Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perking Gilman Essay Example for Free

Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perking Gilman Essay In the article â€Å"Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perking Gilman: Architects of female power† the author attempts to compare and contrast the convictions and beliefs of Charlotte Gilman and, her great-aunt, Catharine Beecher. One of the most important factors that is seen repeatedly in the article, is the concept that the environment encompassing the home is the center of all commerce for a woman. This thought process continues to build and establishes the idea that what begins in the home continues to radiate out into the lives of the woman and her family. Each female author further attempted to define the roles of a woman directly corresponding with the roles beginning in a woman’s private life and extending into the public life. Although Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Gilman had completely different interpretations of this ideology, the fact that the foundation of the argument was the same purports that the concept, regardless of interpretation, could have some basis on reality. The author of this article, Valerie Gill, very thoroughly cites from not only Catharine Beecher’s books â€Å"A Treatise on Domestic Economy† and â€Å"American Woman’s Home,† but also from Charlotte Gilman’s book â€Å"Moving the Mountain† and several of her lectures and articles including an article titled â€Å"Applepieville.† Gill (1998) states, that â€Å"Like Catharine Beecher, Gilman links the role of the women to the general health of the social system; the dependent and isolated situation of women in their homes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 2). Gill (1998) goes on to further state that â€Å"In spite of their different strategies for defining and locating women, however, Beecher and Gilman share an interest in the topography of female experience† and that â€Å"Both writers conceptualize the identity of women in spatial as well as socioeconomic terms, assuming that the fulfillment of their own sex can be quite literally mapped o ut.† (p. 2). The article then moves into much greater detail, analyzing each woman’s many forms of printed material. The extent and degree of information and detail written in this article about each represented author and their contributing works can ultimately be  seen as one of the articles main strengths. However, although this article gives a vast amount of information on the women’s opinions and beliefs the article at times seems disassembled and erratic. The flow of the article is somewhat hard to follow, and without an increased measure of concentration, the ability of the reader to comprehend and decipher whom the author is speaking of can be lost. Also, with the extensive amounts of information and detail that each female author contributes to the argument, readers are bombarded with data to interpret and distinguish upon. With the author of the article not decisively choosing the strongest points of argument from each author, the information becomes overwhelming and possibly confusing at times. The article â€Å"Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perking Gilman: Architects of female power† attempts to give readers two different perspectives of a woman’s role in her home and how this affects her presence in society. Readers are given a multitude of supporting facts from both women’s interpretations on the topic. This fact, in certain circumstances, proves to be not only a strength of the article but also a weakness. Regardless of how each woman author interpreted these ideals, the simple fact remains clear that each assumed the role and presence of a woman becomes clearly defined as beginning in the home. References Gill, V. (1998). â€Å"Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perking Gilman: Architects of female power†. Journal of American Culture, 21 (2). Retrieved from http://ctcdns02.ctcd.edu:2122/search/multiSearch.do;jsessionid=F6C4B68D9202464AFE8BAF1AC27987B8

Asmaray Animations Process Analysis

Asmaray Animations Process Analysis Summary As your Business Analysts, we have collected the current processes within Asmaray Animations. By conducting a thorough analysis of your processes and identifying the actors involved. We have accumulated a detailed explanation through the representation of an IPO chart, expanded use case and a use case diagram. Task 1 The following IPO chart details the role of a Business Analyst (BA) at Asmaray Animations which in short, is the process of using the clients needs and concerns to work with animators to create a desired product, which is then delivered to the client. Starting the IPO process are the inputs. The inputs for this scenario are the clients, a functioning website and also animators. The website is an important input as it provides a gateway to lure potential clients and offer them a range of artwork where they can be inspired to create an animation. For the next step to take place the clients must provide the BA with their needs and concerns so that the Business can allocate a matching animator. This step relates to decision making as it involves the clients deciding what they want in their desired animation using chosen references on the website, communication between the client and business and is also about decision making as it is about creating a plan for the clients product. The processing step is where the inputs are transformed into outputs, what occurs in this step is the process of relaying the initial plan to the animator so they can create a prototype to be reviewed by the client. In some cases clients, can be ambiguous in expressing their needs and concerns, It is then the BAs job to make sense of this ambiguity and generate assumptions, this involves refining, polishing and adding on to the clients ideas to make the end product more desirable. This occurs when the client doesnt absolutely know what they want but only have on idea of it. In the end of both cases the BA works with the animator to create a prototype, if the client approves of the prototype then the prototype will be finished if not discussion between the client starts again. This step shows decision making in most of the processes; the BA decides on what to add on to the clients plan, discussions between the animator and BA on creating a prototype and the review of the prototype between the BA and client. The last stage of the IPO is the Outputs, if the client approved of the prototype in the previous step then the finalised product should be delivered to the client. This step is all about the client receiving their animation and payment going through. This step can be considered as the performance monitoring phrase as it is the end of the cycle and evaluation can take place. Every actor in this IPO can evaluate their performance whether it be the BA reviewing their management on the project or the animators evaluating their programming performance. The client can also send in a rating and review. Process of Client Transaction Inputs Process Output Clients Gathering the needs of clients. Completed animation packaged and sent to client A professional website that showcases the artwork of various artists and animators. Features in the website include: A scroller for potential clients to browse through multiple artwork, Links to artists biographies and descriptions of work, A communication feature that allows clients to engage with owners on possible animation projects. Refining and adding on to the wants of a client and to construct a plan that will address the needs and concerns of the client. If the client does not have an exact vision of what they want but only an idea of it.. The owner must work with the animators using the clients ideas and feedback to create a prototype of an animation that addresses the clients needs, which is then presented to them for approval. Client has received the animation and has possibly given the business a rating. Satisfied client. The clients ideas, needs, feedback and concerns. Relaying and sharing ideas to an animator to create a plan for the end product Sale made, Revenue received. Animators and open source software. Animators uses plan to create a prototype which is presented to the client, if approved then the prototype is made into the final animation product ready for delivery. Transaction finished. IPO Regarding the Completed Website Inputs (Website ideas) Process Output Blog Link to other pages Allow viewer to move around the website Show latest blog (daily update) Functioning homepage that allows the user to move freely through the Asmaray Animations Website Catalogue of curated works Create database that house work Sorting system (Defining) Webpage that allows users to search and view curated works Links to artists biographies Collate artists own websites Have a page that facilitates both artists biographies as well as work Exposure for artists Webpage that allows users to find info about artists and their work Link to descriptions of works Share page with biographies Registration page Require login and password Include human checker in order to verify userSend information to user database Registration page that is secure for the users, and is non-intrusive Collaborative space Site generated per user Allow larger bandwidth for user uploads File sharing software for ease of use Space that allows file sharing between the client and artists Payment page Allow server to communicate with PayPal. Encryption program for critical data. Functioning payment page and system The IPO chart above shows provides a broken-down look into the processes needed for the website that the company has envisioned. It utilises the inputs or ideas of Armasay Animations to have a framework of what the website needs to have and what are the expected end results a fully realised and functioning website that allows clients to browse and find artists and animators that are suitable for the job required. By focusing solely on the website, the IPO chart, it has more room to go into depth into certain functions of the website itself. As such the inputs as stated before are the ideas taken from the company all of which are what they want to see in their website. The processes outline what each aspect of the website needs and how it can be customised in such a way to bring a unique feeling to the companys website. For example, providing more depth into things like bandwidth allocation for some parts of the website as they need to hold embedded videos and images showcasing the artists work. The last stage is the outputs as such it would be the completed parts of the website, which in turn should be made in such a way where in the end everything links together, and should function as intended. The finished product can then be viewed by the client and give feedback on if it meets their expectations and if anything needs to be changed. Task 2 Use Case The following Use Case shows the process   of finalizing an animation project. Expanded Use Case Detailed Version: Name: Actors: Clients, Owners Artists (Initiators) Purposes: To finalise the clients animation through client feedback and the subsequent phases of the project being carried out by the owners and artists. Type: Abstract Importance: Primary Technical Difficulty: Medium Pre-conditions: Clients and artists have access to collaborative space Draft (Pilot Phase) is placed in the collaborative space. Advance of 15% for pilot phase has been paid by client. Advanced has been received by owners / business. Assumptions: Client is contented and happy with the pilot phase of the product. Cross-Reference: Client Registration Client Animation Order Designing Process Client Payment Of Project Actors Action System Response 1. Owners Artists commence the second phase of the project. 2. Artists involved, apply client feedback to the animation. 3. System recognises alterations on draft and saves all the changes. 4. System alerts client through an email notification, that changes have been made. 5. Clients leave a comment providing feedback on the draft. 6. System recognises notes or comments, left by the client. 7. System alerts artists about client feedback. 8. Artists apply required or final changes. 9. Artists proceeds to the final editing phase. 10. System recognises final editing phase and saves all of the changes. 11. Owners Artists uploads audio in .wav format into animation. 12. System applies audio into the animation and generates it into a final draft format. 13. System notifies clients that the final alterations have been made. 12. Clients notifies Owners that theyre happy with the final product. 14. System recognises Clients response. 15. System proceeds to packaging final product after confirmation of payment. Alternative Courses: 5. System sends another alert to client to confirm changes made to the Project. If no confirmation is received, system then ceases further project work until Client responds.   If client does not respond then within the required amount of time, project is then terminated. 8. If Clients are still not happy with the changes, System alerts the Artists again to make changes. 11. If Audio format isnt recognised, upload a asnd audio format instead. Uploading If uploading process was interrupted by an internet disruption (e.g. internet dying), restart the whole uploading process. If file cant be uploaded due to file size, import it through youtube or vimeo first then link it to the website. 12. If Clients are not happy with the final product, System proceeds to alerting Artists and go back the editing stage in the system. 15. If final payment is not received by Client, system, alerts Client again for payment to proceed. If no payment is processed system, then suspends Project. Use Case Diagram This following use case diagram illustrates the overall current process of developing the animation. This process involves both owners, artists and clients cooperation, as both have to not only communicate what is needed to be done but to also work collaboratively. After organising the needs and requirements, as well as the artists who is right for the job, the first phase of the project is started. Together clients and the artists work together in a collaborative space where clients can give feedback and artists can edit or change what is necessary. After the first phase is done, the clients have to pay 15% advanced before the artists proceed to the next stage. The following stage is just the same as before, working collaboratively to finish the project with the designs and audio approved by the clients. Once the final project is approved by the clients, a payment of the remaining 85% is made before the animation is packaged for the client. Task 3 Coordination of Group and Meetings Project Team Minutes Sprint 1 Project team Name: J.K.M.T Meeting date: 14/03/2017 Meeting place: RMIT building 80 Meeting chair: Mariana Minute taker: Mariana Present: All team members present Report on activities Went through the sprint and assigned tasks amongst team members. Mariana is first Scrum leader Group split up into groups to complete each task. Jake and Tim: Task 1 Kim and Mariana: Task 2 Discussed what each team would do Created a google drive and a Facebook page to share documents and correspond Started question list to send to owners in regards to Sprint 1 Teams started working on tasks Agreed to next meeting Booked study room for meeting 20/07/2017 Action list for Next week Action items Person responsible Each team work on task Send email to owners with questions (before Friday 17/03/2017) Attend meeting on 20/03 Email Clients about specifications of Sprint All team members Kim Project Team Minutes Sprint 1 Project team Name: J.K.M.T Meeting date: 20/03/2017 Meeting place: RMIT building 80.10.004 Meeting chair: Mariana Minute taker: Mariana Present: Kim, Mariana Report on activities Went through what each group did for each task Made recommendations and adjustments according to client specifications. Worked on USE CASE and made final editing Messaged other team members in regards to tasks that need to be completed Arranged a meeting for Tuesday 21/03/17 to finalized the Sprint   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   -Meeting in: 80.11.004 at 9:30am Action list for Next week Action items Person responsible Finalize sections of each task and upload to DRIVE Start final draft, logo and final touches on USE CASE Email Client in regards to questions about USE CASE Task 3 All team members Kim and Mariana Kim Mariana Project Team Minutes Sprint 1 Project team Name: J.K.M.T Meeting date: 21/03/2017 Meeting place: RMIT building 80.11.004 Meeting chair: Mariana Minute taker: Mariana Present: Kim, Mariana Report on activities Finalised Sprint to present to Client Action list for Next week Action items Person responsible Prepare for Sprint 2 Arrange meeting time in tutorial for next Sprint All team members Project Plan Task 1: describe 2-3 processes using IPO Select one process and outline its steps. Indicate the steps in which decision-making or performance-monitoring are taking place Jake and Tim 21/03/17 21/03/17 Task 2: Use Cases a. Describe an expanded use case for one of the Actors b. Draw a use case diagram for that Actor Kim and Mariana 21/03/2017 20/03/17 Task 3: Scrum Team management and coordination Final draft of sprint Mariana 21/03/17 21/03/17 Sprint 1

How does J.D Salinger use the character of Holden Caulfield to explore :: English Literature

How does J.D Salinger use the character of Holden Caulfield to explore the issues related to growing up? ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ was written in the late 1940’s and first published in a magazine in 1947. The novel is like a bildungsroman but only consists of two and a half days in the life of a 17 year old boy called Holden Caulfield, although he argues that the book is not about his â€Å"lousy childhood†. Holden seems to be very conscious of this and doesn’t want it to be â€Å"all that David Copperfield kind of crap†. Nevertheless the book is an insight into a young man’s mind. Salinger creates Holden Caulfield’s idiolect with all the colloquialisms and swearing, which resulted in the book being banned in many states of America. Holden is very open and does not refrain from sharing some of his views on society and the war. At the time of publishing, America was experiencing very rich, prosperous, affluent years. Hollywood was the worlds best film industry and something America was very proud of and enjoyed, â€Å"Everybody was on their way to the movies† but Holden â€Å"couldn’t stand looking at them†, this was a big dig at American society and became very controversial. Holden doesn’t hold back his political views either, â€Å"I’m sort of glad they’ve got the atomic bomb invented. If there’s another war, I’m going to sit right the hell on top of it†. Due to the contextual time of post WW2 this was deeply shocking and disturbed many people, the atomic bomb had killed millions of innocent people and thousands had relatives lost in the war. At this time America was very anti-communism but Holden hints anti-capitalist views, â€Å"Goddamn money. It always ends up making you feel blue as hell†, and he often wears a â€Å"red hunting hat† which could have easily symbolized a communist. This was also a contributing factor to the shock this gave American society. However these are just the views of a teenager and all is part of J.D Salinger exploring the confused, rebellious thoughts of someone growing up. Salinger explores the issues of growing up in many different ways. Most of them contradict themselves at some point as well, portraying the confusion and unsettled mind of an adolescence. One of these main issues is Holden’s longing to gain independence. This is seen from early on in the book and is carried on throughout. The first main example of Holden wanting to move freely with independence is when he decides he’d â€Å"get the hell out of Pency...not wait till Wednesday† when he is supposed to break up from his boarding school.

Trials and Tribulations in James 1:12-18

Trials and Tribulations in James 1:2-18 The Epistle of James is one of the books of the New Testament that deals with the Christian character and how to deal with daily Christian life. The author of James identifies himself in the opening verse as â€Å"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ†. Many speculated that the author was the attributed to the apostle James, brother of John and the son of Zebedee. The text refers to present persecutions and the time of writing is consistent with the persecution in Jerusalem during which the apostle James was martyred and put to death by Herod (Acts 12). There seems to be evidence that the author was the other James, the son of Alpheus and the half-brother of Christ. He was also one of the twelve apostles. I will in this paper attempt to expound on the trials and tribulations in James 1: 2-18. After research and study, I have found that in the first eighteen verses James is teaching Christians how to conduct themselves when under the cross. He is giving comfort to Christians who are under the oppression of temptation and trials. He pronounces that blessings and rewards are assured to those who endure their trials and afflictions as the walk throughout this Christian life. James also points out that all of those sins that bring sufferings and the temptations that men endure are not created by God. God cannot be the author of sin; he is the author of all that is good. James is allowing us to understand in these verses that we will endure trials and we will endure tribulations. As Christians our trials and tribulations works for a purpose and not just as a punishment in our life. This concept should help us even today to know that our suffering is purposeful and that God rewards us for bearing our own cross as Christ bears his cross. As we break down these verses let us look at who James was writing to. This will give us an understanding of the message. In the first verse James mentions the condition of those to whom he writes: The twelve tribes which are scattered abroad. The greatest part of, ten of the twelve tribes, were lost in captivity; but yet some of every tribe were preserved and they are still honored with the ancient style of twelve tribes. These however were scattered and dispersed. They were dispersed in mercy. Having the scriptures of the Old Testament, the providence of God so ordered it that they were scattered in several countries for the diffusing of the light of divine revelation. They began now to be scattered in wrath. The Jewish nation was crumbling into parties and factions, and many were forced to leave their own country. Even good people among them shared in the common calamity. These Jews of the dispersion were those who had embraced the Christian faith. They were persecuted and forced to seek for shelter in other countries, the Gentiles being more merciful to Christians than the Jews were. Now let us breakdown each verse from verse 2 through 18. The overall breakdown of verse 2 through 12 shows us the suffering of the Christians in this world is that of an instructive manner. As we can see from the original Greek language, that James uses imperative commands that is illustrated through this Epistle. James is implying that troubles and afflictions may be the result of being mature Christians, even those Christians who have been serving well and being faithful unto the Lord. The devil embodies faithful Christians in trials and tribulations in order to cause separation between Christians and God. The devil expects that temptations and trials will result in sin which will cause further separation from God. It is the duty of Satan to cause doubt in the mind of the Christian so that they will believe that God is incapable of delivering us from those situations. James is instructing us not to look at our trials and tribulations as hopeless but hopeful because we know that we are fulfilling a greater purpose by enduring those trials and tribulations in our life. As we, as Christians, go through our storms in our life it causes us to understand and gain a greater trust in the Lord because we are yet spared by his grace and we are made advocates of his mercy. The twelve tribes that James is writing to have been dispersed from their land and are going through difficult hardships and persecution. James is reassuring them not to give up but to rejoice because their persecutions and hardships are working a greater purpose in their lives. These temptations, as James points out, are â€Å"divers† temptations. The word â€Å"divers†, in the Greek, means that it is varied or of different kinds. James lets us know that the temptations that you may endure, the afflictions you may endure, will be of different nature, stature, size and makeup. They may be more than one or more of the same. Since our trials may be of many and different kinds we have to put on the Armor of God as Paul states in Galatians. In the second verse of James he tells us to â€Å"Count it all joy, when ye fall into divers temptations†. In order for us to count in all joy we must not fall into a pitiful state of mind which would make us vulnerable while we are in our trials. The world would have you to believe that you should just throw in the towel when you have endured pain and suffering. The world is not set up as a vehicle for grace. When is despair, the world presses down even further in order that hope is a mere distant idea. The world would have you to believe that weakness is a disease that should be cured. But God lets us know that we should not be conformed to the world or that of the world but we should live knowing that He is there for us. In the third verse, James says that when you endure your trials and tribulations you must know that the testing of your faith produces patience. In other translations it mentions that the testing of your faith produces endurance or perseverance. The word produces lets us know that it is brought forth or manufactured. James is saying that every time your faith is tested – it will cause you to increase your patience, endurance or perseverance. The faith that is spoken of here as tried by afflictions consists in a belief of the power, and word, and promise of God. Many readers of the New Testament feel as though Paul and James contradict each other on the issue of faith. They have differences in the emphasis on faith but the fundamentals are the same. Both Paul and James agree that both faith and works are essential parts of the Christian life. They each have different roles. They also agree that salvation comes from God and it is not based on works. We cannot do anything to earn salvation. The difference is that Paul and James are writing to different audiences so their letters have different interpretations. Paul needed to deal with the fact that people thought that Gentiles needed to be circumcised and adhere to other works of the law in order to be converted to Christianity. James on the other hand had to deal with the fact that people thought the faith in God is enough for salvation and he wanted to stress that we have to put that aith into action. As Christians, we have to possess patience, endurance and perseverance. Too often we believe that those adjectives are not popular in our daily lives. Once again, as Christians, subscribe to the concept that we have to humble ourselves and not allow pride to be visible in our lives. When we are tried, we are tried of our grace but that trying of our grace produces another gr ace that we give. Christian patience is an active process in the life of the believer. That patience should outweigh our passion. We should not allow the indulging of our passions to hinder the operation and effects of patience. When we allow patience, endurance and perseverance to have its perfect work, we train ourselves to increase our handling of future situations. As a football player I can remember in practice running plays over and over again. My coach said that we will run the play until it is perfect. As the coach, his job was to prepare us for the battle, team vs. team. He was perfecting us so that when we get into the battle we can execute without having to think about the fundamentals. When we go through the testing of our faith, it is allowing us to mature and grow our faith so that the more we are tested; the better we should be able to handle the situation. When we bear all that God appoints, and as long as he appoints, and with a humble obedient eye to him, and when we not only bear troubles, but rejoice in them, then patience hath its perfect work. After the work of patience is complete is will allow the Christian to want for nothing. The Christian will be endure and possess all that is needed to get through and persevere through the end. In verse 5 James tells us that if we lack wisdom all we have to do is ask God and He will give it to us liberally and generously. When the child of God has to endure trials and tribulations they do not have to endure it alone or confused. James imperatively tells us that we can ask God for the wisdom to understand what we are going through and why we are going through it. Like the Christians in James’ time they had the opportunity to ask God for the wisdom that they lacked. This was different because before Christ they did not have direct access unto God. Because of Christ we now have direct access unto the father and now we can go to God and ask Him for the things that we lack. The key is that we ask for the understanding and not ask for the removal. Like Paul states in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, he had a thorn in the flesh and he did ask God to remove it but God’s answer to him was that he wasn’t going to remove it but He will supply Paul with enough grace to see him through his thorn. In this way we don’t have to solely desire to be delivered, we can embrace our presence in the trial and tribulation which gives us a greater understanding of the purpose of God in our lives. I believe that going through the storms and coming out of the storms gives us a better advantage in our Christian walk than if we just went in our storms and was pulled out immediately. God does not want to keep anything from us. He will reveal to us the â€Å"Mystery of the Kingdom of God†. This word mystery is not our human interpretation of the word but divinely it is what is not known but will be revealed. If you ask God for understanding he will give it to you without reproach. God doesn’t get tired of us asking nor does he limit us to our asking. I can see how we as humans can get irritated at children who continuously ask over and over for things. God is the opposite. He wants us to ask and be totally dependent on Him. As we look at verse 6, James lets us know that there is a requirement to us asking God for wisdom. He states that we have to ask God in faith and not waver. This is critical in our approach to God for wisdom. The children of Israel went back and forth with God, in one instance they believe after God has done something for them, in the next instance they are doubting God and worshipping other idols. The children of Israel exemplified a wavering attitude. This is critical for us today. James is once again imperatively telling us that when you approach God you must have faith in God and have faith in the wisdom that God will provide through the trials and tribulations. James is telling us that as a Christian when we approach and pray to God for wisdom we have to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has the power to do whatever He wants to do and we must not waver in God’s word. The additional idea of that verse is that a man that wavereth is like a wave of the sea that the wind will toss to and fro. As Christians we cannot be like a wave from the sea that depending on which way the wind blows that is the way we go. James gives us more insight on the path of the man who is wavering in his faith unto the Lord. James lets us know that the man that wavereth will receive nothing from the Lord because a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. This is crucial because the proclamation is that the man is unstable in all aspects of his life. If you are not strong in your faith unto the Lord, He will not give unto you the wisdom that you need to live a strong Christian life. Such a distrustful, shifting, unsettled person is not likely to value favour from God as he should do, and therefore cannot expect to receive it. In asking for divine and heavenly wisdom we are never likely to prevail if we have not a heart to prize it above rubies, and the greatest things in this world. As we journey into the latter verses of this passage we start to see similarities of language with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and the sermon on the plain in Luke. In verse 9 James gives a comforting insight that the people who is of a low degree can rejoice in that he will be exalted. This is prophetic language in that James is assuring exaltation after being in a low degree. Once again James is giving assurance that those who are weak, those who are humble will be lifted up by God. It is not a hypothetical uplifting but a commanding promise that those who are low, are weak, and endure through their trials and tribulations will be lifted up by God. Not only does James point out the lifting of those who are humble but he also personalizes them by calling them our brothers. The term â€Å"our brothers† allows us to embrace those who are low and in despair and not to cast them away. As James speaks to the twelve tribes of Israel he is letting them know that all, even those who are not like them, are their brothers and that Christ will raise them up and exalt them. In comparison to the Sermon on the Mount, James gives us confidence and then warns of despair. In the 9th verse he tells those that are rich, in that they will be low, will pass away like the flower that is within the grass will pass away. Take a look at what reason rich people have, notwithstanding their riches, to be humble and low in their own eyes, because both they and their riches are passing away: As the flower of the grass he shall pass away, he and his wealth with him. Trials serve to remind the rich and the high that though they are comfortable in this life, it is still only this life, which fades as the grass grows brown and the flowers fade away. The riches of this world will certainly fade away – but James says that the rich man also will fade away. If we put our life and our dentity into things that fade away, we will fade away also. How much better to put our life and our identity into things that will never fade? If a man is only rich in this world, when he dies, he leaves his riches. But if a man is rich before God, when he dies he goes to his riches. In verse 12, James again resembles the Sermon on the Mount language and gives a blessing for those who endure temptation. In those great statement s of blessing, Jesus wasn’t finished telling us how we can be blessed. Here, we learn we can be blessed as we endure temptation. Temptation is one of the various trials (James 1:2) we face. As we persevere through temptation, we are approved, and will be rewarded as the work of God in us is evident through our resistance of temptation. The crown of life which the Lord has promised reminds us that it really is worth it to endure under the temptations we face. Our steadfastness will be rewarded as we demonstrate our love for Jesus, to those who love Him, by resisting temptation. At the end of the passage let’s look at verse 13 – 16. Temptation does not come from God. Though He allows it, He Himself does not entice us to evil, though God may test our faith without a solicitation to evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. James knew that most people have an evil tendency to blame God when they find themselves in trials. By His very nature, God is unable to be tempted in the sense we are tempted, nor can He Himself tempt anyone. God doesn’t tempt us. Instead, temptation comes when we are drawn away by our own fleshly desires and enticed – with the world and the devil providing the enticement. James warns us that when the flesh begins to produce and give birth, it brings forth sin. That sin then will produce death. Springing forth from corrupt desire is sin. Springing forth from sin is death. This progression to death is an inevitable result that Satan always tries to hide from us, but we should never be deceived about. Satan’s great strategy in temptation is to convince us that the pursuit of our corrupt desires will somehow produce life and goodness for us. If we remember that Satan only comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10), then we would resist the deceptions of temptation more easily. James imperatively warns us not to make a mistake and err. In the last two verses in this passage, we see that every good and perfect gift comes from God. From our own fallen natures and from those who would entice us, we expect no true goodness. But every good and every perfect gift comes from God the Father in heaven. Let us also observe that God is the Father of the Lights. The visible light of the sun and the heavenly bodies is from him. He said, let there be light, and there was light. Thus God is at once represented as the Creator of the sun and in some respects compared to it. What the sun is in nature, God is in grace, providence, glory and infinitely more. Every good gift is from him. As the Father of lights, he gives the light of reason. God’s goodness is constant. There is no variation with Him. This means that God never changes. His word is the same yesterday, today and will be tomorrow. God never sways nor is he swayed. He is unlike the wavering man that James spoke of before. He will not change his word to justify our lives. God’s word is there for us. We can see God’s goodness in our salvation, as He initiated our salvation of His own will, and brought us forth to spiritual life by His word of truth, that we might be to His glory as firstfruits of His harvest. James may be speaking of his own generation of believers when he calls them firstfruits. Some have speculated on this even more, saying that James has in mind a wider redemption among unknown creatures of God, of which we are the firstfruits of that wider redemption. In brief summation, James has given us the recipe to deal and embrace the trials and tribulations that come in our life. We as Christians must realize that trials and tribulations will come and we must be ready to count it all joy and to be prepared for God to exalt us even from low places. Bibliography The Bible, King James Version Believer’s Bible Commentary. William MacDonald and Art Farstad. Nashville;Atlanta;London;Vancouver : Thomas Nelson Publishers. Tyndale Bible Dictionary. Walter A. Elwell, Ph. D. and Philip W. Comfort, Ph. D. Tyndale House Publishers, 2001. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 10 Oct. 2006. Grace Online Library, 20 Nov. 2006.

Drug Abuse on High School Students Essay

The hypothesis for this report is that as an individual increases drug use, their success within their education decreases. To prove this is true, there were many investigations involved in the process. Firstly, there was secondary research provided in order to see the drug use of all teenagers in Ontario, as well as dropout rates in Ontario as a whole. As well as definitions, general drug information, and other factors of these variables. Then, there was primary research used to compare the findings from the secondary research to just a sample of students from the Catholic Central High School community. In order to further research the topic of the effects of drug use on high school students and its correlation to educational achievement, 24 surveys were conducted within the Catholic Central High School community (refer to appendix, pg. 2-3), and of these 24 participants, approximately 8% are grade 9 students, 21% being grade 10 students, 29% being grade 11 students, and 42% being grade 12 students (refer to appendix, pg. 4, graph A). Secondary research states that according to the Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS, 2007), 65% of teens say they use drugs to â€Å"feel cool† and to have the approval of others, and their desire for social acceptance. Contrarily, primary research showed that 50% of students surveyed think that friends do not have any influence in their decisions regarding drug or alcohol use, whereas 33% think they do have influence (refer to appendix, pg. 4, graph B). According to Partnership for a Drug-Free Canada (2010), 73% of teens report that number-one reason for using drugs is to deal with the pressures and the stress for school. Likewise, primary research states that 70. 6% of the 24 participants have consumed drugs or alcohol before or during school hours, which shows how teenagers are using school as an excuse to consume drugs or alcohol (refer to appendix, pg. 4, graph C). Primary research indicates that 70. 8% of the students surveyed have experimented with drugs (refer to appendix, pg. 5, graph D), and also, these drugs that they have experimented with were for non-medical purposes. Surprisingly, the top 5 drugs most consumed by the participants are Marijuana (100%), Tobacco (47. 1%), Salvia (41. 2%), Mushrooms (35. 3%), and Cocaine (29. 4%). Refer to appendix, pg. 5, graph E). Similarly, secondary research shows that many teens, 51% to be exact, mistakenly believe that it’s safer to abuse a prescription drug than it is to use illegal drugs. Secondary research explains that the majority of teenagers consume drugs or alcohol because their parents are not paying enough attention to their teenage children, because of family problems, because they have family members who have drug or alcohol addiction problems, or because they are living in a single-parent household which would aslo mean that that single parent does not have enough time to know what their children are up to. Contrastingly, primary research shows that within the students surveyed, 58. 3% are part of a nuclear family (mother, father, and 1 or more biological or adopted children). (Refer to appendix, pg. 5, graph F). Also, 75% do not have family members with drug addiction problems (Refer to appendix, pg. 6, graph G). According to Canada’s Labour Force Survey (1990), nearly 340,000 young people aged 20 to 24, or 1 out of every 6 (16. 6%) had not obtained a high school diploma and were not enrolled in school due to their involvement with mostly tobacco and also illicit drugs. Canada’s Labour Force passed the same survey almost 20 years later, in 2010, the dropout rate decreased and it was now 1 in every 12 (8. 5%) of 20 to 24 year-olds that had not obtained their high school diploma due to the same reasons mentioned above. Contradictorily, primary research demonstrates that out of the 24 participants, 20 of them (83. 3%) feel that students who drop out of high school are stereotyped as people who are involved in drug/alcohol related activities (refer to appendix, pg. , graph H). And also, that 75% of the students think that alcohol and drug use has increased over time among teenagers (refer to appendix, pg. 6, graph I). To conclude, it was found that the primary research and the secondary research are both similar and different in many ways, as in some points the articles, books, and online resources agrees with what the 24 participants know and think about the topic being discussed, and sometimes it does not.

Compare/Contrast: Antigone and Creon

Compare / Contrast Antigone and Creon There is always going to be some kind of conflict in a family. It may happen often, and sometimes rarely. In the century-old story Antigone there is a huge conflict. Antigones brother, Polyneices, refuses to pass on the throne. Therefore, he and his brother Etheocles go to war, and they both end up killing each other. Therefore, it resulted in Polyneices death. When he died, Creon; the ruler of Thebes, refuses to let anyone bury him.So he will be left in public shame. Not regarding any of the laws Creon created, and ignoring what her family says, Antigone goes ahead and covers him with some dirt and â€Å"buries† him. To begin with, Antigone has gone through a hardship. She has lost her brother and her family is very mad with her, since they have also been brought into the conflict. Antigone is very strong; she does what she wants without thinking twice. She is also very sneaky. She buried her brother without anyone noticing.The blame was even put on her timid sister, Ismene. Who was later questioned by Creon, and also was held by him until she was found innocent. But Antigone already knows her consequences, so she is ready if she is caught. Antigone also follows the Gods law. She believes that manmade law must harmonize with the Gods law. She is lead by her emotions and what her heart tells her to do. Antigone strongly believes that both of her brothers deserve burial rights, therefore she fights for it.On the other hand, Creon differs somewhat. Creon inherited the throne after Oedipus was killed. He only honored Ethocles, and announced that no one would be allowed to bury Polyneices. As you can tell, Creon likes to go by the laws he created, not by the Gods. Creon doesn’t like to listen to others opinions about the situation. Haemon, his son, tries to convince Creon to not bury Antigone. Yet, he doesn’t even take a second to think about it. Haemon then mentions Creons ruling is tyranny, not government .

Leadership Analysis of a Public Figure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership Analysis of a Public Figure - Essay Example Let us get a brief overview of his background before discussing his input and role in the advancement of the digital world. Steve Jobs was born in 1955 in California. Paul and Clara Jobs, who belonged to a lower middle class family, brought him up. He grew up in the neighborhood of engineers who used to work with electronic equipments at their homes. This environment helped him shape his interest in the field of electronics. Jobs was a brilliant student at school. He always showed good results and excellent exam performances. He graduated from high school in 1962 and got admission in Reed College, Oregon. However, Jobs had to leave that college because of poor financial status of his parents. In 1976, Jobs along with his friends, Steve Wozniak and Ronal Wayne, invented the first ever Apple computer in the garage of his parents’ house and put it for sale. To develop the computer, he received funds from engineer Mike Markkula, who was the product-marketing manager at Intel. This was just the start for Jobs. Later on, he went on to develop Apple Lisa, Super Bowl television, Macintosh, and a number of other products. He resigned from Apple Inc. in 1985 due to his clash with the Apple’s CEO, John Sculley and founded NeXT Computer straight away with the capital of 7 million dollars. Later on, Apple bought NeXT Computer in 1996 and appointed Jobs as the Interim Chief Executive. In 2000, Jobs became the CEO of Apple Inc. This was the real start of Steve Jobs as a leader. After becoming the CEO of the company, Jobs proved his leadership and management skills and worked hard to achieve domination in the field of digital electronics. Jobs-inspired Apple and NeXT products are considered platforms for a number of today’s amazing innovations (Severance, 2012). Jobs was the man who never stopped working and kept on creating new products even during his bad days. He was an enthusiastic person who always worked with a positive mindset to achieve success (Gr ant & Sharma, 2011). Even when he was fired from Apple inc. in 1986, he did not get upset and kept on working with a new approach. He even said in a speech that leaving Apple Inc. was the best thing which could have happened to him in his life. He did not leave his heart at that time and entered the world of creativity with new aims and heights of motivation. If we analyze the working approach of Jobs at NeXT Computer and Apple Inc., we come to know that Jobs used a combination of autocratic and transformational leadership styles in both companies. As Branson (2011) states, â€Å"Steve Jobs’s leadership style was autocratic; he had a meticulous eye for detail, and surrounded himself with like-minded people to follow his lead†. He was a kind of leader who wanted to take charge of every matter of the company. He was also a transformational leader because he always motivated his employees to show improved efficiency and productivity. As Riggio (2009) states, â€Å"transf ormational leaders have the ability to inspire and motivate followers†. A transformational leader focuses on creativity and innovation (Oke, Munshi, & Walumbwa, 2009). Jobs moved Apple Inc. to the heights of success by focusing on employees and motivating them to prove their potential. It was due to