Essays on Tradition

Abstract

This paper explores the history of gangs and their relationship with drugs in the United States. The existing literature shows that gangs have been around since 18th century, they have evolved over the time to carry out different atrocities in the cities. Research has shown that violence is a way of life for the gang members because it is their main system of justice. The paper also identifies the measures that state agencies should use to curb the illicit trade and save the society from the terror that is associated with this trade. The research has shown that the Continue reading...

Art and architecture: Term paper

Introduction
The history of Chinese and Japanese architecture and design confirms a close connection between these two nations, their common Far-Eastern roots. At the same time, they have deep distinctions. Japanese architecture took a lot from Chinese traditions over centuries - therefore we cannot consider it separately.
In a number of aspects differences between them show that the Chinese architecture and interior design are essentially older than Japanese. Long before AD, Chinese culture and art had achieved an advanced stage of development in planning and constructive solutions.
As for the Japanese, they have been building lightly built houses for Continue reading...

The future of American religion is in the “none.” A recent published and publicized survey on religion depicts an undeniable trend in religious association in America. The religious landscape has many people embracing spirituality rather than a tradition religious brand. People are within their democratic right to embrace this form of religion. Some people in the survey refuse to associate with any religion as others make a transition from the traditional authoritative religions and move to “none.”
The survey indicates that those respondents on the “none” affiliation do so in a liberal political spectrum. The “none” has gained popularity Continue reading...

The lottery by Shirley Jackson was published in 1948 in the New Yorker. It contains a historical context that made it be ranked among the best short stories in the American Literature. The lottery is termed as "a chilling tale of conformity gone mad.” The author has used symbolism and imagery throughout the story to provide insight of the activities that happened in the tradition setting. In the paper below, I will discuss the use of imagery and symbolism in the story, and this includes the lottery, the stones, the three-legged stool, and the black box.

THE LOTTERY

The lottery is Continue reading...

Farid Esack is among the conspicuous Muslim liberators against apartheid in South Africa. His sermons are a call to action to all social groups. Farid uses the Quran instruction to guide the Muslim community on ethics and conduct. Farid is a South African Muslim that has extensive experience in the application of a progressive vision to the racial and social problems in the native country. The rejection of Muslims drives Esack to embrace other religious association and social groups in the county. The rise of Islam as a philosophy will transform the Muslim community begins with the Iranian revolution Continue reading...

Of all the varieties of conceptual models of the information society, for the purposes of this study, it is important to include at least two aspects: first, characterizing the functioning of culture at the named stage of social development and, secondly, a new type of relations in the system of "individual - society". The first of them is determined by the mosaic of culture, the increasing role of virtualization, media saturation, changing patterns of behavior, loss of a clear hierarchy of values that actually leads to the disappearance of the notion of norm. Second - characterizes crisis of paternalistic Continue reading...

Introduction

Every nation in the world has their traditional and cultural values. These values are the ones that shaped their identity as well as their characteristics as member of their society. Traditional values are considered important norms that members of the society follow so as to attend on their daily lives in a normal basis. This goes the same with cultural values that shaped a nation’s history as old cultural practices guided our new generations about how life was lived by our ancestors. Thus, cultural and traditional values have significant lessons that taught many of us when we were Continue reading...

Religion and Prophets

According to religion, prophets are regarded as supernatural. Their actions are considered to be divine and directly intricate to God’s plan. The idea of prophets is embraced in diverse cultures. Ranging from Christianity, Hindu to Islam, prophets were regarded as very significant individuals who had powers and character that superseded human thoughts and abilities (Moley, 2009).The word prophet originates from the Greek word, Profetes meaning a seer or an advocate of God. As it regards Abrahamic religions such as Judaism and Christianity, the position of prophets was regarded as follows; in Judaism, prophets originated from people. It Continue reading...

Throughout the history of Western civilization, people have asked themselves questions about how to lead their lives and achieve happiness. Major philosophers have debated this idea, arguing for different ways of orienting their lives, commenting and criticizing their precursors in the process. Two of the most important of these thinkers were Aristotle and Immanuel Kant, who both drafted different ethical theories, while staying within the boundaries of what is considered standard in the Western philosophical tradition. Specific differences in their contexts lead to major dissimilarities in their theories. However, both theories have aspects which may be considered correct, and Continue reading...

Humanity has been marked by progression. Generations have developed reacting to one another and to the different events around the world. In "Generation Me on Trial", the author Jean M. Twenge criticizes millennial and their mode of conduct. He argues that they have only lived in a world where reality television programs and social networks like FaceBook, and that this has greatly influenced the way they behave. He finds that they are lacking in empathy, not being able to understand what other people, including minorities, feel when being attacked. There has also been a downfall in assuming the consequences Continue reading...

The major themes of in the novel, “Things Fall Apart” by Achebe includes the tussle between tradition and change, the varied ways of interpreting masculinity and language or dialect as a symbol of cultural disparity have been discussed in this essay. The themes have been exposed mainly through the main character in the novel called Okonkwo. The novel presents the traditional ways of life of the clan of Igbo at a time when they were faced with the dilemma of embracing chance that was brought by the European colonialists and missionaries.
The theme of varying interpretation of masculinity starts Continue reading...

Indian classical music influencing western music in 21st century

The concept that Indian classical music has influenced western music has gained so much weight in the recent years. Classical music is the considered to be the music of east. While hip hop, jazz, rock and pop music is associated with western culture.
Introduction: the influence of Indian music is very prominent on western music. There are various evidences that show how western music is inspired from the Indian classical music. When we see at the Jazz music, it’s played in clubs, concerts, and even in balls. In the beginning, it was played in few western countries but Continue reading...

Country Profile

About Afghanistan
Situated between the borders of China, Iran and Pakistan, Afghanistan is considered to take on so much culture and tradition from its neighboring countries (Banting, 2003). Rich in several mountainous regions, the country imposes interest on those who love to travel and be adventurous at the same time. Back in the days, the nation specifically held a great possibility of becoming a central attraction for most adventurous travelers who are bound towards the central areas of Asia.
There are approximately 35,320 445 residents accounted for in 2011 who embrace Afghanistan as their home (Bleaney, et al, Continue reading...

The tradition of celebrating Halloween dates back from the ancient legends and folklore across the world. In Catholic countries, November 1 is the All Saints Day, which marks a special celebration of the saints’ good deeds here on earth. November 2 is considered as the All Hallows Eve, a day said to believe that spirits of the dead return to the land to visit their loved ones. Originally, the tradition of Halloween dates back since the Middle Ages, based on the ancient pagan festivity in Ireland. This celebration is called ‘Samhain,’ (pronounced as sow-een) which means ‘the end of Continue reading...

Cultural practices differentiate one society from another. Since culture is “the set of learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values, and ideals that are characteristic of a particular society or population” (Ember et al. 217), a cultural tradition would speak volumes about that society. A festival, in particular, is a rich representation of particular culture. The Annual Tournament of Roses Parade at Pasadena, California is an appropriate example of such festival. This event has just turned 125 years old and it reflects the beliefs, attitudes and values of the residents, not only in Pasadena, but also in the State of California.

Early Beginnings

Continue reading...

The most notable development in literary studies has been the evolution and proliferation of several critical vantage points/positions vis-à-vis which literary texts are analysed, evaluated and interpreted. Stylistic analysis is one such novel and fascinating approach to unravel the complexities of a text. Such an analysis uses an integrative model, by subjecting the ‘words on the page’ (language) to a close scrutiny in order to explore the text (literature) and decipher hidden values/meanings for a richer and enhanced understanding. The aim of this paper is to dissect Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and view it under the Continue reading...

Question #1

The early slaves that came into the United States experienced several difficulties at first. They did not have a common language thus making communication among themselves and with their masters very difficult. However with time they came up with ways to communicate and key among them was the ability to sing. When they came to the US as slaves, they brought African melodies, rhythms and instrumental techniques which they would use to compose different songs. Since they lived with the White people, they would get exposed to White people music which they fused with their own melodies to come Continue reading...

Level 4 (UG Year 1): Coursework Cover Sheet [last update October 2013]

Detailed description of these quality judgments is available online at www.heythrop.ac.uk/assessment
Take careful note of the feedback provided. This includes detailed comments intended both to clarify the things you did not understand, and to give clear suggestions for improving your work in future. Feedback on coursework consists of the provisional mark, the above table, and the general comments to be found to the right in the Turnitin Viewer. You can expect such feedback within three weeks
whenever you submit work on time.
The paper analyzes different aspects of the modernity in Judaism and distinguishes the crucial characteristics of the Continue reading...

“Chain Her by One Foot: The Subjection of Women in Seventeenth-Century New France” exhaustively exposes how the advent of the Europeans disrupted the feminine roles, responsibilities and way of life in the native America. The author, Karen Anderson, who has served the government and the people of Scotland at different capacities, as the commissioner of Royal Fine arts, chair of Architecture and Design and founding partner of Anderson Bell Christie is the convener of the Saltire Housing Design Award Panel. Her eloquence in communication and professionalism in architecture has enabled her handle several community based projects that specifically involve Continue reading...

The arts and culture of the Vietnamese is elaborate and diverse with splendid plays, songs and set pieces performances that demonstrate indigenous expressions on culture of the Viet (Barley 93). This research paper explores with a specific example; the diverse culture of the Viet represented through subtle selection of music on the songs; “Lie Down Sleep”, a Viet lullaby from the tribe of Black Thais (Don 78) and the “Au O Vi Dau” another common Viet lullaby. The tribe of Black Thais are amongst the minority occupants of the mountain region of Vietnam, and their stylistic, cultural representations and Continue reading...

Literature and any work of art are defined as a mirror that reflects the society that we live in.There are many ideas and themes which are covered in literature work as they address the social issues. Many of the themes are developed based on how issues develop within the society; many authors relate their work to the basic issues that many readers can relate with and also covering a particular period. In the novel “Bone “Leon is struggling in his family business which he is being assisted by his three daughter and wife. His daughters are finding it challenging Continue reading...

A common belief in business states‘ the structural decision items of an operation's strategy are a reflection of the hardware components of the firm, while the infrastructure decision consequently, represents the firm’s software’. This is an analogy borrowed from computers that reflect on how important structural decisions are to the firm. Hardware is the backbone without which software would have nothing to run. There are heavy investment decisions that cannot be changed without incurring significant losses. They demand deliberate considerations about operations spread in different countries and demographics (Kayne, 2009). They include facilities decisions, process technology, capacity management Continue reading...

Introduction

African American literature was born at the end of the 18th century, during the period when the African American people were still going through slavery. Slaves were seen to be less than human and not able to study sciences or arts. White Philosophers during this time viewed slaves as inferior including those that wrote The Norton Anthology of African American Literature (Nellie McKay and Henry Louis Gates Jr.) as well as Immanuel Kant and David Hume. The philosophers noted that the African American people, nicknamed as ‘Negroes’ by then were inferior to the white people, and they did not Continue reading...

In the short story “The Lottery”, written by Shirley Jackson in 1948, the author showcases a dystopian future in which tradition and a sense of community is placed above the individual. An ironic twist at the end turns a pleasant, slice-of-life story about a developing society into a morality tale in which our obsession with tradition is taken to its most extreme conclusion. The characters tacitly endorse horrific violence, showing the real monsters that lie at the very core of human nature. With “The Lottery,” Jackson wishes to showcase the foolishness of mob mentality and the gradual erosion of Continue reading...

MUSIC APPRECIATION

Twentieth century composers were known for the innovativeness, and developed new organizing systems and included sounds like never before never before seen or heard in Western fine art music. Music has grown over time and today, we hear rhythms and blues, psychedelic music to disco and rock, rock and roll, rap, and hip-hop to name a few. Composers like Edwin Outwater, Morton Feldman, Luigi Russolo, and Edgard Varèse have changed the concept of what music is and should be.
Melody was a composition that was not overtly preferred by Edwin Outwater. American music composer, Morton Feldman’s orchestra Continue reading...

Catholic is a Roman Catholic faith or a member of the Roman Catholic Church. The term catholic was initially used to mean a universal church. Therefore, it is used to describe all Christians of diverse religions around the universe since we all believe in Jesus Christ. In the 2nd century, catholic was used to reiterate its universal aspect. Catholic Church is among the largest Christian church with approximately one billion followers around the globe. The Roman Catholic Church has played a domineering role in western civilization. The head of the church, according to church’s hierarchy, is the Pope. Continue reading...

Thesis: Based on Aristotle’s definition of not only a tragic hero but also of tragedy, Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice could rightly be described as a tragedy due to the main character’s lack of knowledge as well as due to the play’s depiction of a community and adherence to tragic guidelines.
- Othello as a Tragic Hero
- Noble and Admirable Characteristics
- Common, Human Elements
- The Issue of Race in Separating Othello from Other Characters
- Othello’s Tragic Flaw or Mistake
- Adherence to Greek Tradition
- Presence of the Masses
Continue reading...

Business Ethics Antitrust Law

Business Ethics Antitrust Law

Introduction

The antitrust laws aim at ensuring that all businesses in a given market play by the same rules. This is so because businesses in a free market may achieve the near-monopoly status via their own merits such as creating better production processes, offering the best quality service and decreasing costs among others. However, antitrust laws set vivid boundaries for fairness in the business by prohibiting practices that control free trading. It also restrains dominant firms from abusing their market position. The antitrust laws offer regulatory review of business mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures to ensure Continue reading...

The Mayan apocalyptic predictions of 2012 have long since passed, and civilization has essentially moved on from its portents of doom and gloom. However, with Gregg Braden’s Fractal Time: The Secret of 2012 and a New World Age, elements of self-help spiritualism and pseudo-math are combined to create a work of New Age spiritualism that, while certainly illuminating to the converted, will not successfully convince those looking for philosophies to the universe that require greater rigor. Looking at the book through an air of skepticism, Fractal Time fails to convince, poorly using its own research and loosely connecting Continue reading...

The Middle Ages were the period of European history dating from the fall of the Holy Roman Empire in 476A.D. up to 1453 and started when the Ottoman Turks of the Middle East captured Constantinople. The Catholic Church grew more powerful and influential during that time. Governed by bishops and archbishops under the papal authority from Rome, the church became more dominant in the medieval society. Nuns and monks lived together in a house called monastery, devoting their lives in the service of God. In this period of turmoil and instability, many people turn to God in order to Continue reading...

Is Diabetes Dangerous to us?

Abstract
In recent years, the medical experts and practitioners have expressed alarm over the growing number of diabetes related deaths. While most agree that the issue deserves attention, the unison agreement revolves on how to respond to the problem of diabetes management. This paper approaches the problem of diabetes management through the enforcement of dietary measures and new lifestyle approaches. The paper compares the response to diabetes management measures across the sexes with examination focused on the glycaemic and stress levels. The examination indicates the effects of the current diabetes management system that combines medical, social and dietary approaches Continue reading...

Introduction

Saudi Arabia underwent major challenges during the past decades due to a decline in the social and economic stability in its historical cities. Urbanization in Saudi Arabia has been ongoing for several decades, and no one paid attention to the value of historical buildings. This led to deterioration of urban centers due to high influx of people from rural areas. No one had paid attention to the destruction of historic sites, until recently, when people begun to voice their concerns over the destruction of most of the historical sites in the country. This led to the formation of the Continue reading...

Examine The Changing Patterns Of North West Mounted Police Work In The West During The Period 1873-1893. What Defines The Character Of The Nwmp Presence And What Is Its Significance?

Thesis statement

The changing pattern of North West mounted police work in the west in the period 1873-1893. The key elements that define the character and on the NWMP presence and its relevance

Summary

The NWMP came into being in 1873. The actual implementation of the new police force was initiated by the cruel massacre of the Indians group in the Cypress hills by American whiskey traders (Curwood, 2012).  John Macdonald, who Continue reading...

Introduction

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart takes us through the life of a typical Nigerian life and family. This is all about inclination to traditional believes, family values, relationships and the daily struggles to make a living. Western civilization and religion has also been addressed with the villagers and missionaries facing the challenge of abandoning their beliefs to embrace Christianity. Tradition has always been part of many African nations that consider it a unifying factor. Despite some of the beliefs and practices that are considered inhuman and selfish, some aspects of the tradition play an important role in unifying Continue reading...

Article Review: African Theology - Roman Catholic, and Asian Theology – Roman Catholic in Global Dictionary of Theology: A Resource for the Worldwide Church

The two articles being reviewed and compared here are African Theology – Roman Catholic, and Asian Theology - Roman Catholic, both taken from the Global Dictionary of Theology: A Resource for the Worldwide Church, edited by William A. Dyrness and Veli-Matti Karkkainen.
Both articles begin with an overview of their interaction with diversity and it is at the very onset that the reader realizes that the two theologies vary greatly in their follower base. Despite its fundamentally Continue reading...

The world today is rapidly changing and coming together, thanks in part to globalization and the power of the internet. Communication by all means is cultural. It has the ability to draw on the many ways in which we learn to speak and give nonverbal messages. Communication between people doesn’t all happen the same as it varies from day to day, affected by individual personality, context, and the interactions of different individuals moods with the impact of cultural influence. Communication is an interactive process in which social influences are internalized to influence individuals’ choices, and effect relationship with Continue reading...

The Lottery is a short fiction written by Shirley Jackson. It is a story about a shocking tradition practiced by the people in a certain town. Shirley ironically gives the lottery a bad the ceremony of public stoning, contrary to what it originally means; winning a lot of money. The story focuses around a village during a ceremony they call the lottery that ensures there is enough rain for their crops. In the story, a number of literary devices are used by the author, for example, irony, symbolism, foreshadowing, only to mention but a few. The author uses these Continue reading...

Women are mostly neglected in the society. The position of women remains unrecognized in most areas of the world. In early days, women were seen as wives whose obligations were to look after kids, cook and do cleaning and laundry The Landscape for a Good Woman tells the story of Carolyn’s childhood and her mother's refusal to mother. This implies how Edna, Carolyn’s mother ran away from the responsibilities of taking care of her two children as she even frankly tells them that were it, not for them; she would be somewhere else.
Carolyn greatly challenges theory Continue reading...

The challenge of keeping a national identity as a subculture in some countries is most evident in connection with special events such as transition rites. For instance, the coming of age is such an event. No culture remains unchanged without steady efforts by its subjects to keep and reaffirm it. However, cultures do not survive only by being maintained. This is so because in the globe where all things change; culture has also changed. However, the continuity and changes of the subculture are currently at stake. The humanities help people to understand their place in the earth via ages Continue reading...

Structural realism or Neo-realism is a well recognized theory of international relations, in the book of “Theory of International Politics”, outlined by Kenneth Waltz. His argument favoured a clear and systematic approach of the international relations structure. Considering Neo-liberalism, the topic of neo-realism is considered a great and influential approach to the discipline of international relations (Keohane & Robert, 1986). These perspectives have had a great dominance to international relations over a long period. The topic of neo-realism came from North America as a discipline of political science, and continues to reformulate and dominate the tradition of classical realist of Continue reading...