Book Of Mormon Is False Essays - Book Of Mormon Witnesses

Book Of Mormon Is False An Examination of the Book of Mormon and its Chief Witnesses Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints claimed that he received the Book of Mormon as a revelation from God. He said that the heavenly being Moroni appeared to him and directed him to some buried gold plates which contained ancient writings. His task then, was to translate these ancient writings with the help of seer stones which were also buried with the gold plates. Smith received strict directions from the heavenly being that he was to show the plates to no one except for appointed individuals. The Book of Mormon in its preface identifies these as eleven persons: the three witnesses and the eight witnesses. A student of religion would now be interested in knowing something about these witnesses, for only then can we evaluate their worth as witnesses. The Book of Mormon names the three witnesses as Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris. The book also names the eight witnesses as follows: Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jr., John Whitmer, Hiram Page, Joseph Smith, Sr., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel H. Smith. Who were these persons? And what can we know about them that would give us reason to either believe or disbelieve them as witnesses in this most important matter? A good place to look for information would be the publications of the Mormons themselves, since they should more than anyone else be interested in preserving histories of their principal witnesses. This approach could be used at least as a starting point for gathering information before further scrutiny and investigative work. In this study I would like to turn to two books published by the Mormons to find information about the chief witnesses. The first book is the Doctrine and Covenant, a book of authoritative scriptures for the Mormons. The second book is Church History Timeline by William W. Slaughter, published by Desert Book Company, in Salt Lake City, Utah, 1996. What follows is a brief look at the information these books contain about the witnesses and other key persons associated with the Book of Mormon. My intention here is not to provide a summary of the entire body of information but only to show that what we learn from these books do not give us much confidence in the witnesses and hence in the Book of Mormon itself. The first of the three witnesses is Oliver Cowdery, a rural schoolteacher. He was a scribe to Joseph Smith, and associate president of the Church. In April 12,1838 he was excommunicated from the Mormon Church. He was rebaptized ten years later in November 1848 and died March 3, 1850. Reading this, one must wonder why this chief witness was excommunicated during the lifetime of Joseph Smith his prophet, and be allowed back in the church after his prophet died. Smith was martyred on June 27, 1844. The second of the three witnesses is Martin Harris. He was a prosperous farmer who was known as industrious, honest, and generous. It was his $3000 that financed the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. But, as William Slaughter informs us: Harris clashed with Church leaders over monetary practices and was excommunicated in December 1837; he was rebaptized November 27, 1842. (Church History Timeline, p. 5). The same Martin Harris was given 116 pages of the book of Mormon after Joseph Smith had translated them with the help of the seer stones. But then he allowed wicked men to take these pages for the purpose of corrupting the translation and then to accuse Joseph Smith of falsehood in his prophetic claim. Why would Martin Harris do this? The Doctrine and Covenants explains that he was a wicked man who sought to destroy Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith relates in his history how Martin Harris had previously taken sample characters from the book of Mormon along with the relevant translation of those characters and received confirmation of these in New York City from a professor Charles Anton and Dr. Mitchell. These men attested that the characters were true characters of the Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac and Arabic, and that the translation so far done by Joseph Smith was accurate. Now, one may wonder why did Harris, after he had received this confirmation, should seek to destroy Joseph Smith. And what value should we attach to the testimony of a man who sought to destroy one whom he believed was God's prophet? Since the Doctrine and Covenants call Harris a wicked man,

Free Essays on My Philosophy

Who am I? My Philosophy of life over the past couple of months of learning â€Å"philosophy,† by its definition, is extremely vague and confusing. It can be related to anything to do with thought, perception, and even basic human existence. However, over the notes, readings and class discussion I have been part of through these months, I learned that philosophy is just simply the study of knowledge. It is also described as the love of wisdom. Consequently, in further defining philosophy, perhaps it is easier to simply state what it may or may not involve rather than trying to find a concrete and firm definition. Philosophy includes the studies of logic, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. Logic deals with the principles and systems of reasoning. We deduce and interpret information by this method. Ethics involves the principles of morals and the judgment of â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† conduct. In a world where people are murdering, stealing and harming each other, it’s hard to find the good in people now a days. The people who are doing these things need help. That’s where people with good morals can step in hopefully and change the way they think. I think that people are created initially good and then go create their own nature, which is what Plato thought. He believed that when you are born, you are born with a â€Å"clean slate.† I can agree with this by what I have learned In church with my religion, and I think that anyone that believes in God can believe this. Now some of us have it better than other, which can really hurt our chances to do well in this world. If you where born in a bad neighborhood with a lot of violence and drugs, then hung out all with a bad crowd, chances are you will become a bad person. That why these kids need to be put in the right direction. Aristotle said that everyone lived to be happy, that is something that I totally agree with. Even though different things make different people ha... Free Essays on My Philosophy Free Essays on My Philosophy Who am I? My Philosophy of life over the past couple of months of learning â€Å"philosophy,† by its definition, is extremely vague and confusing. It can be related to anything to do with thought, perception, and even basic human existence. However, over the notes, readings and class discussion I have been part of through these months, I learned that philosophy is just simply the study of knowledge. It is also described as the love of wisdom. Consequently, in further defining philosophy, perhaps it is easier to simply state what it may or may not involve rather than trying to find a concrete and firm definition. Philosophy includes the studies of logic, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. Logic deals with the principles and systems of reasoning. We deduce and interpret information by this method. Ethics involves the principles of morals and the judgment of â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† conduct. In a world where people are murdering, stealing and harming each other, it’s hard to find the good in people now a days. The people who are doing these things need help. That’s where people with good morals can step in hopefully and change the way they think. I think that people are created initially good and then go create their own nature, which is what Plato thought. He believed that when you are born, you are born with a â€Å"clean slate.† I can agree with this by what I have learned In church with my religion, and I think that anyone that believes in God can believe this. Now some of us have it better than other, which can really hurt our chances to do well in this world. If you where born in a bad neighborhood with a lot of violence and drugs, then hung out all with a bad crowd, chances are you will become a bad person. That why these kids need to be put in the right direction. Aristotle said that everyone lived to be happy, that is something that I totally agree with. Even though different things make different people ha...

Definition and Examples of Cacophemisms in English

Definition and Examples of Cacophemisms in English Cacophemism is a  word or expression thats  generally perceived as harsh, impolite, or offensive, although it may be used in a humorous context. It is similar to dysphemism, and a contrast with euphemism. Etymology is from the Greek, bad plus speech. Cacophemism, says Brian Mott, is a deliberate reaction against euphemism and involves intentional use of strong words, very often with the aim of shocking the audience or the person to whom they are addressed (Semantics and Translation for Spanish Learners of English, 2011). Examples and Observations A cruel or offensive dysphemism is a cacophemism (from Greek kakos bad), such as using it for a person: Is it coming again tonight?(Tom McArthur, The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 1992) How Neutral Terms Become CacophemismsWhen we use cacophemisms,....we do not necessarily speak ill of anything. Cacophemistic language is a rough and raw, blunt and vulgar way of saying anything - good, evil, or neutral - of a thing. Not all of it is obscene by any means; witness grub and duds for example. Some are extremely vulgar, but not quite obscene (that is, not quite categorically tabooed in polite society), likely to offend but not to shock, like puke, guts, fart, stink, belly, croak, and burp. A genuinely obscene word, in virtue of the taboo its utterance violates, is as cacophemistic as a word can be. . . .People naturally find some perfectly accurate descriptive terms unflattering and displeasing. It is therefore considered good manners for others to avoid these terms as much as possible, and when one cannot avoid speaking the unpleasant truth, to find descriptive synonyms that strike the ear as less blunt, though they say the same thing as the unflattering term. In this way, we generate a stream of euphemisms, in comparison to which the original descriptive term seems ever more coarse, until that term, originally neutral, becomes a cacophemism. The words fat and old are good examples of this process. It is now considered to be blunt almost to the point of uncouthness to refer to a fat person as fat. And while there are a few dysphemistic ways of saying the same thing (potbellied, fat-assed, lard-assed, gross), there are few other terms that are as cacophemistic now as the straightforward unadorned fat.(Joel Feinberg, Offense to Others. Oxford University Press, 1988) Rationalizing With Euphemisms and CacophemismEuphemism and cacophemism play a central role in rationalization. When we call someone a terrorist, we may be using a cacophemism - making an activity seem worse than it actually is. When we call the same person a freedom fighter, we may be using a euphemism - making the activity sound better than it really is. Either way, by using these words, we set ourselves up for rationalizing the harming of others.(Ronald A. Howard and Clinton D. Korver, Ethics for the Real World. Harvard Business Press, 2008) Cacophemisms and HumorA euphemism is generally no more than the triumph of squeamishness over reality: little person for dwarf, senior citizen for old man, disturbed for crazy, etc. Cacophemisms, on the other hand, tend to reflect an attitude of rough-and-ready good humor toward the person or object in question: egghead, grease monkey, quack, etc. A further difference between the two isms is that cacophemisms are more readily recognized for what they are; euphemisms tend to have acquired a wider  currency in normal parlance and hence to be accepted more unthinkingly by the listener.(Peter Bowler,  The Superior Persons Book of Words. David R. Godine, 1985)

How To Save Your Job When You’re About To Get Fired

How To Save Your Job When You’re About To Get Fired Your performance review wasn’t good. Or maybe you just smell the blood in the water. You’ve got a bad feeling that you- or even your job- is on the chopping block. Rather than just hang your head, admit defeat, and start your job search anew, why not try a few of the following steps to save your job? At least then you can say you gave it your best shot. 1. Stop slacking.If you’ve built a reputation for being lazy, it’s never too late to turn it all around. It will be hard to shake off, but with a bit of work, not impossible! Figure out why you haven’t been giving it your all at work. Eliminate your biggest distractions, like your phone or social media accounts or even particularly chatty coworkers. Identify the projects that you can drum up passion for and then devote yourself to getting stuff done and start delivering real results.2. Take responsibility.Did you miss a deadline? Fail to deliver an important project? You can’t go back in time and undo this, but you can assume full accountability for what happened. Don’t blame anyone but yourself and see how you can fix the problem. Then fix it- fast.3. Handle disgruntled clients.You said something to a client and now they’re threatening to walk. Figure out- by asking coworkers and team members what went wrong and whether you were inappropriate or out of line- then figure out if the situation is fixable. If you weren’t at fault, approach your boss with the full picture. Be honest and provided you didn’t do anything outrageous, your boss should back you up.4. Stop gossiping.You’ve been outed as an office gossip- whether for a one time whopper offense, or a routine habit. You’ve probably got a very narrow window to prove yourself worthy of keeping on. Let your boss know you understand the severity of your behavior and the consequences and insist upon turning over a new leaf. Apologize to any injured parties and behave yourself more professionally in future.5. Have a heart to heart.It’s not out of line to have a sit-down with your boss and have an honest conversation- especially if you two have been out of touch or out of sync. Ask about the communication lapse. Ask whether there is anything you’re not doing or delivering that you could focus on improving. Reiterate your passion and commitment to the position and make it clear you’ll do whatever it takes to stay on board.6. Make a performance improvement plan.Say your performance has been lackluster, and your boss confirms that you’re not in the best of standing. Sit down and come up with a plan with clear indicators of renewed success. Then set about systematically meeting every goal on your plan tick by tick. Get yourself out of your slump as soon as you can. It will be much easier with clear guidelines. And don’t be afraid to ask for coaching and/or feedback.7. Go the extra mile.With everything. Make yourself an expert in a new software. Make a positive and lasting contribution- the bigger the better. Have a stellar attitude at all times. Help out your team and coworkers. Anticipate your boss’s needs. Show your value to the company and your strengths as a team player and you’ll be in much better shape.The crucial thing is to make sure you’re taking steps to bulk up your career  and making changes- and lasting ones. Slapping a temporary band-aid on the situation will not save your job. Overhauling your work ethic and performance, however, just might do the trick!

The Fighter (film 2010) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Fighter (film 2010) - Research Paper Example Director David O. Russell’s seamlessly interweaves HBO raw footage of an addiction documentary, intimate psychologically complex family scenes, boxing training and spares, and professional boxing matches. All these elements serve to create a visceral, emotional, artistic experience for audiences as the story is framed within reality, yet we feel privy to private, behind-the-scenes moments and well as competing character perspectives. To vary the film quality of the documentary, daily life and training, and the professional matches and create an aura of authenticity, Russell employed a variety of techniques. He recreated footage from the HBO documentary High on Crack: Lost Lives in Lowell using circa 1990-1 Datacams. He filmed on the actual streets of Lowell and surrounding neighborhoods capturing local life and people—their postures, dress, and Name 2 attitudes. While Amy Adams and Christian Bale, are not Boston-natives, casting Mark Wahlberg as the Micky Ward secured a natural Boston accent from an identifiable Bostonian. In an interview with James Bell, Russell comments, â€Å"We were saturated in the people and the place† (para. 16). ... ed the HBO Datacams and sports film crews to create an authentic use of angles and distances from actors to enhance the believability of the fight scenes. Russell also used long takes to for pivotal fight scenes as Wahlberg had trained to build up the stamina for this type of film work. All of these factors tightly intersect to strengthen the authenticity of the film, draw audiences into the Boston-oriented world of this family, and create cinematic variety balanced by overall visual cohesion. Since The Fighter was based on an actual family’s experience, part of the reception inevitably includes how the family members react to their screen portrayals and image. While Ward and his charismatic brother accepted the film, as evidenced by their short clip at the film’s conclusion, many of the sisters did not agree with actresses cast to play them nor with their interpretations as a loud, brash, excluding unit of women. Also, the dominant matriarch Alice, who acted as mother and boxing manager to her two sons, greatly disagreed with her portrayal in the film. While during interviews actress Melissa Leo respectfully focused on Alice’s pioneering efforts as woman working in the Name 3 masculine world of boxing and engineered Dicky’s iconic match with Sugar Ray Leonard, Alice still felt the movie showed her to be more interested in making money off her sons, particularly Micky, as well as turning a blind eye to Dicky’s crack addiction. In general, few critics or audience members expressed dislike for The Fighter. Robbie Collin from News of the World and Kevin A. Ranson from MovieCrypt.com both disparaged Bales performance as egocentric and overshadowing of Wahlberg’s main character. However, many critics found Bale performance in keeping with the self-centered

Puffin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Puffin - Essay Example Puffins most defining feature are their fat beaks that are dull and gray in the winter and then brighten to florescent oranges during the mating season. Puffins have also been called names like "little friar" and "sea parrot" because of their comical markings. Puffins are pelagic, which means they live in and on the water throughout the year and the only time they come on to the land is to reproduce (NHPTV). Puffins mate for life and females only lay one egg a year which both parents care for (Barjaktarovic). The baby puffin, or puffling, is under the supervision of both parents for less than two months and is then ready to take care of him or herself. There are four species of puffins. The Atlantic Puffin, the Horned Puffin, the Tufted Puffin, and the Rhinoceros Auklet. The Atlantic Puffin, otherwise known as the Common Puffin, is the only puffin that can be found on the Atlantic Ocean. There are somewhere between twelve and fifteen million Atlantic Puffins living on the skirts of the Atlantic Ocean (Project Puffin). Most of them can be found near Iceland. Atlantic Puffins are the smallest of the species and can also Page 2 The Horned Puffin gets it's name because of the large mascara-like black markings or "horns" jutting out from it'

LC 50 and LD 50 Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LC 50 and LD 50 - Dissertation Example LD 50, also known as lethal dose 50 %, refers to the amount of a substance, in solid or liquid form, which is able to kill 50 % percent of a target population in a single dose. The dosage defines either single or multiple applications according to predetermined prescriptions. The two terms defines lethal administration of a substance in a habitat (Fingas and Charles, p. 191).angelo, social How oil can enter an organism Oil can enter into plants and animals’ bodies through different ways such as â€Å"physical exposure, ingestion, absorption and through food chain† (Fingas and Charles, p. 193). Entrance by physical exposure involves the organisms’ direct contact with oil, such as movement in the oil that can then enter the organisms’ bodies through their external openings. Ingestion is however the case of a direct consumption of oil. Absorption of oil occurs through transfer of volatile components through membranes of plants and some animals while exposure through food chain involves multiple transfers through ingestion (Fingas and Charles, p. 193). Meaning of avoidance Avoidance is one of organisms’ responses to calamities, such as oil spill, by restraining from affected areas. Aquatic animal are for example able to move to deeper levels to avoid spilled oil on water surface. Effects of oil spill on the aquatic environment Oil spill have different degree of effects on plants and animal depending on species and age.

Right to Vote 15th Amendment Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Right to Vote 15th Amendment - Research Proposal Example And that principle is the individual’s freedom from obligation and coercion by a governing body. It was from such a principle that America derived a system of capitalism which ensured each citizen could achieve—by his own hands—the so-called â€Å"American Dream†. Nevertheless, America has not always lived up to this standard; at times in history, it has seen the political philosophy of Jefferson’s magnum opus assaulted and tarnished with hypocrisy. The assault on individual rights—and the natural equality of man—took the form of rampant racism in Jim Crow laws for nearly a full century. But it was the Fifteenth Amendment which helped restore some loyalty to the principle of individual rights. Indeed, the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution secures a legal framework that is ultimately most consistent with the principles upon which the United States declared itself a free and sovereign nation. What, in detail, was the philosophical imperative for the Fifteenth Amendment? Such a question will receive its due attention later on; now, however, it would be useful to critically examine the history of the Amendment, and its practical necessity in the context of the political climate of its time. To examine its history, we must try to immerse ourselves in the type of culture which made it indispensable: a climate of racism and political instability. Indeed for much of the 19th century, the historiography for the period known as Reconstruction (1865-1877) in America was dominated by a traditional interpretation which held that the Radical Republicans enforced black supremacy in the defeated Rebel states, and that the Reconstruction period was an orgy of corruption instituted by carpetbaggers, scalawags, and freedmen. Nevertheless, by the end of the middle 20th century, this interpretation had been almost completely toppled: instead, the freedmen were

What is organizational culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is organizational culture - Essay Example In other words, the organisation’s culture plays a pivotal role in shaping the behaviour of the people working in that particular company. The culture of the organization also plays an important role in creating member identity where employees are in a position to identify with the whole organization rather than their job positions or nature of profession. Emphasis is put on the aspect of collective identity not individualism since the aim of every organization is to achieve certain goals and objectives. This can only be possible if there is synergy of the efforts of all people employed in this particular organisation. The aspect of organizational culture is also used to exercise control in the organization where rules and regulations are used to shape the behaviour of the employees so that they conform to the expected standards at their workplace. Another important aspect related to the issue of organizational culture is that work activities in the organization are organized around groups rather than individuals. The success of any organization is mainly determined by its culture since it shapes the behaviour of the employees who are responsible for executing different tasks that are designed towards the attainment of the set goals and objectives of the

Effect of Electronic Media on Children Essay Example for Free

Effect of Electronic Media on Children Essay The media has demonstrated otentially profound effects, both positive and negative, on childrens cognitive, social, and behavioral development. Considering the increasing exposure of children to newer forms of media, we decided to review the current literature on the effects of media on child health both in the Western countries and India. It is widely accepted that media has profound influence on child health, including violence, obesity, tobacco and alcohol use, and risky sexual behaviors. Simultaneously, media may have some positive effects on child health. We need to find ways to optimize the role of edia in our society, taking advantage of their positive attributes and minimizing their negative ones. We need to understand better how to reverse the negative impact of media and make it more positive. Key words: Media, Child, India. ne of the notable changes in our social environment in the 21st century has been the saturation of our culture and daily lives by the mass media.

Aluminium Based Metal Matrix Composites

Aluminium Based Metal Matrix Composites 1)  The main factor that influences elastic modulus is the matrix , for example : Composites with a aluminium 6061 matrix have a good strength and higher ductility. The reinforcement content is the main factor in the enhancement of elastic modulus in the aluminium silicon metal matrix composite. The graph below show that aluminium silicon composites with higher strength, because of the increased silicon content, such as 2024/2124 or 7075 Al, had higher strengths but lower ductility. It also shows that the elastic modulus increased with the increase in the silicon content. The matrix type also effects the elastic modulus which typically consists of particulate, nodule or whisker type matrix. (Reference 3) The yield strength is usually effected by the matrix alloy ,type and the arrangement of the reinforcement effect the strengths of composites, in particular for those which have whisker reinforcement and Ductility tends to decrease with the reinforcement content is increased. In fracture toughness tests, an increase in particle quantity reduced the toughness of the composites .The main properties which influence the fracture toughness of MMCs is the type of reinforcement, size, shape, quantity and the distribution within the matrix and the toughness of matrix. The poor fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth rate of MMCs is due to low initiation energy for fracture due to high elastic modulus. The thermal expansion coefficient of aluminium silicon carbide fibres reinforced material is significantly influenced by the thermal stresses between the matrix and fibres and thermal expansion behaviour relies on the thermal expansion of the fibres. For applications subjected to severe loads or extreme thermal  fluctuations such as in automotive components, discontinuously-reinforced metal  matrix composites have been shown to offer near isotropic properties Automotive brake disc and callipers are typically made of cast iron, the use of aluminium silicon MMC, would result in a significant weight reduction of around 50- 60% can be made which helps reduce vehicle fuel consumption and improve overall braking and handling as well as the high thermal conductivity and wear resistance, dimensional stability and excellent cyclic wear properties. Examples of vehicle which have SiC-reinforced aluminium brake disks are vehicles such as the Lotus Elise Volkswagen Lupo. For aluminium composite brake discs to become more common would requires costs to come down and for improved machine ability. Aluminium MMC shows much higher resistance to wear than the matrix material by its self. The wear of MMC is much more linear than the matrix material by self, and therefore makes it possible to predict wear patterns and the amount of use than can be obtain from a component. The reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which provides a useful guide for better control of their wear. (reference 5)MMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wearMMC show s much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wearMMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforce ment particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wear.MMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wear.MMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and r estrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wearMMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wearMMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wear 3) From data gathered with the use of the CES software it gave for of the most suitable manufacturing method for a metal matrix component with slots in the design. The above graph so that these four production methods were Laser powder forming, squeeze casting, powder injection molding and die press sintering. Several criteria were considering during the material selection such has relative cost index , production rates , tool life and economic batch size. looking at the CES data , it showed that the most suitable production method be die cast and sintering. With die casting and sintering a relatively high rate of production can be achieved whilst keeping the relative cost index low. This is important because it helps lower the cost of aluminium MMC brake disc which are still expensive and not used by many manufactures because of this. Pressing and sintering is a powder processing process that falls in the manufacturing process category of forming .The typical cold pressing and sintering process starts with aluminum silicone MMC in powder being poured into a closed mould. Pressure is then applied to the closed mould at a high enough pressure for the powder to bind together. After the disc is taken out of the mould it is then put through the sintering process. The sintering process begins with the brake disc being heated up in order to burn of any lubricant and is then heated up to a even higher sintering temperature in a protective gas surrounding to prevent oxidization. (reference 2) 4) There has been an increased interest in the use of Aluminium based metal matrix composites in brake discs and drums in recent years. The wear characteristics of AMMCs were high speeds and loads the behaviour could be greatly improved beyond that of cast iron discs, with the correct match of disc and pad material. Casting process is very difficult if reinforcement Material is wet and this can results in non-uniform distribution and poor mechanical characteristics for the finished brake disc. To resolve this problem, reinforcements are pre-heated at 500 °C for 40 minutes. Porosity is the major problem in casting which is why moulds are preheated, to 500 °C, which helps in removing the gases which are trapped in the slurry to go into the mould. It also enhances the mechanical properties of the cast AMC.   Sorter fibres in a random orientation are typically not as strong as long fibres in a specific orientation. However the use of sort fibres in random orientation mean s that less human interaction is required in the production and therefore helps brings the cost of production and well as minimising the possibly of something going wrong in the production process my eliminating human error. SiC/Al composites have increased strength with the increase in the silicone content and had higher strengths but lower ductility. The use of longer fibres also means that they generally have to be arranged in a specific order which is time consuming and also requires human interaction and this all reduces the number of units that can be produced a day. An example of this carbon ceramic brake disc where the discs which have longer fibres cost significantly more and will only be used in very exotic cars such as Koenigsegg where as more budget sports cars such as Porsche tend to use discs with sort random fibers which are far more cost effective. Bibliography 1) A. Mazahery, M. O. Shabani . (2012). Mechanical properties of A356 matrix composites reinforced with nano-SiC particles. Available: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11223-012-9423-0. Last accessed 16/12/2016 2) unknown. (2004). Aluminum Matrix Composites with Discontinuous Silicon Carbide Reinforcement. Available: http://www.totalmateria.com/page.aspx?ID=CheckArticlesite=ktnNM=108. Last accessed 16 December 2016 3) Ajit Bhandakkar1*, R. C. Prasad1, Shankar M. L. Sastry2. (2014). Elastic plastic fracture toughness of aluminium. Available: http://www.vbripress.com/aml/uploads/540c820f6cee71410105871_fullabstratct.pdf. Last accessed 16 December 2016. 4) S. Taufik a, à ¢Ã‚ Ã… ½, S. Sulaiman b . (2014). Thermal Expansion Model for Cast Aluminium Silicon Carbide . Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705813020511. Last accessed 16 December 2016. 5) Parth S. Joshi, Kiran C. Hegade, Apoorv S. Kulkarni . (2016). Manufacturing of Disc Brake Rotor Using. Available: http://www.onlinejournal.in/IJIRV2I6/226.pdf. Last accessed 16/12/2016.The machinability of an Alà ®- ¸5 Mg alloy reinforced with 5 vol% Saffil and 15 vol% SiC was compared with that of Duralcan (A356) reinforced with 15 vol% SiC. In terms of tool wear and metal removal rate with both cemented carbide and polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutting tools, it was found that the Duralcan/ SiC was significantly easier to machine than the composite with the Al-5 Mg matrix. This is attributed to the effect of the matrix on the mechanisms of abrasion wear. The machinability of an Alà ®- ¸5 Mg alloy reinforced with 5 vol% Saffil and 15 vol% SiC was compared with that of Duralcan (A356) reinforced with 15 vol% SiC. In terms of tool wear and metal removal rate with both cemented carbide and polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutting tools, it was found that the Duralcan/ SiC was sig nificantly easier to machine than the composite with the Al-5 Mg matrix. This is attributed to the effect of the matrix on the mechanisms of abrasion wear.

Essay --

By giving restrictions on how to create knowledge from the arts and natural sciences we limit the knowledge available that is attainable. Ethical judgment is when we determine whether an action is morally permissive or acceptable. This can vary across time periods and certain cultures. Therefore, we limit our acquisition of knowledge by closing ourselves off to knowledge that some societies might be more accepting of. This pertains to natural sciences and the arts due to the fact that there will be different perceptions with what is morally acceptable towards what should be produced or not. This leads to the knowledge issue: to what extent do ethical considerations limit natural science experimentation and research and the way the arts are created? In the arts, there is rarely a universal agreement with what should be considered ethical or not. However, in natural sciences, there are more universal agreements that limit the methods that carry out the production of knowledge. Considering that the arts can limit our acquisition of knowledge when it is censored due to the possible negative outcomes it has, is it possible for a piece of art to be immoral? Artwork itself cannot be considered moral or immoral. It is a person’s sense perception of what is presented before him/her that impacts their reaction and makes them decide whether the artwork is immoral or not. The spectator will see the art differently than the artist. Maybe the piece was not vulgar to the artist because he/she views it differently and creates a representation of what they were picturing. Either way, everyone has different interpretations and impose their judgments on the artwork, which leads to them limiting the knowledge they could be accumulating. For example... ...ictly seen when we limit the way we produce it. Our way of leading us to the answer of an experiment, or fabricating an artwork, has many restrictions that we need to think through before putting it out there. We also are hurt from acquiring a better understanding of a work by letting ourselves be influenced by others’ moral judgments. We keep ourselves from advancing and discovering valuable information because the stigma around it states that it is unethical. Art could be more valuable or enlightening if everyone kept an open mind and attempted to understand what it represented. Certain scientific experiments could have already solved life-threatening diseases if no one focused on the means of how it was obtained. All these ethical judgments have been limiting us on how to generate more knowledge that would benefit our future or help us better understand our past.

response to Naomi Wolf :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What modern society dictates women should look like has had a great impact on commonplace women and how they feel they should look and act. I have no doubt a huge problem exists in society as a result of this. I think it has resulted in women being put to the side in terms of advancement. It also evokes a sense of low self-esteem. Little girls everywhere are brought up in front of an image they can never achieve. A truly ideal woman is one who has the confidence in herself to know that she is beyond that image. The key word there is confidence. Unfortunately, the magazine cover industry breaks confidence with its portrayals of thin, tall women. The ideal magazine cover woman is an unattainable fallacy. However, there is no guilty party to be blamed for this fact. Faulting the companies putting that image to use is unjust. The idea that women are subjected to an unfair amount of pressure as a result of the fashion world and other media outlets is hardly new, but Naomi Wolf takes this claim to a new and absurd level. Her essay is as unorganized as it is impractical. Her ideas are presented in a smorgasbord of flawed logic. Particularly disturbing is what she calls the â€Å"beauty myth.† What I disagree with is the word myth. According to Wolf, women in magazines and advertisements have approximately 20% less body mass than that of the average woman, creating an unattainable standard. This fact in no way supports her claim of a â€Å"beauty myth.† The existence of a myth suggests something to be untrue in nature. Magazine companies and advertisement agencies are not in the business of showing an average woman. They are in the business of selling a product. Of course they are going to use beautiful people. These companies completely regard the fact that most women do not in fact look like t his, but they know that their product would be less appealing if they displayed average or unattractive women. Therefore, they do not deserve scrutiny over the fact that they do not present a typical woman. They in fact do the same for men. Wolf says, â€Å"The beauty myth is not about women at all. It is about men’s institutions and institutional power† (page 485, first new paragraph). How does one begin to say how warped this impression is?

Evolution of thoughts in Scientific Management Essay

At the first stage where groups of people were insignificant, management in all spheres was carried out by one person – the leader of this group. Further, in process of group growth and complication of functions carried out by them, the necessity of labour division and group differentiation has appeared. But it couldn’t happen at once, it required centuries. The Egyptian pyramids build in 3000 – 2000 B.C. are a good example not only ancient Egyptian’s culture, but also their administrative art. Construction of huge pyramids demanded, first of all, precise planning. While the practice of management can be traced back to 3000 B.C., it was not given serious attention until 1800 when large organisations emerged. Industrial revolution has given a push to development of theoretical researches and management practices. However, till an epoch of capitalism function of management was carried out by the owner himself and a small group of the persons approached to him. The role of the specially trained managers developed during an epoch of monocapitalism. Having been faced with a competition, changeable environment, managers developed knowledge system of how it is better to use resources. During all history of management development we distinguish two approaches: classical and modern. Classical approach allows to allocate four patterns of management thought: 1898 Scientific management 1916 Administrative management 1920 Bureaucracy 1927 Human relations SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT Occurrence of scientific management takes place at the beginning of 20th century and is connected to F.W.Taylor’s name, Henri L.Gantt, Frank and Lilian Gilbreth. Scientific management focuses on worker and machine relationship. Organisational productivity can be increased by increasing the efficiency of production process. In 1911, Frederick Taylor, known as the Father of scientific management, published Principles of Scientific Management in which he proposed to design  work methods to increase productivity. One of his famous experiments was performed at Bethlehem Steel Company in Pittsburgh. He examined the time and movements, developed a better method for performing that job and trained the worker. In addition, Taylor offered a piece rate that increased as workers produced more. Taylor’s studies were followed by Gibreths, a husband and a wife, who also helped to find more efficient ways for workers to produce output. Frank Gilbreth made his contribution in the field of brick lying by changing an 18 step process into 5 step that led to increased productivity by about 200 percent. The Gibreths believed that were was one best way to perform an operation. However this â€Å"one best way† could be replaced when a better way was introduced. Other representative of Scientific Management was Henri Gantt. He developed a Gantt chart, which is used for scheduling multiple task over a time period. He developed a pay system with a guaranteed minimum wage and bonus systems for people on fixed wages and brought in a significant contribution to the leadership theory development. ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT Unlike Scientific Management which focused its attention on productivity, Administrative Management have engaged in development of management in the organisation as a whole and was concerned about administrative part of the organisation. The ancestor of this school was Henri Fayol. He worked as a mining engineer and came to realise that managing an enterprise required a lots of skills apart from technical ones. Henri Fayol was the first to identify the four management functions: Planning Organising Leading Controlling He also developed guidelines for managers to follow. These guidelines form fourteen principles for effective management. Other contributor to Administrative Management was Mary Parker Follet. She pointed out that all managers want flexibility, and she also distinguished between the motivation of individuals and groups. BUREAUCRACY Max Weber, known as a father of Modern Sociology, concentrated on how to structure an organisation for success. Weber outlined key elements of an ideal form of structure, which he believed would develop efficiency and called it bureaucracy. The bureaucratic structure had a number of important advantages for large organisations. The division of labour increased efficiently due to the continued repetition of the task. Hierarchy allowed developing a chain of command. Format selection meant that employees were hired on knowledge and experience and no other criteria would be used. Career orientation ensured that career professionals would give the organisation a degree of continuity in operations. Rules and procedures controlled employee performance. The impersonality of the organisation ensured that rules were applied across the board without personality or other influence getting in the way. HUMAN RELATIONS During the 1920s, an emphasis on the human side of the workplace began to influence management thinking. They started to realise that people are social and self-actualising. People at work are seemed to seek satisfying social relationships, respond to group pressures, and search for personal fulfilment. The human relations movement began with the Hawthorne Studies that were conducted at the Western Electric Company in Cicero 1924 -1933. The intention of these studies was to determine the effect of working conditions on productivity. The illumination experiments tried to determine whether better lighting would lead to increased productivity. Both the control group and the experimental group of female employees produced more whether the lights were turned up or down. It was discovered that this increased productivity was a result of the attention received by the group. In the relay assembly group experiments, six female employees worked in a special, separate area. They were given breaks and had the freedom to talk and were continuously observed by a researcher who served as the supervisor. Once again researches failed to find any direct relationship between changes in physical working conditions and output. Productivity increased regardless of the changes made. Two factors were set up as having special importance. One was the group atmosphere; the workers shared pleasant social relations with one another and wanted to do a good job. The other was more participative supervision. The workers were made to feel important, were given a lot of information, and were frequently asked for their opinions. It was not the case in their regular jobs. The final Hawthorne Study was conducted in the bank wiring room and centred on the role of the work group. A surprise finding here was that people would restrict their output in order to avoid the displeasure of the group. It was recognised that group can have strong negative, as well as positive influences on individual productivity. Two writers who helped advance the human relation movement were Abraham Maslow and Douglas McGregor. In 1943, Maslow advanced a theory suggesting that people are motivated by a hierarchy of needs. Which are physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualisation needs. People try to satisfy the five needs in sequence. They progress step by step from the lowest up to the highest. Meanwhile Douglas McGregor represents Theory X and Theory Y. According to McGregor, managers holding Theory X believe that those who work for them generally dislike work, lack ambitions, are irresponsible and prefer to be led rather than to lead. While in the Theory Y managers believe that people willing to work are capable of self-control, are willing to accept responsibility, are imaginative and creative. CONCLUSIONS Scientific Management Analysis of the past allows a better understanding of the present to predict the future Scientific Management improved people’s productivity at work by reducing number of motions choosing one best way to perform the task. However, Scientific Management was not without its critics. Taylor assumed that people were motivated only by money and ignored social and psychological factors. Also, Scientific Management techniques often resulted in lay-offs and it led to job losses. Relationship between the organisation and environment wasn’t taken to attention. Despite these criticisms, we use some of scientific techniques nowadays. For instance, on factory that produces mobile phones, the whole production mechanism is broken down to small tasks. The workers are guided by carefully calculated standards. They know how many details they should approximately produce per hour. Each movement is chosen carefully in order to reduce excess motions. I have been working in a hotel industry for three years. The scientific management techniques have been used in my department as well. To make checking in and out more efficient everyone had his or her own best way of performing the task. Administrative Management. Nowadays Faylol’s five main functions gained widespread recognition. Let’s take a hotel, for instance. Managers have to make plans for the future, organise short-term plans, co-ordinate recourses and finances, and control plans get their goals. In the Royal Bayswater Hotel, where I worked, manager’s aim was to get a â€Å"Service Excellence Award.† They planed to increase service by: training the staff; paying more attention to internal customers because â€Å"happy staff is happy customers† and by trying to exceed customer’s expectations. During all this process managers were controlling if everything was following the plans. And as a result to everybody’s effort the hotel has been awarded with â€Å"Best Excellence Service Award† Bureaucracy While the term Bureaucracy has a negative meaning some of its elements are still relevant. In the earlier mentioned hotel, for example, staff is selected and promoted on ability to perform the task. Workers are career orientated. In order to obtain the organisational objectives procedures are measured and performed according to the organisational rules and standards. Standards and rules applied without personal influence. Human Relations Until the late 20th human relationship hasn’t been taken to serious consideration. It has only been  after Hawthorne Experiments, the improvement of relations between all levels has been accepted as a very important element in the development and improvement of any organisation . This is still have a great importance  nowadays. The job of the manager in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this the manager should be able to encourage, teach, control, motivate and lead people. But that easier said than done. At my place of work there were different people with different needs. While some of them were satisfied with physiological and safety needs, the others there seeking for recognition from others, self-control and actualisation. So managers couldn’t expect a good performance at work if an individual’s needs haven’t been satisfied. We also had two types of managers. 1 Those who followed Theory X assumption 2 Those who followed Theory Y assumption As for me it was more difficult to work who doesn’t give you much freedom for your thoughts, and things that supervision is a necessity. On the other hand, it was a pleasure to work with someone who allows more flexibility, and thinks that control and punishment are not the only ways to make people work. As a result they got more commitment to the organisation. LIST OF REFERENCES 1 â€Å"Management†Stephen P. Robbinsons, Mary Coulter, 7 edition 2 â€Å"Management† John R. Schermerhorn, JR. 8 edition 3 â€Å"Management† John R. Schermerhorn, JR. 7 edition 4†³Management† Ricky W. Griffin 7 edition 5 â€Å"Modern Management† Siobhan D. Tiernan, Michael J. Morley, Edel Foley www.sfsu.edu/~erich/slides2/-5k www.ee.uwa.edu.au/~ccroft/em333/leca02.html-12k www.evolutionevent.co.uk/-2k

Imposing a Narrative: Political Agendas in Film Essay

Writers all face the same sensitive situation when beginning to compose a story, to create a narrative which accurately reflects the appropriate political commentary. Journalists often claim to be apolitical and purely objective, however, the fact of the matter is that the best a journalist can do is to aim to be as nonbiased and formal as possible in their political assertions. Other writers have it easier in that they are able to perhaps lean a bit further into one political direction over another, to make a story more personal and informal. For example, Michael Moore’s recent film Sicko places focus on the health care system as being in need of reform, utilizing obviously pro-Democratic rhetoric (2007). Moore calls attention to the socialist ideals in Europe which have strengthened the health care system in ways such as reducing costs to patients and increasing quality of life, in comparison to the United States. Some screenplay writers are confident in their aim to politicize certain issues, to use their artistic talent to call attention to social problems. See more: how to start a personal narrative essay examples Nora Ephron claims that â€Å"for something to matter it must be political†, asserting the point of view that it is vital for writers to impose a narrative on the audience in an effort to open minds to political perspectives (1992, 453). In incorporating the objective truth of events into films, it is essential to add enough personal and political opinion to be able to create a story which is full of touching meaning and excitement rather than purely disjointed factual analysis. Purpose of Screenwriter Ephron claims that imposing a narrative about an actual event or true life story is the writer’s â€Å"version of what†¦ happened† (1992, 454). This version of reality necessitates some elements of fiction, in that there is rarely a time when any writer knows the exact sequence of events in detail. The best that a writer can do, the responsibility of a writer, is to fill in the gaps with educated, plausible, exciting, and political guesses as to what may have occurred. When researching events, even events which may have just happened the day before, the writer is often faced with â€Å"historical fact and ongoing myth† (Ephron, 1992, 454). It is the responsibility of the talented and politically minded writer to supplement what is known with what is unknown, in order to weave a fuller fabric through storytelling. In screenwriting, the writer is concerned with taking what is known to be objective fact and interspersing these facts with creative images and ideas, so that the writer is able to tell a story which has a political agenda and imposes a certain narrative on the audience. Although many journalists disagree with the artistic elements of screenwriting, in which known facts are supplemented with interesting guesses and thought provoking speculations, there is simply no other way to produce an effective film without the influencing element of subjective narration. It would be impossible to create a movie about the life of Marilyn Monroe without adding some devised elements of pure fiction to what is actually known to be factual information about her life. Without the fiction, the facts would stand alone, hanging there as spots of time. No one person knows exactly the thoughts and activities of any other person, so if one person wants to create a film about the life of another person, is it essential to be able to inject the story of what actually occurred with what may have occurred. In this way, the story becomes full, interesting, and rich. The writer is able to contribute something of oneself into the final product. In this way, the completed film becomes a personal and meaningful sequence of events, some events being factual, and some events being fictional. In any case, one can rest assured that writers take time and energy necessary to infuse their documentary screenplays with colorful characters and powerful emotion, so that audience members are able to be moved and swayed in accordance with the intention of the creative process. Narrative in Film When considering the purpose of storytelling in film, particularly when the film is based upon the true story of a person’s life, it is important to be able to appreciate the ways in which facts are coupled with fiction in the effort to produce scenes and characters which come to life for the audience. This liveliness is often romantic, dramatic, political, yet is vital for the richness of the tale and the ability of the writer to devote oneself to the story on a personal and passionate level. One particularly moving film is A Beautiful Mind, based on the life of John Forbes Nash, Jr. , Nobel Laureate in Economics (Howard, 2001). Nash developed a highly respected theory of economics which is referred to as the Nash Equilibrium, which basically states that the motives of the individual and the motives of the group are correlated, in support of cooperative decision making. Nash was also known to have been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a fact acknowledged in the film. However, the bar scene where Nash unsuccessfully tries to strike up conversations with women and admits to his pals that he is â€Å"better with numbers than with people† is a fictional story devised by the screenwriter. It is personal situations such as this, the drawing together of Nash’s tremendous genius and social insecurity into a college bar excursion with his buddies, which aim to personalize and politicize the story of a person’s life. It is up to the audience to determine whether or not they believe Nash tried to pick up on women and failed, if his insecurity was the result of a mental illness or of experiencing the assault of human society, if he was simply shyer and less aggressive than other men, if he was learning something about economics when faced with this social situation. The possibilities are endless. In creating this personal interlude into what could have been a plausible occurrence in Nash’s life, the writer brings the audience into a fabricated yet intimate scene of what could have contributed to the experience of what it meant to be Nash. Conclusion In addressing the truth of the world through the medium of film, it is essential for writers to be aware that their documentaries necessarily must be empowered by bridging cultural divides and inspiring hope in overcoming political turmoil. It is essential that writing expose the harsh realities of a volatile world, educate and motivate people, and utilize entertainment through modes of humor and drama (Barnard, 2007). In films such as A Beautiful Mind, the lives of the characters become intimate appraisals of the human soul, and audience members reflect upon their own personal experiences and judgments as a result of this delving into the story of another person’s life. Political events in films, such as suggesting that psychiatric medication was not helpful to Nash, have a reverberating effect on the entire society and force people to make personal conclusions about what is right and wrong in the world. Although it is not the job of a screenwriter to misconstrue the facts, it is certainly the job of a writer to decorate the story with intimate yet fictional events, to make certain that the audience is absorbed in the entertainment of the imposed narrative, and to take the meaning of the story in just enough of a political direction to inspire people to think about their world a little bit differently than they may have done before.

Discussion of the history of cosmetics Essay

The dawn of modern cosmetics began divided into the following categories: Grolier (2005: 188-191). a. Powders – face powder usually contains talk, chalk, kaolin, and mixtures of zinc oxide, titanium oxide and various powdered pigments. Properly prepared, this mixture spreads easily, adheres to the skin, and absorbs some moisture. b. Emulsions – these are fine particles of oil dispersed in water. Vanishing creams and cold creams are examples of emulsions. Thinner emulsions, which contain more water relative to the oil content, are used as cleansing lotions and hand creams. c. Lipsticks – this is made up of oils, such as castor oil, mixed with waxes and pigments or dyes, and hardened into molds. Since the materials used in manufacturing lipsticks are actually taken into the body, the choice of ingredients is limited to those which are known or assumed to be non-toxic. d. Eye Makeup – these are eyebrow pencils, eye shadow, and mascara are, like lipstick, compounds of oil, wax and pigments. They, too, must be made of non-toxic or non-injurious materials. Cosmetics have come a long way in modern history and played a significant role in adorning both men and women for various occasions. It has been so widely-used that its functions have traversed into extremes for beautification purposes – it can either conceal or flaunt an asset of a person. It can serve as mask or a highlighter. This just means that it has the ability to change the appearance of the person according to the manner it was used. At the end of the day, personal psyche dictates that every person intends or strives to become pleasant to the eyes of the millions of people around him or her. What is beautiful has also changed over the years. The definition of what is beautiful goes across regions, beliefs, religion and societal perceptions. Burke (2003:75-77): According to the twentieth century philosopher Charles Hartshorne, â€Å"Beauty is the centerpiece of this classical trinity and that nothing in our experience is exempt from the touch of the beautiful†. Beyond aesthetics, what is beautiful is how one perceives it to be, in that if he or she can find beauty in there. Therefore, the quality of what is beautiful has emerged from mere prettiness or elaborate ornamentation into an instrument of life towards survival in the continuous evolution of life in this planet. It can be found that the link between biology and beauty has dictated the development of humans and other species. Scientific studies strengthens the debate that the beautiful will emerge as the survivors given that their counterparts find them more attractive than the rest and that they are perceived to produce the most beautiful offsprings. In this biological quest for a successful and healthy reproduction process, the preference is indeed given to those mates who appear healthy. A healthy individual is visually manifested in their skin and hair, by the movement of their body, by a proportioned and toned body. These are the people judged to be beautiful. If the experts are correct in these assumptions or scientific observations, men usually look for women who appear young and fertile. This is where cosmetics leverage onto. Burke (2003:75-77): The cosmetic industry tries to address this so-called â€Å"need† that women continue to appear young despite already going beyond their fertile or child-bearing years. Nevertheless, beyond the need to reproduce our genes, the core of beauty still delves on the ability of a person to identify and bring out the beauty in their lives. We need not generate only life in this world, but also generate beauty that will make life even more worthwhile. It is the appreciation of beauty in our surroundings even without the use of any form of artificial adornment such as cosmetics that will enable one to realize the beauty of life, that it is worth-knowing and worth living after all. Given how important the nation for beauty is perceived across nations, and beyond borders, how cosmetics value this perception and its effects to the human well-being is crucial. Dermatological diseases have sprung in the recent years that come in a range from minor cosmetic problems to even life-threatening problems, as displayed in some disorders commonly due to skin differentiation processes. Zeeuwen (2004:176). With this statement, one should also be vigilant and be a knowledgeable end-user of these products that attempt to change certain elements of your natural state of appearance or being to some extent. The law of economics reminds us that with in every level of quality increased, price is directly affected as it is directly correlated.

How to Start Tutoring From Home

How to Start Tutoring From Home Recently, I started a tutoring business in addition to my classroom teaching. This works really well for me at the moment because I am teaching part-time, so I have plenty of time and sanity left for a few hours of one-on-one tutoring in the afternoons. If you’re teaching full-time, I would not recommend adding any other responsibilities to the mix, much fewer ones that involve more time spent with other people’s children! However, if you are in a situation where tutoring would enrich your life and/or your bank account, then I’d like to help you out by giving you an overview of how I planned and implemented my tutoring business plan. Think of the Big Picture What subjects are you qualified to teach? How can you prove to prospective clients that you have the knowledge and experience for these subjects? Ive found that there is the most demand for high school math tutors. If you are competent and comfortable teaching Algebra and Geometry, you will have way less trouble finding clients. I am a little rusty on these subjects, but I am taking a lot of time right now brushing up on my high school math. I figure that I only have to do it once and then I will be back on track to tutor math for the foreseeable future with no worries. Consider Your Possible Clients What age group would you like to work with? You’ll also want to decide on a reasonable radius from your home that you’d be willing to accept clients from. For example, I made the mistake of accepting a client that lives 20-minutes away from me and I will have to drive on the freeway through traffic to get there and back. Not ideal, by any means. But I was just starting out and I felt desperate for clients and I said â€Å"yes† before I let myself ponder if it would really work for me and be worth the money. If you think about this beforehand, you won’t be caught off-guard on the phone, saying yes when you really mean no. Now, I plan to only accept clients that are in my immediate neighborhood. Marketing Techniques Think about the best way to reach your target audience. Some of the options include: Flyers with tabs on the neighborhood mailboxesFlyer delivery service to your target areaPost on CraigslistSign up for an online tutoring referral servicePut up flyers on the communityAdvertise in community publicationsSend a letter and business cards to the guidance counselors at local schools Ive had the most success with mailbox flyers and Craigslist, believe it or not. One of the best things about tutoring is that theres very little start-up costs. As your client list grows, word-of-mouth will be your best way to gain new clients. Collect reference letters from long-term clients and start to build up your reputation as a trusted neighborhood tutor. Figure Your Hourly Rates Do some precise market research to see how much other tutors in your area charge. Don’t sell yourself short and once you set your rate, be careful about compromising and lowering your rate. I made the mistake of agreeing to a slight discount in order to land my first few clients. Now, I’m stuck tutoring for a lower rate that I am not totally comfortable with. At the same time, I’ve lost a potential client or two because they said my rates were too high. However, if you research it properly, you shouldn’t have to lower your rates very often at all. The Nitty-Gritty of Where and When   Will you travel to clients or ask that your students come to your home? Ideally, of course, we’d all love to have our clients arrive neatly and promptly on our doorstep ready to learn. However, if you’re just starting out, you probably won’t be able to demand such a thing. As you build your resume and references, perhaps you can make this idea more of a reality. I try to emphasize that my house is very client with no distractions, which can be appealing to parents who have chaotic homes that would make your tutoring sessions far less productive. As for the â€Å"when† part of the question, be realistic about how much time you need in between appointments and how many hours you can actually accommodate in one afternoon. Alright, the time, place, and rate are all set. Now, heres what you should do during the tutoring session itself.

20 Essay Topics on Nursing + A Essay Sample Written for You

20 Essay Topics on Nursing + A Essay Sample Written for You 20 Potential Nursing Presentation Topics The Methods of Announcing Non-Curable Diagnosing for a Patient Care Methodology Development for Patients with the First Stage of Dementia Legalization of Free-Will Euthanasia as Means of Pain RelievingThe Work of Nursing Specialists in Case of Natural Disaster The Development of the Most Effective Diagnosing Methodology in Case of Emergency The Work of a Nurse with Handicapped Patients to Recover Lost Motoric Functions The Specification of the Work of a Nurse in Ghetto Regions The Selection of the Most Effective Pain-Killers Based on the Diagnosis of the Patient The Analysis of Genetic Material to Predict Potential Chronic Diseases Taking Care of the Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease The Legalization of Antibiotic Prescription by the Nurses Instead of Doctors The Methods of Increasing Surgery Efficiency of Nurses as Doctors’ Assistants The Creation of Decent Practical Conditions for Training Nurses Organization of Cost-Effective Treatment of Major Trauma UnitsEncouraging Patient Methodology as Means of Supporting Non-Medical Therapy The Necessity of Compulsory Psychological Training for an Effective Medical PurposeThe Support of the Parents with Neo-Natal Units The Methods of Dealing with Rude Patients The Increasing of Medicament Proficiency Among Nurses The Multiple Data Analysis to Prevent the Cases of Epidemics All the information above is distributed as a sample to encourage the ideas for dealing with nursing essay writing assignments. Students should understand the real value of the scientific writing and what results it can bring in the future. If one finds it challenging to compose the paper, they can make use of a sample given below or a list of facts that will help make the piece of writing hooking. Sample Essay on Alzheimer’s Disease: Hardship of Work for Nurses Dementia is another name for an ill-known disease that causes the loss of memory, changes in personality, and even lethal outcome Alzheimers disease. It is sad to admit, but it is officially proclaimed the fourth reason of death in the US and doctors set the diagnosis for numerous patients of over 65. The sickness causes a slow degeneration of brain cells which disrupts the regular mental capabilities. People who are ill – totally helpless when facing this terrifying health issue. In this aspect, the profession of a nurse is a real lifesaver as they play the most important part in this unequal battle on all three stages of the illness progression. The caretakers provide the assistance either at the premise of the patient or at a special facility. In most cases, people discuss how terrible the impact of the disease is, but not much attention is given to the nurses as they are also facing some health threatening issues, and this article covers the difficulties and potential threats with which a medical worker has to fight while helping people suffering from Alzheimer. The work with sick people leads to disruption of the caregiver’s homeostasis, meaning that the person faces numerous problems which should be controlled. The work with Alzheimer patients slowly reduces the level of self-control and emotional stability. A constant observation of degrading sick people leads to the growth of stress with the risk of depression development. Numerous statistics have shown that medical workers in caregiving field become overconnected to the patient and might face some serious cardiovascular issues caused by understanding personal helplessness. The nurse is supposed to overcome personal barriers and emotional blocks to work effectively with this type of patients – this leads to the growth of psychotic breakdown risk. The nurse should have a flexible mind as with the growth of negative symptoms the patient’s behavioral pattern can change, and it is required to study the patient anew as a totally different person. Among the fundamental skills that are required to develop among the Alzheimer sick, caretakers should be able to block the potential burden that seems unavoidable while working with patients with such an illness. The following skills are the most needed ones for the work of nurses. Nurses are supposed to understand the irreversibility of the consequences of the sickness. It is necessary to cooperate with the people of various cultures due to individual differences in mentality. It is vitally important to develop skills of spiritual support and understanding for people with the sickness. The medical worker should be able to deal with the Alzheimer’s disease symptoms on various stages. The regular work in a support group for caregivers is necessary for gaining extra knowledge, resources, and skills that are required for this type of work. The essay proves that the problematic level of the Alzheimer disease effects that nursing workers have to face and the necessity of development of proper medical and psychological skills that are mandatory for 1st-class care. The nurses who are working with Alzheimer should be trained to accept the inevitability of the disease’s consequences and responsibility to help until the last, hoping that one day scientists will find the cure for the malady. References: American Nurses Association. Nursing Scope and Standards Nursing of Practice (2012). Published The Publishing Program of ANA ananursepracticepackage.org/Content/Documents/ANA-Nursing-Scope-and-Standards-of-Practice-2015-Review-Copy.pdf Harriet R. Feldman, PhD, RN, FAAN and Rona F. Levin, PhD, RNT (2006). Teaching Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing. Springer Publishing Company. https://books.google.com.ua/books?id=jjGNQLdxtikCpg=PA259lpg=PA259dq=Feldman,+H.R.+%26+Lewensonsource=blots=KEQ2h2PWGHsig=9_8thfWY1KPs88spuxfTF6KcGxIhl=uksa=Xved=0ahUKEwi4k56vj5nbAhXQC-wKHR2kDNkQ6AEIMjAC#v=onepageqf=false Valerie J. Fiset, MScN, RN; Ian D. Graham, PhD; and Barbara L. Davies, PhD, RN. Evidence-Based Practice in Clinical Nursing Education: A Scoping Review. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e74b/ac360dbbfc334371cd7a11f87dca4521eab0.pdf Beal, J.A. (2012). Academic-service partnerships in nursing: An integrative review. Nursing Research and Practice, 2012, 1-9. Retrieved from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/nrp/2012/501564/ SALAMONSON Y., KOCH J., WEAVER R., EVERETT B. JACKSON D. SALAMONSON Y., KOCH J., WEAVER R., EVERETT B. JACKSON D. (2010) Embedded academic writing support for nursing students with English as a second language. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(2), 413–421 uws.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/132729/Embedded_academic_2010.pdf Jeffrey Fuller. Transcultural Health and Social Care: Development of Culturally Competent Practitioners (2006). Churchill Livingstone https://books.google.com.ua/books?id=sipVCwAAQBAJpg=PA318lpg=PA318dq=Omeri+A.,+Malcolm+P.,+Ahern+M.+%26+Wellington+B.+(2003)+Meeting+the+challenges+of+cultural+diversity+in+the+academic+setting.+Nurse+Education+in+Practicesource=blots=ZifY-iqo5Jsig=UjfSUAh_YGPTUCleAGLFftsasjEhl=uksa=Xved=0ahUKEwidy7-CkZnbAhVP6qQKHWUdD3YQ6AEIPDAD#v=onepageq=Omeri%20A.%2C%20Malcolm%20P.%2C%20Ahern%20M.%20%26%20Wellington%20B.%20(2003)%20Meeting%20the%20challenges%20of%20cultural%20diversity%20in%20the%20academic%20setting.%20Nurse%20Education%20in%20Practicef=false

How Is Love Presented In Victorian Love Poetry Essays

How Is Love Presented In Victorian Love Poetry Essays How Is Love Presented In Victorian Love Poetry Essay How Is Love Presented In Victorian Love Poetry Essay Essay Topic: Christina Rossetti Poems Victorian poems show love to be very strong and overpowering. This is expressed in many different ways, they include negative imagery and, on the other hand, positive imagery. In Victorian times, there was a much suppressed attitude. This was because Queen Victoria was in mourning from the death of her husband, Albert, due to typhoid. The country became very solemn from this so people started to express their feelings through poetry. The country had strong morals on issues such as family values, polite manners and religion. The characteristics of Victorian values included thrift, hard work and morals, with a love of home and its comforts. Romance and realism, sentiment and common sense were a Victorians view of the family.The studied poems are First Love by John Clare, How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, A Birthday by Christina Rossetti, A Woman to her Lover by Christina Walsh and When We Two Parted by Lord Byron. John Clare describes his first ever experience of roman tic love, Elizabeth Barrett Browning describes all the different ways in which she loves someone, Christina Rossetti describes romantic love, Christina Walsh describes how love has made her miserable and what her lover can do to make it better and, unlike Christina Rossetti, Lord Byron describes love very negatively.Different events in the poets lives might have influenced the way in which they write about love. In John Clares early adult years, whilst working as a pot-boy in a public house, he fell in love with a local farmers daughter, Mary Joyce. Her father forbade her from ever meeting him and this could have influenced the way he wrote about love as he describes these first feelings in First Love. He could have written other poems about the fact that he was not allowed to meet her and questioned the reasons that they were not allowed to meet. When Elizabeth Barrett met Robert Browning, their courtship and marriage was carried out secretly, as was the composition of her poems.Th is may have influenced the way she wrote about love because of her personal experiences. Christina Rossetti had a very sad life; her family had financial difficulties when born due to her fathers deteriorating mental and physical health and she suffered a nervous breakdown at 14 followed by bouts of depression. During this time her, her mother and sister were intrigued by the Anglo-Catholic movement, this played a large part in her life as in her late teens she became engaged to James Collinson and later Charles Cayley, these relationships both ended due to religious reasons and she lived with her mother all her life. This could have contributed to the influence and the way she wrote about love because of her close family and traumatic past.While at Burgage Manor with his mother, Byron cultivated several important friendships with Elizabeth Pigot and her brother, John. Then, at College, he fell deeply in love with a fifteen year old choirboy, John Edleston; he later died and in his memory composed a series of elegies, Thyrza. He had many affairs after college: with Nicolà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Giraud, a boy who taught him Italian, Lady Caroline Lamb, with whom he broke off the relationship, his half-sister, Augusta Leigh and Lady Carolines cousin, Anna Isabella Milbanke to name a few. These facts could all have influenced his way to write about love, because of his extravagant ways and scandalous affairs.Attitudes towards love and relationships were very different from today. Victorian society was very respectful and etiquette was important. It was necessary for a single woman to know who she could and couldnt speak to; a proper introduction was usual and it was not polite to dance with a complete stranger. Young ladies were constantly chaperoned. To be seen in public alone with a man who was not family would most certainly ruin her reputation. Gentlemen had to decide whether or not they could smoke or have a glass of sherry in front of a lady. Also whether or not to bow or who to tip your hat at could cause problems if the wrong decision was made. Victorians did not recognise there was a lower class: chimneysweeps, rat catchers or factory workers had no place. Laws for protection of the poor were put into place; however, this resulted in workhouses being opened, which had very bad conditions. The romantic era showed the expressions of passion and personal feelings, much of the poetry stemmed around romance and the Victorian changing society. There was an increased interest in nature, a growing interest in scenery, on religion and the poetry of this time expressed these traits.All of the poems are Victorian love yet each expresses different moods and tones. In First Love, the overall tone is intimately emotional changing to realisation of the event which had occurred. The intimately emotional tone is set by using words which suggest intensity, suddenness and surprise. I neer was struckWith love so sudden The verb struck shows the impact of the expe rience and the adjective sudden shows how instantaneous it was. In How Do I Love Thee? the overall tone is dignified and intimate. Browning creates this tone by stating all the positive ways in which she loves someone. I love theefreelypurelywith the passion put to use Freely, purely and passion are all positives in a relationship, so she is using them to display the positivity to her love. The overall tone of A Birthday is very happy and jovial. This tone is created by comparing the beauty of being in love to natural elements. My heart is like a singing birdpaddles in a halcyon sea The singing bird and the halcyon sea are perfect, beautiful, natural elements so she is personifying these elements to show the greatness and happiness in her love. Although First Love is has a very similar tone to A Birthday they are not the same.A feature that they both share is that they both are quite positive and happy. However, something that the poems do not have in common is that Clares is extrem ely emotional and personal; about him and his experience. On the other hand Brownings could be compared to anyones experience and the beauty of being in love. The overall tone of A Woman to Her Lover is fairly heavy until the last stanza when she lightens the mood; although she is solemn throughout. She creates this mood by using a rhetorical question, answering it with what she would not like. Do you come to me to bend me to your willto make of me a bond slaveto bear you childrenin drudgery and silence no servant will I be. This shows that she clearly states to her lover how she expects him to treat her, putting her point across and wanting equality in this relationship; this equality in a relationship points to the equality she wants in the patriarchal society as it was then.In When We Two Parted the tone is quite cold and gloomy. This is created by the hate and coldness he portrays. When we two parted in silence and tearsdew of the morning sunk chill on myit felt like a warning o f what I feel nowlong, long shall I rue thee too deeply too tell. By starting the poem with silence and tears, he is already creating a very down atmosphere by using negative actions, the gloominess of saying how he feels but not what he is feeling is a clever technique he has used to mystify the poem and put on edge on what had happened thus carrying on to say how deeply he now hates her for what she did bringing about the cold mood surrounding the poem.There is a lot of different imagery in the poems as well as different language used by the poets and in different ways. In First Love, John Clare uses words that show that love can cause pain as well as pleasure. Struckbloodburnt Clare has used these painful words to describe his feelings from love to show that the assumption that love is all pleasure is proved wrong and is shown that there can be pain. The poet suggests that love has taken over his life and left him completely helpless. He does this by using metaphors to suggest th at his bodily functions have been affected. My legs refused to walk awaymy life and all seemed turned to claytook my sight awayI could not see a single thing He shows that he is fixated and cannot do anything stop it. John Clare used traditional imagery of love poetry in the poem. This is where he writes, her face it bloomed like a sweet flower. This shows that he is using a simile to compare the lady to something very sweet and beautiful, therefore creating a very powerful image in your mind.There is a contrast between his feelings and the lady he loves, she does not reciprocate his feelings for her and he is left disappointed. She seemed to hear my silent voice, and loves appeal to know. This explains that she knows what he is feeling yet does not return the love to him. The questions in the final stanza, Are flowers the winters choice? Is loves bed always snow, shows that he is in a heart-broken state of mind. I neer was struckwith love so sudden and so sweet are an example of si bilance in the poem, the effect this has is that it emphasises the words struck and sudden to make the most impact and show that he was struck by love and that the experience was so sudden. In How Do I Love Thee, Elizabeth Barrett Browning suggests that there are many ways she loves him by stating there are many and listing them. Let me count the waysI love thee to theI love thee to theI love thee freelyI love thee purelyI love thee with the I love thee with a By starting with ways plural she is already suggesting there are multiples, she then carries on to list the ways in detail. She tries to explain the size of her love by comparison in depth and breadth and height in everywhere her soul can reach indicating her emotions are too great to measure. She suggests that she will always love him. I shall but love thee better after death. Here, she is explaining that there is no end to her perfect love, that it is eternal and that not even death can stop it. By referring to religious lan guage such as gracepraisefaithsaintsGodElizabeth is making love sound like a religious experience. Browning uses much more religious, non-physical language to describe the lifelong love she has for her lover in comparison to Clares short, first love experience including language about the physical, clear and direct side. This may have been because Clares direct language could have been used to aim the simplicity and immediacy of the feelings and physical effects to the reader. Brownings language, however, is much more about the depth of her feeling and religious aspects rather than the physical side of it. The significance of the title of A Birthday by Christina Rossetti is that the poem is about celebrating love and a birthday is a celebratory time so it is a comparison of two very happy times.She uses images from nature to compare natural perfection with the perfect fulfilment of love My heart is like an apple-tree, whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit. She is comparing her h eart to an apple-tree. She may have used the apple tree instead of just a normal tree because an apple-tree is much better than a normal tree and is special as it is producing fruit. This therefore shows that she is trying to put the message across that her love is special. Rossetti has very ambiguous and extravagant feeling in the poem and she uses imagery to create this setting.This setting is created by her wanting of a dais of silk and down that can act as a celebratory monument of the love that she wants to decorate with vair and purple dyes carve it with doves and pomegranates to name a few of the list of decorations she describes. Rossetti uses elaborate language that helps depict a fairy tale image, whereas Brownings language gives a religious feeling to her poem contrasting to the simpler expression of love Clare displays. Christina Walsh uses military imagery in A Woman to her Lover to suggest the power men have over women. She does this by establishing control through a q uestion and answer that are implied and given.Do you come to me to bend me to your will? As conqueror to the vanquished She uses your will to suggest control over her that she predicts he wants therefore showing the men have power over women and she doesnt like it. The repetition of the phrase I refuse you gives a very stern tone that does not sound like the stereotypical Victorian woman; who should not rebel and set the terms of the relationship as she does. In stanzas one and two, Walsh uses images that suggest the loss of freedom Victorian women could suffer in marriage such as: bend me to your will, bond slave, bear you children, wearing out my life, no servant will I be and sit for feeble worship.In the phrase wakened women of our time Walsh is suggesting that modern women demand equality and that no modern woman is the one for him if that is what he wants, the alliteration shows up wakened woman to make them stick out so they linger in your mind optimises the heavy tone. In th e final stanza she uses universal imagery to get the image of her ideal marriage partnership across to him. This therefore suggests that true love between equals is much more happy and positive with no downsides for either half. Lord Byron writes in When We Two Parted, A shudder comes oer me, why wert thou so dear? He writes these words to suggest his feeling of regret.This is shown by the questioning of what he could have possibly ever seen in her, carrying on to the vow to never have feelings for her if they were to ever meet again. Byrons imagery of cold in pale grew thy cheek and cold, colder thy kiss is suggesting a loss of passion by the lack of life in coldness comparing it to the lack of intimacy he has, for example thy kiss. John Clare also uses imagery to suggest coldness as a loss of passion by stating Are flowers the winters choice? Is loves bed always snow? Flowers do not grow in winter, so it is again, lifeless, hence loves bed of snow.First Love has a regular rhyme st ructure which reflects the purity of the emotion from the simplicity of the poem. How do I Love Thee takes the form of a sonnet, this is appropriate as the poem is like a monologue as she seems to answer a question so a flowing speech suits the 14 line poem. Browning makes use of repetition with the t and the th sound. The phrases which are repeated are used to emphasise the meaning o the poem. Browning makes use of repetition with my heart, that is like a hypnotic chant drawing us in. The effect of having no rhyme scheme in A Woman to Her Lover is that the poem can be taken much more seriously to match the heavy tone.The final stanza of A Woman to Her Lover is longer than the previous three because the first three are her refusing to be what he wants her to be whereas the last stanza is how the relationship can be equal and what she would consider to be in a married life. The short lines in When We Two Parted are to add to the effect of the cold, bitter mood. He achieves cohesion i n the poem by returning to the opening stanza in the final lines of the last thus creating a join to make it a united whole.Love is presented differently in each of the poems by the poets. In First Love love has been presented through the physical and emotional effects by John Clare. In How Do I Love Thee, Elizabeth Barrett Browning presents love by trying to express the depth; she has changed abstract nouns into proper nouns to prove their importance. Christina Rossetti presents love by sharing the positive and uplifting sensations of love and celebrating the joy it brings; she uses imagery of nature and summer as well as a comparison to one of the happiest times of life, a birthday. In A Woman to Her Lover, Walsh presents love through the conditions she expects the man to agree with if he was to become her husband. And finally, Lord Byron presents love in this poem as something he has lost.His shame and his grief are also very strong in description. Of all the poems, my favourite is A Birthday by Christina Rossetti. This is because it is a celebration of love rather than the after effects of a broken heart. It also has a light, cheery attitude whereas the other poems are slightly disheartening. Overall the poems are about love and loss. The innermost feelings and emotions of love between two people are discovered and expressed in detail. Both negative and positive emotions are explored and the effects it has on both people are portrayed.

The Four-Tiered Class System of Feudal Japan

The Four-Tiered Class System of Feudal Japan Between the 12th and 19th centuries, feudal Japan had an elaborate four-tiered class system. Unlike European feudal society, in which the peasants (or serfs) were at the bottom, the Japanese feudal class structure placed merchants on the lowest rung. Confucian ideals emphasized the importance of productivity, so farmers and fishermen had higher status than shop-keepers in Japan, and the samurai class had the most prestige of all. Samurai Feudal Japanese society was dominated by the samurai warrior class. Although they made up only about 10 percent of the population, samurai and their daimyo lords wielded enormous power. When a samurai passed, members of the lower classes were required to bow and show respect. If a farmer or artisan refused to bow, the samurai was legally entitled to chop off the recalcitrant persons head. Samurai answered only to the daimyo for whom they worked. The daimyo, in turn, answered only to the shogun. There were about 260 daimyo by the end of the feudal era. Each daimyo controlled a broad area of land and had an army of samurai. Farmers and Peasants Just below the samurai on the social ladder were the farmers and peasants. According to Confucian ideals, farmers were superior to artisans and merchants because they produced the food that all the other classes depended upon. Although technically they were considered an honored class, farmers lived under a crushing tax burden for much of the feudal era. During the reign of the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, farmers were not allowed to eat any of the rice they grew. They had to hand it all over to their daimyo  and then wait for him to give some back as charity. Artisans Although artisans produced many beautiful and necessary goods, such as clothes, cooking utensils, and woodblock prints, they were considered less important than farmers. Even skilled samurai sword makers and boatwrights belonged to this third tier of society in feudal Japan. The artisan class lived in its own section of the major cities, segregated from the samurai (who usually lived in the daimyos castles) and from the lower merchant class. Merchants The bottom rung of feudal Japanese society was occupied by merchants, which included both traveling traders and shopkeepers. Merchants were often ostracized as parasites who profited from the labor of the more productive peasant and artisan classes. Not only did merchants live in a separate section of each city, but the higher classes were forbidden to mix with them except when conducting business. Nonetheless, many merchant families were able to amass large fortunes. As their economic power grew, so did their political influence, and the restrictions against them weakened. People Above the Four-Tiered System Although feudal Japan is said to have had a four-tiered social system, some Japanese lived above the system, and some below. At the very pinnacle of society was the shogun, the military ruler. He was generally the most powerful daimyo; when the Tokugawa family seized power in 1603, the shogunate became hereditary. The Tokugawa ruled for 15 generations until 1868. Although the shoguns ran the show, they ruled in the name of the emperor. The emperor, his family, and the court nobility had little power, but they were at least nominally above the shogun, and also above the four-tiered system. The emperor served as a figurehead for the shogun, and as the religious leader of Japan. Buddhist and Shinto priests and monks were above the four-tiered system as well. People Below the Four-Tiered System Some unfortunate people also fell below the lowest rung of the four-tiered ladder. These people included the ethnic minority Ainu, the descendants of slaves, and those employed in taboo industries. Buddhist and Shinto tradition condemned people who worked as butchers, executioners, and tanners as unclean. They were known as the eta. Another class of social outcasts was the hinin, which included actors, wandering bards, and convicted criminals. Prostitutes and courtesans, including oiran, tayu, and geisha, also lived outside of the four-tiered system. They were ranked against one another by beauty and accomplishment. Today, all of these people are collectively called burakumin. Officially, families descended from the burakumin are just ordinary people, but they can still face discrimination from other Japanese in hiring and marriage. The Transformation of the Four-Tiered System During the Tokugawa era, the samurai class lost power. It was an era of peace, so the samurai warriors skills were not needed. Gradually they transformed into either bureaucrats or wandering troublemakers, as personality and luck dictated. Even then, however, samurai were both allowed and required to carry the two swords that marked their social status. As the samurai lost importance, and the merchants gained wealth and power, taboos against the different classes mingling were broken with increasing regularity. A new class title, chonin, came to describe upwardly mobile merchants and artisans. During the time of the Floating World, when angst-ridden Japanese samurai and merchants gathered to enjoy the company of courtesans or watch kabuki plays, class mixing became the rule rather than the exception. This was a time of ennui for Japanese society. Many people felt locked into a meaningless existence, in which all they did was seek out the pleasures of earthly entertainment as they waited to pass on to the next world. An array of great poetry described the discontent of the samurai and the chonin. In haiku clubs, members chose pen names to obscure their social rank. That way, the classes could mingle freely. The End of the Four-Tiered System In 1868, the Floating World came to an end, as a number of radical shocks completely remade Japanese society. The emperor retook power in his own right, as part of the Meiji Restoration, and abolished the office of the shogun. The samurai class was dissolved, and a modern military force created in its stead. This revolution came about in part because of increasing military and trade contacts with the outside world, (which, incidentally, served to raise the status of Japanese merchants all the more). Prior to the 1850s, the Tokugawa shoguns had maintained an isolationist policy toward the nations of the western world; the only Europeans allowed in Japan were a tiny camp of Dutch traders who lived on an island in the bay. Any other foreigners, even those ship-wrecked on Japanese territory, were likely to be executed. Likewise, any Japanese citizen who went overseas was not permitted to return. When Commodore Matthew Perrys U.S. Naval fleet steamed into Tokyo Bay in 1853 and demanded that Japan open its borders to foreign trade, it sounded the death-knell of the shogunate and of the four-tiered social system.