Jonathan Edwardss Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Annotated Bibliography of its critique Essay Example

Jonathan Edwardss Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God: Annotated Bibliography of its critique Essay Wilson H. Kimnach, Caleb J.D. Maskell, and Kenneth P. Minkema, editors. Jonathan Edwards’s â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God†: A Casebook. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2010. 204 pages. This book attempts to deconstruct the various dimensions of Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon. In other words, it offers the social, historical and theological contexts for the sermon for the novice reader. Even for those practicing Christianity for a long time, the book offers key insights and asides with respect to the text in question. Included in the book are the authoritative/definitive version of the sermon; essays that tell how the sermon came about and place it in historical and theological context. It serves as a sampling of Edwards’ â€Å"theological, philosophical and personal writings to contextualize the sermon in the life and thought of the man; a number of contemporary and historical interpretations of the sermon; and a number of lesser devices (chronology, glossary, teaching ideas, and a brief list of suggested readings†. (Kimnach et. al. 12) We will write a custom essay sample on Jonathan Edwardss Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God: Annotated Bibliography of its critique specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Jonathan Edwardss Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God: Annotated Bibliography of its critique specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Jonathan Edwardss Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God: Annotated Bibliography of its critique specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Turley, Stephen Richard. â€Å"Awakened to the Holy: â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God† in Ritualized Context.† Christianity and Literature 57.4 (2008): 507+. This journal article has a specific focus, namely to elucidate Jonathan Edwards’ sermon in the context of local history and Christian theology. In other words, the powerfully worded sermon was unusual at the time in which it was delivered. It struck awe among the listeners and induced them to introspect on their moral condition. The circumstances preceding the deliverance of the sermon are quite interesting. In the neighboring town of Suffield there was a renewal of Christian faith as evidenced from the addition of numerous communicants to the central parish there. This revival of Christianity spread to regions surrounding Suffield. It is in this context that â€Å"a number of clergy had banded together to stoke the fires of revival by instituting a series of weekday services, traveling back and forth between pious Suffield and impious Enfield†. (Turley 115) But nothing in the events leading up to the sermon would indicate the compelling logic and captivating imag ery compiled up by Edwards. The surprising fact is that Edwards was not erstwhile renowned for making voracious speeches. Rather his mode of sermonizing is thought to be controlled yet authoritative. In sum, the authorial team’s adoption of a ritual-theoretical approach â€Å"bridges the gap between the published text and the corporate setting of its original delivery in order to account for the sermon’s original efficacy.† (Turley 88) Attention is paid to the language of the pulpit and the psychological effects it has had on the audience. It is insightful of the authors to infer that â€Å"the language of the pulpit occupied the listener’s identity while the numinous experience evoked the need for a covering of one’s creaturely profaneness, thus providing experiential confirmation to the sermon’s content and Christ invitation. The divided self was resolved in the listener’s adoption of the pulpit’s paradigm for interpreting life and the embracing of a new unified corporate order in Christ that embodied that interpretation of life in song and prayer.† (Turley 89) Sang Hyun Lee (Editor), The Works of Jonathan Edwards: Writings on the Trinity, Grace, and Faith. The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 21. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. xii + 566 pp. The book offers a comprehensive survey of Jonathan Edwards’ religious literary output accompanied by useful notes and insightful critical commentary. Describing Edwards as ‘the greatest American philosopher’ in its introduction, the book goes on to support that claim through rigorous synthesis and assimilation of Edwards’ output. The book goes on to talk about some of the neglected facets to Edwards’ theological oeuvre. By adopting such an approach, the book critically re-appropriates his theology to the postmodern sensibility. For example, dimensions of Edwards’ output that garner attention include the influences of John Calvin, Francois Turretin and Petrus van Maastricht on the former. Also, the book explores Edwards’ Augustinianism in the backdrop of early Enlightenment thought. This is an interesting analytic angle, for the tone and style of the Sinners sermon goes against the grain of rationalism which is the essence of the E nlightenment. The endeavor of the compilers of this anthology is to offer scholarly perspectives that are different to the preceding works by Robert E. Brown and Gerald R. McDermott. The focus of the collection seems to be its juxtaposition of Christian dogma and the Enlightenment ethos. What the book also manages to showcase Edwards’ theology as more refined than is what is commonly believed. For all the negative publicity the fundamentalist streak in the sermon garners, Edwards understood God in surprisingly contemporary terms. For example, he sought to â€Å"comprehend the divine largely in terms of a relationship of love and of beauty that draws humanity to God.† (Lee 221) His conception of beauty, though, is a bit more conservative, in that, he measured it in terms of â€Å"proportion, symmetry, contrast, comparison, and by relations, an experience of beauty which he illustrated by discussing the harmonious and pleasurable music of a choir, natural phenomena such as color, and the relationships among the human senses.† (Lee 221) Jon Meacham, American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation. New York: Random House, 2006. 416 pp. This collection of key religious texts and speeches in the short history of American Christianity is similar to the compilation by Sang Hyun Lee. This book is a kind of secular liberal version of Jerry Falwell’s Listen America (1980), filled throughout with quotes from ‘The Founders’. But where it fails is the inadequacy to fulfill this goal. For example, the quotes are usually torn off from their contexts and are mostly incomplete. Of all the Founders covered by Meacham, Jonathan Edwards is just one figure. Almost all of the tired liberal secular litany against Christianity is to be found in the book: â€Å"the â€Å"ferocity of evangelizing Christians† (p. 4); the â€Å"strangling† of religion by â€Å"extremism† (p. 5); a colonial America of â€Å"ambitious clergy† (p. 6); the â€Å"criminal† treatment of Native Americans by white settlers committed to converting them to Christianity (p. 45); the close-minded, bigoted, witch-burning, devil-obsessed Puritans (p. 46-54)-who persecuted women (especially that â€Å"devoted Puritan† Anne Hutchinson); the â€Å"African spiritual holocaust† by Christian slave traders and ministers (p. 45).† (Meacham)

Following the Steps of Christabel Do You Believe in Vampires

Following the Steps of Christabel Do You Believe in Vampires The Story Untold: Coleridge and his Creation The story of pride and pain, the story told with the stifled sobbing and interrupted too fast, the piece created by Coleridge leaves much more mysteries than a reader can handle.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Following the Steps of Christabel: Do You Believe in Vampires? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With the power of his imagination Coleridge makes the reader see the despair which the poem is shot through, yet he leaves very much to the imagination, leaving the real facts behind and telling only what lies on the surface. In spite of the fact that the poem was never completed, and despite Coleridge’s passion for talking mysteries, one can see the outlines of people and events on this beautiful canvas of poem. With no end and with tangled beginning, the poem needs explanation of the author, which Coleridge realized well enough. In addition, the female chara cter placed in the center of the story raised a number of debates among critics, which added to the mystery about the poem. As Kroeber recalled, †Often when Coleridge discusses Christabel, his poem becomes a lady whose character needs protecting or explaining.† (204). Indeed, unfinished and filled with various mysteries, the poem offers much food for the reader’s fantasy, yet it answers none of the questions the latter asks. Among the contradictory and debatable issues of the poem, its characters are one of the most complicated issues to discuss. In spite of the fact that their number is not great, the complicacy of their natures offers many grounds for discussion. The two most contradictory and controversal ones, Christabel and Geraldine, fill the entire poem with the air of grief and compassion. To lift the veil of mystery over the two maids’ faces, Feeding Vampires: Mother and Her Daughter No matter how petrifying that might sound, Christabel and Geraldi ne can be positioned as a mother and her child. Draining the energy from her new friend’s veins, the Lamia of the XVII century England is a child hungry for warmth and feelings. It is obvious that this bloodthirsty child of the parents sunken in vice needs the energy of her victim as a baby needs its mother’s milk. Surprisingly, this idea proves right if considering the characters closer. In spite of the fact that the terrifying lamia drains the soul of her new victim, leaving an empty shell of Geraldine, she does not treat the latter merely as a source of energy – on the contrary, Christabel displays keen interest in Geraldine’s life and becomes indignant with the people who brought suffer and sorrow to poor Geraldine.Advertising Looking for term paper on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As Hollinger argues, When we envision the vampire feeding, we see the victim and pr edator, seduced and seducer: why not Madonna and the child? Is the vampire’s lust for blood an extension of a more natural desire for sustenance and is its quest for victims and for others of its kind really a search fro mother and family? (Hollinger 45) Terrified himself o the terrible parallel drawn between motherhood and the vampire’s desire to be fed and warmed, Coleridge depicts the actions of Christabel as if observing the dreadful mischief from a secret lair. In spite of all the terror of the situation, the poet realizes that there is certain petrifying beauty in this scene – the beauty of a baby sucking its mother’s breast: And lo! the worker of these harms, That holds the maiden in her arms, Seems to slumber still and mild, As a mother with her child. (57) Drawing the Line between a Victim and a Seducer Expecting that the poet placed each tile of the story into its own place, the reader would be surprised to know that there are a number of ways t o interpret the poem. Although it seems obvious at first that it was insinuating Christabel who managed to subdue poor Geraldine to her will, further on it becomes evident that the problem is more than skin deep. Looking hurt and innocent, the girl found in the forest proves much more dangerous a guest than the family could have imagined. Considering Hoffmeister’s point of view, one can suppose that it was Geraldine who became the seducer of the daughter and her father: In describing how Geraldine first seduced the daughter and then the father, the narrator reveals several subtle shifts in sexual roles: Christabel as bridegroom carrying Geraldine over the threshold; Geraldine embracing Christabel â€Å"as a mother with her child†; Sir Leonile embracing as a young bride â€Å"the wrong daughter of his friend† and resenting his own daughter’s â€Å"jealousy† (49)Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Following the Steps of Ch ristabel: Do You Believe in Vampires? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Who was the lamia, then? On the one hand, it seems that in the given situation Hoffmesiter sees what he wants to see in the poem, making it thus even more complicated – if this is actually possible, for Coleridge already tangled it to the hilt – and sees hidden implications where there is nothing to be concealed? It is obvious that Hoffmeister considers the description of passing through the gates of the castle and Geraldine’ fainting as the main proof that the girl is a lamia: The lady sank, belike through pain, And Christabel with might and main Lifted her up, a weary weight, Over the threshold of the gate: Then the lady rose again, And moved, as she were not in pain. (Coleridge 47) Still it seems that the hint is far too subtle. Even though Coleridge could mean that there was something wrong about Geraldine, he would have showed it in a more explic it way, judging from the manner in which he depicted Geraldine’s woes. A Witch or a Child? Of course, there is that certain piece of witchery in every woman – yet it seems that Coleridge’s character comprises the traits of both the most virtuous and the most sinful woman ever. Christabel, the angel that dragged Geraldine out of the depth of her despair, becomes suddenly filled with mysterious fire burning her from within – that does somehow remind of auto-da-fes of the Inquisition epoch. However, Coleridge is far too delicate to mention this in his poem. Despite all the implications and the underlying idea of witchery, he mentions the very word only once, seemingly not connected to the idea of the poem. However, as the word is sounded, it gains certain shape and becomes one of the leitmotifs of the poem: In Langdale Pike and Witchs Lair, And Dungeon-ghyll so foully rent, With ropes of rock and bells of air Three sinful sextons ghosts are pent (Coleridge 6 0) Gaining even darker shades of mystery closer to the abrupt ending of the story, this idea of witchery becomes increasingly evident. Who could have thought that vice can take shapes of the most virtuous things and people? As Christabel breathes in the virus of sin, she is practically turning into a witch. As Twitchel marked,Advertising Looking for term paper on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The lamia myth takes on special importance in the scene where Geraldine and Christabel spend night together. For although there is no mention of any sexual act of bloodletting, we do see the results of some energy flow between them. (45) Compared to Christabel, Geraldine is a lost and lonesome child. Her soul is restless, and she is looking for a shoulder to cry on and find oblivion in someone as strong as her. However, she does not see that her new friend is rather a monster in disguise, a witch to beware. Conclusion Although the story of Geraldine and Christabel is way too blurred to decide which of the maidens was a real monster in disguise and if any was at all, one still can read a piece of truth between the lines of the poem. Mysterious and weird, it drags the reader to the bottom of endless sorrow to see what compassion and sympathy is. With help of the controversial plot, the poet asks another important question: what is virtue and what is it worth? While the story unwinds in front of the reader’s eyes, a number of various relationships start to structure, among them the ones between a mother and a daughter, a victim and a seducer, a witch and an innocent child. In his peculiar manner, Coleridge does not preach, but paints the pictures of his visions to show the reader, which is even more impressive than moralizing. Leaving the pleasure of wandering in the twists of the poem labyrinth to the reader, Coleridge creates the parallel world where the wildest and the most frightening fantasies become true for a moment – to prove that virtue is one of the most precious gifts. Coleridge, Samuel T. The Poetical Works of S. T. Coleridge, Including Dramas of  Wallenstein, Remorse and Zapolya, in Three Volumes. Vol. 2. London, UK: W. Pickering, 1828. Print. Hoffmesiter, Gerhart. European Romanticism: Literary Cross-Currents, Modes, and  Models. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1990. Print. Hollinger, Veronica. Blood Read: The Vampire as Metaphor in Contemporary  Culture. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997. Print. Kroeber, Karl and Gene W. Ruoff. Romantic Poetry: Recent Revisionary Criticism.  Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1993. Print. Twitchel, James B. The Living Dead: A Study of the Vampire in Romantic Literature.  Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1981. Print.

Educational technology Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Educational technology - Personal Statement Example Whether a person achieves a good learning experience or not is determined by the factors that affect the employment or administration of teaching, since educational tools are normally tangible and are readily accessible by students with whom a specific knowledge or training is communicated. At this stage, the widespread technology logically plays the key role in educating people, for the modern age has proven to have used and modified technology in almost everything that drives our living. Having obtained an academic background in clinical nutrition, I have realized how important health is for people to be able to execute tasks effectively, as well as for them to live life to the full measure. Helping people become better in terms of proceeding with personal growth and aspirations despite all the risks constitutes my passion. Equivalently, I suppose that this goal even extends to concerns with education and technology, much as it applies well through nutrition and health. I believe that every individual has the right to proper education which is conducted with appropriate materials, instructions, and especially technological resources everyone must gain access to, so that learning comes with ease and may be sought to enhance the studying capacity of each learner. In meeting this objective, hence, educational technology may be claimed highly necessary for students to figure different areas of improvement once they can afford to incorporate technology in the realm of ed ucation. Educational technology, alternatively known as e-learning, instructional technology, or learning technology, pertains to the use of technology to aid learning with sufficient input, and an academic institution bearing a competency-based curriculum can undoubtedly support students who aim to pursue career with educational technology. My desire to continue such studies with Concordia University

CAM Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CAM Therapy - Essay Example Heat therapy helps to ease pain on the back by dilating blood vessels of the lumbar spine muscles. Consequently, the flow of oxygen as well as nutrients to the muscles is increased, which in turn contributes to the healing process of the damage that caused the pain (Theodoridis & Krämer, 2009). Further, heat therapy stimulates skin receptors, thus pain signals are transmitted to the brain offering partial pain relief. According to Ebnezar (2003), heat therapy ensures that the relaxation of soft tissues around the spine thus reduces muscle stiffness, hence reducing pain and boosting back flexibility. Heat therapy has minimal side effects unlike other forms of therapies, thus it is a safer choice. The doctor recommended that short duration of heat application on my back, about 15 to 20 minutes. He recommended that I use hot, damp towel or heating pad on my back whenever I feel the pain. I intend to follow the instruction because it works for

Foundations of Finance and Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Foundations of Finance and Investment - Essay Example This paper would go to analyse the Impact on UK exchange rate against US$ over last five years due to recent MPC's 1 cut on interest rate. The pragmatic correlation among money, real output and interest rates has been attributed significantly with business cycle, monetary transmission mechanism, aggregate money demand and identification of monetary policy rules. There is no accords of interest rate to which should be included as an empirical models for exchange rate To providing the analyse the interdependency of Interest rate and Exchange rate, Fisher definition would not be relevant to economic analysis. So this paper would follow Keynes and other post-Keynesians notion of real rate and exchange rate. Smithin, J. (2003) mentioned that regulating interest rates for exchange rate cannot guard the purchasing power and it is quite unfeasible to do at the macroeconomic level. There is an empirical evidence of the break in the relationship between interest rates, exchange rate and inflation ever since 1953. The present analysis of UK interest rate cut and impact on US$ are relevant to specifying the monetary policy system pursued by the two monetary authorities. This paper assumes that the monetary authority regulates the short-term ostensible interest rate. According to classical Taylor theory the instrument is set to act in response to domestic inflation as well as output gap. On the other hand in open-economy model specificities more controversial reasoning the set of variables in the direction of which monetary policy can react is superior. The present strategy is to discover the consequences for the equilibrium allotment of simple rules, which lead to equilibrium that can be worked out analytically to understanding the transmission mechanism under open economies. The analyse go with three regimes and label as: - a) a fixed exchange rate; b) a floating exchange rate c) a managed exchange rate, Theoretical Aspect of Interest Rate First level let consider the rules that establish a fixed nominal exchange rate. Pigeon, M. A. (2004) added that it would demonstrate that in principle numerous fixed exchange rate regimes subsist on the specification of the fundamental rules. Thus a floating regime that is defined as a command in which the interest rates in both countries don't respond explicitly to the exchange rate. It would be characterised as where & is non-negative; here its combination of rules as floating command . These rules have been broadly used in the closed-economy literature. Most of the policymaker reacts to precedent movements in the interest rate, present household producer inflation rate and output gap. According to classical Taylor rules, the coefficients and are zeros.2 Benigno, G, & Benigno, P. (2006) argued within the floating-exchange regime, we consider also rules in which the reaction is toward the domestic

Study Of Direct Subsidy Scheme

Study Of Direct Subsidy Scheme In 1988, the Education Commission Report No.3 proposed the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS). The first DSS scheme was set up in 1991. The scheme aimed at developing a strong private school sector by providing high quality schools other than government and aided schools and to give parents a greater choice in looking for suitable schools for their children. So, what is Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS)? It is a means to enhance the quality of private schools in Hong Kong at the primary and secondary level (Education Commission Report No.3 June 1988). Non-governmental secondary schools which are attained a sufficiently high educational standard to join the DSS by providing subsidies in order to enhance the quality of private school education since the 1991-92 school year. The government set up the Direct Subsidy Scheme in primary and secondary education in Hong Kong with three rationales. The first one is to set up a qualified private education provision sector. The scheme allows DSS schools to charge tuition fees on their own willingness. Some schools may charge higher tuition fees, so that they purchase better equipment and have extra resources. As a result, the DSS schools can improve their teaching qualities. Besides, the schools under DSS can operate with greater autonomy. The schools can recruit more teachers so that the teacher to students ratio can be lower. Then, students can learn better. Another rationale is that DSS allows more diversity in different schools as there is less restriction and schools can freely decide on their own to operate. For example, schools can design the curricula, school tuition fees and selection criteria. Schools can also tailor made their syllabus to meet the interest and abilities of their students. As a result, our education system will be more diverse and more schools with different styles and specialties would exist. The third rationale is to increase the variety of choices for parents and students. As schools can identify their own strengths specialties (as the above mentioned), there will be more options (different types of schools) for parents to choose. Choices can be made based on the needs and interests of the children and it will be beneficial to the students. Schools joining Direct Subsidy Scheme is quite different from those government schools, aided schools and private schools. Here are three features of the Direct Subsidy scheme. The first one is that the scheme allowed the school to charge tuition fees. The government has little control over the tuition fees levels. For instance, the tuition fees is $28,000 per annum for Diocesan Boys College Form one students while the tuition fees is $48,000 per annum for St. Pauls Co-educational College Form one students. The second feature of the scheme is that the DSS schools can receive subsidies, which depend on the numbers of students enrolled in the schools, from the government. The schools are free to spend their grants for educational purpose. Enjoying high autonomy is another feature of the Direct Subsidy Scheme. Schools joining the scheme can have their own selection criteria and selection processes. It means that the selection processes is regardless districts, which is different from the centrally allocated system. Another aspect of autonomy that the DSS schools can enjoy is that they are free to design the syllabus and curriculum. Take Diocesan Boys School as an example, it adopts International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) for overseas study. After setting up the Direct Subsidy Scheme in Hong Kong, how is the scheme affecting the primary and secondary education? Now, there are 83 schools (including 62 secondary schools and 21 primary schools) in total joining the Direct Subsidy scheme. DSS schools now account for more than 6% of secondary schools and 1.2% of primary school. Although the ratio seems to be relatively low, there is a trend to increase in the future. It especially refers to some elite schools with prestigious reputation such as the St. Paul Co- educational School and the Diocesan Boys School. It is because joining the Direct Subsidy Scheme, schools can acquire extra resources and autonomy for their future development and teaching visions. For the well-perceived schools, they can take advantages out of the scheme and able to improve their teaching and learning experience. They can organize more enrichment programs such as overseas tours, cultural trips and outdoor learning activities with the extra funding and freedom gain. The schools can also hire extra teachers and assistants. As a result, the schools can make their teaching process more effective and reduce the working pressure of teachers. Take St. Paul Co- educational School as an example, it employed 10 more teachers into its own teaching team (with 108 teachers). However, in normal government- aided schools, there are only 60 to 70 teachers. For some less famous schools, they can better cater the special needs of their original students, have new sources of applicants and featuring their custom curricula and syllabus. They tend to have students from South-Asian, New immigrants from Mainland China and under-performed in terms of academic studies. And their school fees are generally more affordable compare with those elite schools joining DSS. The general effect is that there is a trend for both secondary schools and primary schools in Hong Kong to turn to DSS schools in the future. As the above mentioned, it is believed that there will be more and more schools joining the Direct Subsidy Scheme in the future. So, the scheme must have its pros to attract those schools to join in. Let us first analyze the pros of the scheme from schools view. Being a DSS schools, schools can enjoy high autonomy. Schools are free to decide their own school fees, curriculum and student admission policies. AS schools can set their own selection criteria, they can control the standards of their students. Some schools will even establish their own cultures and styles. For example, La Salle College has its own spirit The Lasallian Spirit: Faith and Zeal. Besides, DSS schools can also get more operating funds by charging higher school fees and receiving government subsidies. As a result, schools can have abundant funds to provide additional and better quality facilities. From the view of parents and students, the advantages of the Direct Subsidy Scheme are that the DSS schools have high teaching quality, so it can enhance students with good learning experience. Besides, as DSS schools usually offer small- group teaching for major subjects, so that the students-teachers ratio will be lower. Then, teachers may have a better teaching and caring on each student. So, students can benefit from a better learning environment. From teachers view, working in a DSS school, they will be benefit from a lighter workload. As DSS schools usually employ more teachers and offer small- group teaching for major subjects, the students-teachers ratio will be lower. As a result, each teacher can then focus on fewer students. Besides, teacher may establish deeper relationship with students as teachers only need to focus small class of students. Therefore, the teachers- students relationships may become better. As every coin has two sides, everything has both positive and negative sides. Direct Subsidy Scheme also has some cons from the view of schools, students, parents and teachers. From schools view, they may worry that the schools competitiveness is weaken due to the higher school fees compare to other schools. Some families may not be able to afford the higher school fees. When the quality of a DDS school and a non- DSS school has no big different, those families will probably not consider DSS schools as a choice. Schools may also worry the risk of insufficient of students. As the government subsidies received by DDS schools depend on the numbers of students enrolled in the schools, so schools may need to face the problem of insufficient funds if there are not enough students. It may then lead to lacking of resources for facilities and continuous development. In the long term, the school may need to lower its admission requirement. Form the view of students and parents, there is inequality in school admission process. It is because students need to pay higher school tuition fees to enter DSS schools compare to those students enter non- DSS schools. School tuition fees may be a burden for some poor families, and these families may not be able to afford the higher school tuition fees. Apart from the admission process, unfairness may also occur in the educational process. As DSS schools usually have more funds for better facilities and resources, students study in DSS schools may enjoy better facilities and better learning environment. It may be not so fair to those non- DSS schools students. From the view of teachers, they may have worries of wage cuts. As DSS schools tend to employ more teachers, teachers salary will increase the expense of the schools. Some may worries that schools will have wage cuts in order to reduce the expense on teachers salary. Besides, as some parents are still not very familiar to the Direct Subsidy Scheme, teachers may have to spend extra time explaining the policy to parents. It may then increase the workload of teachers. After discussing both the pros and cons of the Direct Subsidy Scheme, I think that the cons of the Direct Subsidy Scheme far outweigh the pros. I oppose the scheme for these reasons. First of all, Direct Subsidy Scheme violates the spirit of Education for all walks of life. Education should treat all students equally but not select students by criteria such as family background or wealth. However, as DSS schools enjoy high autonomy and they can set their own selection criteria and admission process, many of the DSS schools tend to choose the elite students only and exclude those poor students from joining. For example, a student who has his father or brothers studied in the Diocesan Boys School will be added marks in the admission process of the Diocesan Boys School. The school tends to give advantage to the alumnis children. It is obvious that DSS schools are selecting students by their family background. It is unfair to the other students. It violates the principle of equal educational opportunities. Moreover, the scheme hinders the social mobility. The principle of equal educational opportunities suggest that students should be selected according their academic results instead of their family background or the ability of paying the schools tuition fees and even low- class students who have outstanding academic results can enter the universities and become middle class in the future. However, the Direct Subsidy Scheme violates this principle and hinders the social mobility. Poor students are restricted from entering the DSS schools. DSS schools lead to stratified society. On the other hand, Direct Subsidy Scheme leads to inequality in the educational system as DSS schools take both the advantages of aided schools and private school. DSS schools can receive the subsidies according to the numbers of students from the government, which is the advantage of aided schools. DSS schools can also enjoy a high autonomy on school curriculum, students selection and designing syllabus, which is the advantage of private schools. Apart from taking both the advantages of aided schools and private school, the DSS schools can also receives extra income from charging schools tuition fees. It is a kind of unfairness to the subsidy schools and private schools. In conclusion, Direct Subsidy Scheme was set up in purpose of providing high quality schools to give parents and students a greater choice in looking for suitable schools. After evaluation, it can be seen that there are both advantages and disadvantages of the scheme. The disadvantages of the scheme seem to outweigh the advantages. However, it is obvious that there is a trend for both secondary schools and primary schools in Hong Kong to turn to DSS schools in the future. While more and more schools become DSS schools, the effects of DSS bringing to Hong Kong education will be much more evident. To stop creating unfairness and hindering social mobility, the government should really think of some new policy to improve the Direct Subsidy Scheme to perfect the Hong Kong educational system.

Greek and current Religion :: essays research papers

One must honestly ask him/herself what is history? Is it what defines us, or what makes us come to be? Even a more brooding and heavy subject is what is religious history? America is a very religiously diverse place with many, many different types of religions. It is rare where you find a country that has Muslem, Satanism, Catholicism, Mormonism and Buddhism and many more types of religions in the same country. Comparing and contrasting the main religion in America, Christianity, and ancient Greek religion is interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As far as festivals and rituals go, they are similar. They celebrated/gathered sixty times a year which is pretty close to how many times churches gather which is fifty-two times a year every sunday. They called their local gatherings deme which literally means parish which is the exact same word we use. They also carefully conduced the ceremony with holy water which we also use to this day. They took the blood of the sacrifice (usually a sheep or lamb) and cleansed the alter with it. We use wine as a substitute for blood. The meat was eaten, just as we do with the bread, which represents the body of christ. And they had gatherings on a large scale where people from all over the Greek world, just as we do today, World Youth Day. And even the buildings are somewhat similar. They had arch entrances, just as some do today such as Notre Dome. However, in their ceremonies they actually sacrificed a live creature where we do in only in a metaphorical sense. And the most obvious difference between modern day religion and Greek religion is Christianity's monotheism and Greek's polytheism. They prayed to the gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Hera) for different things such as good weather for crops, good fortune and good fishing. We pray for forgiveness and such matters that have to do with our higher self.

Nude in art Essay

The nude has changed dramatically throughout time in terms of its role in the art world. It has been used to portray a person’s power and their weakness, the way they see themselves and the way others see them. The majority of nude artworks are of the female nude, as highlighted by John Berger, ‘men look at women, women look back at themselves being looked at. ’ Vanessa Beecroft, a contemporary artist deems to challenge the way society views the nude in both high art and everyday contemporary society. She challenges the way women are judged on their appearance a base concept that is seen throughout many pervious images of the nude in art. In 1599 Pieter Pauwel Rubens depicts just that, the judgment of a women based on looks – in his painting, The Judgment of Paris, which depicts Venus the goddess of beauty and love being judged as the most beautiful female by the judge – Paris. In contrast to these female nudes, during the renaissance, Michelangelo’s nudes consisted of mainly males. He used the nude to show both desire and strength as well as his devotion to religion and art. The nude in art can been seen changing as society does throughout time. In the contemporary society we live in today, we, the audience, are more likely to accept the nude as part of everyday life because of the way mass media has influenced us as a society. However, before times when the nude was common sight and open sexual desire was seen as something preposterous, artists used the nude as a way of portraying their personal aesthetic ideals though religious figures, showing their love for both the art itself and their nude subjects. Michelangelo was first and foremost a sculptor. One of his most famous nude sculptures was that of David – depicted in the moments before he defeated Goliath. Created in 1504, Michelangelo sculpted for four years to create, in his own eyes, the finest sculpture of David possible. Michelangelo’s own dedication to the piece highlights his love for the subject as well as the art form. David was depicted as athletic but natural with some fetchers such as his hand and head enlarged for emphasis. David’s naked form symbolised his high religious status to Michelangelo. He felt that perfection such as David’s should not be hidden, this can be seen throughout a range of Michelangelo’s works, both sculpted and painted where he depicts religious figures of high value as nudes and covers lower class subjects with the cloth of a slave as if to cover their shame. Therefore, it can be seen that Michelangelo mirrors his own ideals in the form of religious figures to depict the perfection he desires as well as display this to the audience for them to subconsciously judge the subjects of his work under their own ideals. During the Baroque era, Rubens depicts the scene of the judgment of Paris, this painting allows the male subject to openly judge the female on their beauty alone. While depicting this mythological tale Rubens also himself paints the Venus to meet his ideal expectations of a woman’s desirable qualities, both physically and temperamental and offers her to the audience’s judgment also. Rubens has posed the women to show off their bodies in the most desirable way as well as highlight their key fetchers’ such as their nipples and lips in deep red and gold against their pure skin, he paints the woman with small breasts and wide hips – the ideal representation of female beauty at the time. Implied innocence hides the male voyeurism in this scene – all figures are equally naked however, only the female body is on show, all male’s in the image are either turning away from the audience or are modestly hidden by lavish draping’s, furthermore, the woman are surrounded by small winged children named, Putti; these figures are associated with love and sexual encounters. The ultimate goal for all the women in this painting is to win the love of Paris through their beauty and Venus’ ideal attraction symbolises the high value placed on this virtue and highlights their love and physical beauty as the most important quality they have to offer. Contemporary artist, Vanessa Beecroft challenges the way the nude has been viewed throughout past art as well as how it is perceived in modern society. Beecroft is most known for her confronting live performances in which a selection of like women are stood on high heels and not much else, facing the audience’s gaze. Beecroft aims to provoke reaction from the audience, both male and female, the gaze these models hold as well as their physical closeness to the audience highlight the fact that these women know they are being looked at and judged and consequently look back and judge the audience creating an uncomfortable but eye opening experience for both the models and the viewer. Beecroft challenges the way the nude body is perceived by both high art and by the public and questions a woman’s need to conform to societies expectations as well as focusing on how the concept of beauty can change over a period of time, Beecroft states, ‘maybe if they (the audience) see it twenty times they’ll start not to think of it in the same way, I’m not sure, it’s an experiment. In conclusion it can been seen that the nude has changed dramatically throughout time however, it has always been associated by different forms of beauty and judgment, due to the human nature of the artists that create such works. It can also be highlighted that the way the audience as well as the artist sees the nudes they depict can change during the artwork or during their lifetime depending on how they are influenced by the changing world around them.

Thin Film Solar Cell

Abstract: Solar energy is quite simply the energy produced directly from the sun and collected elsewhere, namely the Earth. Photovoltaic technology directly converts solar energy into electricity. Photovoltaic thin film solar cells are easy to handle , inexpensive and also easy to use. Thin film panel is flexible and can tolerate a bullet hole without failing and can greatly increase the surface area and the absorption coefficient needed to generate electricity. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the thin- film solar cell and also describe its application and how its work. Introduction: The solar cell is the latest technology around the world. The solar cell is also called a renewable energy source, because the capture the sunlight and convert it into the electrical energy. There are different types of solar cells, but the most important one is a thin- film solar cell. It is cost effective and its efficiency is greater than the other types of solar cells like thin film dye sanitized solar cell . Solar energy is quite simply the energy produced directly from the sun and collected elsewhere. All solar cells are made of silicon. Thin- Film Photovoltaic technology directly converts solar energy into electricity. Solar cells are made out of semiconducting material, usually silicon. The process of making a solar cell begins with taking a slice of highly purified silicon crystal, and then processing it through several stages involving gradual heating and cooling. Solar cells are based on semiconductor physics — they are essentially just a P-N junction photo-diodes with a very large light-sensitive area. Another common material for thin- film cells include Gallium Aarsenide (GaAs), Copper Indium Gallium Selenide, and gallium Phosphide. The most common types of photovoltaic cells are single-junction, multi-junction, and thin-film. A thin film panel is flexible and can tolerate a bullet hole without failing and can greatly increase the surface area and the absorption coefficient needed to generate electricity. Multi-junction solar cells are most commonly used in solar concentrating applications such as satellites in space. Today we use solar power to do many things. We use solar power for everything from calculators to large power plants that can power large cities. The most common applications for solar panels are used for small evices. The Solar cell technology research is continuing to create low-cost high-efficiency elements and the latest approaches in solar cell designs. Some countries do not have oil or do not have enough political and economic power to buy it or to produce it, but they receive more sunlight than others. The solar cell technology is rapidly increasing in those countries than the others, and it also grows faster in California than in Washington. Polycrystalline thin-film solar cells are based on those compounds which have the efficiencies up to 19. 2%. Nowadays, it is increased by 20. 4%. The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Science and Technology has recently developed a new thin-film solar cell with an efficiency of 20. 4%. Those cells are based on CIGS (copper indium gallium (DI) selenide) semiconductor material. The band gap on the top of the solar cell around 1. 6-1. 8 EV. The thin-film solar cells should be design by single-junction and also two- junction devices commonly used CIGS and CdZnTe. There are four different types of thin-film solar cell. 1. Amorphous silicon (a-Si) 2. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) 3. Copper indium gallium selenide (CIS/CIGS) 4. Organic photovoltaic cells (OPC) How Thin-Film Solar Cell Works: Thin-film solar cells are also called new generation of solar cell. This cell contains multiple layers of PV material. This new generation solar cells produce over 3700 megawatts of electrical energy in 2010. The main difference between the structure of normal silicon solar cells and thin film silicon solar cell is the thin flexible arrangement of the different layer as is shown as figure (1). The only advantage of that layer is to create a greater surface area for sunlight absorption and also it is very low weight and easy to use in cars and small devices. Figure (1) We use calculator everyday in our normal daily routine. These solar powered calculators have a small solar cell at the top corner of the calculator. These cells are built with thin –film technology. Most of them are very small about an inch long and ? inch wide. The thin-film solar cells are very thin that’s why they Called thin-film solar cell. Thin-film solar cell is different than the silicon wafer. Silicon wafer and thin-film solar cell have a light absorbing layer, but only difference is the thickness. The silicon wafer has 350 microns thick,but the thin-film solar cell has only one micron, and as result thin-film solar cell is very light weight compared to other solar cells. Thin-film solar cells are made of several layers. Those all layer helps to absorb light. As you can see in the figure (2). (Different layers in thin-film solar cell) Figure (2) On the other hand, some thin-film solar cell required the three functional layers from the multiple layers in a solar cell. These three have different important function. In the figure (a), show the front contact and back contact layers which have only one job to do and that’s is to provide the electrical contact with the solar cell from the outside the world. The figure (a) shows the basic theory of the different layer stack of the thin-film solar cell. Thin -film solar cell implemented by the different ways , but the three most common inorganic technologies are CuSe2 , CdTe solar cell, and also thin-film solar cell which has an amorphous and microcrystalline silicon absorber. There are three major types of thin-film solar cell. 1. Amorphous silicon (a-Si) 2. Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) 3. Copper indium gallium deselenide (CIGS). The (a-Si) solar cell is very commonly used and also easy to understand and implement it, but there are two major problems that cause this type of solar cell to have some drawbacks. The first problem is, silicon is very hard to find the market and buy it , because its demand often exceeds the supply. The second thing is, this type of solar cell has very low efficiency. This type of solar cell is also very thinner so they absorb sunlight in very less and on the other hand, they do not have enough power to absorb more. Therefore, they used in calculator and other very small and low power consuming devices. The Advantages of Thin-Film Solar Cell:1. Thin-film solar cell is very cheaper than the silicon solar cell2. They are also available in thin wafer sheet.3.More flexible and very easy to handle it.4. Less thinner than crystalline solar cell. It can be as thin . 001 mm or more, but the crystalline solar cells are . 15-. 2 mm thick.5. Easy to install on the rooftop with a rugged mounting system with tilt at a fixed degree.6. Thin film solar cells have better performance in the hot weather. See table (1) below.Table (1) | The efficiency of solar panel /%| Temperatur e /degree| a-Si thin film| Crystalline| 25 (STC)| 10| 16| 35| 8| 11| 45| 6| 6| 50| 5| 3. 5| The Disadvantages of Thin-Film Solar Cell: 1. Less efficient than the normal standard silicon and crystalline solar cell. See table (2) below. Table (2) Condition| Crystalline Efficiency Drop| Light San Francisco fog| 8%-15%| Heavy San Francisco fog| 15%-20%| Cloudy & raining| 20% – 50%| Heavy cloudy & raining| 50% – 90%| 2. They have complex structure. 3. Different version requires its own unique installation skills. 4. They are also not available for aerospace applications. 5. They faster to degrade than the other solar cells that’s why they always come with a shorter warranty. 6. They require a huge space so they are not good for most residential situations. Applications Of Thin-Film solar cell: Thin-film solar cell panels are used in many power applications. They are also used for outdoor and energy generating applications. These cells are very light weight and easy to use in homes and small business. They can be installed on the rooftops of the most homes. They use calculators, cars and other portable electronics. They are also used in cloths also enables the powering the iPod, iPad, and cell phones during the hiking. Thin film solar cells are used in mobile charger and led lights. Conclusion: The advancement of Photovoltaic thin film solar cell is increasing rapidly. The development and decisions on materials used in PV thin film solar cell are crucial when trying to achieve optimal performance for a good price. The discovery of the photoelectric effect and the concept of photons sparked interest of finding more ways to create efficient PV cells. The decisions on what materials to use in PV cells have paved the way for new developments and increased efficiency. When the first thin film solar cell was created it was around 1% efficient and with today’s innovations and engineering decisions efficiencies are now able to achieve up to 20. %. If this trend to improvement continues the way it has been over the past 40 years then the technology may pave the way for complete solar power generations . References: 1. Harris, William. â€Å"How Thin-film Solar Cells Work† 07 April 2008. HowStuffWorks. com. [22 march 2013]. 2. Mathias Aarre M? hlum. â€Å"Which Solar Panel Types is Best† Internet: http://energyinformative. org/best-sola r-panel-monocrystalline-polycrystalline

Free Essays on Eve Of Saint John

Extra Credit Gallery Review I chose a piece from the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park entitled the â€Å"Eve of Saint John†, painted by Peter Hurd. Also known as â€Å"Noche de San Juan† due to the strong hispanic influence in the artists’ life. Born in Roswell, New Mexico, Hurd originally was destined to be in the military for one Hurd had fought in every American war since the French and Indian war in the dawn of our country. Peter was formally known as Hugh Hurd then changed his name in his teens because his parents had been calling him Pete since he was a child. Peter dropped out of the West Point Military Academy due to the rigorous physical and mental stress and devoted his life to the arts. He moved back to Roswell and spent most of his life there. The â€Å"Eve of Saint John† was painted in 1960 on his ranch in New Mexico. The little girl in the depiction is the daughter of Hurd’s ranch foreman and is alive today, still living in Roswell. The child, Doretea Herrera, at the time was twelve years of age and is on her way to a church function holding a candle in her hands. The artist chose to add a lot of detail to even the background of the painting, but I will focus right now on the main image on the board. The girl in the painting has extremely soft skin, which is accomplished by light brush strokes to the cheeks and arms. Her face has many different colors of pink, peach and brown, highlighted with bright white from the candle. She holds the candle in her left hand and shields the flame from view with her right. The brightness from the candle flame can be seen through the cracks between her fingers and is achieved by using brightly colored paint in those areas. The flame barely breaks the plane between the top of her right hand and the background. The girl has sharp facial features not seen often in Mexican or Hispanic peoples, but... Free Essays on Eve Of Saint John Free Essays on Eve Of Saint John Extra Credit Gallery Review I chose a piece from the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park entitled the â€Å"Eve of Saint John†, painted by Peter Hurd. Also known as â€Å"Noche de San Juan† due to the strong hispanic influence in the artists’ life. Born in Roswell, New Mexico, Hurd originally was destined to be in the military for one Hurd had fought in every American war since the French and Indian war in the dawn of our country. Peter was formally known as Hugh Hurd then changed his name in his teens because his parents had been calling him Pete since he was a child. Peter dropped out of the West Point Military Academy due to the rigorous physical and mental stress and devoted his life to the arts. He moved back to Roswell and spent most of his life there. The â€Å"Eve of Saint John† was painted in 1960 on his ranch in New Mexico. The little girl in the depiction is the daughter of Hurd’s ranch foreman and is alive today, still living in Roswell. The child, Doretea Herrera, at the time was twelve years of age and is on her way to a church function holding a candle in her hands. The artist chose to add a lot of detail to even the background of the painting, but I will focus right now on the main image on the board. The girl in the painting has extremely soft skin, which is accomplished by light brush strokes to the cheeks and arms. Her face has many different colors of pink, peach and brown, highlighted with bright white from the candle. She holds the candle in her left hand and shields the flame from view with her right. The brightness from the candle flame can be seen through the cracks between her fingers and is achieved by using brightly colored paint in those areas. The flame barely breaks the plane between the top of her right hand and the background. The girl has sharp facial features not seen often in Mexican or Hispanic peoples, but... Free Essays on Eve Of Saint John William Shakespeare is himself a man of mystery. Many facts myths exists about him, as if to say he had many chapters in his life. A complete, authoritative account of Shakespeare’s life is lacking, and thus much supposition surrounds relatively few facts that are known. It is commonly accepted that he was born in 1564, and it is known that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. He is perhaps the best known English playwright and poet, recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists. Shakespeare’s plays communicate a profound knowledge of human behavior, revealed through portrayals of a wide variety of characters. His use of poetic and dramatic means to create a unified aesthetic effect out of an array of multiple vocal expressions and actions is recognized as a singular achievement. â€Å"Poetic lyrics within his plays express the deepest levels of human motivation in individual, social, and universal situations. This considered one of the greatest accomplishments in literary history†(Volume S, 324)#. To understand Shakespeare’s point of view you have to understand his background. The third of eight children, he was probably educated at the local grammar school. As the eldest son, Shakespeare ordinarily would have been apprenticed to his father’s shop so that he could learn and eventually take over the business, but according to one account he was apprenticed to a butcher because of declines in his father’s financial situation. According to another account, he became a schoolmaster#. In 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer. He is supposed to have left Stratford after he was caught poaching in the deer park of Sir Thomas Lucy, a local justice of the peace. Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway had a daughter in 1583 and twins, a boy and a girl, in 1585. The boy did not survive. Shakespeare apparently arrived in London about 1588 and by 1592 had attained success as an actor an...

Abortion and Infanticide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Business and the global Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business and the global Economy - Essay Example Wal-Mart operates in 15 countries and employs 2.1 million employees worldwide. Wal-Mart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, USA. Wal-Mart was founded by Sam Walton, who also owns Sam's Club stores in the U.S. According to its' official site, Wal-Mart was founded in 1962, and was incorporated in 1969, and started trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. The company grew rapidly and crossed domestic borders when it opened its first store near Mexico City in 1991(n.d.). Today, Wal-Mart operates in 14 countries outside of the U.S and its expansion doesn't seem to halt here. Wal-Mart is constantly succeeding as an international corporation and is in the race for global retail supremacy with other firms like Carrefour and Walgreens. What is it that has made Wal-Mart the king of the retail industry Along with its extensive local marketing, Wal-Mart has also seen success in expanding overseas through its unique market entry mode. In recent years, Wal-Mart has adopted a very different strategy to expanding both locally and globally through the use of supercentres. Wal-Mart's ideas of a supercentre have been very rewarding to the company and its overall objectives.