The Anchoress of England: Julian of Norwichs Portrait of Christ as Mot

The Anchoress of England: Julian of Norwich's Portrait of Christ as Mother      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When speaking of medieval literature, Chaucer, Gower and Langland are quite often the most noted. However, recent studies have provided modern scholars with a wide variety of medieval women writers from all over Europe and a few in England. The most widely anthologized English female writer is Julian of Norwich. Julian was an anchoress, and as Marcelle Thiebaux notes, "The anchorite movement was widespread in England from the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries. Both men and women chose this extreme form of asceticism, which was favored and encouraged by the crown, the church, and the laity. Anchorholds were small, narrow cells attached to churches or friaries" (442). 1[1] The process of becoming an anchoress was difficult and complicated, but suffice it to say that after the process was completed "the anchoress was sealed up, never to re-emerge into the world. Penance, meditation, reading, and in some cases writing were the anchorite's sole activities" (Thiebaux 442).   This was the case for Julian of Norwich. She was "well read in Scripture, dwelling especially on the Psalms, the gospels, and the epistles of Paul and John, ...and was the first English woman to write a book" (Thiebaux 443-44). Her Book of Showings to the Anchoress Julian of Norwich 2[2]   possesses literary and religious value, and the work lends itself quite naturally to a feminist reading. In her clear, lucid, prose style, combined with the images of the medieval mystic, Julian establishes herself as an independent, female religious authority and she gives a staunch affirmation of the divinity of God with this unique view point: the motherhood of God.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In her fi... ...7. All biblical references come from the Geneva Bible (which is based on the Jerome Bible) but were checked and crossed referenced with the Jerome Bible with help of Professor Behunin as the Jerome Bible is in Latin. 7[7] It is interesting to note that there might be a biblical correlation to the hazelnut. The name Hazel appears in the Bible, and in Jewish the name Hazel is a feminine name and means "one who sees God." ( Harrison, R.K. Biblical Hebrew England: Hodder & Stoughton, 1986.) 8[8] Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Marie Borroff. Norton Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1, New York: WW Norton, 1993. 9[9] The "five fives" as they are known in medieval literature and religion can be found in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Marie Borroff. Norton Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1, New York: WW Norton, 1993, lines 640-654.   

The House on Mango Street :: House Mango Street

The House on Mango Street At the novel's end, Esperanza declares that she is too strong for Mango Street to keep her forever. What is the nature of her strength? How does Cisneros establish this characteristic elsewhere in the book? Esperanza feels she is too strong to live on Mango Street. She feels her life would be better if she lived somewhere else. She wants to leave Mango Street so that she can find herself. Esperanza knows that she is not like the others on Mango Street, and she wants to move to a place "with trees around it, a big yard and grass growing without a fence" (page 4). To leave, she must have strength. Where will she get it? I believe her strength comes from within. Esperanza builds her strength off the mishaps that occur while living on Mango Street. In the vignettes, Esperanza describes some very interesting things that take place on Mango Street. She recalls a time when Sally befriended her and told Esperanza to leave her alone with the boys. Esperanza felt out of place and was very uncomfortable and very ashamed to be in that situation. She wanted more from life than that, so she left the scene. There was another time when Esperanza wanted to eat lunch in the canteen at school. She was not allowed to eat at school, because she lived close enough to walk home for lunch. But, Esperanza wanted to feel special like the other kids, so she convinced her mother to write a note to the nun in charge giving her permission to eat in the school canteen. The mother wrote the note, but the nun was not convinced. So, she made Esperanza go to the window and point to her house. She was too ashamed to point to the old-run-down home where she lived. This was one of her most embarrassing moments. Not to be outdone, Esperanza said, "I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to" (page5). In "Four Skinny Trees," Esperanza compares herself to the four skinny trees outside her house. Like the trees, she too, has not found her place in the world.

Philosophy of Teaching Statement :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays

Philosophy of Teaching Statement I believe that the key to a good education begins with the teacher. The first impression that a teacher leaves on a student will be carried with them throughout their entire education, therefore as a teacher we should be careful with giving negative feedback. Small children take everything to heart and believe every thing they hear. It is important that we praise them often. Let every child know that they have the potential to do and be anything they want to do. Working as a substitute teacher’s aide all over the county has allowed me to observe the nature of students that come from a wide variety of backgrounds. A child that comes from a more advantaged lifestyle does not necessarily mean that, that child will excel in school. Sometimes the child that comes form the poorest conditions is the hardest worker. Children who excel in Math may find themselves bored in an English class. I have seen students that are completely lazy, that refuse to accept any challenge. On the other hand, I have observed students who just appear lazy, that are really intelligent but cannot seem to get a grasp on learning. Then again there are students who are so intelligent that they excel in everything. Some students seem to have so much rage inside of them, that it difficult for them to concentrate and learn. While others are calm, absorbing everything that is being taught. I feel that all students can learn it is just a matter of finding a way of teaching that is interesting to them but will still hold the attention of the others in the classroom. The overall purpose of education is to guide students in the direction of future leadership. To ensure that they will be able to be role models for the next generation. If a teacher shows a child that learning is fun, then hopefully these children will see the importance in learning, and maybe grow up to want to teach also. To allow students to be the best at whatever they choose to be. I feel that being able to read and write is what the world is based on. If you cannot read, you are denied the simplest pleasures in life. Like reading road signs, to gain information about the direction that you traveling or reading recipes to prepare a meal.

I have chosen to analyse two Wordsworth poems, “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge” and “The World is Too Much With Us”

At one stage in his life, Wordsworth was greatly influenced by William Godwin, a philosopher who claimed that salvation lay only in reason perfected by education. Wordsworth adopted these Neo classic views for four years until he nearly suffered a nervous breakdown. Neo classicist writers believed that poetry had to be â€Å"fancier† than prose; they did not think of nature as a teacher as the Romantic writers did, they thought that reason was the prime source of inspiration and emotion was inferior to thought and they thought that poetry should be about people in high society; humble life was contemptuously ignored. After four years Wordsworth turned his back on Neo classicism and turned towards Romanticism. Romanticism was the idea that nature teaches the only important knowledge to man. The next philosopher to influence Wordsworth was Hartley, who taught that the mind was a â€Å"blank slate† until sensation introduced ideas into it, that sensation was the basis of all knowledge. Wordsworth, in his preface to the Lyrical Ballads insisted that poetry should be about the evocation of emotion and the inculcation of awareness through the artistic examination of immediate experience – poetry should be about how we emotionally respond to our experiences. For Wordsworth, the earth was not a dead thing, but full of life, full of the breath of the infinite Being. Composed upon Westminster Bridge shows Wordsworth apparently appreciating the beauty of a great city – though it is characteristic of his love for solitude that the poem is set in the early morning, when there is no noise or bustle. It has a calm, slow rhythm, which could represent the river, which adds to the relaxed atmosphere of the poem. The World is Too Much With Us embodies one of the main ideas of Romantic poetry – that in our daily life we have lost touch with the renewing powers of nature. The slow rhythm adds to the sombre, bitter mood of the poem. Both poems are written in the form of a Petrarchan Sonnet, which is divided into an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines) by the rhyme scheme abbaabba cdcdcd. The essence of the Petrarchan sonnet is the unequal relationship between the octave and sestet. This structure is one of observation and conclusion, or statement and counter statement. In the octave of Composed upon Westminster Bridge, Wordsworth seems to be praising the city of London but the turn after the octave is a shift of feeling that develops the subject of the poem by surprise to its conclusion. In the sestet, Wordsworth praises the beauty of the morning that envelops the city. What seemed to be a celebration of London is actually a celebration of the beauty of the morning. The octave of The World is Too Much With Us plays with the idea that we have sold our souls to the material world and in doing so broken our bonds with nature. The sestet offers a solution to the problem, to go back to a less cultured, out of date society, the Pagans, and worship nature. Wordsworth was writing during the Industrial Revolution when society was becoming increasingly reliant upon mass production and there was a growth of towns and cities. These circumstances obviously affected Wordsworth – the majority of Romantic poetry is about nature whereas Composed upon Westminster Bridge is about the beauty of a city in the morning. Wordsworth used simple, everyday language that ordinary man could understand. The title â€Å"Composed upon Westminster Bridge† could be a pun; the word â€Å"composed† might also represent how the poet is feeling. Wordsworth suggests that people would have no sensibility if they could â€Å"pass by/ A sight so touching in its majesty. † The words â€Å"touching† and â€Å"majesty† suggests how powerfully this scene affects him. The words â€Å"now doth† seem to suggest that this is a transitory moment of beauty that will soon pass. The simile â€Å"This city now doth, like a garment, wear/ The beauty of the morning;† hints that the poem is celebrating the beauty of the morning before man wakes up and pollutes it. The words â€Å"bright and glittering† make this sight seem valuable; the â€Å"b† and â€Å"g† and the repetition of the â€Å"i† sounds makes it sound crisp. Wordsworth then compares the city to the country saying that â€Å"Never did sun more beautifully steep/ In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill. † The awe-inspiring image of this moment touches him and he feels that it is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. He uses the metaphor â€Å"that mighty heart is lying still,† as when the people have woken up the city is beating and pulsating. The overwhelming nature of the scene resonates within him and he teaches us that we too should be still and appreciate nature. What at first seemed to be a celebration of London is ostensibly a moral lesson on standing still and appreciating nature. Wordsworth was writing The World is Too Much With Us during the Agricultural Revolution when meadows and woodlands began to disappear. The title â€Å"The World is Too Much With Us† means that we are too concerned with the material world. Wordsworth uses the image of â€Å"getting and spending† to show the greed of our society. Our â€Å"powers† are our ability to appreciate nature and what she has to offer. â€Å"Little we see in Nature that is ours,† seems to suggest that if we don't own it, we don't want to know about it. â€Å"Sordid boon† suggests how bitter Wordsworth feels about how we have â€Å"given our hearts away† to the material world and betrayed nature. Wordsworth uses sensual imagery – â€Å"This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,† and the simile describing the wind â€Å"like sleeping flowers† helps to add to the sombre mood of the poem and effectively describes nature as a thing of beauty. For our ignorance, we are â€Å"out of tune;† we are lost in the wrong environment and have lost the harmony between nature and ourselves, man is trying to dictate to nature. Wordsworth would â€Å"rather be a Pagan;† he would rather go back to an out of date society to become less cultured but closer to nature. He feels â€Å"forlorn† because he is out of tune with nature, he has to reject cultured things and be a Pagan to be truly happy. Proteus and Triton were sea gods in the â€Å"outworn† beliefs of Greek mythology. Wordsworth finds it appealing that the Greeks had gods of nature. This shows how they revered and appreciated nature. The poem teaches us that we should be getting back to nature instead of concerning ourselves with material possessions. Both poems address the same aspect of Wordsworth's poetry – that we have become desensitised towards nature and don't stop long enough in our daily lives to appreciate the beauty around us, instead we are concerned with â€Å"getting and spending,† although they do so in different ways. Like most of Wordsworth's poetry they both comment on man's complex relationship with nature and the world around us. Composed upon Westminster Bridge celebrates the beauty of the morning and how it can make the city of London more beautiful than â€Å"valley rock or hill† and how man cannot appreciate this whereas The World is Too Much With Us describes how we â€Å"lay waste our powers† and destroy nature.

Freeman vs Friedman

Edward Freeman’s â€Å"Managing for stakeholders† was an interesting selection which clearly defined several possible stakeholders for a business, primary and secondary, and how important each one is to the survival of the business as is the survival of the business to their survival. Customers, bankers, financiers, employees, and suppliers are all stakeholders. The selection stressed how important it was for the executive of a given corporation to have the skill set to manage the relationship between the stakeholders and the corporation to create value for all over time. My personal reaction to the article was a positive one in the sense that it was a clear message and made sense. However, I feel the article was repetitive and a little too drawn out. I realize the importance of the examples and the different perspectives of managing stakeholders and putting yourself in their position. I learned a lot from this article, but it became tedious in the last seven pages. Milton Friedman’s article went into grave detail the social responsibilities of an individual vs. he social responsibilities of a business. He also explained the duties of the businessman: legislator, executive, and the jurist. He couldn’t understand how some businessman could be so â€Å"clear headed† regarding matters internal to their business but so â€Å"muddle headed† in matters outside their business in matters critical to their business’s survival. According to Friedman, there is one social responsibility for a business â€Å"engage in open and f ree competition without deception or fraud. My personal reaction to this article was that it was very difficult to read and comprehend. I had to reread the article and several sections of it several times to figure out what Friedman was trying to convey. I agree with Friedman’s one social responsibility for a business. However, when compared to Freeman’s article, his message was much clearer and defined better than Friedman’s.

Pest Analysis of Russian Retail Market

PEST Analysis The PEST analysis is used in this report to evaluate the political, economic, social and technological aspects of the macroeconomic environment in the targeted market, Russia. This study helps to frame the basis for the decision-making about a possible market entry. Thus, it is of vital importance to scrutinize the macroeconomic environment as part of the market research. Political and Legal Aspects According to the Russian 1993 Constitution, Russia is a democratic federative state with a republican form of government grounded in the rule of law (pwc, 2012).After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has gradually opened up and after a seven-year transitional period with numerous market reforms, political stability was achieved under Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev. Moreover, since 1999 when Putin became president for the first time, Russia’s political system has shown continuity in its policies. The Russian judicial system is based on statutor y law, but has been ineffective and weak since the fall of the Soviet Union. However, the introduction of many reforms is expected to eventually bring about improvements.Russia has also entered various legal assistance programs with countries across the world, as unfair competition practices are hindering FDI inflows into the country (Datamonitor, 2011; pwc, 2012). However, corruption and crime are still major challenges for doing business in Russia. Russia has been ranked 143rd in Transparency International’s corruption perception index of 2011 concerning perceived public sector corruption. In addition, the high degree of bureaucracy within the country makes doing business slow and complicated.The business environment is further negatively affected by the high number of corrupt state officials (Datamonitor, 2011). Terrorist activity is one of the major concerns in Russia as bomb explosions and suicide attacks (such as those in the Moscow-St. Petersburg express train in 2009 or in the Moscow metro in 2010) have killed dozens of people over the last years (Datamonitor, 2011). Russia is member in many different international, regional, economic and financial agreements such as G8, G20, and International Monetary Fund just to name a few of them. pwc, 2012) The country further integrated within the world economy by entering the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2012 (Datamonitor, 2011). Economic Aspects Russia of 2011 is characterized by a per capita GDP (PPP) of $16. 750, GDP and FDI growth of 4. 3% and 33% respectively. Furthermore, the ease of doing business in the country improved by 4 ranks between 2011 and 2012 and hence Russia is ranked 112th in 2012 (Datamonitor, 2011; pwc, 2012). Historically successful economic reforms during the 1990s led to liberalization of the Russian economy and to high growth rates.Yet, the global economic downturn beginning in 2008 led to a negative growth of 7. 7% in 2009. However, the country’s economy managed to q uickly recover, achieving a 3. 9% GDP growth in 2010, mainly due to the high oil prices (Datamonitor, 2011). Improved competitiveness and higher oil prices facilitated a turnaround in the current account, from a deficit in 1998 to a surplus of 12% of GDP in 1999. Since 2000, Russia has maintained a current account surplus, which dropped from around $102bn in 2008 to around $47bn in 2009 (Datamonitor, 2011; pwc, 2012).Current challenges in Russia’s economic landscape include a high budget deficit and a banking system being under continuous stress. Moreover, the unemployment rate of 6. 6% is another negative side of Russia’s economic landscape (Datamonitor, 2011). Social Aspects The main ethnic group within Russia is Russians with 79. 8%, while other ethnic groups include Tatar 3. 8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1. 2%, Chuvash 1. 1%, other or unspecified ones with 12. 1% (2002 census) (CIA The World Factbook, 2012).Concerning religion, estimates from 2006 suggest that 15-20% o f the population are Russian Orthodox, 10-15% are Muslim, and 2% – other Christian, yet large parts of the population are non-believers, a likely legacy from the Soviet era (CIA The World Factbook, 2012). The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) ranks Russia 66th with regards to overall human development, making Russia part of the high human development quartile. However, one major challenge within Russia is the huge gender gap concerning life expectancy.Average life expectancy is 66. 2 years, yet it is only 59. 8 years for men, while boosting 73. 1 for women (United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 2011; Datamonitor, 2011). Russia is estimated to be one of the fastest-growing countries concerning proportion of population to be considered middle class. (Financial Times – Chart of the week: tracking the rising EM middle classes, 2012). The related increase in disposable income can be illustrated by the tripling in middle class spending between 2000 and 2010.Howe ver, the widening income inequality may pose a challenge for long-term success (Datamonitor, 2011). In general, Russia’s current strengths concerning social development are the high level of social governmental spending and the well-educated population. However, the country still struggles with a high mortality rate and a widening income inequality gap (Datamonitor, 2011). Technological Aspects Russia has signed the TRIPS (Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property) agreement, but nevertheless faces Intellectual Property Rights issues regularly.Moreover, the country still lacks adequate telecommunications infrastructure (Datamonitor, 2011). PEST Implications for the Retail Industry Russia’s political and legal framework suggests that foreign retail operations in Russia, although not restricted, may be inefficient because of bureaucracy and corruption. In addition, the usage of the ruble exposes foreign investors to exchange rate risks. The economic characteristics of the Russian market, however, paint a much more attractive picture of the industry, which represents 15. % of the country’s GDP. The Russian retail and wholesale sector has attracted 17. 1% of the country’s FDI in 2011. The country also has the lowest retailer penetration rates in Europe (pwc, 2012), suggesting it is a market in its growth stage with significant opportunity for new entrants. Yet, a recent study conducted by the management consulting group, AT Kearney, shows that Russia has fallen behind BRIC and other emerging market nations in terms of the countries’ attractiveness for investments in the retail sector.In fact, it ranks 26th out of 30 emerging market nations with regard to the attractiveness of the retail sector. As some experts argue such a ranking may reflect the strong foothold of local retailers, with such rivalry making the Russian retailer market a developed rather than an emerging one (Financial Times – Russia retail: loosing app eal, 2012) The pending commercialization of the cloud-dispersal aircraft technology may also have a positive trickledown effect on the retail industry.The technology may solve the problem of drought-prone areas, representing 6% of arable land within Russia, possibly improving domestic food production, and supplier reliability (Datamonitor, 2011; CIA The World Factbook, 2012). Overall, the country environment suggests that despite some institutional voids, the economic environment is conductive to a booming retailer segment with a growth that can be exploited by foreign retailers. The decrease in FDI attractiveness, however, points to the likely presence of established competitors that may prevent such an entry, which will be analyzed in greater detailed in the industry analysis.

Benefits of Online Social Networking Essay

While there are risks inherent in online social networking, there are also many potential benefits. Social networking can provide opportunities for new relationships as well as strengthening existing relationships, whether your kids’ friends are close to home or across the world. It’s important to be vigilant when your kids are getting involved in online social networking, but it’s also good to encourage positive relationships through various avenues, including the Internet. Real-Life Benefits of Online Social Networking Kids can gain social confidence from interacting with other people online, which may help them feel more secure in new situations, such as going to college, joining a sports team, and meeting new friends. Because social networking—like everything else online—is constantly evolving, kids can become more familiar with new and emerging technologies, as well as increase their media literacy through exposure to many different types of online media that are shared by their friends. Many kids find support in online communities; this is especially true for kids who have unique interests or feel isolated. Encourage your child to find other kids who are interested in the same thing or may be dealing with similar issues. Online communities can be very diverse and expose your child to many new viewpoints, ideas, and opinions that she may not be familiar with. Kids tend to use social networking to augment—not replace—their real-world relationships, helping them learn to communicate in many different ways. Social networking is becoming an increasingly important method of communicating in schools and the workplace, so it’s good for your child to be prepared to communicate through sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Keeping in touch with family members that live far away can become much easier through the use of online social networking. By sharing updates, photos, videos, and messages, family members can stay connected even if the live across the country—or the world. Social Networking in Schools Social networking is becoming increasingly important in schools—Facebook, Moodle, SecondLife, Digg, and other sites are often used by teachers to communicate with students or for out-of-classroom discussions. Youth can further explore topics that they’re interested in through online social networking. By making connections with other people who have the same interest, kids can learn and exchange knowledge with others they may not have had the opportunity to interact with. Teachers often take advantage of students’ social networking abilities to create class blogs, discussion forums, videos, and more. By collaborating with other students and teachers through online social networking, children are able to build stronger school communitie