Witness: Essay

Persuasive Essay – Witness Our separate individual identities are shaped by our interpretations of our society’s ideals and values. As individuals, we reflect in our personalities and actions by what we hear and see in the media, and through what we have observed personally in the world in general. Having an experience of our society’s rules, we are able to make informed decisions and choices by the ethical and moral concerns that we are bound by. Despite this, when moving from one country to another, we may be confronted by a different system with distinct and perhaps seemingly unusual sets of principles. If this is indeed the case, this would be reflected by the different people in the country as a whole compared to our own. In order for unity and harmony to flourish between these two countries, establishing common ground is essential, or if this is not possible than an acknowledgement of some of their ideals and values and the abandonment of some of ours is necessary. However, in doing this we are losing our original identity. In the film, â€Å"Witness,† directed by Peter Weir, an Amish widow, Rachel Lapp, and her young son, Samuel, depart for Baltimore to visit their relative. They take a break in a railway station in Philadelphia and Samuel, in his need to explore and understand the new world he is surrounded by, begins wondering alone in his need to belong. In the men’s toilets, he is a witness to a murder and is traumatized by it. Evidently, it changes him and his views of the world are forever altered. When he is confronted by another Amish named Eli, he is asked a series of questions leading up to as to whether he would ever kill a man. Samuel replies to this question by stating, â€Å"†¦ nly the bad men†. Clearly, this emphasizes the change seen in Samuel through his interactions with others outside the Amish community. This proves that in general, the need to belong and the people we are influenced and surrounded by can have some significant impacts affecting who we become. Similarly, the need to blend in and belong can change the personality of an individual for the better. This is particularly seen in Witness when a cop named Jo hn Book is forced to flee his home when faced with danger. He breaks his ties and lives with the Amish in hideout to protect himself as well as Samuel, a key witness to a murder, along with his mother. During the period that John spends with the Amish he begins to recognize their way of life and grows an appreciation for it. This is indicated when he starts to dress like the Amish. When he does this for the first time, he asks Rachel whether he looks Amish. Rachel replies by commenting, â€Å"You look plain. † Further prove of his acceptance, is when John takes up carpentry and helps with the barn raising. Through these actions, later he is finally accepted by Eli; this is supported when he warns John when three dangerous looking men come to see him. John’s visit to the Amish community changes him. Some may argue that it is not the group we belong to that defines who we are. In fact, they may try to reassure us that it is only our individual actions that instigate who we become. This may be particularly true in matters where the need for someone to belong to is denied by their biological family. However, it cannot be taken as a rule in general and is rarely the case. As put forward by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, our search for a group to interact and be part of is essential before feelings of self-esteem and self-actualization can be met. For our needs to be met we would not try to establish relationships with those who we have nothing in common or loathe. We are more likely to form bonds to those who resemble us most and share common interests with. It is only when these ties are broken that we feel more susceptible of any danger looming our way and immediately we form new relations with a more different group. To fit in, this may require the adjustments of our own personality since every group has their own special and unique identity to begin with. In the case of both Samuel and John a change was observed in their identities as they migrated from one area to another to suit the needs of their particular environments. This change would have enabled them to more likely survive if they were to permanently live in such places. The clashing of ideals and values held by the Amish were not exactly intertwined with the principles of city living. For this reason a change was observed in the behaviours of both Samuel and John. However, one might ask, what would be the case for the exceptions? What about for the people who take no recognition in their own rules and despite everything try to break every single one of them? Would they fit snugly well in place with a completely different set of ideals and values? In this society would they be seen as the respective citizens? Who knows? Clearly it is hard to imagine such a place so different to our own but one thing is certain, a society’s way of living is what defines every individual who is part of it.

Free Essays on Do You Know Him

Do You Know Him? The heavens declare his glory, the firmament shows His handiwork. He who is, who was and shall always be. He`s the first and the last, He`s the Alpha and the Omega, He`s the Aleph and the Tau, the A and the Z. He`s the first fruits of them that slept. He is the Captain of the Lord`s hosts. The conquerer or Jericho. By Him were all things made that were made. Without Him was not anything made that was made, and by Him, all things are held together. In Himdwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He indeed is our kinsman redeemer, but He`s alsoour performing high priest, our personal prophet, our reigning king. He`s enduringly strong, entirely sincere, eternally steadfast. He`s immortally graceful, imperially powerful, impartially merciful, He stands alone in Himself. He`s august, preiminent, supreme, unique, unparalleled. He`s the loftiest idea in literature. He`s the highest personality in philosophy. He`s the fundamental doctrine of theology. He`s the supreme problem in higher crit icism. He`s teh miracle of the ages, the superlative of every thing good. He`s God`s son. There are no means or measuring His limitless love. It was written in blood, and erected on awooden cross in Judea 2000 years ago. He`s the only one able to supply all our needs simultaneously. No barriers can hinder him from pouring outablessing. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of his shoreless supply. He`s available to be temptedand tried. He blesses the young. He clenses teh lepers. He defends the feeble. He deliversthecaptives. He discharges thedebtors. He forgives the sinners. He franchises the meek. He gaurds the besieged. He heals the sick. Providesstrength to the weak.He regards the agent. He rewards thediligent. He serves the unfortunate. He sympathizes and He saves. His offices are manifold. His reign is righteous. His promises are sure. His goodness is limitless. His light is matchless. His grace is suff... Free Essays on Do You Know Him Free Essays on Do You Know Him Do You Know Him? The heavens declare his glory, the firmament shows His handiwork. He who is, who was and shall always be. He`s the first and the last, He`s the Alpha and the Omega, He`s the Aleph and the Tau, the A and the Z. He`s the first fruits of them that slept. He is the Captain of the Lord`s hosts. The conquerer or Jericho. By Him were all things made that were made. Without Him was not anything made that was made, and by Him, all things are held together. In Himdwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He indeed is our kinsman redeemer, but He`s alsoour performing high priest, our personal prophet, our reigning king. He`s enduringly strong, entirely sincere, eternally steadfast. He`s immortally graceful, imperially powerful, impartially merciful, He stands alone in Himself. He`s august, preiminent, supreme, unique, unparalleled. He`s the loftiest idea in literature. He`s the highest personality in philosophy. He`s the fundamental doctrine of theology. He`s the supreme problem in higher crit icism. He`s teh miracle of the ages, the superlative of every thing good. He`s God`s son. There are no means or measuring His limitless love. It was written in blood, and erected on awooden cross in Judea 2000 years ago. He`s the only one able to supply all our needs simultaneously. No barriers can hinder him from pouring outablessing. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of his shoreless supply. He`s available to be temptedand tried. He blesses the young. He clenses teh lepers. He defends the feeble. He deliversthecaptives. He discharges thedebtors. He forgives the sinners. He franchises the meek. He gaurds the besieged. He heals the sick. Providesstrength to the weak.He regards the agent. He rewards thediligent. He serves the unfortunate. He sympathizes and He saves. His offices are manifold. His reign is righteous. His promises are sure. His goodness is limitless. His light is matchless. His grace is suff...

Market elasticitys in banking industry

Market elasticitys in banking industry Introduction Elasticity of demand refers to the â€Å"degree to which quantity demanded changes due to a change in price or any other factors that influence the demand for the product† (Hall 2). There are three types of elasticity of demand which include price elasticity of markets, income elasticity of markets, and cross elasticity of markets.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Market elasticity’s in banking industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The banking industry generates its income mainly from charging interest rates when lending loans and mortgages, foreign exchange dealings, and other money market factors. Price Elasticity of Markets in the Banking Industry Price elasticity of markets refers to the degree of change in quantity demanded or supplied of a commodity due to a change in price of the commodity (Hall 10) The formula is: P.E.D = proportionate change in quantity demanded or supplied Prop ortionate change in price Price elasticity of markets in the banking industry influences such issues as foreign exchange, housing, mortgages and also issues of lending rates. For example, the housing industry consists of houses that are already in the markets for sale, and those buyers would be willing to purchase. Factors that influence the economy would influence the lending rates to be used. If there is an excess demand for the homes, prices would increase, as a result. Since people always purchase hoses, it makes the price elasticity to be highly elastic. When factors influencing the economy, such as inflation, grow, the lending rate has to be increased to discourage people from borrowing. The general prices would also increase due to the inflation, thus, lowering the quantity demanded.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Mortgage interest rates affect the price el asticity of houses. When the prices are low, consumers demand more homes since they don’t shy away from the prices that are offered. Price elasticity of markets influences interest rates, and would influence the monetary and fiscal policies. Interventions of monetary and fiscal policies may have an effect of a downturn or may boost the economy depending on the lending rates. Income Elasticity of Markets Hall describes income elasticity of markets as the responsiveness of the quantity demanded and supplied due to the change in the consumer’s real income while keeping other factors constant (p, 10). It is calculated as Y.E.D=proportionate change in quantity demanded Proportionate change in income The income elasticity of markets has an effect on the deposit and lending decisions of the economy. Households earning high incomes would deposit more in both the depository and non depository institutions. Factors of the banking industry influencing spending ability, such as ta xation and lending rates would have major influences. An increase in interest rates would stimulate more savings and people would spend less. Interest rates also have an effect on the cost of funding operating debt schemes, such as bank loans and mortgages. For instance, an increase in the lending rates will shift the funds of consumers towards the high mortgage and loan payments, and they would shy away from spending. Cross elasticity of markets Hall calls cross elasticity as the responsiveness of quantity demanded of a product x due to change in price of related product y. These products can either be substitutes or complementary (13). Consumers are increasingly choosing to obtain loans from non-depository institutions. According to the current statistics, only 41 % of consumer loans were taken from depository institutions. This shows the substitution effect of cross elasticity of markets (13).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Market elasticity’s in banking industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Bibliography Hall, Pamela. Microeconomic Theory in Markets. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print

A Critique of Tess Onwueme’s Tell It to Women

To Women, we travel back to a Nigerian village in postcolonial Africa. The story enlightens the audience about the dichotomy of traditionalism versus modernism and the ways in which different cultures interact. It ends by revealing the true meaning of culture; the real quality in a society that arises from a passion for what is excellent in arts, manners, and customs. Overall, the play discusses the role of women within this Nigerian village and largely examines the conflict of whether it is better to advance with the rest of the world, or to hold on to the traditions that truly make a society independent and beautiful. The play begins with Yemoja, the most important woman in the village, in a house with Daisy and Ruth, two feminist western-educated scholars. They are the primary antagonists in the play. At this early stage, we see that Daisy and Ruth are not fond of Yemoja. Daisy and Ruth are leaders of the â€Å"Better Life for Rural Women† campaign, which inspires women to believe that they are not only equal to men in many ways, but are even superior in others. The two of them select Yemoja as the mediator between the village and the western world that they are so desperate to force upon the women. The movement causes a great disturbance in the village between the men and women, and especially with Yemoja’s husband and father. Back in Daisy’s home, she has been getting into many disagreements with her family. Her husband Okei, disagrees with her passion about the feminist movement and they frequently fight about it. Her mother-in-law, Sherifat, still encourages Yemoja to participate in the village’s traditional tribal rituals. Sherifat expresses that it would a terrible fate if Yemoja attempts to assimilate to the modern culture and loses her roots. As the story goes on, Daisy becomes estranged from her daughter Bose, as Bose is beginning to understand more and more the culture of the village and becomes closer to Yemoja and Sherifat. Towards the end of the play, the villagers organize a march, for which Daisy gives Yemoja steps to teach to the rest of the women. It becomes clear to Yemoja at that point that western culture is not for them. Daisy and Ruth’s superior arrives to enlighten the women about her ideas of feminism. She is the one that will decide whether or not the movement has succeeded or not. When it is time for Yemoja to perform the dance, however, she and Sherifat perform one of the Idu rituals instead. Bose even joins in the dancing. Ruth falls and becomes extremely injured while Daisy is thrust into the middle of the action. The play ends here in a beautifully tragic scene as Ruth chokes to death while the rest of the villagers celebrate having revitalized their culture. Tess Onwueme’s play was delightfully written and captivating to any audience. The story was intriguing and definitely matched it’s title. Now I see that, Tell It To Women, is a statement on how the women of the village are always being told to do or be something. Whether it is by Daisy and Ruth or by their husbands, the women never really find their own voice until the very end. We see in the first movement, Sherifat telling the chorus of women that being a wife is â€Å"meaning that a wife deserves to be treated like a daughter and not something that you possess. † Yet, throughout much of the story, we see the women being treated like servants and as subhuman to Daisy and Ruth, the village men, and western civilization as a whole. However, I believe that even as a woman, the author was at times, very objective in her portrayal of feminism. She was able to write a play that showed both the positives and negatives of modernism, while advancing the ideals of traditionalism. She does all this without losing sight of what is most important to women of a small village like that. At one part she even has Ruth say â€Å"these rural women are very gullible, you know. All you need to do is make them feel they are important†¦ we need them anyway, maybe even more than they need us. † The author is commenting here on the passive-aggressive attempts of Daisy and Ruth but also shows that the village women do not actually need to be modernized. Perhaps here, the author is a little biased because she is making Daisy and Ruth out to be selfish and slightly cruel. To a western reader, the play was not very easy to read. The names of the villagers were at times tongue tying and I found myself changing opinions about a character because I in fact, thought they were another. Onwueme also does not really explain the native African dialect and proverbial expressions that are used, which was slightly confusing as well. Many play-writes include footnotes at the bottom of the page to explain vernacular that is not known to the reader and that would have been very helpful here. That being said, the true meaning of the play was present the entire time. The clash of cultures and the lingering pains of colonialism in Africa come through wonderfully in the author’s interpretation. In one eloquent line we see that colonialism left its mark of the villagers. Sherifat says to Daisy that â€Å"it’s easier for those who inflict the pain on others to forget. † Tell It To Women, while at times was hard to follow, beautifully captured the struggle of traditionalism versus modernism and is a true mark of feminism. Overall, I thought that the play was well written and captivating. Even as a man, when sometimes it is hard to understand the desires of women, let alone women of another culture, I was able to grasp the true value of this play. It enlightened me about African culture and the roles of men and women in society. I believe Onwueme did a tremendous job in exposing the struggles of postcolonial Africa in an artful representation.

What actions might be taken by the government of your Uk to reduce or Essay

What actions might be taken by the government of your Uk to reduce or limit price fluctuations of oil - Essay Example The U.K. together with other many other countries have suffered from the fluctuation of oil prices in the international market as OPEC manipulates the prices (Keohane 1984). The fluctuation of petroleum prices in the U.K. is mainly affected by the fluctuation of crude oil prices in the international market which in turn is affected by the levels of supply relative to the expected and actual demand for the commodity. In this respect, the U.K. can control price fluctuations by mainly playing around with the demand and supply of the commodity and reducing overall dependence on oil (U.S. Department of Energy 2015; Yan 2012) as will be discussed in the following sections. There are a number of measures that the U.K. government can take to limit or reduce the fluctuation of oil prices which grossly affects the nation’s economy. One way through which the a country can reduce the fluctuation of oil prices is by taking measures to reduce the consumption of petroleum (Ji and Song 2009). By ensuring the production of machines and equipment that are more fuel efficient, for example, the U.K. would end up with a lower demand for oil. Furthermore, the demand for oil can be reduced by asking nationals or making legislations to ensure that the consumption of oil by households, businesses, and industry reduce. Yet another means through which the U.K. government can control oil price fluctuations is by increasing the supply of oil. When the supply of oil in the country is increased and the demand for the commodity is held relatively constant, the price of the commodity will tend to reduce and stabilize at some point, holding other factors constant. This being the case, the U.K. can opt to drill more oil wells, somehow increase the output of its fields, or reduce its oil exports to other countries. Closely related to altering the demand for a commodity is using substitutes. There are several substitutes that can be

Answer the question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 31

Answer the question - Essay Example Although I never bothered on this fact, the chapter has created a new perspective on racial superiority as exhibited in the American community. The purported superiority of the Whites is amplified in every way possible regardless of the social or cognitive impact it has o the minority groups (DeMarrais, & LeCompte,  1999). The racial diversity and inequality is socially constructed from a young age with an aim of propagating the traditional concept of White superiority and advantages. Notably, the lack of choice for the Black girls teaches them that they have no right of choice but to accept what the society offers (DeMarrais, & LeCompte,  1999). Accordingly, the same result replicate in education and the labor market as the Black females receive poor pay and work in poor conditions regardless of the academic performance. Therefore, the provision of only one type of toy for the Black girls is a mental colonization to continue racial prejudice and

OSHA Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

OSHA Standards - Essay Example This can be by considering chemical appearance and odor among others. Measures for protection should also be dealt with together with necessary emergency procedures and equipments to use. Labeling system should also be clear for all to understand. In case an employee is highly exposed to hazardous chemicals like lead, the employer should perform a medical check to ascertain the extent of exposure whereby the results should be availed within 15 days after their receipt (OSHA, 2011). The employer in case the levels exceed exposure limit should initiate measures to reduce the levels of lead for concentration of around 30 ug/m(3). Lead is a substance that is quite hazardous and training in the Lead Standard offers good information that enables employees and employers to handle overexposure to the Action Level. References OSHA (2011). Toxic and hazardous substances. Retrieved 25 Jan. 2011 from, http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p id=10030 OSHA (2011). Hazard communication. Retrieved 25 Jan. 2011 from, http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p id=10099