Democracy An Essential Goal Of Any Political Institution

I. Introduction Democracy has been familiarized as being the essential goal of any political institution. A government system modeled of the people, by the people and for the people is a highly attractive concept to most developing states that suffer from governments that still control the lives of its citizens. However, such states struggle to enable the process of formally consolidating their government. That is to say, despite many developing nations adapting the idea of democracy, they still face challenges that prevent them from being recognized as a democratic state. In fact, very few â€Å"new democratic† nations are believed to have a strong and secure system, leaving others to be viewed as only â€Å"condemned’† to remain democratic† while they â€Å"muddle through as ‘unconsolidated democracies’† (Diamond, 1997, p. 47). Where societies expected a state with increased individual liberty, protection from abuse of power, new economic and politica l opportunities, they instead encountered a poorly institutionalized regime lacking traits of good governance. A variety of arguments are provided to explain why such nations struggle to mirror the western states in the promotion of democracy. Of these many issues, political corruption is deemed to be a leading cause to why democratic consolidation remains elusive in most developing countries. Corruption plays a staggering role in stalling democratic consolidation in a number of ways. High levels of corruption are evidently associated withShow MoreRelatedAthenian Demokratia Essay1672 Words   |  7 Pagesrelatively radical form of government for the time known as democracy (Hyland Lecture, 26/09/2013). 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While there are many important institutions mentioned but he authors, three essential components of American democracy are separation of powers, the sizeRead MoreThe Revolution Of A Successful Political Revolution1389 Words   |  6 Pagesthere has been various attempts to have a political revolution to form a society built through democracy. In some cases, like the United States, the challenge to build a function ing society through democracy has been successful. Yet, in the case of the French Revolution for democracy, the result was near disastrous. So what separated these two nations in their conquest for a successful political revolution? The answer lies within the structures and institutions established by the United States foundingRead MoreThe Democracy : New Developments1405 Words   |  6 Pages2.3 Deliberative democracy: new developments As research done within the area of deliberative democracy, and deliberation in general, is still ongoing, this study relies on a newer approach to deliberative democracy mainly inspired by Dryzek (2010). According to Dryzek (2010), â€Å"a system can be said to possess deliberative capacity to the degree it has structures to accommodate deliberation that is authentic, inclusive and consequential†[emphasis in original] (Dryzek, 2010, p. 10). More specificallyRead MoreTerrorism : Terrorism And Terrorism1626 Words   |  7 Pagesindiscriminate violence as means to create terror, or fear, to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim (Fortna).† Although there is no formal definition of terrorism, we typically associate the words terrorism and terrorists with acts of violence that are used unlawfully to intimidate in pursuance of political gain. Terrorists do not act at random, but rather use violence to maximize on fear and publicity with a specific goal in mind. W e see the rise of terrorism in states that have disorderRead MoreDemocratization And Afghanist Changes Essay1412 Words   |  6 PagesDemocratization and Afghanistan: Changes Needed to Stabilize Afghan Democracy Executive Summary: In 2001, the Bonn agreement laid out the framework for a democracy in Afghanistan, however, the transition to democracy has been met with many challenges. The establishment of a bicameral legislature, popularly elected president, and the restoration of civil liberties showed hope for democratization, but the institutions established in the country fail to provide the stability needed for Afghanistan toRead MoreCitizenship And Democracy Of The Classrooms : A Need For Soledad s Society Essay1524 Words   |  7 PagesCitizenship and Democracy in the Classrooms: A Need for Soledad’s Society Purposes aligned to linguistic competences as a base for the development of skills in the foreign language are usually found as the goals in English language syllabuses especially in Colombian public schools. However, this linguistic emphasis has not contributed as expected for the consolidation of an awareness on the helpfulness of the learning of the English language in communities affected by problematic social phenomenonRead MoreChallenges of Good Governance in Pakistan1310 Words   |  6 PagesSuch basic facts are underscoring the credibility of political stability and result in weakening economic structure. Uprising poverty, continuous descending literacy rate and torture in society are playing proactive role in undermining the writ of the government. The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first objective ----- JEFERSON Growth of political middle class, progress in private sector, civil societyRead MorePublic Goods And Social Expenditure1218 Words   |  5 PagesSocial Expenditure In politics, there are many ways that people identify themselves in society. These are broken down into two main categories: ethnic and national identity. Ethnic identity is a group’s specific characteristics or societal institutions that make the group culturally different from others. Ethnic identities are often based on customs, language, geographic locations, history, race, religion, and many other factors. People do not choose their ethnicities, they are born into themRead MoreA Steady Retreat from Democracy and a Growing Involvement in the European Union1692 Words   |  7 PagesA Steady Retreat from Democracy and a Growing Involvement in the European Union Heywood (2002) defines the ‘European idea’ as the belief that Europe ‘constitutes a single political community’ with shared objectives and difficulties despite its historical, linguistic and cultural differences. In the 20th century the European community essentially concerned itself with defence, peace keeping, and economic progress partly in response to the devastation caused by the Second

Who Are the Brahmins in the Indian Caste System

A Brahmin is a member of the highest caste or varna in Hinduism. The Brahmins are the caste from which Hindu priests are drawn, and are responsible for teaching and maintaining sacred knowledge. The other major castes, from highest to lowest, are the Kshatriya (warriors and princes), Vaisya (farmers or merchants), and Shudra (servants and sharecroppers). History of the Brahmin Caste Interestingly, the Brahmins only show up in the historical record around the time of the Gupta Empire, which ruled from the 4th to the 6th century CE. This does not mean that they did not exist prior to that time, however. The early Vedic writings do not provide much by way of historical detail, even on such apparently important questions as who are the priests in this religious tradition? It seems likely that the caste and its priestly duties developed gradually over time, and probably were in place in some form long before the Gupta era. The caste system has evidently been more flexible, in terms of appropriate work for Brahmins, than one might expect.  Records from the classical and medieval periods in India mention men of the Brahmin class performing work other than carrying out priestly duties or teaching about religion. For example, some were warriors, merchants, architects, carpet-makers, and even farmers.   As late as the reign of the Maratha Dynasty, in the 1600s to 1800s CE, members of the Brahmin caste served as government administrators and military leaders, occupations more typically associated with the Kshatriya. Interestingly, the Muslim rulers of the Mughal Dynasty (1526 - 1857) also employed Brahmins as advisors and government officials, as did the British Raj in India (1857 - 1947). In fact, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of modern India, was also a member of the Brahmin caste. The Brahmin Caste Today Today, the Brahmins comprise about 5% of the total population of India.  Traditionally, male Brahmins performed priestly services, but they may also work in jobs associated with lower castes. Indeed, occupational surveys of Brahmin families in the 20th century found that less than 10% of adult male Brahmins actually worked as priests or Vedic teachers.   As in earlier times, most Brahmins actually made their living from work associated with the lower castes, including agriculture, stone-cutting, or working in the service industries. In some cases, such work precludes the Brahmin in question from carrying out priestly duties, however. For example, a Brahmin who begins farming (not only as an absentee land-owner, but actually tilling the land himself) may be considered ritually contaminated, and can be barred from later entering the priesthood. Nonetheless, the traditional association between the Brahmin caste and priestly duties remains strong. Brahmins study the religious texts, such as the Vedas and the Puranas, and teach members of other castes about the holy books. They also perform temple ceremonies and officiate at weddings and other important occasions. Traditionally, the Brahmins served as the spiritual guides and teachers of the Kshatriya princes and warriors, preaching to the political and military elites about the dharma, but today they perform ceremonies for Hindus from all of the lower castes. Activities that are forbidden to Brahmins according to the Manusmriti  include making weapons, butchering animals, making or selling poisons, trapping wildlife, and other jobs associated with death. Brahmins are vegetarian, in keeping with Hindu beliefs in reincarnation. However, some do consume milk products or fish, particularly in mountainous or desert areas where produce is scarce. The six proper activities, ranked from the highest to the lowest, are teaching, studying the Vedas, offering ritual sacrifices, officiating at rituals for others, giving gifts, and accepting gifts. Pronunciation: BRAH-mihn Alternate Spellings: Brahman, Brahmana Examples: Some people believe that the Buddha himself, Siddharta Gautama, was a member of a Brahmin family. This may be true; however, his father was a king, which usually aligns with the Kshatriya (warrior/prince) caste instead.

Research Paper Mark Twain Free Essays

Isabella Thomaz Donna Hunter – Period 2 Research Paper – Mark Twain October 26, 2012 MARK TWAIN: A REMARKABLE MAN WHO PAINTED THE WORLD â€Å"Classic’ – a book which people praise and don’t read. † When Samuel L. Clemens (more often referred to as Mark Twain) said this, he meant it in a humorous sense, but he also wanted people to understand it’s meaning. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper Mark Twain or any similar topic only for you Order Now People call books like Huck Finn and Gatsby classics, yet the idea that these books are actually read by everyone isn’t so. Twain isn’t just a classical writer because we deem him so, he is given that title for the political influence he managed to present to his readers. He wanted to show that the idea of romanticism was healthy for young children unless used excessively. He expressed this point by creating Tom Sawyer, a boy who idolized romanticism; a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual. And to have a balancing opposite, Huckleberry Finn was added into the equation – a boy who had no education but grew up both mentally and physically quickly because of his poverty. Twain’s idea of this political influence was a major impact on the people in his time because of the segregation of the whites and blacks – which was such a very big issue in that time with protests and such – and so his views were very democratic. We still value his influence today, not just because of the slavery issue but because of the controversy between romantic dominance and peaceful intelligence, romanticism having a more imaginative effect and intelligence striking your knowledge and building it on facts. That is why The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are meant for different aged readers – to impact a certain influence at a younger age when you read Tom’s story which is widely more imaginative, and to see the change of Twain’s attempt to get his point across of romanticism being unhealthy for people like Tom in Huck’s story. At the beginning of Huck’s story, there is a robber’s scene where the two boys and their friends try and create an environment such as in a wild west book and it is told in both boys’ perspectives, however they are viewed or seen entirely differently. William F. Byrne descbribes it as a change in Huck and Tom’s characters from the Adventures of Tom Sawyer to the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because where Tom describes them, â€Å"We ain’t burglars. That ain’t no sort of style. We are highwaymen. We stop stages and carriages on the road, with masks on, and kill the people and take their watches and money. † (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: 26-28) Huck chooses to call themselves robbers, and eliminate the imagination by saying that they don’t kill people and that he was only in it for the profit, to which he found none. And then as Byrne points out, â€Å" In the earlier book Huck was the odd man out on issues of the imagination; the other boys welcomed the opportunity to share Tom’s dreams. In this case, however, we are told that all the boys resigned; it is Tom who is the odd man out. The other boys are perhaps getting too old for this kind of imaginative play, but not Tom. He alone remains determined to re-enact the kinds of dramatic events he has read about in fiction. † (Byrne, William F. Things have changed in the boys life and this is how Twain begins to reveal his controversial conflicts with romantic imagination in both Tom and Huck’s stories. A further demonstration of Twain’s political implications is Huck’s response to both Tom’s and the ‘duke’ and ‘dauphin’s’ (two men who happen to hop onto Huck’s raft with Jim, an escaped slave) dominance of being in charge. Huck, in order to prevent quarrels and maintain peace. He allows them to take charge and does whatever they say. The only difference between Tom’s dominance and the two men who hop on Jim and Huck’s raft is that Huck only follows Tom because he offered the poverty-stricken boy friendship. Also Tom’s fascination with romantic imaginations entertains Huck because it is the only bit of boyish quality he can attain to. The ‘duke’ and ‘dauphin’ have a sense of charge to the point that Huck actually has no say in the matter because even though he has grown up and craves more to the understanding of real-world problems, he is but a boy and Jim is an escaped slave. But there is something more Twain included to Huck’s behavior, and this is that because of his father’s physical dominance, he has shriveled into a sheep. He naturally allows himself to be put below someone else. â€Å"The silent assertion that nothing is going on which fair and intelligent men are aware of and are engaged by their duty to try to stop. † (Mark Twain) Twain’s words describe Huck’s form of character simply and this is a fascinating idea that Twain uses to distinguish Huck’s realism to Tom’s romanticism cognitive thinking. Twain shows how people have become so much more involved in romanticism imagination without even knowing it. The technological advances in society drive man to a more dominant state of mind and that men value their strive for dominant success over things like a family member’s death. He uses the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons, two families and neighbors with an ongoing feud that causes conflicts with the family members who want nothing to do with it, feud to express this for example when one from each family secretly gets married and this causes a battle that inevitably kills Huck’s friend, Buck. This is an influential topic more to present day society than from his time because everywhere you look, mankind is fighting with each other and we relentlessly regard what should be valued over money and political problems – our family’s well being and to look around our crumbling society that can only be reconstructed by everyone dropping their arms and helping one another out to become one with peace without having to give in to a dominant force as Huck Finn has allowed to be done to him. There is definitely a classical sense about Mark Twain, but it is not because someone just says ‘Oh hey this guy is a really good writer,’ it is a remarkable sense because he has a very powerful and political influence that was seen both in his time and ours, specifically with his books Tom Saywer and Huck Finn. Even if they are different. I believe his influence will continue to strive forward because if it’s one thing he made distinct, a part of mankind will always strive for dominance and those who see it and want to solve real-world problems will likely be the sheep created by physically dominated men like Huckleberry Finn. But they won’t be alone. Because as Twain influence reaches more and more sheep, they will become the lions and end the dominant strive and will maintain peace through equality. Works Cited: – Marshall, Donald G. â€Å"Twain, Mark. † World Book Student. World Book, 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. – Foner, Eric, and John A. Garraty. â€Å"Twain, Mark. † The Reader’s Companion to American History. Dec. 1 1991: n. p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Oct 2012. – â€Å"Mark Twain. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Oct. 012. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. . – â€Å"Twain, Mark (1835-1910). † The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Abington: Helicon, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 28 October 2012. – Byrne, William F,. â€Å"Realism, Romanticism, and Politics in Mark Twain. † Realism, Romanticism, and Politics in Mark Twain. National Humanities Institute, 1 Nov. 1999. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. . – T wain, Mark. â€Å"Chapter 4. † Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Random House, 1996. 26-28. Print. How to cite Research Paper Mark Twain, Essays

Hercules 12 Labors Of Hercules Essay Research free essay sample

Heracless: 12 Labors Of Hercules Essay, Research Paper Heracless: 12 Labors of Heracless Heracless, in Greek mythology, was a hero known for his strength and bravery and for his legendary escapades. Hercules is the Roman name for the Grecian hero Heracles. He was the boy of the God Zeus and a human female parent Alcmene, married woman of the Theban general Amphitryon. Hera, Zeus # 8217 ; covetous married woman, was determined to kill Hercules, and after Hercules was born, she sent two great snakes to kill him. Heracless, while he was still a babe, strangled the serpents. Heracless conquered a folk that had been demanding money from Thebes. As a wages, he was given the manus in matrimony of the Theben princess Megara and they had three kids. Here, still filled hatred of Hercules, sent him into lunacy, which made him kill his married woman and kids. In horror and compunction at what he did, Hercules was about to kill himself. But he was told by the prophet at Delphi that he should purge himself by going the retainer of his cousin Eurystheus, male monarch of Mycenae. Eurystheus, urged by Hera, planned as a penalty the 12 impossible undertakings, the # 8220 ; Labors of Hercules. # 8221 ; The Twelve Labors The first undertaking was to kill the king of beasts of Nemea, a king of beasts that could non be hurt by any arm. Hercules knocked out the king of beasts with his nine foremost, so he strangled it to decease. He wore the tegument of the king of beasts as a cloak and the caput of the king of beasts as a helmet, a trophy of his escapade. The 2nd undertaking was to kill the Hydra that lived in a swamp in Lerna. The Hydra had nine caputs. One caput was immortal and when one of the others was chopped off, two grew back in its topographic point. Cancer, one of the Hydra # 8217 ; s guards, spot Heracless on the pes when he came nigh, and was crushed by Hercules, but she was rescued by Hera. Hercules scorched each mortal cervix with a firing torch to prevent it from turning two caputs and he buried the immortal caput under a stone. He so dipped his pointers in the Hydra # 8217 ; s blood to do them toxicant. Hercules # 8217 ; following labour is to capture alive a hart with aureate horns and bronze hoofs that was sacred to Artemis, goddess of the Hunt. The 4th labour was to capture a great Sus scrofa in Mount Erymanthus. Heracless used the toxicant arrows with the Hydra # 8217 ; s blood to hit at the Erymanthian Sus scrofa. One of the toxicant arrows wounded Hercules # 8217 ; friend Cheiron, an immortal centaur, half-horse and half-man. Cheiron feared the toxicant pointer would injury him for infinity, but Zeus rewarded him for his service to the Gods by altering him to Sagittarius the Archer. The Sus scrofa got killed by the pointers. In the 5th labour, Hercules had to clean up in one twenty-four hours the 30 old ages of crud left by 1000s of cowss in the stallss of king Augeas. He turns the watercourses of two rivers, doing them flux through the stallss. For the following labour, Hercules has to drive off immense flocks of man-eating birds with bronze beaks, claws, and wings that lived near Lake Stymphalus. He hit them with toxicant pointers and killed them. The 7th labour was to capture the man-eating female horses of Diomedes, king of Thrace. To convey back the man-eating female horses, Hercules killed king Diomedes, so drove the mom RESs to Mycenae. For the 9th labour, Hercules needed the girdle of Queen Hippolyta. Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, was willing to assist Hercules with the 9th labour. When she was approximately to give Hercules her girdle, which Eurystheus wanted for his girl, Hera made Hippolyta # 8217 ; s forces believe that Hercules was seeking to kidnap the queen. Hercules killed Hippolyta, believing that she ordered the onslaught, and escaped the Amazon with the girdle. On his manner to the island of Erythia to capture the cattle of the three headed monster Geryon, Hercules set up two great stones, the mountains Gibraltar and Ceuta, which now flank the Straight of Gibraltar, as a commemoration of his journey of capturing the cattle. The 11th labour was to steal the aureate apples of Hesperides, the girl of Atlas and hubby of Hesperus. The apples grew in the garden of Hesperides, which is in the western border of the universe, beyond the Island of Hyperborea and on the boundary line of Ocean. The garden is guarded by Ladon, the firedrake with 100 caputs. The apples were really of import because they were grown by Mother Earth as a nuptials nowadays for Hera and Zeus. Hercules reached Ocean and found Atlas keeping up the sky. Hercules offered to keep the sky while Atlas killed Ladon and got the apples. But Atlas was tired of keeping the sky and told Heracless that he might go on keeping it. Hercules pretended to hold but said the weight of the sky was aching his shoulders and asked Atlas to take over for a piece so he could do tablets to protect his shoulders. When Atlas took over, he took the aureate apples. Subsequently he gave the apples to Athena, who returned them to Atlantidess. The 12th and most hard labour was to convey back Cerberus, the three- headed Canis familiaris, from the underworld. Hades, Godhead of the underworld, allowed Heracless to take Hellhound if he used no arms. Heracless captured Cerberus, brought him to Mycenae, and so carried him back to Hades, hence, finishing the Twelve Labors. After finishing the Twelve Labors, Hercules fought Antaeus, boy of the sea God Poseidon, for the manus of Deianira. As he was taking her place, the centaur Nessus attacked Deianira. Hercules wounded him with an pointer poisoned in the blood of the Hydra. The deceasing centaur told Deianira to take some of his blood, which he said was a powerful love appeal and anyone have oning vesture with his blood rubbed on it will love her forever. The centaur # 8217 ; s blood was really a toxicant. Old ages subsequently, Hercules fell in love with Iole, girl of Eurytus, king of Oechalia. Deianira found out about Iole and sent Hercules a adventitia with the blood of Nessus. When Hercules put on the adventitia, the hurting caused by the toxicant was so great that he killed himself and was placed on a funeral pyre on Mt. Oeta. Heracless went to heaven, where he was approved by Hera and married to Hebe, goddess of young person. Hercules was worshipped by the Greeks as both a God and a mortal hero. In Italy, he was worshipped as a God of merchandisers and bargainers, although others prayed to him for deliverance from danger or good fortune. The most celebrated statue of Heracless is in the National Museum in Naples.