Marxist Thoughts and Its Application to Society Essay example -- Socio

Marxist thought and its application to society has shone much light on Man’s understanding of the role of religion within his society. The roots of Marxism finds its birth from the writings of Karl Marx (1818-83) and Fredrick Engels (1820-95). The publication and writings of Marx and Engels are â€Å"highly influential both on the political and theoretical understanding of society and the role of religion within society† (Kunin, 2003: 3). It is important to first underline (briefly and simply) Marx’s main theories which he used to critique religion as a product of Man. Marx (ultimately) did not see religion as central to Man’s oppression, but as a symptom of a cause which was much more detrimental, creating and feeding his alienation instead of advancing his journey to true happiness because of illusory factors that Man himself created; To abolish religion as the illusory happiness of the people is to demand their real happiness. The demand to give up illusions about the existing state of affairs is the demand to give up a state of affairs that needs illusions (MECW, 1975 (3): 175). The relationships between Man’s society and the institutions within it (such as religion, science and law) are described and perpetuated in Marx’s ‘Structure (or infrastructure) and Superstructure’ model. Marx places responsibility for the continued oppression of Mankind on the structure that underlies modern Capitalist societies namely, economy. All other elements of Man’s society to include institutions mentioned above are born out of, and made up by, the economic structure of society. Marx’s contribution to the study of religion highlights the negative aspects and means of Man’s self creation of religion, as an illusionary oppression, â€Å"the abolition of... ...otal happiness. Marx gave us a way of expressing more than just a negative attack on religion by trying to show humanity that taking control of your means of existence and moving away from the illusory word Man creates in order to cope with all the negative aspects modern capitalist societies place on the Proletarian Man. Marx’s connection of religion to economy is integral to the importance of his rhetoric, religion is not the cause but a symptom, which in turn reflects the oppressive state of the society. Marx’s distinctions on class and how the powerful (or Capitalist) can dictate the society through institutional mediums such as religion is also very important to how (after Marxism) the debate of Religion can be approached. How important he was to the debate of religion is exemplified in the amount theorising, criticism and sheer renown Marx still holds today.

The Lord of the Flies - Savagery Essay -- English Literature Essays

'The Lord of the Flies' - Savagery William Golding’s novel ‘The Lord of The flies’ presents us with a group of English boys who are isolated on a desert island, left to try and retain a civilised society. In this novel Golding manages to display the boys slow descent into savagery as democracy on the island diminishes. At the opening of the novel, Ralph and Jack get on extremely well. We are informed Jack, â€Å"shared his burden,† and there was an, â€Å"invisible light of friendship,† between the two boys. Jack changes considerably throughout this novel. At first he tells us, â€Å"I agree with Ralph we’ve got to have rules and obey them,† This shows us that at the beginning of the novel, just like Ralph, he wants to uphold a civilised society. We are also notified, â€Å"Most powerfully there was the conch.† As the conch represents democracy we can see that at the beginning of the novel the boys sustain a powerful democratic society. This democratic society does not last very long as the children (especially Jack) have a lack of respect for the conch and the rules. We can see this when Jack decides, â€Å"We don’t need the conch anymore, we know who should say things.† As the conch represents democracy we can see that civilisation on the island is braking up and savagery is starting to take over. We can also see a brake up in society when Jack says, â€Å"Bollocks to the rules!† Here we can see that Jack contradicts himself while managing to diminish the assembly and the power of the conch. Golding has made the two boys’ act similar at the beginning of the novel to show us how ‘normal’ they are. This demonstrates Golding’s view that absolutely anyone can be over ruled by power and become savage (like Jack) when civilisation collapses. After this incident we can see continual conflict between Ralph and Jack. We can see this when Jack proclaims that Ralph, â€Å"Isn’t a proper chief.† Golding is trying to show us that this conflict is very similar to the conflict between humanities inner barbarism and the living influence of reason. We can see other evidence of this conflict within ourselves, with the masks that Jack and his hunters put on. We are informed that Jack, â€Å" rubbed the charcoal stick between the patches of red and white on his face† The mask represents the dark line (charcoal) between good (white) and evil (red) within ourselves. These masks also let the boys hide f... ...s when Ralph points out, â€Å"There’s going to be a storm.† This slowly builds us up to Simon’s death. We Can see that even Ralph and Piggy have a savage side as they, â€Å"found themselves eager to take place in this demented but partly safe society.† This demonstrates Goldings view that everyone has a savage side to them. At Simon’s murder the boys, â€Å"Leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit and tore.† This clearly shows us that the boys are completely barbaric and have no self-conciseness. The reason why Golding did not inform us straight away that Simon was the beast was because he wanted us to try and see things from the boys’ perspective. As Simon was trying to tell the boys that the beast did not exist, his death symbolises that mankind can’t face the truth about their inner desires. Part of Golding’s intent was to demonstrate that the evil is not recognised in specific populations or situations. On the island the beast is manifest in the deadly tribal dances, war paint and manhunt: in the outside world the same lust for power and control plays out as a nuclear war. Throughout ‘The Lord of the Flies’ Golding has managed to show that evil is present in everyone.

Impacts Of Urbanization :: essays research papers

Many villagers and small town dwellers want a living in big cities. With some expectations, they make a movement from villages to big cities. This migration from rural areas to big cities is called urbanization. There are two kinds of factors why rural people seek for urban life. The first one is urban pull factor. They dream for higher wages, better housing and utilities, better school and hospital, more jobs opportunity, and more experience that they can get it all from a living in big cities as they think. The second one is urban push factor. We know that most of rural areas people are farmers. There’,s not much else to do anymore in the village but wait for harvest time and without higher level of education, availability of media, or facilities that they need, they might be stimulated to move to urban areas. But after they reached what they called their dreamland, most of them must face more problems than what they had when they lived in villages. They will face some problems because of their insufficient abilities, experience, education, and skills those are needed for a good living in big cities. For instance, they can’,t provide housing or maybe they can’,t find any job. And then they just stranded with the option of staying in cities or coming back home. As the result of urbanization, cities have more problems to overcome such as pollution, overpopulation, drug abuse, congestion, crime, poverty, traffic jam, slum areas, and many more. There must be something to solve these problems. Government and citizens should be involved because taking care of city problems can’,t be done entirely by government. The community can be even more successful because it deals directly with problem areas. As the solution to solve those problems government can provide housing, create a new regulation transmigration program, provide skills training program, or start to develop in rural areas. Impacts Of Urbanization :: essays research papers Many villagers and small town dwellers want a living in big cities. With some expectations, they make a movement from villages to big cities. This migration from rural areas to big cities is called urbanization. There are two kinds of factors why rural people seek for urban life. The first one is urban pull factor. They dream for higher wages, better housing and utilities, better school and hospital, more jobs opportunity, and more experience that they can get it all from a living in big cities as they think. The second one is urban push factor. We know that most of rural areas people are farmers. There’,s not much else to do anymore in the village but wait for harvest time and without higher level of education, availability of media, or facilities that they need, they might be stimulated to move to urban areas. But after they reached what they called their dreamland, most of them must face more problems than what they had when they lived in villages. They will face some problems because of their insufficient abilities, experience, education, and skills those are needed for a good living in big cities. For instance, they can’,t provide housing or maybe they can’,t find any job. And then they just stranded with the option of staying in cities or coming back home. As the result of urbanization, cities have more problems to overcome such as pollution, overpopulation, drug abuse, congestion, crime, poverty, traffic jam, slum areas, and many more. There must be something to solve these problems. Government and citizens should be involved because taking care of city problems can’,t be done entirely by government. The community can be even more successful because it deals directly with problem areas. As the solution to solve those problems government can provide housing, create a new regulation transmigration program, provide skills training program, or start to develop in rural areas.

Political Science Critique Essay

Why is it to be changed? For as a citizen of the Philippines experiencing simple life can see this problem in our country. It is said in the sections that â€Å"official language is the prescribed medium of communication in the government, courts and schools. It may not be the national language†. Including with this, the official language of the Philippines are Filipino and English. And that is the error of this part of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. We should not include ENGLISH as an official language of our country. First, is it implication that Americans are still in our culture especially in our Constitution. Second, we must have only one official language for us Filipinos will not be confused. It is acceptable that if we will use ENGLISH language in the school because it is a place of learning. But in the government and courts we should not use ENGLISH language. By this act we insult other FILIPINOS. Why? Let us accept the fact that some of the FILIPINOS are trying hard understanding or speaking in ENGLISH and some of the FILIPINOS are what we call â€Å"mangmang†. How can the â€Å"maralitang mga-tiga lungsod† understand these things? We should consider their or should I say our capabilities. For some instance, In having a hearing in the congress by speaking in ENGLISH we think that the whole Philippines got it? NO!, considering that some of the topics are not understandable because we can’t relate because they use such highfaluting words. It is said that Filipinos are the master of the country but how can that be if they can’t understand what we’re trying to implement in their land also how can we get their opinions if they can’t understand it. Second instance, In having trials, mostly fair and poor persons are always convicted due to poverty. If I am in their situation having a trial that I can’t understand, It is a big insult. To sum this up, In Philippines we should consider first our own before anything else. And solving problems should start in little problems like these because we can fixed thing starting in little not in big ones. And some little things like these is the mode and kind of communication in our country. NEW PROVISION: The national and official language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing  Philippine and other languages. Filipino and English languages as a medium of official communication of instruction in educational system but In Government and Courts the medium of communication shall be our national language.

Will Moller Analysis

A Rhetorical Analysis of Will Moller’s â€Å"Those Who Live in Glass Houses† Cheating, in all forms, is considered deceitful and wrong. However, people still do it hoping the end result is an A on an exam or a better performance, in an athlete’s case. Cheating in itself is like an addiction and follows a domino effect. Once one athlete decides to use steroids, others follow in their footsteps hoping to perform at a higher level. There have always been several athletes who choose to cheat for their own benefit and personal glory.As a result, those athletes are looked down upon for cheating the game and the fans. Nonetheless, people fail to understand the outside factors that influence great athletes such as Barry Bonds and Ben Johnson to use performance enhancing drugs. In his May 5, 2009 article â€Å"Those Who Live in Glass Houses† Will Moller, blog writer for The Yankees $, argues that that performance-enhancing drugs should be permissible because the ma jority of good professional baseball players are forced to take steroids and such, as a result of baseball fans placing players on a pedestal to perform beyond their capacity.Moller makes a good point that fans have some responsibility for athletes cheating because of the pressure fans place on them to perform at an enormously high level; however, there are other responsible parties as well, including coaches, players, and the NCAA drug policy system as a whole. One of the primary reasons for athletes using performance-enhancing drugs is because of the fans animalistic desire for great entertainment. This actually causes athletes to want to perform at the highest level possible and stand out as great icons to the fans.To support his implication, Moller uses the pathos appeal, as he presents an analogy, of his personal experience as a student who was forced to use Ritalin because he struggled with the rigorous and competitive academic work assigned to him. Moller’s reaction to his choice was that he â€Å"did what [he] felt [he] needed to do, to accomplish the goal that was demanded† from him, despite understanding the â€Å"serious side effects, magnifying [his] senses in a very negative way. Nonetheless, academic success outweighed the bad side effects.Similarly, college and professional athletes are placed on a pedestal that urges them to accomplish success, win championships, and set unbreakable records. He also appeals to reasoning by recognizing that athletes should not be severely misjudged as cheaters for using performance enhancing drug use because they wish to perform better for their fans. There are other outside factors that also pressure players to cheat. Coaches’ extreme pressure towards their players to perform at a high level indirectly encourages athletes to use steroids and develop more strength.Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz was believed to be a primary cause for his players using anabolic steroids during the late 1980â€⠄¢s and early 1990’s. Steve Huffman, a former linebacker, claimed coach Holtz â€Å"put [him] in this situation† because he once criticized the injured star during a team speech by stating that Huffman â€Å"let everybody in this room down if [he] quit. † In addition, Holtz threatened to rescind Huffman’s scholarship and showed no remorse or care for Huffman and the rest of the players during the losing season. Coaches who exert a strong mental toughness are perceived as good leaders who may lead their team to overall success.However, fans and the media do not recognize that tough love can have a burden on players, physically and emotionally. A coach, who constantly scolds players instead of guiding them, is tortuously leading players to use performance-enhancing drugs in hope of easing the burden and accomplishing what everyone around them selfishly wants. Coach Holtz practiced such coaching methods and as a result, school officials admitted that during the 1986 season five players tested positive for anabolic steroid use. Aside from coaches, the weak NCAA drug policy system also influences players to cheat.The use of performance-enhancing drugs is undeniably much more prevalent than it is generally acknowledged to be because of the weak policy regulations. Welch Suggs, an American collegiate sportswriter for The Chronicle of Higher Education, claims steroid use is rampant among college-level players. A senate panel spoke to a former college football athlete, who choose to remain anonymous, claimed that despite gaining twenty pounds and dropping his 40-yard dash time to 4. 5 seconds, his coaches urged him and many other players to gain even more weight and become stronger.People may be asking themselves how players are able to avoid the NCAA random drug policy tests. The former college football star argues that â€Å"the policy is weak, however, and fairly predictable, with the drug tests falling in roughly the same period of time every year† (Suggs). The weak enforcement gives athletes a greater motivation to begin using performance-enhancing drugs. Don Catlin, a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at UCLA, oversees and examines drug testing for the NCAA and believes it is not â€Å"aggressive enough, but that’s society and the mind-set. The dollars just aren’t there† (Suggs).Fans, coaches, the NCAA, and society as a whole are responsible for encouraging cheating and drug use. People are not taking the matter seriously and as a result, steroids and other drugs are easily available for athletes to purchase online, in the streets, or maybe even from their coaches. In fact, Charles Grassley, the former Iowa Republican chairman of the caucus, showed the NCAA senate panel online auctions on eBay for Winstrol and Dianabol, which are commonly prescribed steroids. Ultimately, the fact that drug testing policies are so weak is practically asking players to use performance-enhan cing drugs and cheat the game.Fans, coaches, and the weak NCAA drug policy may influence players to use steroids, but the ultimate decision is left to the athlete. Just as everyone is responsible for their choices, players must decide whether they wish to cheat, just as Moller had. The option to cheat in academics or sports is easily available, despite most people not realizing it. In a March 1st, 2010 blog in Sports Illustrated, â€Å"Cheating and CHEATING† writer Joe Posnanski argues that the beautiful game of baseball and other sports has always existed, despite people claiming that it has not or that baseball has become corrupt due to steroid and amphetamine use.He begins by introducing author Pete Hamill, a novelist, who believes that the game of baseball was at its finest, prior to performance enhancing drug use. To develop his argument, Posnanski concedes to the opposition first by praising Pete Hamill’s romantic novels and later criticizes Hamill’s willf ul self-deception by naively believing that drug use is not common in America and American baseball, as a means of cheating. Posnanski understand that baseball like all other sports â€Å"was never innocent, that America was never innocent, that innocence itself was never innocent† (Posnanski).Posnanski concedes first to show his respect by demonstrating his own character. In doing this, he is able to highlight the significant accomplishments in baseball history that have occurred due to amphetamine usage. In addition, Posnanski claims that steroids are much more readily available today than in the past. But cheating has always existed, in all forms. The fans, the coaches, and the NCAA itself are all responsible for willful self-deception as well, for having influenced players to begin using performance-enhancing drugs but believing steroid use is not rampant in college-level and professional sports.Fans are not entirely responsible for athletes cheating in college-level and professional sports. However they are one of many factors that contribute to players using performance-enhancing drugs. Athletes, fans, coaches, and the weak NCAA dug policy and enforcement may all determine an athlete’s choice to cheat; however, the players themselves must be accountable for their choices. Illicit drug use has negative side effects that can be harmful to athletes. But the desire to perform at a high level, break scoring records, win games, and championships is an always tempting just as it is to get an A on an exam.Works Cited Huffman, Steve. â€Å"I Deserve My Turn. † Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. , 27 Aug. 1990. Web. 14 Nov. 2012 Moller, Will. â€Å"Those Who Live in Glass Houses. † The Yankees $. N. p. , 5 May, 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2012 Posnanski, Joe. â€Å"Cheating and CHEATING. † Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. , 1 Mar. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2012 Suggs, Welch. â€Å"Steroids Are Rampant Among College Athletes, a Senate Panel Is Told. â⠂¬  The Chronicle of Higher Education. 50. 46 (2004): A33. ProQuest. Web. 14 Nov. 2012

Third World and People

Academic Skills Research Essay Sl. No. | Essay Topics| Members| 1| Human beings do not need to eat meat in order to maintain good health because they can get all their food needs from meatless products and meatless substances. A vegetarian diet is as healthy as a diet containing meat. Argue for or against the opinion above. | | 2| Forests are the lungs of the earth. Destruction of the world's forests amounts to death of the world we currently know. To what extent do you agree or disagree? | 3| To what extent will migration from the developing world to the developed world become a social and political issue in the 21st century? | | 4| In Britain, when someone gets old, they often go to live in a home with other old people where there are nurses to look after them. Sometimes the government has to pay for this care. Who should be responsible for our old people? Give reasons. | | | | | 5| Telecommuting' refers to workers doing their jobs from home for part of each week and communicating with their office using computer technology.Telecommuting is growing in many countries and is expected to be common for most office workers in the coming decades. How do you think society will be affected by the growth of telecommuting? | | 6| In some countries the average worker is obliged to retire at the age of 50, while in others people can work until they are 65 or 70. Until what age do you think people should be encouraged to remain in paid employment? Give reasons for your answer. | | 7| To what extent should economic planning be influenced by the need of environmental conservation? | 8| Damage of the environment is an inevitable consequence of worldwide improvements in the standard of living. Discuss. | | 9| The rising levels of congestion and air pollution found in most of the world cities can be attributed directly to the rapidly increasing number of private cars in use. In order to reverse this decline in the quality of life in cities, attempts must be made to encourage p eople to use their cars less and public transport more. Discuss possible ways to encourage the use of public transport. | | 10| The idea of going overseas for university study is an exciting prospect for many people.But while it may offer some advantages, it is probably better to stay home because of the difficulties a student inevitably encounters living and studying in a different culture. To what extent do you agree or disagree this statement? Give reasons for your answer. | | 11| Many people believe that women make better parents than men and that this is why they have the greater role in raising children in most societies. Others claim that men are just as good as women at parenting Write an essay expressing your point of view. Give reasons for your answer. | 12| The mass media, including TV, radio and newspapers, have great influence in shaping people's ideas. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer. | | 13| Tourism is becoming increasingly important as a source of revenue to many countries but its disadvantages should not be overlooked. What are some of the problems of tourism? | | 14| Should developing countries concentrate on improving industrial skills or should they promote education first? | | 15| Safety standards are important when building people's homes.Who should be responsible for enforcing strict building codes – the government or the people who build the homes? | | 16| Discuss the advantage and disadvantage of giving international aid to poor countries. | | 17| Should criminals be punished with lengthy jail terms or re-educated and rehabilitated using community service programs for instance, before being reintroduced to society? | | 18| In most countries disabled people are not catered for adequately, e. g. buildings are often inappropriately designed. Governments rely too heavily on charities and voluntary organizations to provide assistance and funding.What further measures could be taken to assist disabled people? | | 19| In your opinion should government intervene in the rights of the individual with regard to family planning? | | 20| To what extent should university courses be geared to the economic needs of society? | | 21| Many people think that nowadays people are being subjected to more and more pressure in their work, and thus are having less and less time to relax. What is your opinion? | | 22| With the increasing popularity of computers and calculators, student literacy is decreasing dramatically.What are the positive and negative effects the progress of science and technology has brought about? | | 23| In the past, buildings often reflected the culture of a society but today all modern buildings look alike and cities throughout the world are becoming more and more similar. What do you think is the reason for this, and is it a good think or a bad think? You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples. | | 24| The earth is being filled with waste material such as plastic bags and other rubbish. Is this really happening?What are some solutions to this problem? Gives reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. | | 25| The wealth gap between 1st world countries and 3rd world countries seems to be increasing. How can we reduce this gap? Do you think that developed countries have a duty to assist developing countries in every way? | | 26| Some people say that advertising encourages us to buy things we really do not need. Others say that advertisements tell us about new products that may improve our lives. Which viewpoint do you agree with?Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. | | 27| Some people believe that the best way of learning about life is by listening to the advice of family and friends. Other people believe that the best way of learning about life is through personal experience. Compare the advantages of t hese two different ways of learning about life. Which do you think is preferable? Use specific examples to support your preference. | | 28| Some people think that human needs for farmland, housing, and industry are more important than saving land for endangered animals.Do you agree or disagree with this point of view? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. | | 29| Many parts of the world are losing important natural resources, such as forests, animals, or clean water. Choose one resource that is disappearing and explain why it needs to be saved. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. | | 30| A company has announced that it wishes to build a large factory near your community. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this new influence on your community. Do you support or oppose the factory? Explain your position. | 31| The government has announced that it plans to build a new university. Some people think that your community w ould be a good place to locate the university. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a new university in your community. Use specific details in your discussion. | | 32| Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age and should spend most of their time on school studies. Others believe that young children should spend most of their time playing. Compare these two views. Which view do you agree with? Why? | |

Conccussions

Informative speech on Concussions Intro Imagine your head pounding and you don’t know where you are, your eyes are dilated and you can’t remember how or what happened. All of a sudden you’re getting help being carried off by people you can’t recognize. You get to the sideline and they start asking you multiple questions, who are we playing? What’s the score? And you stumble to answer these questions and get them wrong. Then they make you take a seat on the bench and say your done playing and inform you that you have received a concussion. 1st body- what concussions are, causesFirst I would like to discuss what concussions actually are. According to Web MD, a concussion is a type of brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. By definition, a concussion is not a life threatening injury but it can cause both short term and long term problems. There most likely arenâ€℠¢t any visible signs of a brain injury when a concussion occurs. Even though it is a minor traumatic brain injury, they are still very serious. It can affect how your brain works for a while.A concussion can result from a fall, sports activities, and even a car accident. Your brain is a soft organ that is surrounded by spinal fluid and protected by your hard skull. The fluid around your brain acts like a cushion that keeps your brain from banging against your skull. If your head or body is hit hard enough though, your brain can collide with your skull and be injured. There are many ways to receiving a concussion; they aren’t just involved with sports. Today there are three different types of grades you can receive for a concussion. A grade 3 concussion is the worst one you can get.According to Center for Disease and prevention, recent data shows that, on average, approximately 1. 7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury annually. 2nd body-symptoms Now that we have a clear understanding of what a concussion is, let me share some of the symptoms with you. Symptoms of a concussion can range from mild to severe and can last for hours, days, weeks, or even months. E medicine health states some very important concussion symptoms and they are loss of consciousness after any trauma to the head, confusion, headache, nausea or vomiting, or even blurred vision.All of these may not occur when you sustain a concussion though; you could only get one or two of them. You don’t have to pass out to have a concussion either, that’s why they are always difficult to tell if someone has one. There are four main categories that concussion can fit into and they are thinking and remembering, physical, emotional and mood, and sleep. All four of these areas have different symptoms for each of them. 3rd body-treatments/my experience with them/prevention Now that I have discussed symptoms of concussions, let me explain the treatments and preventions.According to MayoClinic rest is the best way to allow your brain to recover from a concussion. Any person who may have had a concussion needs to see a doctor. If a doctor thinks you have a concussion, he or she will ask you multiple questions about the injury. These questions will test your ability to pay attention and your learning and memory. A person who might have a concussion needs to immediately stop any kind of activity or sport. Being active again too soon increases the person’s risk of having a more serious brain injury.It is very important to allow yourself time to get better and to slowly return to your regular activities. Conclusion In conclusion, we have discussed what concussions are, its symptoms, and treatments. Concussions can be prevented in some situations, but not all of them. So the next time you receive a headache from hitting your head, the best thing you can do is call your doctor. Concussions are not something you want to mess with, they are a very serious mat ter and you want to get them treated right away. Thank you. Works cited Webmd. com Emedicinehealth. com Mayoclinic. com Cdc. com