Why is the Holy Land an important site for Jesus f Essays - Religion

Why is the Holy Land an important site for Jesus faith? Since it is the land I guaranteed to them, the land I would take them back to. It is likewise rich in history as it is the place I lived, instructed, and passed on for all. That is likewise where I passed on the cross for each one's sins. It is the place I passed and rose once more. Whyis theHoly Landanimportant siteforMuhammad's faith? The Holy land is a critical site to my confidence since that is the place the holy messenger Gabriel came to me disclosing to me I was to be the errand person of God. That is a sacred place for the Islamic individuals and conviction. That is the place essential mosques are found. Whyis theHoly Landanimportant siteforMoses faith? The Holy land is a vital site for my confidence since that is the place I got the 10 instructions from God. That is likewise where I lead many individuals. Jesus what is your perspective or feelings about other monotheistic faiths? My viewpoint on the other monotheistic beliefs are that if that is the thing that they need to accept than that is alright because that is their decision and individuals can settle on their own decisions. It is dependent upon them to choose. With respect to alternate religions, as I would like to think are not genuine adherents since they don't have confidence in me. Muhammad what is your perspective or feelings about other monotheistic faiths? My point of view alternate religions has a similar basic thought. I have dependably firmly distinguished the other conviction frameworks. The essential convictions of my confidence are that there is just a single God and that I am his picked errand person to get the message out of God. My fundamental convictions contrast with the others because to them I am not the flag-bearer of God. Moses what is your perspective or feelings about other monotheistic faiths? The fundamental convictions of my faith vary from the other monotheistic on the grounds that in my faith Moses, is the envoy to God and Jesus has not yet come to earth. Jesus, what is the holy book of your faith and how does it compare to the others? All things considered, the blessed book of my faith, is known as the Bible. The book of scriptures is loaded with encounters and lessons took in for individuals to gain from. It thinks about to the others in light of the fact that, the book of scriptures discusses God and Jesus and shows that Jesus is the child of God. Muhammad, what is the holy book of your faith and how does it compare to the others? Well the blessed book of my confidence is known as the Qur'an. It analyzes to the others in light of the fact that my book of confidence shows that Mohammed, is the delivery person of God and is the divinely selected individual to get the message out of God. It resembles the others since it educates our confidence simply like theirs instructs their confidence. Moses, what is the holy book of your faith and how does it compare to the others? All things considered, the Holy book of my confidence is known as the Torah, which intends to instruct. Contrasted with the other sacred books the Torah has 613 rules. Additionally, the ten instructions. The Torah shows that I, Moses am the errand person of God. How are the beliefs of your faith similar to the other monotheistic faiths? Jesus-Like Moses' kin, my kin likewise have faith in one God and just a single. Other than that, my people groups Torah incorporates the old confirmation which is in the Bible. Moses- Like the other monotheistic beliefs, my believers trust in one God, and just a single. The Greek, for instance, have faith in more than one God; this makes them polytheistic. Muhammad- Like the other monotheistic religions, my kin trust that the originator of our religion is a relative of Abraham. What makes your religion monotheistic and what does it mean? Jesus- Mono is single and theistic means God, so monotheistic means the faith in only one God, and just a single God. My believers are

Understanding the Measles Virus (MV) The WritePass Journal

Understanding the Measles Virus (MV) Introduction Understanding the Measles Virus (MV) IntroductionSymptomsInfection and spreadDiagnosis TreatmentVaccinationSubacute sclerosing panencephalitis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (SSPE)ReferencesRelated Introduction Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by the Measles Virus (MV) which belongs to the Paramyxovirus family, and is of the genus Morbillivirus as it does not possess any virus-associated neuraminidase activity (Topley Wilsons 2005, Morgan Rapp 1977). It is primarily considered a childhood disease, easily communicable within a non-immunised population. Moreover, acute infection with the virus will confer lifelong immunity in most individuals (Schneider-Schaulies Meulen 2000). Therefore as the virus is also confined to humans with no asymptomatic carrier state, to remain endemic within a population it relies upon infection of those still susceptible to infection. The MV itself is approximately 100–300 nm in diameter, with a core of single-stranded RNA which encodes for 8 proteins, surrounded in a helical capsid (Griffin 2010; Schneider-Schaulies Meulen 2000). Two viral transmembrane proteins; fusion (F) protein is responsible for fusion of virus and host cell membranes, viral penetration, and hemolysis. Hemagglutinin (H) is responsible for adsorption of virus to cells. Antibodies to these proteins may mitigate against infection of host cells (Griffin 2010). Other proteins include the matrix or M protein which links the envelope to the ribonucleoplasmid core, and the nucleoprotein (N) forms part of the ribonucleocapsid along with phosphoprotein (P) and large polymerase protein (L) which both are also necessary for RNA synthesis. Non structural proteins C and V also regulate response to infection (Topley Wilson 2005). A schematic of the virus is shown in figure 1. Fig 1. Adapted from Morgan Rapp 1977 Schematic of Measles virus Canine distemper and rinderpest viruses also belong to the same genus and share close antigenic relationship. In October 2010 the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation announced that Rinderpest had been successfully eradicated. Infection with measles also provided the first insight into suppression of the immune system by a virus, thus permitting secondary infections to occur relating to the mortality of infection (McChesney et al 1989). This area is of much interest to immunologists and was first noted over 200 years ago as TB infection was seen to follow measles infection (Karp 1999), of which alterations in cell mediated immunity is of most clinical concern. This was noted by von Pirquet whist performing the tuberculin skin test which failed to respond to it thus predisposing to secondary infectious from measles induced immunosuppression (Topley Wilson 2005). Isolation of the virus in 1954 by Enders and Peebles allowed the advent of measles vaccination, with the first vaccines being produced in 1963. Safe and effective vaccination programmes with the live further attenuated vaccine have eliminated the virus from most westernised societies (WHO weekly 2008); however the virus remains a major cause of mortality in populations lacking access to adequate medical care (Kerdiles et al 2006). In 2008, 164 000 measles deaths were recorded globally (WHO fact sheet 2009) and as recent as January 2011 Kofi Annan called for the UN Executive Board to set an eradication date for measles (Measles Initiative 2011). Progress on this front continues with immunisation programmes and effective surveillance this is highlighted by the reduction of measles deaths by 78% between 2000 and 2008. Symptoms The measles virus normally enters the body through the upper respiratory tract, or conjunctiva. The first clinical sign of infection is usually a febrile illness (38.3 °c), which begins about 10 to 12 days after exposure to the virus, and lasts four to seven days (fig2). Further signs and symptoms then develop in this prodromal illness these include malaise, cough, coryza (runny nose), conjunctivitis, as the MV establishes a systemic infection involving multiple organ systems leading to Koplik spots and typical maculopapular rash and immunosuppression. Fig. 2. Adapted from Topley Wilson Microbiology Microbial Infections Immunology 10th edt. 2005. Transmission occurs through the air and involves close personal contact with an infected individual, surfaces or objects which they have been in contact. As the virus is highly contagious, it will remain active in the air and on these surfaces for up to two hours. It has been noted that up to 90% of people without immunity sharing a house with an infected individual will become infected (Schneider-Schaulies Meulen 2000). Infected individuals can transmit the MV from four days prior to the onset of the rash to four days after the rash erupts. Studies also show the MV can be inactivated by heat, light, acidic pH, ether, and trypsin (Topley Wilson 2005). The virus replicates in the respiratory tract and then reaches local lymphoid tissue, producing primary viremia. Lymphoid tissues such as the thymus, spleen, and tonsils are normal sites of replication. Following replication within the lymphoid tissue, the MV spreads to other organs including the skin, kidney, lungs, liver and gastrointestinal tract known as secondary viremia. The MV replicates in epithelial and endothelial cells and is accompanied by vascular dilation, increased vascular permability, mononuclear cell infiltration and infection of surrounding tissue (Topley Wilson 2005). Small white spots develop inside the buccal cavity known as Koplik’s spots (fig 3a) due to nectrotic infection of the submucous glands, at this stage the individual is highly contagious and giant cells are present in the sputum and other secretions this occurs just prior to development of the typical rash.   Each of these signs is a typical characteristic of measles infection the rash then erupts, usually on the forehead, face and upper neck. The rash then spreads to cover the entire body over the next 3 days, lasts for about six days before it begins to disperse, this typical presentation is seen in figure 3b. This rash is said to occur due to vascular congestion epithelial necrosis and oedema. The entire course of uncomplicated measles, from late prodrome to resolution of fever and rash, is approximately 7-10 days. Fig 3. Characteristics of Measles infection (accessed from google images) Complications arising from measles infection result mainly from opportunistic secondary infections due to the immunosuppression induced by MV. The depression of the immune response may last up to 6 months (Kerdiles et al 2006). Complications are more common in children under the age of five, or adults over the age of 20 and occur in individuals who arepoorly nourished, especially those insufficient in vitamin A, or individuals with existing immunodeficiency such as HIV/AIDS. Diarrhoea and severe dehydration is not uncommon in developing countries where secondary infection is likely and worsens their individual’s nutritional status; this along with lack of substantial vitamin A may lead to post-measles blindness. Ear infections and pneumonia may also occur which will require antibiotics to treat the imposing infectious agent. Treatment of giant cell pneumonia is a very protracted and causes the majority of measles related deaths. However, more serious complications like encephalitis and persistent brain inflammation known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) also occur though these are rare. SSPE will be discussed further on in this text. Measles infection during pregnancy may induce spontaneous abortion or still births other reports have stated measles infection during pregnancy may produce infants with a low birth weight or congenital malformaty (Schneider-Schaulies Meulen 2000). Administration of antimeasles gammaglobulin less than three days after exposure may protect from infection this is discussed further in vaccination section. Acute encephalitis results in death in approximately 15% of patients who develop it (Schneider-Schaulies Meulen 2000). Development usually occurs eight days after onset of the rash, symptoms of this can include recurrence of a high fever, persistent headache, vomiting, drowsiness, seizures and coma. Measles Inclusion Body Encephalitis occurs only in the immunocompromised e.g. individuals with leukaemia present without rash as no immune response was elicited and is often confused with SSPE. Symptoms include seizures stupor or coma which is dependent on localisation of the disease within the CNS. This type of encephalitis has no antibodies detectable in the CSF (Schneider-Schaulies Meulen 2000). Infection and spread MV replication involves the transcription of viral RNA to give + sense mRNA before this can be translated. The F protein facilitates fusion with the plasma membrane. Viral multiplication occurs in the cytoplasm, using the RNA polymerase and RNA modification enzymes packaged in the virus and use the nucleoplasmid as a template to transcribe viral mRNAs; theseare capped, methylated and polyadenylated translated and packed into the new virues and bud out through the cell plasma membrane. The non structural proteins C and V also play an important role in replication of the virus, this has be confirmed by in vitro studies, results of studies with animal models show that these proteins are also important for the virulence of the virus. They have also been investigated for their ability to produce IFN responses; C protein was shown to inhibit this (Kerdiles et al 2006). MV interaction with the immune system involves studying measles infection in humans, naturally and experimentally infected rhesus monkeys, cotton rats and transgenic mice and also some in vitro models (Griffin 2010). It is well known that the primary target for the MV is the monocyte and primarily causes the viremia during infection with accompanied leukopenia. Three cellular receptors for MV are recognized: the low affinity membrane co-factor protein CD46, present on all nucleated cells was the first receptor identified for the MV (Topley Wilson 2005). CD46 is the natural binding site for C3b/C4b complement components however; it also binds to the viral hemagglutinin (H) protein of the measles virus. The second receptor; higher affinity signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM ⠁„ CD150), a glycoprotein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily is present on subsets of lymphocytes, thymocytes, macrophages, and DCs; and an unidentified receptor present on ciliated columnar respiratory epithelial cells (Griffin 2010). Recent studies have questioned the role of CD46 in vivo. This is confirmed as all viral strains tested preferentially bind CD150, therefore CD150 is the primary determinant of MV tropism (Griffin 2010). MV infections usually produce very distinctive cytopathic effects enabling formation of multinucleated giant cells. Binding of H protein to both CD46 and CD150 downregulate receptor expression; this may lead to activation of complement against uninfected lymphocytes, thus contributing to the associated leukopenia. This profound suppression of cell-mediated immunity was confirmed by Karp et al in 1996. Conversly interaction of H protein with TLR2 on surface of monocyte will stimulate IL-6 and increase CD150. This process also results in decreased IL-12 production from infected monocytes which may be a result of the reduction of IFN-ÃŽ ³ produced by T cells. The nucleocapsid protein (N) also reduces the release of IL-12 from monocytes, with resultant reduction in T cell proliferation which may lead to cellular apoptosis (Topley Wilson 2005). IFN-ÃŽ ³ also aids in the production of nitric oxide, though with down regulation of CD46 will alter the immune response to other intracellular pathogens e.g. mycobacteria. Therefore, CD46 as receptor in MV infection may disturb different aspect of the immune response. Downregulation of CD150 after infection may impair the Th1 response towards other pathogens due to the decrease in IFN-ÃŽ ³. Cytokines and chemokines produced during infection include IL-8 which is increase in early infection. IL-2, IFN-ÃŽ ³, are increased during the corresponding rash. In vitro systems have shown there is reduced IL-2 production during the inital stage of infection, Griffin et al shown that introduction of recombinant IL-2 along with neutralisation of high IL-4 restores lymphocyte proliferation (Topley Wilson 2005). The rash is associated with MV infection is due to the infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells into the site of replication, with the CD8+ response occurring more rapidly than CD4+ which is more protracted. IgM response to infection occurs alongside appearance of the rash, to which serological detection is diagnostic. Increased MV specific IgG follows recovery from infection conferring lifelong immunity, notably in vitro infection of B cells reduces Immunoglobulin production, through binding of N protein to activated cells however in vivo studies show no B cell defect (Niewiesk et al 2000). After resolution of the rash regulatory CD4+ cells produce IL-4, IL-10 and IL-13 (Griffin 2010). Changes to the cytokine profile seen with CD150 interactions may show that infection starts with a Th1 response and then converts to a regulatory Th2 response in later infection resulting in delayed hypersensitivy response. Diagnosis Treatment Diagnosis of measles is based upon the individuals’ history and clinical presentation, with appearance of Koplik spots and typical rash being diagnostic. However, laboratory methods may be required for more complicated cases e.g. in the case of modified or atypical measles. The virus is detectable by a number of different methodologies these include direct microscopy, immunofluorescence of nasopharyngeal secretions or urine, viral cultures and electron microscopy can all provide diagnosis. Though measles is best confirmed by serological detection of; IgM antibody against the virus, in the acute phase and IgG in the convalescent phase of disease using ELISA. Prevention of disease by administration of vaccine should always primary goal rather than treatment of disease, as the vaccine is cheap, safe, and effective. Adequate nutrition, fluid replacement and appropriate use of antibiotic if required is all that can be provided to treat measles infection though its recommended that all children in developing countries diagnosed with measles should receive treatment with two doses of vitamin A, given 24 hours apart should be provided to individuals in developing countries prevent permanent loss of vision, provision of this supplement has shown to reduce the number of deaths from measles by 50% (WHO factsheet 2009).    Vaccination Vaccination is the greatest success in Immunology; historically it all started with Jenner, cowpox and smallpox which led to production of a vaccine. However, now in the 21st century there are a multitude of vaccinations available. The WHO classified smallpox as being eradicated worldwide in 1980 and publish lists of prevalence of those diseases which they continue to strive to eliminate worldwide. The first measles vaccines were licensed in 1963. This included an inactivated vaccine and a live attenuated vaccine known as the Edmonston B Strain. The inactivated vaccine was withdrawn as it did not produce an immunogenic response and therefore did not provide immunity to the disease, those immunised with this vaccine may have later developed atypical measles if infected with the wild type virus. Atypical measles progresses similarly to measles though individuals will also experience headaches and abdominal pain with the rash beginning on the extremities and spreading over the body. It has been proposed the inactivated vaccine did not produce antibodies to the F protein and thus was unable to prevent its spread (Schneider-Schaulies Meulen 2000). Modified measles is another form of the disease which occurs in partially immunised children or individuals who have received immune serum globulin and symptoms appear much milder than seen in acute measles (Schneider-Schaulies Meulen 2000). The original Edmonston B vaccine was able to seroconvert 95% of recipients however it was withdrawn in 1975 as it produced a mild form of measles in up to 10% of those vaccinated, to reduce the side effects gammaglobulin was administered. Thus, further live attenuated vaccines were sought including the Schwarz strain in 1965, and the Edmonston-Enders strain produced by passage in chicken cells was licensed in 1968, which caused fewer reactions than the original Edmonston B vaccine (Undergraduate Notes). The vaccine was combined with mumps and rubella vaccines and is licensed in 1971 as MMR (Undergraduate Notes). Furthermore, two doses of the vaccine was recommended to ensure immunity in 1989, as about 15% of vaccinated children fail to develop immunity from the first dose (WHO factsheet 2009). Varicella vaccine may also be combined and administered as MMRV, this format of vaccination was licensed in 2005. These vaccines are now supplied lyophylised and contain a small amount of human albumin, neomycin, sorbitol, and gelatine and are reconstituted prior to use. Clinical study of 284 triple seronegative children, 11 months to 7 years of age, demonstrated high immunogenic capability of the vaccine as it induced hemagglutination-inhibition antibodies in 95% of individuals for the measles vaccine thus conferring its effectiveness (MMR vaccine 2010). However, dispute that the vaccine causes autism first arose when Wakefield et al reported this in 1998 which may have reduced uptake of vaccine in theUKfor a period time before these claims were discredited by epidemiological studies which consistently found no evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Vaccination rates in theEnglandhave increased from the 80% low in 2003-4 but are still below the 95% level recommended by the WHO to ensure herd immunity (HPA), notably the number of measles cases recorded in 2010 has decreased with improved uptake of the vaccination (HPA2). Global cooperation between a number of organisations has also ensured that 83% children received their first measles vaccine by the age of 1, up from 72% in 2000 (WHO factsheet 2009), and will work together in advancing the global measles strategy. In countries where measles has been largely eliminated, cases imported from other countries remain an important source of infection. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (SSPE) SSPE is an extremely rare degenerative condition of the brain caused by the reactivation of the measles virus after an interval of 6-8 years though incidences have also occurred almost 30 years from primary infection. The disorder is usually fatal and effects males more often than females, though incidence of SSPE is very low 1 case per 100 000(Schneider-Schaulies Meulen 2000). Most individuals with SSPE contracted the MV before the age of two, symptoms usually are slow and progressive, and begin with deterioration in the individuals’ mental faculty and individuals may experience hallucinations. Symptoms may not be recognised until further neurological or motor symptoms appear such as convulsions, dyspraxia, aphasia and other abnormal uncontrollable muscle movements. Visual disturbances may also occur if the virus invades the retina leading to complete blindness. The disease is nearly always fatal within 1 to 3 years. Diagnosis is made on the clinical presentation and confirmation by a high titre of antibody to the MV (Schneider-Schaulies Meulen 2000). Investigations would include electroencephalogram (EEG), and computerised tomography (CT) to shown scarring of the brain and neuronal activity. There is no treatment available for those afflicted with SSPE; anticonvulsants such as Phenobarbital, valproic acid and others may be prescribed to control seizures. Although this disease is very severe and rare the final cause of death is usually pneumonia, the pneumonia results from extreme muscle weakness. With adequate vaccination cases of SSPE have also declined. References Topley Wilsons Microbiology Microbial Infections – Immunology 10th edt. Published by Edward Arnold Ltd. 2005 Chapter 39 Acquired immunodeficiencies pgs 803-806 Morgan EM Rapp F. Measles Virus and Its Associated Diseases. Bacteriological reviews Sept. 1977, Vol. 41, No. 3 pgs. 636-666 Principles and Practice of Clinical Virology 4th edt. Published by John Wiley sons Ltd. 2000 chapter 11 Measles by Schneider-Schaulies Meulen pgs 357-385 GriffinDE. Measles virus-induced suppression of immune responses. Immunological Reviews 2010 Vol. 236: 176–189 McChesneyMB, Oldstone MBA, Fujinami RS et al Virus Induced Immunosuppression: Infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and suppression of Immunoglobulin synthesis during natural measles virus infection in rhesus monkeys. Journal of infectious diseases 1989 159:4 757-760 Karp CL. Measles: immunosuppression, interleukin-12, and complement receptors. Immunological Reviews 1999 Apr;168:91-101. World Health Organisation. Weekly epidemiological record: Progress in global measles control and mortality reduction, 2000–2007 2008, No. 49, 83, 441–448 Kerdiles YM, Sellin CI, Druelle J, Horvat B. Immunosuppression caused by measles virus: role of viral proteins. Reveiws in Medical Virology. 2006 Jan-Feb;16(1):49-63. World Health Organisation. Mealses factsheet no 286 2009 Measles Initiative UN: Statement on Eradication by Kofi Annan 2011 measlesinitiative.org/ Figure 3 images obtained from google.co.uk/images Karp CL, Wysocka M, Wahl LM, et al. Mechanism of suppression of cell-mediated immunity by measles virus. Science. 1996 Jul 12;273(5272):228-31. GriffinDE, Moench TR et al. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells during natural measles infection; cell surface phenotypes and evidence for activation clinical immunology and immunopathology 1986 40 305-312 Niewiesk S, Gotzelmann M, and ter Meulen V. Selective in vivo suppression of T lymphocyte responses in experimental measles virus infection   Proceeding of the natural academy of sciences USA 2000 97;4251-5 Information from Undergraduate notes 2008 MMR vaccine kit insert from Merck Co Inc.Whitehouse Station NJ,USApublished 2010 Health Protection Agency. (HPA1) Completed primary course at two years of age: Englandand Wales, 1966-1977, Englandonly 1978 onwards. hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733819251. Health Protection Agency. (HPA2) Confirmed cases of measles, mumps and rubella 1996-2009. hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733833790

Produce a Research proposal entitled does performance management Essay

Produce a Research proposal entitled does performance management motivate staff - Essay Example interest to this study is the comparison of the employees who are incited to complete their tasks in specified time spans with those who will undertake the same tasks in a desultory or in a less motivated way. Interest is also directed at understanding the various motivational strategies the company uses as well as the strategic performance management practices carried out. This proposal will clearly highlight the research methods to be used by the researcher, data analysis criteria to be used as well as the historical background of performance management and the impact on the employees’ motivation. It will also clearly identify the performance management practices that really motivate the employees and those which demoralize the employees. This research will be explorative and will seek to show both the positives and negatives of performance management. The researcher will approach the topic with open mind in order to deduct the best results that are unbiased. Performance management is one of the key goals of the human resource, management department. Performance management in the human resource department includes activities to ensure that the organizational goals are efficiently and effectively met. Performance management focuses on the output and performance of an organization, and processes to build a product or service, employees and departments among others. Performance management has been known to either motivate or demoralize the employees (Armstrong, 2000). Various performance management practices have positive impacts on the company employees while others negatively affect the employees’ performance. Sometimes the human resource management department personnel is not aware of the impact any performance management practice can have on the employees work morale of which it may be detrimental to the company or the organization. A performance management practice that was successful to another company may not work in the current one while that which

Cruel and Unusual Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cruel and Unusual Punishment - Essay Example Despite widespread outcry on the cruelty associated with the death penalty, many countries around the globes still practice it and view it as a perfectly legal form of extreme punishment. Whether to uphold or abolish the death penalty has been a controversial subject in many societies, in the world. This is because of the divergent views that different people have based on phenomenon such as culture, political ideology and religion. The United Nations, for example, has in recent times adopted resolutions though non binding, advocating for the abolishment of executions giving emphasis on the sanctity of life. The European Union also outlaws the practice of capital punishment in its area of jurisdiction through the second article of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights. This has proved to be ineffective since countries like the Unites States, Indonesia, India and China, which hold a large part of the global population, still practice capital punishment (Mandery 45). Accordi ng to Amnesty International, two nations each year have abolished capital punishment in their criminal justice systems since 1976. Counties such as Germany, Australia and Spain strongly against the practice of capital punishment regardless of the crime committed. Capital punishment dates as far back as 8th Century B.C in Babylon, where twenty five different crimes were punishable by death. The Hittite code of the 14th Century B.C also embraced capital punishment. Most astonishing of them all was the draconian Athens code of the 7th Century B.C, which set out death as punishment for all crimes. In early civilizations, the death penalty got executed thorough drowning, firing squads, impalement, lynching, decapitation and crucifixion. In present day, capital punishment gets executed through the use of lethal injection, firing squads, lethal gas, hanging and electrocution (Radelet 46). The death penalty in the Unites States has been an issue of insurmountable concern for a long time. Th e precedence of capital punishment in Americas came as a result of British influence on the then colony. Though capital punishment had been occurring, the first recorded execution took place in Virginia in 1608. The early 20th Century marked the resurgence in the execution of the death penalty. The 1930s marked the decade with the largest number of executions in the history of America. In the 1950s, the public began to voice their opposition to capital punishment. This led to a drop in the number of executions. In the 1960s, the legality of capital punishment got challenged. Before 1960, the eighth, fifth and fourteen amendments were interpreted as having endorsed the death penalty. It was later suggested that the death penalty was unusual and cruel, and hence unconstitutional in accordance to the Eighth Amendment (Mandery 77). In 1985, the Supreme Court ruled that the 8th Amendment had an evolving standard of decency which marked progress of a society that was coming of age. This n ewly found decency no longer had room for the death penalty. As a result, the Supreme Court began refining the administration of the death penalty by ensuring that it was practiced with little or no pain inflicted. Whereas the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States restrains the government from cruel and unusual punishments, the ambiguity of the term ‘cruel and unusual’ has over the years fuelled the controversy about the constitutionality of capital p

Burdens of History Essay Example for Free

Burdens of History Essay The British imperial history has long been a fortress of conservative scholarship, its study separated from mainstream British history, its practitioners resistant to engaging with new approaches stemming from the outside – such as feminist scholarship, postcolonial cultural studies, social history, and black history. In this light, Antoinette Burton’s Burdens of History: British Feminists, Indian Women, and Imperial Culture, 1865-1915 represents challenges to the limited vision and exclusivity of standard imperial history. Burton’s Burdens of History is part of a budding new imperial history, which is characterized by its diversity instead of a single approach. In this book, the author examines the relationship between liberal middle-class British feminists, Indian women, and imperial culture in the 1865-1915 period. Its primary objective is to relocate â€Å"British feminist ideologies in their imperial context and problematizing Western feminists historical relationships to imperial culture at home† (p. 2). Burton describes Burdens of History as a history of â€Å"discourse† (p. 7). By this, she means the history of British feminism, imperialism, orientalism, and colonialism. Throughout the book, the author interposes and synthesizes current reinterpretations of British imperial history, women’s history, and cultural studies that integrate analyses of race and gender in attempts at finding the ideological structures implanted in language. In this book, Burton analyzes a wide assortment of feminist periodicals for the way British feminists fashioned an image of a disenfranchised and passive colonized female â€Å"Other†. The impact of the message conveyed was to highlight not a rejection of empire – as modern-day feminists too readily have tended to assume – but a British feminist imperial obligation. According to Burton, empire lives up to what they and many of their contemporaries believed were its purposes and ethical ideals. Burton based her book on extensive empirical research. Here, she is concerned with the material as well as the ideological and aware of the complexity of historical interpretation. Backed by these, the author particularly examines the relationship between imperialism and women’s suffrage. Burton brings together a remarkable body of evidence to back her contention that women’s suffrage campaigners’ claims for recognition as imperial citizens were legitimated as â€Å"an extension of Britains worldwide civilizing mission† (p. 6). Centering on the Englishwomans Review before 1900 and suffrage journals post 1900, the author finds an imperialized discourse that made British women’s parliamentary vote and emancipation imperative if they were to â€Å"shoulder the burdens required of imperial citizens† (p. 172). The author shows in Burdens of History how Indian women were represented as â€Å"the white feminist burden† (p. 10) as â€Å"helpless victims awaiting the representation of their plight and the redress of their condition at the hands of their sisters in the metropole† (p. 7). Responding both on the charge that white feminists need to address the method of cultural analysis pioneered by Edward Said and the imperial location and racial assumptions of historical feminisms, Burton explores the images of Indian women within Victorian and Edwardian feminist writing. In her analysis, the author argues that Indian women functioned as the ideological â€Å"Other† within such texts, their presence serving to authorize feminist activities and claims. By creating an image of tainted Oriental womanhood, and by presenting enforced widowhood, seclusion, and child marriage as â€Å"the totality of Eastern womens experiences† (p. 67), British feminists insisted on their own superior emancipation and laid claim to a wider imperial role. However, while feminists persistently reiterated their responsibility for Indian women, the major purpose of such rhetoric was to institute the value of feminism to the imperial nation. According to the author: â€Å"The chief function of the Other woman was to throw into relief those special qualities of the British feminist that not only bound her to the race and the empire but made her the highest and most civilized national female type, the very embodiment of social progress and progressive civilization† (p. 83). According to Burton, British feminists were, â€Å"complicitous with much of British imperial enterprise† (p. 25): their movement must be seen as supportive of that wider imperial effort. She sustains this argument through an examination of feminist emancipatory writings, feminist periodicals and the literature of both the campaign against the application of the Contagious Diseases Acts in India and the campaign for the vote. Indeed, the greatest strength of this book lies in the fact that Burton has made a n extensive search through contemporary feminist literature from a new perspective. In the process, she recovers some quite interesting subgenres within feminist writing. She shows, for instance, how feminist histories sought to reinterpret the Anglo-Saxon past to justify their own political claims and specifying some characteristic differences between explicitly feminist and more general womens periodicals. Certainly, Burton’s survey establishes the centrality of imperial issues to the British feminist movement, providing a helpful genealogy of some styles of argumentation that have persisted to the present day. Burdens of History is a serious contribution to feminist history and the history of feminism. In conclusion, Burton states that British feminists were agents operating both in opposition to oppressive ideologies and in support of them-sometimes simultaneously, because they saw in empire an inspiration, a rationale, and a validation for womens reform activities in the public sphere. Her arguments are persuasive; indeed, once stated, they become almost axiomatic. However, Burton’s work is to some extent flawed by two major problems. First, the author never compares the â€Å"imperial feminism†; rather she locates in her texts to other imperial ideologies. In addition, Burton does not subject imperialism to the same kind of careful scrutiny she turns on feminism. She does not define â€Å"imperialism† in her section on definitions, but uses the term – as she uses â€Å"feminism† – largely to denote an attitude of mind. Another problem is Burton’s failure to address the question of how feminist imperialism worked in the world more generally. It is true that feminists sought the vote using a rhetoric of cross-cultural maternal and racial uplift, however, one may ask: what were the effects of this strategy on the hearing accorded their cause, on wider attitudes toward race and empire, and, more specifically, on policies toward India? The author not only brushes aside such questions; she implies that they are unimportant. It seems that, for Burton, the ideological efforts of British feminists were significant only for British feminism. It can be argued that Burton’s difficulty in tracing the way Burdens of History works in the world is a consequence of her methodological and archival choices. The problem is not that the author has chosen to approach her subject through a â€Å"discursive tack† (p. 27), but rather that she has employed this method too narrowly and on too restrictive range of sources. While the author has read almost every piece of feminist literature, she has not gone beyond this source base to systematically examine either competing official documents, Indian feminist writings, or imperial discourses. Thus, Burton’s texts are treated either self-referentially or with reference to current feminist debates. Overall, Burton’s approach is useful in providing a critical history for feminism today, Certainly, it is as a critique of Western feminisms pretensions to universal and transhistorical high-mindedness that Burdens of History succeeds. However, if one wishes to map out the impact of imperial feminism not only on feminism today, but also on imperial practices and relations historically, one needs a study that is willing to cross the border between political history and intellectual history and to take greater methodological risks.

Compare at least four poems from the ones you have studied where a Essa

Compare at least four poems from the ones you have studied where a strong dislike for another person is shown. Write about My Last Duches a poem from Duffy, one form Armitage and another from the pre 1914 poetry bank. My Last Duchess was written by Robert Browning and published in 1842. It is based on a real person. Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara (1537-1597), married fourteen year-old Lucrezia de Medici in 1158 when he was twenty one. Three years later she was killed, possibly poisoned. The Duke then arranged to marry the daughter of the count of Tyrol. As was customary at the time, the marriage arrangements were arranged between the Duke and a go between. ‘My Last Duchess’ is a poem in which the appearance of the poem is different from the reality. When read ‘My Last Duchess’ appears to be a civilised conversation between the Duke and a Nobleman in which the topic of conversation is brought about by the Dukes decision to show the his very privileged guest a great masterpiece and to recount something of his previous wife. Beneath the surface, however, is a ruthless story of ruthless power and the Dukes disapproval of the natural and innocent behaviour of his naà ¯ve wife, who apparently does not know the value of his great name. The poem has a very abrupt beginning and appears to be one half of a conversation. Browning opens with the Duke explaining why he has named the painter, and that the painting is kept behind a curtain which he alone is permitted to draw back. And when he does this it seems as though the viewer is keen to ask why only the Duke is allowed to draw the curtain, but is too frightened to ask. We also note he is not been the first to question this action. We learn that the Duke is very par... ...from Book of Matches. Like The laboratory & my last Duchess, Hitcher is a dramatic monologue in which a man confesses to murder. We notice that he is like, yet unlike, his victim. Briefly the man in the poem has been taking time off work – feigning illness and not answering the phone. As this man drives out of Leeds he picks up a hitchhiker who is travelling light and has no set destination. Some little way later he attacks he attacks his passenger, and throws him out of the still-moving car. The last he sees of the hiker, he is â€Å"bouncing off the kerb, and then disappearing down the verge† – we do not if he is dead or just badly injured. The driver does not care. Unlike My last Duchess & the Laboratory the man in Hitcher does not know the man that he has killed. He does not even have a real motive for killing like the Characters in the other poems do.

Romeo and Juliet, and War Poetry Comparison Paper

How well does Baz Lurhmann’s adaptation if the script show the theme of conflict? I think Baz Lurhmann’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet strongly shows the theme of conflict throughout the entire film, in which it is retold for the modern viewers.Baz Lurhmann shows at the start of the film two sky high building with ‘Montague’ and ‘Capulet’ in bold lettering at the top, this shows how the two families have a lot of rivalry, such as in the business world of today’s society which a lot of people can relate to also the fact they are both nearly at a war about something nobody knows anything about ‘Ancient grudge‘, I think this is the base point of the build up of conflict in the film. Lurhmann also used quite modern weapons such as guns and drugs which I think is easier for people to understand, as it is up to date which world today.In nearly every shot in the film there is a gun which shows the amount of tension and rivalry betw een everyone and how this leads into the conflicts. Also Lurhmann choose to represent the different houses in the form of gangs which a lot of people now days can understand in a sense which there is always a lot of conflict to protect yourself and your family name. I think Lurhmann has achieved exactly this in Act 1 Scene 1. The conflict shown in this scene is incredible in a way in which it is brought up how something very small can lead into something big and cause a lot of damage and disruption.