A Critical Reading Of Allen Ginsbergs Howl English Literature Essay

A Critical Reading Of Allen Ginsbergs Howl English Literature Essay The Beat movement is a literary and social movement, which came about in the 1950s, at the end of the Second World War. The movement centred on a group of writers who isolated themselves from social conventions in a bid to gain freedom in their artistic expression and their lives. The Beat writer s incorporated various elements of jazz, religion, art, literature, and philosophy, into their works in order to create and prophesise a new vision for society. They were one of the first literary groups to focus intently on the corruption of society and move to dethatch themselves from the restrictions of traditional prose. This enabled them to become aware of the beauty of creativity and the individual and embrace freedom and spontaneity in their expression. The main writers of the Beat movement were Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs, whom not only invented an innovative style of literature, but also encouraged people to become more aware of the social constrictions of the 1950s through their literary works. Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) is frequently regarded as the poet laureate of the Beat movement. Howl , written in 1955, has been subject to both praise and criticism as a one of the main works that shaped the Beat generation . Howl was first performed by Ginsberg at a poetry reading event at the Six Gallery in San Francisco in October 1955. Several well-known East-coast writers attended the event, as well as Kerouac who is said to have beat a wine jug and shout Go! after each line of Ginsberg s Howl recital. Ginsberg s passionate and unreserved reading of the poem left Ginsberg and other in tears. The poem was accepted as one that broke the boundaries of tradition form and it led to Ginsberg becoming established as an important voice in the Beat movement. A year later, in October 1956, the poem was published within Howl and Other Poems by City Lights Books. It then became the focus of an obscenity trail against its publisher, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, which highlighted San Francisco as the leader of a revolution against the censorship of literary publishing in America and ensured Howl and Other Poems wide readership. Jazz was a very important to Ginsberg and Kerouac as it was the quintessence of their lifestyle in the mid-1940s and early 1950s when they used to frequent jazz clubs in Harlem to hear their favourite jazz musicians, such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Ginsberg s poetic style was inspired by poets such as Whitman, Blake, and Rimbaud but also the rhythmic technique of bebop jazz. The word beat can be clearly associated with the poem Howl from a musical context due to the major influence of jazz on the Beat writers and a key element to their form of expression. During the early and mid-twentieth century, the dominated white middle class saw jazz, an African-American style of music, as unacceptable and seedy. However, the Beat writers were able to identify with the African-American community as they too were outcast from respectable society. In Howl , a bleak observation of modern American society is made by Ginsberg, through his highlighting of the hardship of those oppressed by society, such as the Negroes and the hipsters . The music of these minor communities is jazz, a music form which Ginsberg reveres, which can be seen when he refers to: the madman bum and angel beat in Time, unknown, yet putting down here what might be left to say in time come after death, and rose reincarnate in the ghostly clothes of jazz (67, 34). Jazz has also influenced Howl in relation to the rhythm and beat. In a bid to reject traditional form poetry, Ginsberg experimented with a method comparable to Kerouac s spontaneous stream of consciousness writing style, which was based on jazz. In writing Howl , Ginsberg used a poetic writing style which was intended to flow to a syncopated beat similar to jazz, enabling the lines of the poem to be read aloud at a shifting and improvisational tempo. The verses of the poem are therefore free form, comprising of long lines and a rhythm to match the natural breath. Ginsberg described his poem Howl to be, a jazz mass, I mean conception of rhythm not derives from jazz directly but if you listen to jazz you get the idea (). The social context of the word beat in relation to Howl is significant as regards our understanding of Ginsberg s message in the poem. Sometimes likened to the Lost Generation of the 1920s, the Beat generation was both a literary movement and a wider cultural frame of mind. The Beat writer s rejected the ideas of conformity and normality of their time and instead displayed openness to the experiences that were available outside of the confines of white middle class America. The Beat generation were rebelling against a dominant society which was desperately encouraging planned order as a reaction to the ending of WWII. The Beats strived for a deeply intellectual, spontaneous, chaotic, Dionysian way of life in order to break free of these social constraints. Howl is Ginsberg s social and political criticism of what he saw in the America of his time. The poem both addresses and discusses an audience of comprised of the minor social communities who suffer and fall to madness in dealing with and breaking free of the constraints opposed upon them by a post-war era of American society. Part I of the poem, depicts the desperation experienced by those who felt alienated due to mechanisation and the conformity with which they felt American post-WWII society demanded. The poem communicates a universal yearning to escape from confinement and oppression. Part II of Howl sets out to discover and label the sources of human misery and unhappiness. In utilising the character of Moloch, a Middle Eastern god to whom children were sacrificed by megalomaniac leaders, Ginsberg personifies the causes of social disharmony, which include materialism, government bureaucracy, conformity, and technology. Moloch essentially represents the facets of modern society which demand the costly sacrifice of individual freedom and artistic expression. The third section of Howl , entitled Part III , attempts to weigh the destruction and misery of the previous two sections by means of a personal homage to Carl Solomon, a friend of Ginsberg s. Although Ginsberg stands firm in his belief that certain aspects of American society are to blame for damaging the spirit of a generation, he also expresses an desire to reconcile with his country, which is clearly demonstrated in the line, we hug and kiss the United States under out bedsheets the United States that coughs all night and won t let us sleep (). In the Footnote to Howl , Ginsberg envisions a future of wholeness and integrity through the merging of both society and the individual. It is important to note that the Beat generation did not reject America, but protested against certain aspects of the society which they deemed as oppressive. In Howl , Ginsberg puts forward the idea of a different society, one which includes homosexuality, Negroes , jazz, and drugs as acceptable features of society. The word beat also has a spiritual, beatific significance to the poem Howl , along with the other works of the Beat writers. In Kerouac s article The Origins of the beat Generation , he states that [t]he word beat originally meant poor, down and out, deadbeat, on the bum, sad, sleeping in subways, a term he first heard from Herbert Huncke, but the term then became extended to include a spiritual association, a certain new gesture, or attitude, which I can only describe as a new more (Kerouac 61-62). The poem Howl not only protests against the crippling effect of the social conformity on soul s of the nation, but it is also a tribute to the sanctity of everything regarding the human body and psyche. This spiritual aspect to the beat is present in the previous three parts of the poem. In Howl , Ginsberg describes the best minds (including Carl Solomon and Neal Cassady) as angelheaded hipsters, and therefore providing these societal minorities with a sacredness which is set part from what the dominant society would consider as sacred or holy. In the first two lines of the Footnote to Howl , the word holy is used fifteen times in quick succession, much like a religious chant. Ginsberg uses this device to disrupt the audience from their environment, making them open to understanding the new environment of holiness which he proposes. Ginsberg then begins to identify what he sees as sacred, The skin is holy! The nose is holy! The/tongue and cock and hand and asshole holy! (Howl ). He continues to list jazz as one of these holy things, along with sacred cities such as New York, San Francisco, Paris, Seattle, and Tangiers, which serve as locations that permit the madness of the best minds to create and exist freely. The poem ends on a note of salvation for the human souls which have suffered due to societal oppression and conformity. Ginsberg prophesises that it is through their suffering and intelligent kindness of the soul (Howl 33) that they are made truly holy: Holy forgiveness! Mercy! Charity! Faith! Holy! Ours! Bodies! Suffering! Mag-/nanimity! (Howl 31-32). In conclusion, this examination of Howl and its relationship with the beat , in musical, social, and beatific terms, highlights the poem s ultimate importance to the history of American literature and society. The Beat writers proposed a society, a world, which harboured a new attitude. Collectively, they provided people with an awareness and method to free themselves of an unimaginative, suppressed society by exploring their intellect and experiencing a life worth living. Ginsberg s Howl paved the way for an improved existence of freedom from sexual and creative repression by outlining the struggle Beat generation towards the beatific.

The Causes and Effects of the Iranian Revolution Religiously and Politi

A revolution is a mass movement that intends to violently transform the old government into a new political system. The Iranian Revolution, which began in 1979 after years of climax, was an uprising against the Shah’s autocratic rule resulting in much religious and political change. Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi made efforts to remove Islamic values and create a secular rule and â€Å"westernize† Iran through his White Revolution. In addition, his tight dictatorial rule and attempts at military expansion felt threatening to the people, who desired a fairer governmental rule immensely influenced by Islam. Afterwards, governmental affairs became extremely influenced by Islamic traditions and law which created changes religiously and politically for years to come. Although the Iranian Revolution was both a political and religious movement in that it resulted in major shifts in government structure from an autocracy to a republic and that Islamic beliefs were fought to be preserved, it was more a religious movement in that the primary goal of the people was to preserve traditional ideology and in that the government became a theocracy intertwined with religious laws and desires of the people. Although the Iranian Revolution was caused by combination of political and religious motivations and ideas, the desires of the people supporting the movement were more dominantly religious ideas that were wished to be imposed in society and in a new government. The Shah, or king, of Iran at the time was Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, who had developed relations with nations in â€Å"western† world, specifically with the United States. The United States supported the White Revolution, which was a series of social reformations the Shah made to remove Islamic v... ...e were these political results mostly noticed were the religious changes. Though the White Revolution’s efforts were made to remove Islamic values, create a secular rule and â€Å"westernize† Iran by Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, the people desired a fairer governmental rule immensely influenced by Islam. The Shah’s tight dictatorial rule and military expansion attempts were viewed as threats as well and resulted in the overthrowing of the government to create religious and political change. Although the Iranian Revolution was a religious and political movement that ended an oppressive rule to established a republic and which was fought to maintain Islamic beliefs, it was more a religious movement in that the movement was a result of desires to create a society influenced religiously and politically and that the result was a republic based on Islamic values and law.

The Hunchback in the Park

The Hunchback in the Park My life makes me want to run away. I’ve got no place to go. No family, no house, no anything. All wiped out by a fire in 2001. I did not get any money paid out by the insurance company because they said the fire was an â€Å"act of God† caused by a lightning strike, which my insurance did not cover. Since then, I’ve been walking this park, alone and joked about by everyone who walks past me. Now I guess you’re wondering, why don’t I get a job? Why does everyone joke about me? Why do I not ask my family for help?Well, I have been applying for jobs, it’s just that no-one accepts me. I studied hard at school and I got decent grades, but no jobs are available to me. The answer to the second question is something that I just have to live with. During the fire, My face was horribly burned. This, added to the fact that I am short and have a hunchback, makes people fear me and run away or just shout abuse at me. Finally, the answer to the third question is that I simply do not have any. My parents died when I was two years old. I have no aunties, no uncles, nobody.There is one person in my life though. If there is anyone who could be â€Å"that special someone†, it’s her. She’s beautiful. Despite never talking to her, our eyes have met many times and it’s love at first sight. I just wish I could gather up the courage to finally talk to her. It has been a while since I’ve approached a woman without being slapped or ran away from. In fact, it has been a while since I have approached anyone. Any social interaction with the world feels awkward and scary because it has been so long.The only interaction I have with the outside world is through the local children who torment me each day. Each day, I sit on this bench starving. The only meals I eat are leftovers I manage to find in the bin. It is a miracle how I survive. How I have not died from dehydration, starvation or hyp othermia is a miracle. I have not had a shower in months. I just wish someone would take me home. Look – there's the woman! The woman which takes my breath away every time I see her. Maybe she could be the one to take me off the streets.Only if I could gather up the courage to approach her my life would not be as much of a mess and I could get my life moving in the right direction. OK, I'm going to do it this time. I'm going to talk to her! As I get off the bench, I spot the local children! Quick, hide! Those pesky local children are coming. Look at them, with their hoods up; with their phones playing out their angry music; with their hands in the shape of a gun. They make my life hell – even though I don’t provoke them.I can't run very fast due to my disability (which is my hunchback) so when the children chase me I can not get away. They circle me and torment me. One day, they pushed me over. It hurt and many people seen this, but no-one came to help me. I was shocked that no-one asked me if I was OK, this is one of the reasons I give up on the world. People are selfish and do not care about anyone else. Eventually, the children grew tiresome of mocking me and left – either that or they left because it was getting dark. So, here I am once again.Another lonely night, propped up against a tree, with no-one to hold. No family to wish goodnight. Oh, what I would give to feel loved again. Each day is a recurring nightmare, except I can't wake up. I'm going to make a promise to myself now, and it is that tomorrow I'm going to try turn my life around. I'm going to apply for a job and I'm going to ask the girl of my dreams to dinner. Oh, how wonderful life could become with those two simple things. â€Å"You! †, the park keeper says, as he pokes me with his pointed stick used for picking up leaves, â€Å"Time to move along. †.So my day begins, and I'm feeling slightly optimistic for once – knowing that today I will be once again attempting to sort out my life. You may be thinking, â€Å"Why do you think this attempt will be any different to your others? †, well I'm not too sure myself. All I know is that today I'm going to come across as a confident individual. I think this is what I have been lacking, but it is hard for me to be confident when I have the likes of those pesky children always tormenting me, insulting me and abusing me. Anyway, the first step in getting back on my feet is to get a job. The Hunchback in the Park The Hunchback in the Park My life makes me want to run away. I’ve got no place to go. No family, no house, no anything. All wiped out by a fire in 2001. I did not get any money paid out by the insurance company because they said the fire was an â€Å"act of God† caused by a lightning strike, which my insurance did not cover. Since then, I’ve been walking this park, alone and joked about by everyone who walks past me. Now I guess you’re wondering, why don’t I get a job? Why does everyone joke about me? Why do I not ask my family for help?Well, I have been applying for jobs, it’s just that no-one accepts me. I studied hard at school and I got decent grades, but no jobs are available to me. The answer to the second question is something that I just have to live with. During the fire, My face was horribly burned. This, added to the fact that I am short and have a hunchback, makes people fear me and run away or just shout abuse at me. Finally, the answer to the third question is that I simply do not have any. My parents died when I was two years old. I have no aunties, no uncles, nobody.There is one person in my life though. If there is anyone who could be â€Å"that special someone†, it’s her. She’s beautiful. Despite never talking to her, our eyes have met many times and it’s love at first sight. I just wish I could gather up the courage to finally talk to her. It has been a while since I’ve approached a woman without being slapped or ran away from. In fact, it has been a while since I have approached anyone. Any social interaction with the world feels awkward and scary because it has been so long.The only interaction I have with the outside world is through the local children who torment me each day. Each day, I sit on this bench starving. The only meals I eat are leftovers I manage to find in the bin. It is a miracle how I survive. How I have not died from dehydration, starvation or hyp othermia is a miracle. I have not had a shower in months. I just wish someone would take me home. Look – there's the woman! The woman which takes my breath away every time I see her. Maybe she could be the one to take me off the streets.Only if I could gather up the courage to approach her my life would not be as much of a mess and I could get my life moving in the right direction. OK, I'm going to do it this time. I'm going to talk to her! As I get off the bench, I spot the local children! Quick, hide! Those pesky local children are coming. Look at them, with their hoods up; with their phones playing out their angry music; with their hands in the shape of a gun. They make my life hell – even though I don’t provoke them.I can't run very fast due to my disability (which is my hunchback) so when the children chase me I can not get away. They circle me and torment me. One day, they pushed me over. It hurt and many people seen this, but no-one came to help me. I was shocked that no-one asked me if I was OK, this is one of the reasons I give up on the world. People are selfish and do not care about anyone else. Eventually, the children grew tiresome of mocking me and left – either that or they left because it was getting dark. So, here I am once again.Another lonely night, propped up against a tree, with no-one to hold. No family to wish goodnight. Oh, what I would give to feel loved again. Each day is a recurring nightmare, except I can't wake up. I'm going to make a promise to myself now, and it is that tomorrow I'm going to try turn my life around. I'm going to apply for a job and I'm going to ask the girl of my dreams to dinner. Oh, how wonderful life could become with those two simple things. â€Å"You! †, the park keeper says, as he pokes me with his pointed stick used for picking up leaves, â€Å"Time to move along. †.So my day begins, and I'm feeling slightly optimistic for once – knowing that today I will be once again attempting to sort out my life. You may be thinking, â€Å"Why do you think this attempt will be any different to your others? †, well I'm not too sure myself. All I know is that today I'm going to come across as a confident individual. I think this is what I have been lacking, but it is hard for me to be confident when I have the likes of those pesky children always tormenting me, insulting me and abusing me. Anyway, the first step in getting back on my feet is to get a job.

Research Paper on Pearl Harbor

Research Paper on Pearl Harbor The road to war between the United States of America and Japan began on the surprise aerial attack on the United States Navy base in Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941. This was the first step that brought the might United States into the Second World War Relations between the two countries started to detireate in the early 1930’s when Japan started to become aggressive in Asia, mainly in Manchuria in 1931 and tried to start conquering the rest of China into 1937. Japan in 1940 decided to allied it self with the â€Å"Axis† with countries like Germany. Japan, a vastly resource free country needed supplies such as oil from countries like the United States. With their aggression in Asia the United States decided to put an embargo on Japan and halt valuable resources such as oil which the Japanese empire need greatly to expand their mighty war machine . Japan had only enough oil reserves to fight a war for about six more months, something that they couldn’t stand to bear with and the only solution to counter this problem was to move further down south into the vast and oil rich areas of South East Asia. With their aggression already in China, Japan wasn’t a very favored country in the United States, already banning immigrations from Japan and angering them even further they drew out plans to counter this problem and the only solution left was to destroy the United States Pacific fleet that had recently been shifted to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by the United States President Roosevelt. The United States of Americas Navy Pacific fleet was established way back in the late 1800’s but established their Head quarters on February 1st 1941 only 10 months before the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Pearl Harbor was seen as â€Å"impregnable† by the United States. Having this massive United States Navy a stone throw away from Japan was of a large concern. If Japan was to take further aggressive action down south, the United States would be sure to come to the defense of their allies and stop the Japanese. The only option left was to eliminate the United States Pacific Fleet so they would have superiority over the entire Pacific waters and further their interest down south with little resistance if at all from the United States. For months the Japanese Navy has been practicing simulations on the attack of Pearl Harbor, if the diplomatic talks in Washington DC had failed they were prepared to go to war at all costs . On the 26th of November, the Japanese set sail of a Navy task force of six heavy aircraft carriers, the Shokaku, Zuikaku, Kaga, Akagi, Hiryu and Soryu and accompanying these aircraft carriers were two battle ships sailing to Pearl Harbor spearheaded this task force was Admiral Chuchi Nagumo . The plan to attack Pearl Harbor was devised by Admiral Yamamoto, he wanted the United States Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor to be neutralized so he could purse Japans goals in achieving domination. The task force set sail and was to avoid detection by the United States Navy at all costs. If detected they were to set sail back home to Japan immediately. Admiral Chuchi Nagumo later learned that the United States Navy most prized possessions, their aircraft carriers were not in port but some carriers were doing training excises while other carriers were stationed else where and others delivering planes to remote Pacific islands . This was certainly a major downfall in the usefulness of the attack in the Pacific fleet but the attack was to go ahead, December 8th Japanese time which is December 7th the local date in Hawaii. Chatter was created on the radios in Japan to make the United States think that the aircraft carriers were at bay but this didn’t work. The conditions were in favor of Japan, apart from the aircraft carriers belong to the United States navy not in port, the weather with the heavy fogged helped provide good coverage over the carriers from overheard reconossinace planes that were out looking for the missing Japanese carriers. All Japanese ships were to remain on radio blackout. Visibility over Pearl Harbor was clear, and this information was given over the local radio station in Oahu. In the early morning at 0600 hours the first launch of 183 aircraft, bombers laden with torpedoes and bombs, flanked by fighter aircraft escorting them they made their 1.5 hours journey to Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor came at a great cost to the US but then again this is very debatable. During the two waves of strikes by the Japanese, only lost a total of twenty nine aircraft . This is a very small price to pay for the huge losses the United States Navy occurred, on that day, December 7th, 2403 people were recorded as dead, a further 1178 were injured, four battle ships were sunk, the Oklahoma, West Virginia, California and the Nevada. The Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Maryland were damaged but the Maryland was put back into service in February 1942. Aircraft lost by the United States were massive as well, with aircraft parked tightly to avoid any sabotage; this made it easier for Japanese bombers. Out of the 394 planes based, 165 were damaged and only some still able to fly. This attack on Pearl Harbor seemed like a success on the day for the Japanese and my view is that it seemed like this from both sides. The United States suffers a huge loss compared to the minimal loss suffered on the Japanese side. Japan now has put a major dent into the United States Pacific fleet and is able to further their goals down south but my personal view is that the attack created more problems for Japan the solving. No aircraft carrier was in dock at all, the power of the Pacific fleet is with the might aircraft carriers. It did not sink, damaged or even find any of the aircraft carriers. All of the battle ships that were sunk in Pearl Harbor were raised except the Arizona were repaired and put back into service thus making the United States Navy rely more on their carriers. The air raid on Pearl Harbor didn’t even attempt to destroy any of the logistics, logistics such as the vast supply of oil that was in dock, without this oil the United States Navy would not have been able to repair and return to service the battle ships that were damaged at such a quick rate. From the Japanese point of view, it can only be seen as a success that they were able to sink many battle ships, destroy many aircraft and end the lives of many soldiers at such a small physical price. It is hard to determine whether this attack on this day was one of the biggest mistakes ever made by the Japanese empire, had they sent a third wave to destroy more of the logistics or if the aircraft carriers had been in port it may have changed the outcome of the war. You can order custom written essays, term papers or research papers on Pearl Harbor at our professional custom writing service. Here is the list of the most popular essay topics on Pearl Harbor: The Attack on Pearl Harbor The Bombing Of Pearl Harbor Did President Roosevelt Deliberately Withhold Information About the Attack on Pearl Harbor From the American Commanders? Critique of Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War Causes of the Pearl Harbor Americans approval of Japanese internment following the events of Pearl Harbor The conspiracy of Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor and Retaliation Ambiguity: Duplicity at Pearl Harbor?

Free Essays on What Does Buddhism Teach

What Does Buddhism Teach, and How Does It Differ From Christianity? Legend tells us that Buddha was a powerful young prince who gave up his earthly position and possessions in order to seek enlightenment and salvation. Buddha lived in India approximately 600 years before Christ. He was concerned with the terrible things that were being done within the Hindu tradition, so he developed his own religious system. Buddha taught that the question of God’s existence is meaningless. His conception of salvation is radically different than that taught by Christianity. Buddha believed in reincarnation. He taught that every evil thing we do ties us more tightly to the cycle of rebirth. Buddha taught that a person can escape the cycle of reincarnation and enter nirvana only by following the "Noble Eight-fold Path", a strict ethical system. Buddhist teachings include dedication to meditation. Meditation involves emptying one’s mind of all content and learning to drift away from a consciousness of this world. Thus, it is part of the process by which a Buddhist frees himself from the attachments to this world and the cycle of reincarnation. We should not confuse nirvana with heaven, however. For the Buddhist, nirvana is simply an escape from the world of suffering. It is like a candle that had been burning with a hot flame (representing our suffering in the cycle of reincarnation) being suddenly extinguished. Once a flame is out, there is no point in questioning where it went. To the classical Buddhist, to attain nirvana is simply to be out of existence. Buddhism is clearly a very different religion from Christianity. It offers no personal salvation. It stands against sin and immorality, but it ignores the issue of God’s existence and our need for redemption. At its root, Buddhism is a form of agnosticism (the belief that it is impossible to know whether or not God exists) or at least practical atheism. It provides no answers about the... Free Essays on What Does Buddhism Teach Free Essays on What Does Buddhism Teach What Does Buddhism Teach, and How Does It Differ From Christianity? Legend tells us that Buddha was a powerful young prince who gave up his earthly position and possessions in order to seek enlightenment and salvation. Buddha lived in India approximately 600 years before Christ. He was concerned with the terrible things that were being done within the Hindu tradition, so he developed his own religious system. Buddha taught that the question of God’s existence is meaningless. His conception of salvation is radically different than that taught by Christianity. Buddha believed in reincarnation. He taught that every evil thing we do ties us more tightly to the cycle of rebirth. Buddha taught that a person can escape the cycle of reincarnation and enter nirvana only by following the "Noble Eight-fold Path", a strict ethical system. Buddhist teachings include dedication to meditation. Meditation involves emptying one’s mind of all content and learning to drift away from a consciousness of this world. Thus, it is part of the process by which a Buddhist frees himself from the attachments to this world and the cycle of reincarnation. We should not confuse nirvana with heaven, however. For the Buddhist, nirvana is simply an escape from the world of suffering. It is like a candle that had been burning with a hot flame (representing our suffering in the cycle of reincarnation) being suddenly extinguished. Once a flame is out, there is no point in questioning where it went. To the classical Buddhist, to attain nirvana is simply to be out of existence. Buddhism is clearly a very different religion from Christianity. It offers no personal salvation. It stands against sin and immorality, but it ignores the issue of God’s existence and our need for redemption. At its root, Buddhism is a form of agnosticism (the belief that it is impossible to know whether or not God exists) or at least practical atheism. It provides no answers about the...

Article Critique - Advancement and Equity for Women in the Business

Critique - Advancement and Equity for Women in the Business World - Article Example First, it discusses barriers that limit women from achieving better leadership positions in business entities. The traditional view of a woman distracts her from making the normal advancement to the top position. Traditional norms look down up on women for being good managers or chief executives. Secondly, it is from the article that men are perceived as default leaders while depicting women as typical leaders. This aspect deny capable women leaders the ability to serve in capacities which they fit. They take men to be managers and executive officers in different business corporations (Evans, 2011). Thirdly, the article brings out serious effects of gender disparities to companies that observe and practice the traditional norms. For instance, they deny women their rightful positions in business area. As a result, the companies lose great ideas and collaborative leadership from women. Additionally traditional beliefs deny the businesses better services from experienced women thus unde rutilizing their female top talents. Fourth, the article explains widely to prove that women in leadership can make tremendous changes, which brings valuable leadership skills that can help promote economic status of business firms. There are several reasons why women are sidelined from getting the top positions in business organizations. Gender stereotypic issues give advantages to men over women. For instance, men are biased against promoting women to top management positions within their companies. They really degrade women basing on gender factor failing to realize that women have the capability to make better collaborative decisions in companies. There exist other barriers, which deter women from attaining their full possession of top management positions. They include; inadequate role models for women, inadequate flexibility at their working places and inadequate strategies to develop women as leaders. Mercer provides

Excess Embryos and Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Excess Embryos and Research - Essay Example Moreover, based on the absolutist principle, all life has value and that it is always wrong to take such life (West, 2005). These individuals also point out that using excess embryos for human research may lead humanity into a slippery slope, where one small step towards an end would lead to other similar actions where bigger and more undesirable consequences become apparent (West, 2005). Discussion In order to understand this discussion better, it is important to consider and define the parameters of IVF. In vitro fertilization refers to the process of the sperm fertilizing the egg outside the human body or in vitro, which in Latin translates to ‘in glass’ (Swain, 2011). Basically, in IVF, the sperm and egg is collected from the woman’s fallopian tubes or uterus, is combined with the semen under laboratory conditions, and then reinserted into the uterus (Swain, 2011). Ovarian hyperstimulation for the retrieval of multiple eggs and the culture and selection of emb ryos is also included in the process. Most of the time, multiple eggs are fertilized in order to ensure successful fertilization and consequently, successful pregnancies (Swain, 2011). In different countries, there are legal restrictions on the number of embryos which can be reintroduced into the uterus. In these instances, there would likely be numerous excess embryos which would not be used by the clients seeking IVF (Kao, et.al., 2008). From these excess embryos, the issue of utilization has now come about and the question is raised: Should these excess embryos be made available for research purposes? Opponents to the utilization of these embryos for research primarily point out that allowing the use of these embryos would lead humanity into a slippery slope, one which would likely lead to more human rights violated and less value attributed to human life (Dooley, 2003). They argue that where an embryo is given so little value, the value of life itself would likely decrease. The slippery slope argument is based on the argument that where one act is allowed, an avalanche of other consequent acts would likely follow and these consequent acts may not be intended by the original actors (Bongso and Lee, 2010). For example, allowing the use of embryonic cells may later eventually lead to the blatant use of embryonic cells (even those not in excess) for research purposes. For other ethical arguments, allowing the legalization of euthanasia may lead to the unconscionable killing of elderly individuals who do not have adequate health care (Bongso and Lee, 2010). For those who believe in the slippery slope argument, they also point out that allowing the use of excess embryos may lead to the instrumentalization of human life, wherein life is created in order to fill human purposes (Banchoff, 2011). These statements or arguments are not agreeable to me. According to Dettman and Saunders (1985), human embryos cannot be considered as individuals or people, not even as po tential human life. Human embryo should be considered as cells and unless they are implanted in the uterus, they are not yet potential life forms (Hinman, 2010). In effect, the embryos cannot be considered human life and must not therefore be attributed with human value. Where there is no human value, there would also not be any devaluation on the embryo (Hinman, 2010). I also believe that the