Sonnet 95 By William Shakespeare - 1598 Words

Sonnet 95 follows what I would categorize as the hinge poem, meaning that Sonnet 94 is the poem that, through its flattery underlined with some sort of malice, opens the door for the anger that follows in the proceeding sonnet. The speaker has now fully understood that the young man has decided him, having relations with another, and confronts him in this sonnet. There is such veracity in the lines that a reader could easily imagine how the speaker would have said them to the young man, at a reasonable volume with such edge to the voice it would seem some sort of malevolent contempt. Although, one must not ignore the longing held in the undercurrent of the speaker’s voice, a type of realization that the person whom you loved does not†¦show more content†¦A bug that can be squashed and is not as fixed as a stain may be, which makes more sense given the slanted threat given in the ending couplet. That insect â€Å"doth spot the beauty of the budding name!† To be clear, that budding name refers to the young man’s reputation as a name is a reference to a certain person and all that is remembered of them; his reputation is starting to develop. Beauty is what the man is known for, it is his reputation to be beautiful physically and perhaps, internally. Yet, that insect has spotted that rose and along with it, that name. Spotted, as to stain or mar, more likely to mean saw or find. The absoluteness of a stain is not consistent with the underlying hope that perchance it is possible for the young man to change. The second quatrain is a further expansion of the speaker’s reaction to what the young man has said and provides a reason to believe the man had told the speaker of his deceit. That speaker writes, â€Å"that tongue that tells the story of thy days,/ making lascivious comment on thy sport,/ cannot dispraise, but in a kind of praise;† alluding to the way the young man talks about his debauchery as if there is no sin in its actions. These lines are a response to the way the man talks of his actions whereas the first quatrain was response to the actions themselves. The young man tells stories of his days, perhaps with another lover, with ease to the speaker. He talks of his sport, his entertainment, his fun, his affair withShow MoreRelatedThe Shakespeare Conspiracy Theory1561 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeare, by far one of the greatest playwrights of all time, is clouded with controversy. Rumors run rampant that he was nothing more than a non de plume for someone who wished to keep the anonymity of his identity. There have been names such as Edward De Vere the 17th Earl of Oxford, Sir Francis Bacon, even Queen Elizabeth herself was among those thought to be the true writer of the plays and poems. To start from the beginning of the controversy, the earliest actual documentation ofRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare’s Life Essay782 Words   |  4 Pagesassumed William Shakespeare was born in April 23, 1564 in a small town named Stratford-upon-Avon in England. He was the son of a tradesman who made and sold gloves, though was once known as the mayor of Stratford. His father’s name was John Shakespeare and his mother’s was Mary. William Shakespeare was the third oldest in his family. Out of seven siblings, only five survived to adulthood. He went to a grammar school in his town. You would think that a man as talented and as majestic as William ShakespeareRead More Exploring Love in Shakespeare’s Sonnets Essay4114 Words   |  17 PagesIn Plato’s Symposium, the discussion on the nature of love between Socrates and his companions in the house of Agathon clearly discerns key ideas that Shakespeare uses in the sonnets. Beauty, youth, and love are all topics of discussion in the conversations, and Plato’s ideas show up again and again when the sonnets are explored. In Symposium, Aristophanes gives a detailed description of a time when humans were not in their present physical form (Plato 353). His tale posits that the original formRead MoreEssay on Lady Macbeth: A Dynamic Character1253 Words   |  6 Pages In our society, as a rule, the man is the head of the household. However, in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth appears to be the neck that turns the head. William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers in history, but he wasn’t recognized until the nineteenth century. He wrote many plays, sonnets, plays, and narrative plays. It was during the sixteenth century that he wrote the tragedy of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth, wife to the protagonist Macbeth, is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and evil femaleRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay1016 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Act One Scene Five is such an important scene because its the first time that the two lovers, Romeo and Juliet meet. When they see each other for the first time, they fall in love straight away and is the start of the main point of the play. When Romeo sees Juliet for the first time he makes two comments about how pretty she is O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! and I neer saw true beauty till this night, and heRead MoreTo Explore and Examine the Different Forms of Love Within Romeo and Juliet1908 Words   |  8 PagesJuliet was written by William Shakespeare as a play for the theatre. William Shakespeare took his idea from an Italian folk story and is heavily influenced by sonnets which where developed by Francesco Petrarch an Italian poet. Shakespeare took most of his inspiration for Petrarch for demonstrating love with in the poem. William Shakespeare wrote most his plays with three main themes. These themes are gang warfare, Young love and a moral in the tale. William Shakespeare is now widely regardedRead More10 Things I Hate About You Essay1320 Words   |  6 PagesYou takes William Shakespeare’s classic play, The Taming of the Shrew and manages to make it relevant to a modern audience. The story remains the same with the younger sister, Bianca, not allowed to have a relationship until her older sister, Kat, does. They did maintain several original scenes and even used several direct quotes from the original play. The writers have eliminated some of Bianca’s suitors and changed the way Kat is tamed to appeal to a modern audience. Shakespeare would haveRead MoreDifferences Of Shakespeare And Much Ado About Nothing By William Shakespeare1668 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Shakespeare was a well known British writer who was known for the many plays and sonnets he wrote. This 16th century write r wrote a play called Much Ado About Nothing in the year 1598 (Alchin). This play consists of many characters meddling into each others lives, causing chaos, lots of drama, and even romance making for some very comedic entertainment. The title gives away a lot about the plot that it really is a lot about nothing. Shakespeare is regarded as a very influential writer inRead More Love in Shakespeares As You Like It Essay1732 Words   |  7 Pagescenturies, men have pondered many great questions. Among these is the question: What is love? There is no doubt that the greatest name in English literature, Shakespeare, sought to answer this question for himself. Indeed, Shakespeare recorded his answer in many of the sonnets and plays he wrote, including As You Like It. As Shakespeare learned in seeking to answer this question, love is many things, which in this play he observes through the characters of the play, but most directly through Silvius:Read MoreAnalysis Of Shakespeare s King Lea r Essay1733 Words   |  7 Pagesand their relationship. Once the King felt rejected by Cordelia, he soon starts to project his pain onto her to pacify his own sadness. â€Å"Fallen† is a word that cuts off the classic iambic rhythm followed within this specific couplet. Doing that, Shakespeare truly inhibits the meaning of the word. Even though â€Å"fallen† is used with negative connotation towards Cordelia it refers to a biblical event with an ironic twist to it. It alludes to the Garden of Eden, in the case that Adam and Eve were banished

Fences Play According to Aristotle - 1540 Words

Using Aristotle’s descriptions of Tragedy, I classify Fences by August Wilson as a tragic play. The elements of tragedy, Troy Maxson as a tragic hero, and tragic plot were evident throughout the play. Also, the feeling of catharsis at the end-which is proper of tragedy, was clearly identifiable. I. Fences fits into the tragic genre based on the points given by Aristotle. In Poetics, he defines tragedy as the imitation of an action that is serious and also as having magnitude, complete in itself. †¢ Aristotle’s idea is that the plot has a beginning middle and end and all parts follow each other in concise fashion. o In the beginning, the hero is a garbage man, who previously was given a chance to participate in professional†¦show more content†¦The promise of change is empty; he cares only about change itself†¦The so-called realities of the social world around him matter little, for he dances to an internal rhythm, answering a call for self-authentication that springs from a cultural, even cosmological, dimension.† (Pereira 38) †¢ Aristotle then says in his descriptions, â€Å"Thirdly, character must be true to life: for this is a distinct thing from goodness and propriety, as here described.† o Troy fits a character who would have lived in the 1950’s, having experienced discrimination, an abusive father and a changing society towards African-Americans in that period. o Troy says in Act 1, Scene 3 pg. 37 †¦The white man ain t gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway. Troy’s beliefs ran true to his experiences all through the play. †¢ The last characteristic of a tragic hero is that he must be consistent. o Troy was consistent in his belief that the black man could not get ahead in America. o He behaved and learned from the examples given by his own father. o â€Å"The events of almost a century had underscored the distinction between de jure and de facto. Legally, blacks had been free for ninety four years, but practically they had little or no access to any of the benefits that ordinary citizens take for granted-recourse to the law, equal employment opportunitites, education.† (Pereira 36) III. Troy’sShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Fences By August Wilson1340 Words   |  6 Pagesthought of a â€Å"tragic hero† could seem remotely contradicting and perplexing. However, the Greek philosopher Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a character who, for the most part, is a benevolent person, but suffers from his or her hamartia and hubris, which ultimately leads to their downfall and recogni tion of their poor choices, as well as the reversal of their situation. The play Fences written by August Wilson describes the struggles and hardships of an African-American family endeavoring to liveRead MoreSociety Should Increase Accessibility And Make Accommodations For Disable People1670 Words   |  7 PagesPhilosophers Aristotle and John Rawls have two different perspectives on the issue. While, Aristotle argues about the most virtue individual should have the opportunity. Rawls argues about how your identity should not define whether you can be fairly integrated into society. This paper will focus and evaluating both argues on whether society should increase accessibility and make accommodations for disable people. Aristotle, is a philosopher that examines justice and the virtue of a person. Aristotle holdsRead MoreChristopher Marlowe s Dr. Faustus1706 Words   |  7 Pageshero† was defined by Aristotle, and applies to many protagonists in a variety of plays. According to Aristotle’s definition, in order to be classified as a tragic hero, the character must fulfill the following criteria: be born into a noble standing, possess a tragic flaw which causes his downfall, experience an unfortunate event as a result of this flaw, eventually acquire an increased sense of self-awareness, and be pitied by the audience. It is important to note that Aristotle also argued that aRead MoreThe Battle Of Wills Between Rainey And Sturdyvant, The White Owner Of The Recording Studio1773 Words   |  8 Pages When it comes to themes, the main question in the play is whether the band will complete the recording session despite conflicts among various band members and the power struggles betwee n Rainey and Sturdyvant, the white owner of the recording studio. The battle of wills between Rainey and Sturdyvant echoes the historical battle between capitalists and workers; only in this case, Rainey holds on to the goods (her music) that she produces until she gets what she wants from the white producerRead MoreEssay about Issues of Power and Class in Literature1605 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent ways in literary texts. Some texts seem to pride themselves on the use of such ideas and ideologies, while others somehow subtly absorb the impressions and build them into the work. Nevertheless, conceptions of power and class can still play a huge part in the detailed understanding of a piece of work. Not only this, but they can also portray an authors own feelings and thoughts on things such as the class system and stratification of society. Two highly acclaimed literary texts whichRead MoreSocrates Plato Aristotle and Immanuel Kant Views on Happiness Government Religion and Obj ectivity2508 Words   |  11 Pageshappiness, or better yet, where happiness exists is a question that has been pondered by many great thinkers. Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Plato and Socrates had quite a bit to say on the subject. All of these well-known philosophers have a road map to happiness, religion, passion and objectivity. Yet, their theories differ ultimately in how to go about attaining each of them. For both Plato and Aristotle the good appears to be happiness. For Plato, this is where his interpretation of the meaning of EudaimonismRead MoreOverpopulation and Its Modes of Persuasion; a Rhetorical Analysis1513 Words   |  7 Pagesthis topic. Fueled by images of societal collapse, hunger and a complete depletion of natural resources, organizations such as The Population Institute seek to control what they view to be out of control population growth. On the other side of the fence, The Population Research Institute and like associations present descriptions of a bright future represented by the continued growth of humanity. They fight what they see as dangerous and disturbing attempts to slow human birth rates. These two organizationsRead MoreCognitive Psychology Definition Paper1387 Words   |  6 Pagesfunctioning (Nagowah, 2009). Unfortunately for cognitive psychology, the connection to the computer accounts for the process but not truly why understanding and creativity occur. Four Milestones in Development Human cognition can be traced back to Aristotle, but the intellectual aspects began with psychological problems that could be solved by the cognitive approaches of William James, Cattell, and Wundt in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Cognitive psychology started to decline when behaviorismRead MoreA Compilation of Essays on People and Their Personalities4701 Words   |  19 Pagessomething) has been described in great detail. The incident described is of people enjoying themselves by having a party. There are the inmates of the house we also have the guests and the merry making continues till late hours of the morning. According to Matida she had seen the revelers leave the house in a car at 4o’clock in the morning. Probably the din and bustle created by the neighbors’ was not seen in good light. The question raised is can we have fun and frolic at the cost of disturbingRead MoreHumanities Test4641 Words   |  19 PagesA famous speech by Shakespeares Falstaff questions the value of: honor 1.   ( T or F ) Aristotle considered plot more important than character or thought. True 2.   ( T or F ) Aristotle was both a theater critic and a philosopher. True 3.   Aristotles famous analysis of tragedy is found in a work called: The Poetics 4.   Aristotles work on comedy is how long? 5 acts long 5. What did the Commedia dellearte specialize in? 6.   What is satire? a literary genre or form, although in practice

Caterpillar Ethics Free Essays

Caterpillar’s Views on Ethics and Sustainability Caterpillar, Inc. is indeed one of the World’s most Ethical companies. In 2011 it was listed in Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical (WME) Companies under Industrial Manufacturing. We will write a custom essay sample on Caterpillar Ethics or any similar topic only for you Order Now Personal Ethics Caterpillar has a worldwide Code of Conduct. The values it stresses are integrity, excellence, teamwork, commitment. They understand the importance of diversity and strive to achieve all of the above values given a diverse world environment and despite their differences. They feel that compliance within the laws are not sufficient. They want be leaders in ethics. They require all leaders within the company to be a role model and follow all of the rules with the Worldwide Code of Conduct. They are known to have a value-based culture. They are honest and refuse to make any â€Å"improper payments† of any sort. Ethics within the Supply Chain Caterpillar says in their Worldwide Code of Conduct that they â€Å"seek strong, mutually rewarding business relationships with suppliers who enhance the value of our products and services through close collaboration throughout the entire life cycle. We view suppliers as extensions of our company and an essential part of our extended value chain. We look for suppliers and business allies who demonstrate strong values and ethical principles and who support our commitment to quality. We avoid those who violate the law or fail to comply with the sound business practices we embrace. No supplier is required to buy Caterpillar products in order to compete for business or to continue as a supplier. We do reserve the right, consistent with applicable law, to require suppliers to use Caterpillar equipment when performing work on Caterpillar premises and where Caterpillar offers a product appropriate for the work being performed. We encourage fair competition among our potential suppliers, contractors and other vendors, and work equitably and reasonably with all†. Ethical Behavior Regarding the Environment Caterpillar strives to come up with solutions that improve their operations efficiency in a sustainable way. They balance innovation and technology to improve their productivity and efficiency while reducing their environmental footprint. One major way they are accomplishing this is with their fast growing remanufacturing business. This is where they return end-of-life components to same-as-new condition. By doing so, they vastly reduce the amount of waste and minimize the need for the amount of raw material needed to produce new parts. How to cite Caterpillar Ethics, Essay examples

Corn Fed vs. Grass Fed Beef free essay sample

Rashad Mckinney Make-up Essay Holy cow, I haven’t eaten any beef or any red meat in over thirteen years. When I first saw the topic of this essay to discuss the primary differences between grass fed and corn fed beef. I had thought to myself hmmm I was thinking all cows had just ate grass. I always thought cow’s were slow food because they ate grass but I wondered how so much beef was being produced so fast, but then I thought about all the chicken steroid stories. Cows are ruminants designed by nature to stay healthy and be totally sustained taking nourishment on grass and only grass. Cows, have stomachs that are designed to digest grass. But of demand and because cattle producers are so profit driven, their operations use the cheapest feed available to make their cows bigger the fastest way possible. Cattle producers use corn fed with soy for their feed, because the protein rich grains that fatten up their cows, and because they are cheaper. We will write a custom essay sample on Corn Fed vs. Grass Fed Beef or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A lot of the corn, supplement, etc. feeds may contain meat from different animals or the same species, bits of feathers, meat from diseased animals, hooves, animals waste, skin, blood, hair, antibiotics and unhealthy amounts of grain that may have led to the mad cow disease, but that’s another essay in itself. Cattle were not designed to eat corn or grain. Raising cows on grass is natural and not only makes sense for a cow’s digestive systems, but it makes sense for us human beings too, by turning something we don’t eat, grass into something we can eat in meat, milk, cheese and other dairy products. Cattle that are free range and are raised on grass provides meat that is leaner, higher in vitamins and lower in fat calories than the hybrid cow’s. It was interesting to find out that grass fed beef has about the same amount of fat a skinless chicken, and will actually lower your cholesterol levels. Learning from being in this phase wine and beverage class, just as soil affects the quality of wine, a cows diet can change the quality of its meat. Like all slow food, grass fed beef doesn’t have the same consistency as corn fed beef because unlike corn or grain feed it has added antibiotics and other things to make it consistent unlike grass that changes during climate changes. Grass fed beef wont look and doesn’t taste exactly the same every time you buy it. Grass-fed beef also has a reputation for being tough and lacking tenderness, but is said to be more juicier and true beefy flavor. Some studies show there isnt a real clear-cut, consistent taste differences between grass fed and corn fed beef. Corn fed beef has more fat than grass fed beef so the cook, chef would have more room for error with some corn fed beef rather than some grass fed because that fat adds flavor that you can lose if you overcook leaner grass fed beef. But like the organic free range chicken and regular grocery store chicken we had in contemparary class, being raised on corn fed beef, the texture and flavor of grass fed beef can taste a bit off and we may think it doesn’t taste how true beef should taste. The styrofoam containers of corn and grain fed convential beef that are at the Shop and Save’s, Schnucks will be more cheaper than a pack of grass fed beef at Whole foods or any other local markets that sell grass fed beef. You probably could get grass fed beef for the same price as your corn beef a Diebergs or other grocery stores if you where to buy directly from a farmer of livestock. Traditionally, before man started to produce and make a living off of cow’s, all beef was grass fed beef, but due to the man’s greed the cow will eat growth hormone feed nowadays. I remember seeing some show about cow’s and how they were so big and overdeveloped that they couldn’t even walk and they were just milk makers. After researching breeds, the best breeds of cattle for grass fed beef is Murray Grey cattle or the â€Å"Orie cookie cow† the Belted Galloway cattle or an English breed such as a Shorthorn cattle, Angus cattle, Red Angus cattle, and Hereford cattle. The Highland cattle also have not lost the ability to thrive on grass alone. The Canadienne cattle, Florida Cracker cattle, Devon cattle, Red Polled cattle, Randall Lineback cattle, and Ayrshire cattle are good cow’s to breed for grass fed beef in smaller farms than a big commercial one. I think grass fed beef would be more suited for a braised brisket, chuck roast or short ribs, or pan fried liver or cube steak because it is a tougher meat. If you cook low and slow enough, you can make any cut fall-off-the-bone, and be fork-tender.

Women In Genesis Essays - Book Of Genesis, Bereshit, Adam And Eve

Women In Genesis As a collective human element, women in Genesis often appear as obstacles to God's broad overriding goals through noncompletion of their particular roles in the divine scheme. From the Garden of Eden right through to the story of Joseph, women, as wives, mothers, and daughters, are typically unreliable, inadequate, deceitful or, simply by virtue of their womanhood, an outright liability, and they frequently threaten to undermine God's will as it is expressed in the opening book of the Bible. God's first instruction to a human being occurs during the initial telling of the creation story in Genesis. Adam and Eve have the mutual responsibility to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it(1:28). However, it is really the second narrative, detailing the creation of man and woman that establishes God's structure of the world. In this structure, Eden is created for the first man, Adam, who has one basic function, to work and guard Eden (2:15), and only one prohibition, to abstain from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge (2:16). Starting right from Genesis, in this additional description of the Eden story, tension already arises between Eve, the first biblical woman, and the divine process. Duped by the serpent, she not only succumbs and eats the forbidden fruit, but also encourages Adam to join her, thereby causing their expulsion. Thus, God is forces to confront human intractability from the very beginning of his quest, and the first instance comes from a woman, t he very creature created to solidify Edenic perfection. God had intended Eden to be a self-contained universe, a paradise for Adam where he would live comfortably without toil or hardship. By disobeying, and then including Adam in her crime, Eve indirectly causes his punishment: a life that requires him to labor for his sustenance. Eve was created to be her husband's helpmate (2:20); instead she turns out to be a catalyst for his demise and the cause of humankind's expulsion from the Utopia. In the creation story, the satisfaction of both God and human are at stake. God aims to realize his will in the world, and the happiness and the content of humanity hinge on God's ability to realize his plan. Eve is created to complete Eden. But, instead of conforming to God's plan, she is a stumbling block to the construction of the divinely conceived universe. The idea that God is striving to create an ideal world recurs in Genesis. And in many instances, as in the case of Eve, it is a woman who impedes the fulfillment of God's vision. However, disobedient actions are not always the mode of obstruction. Sara and Rachel threaten God's plan with their infertility. Although the text does not explicitly blame the matriarchs for their inability to conceive, they are involuntarily liable for not propagating. In every instance, it is the women, rather than their husbands or God, who are passively the physical barriers to conception. God, the narrative explains opens wombs when he so chooses. But closed wombs are never stated to be the result of God's initiative. And, even if conception is perceived as God's intervention, it is significant that infertility in the text is always a result of women's, rather than men's, faulty anatomical equipment, making infertility an inescapable female problem. Propagation is a central these in Genesis. In the Noah story, which is God's attempt to reconstruct the world after the first few generations of humankind have proven incorrigible, God commands Noah to be fruitful and multiply (9:1) immediately after Noah emerges from the ark. Clearly, the production of offspring is integral to the divine conception of this world, just as it was in Genesis 1. And later in Genesis, when God sets out to build his chosen people, part of his blessing to Abraham is to make his offspring as abundant as the dust of the earth (13:16). Women are the obvious vessels necessary for the realization of the blessing. Thus, any women who does not conceive is in direct opposition to both God's desire to populate the world in general through Noah and his descendants, and his aspiration to see his select nation flourish. And culpability is not an issue.

Sri Lanka Facts and History

Sri Lanka Facts and History With the recent end of the Tamil Tiger insurgency, the island nation of Sri Lanka seems poised to take its place as a new economic powerhouse in South Asia. After all, Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) has been a key trading hub of the Indian Ocean world for more than a thousand years. Capital and Major Cities Administrative Capital: Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, metro population 2,234,289 Commercial Capital: Colombo, metro population 5,648,000 Major Cities: Kandy population 125,400Galle population 99,000Jaffna population 88,000 Government The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has a republican form of government, with a president who is both head of government and head of state. Universal suffrage starts at age 18. The current president is Maithripala Sirisena; presidents serve six-year terms. Sri Lanka has a unicameral legislature. There are 225 seats in Parliament, and members are elected by popular vote to six-year terms.  The Prime Minister is Ranil Wickremesinghe. The president appoints judges to both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. There are also subordinate courts in each of the countrys nine provinces. People Sri Lankas total population is approximately 20.2 million as of the 2012 census. Nearly three-quarters, 74.9%, are ethnic Sinhalese. Sri Lankan Tamils, whose ancestors came to the island from southern India centuries ago, make up about 11% of the population, while more recent Indian Tamil immigrants, brought in as agricultural labor by the British colonial government, represent 5%. Another 9% of Sri Lankans are the Malays and Moors, descendants of Arab and Southeast Asian traders who plied the Indian Ocean monsoon winds for more than a thousand years. There are also tiny numbers of Dutch and British settlers, and aboriginal Veddahs, whose ancestors arrived at least 18,000 years ago. Languages The official language of Sri Lanka is Sinhala. Both Sinhala and Tamil are considered national languages; only about 18% of the population speaks Tamil as a mother tongue, however. Other minority languages are spoken by about 8% of Sri Lankans. In addition, English is a common language of trade, and approximately 10% of the population are conversant in English as a foreign language. Religion Sri Lanka has a complex religious landscape. Almost 70% of the population are Theravada Buddhists (mainly the ethnic Sinhalese), while most Tamils are Hindu, representing 15% of Sri Lankans. Another 7.6% are Muslims, particularly the Malay and Moor communities, belonging primarily to the Shafii school within Sunni Islam. Finally, about 6.2% of Sri Lankans are Christians; of those, 88% are Catholic and 12% are Protestant. Geography Sri Lanka is a teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean, southeast of India. It has an area of 65,610 square kilometers (25,332 square miles), and is mostly flat or rolling plains. However, the highest point in Sri Lanka is Pidurutalagala, at an impressive 2,524 meters (8,281 feet) in altitude. The lowest point is sea level. Sri Lanka sits at the middle of a tectonic plate, so it does not experience volcanic activity or earthquakes. However, it was heavily impacted by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which killed more than 31,000 people in this mostly low-lying island nation. Climate Sri Lanka has a maritime tropical climate, meaning that it is warm and humid throughout the year. Average temperatures ranges from 16 °C (60.8 °F) in the central highlands to 32 °C (89.6 °F) along the northeast coast. High temperatures in Trincomalee, in the northeast, can top 38 °C (100 °F). The entire island generally has humidity levels between 60 and 90% year-round, with the higher levels during the two long monsoonal rainy seasons (May to October and December to March). Economy Sri Lanka has one of the strongest economies in South Asia, with a GDP of $234 billion US (2015 estimate), a per capita GDP of $11,069, and a 7.4% annual growth rate. It receives substantial remittances from Sri Lankan overseas workers, mostly in the Middle East; in 2012, Sri Lankans abroad sent home about $6 billion US. Major industries in Sri Lanka include tourism; rubber, tea, coconut and tobacco plantations; telecommunications, banking and other services; and textile manufacturing. The unemployment rate and percentage of the population living in poverty are both an enviable 4.3%. The islands currency is called the Sri Lankan rupee. As of May, 2016, the exchange rate was $1 US 145.79 LKR. History The island of Sri Lanka appears to have been inhabited since at least 34,000 years before the present. Archaeological evidence suggests that agriculture began as early as 15,000 BCE, perhaps reaching the island along with the ancestors of the aboriginal Veddah people. Sinhalese immigrants from northern India likely reached Sri Lanka around the 6th century BCE. They may have established one of the earliest great trade emporiums on earth; Sri Lankan cinnamon appears in Egyptian tombs from 1,500 BCE. By about 250 BCE, Buddhism had reached Sri Lanka, brought by Mahinda, the son of Ashoka the Great of the Mauryan Empire. The Sinhalese remained Buddhist even after most mainland Indians had converted to Hinduism. Classical Sinhalese civilization relied on complicated irrigation systems for intensive agriculture; it grew and prospered from 200 BCE to about 1200 CE. Trade flourished between China, Southeast Asia, and Arabia by the first few centuries of the common era. Sri Lanka was a key stopping point on the southern, or sea-bound, branch of the Silk Road. Ships stopped there not only to restock on food, water and fuel, but also to buy cinnamon and other spices. The ancient Romans called Sri Lanka Taprobane, while Arab sailors knew it as Serendip. In 1212, ethnic Tamil invaders from the Chola Kingdom in southern India drove the Sinhalese south. The Tamils brought Hinduism with them. In 1505, a new kind of invader appeared on Sri Lankas shores. Portuguese traders wanted to control the sea-lanes between the spice islands of southern Asia; they also brought missionaries, who converted a small number of Sri Lankans to Catholicism. The Dutch, who expelled the Portuguese in 1658, left an even stronger mark on the island. The legal system of the Netherlands forms the basis for much of modern Sri Lankan law. In 1815, a final European power appeared to take control of Sri Lanka. The British, already holding the mainland of India under their colonial sway, created the Crown Colony of Ceylon. UK troops defeated the last native Sri Lankan ruler, the King of Kandy, and began to govern Ceylon as an agricultural colony that grew rubber, tea, and coconuts. After more than a century of colonial rule, in 1931, the British granted Ceylon limited autonomy. During World War II, however, Britain used Sri Lanka as a forward post against the Japanese in Asia, much to the irritation of Sri Lankan nationalists. The island nation became fully independent on February 4, 1948, several months after the Partition of India and the creation of independent India and Pakistan in 1947. In 1971, tensions between the Sinhalese and Tamil citizens of Sri Lanka bubbled over into armed conflict. Despite attempts at a political solution, the country erupted into the Sri Lankan Civil War in July of 1983; the war would continue until 2009, when government troops defeated the last of the Tamil Tiger insurgents.

History - Rwanda Genocide Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

History - Rwanda Genocide - Research Paper Example Though efforts are done, those harms do still happen in controlled settings. Mutual understanding among nations and people may have reduced the occurrences of conflicts and violence. Conflicts and violence may occur anytime and anywhere which means people must be aware of their surroundings at all time. Nobody knows when it may happen though there are some ways that people especially the government agencies can predict the occurrences of violence through patterns they get from the data of past events. One of the nations that experienced a significant violence and conflict is Rwanda. That country is located in the eastern part of Africa near Tanzania and Congo. The topography of the land of Rwanda is composed of mountains and valleys. Rwanda then has the highest peak at 4,324 meters which is the top of a volcano called Mount Karisimbi (King 2007, p. 7). The people then that live the mountains and valleys are generally called Rwandans and composed of the ethnic groups Pygmy, Hamitic an d Bantu. The population overall of the Rwandans is approximately 11 million and the size of population is attributed to high mortality rate. Many die because of diseases because of poor sanitation and major diseases like the dreaded Autoimmune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS. They are mostly poor as only 19 percent of them are in the urban areas. They also lack potable water to cater the needs of everyone. In terms of religion, Rwandans are mostly Christians with majority of them are Catholic. When it comes to basic education, most of them know how to read and write by 15 years old and above (Streissguth 2007, p. 36). The government of Rwanda then became a parliament recently and its laws are patterned after France and Belgium. The constitution of Rwanda was then ratified in 2003. The said constitution pledges to protect the rights of the Rwandans, to provide peace among groups there and to prevent political party formations based on culture and race. The government then is divided into judicial, legislative and executive just like in the government form seen in Europe and USA. The people allowed to vote must be at least 18 years old. Once the election is finished, the president then has been decided and he is the one responsible to appoint the prime minister and the cabinet who will assist him in leading the country (King 2007, p. 43). Before the government of Rwanda has been patterned after the Western nations, the country started as a land roamed by Pygmy group called Twa but the said ethnic group is only one percent of the current population. It was known in the past that Twa had interactions and interrelationships with the other ethnic groups like Tutsi and Hutu. The two groups were very similar in traditions but they are differentiated for their source of livelihood as Tutsi are cattle growers while Hutu are crop growers. It was then in 1933 when Belgian people controlled Rwanda and commanded the Rwandans to wear identification cards to clearly separate them by races (Kalayjian and Paloutzian 2009, p. 73). Probably that decision of the Belgians had bred further conflicts and violence among the ethnic groups which became prevalent since the independence of Rwanda. Rwanda became occupied by Germany before. When the First World War came, Belgium took over Rwanda as the Belgians snatched it from the Germans. After the war, it became a joint-state with Burundi which was also a colony of Belgium. It was then under the custody of United Nations which also played a big role in giving those