Short Critical Thinking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short Critical Thinking - Assignment Example There is also a growing concern for certain categories of visitors in social networking sites such as minors being exposed to inappropriate content or uploading certain photos which could compromise them. There more popular concern about social networks however are the inadvertent effects derived from an online post. The classic example for this is relationships that have gone sour due to inappropriate tagging in social networking site. Say for example a â€Å"boys night out† where pictures of it were uploaded in the social networking site where the wife/girlfriend can see. It may have been uploaded for fun but the consequence of it can spell disaster for relationships. 2. The founder of Wikipedia has a noble mission – to share all the world’s information with everyone everywhere, anytime. In what ways has this mission been successful? In what ways has it not been successful?   Wikipedia has been successful in its mission in sharing all the world’s information as it has become one of leading source of information about just anything. Research became easier because Wikipedia is very accessible and able to provide quick information about almost anything at language that is easily understandable. Wikipedia is also a victim of its own success however. Privilege information such as security information about the state and information about diplomatic assessments were leaked into the public which compromises the security of a country and relationship between nations. Email is dead for teenagers. Given the alternatives for email which are networking sites, chatrooms and text messages, teenagers find email to be boring and slow. Teenagers these days are used to quick information and communication which email lags behind compared to its counterparts in digital communication. In addition, email does not provide entertainment and variety which is critical among

Witchcraft And Demonology In Early Modern Europe

Witchcraft And Demonology In Early Modern Europe The witch-hunts were one of the most important events in the history of early modern Europe, taking place from the mid-15th century and ending in the mid-18th century. The view of witchcraft evolved throughout the period, with the Canon Episcopi calling the belief in witches a heresy, to Pope Innocent VIII issuing a bull in 1484 to denounce the practice of witchcraft as a heresy – all in a span of about 500 years. On the topic of witchcraft, it is unavoidable that the issue of gender would be discussed. The central question of this report would be how historians account for the persecution of more women than men in the witch-hunts in early modern Europe. The report will first outline the stereotype of a witch and discuss how this stereotype was promulgated. It will be concerned with two possible explanations that attempt to account for the persecution of more women than men – firstly, how the persecutions may be a results of a misogynistic and patriarchal culture, and s econdly, how the hunts may be been a result of the lack of tolerance for social deviance of women. The stereotype of a witch A collection of statistics indicate that a majority of accused witches were women, with most estimates pointing to about 80% of all victims being women (Ross, 1995: 334). Levack (1987: 142) provides a list of statistics indicating that in most regions in Europe, about three-quarters of the accused were women, with the figures being 90% in regions in Poland and England. Very evidently, the predominant notion of a witch is that it is foremost a woman. In discussing the stereotype of a witch it is difficult not to make reference to the cumulative concept of witchcraft (Levack, 1987: 32-51), which points to certain factors that would help in the identification of a witch. These include a witch’s association with the Devil, the pact with the Devil, the Sabbath, nightflying and metamorphosis. Reginald Scot in 1584 described witches as women who were â€Å"commonly old, lame, blearie-eied, pale, fowle, and full of wrinkles, poore, sullen, and superstitious†. This stereotype was promulgated by both genders. Women in early modern Europe were viewed as the weaker gender that was dependent on men in many ways, including for livelihood (Larner, 1984:86). Since the society was heavily patriarchal, women who did not fit in to the mould of a normal woman threatened the idea of females behaving in a particular manner. These women were nonconformists, and therefore put the livelihoods of other women at risk. Hence, they were ostrac ised by normal women. In behaving in a manner that was different, these women also threatened male domination and therefore had to be condemned by men. Both genders fed the idea that a woman who looked and behaved in a certain manner was a witch, hence allowing the stereotype to persist and spread. In addition, the stereotype of a domestic witch could have been said to be reinforced by a vicious cycle. This is evident in some cases, such as in that of Anna Schwayhofer, who confessed to stealing the Consecrated Host but still bothered to sweep up the crumbs after she had done so (Barry, Hester and Roberts, 1996: 230). The association of witches and broomsticks or distaffs used for spinning also fed the stereotype. Women were mostly restricted to the confines of their allotted spaces, and those practicing harmful magic would most likely be found in those spaces (Blà ©court, 2000: 303). Hence, it was not surprising that witchcraft was associated with the women and their domestic activities. Gendered witchcraft and misogyny The elite perception of women pointed to how they tended to be intellectually weaker than men, yet have more insatiable sexual appetites and a higher tendency to pursue the occult, a view propounded by 16th-century friar Martin de Castaà ±ega and in the Malleus itself by Kramer and Sprenger. Hence, historical literature tended to point towards how women were the more inferior of the two genders and therefore had the larger propensity to be driven towards becoming a witch. Without a doubt, the society in Europe at that point of time was one that was highly patriarchal in nature (Hufton, 1983, 125-141). While the society was essentially patriarchal in nature, there are arguments as to whether this can be extended to be characterised as being misogynistic. Anderson and Gordon (1978) point to the innate inferiority that women possessed in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church, the dominant religious authority in that time, saying that the Church saw women as more â€Å"amenable to the allures of Satan† (Anderson and Gordon, 1978: 174). The paper also highlights the role of the Malleus Maleficarum (1486), that was anti-feminist and very popular, reprinting fourteen editions. The Malleus essentially highlights women as creatures possessing insatiable lust, yet not having the strength of mind to counter the temptations of the Devil. However, statistics also show that women were not the only ones who were victims of the witch-hunts. In several regions, men were the ones who were heavily persecuted instead. Regions such as Finland show a relatively even number of male and female persecutions, while in areas such as Normandy and Iceland, the number of accused male witches far exceeded the number of female ones. This clearly shows that if there had been a culture of misogyny, it was not uniformed throughout Europe. Monter (1964: 563) points out that the stereotypical witch in the French province of Normandy was not a poor, old woman, but a shepherd who may be a youth or an old man. Similarly, in Iceland, only 8% of all the accused witches were women (Levack, 1987: 142). The analysis and discussion of these statistics seem to point to the fact that there were differences in societal perspectives towards women and the differences in questioning techniques (Monter, 1964: 588). Monter (1964: 589) suggests that women wer e treated with leniency during the trial, and some were kept in prison alive for interrogation, even while the men were being executed. The reasons behind why men were more persecuted in some societies and women in others are unclear, but most historians point to the fact that it was impossible to pinpoint a particular reason in every society why this was so. Much of the reasons behind the gender imbalances must be attributed to the culture and views of the society itself, but what can be certain is that the witch-hunt was not strictly gender-specific. Without a doubt, a society that places emphasis on patriarchal values cannot be dismissed as misogynistic simply based on statistics alone. At this point it is relevant to note that there were differences between the elite and peasant conceptions of witchcraft, and this extended to the persecution of women. For the peasantry, the persecution of witches was less of the pact with the Devil and more of practical concerns such as the failure of crops or the death of livestock (Laurence, 1995: 216-218). Similarly, with the persecution of women, the concerns circled around the fact that babies and young children were being â€Å"victims† of maleficia, rather than the witch being a Devil-worshipper per se. Unsurprisingly, therefore, a large number of women who were accused of being witches were the lying-in maids for more privileged families, who looked after the newborns and had direct contact with them, as in the case of Anna Ebeler of Augsburg (Roper, 1991: 19). Roper (1991: 23) also points to how this may be a result of the association of femineity and maternity. Normal women were able to have children, yet witches w ere unable to, leading to a sense of envy that bred the feeling of hatred towards mothers and their babies. Strands of deviance One of the central themes occurring in the witch-hunts would have to be the fact that the society in early modern Europe had very little tolerance for those who were different from them. Jews and homosexuals were persecuted, and the society was predominantly peasant, poor and part of the Roman Catholic Church. Those who were different were frowned upon. Women generally married and had children at a young age, were uneducated and viewed as weak. Their primary purpose was to be subservient to their husbands and serve their families, keeping the household. This view of women can be contrasted to the stereotype of a witch, as mentioned above. Being old and unmarried, as well as being socially isolated, these alleged witches were evidently different from the general conception of a woman in society. Larner (1981:92) puts forward the idea that witches were persecuted not because they were women, but because they were â€Å"non-women† who did not fit into the societal view of a woman. While a typical woman was maternal, witches were unable to have children; where typical women stayed home at nights, witches flew to remote locations to join Sabbaths. This fit in with the elite conceptions that the reality in which witches lived in was essentially one that was an anti-society. Blà ©court (2000: 300) explains that God was a â€Å"guardian of social norms†, while the Devil was just the very opposite. These â€Å"non-women† were persecuted for disobeying the social norms, and some historians even argue that women accused other women of being witches because they felt threatened by an individual who did not conform to the male image of them (Larner, 1981: 102). The role of the Roman Church was also not to be ignored in the reinforcement of this stereotype. Women ha d an increased likelihood to practice love magic as compared to men (Blà ©court, 2000: 303), and since only priests of the Church could legally practice magic, they were more likely to be persecuted as a result. Remote possibilities While the possible presence of a repressive patriarchy or a societal aversion to deviant behaviour have often been cited as the reasons behind the gender imbalance during the witch-hunts, there are a few other remote possibilities that will be mentioned in the passing. Scully (1995: 857-858) points to how Venetian witches could choose witchcraft as a career option as opposed to being married or forced into prostitution, and this could be an escape from a possibly malevolent life, thereby proving to be a popular alternative for women in the region at that time. In his paper, Goodare (1991: 291-292) argues that economic factors could have been one of the reasons for the witch-hunts. Since the people had fallen upon hard times, those dependent upon charity handouts were hostile to others who were their competition – and these were mainly women. Another article by Ross (Ross, 1995: 333-337) draws an interesting correlation between the outbreak of syphilis in the 16th century and t he persecution of more women than men. He posits that women, being the symbols of fertility, could be shunned due to syphilis as they would be spreading the venereal disease. Further, much of the witch’s behaviour, he says, could be attributed to the madness that is a symptom of the disease. While fascinating, these observations by historians seem to be unique suggestions that do not appear in the literature as main causes for the increased persecution of women. Conclusion To conclude, this report has outlined the stereotype of a witch and what perpetrated this stereotype throughout early modern Europe. It seems persuasive to argue that although there was a strong patriarchal society in those days, this culture did not amount to being misogynistic in nature. The stereotype of the witch that emerge during this period and that was adopted by most modern historians emphasise a few features of witches that generally seem to be a result of the lack of tolerance for social deviant behaviour, and simply reinforced time and again in a vicious cycle. The trend points to the fact that there are a variety of factors that resulted in more women being persecuted than men. Often, this phenomenon can only be attributed to the differences in the various societies in Europe, and the culture of the region or country. Ultimately, it can be concluded that a combination of factors led to more women being persecuted than men. References Anderson, Alan and Gordan, Raymond. 1978. ‘Witchcraft and the Status of Women The Case of England’. The British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 29, No. 2: 171-184. Barry, Jonathan, Hester, Marianne and Roberts, Gareth. 1999. Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe: Studies in Culture and Belief (Past and Present Publications). Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. de Blà ©court, Willem. 2000. ‘The Making of a Female Witch’. Gender and History, Vol. 12, No. 2: 125-141. Goodare, Julian. 1998. ‘Women and the Witch-Hunt in Scotland’. Social History, Vol. 23, No. 3: 288-308. Hufton, Olwen. 1983. ‘Women in History. Early Modern Europe’. Past Present, No. 101: 125-141. Larner Christina. 1981. Enemies of God: The Witch-Hunt in Scotland. London: Chatto Windus. Larner, Christina. 1984. Witchcraft and Religion: The Politics of Popular Belief. New York: Basil Blackwell. Laurence, Anne. 1995. Women in Engliand, 1500-1760, A Social History. London: Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated. Levack, Brian. 1987. The Witch-hunt in Early Modern Europe. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Monter, Williams. 1997. ‘Toads and Eucharists: The Male Witches of Normandy, 1564-1660’. French Historical Studies, Vol. 20, No. 4: 563-595. Ross, Eric B. 1995. ‘Syphilis, Misogyny, and Witchcraft in 16th-Century Europe’. Current Anthropology, Vol. 36, No. 2: 333-337. Sawyer, Ronald C. 1989. ‘Strangely Handled in All Her Lyms: Witchcraft and Healing in Jacobean England’. Journal of Social History, Vol. 22, No. 3: 461-485. Scully, Sally. 1995. ‘Marriage or a Career?: Witchcraft as an Alternative in Seventeenth-Century Venice’. Journal of Social History, Vol. 28, No. 4: 857-876. Primary sources: Darst, David H. 1979. ‘Witchcraft in Spain: the Testimony of Martin de Castaà ±ega’s Treatise on Superstition and Witchcraft (1529)’. Kramer, Heinrich and Sprenger James. 1484. Malleus Maleficarum. Accessed 6 October 2009. Available at http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org/. Scot, Reginald. 1584. The Discoverie of Witchcraft. Retrieved from Early English Books Online. The practice of harmful magic

Francisco I. Madero :: essays research papers

Franciso I. Madero The Rosary was born in the Property, Parras, Coahuila, in 1873. It belonged to a well-off family of agriculturists. It made studies of commerce in France and the United States. From 1904 it took part in political subjects of Coahuila. President of the Independent Democratic Party named, that was against the re-election of the governor, Miguel Cardinal red. He collaborated in the organ of that party: The Democrat, in whom he wrote political articles, spreading his ideas on the human rights, the vote and the freedom. In 1908 I publish the Presidential Succession of 1910, book in which put to recover the democracy under protection of the Constitution of 1857. In its work it defended the political freedom and it showed the necessity to form a great political party that participated in the presidential elections of 1910. It defined to the Constitution of the 1857 like the triumph of the liberal ideas: Both great parties that formed, once obtained our independence -liberal and the conservative-, then represented the aspirations and the interests of two great Mexican groups. first, of ideas outposts, he wanted to implant in our country the most modern principles, and the second he wished to conserve to where outside possible, the old traditions. This party, integrated mainly by the people of money, always preservative, and by the clergy possessor of immense wealth, looked for the shade of a government of its form, the protection to its numerous interests (...) in the Hill of ace Bells was buried for always old the Conservative Party ". With its initiative the National Party Antireeleccionista was created (1909), of which candidate to the presidency of the Republic went. As of that moment, it initiated an intense political campaign by all the country to spread the democratic principles. This party, directed by Emilio Và ¡zquez Go'mez, made a convention the 15 of April of 1910, in which the basic principles were proclaimed that they sustained to the organization: †¢ Nonre-election. †¢ Strict fulfillment of the Constitution of 1857. †¢ Freedom of the municipalities. †¢ Respect to the individual guarantees. The 6 of following June, Log was jailed under the accusation of "CONATO of rebellion and ultraje to the authorities". It was transferred San Luis Potosi, where he waited for the accomplishment of the elections, that favored it mainly, and where it received the news of the fraud committed by Diaz, who declared reelecto again. The 6 of October, Log fled, taking refuge in San Antonio, Texas.

Case Analysis of IKEA Invades America

IKEA is a private home products retailer, which deals internationally in flat pack furniture, accessories, and bathroom and kitchen items. IKEA is the company which is being regarded as the pioneer in flat-pack designed furniture; this firm is now the largest furniture manufacturer of the world, with 120,000 employees around the globe.The revenues of IKEA have been growing at a rapid pace in the past few years, in the fiscal year of 2008-2009 these amounts soared up to $28.8 billion USD; this indicates a growth of 7 percent in comparison of the last year. The reason behind this rapid growth of IKEA is that it has been focusing on providing the market with affordable home furnishing products (Grant, 2005,p.120) that it is why it has been a major success all across the world especially in Europe where middle class earners have become citizens of the IKEA world.Delivering value priced home furnishing products has been the intention of IKEA since its formation way back in 1943. IKEA has been on the verge of a major success in the American market as its stakes are rising in the US since every passing day; no doubt that the managers at IKEA have devised some ingenious strategies which have earned this multinational giant a strong position in the North-American market as well.The American market is majorly divided into two prime segments and the basis of this division is price. The low and the middle class customers tend to buy from different local outlets or marts (like Wal-Mart, Target etc) due to the expensive nature of the products offered by the stylish and the renowned brands. Whilst the upper class opts for the luxurious and classy outlets where the goods are overpriced, these sellers regard their products as â€Å"onetime buy†.If we analyze IKEA’s strategy on the other hand; it caters to the low and the middle classes primarily by providing them the right value of   their money, not only this the missing feature of style is also added by IKEA, and hence the Americans are getting influenced by the IKEA magic. The share of the premium priced sellers is not much in the American market (merely 14-15 percent), so the strategy of IKEA is gaining it the market share and thus it is being translated in the revenue account.

Poetry Buffalo Bill’s Defunct Essay

Buffalo Bill’s Defunct is a short poem; it tells a story and creates a picture of a hardworking cowboy named Bill. The poem is about a dead, handsome blue eyed cowboy. It is written in the narrative form and in the first person. The author personifies death and he is upset with death for taking away Bill the cowboy: â€Å"†¦ and what i want to know is how do you like your blueeyed boy Mister Death.† (Clugston, 2010) Theme The theme is about death; however the author did not take the usual path of a sad tone or mournful words. Bill’s memory is simply about what he does, how he looks coupled with the speed and dexterity with which he accomplishes his task. Language The language that the author uses creates the image of a healthy looking blue eyed man sitting atop a silver haired steed, and rounding up the horses in the corral. Buffalo Bill could break/tame five wild horses in a short time. The words one to five running into each other creates the effect of the speed at which Buffalo Bill executes the horse breaking/taming exercise; â€Å"onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat.†(Clugston, 2010) Pigeon is the name for a particular breed of horses that are very wild, dangerous and hard to tame. The author respects Buffalo Bill’s ability to repeatedly accomplish the difficult task of taming pigeon horses with seeming ease and confidence. These horses have a reputation of killing cowboys and it is highly probable that they are Mister Death’s accomplices in Bill’s demise. Imagery Cummings used imagery to tell the story. Culture influenced my response to this piece of work in that I still watch cowboy movies and as a child I used to listen to old cowboy songs. By the time I got to line six; I was drawn into piece. â€Å"Buffalo Bill’s†¦ride a watersmooth-silver stallion.† (Clugston, 2010) Immediately I could visualize the ranch setting, the noise of the horse, cowboy lasso making circles in the air over his head. (Up to that point I thought that Bill was an old man who had stopped working on the ranch). He continued to build on the image by mentioning that Bill is a blue eyed boy. I also pictured that Bill had light brown or blonde hair, was a white well-built man. The author skillfully chose and condensed his words to create this light and easy to read piece about death. Personification Cummings personifies death but does so with respect when he refers to it as â€Å"Mr. Death.† Death itself is an abstract noun but he had to get at someone for taking Buffalo Bill. As a result, Cummings could take a parting low jab at death: â€Å"How do you like your blueeyed boy Mister Death.† (Clugston, 2010) Tone The poem carries a sad and angry tone. The narrator is sad that Buffalo Bill is dead and he is also angry at â€Å"Mr. Death† for taking him away. Symbolism Cummings uses descriptive words such as: â€Å"Watersmooth† and â€Å"Blueeyed† both as symbolizing Buffalo Bills presence on the ranch. Water symbolizes life and regeneration and blue symbolizes peace. (Clugston, 2010) Conclusion Buffalo Bill’s Defunct is a short poem; it tells a story and creates a picture of a hardworking cowboy named Bill. Cummings personifies death but does so with respect when he refers to it as â€Å"Mr. Death.† The narrator is sad that Buffalo Bill is dead and he is also angry at â€Å"Mr. Death† for taking him away. Bill’s memory is simply about what he does, how he looks coupled with the speed and dexterity with which he accomplishes his tasks. The appearance of the piece is interesting and unusual. It does not conform to the poetic norms; however it is entertaining and it flows straight to the point. I connected with it because of the simple style that Cummings used to tell Buffalo Bill’s story. Reference Clugston, W. R., (2010). Journey Into Literature, San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education Inc.

compulsory voting essays

compulsory voting essays Compulsory voting (CV) is a system of laws and/or norms mandating that enfranchised citizens turn out to vote, often accompanied by (a) a system of compulsory voter registration and (b) penalties for non-compliance, usually fines or the denial of state-provided benefits. Cross-national studies find CV to be an effective mechanism for increasing turnout, by between seven to sixteen percentage points; within-country comparisons also generally find that CV boosts turnout. CV is commonly thought to advantage parties of the left (based on social-structural and demographic patterns of turnout in countries without CV), and hence shift public policy in that direction also. But these conjectures are difficult to verify, since other political and institutional variables intervene between voter turnout, election outcomes and policy outputs. It is often overlooked that fines and sanctions are just one aspect of CV: states employing CV usually reciprocate by reducing the costs of turnout for its citizens, via weekend voting, simple registration procedures, and the creation of a centralized, professional bureaucracy concerned with all aspects of election administration. ____________________________________________________ Assistant Professor and Victoria Schuck Faculty Scholar, Department of Political Science, Over twenty countries around the world have some form of compulsory voting, which requires citizens to register to vote and to go to their polling place or vote on the election day. With secret ballots it is not really possible to prove who has or has not voted so this process could be more accurately called compulsory turnout. One of the most well known compulsory voting systems is in Australia. All Australian citizens over 18 (except those of unsound mind or those convicted of serious crimes) must be registered to vote and show up at the poll on Election Day. Australians who do not vote are subject to fines although those w...

The Significance of Jordan in essays

The Significance of Jordan in essays In the book, The Great Gatsby, Jordon is a minor character but plays a significant role for Gatsby by using her to get reacquainted with Daisy. Daisy, a materialistic woman, and Gatsby were in love with each other as youths but became separated from her while he served in WWI. While he was gone, she married Tom Buchanan because of his wealth, something that Gatsby did not have at the time. In the first three chapters, we meet Jordon Baker who is a professional golf player and a best friend to Daisy Buchanan. Jordon attends a dinner at the Buchanans where she meets Nick Carraway who is a cousin to Daisy and who is also neighbors with Gatsby. During this party, they visit and learn of their common bond with Gatsby. Later that summer, Gatsby, who realizes the relationship between Jordon and Nick to Daisy, invites them to a party at his home in hopes of getting to know Nick and to devise a plan to meet Daisy. In chapter five, Gatsby asks Jordon to persuade Nick to invite Daisy to a tea party at his home. Nick agrees and calls Daisy the next day to invite her and states Dont bring Tom (Fitzgerald, 88). Daisy, not knowing that Gatsby would be there, sees his face and is embarrassed. Gatsby is embarrassed as well, but as the party progresses they become more comfortable being together again. Jordons primary purpose as a character in this book is concentrated mostly during the first few chapters. Although a minor character, she is the primary source for Gatsby to meet Nick, who in turn, brings him together with Daisy again. ...