Portrait of Teresa and Salt of the Earth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Portrait of Teresa and Salt of the Earth - Essay Example The film Portrait of Teresa by the Cuban director Pastor Vega deals with the struggle of Teresa to â€Å"fit into† the ideals of revolutionary Cuba. The film Salt of the Earth by the American director Herbert J. Biberman deals with the theme of male domination and female struggle against the same. Thesis statement: an investigation into the roles of Teresa in ‘Portrait of Teresa’ and Esperanza Quintero in ‘Salt of the Earth’ by comparison/contrast method. In the movie ‘Portrait of Teresa’, the role of Teresa is so significant because her life and experience reflects the role of women in the Cuban society. The character of Teresa reveals the contradiction between revolutionary and traditional values. For example, Teresa was forced to take on major responsibilities in her family, which consist of her husband and sons. The development in the Cuban society provides immense opportunities to its citizens. Teresa works in a textile factory in the skyline of Havana to fulfill her personal responsibility towards her family. In addition, she works at a recreational dance group in the evening. The changing values of the domestic and public field affect her life and she ineffectually tries to satisfy both the spheres. The character of Teresa represents the hard working women folk in the Cuban society. She operates textile machinery in the morning session and involves in dance rehearsals in the evening. So, one can easily identify th at female life in Cuban society is a struggle for survival. Teresa’s late night rehearsals irritate her husband and it badly affects her personal life. But this leads to her short temperedness towards others at the textile factory meeting. She does all the works at home like preparing breakfast, helping her children, preparing evening meals, and cleaning the house. Here, one can see that almost all household works are done

Research in Motion Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research in Motion - Coursework Example The Blackberry phones pioneered the era of smart-phones although the competition has grown in the recent years from other platforms such as Android, iPhone and Windows. The demand for Blackberry phone has significantly increased because most businesses have adopted enterprise technologies and there is a growing concern of employees who want to gain access to corporate data securely while out of office. Most cellular networks provide data services hence the Blackberry phone fits perfectly in the ecosystem. Demand has also been fuelled by the growing changes in buyers’ preferences. The smart-phone market is now majorly based on platform rather than hardware and this has increased the applications available to the buyer hence increasing the demand for the smart-phones. The mobile phones have become a central part of an individual’s life hence buyers require a device that can offer extra features (Baumol & Blinder, 2011). The customer base has also grown significantly due t o an increasing middle class who are attracted to buy the Blackberry phones. The increased demand has resulted in the exponential increase in sales and profits. The supply of smart-phones has also increased due to technological advancements that have made it easier and cheaper to produce them. They are many companies producing smart-phones and as such the numbers of phones manufactured is high. From the aforementioned, we realize that the supply has increased over time. Therefore, it is evident that more units have to be sold to attain profit. Smartphone demand growth The market structure of Blackberry phones can be described as a oligopoly. The main players in the smart-phone market are Apple (iPhone), Nokia (Symbian), Google (Android) and Microsoft (Windows Phone). The product offered by these competitors is differentiated through various tweaks to the operating system. The barriers to entry in the smart-phone market are very high. Infact, a company has to lay a huge capital inves tment and extremely aggressive marketing tactics in order to start off in this market. The pricing in this segment is fairly uniform and high. The smart-phone market is characterized by constant innovation if only to remain competitive. The turnover of clients is high since buyers would wish to try out the new and fancy applications in the different smart-phone platforms. Market Share Comparison (January 2012) In order for Blackberry to continue prospering in this market, there is need for continuous innovation and launching of new product. The market of smartphones is very dynamic and this requires that a company stays on the forefront of innovation. The other trend that has a promising future is the applications (apps) market. The buyers need applications in their phones that make their lives easier and full of fun. To prosper in this segment, Blackberry should seek to have a robust community of developers through giving of incentives. The recent data outages experienced should be a thing of the past as this may lead to mass exodus of current users of the services (Redo, 2008). The core datacenters should be backed up and multiple fail-over mechanisms put in place to guarantee subscribers service availability. Blackberry phones have very low price elasticity. This implies that even if the price changes, it has very little influence on demand. With more income, there is a likelihood of more buyers of the

Organizational Technology Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organizational Technology Plan - Essay Example As the population grows and their needs grow even faster, the natural resources are being depleted at the speed of light. Moreover, all other societal and environmental factors are being exhausted very quickly as well. In such a situation, there is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of businesses operating in our environment. (Total Attorny/Scanlan, 2010). They cannot simply leverage the society and its resources without giving anything back in return like old times. This calls for a well-renowned business activity of our times, i.e. Corporate Social Responsibility. Simply put, corporate social responsibility is nothing but a corporation’s or a business’s way of paying back to the society and/or the environment for what it takes in order to keep itself up and running, although it can never actually repay 100%. (Werther, Chandler, 2010). There are several types of social responsibilities that apply to the present-day businesses. Some major responsibilities would incl ude helping the backward segments of the society move up the ladder by providing educational and professional opportunities, generation of employment, promoting culture, protecting and revitalizing the environment, promote research and development, induce recreational activities, etc. (Epicor, 2010).

Extremely Disturbing Accident Essay Example for Free

Extremely Disturbing Accident Essay There was an extremely disturbing accident a couple of years ago. I will never be able to forget that scene which made Daniel lost his words and made him stay in the darkness for such a long time. Daniel was a wonderful man who cared about his family more than anything else. He had a lovely wife who was called Mary and between them, he had the most adorable daughter. I have never seen such a caring and loving family who knows to take care about their neighbors as well. They were especially kind to me who was living next door, old and alone. They knew I had no relatives so they often invited me at dinner and on the special occasions such as Christmas and Birthdays. They regarded me as a member of the family. We used to sing every night and, oh, I remember, the family was very fond of reciting poems. Therefore, we had this party in which all had to recite favorite poems very often. Daniel used to write the poems by himself and the poems were always about love in the family and each time, we were touched and impressed by high qualities of them. However, the happiness did not last long. On Daniels 40th Birthday, Mary and her daughter, Kate, and I planed to surprise him by taking a birthday cake and a lot of nice food to share with his friends to where Daniel was working. In spite of the fact that Daniel was very angry when we once visited him long time ago, he said the place is too dangerous, we were taking food to where Daniel was working. Having thought back about what he said, he was right; He did a lot of physical works for building up the structures and the place where he worked was very dangerous indeed. Kate was singing, excited with joys, she couldnt wait to see her dads smile at her little- hand made birthday card. She was running down the hill and at the same time, I just realized that she is not safe any longer at that distance. Mary and I were running after her, shouting to stop, but it was too late. By accident, one of the workers dropped a huge-hard wooden material from high floor of the building, and Mary was hit by it so hard that even before the ambulance came to help her, she was already gone to the other world. Daniel thought her death was his fault and he quit the job. He acted like an insane person and people started to avoid him, even his wife gave up trying to turn him back to normal. At last, they got divorced in few months. I didnt see Daniel for a few months around his house, and then I found him in his garden. I asked him whether he feels better and he always nodded at my questions. I noticed he became the person I used to know, the person before faced his daughters death, but I knew something was wrong. He was quiet, too quiet. His eyes were always full of sorrow and made my heart broke. They reminded me of Mary who was gone long ago. I did my best to make him to speak again, not out of pity, but I felt I am the one relative left to take care of him. He hardly got out from his room; it was so hard to make him to get along with people, to get socialized again. I thought it would be impossible to make him speak again unless Mary comes back to him. One day, I have succeeded to take him to the poetry club where he used to love to go and listen to the poems. I thought this rally was the last chance I have and played to God desperately. That, that was a miracle; he was listening the poems quietly and suddenly, he stood up. After a while he started to mumble something and soon he made a perfect sound. I was frozen, alert. The people around him listened to him. He found the music of speech which was concealed in this heart deeply for a long time. When he is done, before the applause, we observed the flowers silence. A thrush sings and the daffodils are flame

Was Darwin a Eugenicist?

Was Darwin a Eugenicist? Aiden Tamasauskas Charles Darwin is often cited as one the most pivotal contributors to the human understanding of evolution. His magnum opus On The Origins of Species, documents his groundbreaking observations and theories from his voyage on the HMS Beagle. Darwins work on natural selection lead to the view of evolution as being a process of deviations, the degree to which stems from an original organism. The varieties of organisms that have survived over time have done so because of their specific aptness for their environment, and nothing else. Essentially Darwin helped introduce the theory of survival of the fittest-in other words, chance, as a central feature of biological development. At the time Darwin released his theories, the notion of chance was hugely controversial, and lead to questions concerning the very sanctity and precariousness of animal life. It was not until the publishing of The Descent of Man that Darwin dealt explicitly with the subject of the evolution of humans. Darwin decisi vely concludes that humans are descendants of less complex life forms and that the particular ways in which they have adapted to their environment is the paramount feature of their survival. Some scientists took from Darwin the theory of natural selection, and sought to synthesize it or manipulate it. The field of eugenics essentially claims that by genetic intervention the human race can be improved. There are some who would claim that by making humans less essential-or important-biological figures, and by putting their destiny in the hands of chance, Darwin somehow advocates for a type of eugenics or a genetic intervention or modification in the process of human life. This paper will demonstrate through an analysis of The Descent of Man, that Darwin was emphatically not a eugenicist. This will be argued by contrasting the claim that Darwin was a eugenicist with an in-depth examination of Darwins understanding of human sociality desire, sympathy, and natural and sexual selection. To begin, Darwins treatment of how society and societal values contributed to anthropogenesis shows an initial incongruence between Darwin and eugenicists. Darwin claims, man is a social being. We see this in his dislike of solitude, and in his wish for society beyond that of his own family. (Darwin, Descent of Man, Carroll,529). Already, we can see that Darwin wants to highlight the way in which society is a product of both an aversion to isolation and a calculated decision to stay amongst others. But why? There are sets of values (whether they be morals or behavioural norms) that at some point the ancestors of humans developed and began performing. Darwin clarifies, saying, although man, as he now exists, has few special instincts, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] this is no reason why he should not have retained from an extremely remote period some degree of distinctive love and sympathy for his fellows. (Darwin, Descent of Man, Carroll,530). This quote explains that man has acquired a sense of obedience and love for his community, but by chance. This uncertainty of how these senses of love and obedience came about should be read as an embracing or acknowledging of the unknown processes of deep time and natural selection, not a call to learn how to synthesis and produce genetic changes to these sensations. In other words, if one tribe included [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] a great number of courageous, sympathetic and faithful members, who were always ready to warn each other of danger, to aid and defend each other, this tribe would without a doubt succeed best and conquer the other (Darwin, Descent of Man, Carroll,535). Here Darwin shows that sentiments that were beneficial to tribes were often used to the advantage of the most successful tribes, which shows that the group mentality of society has come about by virtue of both instinctual sentiments and the adopting of qualities that increase the success and decrease the difficulty of survival. Ultimately survival is a product of batt ling and adapting to ones environment. What sets human community apart from that of lower animals is the sensation of regret they feel when having not acted in accordance with certain moral conduct. This is an appeal to humanitys concern with mental contents. If a human enacts, Darwin says, any desire or instinct, leading to an action opposed to the good of others, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] he will feel no keen regret at having followed it; but he will be conscious that if his conduct were known to his fellows, it would meet with their disapprobation; and few are so destitute of sympathy as not to feel discomfort when this is realized. (Darwin, Descent of Man, Carroll,532). This is essentially what structures human morality. This conclusion agrees well with the belief that the so-called moral sense is aboriginally derived from the social instincts, for both relate at first exclusively to the community. (Darwin, Descent of Man, Carroll,532) This is to say that humans have a certain predisposition to acting in accordance with past impressions (this includes acting nobly and acting out of pure desire) whereas other animals act instinctually without a moment of remembrance, regret, sympathy or empathy. Darwin also thinks that primeval man, at a very remote period, was influenced by the praise and blame of his fellows, meaning that he highly values mental charm and virtues (Darwin, Descent of Man, Carroll,537, 559). Whether acting as a society in response to their environment (natural selection) or choosing a mate (sexual selection) Darwin believes that humans have a special concern for each other that is not possible to foster through eugenics. What is of the utmost importance to this discussion is the way in which Darwin believes that this predisposition accumulated over the long span of anthropogenesis-it has no intrinsic or necessary meaning other than its haphazardness. Darwins most notorious development, natural selection, is a theory that arguably serves as the antithesis of eugenics. Darwin explicitly explains that all the social qualities, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] were no doubt acquired by the progenitors of man in a similar manner, namely, through natural selection, aided by inherited habit. (Darwin, Descent of Man, Carroll,535). Besides instinctual habit-based decision making, social attributes in humans are a product of natural selection; that is, sociality has been selected as the most beneficial arrangement for human lifes survival against its environment. It is an intellectual fallacy to equate the work done on the theory of natural selection to a secularized teleology, or blueprint of nature. Rather, natural selection is the unpredictable work of nature, not an objective plan. It is a law that is as random as it is inevitable. As opposed to being the law of a god, natural selection follows from the struggle for existence; and this from a rapid r ate of increase [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] had he not been subjected to natural selection, assuredly he would never had attained to the rank of manhood. (Darwin, Descent of Man, Carroll,540). In the same way that humans construct their society and its value judgments, natural selection is a process created by the struggle for life. This means that natural selection is a process that requires life to exist. A eugenicist would seek to intervene in the making of life in order to produce a life that is better. And thus, eugenics strives to prevent the very life that makes conceivable natural selection-the possibility for evolution-from ever coming about. It is obvious that Charles Darwin, the father of natural selection, would never endorse a means to intervene in the highly conditional, random work of natural selection. In conclusion, at his time, many were outraged by Darwins theories. But what the most extreme misinterpretations of Darwin conclude about his theory of evolution is that he would ever endorse a preemptive intervention in the unraveling of life. That is, Darwin cannot be read as ever endorsing a eugenics program, as natural selection is literally the process of pre-established life fighting and adapting with its unpredictable environment. Darwins conclusion is that man descended from a lower form of life, and is marked by a difference in degree not kind from other species. This is not to insist upon the interference in the progression or evolving of humans as a species, but rather privledges the role that chance places in the struggle for life. By paying close attention to some of the tenants of his thought, this paper has shown that Darwins Descent of Man is a work that in no way advocates eugenics. In fact, his work resists any call to planned or calculated interference in human lif e. Bibliography Darwin, Charles. Descent of Man. Ed. Joseph Carroll. On the Origin of Species. Broadview Press, 520-600. Print. Certification of Authenticity I certify that I have read the Statement on Intellectual Honesty for this course, agree to abide by them and herewith confirm that this essay is wholly my own new and original work except where I directly quote from or allude to other sources, in which cases these sources are acknowledged through the use of full bibliographic citations and in no cases are the words of other writers placed in my essay verbatim without a clear indication that they constitute direct quotations. Signature: ___________________________

The Chosen Essay -- Essays Papers

The Chosen The Chosen, a fiction novel written in 1967 by Chaim Potok, is about two young Jewish boys and their friendship. It takes us along with them on their journey from adolescence to adulthood. They face many conflicts, and through those trials the author makes his readers think more deeply into life’s true meanings. The novel was set in New York during the Second World War. Since the main characters are Jews, this period of time is very significant. Not only were the Jews persecuted during WWII, but New York was also close to a military base, which made it a prime target for bombing. Even the setting has an underlying sense of tension. One of the protagonists in The Chosen is Reuven Malter. Reuven is an orthodox Jewish boy. He is a very smart and diligent student. His father, David Malter raises Reuven alone in Brooklyn, New York as his mother has already passed away. Reuven has glasses, brown hair and eyes, and dresses in the typical orthodox manner. A plain boy, he has a bright mind and a very caring soul. The other protagonist in the novel is Danny Saunders. Danny is the son of a very devoted Hasidic Jewish tzaddik. However, Danny is not a very enthusiastic Hasid. He has earlocks, grows a beard, and wears the traditional Hasidic outfit, but he doesn't have the reverence for it that he should. Danny is a genius. His religion forbids him to read literature from the outside world, so he struggles with his thirst for knowledge and the restraints that have been put on him by both his father and his religion. He lives with his father, mother, older sister, and younger brother in Brooklyn as well. The first antagonist is Danny. He and Reuven had many difficulties. They resolve their problems in the course of the book, but at the beginning they hate each other. Their religious views are also very opposite. Once they overcome their differences, they become best friends. Reb Saunders is the second antagonist. A Hasidic tzaddik, he led his people into freedom in America. Reb has strange ideas on raising Danny. He believes that silence will teach Danny compassion and give him an understanding for pain. He does not talk to his son about anything but the Talmud. Loving and respecting each other immensely, Reb and Danny just never get a chance to express their feelings with one another. Reb holds Danny back and do... ...alizes that he can’t expect to keep such a genius in the cage. Reb finds out about Danny’s plans for the future, and although they contradict the way he would have wanted Danny to continue with his life, he agrees to let Danny decide for himself. Satisfied as a father, Reb says, â€Å"†¦I had to make certain his soul would be the soul of a tzaddik no matter what he did with his life.† Once Reb has given his son freedom, Danny remains faithful to his religion and, although he is not as devout, goes out into the world. Throughout this novel, there is an underlying force of prejudice. The two different Jewish sects are prejudiced against one another. Alongside, WWII also has a lot of prejudices locked up in it. The Zionist and anti-Zionist movements were prejudiced toward each other and many of these examples are found in the novel. Reuven Malter narrated The Chosen. This gives it a youthful perspective. It is very descriptive. Potok used many detailed vocabulary words to communicate his point. A lot of figurative language helps develop analogies and insights, as well. The Chosen is a very insightful novel about the Jewish culture and the trials that come with growing up. The Chosen Essay -- Essays Papers The Chosen The Chosen, a fiction novel written in 1967 by Chaim Potok, is about two young Jewish boys and their friendship. It takes us along with them on their journey from adolescence to adulthood. They face many conflicts, and through those trials the author makes his readers think more deeply into life’s true meanings. The novel was set in New York during the Second World War. Since the main characters are Jews, this period of time is very significant. Not only were the Jews persecuted during WWII, but New York was also close to a military base, which made it a prime target for bombing. Even the setting has an underlying sense of tension. One of the protagonists in The Chosen is Reuven Malter. Reuven is an orthodox Jewish boy. He is a very smart and diligent student. His father, David Malter raises Reuven alone in Brooklyn, New York as his mother has already passed away. Reuven has glasses, brown hair and eyes, and dresses in the typical orthodox manner. A plain boy, he has a bright mind and a very caring soul. The other protagonist in the novel is Danny Saunders. Danny is the son of a very devoted Hasidic Jewish tzaddik. However, Danny is not a very enthusiastic Hasid. He has earlocks, grows a beard, and wears the traditional Hasidic outfit, but he doesn't have the reverence for it that he should. Danny is a genius. His religion forbids him to read literature from the outside world, so he struggles with his thirst for knowledge and the restraints that have been put on him by both his father and his religion. He lives with his father, mother, older sister, and younger brother in Brooklyn as well. The first antagonist is Danny. He and Reuven had many difficulties. They resolve their problems in the course of the book, but at the beginning they hate each other. Their religious views are also very opposite. Once they overcome their differences, they become best friends. Reb Saunders is the second antagonist. A Hasidic tzaddik, he led his people into freedom in America. Reb has strange ideas on raising Danny. He believes that silence will teach Danny compassion and give him an understanding for pain. He does not talk to his son about anything but the Talmud. Loving and respecting each other immensely, Reb and Danny just never get a chance to express their feelings with one another. Reb holds Danny back and do... ...alizes that he can’t expect to keep such a genius in the cage. Reb finds out about Danny’s plans for the future, and although they contradict the way he would have wanted Danny to continue with his life, he agrees to let Danny decide for himself. Satisfied as a father, Reb says, â€Å"†¦I had to make certain his soul would be the soul of a tzaddik no matter what he did with his life.† Once Reb has given his son freedom, Danny remains faithful to his religion and, although he is not as devout, goes out into the world. Throughout this novel, there is an underlying force of prejudice. The two different Jewish sects are prejudiced against one another. Alongside, WWII also has a lot of prejudices locked up in it. The Zionist and anti-Zionist movements were prejudiced toward each other and many of these examples are found in the novel. Reuven Malter narrated The Chosen. This gives it a youthful perspective. It is very descriptive. Potok used many detailed vocabulary words to communicate his point. A lot of figurative language helps develop analogies and insights, as well. The Chosen is a very insightful novel about the Jewish culture and the trials that come with growing up.

Buying the Most Expensive Thing

Recently my family bought a new home, and while it was as much money as most homes are ( we are paying $167,100 for a three bedroom one bath) it was the most expensive thing we have ever bought. Buying a new home in any economy will always be an expensive endeavor. In this current economy it is a buyers market but there are still many things a buyer and seller must consider when buying or selling a home. The strength of the economy for a buyer can affect the benefits of the home ownership because it would determine the future market value of the home. It will also determine the market price that has to be paid at the time of purchase as well as determining the interest rate of how much that needs to be repaid. The removal of the tax deductibles of the payments increases the after-tax cost, and when taxes come due on the house at the end of the year there is no added incentives for owning a home. This will lead to the decrease in buying of new homes and the drastic fall of prices for sellers. There are many other things that can affect whether a person can afford to buy a home, but government spending and taxes are the biggest incentive as to what a family can afford and what benefits they can receive when buying. With an increase to taxes there is less money to spend and save for buying a new home, and the location of the home will effect how much I need to pay in property taxes.