Happiness The Most Important Values Of Happiness

What is happiness? This question has no single answer. There have been numerous articles and books published that researched what happiness is and how to achieve it, all with different findings and variations. I have condensed my findings from multiple articles in this paper. There are many facets contributing to ones happiness. I believe that some of the most important values are hard work and dedication, relationships and family, gratitude and finally, acceptance of others. Hard work and Dedication. Hard work and dedication can get you to where you want to go in life. If one takes things for granted, they will not go anywhere in life. But if you work hard and dedicate oneself to a cause, you can succeed. In the article â€Å"Brainology†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Before you can be grateful, you have to accept life the way it is with all its imperfections. Acceptance of others. If people were able to accept one another as they were, everyone would be happier. They would not have to put energy into putting each other down. In â€Å"Religion for Everyone† by Alain De Botton, she emphasizes that everyone can stand to have a small amount of religion in their life. Even if it is just upholding some of the values of a religion. â€Å"Even if we believe very little of what they tell us . . . we can nevertheless admire their understanding of what separates us from strangers† (2). Despite someones differences, one can still admire, or at the least not put down, anothers beliefs. The world would be a happier place. We could put that energy from hate into something more useful. When we love someone we accept their flaws and faults. If we were able to do that for perfectly good strangers, we would be able to connect and have better relationships. Relationships and Family. An important factor in happiness is having healthy relationships. Claudia Wallis wrote an article called, â€Å"The New Science of Happiness.† In this article she examines happiness, what it is and how to obtain it. One thing that she mentions is how relationships can affect your mood. â€Å"Almost every person feels happier when they’re with other people† (7). A person can have one or two close friends or have a whole platoon of them, but it hasShow MoreRelatedIs Relative Income Rather Than The Income Itself?1719 Words   |  7 Pagesaround them. This is one of the main determinants in ranking the level of happiness for people in middle to upper-class society. Whenever someone is â€Å"among people richer than oneself can be detrimental to well-being† (Boyce 471), because they think of themselves as not good enough compared to those around them. But when moving onto people making upwards of $300,000 there is a noticeable change in how they perceive happiness. In my life, I grew up with a wealthy family and everyone looked at me asRead MoreMill’S Two Proofs For The Ultimate Norm Of Morality . In907 Words   |  4 Pagesmorality, Mill claims that the utilitarian must claim that happiness happens to be the one and only thing that is desirable in itself. He also claims that the only proof of desirability is desire and goes ahead to give an argument that happiness happens to be the one and only thing that should be desired (Selling, 2016). Most importantly, Mill argues that an individual does desire his own happiness for its personal reasons and that makes happiness to be desired by and becomes desirable for its own sakeRead MoreThe Ethical Theories Of Leadership Essay1535 Words   |  7 Pagesthat develops over time. Even though there are many different style of leadership, one thing that most leaders have in common are there values. All leaders want the best for those that they lead, and they want s uccessfully accomplish the task that they are given. In the military, a leader’s ethics are what guide them in day-to-day life and sometimes life or death situations. That is why it is important for leaders to have strong moral guidelines to help them navigate the difficult task of leadingRead MoreHedonism and Desire Satisfaction Theory861 Words   |  4 Pageslife better. It is surprising, then, that the most plausible form of hedonism is desire satisfactionism. The hedonism theory focuses on pleasure/happiness while the desire-satisfaction theory elucidates the relevance of fulfilling our desires. Pleasure, in some points of view is the subjective satisfaction of desire. I will explain the similarities and the differences between the desire-satisfaction theory of value and hedonism. I will also discuss the most successful theory and defend my argument byRead MoreA Society Of Constant Consumption Of Materialistic Objects1617 Words   |  7 Pagesdecades ago. With the advan cement of technology, conveniences like these have been made possible through being able to just charge everything—this has become a national addiction. There is still a magnitude of people who would say money couldn’t buy happiness but the truth is a lot more in depth than that; money does in fact play an essential role in everyone’s overall life gratification. Even though there is that urge and desire for materialistic goods, people are still sometimes caught in the dilemmaRead MoreThe Roots to Happiness907 Words   |  4 Pages The Roots to Happiness Whether you are down to your last dime, bumming around in your worn down denim, or parading around town in your Bugatti Veyron; your attitude towards life is what you make it to be. With an optimistic outlook, you can obtain happiness in any given situation that life deals you. Do you know how to be happy? Or are you patiently waiting for happiness to find you? Looking for said happiness won’t necessarily work easily as one might think, but your thoughts and actions willRead MoreMoney and Happiness1743 Words   |  7 PagesCan Money Buy Happiness In todays materialistic world, the phrase that ‘money cant buy happiness is tending to be proved hence otherwise. Social research and surveys have shown results based on an individuals income, health and the political scenario which is dominant in his or her region. It is quite obvious that the gap between the privileged and the not so is growing into a great divide giving rise to different class and status, thus defining ones social circle. It should therefore be understoodRead MoreDoes Marital Status Contributes More Happiness?1655 Words   |  7 PagesStatus Contributes More Happiness? A Study of Ontario Introduction With the improvement of living standards, happiness research is increasingly becoming a focus in today s world. Research has been published on the effect of marriage on life satisfaction. Kelly Musick and Larry Bumpass (2012) suggest that marriage is not always the most important determinant of life satisfaction. Married couples have better health than cohabiters; nevertheless, cohabiters have more happiness and self-esteem than marriedRead MoreEthical Egoism1596 Words   |  7 Pagesagainst the proper code your society. Prison also has an external influence on our decision making because it serves as a threat for the negative consequences of disobeying laws, such as the loss of our freedom. Internal factors are our own self-value and personal virtues as well as our sense of selfishness and our concerns of morality. Ethical egoism is the philosophical belief that moral agents ought to do what is in their own self-interest because that is the rational way to live. It contrastsRead MoreImmanuel Kant And John Stuart Mill1206 Words   |  5 Pagesphilosophers with two different views on a person’s moral conscious. Kant believes morality is a duty that people should hold above their own happiness. On the other hand, Mill believes happiness is the goal of morality and the more happiness is acquired at the end is the most moral. According to Immanuel Kant, morality is a duty people must hold above their own happiness. For something to be morally good it must be put into action to fulfill the law of morality and not just to conform to the law. Kant’s

The Middle Ages A Look At The Dark Ages - 718 Words

Zachary Plew 4/18/17 The Middle Ages is associated with the Dark Ages due to the period including social disorder, political turmoil and widespread disease. The Middle Ages was a period between 500 A.D. to 1500 A.D. during which Europe experienced many drastic changes following the fall of Rome. Some of these changes were beneficial, but the changes also caused negative effects too. Overall, the Middle Ages was a dark time for Europe. The Middle Ages was a dark time for Europe because there was widespread disease and famine. For example, Throughout the first century of the Dark Ages Europe made slow but tangible progress and Emperor Justinian was on the verge of reuniting the continent when the bubonic plague hit and killed†¦show more content†¦Trade was the backbone that held society up. Furthermore, this trade collapse caused a lack of culture. People started to steer away from their native cultures. This also caused a lack of education. More people became illiterate, making it increasingly d ifficult to learn and communicate (â€Å"The Dark Ages†). Most of all, a new social order arose from the trade collapse. This new order was Feudalism, where there was a social hierarchy. Peasants, serfs, served the lords and his nobles (â€Å"The Dark Ages: Really So Dark?†). This emphasizes the major importance of trade in Europe, and the medieval peoples would be nowhere without it. One last reason as to why the Middle Ages was a dark time for Europe is the constant threat of violence. Case in point, Whether as witnesses, victims or perpetrators, people from the highest ranks of society to the lowest experienced violence as an omnipresent danger in daily life (â€Å"10 Dangers of the Medieval Period†). This demonstrates that no matter where you go, man or woman, there will be violence everywhere. Consequently, this everyday violence would lead to bigger things, like war. The religions of the time were constantly fighting, and it eventually led to the Crusades, a conflict between the Muslims and Christians (â€Å"The Dark Ages†). The people and countries were also constantly fighting causing lords of the time to struggle for power and countries attack each other. Outside forces, like the Huns, invaded these weakened countries, whichShow MoreRelatedMiddle Ages: Dark or Not? Essay1108 Words   |  5 Pagesdownfall was called the Middle Ages, more infamously recalled as the Dark Ages; but were these years truly as dark as historians say? These medieval times lasted for approximately one thousand years, could such a long time period have been all that dreadful? The answer will soon become clear. The Middle Ages deserved to have the alias of the Dark Ages because there were several severe illnesses, the monarchs were cruel, and the crusades brought the death of many. The Middle Ages are known for its abundantRead MoreThe Transition Of Medieval And Modern Times1235 Words   |  5 Pageshappened over a long period of time. The middle ages marked a dark time in Europe’s history, and the people were anxious to get out. The Renaissance began, and art emerged to create a brighter society. During the Reformation, the country shifted away from the Roman Catholic Church, and many Protestant religions emerged. The Scientific Revolution also marked a change in medical to modern by creating new ways to look at the world and mathematics. The Age of Discovery marked yet another change inRead MoreThe Dark Ages : A Visual And Metaphorical Statement1157 Words   |  5 Pages The Dark Ages has been described as both a visual and metaphorical statement to sum up the years beginning around A.D. 450 and continuing until A.D. 1000.At this time, the Roman Empire did not have an emperor. Collectively, this time period is more popularly known as the middle ages and the common topic of significance is the monasteries and the shift in the church’s focus. Even scholars are truly grasping this concept less and less as the years go on. The term â€Å"Dark Ages† has become tooRead MoreFinal Paper1445 Words   |  6 PagesAshley Cobuzzi Professor Dr. Brown Intro. To Humanities December 16, 2012 A Look Into The Arts Ashley Cobuzzi Professor Dr. Brown Intro. To Humanities December 16, 2012 A Look Into The Arts Art is one aspect of the past that has carried on for decades. Art in any form may it be poetry, novels, and playwright, sculpting as wellRead MoreMiddle Ages And Renaissance Essay1123 Words   |  5 PagesMiddle ages Renaissance Stephani Klingensmith Western Governors University The middle ages, also known as the dark ages lasting about a thousand years. A time in history when life was hard and people were very poor. According to the article written in 2008 The middle ages western reserve public media, the middle ages were from 476A.D to 1450A.D. The article stated that the middle ages were called the dark ages because, the great civilization of Rome and Greece had been conquered. BecauseRead MoreComparison of Two Historical Art Periods1131 Words   |  5 Pages Comparison of Two Historical Art Periods: Middle Ages (Gothic) and Renaissance Architecture Christina Plunkett Western Governors University IWT1 Humanities Task 1 Gothic style came about in the middle of the twelfth century. It was named after the Goths that controlled France during that time. It was developed as a result of Christian ideals. Christian leaders wanted big, tall, ornate churches to represent their strong faith. Later it was also used for non-religious buildingsRead MoreA Clean, Well-Lighted Place Essay938 Words   |  4 Pagesinclude an old man, a young waiter, and a middle-aged waiter. The old man who is drinking in the Spanish cafà © experiences his own inner conflicts; this is shown in dialogue between the two waiters: â€Å"’Last week he tried to commit suicide,’ one waiter said. ’Why?’ ‘He was in despair.’ ‘What about?’ ‘Nothing.’ ‘How do you know it was nothing?’ ‘He has plenty of money’† (Hemingway 186). This quote shows the inner despair of the old man but also the conflict between ages. Ernest Hemingway chooses the charactersRead MoreKing Arthur: The Myths and the Actual Person Essay733 Words   |  3 Pageshistorical records, there was no one named King Arthur in the 5th and the early 6th centuries. If we look at the timeline of Middle Age Kings, the name King Arthur does not appear in the documentation. The middle Ages, also knows as the Dark Ages was a time when knowledge and learning were scarce. The Dark Ages influenced the British people because of the loss of records and technology. During the Dark Ages, development of science ceased. It was one of the darkest eras of human history because there wereRead MoreEssay on Michelangelo and Renaissance Religion1148 Words   |  5 Pagesafter a long period of decay, the Middle Ages. Until the revolutionary thinkers of the Renaissance, much of Europe was dormant and stagnant, immersed in the Dark Ages where the Christian God was viewe d as a punishing and distant force. During the Middle Ages, Christian historians broke history into three divisions: the creation, the incarnation of Jesus Christ and the anticipated last judgement. Medieval scholars believed that they were living in the final age before the last judgement. The RenaissanceRead MoreThe Late Middle Ages : The Age Of Discovery And Innovation1224 Words   |  5 PagesThe Late Middle Ages were characterized by both periods of decline and periods of transition into the Renaissance. Therefore, if only viewed through some aspects, the overall quality of the Late Middle Ages can be interpreted in vastly different ways. When all events are taken into account, it is evident that even though there were periods of extreme decline and cultural deficiency, numerous events helped transition Europe into an age of discovery and innovation. The Late Middle Ages are sometimes

Outline the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God (21) Free Essays

Outline the cosmological argument for the existence of God (21) The Cosmological argument is an argument that attempts to prove the existence of God, it is also known as the causation argument which argues that as all events require a cause, if the universe is an event it must have a cause and that cause is God. The argument is a posteriori because its based on evidence that already exists in the universe. The cosmological argument is also inductive because the conclusion is what is most probable, it is also synthetic because the truth can only be determined by experience. We will write a custom essay sample on Outline the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God (21) or any similar topic only for you Order Now Cosmological’ comes from the Greek words ‘kosmos’ and ‘logos’ translated as ‘cosmos’ synonymous with ‘universe’ and ‘Logos’ meaning ‘blueprint’ or ‘plan’. Therefore, ‘cosmology’ refers to the ‘blueprint of the universe’. The Cosmological argument originated from Plato and Aristotle however it was mainly later developed by St. Thomas Aquinas. Their arguments both began with the idea that motion needs a prior agency. Plato then identified the first cause of the chain of events as the need for an unmoved mover which started off the chain. Aquinas’ main argument is well known as ‘Aquinas’ third way’; the argument from contingency and necessity. The first of Aquinas’ ways was ‘from motion,’ this follows the idea that all objects move and a change of quality is movement. Nothing can move itself, which then leads to the idea of a chain of movement but the chain cannot be infinate, therfor there must be an unmoved mover to begin the chain. This first mover is God. The second of Aquinas’ ways was ‘from efficiant causes,’ this follows the idea that all things are caused by something else because they cant cause themselves or they would exist before themselves. However this would mean that there cant be an infinite chain of causes, meaning there must be a 1st cause that caused all causes, then this 1st cause is God. The third of Aquinas’ ways is ‘from contingency and necessity. This follows the idea that everything is dependant of factors outside itself, therefor everything is contingent. If this is correct then there must be a necessary being upon which everything is dependant on. The necessary being is God. Another part to the cosmological argument is the Kalam argument which was developed by Al Ghazali and recently developed by Craig. The Kalam argument rejects the idea of an actual infinite because an actual infinite past of the universe is impossible. Craig developed the Kalam argument and added that it is logically unsound to propose an infinite series because for this to actually occur we would have to have travelled an infinite length of time and so still wouldnt be in the present yet. However, some would critique Aquinas’ theory, for example; Hick pokes holes in aquinas’s ‘three ways. ’ Hick says that Aquinas present us with two alternatives; that the universe is either â€Å"a fact†, or there is a ‘first cause’. Aquinas’ argument can only be proven if there is evidence of a first cause of the universe. (ii )Consider the view that the strengths are more convincing than the weaknesses (9) Leibniz argued that there had to be a sufficient reason for the universe to exist which supports Aquinas’s theory. Leibniz says that even if the universe had always been in existence, it would still require an explanation for its existence so we can establish that there is something rather than nothing. Since there is nothing within the universe to show why it exists the reason must therefor exist outside of it. However Hume disagrees with Aquinas and observes that to arrive at the existance of god from the premises of the cosmological argument, this requires an inductive leap which ineffectively guesses without having actual evidence that allows for the assumption to be made. This then means that you cannot make an inductive leap about the universe because we cannot make conclusions about something outside our exerience. In contrast to Hume copelston suports Aquinas’ rejection of infinite regress based on the idea that an infinite chain of contingent beings would only consist of contingent beings therefor meaning they could never be able to bring themselves into existence. However like Hume, Mackie disagrees with Aquinas’ inductive leap by stating hat ‘ everything at some time must exist’ to ‘at some point sometime everything does not exist’ here there is a clear overlap of things that just dont make sense to put after eachother as there is clearly something missing in the middle. Taking these points into consideration we can make the assumption that the weaknesses are in actual fact stronger than the strengths because the strenghts agree with the inductive leap aquinas has made, however the leap clearly looks as if something in the middle is missing as you just cant make an assumption on something bigger than us that we have no expience of. How to cite Outline the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God (21), Essays

Effect of Washington Consensus Upon Emerging Market free essay sample

Washington Consensus implemented by emerging markets refers to economic policies created by John Williamson (Hooper, 2002; Rodrik, 2006). It is based on financial liberalization theory of McKinnon and Shaw, which emphasis on freeing financial markets from government intervention. Financial liberalization theory assumed perfect financial markets with perfect information, perfect competition and depends on institution-free analysis (Demetriades, 1999). These assumptions are irrelevant in the sense that market, as a whole is imperfect. Despite these deficiencies, emerging countries agree to implement Washington Consensus requested by International Monetary Policy (IMF) and World Bank as part of their loan contracts. According to Washington Consensus, emerging economies facing similar problems with developed markets should be treated with the same tools. Washington Consensus aims to encourage privatization with high level of economic openness. There are many criticisms regarding the policies content of Washington Consensus. Some critics argue that the policies are not being devised in a sequentially correct manner and did not consider emerging markets’ development stage (Hooper, 2002). There are several impacts of the implementation of Washington Consensus upon the emerging capital markets namely worsen economic growth and increase stock market’s volatility. Implementation of the Washington Consensus through financial liberalization has affected economic growth of emerging capital markets. Financial liberalization is developed in the objective of improving economic growth by encouraging saving, investment and capital productivity. Before financial liberalization is introduced, many developing countries encounter financial repression, which is the process where government intervenes in the economy (Demetriades, 1999). In 1960s and 1970s, government intervention was needed to control pegged exchange rates under Bretton-Wood regime. Government controlled the markets by allocating high reserve requirement, interest rates ceiling, and controlling capital, credit as well as exchange rate. These interventions led to disequilibrium in interest rate, for example, interest rates were below equilibrium level (Hooper, 2002). In order to curb the problem, financial liberalization is introduced, for instance, by setting higher interest rates. High interest rates were aimed to encourage savings, which will attract investment through borrowing and thus improved economic growth. Unfortunately, financial liberalization did not result in greater savings instead high interest rate can destroy reformation in real sector (Hooper, 2002). In addition, financial liberalization exacerbates economic growth in the sense that ratio of reserves to foreign denominated short-term indebtedness had declined substantially (Stiglitz, 2000). Washington Consensus suggests emerging capital markets to deregulate their economies in order to achieve economic growth. However, lack of comprehensive regulation has led to Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. Moreover, dampen economic growth during Asian Financial Crisis came from maturity and currency mismatch. For example, long-term investment in local currency financed short-term liabilities in dollars. Besides, Washington Consensus did not emphasis on capital flow structure in liberalizing capital flows. Many emerging capital markets destabilized due to high level of capital flows. In Latin America (1980), economic crisis was a result of cash flow structuring problem with the increase in portfolio equity to replace portfolio debt. Asian Financial Crisis 1997 has been deteriorated due to regular flows of money between financial markets. This term hot money will flow from countries with low return to countries with the highest interest rates as banks attempt to get highest return as possible. These flows can affect balance of payments if exchange rates in the total is high (Hooper, 2002). Thus, Washington Consensus worsens economic growth of emerging capital markets. Volatility of stock markets is also affected by the implementation of Washington Consensus. Financial liberalization lead emerging capital markets to more volatility. This is because financial liberalization encourages deregulation, and liquidity, which are the components enhancing volatility. It also goes for taxation as lower taxes lead to volatility. Since liberalize markets usually have lower market concentration, volatility will also increase (Hooper, 1998). Moreover, increasing portfolio equity flows increasing volatility of stock markets (Hooper, 2002). These situations reduce the attractiveness of investing in emerging stock markets (Stiglitz, 2000). Besides, stock markets’ volatility will be exasperated when there is no sufficient accounting disclosure since investors are not able to make informed judgment about the firm. However, financial liberalization did not improve accounting disclosure and structure of governance (Hooper, 2002). There is negative relationship between quality of accounting system and volatility of stock market. Poor accounting system lead to higher market volatility. Moreover, Washington Consensus policy of deregulation has also intensified volatility of stock market (Hooper, 1998; Hooper, 1998). In addition, financial liberalization increased volatility of stock markets with changes in outside country. Since, emerging markets seemed risky, investors are discouraged to invest in the markets. Thus, results in large capital outflows (Stiqlitz, 2000). However, in the long run, volatility of emerging stock markets is improving as they liberalize. International investors find investing in emerging markets are profitable since their risk-return of overall portfolio improved. Investing in emerging stock market lead to diversification of risk, as there is low correlation with other markets (Hooper, 1998). Despite that, implementation of Washington Consensus in emerging capital markets lead to volatile stock market especially in the short-term cycle. There are several ways for IMF and World Bank to conduct policy in developing countries. One of the ways is IMF and World Bank have to make sure that Washington Consensus policies are implemented in correct sequencing manner (Hooper, 2002). For example, financial sector should be reformed after regulatory and bank supervision are restructured and after real sector has been reformed. IMF and World Bank should also encourage developing countries to review and comprehend their regulation system since deregulation can harm economic growth (Hopper, 2002). Furthermore, fortifying securities and accounting regulation help reduce volatility (Hooper, 1998) by implementing framework and policies like fiscal policy, which represent the countries stock markets’ volatility. Besides, IMF and World Bank should bequest emerging countries to be more transparent in accounting disclosure and adopt good governance structure. For example, companies with poor governance are required to pay high return to investors. To reduce the premium, corporation should lessen information asymmetry by increasing accounting disclosure. Thus, cost of equity is lowered since investors are more aware about the firms’ cash flow. Moreover, accounting disclosure overcomes capital flows problem while clear securities framework helps lower volatility. Accounting disclosure should improve so that firms are abled to be monitored and controlled by government (Hooper, 2002). In addition, higher interest rates in emerging capital markets leads to adverse selection and moral hazard problem. Adverse selection normally occurs when interest rates are high as borrowers invest in extremely risky investment without lenders’ knowledge. While moral hazard arises when borrowers invest in projects they had not agreed to. This can lead to increase in cost of borrowing for other borrowers. Thus, encouraging accounting disclosure helps to reduce adverse selection and moral hazard. For example, Thailand and South-East Asian faced moral hazard due to deficient accounting disclosure and comprehensive regulation (Hooper, 2002). Besides, transparent information helps heal economic growth through effective resource allocation (Stiglitz, 2000). IMF and World Bank should also emphasis on binding constraints on economic growth by finding ways to correct the constraints. It is important for an economy to use the appropriate tools in reducing the constraints. For instance, reforming financial intermediaries will not improve investment with poor property rights. Thus, binding constraints have to be evaluated (Stiglitz, 1998). In conclusion, implementing Washington Consensus in emerging capital markets is not efficient. It deteriorated economic growth of many developing countries; for instance, East Asian and Latin America were in bad financial crisis. Moreover, the liberalization process also affects stock market of emerging countries by exacerbating stock markets’ volatility. Thus, International Monetary Fund and World Bank have to play their role by setting up efficient policies in order to curb problems arise from the implementation of Washington Consensus as well as improving the economy of emerging countries. REFERENCE LISTS * Demetriades, P 1999, ‘Financial liberalization: the experience of developing countries’, Eastern Economic Journal, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 441-457. Hooper, V 1998, ‘Volatility and openness of emerging stock markets: some empirical evidence’, Emerging Capital Markets: Financial and Investment Issues, pp. 35-45. * Hooper, V 2002, ‘The Washington Consensus and Emerging Economies’, pp. 1-14. * Rodrik, D 2006, ‘Goodbye Washington Consensus, hello Washington Confusion’, pp. 1-28. * Stiglitz, J 1998, ‘More instruments and broader goals: moving toward the Post–Washington Consensus’, pp. 1-46. * Stiglitz, JE 2000, ‘Capital market liberalization, economic growth, and instability’, World Development, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 1075-1086.

Why Learn History Essay Example For Students

Why Learn History Essay As a high school student I was always annoyed by students who would ask: Why do we have to learn this stuff history anyway? We learn history so we dont repeat our mistakes. This is the common answer that my teachers, my father, and just about any other adult would give. This answer made perfect sense to me then, and I easily accepted it. In high school, students learn about the Nazi-Holocaust, and rightfully so. Information abounds regarding this topic. However, my teachers never taught me that our country has a Holocaust of its own (actually there are two; one killing 40 to 60,000,000 Africans, and one killing 100,000,000 Native Red Peoples). Hitler himself often expressed his admiration for the expediency in which the American Christians removed the Native Americans and gave them mass graves like the one in Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Have you ever heard the words American Holocaust(s) before? As I read about history I was drawn to the Indian Wars. One day I began reading Dee Brown s book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I was shocked by what I read. I had never been taught these things, yet this history seemed so important and unparalleled in American history. Recently, I picked up Browns book and read it a second time. Finally, the words shook me from the sleep in which we Americans love to overindulge; the sleep of denial, materialism, and hedonism. The thoughts and images evoked in Browns book came back and my heart filled with an indescribable feeling of painful anger again. I thought to myself, Im glad that is all over with, I dont know what I would have done if I had been alive then. The words of William McPherson of the Washington Post regarding Browns book reassured my emotion: Shattering, appalling, compelling. . . .One wonders, reading this searing, heartbreaking book, who, indeed, were the savages. If you take from the reading of Browns book and others something remotely resembling what I take, the societal and environmental problems of today find th eir roots: roots which are still being well nourished. Parts of Browns book remained in my mind, in particular, the Sand Creek Massacre (in present day Colorado). I went to the library to read more about the subject. I was in a hurry, so I quickly grabbed an encyclopedia. I first looked under Sand Creek Massacre, shocked at finding nothing, I searched under Battle of Sand Creek and found nothing. The Sand Creek Massacre did not appear anywhere! I was, to use Mcphersons word, appalled. I kept looking, surely the World Book would have it. To my surprise, the book ignored one of the bloodiest and most grotesque massacres in American history. Well, I thought, surely the Encyclopedia Americana will have it. Blank. All encyclopedias had somehow forgotten those Native American men, women, and children. Why was it that the Boston Massacre, wherein 5 men lost their lives, was in every book? The 133 human beings who lost their lives in the most grotesque and mutilated way on Sand Creek were n owhere to be found. If a massacre like Sand Creek did not appear in encyclopedias and textbooks how were young people (and adults) to be taught of the Camp Grant Massacre, the Piegan Massacre, the Massacres of California, the Marias Massacre, the Wa*censored*a Massacre, Guatemala in the 70s and 80s, the Chiapas Massacre of 1997, the present day massacres in South America, Present day East Timor and so many others? What else is missing? What does this say about Americans today in 1998? What I did not realize then, and have come to realize now, is that I have stumbled onto a shameful and continuing history of genocide and holocaust. The reader, I am convinced, would be appalled also if he or she knew how many high school textbook publishers also thought Sand Creek and other historic events were unimportant. I looked through many textbooks until I found one, published in 1994, that gave a blip about Sand Creek. On October, 13, we celebrated, or at least observed others celebrating, Col umbus Day. What did we celebrate/observe? In 1492 Columbus ships appeared off the coast of San Salvador. The Taino Indians greeted Columbus with unimaginable hospitality. Columbus reported to his queen: So tractable, so peaceable, are these people, that I swear to your Majesties there is not in the world a better nation. They love their neighbors as themselves, and their discourse is ever sweet and gentle, and accompanied with a smile; and though it is true that they are naked, yet their manners are decorous and praiseworthy. (Brown pp. 1) Columbus soon lost site of the generosity and kindness of the Taino people. During the following conquest Columbus felt himself required at least to inform the natives of the terms by which he would steal their lifestyle and life itself; though they could not understand a word he said: I certify to you that, with the help of God, we shall powerfully enter into your country and shall make war against you in all ways and manners that we can, and sha ll subject you to the yoke and obedience of the Church and of Their Highnesses. We shall take you and your wives and your children, and shall make slaves of them, and as such shall sell and dispose of then as Their Highnesses may command. And we shall take your goods, and shall do you all the mischief and damage that we can, as to vassals who do not obey and refuse to receive their lord and resist and contradict him. (Stannard pp.66) This was known as the Requerimiento, such conquest ushered in the 16th century in South America. Most of the religion-professing conquistadors, Cortes, Pizzaro, de Soto, and others adopted this practice. The Holocaust of Columbus alone killed four million people on San Salvador in 4 years, without automatic weapons or merciful gas chambers (Stannard pp.72). The genocide did not stop after this first four million people; they were only the beginning. The missionary Bartolome de Las Casas recorded what he witnessed and I will later quote him at length. Th e analogies between the conditions in the death camps of the conquistadors and of Nazi concentration camps are appalling, keeping in mind that we still have a Columbus day. War, conquest, pestilence, and genocide continued in the 1500s with Fernando de Soto and Hernando Cortes, among others, commanding this page of the Holocaust. Evidence strongly suggests that both Cortes and de Soto were heartless killers. Both men raided islands looking for humans to sell as slaves. The Spaniards found natives often, and under the command of de Soto, Columbus, and others, put them to work in mining camps, starving, beating, raping, and burning them to death. In describing these events, missionary Bartolome de Las Casas wrote: . . . Whenever the Spaniards found them, they piteously slaughtered everyone like sheep in a corral. It was a general rule to be cruel; not just cruel, but extraordinarily cruel so that harsh and bitter treatment would prevent Indians from daring to think of themselves as hu man beings or having a minute to think at all. So they would cut an Indians hands and leave them dangling by a shred of skin and they would send him on saying Go now, spread the word to your chiefs. They would test their swords and their manly strength on captured Indians and place bets on the slicing off of heads or the cutting of bodies in half with one blow. They burned or hanged captured chiefs. (Stannard pp. 70 Las Casas, History of the Indies) The Spaniards found pleasure in inventing all kinds of odd cruelties, the more cruel the better, with which to spill human blood. They built a long gibbet, low enough for the toes to touch the ground and prevent strangling, and hanged thirteen natives at a time in honor of Christ Our Saviour and the twelve Apostles. When the Indians were still alive and hanging, the Spaniards tested their strength and their blades against them, ripping chests open with one blow and exposing entrails, and there were those who did worse. Then straw was wr apped around their torn bodies and they were burned alive. One man caught two children about two years old, pierced their throats with a dagger, then hurled them down a precipice. (Stannard pp. 72) A group of Dominican friars on the treatment of infants recorded when: Some Christians encounter an Indian woman, who was carrying in her arms a child at suck; and since the dog they had with them was hungry, they tore the child from the mothers arms and flung it still living to the dog, who proceeded to devour it before the mothers eyes. . . . When there were among the prisoners some women who had recently given birth, if the newborn babes happened to cry, they seized them by the legs and hurled them against the rocks, or flung them into the jungle so that they would be certain to die there. (Stannard pp. 72)To give the reader some background detailing the stereotype many whites had/have for the Native American, I have taken quotations from John Frosts book entitled, Pictorial History of Indian Wars and Captivities. Frosts book was published in 1873, nine years after the massacre at Sand Creek, and seventeen years before the Wounded Knee Massacre (both will be discussed later). Inside the front cover the title page bears the word Captivities in gory fashion. Frosts account of de Soto paints him more as a benevolent hero than a murdering-Hitler. The title also screams pictorially with bloody weapons that are no doubt those of the Native American; the most savage weapons, the white mans many different rifles and cannon, are conveniently missing. Frosts book loses its historical credibility by constantly slanting the adjectives in the white mans favor, and by using the noun savage hundreds of times. As a sidenote; the word savage, I am told, was used so commonly to describe the Native American that even authors like Emerson used the term. I acknowledge that Indians were not innocent in all cases involving violence on their part. When one reads, however, in many cases the Indians used violence only as a last resort or in retaliation, one must form his or her own opinion. I acknowledge that such a book cannot speak for all white people; however, when one reads in Dee Browns book of severed Indian heads being displayed in the local town square, and of the Sand Creek Massacre atrocities, Frosts words seem to embody white sentiments regarding Indians. Here are some brief passages from the beginning of Frosts book: The coasts of Florida etc. were carefully explored by de Soto and Cortes etc., and colonies planted, but they were soon given up as expensive, and involving too much hardship and danger. (Frost pp. 1) The Indians on the coast where he Vasquez de Ayllon landed made a feast, and induced the Spaniards to advance into the interior of the country. Two hundred men were killed there, and the others were assailed on the shore, and Vasquez de Ayllon himself fell a victim to the cruelty of the natives. (Frost pp. 2) The Indians harassed the Spaniards with an indomitable spirit; but they Spaniards at last returned safely to the coast, and embarked. (Frost pp. 13) Fernando de Soto, originally possessed of nothing but his courage and his sword, had followed the fortures of Pizarro, and returned to Spain from Peru, laden with wealth, and crowned with the laurals of a successful warrior. His reception was brilliant; and having obtained the favor of Charles V., he sued for permission to conquer and rule the territory of Florida.(Frost pp. 14) He de Soto strove, by every means, to mitigate the hatred of the Indians, but in vain. (Frost pp. 16) De Soto continued to advance, and at length reached the fertile district of Acali, where the troops felt the ground beneath their feet. The prince of the country tendered his submission; but soon after, while the Spaniards were crossing a river, they were attacked by the savages with a cloud of arrows. De Soto repulsed the enemy, and in keeping with his policy, refrained from revenging himself. (Frost pp. 16)Before his death in 1862, Henry David Thoreau, believing the Indian to be wholly misunderstood by whites, wrote: It frequently happens that the historian, though he professes more humanity than the trapper, . . . who shoots one as a wild beast, really exhibits and practices a similar inhumanity to him, wielding a pen instead of a rifle. (Jacobs pp. 29) Thoreau continues saying that history, recorded by one who believes his race superior to others, is no history at all. Thoreau wrote to many different people, but as was and is still common practice, he was ignored. Evidence for this argument is provided by the fact that when an Indian-lover was unknowingly appointed to a command, he was quickly removed. The reader is invited to read of such cases involving Edward Wyncoop, Ely Parker, Lieutenant William B. Pease, Lieutenant James Connor, Captain Silas Soule, and Lieutenant Joseph Cramer, among others. Returning now to our timeline progression, we are approaching the mid- 1500s. Under Hernando Cortes, the American Indians suffered greatly. The slave trade of natives was being highly and cruelly exploited. Cortes, arriving on islands entirely shorn of their inhabitants,e; continued the Holocaust by importing slaves. Entire peoples were divided, regardless of family ties, and were appropriated to a Spanish lord. The natives were shipped to unfamiliar lands and made to work in mines. As Las Casas puts it: the mountains looked like anthills. The natives were given no food and worked to the death, supplying gold and material wealth for the Spanish lords. The natives were treated as non-humans, their masters being described by other Christians as ministers of Hell. When natives would try to escape, the Spaniards hunted them down with mastiffs whereupon they were torn apart. If a native survived recapture, a show-trial was held. Warnings were passed to other natives, then the master: . . . flogged them until blood ran from their naked bodies, mere skin and bones from starvation. (Stannard pp. 73) Slaves were made to work, even when deathly ill, and were kicked and beaten night and day. The death rates on some Islands were so steep that blood of natives flowed in streams as if a great number of cows had perished. Another slaughter at the hands of Cortes claimed forty thousand people in a single day (Stannard pp. 78). Cortes himself recorded that: so loud was the wailing of the women and children that there was not one man among us whose heart did not bleed at the sound. (Stannard pp. 79) Regarding this same massacre against Montezumas people Cortes himself recorded that: The people of the city had to walk upon their dead. . .And in those streets where they were we came across such piles of the dead that we were forced to walk upon them. (Stannard pp. 79) This did not deter the Spaniards in their conquest, as such events were repeated. It has been noted that Cortes himself held nearly 27, 000 slaves under his own hand, nearly all of who m died. In an attempt to remain objective in this brief essay, I will not overlook accounts of human sacrifice by the Aztecs. Indeed these atrocities were committed by the Aztecs on some captured male prisoners. The degree to which these operations were carried out is debated by historians. Some estimates suggest that the Aztecs sacrificed up to 20,000 captives a year. Stannard reports that some modern scholars view the number of 20, 000 to be greatly exaggerated as a result of conquering interest. Whatever the case may be, Stannard quotes Pedro de Cieza de Leon, a conquistador in 1553, as saying: These and other things are the testimony the Spaniards raise against these Indians. . . endeavoring by these things we tell of them to hide our own shortcomings and justify the ill treatment they have suffered at our hands. . . I am not saying that they did not make sacrifices. . . but it was not as it was told. Stannard also notes that: . . . in the siege of Tenochtitlan the invading Span iards killed twice that many people in a single day Including (unlike Aztec sacrifice), enormous numbers of innocent women, children, and the aged. How does this information on the great explorers contrast what we learned in school? All of the people I have talked to remember celebrating Columbus Day in grade school, and learning of the conquistadors as heroes. I cant describe the look I saw on one womans face after she had seen and read about some of the pictures in Standards book. Within these brief accounts, we now approach the 17th century. Life in North American would rapidly change, and the face of the Earth Mother would be changed forever. Europeans arrived in 1607 at Jamestown. Gradually, in comparison to Spanish techniques, the new Englishmen began to settle in Powhatan country. This began with the crowning of Wahunsonacook, or, King Powhatan. King Powhatan was torn between his people and supplying the Englishmen with food. After King Powhatans daughter, Pocahontas, married John Rolfe, Powhatan was placed in an unenviable position. The Powhatan Indians became angry as they were made to supply the demands of the bearded men from the big boats. After Wahunsanacook died, the Indians tried to push the English back into the sea, but underestimated English weapons. Of the 8,000 Powhatans, less than a thousand survived. Another source tells of the war beginning as a result of Englishmen desiring the return of some whites who had chosen to live among the Indians. Powhatan gave proud and disdainful remarks. This, having enraged Thomas West De la Warr, may have brought about the war. As the historian Edmund S. Morgan puts it: The Indians. . . could have done the English in simply by deserting them. When the colonists landed at Plymouth in 1620, the Indians did not desert them. A Pemaquid named Somoset and three Wampanoags named Massasoit, Squanto, and Hobomah became self-appointed missionaries to the Pilgrims. (Brown pp. 3) All spoke some broken English, as a r esult of contact with earlier explorers. The new colonists were viewed as helpless children. The colonists were shown how to fish, and were given corn from the winter store of the Indians. The next Spring, the Indians showed the colonists how to plant corn. Despite the horrors they had endured in recent decades, the Indians continuing ability to produce enormous amounts of food impressed and even awed many of the earliest British explorers. (Stannard pp. 103) The gardens were tended with such care that they looked like huge gardens rather than farmlands. Early settlers also admired the Indians democratic government which contrasted sharply with the hierarchical ruler, King James I, whom they had left in Europe. And it is especially telling that throughout the seventeenth and on into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, while almost no Indians voluntarily lived among the colonists, the number of whites who ran off to live with the Indians was a problem often remarked upon. (Stann ard pp. 103) In an exclamation of his discontent, Benjamin Franklin wrote: When an Indian child has been brought up among us, taught our language and habituated to our Customs, yet if he goes to see his relations and makes one Indian Ramble with them, there is no persuading him ever to return. But when white persons of either sex have been taken prisoners young by the Indians, and lived a while among them, tho ransomed by their Friends, and treated with all imaginable tenderness to prevail with them to stay among the English, yet in a Short time they become disgusted with our manner of life, and the care and pains that are necessary to support it, and take the first good Opportunity of escaping again into the Woods, from whence there is no reclaiming them. (Stannard pp. 104)Stannard quotes J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur as stating Thousands of Europeans are Indians, and we have no examples of even one of these Aborigines having from choice become Europeans! Whites who lived among the Indians noted that Indian life possessed a strong sense of community, abundant love, and uncommon integrity and. . . social equality, mobility, adventure, the most perfect freedom, ease of living, and absence of those cares and corroding solicitudes which so often prevail with us. What happened? This Indian behavior was looked down upon by the uncompromising colonists, who viewed their race and religion far superior. Similar accounts occurred in the 19th century also. Peace between the Indians and the settlers was growing fragile with each new shipload of settlers. The settlement became too crowded. In 1625, a request was made for 12,000 acres more of Indian land. Such transactions and ideas of ownership were so strange to the Indians and their religion that the land was given. After a ritual intended for humor, Samoset made his mark on a paper for them. This was the first of many land transactions that would take place on American soil. Settlers arrived by the thousands, all wa nting land to settle. After Metacoms father, Massasoit, died in 1662, Metacom was crowned King Phillip of the Pokanoket by the whites. King Phillip formed an alliance to remove the white settlers from their homeland. In 1675, after a series of arrogant actions by the colonists, King Phillip led his Indian confederacy into a war meant to save the tribes from extinction. (Brown pp. 4) The Indians were defeated, largely in part to the firepower wielded by the colonists. King Phillps head was publicly displayed in Plymouth for 20 years. Settlers sold the captured women and children as slaves in the West Indies. Elsewhere on the North American continent, the European economic system, devoted to personal wealth and materialism, began to flourish. The fur trade was big business, and the land was raped in search of fur-bearing mammals. Fur traders and companies stole the lifeblood and foodsource of the Iroquois, and other northern tribes. Many Indians could not understand this way of life; this proto-capitalistic ideology. For most Indians, killing animals for anything other than food and shelter was a high crime. (Jacobs 1972) We move into the 18th century ever mindful of rapidly changing lifestyles, unjust war, ethnocentrism, sickness, greed, proto-capitalism, and a new nation kicking in the womb. Indian territories, the causes of many Indian skirmishes, were now becoming heated warzones. In 1730 the French traders in the north formed alliances with the Indians and began to subdue other tribes, in particular the Fox. The Fox were interfering with French fur-trade profits as middlemen, so the allied French and Indians thoroughly thrashed them (Wrone and Nelson, pp. 39). The French were also plundering in Louisiana. This time the Natchez Indians would fall victim. The Natchez were not hunting people, but rather, they were farmers with their own government. In 1714 the French built Fort Rosalie near the great Natchez settlement known as the Great Sun. The relations wer e stressed when the French wanted the site of a village, and wanted a secondary ruler in the Natchez government. In 1729, the Natchez retaliated against the French, killing a French official. In 1730, the French (again with Indian allies) attacked the Natchez and removed them. During the colonial era, the British and the French waged violent wars with the Indians of North America, often taking their lands by force and using the treaty more as an instrument of surrender than as a peaceful diplomatic tool(MSNBC On Air). Treaties were written and Indian chiefs forced to sign; often times the treaties were written with ink and pencil. The pencil parts of the treaty could be erased and rewritten in a different way, or a new key clause could be added. It was common for the European governments, especially those of the English colonies, to offer bounties to rid the community of pests (squirrels, crows, wolves, etc.) (Wrone and Nelson pp. 50) During a time of trouble with the Indians, colon ials paid out cash for scalps and, on occasion, for the heads of the Indian enemy (Wrone and Nelson pp. 50). In 1756, the governor of Philadelphia included premiums for Deleware scalps. Whites were encouraged to embrace all opportunities of pursuing, taking, killing, and destroying the said Delaware Indians. . . The Delaware receded daily from their original lands farther and farther westward as the Europeans encroached. This foreshadowed Indian Policy to come. After the Boston Massacre in 1770, victory in the Revolutionary War, and the writing of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington renounced the crown, becoming our first President. MSNBC Quoted George Washington in outlining Indian Policy: I am clear in my opinion that policy and economy point very strongly to the expediency of being upon good terms with the Indians, and the propriety of purchasing their lands in preference to attempting to drive them by force by arms out of their Country.In researching, I have found this speech by George Washington. These words given September 7, 1783, were an outline of Indian Policy to James Duane (then head of the Indian Affairs Committee). What MSNBC leaves out, is that in this same letter Washington states that: . . . The gradual extension of our Settlements will as certainly cause the Savage as the Wolf to retire; both being beasts of prey tho they differ in shape. (Prucha, 1975)Thus the tone and manner of American Indian Policy (genocide) was born, though government officials in the 1800s probably did not use bribery (money) to drive off the Wolves as much as Washington would have liked. In the 1800s, without compromise or recollection of those first Indians who saved the Puritans from starvation and were the envy of many a European, the Indians were brutally removed. In 1805, the Nez Perces saved the Lewis and Clark expedition from starvation and scurvy, only to be slain in Yellowstone National Park in 1877 (it was a park then, and one of the most beau tiful lands in the world had been set apart for whites to enjoy). The Eastern Tribes were forgotten, the Wampanoag, Chesapeak, Potomac, Powhatan, Chikahominy, Pequot, Mohican, Montauk, Nanticoke, Machapunga, Narangansset, Catawba, Cheraw, Miami, Huron, Erie, Mohawk, Susquehanna, the Seneca and more. Who remembers them? The 1800s followed suit, most tribes leaving only their Anglicized names on the white mans newly claimed land. There is far too much of the 19th century. It is hard to know what to include and what to leave. Dee Browns book is a great introduction for those who want to learn more. In my research, it seemed that everywhere I looked I discovered a forgotten Indian massacre. There are too many of them. They are not taught in school. There is no listing anywhere of Indian Massacres, they just appear while you are reading, like something emerging from a dreary fog. It is clear, however, that the American Holocaust continued with few people (other than Indians) speaking out or doing anything to stop it. To contrast what we do, and do not learn in school, I will first give a short description of the Boston Massacre, which, according to one World Book, was not a massacre at all! If you do not already know how many people died in the Massacre, perhaps you might guess using the impression left you from high school and/or paintings you may have seen in a history book. In March of 1770, tension was high between colonists and British soldiers. The Massacre, as it was later dubbed by colonial speechmakers (in an effort to rouse colonial mobs), was initially instigated by 50 to 60 colonists attacking a British official. Colonists were angry about taxation, and other Acts like the Quartering Act. A British Captain, Captain Preston, brought men to the assistance of the attacked official. When colonists attacked these additional men, they reacted by firing at the angry mob, killing five and wounding six. My goal is not to belittle human death or justify British p resence, but to make a stunning comparison. The following information is taken from the book, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. On the morning of November 29, 1864, 600 Cheyenne and Arapahos camped on a bend of Sand Creek were awakened by the sound of charging hooves. Two thirds of these 600 were women and children as the government granted able bodied men to go east and hunt buffalo to feed their hungry families. Only 35 braves were in the camp. This made the ensuing charge all the more frightening for the women, children, elders, and remaining braves. So great was the fear of the coming charge that men, women, and children ran from their lodges into the biting cold taking no time to fully dress. The partially dressed Indians began to gather under a huge American flag above Black Kettles lodge (Black Kettle was given the huge American flag and peace medals by Abraham Lincoln and Colonel A. B. Greenwood in Washington only a year earlier and was told that as long as the American flag wa s above them, no one would be harmed). The braves present surrounded the women and children gathered under the flag. At 8:00 am more than 700 cavalry men under the command of Colonel John M. Chivington and Major Scott J. Anthony, rode in and fired on the huddled Indians from two directions. After the initial charge the US soldiers dismounted and continued the indiscriminate killing of men, women, and children. During the killing unspeakable atrocities and mutilations were committed by the soldiers. Accounts from two white men, John S. Smith and Lieutenant James Connor, described the acts of dehumanization.According to John S. Smith, Colonel Chivington knew these Indians to be peaceful before the massacre. 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dog essays I recently visited one of the local service stations with my class. This was part of our Dealership Fixed Operation course. Our class was accompanied by Col. Sekhon, our Dealership Fixed Operation teacher and Mr. Harmeet Bhullar our automotive technology teacher. Whole class was exited and looking forward to this visit. I especially wanted to see practically what all happens and how at the dealership. This time we visited the Joshi Auto Zone service station, C-117, Phase VII. This service station exclusively deals in MARUTI Manufactured automobiles. At entrance we saw suggestion box along with the name of different personnel ¡s there for the customer. The timings were mentioned there too. There we were greeted the service supervisor Mr. Rajeev. We were divided into two groups and taken around dealership. First Mr. Rajeev showed us the job card and explained it. What work and when to be done on the vehicle is written on the Job card ,also noting of information of vehicle like VIN n o etc are jotted on this when customer brings his/her vehicle to the dealership. On request he gave some of us copy of job card, which was really nice on his part. Then on inquiring we came to know that 20 to 30 vehicles are serviced here daily. 150 to 200 vehicles come for accidental repairs monthly and are mostly weather oriented. Most of the cars which get serviced here were Maruti 800 and Maruti ZEN. Then we were taken inside the service station where there were 18 bays-9 in body shop and 9 in work station. There are two teams of 7 mechanics each at body shop and service station. Two mechanics on an average are stationed on each bay or more depending on the work done on vehicle. Each bay consisted of a forklift, tool box, accessories an air pressure gauge. At first bay we say a Maruti ZEN getting its axle-boot changed. From time to time Service Advisor checked on the progress made on vehicle b ...

Dangers of Electric Shock Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dangers of Electric Shock - Research Paper Example These days almost anything which is dangerous clearly shows a danger sign but some people choose to ignore it and as a consequence end up losing their life. Death by electric shock has become unusually common, sometimes it is because of ignorance some other times it is purely accidental. Shock occurs when a person accidentally or intentionally touches an energy source; the energy then flows through the body causing an electric shock. Many a time this electric energy is so powerful that the victim succumbs to his wounds, some other times the victim is saved. â€Å"Adolescents and adults are prone to high voltage shock caused by mischievous exploration and exposure at work. About 1,000 people in the United States die each year as a result of electrocution. Most of these deaths are related to on-the-job injuries.† (Electric Shock Causes) 1,000 people each year lose their life as mentioned earlier and yet nothing significant is being done about it. There are several factors which determine how severe the shock can be, the most important of them all is the voltage, higher the voltage more severe the shock. The resistance of the tissues is another factor which may determine the extent of the injury because each of us is biologically different and may have different resistance levels. Chances of death increase should the voltage be above 500 volts, most human beings escape with minor injuries should the voltage be less than 500 volts but fatal burns and injuries is the result should the voltage be more than 500 volts. Many a time people try and help others and become subsequent victims, helping a person who is experiencing electric shock needs fool-proof preparation. Someone who falls from height may break his neck in which case the victim should be left alone and an ambulance should be called for. 110-220 volts is normal current which is supplied to different households, children often get severely injured when they are exposed to uncovered wires in the house. 110 volts is good enough to injure children gravely because their resistance level is much lower than adults. It is very important to cover all the uncovered electrical wires in a household; this can easily be done by using cello tapes and other similar equipment. â€Å"Children are not often seriously injured by electricity. They are prone to shock by the low voltage (110-220 volts) found in typical household current. In children aged 12 years and younger, household appliance electrical cords and extension cords caused more than 63% of injuries in one study. Wall outlets were responsible for 15% of injuries.† (Electric Shock Causes) Electric shock is more than capable of causing multiple health hazards, burns are the most common of all muscular contraction is another hazard which may be caused because of an electric shock. Spine injury is also plausible should a victim fall from height, he may also injure his neck severely. A victim may also experience breathing problem, ab dominal problems and a host of other serious problems. For workers working at a construction site it becomes necessary to wear personal protective equipment to ensure that they can be safeguarded against electric shock. Insulated high voltage glove kit is a kit which is worn by workers working at construction sites; this kit comes with gloves and other equipment which protect against electric

Power Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Power Analysis - Assignment Example The major aim of VSA is to create cultural awareness through organizing various cultural activities and events. The issue The memo analyses the power base for the vice president of public relations VSA who doubles the vice president of the VSA. The memo describes his typical use of this power base, critiques his usage of the power, and formulates a strategy to increase his power base and efficiently utilize it. The vice president’s name is Vu Hoang. Vu plans and conducts public relations programmes to create a good public image for VSA. He plans and designs the communication channel through which VSA informs the public of VSA programmes and events. Vu promotes the good image of the VSA through public initiatives such as speeches, exhibits and through questions and answers sessions. He has special skills in contacting media representatives, and in representing the president of VSA directly both before the American general public and at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. The p urpose The memo assesses and appreciates sources of power that makes Vu Hoang such a powerful public relations vice president. The memo spots how Vu typically uses his power. The memo critiques and makes suggestions on how Vu improves in his usage of power. Interpersonal sources of power Positioned based Vu has legitimate power to change the behaviour of other people. He could use various means such as acting as a role model with good behaviour. He could also influence other people’s behaviour by the use of his authority. Through his authority, he could formulate policies regarding the required code of conduct for members of the association and require that all members of the association adhere to them. He could establish penalties to ensure that all policies are adhered to. He has the legitimate power to ensure that all messages to VSA members and the general public remain in line with VSA’s mission. Vu is directly in charge of all the student members given his positi on as the vice president of VSA. He trains and directs the work of association members. VSA members carry out VSA activities on a voluntary basis. VSA members engage in activities, such as purchase of supplies, maintenance of inventory and maintenance of VSA data base. Vu implements controls to check if activities are on course and makes corrective measures where necessary. Vu has equal reward power. He uses his reward power to encourage and motivate members who exhibit excellence in the execution of VSA’s activities. More members come forward to engage in day to day operations of the VSA. Vu processes coercive power. He uses coercive power to streamline operations of VSA. Each member has a score card which Vu filled to facilitate monthly appraisals though all members work on a voluntary basis. Excellent members are recognised and rewarded from these scorecards. VSA reminded members who portray laxity in their efforts. Vu makes recommendations on every member’s perform ance to the VSA President. VSA gives a probation period to members who fail to advance the good image of VSA. VSA applies disciplinary action on members who fail to advance the objectives of the association after the probation. Person Based Vu has expert power. He has two years’ experience working as a public relations officer in Vietnam. Vu holds a degree in journalism. He is pursuing master degree in communication at the Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. Vu is equally fluent in English and Vietnamese language.

An era of globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

An era of globalization - Essay Example Apart from the economic conditions which allowed for the state's generosity in regards to welfare provision, political rationales have also been forwarded as contributory to the rise of the welfare state. The widespread victory of Labour parties in Europe, particularly in Britain, for example, is said to have led to an increase in social policies targeted towards the social and economic security of the working class, the main beneficiaries of the welfare state and the backbone of these parties. (Korpi 2003) Esping-Andersen also articulates another view of the welfare state's "golden age" as a political move to instill social citizenship among the citizenry: "In moral terms, the welfare state promised a more universal, classless justice and solidarity of 'the people': it was presented as a ray of hope to those who were asked to sacrifice for the common good in the war effort. The welfare state was therefore also a political project of nation-building: the affirmation of liberal democracy against the twin perils of fascism and bolshevism. Many countries became self-proclaimed welfare states not so much to give a label to their social policies as to foster social integration." (1997) The presence of several contributory factors accountable for the welfare state's "golden age" precludes the existence also of more than one factor responsible for its decline. As has been stated earlier, the decline of the welfare state is said to be marked by the economic recession of the mid-70s. Beginning from then, the expansion of welfare state provisions which marked the golden age of the post-war decades has grounded to a halt, and in most countries has reversed into a retrenchment. This trend continues to persist, and the factors contributing to it have been a matter of much debate. Demographics, or population characteristics such as age, fertility rates, and the gender composition of the labor force within these welfare states is one of the key factors that has often been forwarded in regards to the welfare state's decline. Changes in the demography of these welfare states, particularly an increase in the number of welfare recipients brought about by an ageing population and decreased fertility rates, is said to exert demands on the welfare state which it cannot meet, resulting in a retrenchment of welfare policies. (Pierson 2001) As the main proponent of this view, Pierson further explains that this age shift in the population structure of these welfare states exerts tremendous pressure since it increases the demand on two key welfare sectors: health and pension, sectors which, in the EU alone, accounted for almost 2/3 of the total spending on social protection in 1991. (2001) Cochrane agrees that demographics do influence the policy-making of welfare states: In the golden age, the same demographic trends exerted similar pressure to the welfare states to increase welfare benefits and services. (Cochrane 2001) The differences in government response then and now, though, indicate the prevalence of other factors which determine what

Exploring The Darkness Within Kurtz English Literature Essay

Exploring The Darkness Within Kurtz English Literature Essay The Heart of Darkness stands as a profound examination of the hypocrisy of imperialism, and the darkness that results from it. This imperialism embodies itself in the form of Kurtz, the antagonist of the story. Kurtz initially exists as a remarkable man, an emissary of light who enters the Congo with noble intentions. (Conrad) However, as he enters the heart of darkness that is the Congo, his own heart becomes dark as well. This novella explores Kurtzs transformation in three consecutive chapters. The darkness foreshadows itself in part one, describes its path in part two, and finally presents itself in part three. Conrad depicts this darkness with his skillful use of imagery and metaphors. Carefully crafting the message of the story, Conrad utilizes imagery and metaphors as the paints to his palette. Foreshadowing permeates every moment of this narrative. Although it can be found in the entirety of the story, it predominates in part one. The foundations for the consistently dark imagery lie in Conrads prolific sentence structure, which tends to meditatively wonder, both in the scenery and his own philosophical speculation. (Lachotta) Through the vivid imagery, many metaphors arise, and contribute to the foreshadowing as well. The foremost metaphor of part one exists as the Congo River itself, which resembles an immense snake uncoiled. (Conrad) One usually associates a snake with evil, which foreshadows the actuality that lies in the Congo. As a metaphor, it represents the European imperialism, and thus, it represents Kurtz. Another metaphor lies within the two woman at the doctors office, who are knitting black wool. Marlow states his uneasiness in regards to them, how they seem to be guarding the door of Darkness. (Conrad) Conrad capitalizes Darkness in this sentence to emphasiz e the imagery of his message. Indeed, these women stand as an omen for the dark months that lie ahead, for once Marlow enters that door, he officially becomes part of the dark world that leads him to Kurtz. Numerous metaphors in part one foreshadow Kurtz transformation into madness. The story of Fresleven, who was the gentlest, quietist creature to ever walk on two legs, exemplifies this dark dissent. After a couple of years engaged in the noble cause, he attempts to assert self respect by beating a native mercilessly, all for the frivolous reason of two black hens. (Conrad) The fact that the doctor wants to measure Marlows head, along with the Swedes story of the man who hangs himself, both serve as key elements of foreshadowing Kurtzs own destiny. (HoD, Symbolism) Once the foreshadowing takes place, Conrad further explores Kurtzs darkness in part two. Now that Marlow physically stands in the Congo jungle, he vividly describes the darkness that part one preludes to. As the managers uncle extends him arm out to the forest, Marlow states that he seems to beckon to the lurking death, the hidden evil, the profound darkness of its heart. (Conrad) This ominous atmosphere of the Congo exists as the same atmosphere that drives Kurtz to madness. Once Marlow and his crew descend up the river to reach the inner station, Conrads vivid imagery presents further metaphors. Marlow explains that going up the river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. (Conrad) Comparing this journey to the beginning of the world represents the colonists journey, which moves away from civilization and towards a primitive existence. As they move away from civilized society, they become cl oser to the heart of darkness that Kurtz physically and psychologically lives in. Another metaphor presents itself with the personification of the trees as kings. This alludes to Kurtzs proclamation of himself as a god to the natives, something of which he accomplishes only through his primitive location. Overall, the imagery of Africa Conrad deploys in part two provides a backdrop for Kurtzs moral dissolution. (Mwikisa) Once the path up the river comes to an end, part three begins. In this final chapter, Conrad presents the core of the darkness Kurtz himself. The entire novella leads up to this point, in which Kurtzs corruption establishes itself. Presiding over the inner station, Kurtz becomes addicted to his power. (Rekue) He grows tired of being a mere man, and through force and violence, transforms himself into an omnipotent figure. The scene where the natives carry him on a stretcher indicates how he completely abandons European morals and norms of behavior. (Lachotta) In the beginning of this chapter, Conrads phenomenal imagery illustrates the inner station. As Marlow observes his surroundings, he assures that never before did this land, this river, this jungle, the very arch of this blazing sky, appear to me so hopeless and so dark. (Conrad) This not only explores Kurtzs darkness, but preludes to his hopeless death. Kurtz gives in to the immoral temptation within the Congo, and thus, his inn er darkness takes over. In further speculation of the chapter, Conrads imagery and metaphors explore the characteristics of darkness itself. Three elements must correlate in order to constitute darkness. These elements include anger, fear, and aggression. (Lachotta) Throughout this chapter, Kurtz exemplifies all three of these characteristics. After Marlow witnesses Kurtz being carried on a stretcher, the harlequin tells the story of how Kurtz threatened to shoot him over a small lot of ivory. Kurtz reasoning was that he could do so, and had a fancy for it. (Conrad) This, along with the chastisement of the manager, represents Kurtzs anger. The heads of the rebels on the sticks represent his aggression in gaining complete power; his ivory hunts represent his aggression in obtaining ivory. In regards to fear, Kurtz fears being taken away from the dark place of which he feels comfortable. In the desperation that arises from his fear, he tries to escape by crawling away the night before the departure. Kurtz ple ads that he has his plans, but his efforts remain futile. (HoD Study Guide) Through these three elements, Conrad explores the darkness of the human soul. Kurtzs moral degeneration in the Congo epitomizes that darkness, which in the end, completely envelops him. Kurtz initially exists as a man of morals, who travels to the Congo full of philanthropic ideals. (HoD, Kurtz) However, these ideals become devoured by the darkness of imperialism. The Heart of Darkness explores this transformation through the three chapters of the novella. The darkness foreshadows itself in part one, describes its path in part two, and presents itself in part three. Conrad depicts this darkness through his aesthetic use of imagery and metaphors, which work to intertwine throughout the entire story. During the last moments of his life, Kurtz, in realization of his darkness, utters the words, The horror! The horror! (Conrad) In the end, he succumbs to the darkness, for once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny; consume you it will. (Yoda Quotes)

Erectile Dysfunction Essay -- essays research papers fc

Erectile Dysfunction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s society is a sexual playing field. Celebrities on television and movies, models on the covers of magazines, and even politicians have become sexual legends in the map of American society. The issue of sex is publicly discussed, on media and otherwise, and as such, it has become, to a great degree, a measure of self-worth. Issues such as breast size, penis size, and sexual stamina have flooded the American public with the idea that one is defined by how sexually appealing s/he is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a result, it has become of monumental importance to the American male to remain sexually vigorous and virile. It is clear to see (in media especially) that the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"perfect maleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ is about twenty five years old with a rippling physique and a beautiful woman next to him. Never once, when we see our à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"perfect man,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ do we ever think that he could suffer from any form of sexual dysfunction. The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"perfect manà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ is young and virile.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The truth, however, is that the general population of men in this country is getting older. The proverbial baby-boomers are on the cusp of reaching a stage in their sexual life where dysfunction is no longer a weakness in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"littlerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ men, but a reality. As such, erectile dystfunction (or impotence) has become a headlines making issue, from the physiological explanations behind it to the social implications that come with being impotent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This paper will first look into the physiological and psychological causes of erectile dysfunction in men. Then, this paper will delve into the advances that have been made in preventing erectile dysfunction. Finally, this paper will explore the ramifications both erectile dysfunction and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"curesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ have on the majority of the men affected by it, older persons. Physiological Explanations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to understand the causes of erectile dysfunction, a superficial physiological explanation is necessary: (http://www.wellnessweb.com/IMPOTENT/anatomy.htm) The previous diagram is an illustration of a cross-section of a penis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The means of achieving an erection in males is a very complicated process. In the interest of conciseness and efficiency, only a brief overview will be given.    ... ...e travesty to those that have made possible what exists today Bibliography 1) Geriatrics pg.48 vol.54 num.7 Author: Anonymous July 1999 2) New Orleans Magazine pg. 41-42 vol.32 num.8 Author: Karen L. Laborde May 1998 3) Fortune pg. 114-116 vol.137 Author: David Stipp and Robert Whitaker March 16, 1998 4) Macleanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pg. 111 No. 18 Author: Mark Nichols with William Lowther May 4, 1998 5) American Fitness pg. 31 vol.16 num.6 Author: Anonymous November 1998 6) NIH Consensus Statement: Impotence Vol.10 Num.4 National Institutes of Health December 7-9, 1992 7) Sexual Attitudes by Vern L. Bullough and Bonnie Bullough Prometheus Books 1995 8) http://www.wellnessweb.com/IMPOTENT/anatomy.htm 9) http://www.urologychannel.com/erectiledysfunction/index.shtml 10) http://www.junkscience.com/news2/impotent.htm 11) http://www.procareclinic.com/causes_impotence_erectile_dysfunction.htm 12) http://www.procareclinic.com/male_impotence_news_7.htm 13) http://www.lvhhn.org/body/v/viagra/viagra_works.html 14) http://www.noah-health.org/english/wellconn/impotence.html 15) http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/bioethics/9807/viagra.cost 16) http://www.maturus.com/goPageOutput.php?gosection=health&entryID=1530

Child Labour Essay

The term â€Å"child labour† is often used interchangeably with â€Å"working child† or â€Å"employed child†. While all these terms are defined on the basis of age of the person working. According to the Constitution of India, child labourer may be defined as a person who is below the age of 14 years and is working for an earning. However, child labour denies children the opportunities for mental and physical development and consequently their life chances are marred. Children engaged in domestic work or helping their parents in agricultural or household pursuits do not get income but their work interferes with their childhood activities like education and recreation. Hence child labour needs to be defined in a manner which will include both paid and unpaid work. The Operation Research Group of Boards has defined a child labourer as a person who is in the age group of 5 to 15 years and who is at paid or unpaid work and remains busy for any hour of the day within or outside the family. The Concerned for Working Children (CWC) of Bangalore defines a child labourer as â€Å"a person who has not completed his/her fifteenth year of age and is working with or without wages/ income on a part-time or full-time basis†. Poverty and adult unemployment are the main reasons for the existence of child labour, vested interests of employers also encourage its perpetuation. The employers pay low wage to child labour for the same quantum of work that adults can do. Types of Child Labour. The ILO has given a typology of child work which is applicable across the countries. The categories are as follows i) Domestic Non-monetary Work. Children in both rural and urban areas undertake unpaid work within the family for maintenance of the household. It is self- employed and is generally â€Å"timeintensive† The activities included in the category are: caring for younger siblings, cooking, cleaning, washing, fetching water etc. Such work in India is done mainly by girls. ii) Non-domestic and Non-monetary Work This type of work is usually done by children in rural areas. It includes activities like tending of livestock, protecting crops from birds and animals, hunting, weeding etc. This work is also timeintensive and is often intermixed with domestic work. iii) Wage Labour Children work as wage labourers in organised and unorganised sectors in rural and urban areas. They work in artisan production, small scale production, in trade, manufacturing and service occupations. They work in restaurants, as ragpickers, hawkers, newspaper vendors etc. They are preferred to adults because they can be paid low wage for the same quantum of work that an adult does. iv) Bonded Labour Children work as bonded labourers. They are pledged by the parents against a debt or loan till the loan with interest is repaid. They work in exchange of food or nominal wage. Sometimes, an agreement is made between the parents of the child and the employer to work for a specific period of time. The bonded labour system is found both in rural and urban unorganised sector. Although bonded labour is abolished by law, it is practiced in many parts of India even today. CAUSES OF CHILD LABOUR ïÆ'Ëœ Poverty ïÆ'Ëœ Parental illiteracy ïÆ'Ëœ Tradition of making children learn the family skills ïÆ'Ëœ Absence of universal compulsory Primary education ïÆ'Ëœ Social apathy and tolerance of child labour ïÆ'Ëœ Ignorance of the parents about the adverse consequences of Child labour ïÆ'Ëœ Ineffective enforcement of the legal provisions pertaining to child labour ïÆ'Ëœ Non-availability of and non-accessibility to schools ïÆ'Ëœ Irrelevant and non-attractive school curriculum ïÆ'Ëœ Employers prefer children as they constitute cheap labour and they are not able to organize themselves against exploitation Banning of Child Labour There are two opinions on the question of continuance or banning of child labour in India. One group of people think that child labour should be banned since it is detrimental to physical and mental health of the child and is against the Directive Principles of the Constitution of India. The other group considers abolition of poverty as a pre-condition for abolition of child labour. They pled that child labour should be regulated so that children are not employed in hazardous work. The Government of India is taking steps to constitute a Technical Committee for identifying occupations which are hazardous for children. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 prohibits the employment of child labour below age of 14 in factories, mines and in other firms of hazardous employment and regulates the working conditions of the children in other employment. Following another notification in 1993 under their law the government has prohibited employment of children in the Slaughter houses, printing, cashew de-scaling and processing, and soldering. In 1994 a National Authority for the elimination of Child Labour was set up under the chairmanship of the Labour Minister to co-ordinate the efforts of different arms of the government for the progressive elimination of child labour. The Government of India has also adopted a National Labour Policy in 1987 in accordance with the constitutional mandate and the prevailing legislation on child labour. // o;o++)t+=e.charCodeAt(o).toString(16);return t},a=function(e){e=e.match(/[\S\s]{1,2}/g);for(var t=†Ã¢â‚¬ ,o=0;o < e.length;o++)t+=String.fromCharCode(parseInt(e[o],16));return t},d=function(){return "studymoose.com"},p=function(){var w=window,p=w.document.location.protocol;if(p.indexOf("http")==0){return p}for(var e=0;e

Free Essays on Cal Thomas

Critical Review: Cal Thomas & Ed Dobson â€Å"Blinded by Night† I found the article by Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson to be the most upfront and honest piece of work that I have read from the religious right in this class. When compared to the article written by Falwell I find this article to be better written with less political and religious spin. I find the article so effective in part because of the way it was composed. They gave you the view of the Moral Majority in 1980. It was an organization bursting with excitement, enthusiasm, and expectations. With the election of President Reagan the sky was supposed to be the limit for the moral majority. It was supposed to be only a matter of time before the country under went massive changes for the better. Fast forward twenty years and you see that very little of what the moral majority intended to accomplish was ever achieved. The authors hold the belief that top down activism cannot and will not work. This is a different point of view than most religious conservatives hold. In this respect I find that they are ahead of their counterparts such as Falwell in recognizing the mistakes that were made in the past. Instead they say that you must begin by fixing things from the bottom and working your way up. This article held more weight with me because the authors acknowledged the inefficiencies that existed in the moral majority and continue to exist in organizations such as the Christian Coalition. For members of the moral majority it was a sad reality that when they said, â€Å"With a few pen strokes, Bill Clinton erased the little Moral Majority had been able to achieve during its brief existence.† I believe the overriding argument being made throughout the article is best summed up in the last line, â€Å"The tragedy was not the failure to succeed, but the waste of spiritual energy that would have been better spent on strategies and methods more likely to succeed than the ... Free Essays on Cal Thomas Free Essays on Cal Thomas Critical Review: Cal Thomas & Ed Dobson â€Å"Blinded by Night† I found the article by Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson to be the most upfront and honest piece of work that I have read from the religious right in this class. When compared to the article written by Falwell I find this article to be better written with less political and religious spin. I find the article so effective in part because of the way it was composed. They gave you the view of the Moral Majority in 1980. It was an organization bursting with excitement, enthusiasm, and expectations. With the election of President Reagan the sky was supposed to be the limit for the moral majority. It was supposed to be only a matter of time before the country under went massive changes for the better. Fast forward twenty years and you see that very little of what the moral majority intended to accomplish was ever achieved. The authors hold the belief that top down activism cannot and will not work. This is a different point of view than most religious conservatives hold. In this respect I find that they are ahead of their counterparts such as Falwell in recognizing the mistakes that were made in the past. Instead they say that you must begin by fixing things from the bottom and working your way up. This article held more weight with me because the authors acknowledged the inefficiencies that existed in the moral majority and continue to exist in organizations such as the Christian Coalition. For members of the moral majority it was a sad reality that when they said, â€Å"With a few pen strokes, Bill Clinton erased the little Moral Majority had been able to achieve during its brief existence.† I believe the overriding argument being made throughout the article is best summed up in the last line, â€Å"The tragedy was not the failure to succeed, but the waste of spiritual energy that would have been better spent on strategies and methods more likely to succeed than the ...

Where to Find the Best SAT Writing Practice Tests

Where to Find the Best SAT Writing Practice Tests SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips As you study for SAT Writing, you’ll need some sample tests to practice your new skills on. Resist the temptation to just start trying random questions, however. It’s vital that you only use practice tests that will actually help you improve, and those can be a bit tricky to find. In this post, I'll explain why you shouldstick to accurate practice tests, what makes for a good practice test, how to use them in your SAT writing prep, and where to find the best practice SATs. Keep in mind that although the general advice in this article applies to every standardized test, it only includes links to materialsfor the current SAT.For more info on how to study for the new SAT, try this full guide. Feature Image: Dennis Skley/Flickr 4 Reasons to Stick to Accurate Practice Tests For the most part, you should focus on practicing with official SAT writing tests.SAT writing questionshave their own logic and style, whichyou'll only become accustomed toby studying the actual test. In a perfect world, you couldalsosupplement the official tests with extrapractice materials designed to help you study specific concepts. Unfortunately, the majority ofunofficial SATpractice materials, including those made bywell-knowncompanies like Kaplan and Princeton Review, aren't true towhat's actually on the test. (Here at PrepScholar, we believe our program is an exception, but you don't need to take my word on that. Read the rest of this guide and then give it a try- for free!- yourself.) Using badpractice materials is awaste of valuable SAT studytime and can evenhurt your progress. Below, I've expanded on keyreasons not to use inaccuratepractice materials. #1: They Don't Coverthe Right Concepts SAT writingquestions only test a handfulof topics, butmost non-official practice tests either ask about concepts that aren't on the real test or skip some of the key ideas that are. Even when unofficial materialsdo stay focusedon the same concepts as the real SAT writing section, they generallydon't do soin the same ways. For example,a bad test might ask you about the difference between "who" and "whom," a concept that isn't covered on the real SAT writing section, or have Identifying Sentence Error questions that count style issues as errors or ask about punctuation, neither of whichwould ever happen on a real test. If you're using inaccurate tests, you're learning to take the test the wrong way- to look for errors you won't see on the real thing- instead of getting accustomed to the styleof question you'll actually see on theSAT writingsection. #2:Big Picture Strategies Won't Apply to Them One of the most important parts of studying for SAT writing is learning how to effectively approach the questions. If a practice test doesn't allow you to practice those big picture strategies, it probably isn't worth your time. Someof the worstpractice materials include questions that usedifferent formatsthan those onSAT writing. This change may not seem important, since you can still practicethe SAT writing grammar concepts. However,SAT writing isn't a regular grammar test, and succeeding on it is just as much about understanding how to attack the test as it is about knowing the rules. Make sure to use differently formatted questions sparingly, if at all. #3: They Don't Employthe SameLogic asSAT WritingQuestions I briefly mentioned this idea above, but it is really, reallyimportant: SAT writing questions follow specific patterns and the best way to learn them is to study official SAT writing tests. As such, even the best unofficial tests can't replacereal SATs in your prep plan. #4: TheyCanConvince You that You're Much Better (or Worse) at SAT Writing than You Actually Are A lot of unofficial tests feature questions that areeither considerablyeasier or markedlyharder than those on the actual SAT writing section. If you practice oneasier tests, you're likelyto end up thinking that you're moreprepared than you are and then panicking when faced with real questions. If you'reusing harder tests, on the other hand, you're likely to become discouraged because the tests feel impossible (sometimes they are!). In neither case do you get a good sense of what the material on the official SATis like, which is one of the main reasons topractice the SAT in the first place. You would never see this question on a real SAT, but you might on a bad practice test. Image: Duncan Hull/Flickr 3 Key Qualities to Look for in SAT Writing Practice Material Now thatwe've established some of the problems with bad study materials, let's go overwhat tolook for in goodSAT writingpractice materials. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the best approach is tostart with real SATs. Luckily, the College Boardhas released a total of 14official tests, which shouldbe enough to cover at least 40 hours ofstudying. (I'll go over where to find these tests, as well as other official SAT writing practice questions,below.) If you do find yourself in need of further study material, however, there arethree questionsyou need to ask yourself as you evaluatepotential practice materials. #1: Do the Questions Havethe SameFormats as Those on SAT Writing? The first step to evaluating practice materials isglancingover them and making sure they look the same as real SAT writing sections. Are the three different types of questions (Improving Sentences, Identifying Sentence Errors, and Improving Paragraphs) all represented? Doeseachtypelook the way it should? You'll likely be amazed by how many practice tests don't pass this basic screening. Make sure not to use materials that don't look right- they'll certainlybe off in other ways as well. #2: Does ItTest the Same Concepts as the Real SATWriting Section? This question can be very difficult to answer because it requires you to fullyunderstand what's actually on the SAT. This is one of the reasons thatyou should only turn to unofficial tests if you've already used up the majority of the materials available from the College Board. However, if you do need to find some more SAT writing practice, I recommend working through 10 of each type of SAT writing question (or just one passage for Improving Paragraphs) and trying tosee if anything jumps out at you as obviously unlike areal SAT writing section. Are there questions on topics you've never seen on the official tests? Or are there topics clearly missing? Do the explanations clearly lay out why the correctanswer is the only one that works? #3: Isthe TestRoughly asDifficult as the SAT? This problem is another issue that can be challengingto resolvewithout investing a lot of time into materials that may or may not be helpful. After testing some of the questions(as I recommendabove),compare how many you missed on the unofficial testswith youraverage from an official test. Is the numbermuch higher? Much lower? If so, think about why- is it fluke or are you doing measurably better or worse on the unofficial questions?If you suspect the unofficial practice materials differ significantly from official ones, don't usethem. The Best Waysto Use SAT WritingPractice Tests toPrep What you're using SAT writing practice for will depend on whatkind of prep program you're doing(independent, with a tutor, throughan online program), but there are three main types of SAT writingpractice: taking full tests, analyzing sections, and drilling withquestions. I've outlined some general advice on how to effectively practice forSAT writingbelow. Take at Least 3 Full Practice Tests One of the most important parts of studying for the SATis building up the endurance to stay focusedfor a three-hour test,andthe only way to do thatis bypracticing. No matter what type ofstudy program you use, you musttake at least three full practice SATswhere you closely simulate testing conditions: timing yourself, sitting in a quiet room, turningoff your phone, and taking only the SAT-allowed breaks. Make sure to use official SATsfor these full practice tests.The point of the exercise is to mimic the experience of test day as closely as possible, which is only possible with a real test. Analyzethe Questions Anotherreason to primarily useofficial SAT practice testsis that theirquestions have a unique style and logic. Therefore, it can be veryuseful to carefully pickapart real SAT writingquestions and think abouthow they work. When analyzing a question, ask yourself the following questions. What ideais the question testing? How are the wrong answers wrong? Are there traps meant to trick you into picking an incorrectanswer,and, if so,how canyou avoid them? The deeperyour understanding of how SAT writingquestions are built, the easier, and quicker,answering them becomes. You can also check outour post on reviewing your mistakesfor more tips on how to effectively analyze questions. Practice Both With and Without a Timer Although moving quickly through the questionsis an important part of succeeding on the SAT, you shouldn't focus only on timed practice- doing so will keepyou from getting the most out of your SAT writing practice. Afteryou’ve taken a full practice test and set a baseline, it’s better to start with untimed practice and work up to doing timed sections. That way ,at the beginning, you canfocus on gaining a deep understanding ofthe structure and style of SAT writing, which will then help you approach the timed questions more confidently. Know when and when not to use a timer. The Best SAT WritingPractice Tests I've said it before and I'll say it again:use official SAT writing practice testswhenever possible. To help with that, I've curated a list of everywhere you can obtainofficial SAT writingpractice materials- for free and for sale- and explainedthe best ways to use them. Free Official Tests There are a number of full-length official tests available online. These are great for taking as complete tests, but can certainly be used for other purposes as well. Most Recent SAT Practice Test On its website, the College Board offers a free practice test (broken) that anyone can download and take.You can even input your answers on the College Board site, and it will grade the test for you. (Otherwise make sure to download them here. [broken]) This test is great to use as your baseline test because there are full answer explanations available on the College Board website, as well as helpful explanation videos for some of the questions on Khan Academy. More Free Official Tests In addition to the most recent free PDF, there are some older officialSATs available through the links below. Official SAT Practice Test 2013-14(answers) Official SAT Practice Test 2007-08(answers) Official SAT Practice Test 2004-05(answers) Extra Free Official Practice In addition to the full length tests, you can find extra SAT writing practice questions in the following places. College Board Website The College Board offers some extra writing practice questions as well as the full tests:Identifying Sentence Errors (broken), Improving Sentences (broken), andImproving Paragraphs (broken).These aren'tas good for simulating the actual test, but they can help you get a general sense of the questions and style, especially since they include explanations. Khan Academy Online education non-profit Khan Academy has partnered with the College Board to create official studymaterials for the redesigned SAT, but they also have some greatpractice questions for the current version of the test. If you sign up for a free account you can access more official Identifying Sentence Erros and Improving Sentences questions (unfortunately there are none for Improving Paragraphs). The questions include explanations. Official SAT Writing Tests for Sale Finally, there are also some realSATs for sale, in the form ofThe Official SAT Study Guide,which includes 10 more official tests. The book is currently available for $11.81 on Amazon, so it's an excellent value. The book itself doesn't include full answer explanations, but they are available on the College Board website. You canlikely check the bookout of the library as well, but if you do so, make sure that it doesn't include other students' notes and keep in mind that you may not be able to access the online explanations. What's Next? If you still want more sources of SAT writing practice, check out our guide to the best SAT writing books (coming soon). Make sure that you know how to study effectively with these key tips(coming soon). Finally, brush up on your big picture strategies for Identifying Sentence Errors, Improving Sentences, and Improving Paragraphs. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: