning of the story, Carver gives us a description of the meteorological conditions: a wind came and bringing gust and rain. He sets a gloomy scene. The setting of the story is set in the house of the main characters, he and she. The dialogue starts with a conversation between the couple about the trip to Reno. As the story develops, the husband expresses his feelings towards his wife (dont you feel good?); this shows that he is highly aware of his wifes feelings. Unlike the husband in The Students Wife, this husband is very responsive and tactile towards his wife (he touched her hips, pinched her dress). In this relationship, the couple have no problem with communication. The wife  seeks reassurance from her husband (kiss me bye); she initiates physical contact without the fear of humiliation because she knows that her husband will respond to her needs. This marriage shows that time does not weaken love.  The husband comes home early from work owing to the death of his work-mate (he shook his head); he becomes aware of how quickly a life can end. On that night, the death of Jack Granger brought him and his wife closer together (held hands); this action specifies that physical reassurance is present in their marriage. The couple decide to alleviate their fear by having a sex, (well sleep in late); they are making the most of the simple pleasures in life. The husbands growing awareness of the rain leads him to think of time passing. As the night carries on, the couple reflect on the past, (remember when you got me this?); distant memories give them the pleasure of remembering how they used to live. The husband has been living in the same house for a long period of time and believes that a change of scenery (someplace else) will change his spirits a place where is it not raining. In the process of making love to his wife, his mind was not devoted to the physical activity. He could not bring himself to focus on her needs (How much he loved her or if he loved her). He is frustrated and his thoughts drift to his fears (he could hear it all over the house). The sound of rain is introduced again, which disturbed him. After making love to his wife, he lies awake. His attempt to prevent the rain from falling and the time from passing keeps him alert most of the night. He begins to feel frightened (I hear something outside); he realizes that he needs his wifes reassurance. He needs her to tell him everything is going to be all right. In How About This?, Carver presents us with another view of marriage. He writes about a couple, Harry and Emily, who have travelled from San Francisco to the isolated farm houses of western Washington in search of a new place to live. Harry had always lived in cities and felt that leaving the city would grant him more happiness (a simpler life was what he had in mind); he feels that moving into a rural area will suit his needs (just the essentials) and would like a change from urban living. As they approach the house, where Emily spent most of her childhood, Harry feels disappointed (nothing he really wanted); rustic living did not level up to his expectations. Sensing Harrys disappointment, Emily reminds him of what she said before they reached the house (I told you not to expect too much); she tries to ease his dissatisfaction but finds that she cannot relieve his frustration. After touring the house, Emily feels Harrys discontentment and comforts him (Harry, we just have to love each other). She signifies that, wherever they may end up, all they have to do is to love each other in order for them to be truly happy. This marriage shows us that location is not relevant when it comes to loving a person. When Harry found that rural living was not what he wanted, Emily was there to face the consequences with him. To Carver, marriage is about a couple who are willing to be together till death parts them. He presents us with three unconventional stories suggesting different outcomes of a long-term marriage. The simplicity of Carvers semi-autobiographical stories gives us an insight into the reality of modern couples. Based on contemporary marriages, his stories are ironic compared to the stories we once read. In conclusion, marriage can be a comfort in knowing that when a person is going through pain and suffering or joy and happiness, that person is not alone.