Critical Incident Essay Example for Free

Critical Incident Essay It was a cold friday afternoon as I sat at the bus stop waiting to get home. I had just got out of an intense Friday lecture from the Northampton local Mosque. The Imam was furious and obviously disgusted at the behavior of our generation. How do we live with ourselves Imam Aseem Ibrahim had said. Most of us have enough to feed ourselves and our family, even buy the latest gadgets just because we can but do we feed the poor? Do we clothed them? He said in anger as he chocked on the words. The lecture kept on playing in my head as I waited for the bus. It made me realize, we could do some good with the money we spend on some unnecessary things especially the ones we buy for ourselves to please others. Earlier, I had planned on buying the new Manchester United away jersey, but with what the Imam said, I dont think I need it anymore. I could use at least half the money to do good for others. Just as I drift on my thoughts, I noticed a fish and chips cart which reminded me of the breakfast and lunch I had missed. I had been staying up late studying that I forgot about a couple of meals. Dont starve yourself in the course of feeding others. The Imam had said while giving his lectures. I starved myself but it wasnt because I was trying to feed anybody, I was just trying to catch up on loss time. I got up and got myself some fish and chips then sat back at the bus stop seats. As soon as I had the first swallow, I realized I could help poor people by feeding them delicious food with a reasonable amount of money. The food was relatively cheap. I smiled and continued to enjoy. Halfway through my meal, I saw a little Indian boy with an elderly woman walking towards my direction. The boy smiled at me so I smiled and offered him my food. The little boy smiled again and shook his head. Are you sure? He shook his head and stopped walking. Alright then. I went on with my meal. A few minutes later, the bus arrived and just as I motioned to get on it, the elderly woman furiously said some words to me in Hindu. I shrugged and got on the bus. When I arrived home, I found my roommate Taneem watching a Hindu movie. I noticed something weird as I watched a little with him. Why is the subtitle saying yes while the woman keeps shaking her head? I asked. Because shaking your head is to Indians as nodding your head is to us. Shes saying yes. Taneem explained. Even though it was minutes after I had left the boy and the woman, I felt so embarrassed at what I did to the boy. My intentions were good, but it looked otherwise.

Difference Between Boycotts and Lockouts

Difference Between Boycotts and Lockouts Difference between boycotts and lockouts 1- INTRODUCTION Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function which works within an organization .It focuses on recruitment of staff, managing them and giving them direction to the employees who work in that organization. Human resource management can be performed by line mangers (Tesco superstores line manger performs the duties of human resource management ).Human resource management function includes several activities and key among them is deciding to use independent contractor or hire employees to get the job done .Ensuring they are high motivating, able to work in a team and dealing with performance issues. Human resources management also include employee benefits and compensation and managing your approach to employees records and personnel activities. Managing human capital means to conquer and to maintain people in the organization, who will work and give the maximum of themselves, with a positive attitude. The following work will attempt to answer the question Do you think boycotts and lockouts are two other anti-impasse weapons sometimes used by labor and management? An impasse occurs when the parties arent able to move further toward settlement. Sometimes, a strike occurs. Responding to the strike involves such steps as shutting the facility, contracting work, or possibly replacing the workers. Third party involvement namely, arbitration, fact-finding, or mediation- is one alternative. Examine the steps you will undertake as part of the HR management team, in order to answer this question this project will open with a review of the literature that has been written on the issues raised by the question above. It should be noticed that a vast amount of writing has been done on this issues but only a few of them dimmed to provide the most benefit to the purposes and intend of this assignment have been sited. Those countries their economy is operating full employment the bargaining power of the worker is strong and his employer is weak. When there is short fall of full employment then employer is more stronger than employee. In this case employees are compulsory to accept employer conditions. It is recognized that the right of workman to strike is an essential element in the principle of collective bargaining. In a non unionized work place, managers use their discretion in organizing work, selection, promoting and training people and other duties of human resource management but it can be change if the worker join the union. Once the join the union they comes across so many agreement and knowledge about employment relationship. Union main demand is all of its representatives are getting right wages ,no job cuts ,no over load of work They have an interest in work related learning and employee development. 2-BOYCOTT A group refusal to have commercial dealing with some organization in protest against its policies, usually it happens because of political reason. In other words boycott can be defined as a rejection of an individual, cop ration or nation to give political and social pressure for change. Example 1: Swadeshi Movement Against British Rulers In 1905,when India was a part of British empire ,a boycott of foreign goods was declared, which is known as swadeshi movement..Indians boycott all British products, to setup local stores where only locally manufactured goods had been sold. They could use British products but it was against their sovereignty. This movement was a good step for their freedom movement. (www.india_resource.tripod.com) Example 2: United States Boycott Against French Products In 2003,France tried to stop bush administration to build international support for a war to depose saddam hussain.In response united states have declared a boycott of French products specially French wine. French wine producers claims their sales are effected in united states because of boycott. (www.nber.org) Example 3: Greenwich Council Workers Boycott Against New Office In Greenwich council six hundred staff reused to work because there was no security screens on new office entrance .They have boycott to work in new office because of security reason. (www.personneltoday.com) Example 4:International Campaign The international campaign organized against A E Stanly, the corn processing plant in Illinois in early 1990s when 10 12 hours four days weekly shift was introduced. The campaign entailed a boycott of important A E Stanley customers like Tate Lyle, Pepsi and miller. (Scullion and Lineham, 2005). 2.1 TYPES OF BOYCOTTS There are two different types of boycotts Those in which users , consumers, or member register their disappointment through avoidance. Those in which an individual or organization takes a leadership position by increasing an active campaign against a product, service, company or organization. 2.2 Silent boycott Silent boycotts are unorganized boycotts spread by gossips in revenge of number of reasons and hit the company before they realize what is happening. Example 5: Toys R Us Boycott Toys of Violence Toys r us, was the subject by silent boycott. Their top management decided not to sell toys of violence like toy tanks, guns, aircraft and similar products. They did not sit with their customers. As a result their market shares never fully recover. (www.boycottnet.com) Example 6: IBM Vs Compaq IBM became target of a successful silent boycott, because of its superiority in which they have treated self-directed distributors. In a result Compaq computers became a very serious threat. (www.boycottnet.com) 2.3 Focused boycott Its simplest term, it involves dissecting the problem into its components and then zeroing in on the most vulnerable point. Example 7: Slaves Boycott Sugar Products The earliest example of focused boycott was in England when slaves boycott sugar products. In 1791, when parliament refused to eliminate slavery and result of this boycott sugar sales dropped by third and half. (www.ethicalconsumer.org) 3-Lockouts When an employer withhold work and denies workers to access their work place. Its a strike by management to induce settlement to a labor dispute on employers terms. when several employers take this action together its called shut down or joint lockouts. A lockout is defined as being the act of an employer in: Closing the employers place of business, or suspending or discontinuing the employers business or any branch of that business; or Discontinuing the employment of any employee; or Breaching some or all of the employers employment agreements; or Refusing or failing to engage employees for any work for which the employer usually employs employees; and Is done with the view of compelling employees, or to aid another employer compelling employees to accept terms of employment or comply with the demands made by the employer. 3.1 REASONS OF LOCKOUTS There can be many reasons of lockouts such as: When union goes on strike and employers want to put pressure on union for reducing the number of members who are able to work. employers can announce a lockout until the strike ends. Another case is when an employer mat compel a lockout to avoid slow down or irregular work stoppages. Example 8: Golden Reach Factory Lockout Its Workers In year 2003, between march and September when the management of golden reach factory in India locked out,1400 of its workers in response to strike called in protest. The golden reach factory is a subsidiary of unilever an Anglo Dutch conglomerate ,unilever has never declared a lock out in Netherlands conglomerate seems to have different policies towards labor, depending on the country which its operates. (www.britannica.com) 4-STRIKES Union and labor associates use strike as weapon to get their demands accepted. Its starts when bunch of workers want to push pressure on their employers, they cease work until they get there demands accepted by employers. In an industry when trade unions and labor associates denies to work until they get their demand accepted is called strike. In a strike people are agreed to stop their work and protest against their employers or government to put pressure on them to pay rise or any other changes they want make on their work place. 4.1REASONS OF STRIKES Trade union and labor associates calls strike for several reasons such as: Salary and incentive problem Increment is not up to mark Dissatisfaction with company policy Dismissal of a staff wrongly Withdrawal of any privilege or concession Hours of work Paid holidays Provident and gratuity Minimum wage dispute Environmental problem on work place Example 9: Royal Mail Strike For Wages Royal mail strike called in because of jobs cut, services, wages, benefits and privatization .Strike is hitting postal services. Communications workers union (CWU) said 25,000 workers participated in this strike. That was the biggest strike after 2007.Major cities (London, Edinburgh, Ipswich, Bristol, Birmingham) got effected of this strike. Workers are protesting against â€Å"panic driven† cuts being made at royal mail to pay job and services. It effects customer trust on royal mail. Postal workers are fed up because of lacking ability of management and their behavior. Royal mail has accused the union of reneging a modernization deal that ended the 2007 strike. (www.guardian.co.uk) Example 10: RMT Vs TFL RMT(rail maritime and transport workers) is largest of the four unions which deals with TFL(transport for London).RMT wants to cancel their contract with TFL because they redundant RMT workers. Even they denies to pay rise.RMT wants a guarantee to protect job of its members.RMT workers called a strike because their demands were not accepted. It effects all the people of London who travel by public transport. (www.guardian.co.uk) Example 11: British Airways Staff For Redundancies British Airways chief .executive (Willie Walsh) has given three weeks notice to BA staff to agree job redundancy and pay cuts. He offered his staff to voluntary redundancies because company is fighting for its survival. As a result strike occurred.BA passengers faced difficulties for traveling. Most of the flights were cancelled. That was the worst time for British airways and still not fully recovered. (www.guardian.co.uk) Example 12: National Strike Against Economical Policies 19 March 2009,union have called for a strike in France ,to protest against French president Nicolas Sarkozys wrong policies in the economic slump. More than 1.2 million people came on the streets. Employees from the private sector and civil servants demonstrated in the cities from Paris to Marseille, schools have been close and transportation have badly effected. President Sarkozy has offered 2.6 billion euro (3.5 billion dollor) tax cuts and aid to unemployed and law paid workers unions in France demanding for more to protect their workers in the recession time when unemployment has reached 2 million and its expected to increase further. Bernard Thiboult ,general secretary of the confederation general du travel. The country 2nd largest union have said if the government says we will not change the policies then there should be no surprise if climate gets tougher. (www.bloomberg.com) Example 13: Massive Strike In Italy April 2002, millions of employees have ceased work and went for strike against government plans to giving special powers to the employer to hire or fire employees easily. The strike was called by three main unions of the country which has brought parts of the country to stand still. Union said rallies in Rome ,Milan, Bologna ,each rally had a crowd of more than 200,000.It was the first all day work stoppage in 20 years. Schools ,banks were remain closed all day even the public transport ,buses ,rails ,air and sea has stopped. There was no live TV no news paper were published. Prime minister silvio Berlusconi said after the strike that he is ready to start talks with union leaders but he insisted that reform of the labor laws was necessary. (www.bbc.co.uk) Example 14: Protest Against Bridgestone The international campaign against the Japanese tyre Bridgestone which is subsidiary of firestone. The workers were replaces with their substitute workers. (www.laborrightsblog.typepad.com) 4.2 TYPES OF STRIKES There are several different types of strikes such as: Sit down strike Slow down strike Economic strike Sympathy strike General strike Sick out(sick in) strike Wildcat strike 4.3 Sit down strike Its a strike when workers do not absent from work place. They dont leave control on production facilities but do not work. This strike is also known as pen drop strike or tool down strike. In this type of strike employees shown up to their jobs but they refuse to work and refuse to leave, in these circumstances they make it very difficult for their employers to resist against union and take control of area. Example 15: ACPA On Strike for Pay Rise In Pakistan(Punjab) more than 2.2 million clerks went on a pen drop strike on call of APCA(all Pakistan clerk association). According to the press release more 2.2 million clerks protest against government and to support their demands regarding their pay rise. They demanded that government should increase the salaries of lower sub- ordinates to the inflation rate. (www.dailytimes.com.pk) 4.4 Slow down strike In this type of strike employees do not stop the work they remain on their jobs but they control the rate of productivity in organized manner to pressure on employers. Example 16: Chief Justice Of U.S Wants More Salary Chief justice of united states district court judge (Carl B. Rubin) went on slow down strike when congress refused to increase his salary more than 51% to reply that only he only hear two cases usual ten cases a month. (www.washingtonpost.com) 4.5 Sympathy strike When employees of one unit , industry, factory go on strike to support employees of separate but related industry, profession, unit is called sympathetic strike. Example 17: Renault 1997,French Motor manufacture company Renault announced the closure of its Belgium production plant at Vilboorde, company dismissed almost 3100 workers without consulting with workers representatives. The colure of the company leads another 1000 redundancies among supplies and subordinates. Unexpected colure of the company in Belgium generated very high level of sympathy action not only in Renault workers across the Europe but also car workers in Belgium were fearful of the same fate. Representatives of the unions of France, Belgium and Spain met and agreed to seek the reasons of the colure of the plant at Vilvoorde and find all possible legal avenues. They organized one hour strike and involves the union of Portugal and Slovenia . Car workers in France, Spain and Belgium protest against Renault, Their plants in 3 different countries were hit by one hour work stoppages. workers of related motor manufactures industries like Polo ,Opel and Ford in Belgium staged sympathy actions. (www.eurofound.europa.eu) 4.6 Sick out(sick in) strike When all the members of union called in sick at the same day is called sick out strike. They dont break any rules but sickness of majority of the staff at the same day leaves very strong impact on employer, that if the staff really went on strike. Example 18 : Air traffic Staff On Strike For Wages In 1969 when united states air traffic controllers called in sick strike because of wages and condition. The traffic controllers walked out and stay out of job for three weeks and called in sick, attempting to avoid the legal penalties for striking. (www.libcom.org) 4.7 Economic strike In this type of strike labor stop their work and put pressure on their employer to increase their economic needs like wages and bonus. Example 19:Lublin Strike In 1980 the workers of eastern city of Lublin (Poland) went on strike for increase of their salaries and cheap prices of food products. July 1980 almost 50,000 local workers from more than 150 companies went on strike. Its also called Lublin strike. (www.tnn.pl) 4.8 General strike It means a strike by all members of union in the region or an industry. This strike can called in by all the members of the union in the region for their common interests. In these types of strikes workers intend to put pressure on the government. Example 20:Union And Non Union Worker On Strike In the year of 1934 in san Francisco union and non union workers went on strike. They have protest against police and employers tactics that had killed two picketers. (www.newdeal.feri.org) Example 21: Trade Union Conflict With Coal- Owners A general strike had occurred in 1926, By the trade unions of great Britain. they were supporting miners federation in their dispute with coal-owners Government had granted a year subsidy to the coal-owners because of the bad state of coal-mining industry and set up a commission of inquiry under sir Herbert Samuel. the commission suggested a scheme of reorganization the industry as soon as practicable when government subsidy was due to expire the coal-owners made up their mind that they are not going to employ the miners except lower rate and longer hours, but they did not give them any proposal until after expiry of the notices, and then did not include any plans for considerable reorganization to result of this trade union congress called a conference of its unions and reported that there is no alternative to a general strike majority of the organized workers stop their work, essential services partially carried on by volunteers acting upon plans outlined by government in the light of railway strike 1919 and miners strike 1920 (www.historybookshop.com) 4.9 Wild cat strike This strike takes place by employees with out the authority and permission of union. Example 22: Prison Officers On Strike Hundred of prison officers went on strike to support their colleagues in HMP (Liverpool). The prison staff at Cardiff, Preston and wands worth are expected to stop work unless managers agree to talk with prison officers association Staff at Liverpool are on unauthorized strike. (www.news.sky.com) 5) Collective Bargaining The process through which members of management and the union meet to negotiate a labor agreements. According to Dessler(2005), the good faith refers to the conditions of both partiesto make every reasonable effort to arrive at agreement good faith bargaining may include the following Surface bargaining Inadequate concession Inadequate proposals and demands Dilatory tactics Imposing conditions Making unilateral changes in conditions By passing the representative Committing unfair labor practices during negotiations Withholding information Ignoring bargaining items Example 23: Northwest Airlines has refused to negotiate with mechanics union representatives because of a reason that their representative have met with mechanics union representatives three times before but they did not respond on their proposal. (Dessler, 2005). Example 24: Employer international union has said that baryant college representative are not fully responsive on the issues of wages, respects and benefits. 134, unfair labor claiming that baryant college negotiators are failed to negotiate with union. (Dessler, 2005). 6)Intervention of the third party When the parties fail to handle the situation then they want to refer this matter to third party. 6.1 Types of intervention 1) Mediation: Mediation is a third neutral party which only arrange a meeting with both parties ,listen both parties issues and try to bargaining common points. Mediation dont have any authority to come to decision .They just offer a settlement package. 2) Fact finder: Fact finder is a neutral third party which deals only to study the issue and make public recommendations for settlement. 3) Arbitration : Arbitration is the only powerful intervention because arbitration has a authority to give them decision for settlement. 4) Conciliation : Conciliation has no power, their role is only to clarifying the issues and offers advice. 7- Recommendations These are the following steps to helps company to come out from this situation. 1) Salary: Company have to make sure employees dont have any issue with their salaries. Their salaries should be on time. Every six months their contract should be renew and give them a pay rise. That should be good step to make them happy .They will be more productive. 2) Bonus: Company should give bonuses to their staff. like Christmas bonus. It would be a step to motivate them. 3) Benefits: If employee are getting benefits like discount card, pensions, insurance and other benefits then employee cannot think for strike. 4) Job guarantee: Employees should have a job guarantee. IF they have a job guarantee they will be more loyal with company because they know their job is secure and employer fulfills all their demands. 5) Paid holidays: Employee should have a privilege of paid holidays. Its the extra benefit that employees are getting from company. This way employees have a relief from work and makes them more energetic to work after holidays. 6) Dismissal of the wrong staff: Company must have rules and regulations for their staff. Do not dismiss any member of staff. who does not deserve to be dismissed. If there is a situation then try to observe then make a decision because wrong decision effects on company† s image. 7) Redundancies: If company is running with any financial crises and want to redundant staff , then company should give them one month notice , give them redundant pay according to law. 8) Dissatisfaction with company policies: Employees must be satisfy with company policies. They should not have any problem. If there is any thing which they think is not on the right place they should complaint and give suggestions to the management. 9) Hours of work: Employees working hour should be accurate. If they are working more than normal hours then they should get their time back or pay them as overtime. 10)APPRAISAL: Employee should get promotion at work. If they have skills employers should promote them with a good salary package. 8- Conclusion: The conclusion of this report is that strike, lockout and boycott are not healthy for company, Organization must have proper strategies to run a business . If there is good relationship between employee and employer then company will run fine. and organization will able to achieve its targets If company polices are not meeting staff requirements then they will disappointed and could take a step towards strike. Employer should always prepare to solve these kind of situations. IF strike occurred then it is a issue for employer, employee and organization. It effects. on everyone related to the company Its better to sit together and resolve the issues. Overall in labor relations worker should be happy working with their employer and employer should keep an eye on workers needs and their work. IF any of them fail to fulfill their duty then it can become a huge problem and one day worker can go for strike , lockout and boycott. Arbitration can try to solve the situation. Collective bargaining is step where they can control the problem.. They fix a meeting between employee and management and open channel for communication for each other. If collective bargaining fails then management need to prepare to deal with one of the anti impasse weapon strike. The best way is to resolve it with intervention. The main causes for strikes are wages, pay cuts, job cuts and wrong policies. If human resource management team properly control these factors then there is no cause for strike.

Great Political Leaders of the Twentieth Century :: World History

Great Political Leaders of the Twentieth Century The history of the 20th century can be defined by the biographies of six men: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Vladimir Lenin, Adolf Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, and Josef Stalin. Each of these men had a lasting significant involvement in world affairs. This essay will focus on the significance each individual had on the ideologies of Democracy and Totalitarianism. Four of the six individuals were leaders of a totalitarianistic state, and three of these led a communist country. Also four of the six leaders were in power during the Second World War. The profiles of these six men formed the world that we live in today. Vladimir Illich Lenin was the first individual to put Marxist ideologies to work. In April 1917 Lenin returned to Russia from his exile in Switzerland to give his 'April Theses.' It was here that Lenin outlined how his revolution was to take place, the Bolshevik Revolution began on November 6 1917. Within a week the Bolsheviks were in control of most of European Russia, and immediately Lenin ordered that the Russians abandon the war against Germany. After abandoning her allies in World War One the Russians were hurled into a civil war. It is here that we first see the ideologies of Totalitarianism and Democracy clash. The democracies of Britain, France, and the United States all sent troops to Russia in the support of the 'Whites,' or enemies of the Bolsheviks. Lenin took the poor country of Russia and turned it into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or U.S.S.R. Through his policies of War Communism and its replacement the NEP Lenin was able to stand the newly formed U.S.S.R. o n its own two feet. One of Lenin's ideas was 'International Socialism,' it was under this idea that he set up the Comintern with the purpose of spreading communism throughout the world. His successor, Josef Stalin took a different approach in his ideas of 'Socialism in one country." Josef Stalin led the U.S.S.R. from the death of Lenin to his own in 1953. Stalin led the Soviets through the betrayal of the Germans in the Nazi-Soviet Pact, he turned back the Nazis on the Eastern front, and brought the U.S.S.R. out of the Second World War as one of the only two superpowers in the world. After the end of the World War Two Stalin spread the Soviet sphere of influence to include East Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Alabania, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.

Our Future as Nurses Essay -- Nursing

Nurses should be empathetic and compassionate caregivers. However, what happens when nurses are constantly giving their energy to compassionate care, without seeing the positive outcomes nor being able to regain energy through self-care? This eventually would lead to compassion fatigue, which often results in impairment of concentration and diminished performance ultimately leading to poor quality of care. Preventing compassion fatigue can be achieved through a strong foundation with a comprehensive education consisting of critical thinking skills, evidence-based practice, leadership, management, and delegation, which are only taught in baccalaureate nursing programs. Nurses and nursing students must be reminded or taught that in order to prevent compassion fatigue, they should not only be taking good care of their patients but also themselves. All caregivers are at risk for compassion fatigue, especially nurses, since our profession is based on taking care of the ill. One experience that illustrates this condition was when I helped on an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). I recall one nurse I met who had many years of experience but had a reputation of being anal-retentive and unfriendly. I would greet her every time I walked onto the unit, but she never responded. One day, this nurse was assigned to the son of a non-English speaking Chinese mother for whom I often acted as a translator. Her son was suffering from neuroleptic malignant syndrome and recovering from abdominal surgery for an ischemic bowel, which was infected. The mother rushed to me that day with a worried look and told me that the nurse was harming her son. She said she saw the nurse give two intravenous (IV) medications through his neck (internal jugular central venous ... ...es have worked long and hard to advance their careers and should have higher standards for education and provide quality care not only for the patients, but for themselves. Additional focus on nurses’ personal health and higher education will allow the nursing profession to advance in the future with improved integrity and credibility and result in better healthcare for patients. References Aiken, L. (2011). Nurses for the future. The New England Journal Of Medicine, 364(3), 196- 198. Aiken, L., Clarke, S., Cheung, R., Sloane, D., & Silber, J. (2003). Educational levels of hospital nurses and surgical patient mortality. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 290(12), 1617-1623. Boyle, D. A. (2011). Countering Compassion Fatigue: A Requisite Nursing Agenda. Online Journal of Issues In Nursing, 16(1), 1-14. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol16No01Man02

Merchant of Venice Essay examples -- Merchant of Venice Essays

Mercy v. Justice – Old Testament v. New Testament While the conflict between justice and mercy plays a key role in determining the outcome of The Merchant of Venice, this conflict is even more important because it provides a setting for the contrast between the rigid law and rules of the Old Testament and the concepts of mercy and forgiveness as taught by Christ in the New Testament. It is in the climactic trial scene that The Duke, hoping Shylock will excuse Antonio's penalty, asks him, â€Å"How shall thou hope for mercy rend'ring none?† He is referring to expectations of judgment in the afterlife. However, so is Shylock, when he counters, â€Å"What judgment shall I dread doing no wrong?† This exchange perfectly presents this conflict between of the Old Testament and the New, in which the former is seen to emphasize strict obedience as mankind’s obligation to God while the latter stresses God's grace and mercy. The laws and rules of the Old Testament insisted on strict justice, â€Å"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth† (Exodus 21:23, 24; also see: Leviticus 24:19, 20; and Deuteronomy 19:21) while the New Testament calls for mercy, â€Å"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy† (Matthew 5:7) said Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. He later added â€Å"Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’; but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.† (Matthew 5:39). Shakespeare’s version of â€Å"An eye for and eye† is found at the end of Shylock’s great speech in the trial scene of Act IV, â€Å"If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.† His demand for vengeance is made more understandable in this famous speech as he lays open the years of pain and anger caused by the anti-Semitic treatment and abuse from the likes of Antonio and the rest of Venetian society. But, while he is more a victim than a villain, he's not blameless. What turns Shylock into a ruthless avenger is his daughter’s elopement with a Christian and her rejection of the religion of her family. It is this betrayal by his own flesh and blood that renders Shylock seemingly merciless towards ... ...s and forgiving herself. One of the great ironies of this play happens when Shylock calls Portia, "A Daniel come to judgment, yea, a Daniel!" Daniel was the Old Testament judge of Susanna, a woman accused of being unchaste by the elders. The story is pointed because Daniel rules in Susanna's favor, thus rescuing her from her fate. After freeing her, he then in turn convicts the elders. Shylock's mistake is that while he is right in calling Portia a Daniel, he fails to recognize that he is the one who represents the elders and Antonio is the rescued Susanna. In the end, Shylock is prevented from cutting a pound of Antonio’s flesh from very near the merchant’s heart, but in a sense it is the Christians who cut Shylock’s heart out of his body without shedding a drop of his blood. While the Christians preach mercy when Antonio is at risk, the Christian court is happy to opt for Old Testament vengeance itself in exacting a punishment which leaves Shylock feeling that he might as well be dead-- â€Å"Nay, take my life and all, pardon not that, You take my house, when you do take the prop / That doth sustain my house: you take my life / When you do take the means whereby I live.† Merchant of Venice Essay examples -- Merchant of Venice Essays Mercy v. Justice – Old Testament v. New Testament While the conflict between justice and mercy plays a key role in determining the outcome of The Merchant of Venice, this conflict is even more important because it provides a setting for the contrast between the rigid law and rules of the Old Testament and the concepts of mercy and forgiveness as taught by Christ in the New Testament. It is in the climactic trial scene that The Duke, hoping Shylock will excuse Antonio's penalty, asks him, â€Å"How shall thou hope for mercy rend'ring none?† He is referring to expectations of judgment in the afterlife. However, so is Shylock, when he counters, â€Å"What judgment shall I dread doing no wrong?† This exchange perfectly presents this conflict between of the Old Testament and the New, in which the former is seen to emphasize strict obedience as mankind’s obligation to God while the latter stresses God's grace and mercy. The laws and rules of the Old Testament insisted on strict justice, â€Å"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth† (Exodus 21:23, 24; also see: Leviticus 24:19, 20; and Deuteronomy 19:21) while the New Testament calls for mercy, â€Å"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy† (Matthew 5:7) said Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. He later added â€Å"Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’; but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.† (Matthew 5:39). Shakespeare’s version of â€Å"An eye for and eye† is found at the end of Shylock’s great speech in the trial scene of Act IV, â€Å"If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.† His demand for vengeance is made more understandable in this famous speech as he lays open the years of pain and anger caused by the anti-Semitic treatment and abuse from the likes of Antonio and the rest of Venetian society. But, while he is more a victim than a villain, he's not blameless. What turns Shylock into a ruthless avenger is his daughter’s elopement with a Christian and her rejection of the religion of her family. It is this betrayal by his own flesh and blood that renders Shylock seemingly merciless towards ... ...s and forgiving herself. One of the great ironies of this play happens when Shylock calls Portia, "A Daniel come to judgment, yea, a Daniel!" Daniel was the Old Testament judge of Susanna, a woman accused of being unchaste by the elders. The story is pointed because Daniel rules in Susanna's favor, thus rescuing her from her fate. After freeing her, he then in turn convicts the elders. Shylock's mistake is that while he is right in calling Portia a Daniel, he fails to recognize that he is the one who represents the elders and Antonio is the rescued Susanna. In the end, Shylock is prevented from cutting a pound of Antonio’s flesh from very near the merchant’s heart, but in a sense it is the Christians who cut Shylock’s heart out of his body without shedding a drop of his blood. While the Christians preach mercy when Antonio is at risk, the Christian court is happy to opt for Old Testament vengeance itself in exacting a punishment which leaves Shylock feeling that he might as well be dead-- â€Å"Nay, take my life and all, pardon not that, You take my house, when you do take the prop / That doth sustain my house: you take my life / When you do take the means whereby I live.†

Are We Free to Make Our Own Choices in Life?

1st essay Are we free to make our own choices in life? Although it sounds appealing to make one's own decision freely, it is actually an impractable goal as the society has exerted significant influence and restrictions on individuals and has shaped one's value of what they should do and what they should not do. In today's society, people are more free to make our own choices than we were before, but it is true that we canno indulge our interests at the cost of transgressing the basic rules of the society.The first example is about the choice of curriculum. Nowadays, we are much less limited when choosing extracurriculum activities and collegial groups than people were before; however, there are basic disciplines which must not be neglected such as Mathematicis, English Literature, Physics and Chemistry. These disciplines are compulsory because they will greatly assist your future career and well-being, while choosing to ignore these compelling courses will undoubtedly result in a gr eat obstable since you are not equipped with some of the most basic skills.Furthermore, you will be less likely to enroll in an outstanding university or college, which can be attributed to your choice of not taking these basic disciplines. Actually, everyone is provided with a concrete and immutable schedule for daily couses whcih will not be altered by any individual student withour a reasonable application and cogent explanation. From this example, we can see that there are courses that we hove to choose to study. In other words, we cannot make a choice totally freely on which courses to take. Another example is about filial responsibility.Turning to Chinese society, it is a written law that every grown-up should look after his or her parents if economically permitted. One of my neighbour is a vile women, always shouting against her parents and asking her parents for money. I usually herar augument with her parents on economic issues. In fact, she does not shoulder the responsibi lity of a daughter to take care of her elderly parents; instead, she throws herself in the cyberspace, not willing to take on a job to â€Å"act as† a daughter. She may not be punished by law; however, every family in our community has acknowledged her notorious reputation and malicious behaviour.As she decides not to take care of her parents, she has broken the basic law of the society–conscience. Her case indicates that people who make choices regardless of the rules of society will be injurious to not only the people around them but also themselves. In conclusion, we are more or less limited by the rules of society when making decisions. However, as far as I am concerned, these rules should bot by regarded as obstacles, but should rather be considered as contribution to the stability and harmony of the hole society. 2nd EssayWhat must we do to truly understand ourselves? As an old saying goes, ‘It is always being difficult for people to judge themselves evenha ndedly. ‘ And I agree that many people do not have general idea what he or she is like in others' eyes. Therefore, from my perspective, to communicate with other people, discuss some common topics, or even argue about something can not only help people have truly understandings of others but also themselves. Two characters, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy in the Pride and Prejudice, a far-reaching novel, can serve as an example.Their first interaction was on a ball where Mr Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth, who regarded him as a person with rude and pride personality ever since. After that, another officer, Wickham's accusations enhanced Elizabeth's prejudice about Darcy. Both of them, Elizabeth and Darcy, have the idea that the other is proud while have no idea about their own personalities. Nevertheless, as time goes by, Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth and expresses his feelings to her. He is astounded by her prejudice about him.He sends Elizabeth a letter telling everything happened between him and Wickham. Thought their communication, they learnt each other's personality, realized the damage they have made in both of their hearts and finally became couples. Darcy's pride of status is founded on social prejudice while Elizabeth's initial prejudice against him is rooted in pride of her own perception. But their true communications afterwards made both of them correct their ideas about each other's characteristic as well as their own personalities. Another example is in the movie of Titanic.Rose was a girl with notable social status and she would be married with a business man, Carl. Though she did not love him, and was tired about the sybaritic life of upper classes, she lived against her own heart. When saved by Jack, and had conversations with him about their distinct life, Rose realized hat she did not want to be a upper class anymore. She finally acknowledged her love with Jack and decided to live with him forever. Jack's discretions prevented Rose from jumping into the ocean and also encourages Rose to be brave and act in accordance with her heart.Communication is the very way that made Rose to change and understands herself as a woman. I agree that the meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances and insist that communicate helps people to recognize themselves. 3rd essay Is censorship sometimes justifiable? Human rights include freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Based on this definition, many people believe that censorship is a flagrant infringement on human rights, and thus it should not be tolerated. However, I believe that censorship can be justified.Through a discussion of censorship of history textbooks in Japan, censorship against racism in Singapore and move ratings, this essay seeks to show the benefits of censorship to the community. The censorship of Japan's war crimes in Japan's history textbooks shows us that censorship is necessary to preserve national pride. In all histo ry textbooks used in Japan, atrocious war crimes such as their cruelties in World War II, most notably the systemised raping and pillage of Japanese soldiers in the rape of Nanking, China, are only briefly mentioned as parts of the wars, all the grotesque details prohibited.Though China accuses Japan of distorting history, this is necessary to maintain the national pride in Japanese students, especially for those younger students whose opinions and impressions of the country are still in the shaping. Therefore, the censorship can be justified if it is used wisely for the good of the nation. Censorship is also justified in Singapore to ensure social cohesion and racial harmony. In a multi-racial country like Singapore, a caustic racist remark can trigger conflict that threatens the social cohesion that took Singapore decades to cultivate.As such, the Media Development Authority (MDA) prohibits the use of derogatory language or insensitive remarks against any races in any form of medi a, be it printed media like newspapers or the new media- the Internet. This ensures the mutual respect between different races, and thus protects social cohesion in a fragile society like Singapore. Therefore, in cases like this, censorship should be justified. The movie ratings system is the most common type of censorship, and it is reasonable as it protects the minds of the young against violence and sexually explicit materials shown in movies.Massive research done on movies containing violence, foul language and sexually explicit materials has shown that exposure to such materials at a young age can lead to psychological instability for viewers and make them more prone to committing juvenile delinquency. As such, the movies are often rated from Parental Guidance to NC17, M18 and in some countries R21, to protect viewers from viewing dangerous materials unsuitable for their age. The movie ratings system thus is a necessary form of censorship to bar the young from being exposed to harmful materials through movies.Overall, censorship is justified in many cases, as it seeks to maintain social stability, racial harmony and to protect the young minds from dangerous materials in movies. However, once misused, censorship can violate human rights principles of freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Due to the complexity of censorship, the government needs to be prudent in using censorship to the best interest of the society. 4th Essay What two options are the most difficult to choose between? The most difficult choice is neither between life and death nor between love and freedom, but between truth and lie.Although I have to admit that it really takes a lot of courage to decide to die when one still have chance to live and it is harder to give up one's beloved to pursue the mental world of freedom, it is the choice of insisting on the truth that takes the greatest bravery. Louis Pasteur is such an example who bravely challenged the majority's opinion in order to hold the truth. Before him, people commonly believed that life comes directly from the lifeless matter. This theory is called spontaneous theory which was synthesized by Aristotle, the unshakable authority at that time.Hence, people from common ones to experts all deeply believed in this theory. However, Pasteur threw doubt on this commonly believed theory after conducting a series of experiments. Seeing is believing. What was shown in the experiments definitely disproved Aristotle's old theory. Here came the choice. He could publish the result of his discovery to insist on the truth or support the old wrong theory to lie to his heart. If he chose the first one, there would be lots of critics waiting for him. No one will exactly know what those crazy people will do who championed the spontaneous theory for so many years.His friends even warned him about the quagmire lain on the endless truth chasing path. On the contrast, if he chose the latter one, he will suffer from the tortur e of consciousness instead of the one from others. Finally, he decided to choose the first choice. Pasteur publicized his discovery in 1864 and brought a controversy immediately. Countless people found fault with Pasteur's experiments but soon people gradually were persuaded by the fact of the experiments. Because of this choice, Pasteur became one of the founders of the microbiology.Unlike to choose death or freedom, people never know what they will get after holding the truth. Perhaps one can earn famous during his or her life time, like Louis Pasteur, or he or she can be punished to die without understanding from other people. For instance, Giordano Bruno donated his life to pursue the truth. While at his contemporary, he was considered as a heretic because his belief of Copernican model offended the authority of the Catholic Church. In the end he was burned at the stake by civil authorities in 1600.Still lucky, his idea was understood by several people and recorded in text form so that his descendants could recover his opinion and memorize him forever. And those people who had no supporters for their persistence or did not record their opinion would be forgotten by generations. In conclusion, either pursuing truth or giving in to lie needs plenty of bravery to chose. However, we have to make decision between them. This was because he was the gold medalist. 5th essay Do we need knowledge of the past to fully understand the present? People live in the present. They plan for and worry about the future.The knowledge of the past gives us all the demands that press in from living in the present and anticipating what is yet to come, why bother with what has been? Knowledge of the past gives us all the desirable and available branches of knowledge. It is why we insist to learn knowledge of past such as history. I agree with what Rosamond MacKitterick told us. He said that a sense of the past is an essential past of our identity . The past is in many respects a for eign country, but on the premise that travel broadens the mind, this is all the more reason to go there.Any subject of study needs justification: Most widely accepted subjects—and history is certainly one of them—attract some people who simply like the information and modes of thought involved. I know that you may have more doubtful about why to bother need to know what the purpose is. In a society that quite correctly expects education to serve useful purposes, History is in fact very useful, actually indispensable, but the products of historical study are less tangible, sometimes less immediate, than those that stem from some other disciplines.In the past history has been justified for reasons we would no longer accept. For instance, one of the reasons history holds its place in current education is because earlier leaders believed that a knowledge of certain historical facts helped distinguish the educated from the uneducated; the person who could reel off the date of the. Knowledge of historical facts has been used as a screening device in many societies, from China to the United States, and the habit is still with us to some extent.Unfortunately, this use can encourage mindless memorization—a real but not very appealing aspect of the discipline. History should be studied because it is essential to individuals and to society, and because it harbors beauty. There are many ways to discuss the real functions of the subject—as there are many different historical talents and many different paths to historical meaning. All definitions of history's utility, however, rely on two fundamental facts. We could borrow knowledge of the past to understand the present situation better in any field.

Topics for Discussion

TOPICS for DISCUSSION Society and the Media 1- Where do you get the news from? radio / newspapers / TV / Internet 2- Reality shows on TV 3- TV and children The Environment 1- Public transport: a real alternative? 2- Recycling: a good way to be green? 3- Plastic bags in shops. The World of Work 1- Teleworking (working from home): pros and cons. 2- Equal opportunities for men and women 3- Unemployment: effects on society Travelling 1- Travelling alone or travelling with friends (or family) – Rural tourism 3- Exotic holidays Relationships 1- Getting married, living together or living alone 2- Families today: working parents / single parents / grandparents bringing up children Health 1- Ways to stay healthy 2- Fast food or traditional food 3- Telemedicine: online patients Language Learning 1- Bilingual education, Internet and language learning 2- Language exchanges, courses abroad Crime 1- How to avoid street robbery or burglary 2- Crime and technology: identity theftShopping 1- S hopping centres (malls) and department stores versus small shops 2- Opening hours: on Sundays and bank holidays 3- Shopaholics Progress and Science 1- Space exploration: useless or useful 2- The best inventions in 20th century Money matters 1- Is money the most important thing when choosing a job? 2- Charities and NGO’s: for people, animals, civil rights 3- Is pocket money for children a good idea? Computers and Technology 1- Downloading films or going to the cinema – Internet and books: will libraries disappear? 3- Effects of Internet on family life Education 1- Single sex education or co-educational schools 2- State schools or private schools 3- Discipline problems in the classroom Leisure and Entertainment 1- Changes in how people spend their free time: cinema music social networks theatre clubbing computer games others 2- Ways to relax: escaping from your daily routine .