Dr. Martin Luther King Jr And Mahatma Gandhi - 1560 Words

Mahatma Ghandi once said, â€Å"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.† Although Gandhi is completely against violence, I believe that violence can be justified depending on the cause of it. If violence is used in the act of defense from an aggressor, then it is acceptable. However, in any other case, violence is unjustified. Looking back in history, several examples can be appreciated where violent paths were chosen. If those scenarios are analysed today, one can realize that peaceful options were available, but not chosen. Individuals like Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Ghandi both used peaceful methods to reach their own respective objectives. Mahatma Gandhi used non violent protests to break the British rule and Martin Luther King Jr followed suite with his own non violent methods including the famous Selma march for social justice. However, there are some circumstances where violence is the o nly answer. For example, during World War II, the Allied forces were compelled to fight back against the aggressive Nazi Forces in order to protect the larger population. Additionally, I believe that positivity can not be a result of reacting to conflict or danger with violence. As Gandhi said, the evil that derives from violence far outweighs the short term positives. As I look back at my cherished childhood books and movies, I realize that in most cases, violence was showcased to solve problems rather thanShow MoreRelatedDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay1134 Words   |  5 Pageshuman rights race relationships and power. In this paper, I will focus on the themes of racism, human rights, and power and how history makers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi (just to name these few) helped to redress them to an extent and how theirs efforts shape contemporary events. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on 15 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia and is one of the most remembered Human Rights Activists in America history. He is remembered for his nonviolentRead MoreNonviolence Movement : Is It Acceptable For People Throughout The World?1150 Words   |  5 Pagesactivists in the history of the world is Mohandas Gandhi, who made a big contribution to Indian’s freedom. He is one of the famous people that my primary school teacher used to talk about. Mohandas Gandhiwas born on October 2, 1869in a merchant caste family inIndia. He studied law in London andwent to South Africain 1893. He spent 20 years there struggling and fighting against the discrimination(Mahatma Gandhi, 2015).Different from the normal hero image, Gandhi looks so vulnerable. It is kind of hard forRead MoreGandhi s Effect On The World1174 Words   |  5 Pagesmarch which had the Indian independence. Gandhi played a major role in the development of nonviolence and peace activities. Mohan das Karamchand Gandhi was the pre-eminent political and spiritual bellwether of India and the Indian independence movement. He had many adherents, and edified many how to protest placidly, instead of utilizing violence and war. Gandhi is a role model for many people today and is one of the most famous of all nonviolent activists. Gandhi made an immensely colossal impact onRead MoreCivil Disobedience And The Apartheid1428 Words   |  6 Pages Throughout history, civil disobedience has been used to bring about change across a wide variety of civil rights issues. In India, Mahatma Gandhi used civil disobedience to nonviolently protest against the British Raj and, after a thirty-year struggle, earn independence both for himself and his people. In the United States, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. employed civil disobedience to overcome both the Jim Crow laws that had oppressed the African-American minority and the systemic racism that wasRead MoreThe Influence Of Martin Luther King Jr .1609 Words   |  7 Pages Martin Luther King Jr. was an African-American civil rights activist who lived from 1929 to 1968. He was mostly known for his peaceful protest movements across America, and for his speech ‘I Have a Dream’. Martin Luther King Jr. was also known for his connection to Christianity, and how he used the influence of Jesus Christ throughout his life to lead the people of the activist movement through times of trial and revolution, while relating many of his teachings to the Bible. He made very significantRead MoreMohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. were True Inspirations608 Words   |  2 PagesA man known as the â€Å"father of the Indian nation†, Mohandas Gandhi, also known as Mahatma, was a man of true inspiration. He inspired well known civil-rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, and also revolutionary scientist Einstein. Gandhi was well known for using peaceful methods such as peace marches, boycotts, and sit-ins. Most p eople could call Gandhi the father of peace, for it was he who help the world recognize the effectiveness of non-violence. Gandhi’s peaceful ideals helpRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr And Mahatma Gandhi Essay1625 Words   |  7 PagesMartin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi on Nonviolence Introduction: Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi are both great exmples and role models of the nonviolent protest from there very different religious backgrounds. Although the two have different religious beliefs, but the fact that they have the same approach to the nonviolent factor that plays a big role in the world still to this day. Martin Luther King Jr. a black male southern Baptis preacher who was from Atlanta who was born inRead MoreCivil Disobedience, And Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1018 Words   |  5 Pagesof society. Historic figures such as Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. all acted civilly disobedience, but society benefitted from their movements. Civil disobedience is the underlying theme of Sophocles’ Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail. The main character of Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone, acts civil disobedience, just as Dr. King acted civilly disobedient. Both Antigone and M artin Luther King Jr. fought to gain justice for the people who theyRead MoreThe Impact Of Gandhi On American Society Through Martin Luther King Jr.990 Words   |  4 Pagesinfluence on the development of American society. But what little they do know of Hinduism is most likely derived from their knowledge of Mahatma Gandhi. Few Americans realize that Gandhis teachings and lifes work had a tremendous impact on the development of American society during the Civil Rights Movement. Mohandas K. Gandhi, known to the world as The Mahatma, or the Great Soul, brought a great gift to the modern world. That gift was the light of Non-Violence, of Service to the Community andRead MoreAnalysis Of The Civil-Rights Movements Of Gandhi And Malcolm X879 Words   |  4 PagesThe Important influencers include that of Dr. Martin Luther Kings non-violent protests, and their efforts for an equal and safe America, the Civil-Rights movements of the 1960s or Gandhi and Malcolm Xs peaceful protest way. All Four found a peaceful way to have a common genuine effort for change in a situation that the leaders of our country fail to deem as an extremely poor guidance for our country. Without the efforts of such leaders as Martin Luther King or the Anti-war movement including Benjamin

Economics and Perfect Competition Essay - 1032 Words

Answers to End-of-Chapter Questions in Chapter 6 1. A perfectly competitive firm faces a price of  £14 per unit. It has the following short-run cost schedule: Output |0 |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |7 |8 | |TC ( £) |10 |18 |24 |30 |38 |50 |66 |91 |120 | | (a) Copy the table and put in additional rows for average cost and marginal cost at each level of output. (Enter the figures for marginal cost in the space between each column.) (b) Plot AC, MC and MR on a diagram. (c) Mark the profit-maximising output. (d) How much (supernormal) profit is made at this output? e) What would happen to the price in the long run if this firm were typical of others in the industry? Why would we need to know information about long-run†¦show more content†¦The firm cannot affect industry price by changing its output. In other words, any change in an individual firm’s output would cause such a minute movement along the industry demand curve, that price would not change. 3. If supernormal profits are competed away under perfect competition, why will firms have an incentive to become more efficient? Because if they did not do so, and other firms did, firms would still enter the industry and compete price down. The firms that had not become more efficient would then find themselves making less than normal profit. They would then either have to become more efficient pretty quickly, or go out of business. 4. Is it a valid criticism of perfect competition to argue that it is incompatible with economies of scale? The criticism should really be directed at the market system as a whole: that where significant economies of scale exist, markets are bound to be imperfect. Of course, there may be significant benefits to consumers and society generally from such imperfect markets (see pages 184–5): there are advantages as well as disadvantages of imperfect markets. What is more, if the market is highly contestable, many of the advantages of perfect competition may be achieved even though the industry is actually a monopoly (or oligopoly). 5. On a diagram similar to Figure 6.4,; show the long-run equilibrium for both firm and industry under perfect competition. Now assume thatShow MoreRelatedCompetition : Perfect Competition Is An Economic Concept Essay1157 Words   |  5 Pages Question 7 Perfect competition: Perfect competition is an economic concept, there are lots of seller’s sells homogeneous products in the market and there are many buyers. There are no barriers to enter into the market. Furthermore both the buyers and sellers have good information regarding price so that sellers can offer a competitive price to the buyers and also buyers can compare the price to have the best choice. Monopolistic competition: Monopolistic competition is market structure in whichRead MoreExplain, and Illustrate Using Graphs, Whether You Think a Perfectly Competitive Industry or a Monopoly Industry Leads to More Efficient Outcomes for an Economy1740 Words   |  7 Pagesa perfectly competitive industry or a monopoly industry leads to more efficient outcomes for an economy. RESEARCH ESSAY Microeconomics is defined as a study of how economic decisions are made by individuals and groups along with the range of factors affecting those decisions. In relevance to this, the analysis of perfect competition and monopoly regarding efficiency is considered one of the most core basis to the understanding of Microeconomics. This paper argues that a perfectly competitive industryRead MoreEconomics Is The Study Of The Ownership, Use, And Exchange Of Competing Wants1268 Words   |  6 PagesEconomics is the study of the ownership, use, and exchange of competing wants - Economics is observed as a societal knowledge because it uses scientific methods to form theories that can help clarify the performance of individuals, groups and organisations. Economics challenges to describe economic behaviour, which rises when scarce resources are exchanged. http://www.economicsonline.co.uk/Competitive_markets/What_is_economics.html I will be aiming to answer three questions on economics- I have chosenRead MoreArgument Against Perfect Competition Theory Essay1551 Words   |  7 Pages3.0 Argument against Perfect Competition Theory Theory of perfect competition has severe shortcomings that limit its application in business. Generally, its assumptions fail to hold in the real world, which makes the theory implausible as discussed below. Firstly, it assumes that buyers and sellers are price takers in the market. As such, it presumes that there are many buyers and sellers that are insignificant and equally small for the conditions of perfect competition to exist. However, in eachRead More Challenging Comparative Advantage Essay1410 Words   |  6 Pagesearly 19th century to explain the benefits of mutual trade (Carbaugh, 2008). Many underlying assumptions of comparative advantage depend on states of economic equilibrium and an absence of economy of scale. In reality, economies are dynamic and subject to innovation and interference; which has led to revised assumptions of return and competition (Krugman, 1987). These factors have created questions of free trade and governmental participation in an economy by the development of strategic tradeRead MoreTypes of Competition1000 Words   |  4 PagesEconomic theory usually differentiates across the four major types of market structure: monopoly, oligopoly, monopolis tic competition, and perfect competition. Although the list of market structures can be virtually unlimited, these four types are considered to be the basis for understanding the principles of market performance in different market conditions. Each of the four types of market structures possesses its benefits and drawbacks. In any of these markets, an entrepreneur can develop a strategyRead MoreImportance Of Economic Market Structures1406 Words   |  6 PagesImportance of Economic Market Structures Before an organization or investor makes a strategic decision to enter a product in today’s economy, a thorough market analysis is vital to fully comprehend the domestic and international demand, current suppliers, entry and exit barriers present, and cost of production for the product or service being provided. The culmination of this investigation identifies the market structure the product resides in, associated potential long-run profitability, costRead MoreCompetition Leads to a More Efficient Use of Resources1700 Words   |  7 PagesCompetition leads to a more efficient use of resources. Discuss. The word â€Å"efficiency†, in economists’ dictionary, is often interpreted into the degree of an economy allocates scarce resources to meet the needs and wants of consumers. As we can see that a free market economy is the one in which resources are allocated based on the principle of self-interests. Where there are profits, there are firms, and where there are firms to produce identical goods and services, inevitably, there is competitionRead MoreEconomics Can Be Observed As An Organization1581 Words   |  7 PagesEconomics can be observed as a societal knowledge as it uses specific methods to form theories that can help to clarify the performance of organisation/firms/groups or in some cases, individuals. Economics can be described as the study of ownership, and the exchange of competing wants- competing wants can be described as ‘scarce resources’ which can be exchanged through different organisations from them to be able to gain what they are specific ally wanting such as revenue etc. this is defined asRead MoreMarket Structure Of An Economics Perspective Essay1728 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Market structure from an economics perspective is defined as the characteristics of the market that impacts the behavior or way firms operate, which economists use to determine the nature of competition, and pricing tactics of businesses in the market. Within a market, the market structures are distinguished by key features, including the number of sellers, homogeneous or differentiated goods or services produced, pricing power, level of competition, barriers to entering or exit the markets

Gilgamesh - Two-thirds God and One-third Human - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1422 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Gilgamesh Essay Did you like this example? At the start of the epic, Gilgamesh is said to be a cruel and ruthless ruler who had no regard for anyone but himself. Gilgamesh is two-thirds God and one-third human- thus being his lineage, he believes as if nobody is equal or above him. On Tablet two, a man said to Enkidu, He will couple with the wife-to-be, / he first of all, the bridegroom after. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Gilgamesh Two-thirds God and One-third Human" essay for you Create order / By divine consent it is so ordained (pg. 15). This quote informs the readers that he would rape men wives on their wedding night. His actions forced his kingdom to resent him. In Sumerian culture, kings were expected to protect the women, not rape them. Kings were expected to act as prominent leaders and rulers. Great rulers put the safety of their people before their own. Gilgamesh was supposed to further enhance the greatness of the kingdom for the well-being of the citizens. The king should have served the people for the sake of his kingdom not help them create a manifestation of hatred within themselves to where they plot against him. Gilgamesh did not treat the civilians with respect or dignity as a king should but instead treated them harshly and like they didnt matter. The concept of heroism in Sumerian culture is all about service. Service to the kingdom and the people that live in the kingdom. A big concept in all heroic epics is The Heros Journey. The heros journey is basically the path the hero goes down to discover who they are and better themselves as a person/leader. Its all about personal growth. In Sumerian culture, there were three distinct qualities that they valued in a hero: bravery, strength, and wisdom. In the poem, the Sumerian Gods are described as all powerful and are to be worshipped. The Sumerians believe that the earth could not survive without the Gods aiding it. The Sumerians did everything in their power to try not to piss of the Gods because doing so would result in great consequences. They know that the Gods are dangerous. But they also understand that they can be quite helpful. The Gods act like careless children and live how they want too. They have their own set of rules and dont listen to anyone else. One way that the Gods intervene in human affairs was when they created Enkidu. They created him as a mirror image of Gilgamesh with the task to overpower and kill him. Another example on why the Sumerians feared the gods is because if one was to anger one of them bad things would occur. The god who brought upon the flood only created the flood to punish the humans for being too loud and not letting him rest. The story told us about Gilgameshs lineage of him being two-thirds a God and one-third human because it makes him who he is. With him being two-thirds God, Gilgamesh felt that he was superior to everyone us, thus making him a ruthless ruler. With this he felt as if he can do anything without repercussions but as this was false. With the information of him being two-thirds god, the readers are given insight to why Gilgamesh is the way he is. Why he acts the way he acts and thinks the way he thinks. This affects his character a great deal because with him thinking this way, he goes down a dark path. He hurts his people and does not act as a good ruler should. One way this affects his character is by him raping women and taking their virtue on the night of their wedding. Gilgamesh was a selfish, mean person who tormented his people. Women are represented as great power and wisdom, but also great temptation and death. In the story, women appear during the heros journey, sometimes to be a guide. In other instances, they make women to be overactive, sexually, and fairly misleading. They use their bodies to seduce men so that they may control them. For example, the harlot in Tablet 1 of the Epic of Gilgamesh. She, Shamhat, is sent by Gilgamesh to Enkidu in order to gain control over this wild man named Enkidu. Shamhat lures Enkidu in, telling him: You are handsome, [Enkidu, you are like a god,]. Not long after, she seduces him, and he and she spend 6 days and 7 nights together. After this time, Enkidu is no longer just a wild man(133). He begins to learn the ways of regular men, eating bread and drinking ale Shamhat told his was fit for a god and a king. Shamhats sweet nothings and confidence-building words, soon leads Enkidu from the wilderness, the only home hes ever known, and into the city. Further down the lin e of time, he even challenges Gilgamesh, the very one who sent the harlot to Enkidu. Shamhat guided Enkidu into a new life, but not before she sexually enticed him with her body. She is a perfect representation of the concept of a woman in the ancient Sumerian culture. The flood is created by the god Enlil to destroy the earth and all the mortals that walked upon it. He felt that the humans were too loud and annoying. He grew irritated with them and wanted to punish them for it. The god Ea betrayed the other gods and warned Utnapishtim that a great danger was coming. Utnapishtim was the king of Shuruppak, which was a extremely prosperous city on the banks of the Euphrates river. Ea told Utnapishtim to build a boat and aboard it with a seed of every living thing, his family, and his possessions. The story does not state the reason to why Ea chose Utnapishtim about the flood. But one can conclude that it was because he was favored by the God as only Ea chose him not the group of gods together. One can also guess as to why Utnapishtim was chosen because Ea spoke into the reed walls of Utnapishtims castle and he overheard him talking about the disastrous flood that is coming. Enkidu is represented as Gilgameshs more reasonable and rational side. Enkidu helped Gilgamesh find his heroic side and turned him from a ruthless ruler to a hero.Enkidu was created to help balance and relax Gilgamesh. He was created by the goddess Arura from a hunk of clay in the forest. Enkidu was created to be a mirror image of Gilgamesh has in has the same strength and temper.Enkidu spoke to the harlot:/ Come, Shamhat, take me away with you/ to the sacred Holy Temple, the residence of Anu and Ishtar,/the place of Gilgamesh, who is wise to perfection,/but who struts his power over the people like a wild bull./ I will challenge him / Let me shout out in Uruk: I am the mighty one!/ Lead me in and I will change the order of things;/ he whose strength is mightiest is the one born in the wilderness! (1.196-204).Before they become bestfriends, their pride and love of power created a feud between the two. Enkidu and Gilgamesh ended up becoming best friends after and Enkidu was the protec tor of his friend on their adventures and journeys. When Enkidu dies, Giglamesh is traumatised that he lost his bestfriend but then he starts to question his own future. A crucial theme that is displayed throughout the poem is mortality. After Enkidus death, Gilgamesh trembled with fear screaming I am going to die!†am I not like Enkidu?!/ Deep sadness penetrates my core,/ I fear death, and now roam the wilderness†/I will set out to the region of Utanapishtim, son of Ubartutu, and will go with utmost dispatch! (9.2-5). Gilgamesh thought that the only way to overcome his fear was to acheive immortality. He set off to find a man who has done this and learn how he did it. Gilgamesh travels a great deal to track down the mortal man who gained immortality. Death is seen as an impending doom and nobody wants to face it. During his journey, he stumbled upon the very man he was looking for, Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim then tells him the story of the great flood and how he was given immortality. After hearing the story, Gilgamesh realized that the quality of someones life is not determined by fortune and stature, but the quality of the time he spent w ith the people around him. Humans come to terms with death when they realized that life is worth appreciating and is all about the people you love surrounding you.

Persuasive Essay On Education - 1559 Words

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines education as the action or process of learning or of being taught by an overseer. In schools today, education can be viewed in many different ways, especially for students. Using American stereotypes; in athletic classes, the jocks can view education as merely a distraction from their actual goals; in AP or Honor level classes, students can view education as a form of power or accomplishment. Others may view education as a reason why they may want to be an outcast from our society. However in any of these circumstances, any one person could realize that education is different for everybody. Therefore, the real question is why education is standardized to work for all students, disregarding the†¦show more content†¦Nowadays, teachers are required to give two test grades and eight homework/daily grades for every grading period. Is this justifiable for every class? Maybe in some classes there could be longer units, longer amounts of time neede d on material and longer amounts of time conversing with students on the topics than just 6 weeks. In fact, teachers all across the U.S., especially in Texas, rave about the fact that the education system is insensitive to students as a whole, stating that, â€Å" As teachers, we believe that there are some basic truths to teaching. One truth is that all students need individualized attention to help them develop in particular areas. It should be no surprise that students have special needs. We all have different needs, and we can all benefit from personal and individual contact and support. Although teachers are expected to teach a class of thirty students all at once, teachers need to remember that within the classes, they will be teaching thirty unique people. Although it is a difficult task, they should try to find ways to build success into each student s learning experiences† (Parsons and Beauchamp, 6). Teachers should not be confined and scheduled to the tee on how, wh en, where, and what they are teaching their students. Another good improvement might be to change our current grading scales. Maybe instead of grading on a scale of 0-100, based on howShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Essay On The Importance Of Education834 Words   |  4 PagesA high-quality and accessible education is important for all children. Through education, children gain knowledge and skills that can lead to greater opportunities and upward mobility later in life. Education has [Passive] long enabled people to go further than they ever thought possible; to explore new ideas and to achieve new goals. Fostering knowledge and creativity enables children to forge their own paths in life. As an educator, it is my greatest desire to guide children on their educationalRead MorePersuasive Essay : Meaningless Education1158 Words   |  5 PagesMeaningless Education According to,† In Praise of the F Word.† By Mary Sherry ten thousand of high school students will graduate with meaningless diplomas. Those with meaningless diplomas are the ones who’s been passing along even though they don’t truly understand the materials taught to them. Sherry argues that our educational system is to blame for cheating those students out of a proper education, however, an easy remedy is for teachers to use the threat of failure. SherryRead MorePersuasive Essay On Education In School1646 Words   |  7 PagesEducation is a crucial aspect of peoples lives. In the United States and numerous other countries, we are reminded throughout our twelve years of mandatory schooling that we must do well so that we can get into a good college, achieve a degree, and then lead an accomplished and fulfilling career. Despite the fact that this idea is drilled into our heads from a very young age, our system of education does not provide each child with the same amount of support and encouragement. A vast number of blackRead MoreBilingual Education Persuasive Essay991 Words   |  4 Pagesaccess to a quality education for English Language Learners (ELL). Change did not happen without there being obstacles to overcome. There were many overturned cases that initially sought to strip English Language Learners of their basic rights to an education. Yet, there would eventually be legislation instituted to help alter the course. Early court cases, provide examples of abject inconsideration, injustice, and racial discrimination imposed on those in need of specific education services, like theRead MorePersuasive Essay On Online Education803 Words   |  4 Pageslearning but at a faster pace. One of the major changes foreseen to assist in this is online education. Online education is a new, different way to learn. While some believe that online schooling is too great of a change from what we are doing now, online schooling is the way to go because you can do it anywhere and whenever you’d like while saving all of the time that would be wasted in the classroom. Online education is marvelously efficient as you can complete it in the comfort of your own home and utilizeRead MorePersuasive Essay On Sex Education1532 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The first time a parent names parts of the body, including the genitals, to a toddler or preschooler, sex education has begun (New York Times).† Although some argue they are too young; sex and drug education should be taught to every student in elementary schools across the nation. Prevention is key; education can teach these children valuable lessons that may save their life. Drug abuse in this country has reached an all new high with some of the most dangerous drugs we have ever encountered, andRead MorePersuasive Essay On The Importance Of Sex Education850 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Albert Einstein once said, ‘Education is not the learning of facts, It’s rather the training of the mind to think.’† Once the person learns about abstinence and the cons of sex, the mind will start to adapt to the fact that it is not good to do things. Sex education and learning about abstinence is a very important key to life because it can help reduce pregnancy rates and much more. It could lower the chances of catching a sexually transmitted disease. Having sex education in classrooms can help kidsRead MoreBilingual Education - Persuasive Speech Essay1778 Words   |  8 PagesI am endlessly thankful to my parents. They provided me with such a bilingual education that will benefit me in several ways throughout my life. Languages are a door to the world. Languages open our eyes towards other cultures. Languages let us interact with people of different nationalities and therefore provide us with huge opportunities throughout our career, whatever we choose it to be. Bilingual education must be strengthened in the United States. Schools must emphasize teaching a secondRead MorePersuasive Essay - Distance Education Versus Face-to-Face Learning1853 Words   |  8 PagesDecember 1, 2009 Persuasive Essay – Game Theories Has Virtual Reality Taken Things Too Far? Distance Education versus Face-to-Face Learning In Clive Thompson’s â€Å"Game Theories†, the author illustrates how virtual worlds, such as Everquest and Second Life, have surprisingly become much like the real world. Everquest is an online virtual reality video game that allows individuals to create fictional characters to â€Å"generate goods as they play, often by killing creatures for their treasure and tradingRead MoreI Am Happy That I Didn t Believe This Class Is Almost Over Summer Went By Fast.904 Words   |  4 PagesI can t believe this class is almost over; summer went by fast. I am happy that I learned numerous concepts that have helped me improve my writing, such as grammar concepts, APA format, word choice, persuasive essays, and cause and effect essays. First, there are several grammar concepts that I feel like I will remember. The FANBOYS mnemonic device I learned in this class will help me remember coordinating conjunctions (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So). We need to use a comma + a conjunction (and

Succubus Revealed Chapter 19 Free Essays

And so began my day in court. Despite Hannibal’s call for order, it was obvious that everyone was still fixated on Roman’s presence. I’d known nephilim were despised among greater immortals, but it wasn’t until today that the full scope of it hit me. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Revealed Chapter 19 or any similar topic only for you Order Now It shed new light on why Roman and his kind were often so obsessed with getting back at the powers that be. I wondered if it was good to have some of the attention taken off me or if I’d just doomed myself further by association. â€Å"So,† said Judge Hannibal. â€Å"You’ve got some kind of gripe with your contract. Join the club.† Low chuckles from the demonic spectators rumbled around the room. Roman cleared his throat, silencing the chuckles. â€Å"Your honor, we have more than a ‘gripe.’ We have evidence that Hell not only violated her contract but also drew up another under false pretenses.† â€Å"That’s absurd,† said Marcel. â€Å"We can’t examine everyone in the world’s contract. If someone else has a problem, they can have their own trial.† â€Å"The other contract is for a human who’s still alive,† said Roman. â€Å"He’s in no position to file a claim, and his was tied in to the paperwork that brought hers to court.† Hannibal waved his hands dismissively. â€Å"Well, we haven’t even proved there’s anything wrong with hers, so let’s settle that before we start doing favors for others.† â€Å"Can we see her contract?† asked Roman. â€Å"Doris?† Hannibal glanced over at the woman with the laptop. She produced a heavy, metal box from underneath her desk with what appeared to be a numeric lock. After first consulting her laptop, she punched in a long series of digits. Smoke seeped out of the edges of the box. A moment later, she opened it up and produced a long, ornate scroll. She glanced at the judge. â€Å"Copies?† â€Å"Yes, please,† he told her. Doris repeated the procedure a couple more times, and I leaned toward Roman. â€Å"How does this work?† I whispered. â€Å"Isn’t there some kind of order? Doesn’t the prosecution go first?† â€Å"Maybe in an American court of law,† he whispered back. â€Å"Here? Everyone just gets out their argument when they can, and it’s up to the judge to keep order.† It surprised me. Considering the obsession with details around here, I would’ve expected a certain amount of painstaking procedure. Then again, a survival-of-the-fittest method of pushing your case wasn’t that out of line with Hell’s ideologies either. Scrolls were obtained for the judge and lawyers. Even though it was a copy, I was still a bit daunted when Roman spread the scroll out before us on the table. This was it, the contract that had bound my immortal soul. One small decision with centuries of consequences. It was written in English, and I supposed Doris’s magic scroll copy box must have the powers of translation since the original had been in Greek. â€Å"May I direct your attention to section 3A,† said Roman loudly. In a softer voice, he added to me, â€Å"The rest is pretty much standard Hell legalese.† It was true. The scroll was so big, we couldn’t open it in its entirety. From what I could see, most of it was a painfully detailed description of what it meant to serve as a succubus and give Hell the lease on your soul. In their defense, there wasn’t much they’d left out. I hadn’t read the full contract at the time. Niphon had summarized the high points for me, but it was impossible to say they didn’t let you know what you were in for. Fortunately, those technicalities weren’t our concern today. Roman read aloud: â€Å"In exchange for ownership of the aforementioned soul (see sections 1B, 4A, 4B, 5B part 1, 5B part 2, and appendix 574.3) and services detailed below (see sections 3A, 3B, 6A-F, 12C) as performed by the contractee (henceforth called ‘the Damned’), the almighty Kingdom of Hell and its representatives do agree to the following: 1. Granting to the Damned of succubus powers described in sections 7.1A and 7.3A. 2. All mortals who were acquainted with the Damned in her human life shall have all knowledge of her erased from their memories, never to be regained, in accordance with standard memory loss procedures (see appendix 23).† Roman looked up at the judge when he finished reading. â€Å"Now,† said Roman. â€Å"I can read appendix 23 if you want, but the point is that Hell did not honor part of their agreement. Someone she knew when she was human – a mortal – remembered her.† â€Å"Why wasn’t this raised back then?† asked Hannibal. â€Å"Because it happened a couple months ago,† said Roman. â€Å"The person in question is someone with a reincarnation contract who was alive then and today.† â€Å"If this person was reincarnated, then the point’s irrelevant,† said Marcel. â€Å"It’s not technically the same person anymore. Therefore, the contract stands.† â€Å"Not according to addendum 764 of the Treatise on Humanity ,† said Roman. â€Å"According to it, all individuals – humans and lesser immortals – are defined by their souls. No matter what shape that being takes, the soul remains constant, as does the individual’s identity. I’m sure Doris can produce a copy if we need it.† Doris looked at Hannibal expectantly. â€Å"Don’t bother,† he said. â€Å"I’m familiar with the Treatise. Okay. Operating under the assumption that souls are constant and individuals are defined by their souls, what proof do you have that this reincarnated individual remembered the petitioner here?† I expected Roman to say something and then realized he was waiting on me. It was still hard to wrap my head around the idea of everyone just jumping forward and speaking. â€Å"He called me by my name, your honor,† I said. â€Å"My first human name from the fifth century. The one he knew me as back then.† â€Å"Had he ever heard it before – in this lifetime?† prompted Roman. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"Did anyone witness this?† asked Marcel. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"I see,† he said, managing to make me feel very small with those two words. His tone implied that it was a miracle we’d even made it this far on such flimsy evidence. â€Å"It’s okay,† said Roman. â€Å"Because we have more. This same reincarnated subject revealed under hypnosis remembering her in several other lives.† â€Å"Are there witnesses to that?† asked Hannibal. â€Å"We both witnessed it,† said Roman. â€Å"As well as an imp employed in Seattle. Hugh Mitchell. He was the one who actually performed the hypnosis, if you wanted to summon him.† I tensed. Hugh was certainly an airtight witness – seeing as he wasn’t the petitioner in this case or a creature despised by both Heaven and Hell – but my earlier apprehension for him returned. I didn’t know if he could get in trouble for providing key evidence. â€Å"We don’t need him,† said Marcel. â€Å"You and he witnessed the same thing?† I nodded. Marcel glanced over at the jury. â€Å"You can tell if she’s lying. Is she telling the truth?† Six heads nodded. I was surprised I hadn’t thought of this earlier. Angels could tell if mortals and lesser immortals were telling the truth. That was handy in a trial like this. I was also surprised Marcel was helping me out like this. â€Å"There you have it,† he said. â€Å"She thinks she heard the subject remembering her under hypnosis. We can assume this imp would believe it as well.† â€Å"Hey,† I argued. â€Å"There’s no ‘thinks’ about it. He did remember me.† Marcel shrugged. â€Å"If you say so. We can only take your word for it and what you think you heard. There’s no objective evidence to show that he remembered, therefore calling our part of the bargain into dispute.† â€Å"Oh, we can find the evidence,† said Roman. â€Å"The subject in question is also under contract. And the very nature of his contract contradicts hers. Can you bring it up, Doris?† Hannibal nodded his consent, and she turned to her laptop. â€Å"Name?† â€Å"Kyriakos,† I said, trying not to stumble over the word. â€Å"That’s what it was in the fifth century, at least. In Cyprus. Today he’s Seth Mortensen.† The judge arched an eyebrow. â€Å"I like his books. Didn’t realize he was one of ours.† â€Å"Well, he’s not yet,† I muttered. Doris meanwhile was typing away on her laptop, putting in the appropriate criteria. She must have found the right case number because she soon turned to the smoking metal box and produced three more scrolls. The copies were distributed, and a strange feeling crept over my skin as Roman opened this one, stranger even than when we’d viewed my own. Here it was. Seth’s contract. Kyriakos’s contract. It had existed unbeknownst to me all these years, subtly influencing my life. It had been made because of me. Roman again jumped to section 2, which was apparently consistent across contracts as far as what â€Å"the Damned† received. † ‘The Damned shall be granted a total of ten human lives, of which one has already taken place. The subsequent nine reincarnations shall occur in such times and places that he may be in proximity to the lover he believes is missing from his first life, in the hopes of reconciliation. Upon completion of the tenth life, the Damned’s soul will become the property of Hell, in accordance with sections 8D, 9A, and 9B.’ â€Å" Roman fell silent, a frown on his face. I too felt dismayed but didn’t think we shared the same reasons. Without Seth confirming anything, we’d been unsure if his soul was damned or not, regardless of his success in finding me. I’d half hoped that Hell had given him some fairy-tale challenge, that if he could find and reunite with me, his soul would be restored to him. That apparently wasn’t true. Hell had only offered him the chance to be with me. They’d given him no more than that. If we made amends, his soul belonged to them, the same as if we didn’t. Our romantic outcome made no difference. I wondered if he had bargained for more or had been so desperate and grateful for the chance to simply be with me again that he hadn’t even asked for more. Marcel smiled. â€Å"I see Letha mentioned nowhere in here. There was no violation of the terms of her contract.† â€Å"But obviously someone knew,† said Roman. â€Å"You must have a record of all of his lives. He’s encountered her in each one of them. So someone, somewhere made sure that part of the contract was fulfilled – his reunion with the missing ‘lover’ from his first life. Her. Whom he was supposed to forget, per the terms of her contract. They contradict each other.† Roman spoke confidently, laying his points out reasonably, but I could sense the uneasiness within him. I knew what the hanging point was – the same point Marcel had promptly jumped on. I wasn’t cited by name here. Somewhere, there had to be a record of it if Hell had managed to let Seth be reborn near me each time, but we didn’t know what that was. Hell certainly wasn’t going to help us find it. â€Å"It could be a coincidence,† said Marcel. â€Å"Maybe he met someone else in his first life whom he fell in love with, someone whom he lost young and continued to seek in the following centuries.† â€Å"Someone else who was immortal and would be alive for the next fifteen hundred years?† asked Roman. â€Å"That’s an awfully big coincidence.† Marcel looked smug. â€Å"Be that as it may, Letha is not mentioned anywhere in his contract. Everything’s circumstantial at best, with no proof that Hell entered into this under false pretenses.† A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I began attempting to unroll the scroll, seeking a very specific piece of information. There were so many sections, subsections, articles, and clauses, however, that I couldn’t make any sense of it. â€Å"Who drafted this?† I asked Roman. â€Å"Shouldn’t whoever brokered the deal be listed?† â€Å"Section 27E,† said Roman automatically. I paused to give him an incredulous glance. â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"What do you think I’ve been doing for the last week?† he asked, by way of answer. He helped me find the appropriate section, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the name I’d been hoping for. Just to be sure, I found the matching section in my own contract. Roman, spying what I had, immediately ran with it. â€Å"Your honor, these contracts were brokered by the same imp. Niphon. He had to have known they conflicted with each other. He had to have known that Letha was the lover Kyriakos was seeking.† â€Å"He didn’t ‘have to have known’ anything,† countered Marcel. â€Å"It could be a coincidence.† â€Å"Well, let’s get him in here and find out,† said Roman. Hannibal considered this for several seconds. I got the distinct impression that he most definitely did not want to summon Niphon, but some of the angels in the jury were regarding him expectantly. If this were truly a fair trial, with evidence laid neatly out, then there was no reason not to bring in a key witness like Niphon. â€Å"Very well,† said Hannibal. He looked over to the guy in the nice suit, the one who’d opened proceedings. I’d taken him for some kind of classy bailiff. â€Å"Go get him. We’ll call a ten-minute recess while you do.† Hannibal banged his gavel, and conversation buzzed as the bailiff hurried out of the room. I leaned toward Roman. â€Å"Niphon knows. He has to know. Did I ever tell you the full story of when he came to visit last year?† Roman had heard some of it but was very eager for a recap as I told the tale again. Niphon had shown up, ostensibly to deliver Tawny as our newest succubus. During his stay, however, he’d caused no end of trouble for me and Seth. He’d tried to drive a wedge between us, and indeed, some of his actions were what had led Seth to believe a breakup was better for us in the long run. Niphon had also tried to broker a contract with Seth in order for us to be together without the harmful succubus effects that occurred during sex. The cost would have been Seth’s soul, of course. I paused, thinking that over. â€Å"I understand the rest . . . him wanting to keep us apart. Hugh had said it was the sign of an imp trying to cover for some mistake – and this is a pretty big one. It makes sense he’d want to split us up and avoid discovery of the conflict. But why bother to make another deal if Seth’s soul was already under contract?† Roman’s eyes were alight with thought. â€Å"Because he could’ve done an amendment to the old contract and cleaned up the contradiction. Seth’s soul would have been resecured.† We had no time to analyze it further because the recess soon ended. Hannibal brought things to order and the bailiff returned – with Niphon. My stomach twisted at the sight of him, just as it had last time. Niphon always put me in mind of a weasel. He wore a gray suit, looking business-ready like all imps did, but had heavily pomade-slicked hair that took away some of his credibility. He had thin lips, small eyes, and an olive complexion. He also looked like he’d bolt if given half the chance. The screwup he’d tried to conceal was now being laid out. His escort led him to a witness stand near the bench. Niphon gingerly sat down, sweating visibly. I’d worried about Hugh being dragged into this, fearful of the consequences he’d face. Niphon was probably afraid of the same thing: being punished for helping my case. The difference was that Hugh would at least take some satisfaction out of assisting me. Niphon had no gain in any of this. â€Å"State your name please,† said Hannibal. The imp licked his lips. â€Å"Niphon, your honor. At your service.† â€Å"You brokered these two contracts?† asked Hannibal, indicating the scrolls Doris had just placed on the witness stand. Niphon made a great show of studying them. â€Å"I suppose so, your honor. My name’s on them, but it’s been such a long time. Makes it easy to forget.† I scoffed. â€Å"You seemed to remember last year when you were scrambling to cover your ass.† â€Å"Let’s keep this civilized and fair,† said Hannibal mildly. Really? I was the one being chastised for civility and fairness? â€Å"Did you know when you drew up Kyriakos’s contract that Letha was the one he was seeking?† asked Roman. Seeing Niphon squirm, Roman added, â€Å"And be careful about saying you ‘don’t remember.’ The angels in the esteemed jury will know you’re lying.† Niphon swallowed and cast an anxious look at the jury box before returning his gaze to Roman. â€Å"I . . . yes. I knew.† â€Å"And since you’d drawn up Letha’s contract, you knew that her terms required all those who knew her as a human to forget her. The fact that he was seeking her at all was a sign her contract had been broken. You weren’t able to keep him in a state of forgetfulness.† Niphon made a face. â€Å"He didn’t mention her by name. He only remembered that she was gone.† Roman smacked my contract hard. â€Å"The contract doesn’t specify to what degree she can be forgotten, just that she is. Period.† Sweat was practically pouring off Niphon in buckets now. He jerked one of the scrolls toward him and scanned it with his twitchy eyes. † ‘All mortals who were acquainted with the Damned in her human life shall have all knowledge of her erased from their memories. . . .’ † He glanced up. â€Å"This is a translation. I think the original Greek makes it clearer that only those from her human life forget her. Therefore, if he remembered her afterward, there would be no violation. Can we get a Greek copy in here?† â€Å"It wouldn’t matter,† said Roman. â€Å"Even if it does say that. We’ve already established that a soul defines a person’s identity across lives. Even now, he’s still technically someone from her human life, and he remembered. You were unable to uphold the contract.† â€Å"That’s hardly my fault!† Niphon exclaimed. It was unclear now if he was speaking to Roman and me or to superiors in the audience. â€Å"I made the arrangements for standard memory loss with her contract. I don’t know why it didn’t work. Yes, I knew he was her husband when I set up his contract, but I didn’t think of this in terms of contract violation. I was just securing another soul.† Marcel addressed the jury. â€Å"Is he telling the truth? He made the second contract out of ignorance and not malicious intent? By which I mean, no more malicious intent than is normally called for in these situations.† Some of the angels nodded, looking reluctant to do so. â€Å"It doesn’t matter if it was in ignorance,† said Roman. â€Å"That’s never an excuse for breaking the law. You messed up, and in doing so, you’ve invalidated both contracts.† â€Å"Come now,† said Marcel. â€Å"It’s not as though either of the Damned were that wronged. This technicality aside, she really was wiped from the memories of all she knew. And he got nine more lives. Nine more lives! We all know how rare reincarnation deals are. He got exactly what he asked for. He was even reunited with her. Hell has fulfilled these contracts as nobly as possible, and you can’t hold everyone responsible for one underling’s mishap that no one else even knew about.† â€Å"Oh,† said Roman, a predatory note in his voice. â€Å"I think others knew about the glitch. Others in much higher positions. Your honor, may I call another witness?† â€Å"Who?† asked Hannibal. â€Å"My father,† said Roman. â€Å"Jerome, Archdemon of Seattle.† There was a collective gasp among some, but whether that was from Roman acknowledging Jerome as his father or simply the summoning of such a high-ranking witness, I couldn’t say. Hannibal nodded. â€Å"Granted. Niphon, you may step down. Jerome, please join us up here.† Niphon couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He practically barreled into Jerome when they passed in the aisle. For his part, Jerome was sauntering along casually, as though all of this were beneath him and it was a great concession on his part to even show. He sat down, crossing his hands neatly in front of him and affecting a bored look. â€Å"Jerome,† said Roman. â€Å"Isn’t it true you knew about the connection between Seth and Georgina? Er, Kyriakos and Letha?† Jerome shrugged one shoulder. â€Å"I knew they were both contracted souls.† It was an answer worthy of an angel. Some of the truth, but not all of the truth. I half hoped some angel would call him on it until an unfortunate fact hit me. Demons could lie without detection. There was no way to prove he was telling the truth or not. â€Å"Did you know the terms of her contract?† asked Roman. â€Å"Of course,† said Jerome. â€Å"I do for all my employees.† â€Å"So you knew that the contract allowed her to be wiped from the minds of all those who knew her when she was human.† â€Å"Yes,† said Jerome. â€Å"And you knew that Seth was once her husband, with a contract that involved her.† â€Å"No,† said Jerome flatly. â€Å"I most certainly did not.† A lie, a lie, I thought. But there was no way to prove it. â€Å"If that’s so,† said Roman, â€Å"then why did you use Seth Mortensen to help retrieve Georgina when she was captured by Oneroi last year?† â€Å"I don’t remember the specifics of that incident,† said Jerome delicately. â€Å"Well,† said Roman, â€Å"if you need your memory refreshed, there’s an angel here who witnessed it all who can give us a recap. One I’m sure the jury won’t question.† Jerome’s features went perfectly still as Roman’s trap sprang open around him. Jerome might be immune to angelic truth detection, but anything Carter swore to seeing Jerome do or know would be held as gospel. Carter couldn’t lie. If he said Jerome had used Seth to rescue me, then everyone would believe it, regardless if Jerome continued to deny it. Seeing the futility of more cover-up, Jerome came clean. â€Å"Oh,† he said. â€Å"Those Oneroi.† â€Å"You used a human psychic to help retrieve her,† said Roman. â€Å"He had the power and the ritual but no way to actually find her in the void where the Oneroi were holding her. You suggested using Seth as a way to find her soul, and it worked. Why? How did you know that?† Jerome shrugged. â€Å"They were always mooning over each other. I figured if ever there was any merit in that true love nonsense, then we could use it to help us.† â€Å"That’s not what Mei said.† I took advantage of the conversational nature of the proceedings, my mind spinning with a long-lost memory. â€Å"Mei said it defied the odds and that no matter how in love we were, it shouldn’t have worked.† Jerome’s dark gaze flicked to something behind me, and I was guessing Mei was now enjoying the full force of his glare. â€Å"Georgina was trapped in the vastness of the dream world,† added in Roman. â€Å"One soul lost among dreams. For someone else to reach her and call her back required a staggering connection, two souls with a tie that’s bound them through time.† â€Å"Please don’t get sentimental,† said Jerome. â€Å"It’s nauseating.† Roman shook his head. â€Å"I’m stating facts. Everyone here knows it’s true. Their souls had to have been bound for him to get to her, and you knew it, which is why you suggested using Seth. You knew about the contracts and their history. This wasn’t one small error confined to a bumbling inferior. You knew about it. And you knew there was a problem.† â€Å"Which is why you had Erik killed and initiated a transfer for me!† I exclaimed. Seeing Jerome sitting there so coolly, so uncaring . . . it drove home the truth. He had known all along what was transpiring with Seth and me, and what it meant. I’d never thought Jerome and I were friends, but it was startling to really accept just how much he’d been working against me in order to further Hell’s goals. â€Å"Oh, Georgie,† he said. â€Å"Always you and the melodrama.† â€Å"It’s not! We can get proof – â€Å" Roman put his hand on mine. â€Å"Not easily,† he murmured. â€Å"There’ll be no paper trail, I guarantee it. And it’s not relevant to this case right now.† I thought about kind, generous Erik, bleeding to death before my eyes. â€Å"It’s relevant to me.† Jerome let out a long-suffering sigh. â€Å"Is there anything else? Can I return to my seat, please?† The judge glanced between Roman and Marcel. Both men shook their heads. When Jerome was gone, Roman pushed the case. â€Å"Your honor, esteemed jury . . . we’ve provided more than enough evidence to show that her contract was not fulfilled. Through whatever mishaps, those from her human life did not stop remembering her. Per article 7.51.2 of the Soul Chronicles, Georgina’s contract is invalidated. She’s entitled to her soul back and the remainder of this life, free of Hell’s employment, per the section on damages and reparations in article 8.2.0. Likewise, Seth Mortensen’s contract is also invalidated because it was made under false pretenses. The imp who drew it up knew that it violated hers and knew that the very conditions of Seth’s – finding her and making amends – included a degree of remembering. It’s impossible for his to exist without contradicting hers. He too is entitled to the restoration of his soul.† â€Å"Your honor – † began Marcel. Judge Hannibal held up his hand. â€Å"Silence. I’ll make you a deal.† There was a restless shifting in the courtroom, an undercurrent of excitement. Demons loved deals and bargains. â€Å"Go on,† said Roman. â€Å"I’m willing to dismiss the case without a jury vote and grant that Letha’s contract wasn’t honored. I’m willing to give her all of the restorations outlined in article 8.2.0.† Gasps surrounded us. My eyes widened, and I turned to Roman questioningly. Was it as easy as that? I didn’t know all the details of 8.2.0, but by my understanding, if the contract was invalidated, I could return to Earth and live out the rest of my days as a human. In possession of my soul. It seemed too good to be true. â€Å"However,† continued Hannibal, â€Å"I don’t see enough evidence to support the releasing of this second soul. Your argument for it will be thrown out for being groundless.† â€Å"But it isn’t!† I cried. â€Å"If we don’t accept, then what?† asked Roman. Hannibal shrugged. â€Å"Then the jury can vote on the question of both contracts.† Roman nodded thoughtfully. â€Å"Can I have a moment to confer with my, um, client?† â€Å"Sure.† Hannibal banged the gavel. â€Å"Five-minute recess.† The spectators didn’t need to be told twice. This was huge. A soul getting released was not something that happened every day, nor was a deal like we were being offered. â€Å"What’s the catch here?† I asked Roman softly. He narrowed his eyes. â€Å"Well, I think Hannibal thinks he’s in danger of losing two souls and is trying cut his losses. Your evidence is pretty solid. Seth’s is too, though not quite as good – especially without Seth actually here. Still, Hannibal would rather let you go easily and ensure that he still keeps one soul in this mess.† â€Å"But if the evidence is there, then we should let it go to the jury. You just said it’s solid for Seth too.† â€Å"It is,† agreed Roman. â€Å"But here’s the thing that Hugh told me about these juries. All contract disputes are judged by half angels and half demons – for the sake of fairness. The angels will honestly vote with what they feel to be right. If the evidence was flimsy, they’d vote against you. It’s not worth it to them to get a soul free if the conditions aren’t honorable. The demons have no such morals. Jerome and Niphon could both openly confess to a conspiracy of conflicting contracts, and every demon on that jury would still vote against you.† â€Å"That’s not fair,† I said. â€Å"Georgina,† he said simply. â€Å"We’re in Hell.† â€Å"So what happens if it’s split? Do they go by the same hung jury procedures we know?† â€Å"A tie-breaking vote is produced. A thirteenth angel or demon is called at random, who then casts the deciding vote. If it comes down to that, then your chances simply fall to a 50-50 luck of the draw.† â€Å"Hence the bargain,† I murmured. â€Å"If I abandon Seth’s soul, I’m guaranteed my freedom.† Roman nodded. â€Å"And if you don’t, you may be consigning both of you to Hell.† How to cite Succubus Revealed Chapter 19, Essay examples

Contribution Understanding Of Differences â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Contribution Understanding Of Differences? Answer: Introducation differences. Cultural diversity is widely noticed in business organizations as this allows the companies to expand business globally by recruiting global workforce. This is used as a competitive business strategy as the organizations are able to sustain in the competitive business market. Cross-cultural management is defined as the behavior of the people in the organizations around the world thereby, describing the organizational behavior within countries (Moran, Abramson and Moran 2014). Hofstedes work on cultural differences helps in understanding and improving interaction and communication between the co-workers, clients, suppliers and alliance partners from different countries and cultures. Hofstedes work on cultural differences is one of most comprehensive studies that demonstrate the influence of cultures and values at the workplace. In order to understand the impact of cultural diversity at the workplace, Hofstede analyzed the large database of IBM employees from 1967-1973 in more than 50 countries. According to Hofstede, culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Therefore, cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster. Hofstede key research and conceptionual Hofstede was one of the first people to consider humans as computers that require various software for programming thereby, presenting an analogy. Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group from another (Giddens et al. 2016). The collective mental programmings of the individuals are greatly influenced by factors such as religious beliefs along with individual preferences, tastes, and cultural background. Hofstede also mentioned that people are not born with culture but grow with. After birth, the individual tends to learn from their surrounding social and religious environment. Professor Geert Hofstede includes six features namely, individuality /collectivistic, masculine/feminine, uncertainty/avoidance, power distance, time perspectives and indulgence/restraint in his work of Hofstedes work on cultural differences (Fang 2012). Application of Hofstede model As mentioned by Bian and Forsythe (2012), power distance defines the social inequality within the society. The society includes the working environment that is ruled by strong people. The power distance demonstrates the distance between the individuals at different levels of hierarchy in the working environment. The scale includes from equal to an unequal power distance. Hofstede demonstrated that power is unequally distributed in the business organizations. At certain instances, the majority of the co-workers present at the working environment dominate the employees at the workplace due to the different cultural background. Due to this difference among the co-workers and relationship is noticed. As commented by Shenkar (2012), inequality prevails in most of the places in the society. However, it some places the degree of inequality is more compared to other places within the society. For example, the managers of the business organizations tend to use their power over the employees. Though to a certain extent it is justified in order to maintain balance and discipline within the business organization, at certain instances the power is misused. For instance, due to cultural or religious preferences, in spite of being qualified, the individuals are not provided with desired positions or opportunities. Either they are not recruited or they are not provided suitable professional growth scopes (Lee, Trimi and Kim 2013). The features of individualism and collectivism are defined as the scale and provision of understanding preferences of individuals or people working in groups (Smith et al. 2013). The concept of individualism highlights the extent to which individuals are supposed to look after themselves to sustain the particular group. A group is composed of culturally diverse individuals that have different preferences, beliefs, and demands. Therefore, in order to sustain in the group, it is significant for the individuals to adjust themselves. For example, in order to achieve the desired goal, a team might be formed that consists of culturally diverse individuals. In order to work successfully as a team, the individuals need to look after themselves so that they can continue as a group. According to Hofstede, Jonker and Verwaart (2012), the society with individualistic nature tends to be more self-centered and self-focused. Due to this tendency, the individuals might increase their extension to fa mily and close relatives. The US culture is a living example of individualistic society. The nature of the individualistic society of the US society facilitates encouraging individual achievements. However, on the contrary, the Guatemalan lifestyle is an example of a collective society that believes in encouraging collective achievements. In the case of the collectivism, the individuals emphasize more on the requirement of the entire group or society. They prioritize the need and demands of the group or the society rather than considering their preferences first (Rinne, Steel and Fairweather 2012). As a result, it is easier of the groups or the societies to achieve the best and high-quality results. The ability of the individuals within the group to adopt the required changes without prioritizing individual preferences results in success. The surrounding social environment and the nature of their upbringing are developed and gathered by the individuals. Hofstedes work on cultural diversity expresses the male and female working characteristics of the society and workplace. Masculinity represents toughness among men along with emphasizing on success material. On the other hand, feminine emphasizes more on quality of life such as tenderness and modesty. As commented by Brewer and Venaik (2012), being born as a female or male determines the emotional and social contribution and implications of an individual towards the society. The femininity highlights the type of society where both men and women are modest, tender and concerned with the quality of life. However, as argued by Volet and Ang (2012), masculinity and femininity does not only significant gender differences but highlights the degree of masculinity and femininity. The degree of masculinity represents assertiveness, authority, and performance whereas the degree of femininity represents relationships, quality of life and service. The Japanese society is an example of masculinit y society due to their extremely low ranking of female workers. On the other hand, the western countries such as Norway and Sweden are examples of femininity society, as a higher amount of empathy towards the female workers is seen. The male and female correspondents are given equal and deserving positions and career growth opportunities based on their skills, qualification, and experience. The feature of uncertainty avoidance highlights the ability of the individuals or the society to deal with uncertain situations. Ability to deal with uncertain situations provides an opportunity of controlling expression while avoiding uncertain situations (Viberg and Gronlund 2013). However, as argued by Grimmelikhuijsen et al. (2013), uncertainty avoidance is defined as the degree to which individuals are exposed to uncertain situations or events. Uncertainty avoidance provides an opportunity for the individuals to cope up in future even if the situations encountered are within the control or out of control. Therefore, cultures signifying higher rate of uncertainty avoidance results in adverse risk effects thereby, preferring predictable environment. According to Hofstedes work on cultural diversity, individuals from society having a high rate of uncertainty avoidance are generally dogmatic and rigid (Dickson et al. 2012). This is because the individuals are extremely threatened by the uncertain future situations. As a result, the individual from such societies foresees and expects a higher percentage of risk involved in the future. In order to gain security, the individuals from higher uncertainty avoidance society rely on religion, rules, and customs (Beugelsdijk, Maseland and Hoorn 2015). The aforementioned practices are highly prevalent in most of the organizations around the world. For example, some of the organization might not have any health and safety regulations and rules or policies representing minimum pay for the employees. However, some of the organizations might have policies and rules fulfilling the above-mentioned factors. The organizations that expect certain amount of risk to happen, therefore, prepare themselves for facing them in future. According to the fifth dimension stated by Hofstedes work on cultural diversity, the basic difference highlighted within the society includes clock-time culture against the time of the event. Hofstedes work on cultural diversity insisted that the clock time culture is highly prevalent within industries and organizations. This is because the business organizations and industries provide greater importance towards punctuality and dedication towards work (Minkov and Hofstede 2012). Key critiques As commented by Vaiman and Brewster (2015), discussing and understanding the significance of cross-culture for the business organization necessary for managing workplace and relationship between the employees. Therefore, having a deep understanding of the culture of different countries is significant in order to conduct business internationally and globally. In spite of being popular, Hofstedes work on cultural diversity gathered a whole lot of criticism. For example, some of the researchers beg to differ with Hofstedes tools for collecting data such as surveys. The authors question the accuracy of work thereby, criticizing that Hofstede failed to select appropriate tools for collection of data for his research works (Taras, Steel and Kirkman 2012). As a result, the findings, interpretations, and conclusion deduced by Hofstede might be incorrect. As commented by Hsu, Woodside and Marshall (2013), Hofstede mentioned in one of his work that survey is just one of the methods of collecti ng relevant data and that he has used other methods for collecting data for this research works. In support of Hofstede, authors have mentioned considering the time when he has been conducting the research works. Therefore, considering the time when Hofstede conducted the research, very little similar works have been done to learn and understand the culture. However, as argued by Meyer et al. (2012), the dimension of Hofstedes cultural diversity fails in providing a deep understanding of the organizational culture. According to Cogin (2012), works done by Hofstede are extremely relevant in understanding cultural diversity thereby, becoming one of the significant works for understanding the importance of cultural diversity within organizations. During the time, Hofstede started researching about cross-cultural diversity among various organizations; international business strategy was just undertaken by the business organizations. Therefore, the business organizations were in very much need of reliable and credible resources. For such organizations, Hofstedes work on cultural diversity acted as an immense source of understanding and hope. As a result, Hofstedes work on cultural diversity is considered relevant to the primitive studies. Moreover, his work is still considered as it made ways and opportunities for future researches. However, as argued by Kawar (2012), Hofstedes study considered the entire population of a country as homogeneous thereby, failing to take into account the opinions and v iews of native minorities. While conducting the study, Hofstede considered only IBM over a period for understanding the influence of cultural diversity. As IBM is an international company, the workplace consists of people from different cultural background. As a result, Hofstede was able to consider different cultures within the same organizations. However, on the contrary, only collecting data from one organization resulted in a lot of criticism for Hofstedes work on cultural dimension. This is because Hofstede always prioritized national culture over local culture. Therefore, in the study Hofstede also considered the national culture of the country of IBM as the only culture and compared it with another office of IBM is another country. Some of the authors have stated various arguments based on Hofstedes work on cultural diversity. Some of the authors seem extremely firm, strong and assertive while questioning the accuracy of Hofstedes work. Questions also arise in terms of the existence of national culture in Hofstedes work. Criticizing Hofstedes work, it has been said that Hofstedes has been trying to measure something that is difficult to quantify by incorrect means. Hofstedes work has also been criticized by saying that national culture cannot be considered as the only culture of the country. This is because national culture is defined as all the cultures that are present within the country thereby, distinguishing the individuals from one nation to another (Vaara et al. 2012). As Hofstede prioritized national culture over local cultures, this restricted the chances of accommodating new ideas, opinions, and perspectives within the study. Hofstede did not consider the various cultures that co-existed within the country. Instead, he considered the major culture of the country as the national culture and only emphasized on the national culture. As a result, Hofstedes work on cultural dimension failed to incorporate the viewpoints and opinions of the ethnic minorities. Therefore, according to the different authors, Hofstede work on cultural dimension failed to analyze the true sense of cultural diversity, as the cultures of the ethnic minors were left unattended. As mentioned by Zhang, De Pablos and Xu (2014), Hofstede has always considered the entire culture of the country a one thereby, ignoring small practices and cultures that co-exist within the country. For example, Hofstede has considered Greta Britain, as one national culture though Great Britain is constituted Wales, Scotland, and England. Therefore, Hofstede work on cultural diversity has failed to consider the respective cultures of Wales, Scotland, and England while conducting his research. As mentioned by Hamamura (2012), Hofstedes research structure was based coherent theory thereby, facilitating systematic collection of data. This method of data collection was significant for the marketplace. However, as criticized by Alkailani,, Azzam and Athamneh (2012), the structure of Hofstedes research was extremely rigid and inflexible in order to accommodate the different viewpoints. As a result, the sampling was not consistent and distributed unevenly. The research conducted by Hofstede generated controversial results in terms of cultural diversity. During the time of Hofstedes work on cultural diversity, the cold war was affecting Europe. However, the continent was recovering from the adverse impact of World War. As communism was rapidly spreading in Europe, Asia, and Africa, the data collection process used by Hofstede was affected largely (Masuda et al. 2012). In order to complete the research work successfully, the data collected from the third world countries have to be skipped thereby, affecting the overall results of the research. Skipping the results of the third country led to lack of data thereby, failing in understanding the exact situation of the countries (Zaheer, Schomaker and Nachum 2012). Hofstedes work on cultural diversity was conducted in the era when the countries were overcoming the effects of World War. Therefore, the data collected from the third world countries neither were considered. With time, the economic, social and environmental aspects of the third world countries have changed drastically. Therefore, skipping the data of the third world countries resulted in lack of knowledge and understanding of their cultural diversity. This is because the third world countries have now become some of the growing economic countries in the world. Therefore, lack of knowledge about the cultural diversity in the countries might hamper the international marketing of the organizations. Strength and weakness of Hostede model Hofstede considered only one company, that is, IBM for conducting his research thereby, making it difficult to come up with absolute measurements. Therefore, the use of only one international company eradicated the influence of the management practices and corporate policies of various companies that affect the cultural behavior differently (Ngai, Tao and Moon 2015). As a result, the culture of the country is left out and requires explanations in terms of cultural difference. Another significant criticism encountered by Hofstedes doctrine is the outdated nature in terms of the value of the modern society (Bergiel, Bergiel and Upson 2012). With time, various aspects have changed in the countries that Hofstede used for understanding cross-cultural diversity. For example, some of the third world countries of that time have now become one of the rapidly growing economies of the world. Therefore, Hofstedes work is highly questionable in terms of credibility evolving around the global environment. According to Sabri (2012), Hofstede has answered the criticism saying that cultural diversity is based on centuries. A Recent study also supported Hofstedes fact stating the cultural change does not happen overnight (Boden et al. 2012). Another criticism faced by Hofstedes work on cultural diversity includes minimal use of dimensions (Popov et al. 2012). Lack of the appropriate number of dimensions reslts in insufficient information and data about cultural differences. However, Hofstede also accepted the criticism stating that he also wanted to explore more cultural dimensions. The statistical credibility of Hofstedes work on cultural diversity has been questioned by referring to the work of other researchers of the similar era. errors have been found in Hofstedes study. However, Hofstede was satisfied with the data collection method and research style used for completing the research. Some authors compared Hofstede data collection and research methods by replicating the research. Majority of the replications confirmed Hofstedes research. 15 replications highlighted partial confirmation whereas 4 replications were confirmed entirely. Therefore, individualism was one of the dimensions that failed to pass the validity test (Baptista and Oliveira 2015). As commented by Karin Andreassi et al. (2014), Hofstedes last dimension was considered as the confusing one. This is because the individuals following one culture might find the people and their culture strange and confusing. Additionally, Hofstede has mentioned that the fifth dimension of the doctrine is an oriental contribution that I not registered in the minds of the western culture. Conclusion In this essay, it can be concluded that the Hofstedes work on cultural diversity plays a significant role in understanding the impact of cross-culture for business organizations. Initially, Hofstedes work on cultural dimension consisted of four dimensions. However, Hofstede added a fifth dimension later on. Hofstedes work in considered as one of the significant intellectual achievement. This has helped in laying the foundation of the cross-cultural study. Hofstedes work on cultural dimension is significant in todays world, as this provides a better understanding of globalization thereby, ensuring easiness in international marketing. Therefore, Hofstedes study on cultural dimension establishes a good platform for future studies in respect of cross culture. The essay also discussed the criticisms encountered by Hofstedes work on cultural dimension along with the justification of the criticisms. 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