Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Symbols and Symbolism in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner :: Rime
Symbols in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner A close reading of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner will reveal that the Ancient Mariner-who is at once himself, Coleridge and all humanity-having sinned, both incurs punishment and seeks redemption; or, in other words, becomes anxiously aware of his relation to the God of Law (as symbolized by the Sun), and in his sub-consciousness earnestly entreats the forgiveness of the God of Love (represented by the Moon-symbol). ... For Professor Lowes, while he has disclosed a Coleridge of amazing intellectual grasp ... stops short on the border line of purely imaginative experience. In his long study of The Ancient Mariner, he seems to miss the essential allegory.... when all is said, his unsparable book is content to be a review of Coleridge's intellectual and creative relation to his available sources in books, in conversations and in his life history, not (save on occasion as supplying a casual argument) to articulate part with part in the poetic intention as a whole .... ... There is nowhere here or elsewhere in the book [The Road to Xanadu] a hint of the history behind the Mariner's glittering eye, a suggestion of the poet's bold transfer of the glitter in the dead seamen's eyes (Death) to those of the Mariner (Life-in-Death). The poet introduces the Mariner abruptly and repetitively as one with a glittering eye. A similar emphasis is given to the epithet bright-eyed (as in the penultimate stanza of Part VII); and when the fearful question, "Why look'st thou so?", is asked, our thoughts revert to that sinister glitter. Now consider this stanza in Part III: One after one, by the star-dogged Moon, Too quick for groan or sigh, Each turned his face with a ghastly pang, And cursed me with his eye, and these stanzas also from Part IV: The cold sweat melted from their limbs, Nor rot nor reek did they: The look with which they looked on me Had never passed away. An orphan's curse would drag to hell A spirit from on high; But ohl more horrible than that Is a curse in a dead man's eye! Seven days, seven nights, I saw that curse, And yet I could not die; and these again from Part VI: All stood together on the deck, For a charnel-dungeon fitter: All fixed on me their stony eyes, That in the Moon did glitter.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Portugal Exploration Essay
Introduction            The Portuguese Exploration highlighted the country’s ascendancy to economic growth and power. Explorations are never easy endeavors. New lands will be discovered, wherein achieving success is indeed very uncertain. Moreover, the mere fact that the country needs to supply all the materialsâ€â€from food to ship repairs, are too expensive. However, although explorations are masked by doubt and hopeless skies, its outcome can lead to enormous wealth and benefits that will enable the nation to experience abundance in succeeding years to come. When Portugal never gave up its hopes and dreams regarding land discoveries, such big decision resulted to positive results. At the onset of the 16th century, Portugal pioneered explorations in the whole course of Europe, thus, discovering more and new routes to Africa, the Atlantic, Asia and even South America (â€Å"Portugal†n.d).            In the beginning, nobody has expected Portugal to literally conquer the world. The nation was then torn with poverty and to a certain extent, economic deterioration (Arnold 2002, p. 22). Given this situation at hand, domination is totally taken out of the picture. If Portugal cannot even feed its own people, then it would be readily impossible for it to support the demands of land explorations and discoveries. However, this did not prevent the nation from pursuing its dreamsâ€â€from materializing the aim to make its name within the torn pages of history books. It turned out that Portugal’s seemingly hopeless case is one of its greatest blessings. Since the country was in its severe state, it has no other choice but to continue with the explorations. If success seems to be impossible within the domain of land-based expansion, then there is still hope when such is done overseas (Arnold 2002, p.22). As Arnold (2002) explained, Portugal’s navigation success basically replaced the land-based orientation of wealth and power that was established by the evolving Spanish (empire) (p. 22). Factors determining Portugal’s exploration success            There are different factors that are attributed to Portugal’s exploration successes. These three are highly characterized by maritime development as well as the undying support given by the Portuguese government. The first factor has something to do with Portugal’s geographic position (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). Portugal can be seen along the west side of the Iberian Peninsula (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). Livingstone implied (1993) that the nation is readily blessed with its strategic location (p. 41). It possesses rivers that are long enough to be navigated (Livingstone 1993, p. 41). It has â€Å"favorable winds (Livingstone 1993, p. 41)†that can take ships into their planned journeys or destination. The last but not the least is the existence of raw and organic harbors which creates a perfect and highly suitable setting for maritime development (Livingstone 1993, p. 41).            If one has to take a closer look, this aspect alone puts Portugal into a great advantage over its rivals or competitors. Once and for all, circumnavigating the world requires not only human skills, nature also plays an important role. Although, exceptional navigation talents are expected to arise, there is no doubt that if nature decides to intervene, the course would be more difficult and complicated as expected. It can be also implied that Portugal’s geographical design enabled the latter to discover more efficient routes from any angle. The crew can easily explore more unknown areas since they have good reference points that are essential in establishing maps.            On the other hand, the second factor can be traced to Portugal’s developing â€Å"maritime economy (â€Å"Portugal, n.d).†The ports of Lisbon and Oporto became the cente of commerce and trade for the country (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). Mostly of the financial means that were used to support the voyages came from these trade districts (â€Å"Portugal,†n.d). However, aside from financing the navigation plans, Maddision (2006) also mentioned that the bays and coast cities of Portugal is abundant enough to supply the needs and demands of the local residents (p.22). Aside from trading per se, it can be seen that Portugal has other ways of gaining incomes, profits and revenues. But then again, perhaps the greatest contributions of the maritime industry are the vast knowledge and information that Portuguese fisherman has learned due to their constant and continuous immersion with the Atlantic seas (Maddison 2006, p.22). Their mastery of sea winds, tides and weather (Maddison 2006, p.22). It allowed Portuguese explorers and navigators to conduct more research on navigation. Yet, more than anything else, they were able to build ships that can withstand the pressures and hardships brought forth by unfathomable oceans (Maddison 2006, p.22). They created â€Å"lateen sails†and in the long run, they combined it with â€Å"square sails†which allowed them to sail through the South Atlantic and further discover more ways or routes in the Cape area (Maddison 2006, p.22).            Lastly, the third determinant of the Portuguese exploration’s success stems from the fact that its monarchy readily showed support and encouragement for these plans (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). The government ensured that â€Å"tax privileges†and insurances are available for both the ship owners and navigators (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). As a matter of fact, it is not only the king that readily lent a helping hand to make these undertakings possible. Even members of the aristocracy assured that they can be pillars of strength and encouragement (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). Obviously, without the system’s support and permission, the voyages would not happen. As previously mentioned, even if there are enough materials and supplies if the monarchy is not open to the idea, then Portugal’s domination may not come into place. The essential role of the Portuguese government, in this aspect can be briefly understood in several points. Once and for all, the tax regulations enabled the nation to satisfy the prerogatives of exploration and at the same time ensure a healthy lifestyle for its local citizens. Second, the monarchy served as a strong influence for both the explorers and local residents. If the king refused such plans, then the public would not be able to recognize its value and importance. Since local residents are the ones who are chiefly involved in production works, the explorers would have a hard and difficult time convincing these people about their dreams and visions, if the king per se, would show doubts regarding the matter. Moreover, the monarchy is in charge of making decisions on how they can possible benefit from the discoveries that they madeâ€â€to be more specific, the Portuguese government is in charge of devising strategies on how they can possible gain profits and revenues on new routes and land areas. This is important for unless the people know that they benefit from it, they would continue to support such plan. A Brief History of Portugal Exploration            In order to further reasons behind the success ad failure of the Portuguese exploration, it is best to have a brief discussion or outline of the nation’s navigation history. As mentioned earlier, the contributions of Portugal in the world can neither be questioned not taken for granted. Even though it has eventually declined in the long years to come, it cannot be discounted that Portugal is one of the few nations that have managed to maintain and still control its colonies by the end of the 19th century (Diffie & Winius 1977, p. 4). The mere fact that it was able to sustain such set-up exemplifies its power and strength.            Diffie and winius (1977) explained that Portugal was inspired by the accomplishments of the Han and Roman Empires (p.4). However, since it cannot fully embarked on land-based conquests and imperialism, discovering other lands became the last recourse, and as discussed, nature’s blessings made a way for the nation embarked on long journeys and voyages.            The foundations of the Portuguese exploration can be traced to as far as 1415 (Wiarda 200, p. 21). In those times, Ceuta was then considered as the center of spice trade in the west (Wiarda 2000, p.21). Portugal has managed to put Ceuta under its control and thus the urge to control more lands became irresistible. While Ceuta was then an important investment for Portugal, Wiarda (2000), however noted that Portugal’s main goal by that time was to spread Christianity to Morrocco (p.4). Within the aspect of colonialism, religion is an indespensbale tool. The Portuguese readily used the matter to interact with the natives. Due to language barriers, it would be hard for both the colonizers and the colony to understand or communicate with each other. Thus, the concept of having a Supreme Being bridged the gap between the two races.            But on a closer examination, the downfall of Morocco, inspired many of Portuguese warriors and soldiers to bring more honor, glory and prestige to their very own mother country (Wiarda 200, p.187). In addition to that, Prince Henry who happened to be the very first supporter of Portuguese explorations have heard stories from prisoners about lands and areas that were still undiscovered (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). The capture of Morocco allowed Prince Henry to have his first taste of the African cost (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). Having said this, indeed, his curiosity was further heightened. The excitement and passion to conquer more lands became stronger than ever. Prince Henry â€Å" The Navigator†           The success in Ceuta encouraged Prince Henry to show his undying support to explorations. Prince Henry can be best described as someone who knew how to transform his visions and ideals into realistic issues and concerns. The prince knows that explorations may not necessarily yield to positive results. But this did not discourage him. Despite of the fact that there is a strong enthusiasm and excitement on Prince Henry’s part, Wiarda (2000) stated that this does not mean that that the young leader was already aware of explorations’ benefits and advantages (p.21). According to Wiarda (2000) Prince Henry’s primary concern by then was the budding market for exotic and wild animals (p.21). But in the long run, explorations’ commercial benefit was slowly embedded into the prince’s young mind.            On the other hand, the materialization of Prince Henry’s dreams came into the picture during the reign of Joao II (Wiarda 2000, p. 21). The foundations of an exploration plan have been successfully laid out. Gallagher (2003) noted that the first move was to discover a route from Africa that can easily lead to India (p.5). With all these endeavors, the monarchy assured that they will handle all the transactions and see to it that it profiteering activities would be efficiently managed (Gallagher 2003, p. 80). The competition against Spain led Portugal to keep its navigation development in extreme secrecy (Gallagher 2003, p.5). Even the voyages per se were kept confidential (Gallagher 2003, p5).            During those times, Cape Bojador was seen as the end of the world (Wiarda 2000, p.187). Since there is already a signal pr permission from the monarchy to explore more, Prince Henry in return, challenged his men to go beyond the limits of Cape Bojardor (Wiarda 2000, p. 187). The whole crew landed in Madeira in 1420 and seven years after, the Portuguese explorers made their first step in Azores (Keefee et. al 1977, p.60). This was also the time when Portugal finally confirmed that Cape Bojador was not the world’s end point (Keefe et.al 1977, p.60). This is simply the start of Portugal’s domination. Even though the so-called Navigator died in 1460 (â€Å"Portugal,†n.d), his legacies was continued and still promoted by the succeeding Portugal rulers.            Historians and members of the academe outlined several distinct reasons regarding Prince Henry’s obsessions. One of this is the urge to know more lands beyond Cape Bojador (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). In an era wherein bigger colonies equate to more economic successes, going beyond Cape Bojador’s geographical limitations is an outright advantage. Another reason is Portugal’s aim to develop trade relations to other areas or counties (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). There is also the aim to study the strength of their rivals and at the same time, ensure that battles will be waged against those who opposed Christianity and therefore ensure that the religion would proliferate (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). Reasons for Exploration            In general and not only for Portugal, there are three determinants of why explorations happen or occur. The first one has something to do with the spice trade (Roupp 2001, p. 236). Spices such as nutmeg, mace, ginger, cinnamon and paper are pretty popular in the European regions trade (Roupp 2001, p. 236). The Ottomans were able to take control of the Eastern Mediterranean barter trade (Roupp 2001, p. 236) Because of this, European envoys had no other choice but to look for alternative routes. Since spices are very much in demand, there is no doubt that to become a spice supplier would indeed result to an increase in profits and revenues. The supply is low and the demands are high. Therefore, those who are able to satisfy the demand can also ask for a higher price. This argument are also supported by Kiple and Omelas (2000, p.436).            Kiple and Omelas (2000) mentioned that many European countries, most especially those which are engaged in exploration are also seeking for a new route to get a steady supply of spices (p. 436). This according to the two, prompted competing nations to further improve their navigation tactics and skills. The competition is stiff and they cannot remain calm. However, as for this case, since Portugal has already explored the areas beyond Cape Bojador, the challenge became an easy feat for the country.            During the initial steps, it was the Arabs that has total control over the matter (Wolpert 1999, p.45). However, a small fleet, headed by Vasco de Gama made the Arabs surrender (Wolpert 1999, p.45). According to Wolpert (1999), although De Gama’s success enabled Portugal to establish a monopoly over spice trade (p.45). His triumph and glory is more than enough to pay from all the expenses that were spent during his journey (Wolpert 1999, p.45).            Roupp (2001) also noted that technology can be also considered as one of Portugal’s motivating force for explorations (p. 236). The technological aspect means that as man continue to develop materials and tools to satisfy their needs, this brought them other opportunities. As for the case of Portugal, since they are able to build ships and sails that are highly capable or navigating the earth, soon they found it that if they can further enhance these materials and incorporate several functions such as incorporating military weapons like the cannons, for example, they can easily defeat their enemies and those who are creating conflicts and hindrances (Roupp 2001, p. 236).            Lastly, Roupp (2001) stressed that curiosity levels were readily high during the Renaissance period and thus, it became a motivational force for many nations to explore more of the unknown world (p.236).            In the meantime, if one has to critically assess it, it is apparent that the goal for profit and revenues best explains the intensity of Portuguese explorations. As readily discussed, the passing years allowed Portugal to diversify its economic hold and control. Prince Henry’s focus on the exotic animal market shifted into another realm since the monarchy has also recognized the other benefits of voyages and expeditions. It can be also remembered that Portugal is also one of the pioneers of the slave trade in Africa. Since they have discovered more lands in the said continent, colonization was reshaped. From goods that are bartered, human trade became popular too. The cheap labor rendered by captured slaves and prisoners were seen as a good source of profit and income. Moreover, there is also the spice trade which further strengthened Portugal’s domination. Since they basically spearheaded the exploration quests and technology, they have readily capitalized on it. The return of investments was more than what they have expected. Portugal’s Failure            Although Portugal was basically at the apex of its exploration successes the country failed to see certain events that would eventually lead to its bitter downfall.  Perhaps this can be best explained by the country’s inability to manage all its colonies (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). It has been carefully discussed in this paper that Portugal was able to discover more lands. This readily means that once they have settled in those areas, they have to efficiently supervise all the activities that occur in it. This situation should not come as a surprise or it is rather expected.            First of all, it is pretty impossible for Portugal to directly manage its colonies since they are miles away from each other. The empire has to send its people to those areas in order to ensure that everything falls in their proper places. But distant lands prohibit simultaneous coordination and interaction among the leaders. For the monarchy, it is pretty hard for it to establish appropriate solutions and regulations for their colonies unless they have actual experience of the problem that is being manifested in a particular area. It would take months and years before updates and reports can be handed to the King. The moment that actions are ratified and certain laws are promulgated, there is a strong tendency that the problem has already become worse or the approaches used are no longer applicable.            In addition to that, viceroys and appointed leaders have to be financially supported by the monarchy. This is done to ensure that area rulers have enough supply of food and other materials to sustain their everyday lives and activities. But of course, the financial support came from the local residents’ taxes and hard-earned money. In the long run, there are also instances wherein the monarchy can no longer back-up and support these needs. This is most especially true if Portuguese leaders have already built their families in their respective colonies. As a result, the profits and revenues that they have collected from their colonies are barely enough for them to extend their stays and manage their specific domains.            It is also important to note that distance issues are also prone to illegal activities. Appointed leaders could be tempted by the seemingly lucrative activities that are present in their colonies. When monitoring, coordinating and interacting are rarely practiced, then there is no doubt that Portuguese found itself on the losing end.            The last but definitely not the least is the death of King Sebastian (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). This sad event proved to be a golden opportunity for Spain. King Philip II, who was the Spain’s rulers and King Sebastian’s uncle took over the latter’s position. What happened to Portugal then was that, it became Spain’s province (â€Å"Portugal†n.d). Relatively, the techniques and strategies that Portugal created and developed were exploited by Spain. Thus all the forthcoming success was now done in the name of Spain instead of Portugal. Conclusion            Portugal is basically engulfed with the sweet promises of explorations and land discoveries. Although Roupp (2001) suggested that curiosity plays an important role, this aspect is outlasted by the need for profit and revenues (p.236). Once and for all, since Portugal has captured Ceuta, they have already recognized that if they can discover more lands, they can use the domain’s working force to their own advantage. They can ask the natives to produce goods that are widely popular in the European market. Moreover, it is pretty impossible to conclude that Portugal simply tried to know new routes for curiosity’s sake alone. The spice trade for example and the country’s domination and supremacy on the said area are manifestations of the unrelenting drive for both economic and geographic expansion.            However, since offshore management was not efficiently executed, such led to the downfall of what was once considered as the globe’s superpower. References Arnold, D. 2002. The Age of Discovery, 1400-1600. Routledge: USA Diffie, B and Winius, D. (1977).  Foundations of the Portuguese Empire. Minnesota, USA:    University of Minnesota Press Gallagher, A. (2003). Prince Henry the Navigator: Pioneer of Modern Exploration. New          York:  Rosen Publishing Group Inc Keefe, E. et. al (1977). Area Handbook for Portugal. Washington, DC: U.S. Government          Printing Office Kiple, K and Omelas, K. 2000. The Cambridge World History of Food. Cambridge        University Press: Edinburgh Livingstone, D. 1993. The Geographical Tradition: Episodes in the History of A Contested       Enterprise. Blackwell Publishing: USA Maddisson, A. 2006. The World Economy. OECD: France â€Å"Portugal†n.d. University of Calgary. Retrieved 18 March 2008 from            http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/portuguese.html Roupp, H. 2001. How to Prepare for SAT II. Barron’s: New York Wiarda, I. (2000). Handbook of Portuguese Studies. USA: Xlibris Corporation Wolpert, S. 1999. India. University of California Press: Berkeley Â
Monday, January 6, 2020
Essay on Misconceptions About Homelessness - 1789 Words
Misconceptions About Homelessness ?Over the past year, over two million men, women, and children were homeless? in America. (NLCHP) Homeless people face an intense struggle just to stay alive despite the fact that society turns its head from the problem. The government makes laws that discriminate against homeless people, which make it, illegal for them to survive. The mistreatment of homeless people is an issue that is often ignored in our community. When you see a homeless person on the streets how do you react? Do you turn your head and ignore them? Do you become angry that they are living on the streets? Do you feel frightened and avoid the situation all together? Or do you see these people as human beings and treat them in that†¦show more content†¦(Rick) Many other Hopper 3 homeless people cannot find jobs because they are handicapped or have unstable minds. Those people often try to earn money by selling jewelry or panhandling. This is also illegal. Between the work force and the laws that the governm ent creates, it is impossible for a homeless person to support his or herself. There are many other laws that also discriminate against homeless people. In ?liberal? Berkeley the city council voted to make illegal the following actions; sitting on a sidewalk, asking for change near an ATM or parking meter, asking for change after dark, holding a cup, ect. (Ott 18) Also, Santa Cruz currently has a camping ban that prohibits having sleeping materials on the ground between certain hours. Jim, a homeless person in Santa Cruz has seen people with ?guns drawn on them, mace sprayed in their face, and hands broken? because they were camping in the woods. (Jim) These rules make it illegal to sleep in the United States. Jim feels that they are using these bans against the homeless to ?try and run them out of town?. (Jim) Many of these laws that discriminate against homeless people are in direct violation of the constitution. The first amendment says that ?Congress shall make no law... abridgi ng the freedom of speech.? (Constitution) Making it illegal for homeless people to ask for money limits their right of free speech. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty released a report about HopperShow MoreRelatedThere Are Many Common Misconceptions About Homelessness.1890 Words  | 8 PagesThere are many common misconceptions about homelessness. Ideally, it is only problematic in poor third world countries; this is false. Homelessness is a giant problem in every corner of the world. Homelessness tends to be associated with people who sleep in the streets, parks, subways, and sidewalks. Although homelessness happened a long time ago it is still present today. 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Saturday, December 28, 2019
11 Challenging Words Starting With A for Spanish Students
Here are 11 words beginning with A that can pose some difficulty for Spanish students. Learn these, and youll be well on your way to improving your use of the language. a: As a common preposition, a has at least six uses. It usually means to but can also be translated by other prepositions or used as a type of connecting word. Sometimes, as with the personal a, it need not be translated at all. No fuimos a la playa. We didnt go to the beach. Llegamos a Guatemala a las 17 horas. We arrive in Guatemala at 5 p.m. Conocà a la superestrella en Buenos Aires. I met the superstar in Buenos Aires. adonde and adà ³nde: Adonde and adà ³nde usually mean where, but only in cases where to where or some variation of that could be substituted in translation. In other words adà ³nde functions much as a dà ³nde would and indicates motion to a place or in a direction. Es una pequeà ±a playa pà ºblica adonde mis padres nos llevaban en verano. Its a small public beach (to) where my parents took us in summer.  ¿Quà © pasa si adà ³nde viajamos es otro planeta? What happens if where were traveling (to) is another planet? al: Al is one of Spanishs few contractions, combining a and el, a word for the. When al means to the, its use is straightforward. However, al followed by an infinitive is a common way of explaining that something happened after the action represented by the infinitive. Paulina y yo vamos al zoo para ver los animales. Paulina and I are going to the zoo to see the animals. Me alegrà © al encontrar algunos de mis amigos en el centro. I became happy when I found some of my friends downtown. aparentemente: Depending on the context, aparentemente can suggest more strongly than does the English apparently that things may not be what they seem. Està ¡ aparentemente feliz, pero està ¡ a punto de pedirle el divorcio. Shes supposedly happy, but shes on the verge of asking him for the divorce. apologà a: An apologà a is a defense of a position, as in a legal case or an argument. It is not used to express regret. No hay apologà a del terrorismo. There is no defense for terrorism. asistir: Although asistir can mean to assist, it much more often means to attend a gathering or event. Gracias a todos que asistieron mi concierto anoche. Thanks to everyone who attended my concert last night. El gobierno le asistià ³ con una pensià ³n hasta el final de sus dà as. The government assisted him with a pension until the end of his days. atender: Atender can mean to attend in the sense of attending to someone but not in the sense of attending an event. El doctor atendià ³ al futbolista en el hospital durante su grave enfermedad. The doctor attended to the soccer player during his serious illness. aun and aà ºn: Although aun and aà ºn are both adverbs, the first is usually used to indicate even as in the examples below, while the latter usually indicates an action continues and can be translated as still or yet. Aun este aà ±o no tengo nada. Even this year I dont have anything. Ni aun yo puedo entenderlos. Not even I can understand them. He configurado mi dispositivo, pero aà ºn no puedo usar la internet. I have configured my device, but I still cant use the Internet. Or, I have configured my device, but I cant use the Internet yet. aunque: Aunque is the most common way of saying although; often it is better translated even though or even if. If the verb that follows refers to something that already happened or is happening, it must be in the indicative mood, while a verb referring to the future or a hypothetical event must be in the subjunctive. Todo està ¡ bien aunque me tragaron los mosquitos cuando me fui de camping. Everything is fine even though the mosquitoes ate me up when I went camping. (Tragaron is in the indicative because it refers to a past event.) Crean una pila que no hace daà ±o aunque los nià ±os la traguen. They are developing a battery that causes no harm even if children swallow it. (Traguen is in the subjunctive mood because the event is yet to happen or is theoretical.) Sources: Sample sentences have been adapted from the following sources: TripAdvisor.es, Diario Norte, Marcianitos Verdes, Facebook conversations, El Zol 107.9, Zendesk, Goal.com, La Nacià ³n (Argentina), Twitter conversations, Cuba Encuentro, LaInformacià ³n.com and Diario Correo (Peru).
Friday, December 20, 2019
Human Population On Earths Life - 1632 Words
It is terrifying to realize that the human population on Earth has reached over 7.3 billion people. This astonishing and constantly increasing amount of people threatens our planet’s limited resources. It is times like these that make me nostalgic for the feudal ages, where large populations of people were decimated by illnesses such as the plague. The advances in modern medicine today, while extremely impressive, are ultimately extremely detrimental to the human population as a whole because they surprisingly help prevent people from dying. How dare they! Humans are starting to get a better quality of life due to the many advances in medical technology and knowledge, but at what cost? People won’t die! The question is, why should we, as a society, try to prevent people from dying when it’s inevitable? In the animal kingdom, it’s everyone for themselves, or survival of the fittest. If people are too weak to fight off an illness, or too stupid to f ind a way to stay alive, then they should die. There have been many other extremely knowledgeable humans who agree that eventually, â€Å"the earth’s carrying capacity will no longer be able to keep up with population growth, and civilization will end unless large swaths of human beings are killed, so the question is: How do we want to do this?†In a very credible and well-esteemed publication, Dr. Edwin Peters, a Cambridge University ecologist followed up this statement by asking a critical question: â€Å"Do we want to giveShow MoreRelatedPollution Of The Environment And The Home1208 Words  | 5 Pagesanything which is unclean. It causes a lot of environmental issues and health problems not only to humans, but to all creatures on the earth. If we more deeply consider the effects of pollution, this should lead to changes in the environment by humans in their daily activities. 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BillRead MoreThe Ethics For Respect For Nature1477 Words  | 6 Pagesa being is applicable to â€Å"every organism, species population, and community of life†(Taylor 103). An entity has a good of its own if, â€Å"without reference to any other entity, it can be benefite d or harmed†(Taylor 103). Simply stated, what is advantageous for an entity in the sense of â€Å"enhancing or preserving its life and well-being†is good for it (Taylor 103). What is disadvantageous for an entity in the sense of being â€Å"detrimental to its life and well-being†is not good for it (Taylor 103). Read MoreThe Future of Life Essay examples872 Words  | 4 Pagesof Life In the book The Future of Life, Edward O. Wilson tells us environmentalism is a large-scale lesson in sacrifice. Some people will think when humans protecting the environment, they always need to give up something. When humans need to protect an endangered species, some people will lose their money, jobs and even their home. 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Thursday, December 12, 2019
Death of a Salesman Structure Metaphoric Language Essay Example For Students
Death of a Salesman Structure Metaphoric Language Essay and ThemeIn looking at the characteristics of the tragic hero, it can be see that Willy Loman is not a tragic hero but a victim of a false idealistic pursuit of the American Dream. Willy strives to become and instill in his sons the success of the self made man that American society often advertises but ultimately falls short, and instead, escapes accepting his failure through lies and death. What many flaws Willy possesses, most do not correlate with the classic tragic hero. Willy Loman, was never really of noble stature, as was summed up by Linda, the person who knew him best. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. Hes not the finest character that ever lived. Willys harmartia was his obsession with the false American Dream that caused him to become delusional and totally blind of his actual situation. If this is so, then he cannot he commit a true and calculated error of judgment and then his downfall is due to an overriding irrepressible mental co ndition which cancels his own fault in his downfall. His delusional state of mind blurs reality and causes him to never accept or understand who he is or his downfall erasing any notion that he experienced an epiphany of any sort. In fact, it can be said that he dragged one of his sons with him. In front of Willys grave Happy vows to continue Willys dream. He had a good dream. Its the only dream you can have- to come out the number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where Im gonna win it for him. Willy Loman is an example of the middle class man caught as a victim of society where the odds are against him, a has-been. As a victim he unwillingly suppressed himself and his family in a web of lies and false pride. Although he never discovered his own ignorance and in the process took someone else, his death opened the window for Biff to see the real Willy. He had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong. He then describes Willy to the point. He never knew who he was. The metaphoric language used in the play is used mainly to advance its theme of idealism versus reality. The metaphors illustrate the plays portrayal of economic struggle and family instability. Furthermore, they can be classified what if metaphors and what is metaphors. A what if metaphor addresses the idealistic lives of the Lomans. Dreams are constantly brought up by Biff who uses them to bring light to the fictitious and dreamy lives the family is living. When talking to Willy Biff says, Weve been talking in a dream for fifteen years. and later pleads with him to accept reality. Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens? Seeds are associated with Willys desire to create something, especially out of youth (Biff and Happy) and he often comments on planting them. Willy contemplates planting beet seeds in the garden. Maybe beets would grow out there. This creates an insightful response from Linda. But you tried so many times. The seeds are representative of Willys desire to grow his family into something; Lindas remark paints the fact that he has failed. Right before his suicide, which brought the family much needed money, Willy goes out to the backyard and begins to plant a garden. A what is metaphor is exactly what it is, reality. The stockings represent Willys unfaithfulness to his wife and the torment that it brings him to know that. Willy snaps sharply at Linda when he sees her mending her stockings. I wont have you mending stockings in this house! Now throw them out! The sight of the stockings brings back memories of when Biff caught him cheating on his wife and found out that Willy gave his mistress the expensive stockings he was supposed to give Linda as a gift. The stockings then act as a symbol of Willy as a bad father and husband. The name Loman or Low-Man is metaphoric in that it describes and isolates the family at a low level social
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Critical Analysis of the Fiscal Responsibility Act free essay sample
This paper critically analyses the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the Act; the machinery for implementation; the powers and tenor of the members of the Fiscal Responsibility Board; the appointment of members of the Board; Fiscal policy/activity uniformity in/among the various tiers of government; the fiscal control on borrowing; the key features of the Fiscal Responsibility Act; the consequences of the Fiscal Responsibility Act; the protection of officeholders, among others. The paper hoped that Nigeria’s Fiscal Responsibility Act will strengthen the nation’s financial reporting and ensue better management of its resources. The paper then concluded that the FRA provided the much needed deterrent to stop public officers dipping their hands in the states till and then made some recommendations for improvement. Page 2 of 19 Introduction Following the incessant misappropriation, mismanagement, and lack of stewardship and accountability in the nation’s public sector, the Fiscal Responsibility Bill was proposed for consideration by the President Obasanjo administration through the then Minister of Finance – Prof. Okonjo-Iwuala N. The Bill was passed into law in 2007 as the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007. The Fiscal Responsibility Act provides for a body known as the Fiscal Management Council that comprises the Fiscal Responsibility Council and the Governing Board. The Council is charged with the responsibility of monitoring and enforcing the provisions of the Act to ensure accountability, transparency and prudence in the management of the nation’s resources by all tiers of government, government corporations or companies and agencies. Therefore, the Fiscal Responsibility Council is the regulatory and supervisory body in the public sector. By this Act, it is expected that the Public Sector would have a definite regulatory structure to act as watch dog on the activities of the public office holders and as checks on financial encroachment between/among tiers of government. This is expected to bring sanity and responsiveness into the public sector and among the various tiers of government in Nigeria. The Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007) is a law to â€Å"redirect government at all levels to imbibe a fiscal behaviour that will promote prudence and sound financial management in the system†(http://www. udgetmonitoring. org/ Page 3 of 19 Spotlights/2007/02/26/News11618/). The Fiscal Responsibility Act seeks to ensure that the Federal Government will never commit itself to spending money without ensuring that it has the necessary funds in place to begin with (Nwanma, Vincent, 2007). Afemikhe, (2005:6), fingered the poor performance of the public sector despite abundance of mineral resources in the country and blamed al l on corruption and mismanagement. Posited thus: â€Å"how is it that a country with abundant human and natural resources, that held so much promise at independence and was trumpeted with significant economic achievements in the decade following the oil boom has so rapidly fallen from grace to grass and indeed appears to have completely lost its way and its focus? The answer lies in the twin evils of corruption and poor public expenditure management†. Afemikhe was not alone in accusing Nigeria of poor management, Africafront. om/news also decried our polity thus: â€Å"our fiscal policies have been largely characterised by poor planning, massive waste and wrong priorities. We have rarely failed to match our fiscal responsibility acts with the right policies thereby making effective and efficient service delivery impossible†. The site maintained that the FRA is a fundamental action to attack fiscal inconsistency and indiscipline from the head to the root. It is noted that the Fiscal Responsibility Act (20 07) â€Å" aims to ensure fiscal accountability, check corruption, monitor the budget processes and call Page 4 of 19 ublic officials to order ; it does not appear that there is one final act that should hopefully put the final nail on financial rascality in government (http://www. budgetmonitoring. org/Spotlights/2007/02/26/ News11618/). Nwanma, Vincent, (2007) was of similar view when he asserted that â€Å"no-one expects that it (FRA) will end high-level corruption at a stroke†. According to then Anambra State Commissioner for Finance (2007), Eze Echesie, â€Å"I don’t think any single law can stem or stop fiscal rascality but we have tried to ensure the elements of consensus building in this bill†. Nath Nwabueze, a lecturer in finance at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri warned that the Fiscal Responsibility Act would not cure Nigeria’s problems of high-level corruption and poor budget planning unless it was properly enforced (Nwanma, Vincent, 2007). At worst, the Act will â€Å"commit chief executives at all tiers of government to a set of efficient rules for economic management by providing set standards for the planning and control of public expenditure instead of leaving it to the whim of either the president or state governors. The Act will also facilitate parliamentary and public scrutiny of economic and monetary information and plans; bring a long-term focus to budgeting and thereby minimise risk and fluctuations in government monetary operations and policy (www. africafront. com/news). Page 5 of 19 Statements of the Problem Nigerian fiscal policies have been largely characterised by poor planning, massive waste and wrong priorities. This they claim spring from corruption and poor financial management. The Fiscal Responsibility Act was enacted with the aim of checking these anomalies in the system. The extent to which the law can do this is not known, therefore, it becomes imperative to analyse the content of the law to ascertain its workability within the Nigerian context. Objectives of the Study The paper aimed critically analyse the contents of the Act in order the pinpoints its possible strongpoint and defects. It will also identify and appraise the basic features of the Act to ascertain its workability in the country. Machinery for Implementation The Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007) has its focal point as the prudent management of the nations resources anchored in accountability and transparency with the establishment of a Fiscal Responsibility Commission to ensure the promotion, implementation and enforcement of the Act. One good feature of the Act is that it â€Å" also have a mechanism through which it can be adequately enforced because our greatest problem in this country is not making laws but enforcing them†(www. budgetmonitoring. org/Spotlights). Page 6 of 19 The Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007) they said is â€Å"the first time in the history of Nigeria where an enactment is accompanied with a body to enforce/implement such policy †(www. africafront. com/news). Therefore, the problem of constitutional battle as to who is responsible for enforcement as may be witnessed in some aspects of financial corruption cases where the EFCC and ICPC may have to be involved in one and/or similar cases. This clash may mar efficiency and at worst, the purpose of such law. This problem was avoided in the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007. Powers and Tenor of the Members of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission A body corporate with perpetual succession was established and known as the Fiscal Responsibility Council. This body can sue and be sued in its name and is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act as well as promote the economic objectives contained in S. 16 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; see S. 1(1-3). The Fiscal Responsibility Act gives the Council independence and immunity in the performance of its functions; see S. (2 3). The immunity might cause the members to indulge in ultravires acts and make them â€Å"untouchable†and â€Å"small gods†during their stay in office. Some officeholders may use them to witchhunt their enemies. Therefore, they will be more effective and fair in their judgements if they are answerable to their actions during their stay in office. Page 7 of 19 The Fiscal Responsibility Act gives the Council powers to establish and maintain a fund for the purpose of defraying its expenditures including amount payable to the members of the Board of the Council. The major sources of fund for the council include budgetary allocation from the Federal Government, grants from others sources. The funding of the council is a mandatory obligation of the Federal Government; see S. 4(2) . Being that the Commission gets its funds from mandatory Federation Account Allocation; the presidency will have minimal influence on their actions; though the presidency appoints the Chairman (see S. 5) The Act states that the Chairman and members of the Board shall hold office for a single term of four (4) years; see S. 5(5). This may mar continuity since all the board members have to vacate office at the same time. S. 10 of the Act mandate the Board to prepare and submit an annual report containing its activities including all cases of contravention investigated during the preceding financial year, and shall include in the report a copy of its audited report and account for the preceding financial year. This section of the Act makes the body to be â€Å"forcefully†accountable and transparent to the public. This implies that any corrupt fiscal activity not uncovered before the end of a certain financial year under which such ncidence occur might make the public to view the body as corrupt in themselves and be probed. Therefore, for the sake Page 8 of 19 of personal reputation, the members of the board might want to be transparent in their dealings. Also, the Act requires the Board to submit an audited annual financial report to the National Assembly. This checks the Board’s financial excesses and may put them on track of financial transparency. This Act builds up a regulatory framework for the fiscal affairs of public office holder with the Fiscal Responsibility Council (FRC) as the regulator; see S. 7(5). But the Act did not give express powers the FRC to demand financial returns and to do onsite financial supervision on the financial affairs of the Federal, State and Local Governments and their agencies and corporations. The body will be more effective and efficient if they could check financial affairs of public office holders in the manner the CBN, the NDIC and the SEC do to banks and other financial institutions and firms whose securities are traded on the floor of the . Stock Exchange Market. Appointment of Members of the Council The Act states the each zone of the federation shall produce one representative for the Board of the Commission. It gives the State Governors of each zone the prerogative of nominating the representative; see S. 5(2e). This Act did not state the quantification and social standing of this member. This may cause the nomination to be based on political rather than academic and Page 9 of 19 social factors. This is capable bringing in politicking into the nomination as some political office holders may want to use the position as a spy and protection against his/her anomalies in office during his/her tenor. Fiscal Uniformity The Act states that the States and Local Governments shall plan the management of their fiscal affairs within the medium-term framework as prepare by the Commission for the Federal Government; see S. 17 (1). They may modify the provisions of sections 11,12,13, 14, 15 and 16 as appropriate for them. Virginia Major in www. budgetmonitoring. rg/Spotlights posited that it is important that the Act apply to all levels of government equitably. The Act sets out a general framework for budgetary planning, execution and reporting that is applicable to all levels of government. It was expected that through consultation with states and councils, the Act will set general targets and limits for selected fiscal indicators for the country with specific sanctions for non-compliance . Also it aims at high transparency and reporting standards for all the levels of government (www. budgetmonitoring. org/Spotlights). In view of that the President – Umaru Musa Yar Adua immediate after singing the bill into law commented thus: Page 10 of 19 â€Å"I have assented to the Fiscal Responsibility Bill after due consultation with the State Governments whose support and concurrence is critical to the successful nationwide implementation of the provisions of the law (Nwanma, Vincent, 2007). The President – Umaru Musa Yar Adua further said that if the states governments in the federation pass equivalent laws it will tighten up their budgeting procedures at the state level. Therefore, for the Fiscal Responsibility Act to be effective, the reforms it introduces must also be adopted at state level. The Act religiously set out rules with the core objective of committing all tiers of government to a well-defined and structured economic regime which would ensure economic growth and maintain economic stability. Daily Independent (Lagos), (2009) reported that the apathy being displayed by many state government with respect to passing the Fiscal Responsibility and Public Procurement (FRPP) laws in their domains is both inexplicable and disgraceful. It said that for more than two years later – and despite the repeated urging of the Federal Government, civil society groups and well-meaning Nigerians – response by many states remains tepid and perfunctory. A report recently released by the Secretariat of the Governors’ Forum in Abuja indicates that only 11 states have so far passed the Fiscal Responsibility Page 11 of 19 Bill into law, while 12 have enacted the Public Procurement Law (Daily Independent, 2009). Both laws are designed to ensure prudent management of public resources and enthrone accountability and transparency in the conduct of government business by curbing corrupt behaviour. The states reported to have passed and signed both bills into law are Abia, Bauchi, Cross Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kogi, Ondo and Osun. Three states governors have not forwarded any of both bills to their houses of assembly for legislative work to commence on them. They are Akwa Ibom, Edo and Enugu states (Daily Independent, 2009). It may be noteworthy to state here that the Act will be more effective and efficient if all the tiers of governments could adopt and practice the contents of this Act. Fiscal Control on Borrowing S. 49 (1) states that any government in the Federation or its agencies and corporations desirous of borrowing shall, specify the purpose for which the borrowing is intended and present a cost-benefit analysis, detailing the economic and social benefits of the purpose to which the intended borrowing is to be applied. Nwanma, Vincent (2007) described this as â€Å"strict controls on government borrowing†. He said that this will make it more difficult for the Federal Government and the state government to borrow money at random in Page 12 of 19 order to plug unexpected gaps in funding. And it specifically bars government from borrowing money to fund routine items of recurrent expenditure such as staff salaries. Henceforth, the federal and state governments will only be allowed to borrow money to fund new capital expenditure projects such as power stations and oil refineries and new human development projects. Furthermore, they will only be allowed to borrow on approved terms, laid down by the Fiscal Responsibility Act. These are designed to guarantee that all new government loans are contracted on competitive terms – at reasonable rates of interest and with excessive fees and commissions. The new law imposes conditions on new borrowing which are designed to ensure that any government agency contracting a loan will have the means to repay it. If all borrowings are tied to cost-benefit analysis, government projects will tend to be selected based on their contribution to economic development. This will aid the achievement of the (Vision 2020) of the President Yar Adua administration. Protection of Office Holders According to one time Anambra State Commissioner for Finance (in 2007), Eze Echesie, the Anambra state government opposes the bill (when it was proposed) on the grounds that it is against the principle of fiscal federalism Page 13 of 19 practiced in Nigeria. According to him, â€Å"the bill should be restricted to the national level, which is, planning and budgeting as they relate to the Federal Government. It should not cover the state†. He further added that the Association of Commissioners of Finance in Nigeria are opposed to the bill saying that: â€Å"We will end up sending commissioners of finance to jail – and we have said that we do not want to go to jail. He pointed out that a state governor makes all the financial decisions but while the governors enjoy immunity, the commissioners – who are the accounting officers and execute government policies – do not. †www. budgetmonitoring. org/Spotlights The Act gives the President, State Governors, Local Government Council Chairman and the Members of the Board immunity during their stay in office. But, the Minister of Finance and Commissioners of Finance at the state level are (and the treasurer at the Council level) not given immunity during their tenor. This they see as a flaw since the Minister, Commissioners of Finance and treasurer of the Local Government are responsibility and accountable for public revenues and spending. The Nigerian fiscal policy allows the presidency and state Governors to most times, spend monies without the approval of the Minister or Commissioner of Finance. Www. budgetmonitoring. rg/Spotlights noted that correcting the fiscal responsibility of the commissioners of finance will affect the efficacy of the laws at the state level. Page 14 of 19 Consequences of the FRA 1. Firstly, it should avoid a fresh build up of external and internal debt to the point where the Nigeria government can no longer meet its repayment obligations. The president (or through the Minister of Finance) on the advice of the Debt Management Office is expected by the Act to set limits on borrowings for Federal, State and Local Governments with three months to the commencement of this Act; see S. 7 (1). This set limit forms the basis for external and/or internal borrowing by all tiers of government. Any government that does not meet this requirement cannot borrow more fund internally or externally; see S. 47 (7). 2. Secondly, it should improve the chances of government projects being funded and completed on schedule. The Act makes case for planned projects. It requires that projects be properly planned and budgeted for. This includes the cost-benefit analysis and time frame for completion of the project, which have to incorporate due process. This means that the office holder who initiates a project must state in objective term its success before ever embarking in it. (All men are answerable to projects they started whether still in the office or not). Key Features of the Fiscal Responsibility Act The Act provides for a comprehensive budgetary planning process derived from Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). This is a tool for Page 15 of 19 linking policy, planning and budgeting over the medium-term – usually three years – at a government wide level. An MTEF takes account of government’s long and medium term strategies and the resources available to meet objectives over a three year time span. It also allocates resources to strategic priorities among and within sectors and it commences with the preparation of a macroeconomic framework and guidelines. It equally ensures that annual revenues and expenditures estimates are consistent with its provisions, which requires that rules on cost, cost control and evaluation of results of programmes financed are observed. The MTEF will be updated annually to reflect policy and macroeconomic changes. The principal components of the MTEF are as follows: medium-term revenue framework; medium-term expenditure framework; fiscal strategy paper spelling out the fiscal strategy for the planning term; medium term sector strategies with projects and programmes linked to long and medium term plans, which will, in turn, feed into the annual budget ad submission of a comprehensive Appropriation Bill ensuring all parameters are abided by. Already the MTEF is being implemented at the federal level. The Act seeks to codify this comprehensive planning framework (Minister of Finance – Nenadi Usman). Page 16 of 19 Conclusion The Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 has provided a yardstick for financial prudence, accountability and transparency that might engender continued economic growth and development. It is the first law in the country to be backed up with a body for implementation. It is also designed to harmonise and encouraged economic planning and control mechanism. Planning we know is sine qua non to success, therefore, we may say that the beginning of constitutional, conscious, objective and harmonised economic planning through the Medium Term Expenditure Framework is a step toward sustainable economic development for the nation. The Act has put a strategized stop to excessive, unarticulated and uneconomical borrowing that most times ends in accumulated debts that drag the nation backward. The Act touches crucial areas in our political and economic life that incite and nurture corrupt practices. We can say that the Act is capable of abating corruption in the country. All in all, it is hoped that Nigeria’s Fiscal Responsibility Act will strengthen the nation’s financial reporting and ensue better management of its resources. As such, it will provide the much needed deterrent to stop public officers dipping their hands in the states till. Page 17 of 19 Recommendations 1. The immunity given to the members of the Fiscal Responsibility Council should be removed. As a regulatory and supervisory body to the fiscal activities of public officeholders, they should operate as the CBN, NDIC and SEC who monitors the activities of banks and security markets respectively with office immunity.
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