Ancient Religions: A Comparison Essay -- essays research papers fc

Ancient Religions: A Comparison As civilization has expanded and improved it has gone through many different religions. Some of the most interesting and different have been the Mesopotamian religion, the religion of the Greeks and finally Christianity. These three religions were practiced in different areas and different time periods and therefore they will be excellent for a comparison. Religion is a key part of every society and civilization. No matter how it is organized or what type of God they worship, a society would be nothing without some kind of deity to organize it. Through the units of study the amount that people rely on Gods has been evident and that is why this makes a very good essay topic. Three areas of religion will be used to compare each of the religions chosen, worship style, their temples or places of worship, and the nature of their God or Gods. Each of the three religions selected had very different ideas of how to worship their God or Gods. In the Mesopotamian religion worship was very straightforward and casual. They would give daily offerings of food and drink with sacrifices during special monthly and annual feasts. The most important of these feasts was the New Year’s festival, which later on during the first millennium came to include some lesser festivals as well. These worship events were held by the Priests and Priestesses who also took care of the great wealth stored in the Mesopotamian’s temples. The director of the temple cults was the Sheshgallu; all the sacrifices were performed by the Shangu-priests. Other classes of priests dealt with the other, lesser rituals. The priestesses varied from the Entu, the consort of the God, all the way down to the temple harlots (Garber, p204). The Greeks on the other hand, did most of their worship in private. They also had festivals and rituals, but their worsh ip was much less organized. If a person wished to pray to a god, or invoke their intervention, they would go to one of the shrines or temples of that god and say a prayer and leave a small gift. These gifts varied from frankincense or a cake to large sacrifices of animals. There were also dedications of small statuettes or even large painted vases (Webster, p79). There was no class of priests nor any real religious teachings or texts. There were no real worship services as we think of them, with large gatherings of people. The... ... thousand, it was the need for some greater being that drove people to temples, churches and shrines throughout the ages. With a God or multiple Gods to show them the way and even to put the blame on at times, they felt they could live with their problems. Also, having a God to turn to in times of trouble they had direction. Even though the three religions that were compared were different, they all provided the same thing, giving people the will to live and go on. Works Cited 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Garber, Janet Serlin The Concise encyclopedia of Ancient Civilizations Franklin Watts/New York/London 1978 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Millard, Anne Ancient Civilizations Warwick Press 1983 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Webster, T.B.L Everyday Life in Classical Athens Jarrold and Sons Ltd 1969 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Williams, Paul L. Everything You wanted to Know About the Catholic Church but Were Afraid to Ask for Fear of Excommunication Doubleday 1975 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Walker, Robert J. World Civilizations: A Comparative Study Oxford University Press 1998 New International Version The Teen Study Bible Zondervan Publishing House 1993

Charles Dickens Essay

Belle says: â€Å"Our contract is an old one. It was made when we were both poor and content to be so†¦ † Dickens shows that they were content when they were poor. â€Å"You are changed. When it was made you were another man. † Dickens shows that since Scrooge has got wealthy he has changed. Dickens uses Italics on â€Å"are† to show that Belle is very certain that Scrooge has changed. Belle continues saying that Scrooge has changed and also that he was different when he was poor. Dickens uses this to show Scrooge how he has changed and that he was different before. Belle also says: â€Å"But if you were free today†¦ Can even I believe that you would choose a dowerless girl-you who in your very confidence with her, weigh everything by Gain†¦ † Dickens uses this sentence to show that Scrooge would not be with Belle if she wasn’t rich. Belle then says, â€Å"A very, very brief time, and you will dismiss the recollection of it gladly, as an unprofitable dream†¦ † This implies that because this event isn’t profitable, Scrooge will forget about it quickly and â€Å"†¦ From which it happened well that you awoke. † Implies that he thinks it is good that he can forget about it leave it without any loss. The second incident involves 3 people trading Scrooges belongings after he is dead in the 4 stave. Firstly Dickens describes the narrow, haunted streets that the ghost takes Scrooge by using adjectives such as, â€Å"Naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly. † Dickens uses many adjectives at a time throughout this book to help better describe the scene. He is persuading the reader that where the ghost and Scrooge are visiting isn’t pleasant. Dickens describes the shop as, â€Å"†¦ Den of, infamous resort, there was a lowbrowed, beetling shop below a penthouse roof, where iron, old rags, bottles, bones, and greasy offal were bought. † Objects in which we would not really want to purchase and these objects imply hideousness into the scene. Dickens keeps the reader guessing because the conversation the three people are having starts off by not telling too much information and shows that this affair is frequent in occurrence. The woman gives a clue to the reader by saying, â€Å"That’s enough. Who’s the worse for the loss of a few things like these? Not a dead man, I suppose? † Immediately the reader figures out that these people are talking about a dead man. The woman describes the dead man as a â€Å"Wicked old screw†. The reader gets a little bit more information on who the dead man is and dickens uses these techniques to keep the reader guessing. The people are sarcastic and cold; these features make the reader despise these people. The woman says something that provokes scrooge into thinking that they could be talking about him, â€Å"This is the end of it, you see! He frightened everyone away from him when he was alive, to profit us when he was dead! † There is irony here because it shows all the money Scrooge greedily gathered was of no purpose or use because he is dead. Scrooge starts to realize that they could be talking about him. My third incident is where the ghost takes Scrooge to the graveyard and shown his own tombstone, this incident is also in the fourth stave. Dickens starts describing the graveyard by calling it â€Å"A worthy place† which is ironic because this graveyard is not looked after and is a place where people are buried and then forgotten. Dickens carries on describing it: â€Å"Walled in by houses; choked up with too much burying; fat with repleted appetite. A worthy place. † Again Dickens describes it as â€Å"A worthy place† and describing the graveyard as an unvisited place. Dickens shows that Scrooge wasn’t looked after well and just forgotten after he died. Dickens starts to create tension: â€Å"Scrooge crept towards it, trembling†¦ † The reader is caught up in the tension reading on to find out who’s name is on the tombstone. Dickens still describes everything: â€Å"†¦ Neglected grave†¦ † Suddenly Scrooge realizes everything and is showing despair: † ‘Am I that man who lay upon the bed? ‘ he cried upon his knees. † He is desperate and shocks the ghost: â€Å"Tight clutching at it’s robe† Scrooge begins to show signs of change and declares: â€Å"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. † Dickens uses language brilliantly by Scrooge saying that he â€Å"Will honour†¦ † and also that he â€Å"Will live†¦ † He is making a strong statement that he will change. In a desperate plea he asks the Ghost, â€Å"Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone! † Dickens still is creating tension and is further showing Scrooges anxiety: â€Å"In his agony†¦ † Dickens creates a tension cliffhanger and leaves the reader guessing and wondering, has Scrooge been saved? In my conclusion this novel is a masterpiece in which Charles Dickens creates a simple story that is easy to understand and follow. Dickens uses many adjectives in one go to best describe an object. He creates a great amount of tension in this book and manages to keep the story warm and exciting. His clever use of language ensures the reader is always kept guessing but interested.

English Literature: Frankenstein Essay Essay

Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley when she was only eighteen years old after a nightmare she had. It was first published on 1st January 1818 and was an instant success. Using the style of the ‘Gothic Novel’, Frankenstein was the first science-fiction book ever written. Almost two centuries later it has become not only a widely read classic, but also one of the most influential novels ever written. Frankenstein is a moral tale that deals with issues and ethics of medical and scientific advancement and how far humans should go in tampering with nature. The story raises questions as to who should have final power over life and human nature, God or humans. Shelley calls her book a ‘Modern Prometheus’, because there are many similarities in the plots. The Greek God, Prometheus, gave the human race fire, out of pity so they could eat, but also brought them danger, and was punished for it by Zeus. Prometheus was a hero to humans, but Dr. Victor Frankenstein is a villain because he did nothing to contribute to the world; he did everything for himself rather than using his knowledge for the good of others. Shelley does not express her views, but simply tells a story. The story explores the dire consequences of meddling in such serious matters. In a dramatic and shocking way she is more persuasive and challenging to people than if she had directly preached her views. Without directly telling people what they ought to think, she is powerfully able to make people question the morality of their actions in a day of rapid scientific advances. The ‘Gothic Novel’ was a very popular style of writing in the late eighteenth to mid-nineteenth century. Shelley used this style because she knew it would appeal to the masses. Its use of horror, violence and the supernatural was exciting, intriguing and macabre. Although at one level it was frightening, it was also intriguing and compelling. Although on the surface it repelled, at a deeper level a reader was drawn to the horror, just as the curious are drawn to view victims of an accident. Her clever use of horror disguises her Puritanical views by letting the dire outcome of an obsessed doctor who creates a monster speak for itself. Victor Frankenstein Dr. Victor Frankenstein is the main protagonist of the novel and is a complex character. The bulk of the story is told from his point of view, revealing his struggle to deal with the responsibility for the tragic consequences of his ‘playing God’ by creating a monster from dead bodies he stole from graves. Frankenstein is a very egotistical and conceited man. He believes totally in his own ability and power. He is self-centred, but at the same time lacks self-awareness. ‘†¦ I doubted not that I should ultimately succeed. ‘ p. 42 Frankenstein’s ego is so immense that he comes to see himself as God-like. His dream to create a physically superior race that will worship him as its God is the dream of a megalomaniac. He has delusions of grandeur almost to the point of considering himself as the Saviour of the world. Although Dr. Frankenstein admits that he was at first unsure about whether he should perform the act of human creation this hesitancy is quickly taken over by his arrogance and desire to succeed. He thinks he can do no wrong. ‘I doubted at first†¦ but my imagination was too much exalted†¦ to permit me to doubt of my ability†¦ ‘ p. 42 Frankenstein in one sense is an idealist in that he wanted to create a perfect race, a better race than current, imperfect humanity. He has a vision of an army of physically superior humans with high intelligence. However the reality of his method is to combine a collection of different body parts from different human beings, with different proportions, from graves and vaults. His ideal is very different to reality, showing how out of touch with reality he really is. It also shows his immorality, for he disregards authority and has a lack of respect for the dead. Frankenstein’s readiness to mutilate and steal bodies shows that he thinks of the deceased bodies as merely physical carcasses for use at his disposal. He seems to have no morals or ethics at all and doesn’t even think about the consequences if he was caught. ‘I collected bones from charnel-houses; and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame. ‘ p. 43 Frankenstein’s obsession with creation drives him to break down the boundaries of life and death. He is oblivious to the outside world and nothing else matters to him. ‘†¦ Still urged on by an eagerness which perpetually increased, I brought my work near to a conclusion. ‘ p. 43 But once creating his being, when the Monster awakes, Frankenstein is terrified by it, and runs away. His ideal of a perfect, flawless being is crushed at the sight of his hideous creation. Frankenstein instantly rejects the Monster, fleeing from its outstretched arms. He is judgemental and shallow, judging his creation on looks, not personality. However, scientists are supposed to be objective instead of subjective. ‘†¦ Now I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished’ P.

Wife of Bath

Geoffrey Chaucer expresses present day realities throughout his novel The Canterbury Tales. Throughout the Wife of Bath’s prologue, the wife illustrates her actions to be equal to those of a feminist. The wife pleads to stand out without conforming to societal standards. Feminism is defined as the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. During the 14thcentury, it was likely that the Wife of Bath was thought of as a destructive rebel.In modern times our society considers the Wife of Bath to be a revolutionary feminist who refuses to conform to the expectations of women during her time. The thought of women continuously desiring attention from a man and always being sought out to express promiscuous actions is a reality revealed in the Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Lines 263 through 270 of the Wife of Bath’s Prologue reveal the wife’s view upon how men illustrate the actions of women. And if she is ugly, you say that she covets every man she sees; for she will leap on him like a spaniel until she finds some man who will buy her wares. † The quote explains that this woman is not able to persuade a man or even capable of being pursued because her looks are not appeasing, she must use her sexuality in order to have her way or get what ever she wants. Though this may be a negative view of women, this simply says women receive no recognition. Whatever a woman does, it is never good enough for a man’s desire.The Wife of Bath’s Prologue also expresses the idea of women not pleased or wanting to be controlled neither having a master but instead searching for sovereignty in relationships. The 14th Century was a very relevant time of which women were controlled by their husbands. â€Å"We don’t love a man who carefully watches where we go; we want to be at large. † (Lines 321-322) This quote simply explains that women do not want to be controlled, as men do – they also want power of themselves and to go about things as they please. Women sometimes go after a love that they do not possess for the purpose of gaining more power.

International Trade Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Trade Law - Essay Example The Hague Visby Rules after defining key terms such as 'carrier" (Art.1a), proceeded to define 'contract of carriage' as contract for shipment of goods "covered by a bill of lading or any similar document of title" (Art.1b). It further defined 'carriage of goods' as that period commencing "from the time when the goods are loaded on to the time they are discharged from the ship" (Art.1e). It also limits its coverage only to outgoing shipments from UK and excludes imported or ingoing goods and limits the liabilities of the common carrier. To give muscles and teeth to the provisions of the Hague Visby Rules, the UK Carriage of Goods By Sea Act of 1971 amended in 1992 was enacted (Laryea 2002,p.56). In contrast to the Hague Visby Rules, the Hamburg Rules which was an offshoot of the 1978 UN Convention On The Carriage of Goods By Sea (Yiannopoulos 1995,p.8), widened the liabilities and responsibilities of the carrier over the shipped goods and included in its ambit all carriage of goods whether exports or imports (Gillies & Moens 1998,p.183) as well as contracts for the carriage of goods whether evidenced or not by a bill of lading (Art.2). It also exonerates Of common importance to both the Hague Visby Rules and the Hamburg Rules is the extreme importance accorded to a bill of lading. Both emphasise that the bill of lading is the contract between the parties which is enforceable before the courts of law. It is the written acknowledgement of receipt of goods accompanied with the written stipulation that such goods shall be transported by the carrier, on behalf of the shipper, to a consignee at a designated place. A bill of lading must state the "condition of the goods,the date of receipt and or shipment, the leading marks necessary for identification of the goods, the quantity of the goods, the number of packages or pieces, or weight of the goods" (Laryea 2002,p.65). It is important because its contents are deemed as containing all that the parties have agreed and therefore, such bill of lading cannot be varied by parol evidence unless fraud, mistake or ambiguity is adduced. Thus, the carrier may adduce evidence that in fact, the goods h ad already been damaged at the time of shipment and that shipper is thus guilty of fraud by misdeclaration (The Tromp,1921). It is even more important because it empowers the consignee or buyer to obtain delivery from the carrier at destination after presentation of the original bill which is transmitted ahead. (This 'shipped bill of lading' shall be discussed in the latter part of this paper). Another of its importance is that it enables the buyer to sell the goods to a third party while the goods are in transit (Gillies & Moens 1998,p.125) or to transfer

Why High School Athletics are Important Research Paper

Why High School Athletics are Important - Research Paper Example Unfortunately, some high schools institutions have opted out of sports, with the reason of spending more resources on academics. It is of no doubt that academics is the primary reason for education and should be given the primary priority; but sports is important to the lives of students as well as far as their human development is concerned. There are ways athletics as sports can benefit the lives of the involved students in ways that the educators, parents and students cannot even realize. When some students engage in such sporting activities for the recognition, love for the games and other reasons, there are many other benefits accruing from these sporting activities that can turn out to be of great importance to the community at large. People become motivated in so many and different forms. Athletics serves as a very powerful tool to extrinsically motivate students. Some students underperform in classes due to lack of extrinsic motivators that the educators can apply to boost their academic morale (Stein p52). Some students perceive academics as of secondary course in school, but embraces sports. In this case, some high schools have resorted to raising grades and specific performance, for example, 60% and above to consider students as qualified to participate in sports. These students would, therefore, strive to attain the performance level set by the educators in order to have a slot in extracurricular activities. Consequently, they will perform better that they would have otherwise without athletics (Ekeler p75). Athletics has also played a greater role in ensuring that the students stay out of trouble. Athletics serve, as motivators of enabling students remain disciplined through schooling. When students misbehave, they are suspended from participating in sports; or expelled, and this motivates them to maintain their best behavior. The prospect of participating in athletics is an effective tool for deterring students from making wrong

Quality of Service (QoS) in Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Research Paper

Quality of Service (QoS) in Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Applications - Research Paper Example The current levels of available reliability and performance will be assessed for their application to real life business applications. Keywords – Quality of Service, Service Oriented Architecture, QoS, SOA, reliability, performance, mathematical model I. Introduction Service oriented architecture (SOA) environments have gained popularity in recent years given their inherent flexibility and reusability. The typical SOA is structured around methods that promote software creation as interoperable services [1]. The various services used to construct a SOA are well-defined business functions. These business functions are construed as various software building blocks that can be used repeatedly to promote decreased development time and debugging effort [2]. Currently the SOA model is finding great appeal for web application development as well as grid computing [3]. The current speed of SOA architecture development indicates that SOA applications will dominate the future avenues of development. II. Quality of Service (QoS) and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) The most important method of describing a SOA’s characteristics in general is the quality of service (QoS) it offers [4]. The current development of the QoS concept sees divergence and some commonality depending on the various fields that employ SOAs. Most web based application SOAs require real time transfer rates such as for fiscal information transfer or multimedia applications. In contrast, other areas such as mobile grid computing see SOA QoS as a set of non-functional outputs that guarantee reliability [5]. The existing disparity between QoS definitions for SOA implementations in networking, web applications and grid computing mean that QoS needs to be defined in a more comprehensive yet unambiguous fashion. Most previous definitions of QoS promote the idea that only the best possible service levels can be classified as QoS [6]. However, more modern definitions of QoS contend that any leve l of services that meet user requirements can be classified as QoS for that particular application [7]. QoS can also be compared to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) where the user and the service provider agree upon acceptable levels of performance parameters such as functionality, costs etc. QoS for SOAs can be classified in the form of â€Å"request, specification, provision and negotiation† of some particular network features [7]. A typical SOA application may require QoS for the latency, the error rate, bandwidth, availability as well as the network security [8]. However, these characteristics alone should not be seen as describing the entire umbrella for QoS for SOAs. Instead, these characteristics form some of the characteristics of QoS for SOAs. Moreover, the QoS agreements would tend to vary from application to application in SOA depending on user requirements, functional expectations and non-functional expectations of the user [9]. For example, users accessing multime dia content through SOA applications would emphasize more on bandwidth than users dealing with defense applications through SOA who would emphasize more on reliability and security [10]. The classification method provided above for QoS in SOA applications is limited in scope. The QoS may be broken down into smaller metrics for further QoS classification. For example, jitter in network connection could be treated through consecutive difference in jitter or through the average jitter. The results from these metrics would tend to differ