Population Analysis of Yemen

Population Analysis of Yemen Geography Yemen is basically situated on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, between Oman to the northeast (288 km of borderlines) and Saudi Arabia to the north (1,458 km of borderlines). Yemen has border with the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the south, and the Red Sea to the west. The length of coastline constitutes 1,906 kilometres and the width of coastal strip is between 30 and 60km. Yemen is world’s 49th largest country covering the area of 527,968 square kilometres or nearly twice the size of the US state of Wyoming or about the size of France. Topographically, Yemen is divided into five main geographical areas: mountains, plateaus, coast, Empty Quarter (AR-Rub-Alkhali) and islands. Yemen has 112 islands (mostly volcanic origin) of which the biggest and most inhabited is Kamaran. Kamaran is known for exceptional wild animals and plant species. Mayonoon Island (Breem) has strategic importance due to its location which lets to control the strait of Bab Al-Mandab. The specific feature of this country is that it is situated at the entrance to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean (via the Gulf of Aden) and this circumstance permits it to call one of the most active and strategic shipping lanes in the world. Temperatures are generally very high in Yemen, especially in the coastal regions. This part of country is hot and humid throughout the year. The central highlands at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), experience an average annual high temperature of 21 °C: average daily temperature in January stands at 14 °C and in July reaches 22 °C. The climate of western coastal plain is tropical, therefore temperatures occasionally exceed 54 ° C, and the humidity ranges from 50 to 70 per cent. Rainfall usually comes in irregular heavy torrents with averages of 130 millimetres annually. The climate in Yemen is mostly desert, very hot and humid along the coastal sections. In addition to this, Yemen‘s western mountains are affected by seasonal monsoons, which rains may occur from April to August and from November to January. Chart 1 Location of Yemen Source: Euromonitor International Regions Yemen administratively is divided into 21 governorates, including the three newly created governorates Amran and Al-Daleh and Reymah. The governorates are further subdivided into a total of 333 districts and around 2,000 sub-districts. Yemen is a relatively rural country, at an urbanization rate of just less than 33% at the end of the period. Most governorates boast low urbanization rates with the exception of Aden and Sana’a City that were 100% and 98% urbanized in 2013, respectively. According to the World Bank report 2012, governorates with the greatest poverty rate were Amran, Al-Bayda, Hajjah, and Shabwah and moat wealthy are Sana’a City and Al-Maharah. Yemen is suffering from a strong north-south divide, with violence, armed clashes and protests hindering not just regional development and agricultural activities, but also detracting investors and much needed tourists away from the region. Up to late 2013, the UN-backed national dialogue between northern and southern representatives was mostly unsuccessful, causing UN to warn participators about â€Å"procrastination† and â€Å"obstruction† and urge breakthrough in the talks. The northern regions are expected to remain in a relatively better position than the south, due to greater political power and control of most natural resources. The future of Yemen and its administrative division will depend on the performance of the National Dialogue Conference and the president’s decision. A new federal system in Yemen is to be expected in the near future. In early 2014, the National Dialogue Conference’s committee presented a final report on resolving the North-South tension issue. The Southern region would get 50% representation in executive, legislative and judicial bodies, as well as the army and security services. The final step is for the president to form a committee to decide on the number of regions in Yemen. Chart 2 Regional Map of Yemen Source: Euromonitor International Table 4 Regional Statistics: Population, Urbanization Rate and Share of Population in Poverty Population 000 (2013) Urbanization rate (2013)% of population in poverty (2006) Taiz2,9542238 Al-Hodeidah2,6843532 Ibb2,6221830 Sanaa City2,2059815 Hajjah1,825948 Dhamar1,6411426 Hadramout1,2854636 Sanaa1,1362.828 Amran1,0871764 Laheg896947 Saadah8591517 Aden74810017 Al-Baida7121952 Al-Mahweet611731 Al-Daleh5831344 Shabwah5821654 Al-Jawf5451350 Abyan5402646 Reymah4861.034 Mareb2951346 Al-Maharah111429 Total24,4073335 Source: Euromonitor International from National Statistics Cities As of 2012, there were 225 cities in Yemen. The most significant and the largest urban centres in terms of population were the capital Sanaa (2.2 million people in 2013), a seaport city of Aden (748,000 ) and Ta’izz (around 600,000). Although an overwhelming majority of Yemenis live in rural areas (close to 70% in 2013), urbanisation is increasing. Sana’a Sana’a – Yemen’s capital city has played a key political and economic role in Yemen for centuries. Sana’a is one of the major transport hubs in Yemen. A road link from the capital leads to Ta’izz and further to the old port of Mocha. Sana’a’s function as one of the most important transport nodes in Yemen, however, was underscored by the country’s biggest international airport located in the nearby town of Al Rahabah. Through this airport, Yemen’s capital is connected to key metropolises on the Arabian Peninsula, nearby African countries and India. In 2013, United Arab Emirates national airline Etihad Airways launched its new Abu Dhabi-Sana’a route by conducting an inaugural flight with high level officials from both countries. Excellent education is one of the most notable characteristics of the Sana’a city the University of Sana’a, founded in 1970, is one of the biggest higher education institutions in the Arab countries. In terms of manufacturing, a once flagship plant in the city – a cotton textile mill – after years of neglect and mismanagement, stands vacant awaiting for more funding. Nevertheless, Yemen’s capital is witnessing a major real estate boom, as urbanisation processes in the country are moving forward. Some of the on-going projects include Sana’a City Mall and Sana’a East Sana’a Terraces. Sana’a City Mall was estimated to cost US$200 million and was scheduled to be completed in 2013. The mall is expected to become the biggest shopping centre in Yemen, hosting shops, 10 cinema halls, an amusement area, a food court, a supermarket, and a parking space for 2,000 cars. Sana’a East Sana’a Terraces is a project worth US$400 million and expected to be completed in 2016. It will be a mixed use development encompassing residences, hotel facilities, recreation, shopping and office zones. Sana’a’s main strengths in attracting business opportunities are the proximity of government agencies and relatively extensive infrastructure. As of 2013, Sana’a international airport was undergoing a major renovation initiative amid the governmental ambition to boost tourism revenues: the construction of 12 air bridges and four halls to enable simultaneous handling of 18 aircrafts. Yet the future development of the city is likely to be significantly constrained by an on-going severe water crisis and lack of security. If the city’s water resources do not get replenished, Sana’a is expected to become a â€Å"ghost town† by 2030, according to an insight by the Reuters investigation. Aden Aden, located 400 km south of the capital Sana’a, is a vital seaport of Yemen, handling more than 60% of the country’s total incoming ships in 2012 and nearly 70% of net registered tonnage. Throughout its history, commercial activities in the port dominated in Aden’s economy. It used to be a major refuelling stop for vessels under the British colonial rule in 1950-1960 and later an economic engine of South Yemen. However, recently, the port has been witnessing a major blow to its operations, resulting from political protests in the country following the Arab Spring and disagreements between the national government and the port operator Dubai Ports (DP) World that abandoned its obligations in 2012. With the port operations having been so essential to Aden, as of early 2013, Yemeni authorities were negotiating a master plan for the city’s future development with the World Bank. Aden has strengths that may be utilized to realise its commercial and tourism potential. It is strategically positioned in close proximity to major trade routes. Given its location on the Gulf of Aden, the city can potentially avoid widespread water shortages in Yemen if resources are mobilised to implement sea water desalination projects. Yet a major weakness in the city’s development has been the poor execution of laid out plans. For example, Aden Free Zone, created in 1991, is still only an empty parch of land, while in nearby Djibouti, the Free Zone, established in 2004, is already up and running. Aden’s port has seen a precipitous decline of transhipment volumes of 37% per year in 2007-2009, whereas Djibouti port’s figures have been on the rise (15% growth per annum in the same period). Future development of Aden will greatly depend on whether city’s officials can follow through with commitments and plans. Tai’zz Ta’izz is one of the most populous cities in Yemen. Ta’izz is Yemen’s most developed industrial city. Adequate rainfall and arable soil in the surrounding areas boost agro-industrial activities in Ta’izz, particularly coffee, cotton and vegetable cultivation. The city is also known for its leather and jewellery industries. Another important factor contributing to the development of Ta’izz’s industrial sector is the proximity of Aden, Al Hodeidah and Mocha ports which provide for an easy shipment of produced goods. Ta’izz is the capital of the most populous governorate of the same name, with a relatively large consumer market providing further benefits for local companies. In fact, numerous biggest businesses in Yemen are located in Ta’izz, some of which belong to the HSA Group Yemen’s major conglomerate engaged in manufacturing, commercial and services sectors. Ta’izz has good prospects for continued growth; yet as in all of Yemen, progress is primarily stalled by political upheavals and lack of security.

Character Development in Lord of the Flies :: Lord Flies Essays

Character Development in Lord of the Flies The ability to create characters of depth plagues many a contemporary writer. Many of those writers should look to William Golding for expertise on this issue. Golding diverges from the path of contemporary authors and sets an example of how character development should be accomplished in his novel, Lord of the Flies. Golding's Ralph exemplifies this author's superior style of character development in this novel. At the commencement of the novel, the author introduces Ralph as an innocent boy far from adulthood. Almost immediately, Ralph is described as a "fair boy." This phrase indicates a stereotype of the perfect child--blonde hair and blue eyes with blemish-free skin--which the author manipulated to show innocence. Also, Golding used this to give the reader a feeling of Ralph's position on the scale of maturation. It guides the destination of the novel and how much Ralph needs to grow to attain complete maturity. Ralph's innocence is further implied when he says his daddy is "a commander in the Navy" and that "when he gets leave, he'll come rescue us." Clearly, Ralph's comments call attention to his inability to view matters, especially his current situation, realistically, and to show Ralph's simplistic thinking, as well. Later in the novel, Ralph views Piggy as a fat bore with "ass-mar" and "matter-of-fact ideas." Ralph is still at the point where he believes that he is on a schoolyard playground where teasing and handstands are an acceptable practice. Similarly, Ralph's thoughts are intended to show what a sheltered child he has been all his life. Thus far, Golding developed Ralph so that the reader interprets him as an ideal child without any indication of maturity. The author will build upon this to transform Ralph as a character and as a person. As the climax approaches, Ralph begins to mature slightly as chaos erupts. After Ralph discovers that a ship passed while the fire was out and Jack is culpable, Ralph confronts him and rather than acquiescing to Ralph, Jack takes out his anger, physically on Piggy, the only person at that time intimidated by Jack. Ralph responds by saying Jack's tantrum is a "dirty trick" and tells them to light the fire. All this infers that Ralph is becoming less gregarious and a bit more serious. He shows maturity when he takes up for the underdog and does not go along with the majority.

Ottomans 10th Grade :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand the Ottoman Empire is to understand a power mightier than even that of the Roman's. It is a look back at not only boundaries and war, but an entire civilization all of its own. A civilization so advanced that it consumed land from the Danube River in Europe to the Deserts of the Arabian Plains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ottoman power was to be realized in by the first Ottoman leader, Osman. He was one of the few leaders to dear attack the Byzantine Empire. Osman was able to turn nomadic tribes, Arabs, and Persians fleeing the Mongols, into a fierce army of well-trained soldiers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The notoriety of the Ottomans would be felt in 1326. By this point, the raiding of Christians in Above: A portrait during the early 14th century of Osman leading his people to a victory against the Byzantines. The Byzantine lands had led to and escalation of power amongst the Ottomans. It was time to strike directly at the Byzantines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the 1320's - 30's, the Ottomans captured much of the Byzantine lands, leaving all but Constantinople and some lands in Europe. After Osman had led a small kingdom to become an empire, his sons would rule.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To preserve their throne, the Byzantines cut a deal to allow the Ottomans a share of the lands in the Europe. Still, by the campaign against the Byzantines, the Ottomans dealt a great deal of damage to the Christians in the west, and success to the Turks in the east.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ottomans continued to press into Kosovo and Eastern Europe under the control of Murad I. After he exploited the Murad I led the Ottomans to one of their great focal points by capturing land in Europe and conquering the Byzantines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next on the assencion of sultans was Bayazid. He was a sultan with great intentions. With the western lands stable at the moment, it was time to again press into Anatolia (present-day Turkey) and the Arab lands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His attempts, as a Muslim leader, to conquer Muslim lands offended many soldiers in his own ranks. The Christians in Ottoman Europe, who were invaded by Muslims, however, were more than glad to return the favor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With The Christians doing his dirty work for him, his reign soon fell. He died as a prisoner in Anatolia due to insurgents and rebels in his land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sultan Muhammad I, however, came in time to get control re-established. Ottomans 10th Grade :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand the Ottoman Empire is to understand a power mightier than even that of the Roman's. It is a look back at not only boundaries and war, but an entire civilization all of its own. A civilization so advanced that it consumed land from the Danube River in Europe to the Deserts of the Arabian Plains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ottoman power was to be realized in by the first Ottoman leader, Osman. He was one of the few leaders to dear attack the Byzantine Empire. Osman was able to turn nomadic tribes, Arabs, and Persians fleeing the Mongols, into a fierce army of well-trained soldiers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The notoriety of the Ottomans would be felt in 1326. By this point, the raiding of Christians in Above: A portrait during the early 14th century of Osman leading his people to a victory against the Byzantines. The Byzantine lands had led to and escalation of power amongst the Ottomans. It was time to strike directly at the Byzantines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the 1320's - 30's, the Ottomans captured much of the Byzantine lands, leaving all but Constantinople and some lands in Europe. After Osman had led a small kingdom to become an empire, his sons would rule.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To preserve their throne, the Byzantines cut a deal to allow the Ottomans a share of the lands in the Europe. Still, by the campaign against the Byzantines, the Ottomans dealt a great deal of damage to the Christians in the west, and success to the Turks in the east.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ottomans continued to press into Kosovo and Eastern Europe under the control of Murad I. After he exploited the Murad I led the Ottomans to one of their great focal points by capturing land in Europe and conquering the Byzantines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next on the assencion of sultans was Bayazid. He was a sultan with great intentions. With the western lands stable at the moment, it was time to again press into Anatolia (present-day Turkey) and the Arab lands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His attempts, as a Muslim leader, to conquer Muslim lands offended many soldiers in his own ranks. The Christians in Ottoman Europe, who were invaded by Muslims, however, were more than glad to return the favor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With The Christians doing his dirty work for him, his reign soon fell. He died as a prisoner in Anatolia due to insurgents and rebels in his land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sultan Muhammad I, however, came in time to get control re-established.

On Ayer and Sartre’s Philosophical Construct

At the onset of Ayer’s philosophical treatise, he clearly asserted that the absolute means of concluding the common philosophical disputes and cleavages is to elucidate the purpose of what is being asked, and then circumstantiate the property of philosophical enquiry through the utilization of logical constructs.Ayer defines logical construction as â€Å"if we can provide a definition in use showing how to get rid of a term ‘a’ in favor of other terms ‘b’, ‘c’, etc., then we may say that the thing supposedly referred to by ‘a’ is a logical construction out of the things referred to by ‘b’, ‘c’, etc. So, for example, tables are logical constructions out of sense-contents† (Ayer 3), which means that logical construction necessitates a referent of the object being perceive, thus metaphysical context is immaterial. Logical construction is the panacea for providing definitive definition for objects , which is also the ultimate task of philosophy.Logical construction for Ayer lays bare the foundation of proving the invalidity of metaphysics because the transcendent reality of such philosophy does not hold any truth at all, for intuition alone cannot suffice in concretizing that knowledge of it was deduced to man’s intuition and necessitated him to project the transcendent reality.This is a dismal argument for Ayer because it deems that every philosophical enquiry must start first on what the senses perceive. Thus in order for him to establish an argument that will lead to the elimination of metaphysics, as well as its other precepts such as intentionality, behavior and consciousness, Ayer intersperse logical construction in his treatise Language, Truth and Logic.For even if it is the case that the definition of a cardinal number as a class of classes similar to a given class is circular, and it is not possible to reduce mathematical notions to purely logical notions, it will still remain true that the propositions of mathematics are analytic propositions.They will form a special class of analytic propositions, containing special terms, but they will be none the less analytic for that. For the criterion of an analytic proposition is that its validity should follow simply from the definition of the terms contained in it, and this condition is fulfilled by the propositions of pure mathematics.[1]Ayer's counterarguments amount to an attempt to circumvent the intentionality of behavior by recourse to dispositions that can be defined as end-states of self-regulating systems.This is a modernized version of the old physicalist proposal to characterize motives not in terms of an intended meaning but as needs that we measure by organic states. Given this presupposition, we can describe the behavior to be analyzed without reference to the motive; the motive, which is also represented in observable behavior, can be understood as the initial condition in a lawf ul hypothesis and identified as the cause of the motivated behavior.I do not see, however, how the organic states, the needs, or the systemic conditions that represent end-states, thus the motives, are supposed to be describable at all on the level of social action without reference to transmitted meaning.Since, however, the description of motivated behavior itself also implies this meaning, that description cannot be given independently of motive. The proposed distinction between motive for behavior and motivated behavior itself remains problematic.[1] Ayer, A.J., Language, Truth and Logic. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, p. 108.

Do Rules Contribute to a persons happiness

Do Rules Contribute to a Persons Happiness? Rules and regulations. The two words which every child and even many adults hate to hear. When thinking of ‘rules' we think of something which stands in the way of our doing something we may want to. We immediately curse the rule, not thinking in what way it may be helping us. We fervently wish that it never existed, without really being able to comprehend what the world would be like without that rule.What we, as humans, fail to understand, is that rules are made primarily to help us. We may find them annoying, aggravating, and even completely pointless, but they generally help us feel safe and so, happy. Think of everything in our day to day life which we take for granted. Driving in a car, we expect people to stop for us at some point when at an intersection, that's because someone made traffic lights. Speed limits are another important rule which many people find extremely annoying.Think about this, f there were no road regulation s, would you feel comfortable driving? To all the people who see driving as the ultimate freedom, would you feel the same way if you were in constant fear of being killed? Of course not! The same goes for rules against murder, thievery, drugs, sexual abuse, the list never ends. It is because of all these rules that we are free to feel comfortable and happy in our lives. All the rules so far have been rules on an international scale, but even If we look at rules in our own souses they serve the same purpose.Personally, I would always get annoyed when my parents didn't let me have as much ‘Junk food' as I wanted. I would through tantrums and say that ‘now is the best time for me to eat Junk, while I'm still young! ‘ Now, when I think about It, I am extremely glad that my parents controlled me. If I had eaten too much, I could have had severe health Issues, which would have stopped me from doing so many things which I love doing today, Like playing sports, eating out and Just generally enjoying life.Today I am thankful for the rules set down by my parents, because they are a major reason for my happiness. Overall, I truly believe that rules and regulations are extremely Important to a persons happiness. They may not all help you out (though more often than not you may not see how they are helping you), but without them your life would not be nearly as enjoyable as It Is. As Sheldon Cooper (from The Big Bang Theory) says, Without rules, our entire world would descend Into Anarchy, and who wants that!

Me, me me

The child forever reaches and grabs a piece of it before it is destroyed. He runs home and finally after a long day takes a look at what he grabbed. In his hand he holds the Mona Alias's smile. The Lottery – Short Story A small town is gathering to do their lottery Just like they always do. The children are playing and gathering rocks Just like normal and all the families are talking Just Like It Is a normal day In the town. All the pieces of paper for the lottery are In a battered black box and then men come forward and pick a paper without looking at It.As the men go forward, there Is talk about getting rid of the lottery. Some of the other towns have done it already but the old man of the town thinks it is wrong to get rid of it. He has been participating in it for 77 years. Finally, the men all open their pieces of paper only to find one of them has the black dot. Now some of the people are upset while the entire family of the man who has the black dot goes to the front of the town. They all pick pieces of paper from the black box now.The father and the children all pick blank pieces while the mother (Testis) picks the one with the black dot. The town now wastes no time in putting her aside and taking the stones, the hillier have gathered they stone Testis to death. The Interview – Short Story A young man who still lives with his family Is getting ready to go to a Job Interview. His wife who he finds ugly wants him to get the job so they can finally move out of his parents' house. He does not want to move but knows she does. He is happy at home because he has always been given special treatment from his fail.They do not want him to do any hard work and if he does they lecture whoever made him do it. He is nervous about the job and is scared to get it because he is confident that he will not. He never understands the questions in the Job interview and is very intimidated by the bosses. He goes to the job interview but runs away before being int erviewed. He explains how some people are really nice to him like one man who gave him a mango, took him Into the back alley, touched him all over and told him how beautiful he was which was a nice thing to do.Other people get mad at him for not understanding what they are telling him which he writes off, as they must be Jealous of him or something. He heads home happy that he Is not a man who has to sweat for a living. He can go home to a family that takes care of him and loves him. A white man lives among the Indians outside of his homeland. He constantly gets made fun of and hates his Job. One day there is a sudden commotion that an elephant has escaped. He finds out a man has been killed and fiends the elephant outside of the town.The elephant seems calm and he decides not to kill it. He then realizes he has to for there are two thousand Indians watching him. If he do not kill it then he knows he will be made fun of again. He decides to shoot it multiple times until it falls dow n to the ground. He watches the elephant for awhile hoping it will die but then finally trudges off with it still in agony. The element dies thirty minutes later. Some people agree with what he did while others think it was wrong. He hopes people do not realize the whole reason he killed it was so he did not look like a fool.Salvation – Essay A little boy has been told his entire life that when he accepts Jesus he will see a bright light and actually see Jesus. His church is doing a revival and they are now focusing on all the children in the church. They are all brought forward and there is praying, singing and preaching and hollering going on. The children slowly all choose to accept Jesus except him and another robot. The one boy is doing it for no reason while the main character is waiting and waiting until he sees Jesus Just like his aunt told him he would.It never happens and the child finally decides to go forward after a long time Just to get it over with. He is tried of creating such a commotion and wants it to be over. He is crying at the end because he knows he lied to the entire church and now believes that Jesus in not real. The Crack-up – Essay The mental breakdown the author has had in his life. He has tried and tried his entire life to succeed yet still fails at every corner. He then considers his need to succeed and where that need comes from.What makes him want success over failure? His concept of success has come from the world which he knows is corrupt in itself. So technically speaking if the world is corrupt then so is its stance on success. He came to the realization that the goals he has set for himself are really impossible for him to achieve. National Trust – Poem Talks about the relationship between language, place and identity. We see the barriers that have been set in place by the world and how we are victims to a past we cannot forget.Harrison is showing us that because we saw some people as dumb ND below us w e felt as if we could control them. This in fact is wrong and not necessary at all. The Tables Turned – Poem Strictly a poem to criticize how the mind focuses on morals and logical thought. Instead, we should focus on the beauty of life for focusing on the morals and life's ultimate goal is depressing. Tell All the Truth – Poem tell it to twist in our favor, we can voice it in a happier and thoughtful manner or we can be blunt and often hurt the people with our words even though it is the truth.No Coward Soul Is Mine – Poem Explains the struggle with confidence in her life. The narrator shows us her life and how she has succeeded in life only through the confidence she finds in God. Without that she would not be doing what she is doing. Everyone needs to pull his or her confidence from something other than themselves. For the body fails you but God does not. The Enemy – Poem You see someone who holds an ultimate truth dear t them. You believe it is wrong and know that you can never actually be friends with that person.You know they are wrong and then realize you are in the exact same predicament as them. You both hold true to what you believe without giving others a chance to influence your Houghton. The Smile Ray Bradbury Short Story 830-1: Identity & Sense of Self You and â€Å"USA, M † The Lottery Shirley Jackson Short Story 830-2: Truth Science Fiction & Justice Inside Stories for Senior Students â€Å"USA, F † The Interview Ruth Prater Cabala Short Story 830-1: Human Qualities & Ideals â€Å"Other Voices, Other Vistas; Responding to Literature: World† â€Å"Germany/Linda, M† National Trust T.Harrison Poem 830-2: Truth & Justice Border Lines â€Å"England, M † The Tables Turned William Wordsmith Poem 830-2: Truth & Justice Literature and Language: English and World â€Å"England, M † Tell All the Truth Emily Dickinson Poem 830-2: Truth & Justice Literature in English â€Å"USA, F † No Coward Soul Is Mine Emily Bronco Poem 830-1: Human Qualities & Ideals Broadside Anthology of Poetry â€Å"England, F † The Enemy P. Nursed Poem 830-1: Identity & Sense of Self Literature and Language: English and World â€Å"Chile, M † The Crack-up F.Scott Fitzgerald Essay 830-1: Identity & Sense of Self Art of the Personal Essay â€Å"USA, M † Shooting an Elephant George Orwell Essay 830-1: Human Qualities & Ideals Broadside Reader â€Å"England, M † Salvation Longboats Hughes Essay 830-1 : Human Qualities & Ideals 75 Readings Plus LISA, M † Theme is something any author can relate too. Everything that is written has a theme of some sort, no matter who wrote it or where it came from. A poem could have been written in Canada or an essay in England yet still have the same theme.A story could still have the same moral guideline of a poem but be written by different same time on opposite sides of the world without the authors ever hearing about ea ch other's work while still being very similar. The purpose of this paper is take a look at writings from across the globe with multiple themes and to see how much these relate to each other. The theme Truth & Justice make us look deep into ourselves to see what we truly believe in. Do we believe in a moral code that governs us all or are we subject to change our morals Just like the wind changes direction?The short story, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson from the United States of America, shows us an unjust system of the past that has stuck around years longer than it ever should have. We watch as people mention how it is wrong to stone someone yet do not take steps in stopping what is happening. Showing us how peer pressure can have such a huge impact on what we decide is truth and Justice. If everyone calls for a decision we decide that is the new truth and the new Justice. In the poem, National Trust by T. Harrison from England, we are shown a new form of truth, one that seems to be forgotten.We need to realize truth and Justice are things in our past and future, not Just in the present. We cannot forget where we have come from otherwise we will not be able to get where we are going. Now in the same theme but a different concept we see William Wordsmith author of the poem The Tables Turned describe a situation where it is better to be out in life then to stay in and read explain that to sit back and Just listen n itself is wrong. It is a corrupt use of your time to not do anything while the world around you is changing.In the poem Tell All the Truth by Emily Dickinson we are able to see another corrupt thought on truth. We can always spin the truth to benefit ourselves but does it stay the truth or has it now become something different? We can spin it to benefit others in kindness or tell it bluntly, which hurts people. In The Interview by Ruth Para we witness a new theme of Human Qualities and Ideals. Confidence is something that falls short in this generat ion and in this story. A man who cannot choose for himself to live on his own and succeed in life is viewed as a failure.But if we see these people as failures and remind them of that will they ever change? Unlike the Interview in the poem No Coward Soul Is Mine by Emily Bronze from England, projects self-confidence in how she lives her life. Even though she had a rough time becoming an adult, she still refused to give up. She shows us her struggle and explains how she found God in all of this who is now her confidence. She has so much confidence there is now no room in her for fear of death. Now in the essay â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† by George Orwell we see a shift in thought.We see that if you do not have the confidence you need to stand alone then you make mistakes. Peer pressure cannot move mountains but it can move mountains of people. If you are not confident in who you are then your choices are influenced more by those around you then your own thought process. We mak e choices to fit in with culture, when we do this; we normally lose satisfaction with ourselves. We experience the exact same situation in the essay Salvation by Longboats Hughes. When pressured by people to make a decision you can either stand firm in hat you know or choose to change what you know.Either way a decision is always made. When forced into a decision though you feel like you betrayed yourself Just like the child feels he betrayed everyone around him by â€Å"saying yes to Jesus†. The ability to stand out even when it is tough to do so. We see that it can be worth going through the hardship of being different. When you are faced with a hard decision to make the right decision is not always, what everyone else is choosing. We are given a situation in this poem where a boy needs to choose against what all of the adults are choosing.He needs to believe in himself and what he finds beauty in the make the decision that he does. In the poem The Enemy by Pablo Neared, we see the same theme but with a new view of life come from it. We now see the dangers of having an ultimate truth that we hold too without thoughts as to how it could be wrong. We are shown that when you put your identity in a truth like this you will make enemies that believe in different options. The choice then become are you going to hold to your truth and keep an enemy or will you reevaluate what you believe to be sure that you are in fact right about this topic.Just like an atheist and a Christian have a hard time connecting on a personal level so do others who have ultimate truths. Now in an essay written by F. Scott Fitzgerald called â€Å"The Crack Up† we are privileged to witness once again a new version of the same theme. We see that identity is also shaped by our accomplishments and our failures. A seriously depressing essay but yet one of truth without fear of being who you are. This ultimately shows us we are to be confident in who we are and even though we don't always enjoy it we are still going to be okay in the end.

Consumer Culture Is Central to Understanding Contemporary Identities Essay

As the title suggests, this essay is going to discuss, to what extent does consumer culture affect contemporary identities. In today’s society consumer culture is everywhere and we would probably not be able to survive without it. It became such an important part of our lives that some people even build their carrier around it. Most businesses in modern societies, all around the world work as successfully as they do, simply because people became consumers and they buy their products. This essay is first going to look at why this change of attitude occurred and how exactly it brought about consumer culture. This will lead us onto how exactly consumer culture works and how it affects consumers. To answer the question fully, we will also look at the two view points on this matter. First we are going to discuss arguments which support the view that consumer culture creates modern identities. Secondly, arguments supporting the view that consumer culture is far less important than in the development of one’s identity. Before the question itself is addressed, some background needs to be drawn about this issue. To be objective about this matter, it should be pointed out straight away that consumer culture is not the key aspect affecting contemporary identities. There is one very simple explanation to why this is true. Humans have been around for a much longer period of time than consumer culture and were successfully developing their identities even before consumer culture came about. Therefore it is definitely true that in the past, there were other things creating our identities sufficiently enough. The definition of identity which Jodi Davis finds the most fitting is â€Å"My identity is determined by a complex mix of thingsâ€Å". The question however concentrates on contemporary identities. So is it possible that consumer culture managed to take over the power of all the other aspects of the creation of identity in the past 200 years? Some believe that the answer to that question is yes. In fact, Bauman argues that â€Å"The roads to self-identity, to a place in society, to a life in a form recognisable as that of meaningful living, all require daily visits to the market place†. Similarly, Featherstone states that â€Å"criteria for the good life revolve around the desire to enlarge one’s self, the quests for new tastes, and sensations, to explore more and more possibilities†. (Featherstone, pg 67) Therefore many people would be happy to say that in today’s society, consumer culture has an enormous effect on our identities. To some extent, this is true. Jagger even believes that â€Å"we become what we consume†. (Jagger, pg 45) To explain why this is true, the term â€Å"floating signifiers† needs to be explained. It refers to the fact that these days, all products and brands have a certain meaning/story behind them. People buy them because of these images they carry with them, rather than the actual use of the product. This leads us to the use vs. exchange value question. It could be argued that this was one of the main changes which caused consumerism to expand so much. Basically Use vs. Exchange conflict refers to the fact that at a certain point, people stopped buying goods for their use value and started buying them for their exchange value. Material goods are used as communicators, not utilities. (Featherstone, pg 84) Today, consumerism has reached such level of success, that people no longer buy things because they need them, but because they like this image that products give them. â€Å"Consumption, then, must not be understood as the consumption of use-values, a material utility but primarily as consumption of signs. †(Featherstone, pg 85) This way, the things we buy, create our identity, because people judge us based on what the products we use say about us. In today’s society of strangers, it is the only way to judge a person at the first sight. So for example if someone was to drive a Ferrari, people would think of him as a successful individual. This assumption would be based on the fact that to be able to afford this kind of car, the individual must be very rich. Also the brand itself gives him the image of a young successful man. This shows that automatically, without even speaking to people or getting to know them, they already judge us based on our appearance. Obviously we all want to be liked and accepted by others so we try to fulfil their expectations of us. We attempt to â€Å"live up to (but not above) the standards attached to the ‘social category’ into which we were born†. (Bauman, pg 27) These standards are also however determined by the media. Beauty ideals are set by TV, commercials and celebrities. They determine what’s â€Å"cool† and what isn’t. For example celebrities often act as beauty idols, so many women strive to look like them. This inner need to ulfil society’s expectation forces them to buy products which promise to make them look like a celebrity. Whoever does not at least attempt to fit in within these standards, or even worse, tries to do the opposite, might be stigmatised for it. For example over the past 80 years, it became very popular for women to shave their legs. It became so popular that nowadays, women who don’t do it are usually highly stigmatised. This all roots in consumerism, because the initial reason why it became popular was to force people to spend money on razors- which were until then unnecessary. Trying to fulfil these expectations creates our identity in a way. In most cases consumption of goods only affects our external identity but in some extreme cases it may even start to affect one’s internal identity. For example certain brands portray certain groups of people. So if one was to shop at Gucci or Chanel, one is expected to act a certain way. These brands carry the image of a very traditional, well behaved and upper class individual. So anyone wearing Gucci or Chanel strives to live up to the standards of these brands. That way one is already is changing his behaviour as well as his appearance, which is affecting not only his/hers external, but also internal identity. So really, when we think about it, the identity other people think we have, judging by our appearance, is very artificial and fake. This is because it is only created by the products we use, not by us ourselves. But then again, we choose which products to buy and it is us who decides how to look for other people so whatever we wear or look like, it is a bit personalized by our taste and other choices we make. Campbell brings up an interesting point in his book. He says that consumer culture develops our identity because since there is now such an enormous choice of products, it gives consumers opportunity to define their taste. They are able to decide what they like and what not. Also, since shopping malls are so anonymous, customers can try on anything they like, just to see how that â€Å"role† would fit them. This also helps them to find the image of themselves which they want to portray to other people. (Campbell, pg 159) However others believe that consumer culture is far less important than other factors in the development of one’s identity. Jodi Davis divides identity into external and internal. External is â€Å"cultural classifications (nationality, race, religion and gender) as well as societal characterizations (family, career, and position or title)†. Whereas internal is â€Å"natural gifts, strengths, capabilities; the intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual characteristics that comprise our uniqueness and innate talents and abilities; our basic orientation toward the world around us, our learning styles, how we process and organize information, and other predisposed tendencies and characteristicsâ€Å". Davis, pg 7) As we can see, there are a lot of things which define a person’s identity. And we were to look at them individually; we would notice that we were actually already born with most of the crucial aspects of our identity and therefore are not able to change them. Our appearance is one of the very few aspects of our identity, which one can alternate. Therefore if a person is not happy with his overall identity, one of the few ways in which he can change it is through consumerism. In fact consumerism and advertising often aim to make the customer feel like this. As the ads intimidated that anything natural about the customer was worthless or deplorable, and tried to make him schizophrenically self conscious of that notion, they offered weapons by which people could eclipse themselves†. (Ewen, pg 48) If a person dresses a certain way and uses certain products, he may be able to convince some people that he fits the standards set by media. As mentioned before, this is thanks to the fact that every product we buy tells people something about us. The image the product portrays might not be true, but just the fact that a person uses that product makes people believe it. Even though the second part of this essay attempts to support the idea that there are other factors affecting contemporary identities more than consumer culture, we should not forget its importance. The fact that consumer culture helps us to change the only changeable part of our identity makes it, in my opinion, even more crucial. Consumer culture is actually very significant when it comes to understanding contemporary identities. It is its products, which create the image we try to portray to other people and that way fit into society.