Discuss speed planes trains and automobiles in relation to spaces and Essay

Discuss speed planes trains and automobiles in relation to spaces and subjects of modernity - Essay Example While humans can sense speed when riding on a train, at the same time there is the danger of losing the sensual experience of nature. Riding on a train, it is possible only to catch a glimpse of the landscape and imagine its beauty; to benefit fully from it requires coming back on foot. According to a popular anecdote, the Emperor Franz Joseph I stopped the train to enjoy a particularly beautiful view during his first ride up to the Semmering. This indicates that the history of newly opened landscapes is also a history of sight. Typical train travelers could not stop the train like a royal; with the opportunity only for fleeting glances, they had to be attentive in order to perceive the passing landscape. The dynamics of sight is a concept that was first acknowledged as a special phenomenon during a train ride but later came to have an effect on modern-day perceptions as a whole. Speed moved pieces of scenery closer to one another, even though they had belonged to distant and distinctly different areas. Panoramic perception, in contrast to traditional perception, no longer belongs to the same space as the perceived objects: the traveler saw the objects, landscapes, etc., through the apparatus which moved him through the world. That machine and the motion it created became integrated into his visual perception.

Death And Dying In Hinduism And Islam Religion Essay

Death And Dying In Hinduism And Islam Religion Essay Death and dying is equally important among all religions. Different religions have different values, beliefs, tradition, social customs and attitude regarding about death and dying. Among all of them, the most common experience is that a persons death always leaves the shadowy moment among all the relatives and the family members. Death is always connected with us and we are at the state of transition. Every living body has to die. However, religion occupies a significance space regarding about death and dying. The religion has its own norms and values to define the death. Among different religions, Hinduism and Islam define death as the period of sorrow even-though Hinduism believes in reincarnation but Islam does not. Hinduism views life as a wheel of salvation while life means a way to meet the almighty Allah in Islam. Thus, two different religions have two different perspectives of viewing life and death depending upon their religions. The Bhagvada Gita also tells about the moral of life and death. During the battle of Kurukshetra, the Pandava brother, Arjuna, has to kill his guru, Dronacharya who taught him the most powerful skill of bow and arrow. Nobody can defeat the Arjuna in archery. Since, Dronacharya belongs to the Kaurava, the Pandava brother Arjuna has to kill his own guru to win the battle of Mahabharata. The Lord Krishna chants poem about birth and living. He said to Arjuna that death in unavoidable to those who are born and birth is certain for those who had died. So, there is no reason to grieve if something in unavoidable. So, death is an inescapable. Death always stands upon its honor in the battle field. It is fair to illuminate the injustice and inequality to obtain the mokshya known as liberation. Thus, the saying of the Lord Krishna to Arjuna provides him a moral sense and knowledge of being born into this universe and reacts upon the essence of justice against immorality. Like in Bhagvada Gita, another holy scripture Ramayana also tells about the significance of death and dying. Bali and Sugriva are the brother of the same blood. Though Sugriva is younger than the Bali, Bali has treated him like a slave. However, Sugriva doesnt argue about the matter. He just wants to take care of him for the whole life. Despite the circumstance, Bali has received a terrific boon after his tough meditation for twelve years. He has a greed upon his bravery and courageous. He has captivated Sugrivas wife Tara for a long period of time. So, Sugriva is frustrated and asked about sharing of the Kiskindha kingdom. But, Bali refused it and threw him out of the kingdom. Sugriva doesnt know what to do. One day, his follower Hanuman found Rama and Arjuna wandering in the dense forest and became closer to each other. Then, Hanuman introduce Rama and Arjuna with Sugriva and Sugriva told the events about how he has to live in mountain despite having the kingdom. So, Rama told Sugr iva to call Bali upon the battle field. Sugriva did the same thing as Rama told to him. After a long battle between Sugriva and Bali, Rama killed Bali by using his archery. Upon his deathbed, Bali asked Rama about his crime. He asked what he has done to him. Who are you to kill him? Why you kill me like a terror? Why dont you show in-front of me? Then Rama replied to Bali that he has done injustice with his brother. Rama told that his father Dasaratha taught him about the moral of law and order and finally for his last question, he replied to him that the kings used to hunt deer by shading in some corners. As soon as the message spreaded over the kingdom, Tara came on the spot and cried and begged his husband back from Rama. Rama told Tara that why are you crying without thinking that the body is dead only not the soul. If you think that the dead body is your husband then why dont you think about his soul? You are on an illusion of body and soul. I respect his soul and he will be pl aced in a higher standard in the heaven. Tara realized that the body only decomposes not the soul. Even, if the person is dead, s/he will be highly recognized into the society for a long period of time. Swami Nikhilananda, the great disciple of Ramayana also said that human being should not worry about the contemporary cause and effect which is known to them. He also added that body can undergo certain metamorphism where the internal reality or the soul doesnt change rather than the illusion known as the Maya creates the desire and identifies as the self. We have to understand that the self in not the Brahmin. Following these two great scriptures, Hinduism is the religion about reincarnation. The state of being human being today is the outcome of the deeds that have been conducted in the past. After several reincarnations, we are human being now. The salvation occurs only by achieving Mokshya and Mokshya can be achieved by learning Karma yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti yoga, taking the path of devotion and learning the Holy Scripture like Bhagvada Gita and the great epic Ramayana. The ultimate way of reaching the supreme goal is to unite with Brahman. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. While Hinduism believes in polytheism, Islam believes in monotheism. Islam means submission to the god. Literally, the meaning carries a greater detail. Islam or being a Muslim means high attitude of the self. Islam believes Muhammad as the messenger of the god. The god determines the lifespan of the person. It is the gods mercy to take the person in younger age or in the older age. The Muslim believes that god created them and they have to move according to the way that the god wants. Some Muslim believes that after death, two black faced angels with blue eyes known as Munkar and Nakir visit the graveyard and ask the deceased about his life when he was alive. Upon interrogation, the person has to tell the truth. Depending upon the saying of the deceased, the process of punishment and comfort will be justified. Like in Hinduism, Islam also believes in heaven and hell where heaven means full of beautiful nymphs and the enjoym ent with the spouse while hell means the place with thorns and evil souls. When the person is lying on the deathbed, the priestly people read some passages from the Quran to facilitate the dying body to release from the physical world. After death, washing of the dead body is done and purified by the Moullana, the holy priest. The body is covered with the white cloth. The main difference between the Christianity and the Muslim is that no coffins come between the body and the earth. Building other structures are not allowed in Islam and as well as writing on the stone. Some Muslim believes that the graveyard should be dig deep enough to the dead so that the dead body can be able to sit up during the period of the Last Judgment. The grave is laid in the direction of north to south rather than east to west. The main reason behind doing that is the holy Mosque lies towards east to west. So, the deceased face is pointed towards the Mecca. It is customary to say Allah Karim which means upon the mercy of god we came into this earth and upon the mercy of him, we sh all go. Muslim views their life as a mission into this earth. The main mission is to take care of the whole life seriously as per the commandment of the god. The people have to be physically and as well as mentally fit to take care of the whole life. Spiritually, the people have to keep faith on Allah and strictly obey his saying. According to the Islam, no older person would be the burden into the society. When older person get sick or being incapable of helping themselves, the younger one should take care of them and offer them nutritious foods. The family members of the dead have to fulfill any debts of the deceased person as soon as possible. Just like in Hinduism, Islam also allows offering charity and fasting on the name of the deceased person. The family member can visit the grave to maintain the strong attachment with the deceased and as well as to observe the day of the judgment. According to Islam, death should be properly understood because it is the part of the living. Sometimes, we feel scare of discussing about death and dying because we dont want to die. We are so afraid of it. But, for Muslims, this is not the right attitude against the Allah. The Prophet Muhammad said that you have to live in this world like a traveler. Once come never return back. The destination of the journey is to meet with the almighty Allah. Death is followed by the pain and suffering. Sometimes, people become agony on death and dying. They are pathetic. According to the Allah, pain and suffering is not the curse for the Islam people. It is taken as an assignment to see how people handle it, and how they response upon it. The Quran states that Allah takes the soul at the time of death and those who are in the verdict of dying, Allah come around them and give them the clean cheat letting them to know that its the time to take a journey with Allah. The living and dying process is taken as the action where there is reaction thereafter. The faith of all Islam people is that the body and spirit unite together. So, Islam views death as the process or resurrection. The prophet also stated that being a Muslim means to challenge each and every circumstance that comes into the life. One should be capable of dealing with adversity and success. Whatever happens in life is already fixed and should take a high spirit and calmness to meet with Allah. The prophet also stated that the path towards the heaven is filled with obstacles and difficulties while the path towards the hell is filled with desire. Its up to the people to choose the path of difficulty or the path of the desire. The path of difficulty is filled wi th knowledge, sacrifice, and purity while the path of desire is filled with anger, suffocation, and greed. Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the Worlds Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print. DeSpelder, Lynne Ann, and Albert Lee. Strickland. The Last Dance: Encountering Death and Dying. Boston: McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2009. Print. Death and Dying. KhutbahBank. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. . http://civic.bev.net/icb/pdf/i43_lad.pdf http://khutbahbank.org.uk/2009/06/death-and-dying-inspirational-khutbah/

Genetic Engineering: The Tremendous Benefits Outweigh the Risks Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wouldn't it be great to improve health care, improve agriculture, and improve our quality of life? Genetic engineering is already accomplishing those things, and has the potential to accomplish much more.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Genetic engineering, also referred to as biotechnology, is a fairly new science where the genes of an organism are modified to change the features of an organism or group of organisms. Genes are found in the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of an organism, and each gene controls a specific trait of an organism. Scientists have discovered what many of these genes control, both in plants and animals. Scientists then can modify these genes to benefit the organism. For example, if a person has a gene that codes for a certain disease, scientists can insert healthy copies of that gene to heal the patient. Genetic engineering is the hottest new field in medical research (Elmer-Dewitt). Although there have been some questions about whether genetic engineering is ethical or safe, there are too many benefits to ignore it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of the many uses of genetic engineering, agricultural use is one of the most beneficial. Scientists can modify plants to grow in adverse environments, places where there are often droughts and floods. Researchers are working on plants that can survive frost ("Advocates . . ."). Other plants are being genetically altered to fight certain diseases. A good example of this is the tomato. If a tomato is given a fungal-fighting microbe, it can resist the gray mold called botrytis (Dyson).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Biotechnology is also making plants more nutritious by increasing protein and vitamin content. Animals are even genetically engineered to produce meats that contain less fat. Scientists are even working to take t... ... and Leone, Bruno, series editors. San Diego: Greenhaven press, 1996. Elmer-Dewitt, Philip. "The Genetic Revolution" Time. January 17, 1994. pp. 46-53   "Food Biotechnology: Federal Regulations and Labeling." [On-Line]. Available: http://ificinfo.health.org/brochure/bioregs.htm "Genetic Engineering." The 1998 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Inc. 1997. "Genetic Engineering." The New Illustrated Science and Invention Encyclopedia. Volume 8. Connecticut: H.S. Stuttman, Inc. 1989. p. 1104. Loveard, Keith and Tet Sieu, Choong, "Magic Genes." [On-Line]. Available: http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/97/0905/cs1.html The Economist, from the editors. "Genetic Research Will Improve the Quality of Health Care" in Genetic Engineering: Opposing Viewpoints, Bender, David and Leone, Bruno, series editors. San Diego: Greenhaven press, 1996.

Greek Mythology and Heracles Family Essay

The Greek heroes Heracles, Jason, Perseus and Theseus are all intriguing characters of Greek mythology. They each portray many different qualities and compare and contrast each other. For example the fact that Heracles was constantly a target of Hera and Theseus a target of Medea links them as characters. Also, Heracles frees Theseus from the chair of forgetfulness which also makes them similar. Even further, Perseus is from the city of Argos which happens to be where Heracles’ family is from as well. Another similarity between Heracles and Theseus is that they attack the Amazons together and both tend to rid the lands of certain monsters. Heracles also worked together in the Argonaut crew with Jason. All these heroes also tend to share great physical strengths and capabilities to defeat their enemies. These four heroes also differ from each other. Jason seemed to be portrayed as somewhat of a weaker character and Perseus seemed to receive much more help from gods and goddesses, even by Heracles, more than the other heroes did. It may have been because they favored him more. Another distinguishing feature is that Heracles was an average human being before he became immortal. As far as how each hero handles their quests, all four of them seem to mentally be prepared for each quest. They tend to each focus on the task at hand. For example, Heracles labors to catch a deer that is lightning fast; he perseveres for a year before he catches it. They all seem to show dedication and patience to each mission. However unlike Theseus who picks more dangerous routes, maybe for more of a mental challenge, Perseus does not seem to be as mentally focused but more on the physical side of things. Perseus is more physical and does not have to use as much intellectual thinking because he is gifted by nymphs and gods that give him the right tools to succeed on his quest. Heracles stands out as a physical hero since the day he was born by having to fight off the snakes that Hera sent his way and the fact that most of the twelve labors were aimed for his failure yet he succeeds. Another impressive success was the cleaning of the Augean stables by means of diverting 2 rivers. Each of these four heroes has honorable qualities that drives them in their quests and make them compare and contrast to each other.

A Separate Peace-John Knowles Essay

The novel A Separate Peace is a story about two best friends, Gene and Phineas (Finny), who both attend the Devon school in New Hampshire in 1942. Gene Forrester is an intellectual, confined, straight-laced seventeen year old, while Finny is an athletic free-spirit who isn’t afraid to say what he thinks and is admired by everyone. The story is a flashback in which Gene recalls his fears and insecurities during the midst of the Second World War at the Devon school. Out of jealousy and the fear that Finny is trying to sabotage his studies, Gene shakes a tree branch that they were both standing on, and Finny falls out of the tree and shatters his leg. It is at that point where their relationship changes into more of a codependency which leads to them developing their own individual identities by living within their own illusion that World War II is a mere conspiracy. Finny dies suddenly during the operation on his broken leg , but Gene doesn’t cry. He deals with the tragic news with a sort of tranquility because he believes that he is a part of Finny. Gene reflects on the constant enmity which takes over the present youth, and he believes only Finny was immune to this plague. A Separate Peace is a novel that criticizes society, based on a romantic point of view of human nature. Firstly, Gene’s aggressive nature is being nurtured by societies preoccupation with competition, inner-enemies, and power. Contrasting to Gene, Finny has a natural goodness about him that has not been corrupted by society. Lastly, the Devon school is a symbol of rivalry and competitiveness of the world, which has produced a devastating war on a much larger scale. Gene Forrester is the narrator of the novel, telling the story as a flashback on his youthful days at Devon. He is the source of all the reader’s information, but is somewhat an unreliable source, regarding his insights into his actions and motivations. We see that he has an aggressive nature about him which has been nurtured by societies preoccupation with competition, inner-enemies, and power. We first meet him as an adult, therefore we immediately assume a sort of maturity and wisdom about him and his memories at Devon. The adult Gene is, in reality, still the same as the adolescent Gene in terms of fears and security. He sees the Devon buildings as â€Å"defensive† then â€Å"exhausted†(3) which is a representation of himself as an adult. We see that nothing has changed over the years, not the school, and most importantly, not himself. After the accident, him and Finny lived in codependency. Finny lived through Gene. As the reader, we see that by Gene’s actions by equalizing them and becoming at the same level may have been deliberate, even though it seemed like an accident to everyone else. The fact that Gene shook the tree had stemmed from a deep personal desire to lose his identity, and himself in another. This is represented when he puts on Finny’s clothes and sees that he looks just like him. He feels strangely peaceful. This symbolizes Gene’s own desire to leave himself and become Finny, for he is his own â€Å"war† yet also his love. The accident causes his feeling of resentment and fear to be overcome by devotion to Finny. We see this inner-war develop as he continuously tries to make peace and apologize to Finny, an only then can he forgive himself. The shaking of the tree stirred up an unconscious impulse that sets the chain of events leading to Finny’s death, making Gene the killer and destroyer of the one thing he loved. He is his own enemy, and the destroyer of himself, because he felt that he and Finny were the same person. That is why he didn’t cry at the funeral, because â€Å"[he] could not escape a feeling that it was [his] own funeral, and you do not cry in that case†(186). We see here that he has a tendency to mix love and hate, which is practiced as a habit by society. His action in the tree is also an instinct, which is based on a primitive aggression, defensiveness and rivalry which is the side of human nature that is being nurtured by society. Gene symbolizes the narrow, confined, sort of paranoid world that surrounds humanity. He always leans towards the rules that are set. When Finny wants to go to the beach, Gene creates a scenario in his head that Finny is trying to sabotage his studies, and from there, descends into darkness. This fear of his is, in actuality, a defensive anxiety which finds a potential threat in everyone. This is shown when he says â€Å"I was used to finding something deadly in things†¦ and if it wasn’t there then I put it there myself. â€Å"(92) He us unable to let up his defenses because he sees the enemy everywhere, but the enemy is himself. Society teaches the boys to develop a particular frame of mind that creates an enemy wherever they see a potential threat. This defense mechanism only creates inner-enemies, and it is what corrupts the youth. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Finny has a natural goodness about him that has not been corrupted by society. Finny’s character is seen through the eyes of Gene, therefore his perception of Finny is significant. He is able to talk his way out of any situation which, according to Gene, is rare among humans. He has a â€Å"calm ignorance of the rules with a winning urge to be good†(16). His hypnotic charisma shows just how different he is from the other characters by his element of goodness and innocence. He is so different because he operates outside the world of rules and authority, which he considers to be â€Å"a necessary evil†(11), which in terms means that the rules are made to be broken. He is the essence of careless peace in humanity which is so rare. Yet, while he constantly tests the limits of authority, he neither seeks to be victorious, nor be defeated. This is represented in the game of Blitzball, where everyone furiously competes but no one wins, and this perfectly demonstrates Finny’s attitude towards life. Another example of this is when he broke the swimming record. He simply wanted to â€Å"see if [he] could do it†(35), and Gene calls him â€Å"too good to be true†(36), which shows how Gene and the other boys may view innocence and freedom. They are uncomfortable with people showing sincere emotions(40), and they see the enemy everywhere. Finny has â€Å"a simple unregulated friendliness†(15) which has to do with a more profound wisdom and goodness regarding other human beings. Just like he doesn’t see life as winners and losers, he also thinks the best of people, and no one is an enemy in his eyes. His assumptions that the world is friendly make him unique. For example, Gene believes that society creates enemies where they do not exist, but Finny’s inability to see others as evil or hostile is his strength and weakness. His blindness of Gene’s dark motives create dangerous situations in their codependent relationship, and he never imagines that Gene’s feelings for him are not as true as his feelings for Gene. He inspires Gene in loyalty but also jealousy by his charismatic personality. He assumes that everyone thinks like he does, therefore he acts with himself and Gene in mind, doing whatever he pleases. His care-free attitude is what triggers Gene’s resentment and Finny, aware of only himself, never picks up on Gene’s darkness. He â€Å"was the essence of this careless peace†(16), being the one who facilitates most of the boy’s fun throughout the school year. While they are all caught up with the war and striving for themselves to one-up each other, Finny creates a protective bubble around them to shield them from growing up. His tendency to have fun and be care-free is an indication that there is a streak of decency in human nature, but this basic innocence also makes him vulnerable to those unlike himself. The Devon school is a symbol of rivalry and competitiveness of the real world, which has produced a devastating war. In the beginning of the novel when Gene is an adult, he revisits the school. He sees the â€Å"contentious harmony†(4) of the buildings, which is an oxymoron because it reflects the idea of rivalry. It tells us that the school buildings are â€Å"perpendicular† and â€Å"straight-laced†, and represent the world of order and rules. This harmony of the buildings is a trick of architecture. In reality, Devon represents a world of rivalry, competition and one-upmanship practiced by the students as a habit. The school is simply a symbol of the world on a much larger scale, where competition has produced a war. Seeing others as enemies is common in both the school and society. Everyone but Finny is â€Å"pitted violently against something in the world around them†(196). This something around them is Devon, being their main influence to see everyone as a potential threat. The Devon school is a â€Å"jungle† of a boys’ school(45), where hostility and aggression on a smaller scale lead to war on a much larger scale. Their practiced rivalry is mentioned when Gene states that â€Å"there were few relationships among [them] at Devon not based on rivalry†(37). The seasons at the school also represent a change and transformation in the boys. The summer session at Devon is a time of freedom, where the teachers allow Finny’s hypnotic personality to get away with whatever he pleases. The session symbolizes youth and innocence, which in turn comes to an end when Finny falls from the tree. This event marks the beginning of the winter session, where the atmosphere is sombre and dark, filled with discipline and work. It represents adulthood and war approaching them, and becomes a more predominant feature throughout the course of the novel. The transition from the summer to the winter session embodies societies shift from a care-free nature, to a darker, more mature one. We don’t see Finny transition because he is unable to face adulthood and dies, thus never entering into the school’s new mode of existence. As he reflects on his time at Devon, Gene explains that he â€Å"was on active duty all [the] time at school; [he] killed [his] enemy there†(196). This suggests that everyone is battling an ongoing war with themselves, seeking an enemy fight. The school is merely a battleground on a smaller scale, but still has the same effect. Finny’s innocence caused him to oversee these notions of war and enmity, which lead to his death. In the other case, Gene had an ongoing war with himself, and/or Finny. In either case, it demonstrates Finny’s inability to cope with betrayal. He is the lone character in the novel that doesn’t undergo the school’s strong influence on the boys, that prepare them for the war they have to fight after graduation. The role society plays on the school and the boys is their main influence for their actions. The novel criticizes society based on a romantic view of human nature, and this nature has been explored in many ways. Gene’s inner savage and aggressiveness had been nurtured by societies preoccupation with competition, territory and power. Finny’s natural goodness has not been corrupted by society, but his innocence caused him to blur admiration with jealousy lead to his death. Finally, the Devon school is the main symbol or rivalry in the novel, which represents the war on a much smaller scale than the war in reality. The natural paranoia of the human race leads one to seek an enemy wherever they may see a potential threat, and this leads to destruction and inner-enemies in the end.