Political cultures of texas Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Political cultures of texas - Research Paper Example This culture establishes the outer boundary of all the possibilities within the political dominion. According to ‘Texas Politics, today’ (Maxwell et al., pp. 20-39), the political culture of Texas consists of three sub-cultures: traditional, individualistic, and moralistic. The individualistic culture stresses minimum government intervention that should be limited to safeguarding individual rights while other social and political relationships should be upon private sector. One the other hand, moralistic political culture urges government intervention in social and economic matters for the well-being of the people and general welfare. Traditional subculture, however, has a different viewpoint. It states that since the political power lies in the hands of the dominating or elite group therefore role of the government should be limited to maintaining the social order and tradition. The traditional subculture dominates in East Texas while other subcultures dominate in the r est of Texas. The political culture and philosophy is elaborated under three philosophical streams: classical liberalism, social conservation, and populism. Firstly, Classical liberalism’ focus is to place political value on political measures which helps an individual to exercise full liberty until and unless others are not limited by it. It often forms opposition to the use of the government to attain social goals. They press for the market forces or private motives to provide the best outcome. Moreover, historically Texas also supported religious acceptance for civil liberties for both individualism and entrepreneurship. One of the classic examples of reputation in Texas is H. Ross Perot (political candidate and rich businessperson). Other examples also include Willie Nelson and several Texans who disobeyed social values, rejected the acceptance of race and gender like Barbara Jordan (Maxwell et al., pp. 23-25). Social conservatism came out of classical conservatism viewed liberalism with distrust and appreciated traditional hierarchical social relations. This has rooted in feudal English and European thinking. Moreover, in contemporary forms, the idea of government intervention to reinforce social relations is very well substantiated by the social conservatives. They value traditional practices such as religious beliefs and respect traditional authorities, which can include business or religious leaders. While on the other hand, socially conservatism continues to influence within Democratic Party since decades although their ideology is under the ideas of Republican Party. Populism, the third category, is concerned with well being of ordinary people and has both political and social dimensions. Popular will is the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong in political position. The idea of Populism supports government politically in managing society and the economy. Populism depends on the style and rhetorical appeal to its audience rather than on the content of the policies of the political candidates. Populism can also take socially conservative forms in its support to the political leader. Thus, populism has different positions to support, which depend on the context. Moreover, it ignores the traditional views

The Value of Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 84

The Value of Philosophy - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that the knowledge it aims at is the kind of knowledge which gives unity and system to the body of science, and the one which results from a critical examination of the grounds of our conviction, prejudices, and beliefs. As the study outlines there has been widespread concern that philosophy as a field is shrouded in a great deal of doubt, and therefore, pursuit of knowledge along a path that is not so clear becomes an exercise in futility. However, the reporter should point out that although we might seek â€Å"veritable† answers, these answers are mostly subject to other constraints like customs and beliefs, opinions and inclinations among others, and therefore, â€Å"right† answers may be rendered not very certain in their truth when subjected to the criterion of proof. Thus, as stated in Russell’s work, the uncertainty of philosophy is largely more apparent than real. He admits that several questions, like ones pertaining to spiritual life whose comprehension are beyond the human intellect. To reinforce this view of state of affairs, J. L. Mackie in his work says that the theologian â€Å"must now be prepared to believe, not merely what cannot be proved, but what can be disp roved from other believes he also holds†¦ this is because the theologian can maintain his position as a whole only by a much more rejection of reason.†

THE PERIPATOS COULD NOT HAVE LOOKED LIKE THAT, AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL Research Paper

THE PERIPATOS COULD NOT HAVE LOOKED LIKE THAT, AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FROM STUDENT GAME DESIGN - - Research Paper Example Nonetheless, the current approach to learning among youngsters is highly related with the use of technology, unlike the learners of the previous century who rarely had the opportunity to see, let alone use computer technology in their studies. Individuals who can flash memories of popular tunes or feel the impact of cutting edge technologies in entertainment have undoubtedly been accustomed to the use of â€Å"video games,† though in different ways. As a result they have transformed memories of significant social events in history remain etched on the minds of the viewers and consumers. Videogames offer an innovative sense of conventions, which are inevitably being assimilated at a very high speed by children in their early childhood (Shelton, & Wiley, 2007). Their mental development would definitely mature faster to reflect what is presented in the video games, just as the perception of the current geriatrics were influenced by the advent of television toward the mid-twentieth century. The current technological innovation is more complex than the advent of television, however. With video games, children are set to gain more cognitive skills in their attempt to not only become well-conversant with playing the game, but in identifying what actually make the games tick. As a result, current crop of children will be screen manipulators rather than screen watchers. The combination of educational material to entertainment content or edutainment has been well taken care of under videogames. The current generation of learners has already triggered the development of a persuasive, attractive and entertaining mode of education. According to Shelton and Wiley (2007) if the learning facilities and classrooms in particular were to lack entertainment tools, children would not learn as well. Some would be reluctant to stay in school or concentrate in class for

Criminological Theories A comparison Between Control Theories and Essay

Criminological Theories A comparison Between Control Theories and Scocial control Theories of Crime - Essay Example The social control they describe is not through Laws, but through Beliefs and societal Norms. However, these norms could later evolve into Laws, ethics, Etiquettes and Customs . The Control is effected through establishing conformity and compliance to these norms. SOCIAL CONTROL THEORIES are viewed along two perspectives. The Macro social and Micro social perspectives . The Macro Social Perspective examines the Formal Control Systems which include the Legal systems, Law enforcers, lobbies which influence laws, which exercise control over the society. Micro Social Perspective, studies the INFORMAL control systems. exercised by Families, religious and educational institution and peer groups. This Informal control manifests as Bonding ,Re Integrative Shaming, Attachment, and Learning through Role Models. The control theories focus on a person's Relationship to their parents, teachers, parish priests and coaches who act as agents of socialization -.A child's Effective interaction with these agents translates into bonds with society.(Hirschi1960) Control Theories study the internalization of Moral codes and the stakes and ties in the community the individuals develops, which make them to voluntarily limit their deviant behaviour.These are Informal controls exercised by social and familial bonds. It is more a "self concept". The most influential among the Control Theories are, John Bolwlby 's Attachment Theory, Travis Hirschi's Social Bonds Theory , the Age Graded Life course Theory of Sampson and Laube and the General Theory of Crime by Gottferson and Hirschi (1999) The Control Theory of Delinquency was presented by Travis Hirsche in 1969. It emerged from the Social Disorganisation Theory (Western Criminology Review)which was slowly losing its prestige at that time. Hirschi took his cue from this theory which held that Disorganised communities generate crime as informal social controls have broken down.It was John Bowlby who first floated the emotional aspect in social control in his Attachment Theory in 1969.Hirschi synthesizes both these perspectives . Hirschi's Control Theory posits that it is not so much the Individual's personality, but his social Relationships and social bonds which determine the deviance or conformity of his Behaviour. Absence of Control exercised by those bonds left him free to weigh the profits against risk . Attachment to others make him less likely to be deviant. Both Hirschi and Bowlby stress Parental upbringing in instilling socialization. The accrual of emotional investment by parents develops Empathy in the individual , which heightens his control and help him to Desist from acts violating the conventions. .The other Control theories, The General Theory of Crime, The Age Graded Life Course Theory that followed, acknowledged the SELF concept .They explained how at a Micro perspective, Informal social bonds which are at first external, become internalized . Gottferson and Hirschi (1990) , and later,Sampson and Laube (1993)in their Age Graded Life Course Perspective said that there is a relationship of causes between the later deviant behavior and the

Two Page Paper on The tragic Massacre at VA Tech to be completed in Essay

Two Page Paper on The tragic Massacre at VA Tech to be completed in APA format - Essay Example He was even investigated by the police twice after apparently stalking fellow two students (Griffin, 2007). After expressing suicidal tendencies to his roommate who reported the incident, he was diagnosed as â€Å"an imminent danger to himself or others as a result of mental illness† and â€Å"incapable of volunteering or unwilling to volunteer for treatment† and was ordered by the Montgomery County to be an outpatient of Cook Counseling Center, which is located on-campus (CNN, 2007; Setrakian and Shaylor, 2007). The question now is, did he go for treatment? The answer is most probably â€Å"no† as people failed to follow up on this (Setrakian and Shaylor, 2007). Hence, they failed to recognize the signs and symptoms of a violent breakdown. With so many people knowing that there is something wrong with Cho , with the police having already investigated him—not once, but twice—and with a court-ordered psychiatric treatment, how did they miss his violent tendencies? Why was the proper intevention not applied to him? How was he able to legally purchase two guns? The answer to these questions lies in the fact that professors, administrators, law enforcement officers, the state court, and other government departments failed to communicate with each other. The bottom line is that â€Å"no one knew all the information and no one connected all the dots† (New Scientist, 2007). Each was holding an important piece of the puzzle; however, there was no communication between them and so, the pieces remained isolated from each other. For instance, the police failed to communicate to campus authorities about their investigation of Cho; likewise, the court neglected to let the university know of their diagnosis and decision. These related incidents were also not inputted into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System; this is why

Conservation vs. Preservation Essay Example for Free

Conservation vs. Preservation Essay To whom it may concern My name is Michelle lane I am writing this letter to share my thoughts about preserving the Bridger Teton. This big stretch of land has not been affected by human technology. It has been preserved in its natural state. It is important to us as human beings. This stretch of land has a lot of trees, wild animals, and wild vegetation that call this stretch of land home. We cannot disturb it in the name of progress. We need to make sure we preserve this land so it can flourish and remain the same, untouched by technology and humans who want to mine it for resources. I agree that we need resources to sustain our lives and how we live it, but there are other ways to do so. Understandably we do not want to rely on other countries to supply us with the resources that we need but if we need to understand that we cannot deplete all the land that we have available to us. We have to think of the future and what we are going to leave for the growing generation. Eventually we will use up all the resources that we have and we would have to rely on other countries to help us. Wouldn’t it be better that while we have available resource we find a better way of getting what we need without destroying valuable land? What we need to do is find other ways to make sure we sustain our life style. For now I believe we need to rely on other countries to meet our needs and while we are doing that we need to develop other ways or find other resources. Saving the Bridger Teton will ensure that the wild life, trees and vegetation that live there will continue to flourish, they will continue to grow hopefully our children and future generations will be able to benefit and be able to appreciate the land that we try so hard to protect. Maybe in the future there will be more lands like the Bridger Teton that was protected and saved so the future generations can benefit from it. Conservation versus Preservation: To whom it may concern, My name is Michelle lane I am writing this letter to share my thought about the Bridger Teton area. I think it is a big piece of land that can be put in  to use to help our nation. I believe that we need to make sure these lands are saved but I also believe that we can use some of this land to mine, plant on, or see if we can find oil. This will lessen our dependence from other countries. Imagine an America that does not rely on other countries for their oil or any other resources that we would need to live. Not only would we get it for a cheaper price but we can supply other countries with resources and we can be financialy indipendant as well. We can still save a part of the land for preservation for the wild life and vegetation, but we will benefit more by putting the land to use. We can first research the land to see if we can use the resources found in it for human use. The four steps that we are going to use for this hazard assessment is Hazard Identification, Dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. We need to test the soil, vegetation, animals and water to make sure it is safe and there are no harmful bacteria living in the area that could harm humans. This kind of assessment will help us asses which areas are safe for human use and resource mining. The areas that we find that are not as safe or would not be beneficial should be preserved and let it stay the way it is for the future generations to enjoy. This a good way to have both world we have the lands we can use for gathering resources so we can be a more independent country and the lands we want to save for the future generations to enjoy. In the end I believe we will run out of resources and we will have to still rely on other countries to supply us with what we will need to sustain our daily lives and keep it the way it is. While we can we should try to supply our own resources. America is a big place there is room to preserve and also land that we can use to help us live independently.

How does Edger Allan Poe Use Language to Create a Sense of Drama Intention Essay Example for Free

How does Edger Allan Poe Use Language to Create a Sense of Drama Intention Essay The Tell Tail Heart, by Edger Allan Poe, is a novel in which tension and expectation play essential roles to the readers experience. The audience, generally well educated widely read adults, would appreciate this novel as a recollection of a clearly insane man. In order to tell you the whole story Poe has written somewhat of an early psychological thriller, creating a mental portrait of a mad protagonist, who details the killing of an old man, and later hears his victims relentless heartbeat. The opening sets up a contrast of sanity versus insanity, creating a psychological chaos that enraptures the reader. Drama intention is portrayed through a variety of ways, all working cohesively with one another to create an over all sense of embossed insanity and powerful emotion. The way in which the opening is written gives the reader an immediate clue to the mental state of the protagonist. The very first line; True! nervous very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? uses all three tenses within one shortened period. This reflects the narrators excitement, suggesting that his mind is jittery, jumping about with different thoughts and ideas. An elevated use of punctuation reinforces this effect, as it means the text does not flow, creating sentence fragmentation, allowing the reader to comprehend the elevated mental state of the protagonist. It is not yet made clear to the reader as to why the narrator is excited in this manner, he appears to be worked up about something, causing the reader to grow curious and excited themselves about the prospect of finding out what is causing his fuss. Poe has used the tactic of withholding information strongly within the first paragraph, causing the monologue to become somewhat of a gradual revelation. This allows Poe to hold the reader in suspense, consequentially creating a heightened level of dramatic tension. Written in a first person narrative, it is made very clear that the monologue is of the form of a speech to the reader. This effect is achieved by the extensive use of punctuation and colloquial terminology. As it is a monologue, there is a suggestion or effect that he is confessing his thoughts to the reader. This means that the piece is almost as if we can see into the mind of the protagonist. Allowing the reader to see a unique view of the thoughts and feelings of another. The form of the text is not over zealous or important, however the contrast of the content and the form is very clear. The piece is written in standard, respectable paragraphed prose, contrasting the disturbing and gruesome content of the novel. The language employed, and the literary devices it is used within, is the primary way in which Poe has succeeded in creating this suspenseful piece. Punctuation is used to great effect, embellishing the sentences to create the narrative confession of the protagonist. Extensive use of exclamation marks, hyphens, and semi colons are all relied upon to create sentence fragments and colloquial, broken text. The reader is given an immediate sense of excitement and instability; in True! nervous- very very dreadfully nervous. This suggests that the protagonist is jumpy and in a chaotic mental state. As an opening this proves to be attention gauging, as the reader is unaware of the motive for excitement. This is extended throughout by a heightened use of fragmentation through hyphens. The line, Sharpened my senses not destroyed not dulled them reiterates the form of a monologue, reinforcing the idea of speech to the reader, using the sentence fragment as a chance to find some self affirmation. Therefore the reader is allowed to see the within the mind of the criminal, giving them a unique insight to the way he thinks allowing greater involvement and understanding from the reader. This is an unlikely experience as the protagonist shows signs of mental instability and therefore would create a very interesting subject for the reader to asses from a psychological point of view. An extensive vocabulary and heightened lexis is employed throughout the piece, suggesting that the piece is aimed at the well educated adult. The majority of the novel is comprised of Standard English, with a small number of colloquialisms spread throughout, allowing the protagonist to appear both educated and well-spoken. This creates an interesting contrast to his actions, as it is not the norm to have well educated, (supposedly well judged and reasoned) people committing a very irrational act such as murder. The monologue is written in the form of a conventional novel, but primarily in the form of a narrative first person. Hints of confession to the audience are found, intertwined with the use of direct address, with colloquial terms such as Ha! and the use of rhetorical questions, for example why will you say that I am mad? Poe has used these devices to thoroughly involve the audience within the piece. The result of this is that the reader is manipulated to feel like part of the story and therefore feel the tension created at a greater effect. Poe has employed various forms of imagery within the piece. He describes that the hinges creaked on the old wooden door. This is a little clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d however acts very successfully in creating a picture within the mind of the reader. This is done by almost sub-consciously relating back to childrens stories, where an old creaking door would make the entrance to a spooky castle in which an evil witch lived. This very definite image of the eerie or spooky, reinforces that the novel is somewhat of a refined horror. Creaking doors are often used to create a dramatic atmosphere, and Poe has clearly played on this link and used it to his advantage to create a scary situation for the reader. Animal imagery, coupled with an extended metaphor is also used to great effect. It is suggested that the old man that is to be killed is in possession of an evil eye. This eye becomes the protagonists excuse for killing the man, and so it is capitalised upon as a reason. This develops into an extended metaphor when it is referred to as a vulture eye and later, it is suggested that his eye resembled that of a vulture. A vulture is an animal commonly associated with evil and malice. This provokes a similar reaction or opinion of the old man from the narrator, however the reader is still left considering the sanity of the protagonist, and therefore is more reluctant to hold the same opinion as him over the justification of killing the old man. The irrational killing about to happen is used to put the reader on edge, creating intense suspension and a heightened expectation of the approaching events. Clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s provide an interesting platform on which Poe entertains the reader. My blood ran cold, provides a very clear sense of the emotional situation of the protagonist. This allows us to observe the effect that the eye has on the narrator. Blood ran cold suggests fear and apprehension, as this is a very human emotion, the reader has a rare chance to sympathise with the protagonist. This is somewhat ironic as the narrator is very far from the stereotypical hero, and yet the reader is ready to find an appealing quality in the character. In order to interpret the piece properly the reader must pay close attention to both the syntax and the repetition of language, used conjunctively to create a dramatic effect. Object there was none, passion there was none is a primary example. The repetition of none creates a very distinctive rhythm, whilst the double use of five syllable sentence fragments forms a very recognisable syntax. In this case it creates a sense of ruthlessness and suggests that the protagonist will stop at nothing in order to achieve his goal. Repetition of closed in closed closed creates emphasis on the words, displaying to the reader his self affirmation that his actions are good. This is reinforced by the use of oh so cunningly making it clear that (in his opinion) he is very skilled at what he is doing, and consequentially commending his efforts. This is further enhanced by the narrators egocentricity. Use of I is extensive throughout, (which is partially natural during a monologue) however, it is used to such an extent that the reader is led to believe that the protagonist is almost obsessed with himself and his own actions, reiterating the previous suggestion of psychological instability. The author has included various forms of irony within the novel. The narrator is seen inquiring how he (the old man) had passed the night explaining how he asks the old man how his night was even though he already knows, seen as he was there and watching him in his sleep. This involves the reader as they feel as if they are let in on a secret (seen as they know that the narrator was with the man last night) making the reader feel involved as they are aware of a secret of which another character is not raising tension and expectation. Further use of direct address to the reader, is that narrator suggests to the reader that you fancy me mad. This forces audience intervention, we are expected to assume, or are at least are accused of assumption that the narrator is mad. This means that the audience are forced to participate, further involving the reader within the story. By this statement Poe has grouped the reader with the rest of the characters within the novel, suggesting they are a collective of people who doubt his sanity. This is in fact true as the protagonist is clearly insane. Syntax plays a key role in the way in which this novel is read. It is clearly set, and easily recognisable throughout the text, varying in both tempo and patterning. Definite patterns in language are used; I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. creating a very obvious rhythm in which the words are read, also further enforcing the very bleak and ruthless appearance to his actions. The Tell-Tale Heart, a horror story of crime and murder, can easily be recognised as a heavily dramatic novel. Poe, In consequence to the timing in which it was written, has created a strongly macabre piece, that in its day was probably very horrific and shocking. The way in which society has adapted to accept more and more gruesome revelations means that this tale may not be so shocking to the modern day reader, but was quite a feat in its time. It is however, still evident that the novel, in particular the opening, contains many devices employed in conjunction with one another to create a sense of drama intention. This is used to great effect, causing the reader to appreciate the dramatics of the novel, whilst becoming deeply involved with the plot.