Present Case Is Offer A Legal Advice Frank â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Examine About The Present Case Is Offer A Legal Advice Frank? Answer: Introducation Organization is an exceptional sort of financialagreement between the two gatherings where one gathering called as chief has stretched out some legitimate power to other gathering called specialist to make lawful agreement with the outsider in the interest of the head. Thus, it tends to be said in organization law fundamentally three gatherings are included for example Head, specialist, outsider (Pont, 2008). At the point when operator with adequate authority has authorized an agreement with the outsider, at that point in such cases the authoritative commitment gets official on the head. The chief is at risk to satisfy the authoritative obligations for the outsider just when the operator who has instituted the agreement with the outsider has the imperative position (Cassidy, 2013). On the off chance that any of the beneath featured position exists with the specialist, at that point the legally binding risk is substantial on head. Standard/Actual power (Express Implied position) Authority of need Apparent/obvious power Genuine power At the point when the chief has stretched out the position to specialist in composed structure or in oral structure, at that point it would be named as express power. Further, when the chief doesn't in reality express the power yet has expanded the position/assignment/title to play out some work, at that point in such cases it has been expected that specialist has the approval to play out the work in the interest of the head (Edlin, 2007). The main case in this respects is Watteau v Fenwick[1893] 1 QB 346 case. In such cases, it is basic that the individual chief hosts educated the third gatherings with respect to the degree of approval of the operator (Harris, 2014). Apparent/evident position In such position, the chief doesn't intend to offer power to operator yet because of his activity the outsider expect that the specialist has approval. The lead speaks to that the specialist has legitimate position to institute the agreement with outsider and consequently in such cases, the legally binding commitment is appropriate on head. Freeman Lockyer v Buckhurst Park Properties[1964] 1 All ER 630 case is the declaration of this viewpoint (Pathinayake, 2014). Authority of need The specialist has played out certain demonstrations with the outsider so as to secure the enthusiasm of the head. The judgment given in Great Northern Railway Co. vSwaffield(1874)LR 9 Ex 132 case is the case of organization of need. At the point when any of the above power isn't stretched out by the head to the operator, at that point in such cases, Management isn't at risk to finish the authoritative commitment with the outsider. The Yonge v Toynbee[1910] 1 KB 215 case is the declaration of this. There are a few obligations of the guardian gatherings of the office relationship which are outfitted underneath (Pont, 2008): Obligation of operator towards the head Adheres to the guidance of head On the off chance that not, at that point the chief has lawful rights to recuperate the harms from specialist or sue operator) Trustee obligation It is significant that specialists lead must show great confidence of the head. The principle factors are demonstrated as follows (Harvey, 2009): In the event that it has been discovered that operator has made agreement for his own advantage, at that point chief can sue specialist and case for harms as given in Christie v Harcourt[1973] 2 NZLR 139 case. Operator should make mystery benefit in the interest of chief as featured in Bentley v Craven(1853) 52 ER 29 case. Abuse of private data by the operator according to Robb v Green[1895] 2 QB 315 case. On the off chance that the operator has penetrated the trustee obligations, at that point chief has the privileges to sue the specialist and recuperate the misfortunes. It is important that when the chief hosts not educated the third get-together in regards to the withdrawal of any authority from the specialist and the operator has established the agreement with the outsider, at that point in such cases the enthusiasm of the outsider would be ensured under custom-based law. Additionally, the chief is at risk to fulfill the legally binding commitments coordinated towards the outsider. In the event that chief denies doing as such, at that point the outsider can sue the head or guarantee for the harms (Edlin, 2007). Application It is clear from the case realities that Frank (the head) has designated Gemma as a sales rep for his shop. Gemma is filling in as a business specialist for Frank which implies she has the position to offer the apparatuses to clients in the interest of Frank. Additionally, Tom is the client who is prepared to purchase a dishwasher for $350 has educated Gemma about the equivalent. Nonetheless, Gemma has called her niece and has sold her dishwasher for $300. She doesn't advise Frank about this case and later on Tom has educated about the equivalent to Frank. It very well may be seen that Gemmas has directed the work for individual intrigue and has penetrated the guardian obligation. In this manner, Frank can recoup the harm of $50 from her. It is obvious that Frank has approved Bob to sell clothes washers and to authorize contract with laundries. In any case, because of Bobs late coming and drinking propensity, Frank has terminated Bob from work. Further, Frank hosts neglected to advise the third get-together Angela in regards to the withdrawal of obligations from Bob. Henceforth, Angela didn't know that Bob doesn't have the essential approval and thus, she authorized the agreement under great confidence in this way moving $10,000. Additionally, it is perceptible that Bob has the express power to act bookkeeping to Angela. Along these lines, Frank needs to finish the authoritative obligation or, in all likelihood Angela can sue him for penetrating the agreement. End It tends to be closed from the over that Frank can sue Gemma for penetrating the trustee obligations and working for encouraging her own advantage. Henceforth, Frank can recuperate the harm of $50 from Gemma. In second case, Frank doesn't illuminate Angela in regards to the withdrawal of approval from Bob. In this manner, Frank is limited with the authoritative commitments with Angela which was entered by her in compliance with common decency. Reference Cassidy, J. (2013). Organizations Law Text and Essential Cases (fourth ed.). Sydney: Federation Press. Edlin, D. (2007). Custom-based law hypothesis (fourth ed.). Cambridge: University Press Cambridge. Harris, J. (2014). Organizations Law (second ed.). Sydney: LexisNexis Study Guide. Harvey, C. (2009). Establishments of Australian law (second ed.). Prahran, Vic.: Tilde University Press. Pathinayake, A. (2014). Business and business law (second ed.). Sydney :Thomson-Reuters. Pont D.E.G. (2008) Law of Agency (second ed.). Sydney: Lexis Nexis Butterworths. Answer: Obligation of operator towards the head Reference

How to Get a Logo Designed for Your WordPress Website

Logos might be little in size, yet theyre as significant as any of your destinations different components. On the off chance that your logo is structured ineffectively, individuals might be killed before expending any of your substance. So in the event that you need a logo that looks proficient, you have to figure out how to get a logo intended for your WordPress website.Fortunately, you dont need to make the logo yourself. Discovering independent architects online is presently simpler than at any other time. There are a lot of stages with a huge number of gifted individuals going up against one another for work, so you can have your pick of top ability. All you have to know is the place to search for it.In this article, were going to talk more about what makes logos so significant. At that point well look at four stages where you can get a logo intended for your site. Lets start! Logos are basic pieces of your image, much the same as the ThemeIsle parrot is for us!A parcel of indivi duals commission straightforward logos without mulling over it and use them regardless of whether theyre of low quality. Of course, you may set aside cash by paying for a modest logo or making one yourself, yet this isnt regularly the best idea.Lets talk concerning why logos matter:Logos speak to your brand. Your logo ought to go on the entirety of your site pages, messages, internet based life records, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Its an importantâ representation of your business.They can affect how guests see you. The state of your logo can really affect guests perceptionsâ of your brand.Changing logos can be confusing. You can generally refresh your logo on the off chance that you failed to understand the situation the first run through, yet that can be mistaking for your audience.Logos are imperative to the point that a few organizations burn through thousands or a large number of dollars to locate the correct structure. You can get a great deal of mileage out of a littler financial plan, be that as it may, as long as you most likely are aware where and how to get a logo planned online.Four stages where you can get a logo intended for your WordPress websiteYou can discover capable independent architects on any of the stages underneath. Nonetheless, they all work to some degree distinctively and offer ability at different rates. On the off chance that you have an exacting spending plan, address thoughtfulness regarding the normal cost ranges for each platform.1. 99designs99designs is one of our preferred stages since it gives you a huge amount of choices. The manner in which it works is that you can begin a challenge whenever you need by depicting what youd like to commission, trusting that entries will come in, and afterward picking your top choice. The champ gets a money prize, and you get the chance to utilize their design.To dispatch a challenge, youll need to pay for a logo configuration bundle. 99designs offers four levels of packag es,â starting at $299. Rivalries at that level as a rule get a normal of 30 entries, so youll get a great deal of options.2. FiverrFiverr gets negative criticism here and there, because of its lower than normal costs. In any case, you can locate some amazing plan ability here if youre ready to set aside the effort to vet them cautiously. This stage empowers you to search explicitly for creators who make logos, so you should simply figure out them.Fortunately, it isnt hard to figure out how to spot top Fiverr sellers.Once youve picked a merchant, youll need to pick one of their structure bundles. Ordinarily, the less expensive they are, the less alternatives youll get, (for example, vector records, web based life spreads, and the sky is the limit from there). Youâ canâ find some great logo originators beginning at $5 on the stage. Notwithstanding, most genuine dealers make those bundles extremely stripped down. For a superior encounter, youll need to financial plan in any event $3 0.3. DesignhillDesignhill adopts a two dimensional strategy to configuration occupations. It empowers you to hold challenges (much like 99designs) and purchase instant logo plans. We dont suggest utilizing that last methodology, be that as it may, since logos ought to in a perfect world be structured starting from the earliest stage to suit your destinations brand.That stated, Designhill is a fantastic decision on the off chance that you like the challenge way to deal with logo plan, however you need to utilize a more moderate help than 99designs. Logo configuration challenge bundles start at $99 on this stage. At that cost, you can hope to get more than 20 structures by and large. Most challenges generally get more, yet it changes relying upon the business youre a section of.4. AwesomeWebAwesomeWeb is altogether different from the stages weve assessed up until this point. It empowers you to recruit consultants one on one and pay them dependent on how much time it takes to plan your logo. The stage cautiously vets every consultant before conceding them and empowers them to set the hourly rates they want.This implies there are less alternatives, however the nature of what you get can be higher than on different stages. Logo fashioners at AwesomeWeb normal hourly paces of over $30,â andâ they may set a base task rate. Much of the time, youll be taking a gander at more than $300 for a logo design.How to pick the correct logo plan stage for youAs you can envision, theres not a solitary stage that possesses all the necessary qualities for each kind of client. Lets quickly recap how you can commission a logo on every one of the alternatives above, alongside their normal prices:Where to get a logo intended for your WordPress sitePlatformHow you get your logo designedStarting prices99designsContestsFrom $299 for numerous submissionsFiverrOne-on-one commissionsAs low as $5, yet you ought to expect in any event $30 for good workDesignhillContests and pre-made logosFro m $99â for different submissionsAwesomeWebOne-on-one commissionsMost specialists start at about $30 per hourIf you have the spending plan for it, 99designs is your best choice for getting a custom logo structured. You gain admittance to many structures at a set cost, and the ability will in general be first class. Designhill is a piece hit-and-miss with regards to quality, however its a more spending plan amicable choice. AwesomeWeb is the place youll need to go if youd like a logo intended to your exact prerequisites, and Fiverr is the spot to begin if your financial plan is very tight.ConclusionThe right logo can support your image and help your site feel proficient and essential. A few organizations spend indulgent measures of cash on their plans, however nowadays, two or three hundred dollars is all that could possibly be needed to bear the cost of you a trendy logo. Whats more, there are even some spending choices on the off chance that you dont need to spend that much.As far as were concerned, these four stages are the absolute best places to get a logo intended for your WordPress website:99designs: The ideal spot to hold logo configuration challenges for a set price.Fiverr: One of the best stages to commission structures on a budget.Designhill: This administration likewise empowers you to have challenges, and at lower costs than 99designs.AwesomeWeb: If you need to work with top plan ability on a one-on-one premise, this is the stage for you.(Bonus!) DesignContest: If you need to get rousing remarkable logo configuration by running a contest.(Bonus!) DesignBold: You can make a nice logo yourself by utilizing on the web devices, for example, DesignBold. Its free!Do you have any inquiries regarding where or how to get a logo intended for your site? Ask them in the remarks area beneath! Here's the place to get a #logo intended for your #WordPress site

Adam smith Essay - 1375 Words

Adam smith (Essay Sample) Content: ADAM SMITHNameInstitutionDateADAM SMITHAdam smith is one of the world's most influential and best-known economist and philosopher. His contributions in teaching and his theories on wealth creation of nations, Free Market Economics, and management make him the best if not one of the best economists. He was born in Kirkcaldy Scotland in the year 1723 though the exact date is not known. He joined Burgh school where he studied mathematics, Latin, history, and writing. At the age of fourteen, Smith entered the University of Glasgow on scholarship. In 1740, he attended Balliol College at oxford, and graduated with extensive knowledge of European literature. Adam Smith was a pioneer of political economy, and a moral philosopher. His most famous works for which he was known for were theory of moral sediments and the wealth of nations. Wealth of nations was considered as the bible of capitalism. Wealth of nations entails early systems of political economy. He is thus considere d as the father of modern economics (Buchan, 2006).Adam smith started giving series of public lectures at the University of Edinburgh in 1748. It is during this lectures where he met, and collaborated with David Hume in the Scottish enlightenment. Smith was later appointed to the Glasgow university faculty. It was at the university where he obtained his professorship, wrote, and published The Theory of Moral Sentiments.In 1763 smith left the university to accompany the young Duke of Buccheuch in a grand tour around Europe. This trip enabled him to meet other intellectuals and exchange ideas. These intellectuals included great French Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire d'Holbach Quesnay, and Turgot who were a part of physiocrats school of thoughts.The invisible hand was a metaphor, which was conceived by Adam smith to describe the behavior of capitalism, and the market place. It was the self-regulating behavior of the market as both buyers and sellers on both ends of transactions st rived to maximize their profits, and resulted to desirable social ends. The profit motives and desire for self-gain in transactions lead to better products, for a lesser cost in an unregulated free market (Joyce, 2001). Adam Smith pointed out that the benefits of the invisible hand did not depend on benevolent aims of the individuals.The concept was developed by Smith to argue against government regulating trade, and protectionist policies. Unlike a centrally planned system, a free market generates demand and others provide the goods to satisfy the demand at a profit hence resources end up being allocated the best way possible (Durlau Blume, 2008).According to smith, division of labor is the specialization of individuals in different functions, which combine to achieve a common goal. The main contribution of division of labor was to breakdown large jobs into many tiny functions, which enabled workers to be experts in their narrow fields (Otteson, 2011). Smith argued that division o f labor increased productivity. He also advocated for matching of skills with work area. Those who were good at a certain area were assigned to that function. He also emphasized on matching technology to improve productivity.The downside of division of labor, and specialization was the mutilation of workers skills, and lack of innovation and growth (Alvey, 2003).The theory of moral sentiments was Smith's first work in 1759. He tried to explain human's moral inclination despite his self-interest personality. Smith explained why humans developed social relations. He concluded that humans showed sympathy to others or in presence of others, and developed a conscience. The moral thinking was an attempt to please an external or impartial spectator and in return gain sympathy. This theory argues that human moral actions are guided by social physiology more or better than is guided by reason. The basic prudence rules and justice enable a society to advance. Prudence moderates people's actio ns and excesses while justice prevents our destructive actions toward others (McKenna, 2006).According to Smith, humans tend to care about other people's welfare not for any self-interest or self-satisfaction but the pleasure one gets in seeing other people happy. This is called sympathy. The level of sympathy extended to others depends on whether we see firsthand the misfortune which befalls a fellow human; how vividly we recollect the misfortune and how vividly the account of another person. This limits the level of sympathy shown towards another person. According to Smith, a person feels happy when other people around have the same emotions, and displeasure when people feel contrary emotions. Mutual sympathy has more pleasure when it is a negative emotion rather than a positive one. People communicate more anxiously when in a negative emotion.The wealth of nations was Adam Smith's second work. He titled the work an inquiry to the nature and causes of wealth of nations'. It is the most important work of Adam Smith according to other philosophers and economists. It offers an explanation on what builds a nation's wealth, and is today viewed as the foundation of classical economics. It reflects economics at the beginning of industrial revolution (Weinstein, 2008). Topics covered in this work include topics as the division of labor, free markets, and productivity.Smith emphasized on division of labor in creating wealth for nations. It is a concept of specialization and breaking up tasks into smaller parts leading to greater productivity to countries. Diversification was more in rich countries than in poor ones.Division of labor was more efficient in industry than in agriculture. Rich nations were better in industry and not in agriculture as compared to poor countries. According to Smith, division of labor arises due to need to exchange different skills and is hence limited few opportunities for exchange. This exchange of skills was assumed to occur in a free ma rket situation.Smith explained that in a free market the price of a commodity compensated a capitalist for risking his resources. It hence included rent and other costs associated with the commodity and profit (Alvey, 2003). Smith also pointed out the relationship between market prices, and quantity of supply in free market. He explained that when a commodity was in low supply, and could not meet the effectual demand, people were willing to pay more to get it hence its price increased. Consequently, if the supply was in excess of the effectual demand it could not all be sold and hence its price would sink (Smith, 2009).Smith also pointed out how people could make huge profits, and charge prices way above the natural price. This concept was commonly referred to as the dyer who discovers a unique dye'. By discovering a unique product, which the market needed, or creating a monopoly, one could charge high prices without reducing demand. The unique product had a shorter profitability li fespan than a monopoly. This is because the monopoly could keep supply way below demand hence creating a shortage at all times hence continuing enjoying the profits for longer (Ashraf, Camerer Loewenstein, 2005).Adam smith also explained productivity of labor in his work. The wage rate was determined by competition between laborers and masters. If laborers win then wages are high, if master...

Nationalism in Europe Essay - 913 Words

Nationalism is the idea that a people who have much in common, such as language, culture and geographic proximity ought to organize in such a way that it creates a stable and enduring state. Nationalism is tied to patriotism, and it is the driving force behind the identity of a culture. Nationalism had many effects in Europe from 1815, The Congress of Vienna and beyond. In the following essay I will describe many of the consequences of nationalism on European identity, as well as some of the conflicts that it created. Nationalism was strongly endorsed by the middle class, including intellectuals, professors, students and journalists. These groups of middle class professionals were also the driving force behind the liberal†¦show more content†¦A people that are repressed and have a strong national identity are prone to violent and unpredictable revolutions and uprisings. We see examples of that precept in the French Revolution and the tumultuous republics that followe d in the aftermath of Emperor Napoleon. We see other clear cut examples of nationalism in Italy as well. The journey that Italy took to statehood in the 1800s involved various figureheads performing different roles. The nationalism of Italy began with Mazzini who laid the ideological base for a united Italy. He wrote many pamphlets, papers, and dissertations on the manifest destiny, if you will, of the Italian people to unify. This rhetoric was stirring to the young middle class individuals of Italy who accepted this ideology and supported ideological efforts for a unified Italy. Cavour, of the province of Piedmont is where the basis of a real Italian resurgence would begin. Cavour wanted Piedmont to be the basis of the Risorgimento, or the Italian resurgence. Piedmont was developing well from an industrial perspective and by siphoning trade agreements away from Austria was able to develop into an industrial base for further operations. The actual, boots on the ground ventu re was led by Garibaldi who recruited many young men to serve in â€Å"The Expedition of The Thousand.† The rising nationalism of the time period, as well as the efforts of Mazzini stirred these young middle andShow MoreRelatedNationalism in Europe Essay872 Words   |  4 PagesNationalism in Europe Nineteenth century Europe, exploding with Nationalism, shows us how powerful a nation can be when united for a common cause. Nationalism is the love and devotion to ones country, where devotion stands for the spirit to protect the needs and ideals of the nation. Nationalism acted as a unifying force in Europe for much of the nineteenth century when unification movements were frequent. The unification of Italy and Germany, are prime examples of nationalism at work. Read MoreSpread Of Nationalism Throughout Europe1505 Words   |  7 PagesSpread of Nationalism Throughout Europe Nationalism is the ideology that asserts that a nation is formed by a group of people with a common identity, language, history, territory, and set of customs. It was an important factor in the development of Europe. The IB Global Context, Identities and Relationships relates to nationalism because it defines us just like nationalism does. It focuses on identities, beliefs, values, and relationships. Napoleon came to power on 24 August 1799 and crowned himselfRead MoreNationalism in 18th Century Europe1763 Words   |  3 PagesThroughout  the  nineteenth  century  three  political  ideals  began  influencing  states  and  their   citizens  like  no  other  ideals  had  done  before.  These  ideals  were  liberalism,  socialism  and,  the   most  important,  nationalism.  Each  one  possessed  its  own  uniqueness  which  inspired  mass   followings  of  people  that  would  last  thoroughly  into  the  twentieth  century.  Each  one  also  proved   to  form  a  catalyst  for  the  modernisation  of  many  European  countries.  However,  in  comparison,   none  of  these  ideals  had  the  impact  that  the  nationalistic  approach  hadRead MoreNationalism in Europe in the 19th century Essay875 Words   |  4 PagesNationalism is way of thinking both political and socially to create a community united by: history, ethnicity, religions, common culture, and language. Numerous effects occurred while establishing a Nationalist community, some effects were a long term impact on Nationalism, and other was short term impacts on Nationalism. Bloody Sunday was a big impact of Nationalism, what started out as a peaceful march of Petersburg workers marching to the Winter Palace led by Father Gapon turned out to be aRead MoreHow Does Nationalism Influence Europe During The 20th Century? Essay1083 Words   |  5 PagesVirginia, writes, Nationalism is an ideology about an individuated being, it is a form of group identity that arose during the French Revolution and Napoleonic period, it provides people with a form of identity-based on a common language, culture, historical situation, and religion or race(Handler H. (1988).† Based on this description when we think about the role of Nationalism in Europe during the 20th century we are inclined to remember that the strong feelings of nationalism ultimately came toRead MoreDiscuss How Nationalism Spread Across Europe with Napoleon but Was Repressed for a Generation Under the Congress of Vienna and Concert of Europe Until the Revolutions of 1848876 Words   |  4 PagesNati onalism was formed with the idea that a nation is made up of people who are joined together by common language, customs, cultures and history. It held the belief that one should be loyal to the people of their nation, not a king or empire. Nationalists believed that people of a single nationality should unite under a single government. The concept of Nationalism emerged in the French Revolution and was spread to the rest of Europe by Napoleon’s conquests. Nationalism was used by NapoleonRead MoreFour Definitions of Nationalism Essay1732 Words   |  7 PagesNationalism was a debatable issue in 19th century. It had developed differently in Western Europe and Eastern, Central Europe. Western Europe was identified with Civic Nationalism, and nationalism was also seen as an imperialist and economic movement. In Eastern and Central Europe, however, there were many types of nationalism, such as the popular nationalism, that aimed at national liberation and unification. Benedict Anderson has a theoretical definition of nationalism, which aim at correctingRead MoreThe Impact Of Nationalism1325 Words   |  6 Pages Nationalism is a sense of putting one’s country before themselves and everything else due to common cultures, languages and other customs. It has been a part of the way modern history has been shaped since the late 18th century with Napoleon, all the way to present day. As one historian wrote, Nationalism is a â€Å"Poli tical outlook†¦that a nation is composed of people who are joined together by the bonds of a common language†¦customs, culture, and history† (9/13/17). Nationalism has shaped the historyRead MoreWere Nationalistic Beliefs Ultimately Responsible for the Outbreak of the First World War1107 Words   |  5 Pagesoutbreak of the First World War? Can nationalism be held solely responsible for starting what is usually regarded as the most destructive war, at least in terms of human lives, the world had ever seen? The answer to this question is a solid no. Though nationalism played an important role in the outbreak of the war there are many other contributing factors which must be taken into account. Imperialism, militarism, the arms race and the balance of power in Europe were all important factors that leadRead MoreNegative Impacts Of Nationalism1408 Words   |  6 Pagestogether to go to war against Communism. Nationalism was invented in Europe by intellectuals who wer e inspired by Napoleons conquest. This ideology to changed people’s perspective about what their country meant to them. Unified States such as Italy, Germany were created during a great migration that formed unified states. Instead of the smaller societies people once lived in became a nation of individuals in certain countries that they could call their own. Nationalism has also helped in the improvement

Essay on Letter From Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther...

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. one of many great influential speakers wrote a life changing letter after being arrested for peacefully protesting African American rights. While sitting in jail Dr. King received a letter from clergymen questioning his motives and timings for being in Birmingham. In a response Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes a â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† vividly expressing physical and emotional purposes for his presence in Birmingham, AL. First, in the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s purpose is to show his fellow clergymen true imagery of how racism and segregation is affecting the citizens of Birmingham. Dr. King states, â€Å"There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this†¦show more content†¦Martin Luther King Jr. expresses his views for obeying â€Å"Just† laws, while disregarding â€Å"Unjust† laws because of moral purposes. In the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† Dr. King speaks on how he â€Å"Urge people to obey laws,† as well as â€Å"urge them to disobey segregation ordinances†. â€Å"I agree with St. Augustine that â€Å"an unjust law is no law at all.† Dr. King’s reason for following certain laws and not others is because he believes there are two types of laws. Just laws are beneficial to all races and â€Å"Is the man-made code that squares with the moral law or the Law of God†, unjust laws neglects certain human races needs and personalities and â€Å"Is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.† Dr. King does not disapprove Supreme Court decisions, yet if it involves segregation he feels as though it â€Å"Distorts the soul and damages the personality.† Dr. King states, â€Å"Segregation is not only politically, economically, and sociologically unsound, it is also morally wrong and sinful.† At this point, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is past describing how segregation affects people, but is now saying how segregation for example affects the political system such as denying Negroes the right to vote. â€Å"Throughout Alabama all sorts of devious methods are used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters.† Negroes make up the majority population in the counties of Alabama â€Å"Not a single Negro isShow MoreRelatedMartin Luther King Jr., â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†3011 Words   |  13 Pages[Da te] Martin Luther king Jr., â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† Outline 1. Introduction i) Argument about â€Å"Justice and injustice† ii) Religious appeals in King’s latter iii) Paragraph fourteen of King’s latter 2. Discussion 3. Conclusion Introduction The pressure of racial segregation was reaching a boiling point in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. After being arrested for his part in the Birmingham Campaign, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an open letter in responseRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr : Letter From Birmingham Jail Essay1678 Words   |  7 Pages Martin Luther King Jr: Letter from Birmingham Jail Hao Ran Hu SUNY Broome Hao Ran Hu Global History Professor St.Clair 2016 Martin Luther King Jr: Letter from Birmingham Jail One of the interesting Documents in World History is the ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ by Martin Luther King Jr who was born as Michael King in 1929 in Atlanta. His parents were partRead MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.1259 Words   |  6 PagesLetter from Birmingham Response The Letter from Birmingham jail was written on April 16th, 1963 by Martin Luther King jr. Martin was a prominent leader and protester in the fight against racism. King was put in jail for protesting in the streets without a permit and that is where he read the letter. The letter was written as response to the Letter from the Eight Clergymen. Their letter called for the end of the peaceful protests which were lead by King and his supporters. During the time the letterRead MoreThe Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.990 Words   |  4 PagesThe Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. is written to the injustices of the African Americans by the white man supremacy, and to address the direct actions African Americans were making to change the people’s perspective. The books that have been read in this class reflect the same injustices that Martin Luther King Jr is addressing in his letter. The main point of this letter is to address the direct actio n being taken by the African Americans and how they sacrificing everythingRead MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr. Essay1683 Words   |  7 PagesIn â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a response to clergymen defending his actions that placed him in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama. King did not respond to all the criticism that crossed his desk, but this time King felt he was compelled to respond. This obligation King felt was due in part to men with good will and intentions stating that his actions were â€Å"unwise and untimely† (Pg. 835). King’s purpose in writing â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† was to defend the strategyRead MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr. Essay1211 Words   |  5 PagesA Letter’s Purpose In â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King Jr. writes specifically to southern clergy men but also expands to anyone who opposes the civil rights movement. He informs his audience about the purpose of the civil rights movement and its importance to black and white people in terms of living as equals in a more peaceful society. King urges the public to understand the purpose of peaceful protests and the civil rights movement. He also wants people to understand the hardshipsRead MoreLetter from Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr. Essay938 Words   |  4 Pages Is it not ironic that Martin Luther King Jr. s, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, which testifies to his struggle for Civil Rights; not only contradicts the time Martin Luther King wrote it in, but also echoes the same sentiments of today’s moral causes and laws? . Dr. King (*) then known as Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter to Birmingham in response to his fellow clergymen’s criticisms of him being locked up for his actions in Birmingham’s Civil Rights protest. The letter’sRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. s Letter From A Birmingham Jail1157 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† is directed towards the clergymen, although America is his audience, King had come to Birmingham to address the segregation problem in the United States. He refuses to stay silent, even though people told him to wait for the change to happen. King is a part of the Southern Christian Leadersh ip Conference that has many organizations across the South. He felt that he has a right to be in Birmingham because his organizations have connections withRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr s Letter From Birmingham Jail1004 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† was written during 1963, when African Americans were fighting for black and white equality. During the civil rights movement Martin Luther King Jr fought triumphantly for African Americans and their freedom. He was often subjected to imprisonment from those who opposed the purpose of the civil rights movement. Martin Luther king Jr took a lot of time to write and document his thoughts about how his people were being treated. â€Å"Letter to Birmingham†Read MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.1666 Words   |  7 PagesA Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on scraps of paper in response to a public statement of his efforts being seen as extreme issued by eight clergymen, while incarcerated in Birmingham. In response to the statement King makes a claim of Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.† Kings claim of â€Å"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.† Is supported throughout the entirety of his letter through the use of rhetoric devices such as Ethos

The American Dream Of A Job Securitys Essay Example For Students

The American Dream Of A Job Securitys Essay Since the beginning of time, people have always had one goal and that goal is to be happy. For some people, happiness is easy to obtain and for others, it is a work in progress. It can be argued that in order for the average person to be happy they must make the American dream of a cushy job/job security, a lot of money, a huge savings account with thousands of dollars, a trophy wife or husband, a big house with a two or three car garage and two or three well behaved children a reality. Ironically, there are those who have a different definition of the American dream that have absolutely nothing to do with the aforementioned but they still manage to live well and wake up in a good mood every day. Happiness is what we create for ourselves. However, no matter what a person does, they will never be completely happy because there is always going to be something that is going to derail that happiness. Post explained â€Å"a person can be happier if they did something of value like servicing other people or doing volunteer work which has been known to help those who do it live happier lives† (Post 68). So the question remains, are there different avenues for seeking happiness, is there a way for people to truly be happy; this question seems almost impossible to answer. It is argued that people do not need a lot of money to be happy, making other significant changes in their lives would allow them to be happy and live happily as well. Happiness does not have to be a goal that people obtain after they step on or run over someone else, happiness can be obtained by changing and doing little things. Start small and be thorough!From an average person’s perspective, most people are happy with being loved by everyone , having all of the good luck i. .concentrated on making myself happy; this later led to me finding the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Stevenson and Wolfers explain, â€Å"money does not equal happiness, only a person’s sense of self and attainable goals equal happiness which they do find† (Wolfers 1). The reason why it is so hard for people to be happy is because they want to concentrate on living in a perfect world where their heart’s desires becomes reality, anything different from that and they justify it with anger along with counterproductive violence. People want more of what they want and less of what they can get, when a person is so adamant about getting whatever they want at any cost then it puts them in a state of deep unhappiness. People need to concentrate on trying to find a middle ground, those who compromise, find true happiness. Perfection does not beget happiness!

Questions for Antebellum Reform Essays - Christianity, Religion

Questions for Antebellum Reform Brinkley Textbook (Pages 320-326) 1. How was the work of James Fennimore Cooper the culmination of an effort to produce a truly American literature? What did his work suggest about the nation and its people? 2. Why was Whitman called "the poet of American democracy?" 3. Who were the transcendentalists? What was their philosophy and how did they express it in literature? 4. How did the transcendentalists attempt to apply their beliefs to the problems of everyday life at Brook Farm? What was the result? 5. What other utopian schemes were put forth during this period? How did they propose to reorder society to create a better way of life? 6. How did the utopian communities attempt to redefine the gender roles? Which communities were most active in their effort and what did they accomplish? 7. Who were the Mormons? What were their origins, what did they believe, and why did they end up in Utah? (Pages 326-334) 1. What gave rise to the crusade against drunkenness? What successes and failures resulted from this movement' efforts? 2. How did the efforts to produce a system of universal public education reflect the spirit of the age? 3. How did the rise of feminism reflect not only the participation of women in social crusades, but also a basic change in the nature of the family? 4. How did feminists benefit from their association with other reform movements, most notably the abolitionists and at the same time suffer as a result? (Pages 334-341) 1. What was the anti-slavery position of William Lloyd Garrison? How did he transform abolitionism into a new and dramatically different phenomenon? 2. What role did black abolitionists play in the movement? How did their philosophy compare with that of Garrison? 3. Why did many Northern whites oppose abolition? How did they show this opposition? 4. What divisions existed within the abolitionist movement itself? 5. How did abolitionists attempt to arouse widespread public anger over slavery through the use of propaganda? What was the most significant work to emerge from this effort? Why did it have such an impact? Vocabulary Antebellum Period Temperance 2nd Great Awakening WCTU Revivalism Dorthea Dix Millennialism Thomas Gallaudet Mormons Horace Mann Joseph Smith McGuffey Readers Transcendentalists Sarah Grimke Ralph Emerson Lucretia Mott Henry David Thoreau Elizabeth Cady Stanton On Civil Disobedience Susan B. Anthony Brook Farm Seneca Falls Convention Utopian Societies American Colonization Society Shakers Abolition New Harmony William Lloyd Garrison Oneida The Liberator Hudson River School of Art Gradual v. Immediate Emancipation Washington Irving Frederick Douglass James Fennimore Cooper Harriet Tubman Nathaniel Hawthorne Sojourner Truth Sylvester Graham Amelia Bloomer Burned Over District Phrenology Circuit Riders Walt Whitman

Research Paper on Network Devices Security

Research Paper on Network Devices Security Sample Research Paper on Network Devices Security: Many organizations today have large local area networks (LAN) and keeping track of all devices connected to the network is a hard task especially for the IT personnel. As new devices are added to the network and others removed, it is necessary to have an updated record of the devices that actively or passively access the resources of a certain LAN. This could be done by collection of information about these devices, and this process of collection of such information is referred to as network discovery. This information can be; the device’s MAC address, IP address and the services accessed or provided by the device. There are various steps that an organization should follow to determine the needs of an organization in discovering of all devices in a network. First, the organization should consider the resources that are being accessed at a certain time and by which people. This reduces security threats from hackers accessing the network resources or important information. Secondly, the organization should be in a position to monitor the network bandwidth and make sure that it is not slowed down by packets sent by unknown sources. Also an organization should consider easier implementation and assigning of different roles to different devices in accordance to the organization standards. This should include monitoring of softwares installed on different devices, their licenses and when they are due to expire in order to avoid legal problems, and the versions installed for these softwares. Lastly, an organization should consider network discovery devices that incase of a network failure will easily detect that of point of failure and correct the network problem in time. Management software is often used to discover and monitor performance of network devices. Common functions of these softwares are: Detecting the devices accessing a certain network. Monitoring the various processes performed by a device by waiting for the device to send information. This information could be an update or an alert. Keep track of those devices that are accessing the LAN remotely. Tracking the people using the network resources and restricting access of sensitive data. Managing softwares used in a certain organization by keeping track of their license and the current versions of softwares being used. These softwares could be open source or commercial software.Factors that determine the type of software to be used for network discovery are specific to the needs of each organization.Some factors that should be considered should be; the size of the network and the amount of money the organization is willing to set aside. TOOLS AND COUNTERMEASURES TOOLS IP Scanner This is an open source script that is written to automatically ping a range of certain ip addresses or ports and in turn updates the ARP table. This enables the network administrator to know the devices on the network. The tool sends an ICMP ECHO_REQUEST and records the replies in an orderly manner. The shortcoming is that some devices do not receive ICMP messages because of the firewalls installed. Nmap Nmap is an open source utility used to of scan ports of devices by use of their ip address or host name. By doing this, nmap is able to keep track of the devices in a network.It uses both ICMP and TCP ACK packets to scan port 80.The TCP ACK is able to get past devices that do not receive ICMP packets. Its other functionality are the ability to know which services are running on the network, the operating systems running on different devices and the firewall softwares in place among others.It is also discovers remote devices. The disadvantage of nmap software is that it discovers only devices that are operational when scanned. Arpwatch The arpwatch waits for ARP packets and notes the ip address associated to a certain MAC address and keeps this information in a database. Incase the information on the database changes the network administrator is notified by an e-mail. The problem faced by arpwatch is that it is only limited to devices on the LAN and not those accessing remotely thus it can only be used on one network at a time . COUNTERMEASURES Broadcast Sniffing This is a measure that is used to analyze a network traffic so that one can identify problems on the network. Sniffing is used by hackers to get information from a certain network.Sniffing techniques such as DHCP, ARP or WINS sniffing could diverge information such as the workgroup of the network, NetBIOS name of the device, MAC addresses and ip addresses. Creating a Virtual LAN(VLAN) within your network could be one of the best was to prevent hackers from sniffing your network. This is because the VLAN grants access only to authorized ip addresses thus making the broadcast domain smaller. The organization will have different virtual networks and certain information will be limited to only certain people (Mcclure, 2005). Denial of service(DOS) DOS occurs when the real users of a LAN are locked out from using their network. This happens when hackers send unsolicited packets that flood the network. The bandwidth becomes flooded with packets without valid destinations thus making the network slow or the resources inaccessible. This can be countered by filtering the requests that are accessing the network resources and controlling the broadcast messages. Spoofing Ip spoofing is the impersonation of a certain device by sending out a message with another device’s ip address. The destination address is indicated but the source ip is hidden and cannot be traced. To prevent the network from being spoofed,one could use ingress and engress filtering at the router to disqualify packets that are not legitimate. Another way is to use authentication by maintaining an access control list of the range of ip addresses that are eligible to access the network. Encryption of packets could also prevent spoofing (Tanase, 2010).

Case Study Analysis Bush Boake Allen Marketing Essay

Case Study Analysis Bush Boake Allen Marketing Essay 1. Introduction Since its foundation in 1966 by merging of three British companies, Bush Boake Allen had been outstanding and known to one of the leading firms in the flavor and fragrance industry. The firm seemed to be in a stable industry as such food and fragrance are closely associated with people’s daily life. However, BBA had to be coped with the cost pressure and high risk given the traditional business model. On the top of that, by using new technologies, some firms can analyze production cost information of flavor and even chemical components as well. That made flavor prices in the market might be forced to decrease (Stefan Thomke and Ashok Nimgade 2000). For the above reasons, Julian Boyden, CEO of BBA is about to begin new business strategy called â€Å"Mercury Project† which allows their customers to actually participate in flavor development process via online-based application software. In a setting where customers can handle flavor, there may be some adv antages in terms of time-saving and high-rate acceptance by customers themselves who manipulate flavors in the development. This may bring about substantial change not only to the firm’s business model but also relationship between the firm and customers. The thing is, however, not absolutely optimistic to the firm, as senior managers of BBA countered the new approach may be somewhat challenging and controversial on following several issues. First and foremost of all, the firm may be concerned with how much they give customers authority to control flavor development. This is related to where the flavor sample product machine should be located. For example, if customers get an authority to control the flavor development in their sites, they had to pay half million dollar for machine which may be not very affordable to the customers. Secondly, even if the customer has an opportunity to manipulate the new machine, they could be frustrated if they have difficulty operating the ma chine and software or fail to get the flavor they initially wanted. What is more, even customers who take advantage of the new software might underestimate flavorsists of the firm. Thirdly, the role of marketing is doubtful in the new business model. Traditionally, division of marketing had significant impact on the firm performance due to the fact that marketers closely had relationship with their customers from the flavor development to delivery of finished sample. On the other hand, as customers can directly involve in flavor development, task of marketers may decline. This paper will begin with the overview of the company and market environment of that time period. Then the paper will continue with the analysis of the business strategy and present managerial recommendations for Bush Boake Allen in the end. 2. Company Overview: Bush Boake Allen Since its foundation in 1966 by merging of three British companies including Bush Ltd., A. Boake Roberts Ltd., and Stafford Allen Ltd5), Bush Boake Allen, Inc had provided flavors and fragrances to the consumer products companies for use in foods, beverages, soaps and detergents, and so on. The BBA’s key global strategy had been â€Å"maintaining a decentralized structure. They tried to give empowerment to regional subsidiaries to locally make their decision (Stefan Thomke and Ashok Nimgade 2000). Especially in 1980’s, through a â€Å"Gaps in Maps† strategy, they started to launched global sites to accomplish consistent supply to customers and meet the local preferences. By 2000, BBA had 6 major sites Montvale, Dallas, London, Chennai, Singapore, and 13 minor sites worldwide.

Code of Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Code of Ethics - Assignment Example List the rules and principles that your company will use in decision making. The rules and principles that one’s company will use in decision making conform to the four ethical rules or principles, to wit: utilitarian, moral rights, justice, and practical rules (Jones, 2007, p. 150). Provide a brief explanation of why you selected each rule and principle. The utilitarian rule is chosen because it stipulates following policies that would provide the greatest benefit for the greatest amount of people. Given a scenario that needs decision making, this rule would govern the most viable course of action that would ensure greatest benefits for the stakeholders or inflicting the least harm. Likewise, for moral rights, the company should adhere to â€Å"one that protects people’s rights to freedom, life and safety, property, privacy, free speech, and freedom of conscience† (Jones, 2007, p. 150). Justice, on the other hand, must be promoted within the company by instituting rules, policies and procedures that are fair and impartial. And finally, the practical rules govern a manager’s decision-making where a course of action should be selected with â€Å"no hesitation about communicating to society because the typical person would think it is accepta ble† (Jones, 2007, p. 151). These four rules and principles ensure that the company’s decision-making process conforms to the ethical, moral and legal standards expected by society and acceptable to various

Further Principles of Trusts Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Further Principles of Trusts Project - Essay Example The management of the amount has been left entirely to the discretion of the trustees, who by default, now have the power to invest the funds for the benefit of the entire trust of the deceased. Hence at the outset, the immediate dispersal of funds to the nephews and nieces is not a mandatory requirement on the part of the trustees, who have the power to invest it as they see fit. IT must be clarified straight away, that the trust fund for the nephews and nieces does not entitle them to immediately be entitled to all of the proceeds, hence dispersal of the total amount of 500,000 pounds is out of the question. It must also be noted that among the nephews and nieces of Alan Benson, the deceased, only two are above the age of 18. The Trustees now have the power to invest trust funds by default and they have the option to invest the entire capital of 500,000 pounds for the benefit of all the beneficiaries, i.e, the four children, until all of them reach the age of eighteen. Since the Trustees will be expected to invest the funds or manage them to the best of their ability for the benefit of those named as beneficiaries of the trust, there is a pre-existing factor working against the breaking up of the total trust amount into its four constituent parts of 125,000 pounds, which each child will be entitled to. By immediately disbursing the funds of the trust as requested in Tahir Hussain’s letter, the trustees run the risk of being accused of mismanaging the funds, especially if the proposed ventures, i.e, expansion of existing business and vacations trips, etc are not successful and res ult in a loss of monies, thereby contravening the goal of allocation of these funds for the benefit of those children. It is significant to note that no restriction has been imposed in the will on the trustees’ power of investment of the funds, which suggests that the original intent of the deceased may have been to ensure that the allocation of 500,000

mcdonald :: essays research papers

In January 2003, McDonald, for a company that has enjoyed sizzling growth for decades announced its first ever-quarterly loss--$343.8 million. One of the main reasons for this is because McDonald has expanded too much and too fast both locally and internationally. Because of their fast growth, they sacrificed their customer services and quality. McDonald, the company that had been opening 1,700 stores a year over the past decade is dramatically reducing their number of new sores openings worldwide. According to David Grainer’s (2003) Can McDonald’s cook again? An article taken from the Fortune 5 Hundred magazine stated, â€Å"McDonald’s-the company that once made its living on prompt, friendly service-has ranked at the bottom of the fast-food industry since 1994. It now sits below every single airline as well as the IRS† (Grainer, 2003, p.120). More significantly, in 1993 due to the frustrated franchisees the company allowed the restaurant national grading system to be eliminated which in affect was a bad leadership move. McDonald has let its services slip because they thought they could afford to, in return it shows the arrogance in the leadership until they were slapped in the face by their fast growing competitors such as Taco Bell, Pizza Huts and Kentucky Fried Chicken. In addition, there are more subway restaurants than McDonald’s in the U.S. (Grainer, 2003, p.129). Furthermore, the company was mostly focusing on the growth of their real estate than to their quality and service. With every franchise McDonald sold, the more profit that they gained from the rent. They concentrated more on the spread of the franchise than they did on the quality of their service. They should be aware that if this franchisee does not do well, in return it would affect on McDonald’s overall profits.

Family Essay

INTRODUCTION A family is the most important social group to which a person could belong to. Our families teaches us about the importance of knowledge, education, hard work and effort. It teaches us about enjoying ourselves, having fun, keeping fit and healthy. It teaches us all the social and moral etiquettes which a person learns and they learn them because of their family environment. The conditions in a family very much affect the livelihood and working of an individual. There for making your family very important. PREVIEW There are so many reasons why a family is important.  A family is what a person has been around their whole life they have helped that person even if that person doesn’t notice, the family has helped. and no matter what there is a bond between each person in a family a love that you can’t quite explain even when someone in the family has done something to hurt you no matter what happens you will love them even if you don’t think so now. But that is not what this speech is about, I will be focusing on how a family helps; 1.)shapes the personality, 2.) develops emotional strength, and 3.) can work as a support system. BODY I.It shapes the personality. Now how dose our family shape our personality? A.Well since childhood, we are taught be in accordance with the family traditions and cultures which have been going on since generations. B.The basic principles of life and lessons to live it nicely are also given to us by our family. C. The social, moral, and educational background decides the present and future of the child and that is decided by the family, especially the parents. (Transitional Phrase: It is the family which helps us to grow well and deal with the challenges of life because of how our emotional strength was developed). II. When the family goes through a hard time or a joyous time all the members of the family go through it and that is how our development of emotional strength is started. A.When family environment is good and stress free, then the mind of an individual remains delighted and free of any pressure. B.But if the family is broken or if there are continuous family  problems every now and then, this leads to serious mental stress. C.This in turn, has difficult effects on the education, career and future of a person. In other words, the emotional strength of a person and our ability to overcome crisis situations for the most part depends on how we have been brought up. (Transitional Phrase: When a family is well put together the and family members encourage us to do something we will certainly feel confident about whatever it is even if we are not that great at that certain thing.) III. Whenever we are looking for support we always look to those that we know will support us and so when our family works as a support system it will certainly help us a lot. A.And in order to do any job well, a person needs some backing or support to keep their confidence level high. B.Family is the biggest source of this because the family members know that person better than anyone else. therefore they know what is right for the individual and what is not and family should tell you what is not good for u or what they know you certainly cant do. C. If the family always help and encourages that person and that person can trust them then they and will go to them for advice or support trusting them to help them and trusting their judgment if they should or shouldn’t do something. D. Most importantly the family will always be with a person, even in the worst times of that individuals life the family will go through it with them. CONCLUSION Therefore â€Å"Cherish your life, Cherish your health, Cherish your family, and Cherish your friends. For these are the things that money can’t buy and will define your true wealth†.-unknown Appreciate your family because when everything goes downhill your family will be right there with you. And some people don’t have that, some people have to deal with struggles on their own and have a hard time because they do not having a family to help them go through it, yes they might have friends that will help them but there friends don’t have the deep connection that you have with your family they haven’t gone through all that you have because they haven’t been at your side as your family has. You might think that your brothers and sisters haven’t gone through the same thing that you have but there is such a deep connection between a family that they have dealt with you and how you take the situations. There is a reason why God gave you your family and not just  a friend that you know for a couple of years. there is a reason why you will have them in your life forever. However as I said before there is so much more but now is not the time for that, for now I hope you can see how a family is important because of how it helped shape the personality, develop emotional strength, and works as a support system. Families are like branches on a tree. We grow in different directions but our roots remain as one. So â€Å"No matter how bad things get, no matter how wrong things go, family will always be there! So treasure the family you have and don’t take them for granted!†- Nishan Panwar

Essay The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich...

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, outlines how a society should be run under communism. The document provides truths to what is wrong with society; what causes these wrongs; how they can be fixed; and how this relates to humans and nature. Marx was a political philosopher of German ancestry. Marx and Engels split the document up into four sections: Section 1: Bourgeois and Proletarians, section 2: Proletarians and Communists, section 3: Socialists and Communist literature, and section 4: Positions of the Communists in relation to the Various Existing Opposition Parties. The first section, Bourgeoisie and Proletarians, focuses on the†¦show more content†¦As a result, Marx states, society changed to functioning purely on money.(1) Through all of this the bourgeoisie came to power. In the shadow of the bourgeois arose the proletarians, the lower class. The proletarians life was based around the struggle to find work and survive. Marx describes the proletarians as slaves just people used for labor. The proletarians were involved in an everlasting struggle with the bourgeoisie. With common backgrounds and equally low wages, the proletarians began to form groups and unions. The second section, Proletarians and Communists, describes the role of the communist in relation to the role of the proletarian. The communists side with the proletarians and share a common goal. â€Å"The immediate aim of the Communist is the same as that of all the other proletarian parties: formation of the proletariat into a class, overthrow of the bourgeois supremacy, conquest of political power by the proletariat.†(1) Marx then goes on to state that communism wants to abolish private property from the bourgeoisie, saying that: â€Å"Bourgeois private property is the final and most complete expression of the system of producing and appropriating products, that is based on class antagonisms, on the exploitation of the many by the few.†(1) MarxShow MoreRelatedThe Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels Essay929 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Communist Manifesto† – the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was published on February 21 , 1848. This book is the first document of scientific communism and the first program of the international communist organizations and parties. It is the most systematic work of all thoughts and great teachings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. â€Å"The Communist Manifesto† consists of the main statements of the materialistic conception of history, the impartial laws of social development, the laws ofRead MoreThe Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels1746 Words   |  7 Pagesdrawn on what the government can do that is acceptable. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote The Prince, in which he argues that people are naturally immoral and will do what they can, whether good or bad, to maintain well-liked. In The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the main argument is that humans are rational and would be able to govern themselves as a result of have one single class. 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This caused the Communists to assemble in London and create this Manifesto in order to make their views public and clarifiedRead MoreThe Communist Manifesto, By Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels Essay1664 Words   |  7 PagesThe Communist Manifesto The Communist Manifesto was drafted under the commission of the Communist League, a body that consisted of a group of radical workers who were disgruntled by the abject poverty of the working class in industrialized Europe. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the authors of the Communist Manifesto, lived at a time when the gap between the rich and the poor was becoming evidently wide, and the working class was struggling to survive. The Communist Manifesto is a result of contextRead MoreThe Communist Manifesto, By Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels1000 Words   |  4 Pagesis the history of class struggles† (Marx). In the year 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels decided to publish a manifesto after sitting down and sharing ideas for a period of time. Today, that piece of writing is known as The Communist Manifesto. In this book, Marx, the principal author stated that escaping from alienation required a revolution. That was the only possible way in which a political as well as a socia l change could have been seen. Therefore, Marx’ theory implied the use of violenceRead MoreThe Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels835 Words   |  4 Pages The Communist Manifesto is written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels which was published by a group of German born revolutionary socialists known as the Communist League. The main idea in this book is define the goals and theory of Communism. It explains how classes affect one another as well. This book consists of four different chapters which display Marx’s approach on Communism in different circumstances. This book is about Marx’s perspective on Communism, its effects, how it is criticized,Read MoreThe Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels1212 Words   |  5 PagesThe history of all hithero existing society is the history of class struggle. (Marx Engels 1848). This statement establishes the setting for the Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A bold proclamation, the Communist Manifesto set the stage at the time for illustrating, so distinctly, a prolonged tension between two opposing and intertwined classes of a capitalis tic economy. Still resonating in contemporary society, class struggle, especially between these two classesRead MoreManifesto Of The Communist Party, Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels927 Words   |  4 Pages In Manifesto of the Communist Party, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels outline the issues associated with the division of society into two groups: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeoisie is a group that encompasses modern capitalists. The proletariat group pertains to the modern working class. While these two groups appear in today’s world, the authors make it evident that all throughout history there has been a division in society between oppressors and oppressed. They mention that in

Domestic Terrorism Is America s Greatest Threat Mass...

Domestic Terrorism is America s Greatest Threat: Mass Shootings and Hate Crimes I. Introduction The United States has been in a national state of emergency fighting a war on terrorism since September 11, 2001. The intelligence communities have pursued and tracked down terrorist suspects who pose a direct threat to this country, yet one of the greatest threat to this country is the astronomical number of mass shootings and hate crimes that have occurred in this country post 9/11. The United States has taken aggressive measures to counteract the war on terrorism, yet does not take the same aggressive measures to counteract the war on mass shootings and hate crimes knowing the psychological effects plant the same fear in the†¦show more content†¦The U.S. continues to implement effective initiatives and provide adequate resources for the War on international terrorism; whereas the threat magnitude of international terrorism is miniscule in comparison to the number of mass shootings and hate crimes taking place on a daily basis in this country. Acts of terrorism plants fear and terror into the hearts and minds of individuals but when mass shootings occur in the United States, they get classified as murder or hate crimes. This research will show that mass shootings and hate crimes inflict the same type of terror in the hearts and minds of individuals throughout communities within the United States as terrorist attacks have inflicted on communities. II. What is Domestic Terrorism? There is no single, universally accepted definition to define terrorism but the U. S. Code of federal regulations define it as any violent act or acts dangerous to human life that violates the criminal laws of the U.S. or any State or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the U.S. or any State. (18 U.S.C  § 2331). The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) divides terrorist attacks that face the U.S. into two broad categories - international and domestic. (18.U.S.C.  § 2331). International terrorism aspire to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of aShow MoreRelatedHate Crime And Mass Shootings Essay4636 Words   |  19 PagesAmerica s Greatest Threats: Domestic Terrorism, Hate Crimes and Mass Shootings I. Introduction Executive Order 13224 on Terrorist Financing under the guidelines of the United States (U.S) National Emergency Act (Pub. 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Improving China s Development Policy - 1533 Words

Improving China’s development policy has a personal urgency for me. For the past twenty-two years, my mother has worked in the municipal Department of Family Planning where she enforced the One-Child Policy, an effort to â€Å"create the best population structure for China’s national development.† The gap between China’s needs and the policy tools I saw used to meet those needs sparked my passion for transforming the system. As an official, my mother often had to penalize â€Å"excessive pregnancies.† I vividly recall the time a desperate woman implored my mother not to order the abortion of her child, but she refused because of the law. Even knowing my mother would be punished if she had acted differently, I was shocked by this system’s cruelty to women. Occasionally, some of these â€Å"illegal† women managed to escape from forcible abortions at a price of their children becoming the undocumented â€Å"blacklist overborn population† and thus being deprived of the entitlements to social services. During my childhood in a rural village, I acquainted with several such kids who could not receive public education just because their parents failed to obey the civil duty of â€Å"one child a couple.† Every time I asked my mother why they were not invited to school and her answer was always â€Å"they were born illegal,† I would be sorry for my friends and more doubtfu l of the policy. My belief in the national development goal of securing the happiness of the people was since challenged. I felt compelled toShow MoreRelatedThe Social Welfare And Import Trade Of Britain And China1322 Words   |  6 Pagesof Britain and China, and will evaluate the causes and consequences of the differences. 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Notes on the Screwtape Letters Free Essays

The Screwtape Letters Bill King, Lutheran Campus Pastor, Virginia Tech The following comments are intended to be a distillation, commentary, and reflection on the major themes of C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. We will write a custom essay sample on Notes on the Screwtape Letters or any similar topic only for you Order Now I hope these notes will be helpful for those charged with leading a study of the book, particularly for students or others who have had minimal theological training. Chapter comments are more extensive in the beginning because Lewis introduces themes early and tends to return to them as the book progresses. Page references are to the HarperCollins 2001 paperback edition. Chapter 1 One of Lewis’ major concerns throughout the book is the intellectual assumptions of his world. At the beginning he notes a â€Å"materialist† worldview holds sway, which is to say the assumption that if you can not empirically verify something it does not exist. This, says Lewis, is a backdoor way of avoiding confronting important realities; you simply define them out of existence. Lewis does not see a conflict between reason and faith; he believes the claims of faith can stand the test of scrutiny. Indeed, he believes that a vigorous application of reason takes one beneath intellectual fad to testing fundamental truth claims. He would disagree with much of the deconstructionist thinking that denies â€Å"truth†; he would perhaps argue for some humility in asserting claims, but would say there is a truth to be sought and that it matters what one embraces. The intellectual search is one with an end. (For another treatment of this theme, see Lewis’ The Great Divorce, chapter 5, in which a one character prefers a hell which includes eternal debate on religious issues to a heaven of certainty in the presence of God). Lewis asserts that much of â€Å"hell on earth† is rooted in an unwillingness to ask deep, probing questions about what is really important, what gives true fulfillment, what is real as opposed to illusion. (In this he would share some ground with the Hindu concept of maya). He believes we are often prisoners of â€Å"immediate sense experience† and the â€Å"pressure of the ordinary,† that we seldom step back to reflect on what is important. Screwtape emphasizes that the demonic is always about â€Å"fuddling†, that is, obscuring what is really important in favor of the transitory, ill onceived, or tawdry. Lewis clearly believes that faith has nothing to fear from reason rigorously applied, but his is not the reason of materialism or scientism. Chapter 2 Screwtape takes the church as an example where Wormwood can cause confusion by getting his patient so focused on the immediate and â€Å"real† that he loses sight of the transcendent. The Church is both more and less than the immediate manifestation of any one time and place. One will inevitably be disillusioned if one compares the immediate incarnation of the Church to the ideal toward which it strives. The doctrine of the Incarnation is bigger than the idea that God was in Christ; it also speaks to the concept that the holy is found (however imperfectly) in the real world of imperfect humans. There is a certain tension here. While God is indeed in the imperfect,that is not an excuse for making no effort to have our lives and our community grow into the image of Christ. As the Scottish New Testament professor told his class, â€Å"We do indeed have this treasure in earthen vessels, but ye need not be as earthen as ye are. †) That is why â€Å"holy habits† are 2 important. Screwtape notes that the man’s habits are still in favor of Wormwood until he cultivates new ones. Christianity is not magic; it is a lifestyle and as such demands intentionality. Screwtape notes that we have freedom which must be used to embrace that holy vision wh ich is set before us. There is a certain tension in noting that God’s love comes to us as grace, but that it must be embraced with a certain intentionality. It is the same tension which an Eastern parable notes: The master told his pupil, â€Å"You can no more compel God’s revelation by your meditation than you can make the sun rise. † â€Å"Then why be diligent in prayer and meditation? † asked the pupil. â€Å"So you will be awake when the sun rises. † There is an ongoing process of rising and falling, of enlightenment and spiritual dryness. John of the Cross, in Dark Night of the Sou,l notes that spiritual consolations (emotional surges and enlightenment) come easy and often in the initial stages of serious prayer, but dryness comes later, not because God is absent but so that we grow in maturity, seeking God for deeper reasons than being spiritually goosed—and to keep us humble Screwtape touches on humility, noting that life in community depends upon our recognition of our depth and need for God and the community. The danger is always that we are operating on a â€Å"works righteousness† mind set. The lesson is that we should be neither arrogant when God seems near, nor despairing when our prayer life (or the community which surrounds us) is less than what we hope for. Chapter 3 Screwtape notes an important dynamic in the spiritual life. We often think of religion or faith as a piece of the pie which represents our whole life, with the goal being for the pie piece to become bigger. In fact, the life of the spirit is a circle at the center of our lives with the goal being for that circle to expand outward to encompass more and more of our lives: fun, relationships, work, everything. One of our temptations is to bracket off the parts of life which we will allow to fall under the influence of Christ (â€Å"Well, this love your neighbor thing is all fine and good for personal relationships, but business is business. †). This chapter takes family life as an example of how we can easily put spiritual practices, such as prayer, in one chamber, and never let them influence the very ordinary, day-to-day relationships where we spend most of our time. While â€Å"conversion† or â€Å"faith† may well entail an internal reorientation, it becomes powerful and real only when it makes a difference in our behaviors. Lewis constantly reminds us that we need to move back and forth from deep reflection on what we believe and how we live to testing out new ways of being in the world. Intercessory prayer is, therefore, always concrete in some sense; prayers which have no reference point in the real world are just words. A great rabbi once observed that we should never ask God to do something if we are unwilling to be an instrument of God’s action. So it is playacting to pray that the hungry be fed, if we are unwilling to change our lifestyle, contribute to relief, and seek justice to enable those goals to be accomplished. It is a delusion to pray for peace and understanding in our homes if we are not willing to listen, endure, and give of ourselves in the mundane things such as washing dishes, arranging schedules, and deciding what sofa to buy. Much of the chapter focuses on how we forget that growth in discipleship, like a journey of 1000 miles, is accomplished one small, ordinary step at a time. Peace on earth begins with patience with an annoying word or tone uttered by one in our own household 3 Chapter 4 In the preface to Screwtape, Lewis notes that Hell is place of constant competition and obsession with ones dignity. In this chapter (though it is not the main focus) he gives us some examples. In the first paragraph he makes it clear that Wormwood is not dealing with a world where he can expect any slack, forgiveness, or grace. He will be held rigidly accountable for failure and can expect no understanding from his mentors. On page 17 he describes God as â€Å"cynically indifferent to the dignity of His position, and ours†¦ † This theme occurs repeatedly in Screwtape, that God is more concerned about redemption of a beloved creation than guarding divine dignity. In the â€Å"through the looking glass† world of this book, the implication is that those who are on the side of the â€Å"Enemy† will also have a certain disregard for their own image and false dignity. And if Hell is a place where one can expect no quarter; the unspoken statement is that the realm of the Enemy is different. The major focus of the chapter is prayer, and Lewis warns of both extremes: making prayer into a purely â€Å"spiritual† matter with no anchoring or understanding of its necessary connection to the physical bodies which we inhabit, or on the other hand, of forgetting that no image of God is adequate. One might expect someone who has been nurtured by the single best collection of liturgical prayers in English (the Book of Common Prayer) to defend formal, structured prayer, and he does (15). Too often we assume that true prayer is unstructured and spontaneous; sometimes it is just sloppy and undisciplined. Lewis makes the case that prayer is a bit like playing scales from notes: before one can improvise, one benefits from a regularized acquaintance with words and thought forms that mature pray-ers have used (the Our Father being the prime example). One can certainly make the case that it is possible to err on the other side, allowing liturgical prayers to become pro forma and lifeless, but Lewis asserts that though prayer is more than a matter of the mind and rote repetition, it is not, for most of us, less. He concedes that most of the great literature on prayer speaks of a contemplative state beyond intellectual reflection, but that is not where most of us are in our spiritual development–and it is destructive and dangerous for the novice to presume the skill of the master. (See the section on Coleridge, p. 16). A major theme in this chapter is that, while it is nice to receive an emotional boost in prayer, our feelings are not the final or even best standard to judge our prayers. The function of prayer is to bring ourselves into the presence of God with as much intentionality as we can (recognizing hat, in one sense, we are ever in God’s presence). Ideally the focus is not on taking our spiritual pulse, to see â€Å"how we are doing†, rather, it is on opening ourselves to the action of God. Sometimes that action is obvious, and we have the sense of profound comfort or enlightenment; other times it appears that all we do is show up. If we have been open to God, we have done what God desires of us in prayer and the outcomes are not the point. One book on prayer ironically calls it â€Å"wasting time with God†; and that suggests why it often hard for us to pray. We want measurable results, and sometimes it seems success as the world measures it is elusive. Lewis, in the last section of the chapter, suggests that if we constantly move the focus from our abilities as pray-ers to trusting ourselves to the Holy Presence, for whatever consolations or spiritual silence that presence offers, we will finally find ourselves confronting God—which we may or may not find welcome. The final sentences touch on an important theme of prayer. Prayer is not always pleasant. Like looking at the mirror and seeing that we are indeed getting flabby, prayer can undermine our denial that things are not as they should be. Prayer can be disconcerting because it punctures our illusions, but Lewis’ implicit assumption is that it is better to be disconcerted and alert to the 4 need to change than to be complacently on the road to hell (whether one understands that as eternal damnation or simply on a path that will eventually prove disastrous in life). Chapter 5 In this chapter Lewis emphasizes the essential theme that suffering, in and of itself, does not serve evil. While the Evil One delights in our â€Å"anguish and bewilderment of soul†; the bigger issue is whether these experiences bring us closer or further from God. The key issue for Screwtape is â€Å"undermining faith and preventing the formation of virtues. † (p. 22) Lewis notes that there are spiritual dangers in both being an â€Å"extreme patriot† and â€Å"ardent pacifist. † But he does not spell these out; it might be interesting to reflect on these. For example, one can easily see the idolatrous possibilities of conflating God and Country in a patriotism which sees the interest of the two as identical. By the same token, ardent pacifism can be the mask of a too delicate moral sensibility which abdicates social responsibility and the willingness to confront injustice. Screwtape notes that the dangerous things from his perspective (and remember that Screwtape’s interests are always at odds with God’s) are that suffering prompts humans to recognize their need of God, that they are prompted to focus on things outside themselves, and that they are forced to focus on their mortality (Note his scathing critique of a culture that denies death in its medical system, pp. 3-24). â€Å"Contented worldliness† is lifted up as one of the great danger the believer faces. This is a recurring theme in the work. One might argue that Lewis confuses the suffering which comes to all persons with the suffering which Jesus promises as inherent in discipleship. But it appears that Lewis would assert in both cases that God can redeem suffering if it is offered up to God in trust. Though it may be hard to find purpose in the former case, one will at least find comfort. Chapter 6 A major theme of this chapter is the relationship between anxiety and fear. As Screwtape notes, anxiety is a major barricade between God and man because it touches at the heart of trust. One can fear and still trust; it is harder to trust when our hearts are filled with faceless, diffuse anxiety. God’s promise is that we will have resources for what is truly apportioned to us; to worry about what is not yet our concern is a bottomless pit into which we cast our energy. In the â€Å"spiritual law† Screwtape offers (p. 26) he touches a recurring theme in the book: much of the spiritual life is becoming what the Buddha called â€Å"mindful†, or reflective. The parallel danger is that we can become overly introspective, or obsessed with keeping a spiritual scorecard of how we are doing. The goal at all times is to be focused on what God desires of us; if we are doing that which is not pleasing to God we do well to notice that, but if we find ourselves in obedience we give thanks and then move on. A third theme is the relationship between feelings and actions. Screwtape notes that feelings of hatred are not necessarily all that important–if they do not find fruition in actions. Conversely, piety that never moves beyond the intellect is worse than none at all because we have the illusion that we have the real deal, when in fact we have only a fantasy–which is the heart of Screwtape’s image of the personality as made up of concentric circles (p. 28). It is important to note that while Lewis is constantly calling for reflection, use of the mind, and reason. He is adamant that true religion must finally find concrete expression in the day-to-day world where we actually live out our lives. He has no illusions that simply knowing the ight things, or thinking in the right categories necessarily produces a life pleasing to God. 5 Chapter 7 The chapter appears to begin with a discussion of whether devils are real, but in fact Lewis is concerned with idolatry. Screwtape sees what he calls the â€Å"Materialist Magician† as the ideal. This is one who gives parts the physical world the trust and passion associated with religion while denying the re ality of God. Lewis saw the reverence sometimes afforded to science and fashionable social theories as tending in this direction. Returning to an earlier theme, Lewis takes patriotism versus pacifism as a case study on the dangers of extremism. Screwtape says, â€Å"All extremes except extreme devotion to the enemy are to be encouraged† because extremism almost always pulls the focus away from God and toward a â€Å"Cause†. The progression he notes (p. 34) is a telling critique of many involved in social justice concerns; the cause becomes more important than the convictions out of which the actions originally grew. Though Lewis does not say it here, the danger of this is that the roots atrophy so that in the long run there is not sufficient spiritual energy to support the â€Å"branches† of the action. It is not either/or, many great social reformers have been persons of both prayer and action in the world. A secondary theme in this chapter is the danger of factionalism. The church can easily become self-righteousness and lacking in charity because it feels elitist and/or besieged. Chapter 8 This whole chapter pivots around the â€Å"law of undulation† and it is one of the most important and beautifully written in the book. It explains why, both from a physiological and theological perspective, we go through periods of spiritual drought. The nature of the beast (pun intended) is that animals have a life cycle characterized by an ebb and flow of energy and enthusiasm, and that cycle finds expression in the life of prayer and devotion. But on a much more profound level, Lewis makes the case that this undulation is both necessary and intended by God so that we grow into the free, mature persons of faith God intends us to be. As Screwtape notes, God can not use the Irresistible and the Indisputable if the goal is to create children and not merely coerced puppets. Though not using the term, Lewis draws on a theology of the cross, showing how God’s power is and must be revealed in apparent weakness. The heart of the chapter is the wonderful section on pages 38-39 in which the purposes of God and Satan are distinguished. Contained in the paragraph on 40 is a moving description of the passion; Christ exemplifies one who embraces the trough and thus finally arrives at the intention of the Father. Chapter 9 Screwtape notes that we are particularly vulnerable to sensual temptations in the trough times noted in the â€Å"law of undulation. One reason is that the believer is seeking the sense of well being experienced during the good times. Sensuality gives the illusion of intimacy, love, and meaningful passion. Whether it is sex, drugs, alcohol, or anything else which works on the senses, one can temporarily have the sense of well being which comes most fully in communion with God. As Screwtape notes, this is subject to the law of diminishing returns–it takes more and more to provide the same kick, until there is no kick at all. It is important to note (as Screwtape does) that there is nothing wrong with genuine pleasure, indeed pleasures are God’s gifts to us. It is the perversion of pleasures, in mistaking the gift for the giver, that we run into problems. When we are in the depths of a trough, Screwtape notes two dangers related to the 6 assumption that the trough is permanent: On one hand, we can be tempted to despair, and thus abandon the struggle to be faithful because we come to believe we have failed or that the struggle is futile. On the other hand, we can simply become content with a flaccid faith. This is the great danger of urbane, acculturated religion. As Screwtape notes, â€Å"A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all–and more amusing. Lewis ends the chapter with a jab at intellectual fads which ask, not what is true, but what is new, trendy, or historically most recent. He returns to this later in the book. Chapter 10 In this chapter Lewis notes the importance of friends and acquaintances in the life of faith. Wormword’s patient is in danger (from a Christian perspective) because he has take n up with those whose values are contradictory to the fragile ones he is cultivating. All of us want to fit into our culture, and so it is very hard when we perceive our values to be at odds with those around us. Lewis notes, â€Å"All mortals tend to turn into the thing they are pretending to be. † Allowing ourselves to adopt behaviors contradictory to our faith is dangerous for that reason. But it is important to note that sometimes what we are pretending (that is, trying to inhabit an identity which is not yet established within us) to be is a â€Å"Christian. † So it is equally important for us to surround ourselves with fellow believers, in the hope that our playacting can become reality. Lewis suggests that one of the great problems with our modern world is that we have come to regard â€Å"Puritan† virtues with disdain. The issue is not whether temperance, chastity, and sobriety have been tested and found wanting as virtues worth cultivating; rather, Lewis suggests, the modern world simply assumes they are the relics of a bygone day and never asks the question concerning their merit with searching honesty. Lewis notes that sometimes we find ourselves trying to inhabit two worlds. We are literally schizophrenic—with a divided mind—and thus at home in neither the values of God nor the values of the world. One goal of the life of discipleship is to attain a single-minded passion for the things of God. As Kierkegaard puts it, â€Å"Purity of heart is to love one thing. † Chapter 11 Lewis distinguishes four sources of laughter: joy, fun, joke/humor, and flippancy. In the first two Screwtape sees little value to his cause of undermining the life of faith; they arise from the depths of what it means to be human. The others show more promise. Humor can be used as a way to deaden shame. That which is deplorable can be made into a joke, and thus one slowly ceases to strive against it. Jokes which demean another group are prime examples–we fear being called humorless more than we fear being racist, misogynist, and cruel. Flippancy, which refuses to take anything with seriousness, is the best of all from Screwtape’s perspective because it advances his number one priority, keeping the patients unaware of their peril or of God’s call to them. Flippancy is rooted in the assumption that nothing finally matters, so there is nothing worthy of commitment. An attitude of perpetual flippancy insures that the believer never asks deep questions concerning the nature and purpose of life; and thus lives superficially. Chapter 12 Screwtape again emphasizes the importance of keeping Christians unaware of their true state, when they are moving away from God. But in this chapter he touches on the important fact that there is a part of us that does not want to be known by God. The sicker we become the more we resist putting ourselves in the presence of the doctor. We cease to need temptations; we 7 begin actively to move away from God because that keeps us from confronting the need to make hard changes. The statement of one patient, â€Å"I now see that I spent most of my life doing neither what I ought nor what I liked. † is a terrifying warning of how we can fill our lives with trivia which offers no particular joy, excitement, or satisfaction (p. 60). Like starving persons with a sense of hollowness we fill our spiritual stomachs with bulk in order to avoid confronting the real hunger. Repeatedly, Screwtape emphasizes that it is not the great sins that are most likely to doom us (the great ones are more likely to awaken a sense of sin, shame, guilt, and obvious need). It is the subtle change that takes our orbit away from the sun/Son (p. 57) or a barely perceptible turn in the path, gradually leading us away from God, which most imperils us. Chapter 13 Lewis can sometimes seem rather ascetic, but in this chapter he emphasizes that pleasures are indeed from God. But it is pleasures understood as joy without pretense which he extols. True pleasure, Lewis understands to be a sort of innocent, self-forgetfulness which receives life with delight as it comes. True pleasure has no need to create a facade or pretend to like something only because others find it fashionable. Lewis takes our deepest likes and desires as God’s gifts to us; it is only when we seek to express those desires at the expense of others that they become pathological. Lewis recapitulates the point he made earlier (chapter 6) that intention without action has a way of finally being impotent. God does not desire us to wallow in grief, shame, or noble intentions (that is what Screwtape wants, because it keeps us focused on unproductive emotions), rather God calls us to turn and live in a new way. The subtle point which Lewis makes at the end of the chapter is that after awhile feeling without action makes it hard for us to even feel the need to turn and take a new course: â€Å"The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel. For example, think of what happens if we regularly hear sermons which call us to compassion for the hungry, but never get around to actually doing something in response to that call. At some point we grow numb and similar words do not even prick our conscience. Chapter 14 The focus of this chapter is humility. Lewis is at pains to note that humility does not consist in holding a poor opinion of oneself, but in finally getting free of the need to have an opinion at al l. To attempt to hold an exaggeratedly negative opinion of one’s gifts is dishonest and ultimately futile. God does not desire dishonesty. Humility is related to detachment (i. e. , not being driven by the opinions or priorities of the world). In loving us unconditionally God desires that we no longer have the need to buttress our self-concept by constantly evaluating our accomplishments—including our ability to be humble. Humility does not consist in denigrating our gifts, but in learning to acknowledge them with thanksgiving and move on. If we are not obsessed with evaluating our place in the â€Å"temple of Fame† we are freed to be affirming of others because their success does not threaten us. Chapter 15 Screwtape constantly talks about the importance of misdirection. In this chapter the issue is time, picking up some themes from chapter 6. From Screwtape’s perspective, life can be stolen from humans by getting them to live in either the past (which is gone) or the future (which does not actually exist). Making the same point that the Lord’s Prayer makes in saying, â€Å"Give us 8 this day our daily bread,† Lewis invites us to recognize that the challenges and joys of living are apportioned to us only in the present. If we insist on constantly living in fear of or in anticipation of the future, we are like persons who chase a rainbow (see the wonderful quotation at the top of p. 78) which constantly recedes. An interesting element of this chapter is its noting that living in the future can give birth to either despair (by assuming all the burdens of a lifetime in anticipation of their actually arising) or a kind of hope that is simply wishful optimism–both which are equally useful from Screwtape’s perspective in robbing us of the future. On p. 76 Lewis takes a jab at intellectual trends that are rooted, not in God’s future, but in a naive trust in inevitable progress by historical forces (social, biological, or political). If Lewis’ audience could be tempted to live in the future, how much more true is it of American culture with its emphasis on novelty, progress, and fast paced competition? That is not to say that one should not care about the future. Rather, one understands that what is demanded in the present is to labor faithfully (including appropriate planning) and then to commend the cause to God, taking up the challenges of the next day on the morrow. One is reminded of the counsel attributed to Ignatius Loyola, â€Å"You should labor as though all depends on you, and pray as if it all depends on God. † Chapter 16 In this chapter Lewis turns his attention to the spirit in which one worships. The use of the word â€Å"parochial† in paragraph 2, page 81 may be unclear. Lewis does not use it with the common connotation of â€Å"narrow minded† or â€Å"limited in vision. † Rather he is lifting up the traditional idea (from an earlier age when one could assume all persons in a town were part of the dominant church) of the geographical parish. To know what congregation a person worshiped at you only needed to know where he or she lived. The result, in theory, was that all persons who claimed to be Christian, whatever their race, class, economic status, or theology, were members of the same parish. From Lewis’ perspective, that was a powerful counterbalance to making the church a club. This was a powerful concept in the early church and part of what made it a social leveling force. One did not choose brothers and sisters in Christ with which one worshiped; as in a biological family, they were simply given. Lewis sees a shopper mentality (what he calls the â€Å"congregational principle†) gaining dominance so that the believer begins to see religion as a commodity to be judged and consumed, rather than as a vision which stands above mere preferences and offers an identity beyond sociological classifications. One implication of the congregational principle is that the fundamental orientation in worship ceases to be receptivity to the subtle gifts which might be received, and becomes instead an orientation of critique. There is little doubt that Lewis’ critique of the Church of England in 1940 would be doubly applicable to the American religious scene which has historically been very congregational and rooted in the concept of free association. Lewis also turns his attention to two failings he notes in the liberal, established church of his experience: the tendency to spend so much time in â€Å"translating† the faith into inoffensive intellectual categories that there is nothing unique to proclaim, and second, the tendency to mistake a cause for the core of the faith, or on the personal level for pastors to mistake their own ideas and prejudices for the gospel they are charged to preach. In each case what is lacking is a clear discernment of the essential from what is purely conventional, or at least negotiable. Here Lewis lifts up a theme which emerges in the Apology to the Augsburg Confession and the Formula of Concord, which is that much of religious practice is â€Å"adiaphoria,† a matter of 9 personal preference or corporate convention, and not essential confession. It is fun to note in passing the jab which C. S. Lewis the English professor takes at modern poetry, â€Å"A sermon which such people could accept would be to him as insipid as a poem which they could scan (p. 83). Chapter 17 In this chapter Lewis focuses on the vice of gluttony, with an interesting twist. Screwtape notes that we tend to think of gluttony in terms of how much one consumes; the stereotypical image of the glutton is of a grotesquely fat person eating at a great banquet (with the poor perhaps staring on in the background). Gluttony, says Lewis, consists not in how much we eat but in the fact that we are driven and commanded by our desires. The one who insists on having his or her every desire satisfied is a glutton, even if the volume consumed is small. It makes little difference to what the appetite is directed (food, drink, tobacco, music, or collecting Barbie dolls); the essential point is that one places satisfaction of that appetite above all else. Some spiritual writers even warn of â€Å"spiritual gluttony† which is the compulsive need for emotional highs in times of prayer. The glutton is above all one who places his or her interests at the center of life. In contrast, the one who has the mind of Christ constantly seeks to place the intention of God at the center. Some writers have suggested that gluttony is rooted in a lack of faith, a fear that there is not enough for all; one must jealously guard one’s interests, since no one else will. The last section in which gluttony is described as â€Å"artillery preparation† (p. 90) on chastity is insightful, given the fact that almost all sexual assault cases on university campuses involve alcohol as a contributing factor. Another way of framing the discussion is that giving vent to one’s unchecked desires in one sphere is likely to contribute to a pattern which carries over into other areas of behavior. Rape, drunkenness, and theft all have a common grounding in the assumption that I have a right have what I want, when I want it, at the expense of others– which is to say in gluttony. Chapter 18 Lewis is unapologetically traditional on the subject of sexual morality, calling for either abstinence or monogamy. Sex, for Lewis is rooted in how one understands relationships in general. Screwtape denies the possibility of love, for him all of life is competition and predation. Sex, therefore, is about using, consuming, or absorbing another. He denies the possibility of love, understood as finding one’s own fulfillment in the good f the other. Implicit in this chapter is Lewis’ charge that modern society has adopted a â€Å"hellish† understanding of sex which reduces sex to predation. In contrast, says Lewis, God intends for sex to be the means by which we learn and express love. But more to the point, sex has a transcendent power to create that which it promise s, â€Å"one flesh. † The key point for Lewis is that we have gotten it backwards: we have come to think that the emotional sense of â€Å"being in love† is the only valid reason for sex and marriage, when in fact it is a promised by-product. Lewis goes so far as to suggest that marriage can and is valid even it does not result in a â€Å"storm of emotion. † Chapter 19 This chapter is primarily a recapitulation of themes raised earlier. It lifts up what a scandal the concept of God’s love for humanity really is–Screwtape can not conceive of it, there must a trick! Lewis again notes that nothing in the world is in and of itself good or bad; it is all 10 grist for the spiritual mill. Feast or famine, weal or woe, the issue is whether we will be brought closer or pushed farther from God (p. 103). As one example Screwtape notes that sexual temptation can be used either to make one overbearingly ascetic and sour or, by playing to romantic fantasies, to create â€Å"tragic adulteries,† which result from being in love with a flawed idea of love instead of embracing the genuine article. Chapter 20 Lewis turns his attention to the tendency of society to create physical ideals which do not exist anywhere except in fantasy. The result is that we are constantly dissatisfied with both ourselves and with those with whom we might form a fruitful, happy union. Lewis would have a field day with modern MTV, fashion, and advertising. Lewis suggests that men are haunted by two imaginary women, what he calls a â€Å"terrestrial and an infernal Venus† (other writers use a dichotomy such as Virgin/whore). In this he draws on a long Platonic tradition of the sublime and base Venus, or Aphrodite ourania (heavenly) and pandemos (of all the people). Sublime Venus is that pure love to which Plato aspires; base Venus is the earthy, physical, sweaty, dirty love that he seeks to move past. Before Plato, the attitude toward the two expressions was quite the opposite: Aphrodite Ourania refers to her connection with Ouranos (heaven) where she was born from the castrated testicles of Ouranos after he was thrown from power (not a very positive image! ); Aphrodite Pandemos (of all the people) is an expression that the politician and poet Solon used in Athens to describe the force that brings all people together in democratic unity (a pretty positive picture). But culturally for the West, Plato won, so heavenly Venus came to be regarded as good, and terrestrial or infernal Venus as bad. One might wonder if Lewis makes a little too neat a separation of passion/sensuality and â€Å"higher love,† implicitly dividing that which can not properly be divided. However, Lewis’ primary point remains: A distorted understanding of the purpose of sexuality creates unhappiness as one perpetually seeks an illusory â€Å"love† which does not exist, and misuses the actual persons with whom one might find satisfaction. Chapter 21 In this chapter Lewis takes up the proper understanding of time. He notes that we tend to regard time as our own to use as we choose, when in fact every moment is a gift entrusted to us. To regard time as our possession has two virtues from Screwtape’s perspective: First, we become petulant and resentful when we find demands being made on our time, demands which are quite appropriate if we are serious about discipleship. Second, it obscures the fact that because we have been entrusted with time by God we are obligated to use it to God’s glory; we are stewards not owners of time. Lewis takes aim at the radically autonomous individual, the one who seeks to be free of all constraints save those he chooses for himself. The reality, says Lewis, is that we â€Å"serve somebody† (to use Bob Dylan’s words), â€Å"it may be the devil or it may be the Lord but you gotta serve somebody. † (See the wonderful closing paragraphs). The creation narrative says God created humanity in God’s image; Lewis notes that by conflating several senses of the first person possessive pronoun, we are likely to create God in our image. We forget that God and God’s desires stand over us, and instead we begin to use God as a means to an end. â€Å"My God† ceases to mean, â€Å"the god to whom I owe my allegiance† and means, â€Å"the God I control and call upon to meet my desires. † 1 Chapter 22 Lewis reemphasizes that God is the source of all joys and delights. The most interesting thing in this chapter is the contrast of music and silence with Noise. Heaven is place of beauty, harmony, delight. Hell is made up of that which distracts, destroys, and prevents us from rea ching harmony. One might ponder the implications of living in a culture which seems committed to engulfing its members in perpetual sound. What does it mean for community and self-awareness when vast numbers of college students spend large parts of the day walking around campus with either a cell phone or an ipod in their ears? Chapter 23 Screwtape notes that the corruption of spirituality is in some ways more dangerous and destructive to God’s intention than mere license or immorality. Then Lewis moves into a discussion of the â€Å"historical Jesus. † He is noting an important theme in early 20th Century biblical scholarship which sought to move behind the Scriptures, seeking to gain a picture of Jesus before the church imposed its teachings on the narrative. Lewis is of the opinion that one can not get behind the narratives, that what we finally end up doing is simply importing an ideology and then editing based on our previous assumptions. He makes four criticisms of the â€Å"quest for the historical Jesus†: 1) The historical Jesus does not exist; we are thus seeking a phantom. We can not know Jesus apart from the confession and documents which bear witness to him. All we have is the confession of the church, for good or ill. 2) Those seeking the historical Jesus place more importance on their ideology than on Jesus. 3) The quest destroys devotional life by substituting a mythical figure whose teachings we try to study for the Jesus whom we can encounter and follow. 4) It is a fallacy to believe that faith comes from an historical study of Jesus’ biography. The reality is that belief comes first, and the texts later. Certainly, one has to grant the danger of separating the historic figure of Jesus who lived in time and space from the Christ which is the interpretation of that life’s significance, but Lewis is perhaps a little too hard on tools that ask what filters have gone into our picture of Jesus. The final section returns to the danger of using God as a means to an end. Lewis says that it does not work to embrace religion for secular reasons such as public order (see 127). But one might add that, beyond not working, such use of religion has historically been actively evil. Religion is easily used as means of social control, and that is one step from tyranny, Inquisition, and witch trials. Chapter 24 Lewis makes an interesting distinction between spiritual ignorance and spiritual pride. Many people are ignorant; they assume the world is a certain way because their experience is not broad enough. They assume that their political opinions, preferences in worship, and way of reading Scripture are the â€Å"Christian† ways of seeing these things, not because of considered reflection, but because they don’t have enough perspective. It is interesting to note, however, that one of the most important realities in the American religious landscape is that people are not as myopic as a generation ago, and thus are less willing to stay with one expression of the faith– or any expression). Lewis says that this ignorance is not ideal, but is relatively harmless. Spiritual pride is a more serious matter because it goes beyond ignorance to a blindn ess of how one is in relationship to God and others. Where ignorance is characterized by incomprehension of another way of seeing the world, pride views others with condescension, contempt, and intolerance. Most important, it has lost the awareness that grace is a gift and regards it as an accomplishment of superior breeding, insight, or religious practice (see 130-131). 12 Where the ignorant are perhaps a little ridiculous and deserving of pity and enlightenment, the prideful are dangerous precisely because they join ignorance to contempt–and thus become the makers of crusade and jihad. The dangerous thing from Screwtape’s perspective is that we will become aware of our pride and remember, in Augustine’s memorable phrase, that we are all â€Å"beggars at the table of grace†. Aware of our own unmerited grace we are humbly thankful for what we have received and patient with those who have not come so far (which is precisely how Lewis describes the Christian friends of Wormwood’s patient). Chapter 25 In this chapter Lewis returns to a theme he sounded earlier, the danger of using Christianity as an add-on to an ideology or conviction which is more dearly held than the faith. â€Å"Merely† as Lewis uses it here (and in Mere Christianity) means â€Å"basic† or â€Å"essential† or â€Å"core†. Lewis is keenly afraid that the Christian faith may be temporarily embraced, not because it is true, but because it is regarded as politically, socially, or intellectually advantageous. The danger, as he notes in this chapter, is that fashions change, and if we have embraced Christian faith as part of a fashion, we are likely to not hold fast when fashions change. Lewis notes that humans need both permanence and change. It is his judgment that we are in greater danger of losing a sense of permanence than of becoming too intellectually stagnant. Lewis says that we are prone, in search of appropriate change, to opt for an addiction to novelty. Stated negatively, we have a â€Å"horror of the Same Old Thing. † This leads us into a downward spiral because, by definition, novelty demands something new every day and, thus addicted, we then find it impossible to take satisfaction in what is familiar. This leads us to value â€Å"fashion or vogues† over what is substantive. On page 138 Lewis lays out the theological equivalent of the oft quoted dictum that military generals are always fighting the last war. Because fashions change faster than our ability to understand the change, we are likely to be responding to a danger that is less than the one we actually face. Think, for example, of how emotionally cold Lutherans are often terrified of honest expressions of devotion in worship, and theologically anemic Pentecostals may resist asking hard, intellectual questions. Lewis is constantly reminding us that the important questions do not concern where an idea came from, whether it is fashionable, or if it is new. The most important questions ask whether something is true, life giving, healing, righteous, prudent, and righteous. The task of the Christian is not so much to respond to fashions as to be faithful and let fashions come and go. That being said, one must also say that there is a very real danger of loving stability so much that one refuses to recognize when the world has indeed changed. One can not be driven by fashion at the deepest level, but fashions are a reality in the world. The obvious place where this arises in the average congregation is in worship. Nobody wants to trade substantive for trendy–but neither does faithfulness call us to speak in language and forms that do not communicate to our intended mission field. Chapter 26 Here Lewis distinguishes between what he calls â€Å"unselfishness† and â€Å"charity. † In truth what he calls unselfishness in this chapter is actually a false unselfishness, a pretense that in actuality is resentful at not getting its way. Lewis believes that trying to mandate unselfishness is a doomed proposition because emotional fires cool and we tire of pretending we don’t want what we want. Much better, says Lewis, for us to be up front about our desires, then we are spared the games of pretending we don’t want what we want–and then feeling resentful when the other does not give it to us. We can not always have what we want, but honest expression allows 13 us to at least see the options cleanly and allows the conflict to be dealt with â€Å"within the bounds of reason and courtesy† (p. 144). Implicit, but not very clearly stated, is the idea that genuine â€Å"charity† or â€Å"love† does not have to be mandated, because as we grow into the image of Christ we enuinely do desire the best for the other; there are fewer things that we feel we must contend for, and those things are the ones for which our Lord would contend: justice, mercy, compassion. Lewis suggests that unselfishness as a tactic is destructive of human community because it is finally a dishonest way of attempting to attain our goals. Love is not supposed to be a tactic, b ut rather a transformed way of being in the world. False unselfishness produces bitter martyrs who never tire of telling how much they are sacrificing; charity produces servants whose only desire is to serve as Christ would serve. By the by, it would be interesting to poll a group studying this book and see if they find Lewis’ characterization of men and women’s ideas of unselfishness valid some 60 years after he wrote them. How does recent research into the different ways that women and men experience the world, both biologically and based on acculturation, affect how we read Lewis’ words on gender differences. Chapter 27 Lewis turns to discussion of prayer in this chapter. He notes that we often fail to recognize that difficulty in concentrating in prayer may well be the thing which we most need to lift up in prayer. We should not try to muscle our way through distractions, but rather offer them up to God as our greatest need at that moment. Doing this, the result is that we are honest before God (always good) and made even more aware of our need for grace (which is finally all that matters). Lewis takes a swipe at a spirituality that thinks only pure adoration is the ultimate expression of prayer (an attitude one often finds in mystics). There is nothing ignoble, says Lewis, about petitionary prayer, indeed it is explicitly enjoined by God. Such prayer, however it â€Å"works†, reminds the one praying that he or she is dependent upon God for what is needful. We can easily find ourselves dismissing answered prayers as something that would have happened anyway, while seeing unanswered prayers as proof positive that prayer is all bunk (â€Å"heads I win, tails you lose, p. 148). Lewis spends a long time in discussing how God and humanity experience time. The thrust of the argument is that God does not experience time in a linear fashion, but as a totality, so it is impossible to think in terms of the cause/effect relationship which usually characterizes discussions of whether prayer â€Å"works. God desires to make room for human petition and action as one variable in the matrix; â€Å"why† is the great question, not â€Å"how. † Perhaps the most important part of this chapter is Lewis’ attack on the Historical Point of View, which others might call the school of Historicism. Lewis’ asserts that Historicism does not ask the fundamental question â€Å"Is it true? † Instead it asks questions of philosophic al pedigree and implications, assuming that if one knows what influences a writer/thinker experienced, one has â€Å"explained† his thought. The implicit idea is that â€Å"new† ideas are better than old ones, that ideas are like technology, the new displacing the old. Lewis finds this idea of inevitable intellectual progress absurd. He believes this makes for intellectual games which fail to join the only question that is important: Is it true? The debate becomes more important than settling the question. Lewis would not deny the need for intellectual humility in asserting an answer; what he objects to is the assumption that there is no answer. 14 Chapter 28 Lewis makes a fairly simple point. It is hard for humans to persevere in anything, whether it be weight loss or prayer. For that reason, Screwtape does not see early death as the evil humans do. Rather he notes how fertile the Middle-Aged years are for undermining faith: the bloom is off the rose, emotions and energy are reduced, and one has been running the race a long time. â€Å"All this provides ample opportunity for wearing the soul down by attrition (p. 155). † Conversely, if the later years are ones of leisure and ease, it is easy for humans to become fat and complacent, wedded to the world, rather than focused on what god is trying to make of them. Lewis notes that youth may be times of â€Å"sin† when â€Å"they are always shooting off at tangents†, but the danger of later years is that we become jaded and so focused on the disappointments of the world that we cease to strive toward our heavenly home, and settle simply for striving to make heaven on earth. Chapter 29 Lewis notes again that failure and cowardice are in and off themselves harmless. The point is whether such experiences lead us to trust God more or less. From Lewis’ perspective the task is to learn to trust God, come what may. Courage is â€Å"the form of every virtue at its testing point (161). † How does one have courage at crunch time? Finally, it is in finding something outside the world in which we can trust. Also interesting is Lewis’ insight that we tend to hate in direct proportion to our fear; as we trust we will also hate less. The writer of I John 4 offers a similar insight; embracing love we will find ourselves fearing less. Hate, fear, love, trust–all related. Chapter 30 Notice how Screwtape suggests Hell is a place where only results count (165). Yet this is just the sort of thinking one often hears in a competitive society; the logical implication being that what we often think of as â€Å"realistic† and admirable is hellish. Lewis distinguishes between â€Å"false hope† which is actually a desire that may or may not be fulfilled and, by implication, true hope which is rooted in confidence in God and committed to enduring whatever may come. Lewis next turns to the different meanings we give to â€Å"real†. As he notes, real can either mean the bare facts or the emotional interpretation or we put on them. We are likely in times of crisis to assume the physical facts are the reality and be tempted to dismiss hopes, while at the same time regarding the good we receive as merely â€Å"subjective† creations. Chapter 31 Lewis offers a beautiful â€Å"bird’s eye view† of the death experience which includes some important images: Death is a moment of release –â€Å"as if a scab had fallen from an old wound. † Death is a relative thing–Rather than horrible, Screwtape notes that the violent death experienced by Wormword’s patient was actually an easy experience because it spared the Christian lingering struggle. (172). Death is a moment of clarity after a time of struggle–All that seemed too difficult to understand is suddenly easily comprehended. Illusions are unmasked and both devil and angels are seen for what they are (173). There is a sense of both coming home and arriving for the first time; as Augustine noted, we are made for God and restless until we find our rest there. Death is a moment of reunion with the incredible love which gave us life and nurtured us 15 into maturity along the way (174). Yet interestingly enough, Lewis seems to suggest some form of â€Å"purgatory† where one must still encounter pain (of purification? , but this is a pain which one encounters with the full awareness that one is loved and accepted, the end is assured and wonderful. Though purgatory has historically been a minority concept in Protestant thinking, Lewis here, and even more clearly in The Great Divorce, articulates the concept. Lewis ends with one final assertion of just how inexplicable such love is to Screwtape and all who distrust the possibility of grace. For such people the law of hell reigns, â€Å"Bring us back food or be food yourself (165). God does not have to consign those persons to hell; hey simply choose it, make it, and inhabit it daily. Screwtape Proposes a Toast As noted in the editor’s preface, this essay is very different from the rest of the letters; they focus on corruption of the individual, this is much more concerned with the broader intellectual climate which, in Lewis’ opinion, is undercutting society A recurring theme is the observation that the evil of modern society has less of the passion, verve, and brash Promethean courage of former days. The modern world is one of tawdry, insipid, passive vice œless chosen than fallen into by lack of intelligence or imagination. This is the point in Screwtape’s critique of the banquet’s courses. But if the quality of sin is lacking, Screwtape says the quantity has never been better, which is to say few and fewer persons are being drawn into a serious encounter with God’s purposes. Modern humanity, says Lewis, is characterized by being â€Å"muddled in mind†, â€Å"smallness and flabbiness†, and a tendency to be carried along by mindless repetitions. â€Å"Their consciousness hardly exists apart from the social atmosphere that surrounds them (191). The bulk of the essay is a laceration of what Lewis sees as the moral flabbiness and intellectual weakness of a democratic mindset which denies the need for excellence and the recognition of differences between people. Society has made an ideology of â€Å"democracy†, by muddled thinking mistaking a political commitment to equal opportunity for a belief that all must be the same and that those who excel must be cut down. This, says Lewis, is finally rooted in Envy; that which was once deplored or laughed at is now sanctioned by the false statement, â€Å"I’m as good as you. Lewis believes this attitude finally strives to eliminate all forms of human excellence (201). He takes education as his primary example of how such leveling occurs in society, destroying the excellence that breeds both great leaders and great tyrants (206). The problem is that this means the evil have greater power because the rest of society is less able to discern and respond to the danger. A sec ond danger in embracing this false egalitarianism (I’m as good as you) is that individuals lack humility, charity, contentment, gratitude, and the other virtues which might lead them to heaven (208). The essay ends with a cautionary description of a fine wine made out of the distilled essence of Pharisee, a reminder that self-righteousness is always the stuff on which Hell feasts†¦. One might wonder whether this is a backhanded acknowledgment by Lewis that he is sounding pretty self-righteous himself. There is a hard edge and nastiness to this essay that is not nearly so pronounced in the Screwtape Letters. Lewis sounds every bit the conservative don he was, but that does not mean he is wrong in warning of moral and intellectual flabbiness. How to cite Notes on the Screwtape Letters, Papers