Abstract The paper discusses the ritual practices common in Sinhalesevillages, specifically, the art of "devil dancing". The paper points out the Sinhalese respect and fear for the unknown and abstract. The paper looks at the disparity in formal education systems, the role of family in Sinhalese society and the contested role of women.
From the Paper "A large majority of the people of Sri Lanka pratice Buddhism or a synthesis of Buddhism and Hindusim. But throughout history, folk cults stemmed from cultural traditions with beings and deities of supernatural powers that influence day-to-day lives of the people have also been integrated into the Buddhist practices of Sinhalese villages (Baker 39). A great deal of emphasis is placed upon the complex and elaborate rituals needed to pacify evil spirits and to appease the benevolent deities. Although this practice is not condoned by the Buddhist temples, there is a large following of these rituals, especially in the Sinhalese villages."
Tags: rituals, spirits, deities, education, kinship, women
Abstract This paper examines the book "Revolution in the Village" by Hy V. Luong. It shows how the colonial era changed life in the villages of Vietnam and continued to do so into the 1930s, a time when there were increasing actions being taken to oust the French, with the French fighting back. It discusses how both sides made use of the village structure and altered villagelife as they sought to achieve their goals. It analyzes the long history of the development of anti-colonialism in Vietnam and the Yen-Bay uprising. It looks at how Luong argues that local traditions played an important role on shaping the response of villagers to both the imposition of colonial capitalism and to the socialist polices of the Vietnamese revolution and sets out to prove the logical connection.
From the Paper "The French era in Vietnam started after some 900 years of self rule, and it began with a treaty that was humiliating to the Vietnamese when it was accepted in 1862. Even the French were surprised at the way this treaty was accepted by a people who had resisted Chinese incursions for 900 years. In fact, some Vietnamese accepted the French conquest because of dissatisfaction with the oppressive monarchy and because the ruler at the time had not been able to protect his people either from foreign aggression or from an unusually high incidence of natural disasters such as floods, famines, locusts, droughts, and a cholera epidemic in 1865 that killed more than one million people. Over time, a French-Vietnamese landholding class developed in the region, but Vietnamese, were appointed only to the lower levels of the bureaucracy established to administer the new colony. This created a new dissatisfaction, this time with the French rulers."
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses recent developments that have taken place regarding retirement homes and villages. Relevant issues involved in the transition to a new existence that challenges a person's self-identity are examined in the paper. The writer looks at the difficulties brought about by such a transition in the retiree's life.
From the Paper "Retirees who leave their hectic work lives often confront difficulties with replacing their work weeks with new meaningful activities. For them, their experience of retirement involves a major transition to a new existence that challenges their sense of identity thus undermining their overall well-being during this period. Apart from their withdrawal from a major social sphere of their lives, retirees are often distressed by the loss of control over their lives and their growing dependence on others. The erosion of their ability to care for ... "
Abstract This paper explains Hillary Clinton's ideas about the factors that both encourage and discourage the "village" concept for raising children. The author points out the forces in the U.S. today that impact child rearing and community commitment. The paper cites organizations that help children.
From the Paper "There are many opinions on the proper way to bring up a child for example what to teach a child how much freedom a child should have and what is considered proper discipline. The influences children have in their lives range from family members teachers and neighbors to local business owners policemen social workers and community or church leaders. Each of these people could have either a direct or an indirect impact on the children of their community. Yet ,many of these same people may not feel that they ..."
Abstract This essay discusses the African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child" made popular by Hillary Rodham Clinton and the concept it expresses about the need for all of society to concern itself with the well-being of children. The paper discusses government policies and programs in the context of the proverb and forces for and against the concept.
From the Paper "Even in a nation founded on the tradition of independence and self-sufficiency, the greater community has always been needed for survival. The pilgrims needed the Native-Americans, the frontier people needed their neighbors, people of the Great Depression needed the New Deal programs and America's children, especially poor children of all races and ethnicities,need more than just their primary caregivers -- they need a village. The old African proverb "It takes a village to raise a child" became popular in the United States when Hillary Rodham..."
This paper reviews the book "Chen Village Under Mao and Deng" by Anita Chan, Richard Madesn and Jonathan Unger that studies the impact of revolutionary activities on isolated communities.
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 1 source, 2005, $ 44.95
Abstract The paper examines global issues and presents a book report on the book "Chen Village Under Mao and Deng." The book report includes an examination of the authors, objectives, a summary, a look at methodology and the sources that were used. The paper also includes an evaluation section that is basically in favour of the book.
From the Paper "The effects of revolutionary activities on isolated communities have always been of interest to anthropologists and sociologists. This is precisely the issue examined in "Chen Village Under Mao and Deng." The authors of this work, Anita Chan, Richard Madesn and Jonathan Unger are all sociologists associated with Universities in Australia and the United States (Chan et al). The fact that the book is written as a sociological work is not surprising considering that it was written by three sociologists. The sociological style of the book also means that it does not have a clearly defined thesis. Instead the book is more of a general exploration of life in Chen village over the early 1960s to 1990."
Abstract This paper details and examines a fictional debate about democratic values from Hannah More's 19th century political pamphlet entitled "Village Politics." The paper presents the opposing viewpoints of two men arguing whether or not a new constitution is necessary or destructive to England. The paper also draws on the political philosophy of the times, including that of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and his concept of the general will. The author additionally examines More's political beliefs and how they are conveyed in the pamphlet.
From the Paper "People in society today are greatly influenced by what they read. The op-eds in the newspapers skew people's beliefs of political affairs and current events in the same way that biased articles in popular magazines seem to shape the way the general public views different types of cultural aspects. Keeping this in mind, it is especially important to note that during the 1800s, the people lacked other forms of media and communication that people in modern times are influenced by. Instead, they relied heavily on literature to entertain themselves, most of which shaped the way they viewed culture, politics, and life itself. As a female philanthropist writer during the 1800s of England, Hannah More produced a number and variety of different works that were widely distributed and popular. Among them was Village Politics, a pamphlet reading a dialogue between two English men about democratic ideals, written during the early French Revolution."
Tags: general will, rousseau, aristotle, hanna more, village politics, political theory, politics, more, philosophy, will
Abstract This paper discusses the issue of abortion while taking a pro-life stance. It gives a brief overview of the pro-life movement and discusses the focus on the psychological and physical effects that abortion can have on women. In addition, it examines the pro-life alternatives that are available to women who are facing an unwanted pregnancy. This paper attempts to convince the reader to accept the pro-life stance on abortion.
From the Paper "The issue of abortion has long been one of debate in our nation. On one side of the issue there are advocates of a woman's right to choose which is referred to as the pro-choice movement. On the other side there are individuals and groups that assert that abortions should not be legal this is known as the pro-life movement. For the purposes of this discussion I would like to defend the pro-life stance."
Tags: pro-life, abortion, stance, posture, issue, womens, rights, choice, movement
Abstract This paper relates that the theme in Ernest Hemingway's short story, "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber", is that it is better to live a short and happy life with authenticity than to live a long and unhappy life without authenticity. More specifically, the paper looks at how, the character of Macomber does not live a happy life until he proves himself. The paper further explains that Macomber begins his life innocent and spoiled in a protected society, then becomes awakened to reality in the dangers of Africa, and ends self-fulfilled by achieving authenticity and happiness in a fatal world.
From the Paper "In stage three of his initiation, Macomber achieves authenticity and happiness in a fatal world. He panics while shooting a large male, but the very fear that makes him run away from danger, teaches him, in less than twenty-four hours, how to face a charging buffalo with all the bravery of a seasoned hunter. When Macomber finds out that the buffalo is still alive, "for the first time in his life he really felt wholly without fear" for which "instead of fear he had a feeling of definite elation" (24). Ben Stoltzfus suggests that in choosing to face this challenge Macomber "asserts a new identity and, in putting cowardice behind him, he defines an authentic self". Macomber is no longer afraid; in fact he is eager to kill the buffalo. Hemingway describes Macomber's change as a "wild unreasonable happiness" which feels "like a dam bursting inside himself" (25). "
Abstract This paper discusses the philosophy of good life given by the great thinker Aristotle. It looks at Aristotle's view that there are certain external and internal goods available to man, and it is through the attainment of internal goods that man is able to live a life that can be identified as a ?good life?.
From the Paper "Aristotle was the prized student of Socrates and his works though are not widely available are still considered to be of great significant to the world of euphemism. The philosophical thought is incomplete without the works of Aristotle as his contribution is huge and some of his views are studies even today by the students of philosophy. Aristotle's theory of a good life is based one certain actions and virtues which fall in the realm of ethics. It was the view of Aristotle that good life means a man should act while in possession of certain external goods. By this it means that one should possess all moral and intellectual virtues in order to qualify as someone with a good life. The moral virtues to him were prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. All these virtues are based on reason and it was the Aristotelian view that reason and logic should be given precedence over passion. Intellectual virtues are based on pure theoretical contemplation and they cannot be considered very practical as they seem to arise from Aristotle's views on logic and a Stoic philosophy which meant that man must first not act purely on impulse or passion but should think carefully before acting."
Abstract This paper takes a critical look at the book "Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe", by Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee. It discusses their theories of the beginning of life on Earth and additional theories to life on other planets. It challenges their research and data and offers other explanations and theories.
From the Paper "Was the occurrence of complex life on the planet Earth an isolated event or simply the next logical step in evolution? Ward and Brownlee seem to believe complex life is unique to our home world or at least extremely scarce in the Universe.1 In addition to the factors in their Rare Earth equation, mentioned in their book are some specific factors peculiar to Earth that may have affected the development of complex life. Beginning with the planet Mars, W&B argue that the fossil record shows that the cooling Earth developed bacterial life as soon as conditions permitted. They suggest that this may be because the bacteria first developed on Mars, which cooled earlier, and that perhaps Earth was then seeded with these bacteria carried by meteorites reaching our planet after having been ejected from Mars by asteroid impacts. The low gravity of Mars makes this more likely, and it is estimated that ten percent of meteors ejected from Mars may impact Earth. A system lacking a Mars-like planetary companion might have been slower to develop bacterial life."
This is a creative writing essay about life in college from the author's point of view, providing an account of the "college experience" as well as tips on how to survive college.
710 words (approx. 2.8 pages), 0 sources, 2001, $ 25.95
Abstract This is a creative writing essay about life in college from the author's point of view. This paper projects the hypothesis that experiences and challenges of college are likely to change students. College life has an impact on every student in some way. The life becomes so hectic at times that every student faces stress at one time or another. The paper gives tips on important things that will help students survive college such as - time management, extracurricular activities and dealing with stress.
From the Paper "College life presents many challenges for incoming students. Academically, many students find college to be much more difficult than high school. Students are concerned with not only their academic success at college, but their social and emotional adjustment as well. I felt really concerned if I would fit in with the crowd or not. Then another pressure was that I was able to make college on a scholarship and had to maintain my grades if I hoped to be given another scholarship for further studies. This paper projects the hypothesis that Experiences and challenges of college are likely to change students. College life has an impact on every student in some way. One of the major assumptions of faculty and parents towards students is that they are thought of as irresponsible and immature. The life becomes so hectic at times that every student faces stress at one time or another. Time management is one of the things that a student needs to learn in order to survive in college. "
Abstract This paper examines the use of quality of life measures in health care. Topics covered include: How quality of life is determined, the criteria assessed and who determines the criteria. The political and ethical implications for patient care are also discussed. The paper concludes that despite the ethical concerns and poor quality of measurement related to quality of life indices, they are indeed being used today to make both political and clinical decisions across a wide variety of medical conditions and situations. The paper includes articles referred to in the text.
From the Paper "Several ethical issues are associated with quality of life measures, the first and most important one being whether any decisions should be made using quality of life considerations given the very serious limitations regarding data accuracy. In other words, if clinicians can't trust that they have measured what their instruments purport to measure in an accurate and stable manner, why would they even want to make any decisions using these measures as a foundation? And if they do make decisions on the basis of such measures, the question of whether such decisions are ethical or moral must be raised."
Abstract This essay discusses the life of people in ancient Egypt. It describes how they lived and what family life was like. More than anything, we see how Egypt was a profoundly religious society.
Abstract An unexamined life is a life that is assuming, conventional, and unchallenging. People who live unexamined lives are content with what they were taught and accept these teachings as knowledge. They do not question authority, and they do not ponder why things are. This paper encompasses the theories expressed by the Greek philosopher, Socrates, and his view of what he called the "unexamined life".
From the Paper "There needs to be a middle ground between claiming to have knowledge and knowing that you do not have knowledge but being unhappy about it and dedicating your existence to the quest for truth. If we realize that we, in actuality, do not have any knowledge, we have taken the first step in having knowledge. We may then question subjects until we find answers that vary from person to person. This is not knowledge -these are simply beliefs. Beliefs are an essential part of life. Having beliefs relates to living an examined life. They allow us to expand our minds and think beyond what we know as possibility and modify these beliefs to somehow realistically apply to our lives. This can give us a sense of fulfillment."
