About Myself Essay 7 free essay sample

Some of the following content has been altered to maintain anonymity. MSU standards for intellectual honesty apply to scholarship application essays. Essays copied in whole or in part from these samples or any other applicant’s work will be rejected and may result in disciplinary action. Essay #1 Score: 4. 0 For as long as I can remember I’ve known what I wanted to do with my life. Science has always been a passion of mine, and medicine in particular has interested me for some time. Dedicating my life to improving the lives of others is very appealing to me. After Michigan State, I plan on advancing to medical school to become a physician. I believe this program will offer me valuable skills that cannot be taught in the classroom. Throughout high school and college thus far I have taken a rigorous curriculum and maintained a 4. 0 grade point average. During high school I was involved in a physician shadowing program called medical mentorship. We will write a custom essay sample on About Myself Essay 7 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition, I volunteered at Sparrow Hospital this fall in patient transport. I am very familiar with and comfortable in clinical settings. I am responsible, focused, hard working and easy to get along with. I participated in a Freshman Study Abroad program this summer and thoroughly enjoyed it. Studying in a foreign country was an experience unlike any I’ve had. The classes were challenging and thought provoking. The city was breathtaking and I met many friends who I still keep in touch with. Although I plan on practicing medicine in the United States, I believe that studying the differences between the British health care system and that of the United States would benefit me a great deal in the future. It would be a valuable opportunity for me to shadow a British physician, and compare that experience to the clinical exposure I’ve had in the United States. By participating in this program I hope to eventually combine the best of both worlds into my medical education and eventual practice. I plan to learn valuable skills that will one day make me a better doctor. Essay #2 Score: 4. 0 My academic and professional goals are one as I apply to American Religious Studies Ph. D. programs. I want to study in Rome, home of the religious heart of Catholicism, to reexamine a tradition that shaped the imagination of my youth and continues to influence my approach to religious studies. I value the skills that studying in Rome would provide for looking to international religions for new ways of understanding religion in America. In graduate school I hope to study under Dr. [name withheld], who researches Catholic mysticism at [name withheld]. My experiences near the Vatican will persist beyond next summer to influence my research on American Catholicism under [name withheld]’s mentorship. I am seeking an undergraduate capstone experience. Before freshman year at MSU I spent thirteen months as a Congress-Bundestag ambassador in the German cities of Flensburg and Heidelberg, which included extensive travel to France, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark. From this rich period of personal growth I acquired fluency in German, an identity as a global citizen, and the skills to independently navigate life in a foreign culture. It seems appropriate to support my next leap in life with an abroad experience that will reveal the directions in which I have grown since my exchange year, as well as provide a unique context for exploring the limits of my education before beginning graduate studies. Strengths that I will bring to my abroad experience include exemplary leadership and social skills, refined through my service to Circle K International. Numerous leadership positions at its club, district, and international levels have trained me to unearth creative solutions to challenges, organize my experiences in the community for the purposes of both engagement and reflection, and socially navigate among diverse personalities and power differences. These traits will allow me to succeed in diverse situations while studying abroad. Essay #3 Score: 3. 875 A Summer in Spain College is a time for new and exciting experiences as well as a time to explore diverse and innovative ideas. What could be better than traveling to a foreign country to learn about their ideas, history, and culture? I believe study abroad is something that every college student should do to help avoid ethnocentrism, to expand their horizons, and to appreciate everything the world has to offer. I am particularly interested in the summer program offered in Santander, Spain. My grandmother came to the United States from Barcelona, Spain as a young adult to work and go to school. I have visited family in Barcelona several times and have had the opportunity to see some of the country on one family trip when we traveled from Barcelona down the eastern coast to the Rock of Gibraltar. Santander, however, is in a part of Spain that I have yet to explore. It is one thing to see a country while on vacation, but it is an entirely different experience to live there for an extended period of time. I do not think it is possible to become fluent in any language without living in that country. Even though I have some significant experience with the Spanish language, I believe that studying in Santander would deepen my understanding of not only the language, but of the culture, the people, and their history. My immigrant grandmother worked as a realtor, helping Spanish-speaking people navigate the complex process of finding and financing their first home in the United States. She inspired me to consider making the Spanish language and culture an important part of my career. I am majoring in finance with a specialization in international business/Spanish. Since the business college does not offer a program in Spain, and understanding the language and cultural aspects are crucial when doing business in any foreign country, I believe that this program would greatly benefit me in my career path. I feel very strongly that I will be able to relate my experiences in Santander to my academic and professional goals. Academically, it is very important to me that I continue studying Spanish. Going to Spain gives me the chance to learn in a native environment, and I do not think there is any better way to internalize a language and develop fluency. I have a very strong love for the Spanish language, people, and culture. A summer in Spain will allow me to bring together all of my past experiences and combine them with this new and exciting opportunity. ere is an undeniable advantage to living and studying in Spain; to be submersed in the Spanish way of life is the only way to fully understand and learn about how the country impacts and is impacted by the rest of the world. Not only will I learn about Spain, but I will also come to appreciate other countries in the world from a different point of view. I will be able to apply my new-found knowledge to my entire life and the way I look at the world around me. What could be more exciting than that?

Has United States foreign policy been guided Essay Example

Has United States foreign policy been guided Essay Example Has United States foreign policy been guided Essay Has United States foreign policy been guided Essay 2003, p. 3 ) The logical and convenient replacing for Communism, after the onslaughts of September 11, 2001, was Muslim fundamentalism, which needfully thrust American foreign policy in the Middle East to the centre phase. American foreign policy in the Middle East is one part where the struggle between American idealism and American pragmatism, every bit good as a failure of imaginativeness in exceeding a Cold War-esque good vs. evil’ paradigm, has caused serious failures in policy that have gone beyond the rational and affected the lives and wellbeing of 1000000s of people non merely in the Middle East, but across the Earth. The most noteworthy illustrations are the mostly nonreversible support the US has systematically given to Israel at the disbursal of its neighbours, and the 2003 invasion and subsequent business of Iraq, which is now widely regarded worldwide, with the exclusion of the most hardline ideologists within the Bush Administration and its few Alliess, as a ca tastrophe. American support for Israel has been, and continues to be, an highly complicated affair governed by a complex mix of echt benevolence, idealism, and rational histrionpractical politics. As the largest individual state on Earth with a population owing the bulk of its spiritual tradition to Judeo-christian civilization, the United States possesses a natural spiritual affinity to, and affinity for, the state consisting a part of the geographics from which Christianity and Judaism sprung, Israel. There is besides an extra, less rational undertone of spiritual fundamentalism to US support for Israel ; many Americans of evangelical, or fundamentalist Christian religion hold the belief that Jews are God’s chosen people and that it is hence axiomatic that Israel keep a particular topographic point on the universe phase and bask a particular friendly relationship with the US. To Muslims, peculiarly those in the Middle East, this is a self-evidently a deeply violative impression ; to Bu ddhists and other Eastern religions, the full impression of a chosen people anointed by a divinity who plays favorites largely likely appears silly. There is besides a natural moral gravitation to the predicament of Jews, who suffered mightily from flooring race murder during World War II, the understanding for which is surely a worthy factor in sing any friendly relationship between the United States and Israel. Finally, there is a considerable pragmatism to US policy towards Israel: the Middle East, being both a historically volatile hotbed of force and instability and the location of oil indispensable to the opportunism of the US. It has ever been in the US’ opportunism, so to hold a sympathetic, strong ally in the part which portions its values. Israel has ever served this function good, supplying both a counterweight to other states and civilizations that do non believe extremely of the US every bit good every bit functioning as a proxy political histrion in the part. Unfortunately, there is a self-defeating politico-religious exceptionalism that powers a part of US idealism, and which the US and Israel portion – viz. , a strong belief that as beacons of blessed freedom and values, they are entitled to repress others, militarily or culturally, who do non hold with that strong belief, and that the agencies by which that subjection occurs are, ironically, frequently exempt from judgement as being incompatible with those same sacred values. The United States and Israel are united, for illustration, in the belief that Iran should non be allowed to possess atomic arms, yet the United States possesses the most deadly reserve of all states on Earth. Israel, while denying that is has atomic arms ( all grounds to the reverse ) , perennially asserts its right, whether by title or force, to protect itself. Israel has repeatedly retaliated against Palestinian Acts of the Apostless that disrespect human rights and values, i.e. suicide bombardments, by r eacting with military operations – overt and covert – which at the really least dabble in the same ugly methodological analysis as their oppositions, rendering slightly hypocritical Israel’s moral authorization. This same aggressive stance the preference for the self-justified pickings of preemptive political, economic, and/or military action upon arbitrary determination has marked United States foreign policy under the disposal of George W. Bush. Simply put, the US and Israel frequently do whatever they like under the rubric of self-defense, while take a firm standing that the agencies of making so are exempt from crystalline moral rating by other states. The confederation between the two, so, has come at the disbursal of many other possible confederations in the Middle East and has engineered a pronounced misgiving and disfavor of the United States among many Muslims, who view American policy in the Middle East as ill disguised Zionism, a unidimensional point of view which though meritable in some respect, distorts the more rational and benevolent motives the US has for its confederation with Israel. The terminal consequence in any instance is that the US frequently finds itself in hard and unsafe state of affairss with regard towards its involvements in the Middle East due to its disproportionate favouritism towards Israel. Though the Clinton and Bush disposals publically advocated, and done some work towards guaranting the rights of Palestinians to hold their ain province co-existing with Israel, the perceptual experience of favouritism remains and negatively impacts US involvements in the Middle East. One of the first grudges amon g those Muslim fundamentalists who engage in terrorist activities is their accusal that the United States favours Israel and disrespects Islam. While whatever virtues this accusal may hold can non excuse such barbarous Acts of the Apostless of force, the issues underlying the accusal can non be ignored in successful foreign policy decision-making. However, the Bush Administration has displayed small involvement in those issues, prefering punitory action. The connexion between Israel and Iraq goes beyond their mere geographical propinquity. Indeed, the other sore topographic point in American foreign policy in the Middle East is its cataclysmal failure in Iraq, and this is non a happenstance. American idealism, or a version of it propagated by an ideological motion dominant in the foreign policy setup of the Bush Administration known as neoconservatism, led the US to occupy and busy Iraq, the attempt disintegrating into a morass that has cost the US over $ 400 billion ( US ) , over 3,000 lives of American military forces, and estimations of between 30,000 – 100,000 Iraqi deceases – with no terminal in sight. What motivated these neoconservatives, and who are they? Harmonizing to one of their ain, noted conservative foreign policy mind Phillip Zelikow, the motive behind Iraq had to make with Israel: Why would Iraq assail America or utilize atomic arms against us? I ll state you what I think the existent menace ( is ) and really has been since 1990 it s the menace against Israel†¦ And this is the menace that dare non talk its name, because the Europeans do nt care deeply about that menace, I will state you honestly. And the American authorities does nt desire to tilt excessively difficult on it rhetorically, because it is non a popular sell. ( Zelikow, quoted in Mekay, 2006 ) The neoconservatives of the Bush disposal owe their rational inspiration mostly to Leo Straus, a German-born political philosopher who fled Nazi Germany to get away persecution as a Jew. Strauss †¦ taught his adherents a belief in absolutes, disdain for relativism, and joy in abstract propositions. He approved of Plato s noble prevarications, ’ disliked much of modern life, and believed [ in ] a Straussian elite in government†¦ ( Schlesinger, 2004 ) Neoconservative adherents of Strauss seethed at what they perceived as American failure to pull off Iraq under Saddam Hussein. The onslaughts on the US of September 11, 2001, provided the screen for the neoconservatives to work out the Iraq job under the rubric of self-defense and preemptive action. The neoconservative phantasy was that Iraq could be easy converted into a democracy should the U.S. dispense with Saddam Hussein in an impressive show of force. The thought, so, was to set up a 2nd axis of US proxy power in th e Middle East to supplement the US confederation with Israel, which would in bend lead to a Domino consequence of American values being inculcated into the Middle East and supplying a counterweight to hostile Islamic currents and guaranting the safety of American involvement in oil. However, Iraq has now descended into a sectarian civil war between Muslim cabals who have small involvement in functioning as a beacon of American values, and the US government’s dishonesty in jointing its motives for the war has now been widely exposed. In this instance, the debacle in Iraq was a consequence of the victory of idealist neoconservatism over rationalist pragmatism in American foreign policy. While American opportunism in Middle East oil has ever provided a consistent realist component to American foreign policy, the matrimony of and subservience of that pragmatism to the idealism of neoconservative political orientation was a catastrophe in Iraq. The idealism actuating American fore ign policy in Iraq, nevertheless well-intended it may hold been, suffered greatly from the hubris of self-assumed American cultural, moral, and military high quality. An ill-judged mix of idealism and pragmatism has led to the US errors Iraq, and ill-judged unconditioned support of Israel, both of which damaged US involvement in the Middle East and across the Earth. Most grave is the encouragement and foment of Islamic fundamentalist terrorist act. The US, holding been in a alone place of moral and military authorization post-9/11 to take a planetary campaign against fundamentalism-inspired terrorist act, has alternatively engineered the terrible weakening of its military capacity and an addition in understanding for, and engagement in, Islamic terrorist act. BIBLIOGRAPHY / REFERENCES Cameron, Fraser.U.S. Foreign Policy after the Cold War( Andover: Routledge, 2nd edition, 2005 ) Charles W. Kegley, Eugene R. Wittkopf A ; James M. Scott,American Foreign Policy: Pattern and Process6th Edition. ( Thomson/Wadsworth, 2003 ) Mekay, Emad. IRAQ: War Launched to Protect Israel, Inter Press Service News Agency, 28 December 2006. Schlesinger, Jr. , Arthur. The Making of a Mess, New York Book Review, September 23, 2004. Friedman, Murray,The Neoconservative Revolution: Judaic Intellectuals and the Shaping of Public Policy( Cambridge University Press, 2005 ) Zelikow, Phillip ( editor ) .American Military Scheme: Memos to a President ( Aspen Policy Series )W.W. Norton A ; Company, 2001. Zunes, Stephen.Tinderbox: US Foreign Policy A ; the Roots of Terrorism( London: Zed Books, 2002 ) .

Is Comprehensive Education dead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is Comprehensive Education dead - Essay Example For these reasons and more, there was an introduction of a Comprehensive system of Education. This paper will critically evaluate two different political ideologies, as well as the social factors presenting barriers to academic progress. It will consider the origins of each ideology and make links to current government education policies. Political ideologies presenting barriers in academic progress in UK Education in UK is highly developed. Every coun8try in the United Kingdom has its own separate systems and under separate governments. However, there are both political ideologies and social factors that present barriers to academic progress in the Kingdom. One example of political ideology that presents a barrier to education progress in UK is the Neoliberal ideologies. This is an ideology that stresses on individual liberty. The idea of liberalism originated in the 18th century from ideas of philosophers like Hobbes and Locks. They saw that an individual was of prime importance th us introduction of individual liberty. Liberalism asserts that the government has the responsibility to protect an individual’s rights and not to interfere in individual interests (Harvey, 2007). Even, though, their arguments are justifiable, since every human being has a right to make their choices; this idea presents a number of barriers on the progress of education. For example, Education is seen as a form of business. Students are seen to be global capital, and their value is judge on the basis of their skills. In this case, this seem to discourage people to proceed with education since even though one might put effort in education and progress to the level one can, when out in the business market they are judged according to their skills and not knowledge. They are judged according to what their skills can offer to help improve the country’s economy. The idea of considering education as a business rather than a developmental process meant that education is being m easured on the basis of links with the business links (Harvey, 2007). This alters the progress of education in that schools do not care if the education is profiting the students but whether education has helped link the country with the business world. Thus, not of significant benefit to the students, but rather to the government. Neoconservative ideology is another example of political ideologies, which act as a barrier to academic progress in the UK. Neoconservative ideology originated in the 1970s when the neoconservatives rejected everything that the welfare state stood for. Neoconservatives believe on the importance of honoring and respecting traditions. It states that the government should be authoritarian so as to protect the social order. It insists on the importance of moral values, self restrain family and patriotism. However, this idea has created barriers on the progress of education in a number of ways. Neoconservative ideology meant that educational institutions shoul d stick to rules and traditions and follow what the government or the authorities have suggested as a teaching system. This introduced a compulsory national curriculum in schools. This, however, gave the government the power of control over schools. This was a barrier to the progress in academics,

Humanities Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Humanities Class - Essay Example In his work, Rousseau holds that the social interactions of individuals with each other are the root cause of all the wrongs happenings in the world and all the elements of corrupt individuals. He believed that when people are born, they are very free in state, their minds are not corrupted and they are pure as created by God. At that moment of time, the humans possess sense of love which is pure valuing someone’s existence in the world (Kant 1781). The individuals therefore hold a sense of harmony about themselves and those around them. But he adds that once humans become integrated with the social settings of the world like property ownership and interdependence, there is where unhealthy happenings occur in societies. It is where the sense of love disappears. He connects these unhealthy behaviours to the competition for resources and antagonism in the world among people. The following illustration outlines how cruelty originates from societal interactions (Hogarth 1751). In the text book, Rousseau believed that â€Å"human were originally pure and morally good in the eyes of others and originator† (Text book pg. 132). Humans lived together in a society that acted as a single large family where everyone loved and cared for one another. If one family lacked some basic need, the family could easily obtain it from the other family who had, they had shared responsibility. People grew together and lived together in harmony and mutual coexistence existed among them. They carried out their activities in unison (Hogarth 1751). There was division of responsibility where women became more sedentary and accustomed themselves to looking after the children while men went out to seek their common subsistence. The two sexes lived softer lives but unfortunately, the single individuals couldn’t fight the common enemy; the wild beasts. This therefore led to the grouping of the families

Sexuality in Bram Stoker’s Dracula Essay Example for Free

Sexuality in Bram Stoker’s Dracula Essay Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula is a blend of legendary motifs regarding the myth of the vampires. The author’s imagination transposes the legend of Count Dracula in modern times. It is significant that the novel is a product of the Victorian Age. It is well known that the Victorians had very exact requirements regarding the social conduct and the education of the individual. The basis of their ethical system was restraint, moderation and the stifling of all instincts. Against this backdrop of inhibition and control of freedom, Stoker’s vampire fantasy appears extremely exotic. The essential element in the plot, Count Dracula’s attempt to leave Transylvania and settle in the midst of the bustle of civilization in England, translates the fear of a civilization of being undermined and destroyed by this wave of exoticism, coming from a distant primitive and superstitious country. The story has moreover notable and strong sexual connotations. The vampire myth can be easily interpreted in terms of sexual symbols. The act trough which a vampire passes on the practice of vampirism as well as immortality resembles a sexual act in the utmost. The vampire’s lust for blood, the piercing bite on the neck and the idea of possession are all strong indicatives of the sexual act. The novel is therefore the fantasy of the civilized world’s plunge into primitiveness, into the obscurity of the instinctual life. As it has been noted, Dracula’s attempt for establishing a vampire cult in the midst of the busy London life is a key element in the novel. To add to the contrast of the primitive world represented by Count Dracula and the mysterious women in his castle and the modern world represented by the story-tellers or journal writers-Jonathan Harker, Mina, Dr. Van Helsing, Dr. Seward, Quincey Morris and so on, Stoker shifts the place of his story form the Transylvanian strange and uncivilized world, where the castle of Dracula is located, to the London scene. The characters move from one place to the other, pointing to the clash of these two worlds. The fantastical legend seems to contain all the elements that the Victorian world perceived as threats. Beyond the obvious religious connotations, the legend imposes a predominance of the instincts over the human reason. The sexual aspect is extremely marked. The victims of Dracula are transformed from virtuous and integer characters, into lustful and wonton creatures. Lucy Westenra, a veritable symbol of purity and sweetness before her contact with Count Dracula, becomes in the end utterly corrupted. The vampires do not only play with the life and death of the body, but also with that of the soul. Through the symbolic bite, the victim also loses his or her soul. Although the symbolism attached to this idea is very complex, one crucial aspect of it is the gradual slide of the victim into a world of complete immorality and lack of scruple. The whole of the story seems therefore to be derived from a dark, subconscious fantasy of power, lust and immorality. The purity and uprightness of the characters is obviously not immune to this corruption. Jonathan Harker is ineluctably attracted into this fantastic world, while he stays at Count Dracula’s castle in Transylvania. Although he is repulsed and horrified by the Count, he cannot be above corruption. His encounter with the three unnamed women vampires, during his stay in Transylvania, is particularly sensual. The description itself is nearly shocking for the Victorian audience. The persistent feeling of uneasiness around the vampires is given by the man’s plunge into the instinctual world. Despite his love for Mina, Harker is inescapably tempted by the voluptuousness of the three women: â€Å"There was something about them that made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear. I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips† (Stoker 33). The act of vampirism is, at the same time, one of promiscuity. The sexual thrill that Harker feels is at once exciting and repulsive. His body and spirit are drawn, against his will, to the animal – like possession intended by the woman: â€Å"There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck she actually licked her lips like an animal, till I could see in the moonlight the moisture shining on the scarlet lips and on the red tongue as it lapped the white sharp teeth† (Stoker 34). The act of vampirism is concluded through a symbolic kiss that seals the lapse into the fantastical and unnatural world. Unknowingly, Harker is drawn precisely to these details, being fascinated with the red, voluptuous lips of the woman and her sharp white teeth. Along with Harker, Lucy is one of the most significant victims of vampirism in the novel. She is deliberately portrayed as a thoroughly innocent and vulnerable woman. Her sensibility however is one of the things that lead her to perdition. A crucial aspect of the sexual dimension of Lucy’s possession by Dracula is the time and the nature of their encounters. Everything seems to happen only in her dreams. The dreams are nightly manifestations of the subconscious and, therefore, Lucy is completely subjugated by the Count at a time when her reason is asleep. These nightly encounters with Dracula are the equivalent of erotic dreams. Dracula’s influence is so pervasive, that Lucy is soon completely lost: â€Å"The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness† (Stoker 198). Her initial characteristic sweetness and innocence are transformed into a luring, demoniac voluptuousness. Her tempting invitations to Arthur have a clearly erotic substratum: â€Å"She still advanced, however, and with a languorous, voluptuous grace, said, ‘Come to me, Arthur. Leave these others and come to me. My arms are hungry for you. Come, and we can rest together. Come, my husband, come! ’†(Stoker 198) The sexual act is here almost undistinguishable from the act of vampirism per se. The demoniac possession is realized through debauchery. Sexual orgies seem to be a pattern in cases of demonism. The story also evinces many other sexual connotations. One of them is simply given in the specific conditions in which Dracula is able to exist. He is thus bound to sleep in his coffin during daytime and perpetrated his horrid crimes only during the night. Darkness itself is not only associated with the fear of the unknown, but also with the world of the subconscious. In obscurity, these deeds seem to become even more real. Another important aspect of the novel that is closely related to the sexual connotations of the text is the basic motif of corruption. Dracula defiles precisely the most holy of the characters, choosing his victims among them in order to inflict even more pain: â€Å"Just as their hideous bodies could only rest in sacred earth, so the holiest love was the recruiting sergeant for their ghastly ranks† (Stoker 278). The corruption of the innocent and even holy people is in itself a semi-sexual act, resembling the act of taking away someone’s virginity. In this sense, Dracula’s corruption of the innocents is a sign of violent rape. The gain of immortality through vampirism is another essential aspect of the work. This state is the opposite of the Christian idea of a heaven, where all the reformed souls reside contently. Dracula’s immortality is one in which only the body survives, while the soul dies forever. This demoniac state is synonymous with a state of absolute debauchery and corruption, in which the senses are free and the idea of morality does not exist. In this state, sexuality is practiced in all its forms, without restraint. The vampire symbolically feeds on other human lives, being nurtured by death and by the absence of a soul. It is also notable that this particular form of sexuality is not necessarily similar to the natural form. What is distinct about it is that there are no restraints and no obstacles to it. It is sexuality in the purest beast-like form. This fact is emphasized by another symbol present in the novel. As it is well known, the legend of the vampires must have been initially inspired by a simple, natural element: the bat and its way of feeding itself with blood. This particular similarity between a bat and Count Dracula himself points to the clear hint towards an animal-like life: â€Å"‘Do you mean to tell me that Lucy was bitten by such a bat, and that such a thing is here in London in the nineteenth century? ’†(Stoker 218) The story reveals a civilization that is unable to come to terms with the inherent traces of primitiveness. The ‘bat’ is a symbol for this return to nature and its eccentricities. The above quoted passage best illustrates the fear of a civilization to relapse into a primitive state. The modern world assumes that it can effectively control the whole range of natural phenomena, but as Stoker shows, civilization is still liable to its own myths and ancient beliefs and superstitions. It is significant that the characters have to fight their enemy not only with their modern means, but also through the weapons that are prescribed by popular lore and superstition. Along with garlic and other cures which are prescribed by superstition, the characters have to use yet another weapon to vanquish the demonic influence: the pole or stick that pierces the heart of the vampire and kills it. This phallic symbol is the only weapon that is able to kill a vampire. The scene where Arthur uses this instrument in order to kill Lucy is probably one of the most significant in this sense. Thus, the mythical and the modern world can meet in reality and the belief that science and development can completely eradicate myths and ancient beliefs, may be wrong. Although the book has a happy ending, and the evil is vanquished, the author does not share the optimism of his characters, and in an overall picture, the book actually demolishes the modern myth of a human civilization that moves steadily towards progress and that is not liable to a relapse into primitiveness. Works Cited: Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Ed. by Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal. New York: W. W. Norton 1996.

Bram Stoker report Essay -- Essays Papers

Bram Stoker report Bram Stoker was born in Dublin, Ireland on November 8th, 1847. His father was a civil servant in Dublin Castle, and his mother, Charlotte, was a women’s lib advocate. They had seven children in nine years; the third of which was Bram. The first seven years of his life he was bedridden with an undiagnosed disease which may have been anything from rheumatic fever, asthma or a form of nonparalytic polio. During these first years of his life as he laid in his bed he listened to stories his mother told him of the cholera epidemic of 1832; people buried alive, and entire families dying in a matter of days. At the age of 12 Bram left his home to attend school at Dublin’s Rutland Square under Reverend William Wood. During these years he made up for his childhood sickness by becoming involved in athletics and became an endurance walker. Following his older brothers lead in 1863, at the age of 17, he entered Trinity College in Dublin. Only ten years after he took his first steps he was now six foot two and 175 pounds. He joined several clubs and groups; he became president of the Philosophical Society, auditor of the Historical Society, he played soccer, was unbeatable in his walking marathons, and after two years he became the athletics champion of Trinity. In 1866 Bram took a one year leave of absence from Trinity to work as a clerk in the Registrar of Petty Sessions at Dublin Castle. Later in the year he saw the play The Rivals playing the lead, Captain Absolute, was the British actor Henry Irving, a person who would play a major role in Bram’s life. He was so impressed by Irving’s performance he wrote: â€Å"What I saw, to my amazement and delight , was a patrician figure as real as the person of one’s dreams, and endowed with the same poetic grace. A young soldier, handsome, distinguished, self-dependent; compact of grace and slumberous energy. A man of quality who stood out from his surroundings on the stage as a being of another social world. A figure full of dash and fine irony, and whose ridicule seemed to bite; buoyant with the joy of life; self-conscious; an offensive egoist envy in his love-making; of supreme and unsurpassable insolence, veiled and shrouded in his fine quality of manner.† He returned to Trinity after his absence and graduated in 1871 with a degree in science, he then stayed on... ...ns. In the last year of his life Stoker suffered from a number of illnesses from: Bright’s Disease (a painful kidney disease), gout, syphilis, and exhaustion. On April 15th, 1912 Florence Stoker rushed to her husbands bedroom to tell him that the luxury liner Titanic had sunk the night before. Five days later April 20th, the day the investigation into the Titanic disaster began, Bram Stoker died at the age of 64. His death certificate listed three causes of death: Locomotor Ataxy (tertiary syphilis), Granular Contracted Kidney (Bright’s Disease), and exhaustion. The story of Dracula has been played out many times over in Hollywood with the most famous being; Nosferatu (1928), Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi, Count Dracula (1971) starring Christopher Lee, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) starring Gary Oldman. It was first a Broadway stage play in the late 1920’s. It’s leading actor, Bela Lugosi, would go on to play the original Dracula and play the part in over 80 other horror movies. Dracula still remains the one work Bram Stoker is remembered for and today, over 100 years after it was published, it remains one of the most popular books of all time.

Human rights Essay

The United Nations defines human rights as â€Å"[†¦] rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, religion, language or any other status† (OHCHR 2009). They are rights that are guaranteed to all human beings simply because they are human. When people speak of ‘having a right’ or ‘it is their right’ to have this or that or to do that or the other, it is usually a reference to their human rights. To have a right implies an entitlement to something. Other people are obligated to give it to you and if this right is endangered or denied then you can make special claims on political, moral and social grounds that will galvanize the concerned parties into action and obligate the person guilty of denying the rights to discharge them even if they are not willing. Rights can therefore be termed as rules of interaction between persons; guidelines on how humans should relate to each other. A violation of these rules is not only improper; it may subject someone to special corrective claims as well as sanctions usually but not always at the discretion of the rights holder. Right holders are therefore not just passive beneficiaries of their rights but are actively in control of them. It is worth noting that human rights are not simply abstract principles such as equality, security or liberty. Rather, they refer to the social practices that have been instituted precisely for the realization of those values and are recognized by law (Donnelly 2003, p. 7-8; 11). The international treaties on human rights have summarized human rights under two categories; civil and political rights on one hand and socio-cultural and economic rights on the other. Civil and political rights constitute the freedom of assembly, freedom from torture, freedom of speech, freedom from slavery and the right to a fair trial. On the other hand, socio- cultural and economic rights cover the right to social security, the right to equal wages for the same work irrespective of gender, right to leisure time with control of working hours, right to good health, right to free basic education and the right to take part in the community cultural life (Asher and Banks 2007, p. 4). The violation of human rights is more commonly referred to as human rights abuse. It may include physical and sexual assault, mass killings, torture, unlawful detention, disappearances of persons, forced displacement among others. Asher and Banks (2007, p. 4) point out that abuses of socio- cultural and economic rights are not as easy to pinpoint as civil and political rights violations but include forced labor, withholding of humanitarian relief supplies, destruction or seizing of property, and the various forms of discrimination. It is precisely because of these violations of human rights on a global scale that the international community sought to form treaties and declarations that would legally bind countries and compel them to observe human rights, thereby protecting all humans regardless of their place in society and their country of origin. However, before analyzing human rights in international relations, it is important to first of all understand their justification. Justification of human rights As earlier mentioned, human rights are guaranteed to humans simply by virtue of their being humans. They are equal rights, that is, one is either a human being or not. Therefore they apply equally to all humans across the board. They are also inalienable, that is, one cannot stop being a human even though he or she behaves in a totally inhuman way or conversely, is treated in an inhuman manner (Donnelly 2003, p. 10). Some people may argue that human rights should not apply to certain categories of people especially those who behave in an inhuman way towards others. But since these people cannot stop being humans, their rights remain inalienable. Thus even prisoners have their rights. However, it is worth noting that infringement of other people’s rights may cause one to loose some of his or her rights as a form of sanction. Our entitlement to human rights comes with the responsibility of ensuring that the rights of others are respected as well but even when some of these rights are taken away as a sanction for violations, it is well nigh impossible to forfeit all rights and one remains entitled to at least some fundamental rights whose violation may cause an outcry from human rights advocates – never mind that this person has violated other people’s rights (Orend 2002, p. 7). This gives rise to the question; what justifies the holding of human rights? One of the grounds on which the holding of human rights is justified is the fact that it is intrinsic to human nature. We all share a core belief that it is profoundly and distinctly wrong to cause a fellow human being to suffer. The occasioning of such harm and suffering is viewed as unjust and below what is expected of human behavior and can therefore not be tolerated at any cost. The only exception to this is if the harm inflicted is in self defense or defense of others. Thus human rights do not exist because of force or over-romanticizing of issues but simply because of an intrinsic compulsion to treat fellow human beings in a minimally civilized manner (Orend 2002, p. 69; 73). This argument draws heavily from social morality. Human rights exist in the beliefs that are shared by humans across the globe. They are a result of ethical customs and practices and their codification into law only facilitate their application though they existed before the law (Orend 2002, p. 76). The grounding of human rights on morality and ethics has however come under criticism. Some people feel that moral norms are an illusion that has subconsciously been entrenched into our thoughts and our language. This gives rise to the problem of justification. It is important for human rights to be grounded on an objective viewpoint rather than the subjectivity of others who wish to impose their beliefs on the rest of the populace (Gorecki 1996, p. 19). However, morality appears to be the best grounds for justification of human rights. This is because morality and ethics are universally upheld and all societies have a code of conduct that implies respect for fellow human beings with some sanctions when these are violated. In deed as Gorecki (1996, p. 17-18) asserts, the inalienable rights of liberty, life as well as the pursuit of happiness as proclaimed in the American Declaration of Independence were not proclaimed because of the subjective thoughts of Thomas Jefferson or the imposition of the Continental Congress. They were given independent of any subjective views since every man has these inherent rights by virtue of their humanity. Thus in this sense, human rights are objectively justified. Other validations for human rights are based on religious principles. Such arguments usually posit that human rights are ordained by God and should therefore be observed since not doing so would be in violation of God’s teachings. The grounding of human rights in religious teachings places them beyond interference by man or government. Such arguments have been referred to as metaphysical justifications and they place human rights justification beyond human design; linking them to the supernatural (Edel 1978, p. 126; 128). However, Orend (2002, p. 73) argues that the premises on which religious justifications are based are ‘controversial’ as well as ‘exclusionary’ and go against the principle of equality and universalism with respect to the protection of human rights. A third human rights justification is based on the premise of legal positivism. Legal positivism implies that it is only those rights which have been ratified into law that are applicable and legitimate. Thus people are compelled to observe human rights lest they be punished by the law. The penalties for not obeying human rights are outlined and include imprisonment, the payment of fines and simply the burden of a criminal record. There are numerous declarations, charters and treaties which provide these legal guidelines for the countries and they apply across the globe. However, Orend (2002, p. 4) points out a weakness in this justification, stating that in the event that some important human rights have not been ratified, then this may pose a problem since people do not feel obliged to observe them. Human rights and international relations Human rights are universal and are therefore guaranteed by international law. International human rights laws have been expressed through the formation of treaties, application of general human rights principles and customar y international law among others. International laws on human rights obligate governments across the globe to act in certain ways or to desist from engaging in particular acts that may violate the rights of the citizens. This is done with a view to protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of all humans across the globe (OHCHR 2009). There are numerous international treaties, charters and declarations that have been internationally agreed upon through numerous human rights conventions and which outline how international human rights will be handled. For instance, the 1945 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 7 states that no one should be subjected to any inhuman, cruel or degrading treatment. Ignatieff terms this article as the ‘juridical revolution’ of human rights. Other internationally recognized human rights documents are the 1948 Geneva conventions, the 1949 Geneva conventions revision, the International convention on asylum of 1951 and the Universal Declaration of human rights (Ignatieff et al 2003, p. vii). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. It is one of the most recognized human rights documents and outline basic rights and freedoms of the individual which are to be recognized globally (UN 2009). The Universal declaration of human rights- this great and inspiring instrument was born of an increased sense of responsibility by the international community for the promotion and protection of man’s basic rights and freedoms. The world has come to a clear realization of the fact that freedom, justice and world peace can only be assured through the international promotion and protection of these rights and freedoms. U Thant, Third United Nations Secretary- General, 1961-1971 (UN Cyberschoolbus, 2009) The above quote perhaps best exemplifies the commitment of the international community towards the promotion of human rights. The internationalization of human rights meant that they were no longer the preserve of the state but that the states were answerable to the international community for the treatment that they accorded their citizens. However, there is no decisive action with which to deal with states that violate international rights violations (Forsythe 2006, p. 5).