Sunday, October 13, 2019
Unferth in Beowulf and Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey :: comparison compare contrast essays
Unferth in Beowulf and Odysseus in the Odyssey          Kemp Malone in his essay â€Å"Beowulf†comments that the hero’s swimming match with Breca, an episode of more than 100 lines, is â€Å"not told as such,†but set in a frame: â€Å"the flitting between Unferth and Beowulf†(Malone 144). This contention or challenge between the hero and a rude challenger appears not only in Beowulf but in other heroic poetry like the Odyssey.  When Beowulf and his crew of brave Geat warriors arrive to the court of King Hrothgar of Denmark, one of the king’s retainers, Unferth by name, has been drinking too heavily of the mead. This puts him into a drunken state of mind wherein he unwisely and rudely challenges the hero regarding a swimming contest sometime earlier:  Unferth, Ecglaf’s son,               rose to speak, who sat at the fee                     of the lord of the Scyldings; he unbound a battle-rune -       the journey of Beowulf, the brave seafarer,                   caused him chagrin, for he would not grant  that any other man under the heavens                    might ever care more for famous deeds                     than he himself: â€Å"Are you the same Beowulf      who challenged Breca to a swimming match                on the open sea? There out of pride                    you both tested sea-ways, through foolish boasting risked lives on the deep. None could dissuade you,        friend or foe, keep either of you                    from that hapless trip, when you went swimming         out of the bay, your arms embracing                the crests, sea-currents, flung out your hands                 to measure the sea-roads, the ocean of wind.                   The steep seas boiled in winter’s pourings.                 You both toiled seven nights driven by the waves,                and in that swimming he overcame you,                    had greater strength.(499ff.)  So far Unferth, a proud warrior himself, tells Beowulf that the hero is foolish and that he has been bested in this sea-competition by his opponent – both of which are big, embarrassing putdowns. Unferth continues to rub it in:  The sea cast him up                 on the Heatho-Raems’ shore; from there at daybreak he sought his homeland, beloved by his people,             came back to the Brondings, fair peace-fort                          where he had subjects, stronghold, and treasures.        The good son of Beanstan had truly fulfilled                       his whole boast against you(519ff.)  Nothing like siding 100% with the foe! Before even hearing both sides of the story! Finally, in concluding, Unferth states his minimal expectations of Beowulf considering the latter’s utter failure against Breca:
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Analysis of Keats To Autumn Essay -- Keats To Autumn Essays Poetry
Analysis of Keats' To Autumn  John Keats' poem To Autumn is essentially an ode to Autumn and the change of seasons. He was apparently inspired by observing nature; his detailed description of natural occurrences has a pleasant appeal to the readers' senses. Keats also alludes to a certain unpleasantness connected to Autumn, and links it to a time of death. However, Keats' association between stages of Autumn and the process of dying does not take away from the "ode" effect of the poem.  The three-stanza poem seems to create three distinct stages of Autumn: growth, harvest, and death. The theme going in the first stanza is that Autumn is a season of fulfilling, yet the theme ending the final stanza is that Autumn is a season of dying. However, by using the stages of Autumn's as a metaphor for the process of death, Keats puts the concept of death in a different, more favorable light.             In the first stanza, the "growth" stanza, Keats appeals to our sense of visualization. The reader pictures a country setting, such as a cottage with a yard full of fruit trees and flowers. In his discussion of the effects of Autumn on nature, Keats brilliantly personifies Autumn. A personification is when an object or a concept is presented in such a way as to give life or human characteristics to the idea or concept. Not only does Keats speak of Autumn as if it had life, (e.g., in lines 2 and 3, where he creates a friendship between Autumn and the sun, in which they "conspire" to "load and bless" the trees with ripe, bountiful fruit), but he also gives personality to the life-form Autumn. He first defines Autumn as a "season of mist and mellow fruitfulness." The references to both "mist" and "mellow... ...ch as funerals, or recessionals. It is appropriate that this change of imagery into musical imagery in the final stanza because it is not only the end of the poem, but it is the description of the end of Autumn as well ("While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day"). The use of the word "soft" in "soft-dying day" helps to take away the "Grim Reaper" sense of death and define it as a natural, inevitable occurrence that ends a cycle.  The final line "and gathering swallows twitter in the skies" gives the reader a definite sense of ending (the swallows are preparing to migrate for the winter season). At this point, the poem seems to comes to a rest, and this final line creates an effective sense of closure. Bibliography: "To Autumn". The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: W.W. norton, Inc., 2000.    Analysis of Keats' To Autumn Essay -- Keats To Autumn Essays Poetry Analysis of Keats' To Autumn  John Keats' poem To Autumn is essentially an ode to Autumn and the change of seasons. He was apparently inspired by observing nature; his detailed description of natural occurrences has a pleasant appeal to the readers' senses. Keats also alludes to a certain unpleasantness connected to Autumn, and links it to a time of death. However, Keats' association between stages of Autumn and the process of dying does not take away from the "ode" effect of the poem.  The three-stanza poem seems to create three distinct stages of Autumn: growth, harvest, and death. The theme going in the first stanza is that Autumn is a season of fulfilling, yet the theme ending the final stanza is that Autumn is a season of dying. However, by using the stages of Autumn's as a metaphor for the process of death, Keats puts the concept of death in a different, more favorable light.             In the first stanza, the "growth" stanza, Keats appeals to our sense of visualization. The reader pictures a country setting, such as a cottage with a yard full of fruit trees and flowers. In his discussion of the effects of Autumn on nature, Keats brilliantly personifies Autumn. A personification is when an object or a concept is presented in such a way as to give life or human characteristics to the idea or concept. Not only does Keats speak of Autumn as if it had life, (e.g., in lines 2 and 3, where he creates a friendship between Autumn and the sun, in which they "conspire" to "load and bless" the trees with ripe, bountiful fruit), but he also gives personality to the life-form Autumn. He first defines Autumn as a "season of mist and mellow fruitfulness." The references to both "mist" and "mellow... ...ch as funerals, or recessionals. It is appropriate that this change of imagery into musical imagery in the final stanza because it is not only the end of the poem, but it is the description of the end of Autumn as well ("While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day"). The use of the word "soft" in "soft-dying day" helps to take away the "Grim Reaper" sense of death and define it as a natural, inevitable occurrence that ends a cycle.  The final line "and gathering swallows twitter in the skies" gives the reader a definite sense of ending (the swallows are preparing to migrate for the winter season). At this point, the poem seems to comes to a rest, and this final line creates an effective sense of closure. Bibliography: "To Autumn". The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: W.W. norton, Inc., 2000.   Â
Friday, October 11, 2019
How does technology effects us? Essay
Look back at our day so far, how many people have we seen ignoring the world around them, not paying attention to the cashier or not absorbing the information in class? In Alina Tugend essay, multitasking can make you lose†¦Um†¦ focus, she reported that multitasking may seem like it saves people time however, it makes people less efficient. It may be true that technology provides us with time-saving devices like push to cars, cell-phones that consist of 4G internet access, and washing machines with built in dyers; however most of us still complain about not having enough time. Like everything else in the world, technology has its pros and cons; it affects peoples’ concentration, writing skills, and what we consider reality; but how exactly is technology affecting the way we think, read, write and live? The development of technology has greatly improved my life but diminished it at the same time. It brought me closer to my family in Trinidad after my father passed, th ree years ago. Logging onto Facebook and Instagram, receiving phone calls, text messages, video chatting kept me fasten into their world 24/7. Although we built such a strong relationship within those years, I was totally disconnecting from what was going on around me and my immediate family. I came to this realization when my little sister’s fifth birthday nearly past without me noticing. The array of technology can be a distraction; in my case, I disengaged myself from the most significant part of my life. Technology can be a distraction during office meetings, daily human interaction, study time and even our concentration; since, we are constantly being interrupted by a phone call, text message or a game notification. Tugend, who wrote, Multitasking Can Make You Lose†¦Um†¦Focus, explained that multitasking actually delays our process rather than accelerating it. We often believe that doing multiple assignments would be effortless but it causes an abundance of stress. Research has proven that the human mind can only focus â€Å"on one or two items at a time†(716). I believe multitasking all depends on the two tasks that is being combined, for example: listening to music while doing math homework seems to me as a good mixture because the music is helping the worker better cope with the math problems. On the other hand, driving while text messaging can be a distraction because, they activities require full focus and concentration. Focus is very important when it comes to multitasking but also significant when using the internet to search long pieces of writing. In Nicholas Carr’s essay, Is Google Making Us Stupid, he states, â€Å"research that once required days in the stacks or periodical room of libraries can now be done in minutes†(732). The use of technology is very beneficial and time efficient, however does the pros overcome the cons? Carr also discusses the fight against technology to stay focus; since now a day, â€Å"†¦three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb†(733). I reckoned that we must realize that reading doesn’t come natural like speech does. We must keep training ourselves to read no matter if it’s in a paperback book or an online blogging site without distractions. Many teachers and parents believe most teenagers are distracted by text messaging (texting). A variety of teachers dispraise texting because most students use text slag and abbreviation in professional writings, and students do not become conscious of the fact. Also there are parent who think texting negatively imp act their children communication skills. On the other hand, Michaela Cullington, the writing of Does Texting Affect Writing, would most likely disagree. Cullington believes that texting motivate student to write and also it is â€Å"practice in specific writing skills, and an opportunity to gain confidence in their writing†(89-90). After her research she was convince that texting is not interfering in students’ writing skills. I caught myself plenty of times using text slag when writing a paper to turn into class. Fortunately, I have taught myself to text in complete sentence and use correct abbreviation so it wouldn’t interfere with my writing skills. If text messaging doesn’t interfere than maybe games can. Sam Anderson would consider games like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja as â€Å"Hyperaddictive stupid games,†because it’s a simple thing that becomes addictive and eventually form into a distraction. In Anderson essay, Just One More Game†¦: Angry Birds, Farmville, and Other Hyperaddictive Stupid Games, he illustrates that stupid games were designed to pop up in other occasions. For exa mple, you are doing calculus homework and you receive a text message and suddenly it’s an hour later and you are launching another bird. People are so attached to their phones because game-studies scholars specially design games to be so addictive. Especially now that people can a play game anywhere at the palms of their hands. Using the same addicting technology can probably â€Å"help solve real world problems like obesity, education and government abuse†(67). Living in a generation where technology affect everything around us including our communication, multitasking, concentration, writing skills, and our view of reality. I believe that technology was made to make our lives easier sadly, it can bring upon more difficulties in our life. Technology will always be prevailing and it is our responsibility to work with it. The majority of people today have become so dependent on technology that they aren’t be able to function a full day without it. I believe it is up to the people of America to decide whether we have taken advantage of technology, or has technology taken advantage of us, without us bei ng aware of it. Works Cited Anderson, Sam. â€Å"Just One More Game†¦: Angry Birds, Farmville, and Other Hyperaddictive Stupid Games.†The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 64-69 Print. Carr, Nicholas. â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid†The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.731-744. Print. Cullington, Michaela. â€Å"Does texting affect writing†The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.87-95. Print. Tugend, Alina. â€Å" Multitasking can make us lose†¦Um†¦Focus.†The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.714-718. Print.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Foundation and Empire 1. Search For Magicians
BEL RIOSE†¦ In his relatively short career, Riose earned the title of â€Å"The Last of the Imperials†and earned it well. A study of his campaigns reveals him to be the equal of Peurifoy in strategic ability and his superior perhaps in his ability to handle men. That he was born in the days of the decline of Empire made it all but impossible for him to equal Peurifoy's record as a conqueror. Yet he had his chance when, the first of the Empire's generals to do so, he faced the Foundation squarely†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica *All quotations from the Encyclopedia Galactica here reproduced are taken from the 116th Edition published in 1020 F.E. by the Encyclopedia Galactica Publishing Co., Terminus, with permission of the publishers. Bel Riose traveled without escort, which is not what court etiquette prescribes for the head of a fleet stationed in a yet-sullen stellar system on the Marches of the Galactic Empire. But Bel Riose was young and energetic – energetic enough to be sent as near the end of the universe as possible by an unemotional and calculating court – and curious besides. Strange and improbable tales fancifully-repeated by hundreds and murkily-known to thousands intrigued the last faculty; the possibility of a military venture engaged the other two. The combination was overpowering. He was out of the dowdy ground-car he had appropriated and at the door of the fading mansion that was his destination. He waited. The photonic eye that spanned the doorway was alive, but when the door opened it was by hand. Bel Riose smiled at the old man. â€Å"I am Riose-â€Å" â€Å"I recognize you.†The old man remained stiffly and unsurprised in his place. â€Å"Your business?†Riose withdrew a step in a gesture of submission. â€Å"One of peace. If you are Ducem Barr, I ask the favor of conversation.†Ducem Barr stepped aside and in the interior of the house the walls glowed into life, The general entered into daylight. He touched the wall of the study, then stared at his fingertips. â€Å"You have this on Siwenna?†Barr smiled thinly. â€Å"Not elsewhere, I believe. I keep this in repair myself as well as I can. I must apologize for your wait at the door. The automatic device registers the presence of a visitor but will no longer open the door.†â€Å"Your repairs fall short?†The general's voice was faintly mocking. â€Å"Parts are no longer available. If you will sit, sir. You drink tea?†â€Å"On Siwenna? My good sir, it is socially impossible not to drink it here.†The old patrician retreated noiselessly with a slow bow that was part of the ceremonious legacy left by the aristocracy of the last century's better days. Riose looked after his host's departing figure, and his studied urbanity grew a bit uncertain at the edges. His education had been purely military; his experience likewise. He had, as the cliche‚ has it, faced death many times; but always death of a very familiar and tangible nature, Consequently, there is no inconsistency in the fact that the idolized lion of the Twentieth Fleet felt chilled in the suddenly musty atmosphere of an ancient room. The general recognized the small black-ivroid boxes that lined the shelves to be books. Their titles were unfamiliar. He guessed that the large structure at one end of the room was the receiver that transmuted the books into sight-and-sound on demand. He had never seen one in operation; but he had heard of them. Once he had been told that long before, during the golden ages when the Empire had been co-extensive with the entire Galaxy, nine houses out of every ten had such receivers – and such rows of books. But there were borders to watch now; books were for old men. And half the stories told about the old days were mythical anyway. More than half. The tea arrived, and Riose seated himself. Ducem Barr lifted his cup. â€Å"To your honor.†â€Å"Thank you. To yours.†Ducem Barr said deliberately, â€Å"You are said to be young. Thirty-five?†â€Å"Near enough. Thirty-four.†â€Å"In that case,†said Barr, with soft emphasis, â€Å"I could not begin better than by informing you regretfully that I am not in the possession of love charms, potions, or philtres. Nor am I in the least capable of influencing the favors of any young lady as may appeal to you.†â€Å"I have no need of artificial aids in that respect, sir.†The complacency undeniably present in the general's voice was stirred with amusement. â€Å"Do you receive many requests for such commodities?†â€Å"Enough. Unfortunately, an uninformed public tends to confuse scholarship with magicianry, and love life seems to be that factor which requires the largest quantity of magical tinkering.†â€Å"And so would seem most natural. But I differ. I connect scholarship with nothing but the means of answering difficult questions.†The Siwennian considered somberly, â€Å"You may be as wrong as they!†â€Å"That may turn out or not.†The young general set down his cup in its flaring sheath and it refilled. He dropped the offered flavor-capsule into it with a small splash. â€Å"Tell me then, patrician, who are the magicians? The real ones.†Barr seemed startled at a title long-unused. He said, â€Å"There are no magicians.†â€Å"But people speak of them. Siwenna crawls with the tales of them. There are cults being built about them. There is some strange connection between it and those groups among your countrymen who dream and drivel of ancient days and what they call liberty and autonomy. Eventually the matter might become a danger to the State.†The old man shook his head. â€Å"Why ask me? Do you smell rebellion, with myself at the head?†Riose shrugged, â€Å"Never. Never. Oh, it is not a thought completely ridiculous. Your father was an exile in his day; you yourself a patriot and a chauvinist in yours. It is indelicate in me as a guest to mention it, but my business here requires it. And yet a conspiracy now? I doubt it. Siwenna has had the spirit beat out of it these three generations.†The old man replied with difficulty, â€Å"I shall be as indelicate a host as you a guest. I shall remind you that once a viceroy thought as you did of the spiritless Siwennians. By the orders of that viceroy my father became a fugitive pauper, my brothers martyrs, and my sister a suicide. Yet that viceroy died a death sufficiently horrible at the hands of these same slavish Siwennians.†â€Å"Ah, yes, and there you touch nearly on something I could wish to say. For three years the mysterious death of that viceroy has been no mystery to me. There was a young soldier of his personal guard whose actions were of interest. You were that soldier, but there is no need of details, I think.†Barr was quiet. â€Å"None. What do you propose?†â€Å"That you answer my questions.†â€Å"Not under threats. I am old enough for life not to mean particularly overmuch.†â€Å"My good sir, these are hard times,†said Riose, with meaning, â€Å"and you have children and friends. You have a country for which you have mouthed phrases of love and folly in the past. Come, if I should decide to use force, my aim would not be so poor as to strike you.†Barr said coldly, â€Å"What do you want?†Riose held the empty cup as he spoke. â€Å"Patrician, listen to me. These are days when the most successful soldiers are those whose function is to lead the dress parades that wind through the imperial palace grounds on feast days and to escort the sparkling pleasure ships that carry His Imperial Splendor to the summer planets. I†¦ I am a failure. I am a failure at thirty-four, and I shall stay a failure. Because, you see, I like to fight. â€Å"That's why they sent me here. I'm too troublesome at court. I don't fit in with the etiquette. I offend the dandies and the lord admirals, but I'm too good a leader of ships and men to be disposed of shortly be being marooned in space. So Siwenna is the substitute. It's a frontier world; a rebellious and a barren province. It is far away, far enough away to satisfy all. â€Å"And so I moulder. There are no rebellions to stamp down, and the border viceroys do not revolt lately, at least, not since His Imperial Majesty's late father of glorious memory made an example of Mountel of Paramay.†â€Å"A strong Emperor,†muttered Barr. â€Å"Yes, and we need more of them. He is my master; remember that. These are his interests I guard.†Barr shrugged unconcernedly. â€Å"How does all this relate to the subject?†â€Å"I'll show you in two words. The magicians I've mentioned come from beyond-out there beyond the frontier guards, where the stars are scattered thinly-â€Å" â€Å"‘Where the stars are scattered thinly,†‘ quoted Barr, â€Å"‘And the cold of space seeps in.†‘ â€Å"Is that poetry?†Riose frowned. Verse seemed frivolous at the moment. â€Å"In any case, they're from the Periphery – from the only quarter where I am free to fight for the glory of the Emperor.†â€Å"And thus serve His Imperial Majesty's interests and satisfy your own love of a good fight.†â€Å"Exactly. But I must know what I fight; and there you can help.†â€Å"How do you know?†Riose nibbled casually at a cakelet. â€Å"Because for three years I have traced every rumor, every myth, every breath concerning the magicians – and of all the library of information I have gathered, only two isolated facts are unanimously agreed upon, and are hence certainly true. The first is that the magicians come from the edge of the Galaxy opposite Siwenna; the second is that your father once met a magician, alive and actual, and spoke with him.†The aged Siwennian stared unblinkingly, and Riose continued, â€Å"You had better tell me what you know-â€Å" Barr said thoughtfully, â€Å"It would be interesting to tell you certain things. It would be a psychohistoric experiment of my own.†â€Å"What kind of experiment?†â€Å"Psychohistoric.†The old man had an unpleasant edge to his smile. Then, crisply, â€Å"You'd better have more tea. I'm going to make a bit of a speech.†He leaned far back into the soft cushions of his chair. The wall-lights had softened to a pink-ivory glow, which mellowed even the soldier's hard profile. Ducem Barr began, â€Å"My own knowledge is the result of two accidents; the accidents of being born the son of my father, and of being born the native of my country. It begins over forty years ago, shortly after the great Massacre, when my father was a fugitive in the forests of the South, while I was a gunner in the viceroy's personal fleet. This same viceroy, by the way, who had ordered the Massacre, and who died such a cruel death thereafter.†Barr smiled grimly, and continued, â€Å"My father was a Patrician of the Empire and a Senator of Siwenna. His name was Onum Barr.†Riose interrupted impatiently, â€Å"I know the circumstances of his exile very well. You needn't elaborate upon it.†The Siwennian ignored him and proceeded without deflection. â€Å"During his exile a wanderer came upon him; a merchant from the edge of the Galaxy; a young man who spoke a strange accent, knew nothing of recent Imperial history, and who was protected by an individual force-shield.†â€Å"An individual force-shield?†Riose glared. â€Å"You speak extravagance. What generator could be powerful enough to condense a shield to the size of a single man? By the Great Galaxy, did he carry five thousand myria-tons of nuclear power-source about with him on a little wheeled gocart?†Barr said quietly, â€Å"This is the magician of whom you hear whispers, stories and myths. The name ‘magician' is not lightly earned. He carried no generator large enough to be seen, but not the heaviest weapon you can carry in your hand would have as much as creased the shield he bore.†â€Å"Is this all the story there is? Are the magicians born of maunderings of an old man broken by suffering and exile?†â€Å"The story of the magicians antedated even my father, sir. And the proof is more concrete. After leaving my father, this merchant that men call a magician visited a Tech-man at the city to which my father had guided him, and there he left a shield-generator of the type he wore. That generator was retrieved by my father after his return from exile upon the execution of the bloody viceroy. It took a long time to find- â€Å"The generator hangs on the wall behind you, sir. It does not work. It never worked but for the first two days; but if you'll look at it, you will see that no one in the Empire ever designed it.†Bel Riose reached for the belt of linked metal that clung to the curved wall. It came away with a little sucking noise as the tiny adhesion-field broke at the touch of his hand. The ellipsoid at the apex of the belt held his attention. It was the size of a walnut. â€Å"This-†he said. â€Å"Was the generator,†nodded Barr. â€Å"But it was the generator. The secret of its workings are beyond discovery now. Sub-electronic investigations have shown it to be fused into a single lump of metal and not all the most careful study of the diffraction patterns have sufficed to distinguish the discrete parts that had existed before fusion.†â€Å"Then your ‘proof' still lingers on the frothy border of words backed by no concrete evidence.†Barr shrugged. â€Å"You have demanded my knowledge of me and threatened its extortion by force. If you choose to meet it with skepticism, what is that to me? Do you want me to stop?†â€Å"Go on!†said the general, harshly. â€Å"I continued my father's researches after he died, and then the second accident I mentioned came to help me, for Siwenna was well known to Hari Seldon.†â€Å"And who is Hari Seldon?†â€Å"Hari Seldon was a scientist of the reign of the Emperor, Daluben IV. He was a psychohistorian; the last and greatest of them all. He once visited Siwenna, when Siwenna was a great commercial center, rich in the arts and sciences.†â€Å"Hmph,†muttered Riose, sourly, â€Å"where is the stagnant planet that does not claim to have been a land of overflowing wealth in older days?†â€Å"The days I speak of are the days of two centuries ago, when the Emperor yet ruled to the uttermost star; when Siwenna was a world of the interior and not a semi-barbarian border province. In those days, Hari Seldon foresaw the decline of Imperial power and the eventual barbarization of the entire Galaxy.†Riose laughed suddenly. â€Å"He foresaw that? Then he foresaw wrong, my good scientist. I suppose you call yourself that. Why, the Empire is more powerful now than it has been in a millennium. Your old eyes are blinded by the cold bleakness of the border. Come to the inner worlds some day; come to the warmth and the wealth of the center.†The old man shook his head somberly. â€Å"Circulation ceases first at the outer edges. It will take a while yet for the decay to reach the heart. That is, the apparent, obvious-to-all decay, as distinct from the inner decay that is an old story of some fifteen centuries.†â€Å"And so this Hari Seldon foresaw a Galaxy of uniform barbarism,†said Riose, good-humoredly. â€Å"And what then, eh?†â€Å"So he established two foundations at the extreme opposing ends of the Galaxy – Foundations of the best, and the youngest, and the strongest, there to breed, grow, and develop. The worlds on which they were placed were chosen carefully; as were the times and the surroundings. All was arranged in such a way that the future as foreseen by the unalterable mathematics of psychohistory would involve their early isolation from the main body of Imperial civilization and their gradual growth into the germs of the Second Galactic Empire – cutting an inevitable barbarian interregnum from thirty thousand years to scarcely a single thousand.†â€Å"And where did you find out all this? You seem to know it in detail.†â€Å"I don't and never did,†said the patrician with composure. â€Å"It is the painful result of the piecing together of certain evidence discovered by my father and a little more found by myself. The basis is flimsy and the superstructure has been romanticized into existence to fill the huge gaps. But I am convinced that it is essentially true.†â€Å"You are easily convinced.†â€Å"Am I? It has taken forty years of research.†â€Å"Hmph. Forty years! I could settle the question in forty days. In fact, I believe I ought to. It would be – different.†â€Å"And how would you do that?†â€Å"In the obvious way. I could become an explorer. I could find this Foundation you speak of and observe with my eyes. You say there are two?†â€Å"The records speak of two. Supporting evidence has been found only for one, which is understandable, for the other is at the extreme end of the long axis of the Galaxy.†â€Å"Well, we'll visit the near one.†The general was on his feet, adjusting his belt. â€Å"You know where to go?†asked Barr. â€Å"In a way. In the records of the last viceroy but one, he whom you murdered so effectively, there are suspicious tales of outer barbarians. In fact, one of his daughters was given in marriage to a barbarian prince. I'll find my way.†He held out a hand. â€Å"I thank you for your hospitality.†Ducem Barr touched the hand with his fingers and bowed formally. â€Å"Your visit was a great honor.†â€Å"As for the information you gave me,†continued Bel Riose, â€Å"I'll know how to thank you for that when I return.†Ducem Barr followed his guest submissively to the outer door and said quietly to the disappearing ground-car, â€Å"And if you return.â€
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Allah — the Almighty, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent
Allah  the Almighty, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent This earth whereupon we live and breathe, the sky wherein we look at the numerous stars of small and large sizes twinkling, the sun that blazes and gives us light and energy, the moon that emits soothing lights and allures us and above all numerous other beings that we see around us; the twittering of birds, the cattle grazing in the vast pastures, the air which is utmost essential for our survival, the mountains whereupon we go for recreation and touring purposes, the eruption of volcanoes, the gliding waves of rivers, the bulging , frothing and roaring water of the oceans, the pointed cliffs and high and low ridges of the mountains, the calm and quiet vales and dales, the vast unlimited dry sandy tracts of the deserts blooming wherein flowers in the thorny bushes; all these things to whom we can see with our eyes and that are beyond our sight tell us that there is a Almighty being who has created all these things and running all the matters of this universe and all other universes to whom we have not been able to get to by now despite so much advancement of the present day society, make us know that it is He the Almighty Allah who is administering all beings  material or immaterial  alluring or non-alluring â€â€fanciful or otherwise  being or non-being  all the bounties essential to the human beings with much ease and comfort and whatever qualms and colours, hue and queue occurs in this world is of the Commandments of His supreme Being  who is One and Alone and none else is like Him and to whom all purities and praises belong to Him. The more we, as being human beings, think of him come to know that it is He  the Allah Alone and Almighty, who has made this earth and its beings and other universes that are off of our vision and sight. The coming of seasons and its turning into the summer into fall, fall into the spring, spring into winter and winter into rainy season  and all the bliss and bounties th at take place out of this change and whose benefit we get in the form of corns, fruits and cereals and what not and it is He who has accorded us the title of Ashraful Makhlooqaat, the superior being among all other beings of the universe. The whole universe that is in our sight and beyond is subservient and subordinate to His Command and Will who is the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious and the Most Powerful than all other beings. His blessing and bounties are in abundance. He has given us tongue to speak of, eyes to see to, ear to listen to, and legs to move and walk from one place to another place and above all the brain to ponder over, to utilize according to our own contemplation so that we could ponder over His Being who is One and none else is like Him and all other things and beings that He has created for our use and utilization. If anything among His bounties we get loss we cannot regain that if He doesn’t intend so but if He wills we can have; time and tide does not affect on it. It is the common perception, such as, a patient who cannot see, since the doctor has operated upon his eye successfully so he has gained his vision but it is not so rather it is Allah who gave the wisdom to a doctor that he became able to operate upon successfully and hence the patient regained his vision and not the doctor who operated upon but the Allah who willed so and therefore the cure took place. If Allah didn’t will so there was none on the earth to recover his eyesight. In the like manner, whatever changes and vicissitudes and ups and downs take place anywhere in this world all that happen owing to His Commandments and Wills and not due to any other being whatever powerful that might be. He is so merciful and gracious that he demands us nothing except that we, the human beings, obey his Commandments and Orders as he desires of us so that he could shower his blessings and benedictions that he has created for those who obey him without nay and oblige him with much sincerity and uprightness and who serve his other beings according to his commandments and guidance as he has laid down in the Holy Quran and as to which the Holy Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) has preached and practiced and has asked us the human beings to act upon. We, being true Muslim, must adhere to His All Commandments by the core of our hearts so that He may forgive us; bestow on us His numerous bounties in this world and the world hereafter.
Course Discussions DB Forum 2 Reading OT Narratives Essay
Course Discussions DB Forum 2 Reading OT Narratives - Essay Example Literary approach assist in the correct interpretation of narratives as well as appreciating the rich artistic beauty found in these narrations of the bible. The book of Joshua as a narrative story ought to be viewed as a literature in its study. This paper will go through a literary analysis of Joshua chapter seven and verses one to twenty-six, (Joshua 7:1-26). It is worth noting that the analysis that will be done is not exclusive and is not limited to further examination of the same. When one reads the whole chapter, one get to site a number of literary forms that have been used to spice up the narrative and to attract the attention of the reader. To start with, there is the presence of a catalogue. This is generally a list of enumeration of names, persons or even things and normally arranged alphabetically. In reference to this chapter, the first verse shows this where it shows the names of close relatives of Achan, for instance, Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah.The names are alphabetically arranged. Secondly, the chapter has a number of dialogues. A dialogue is basically a literal work whereby two or more characters are represented as conversing. This is evident from the chapter where Joshua converses with men he had sent to go and spy over Ai (7:3). Another example is a dialogue between Joshua and God especially when they were defeated by men from Ai. There is also a dialogue between Joshua and the sinful Achan. ... A monologue is still another literary form used in this chapter. This is whereby a sole speaker normally directs his/her remarks to one audience or an individual. This is justifiable in verses 19 -20 between Joshua and Achan. Additionally, oracle is yet another literary form as found in this chapter. In general terms, an oracle is a divine communication which is evident in verses 13-14 of this chapter. Simile has been used whereby it is comparing two entities as performing the same function. For instance, in chapter 7:5, after the Israelites were defeated by men of Ai, they melted like water. The people are compared to how ice melts after receiving the news that they had been defeated in the battle and their men killed. There is also the use of metaphors in this chapter of the bible. A metaphor is basically a language used to add descriptive meaning and the meaning have little connotative similarity with the actual meaning. This can be exemplified from Joshua 7, 8 "Israel has turned their backs to their enemies" and in the following verse (9) ".cut off our name from the earth". These are just but a few of the literary forms found in this chapter. Question two: One interpretive issue or problem from the narrative of Joshua and provide an explanation of the problem and a resolution Joshua complaining to God (Joshua7:7-8) After the Israelites were defeated by men of Ai and thirty-six men killed, Joshua was dismayed. Earlier in the previous verse we see him going to the ark and tearing his clothes, fall face down and putting dust on his head. Later he is seen pausing three questions and two statements to God. The second question looks at these questions and statements as an issue derived from the narrative. Verse seven pauses the first question," Alas, O
Monday, October 7, 2019
Channel Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Channel Managment - Essay Example In the contemporary world, people recognize the importance of working in a team. A team is a group of people that are brought together by a common task or responsibility. As there are different qualities present in different kinds of people, they are usually utilized to the maximum extent while working in a team. This is the reason there is much emphasis paid on working as a team; to incorporate the maximum effort from different resources. In this project, we have been asked to prepare a class debate on the effectiveness of channel management and the practices that are being used in it. In order to conduct and effective debate, we made sure we divided the work according to the qualities a person in a team had. It was made sure that equal amount of work was given to everybody so that there is no cognitive dissonance or dissatisfaction on the part of the team members over working. The whole team was asked to work on the research for the relevant material and the proof reading of the researched work was my responsibility. This was done to ensure that the quality of material that was being used does not deviate from the standards and was at par with the upmost standards. To make sure that the information was valid and comprehensive, much emphasis was paid on gathering information from scholarly reports and magazines that have repute in the eyes of others on the basis of their quality. Articles were searched from known writers to ensure credibility and authenticity. The collective work of the team included preparing strong debatable points that were needed to be presented in front of the audience and the tutor. It was the collective of all the group members to prepare the presentation material and it was made sure that all the members were informed of every piece of information that was gathered so that everybody was equally prepared to give in suggestions about the debate and the benefits. Another important task that was divided among the group members was the gathering of information that was required to prepare the whole report. Evaluation of information was done by making sure that the information that was being gathered was from reputable sources and scholarly; so that there is no doubt about the authenticity of the information. Evaluation of information is generally done on the quality and source. To make it free from partiality one has to make sure that the source that is being used should be a third party presenting an opinion so that there is no element of biasness and the information is pure. Similar procedures were used to evaluate various literature sources that in the end helped us to make our report bona fide. Preparation of debate is an entirely different process. It involves brainstorming sessions and cross questioning so that all the queries of the prospective audience are answered in such a way that they don't get a chance to object and get persuaded without any doubts in their minds. Therefore, all the above were practiced to ensure that there were no loopholes left in our debate that was to be presented in front of the class. Introduction Channel management basically means the management of various entities that are working in cohesion at different steps in businesses in the supply chain. In other words, it can be called as the supply chain
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