Why Cats Are Bad Pets Essay Example for Free

Why Cats Are Bad Pets Essay In ancient Egypt, they held cats up high for poise and grace; they even had a goddess cat, named Bast (Bastet). When Egyptians lost their cat, they would mourn as if they lost a family member. To kill a cat, even accidentally, was an automatic death sentence. Cats were believed to be guardians of the gates of hell, and to prevent demons, ghouls, and spirits from escaping, and prevent them from entering homes of humans. So why people find this animal cute, adorable, and friendly is beyond me. Who would want a pet that was held up to be a god? That people have killed over and treated like a human? That is associated with hell and all its demons? Animals aren’t human, so these cats should be treated exactly like pets. Not equals, not â€Å"man’s best friend†, but an animal. You can’t take them everywhere with you like you can a dog, and if you leave them home, they may pee everywhere, claw up the couch, get into everything they shouldn’t, and make a ridiculous mess. Cats are a bit messy. They like to sleep everywhere, and leave their hair of the couch cushions, curtains, comforter, and your clothes. They walk on your ledges, and if you have picture frames, candles, or any type of dà ©cor, they will knock it over. It’s just a given, you’ll come home to your things on the floor. It seems like every time you’re walking, or in the kitchen, they are right there by your feet, weaving too and fro as you are trying to get from one place to the other. It’s almost like they are trying to kill you. They have no respect for your personal space. If you’re sitting on one end of the couch, taking up only one cushion, they will feel obliged to jump up on your lap and stay there till you have to move. If you do move, and come back, good luck getting back on their good side, because they want nothing to do with you. They have a lot of diva in them. One minute they want every little bit of your attention, and the next they want nothing to do with you and will hiss if you as much as reach your hand out to them. Because of this attitude, they will choose to completely ignore you, even when called by name. They are worse than women going through menopause. Sure, you don’t have to bathe a cat like you do a dog. And that can be very time consuming and expensive, especially if your dog has allergic reactions to certain substances and chemicals, but who wants to let a cat lick you, knowing where their tongue has been? It’s just disgusting, filthy, and sickening. While it’s nice to not have to bath them, during each cleaning they ingest a small amount of hair and it accumulates until it grows into a wet hairball that they need to cough up on your expensive wood flooring, your new carpet, or your bed. Another nasty habit with cats is spraying. When an un-neutered male cat feels threatened, he will spray urine everywhere, as a way of marking his territory, and claiming what’s his. They don’t care where they spray. They will go all over your house if they want to. Who wants your cat leaving their stench on your couch, bed, floor, clothes, etc.? Not me. How many people do you see taking their cat with them on car rides? Or having a nice walk in the park? Absolutely no one. If you’ve ever brought your cat in the car, you know how loud, annoying and horrible it is, not only for them but you as well. The whole time, all you hear is their pitiful meow from the carrier, which is in the very back, covered in blankets to drown out the ear-splitting screeches. Trying to get them to go on a walk with you is like dragging a brick. They don’t want to leave the comfort of their home. Dogs on the other hand, love to go on walks, car rides are a special treat for them. They will play with you, train them to do tricks, and even dress them up for Halloween. Sure you have to give them a bath every now and then, but would you prefer to have a companion as a pet, or one that acts like a temper tantrum throwing toddler?

History of the English Language in India

History of the English Language in India INTRODUCTION This study aims at studying the language needs of under graduates students, revealing the discrepancies of different participants with respect to actual English language skills and target language skills and then suggest corrections in curriculum, wherever required. The study is conducted at Sant Gadge Baba University; Amravati, on students studying in under-graduate courses.This chapter presents information on the background and purpose of the study. Next, research questions are presented. Finally, definitions of some basic terms used in this study are presented. Background to the Study Global English World English is broadly categorised into three varieties: English as a Native Language (ENL), English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Accordingly, there are three geographical divisions of English speaking nations viz., ENL territories, ESL territories and EFL territories (Braj B. Kachru in Koul N. Omkar (eds.) 1992: 2 -3, cited in Hasan Kamrul Md,2004).1 ENL territories In countries like the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, English is the first or often the only language of communication among the people. In ENL territories people use the mother tongue variety of English. ESL territories- In ESL situations English plays a vital role and is used to perform a variety of official, educational, and other roles. For ESL speakers, although English is not their native language but it is an important language in their professional and social lives. Like India, English is used as a second language in almost all the former British colonies (Singapore, Nigeria, South Africa etc.) Often the persons second language becomes the first functional language in adulthood in such cases. In ESL countries English is generally given importance in the educational framework of the nation and taught in schools and colleges. EFL territories In some countries English neither enjoys the status of native language nor second language. It is treated as foreign language and its use is restricted to occupational and educational purposes. In countries like China and Japan, English is taught and learnt mainly for reasons of trade and business and it does not play any role in social interactions. A historical sketch of ELT in India: Pre-colonial period Vasco da Gamas discovery of the sea route to India also paved way for the introduction of English in the sub-continent in 1498.However, it was only in the 18th century, when the Mughal Empire was on the decline and the English East India Company had secured a foothold in India that Indias tryst with the English language began. During this period, English was the language of communication of the elite people and was not the lingua franca of the people. Colonial period With the consolidation of the activities of the East India Company in eighteenth century, began the efforts of teaching English in the South Asian subcontinent. As far back as 1759, Christian missionaries entered India and the 1787 despatch welcomed the efforts of Rev. Swartz to establish schools for the teaching of English. Another significant effort was the publication of the first book, The Tutor, to teach English to the non-Europeans by author John Miller in 1797. This book was published in Serampore in Bengal. Thus the socio- historical stage for the role of English in education was set by the end of the 18th century. T.B. Macaulay, in the Minutes of 1835, for the first time, formally introduced the teaching of English in the South Asian subcontinent. In his Minutes he mentioned the importance and usefulness of the education that would be given to the natives through the medium of English. There were primarily two objectives of such education. The first was to create through this education a class of natives who, despite their blood and colour, would be English in culture and be able to interpret between the rulers and the subjects:à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern a class of persons, Indians in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinion, in morals and in intellect (quoted in Macaulay 1835, quoted in Thirumalai, 2003)2. The second was to create a demand for the European institutions. Although both the objectives were designed to serve the interest of the Masters, not of the subjects, but it provided the framework of formal English ed ucation to India which to a large extent is followed even today.. Thus by the middle of the nineteenth century the aims and objectives of teaching English were very clearly laid out For the remaining period of colonial rule there were a few landmarks in the development of English such as: The establishment of universities in Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai in 1857 and in Dhaka in 1920 Selective education and training in administration, imparted through English, the Indian University Act (1904) The Resolution on Educational Policy (1913). For the entire period of British rule four broad developments with regard to English education took place: 1600 -1800: During the early years the variety of English used was imitative and formal. It was the language of the rulers and the elite class. 1850 -1947: During the later years more varieties (from very high to very low) appeared. Indian intellectuals and freedom fighters effectively used English as tool to for political awakening and resurgence. Interaction with vernacular languages: As the use of English penetrated the different sections of the educated Indians, a new variety of English emerged. This variety of English had a very distinct Indian flavour and a number of words of vernacular origin were absorbed in English, e.g., Brahmin. Coolie, jungle, and so on. Methodology: Language studies were based on literature and grammar and the means of studies was the grammar-translation method. The spoken component of the language was not practised. The emphasis was given on correctness and complete sentence construction. English also played a critical role in Indias struggle for independence as it became the language of political awakening and resurgence. Even Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948), although a strong advocator of use of national language, used English language effectively to put forth his message to the British Government . Post colonial period Post independence, the perception of English as having an alien power base changed. Kachru notes that English now has national and international functions that are both distinct and complementary. English has thus acquired a new power base and a new elitism (Kachru 1986, p. 12 as cited in Baldridge, 2002).3 For most part of the twentieth century, it remained a language used by a select few. English primarily remained the language of law and administration. The Present State Twentieth century witnessed great advancements in science and technology and this enabled many new ways of sharing information and doing business. Indias international commercial activities led to the need for acquiring proficiency in English as an international language. Now, English was not just the language of the administrators and policy makers but also became the language of the business and professional class. In India, the English speaking population is only about 3-4%, but with Indias massive population, India is among the top three countries in the world with the highest number of English speakers. In terms of numbers of English speakers, the Indian subcontinent ranks third in the world, after the USA and UK. Most English speakers in India are second language speakers, in 1971, it was estimated that the rate of bilingualism in India was 13% and 99% of English speakers are second-language speakers (Mahapatra 1990: 7 cited in Hohenthal , 2003).4 Spolsky points out that English is the most widely spoken second language, followed by Hindi. English is more useful as a lingua franca; the usefulness of Hindi as a lingua franca is regionally limited (Spolsky 1978: 42 cited in Hohenthal , 2003)5. The small segment of the English speaking population controls domains that have professional prestige (Kachru 1986a: 8 cited in Hohenthal , 2003)). It is this small segment of Indian population that hea ds Indias economic, industrial, professional, political, and social progress. Most interactions in the above spheres of life take place in English. In the linguistically plural settings of India, English often acts as the link -language among people of different dialect. For many educated Indians English is virtually the first language. Thus in the present context English is playing a vital role in bringing together people from different regional languages for a closer exchange of social, educational and administrative network of India . It provides a linguistic tool for the administrative cohesiveness of a country (Kachru 1986a: 8). English is used in both public and personal domains and its functions extend far beyond those normally associated with an outside language, including the instrumental, the regulative, the interpersonal and the innovative, self-expressive function (Hohenthal citing Kachru 1986a: 37, 2003))6. As pointed out before, the role of English is not replacive: it overlaps with local languages in certain domains (Kandiah citing Sridhar, 1985;Shridhar and Shridhar, 1986; 1991: 273)7. English language in Indian Education System English is taught as a second language at every stage of education in all states of India and has been accepted as the main medium of instruction in higher education. English is also the state language of two states in eastern India, Meghalaya and Nagaland. In India, English has become an integral part of the curriculum almost at all levels of education. However there are various social, political and cultural factors that affect the position of English in different boards, universities and other institutions. Even the curriculum offered and evaluation tools employed are very diverse across the country. The model of English offered to the learners lacks uniformity and it is this question that continues to challenge the policy makers and education planners. While most States accord English the position of second language, some others treat is as the third language; the regional language and the national language getting precedence. as in other linguistically and culturally pluralistic societies, the position of English is determined by various political, cultural and social considerations. Kachru (1986b:20 cited in Hohenthal , 2003)8 sees primarily three questions which continue to be discussed. The first question concerns the position of English in early and in higher education. The second question is concerned with the roles of the regional language, Hindi and English. The third question deals with the model of English presented to Indian learners, and how that presentation can be made uniformly and effectively. The Government of India has primarily been concerned with the first two questions, which are directly related to language planning at both the national and state levels. There are, as yet, no acceptable answers to any of these questions (Kachru 1986b:20 cited in Hohenthal , 2003).9 1.2 Language Teaching Context at Amravati University Established on 1st May, 1983, this University geographically covers the western Vidarbha belt (i.e., five districts Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Buldhana and Washim) of Maharashtra State. The University, in its small span of two and a half decades, has contributed in many ways for economic, social and cultural upliftment of the society by offering quality education. The Motto of this University is Education for Salvation of Soul The University is recognised under Section 12(B) of UGC   Act. The University is also an associate member of Association of Commonwealth Universities, London (U.K.) The University has 10 faculties which includes Arts, Commerce, Sciences, Medicine, Ayurved, Education, Social Science, Law, Home Science, Engineering Technology. The University has facilities to offer post-graduate advanced education in Computer, Biotechnology, Business Management, Law degree courses in Chemical-Technology. SGB,Amravati University University has been one of the foundation universities undergoing expansion and developments in the recent years. Although the University does not have an English Department to date, English courses are offered both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in colleges affiliated to the University. All undergraduate programs offered by SGBAU are of three years except Engineering (B.E.) Evaluation tools used in order to assess the students performance are generally written exams stated to cover the course objectives moderately rather than fully. That is because listening and speaking skills are not evaluated although practiced during the classes. The exam is generally conducted once, at the end of the academic session. The nature of the written examination paper is largely theoretical. Thus, the results of this study will be an aid to the Curriculum Development Unit of English Board of Studiesof Amravati University (SGBAU)in deciding on the needs of the students and improving the already existing program to better meet the needs of those students. 1.3 Purpose of the Study? English has penetrated all functions and all sections of society. It is a universally accepted tool for communication. It is no longer restricted to the English or Americans as a means for communication. Even within India, with its diversity of languages, English has emerged as the accepted language of communication cross culturally. It has even overtaken Hindi, which is officially the national language, as far communication among people of different native languages is concerned. Although, from time to time, various political lobbies have raised the issue of prohibiting the use of English language, however, they have so far been unsuccessful. This is primarily the result of the accommodating quality of English . Moreover, most of the world communicates in English and if India has to be a part of the Global scenario, English language can be a major bridge. Looking at English language courses in sub metroplises, the fact that glaringly stands out is that little has been done to understand the special learning needs of students here and even lesser attention has been paid to prepare them to function effectively in their workplaces and academic environment. Students hailing from townships and rural areas suffer from geographic as well as cultural disadvantages. Their distance from the metros does not bring the exposure and environment which is naturally a part of the cosmopolitan work culture. Culturally as well, most students belong to families where native language is the means of communication and even in academic institutions the medium of instruction is primarily the local dialect. The prime purpose of this study was to understand the special needs of students who belong to non-metropolitan areas and then attempt to suggest how they can be optimally trained to perform academic and professional functions efficiently. Each of the skills which may be required, reading, writing, listening and speaking may be of different value in terms of their use in a specific field. This study has been able to assess the students only in reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary. Due to a large and scattered sample, the researcher was constrained not to test the listening and speaking skills of the respondents. This study aims at collecting data about the ESP needs of undergraduate students in 2008-2009 Academic Year. By comparing the results of students in each skill and the desired competence level of the items, this study, also aims at examining whether or not there is a need for improvement in those skills. Rodgers (1969 as cited in Hutchinson and Waters,1987) in Nese Ekici,2003 expresses that developments in educational psychology has contributed to the rise of ESP by emphasising the central importance of the learners and their attitudes to learning. Learners have different needs and interests, which has an important influence on their motivation to learn and therefore on the effectiveness of their learning. To get an idea about students English language skills and to see whether there was any discrepancy between their actual language skills and desired skills constituted an important dimension of the study. The foci of this study were both the target needs and learning needs for the English curriculum which is implemented during the undergraduate program. This needs assessment study will be useful in improving the already existing curriculum or designing a new needs-based curriculum and choosing more appropriate curricular elements for the undergraduate students at Amravati University Necessity for syllabus development A planned approach to the teaching-learning process can go a long way it making a course effective and relevant. However, as it is seen as something very complicated , many a times the content of the text books available for the course take the place of the syllabus. There are very strong grounds to support the need for a systematic syllabus development process, the most important of them are: First, right from the onset of the course the teacher understands the ultimate objective of the course as a result of the planned process. This gives an opportunity to the teacher to interrelate and integrate all the elements. This in turn ensures better chances for the syllabus meeting its learning objectives. Secondly, a planned approach enables better selection of teaching materials and aids. The class delivery is better planned and oriented towards the end result. Finally, this syllabus development process leads to improvement of language education. The teacher plans, structures, selects, organises the teaching content in accordance with the learning objectives. Both the learner and the teacher are well aware of the outcome desired and both work in coordination to achieve the common goal. The syllabus theory has not found wide application in ELT practice yet and has often been ignored by applied linguists. However, the application of this theory could be very beneficial for the whole ELT process improvement. This research is an attempt to bring in the application of syllabus development process for SGBAUs language courses. 1.3.1 Research Questions The purpose of the study was to conduct a needs assessment revealing the language skills  of Undergraduate students. The following are the research questions this study sought to address: What is the present language proficiency level of students of under-graduate courses? Is the present curriculum able to meet the language needs of the students? Are their gaps between the desired and actual performance of the students ? Is there a difference in the language competency of students across different streams- Arts, Commerce and Science? Is there a difference in the language competency of students from first year of their undergraduate course to the third and final year? Does a co-relation exist between the students medium of instruction in school and present performance? Are there any specified learning outcomes of the language courses offered by SGBAU? Is a post-course analysis done to match the desired and achieved proficiency levels? Is there any mechanism in place to ensure uniformity of delivery across all colleges under SGBAU? What is the present process for syllabus designing? (More questions to be added) 1.4 Significance of the Study A needs assessment study is usually carried out for different purposes states Richards, 2001(cited in Ekici Nese, 2003). Understanding the learners problems, assessing whether the present syllabus adequately addresses those problems of the learner, identifying what skills the learners need in order to perform a specific role, analysing if a change in approach and strategy is required and identifying the gap, if any, in what the students are able to do and what they need to be able to do are the main reasons for needs assessments to be conducted. Identifying what the under- graduate students are able to do and what they need to be able to do is the main concern of this study. Smith (1989, cited in Ekici Nese, 2003) 12 mentions the concept of severity of needs. As all needs are not of equal importance, severity or importance of the need is used as a main criterion for prioritizing the needs, Smith, 1989 (cited in Ekici Nese, 2003). There are some needs which are of great necessity and thus require foremost attention. This study also aims at prioritizing such needs. The findings of the needs assessment in this study will be made use of in order to recommend changes in the existing curriculum in case such a need is identified according to the data collected from the students. Based on the democratic philosophy, information is gathered about the learning most desired by those groups and the gap between the desired performance from the students and what they are actually doing will reflect the discrepancy philosophy. Hopefully, su ggestions regarding the appropriate curriculum for undergraduate programs will be put forward. 1.5 Terms Frequently Used Clarification of the terms which will frequently be used and constitute the backbone of the study  is essential. To prevent misunderstanding or misinterpretation, some of the terms have been explained here. Need: Need is the difference between what a learner can presently do in a language and what he or she should be able to do. Needs Assessment: A needs assessment is a systematic set of procedures undertaken for the purpose of setting priorities and making decisions about program or organizational improvement and allocation of resources. It is a systematic process for documenting relevant needs (Reviere, 1996). ESP (English for Specific Purposes): It is an approach to language learning, which is based on learner need. The foundations of all ESP are the simple question: Why does this learner need to learn a foreign language? (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987). Target Needs: Target needs refer to what the learner needs to do in the target situation (work domain) (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987). Learning Needs: They refer to what the learner needs to do in order to learn. They show how the learner learns the language items. It refers to the skills that he or she uses (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987). ENL: English as a Native Language ESL: English as a Second Language EFL: English as a Foreign Language Syllabus: Curriculum: (more terms shall be added if needed)

Sinner vs. the Sin in Dantes Divine Comedy Essay -- Divine Comedy Inf

Sinner vs. the Sin in the Divine Comedy Often when we set out to journey in ourselves, we come to places that surprise us with their strangeness. Expecting to see what is straightforward and acceptable, we suddenly run across the exceptions. Just as we as self†¹examiners might encounter our inner demons, so does Dante the writer as he sets out to walk through his Inferno. Dante explains his universe - in terms physical, political, and spiritual - in the Divine Comedy. He also gives his readers a glimpse into his own perception of what constitutes sin. By portraying characters in specific ways, Dante the writer can shape what Dante the pilgrim feels about each sinner. Also, the reader can look deeper in the text and examine the feelings that Dante, as a writer and exiled Florentine, may have felt about his particular characters. Dante shows through his poetry some admiration for certain sinners, as if in life he had reason to respect their actions on earth, only to mourn their souls' fate. In the case of P ier Delle Vigne, it is clear that Dante wishes to clear the name of the damned soul that has been conscripted to hell for the shame of unjust dishonor. At the beginning of Canto 13 we find Dante the pilgrim entering the wood of the suicides. He has grown stronger in will at the sight of each circle of torment, yet he approaches this one with a sense of wonder concerning the meaning of the suffering. Here the trees are black and gnarled, with branches that bear "poison thorns instead of fruit"(l.6). The souls of suicides will never be productive, presenting even in death, which they hoped would free them, only negativity. Here the pilgrim learns the sinful nature of suicide, it being an aberration of ... ... of Pier delle Vigne has a dual purpose: both to teach about the sin of taking one's life, but also to show how the value of one's own life can still drive one to destroy it. There are many similar conflicts in the Inferno. The lesson that must be learned is to balance judgement with compassion, but not let the emotions cloud the nature of sin. It is important to learn the true path to righteousness, but also important not to miss the many complicated nuances of life along the way. Just as Dante the poet felt conflicting feelings about the sinners he portrayed as damned souls, readers of the inferno should also consider the many different aspects of each character's portrayal. Works Cited Ciardi, John, trans. The Divine Comedy. In The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Expanded Edition. Vol. I. Ed. Maynard Mack. New York: W.W. Norton, 1995.

Lucent :: essays research papers

LUCENT A Mathematician Rajiv Laroia joined Lucent’s bell labs in 1992. He wanted to make wireless data accessible to everyday people thus allowing them to send e-mail, listen to the radio all at the same time without denting the budget. Rajiv Laroia brought his five-person team and went out to start Flarion company. Lucent hopes this start up company by Rajiv Laroia will foster growth for them. Some people might ask how would Lucent benefit from this small start up company. Rajiv Laroia hopes that Flarion could look for new technology in hopes that Lucent might one-day buy them back after they start becoming profitable. In this way, the company hopes to strengthen an Achilles’ heel of any big firm: the effort to capitalize on â€Å"disruptive† â€Å"white space† advances that buck the status quo. (1) How’s does a company like Lucent stay ahead of competition with so many growing areas of technology? As mentioned before by fostering other company’s that are into new technology then buying them back, and in the last year Lucent has launched 24 other efforts designed to complement or compete with established business. In this way Lucent can always stay on top of the technology edge. Lucent has made around 150 million dollars from outsourcing. Around 1994 when some of the Technology Company were losing money they started to slash research and development costs. To help cut costs Lucent started exchanging ideas with the goal of getting to the market more quickly. This idea to go beyond existing product lines where Lucent was weak will enhance new growth and foster fresh ideas.

Comparing the Immature Males of the Iliad and Lysistrata Essay

The Immature Males of the Iliad and Lysistrata    Both Homer's Iliad and Aristophanes' Lysistrata explore the nature and character of men. In their respective portrayals of male characters, both works reveal a fundamental flaw in that nature. This underlying flaw, immaturity, results in a variety of childish behaviors that are not only inappropriate but potentially quite dangerous and destructive. Reliance on women, inability to exert self-control, and resorting to violence as an easy solution to any problem or perceived threat are typical traits of young boys. Readers of the Iliad and Lysistrata are confronted with grown men consistently exhibiting exactly these behaviors and witness the adverse consequences to society. Throughout the Iliad Achilles operates like a spiteful child empowered with the body and strength of a man. He is stubborn and unreasonable, sullen and resentful when he cannot have his way, and, much like a playground bully, he uses his unusual strength to intimidate anyone who might challenge him. When in book one Achilles loses a battle of wills with Agamemnon and cannot retaliate, he retreats in frustration and self-pity; before long, he is throwing a tantrum. "Mother!" he cries, "You gave me life, . . . so at least Olympian Zeus, thundering up on high, should give me honor--but now he gives me nothing" (I, 416-419). Achilles subsequently relies on his mother, Thetis, several times for her advice and divine assistance. Rather than attempting to be resourceful in the face of frustration, he simply acts helpless and lets Thetis work out his problem for him. "But you, mother, if you have any power at all, protect your son!" the mighty and invincible Achilles implores (I, 467, 468). When his armor is ... ...Robert. "The Iliad". The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Maynard Mack, general editor--6th ed. W.W. Norton and Company, N.Y. 1992. 98-208. Gulick, Charles Burton. Modern Traits in Old Greek Life. New York: Cooper Square. 1963. Henderson, Jeffrey, Aristophanes' Lysistrata, 1987 Holst-Warhaft, G., Dangerous Voices: Women's Laments and Greek Literature, Routledge, 1992. Hooper, Finley. Greek Realities: Life and Thought in Ancient Greece. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. 1978. Keuls, E. C., The Reign of the Phallus: Sexual Politics in Ancient Athens, New York, 1985 (reprint Berkeley, 1993). Miller, J. Hillis. "Narrative". Critical Terms for Literary Study. Lentricchia, Frank and Thomas McLaughlin, eds. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 1990. 66-79. Tannahill, Reay. Sex in History. London: Scarborough House. 1992.

Plato’s Conception of Justice Essay

The Republic is a dialogue between Socrates, Plato’s brothers, the Sophist Thrasymachus, along with Cephalus and his son, Polymarchus. The first book of the republic involves a presentation and refutation of the different views on justice. Socrates used the method of elenchus in order to show the flaws of the argument. Cephalus The topic concerning justice has started when Cephalus commented on living a just life. For preliminary, Cephalus have offered a definition of justice as that of telling the truth and paying someone what you owe. However, this idea was debunk by Socrates by offering a counter-argument which ask if this still hold in the case of a madman or someone who is insane. To further clarify, this issue that Socrates presents was whether or not a person shall return a knife that was borrowed from another person. With respect to Cephalus’s interpretation of justice, the knife shall be given back to its owner. However, Socrates presented a case, wherein the owner of the knife has gone insane and was planning to kill someone else. The madman was asking for his knife to be returned. Socrates, ask if giving back the knife shall still imply justice. Cephalus, himself, agreed with Socrates that this shall not imply what justice is. However, Cephalus have not managed to give further argument since he has to attend on certain things regarding the presentation of sacrifice. In the beginning of the conversion between Cephalus and Socrates, Cephalus could be characterized as someone who is very willing to converse with Socrates. Yet, when his idea was out rightly rejected to be false or to contain flaws he escape from the conversation using an alibi that something else came up and must be done, leaving the argument on the hands of his son, Polemarchus. Cephalus’s definition of justice and the way he reacts seems a bit related to how capitalist thinks. The mention of returning someone else’s favor or paying debts is a proof of this. For business people it would be just to return the debt you owe. Not doing so would be regarded as cheating or not being fair. Also, telling the truth is a must in the business world, if one would lie about certain transactions or about the real cost of something, it would is tantamount to deceiving the other person. The other person would not trust the liar anymore and the liar’s business would sooner or later fall down. Telling the truth is indeed just, since lying is always viewed as an injustice. However, as the case presented by Socrates shows, there are times, wherein man ought to tell lies and not to return debts or something one has borrow. With respect on how Socrates clarifies his point, it is obvious that giving back what you have borrowed and telling the truth does not guarantee a just action as what Cephalus pointed out, it might even lead to more injustice, if one would not look more closely. Polemarchus Polemarchus continued the dialogue by offering a related definition. He views justice as helping or giving favors to those who give you favor and harming those which does you harm. However, Socrates have been able to point out that, human judgment for whom to consider as a friend or as and enemy is open to error, such that the friend might just be pretending to be a friend and what you think as an enemy might be someone who is a friend. Also, some of your friends might turn as an enemy later in life and vice versa. The same thing goes with some of your friend might not be a good person and some of your enemy might be a good person. Socrates argued that it shall not be the case that you would only give favors to those who you consider as a friend for the time being and give harm to those you consider as an enemy. Polemarchus view was generally an immature view of what is justice. The definition was somewhat childish since it is the same principle as hating your enemies and keeping your friends. It also seems to be the most obvious view about justice in their generation, since it has political underpinnings. As war continued to shape their civilization, it was rational for those people living in that time to view justice in reference to enemies and friends. This shows that those who help you are your friends thus; they must be treated with respect and kindness. On the other hand, those who go against you or your country are considered as your enemy. Since â€Å"enemies† goal is to destroy or conquer each other, it would be rational not to help them and do them harm as what Polemarchus is trying to imply.   Relatively, Polemarchus holds the same view as Cephalus with respect to â€Å"giving someone what is owed to them†.   While Cephalus tried to incorporate money matters on his definition, Polemarchus treat his definition as a general version of what Cephalus has been trying to imply. Nevertheless, Socrates, remains unconvinced of their definition of justice, for both could be derived from flawed premises. Cephalus definition could not be generalized to cover all circumstances, while Polemarchus view is too relative and/or subjective. Thrasymachus Seeing how Socrates has been able to debunk the two popular beliefs of justice, Thrasymachus entered the conversation hastily offering a definition of justice that he believes to be better and more accurate. He argued that justice is merely the advantage of that which is stronger. He defends his definition as the advantage of other person aside from the just person himself. According to the statement of Thrasymachus, the person who is just is usually in a disadvantageous position, especially since most of the people are living with injustice. Those who do injustice, as can be observed generally, rise as stronger than those people who try to be just. This illuminates the idea that justice is a convention.   Justice, Thrasymachus believes, is meant to deter the action of the people to benefit other people. Thus he concludes that it would be more rational if justice would be ignored as a whole. To this view, another thing needs further clarification aside from the meaning of justice. The question involves if justice must be done or as Thrasymachus believes, must be ignored. Socrates first tried to clarify whether or not Thrasymachus have been imposing that injustice is actually the right thing to do or if Thrasymachus is advocating injustice over justice. Since by saying that justice is the advantage of that which is stronger, he holds that it is just to acquire more and more of power, wealth and everything else that makes one stronger. At the end of the argument, Socrates has been able to demonstrate how crude it would be to consider injustice as a virtue since it is contrary to wisdom which is a virtue. Furthermore, since Thrasymachus have presented an argument concerning following the instructions of those who are stronger, then it follows according to Socrates, that justice is adhering to certain rules. However, this rules which are set by the ruler/s might not be the right rules after all; as what we could find in the past, wherein leaders are very prone to commit certain errors. There are leaders who even act solely for his advantage, disregarding the efforts and sacrifices of the citizens. Socrates question, if following such ruler/s could still account for justice. Obviously, it does not. Thus, Socrates adds, that justice must be something that promotes the common good. Lastly, Socrates ended up arguing that justice is something that is a desirable virtue, while injustice is contrary to that. Thrasymachus is considered to be a Sophist. Since, he cannot withstand the arguments presented by Socrates; Thrasymachus have accused Socrates of cheating. In the dialogue he has with Socrates, Thrasymachus is portrayed as someone who would not let anyone to be better than him self. His stubbornness and unwillingness to be persuaded along with his constant doubt demonstrate that he would rather live following his false beliefs rather than to be persuaded by someone else. It can be seen on the way in which he defines justice, as that of promoting the interest of that which is stronger. In his dialogue with Socrates, it seems that he’s trying his best to become the stronger by showing everyone most especially to Socrates, that his view regarding justice is correct. At the end, when he could not find a way to further argue against Socrates, he accused him of deception. Discussion The traditional view on justice as have been shown in the Republic could be rooted on Hesoid, who view justice as following certain set of action. One has to be just because if he does not follow the set of actions that were ordained by the Gods, he would be punished and if he follows, he would be rewarded. However, in the time of Socrates and Plato, the view that indeed the Gods blessed those who act just was disregarded since many people who do injustices are seen to be better off than those who are just. This shall be the explanation on the views of justice made by Glaucon, Polemarchus and Thrasymachus. Challenge   Socrates would have to prove that justice is not only good in appearance, he would have to show that indeed, there is a higher level of morality which is beyond human conventions and that it must be followed not merely because of the rewards and punishment that goes with it, but because it is something compelling and universally desirable to do so. This has been the focus of Book II. A further elaboration of what should a just and an unjust man shall do is then presented through a discussion of a story about a mythical ring that would make a man invisible at will. According to the myth, unless men are stupid, a simpleton or just plainly insane, if nobody else could see him he would do unjust things. Indeed, it was always beneficial that men shall appear just and do injustice unknowingly. According to the arguments laid by Adeimantus and Glaucon, men naturally do injustice and it is out of question, since there are several instances wherein man would think that the action is just with respect only to its appearance, whatever the intention might be. It is common for man to give alms for instance, and it is a just action in fact. Whether the money comes from a just or unjust means is out of the question, provided that no one really knows where it came from. The Ideal State In Book III of the Republic, Socrates began to construct an â€Å"ideal just state†.   He does this in able to show that in order to clearly show justice, it shall first be presented without the presence of injustices. In doing so, he discusses that the evils that beset mankind may not come from God for God is all-good, ultimately, evil comes from man himself, in his selfishness and arrogance arise injustice. In Book IV, the ideal state is already finished.   Socrates intends to show that a just state is a state that shall display happiness. Happiness in this sense shall not be composed mainly of the material things, for the citizens of the â€Å"ideal just state† would be happy only if they would be able to do what they have to do.With respect to the ideal state that Socrates has proposed, he concluded that it shall contain wisdom, courage, temperance and justice. Justice is attained when the citizens have practiced his function well. Conclusion In Plato’s republic, Plato has been able to refute the different views on justice by his contemporaries. At the same tine, he has been successful in providing a clear view on what he believes shall be the concept of justice. That it is a virtue that could only be manifested and work best only if the entire state would do what their individual function is. As the dialogue unfolds, the different views on justice were proven to be misleading and are flaws since it is a view that certain group of people advocates. The view of Cepahalus mainly argues the view that the elder group of people usually holds, Polemarchus on the other hand gives a view of someone who is young and determined while the view of Thrasymachus resembles that which cannot accept that he is wrong. All of these views are primarily concerned in the individual justice, while Plato present a kind of holistic approach to justice stating that it must be in a state level to see its entirety and for it to work more effectively. Works Cited Jowett, B. (1901).   PLATO: THE REPUBLIC . The Colonial Press. New York.

Eating Customs and Traditions in Great Britain Essay

The usual meals in Great Britain are breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner; or in simplier homes, breakfast, dinner, tea and supper. Breakfast is generally a bigger meal than you can have it on the Continent, though some English people like a â€Å"continental† breakfast of rolls and butter and coffee. But the usual breakfast is porridge or â€Å"Corn Flakes† with milk or cream and sugar, becon and eggs, marmalade with butter toast, and tea or coffee. For a change you can have a boiled egg, cold ham, or perhaps fish. Lunch is usually served between twelve and one o’clock. The businessman in London usually finds it impossible to come home for lunch, and so he goes to a cafà © or to a restaurant, but those who are at home generally take a cold meat, e.g., beef, mutton, veal, ham, with boiled or fried potatoes, salad and pickles, with a pudding or fruit to follow. Sometimes you may have a mutton chop, steak and chips, followed by biscuits and cheese and a cup of coffee. Afternoon tea follows between four and five o’clock. You can hardly call it a meal, but it is a sociable sort of thing, as friends often come in for a chat while they have their cup of tea, cake or biscuit. In some houses dinner is the biggest meal of the day. You can have soup, fish, roast chicken, chops, potatoes and vegetables, a sweet, fruit and nuts. The two substantial meals of a day, lunch and dinner, are both more and less the same. But in a great many of English homes the midday meal is the chief one of the day, and in the evening they have the much simplier supper-an omelette, or sausages, sometimes bacon and eggs and sometimes just bread and cheese, a cup of coffee or cocoa and fruit. The two features of life in England that possibly give visitors their worst impressions are the English weather and English cooking. The former is something that nobody can do anything about, but cooking is something that can be learned. English food has often been described as tasteless. Although this criticism has been more than justifies in the past, and in many instances still is, the situation is changing somewhat. One of the reasons that English cooking is improving is that so many people have been spending their holidays abroad and have learned to appreciate unfamiliar dishes. However, there are still many British people who are so unadventurous when they visit other countries that will condemn everywhere that doesn’t provide them tea and either fish and chips or sausages, baked beans and chips or overdone steak and chips. One of the traditional grouses about English food is the way that vegetables are cooked. Firstly the only way that many British housewives know to cook green vegetables is to boil them for far too long in too much salt water and then to throw the water away so that all the vitamins are lost. To make matters worst, they don’t strain the vegetables sufficiently so that they appear as a soggy wet mass on the plate. It would be unfair to say that all English food is bad. Many traditional British dishes are as good as anything you can get anywhere. Nearly everybody knows about roast beef and Yorkshire pudding but this is by no means the only dish that is cooked well. A visitor if invited to an English home might well enjoy steak and kidney pudding or pie, saddle of mutton with red-currant jelly, all sorts of smoked fish, especially kippers, boiled salt beef and carrots to mention but a few. A strange thing about England that the visitor may notice is that most of the good restaurants in England are run and staffed by foreigners-for example, there is a larger number of Chinese, Indian and Italian restaurants and to less extent French and Spanish ones. The food and beverage department has two principal aims. The first- and the more important one- is to provide a standard of food and beverage service consistent with the expectations of the quests. The second aim is to maintain the food and beverage operation within the limits set by the food and beverage department and thus to contribute to the overall profitability of the establishment. It is clearly that beverage sales are not only an important part of the sales mix of hospitality establishments but also more profitable than food sales. Coffee is one of the most popular beverages of the world. It is made from berries grown in tropical climates and shipped to the country green that is unroasted. The berries produced vary in composition and the treatment after picking. For this reason, Mocha, Java, Arabica and South American coffees are quite distinct from each other. There are three main methods of preparing coffee- boiling, percolating and drip method. The coffee should not stand long before serving. Tea is made from the leaves of tea bush which is indigenous to the Orient. Black tea is made from leaves which are fermented before drying. Green tea is not fermented; the leaves are steamed and dried. There are two main ways of serving tea: â€Å"English† tea is served in cups and with milk or cream; â€Å"Russian† tea is served in glasses with a slice of lemon. Cocoa and chocolate. As beverages made from them are generally made with milk, they are much more nutritious than the other beverages. Cocoa and chocolate are made from beans or seeds of trees which grow in tropical countries. Also drinks can be classified into soft drinks which contain no spirits (such as lemonades, Pepsi, Coke, etc.) and strong ones, they contain some part of alcohol (such as whisky, gin, wine, liquor, beer). Tea in English is a suitable occasion for social intercourse, when people often come in for a chat over their cup of tea. There are two kinds of tea, â€Å"afternoon tea† and â€Å"high tea†. â€Å"Afternoon tea† takes place between three-thirty and four-thirty and consists of tea, bread, butter and jam, followed by cakes and biscuits. â€Å"High tea† is a substantial meal and is eaten between five-thirty and six-thirty by families which don’t usually have a late dinner. In a well-to-do family it will consist of ham or tongue and tomatoes and salad, or a kipper, or tinned salmon, with a strong tea, bread and butter, followed by stewed fruit, or tinned pears, apricots or pineapple with cream or custard and cake. Tea-making in England is an art. The hostess first of all rinses the teapot with boiling water (this is called â€Å"warming the pot†) before adding four or five teaspoons of tea. The amount of tea varies, of course, according to the number of people present. The pot is then filled with boiling water and covered by a tea-cosy to allow the tea to infuse for five minutes. English people seldom put lemon juice or rum into their tea, usually they have it with milk. The English custom of afternoon tea, as it is said, goes back to the late 18th century, when Anne, wife of the 7th Duke of Bedford, decided that she suffered from â€Å"a sinking feeling† at around 5 p.m. and needed tea and cakes to bring back her strength. Before long, complaints were heard that â€Å"the labourers lose time to come and go to the tea-table and farmers’ servants even demand tea for their breakfast†. Tea had arrived. Fashionable Tea Rooms were opened for high society, and soon tea be came the national drink of all classes. Today the British drink more tea than any other nation – an average of 4 kilos a head per annum, or 1650 cups of tea a year. They drink it in bed in the morning, round the fire on winter afternoons and out in the garden on sunny summer days. In times of trouble the kettle is quickly put on, the tea is made and comforting cups of the warm brown liquid are passes round. Tea has even played its part in wars. When George III of England tried to make the American colonists pay import duty on tea, a group of Americans disguised as Red Indians dumped 342 chests of tea into the sea in Boston Harbour – the Boston Tea Party which led to the War of Independence. In another war the Duke of Wellington sensibly had a cup of tea before starting the Battle of Waterloo, â€Å"to clear my head†. In peace time official approval of the national drink came from the Victorian Prime Minister, Gladstone, who remarked: â€Å"If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited, it will calm you.† What exactly is tea? Basically, it is a drink from the dried leaves of a plant that only grows in hot countries. The British first heard of tea in 1598, and first tasted it in about 1650. For nearly two centuries all the tea was imported from China, until, in 1823, a tea plant was found growing naturally in Assan in India. Sixteen years later the first eight chests of Indian tea were sold in London, and today, London’s tea markets deal in tea from India, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), and from Africa more than from China. Plum pudding is sure of its place of honour on Christmas dinner table. Some English people could even dispense with mincepies, but a Christmas dinner in Britain without the traditional pudding would be strange indeed. The Christmas pudding is a direct descendant of the old time â€Å"hackin†, or plum porridge, beloved by English people in the middle ages. In those days it was made of beef or mutton broth thickened with brown bread, with prunes, raisins, currants, ginger and maize being added to the boiling mixture. This was served as a thick soup and eaten at the beginning of the meal. In the 18th century, plum porridge began to change its character with the addition of flour. The porridge thus turned into plum pudding and it became the custom to eat it at the end of the meal. Nowadays, in addition to the basic mixture of flour, bread-crumbs, suet and eggs, the ingredients of Christmas pudding include raising, currants, candied peel, chopped almonds and walnuts, grated carrot and a good measure of brandy, whisky or old ale on place of the described mutton broth. In many households the mixing of the pudding is quite a ceremony with all the members of the family taking turns to stir and make a wish. After being boiled for several hours, the pudding is stored until the time comes for heating it on Christmas Day when it is brought to the table on a large dish, big, round, dark-brown, with a flag or a place of holly stuck in at the top of it, and flames licking round its sides. The Christmas pudding is covered with white sauce and burning in brandy. Receiving each a slice, the guests are warned to eat carefully because sixpenny bits, shillings, a tiny silver bell and a silver horse-shoe have been put in it. Those who find the â€Å"treasure† are supposed to have money in the coming year, whoever gets the bell is to be married, and the horse-shoe is the traditional sign of good luck.