In Between the Lines Professor Ramos Blog

In Between the Lines Lilia D. Merino Morales AmericanLiteratureII    20 May 2019 Being American now comes with more diversity. A person can be African American, Asian American, or Mexican American, the list goes on and on. Because of the physical or cultural difference that these other Americans have that the Angelo American does not have they face discrimination. Encountering this discrimination for a long time, people begin to rise against the discrimination that does not allow them to get jobs, get equal pay, equal benefits as the Angelo American. A group in particular who fought to create their own identity is the Mexican Americans. Mexican Americans had a difficult fight because they were always getting lost between being considered white with the Angelo Americans or being called colored like the African Americans. In the article â€Å"The Civil Rights Act and the transformation of Mexican American Identity and Politics† Nancy MacLean talks about how Mexican Americans had to fight to establish their identity by not allowing themselves to be assimilate d into the Angelo American category and protesting against the inequality as Mexican Americans not just people of color. Gloria Anzaldua describes some of what Mexican Americans had to go through in her essay â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue†. In the article â€Å"The Civil Rights Act and the Transformation of Mexican American Identity and Politics† by Nancy MacLean, she explains the events that began the Mexican American search for identity and political stance. With the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Mexican Americans began to identify as white, this allowing them to avoid some of the discrimination. Then with The Civil Rights Act of 1964 the Mexican Americans were able to start identify as their own person because the act outlawed discrimination. They began to join the African American people in their search for equal rights but by the 1960’s the Mexican Americas and African Americans were apart again declaring their rights for their races alone. Mexican Americans believed they needed to fight for their rights alone in order to create their own identity. Mexican Americans fought and continue to fight by protesting against the discrimination they have to deal with day by day in order to someday receive th e equal treatment they deserve. Mexican Americans felt they needed to categorize themselves as white because of the switch of lands it was forced upon them and the awful treatment they saw African Americans were facing. In 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was enacted and Nancy MacLean states, â€Å"made Mexicans in U.S. territory â€Å"white† by recognizing them as citizens at a time when the naturalization law made whiteness a perquisite of citizenship† (MacLean 124). At first Mexican Americans took advantage of this in order to avoid the same treatment that the African Americans received but this meant they had to confided to an identity that wasn’t their own. Gloria Anzaldua speaks of encounters where she gets told, â€Å"‘If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’ If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong’† (Anzaldua 1521). Anzaldua and many other Mexican Americans were told that in order to be American they could not have the ac cent they had when speaking English. This was one of the ways that the Angelo Americans were trying to assimilate the Mexican Americans. But the Mexican Americans began to rebel against the assimilation and discrimination that came with it. When it came to fighting for their rights Mexican Americans decided to join the African Americans in the fight for equality but then realized they weren’t making much progress for themselves. In the article by Nancy MacLean she describes the conflict between the two groups being that the Mexican Americans would not support the African Americans as they â€Å"voted against the call for solidarity, which they viewed as a distraction from ‘our own problems’† (MacLean 126). The Mexican Americans wanted to make an image by themselves for themselves so that they would not be put into a category and have their problems be considered solved. In her writing Gloria Anzaldua explains that both African and Mexican Americans â€Å"suffer economically for not acculturating† (Anzaldua 1529). The African and Mexican Americans were always being set in the same group because they were both being discriminated against but their problems were not the same. Both groups a re different people from different countries and by being set into a single group as ‘colored’ it was causing a further divide amongst them by treating their issues as the same for both groups. Mexican Americans had their own fight for their rights just as the African Americans. Part of their fight was establishing that their identity is not white or black but brown. Through difficult times the Mexican Americans made sure that they kept their culture. Nancy MacLean recounts the history in â€Å"The Civil Rights Act and the transformation of Mexican American Identity and Politics† while Gloria Anzaldua illustrates personally what discrimination a Mexican American had to encounter in her essay â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue†. Because of the color of their skin Mexican Americans were being set into the class of African Americans but because they were living on American soil during the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo they were considered Angelo Americans and being taught to act like it but they found that they did not fit in either state. They discovered they were in between these two lines being set by society and by the government and created a new name and identit y for themselves, the brown people of America.   Anzaldua, Gloria. â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue.†The Norton Anthology of American  Literature, edited by Nina Baym and Robert S. Levine, 8th ed., vol. 2, W.W. Norton   Company, 2013, pp. 1521–1529. MacLean, Nancy. â€Å"The Civil Rights Act and the Transformation of Mexican American Identityand Politics.†Berkeley La Raza Law Journal, vol. 18, no. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 123–134.EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=36094372site=ehost-live.

Creative Writing 5 Tips for Writing a Novel

Creative Writing 5 Tips for Writing a Novel Creative Writing: 5 Tips for Writing a Novel Even though creative writing gives you much more freedom than academic writing, it takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication to master. Luckily, if you are writing a novel, there are a few things you can do to make sure you end up with something you can be proud of. 1. Start Small One mistake aspiring novelists make is leaping right into writing a full-length novel. If you’ve not written fiction before, consider starting with a few short stories. This will let you hone your creative writing skills before you set to work on your seven-volume masterpiece! Not exactly what we had in mind, but sure.(Photo: kelly taylor/flickr) 2. Where to Begin? Speaking of starting points, coming up with an idea for your story is one of the trickiest parts of writing a novel. The old adage of â€Å"write what you know† applies here, so one option is to base a story on something in your life or something you’ve observed. Another top tip is starting with a character. Who is your story going to be about? What is their background? Where do they live? What challenges do they face? If you can answer these questions, the rest of your story should start falling into place. 3. Have a Plan Once you have a basic idea for your story, you should take some time to make a plan before you begin writing. Try to consider what the major plot points will be, who the main characters are, and what the end point will be. You might need a bit more detail than this. You don’t have to stick to this rigidly once you get going, but it should give you a basic structure you can use to guide your writing. 4. Give Yourself a Quota Every author has days when they don’t feel like they can get anything done or when the words seem to come out wrong. But don’t let this put you off! Give yourself a quota of words to write each day. This doesn’t have to be much (even a few hundred or a thousand words a day will add up eventually). They don’t even have to be perfect (you can edit later, so resist the urge to hit â€Å"delete†). The important thing is to keep going. 5. Edit Ruthlessly! Once you have a first draft, take some time away (have someone else read it and give you feedback if you can). But when you do come back to your manuscript, be brutal! Editing your own work can be painful, but it has to be done. Make your story as streamlined as possible. This means making small cuts where redundant words and phrases appear. But it can also mean cutting sections that aren’t essential to the plot, such as unnecessary scene-setting. Red pen optional.(Photo: Nic McPhee/flickr) If you can do this, you should end up with a much better novel as a result!

Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems - Essay Example One of the common wireless intrusion methods is known as ‘Wardriving’. Normally, this is done by using a Windows laptop running Wardriving software, for example NetStumbler, and equipped with an IEEE 802.11b adapter and external aerial. The ‘Wardriver’ moves near the wireless network area expecting to detect IEEE 802.11b signals that have spilled out onto the area around. NetStumbler search for beacon frames from the access points (APs) and processing these beacon frames, it is feasible to resolve the encryption strength, channel, and type of hardware used. The Wardriver may also get other details of the network such as the Service Set Identifier (SSID). Usually, this is done as a hobby and such hobbyists may combine the data with Global Positioning System (GPS) information to generate geographic maps of wireless networks in the area and their configurations. There are different software’s available for Wardriving, basing on the platform used. As a ma tter of fact, active software like NetStumbler, dStumbler, and MiniStumbler transmit probe request frames to extract responses from APs (Wright, 2002). This helps their probability of detecting APs. Another popular intrusion method is the Linux program AirSnort, most commonly used tool for WEP key extraction. Intruder by means of AirSnort would clandestinely gather wireless network traffic of the intended network. AirSnort can find out the WEP key of the network by processing the weak frames collected. There is also possibility of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on the network.

SPECIAL REPORT Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SPECIAL REPORT - Coursework Example The following are the traffic control strategies that have been put in place in Miami for the special event this year. The police should implement plans to educate road users in future on how to use roads during special events to avoid closure of roads, which is expensive and costly to both the police department in terms of labor needed to control traffic and to the residents in terms of time wasted in a crowded road. The police have issued guidelines and regulations that are going to ensure order during the major events at Miami Beach. According to Miami Beach Police Chief, the police analyzed the previous events and came up with a strategy to ensure a safe environment. The strategy will include directive orders to arrest people who are going to disrupt tranquility in Miami Beach. The police chief has said that the Police are hoping to avoid problems during this season by arresting people who are going to cause disturbance. According to Miami Beach’s police union the order, this weekend is for â€Å"patrol officers will need to meet an arrest quota of 2,000 arrests.†This number is two times the record of a thousand set in the previous years. In my opinion, this strategy is good except that the police should only make arrests to the offenders and not simply as a matter of meeting their target of 2,000 arrests. In my opinion, the police department has put in place extra measures which are different from the previous years and this is because of the increasing number of visitors that keep coming to Miami Beach each year. In previous years, the number of policy officers that were on the patrol was not as much as this year, and this is because of the increasing incidences of visitors who caused disturbance in the area. Similarly, the police have not been closing as many roads as it plans to close during this season. In my opinion, the police department should include the residents of Miami Beach to police the region during high season when

Country Risk Analysis-China Essay Example for Free

Country Risk Analysis-China Essay With the development of economic globalization, foreign direct investment (FDI) is increasingly being recognized as an important factor in the economic development of countries. Although FDI began centuries ago, the biggest growth has occurred in recent years. This growth resulted from several factors, particularly the more receptive attitude of governments to investment inflows, the process of privatization, and the growing interdependence of the world economy. Team B will perform a country risk analysis to ensure that endeavors of investing into the Chinese markets are warranted. Initial ScreeningGreater China has been one of the most dynamic areas in the world economy. With the entry of the China into the World Trade Organization, Chinas financial markets emerge on the frontier of economic reform and openness. Financial services also provide the most exciting foreign business opportunities in China. However, the recent Asian financial crisis illuminates the problems in Chinas state-run enterprises and an ill-functioning banking system. This paper is looking for the business opportunity of financial services industry in China. It will begin from the review of the emerging economies to explain why the specific region was chose. The research of this paper also includes business analysis in China, a review of profitable industry, the business entry strategy and its functional areas operate in China. At the end, the future strategy and the recommendations will be discussed for the further steps in this investment. Potentials/FDILooking at the environmental factors of China, the economic development it has undergone in the past 15 years is of increasing interest to marketers. It has developed and continues to grow into a great trading partner. If this growth pattern continues, China will someday have significant economic influence on the world. One reason China could have a particularly large effect is due to the number of Chinese citizens. China supports over 1.29 billion people and this number is increasing by .93%. If the standard of living persists and income levels rise, it would be possible to accept the Chinese as potential consumers that would unlock a huge market  of individuals. The massive population has been a burden on China because the economy, as it stands now, cannot bear to support such a number of citizens. The government is trying to gain control of this problem by limiting the number of children to one per household, with exceptions to ethnic minorities and those living in rural areas. Other countries are offering their services to attempt to control the birthrate by showing the government that population control can be managed without a coercive and involuntary approach. The government has been losing its authority due to political changes and popular resistance that make population standards difficult to maintain. Therefore, some projections still approximate that 1.6 billion will make up Chinas population by the year 2025. Countries wishing to take advantage of Chinas emerging opportunities are investing a large amount of time, effort and money in order to access such a vast market. These possibilities were made possible when China started its reform in 1978, opening its doors to foreign investments and trade. This changed a self-reliant central economy into a mixed economy that combined state owned enterprises and private businesses. China could now allow individual citizens to have different amounts of incomes. The results have changed China dramatically making it the fastest growing economy for 15 years. When the reforms began in 1978, 60 percent of the population earned less than $1 a day. Since the reform, GDP has grown steadily by an average of 9 percent. In the year 2000, GDP grew by 8 percent. Currently, per capita is equivalent to $3600 and as the economy continues to expand the purchasing power of individuals will increase as well. The new economic reform policy intends to reduce central planning and increase business autonomy and spread income. Many problems still exist, despite the success of the policy and rapid economic growth. There is a movement for more privatization of some State Owned Enterprises because many remain unprofitable. In the year 2000, 46.5% of the SOEs were running at a loss. These problems stem from the socialist system that is still in place under their Constitution. Under the Chinese Constitution, it is the  responsibility of the government to manage the economy by means of production quotas and price setting. This apparent contradiction between the reform policy and the Constitution (1982) seem to work against each other. China will never succeed at full potential unless it retires the Marxist views and embraces a market directed system. Economic IndicatorsChinas economic growth remains quite high due to the large investments from the United States and Europe. The labor sector has a competitive edge with the rest of the globe now, where outsourcing of work to China is a priority among the large corporations. The Second Screening tries to look at more specific types of economic indicators to determine the risk and safety for a foreign company to invest in China, a country that has a communist government. According to the World Economic Forum, China has moved up from 33 to 39 in their 2002-2003 Growth Competitive Index while the IMD has mainland China listed as number 12. Summary data can be accessed below.In terms of trade surplus, there are fluctuations all the time due to the business cycle. Not all cycles of goods and services in China fall into predictable patternsChinas trade surplus in March fell to $6.9 billion, well below forecasts and down sharply from Februarys $23.7 billion surplus, reports AP. It was not clear whether the drop in March was the result of government efforts or would have a lasting impact.(www.metrics2.com)http://www.metrics2.com/blog/economic_indicators/Inflation is something that remains as long as prices keep going up, and there are no controls of prices. The Chinese communist government does have strict controls over the Chinese currency. Its central bank controls the overall balance of payments within the country when dealing with foreign investors, as the United States. Chinas consumer price index (CPI) rose 5.3 percent year-on-year in July, mainly due to the lagging effect of price hikes at the end of 2003 and one-time factors, said the monthly report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Thursday. The July inflation rate was 0.3 percentage points higher than the 5 percent rise in June, making it the second  consecutive month that Chinas inflation exceeded 5 percent. Currency ConvertibilityCurrency in China is called the Renminbi and although it tries to be strictly controlled by the Chinese government, the currency competes on the world currency market just like the American dollar and the Euro. The currency is tied to the economic health of the country in terms of balance of payments. Sometimes this is difficult to understand because of the globalized world economies today, where every country deals in all of the worlds currencies. International corporation for example can pay for goods and services in any form of currency. The official currency of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is Renminbi (meaning in Chinese: peoples currency). The Peoples Bank of China, the PRCs monetary authority, issues the Chinese currency. The official ISO 4217 abbreviation of Chinas currency is CNY, but it is also abbreviated as RMB. Colloquially, the Chinese currency is also called Yuan and Kuai.(www.danwei.org)Gross Domestic ProductChina is likely to declare itself the worlds fourth largest economy next week, having leapfrogged Italy, France and Britain, after a widely expected revision of its annual gross domestic product figures. Economists say the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which is due to release part of the results of its first national economic census on December 20, is likely to put a much bigger figure on the size of Chinas services sector. Political and Legal barriers to doing business in ChinaThe Peoples Republic of China is a dichotomy of cultures and lifestyles. While maintaining the culture of an old world, there is a marked representation of Western culture all over the larger cities in the country. However, anyone wishing to do business in China will have to know and understand both cultures, and all the legal and political implications involved in doing creating a successful presence in China. In China, the first step in doing business is to have a legal framework to operate your business. You need a legitimate platform to launch your business venture. It is not advisable to use proxy or another Chinese company to conduct business in China (www.seve.gr). While the most obvious barriers to doing business in China include tariffs and other financial  limitations, there are some non-tariff barriers that could inhibit a business from doing business in China. Entry BarriersGovernments often provide trade consultations and administrative guidance to companies to facilitate implementation of their respective industrial policies. In some countries the role of government may take the form of a caretaker, coordinator and leader providing guidance, coordination and arbitration. In order to achieve these goals, governments use such tactics as licensing, foreign exchange allocations and quotas. These tactics could interfere with free trade and become a barrier to market entry (www.foxweb.marist.edu). Profit Remittance BarriersFinancial controls may take the form of exchange controls, multiple exchange rates, and prior import deposits, as well as credit restrictions and profit remittance restrictions. Exchange controls limit the amount of currency that can be taken abroad. Such controls limit the amount of currency an importer can obtain to pay for the goods purchased. It also limits the amount of currency an exporter receives for goods sold and the length of time it can hold the currency (www.foxweb.marist.edu). Prior to 2005, most businesses in China were state-owned and it was virtually impossible for non-state businesses to enter the Chinese market. However, in 2005, China lifted trade barriers that would allow private businesses to invest in the infrastructure, industry and utilities of China. Although the government has displayed support for the development of non-state economy in recent years, there are still barriers to the development of the private sector especially in the power and oil industries. Even in Shanghai where the private economy booms, the non-state business often faces many limits from various industries (www.English.peopledaily.com). Cultural IssuesChinas estimated population for 2007 is greater than 1,321,800,000 with a relatively small cohort. (CIA, 2007) The median age  in China is 33.2 (32.7 male and 33.7 female). Exhibit 1 (CIA, 2007)Life expectancy is estimated at 72.88 years. Seven out of every 1,000 people die each year. Infant mortality rate is 22.12 per every 1,000 births (20.01 male and 24.47 female). (CIA, 2007). The Chinese ethnic population is 91.9% Han Chinese; while the remaining 8.1% is made up of Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other. Exhibit 2 (Cyborlink, n.d.)Culturally, China ranks highest in long-term orientation. This dimension indicates a societys time perspective and an attitude of preserving; that is, overcoming obstacles with time, if not with will and strength. (Cyborlink, n.d.) Geert Hofstede has conducted many cultural analyses and ranked China the lowest in Asia in regards to individualism. This is thought to be in part to an emphasis on a Collectivist society by Communist rule. Culturally, the Chinese are close and committed to family and relationships and loyalty is considered very important. Hofstede also noted that China ranks 80 in regards to power distance; while the rest of Asia averages 60 and the rest of the world averages 50. This is indicative of a high level of inequality of power and wealth within the society. This condition is not necessarily forced up the population, but rather accepted by the society as their cultural heritage. (Cyborlink, n.d.) In regard religions, China is an atheistic society (94%); while only three to four percent are Taoist, Buddhist, or Christian, and one to two percent are Muslim. Education in China is very important. Two years before the dawn of the 21st Century the Chinese government proposed an ambitious plan intended to expand university enrollment to ensure a greater output of professional and specialized graduates. (Cyborlink, n.d.) The governments goal is to develop an elite of world-class universities. Today, 90.9% of the Chinese population is literate; however, only 85.5% of Chinese females are literate compared to 95.1% of Chinese males are literate. The 2006 estimated Chinese labor force consisted of 798 million people with  an official unemployment rate of 4.2% for urban areas. Unemployment and underemployment rates for rural areas are considerably higher. According to the 2006 labor estimates, 45% of the labor force was involved in agriculture; 24% industry; and 31% services. Exhibit 3 (CIA, 2007)Competitive forcesNumber, size and financial strengthWith this being a relatively new product idea there is very little competition. That is not to say that there is no competition. Similar software exists however it does not take into account the end user. Most fashion software is for the designer more so than the consumer. Our software allows people put in there body type and shape and then see how clothes would look on you before you ever step foot in a store. Market shareWith a very small number of competitors is allows for firms to have very large shares of the market. We understand that being brand new we will not be able to have the entire market, however within the first three months we expect to grow it by a factor three. This is very ambitious but we feel with our strategic partnerships and quality product we should be the market leader within the first 18 months. Marketing strategiesOur marketing strategy will be to associate our self with an established fashion label(s). We will use there good name to help promote our product as a product extension of the clothes. DistributionWe will distribute our products through online stores as well as their contemporary bricks and mortar counterpart. We feel this is the best over all solution to get the product into the hands of as many people as possible. The competition utilizes the internet as well as physical stores as well so we must do both as well. Modes of entryAs for the mode of entry, we have decided that because of the bureaucratic red tape associated with doing business in china it would be most beneficial if we combined our efforts with an already established clothing company. That way we would not have to launch a completely new company however just branch out as a different product line to an existing  brand. We will probably use price skimming as this type of software will be aimed at consumers who are willing to pay a premium for fashion. Also they might perceive a lower price as a lower quality product. An alternative mode of entry could be if we sold our software to multiple clothing makers and allow them to use the software as a tool. This also would eliminate some of the governmental procedures. This solution would also get the product out and into more users. The products of this industry are services, it is extremely important to build good relationship with customer and build customer loyalty in long term. This issue is currently managed by the group successfully. The only challenge is to keep the standard when entering the China market. In the highly competitive business atmosphere currently occurring in China, there is a large shortage of qualified employees. Many companies are eager to attract as many skilled professionals as possible, especially in financial services industry. Local business giants realize the urgency and magnitude of their needs. Besides the great number of expatiate executives, management-training companies in Shanghai have mushroomed to several thousand to provide the management talent. In conclusion, with the speed up of world economic integration process and the gradual opening of financial market after Chinas entry into WTO, China financial services sector will have to face more powerful competition and challenges from overseas intruders. China will be stepping up infrastructure development and offering equal opportunities to both the foreign banks and the domestics. It also is a greater opportunity for WF to take a step in sharing the market. References China lifts barriers of private business into monopolized industries. (2005). Retrieved April 21, 2007 from http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200501/20/eng20050120_171269.htmlCIA. (2007, April). China. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from The World Fact Book:https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.htmlCyborlink. (n.d.). China. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from International Business

Anouilh’s Tragedy and Oedipus Rex :: comparison compare contrast essays

Anouilh’s Tragedy and Oedipus Rex    Many definitions exist for the genres of â€Å"tragedy† and â€Å"melodrama.†Ã‚   Similar to the distinction between fruits and vegetables, most can tell the two apart but have difficulty describing why.   However, some definitions require a deeper look into a work, such as the interpretation provided by Anouilh’s movie version of â€Å"Antigone.†Ã‚   Whether or not Sophocles’s â€Å"Oedipus Rex† is a tragedy or melodrama has been debated since the teachings of Aristotle and strong arguments have been made for both sides.   â€Å"Tragedy,† as defined by Anouilh, takes on a lifelike form, putting a new twist on an old definition that requires one to take a different perspective on the play.   Though at a superficial level â€Å"Oedipus Rex† is a tragedy, its details point it towards the direction of a melodrama.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first and most glaring problem found while attempting to plug â€Å"Oedipus Rex† into Anouilh’s description of tragedy comes with how tragedy runs in a play.    The spring is wound up tight.   It will uncoil of itself.   That is what is so convenient in tragedy.   The least little turn of the wrist will do the job†¦. The rest is automatic.   You don’t need to lift a finger.   The machine is in perfect order; it has been oiled ever since time began, and it runs without friction (Anouilh’s â€Å"Antigone†).    Once tragedy has started to roll, it never ceases while continuing to snowball until the point of finality in the play.   In â€Å"Oedipus Rex,† this is not seen.   Rather, Oedipus himself works the machine, pulling each lever and pushing every button himself.   Though â€Å"the god’s design is open, [and] all his oracle is clear†¦ (Sophocles 76),† it is Oedipus himself that must hurry his fate.   The gods seem to hurry Oedipus along his journey as well, catalyzing the actions leading to Oedipus’s final revelations and self-mutilation.   â€Å"Friends, it was Apollo, sprit of Apollo.   He made this evil fructify (Sophocles 73).†Ã‚   Oedipus recognizes that the gods, notably Apollo had ushered him along, leaving him with little else than to explore his origins and eventually go mad.   Oedipus is not put into some fate machine and chewed around.   Oedipus is subjected to his own curiosity and the play of his own gods.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Anouilh, a tragedy must be very clean, whereas a melodrama is sloppy in nature.    Tragedy is clean; it is restful; it is flawless.

Examples of Discipleship Essay

I believe that Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Christian Aid are two prime examples of discipleship in this century, Bonhoeffer as an individual and Christian Aid as an organisation. Bonhoeffer was a German preacher born in 1906 to a medical professor and his wife in Breslau, a small town. From an early age he wanted to serve God, and so he studied theology at university and taught and preached in both Germany and America. He returned to his homeland in 1933 to protest against the newly elected Nazi party, and joined the new Confessing Church, having rejected his previous Protestant church for bowing to Hitler’s demands. He worked in a secret training centre for new pastors, run by the confessing church, for four years, as the Gestapo closed it down in 1937. After that, and with the signs of the oppression soon to be felt by the German people becoming clearer, Bonhoeffer took a more active role in his campaigning against the Nazis, eventually leading him to a cell in a prison and the hangman’s noose in 1945. One of the main tenants of Christian discipleship is Jesus’ teaching on the mountain: pacifism and love for enemies. Bonhoeffer was an avid believer in these ideals, and wrote his still-relevant book, The Cost of Discipleship, based around those thoughts. He interpreted the maxim of â€Å"If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also† as a call for pacifism and working out disagreements by reasoning rather than force. But Bonhoeffer was forced to challenge his own morals when the news of the violent anti-Semitism ignited by Hitler spread and several of his friends joined the German resistance. Most of those opposed to the Nazis saw that the only way to end the suffering caused by Hitler was to kill him. Public meetings were banned, and the press were heavily censored. The huge propaganda departments of the government would not allow any attempt by Bonhoeffer to spread his Christian teaching. So Bonhoeffer felt that he could be quiet, and wait until the war finished, and congratulate those that ended it, or he could play an active role in a plot to kill Hitler. Firstly he helped smuggle Jews out of Germany, but was caught and forced to give up any legitimate teaching. Forsaking any hope of reaching a peaceful end to the conflict, Bonhoeffer helped the bomb plot to assassinate Hitler. When it failed he was incarcerated, and he contemplated his deviance from Christian law. Bonhoffer had to make, on his own, one of the main questions that hangs over all belief systems: Whether the moment dictates what a person should do, or if people should always keep constant what they believe in. In his case it was between fighting evil and helping those in need or staying true to his pacifist roots. He chose to take a drastic step against some of Christ’s teachings to implement others, leading to his arrest and execution. This inevitable question still hangs over the church, and a viable answer has yet to be suggested. Christian Aid is a charity funded by numerous churches in the UK and Ireland. Although it is funded and staffed by Christians, Christian Aid will support any people in need, regardless of religion or race, and does not attempt to convert those it helps to Christianity. Although it combats poverty and need immediately and continually in global trouble areas, it also tries too stop poverty at it’s root, and was a large part of the ‘Jubilee 2000†² campaign to abolish third world debt. Christian aid has interpreted Jesus’ teaching on Discipleship and concentrated on the aid and help parts of his teaching. It would look to examples from his life: â€Å"When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying hands on each one, he healed them† (Luke 4:40) This sort of passage, frequent in the gospels, shows that Jesus cared greatly for the needy, rejecting the idea that they somehow ‘deserved’ their punishment, and was not afraid to get dirty and ritually ‘unclean’ to help. In the same way, Christian Aid was set up by Christians who do not judge those they help, and will go to any lengths to re-enact Christ’s good work. They also follow the teaching laid down by Jesus in his parables, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan: â€Å"He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own Donkey, brought him to an Inn and took care of him.† (Luke 10:34) The idea of this parable, where one man steps in where others fear to tread, inspires Christian Aid a lot, as they are physically helping the needy of the world while other members of society just stand back and watch, sometimes nodding approvingly. They see this following of Jesus as being true to one of Jesus’ main teachings, â€Å"Love your neighbour as yourself† And seek to harmonise the lot of people around the world by abolishing suffering through war, poverty and disasters. As Christian Aids motto goes; â€Å"We believe in life before Death†, Christian Aid is rejecting the traditional view of the churches preaching yet not acting, and are playing an active role in the reduction of suffering. They see Jesus’ message not just as an instruction to put up with life until you die, but also as a chance to help the needy, and prove before God their faith as Christians.