Technology in Reading Comprehension Essay Example for Free

Technology in Reading Comprehension Essay Rationale Over the decades ago, Seymour Papert (1980) wrote Mindstorms and advocated a revolutionary philosophy in which technology was as seen as a fulfilling two major roles in education: (a) a heuristic role in which the presence of the computer was seen as a catalyst of emerging ideas and (b) an instrumental role in which the presence of the computer would carry ideas into a world larger than the research centres where they were incubated. When the Children’s Machine was published, Papert (1993) looked back over the decade since Mindstorms and asked question, â€Å"Why through a period when so much human activity has been revolutionized, have we not seen comparable change in the way we help children learn?† Technology’s exponentially increasing power, decreasing costs, portability and connectivity have gone beyond what it have been started. Yet, inside classrooms across the country, there is such a problem on how technology is being used for the enhancement of reading comprehension. It is not the unavailability particularly of computers but how they are being used in the classroom discussion. In teaching reading, technology is one of the available effective approaches. However, the use of technologies to enhance reading instruction is still its infancy. This reflects that the technological capabilities that are known to have potential in helping children to read, such as computer, have only become sufficiently affordable and available in widespread use. Even though it can support students, effective instruction needs to be interactive. This is Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Related Literature This chapter looked into the literature and studies about the effects of technology in enhancing reading comprehension. Only few that related to the present study are presented in this section. There are researchers’ standout positive effects of technology in education most especially in the improvements of reading comprehension. Some of them are Boster et.al. (2004), Tracey and Young (2006). Technology is the science of industrial arts. It is the making, usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, crafts and systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or serve some purposes. (www.wikipedia.com) In addition, technology refers to any valid and reliable process or procedure that is derived basic research using the scientific method. (Dale, 1969) Technology in education is nudging literacy instruction beyond its oral and print-based tradition to embrace online and electronic text as well as multimedia. Computers are creating new opportunities for writing and collaborating. The internet is constructing global bridges for student to communicate, underscoring the need for rock-solid reading and writing skills. By changing the way that information is absorbed, processed and used, technology is influencing the people how to read, write, listen and communicate. (www.wikipedia.com) Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY This chapter contains the methods and procedure used in the study. These are: the research design; subject of the study; research locale; data gathering procedure; data gathering instrument; and the statistical treatment. Research Design The research method used in this study was the two- group posttest- only randomized experiment. In design notation, it has two lines – one for each group – with an R at the beginning of each line to indicate that the groups were randomly assigned. One group gets the treatment or program (the X) and the other group is the comparison group and doesn’t get the program. Subjects of the Study Two groups were involved in this study. These two groups were all fourth year students of BCNHS (Bislig City National High School) namely; Roca- IV and Depay-IV both have 25 students. The research conducted during their English class session from Monday- Friday at 8:00 – 9:00 in the morning, respectively during the Second Quarter period of the school year 2011-2012. Chapter 4 PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA This chapter presents and discusses the results of the study. The Part I includes the scores and interpretations of scores from the control and experimental groups; Part II is the discussion of the difference of the scores between control and experimental groups; and Part III is on the correlation test of hypothesis. Table 1 Rating Scale of the Fourth Year High School Students Scores Scores 1-101-15InterpretationDescription 9-1013-15Highly FavorableThe scores of the respondents show very high result through the use of high technology 7-810-12FavorableThe scores of the respondents show high result through the use of high technology 5-67-9Moderately FavorableThe scores of the respondents show satisfactory result through the use of high technology 3-44-6Less FavorableThe scores of the respondents show less satisfactory result through the use of high technology 0-20-3Not FavorableThe score of the respondents do not show satisfactory result through the use of high technology Table 2 shows the interpretations of the scores of the students by test depending on the level of comprehension. This was used to determine the results of which technology must be used in enhancing reading comprehension. CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENTATIONS This chapter presents the summary, findings, conclusions and recommendations of the study. Summary The principal purpose of this study was to determine the effects of technology in enhancing reading comprehension of the fourth year students of Bislig City National High School.   The study utilized two sections of the fourth year students’ population. On section was chosen as the experimental group and the other one was the control group. Both groups were given a posttest with the same reading text and types of test: Test I- Question and Answer (10 items); Test II- Vocabulary Test (10 items); Test III- Depth of Meaning (15 items) and Test IV- Logical Inference (15 items). The researchers introduced to the experimental group the high technology using Microsoft Power Point through Power Point Presentation with pictures. The control group used the traditional way through pen and paper test. The research specifically answered the following questions: 1.What are the effects of using technology in reading comprehension? 1.1. What changes will occur on the reading comprehension of the students when exposed with technology?

Prostitution Legalisation Sexual Offences

Prostitution Legalisation Sexual Offences Prostitution is defined as participating in sexual activity in exchange for money. Its often referred to as the oldest profession and is a highly emotive topic nestled within the tangled web of sexuality and morality. The legal status of prostitution has constantly fluctuated over centuries and even millennia as well as in different countries where it can be punishable by death or completely legal. The historical legislation on prostitution is as vast and as changeable as English law itself is. As long as laws have existed there have been many varying degrees of legalisation and illegalisation of prostitution. In 1161 King Henry II allowed the regulation of Londons brothels. (Evans, 1979) and in 1546 Henry VIIIs ended Englands toleration of prostitution. (Roberts, 1993) During the 19th Century the Victorians ideas of ‘morality and ‘social purity influenced legislation concerning sexuality and sexual offences. (Walkowitz, 1980) The first law was made with the reference to the term ‘common prostitute was the Vagrancy Act of 1824. In Subsection 3 of this Act stated that any common prostitute behaving in a riotous or indecent manner in a public place or thoroughfare was liable to a fine or imprisonment. (Laite [online]) Further legislation was built up over this period including ‘solicitation laws brought about in England in 1847 made it an illegal offence t o loiter or solicit people for the purpose of prostitution. These offences were arrestable and punished by fines which could be increased upon subsequent convictions. In 1885 parliament passed the Criminal Law Amendment Act (Walkowitz, 1980) which was resultant response to both the publication of an investigative report in the Pall Mall Gazette (Laite) witch uncovered an organised child prostitution ring. The act addressed the issue of Age of consent raising it to 16 and created laws outlawing the forcible detainment and procuring of women for purposes of prostitution. It also addressed laws on brothels, but due to lack of definition of the word brothel it was used everything from what we understand as brothels to a residence of two or more prostitutes. This lead to heavy arrest figures of many prostitutes particularly poor ones as they would often rent premises together so that the cost could be shared and since they had no money to pay legal cost they could find themselves with hefty fines or three months imprisonment. Some of the next significant changes in prostitution Legislation came about in the 1950s. A report was published in 1954 called the Wolfenden report as a response to public concern of the rise of the number of women involved in prostitution. (Phoenix, 2005) The report had far reaching effect and the recommendations made went on to form the basis of the Street Offences Act 1959. The report consolidated the official discourse on prostitution and created a ‘new framework for the regulation of prostitution. The Acts most significant parts pertaining to prostitution included making it illegal for a prostitute to loiter and solicit in a public place and it introduced a system where prostitutes were first cautioned for offences and after repeat offences a punishment such as a fines would be introduced and if the offending progressed further the offender could be imprisoned for up to three months. (Scrambler, 1997) Other legislation in the Sexual Offences Act 1956 updated the laws on t he offence of keeping a brothel, the offence of procuring a woman into prostitution by any means of force or under duress. Additionally it was an offence for a man to live off of the earnings of prostitution (i.e.: pimping). Legislation dealing with prostitution was not an issue in contention again until the 1980s. In the 1970s and 1980s a number of groups linked with feminist groups emerged in Europe and America promoting the rights of prostitutes (E.g.: COYOTE (call off your old tired ethics) and the ECP (English collective of prostitutes)) and called for the decriminalisation and normalisation of prostitution. (Matthews, 2008) they argued that the laws directed at prostitutes were discriminatory and counterproductive. In addition to that there were increasing concerns about the levels of ‘kerb-crawling and it was agreed that a new law was needed to address the issue. These problems were addressed in the 1985 Sexual Offences Act (Scrambler, 1997) which included the criminalization of ‘Kerb Crawling. Such measures see a shift of focus on who is the ‘problem which can be seen as answering the critics who argued against the ‘double standards of punishing prostitutes who were nearly always women and often vulnerable and probably poor. However an argument against the ‘Kerb crawling law was that it would lead to an increased lack of safety for sex workers on the streets as they have to identify and go with a client quickly to avoid detection and arrest. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 makes amendments to these previous laws, strengthening them and updating them to include both male and female sex workers and extending the punishment for keeping a brothel to up to 7 years in prison. (OPSI, 2003) Additionally it can be noted that the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which saw the introduction of Anti-social behaviour orders were used against persistent offenders and street prostitutes were a primary recipient of these in certain English counties, (Sanders, 2005) A study conducted on the matter in Birmingham found during the study that nineteen prostitutes had been served ASBOs for persistent solicitation and two women were sent to prison for breaching their orders. (Jones Sager, 2001) All of this past legislation has culminated in the current UK law on Prostitution which is that whilst it is legal to be a prostitute (take money in return for sex), the laws make all other surrounding areas of prostitution illegal, such as streetwalking, pimping, soliciting (advertising sexual services), kerb crawling and keeping brothels are illegal. Critics argue that the current laws make, providing sex in exchange for money difficult and dangerous. Additionally we have seen that there have been changes in the ideas of prostitution being a victimless crime, to being a crime which victimises women and children. These shifts in the perceptions of prostitution are informing new calls for a change in policy with claims that the current laws are out-of-date and furthermore they are ‘biased against providers of sex and lenient on those who organise, buy and control and coerce women (Edwards in Sanders, 2005) What appears to be coming clear is that many would prefer to see clear cut laws on prostitution that are either in favour of abolitionism (in the sense that prostitution is prohibited) or legalisation. But in addition to that others look towards legislation which centers on either decriminalisation or regulation. Petitioners for reform look towards examples of other countries and their legislation on prostitution. Most notably those in favour of decriminalization look towards the examples such as the Netherlands, Australia, Germany and Sweden. Sweden is a prime example of Decriminalisation. In Sweden they hold the view that prostitutes are exploited by their clients and it should be the clients which are held responsible. In 1998 the â€Å"Security for Women† bill was introduced in Sweden which included the criminalisation of the purchasers of sexual services, with penalties ranging from a fine to 6 month imprisonment. A key component of the legislation was specific funding for exit strategies for women wishing to leave prostitution, including specific benefits, specialist drug and alcohol services and accommodation. At the time of implementation it was estimated that there were 2,500 prostituted women in Sweden with approximately 600 working in street prostitution, which has now been reduced by 80%. Over 500 men have been charged under the act and the law has an 80% approval rating from the public five years after implementation. (McAlpine, 2006) The Netherlands has changed over the past century it once outlawed brothels and pimping, however in the later half of the 20th Century prostitution was tolerated and regulated within certain areas. (Matthews, 2008) Over the last decade there has been a new shift, as pimping became legalised and brothels decriminalised. The idea for allowing brothels was too shift prostitution from the streets and help make prostitution safer for the prostitutes. The result in this change in policy is that the sex industry has reportedly expanded by 25% and the sex industry now accounts for 5% of the Dutch economy. (McAlpine, 2006) There has however been some criticism of this policy system. Its been argued that the prostitutes are still losing out as they lose control of the ability to choose customers; the prices charged the hours they work and the services they offer. (Safer London Committee, 2005) This is often put down to the influx of women from the Eastern Block, South East Asia and Africa many of who are trafficked by criminal gangs and as a result damage the industry by pushing down prices and not following codes of conduct. (Bindel, 2004) Additionally in the Netherlands during the 1990s they initiated a project in an effort to manage and control Street prostitution by introducing tolerance zones called ‘tipple zones in a number of their cities where street prostitution was a problem. The function of these zones was to be an area outside of major population areas where street workers would be tolerated to operate; drug dealers and pimps were not tolerated within the area. Charitable agencies also provided help within these areas offering counselling, clean needles, and panic alarm buttons. However while to begin with tipple zones reduced the level of nuisance associated with street prostitution it was seen to be a failure in the long run and eventually all of the zones were closed down. (Matthews, 2007) Certain States in Australia are prime examples of Legalisation. In Victoria, Australia there were 40 legal brothels in Victoria in 1989, in 1999 there were 94 along with 84 escort agencies following the legalisation of the industry in addition to many illegal venues. Legalisation is argued to have normalised the industry with the pimps being considered legitimate businessmen and sitting together with the police and lawyers on the Prostitution Control Board. (McAlpine, 2006) But it isnt all positive as there are still a significant amount of brothels that are unregistered and many prostitutes do not want to register as prostitutes because they do not want to be stigmatised. (Bindel, 2004) Legalising prostitution seems to be far more complex than it initially appears and moreover, evidence in other countries shown can display that it does not solve the problems of prostitution. In countries where prostitution is legalised such as the Netherlands and Germany there are still significant problems with Street Prostitutes and there are also significant problems with the levels of trafficked sex workers. In return to ideas for reform of UK Legislation it would appear that the overall critique of the UK laws is that the legislation is failing in combating prostitution. Furthermore like most prostitution policy approaches Bindel (2004) argues that they â€Å"Lack a coherent philosophical underpinning, from which specific short and longer term aims and objectives could be drawn. The most coherent approach in terms of philosophy and implementation is that adopted by Sweden, and interestingly it is the only one where no one who sells sex is subject to the criminal law. Many argue, that a lot of money is still spent on law enforcement efforts to catch prostitutes and their customers. When prosecuted, the justice system has to process them through expensive systems. The end results appear to be that there is little impact on prostitution. Prostitutes pay the penalty fines and are back on the streets again in what becomes a revolving door process. (Sanders, 2005) In terms of the most successful form of policy for the management of street Prostitutes it appears that Swedens approach looks to be the most successful. Their laws make use of the notion that prostitutes are victims of male violence, and so the purchaser of sex is the criminal and the seller of sex the victim. It can be argued that the reasons for these ideas working are that it is the perfect deterrence. A typical male who visits a prostitute isnt the stereotypical view of an older lonely man but it can be anyone. (Spurrell, 2006) Because of this it is likely that many men would be deterred from using prostitutes if it is made far more unfavourable. If UK prostitution legislation were to be reformed it would be important to make it more fitting to todays attitudes. It has been established that whilst prostitution in the UK is legal majority of the acts surrounding it are not. The reasons for this are within the basis of past legislation, which sought to protect women from abuse and victimisation. And additionally to push it to the margins of society, presumably in the hope that it would go away. Realistically however it is unlikely that it will go away, so there is the need to address ways to manage prostitution so that it can function without criminalising prostitutes or creating victims and that prostitutes are free to work in as safe and healthy environment as possible. To do this prostitution needs to be decriminalised and regulated. It needs to be recognised that prostitutes will always be out on the streets in some shape or form and so any attempts to move prostitution solely into the indoor sphere is unlikely to work. With that said legislation needs to address both indoor and outdoor prostitution. As with the Netherlands, brothels should be the promoted alternative with brothels being regulated and only state licensed ones should be tolerated. Prostitutes should be registered but allowed to operate with a degree of anonymity if they choose. The Laws against Pimping and forced prostitution should still stand and heavy laws should be imposed for hose who traffic women and force them to work as prostitutes. As for street prostitution we should look towards the Swedish model which criminalises the buyer rather than the prostitute. Additionally there needs to be a geographical equality to the implementation of prostitution laws. At the moment differ ent areas in the UK operate very different implementations of the current law. Some areas of the UK operate a Zero Tolerance policy yet others are unofficial red light districts. (Matthews, 2007) So to conclude it can be argued that laws have not changed all that much in the past century; the main changes in the law have mostly been about encompassing new offences. All that appears to have resulted in these new laws are that prostitutes have been driven out onto the streets. The nature of there job and the illegal status of it, creates high risk circumstances. And because their actions are unlawful they have to conceal what they are doing and cannot be protected by the services.There are talks about a draft Bill for new legislation on prostitution. But whole sale changes to the laws appear to not be on the agenda yet again. We can look towards policies in other countries such Sweden which favours the decriminalisation of the prostitute and to the Netherlands which has legalised and regulated brothels with a certain degree of success. What can be agreed is that there needs to be a wider debate upon the criminalisation or decriminalisation of prostitution, which looks at the needs and safety of those people who are sex workers. Bibliography Books: Evans, H. (1979) Harlots, Whores Hookers: A History of Prostitution, New York: Taplinger Matthews, R. (2008) Prostitution, Politics and Policy, Oxen: Routledge-Cavendish Pheonix, J. Oerton, S. (2005) Illicit and Illegal: Sex, regulation and social control, Devon, Willan. Roberts, N. (1993) Whores in History: Prostitution in Western Society, London: Harper Collins. Sanders, T. (2005) Sex Work: A risky business, Devon, Willan Scrambler, G. Scrambler, A. (1997) Rethinking Prostitution, London: Routledge. Thomas, T. (2005) Sex Crime: Sex offending and society 2nd Edition, Devon: Willan Walkowitz, J (1980) Prostitution and Victorian Society: Women, Class and the State, Cambridge: University Press. Websites: Bindel, J. (2004) ‘Streets Apart in The Guardian [online] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1215900,00.html [Accessed 2 April 2008] Home Office, (2003) ‘Sexual Offences Act 2003 in Office of Public Sector Information [online] Available from: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/ukpga_20030042_en_1 [Accessed 31 March 2008] Laite, J. (no date) ‘Paying the price again: prostitution policy in historical perspective in History and Policy [online] Available from: http://www.historyandpolicy.org/papers/policy-paper-46.html [Accessed 31 March 2008] McAlpine, M. (2006) ‘Prostitution: A contribution to the debate by the Scottish Socialist Party [online] Available from: http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/pdfs/pamphlet1_1_final.pdf [Accessed 31 March 2008] Safer London Committee, (2005) ‘Street Prostitution in London by the London Assembly [Online] Available from: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/pubserv/prostitution.pdf [Accessed 1 April 2008] Spurrell, C. (2006) ‘Who pays for sex? Youd be surprised in The Times [online] Available from : http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article627388.ece [Accessed 2 April 2008] Journals: Jones, H. Sager, T. (2001) ‘Crime and Disorder Act 1998: Prostitution and the Anti Social Behaviour Order. Criminal Law Review, Nov: 873-885.

Satan As An Epic Hero In Paradise Lost Religion Essay

Satan As An Epic Hero In Paradise Lost Religion Essay The greatest writer after Shakespeare in 17 century is John Milton. John Milton (1608 -1674) was the most prominent English poet, thinker, and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England. His masterpiece Paradise Lost arouses hot debates among scholars since it appeared. In that era, England is a religious unsteady and political shake-up nation. Concerning about the fate of his country, John Miltons poetry and prose all reflect deep confirmations and deal with contemporary issues. After his death, Miltons critical reception on a state of affairs continued to make great influence towards the masses through the centuries. He is still generally regarded as one of the remarkable writers and thinkers in English.Although he was born in a puritan family, John Milton boldly chose God and the devil Satan as the main roles in his work. Whats more, he endowed the latter one with heroic spirit which may risk everyones condemnation. Satans resistance to God mirrors the revolutionary and heroic spirit of the bourgeoisie. While he finally loses the joyful heaven and Adam and Eve lose the Eden. All these consequences are the hints of the capitalist classs failure and the feudalistic classs restoration. Can the devil be an epic hero? In John Miltons Paradise Lost- the great epic from the English Renaissance, this topic was discussed time and again. Numbers of scholars believe that Paradise lost should be one of the most outstanding products of the Renaissance, especially when talking about the question can the devil be an epic hero? For Miltons part, Satan is dauntless, quick-witted and powerful and he is also an excellent leader. He is quite distinctive from the traditional heroes in many famous works. In Paradise Lost, the Genesis story upon the corruption of man was recreated by the author, as a matter of fact, caused by Satan. For the sake of Satans deadly shortcomings of arrogance and ambition, he decided to fight with Heaven. In the end, even though he was defeated, he refused to give up his war against God, always betting to do wrong against the heaven and the human beings succeeding with mans fall from grace. Paradise Lost starts, not with the expected potential heroes of th e Genesis stories, God or man, but it begins instead with Satan, therefore paying great attention to him, his actions and characteristics. Milton, introduce Satan by condemning him as the reason leader to the fall of man, Who first seduced them to that foul revolt? /the infernal Serpent (1.33-34). in this sentence it implied that Satan had begun to be set up as the final rebel, not just of the epic, but of humanity. Milton easily represented Satans pride that led to his ultimate failure. He tried to overthrow God; while unluckily he was cast into the Hell, but Milton also told us, for now the thought/both of lost happiness and lasting pain/Torments him(1.55-56). At once, the author tried to make Satan to be a pitied, more human and less evil role. He also described Satans physical character to be in bulk as huge/as whom the fables name of monstrous size, / Titanian(1.196-198), and then Deeming some island, (1.205), which means that Satan has a vast figure and even a sailor would mak e a mistake. He may think that Satan is an island on which he can moor his boat. Satans size growing extreme larger comparing with the others supports Satan as the hero. Satan is so physically impressive that Milton cant find anyone who can match him. Hence he is distinctive from the other angels and men. In the English Renaissance, theres no doubt that John Miltons Paradise Lost was generally regarded as the main work. The Renaissance is believed to have originated in Florence in the fourteenth century, in which there was a revival of interest in the classical antiquity. Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, but also painters like Giotto were the important figures of that age. From the end of the fifteenth century on, it has become known as the High Renaissance, when some Italian cities started to compete with Florence upon the leading position. Therefore, the thought of Renaissance spread out from the early sixteenth century onwards. This revival and influence of classical culture, art and literature was typically represented in both Paradise Lost and La Divine Commedia, especially describing the setting of the underworld. This is a general literary motivation of the classical epic works. Inspired by all the literatures at that era, Milton decided to write his epic poem. Milton had a purpo se of writing an epic poem upon a noble subject decades before he started writing Paradise Lost in 1658. In his famous work At a vacation Exercise in the College (1628), he already mentioned that he would like to devote himself to singing in the manner of Homer and at the same time, he envisioned writing a poem concerning wars and heaven under Jupiter. Notes and drafts from around 1640 include four drafts of projections of the fall of man, one of them called Paradise Lost and another Adam unparadizd. It took Milton almost twenty years writing controversial prose and political pamphlets and he was a strong supporter of liberty of conscience, free will and human choice. The story itself shows that the fall from heaven of Satan and the other angels who betrayed against God. As a matter of fact, the Renaissance humanism can be easily found in this work. It quickly developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth century, and was also a resounding response to the challe nge of medieval scholastic education. It emphasized the practical, scientific and pre-professional studies. On the contrary, sHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholasticismcholasticism pay much attention to cultivating the preparing men to be doctors, lawyers or professional theologians, and their subjects contain logic, natural philosophy, medicine, law and theology, etc.. Opposite from the training professionals in jargon and serious drill, humanists did all they could to create a citizenry who was able to speak and write with eloquence and clearness. For this reason, they would be capable of persuading others to engage the civic life of their communities virtuously and do some cautious actions. Because Miltons work was deeply influenced by the Classics, Paradise Lost can be classified as an epic. Thanks to this masterpiece, the poet Milton is still famous until now. Many scholars believe that this work is one of the most prominent products of the Renaissance and particularly as to the topic can the devil be an epic hero? Satan in Miltons eyes was bold, resourceful and formidable and as well an excellent leader. When reading the work, after a few pages, the reader may indeed get the impression that Satan is a great epic hero of that age. Milton did not deny the truth of the bible so as to establish the freedom of the individual. He built on the great Christian paradox which asserted that true freedom depended on the service for God. This pull the traditional thought into a new setting, even a revolutionary setting, is Miltons great power. When talked about the aim of the poet to write this poem, it was to find the root of the humans unfortunateness. For his part, he believed the reason that human beings were easy to be swayed by their emotions, chose the wrong way and finally lose their joyful paradise was for the sake of their weak reason and nerves. The fall of Eve was due to her aimlessness for finding new knowledge. The fall of Adam was due to his indulgence to Eve. The fall of Satan was due to his great ambitions and self-satisfaction. Through their bitter experience, Milton wanted to imply that the English capitalist classs bitter loss was due to their moral corruption and voluptuousness. He inherited the humanism in 16 century and at the same time, accepted the new scientific achievement in 17 century. However, he held a critical attitude towards them. He confirmed life trick but he denied the unlimited pleasure. He confirmed enterprise and sense of proud while he denied the ambitions and proud which evolve fro m them. He confirmed science while he also thought that science didnt mean all. If people only had science but no ideal and justice, they would never get peace and happy. Such kind of thinking was the reflection of his Puritanism. Milton criticized the proud Satan inwardly, while emotionally he sympathized Satans status, because the punishment of Satan looks so much like the pressure of the capital class. When descried the hell, although Milton kept on saying that Satan was proud, ambitious, from the dialogues, Satan was just a vivid oppressed revolutionary. This image was so splendid, and his fighting determination stood out brightly against the extreme dangerous hell. This was the indelible memory of English bourgeoisie, also a prominent art achievement. Satan was a role who had significant obstacles to overcome in order to realize his goals. In the historical long river, epic heroes in epic poetry shared some similar characteristics, thus it seems like Milton felt his own duty to make Satan to be the epic hero in Paradise Lost. His characteristics in the poem shared some similarities with those of previous epic heroes such as Odysseus. Epic heroes have some likeness. They are quite powerful, brave, and convincing; no matter what odds are against them, they will get rid of the difficulties and achieve their goals, and most important of all, they are leaders. Actually, Satan possesses of such kind of the qualities in Paradise Lost. First of all, in the first beginning, Satan had lost the war he fight against God and the angels in heaven and was chained on the burning lake. Satan and his fellow rebel angels were banished to live in horrid dwellings. Milton described the discomfort of hell mentioned by Satan Oh how unlike the place from whence they fell! There the companions of his fall, overwhelmed with floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire (1.97). This shows that Satan met with important obstacles as most epic heroes encounter. Satan was powerful and large in size which usually personifies epic heroes. Lay floating many a rood, in bulk as huge as whom the fables name of monstrous size, Titanian or Earth-born, which warred on Jove (1.95).    Milton shows that Satan was also the reflection of bravery and leadership because Satan, although currently in censure, still upholds his principles that enlisted him in hell in the first place. He says all is not lost the unconquerable will, and study of revenge, immortal hate, and courage never to submit or yield: And what is else not to be overcome? That glory never shall his wrath or might extort from me (1.106-111). The core of Satans heroism in this poem is that though that he would fight against all the odds, he was still in favor of his own beliefs and fought till the end to preserve his beliefs. He says We shall be free; the Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence: Here we may reign secure; and, in my choice, to reign is worth ambition, though in Hell: Better to reign in the Hell than serve in Heaven (1.259-263). Satan and his rebel angels achieve the ideology which was As being the contrary to His high with whom we resist. If then His providence, Out of our evil seek to bring forth good, Our labor must be to pervert that end, And out of good still to find means of evil(1.161-165). Satan inspired the openly opposition to God and uprooted the passion of his followers to continue their fury of damaging God. All he his followers were persuaded during his speech Can make a Heaven of Hell, and a Hell of Heaven (1.255). Satan and his adherents wanted no parts of Heaven any more because they couldnt bear to service for God any longer. Thus they were adamant about creating their own Kingdom in hell where they would call Gods precious mankind up. All in all, the characteristics of Satan and his actions corporately made him the competitor of the epic hero role in Paradise Lost.    Milton portrayed Satan as a vengeful, manipulative, trickish, lying, and vicious individual. Nevertheless, Milton also showed Satans loyalty to the objective that he and the rebellious angels were pursuing. But first of all, lets begin with Satins vengeful ways. To begin with, Satan was seen as vengeful because even though hed already been punished and thrown to the pits of hell from heaven, he still remains firm in his rebellion of the Almighty and seeks to damage heaven. Satan and his constituents s malevolence was so obvious in their decision that they wouldnt attack Heaven through war, but attack the newest creation of God, Man. Satan volunteered his services to seduce them to our party, that their God May prove their foe, and with repenting hand Abolish his own works. This would surpass Common revenge, and interrupt his joy (2.-371). Besides, Satan was manipulative and trickish because to further his mission of seducing and corrupting man on earth, he had to design a perfect met hod to enter the gate of earth, and thus he casts to change his proper shape which else might work him danger or delay: and now a stripling Cherub he appears(634-636). In an attempt to cheat and manipulate the guard Uriel, Satan transformed into a cherub which is a humbly ranked angel in heaven. From this we can find that he is quite a scheming individual. Whats more, Satan demonstrated the acts of lying and deceit when he corrupted Eves mind in the Garden of Eden and persuaded her to pick the fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge. He transformed himself once again into a snake, and instigated Eve that she could eat from the tree of knowledge. So glistered the dire Snake, and into fraud Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the tree of prohibition, root of all our woe (10.643-645). All of these actions- lying, manipulation, deceit, and the risks committed by Satan show his loyalty to the purpose. For the sake of destroying mankind just to annoy God immensely shows his loyalty and c ontribution. Milton clearly emphasizes the character of Satan through his high detailed recounts of Satans mischief. Satan had become a by any means type of attitude when it came to pleading his honor and upholding his beliefs which led to the deception, manipulation, and lying that he was notorious for throughout Paradise Lost. He was the epic hero in the story because in this story he was the underdog. No one expected for him to be fully victorious in his displays, and while he might not fully accomplished all goals. It was proved that he was firm in his plot against God. In the summary part, Milton expressed the differences between human beings and Satan. Different from Satan and his followers, Adam and Eve didnt choose a destructive gamble. Adversely, they kept a hopeful and humble behavior. Adam even assimilated himself to the corruptive archangel saying that his pain was never before and never again. Nevertheless, the biggest difference was when they faced with the possible choices, human beings chose hope while Satan chose a gambling revenge. An essential conception here was that previous life was doomed. John Milton quite opposed this idea. He was strongly in favor of the free willingness. As the plot spread, the distinctions between human and Satan gradually expressed. Adam and Eve denied the opinion of Satan that all people should sink with ignorance, and they decided to be submissive to God under his arrangement. Different from Satans determination to revenge on all the violated deities, people chose to be peaceful to the omnipotent God. Sata n couldnt absolutely repent and mend his ways or pray for forgiveness in such a desperate condition. Although he was firm, he was defeated by the holy son who was bestowed the spirit and power by God. No matter whether we were in favor of Satan and his troops sacrifice or human beings final submission, Milton insisted on the terminal decision of the inner heart throughout. In spite of failure, Satan was fully confident that he couldnt help facing with such condition. And that Adam and Eve knew their happy heaven had been lost, so they hope to regard it as a realm which their soul could arrive. They hoped that their spirit could live here. Though won the war and be called the winner, the holy son didnt experience the conversion or adventure like other characters. Although the revolution was a failure, the revolutionaries were bloodily suppressed; Miltons revolutionary fighting would never be deducted. To convey this topic, the devout believer Milton described God as a cruel feudal monarchy and a blinkered tyrant at all cost so that he could allude to the cruel repression to the puritans of Charlie à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡ at that black age. The greatest opponent and the most vicious devil Satan was fashioned into a handsome, tall and smart revolutionary leader for the sake of singing the praises of revolutionaries. Satans rebellion was put down by God, and the devil party was thrown into the fire lake for sufferings; however, Satan never loses his fighting will, he was adversely active to organize his own force and waited for rising from the ashes. He built his own palace as a new kingdom in the hell and openly content against God. He preferred being the king in the hell to submitting to God as an official in the heaven. From this we can find his tire less fighting spirit towards the God, the authority and the highest dictator. The author borrowed the image of Satan to express his own anger and contempt towards the feudal tyrant Charlie à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡ and his firm confidence towards the revolutionary success. Thanks to his revolutionary passion, his Satan was full of sound and color and surpassed his god morally. The hero of this poem is a man named Satan who is banished for challenging the leadership of the clan. This man Satan makes a vow to destroy or corrupt anything created by the clan. This Satan was resourceful, making the best of what he had, very little, and accomplishing his goal. Satan may just be the nonconformist who couldnt abide by what was considered normal. In any case one must show their admiration for Satan in his unwillingness to serve in Heaven, and then in the way he accepted his resulting role in Hell. Although it was quite hard to prove who the real hero was in Paradise Lost, as a whole, sprit-internal perfect, intelligent independence and individual power in this masterpiece give people the comprehensive epic virtue. Fundamentally, Milton abandoned the whole epic conception in this work and changed it into an experience of immediate concern to himself. This experience wasnt his flattery to his culture and beliefs, but a real chance for readers spiritual practice. No matter how painful a person is, John Miltons Paradise Lost will awake him up after experiencing such a spiritual trip and convert the intangible blackness into wholesome consciousness and bright mind. People may say that Milton fight for republic form of government and exposed Satan. While from his condemnation to Satans audaciousness and infidelity, more than once display the false faces and insincere attitude of English bourgeoisie activists. Yet Satans fearless lofty quality, to a large extent, eulogized his cotemp oraries heroic dauntless spirit.

A Literary Analysis of Robert Cormiers The Chocolate War Essay

A Literary Analysis of Robert Cormier's "The Chocolate War" The Chocolate War is a story which takes place in New England in the 1970's. Most of the events happen in a Catholic school. Since this school was exclusively for boys, they were constantly trying to prove their power over each other. The story is told in third person omniscient. The story's mood is suspenseful. With each page turn one wonders if Jerry will take or refuse his chocolates. The protagonist of this story is Jerry Renault and the antagonist in Archie Costello. Jerry is a very quiet fifteen year old boy. He is also the quarterback for the Trinity High junior varsity football team. He is a very troubled individual due to his mother's death. He appears to be angry toward the whole world. Jerry is very ordinary and wants more change in his life instead of the same old thing. Archie Costello is 17 year old boy who is a member of the high school's very prestigious club called The Vigils. Archie is the "assignment giver". He gives assignments to the younger class men to do very mischievous things; for example, loosening all screws on desk chairs and chalkboards so that they will fall apart when students and teachers touch them. Archie is very clever and conniving. Many other characters contribute to the excitement of this story. Obie, another member of The Vigils, is Archie's sidekick. He helps Archie carry out all of his assignments. Obie has hostile feelings towards Archie because Archie gets all the glory while Obie does all the hard work. Obie is very soft spoken; he will not speak out against Archie about his anger. Brother Leon is the assistant headmaster of Trinity High School. He is very evil and... ... his groin but tries to defend himself. This is against the rules. After this a "free for all" begins. The lights are turned off by Brother Jacques, who is trying to stop all the madness. The story ends as Jerry is lying almost unconscious in his friend Goober's arms. Archie is taking pleasure in the whole scene, and Brother Leon is standing alone, watching this whole production as the ambulance draws near. The theme of The Chocolate War would have to be, being a nonconformist can make you an outcast by most people, and it can sometimes even bring harm to you. But if you are being a nonconformist with good reason, then you have to be willing to take the abuse. In Jerry's case it almost got him killed, and he still could not understand everyone's cruelty; but he knew that what he was doing was right in his heart.

Sexual Revolution and Methods of Contraception Essay -- Sex Protection

Sexual Revolution and Methods of Contraception Birth Control and Contraceptives The sexual revolution introduced a whole new idea of controlled births and the use of different forms of birth control. Contraceptives have been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but the sexual revolution introduced a whole new form and more efficient way to prevent conception of a child. The use of contraceptives helped control the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, lowered the percentage of illegitimate children, and reduced the risk of pregnancy. Even as early as the times of the ancient Greeks, people could tell the difference between abortifacients and contraceptives. During this era, things such as linen condoms, dried fish powder, and seasponges were used as forms of birth control. However, due to the use of technology and science, it has been discovered that some of the old forms of birth control can be considered deadly. Birth control has evolved through time in forms pessaries, plants, intrauterine devices, condoms, birth control pills, barriers, t he ring, and other unusual forms of birth control. Pessaries: Pessaries are vaginal suppositories. Used since ancient times, pessaries are still considered a fairly effective form of birth control. In ancient times, pessaries contained acacia gum which has evolved to spermicide now. One example, dating all the way back to 1850 BC, called the Kahun Papyrus, refers to a pessary of crocodile dung and fermented dough. Today, pessaries usually come in the typical waxy form of suppositories which contain spermicide like nonoxynol-9. The spermicide kills all the sperm so therefore, the egg is unable to be fertilized by the sperm and pregnancy does not occur. ... ...hrough time, birth control has affected society as a whole and changed the lives of the people living in the society of today. The evolution of birth control and contraceptives altered and changed tremendously during the years since the beginning of time. Works Cited - Landeck-Riker, Jennifer. "Ann Rose’s Ultimate Birth Control Links Page." 10 Nov.1997. http://gynpages.com/ultimate/ - McCleskey, Kim. "The History of Contraceptives." 1996. http://rtt.colorado.edu/~mcck/Home.html (This was an excellent source and gives great information about the history of contraceptives.) - Noble, Robert. "There Is No Safe Sex." Newsweek ( April 1, 1991). - Petrick, William. "The Hall Of Contraception." 27 March 1996. http://desires.com/1.6/Sex/Museum/ ( This is where I got all my pictures to illustrate this page.)

Unipolarism

Unipolar is a system with only a single major actor, which is usually a single state that dominates all the other smaller states in the global political system. In other words to discuss the idea of Unipolar in the contemporary International system, I would briefly trace the advert of modern International system in the view of polarization. The advert of the modern international system could be traced back to the peace of Westphalia in 1648, which signify the end of the 30 years war in Europe.This treaty established the state as the main actor in the global politics and declared that the sovereign leader of each nation – state could do as she/he wished within the border’s. During this period many great powers existed in Europe, this is a system refer to as Multipolar. Multipolar is a system, with multiple power centers. By the late 19th century. The system has changed for multi – polar to what some scholars refer to as a tight Bipolar system, in which the power i n Europe allied in two rival groups before the 1st World War, which is the triple alliance and the triple entente.By the end of the 1st World War, the tight Bi- polar system has weakened. Before the beginning of 2nd World War the world has become polarized again into another tight Bi –polar consisting of the allied and axis power. Immediately after the 2nd world war, a brief Unipolar system emerged, where United States of America was the only power in Europe with the Nuclear Power, and other European Power were very weak because of the devastation of the war. But this was short lived, because the system became Bipolar with US and USSR has the two superpower power with Nuclear weapons.This period was refer to as the Cold War Era. With the fall of USSR and the end to the Cold War, clearly the Bipolar system is gone. What is not certain is how to characterized the current, still evolving system. Some scholars argued that we are in a Unipolar system because only one super power r emain, while some scholars argued or labelled the new international system as Multipolar pointing out to the increasing economic power of some European and Asian States.To some extent both terms are  accurate, the US has the world’s powerful military, which supports the Unipolar view, but the US economy is not as powerful, relative to the rest of the world , lending credence to the Multipolar view. The new system is then referred to as Multipolar or Unipolar, depending on which side of the argument scholars favour. This is argument in the early post Cold War Era. To describe the contemporary system as a Unipolar or Multipolar system is a bit unreasonable because the contemporary international system is a bit of both.The contemporary international system cannot appropriately be described a Unipolar, since that suggest the existence of one single dominant power and many small powers, and there are of course a number of â€Å"major power† in contemporary world politics such as Russia, China, Japan and the European Union, together with a number of smaller but no less important regional powers, such as India, Brazil and South Africa. Nor can the system be describe as Multipolar for the gap between the United States and the various major powers is simply too large. Unlike a true Mutipolar system, where there are a number of comparably sized powers.The present system features a single power seeking hegemony over all other, and a number of major powers which have the desire to resist the hegemonic impulses of the United States, but neither the strength nor the desire to challenge the United States directly and a large number of small powers. While the US would clearly prefer a Unipolar system in which it would be the hegemony, major power on the other hand would prefer a multipolar system. With my research, and in relations with situation of events in the global system I would say we are far from being in a Unipolar system and what we have presently is a Multipolar system.Thou we have US has the hegemony. The future configuration of world powers is difficult, beyond the safe bet prediction that US hegemony like that of every other great power in history, will end. In conclusion therefore, I would say that what we have presently in the international system is definitely not a Unipolar system. It could therefore be called a mulltipolar system, but a proper Multipolar system will evolve when the United States becomes an â€Å"ordinary major Power†.

Sparta Speech

â€Å"Learn to love death's ink-black shadow as much as you love the light of dawn. † This is a quote taken from ancient Spartan society that was said to the young men who were in the process of becoming soldiers. While Sparta is most popularly known as a warrior society, it had many other characteristics that made it revered. No other civilization during the Classical Era can be compared to that of Sparta. Sparta’s legendary warriors, women, and politics made it a true iconic civilization during that time period. Of course, the main topic for discussion is that of the men and soldiers. From the moment of a Spartan girl or a boy came into the world, the military and the city state were the center of every Spartan citizen’s life. Male babies were determined by city state if they were strong enough to be Spartan citizens. If the infants didn’t fit the criterion, they were abandoned in the country side to die. This may seem very draconian, but it was a very common thing in the Greek world because Sparta made it an official government policy. When a male Spartan was at the age of seven, he was taken from his mother and sent to live in special military barracks for twenty three years. In these living quarters they were taught discipline, athletics, survival skills, hunting, weapons training and how to endure the pain. At the age of twenty in the barracks, the male Spartans become soldiers for the state. The life of a Spartan soldier was with his soldiers. He ate, slept and trained with them; they never allowed each other to veer off track during their grueling tasks. They were allowed to marry, but couldn’t live with their wives. Only equals were allowed to live with their wives and children. Equals were the soldiers who reached thirtieth age, but if any soldier who disgraced himself in any way was risked not becoming an equal. They were granted rights and allowed to participate in politics. However equals were still soldiers. Military service was required until age sixty. This military system was marveled at and rarely needed a resurgent effort after a battle. However this soldier centered state was the most liberal state in regards to the status of women. While women didn’t go through military training, they were required to be educated along similar lines. The Spartans were the only Greeks not only to take seriously the education of women; they instituted it as state policy. This was not, however, an academic education (just as the education of males was not an academic education); it was a physical education which could be grueling. Infant girls were also exposed to die if they were judged to be weak; they were later subject to physical and gymnastics training. This process of education also involved teaching women that their lives should be dedicated to the state. The women became astute and self reliant after this process. In most Greek states, women were required to stay indoors at all times (though only the upper classes could afford to observe this custom); Spartan women, however, were free to move out and had an unusual amount of domestic freedom for their husbands, after all, didn’t live at home. Spartan women were quite amenable and enjoyed a status, power, and respect that was unknown in the rest of the classical world. They controlled their own properties, as well as the properties of male relatives who were away with the army. It is estimated that women were the sole owners of at least 35% of all land and property in Sparta. The laws regarding a divorce were the same for both men and women. Unlike women in Athens, under the guise of Spartan law, if a woman became the heiress of her father because she had no living brothers to inherit, the woman was not required to divorce her current spouse in order to marry her nearest paternal relative. Spartan women rarely married before the age of 20, and unlike Athenian women who wore heavy, concealing clothes and were rarely seen outside the house, Spartan women wore short dresses and went where they pleased. Spartan society was dived into three main classes. At the top was Spartiate, or native Spartan, who could trace his or her ancestry back to the original inhabitants of the city. The Spartiate served in the army and was the only person who enjoyed the full political and legal rights of the state. Below the Spartiates were the perioeci (dwellers around and about). These were foreign people who served as a kind of buffer population between the Spartans and the helots. Because of this vital function, they were accorded a great deal of freedom and were the artisans. Most of the trade and commerce carried out in Sparta were performed by the perioeci. At the bottom, of course, were the helots. Since Spartan men were full-time soldiers, they were not available to carry out manual labor. The helots were used as unskilled serfs, tilling Spartan land. Helot women were often used as wet nurses. Helots also traveled with the Spartan army as non-combatant serfs. The relations between the helots and Spartans were at times very precarious; much time would elapse before they were able to make amends. Sparta is considered as one of the most important civilizations of all time, this proof being its military, the equality it provided for its women and its various social classes. And of course, who could forget the movie 300?