Saudi Arabian Culture

Table of Contents Introduction Family, Marriage, and Children Norms, Religion, and Education Superstitions, Taboos, and Gestures Important Events in History Conclusion References Introduction Across the world, different countries have different cultures depending on racial and ethnic composition of citizens. Countries that have diverse races or ethnicities appear to have diverse cultures, while countries that have one race or ethnicity have common culture. Normally, the culture of a given population comprises of several elements of culture. Andersen and Taylor (2011) assert that elements of culture are norms, beliefs, values, and language, which comprise of material and immaterial things.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Saudi Arabian Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In essence, culture consists of concrete and abstract elements that shape human and societal behaviors across all ages. Since different c ountries have different cultures due to their racial and ethnic differences, people exhibit unique behaviors that reflect their respective norms, beliefs, values, and languages. Owing to globalization and increased intercultural interaction, people need to learn about other cultures. Learning other cultures is necessary because it enhances intercultural communication, which plays an important role in promoting economic, social, and political aspects of a country. In this view, by having common norms, beliefs, values, and languages, people can easily interact and perform businesses without undue cultural restrictions. Therefore, this essay examines elements of the Saudi Arabian culture with the objective of helping visitors to enjoy their stay in Saudi Arabia. Family, Marriage, and Children Family and marriage are central in the Saudi Arabian culture because they signify the procreative ability of the society. In Saudi Arabia, family is a crucial social institution because it enhance s the social status of an individual. The family provides an opportunity for parents to take care of their children and create businesses for the benefit of the family and society. The Saudi Arabian family has patriarchal structure, which makes husband the head the family with great responsibilities of protecting and providing for the family. Owing to the patriarchal structure, the family assumes the identity of the father. In this case, Sharia law (Islamic law) makes the father to be the custodian of the children when they are still young. According to Bowen (2008), Sharia law favors men because â€Å"in case of divorce, they receive custody of all children; boys at the age of seven and girls at the age of nine† (p. 11). This means that Saudi Arabian culture gives men the right to be custodians of children in the event of separation or divorce. Therefore, a foreign woman needs to know the state of family law in Saudi Arabia before marrying a Saudi Arabian man. In Saudi Arabi a, marriage is a civil contract where a husband pays dowry in the presence of family witnesses who sign marriage agreement. The aged family members have the responsibility of discussing marriage issues and signing the marriage agreement. Bowen (2008) states that, â€Å"marriage in Saudi Arabia is contractual, with rights and obligations established by means of a formal prenuptial agreement† (p. 11).Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Throughout the marriage period, wives are subject to their respective husbands who have absolute authority over what they do. Before marriage, fathers or male relatives dictate what women do in terms of work, education, and behavior, while husbands take over the role when they marry them. In the society, the responsibilities of women lie within the family, while the responsibilities of men lie in the public realm. Women have powers in making de cisions regarding household duties and upbringing of children. Moreover, Sharia law allows men to marry up to four wives provided they treat them equally. Hence, foreigners need to understand that women in Saudi Arabia are under absolute authority of men and that polygamy is legal. Norms, Religion, and Education Saudi Arabia is a country in the Middle East that exhibit cultural homogeneity as the citizens have a common culture. Cultural homogeneity is evident as Arabic is an official language and people believe in one religion of Sunni Islam. Additionally, Saudi Arabian monarchy is a political culture that supports homogeneity of the Saudi Arabian culture in the Middle East. The Saudi Arabians, therefore, share cultural elements that define their norms, beliefs, customs, traditions, superstitions, taboos, and language. Cultural elements of the Saudi Arabian culture are familiar in the Arab countries. Transfer of cultural elements from one generation to another depends on beliefs and norms govern families. In Saudi Arabia, beliefs and values that shape the culture of Saudi Arabians emanate from families and social structures. Norris and Inglehart (2012) argue that theories of multiculturalism envisage that people â€Å"acquire deep-rooted and enduring social norms and cultural values through the process of childhood socialization within the family, local community, and country† (p. 235). Thus, family and social structures of the Saudi Arabian culture have significant impact on beliefs, norms, and values of the people. Sunni Islam is a dominant religion in Saudi Arabia as it dictates the culture of people. Beliefs, norms, and values that Saudi Arabians uphold mirror Islamic teachings that are in the Quran and Sharia law. For example, the Quran teaches Muslims to dress in a decent and modest manner to discourage sexual temptations (Aziz, 2010). The dress code of Muslims in Saudi Arabia aims at concealing rather than revealing sensitive areas of the body th at the culture considers private. Unlike in the United States where people have freedom of dressing so long as the dress code is not explicit. Since legislations support the dress code, everyone in Saudi Arabia including foreigners must dress decently. While men wear white caps (taiga) and robe (throbe), women wear cloak (abayah) and head scarf.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Saudi Arabian Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to the Saudi Arabian culture, foreign men must put on long trousers that loosely fit and dress in shirts that cover upper part of the body well. The culture also dictates women to dress in long skirts, which fit loosely with hem covering the knees. In this view, foreigners need to understand how to dress lest they violate dress code that the Saudi Arabian culture and legislations stipulate. Saudi Arabia has integrated Islamic religion into its education system. The government of Saudi Arabia has made basic education compulsory, and thus many students have been able to pursue their education. Through education, students study theology and cultural studies, which have enabled Islamic monarchy to thrive in Saudi Arabia (Hefner, Zaman, 2010). Though men have higher literacy levels than women, current statistics indicate that Saudi Arabia has the highest number of graduates in the Middle East (Sabry, 2012). Despite the fact that the official language is Arabic, the education system of Saudi Arabia provides quality education. Superstitions, Taboos, and Gestures Islamic religion, which shapes Saudi Arabian culture, has numerous superstitions that revolve around many issues that affect humanity. For example, Sikhism (2013) states that, â€Å"if a fly falls on your food, take it and immerse it once more because according to the prophet Mohammed, the fly carries the medicine on one wing to counter the disease it carries on the other wing† (para. 1). Such superstition portrays a different way of how Muslims deal with flies when compared to other cultures. Another superstition is that when Satan urinates into ears, a person sleeps until sunrise (Sikhism, 2013). The superstition encourages people to wake up early so that they do not appear as if Satan has urinated on their ears. In addition to superstitions, the Saudi Arabian culture has some taboos. For instance, pointing at a person using a heel, toe, or any part of the foot is offensive in the Saudi Arabian culture. Moreover, nudity is a taboo because it demeans the dignity of human beings. Concerning food, Wang (2008) states that the Saudi Arabian culture regard eating of pork and drinking of alcohol as taboos. Hence, basing on these few taboos, one needs to understand their relevance in the Saudi Arabian culture. Saudi Arabian culture restricts gestures that people use. For example, the culture does not allow men and women to have direct eye contact because it encourages promiscuo us behavior. Moreover, the Saudi Arabian culture does not allow men and women to interact freely to prevent sexual temptation.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, women and men do not hug or hold one another in a suggestive manner, unless they are married couples (Center for Intercultural Learning, 2009). Hence, foreigners should be cautious when using gestures in Saudi Arabia because some gestures are offensive to Arabs. Important Events in History Mecca and Medina are historical places that tourists must visit in Saudi Arabia because they are sacred places that have significant importance to the Saudi Arabian culture. Soharwardy (2012) states Mecca and Medina are sacred sanctuaries where Muslims across the world visit during their pilgrimage. As Muslims mark Ramadan and Hajj, they visit pilgrim sites where they worship and celebrate their religious festivities. Mecca Medina Conclusion Saudi Arabian culture is a culture that has dominant beliefs, values, norms, and traditions that reflect Islamic culture. In this view, observation of Islamic beliefs, norms, values, and traditions enables people to understand the Saudi Arabian culture a nd adopt it. Islamic religion defines family structure, marriage, dress code, superstitions, taboos, food, gestures, and social interaction. Hence, foreigners need to adhere to Islamic beliefs, norms, values, and traditions while in Saudi Arabia to prevent occurrence of intercultural conflicts. References Andersen, M., Taylor, H. (2011). Sociology: The essentials (7th ed.). New York: Cengage Learning. Aziz, R. (2010). Hijab-The Islamic dress code: Its historical development, evidence from  scared sources and views of selected Muslim scholars. Web. Bowen, W. (2008). The history of Saudi Arabia. London: Greenwood Publishing Group. Center for Intercultural Learning (2009). Cultural information: Saudi Arabia. Web. Hefner, R., Zaman, M. (2010). Schooling Islam: the culture and politics of modern  Muslim education. New York: Princeton University Press. Norris, P., Inglehart, R. (2012). Muslim integration into Western cultures. Political  Studies, 60(1), 228-251. Sabry, T. (2012). Arab cultural studies: Mapping the field. London: I.B. Tauris. Sikhism, I. (2013). ‘Superstitious’ Hadiths Explained. Web. Soharwardy, S. (2012). Makkah and Madinah. Web. Wang, H. (2008). Communication with Saudis. Asian Social Science, 4(11), 124-130. This essay on Saudi Arabian Culture was written and submitted by user Devin Mitchell to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Making College the Experience of a Lifetime

Making College the Experience of a Lifetime Its all about balance. There are three aspects to college life academic, social, and personal growth. If you intend to get the most out of college, then you have to focus on all three in the right amounts. If you do, you will end your college years very grateful for the experience. You will also be prepared for almost anything that life may sling at you. Academic Given the cost of a college education today, you cannot afford to push your academic work to the back seat. And a low GPA is kind of a turnoff to potential employers. Here are some key tips to keep those academics in the forefront: Get to class. Things go on there that someone elses notes may not cover. You will want to be present for discussions and lectures and also to be seen by your professors. Some of them still take roll, and some of them are pretty unimpressed when students dont show up. Use technology. You will have a portal for every course with syllabus, assignments, and submission procedures. But, beyond that, find the technology that works for you, and that means apps to keep yourself organized, to record lectures and take pictures of stuff on those whiteboards. There are also great student websites where you can join online study groups, make your own flash cards, etc. Get Help When you are Struggling: Every campus has a writing lab and usually other resources for extra help if you are struggling in any of your courses. Dont wait until its too late. And if you get too far behind in those essay and paper assignments, find an online writing service you can trust. Social One of the great experiences of college life is the social activities and connections you will make. Become active in lots of clubs and informal groups. Many of the friendships you develop in college will be lifetime ones. A few tips: Be as open an outgoing as you can. Mingle with various groups a lot. It is the exposure to a wide variety of individuals that makes you a more social being once you enter the world of work and must relate to all kinds of people. Your horizons are expanding embrace all of those expansions. Enjoy the parties and the spontaneous gatherings that always seem to come up. College is not supposed to be all work. One word of caution: dont let your partying go to the extreme that your grades suffer. That GPA will be more important than how many beers you can down in one night. Personal Growth This is a huge aspect of college life, for it will determine who you are as an adult and how well you can manage the real world. There are a few things to keep in mind: Expose yourself to a variety of values and beliefs. This is the time during which you need to refine your identity as an adult .College environments are richly diverse. Make it a point to explore and better determine who you will become. Become involved in one or two campus organizations, in addition to any sorority or fraternity you might join. Try to gain leadership roles, for you will learn a great deal of team building and interpersonal relationships skills that will serve you well as an adult. Learn to Manage Time and Money. These are two very practical and worthwhile skills. You will use them forever, so learn them now when the consequences of mistakes will not be as severe as later on. There is nothing else in life that will ever replicate your college experience. Take it all in, learn, and grow.

Evolution of Music in Washington D.C Research Paper

Evolution of Music in Washington D.C - Research Paper Example Evolution of the emo music The word ‘EMO’ was first started in the ‘80s’ and was used to describe music which was being composed during depressing times. They target to console and bring closure to the audience, the listeners and the singer. The lyrics featured in this genre of music are often emotional and very expressive. The first band to play the genre of music was the ‘sunny day real estate’ and later on the scene was completely changed with the arrival of ‘sound garden and nirvana’. Initially, it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore music. Emo music often brings out a distinctive relationship between artists and fans. It often describes the different aspects of fashion, the various behaviors of people in our societies and the various cultural practices among people (Troy & Cannato, 2009). The genre of music has also been associated with such practices like promoting cutting and self –mutilation. A good example is that in the album ‘ta king back Sunday’, the cover on the one of the album consist of a song called ‘cute without at E. There are different EMO bands and some of the most popular ones are the ‘Panic!’ ‘At The Disco,’ ‘Fall out Boy’ among others. These names were given to the albums because of the type of music in question and the general appearance of the music. EMO songs represents or talks about different depressing situations and involves themes like love, loneliness, fallacy amongst others. Such aspects clearly spell out the expressive nature of EMO.

The Cause and Effect of Learning the English Language Essay

The Cause and Effect of Learning the English Language - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that not so many people can speak the English language well in the companies in Saudi Arabia and such, employees who could speak the language well are often paid high salaries. In addition, English speaking employees also get promoted easily compared to the non-English speaker because companies prefer those who can interact with more people. This is becoming more important today because employees now have to work with other people from other countries and culture with the globalization of our economies. Such, learning English is becoming more and more important to be effective in one’s job in the future. This explains why many of us flocks in English speaking universities in order to improve our English. We would like to get paid well and get easily promoted in the companies that we will work in the future when we go back to our respective countries after graduation. It is hard but it is worth it.  

Ethno Nationalist Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethno Nationalist Terrorism - Essay Example ionalist movement, which Arab states tried to obstruct; the growing conflict between Israel and the Arab countries over water development plans and other issues; and the increasing importance of the Palestine issue in inter-Arab political affairs.2 The PLO immediately became the ground for numerous nationalist campaigns, which were more and more oriented toward attaining autonomy of political activity from the Arab states, besides the major aspiration to liberate Palestine and guarantee the return of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees.3 After the war of 1967, and the accompanying damage to the reputation of Arab states, supervision of the PLO was taken over by autonomous Palestinian political organizations with a more revolutionary agenda than that of the original organizers. These groups have governed the PLO from then on. Fatah, which means ‘conquest’ or ‘liberation’, is the biggest group within the PLO, and the Syrian division headed by Yasir Arafat.4 It became increasingly radical as Israel continuously achieved military success, and more uncompromising about returning territories seized from the Arabs. Even more radical factions formed within the PLO, such as the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Black September. These factions argued that the best way to force Israel to hand back the occupied territories was through terrorist activities.5 The Islamic Resistance Movement, or, Hamas, was the offspring of the intifada, which signified the onset of the real political resurgence of the Islamic forces in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Hamas was established in 1987 as a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, a political and religious group formed in 1928 in Egypt.6 The primary objective of Hamas is to build an Islamic state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. This objective merges Palestinian national aspiration and Islamist principles. Their ideology is precise on this issue: â€Å"Hamas regards nationalism as part and parcel of

Wordplay Functions In Literature And Literary Theory English Language Essay

Wordplay Functions In Literature And Literary Theory English Language Essay Abstract: Wordplay occupies a significant position in several important conceptions and theories of literature, principally because it has both a performative and a critical function in relation to language and cognition. This article describes the various uses and understandings of wordplay and their origins in its (Whose?) unique flexibility, which involves an interaction between a semiotic deficit and a semantic surplus. Furthermore, the article illustrates different methods of incorporating theories of wordplay into literature and literary theory, and finally, it demonstrates the ways in which the use of wordplay often leads to the use of metaphors and figurative language. Introduction Puns and wordplay occupy a significant position in literature as well as in various ways of reflecting on and conceptualizing literature. They can be used to produce and perform a poetic function with language and they can be used critically, which entails considering them from a distance(?) as utterances that undermine meaning and sense and that ultimately accomplish a deconstructive performance. A dictionary definition of the word pun illustrates that both homonymy (when two words with unrelated meanings have the same form) and polysemy (when one word form has two or more, related, meanings) can properly be used to form puns: a play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words (American Heritage College Dictionary 1997, Third Edition). However, this definition could also be extended to embrace the term wordplay, mainly because pun seems to cover only single words.  [1]  So a more precise definition of pu n might be a play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same expression and sometimes on the similar senses or sounds of different words (This is between inverted commas. Where is the citation?). The various uses and understandings of wordplay originate from a flexibility which this article attempts to identify and describe from both a historical and a contemporary perspective. Wordplay involves an interaction between a semiotic deficit and a semantic surplus and is therefore primarily understood and used in two different ways in literature and literary theory. Literary scholar Geoffrey Hartman succinctly articulated this interaction in an essay titled The Voice of the Shuttle: Language from the Point of View of Literature (1970) I dont know which system of citation the author is using. If it is APA, this citation is wrong: You can define a pun as two meanings competing for the same phonemic space or as one sound bringing forth semantic twins, but, however you look at it, its a crowded situation (1970: 347). The semiotic deficit is caused by one sign or expression signifying at least two meanings. The semantic surplus, on the other hand, refers to the cognitive event happenin g in the individual (in literature, the reader) experiencing the play on words. The article describes these two features of wordplay with the help of a few examples of wordplay in literature and literary theory, and it also demonstrates that the use of puns and wordplay often leads to the use of metaphor and figurative language or a semantic surplus like Hartmans twins. Furthermore, the article presents an argument for distinguishing between exploring the intention behind the use of wordplay and exploring wordplay itself. In the previous paragraph, the author talked about an essay by Hartman. Is he/she still referring to that essay when he/she talks about the article? Paranomasia and traductio In the beginning was the pun (1957: 65), writes Samuel Beckett in his novel Murphy from 1938 The citation is wrong, according to APA standards, but although puns and wordplay as such may have been with us from the very beginning (of what?) Beckett is paraphrasing the Bible), actual descriptions of wordplay do not appear until the rhetorical studies of Cicero and Quintilian. Parts of Platos Cratylus do; however, bear a superficial resemblance to wordplay because Socrates makes fun of etymological argumentation, showing the reader how language can lead to sophistic blind alleys and dead ends, which can be deceptive to those who are not familiar with the well-known schism between the world of ideas and the world of phenomena. Moreover, in Phaedrus, Socrates argues that in the written word there is necessarily much which is not serious (277E) It wasnt written by Socrates, but by Plato. It is this argumentation which Jacques Derrida later criticizes in Platos Pharmacy (1998) the system of citation does not seem to be consistent. Names of books are alternatively written in bold type, without inverted commas, or in normal type, with inverted commas, in which Derrida attempts to demonstrate the erosion of Platos argumentation through the two-sidedness and ambiguity of the word pharmakon and through the way Plato plays on the multiple meanings of this word. Writing is both a remedy and a poison, producing both science and magic. Platos antidote to sophism is episteme, or, in Derridas view, mental or epistemological repression. Derridas text demonstrates an interesting and intimate connection between writing, wordplay, oblivion and memory, but since this is a perspective a bit outside the framework of this article I will carry on a more historical view..  [2]   Over time, wordplay has been linked to the rhetorical terms of traductio and adnominatio. The anonymous Rhetoric to Herennius (Rhetorica ad Herennium), written in the period 86-82 BC and ascribed to Cicero until the fifteenth century, states that [t]ransplacement [traductio] makes it possible for the same word to be frequently reintroduced, not only without offence to good taste, but even so as to render the style more elegant (1954: 279) The work of Derrida was not cited like this. Traductio is classified below figures of diction and is compared to other figures of repetition. Common to these figures is an elegance which the ear can distinguish more easily than words can explain. (1954: 281). Identifying wordplay as traductio, however, may not entirely correspond with the understanding we have of wordplay today, although the lack of explanatory words within this rhetorical figure is comparable to the above-mentioned thesis. Today, we would perhaps rather characterize wordplay as adn ominatio [called paranomasia in the English translation]. The Rhetoric to Herennius states that wordplays should be used in moderation because they reveal the speakers labour and compromise his ethos: Such endeavours, indeed, seem more suitable for a speech of entertainment that for use in an actual cause. Hence the speakers credibility, impressiveness, and seriousness are lessened by crowding these figures together. Furthermore, apart from destroying the speakers authority, such a style gives offence because these figures have grace and elegance, but not impressiveness and beauty. (1954: 309) I have indented this, according to APA norms. Wordplay must therefore be used economically so as not to seem childish or to monopolize the listeners attention. In addition, the author of the Rhetoric points to the fact that one very quickly becomes too clever by half if the frequency of paronomasia is too high. In Quintilians treatise on rhetoric, The Orators Education (Institutio Oratoria), wordplay is reckoned among figures of speech (9.13). Another style of citation. Quintilian divides these into two types, the first of which concerns innovations in language, while the second concerns the arrangement of the words. The first type is, according to Quintilian, more grammatically based, while the latter is more rhetorically based, but with indistinct limits. At the same time, the first one protects the speaker against stereotypical language. Wordplay belongs to what Quintilian refers to as figures which depend on their sound; other figures depend on alteration, addition, subtraction or succession. Quintilian treats wordplay immediately following the chapter on addition and subtraction, thereby suggesting its status as something which neither subtracts nor adds. Otherwise his conception of wordplay is similar to that of the Rhetorica ad Herennium: wordplay should be used with cautiousness and only if it to some extent strengthens a point, in which case it can have a convincing effect.  [3]   What we can learn by reading these passages on wordplay in Quintillian and the Rhetorica ad Herennium is that ever since the beginning of literary studies our understanding of wordplay has oscillated between at least two different extremes: traductio and adnominatio / paranomasia, or, one could say, between an outer understanding concerned with the context and an inner understanding mostly concerned with language itself. This could also be one of the main reasons why literary theory has tended to describe puns and wordplay in two ways: either as magical (iconic) language use or as critical language use. Magical language use has much in common with wordplay as a rhetorical figure, and thus also with the way wordplay was used in antiquity and in the romantic era, between which periods the literature of Shakespeare creates an important link. For instance, it is quite remarkable that at first Shakespeare was admonished for his plays on words. In Germany, the Enlightenment poet and transl ator of Shakespeare, C.M. Wieland citation?, also complains about the wisecracks. He calls them albern (silly) and ekelhaft (disgusting). When A.W. Schlegel citation?, on the other hand, gets hold of Shakespeares texts, he is much more attentive to and respectful of the latters excesses in language. Schlegel is in debt to Herder citation?, who is one of the first in Germany to appreciate the poetry in Shakespeares works (their rhythm, melody and other more formal qualities) (cf. Larson (1989)). We cant carry out this comparison, because the works have not been properly cited. By using the rather odd term magical language, this article aims to carry on colloquial a German tradition of treating wordplay as Sprachmagie. Walter Benjamin, for instance, construes language as magical or self-endorsing citation?.  [4]  Critical language use, however, is more comparable to the use of wordplay and the discussion of wit in the Age of Enlightenment, and thus more generally to humour, including, for instance, the joke and the anecdote (whereas in relation to magical language use, wordplay should be regarded as akin to the riddle, the rebus and the mystery). Much literary theory may therefore have adopted these two ways of dealing with and understanding wordplay: it is treated as exceptionally poetic and almost magical precisely because it is untranslatable, or as something which can be used in a general critique of language in which this untranslatableness is used as an argument for the arbitrariness of the relationship between signifià © and signifiant .citation ?The words were not coined by the author of this paper. Wordplay as part of language criticism The work of the linguist Ferdinand de Saussure citation may be seen as a prism for the two understandings of wordplay throughout the twentieth century. On the one hand, there is the scholar Saussure, who later became famous for his hypothesis of the arbitrary relationship between signifià © and signifiant and for his statement that language only contains differences without positive terms. On the other hand, there is the other Saussure, who, besides his more official scholarship, occupies himself with anagrams in Latin texts (cf. Starobinski 1979). In his private scholarship Saussure considers the sign highly motivated, which stands in contrast to his thesis of the arbitrariness of the sign in his official scholarship. Saussures remarkable occupation with language alternates between an almost desperate confidence in language and a growing distrust of its epistemological value. The discussion in the last part of this article will be based on this distrust, orienting it toward Nietzsc he and Freud, since they represent two of the most predominant views on language and thus wordplay in several important literary theories of the twentieth century, not least Russian Formalism and deconstruction. Franz Fà ¼rst (1979) wrongly cited, according to APA norms mentions that wordplay changes character during the nineteenth century. First, the romantic age idealizes it, changing its characteristics. Wordplay is not only connected to wit, but also to in my free translation from Bernhardis Sprachlehre (1801-1803) citation the eternal consonance of the universe through its heterogeneous homogeneity.  [5]  The coherence between sound and meaning was therefore at first considered deeper than might be expected, but the coherence, as the future would show, also had another side displaying a quite different function of wordplay. Fà ¼rst explains: Aus einer à ¤hnlichen Bemà ¼hung um die Wiederherstellung der engen Wort-Ding-Beziehung, jedoch mit karikaturistischer Absicht, entstand eine neue Technik des Wortspiels, die von Brentano und ihm folgend von Heine und Nietzsche verwendet wurde. Diese Technik verzichtet auf das Urwort und begnà ¼gt sich mit der Wortentstellung, der Karikatur eines ehemals organisch-sinnvollen Wortes zur Bezeichnung einer entstellten Wirklichkeit. (1979: 49) We need a translation of this. In Fà ¼rsts view, from pointing out a deeper coherence, wordplay now stands at the service of a distorted reality. It becomes an example of the play of falseness and designates a disfigured reality, especially concerning epistemological questions. The connection with this deeper coherence is therefore eliminated from language and discarded. For example, wordplay and other rhetorical figures which build upon likeness, like the metaphor, are denigrated in Nietzsches work from 1873, On Truth and Lie in an Extra-Moral Sense citation , when he proclaims that the truth is only [a] mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms in short, a sum of human relations which have been enhanced, transposed, and embellished poetically and rhetorically (1982: 46-47). Martin Stingelin points out that Nietzsches wordplay gewinnt (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) seine reflexive Qualità ¤t gerade durch Entstellung (1988: 348) Translation, citation. Precisely because everything is rhetoric anyway, we must turn the sting of language against itself. In this connection, wordplay is the least convincing example of false resemblances made by language and can therefore participate reflectively and ironically in such an Enstellung (distortion). The failure to convince should indicate, and thereby ironically convince us, that there is something inherently wrong with language and the epistemological cognition it attends to for us. Besides Nietzsches critique, we also find Freuds general distrust of language in the beginning of the twentieth century. Most relevant to wordplay is his work The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious. Date, citation.With this as a starting point, it is possible to make some more general remarks about the fundamental importance of the relationship between wordplay and metaphor in the different ways in which wordplay is understood and used in twentieth-century literary theory. Freud believes that play on words is nothing but condensation without substitute-formation; condensation is still the overriding category. A tendency to parsimony predominates in all these techniques. Everything seems to be a matter of economy, as Hamlet says (Thrift, thrift, Horatio!) Speech marks (2003: 32). Freuds interest in wordplay therefore goes by way of the joke, which is primarily characterized by economization and condensation.  [6]  A substitution is omitted; in other words, wordplay is not a translation of something unconscious, but a translation which more precisely takes place in language. This is also one of the definitions that Walter Redfern arrives at (1997: 265). Redferns study of wordplay is without doubt the most comprehensive yet in a literary context, but the many metaphorical classifications for instance, ubiquity, equality, fissiparity, double-talk, intoxication (2000: 4) or bastard, a melting-pot, a hotchpotch, a potlatch, potluck (2000: 217) are char acteristic of the relationship between wordplay and metaphor. Wordplay therefore has to do with something fundamentally poetic in language, or as Roman Jakobson puts it, poetry is precisely characterized by being untranslatable: In poetry, verbal equations become a constructive principle of the text. Syntactic and morphological categories, roots, and affixes, phonemes and their components (distinctive features) in short, any constituents of the verbal code are confronted, juxtaposed, brought into contiguous relation according to the principle of similarity and contrast and carry their own autonomous signification. Phonemic similarity is sensed as semantic relationship. The pun, or to use a more erudite and perhaps more precise term paronomasia, reigns over poetic art, and whether its rule is absolute or limited, poetry by definition is untranslatable. (1987: 434) If wordplay may be characterized as a translation in language, metaphor may be considered a translation with language, and each time this inner translation or untranslatability of a pun or wordplay is translated, words for this translation are lacking. Arguably, this is exactly where metaphor helps, like a Band-Aid for a small wound. For this lack or deficit of words produces a poetic surplus which is precisely able to express itself in metaphors and figurative language in general. The latter is an attempt to explain the translation or translate it to something more comprehensible. Whereas the metaphor gives the sense of an effective blend between two semantic fields which together create a third one, wordplay gives a very different impression. The third place which the wordplay creates in its expression is not intellectually comprehensible, but rather inscribed in the form of its own manifestation, a distinctive blend of sound and sense. The incomprehensibleness is an argument for both of its general understandings, partly according to a view which considers language something which can reveal the nonsense of a truth (language criticism) and partly according to a certain kind of nonsensical truth, the idea that language contains m ore than we are aware of (magical language use). Consequently, it is not so odd that metaphor is useful for describing wordplay: metaphor creates a convergence between several semantic fields by covering up the differences between them and in so doing often makes poetry happen. Wordplay, on the other hand, fixes the difference in the mind, thus maintaining the convergence in its very expression. Take, for instance, the literary example of Shakespeares Sonnet CXXXII: THINE eyes I love, and they, as pitying me, Knowing thy heart torment me with disdain, Have put on black and loving mourners be, Looking with pretty ruth upon my pain. And truly not the morning sun of heaven Better becomes the grey cheeks of the east, Nor that full star that ushers in the even, Doth half that glory to the sober west, As those two mourning eyes become thy face: O! let it then as well beseem thy heart To mourn for me since mourning doth thee grace, And suit thy pity like in every part.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then will I swear beauty herself is black,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And all they foul that thy complexion lack. The sonnet is replete with wordplay and puns, especially on the words I and eye, and morning and mourning no inverted commas here?, but also and perhaps less importantly on the words ruth and truth. Appropriately, the sonnet contains two instances of the word I, punningly mirroring the two eyes. But an expression and a metaphor like the grey cheeks of the east would simply not emerge without the existence of the pun between morning and mourning. The poem develops and invents a vocabulary and uses expressions which would simply not exist or appear without the puns and plays on words. It actually manages to connect blackness with beauty because of the pun between mourning and morning which also connects the sun with the full star and in this manner with the night. Hence, everything that the I in the sonnet lays eyes on is polluted by a look of mourning and pity. The connection mentioned above causes most scholars to describe wordplay as a potential metaphor; even Freud (especially read in the perspective of Jacques Lacan citation  [7]  ) indicates that we should understand wordplay this way. However, no one has shown that metaphor is a potential wordplay. The question must be whether the connection goes both ways or if wordplay simply is a more initial metaphor? In any case, following Lakoff and Johnsons now classic theory (1980), it is easy to suspect that so-called dead metaphors can be played on more easily than other words for example, the word leg, which is used in connection with chairs, tables and human beings, or words like root or rose, which function in countless contexts. The ambiguity is most severe in connection with some of the key examples provided by Lakoff and Johnson, such as our value-laden and metaphorical organization of space in up and down, in and out, and so forth. The reason for this is probably not that these e xpressions are metaphorical, but rather that they belong to the trite vocabulary which often activates wordplay makes it alert, as Redfern citation writes. In other words, a revitalizing process in language takes place between wordplay and metaphor. Wordplay is not more original than metaphor, nor is the reverse true, for that matter. Experience has shown that wordplay has a tendency to generate metaphors when we attempt describe what they exactly mean and that dead metaphors have a tendency to generate wordplay. Regarding the latter, the same applies to dead language in general, such as hackneyed proverbs, phrases and clichà ©s. Along with the dead metaphors, these expressions make up an un-sensed language which often activates wordplay. The more remarkable of these two relations is without doubt the first one, which I will therefore focus on. The relation between wordplay and metaphor outlined above corresponds with the one that Maureen Quilligan (1992) identifies between wordplay and allegory. Below, we will examine Quilligans understanding of their connection. Wordplay and allegory Quilligan tries to redefine allegory as a genre in which wordplay plays a central part due to its ambiguousness, or as Quilligan writes, [a] sensitivity to the polysemy in words is the basic component of the genre of allegory (1992: 33). Quilligan sees wordplay as initiating the unfolding of the relationship of the text to itself. The text comments on itself, not discursively, but narratively. In this way an author does the same thing with allegory as the literary critic, but the difference is that the author makes commentary on that is, enacts an allegoresis of his own text, which is due to the fact that language is self-reflexive. But this self-reflexivity is only brought about through the reader, who therefore constantly plays an important role in Quilligans reading and re-evaluation of allegory. Self-reflexivity is, however, potentially inscribed in the text through certain traces, especially through polysemy, which expresses itself on the most fundamental literal level specif ically, in the sounds of the words and it is in this respect that wordplay enters the picture alongside allegory. Quilligan uses Quintilian to differentiate between allegory and allegoresis. Allegoresis is literary interpretation or critique of a text, and it was this concept that Quintilian was referring to when he wrote that allegory means one thing at the linguistic level and another at the semantic level; in other words, as a figure, allegory could retain a separation between several semantic levels for a long time for example, between a literal and a figurative level. However, the other which the word allegory points towards with its allos is not someone floating somewhere above the text, but the possibility of an otherness, a polysemy, says Quilligan, on the page and in the text. The allegory designates the fact that language can mean numerous things at once. This very redefinition causes Quilligan to turn towards wordplay. Besides, Quilligan wants to escape from a vertical understanding of allegory such as it has been inherited from Dante, who organized his Divine Comedy according to the Bible, which he believed had four layers of meaning. Quilligan suggests that allegory works horizontally, so that the meaning is increased serially by connecting the verbal surface before moving to another level for example, beyond or above the literal level. And this other level which she refers to has to be located in the reader, who will gradually become aware of the way he or she creates the meaning of the text. Out of this awareness comes a consciousness, not just of how the text is read, but also of the human response to the narrative. Self-reflexivity occurs, and, finally, out of this a relation is established to the other (allos) towards which the allegory leads its reader through the allegoresis. This sensation of the real meaning can be called sacred. Quilligan aims to grasp allegory in its pure form before it becomes allegoresis. Through her readings, she tries to identify a more undetermined conception of allegory on a linguistic level before it gets determined by and in the reader. Quilligan could have used Quintilians definition of allegory as a continued metaphor (III, 2001, 8:6: 44) to establish a relation between allegory, metaphor and wordplay. In my view she thus misses something essential in the contiguous relationship between wordplay, allegory and allegoresis, and this is the making of metaphors. The relation between wordplay and metaphor constitutes a more intimate bond than that between wordplay and allegory, or, as James Brown puts it: The pun is the first step away from the transparent word, the first step towards the achievement of symbolic metaphor (1956:18). But this does not mean that wordplay is some sort of metaphor, as Brown seems to suggest. More accurately, it would be reasonable to suggest that wordplay gives rise to creative language usage, including metaphors and figurative language use in general. This very use is an attempt to translate the relative untranslatability of wordplay, and thereby to satisfy a natural human desire for understanding. Russian formalism vs. deconstruction By treating the text as described above, Quilligan can read several texts in a new and constructive manner inspired by the way that early literary works such as The Faerie Queene way of writing titles deal with language. But it is principally Quilligans starting point and to a lesser degree her treatment of the text that I aim to pinpoint with my focus on wordplay. This article does not claim that the twentieth century should only be understood in the light of wordplay, but rather that in some periods wordplay was used with very specific intentions, and that it offers an understanding of language which several literary theories benefit from. Wordplay stands out particularly in two twentieth-century literary theories namely, Russian formalism and literary deconstruction in the wake of Jacques Derrida citation but it is used in very different ways in these theories. In Russian formalism, wordplay involves a revitalization of language,  [8]  parallel to the concept of skaz,  [9]  which refers to an illusion of a kind of orality or even realism in literary language. In contrast, in deconstruction, wordplay is often tied to writings influence on language in general to a grammatology, to borrow Derridas term. From a deconstructive perspective, wordplay deals with the inadvertent or unintended in the intended (cf. Gordon C.F. Bearn 1995a: 2), or with absence in presence; the exact opposite is true in Russian formalism, which deals with puns and wordplay as a form of oral presence in writing, likening this to a kind of absence. Here, as in other cases, wordplay is involved in a fundamental shift in perspective between a semiotic deficit and a semantic surplus in what may be called a constructive and deconstructive construction of meaning. An example of this problematic is a book by Howard Felperin citation problems with the symptomatic title Beyond Deconstruction. The Uses and Abuses of Literary Theory. In this book, Felperin differentiates between what he calls the enactment and counter-enactment of wordplay, emphasizing counter-enactment at the expense of enactment: If the figures of enactment, of speaking in effect in Shakespeares phrase, work cumulatively to integrate the jigsaw puzzle of language into concrete replica of the sensory world, the pun is precisely that piece of language which will fit into several positions in the puzzle and thereby confound attempts to reconstruct the puzzle into a map or picture with any unique or privileged reliability or fidelity of reference. Whereas metaphor and onamatopeia attempt to bridge the precipitate fissures between signs and their meaning, paronomasia [or wordplay; Felperin does not make a distinction] effectively destabilizes further whatever conventional stability the relation between sign and meaning may be thought to possess. (1985: 185) (My addition) In Felperins view, wordplay turns our understanding of things upside down in respect to both language in general and certain overall views of life and so forth. This is the reason why wordplay has been disliked for so many years. Felperin analyses Shakespeare and finds that wordplay is at the disposal of language in various ways in Shakespeares work, precisely in the form of a counter-enactment. However, what he seems to forget is that not only does wordplay oppose similarities, but it also conveys likeness for instance, in the wordplay between eye and I, which may underlie a much deeper understanding of the sonnets and of subjectivity in Shakespeares works in general (cf. Fineman 1988). Arguing against the theory of enactment, Felperin criticizes, among other things, Russian formalism as a theory founded on metaphor (which from Felperins deconstructive perspective is the wrong foundation when it comes to an ontology of language): The Russian formalists, for example, like the Elizabethans, see language as aboriginally poetic, and similarly identify its performative potential in the storehouse of metaphor that lies buried within it (1985: 180). Only Shakespeare escapes this sort of criticism, which appears typical of the period and untenable. Metaphor almost seems like a dark, anthropomorphic enemy in such a deconstructive point of view. Furthermore, Felperin of course makes considerable efforts to define wordplay as a matter

Understanding Ourselves in the Age of the Internet Essay -- Sherry Tur

Understanding Ourselves in the Age of the Internet In her book, Life on Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet, author Sherry Turkle explains the effect technology has on the way individuals view themselves, and how this relates to the growth of postmodernist thinking. According to Turkle, the rapid expansion of network technology, specifically the Internet, is responsible for introducing millions of people to new spaces and ways of interactivity with one another. This revolutionary method for relating to others is swiftly changing how we view our minds, our sexual interactions, the forms of our communities, and even our own identities (Turkle 9). In the excerpts selected for our class reading, Turkle cites Internet communication technology such as chat rooms, MUDs (Multi-User Domains) and IRC (Internet Relay Chat) as the basis for the further exploration of our identities because, "it is on the Internet that our confrontations with technology as it collides with our sense of human identity are fresh, even raw. In the real-time communities of cyber space, we are dwellers on the threshold between the real and virtual, unsure of our footing, inventing ourselves as we go along" (Turkle 10). As we invent new identities in order to harmonize with the changing frontiers of technology and society, our culture moves from the modernist idea of calculation to a postmodern concept of simulation (Turkle 20). To understand the difference between the postmo dernist impact on contemporary thought as opposed to the modernist view, it is important to hold a basic understanding of both ideas. Modernist thought is difficult to accurately define - the gradual evolution of philosophy makes it hard to determine how long modernism has ex... ...l life and what is considered computer simulation. After all, most chat users argue, "why grant such superior status to the self that has the body when the selves that don't have bodies are able to have different kinds of experiences?" (Turkle 14). The technological culture of simulation is gradually affecting the way we view our minds as well as our bodies, and a majority of mainstream computer programs are designed with this postmodern influence in mind. Rather than expecting to program aptitude directly into their computers, programmers now believe it is the interaction of smaller subprograms to each other that can create a greater intelligence. The relation of these programs to each other may become too complex to properly define or completely understand, but so are our brains - and this never prevented them from functioning competently (Turkle 20).

Autobiography – Maxwell Joseph Delaney

I was born on the 28th of July 1986 in Greenwich hospital and I was given the Maxwell Joseph Delaney. I lived in New Cross for a quarter of a year in a cosy little flat in Florence Terrace where I lived with my Mum, Dad and my brother Nick. I then moved to Gosforth in Newcastle where I attended South Gosforth First School. In the nursery, my teacher was called Ms Handyside. There was a sandpit, paddling pool, toy den and a library, I used the toy den the most because it had toy motorbikes, I used to run riot with them. I had my 6th birthday in my back garden. It was excellent! There were some people dressed up as cartoon characters. There was Bart Simpson, The Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and Barney the dog. My dog Cher chased Barney around the garden. I lived in Newcastle until I was 8 then I moved back down to London where I lived in Blackheath, I started in year 3 at John Ball Primary School. My teacher was called Ms Carter, the first person I met was a boy called Patrick. On the first day a boy called Michael Leal got rather emotional over a few Maths questions he got wrong, it was hilarious! Every time the teacher said it was okay he got worse! In year 4 my teacher was Mr Russell, I broke my arm that year. I was coming home from football with my brother on the bikes and I skidded into his bike and I went straight over the bars. I waited in Greenwich Hospital for 2 hours before I could even be X-rayed. I was in plaster for 6 weeks, 6 glorious weeks full of no work and just laying board games in school! When I went to the hospital to have it removed they showed me what they were going to do it with I screamed! It was a big saw! I was scared at first but when they started cutting it tickled and I was laughing. On the other hand my mum wasn't, there was a lady in the bed next to me who was having nails from her leg removed and my Mum felt very faint. In year 5 and 6 I was in the school football team, we won the league both years and paid two visits for tournaments at Millwall. My nickname was â€Å"The Wall† because of my defensive capabilities. When I was 9 my Nan died. I was living in London and we were coming back from a visit up to Newcastle and that's when my Mum decided to tell me. My first emotion was sadness and I cried through the whole journey but after a few weeks I realised it was for the best as my Nan was in extreme pain as she was suffering from leukaemia. We had visited her every day in hospital. It was sad for me because I knew that she was very close to dying. There was one funny thing about it; my Brother and I would sit in the chair by the patient next to my Nan. We would touch her flowers and she would start waving her hands frantically at us. My Brother and I were not allowed to go to my Nans' funeral because my Mum and Dad wanted us to remember all the good times and not her lying in a coffin. It was the my first day at Crown Woods, I can remember waking and feeling â€Å"Oh, my God! I've got to go back.† After a long play during the summer that is genuinely how I felt. I just didn't want to go back because I knew it would be a lot harder. I was rushing about all morning trying to get everything perfect because I didn't want to slip up on my first day. I gave my Mum a kiss, she wished me luck and sent me off. I walked half way down the road and I got the feeling I was forgetting something. I dug my hands deep into my pockets and found there was nothing in them. I rushed off home and asked for some dinner money and keys! I'd just got off the bus and saw the school for only the third time and it looked like a prison but I wasn't intimidated at all. It was a day when it was only year sevens in school and I was one of the biggest so I loved it nobody tried anything. As I walked into the tutor room I didn't know anybody so I just sat anywhere, I made friends quickly with Ricky, Nick and Dan. My first lesson was English and I didn't enjoy it at all. We had to write about ourselves, it was a lot harder than Primary school English lessons. At break I played football with the boys from my tutor group. I didn't score any but I managed to make a huge impression with my football skills. I took Jorel and Ryan out of the game by dirtying them up good. The rest of the day was really boring. This year I had just moved into my new house. We weren't allowed pets as we were renting. We had received a call the previous evening to say that the landlord Ahmed was coming over to fix the plugs, as a few of them were a bit dodgy. My Mum had recently bought my little sister Lauren a hamster called Hercules. Lauren would put Hercules in a pink jewellery box and call him Duchess. It was Saturday morning at around 10:00 am, everyone was up except Nick, the landlord was due at 10:30 am. My Mum had remembered the Hamster upstairs and proceeded to mutter to herself â€Å"Where am I going to hide the hamster.† I offered her a cup of tea to calm her and we then began to think of places to hide the hamster. First of all there was the cupboard under the stairs, but the landlord might hear him, then, my Mums' wardrobe, but there was the sound thing again. We were as dry as the desert for ideas, suddenly I came up with the shed. Perfect! Ahmed would never go out there. My Mum asked me to take the hamster out there while she hovered up. I unlocked the patio doors ran out into the garden, ducked the clothesline and put the hamster in the shed. I then ran back, ducked the clothesline and SMACK! When I got up I could see my sister in hysterics. I had run straight into the patio doors and knocked myself out. The Landlord never did find the hamster.

10 Chrome Extensions to Make Your Studying Easier (And More Effective)

10 Chrome Extensions to Make Your Studying Easier (And More Effective) Okay all you tech-savvy students, it’s time to take your Google game to the next level. In this article we’re going to take a look at 10 Chrome extensions that you can use to study better, stay more organized and be a couple steps ahead of the collegiate show. Some of them you may already use, but there’s definitely a finding here for everyone. Enjoy the list! #1: The Invaluable Time Tracker How long do you actually research in comparison with the time you are lost on YouTube or sleeping at the keyboard? Time Tracker is like your own personal Big Brother that will watch where you go online, track it and show you how long you were there. Judging by the reviews in the Google web store, it isn’t perfect and has its share of issues, but it’s been great for plenty of students or even online workers. #2: The Unstoppable Quick Note Quick Note is one of the most prolific Google extensions for students. We’re talking the upper echelons of tech-savvy GPA enhancing madness. With 6848 reviews it’s hard to deny the regality and college-style browser opulence it can bestow upon you. Do be a sport and check into it. No kidding, you’ll probably end up using the same extension years from now in that cushy career you’re working towards. #3: The PDF’s Best Friend So basically, it’s called CleanPrint and using it you can either print the PDF completely, view it in more dynamic ways or print only specific sections. Pretty handy, especially these days, when most of the college experience is happening online and files really matter. PDF is probably one of the most common type of files you’ll use, so this extension just makes handling them efficient. #4: The Ultimate Mind-Mapping Tool LucidChart Introducing LucidChart and when it comes to a brainstorming or mind-mapping tool it’s hard to beat. Now you can chill in your dorm room with your tablet and organize your thoughts, connect the dots and make some real progress on projects that would have likely stumped or overwhelmed you before. #5: The Checker Plus for Google Calendar It’s sort of an add-on extension that integrates with Google Calendar. Checker Plus helps you keep tabs on, â€Å"your next events, get meeting desktop notifications, add or snooze events without opening the Google Calendar page!† Don’t be late anymore or miss something important happening on campus. There’s always so much to do and now you can turn your smartphone, iPod or tablet into an amazing calendar. #6: Get the Google Dictionary! If you’re not using Google Dictionary, then you need to go talk to some psy-majors immediately. #7: Epic Document Creation Tool The extension is called Docs Quickly and using it you can create documents within your browser. No kidding. â€Å"Add a simple menu to your browser bar to quickly create new Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Forms, and Drawings for Google Drive.† Seriously, it is handy, and it is one of those extensions that you can rely on. #8: A Legendary Spell / Grammar Checker We’re talking next generation and custom-designed Spell Grammar Checker. Dynamic. Comprehensive. User-friendly. Dependable. Stuffed with nifty features that basically ensure you’ll be writing and communicating far more fluently! Less errors mean less hassle for you and higher marks as well. Raise your hand if that sounds cool! Since it’s literally a part of your browser, you can create all kinds of new documents due to Docs Quickly†¦Youll definitely love it! #9: Announcify! The ultimate app in modern intellectual laziness age, but it is really helpful! â€Å"Announcify reads out loud every website you want. For example, if youre too tired but still need to study one more Wikipedia entry, Announcify can help your tired eyes relax.† Yippy! So it’ll be ten times easier to fall asleep trying to catch up on some quick research! #10: Flashcard Stash If you need to do a fair amount of vocab work or memorizing, be sure to grab Flashcard Stash because it’s simply amazing. Forget about traditional color-coded sticky flash cards that you have to put all over the place and yadda yadda! Here’s but a smidgen of the goodies: â€Å"Flashcard Stash allows you to create interactive flashcards and helps you learn with engaging quizzes and games.† Didn’t we tell you that there would be at least one awesome pick in here. If you’re new to Google Chrome and the extension-universe don’t get lost. The key is to use about 3-5 that really make your life easier. Do you already use some extensions, and if so what are they?

Major Comp essays

Major Comp essays Sometimes living can be difficult. You can be a child, grow out and have no one to help you, when the help is needed. Sometimes the lack of interest is there, and the kindness that you expect from people, is out of the question. When you need someone the most, there's usually a 'turn down? and people frequently don't care. There are so many people in this world that have to struggle through life in order to satisfy their needs. Fortunately, in my case I have always had the help I needed from my family, those that have been influential to me because they care and love me. My mother, Maria, has struggled throughout her life to make me a better man. She has passed herwonder years? raising me, feeding me, making sure I was getting the right education, helping me become a responsible man. Sometimes I start to think of her, and I can not think of anything but a woman who has sacrificed her own life for me. Even now that I'm apart from her, when I most need her, there she is to support me and be there for me. My grandma, Sergia, has also given me the support that I needed from her when I had to move back to my country for several years. Even though she didn't have to, my grandma took me and offered me a home without asking for any personal benefit. Sergia Gomez, as an old woman was unable to make money, and yet showed that she was capable of raising her grandson even though she had no resources but the mercy of her other sons. My uncle, Rene, is perhaps that man in my life who I can always go to when an advice is what I need. When there's a tough situation in my life, he can always provide me with wisdom so I could come up with the right answers. He is also the peacemaker in our family, and is always willing to help out when he is needed. For example, the time when my mom and I were having problems about me going off to college, he talked her into letting m ...

Accounting Business Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accounting Business Letter - Essay Example In this case the customer has a right to claim for injury and medical costs as well as rehabilitation costs according to the legal position of the customer who can claim for ‘tripping and slipping’. In this condition, a financial statement covering medical and injury costs as well as rehabilitation costs added to the financial report of the company should have been added. However the customer’s claims should be made within the financial year under consideration and if this has been done as is the case, you definitely have to be prepared for any kind of financial compensation and include the medical expenses of the client concerned and establish the amount that will have to be paid for any damages claim. You will have to include this in the miscellaneous section of your expenses or damage related costs. 2. Your second query is related to your understanding of AASB accounting standards that are based on International Financial Reporting Standards, and whether these are applicable in the current reporting period for your company which began on July 1, 2005. With your poor understanding of AASB standards, you have considerable doubts as to whether the current accounting standards as practised by your company's research and development unit is consistent with the new accounting standards as specified by the AASB accounting standards. Your query seems to be specifically valid for new accounting standards for research and development. Here is my response. The AASB accounting standards are equivalent to the IASB standards. This is the Australian version of accounting standards however some recent amendments have been made. However there are several exceptions to implementing new accounting standards for the current reporting period beginning July 2005 and all new accounting standards could be included in the next accounting period. Some of the clauses are given below as examples to aid your understanding. AASB 1 First-time Adoption of Australian Equivalents to International Financial Reporting Standards, as issued in July 2004: Exemption from the requirement to provide comparative disclosures for AASB 6 In its first Australian-equivalents-to-IFRSs financial report, an entity that adopts Australian equivalents to IFRSs before 1 January 2006 need not present the disclosures required by AASB 6 Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources for comparative periods (Accounting Standard, AASB 2004-1). This suggests that your company may be exempted from following new accounting standards till the next reporting period. 3. Let me now examine your third concern which is related to the fact that the market capitalization of Techno Ltd appears to be several times higher than the value of the net assets as reported. It is your belief that some of the major assets in your company are not being reported. You definitely consider that the highly innovative and trained programmers in your company are one of the greatest assets of your company, yet it is not being officially booked as an asset. Since a large amount of money is invested in developing a motivated and talented team of trained personnel which you are sure will add to intellectual capital in the future, you want to report your team of researchers as an asset. Apart from this, like your major rival company you also want to report goodwill and reputation in your balance

FINAL PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

FINAL PAPER - Essay Example ating phenomenon to mankind, the very essence of our existence and the ability for an individual to ponder reflectively on his/her life has been a puzzle to all generations, the problems of identity exist because we exist, on the same concept, the problems emanate from our natural awareness and inquisitiveness, firstly, our identity is directly attached to our personhood, but the question arises, what is a person? The answer most probably must mention some several key activities like locomotion and reproduction, Locke argued that a person is an organism that possess mental capability, Descartes, in his famous quote, I think, therefore I am also directly mentions the faculty of thought, but the challenge arises when we cannot prove whether other ‘things’ have similar capabilities as we do, for example cattle that possess locomotive and reproduction abilities, another question ensues with this issue in that we must wonder- do these other ‘things’ think as we do? And if they do, do they possess an identity as we do. Computers are capable of doing analytical tasks at a speed faster than an individual-so, does it think? So with such matters, it is not a simple task to draw a line between a person and a non person. Besides, it is a reasonable question to ask oneself, when does one become a person, and what would cause him to cease to be? If a person is an organism that possesses mental capability, where do we classify the lunatic or a fetus? No wonder there have been very controversial debates on abortion as some perceive a fetus as a non person while others perceive a fetus as a living organism. The debate further boils to when does life (person) begin, at birth or during conception? Personhood therefore can be clearly defined especially after considering other intelligent animals and automated robots and that are capable of imitating almost everything that we can do, unless we accept the common definition that a person is a human being. This definition