Historical Background To Animal Farm Essays (912 words)

Historical Background to Animal Farm Historical Background to Animal Farm Karl Marx was a German scholar who lived in the nineteenth century. He spent most of his life studying, thinking and writing about history and economics. A many years of study, much of it spent in England, he believed that he understood more deeply than anyone who had ever lived before him why there is injustice in the world. He said that all injustice and inequality is a result of one underlying conflict in society. He called it a 'class struggle', that is, a conflict bet the class of people who can afford to own money- producing businesses, whom he called 'capitalists' or 'the bourgeosie', and the class of people who do not surplus money to buy businesses and who are therefore forced to work for wage whom he called 'workers'. Marx said that, because it was always in the economic interest of capita to take advantage of or 'exploit' workers, nothing could persuade capitalists change their ways. In other words, peaceful progess toward equality and socia justice was impossible. The only way to establish justice, he said, was for t workers to overthrow the capitalists by means of violent revolution. He urged workers around the world to revolt against their rulers. "Workers of the worl unite!" he wrote. "You have nothing to lose but your chains." Another thing Marx taught was that organized religion, the churches, help capitalists to keep the workers quiet and obedient. Religion, according to Mar 'the opiate of the masses'. The church tells working people to forget about th injustice they meet in their lives and to think instead of how wonderful it wi in the after- life when they go to heaven. Marx, with his colleague, Engels, spread his ideas in two famous books, Capital' and 'The Communist Manifesto'. In the early years of the twentieth century, Russia was ready for the ide Marx. The Russian people were extremely discontented with their ruler, Tsar Nicholas II, who had little interest in governing and was neglecting the count badly. Making conditions even more miserable for the people were the hardships the First World War and a particularly cold winter. By 1917, the Russian people were desperate enough to accept a revolution. fact, they got two for the price of one, the first in March when the Tsar was deposed and a provisional government was set up. Then in November a political called the Bolsheviks led a further rebellion which ousted the provisional government. The leaders of the Bolsheviks, Lenin and Trotsky, began to build a Russia, one built on the ideas of Marx, where everyone was equal, where all property was owned by 'the people' rather than by capitalists and where the wo were in control of the goernment. Not long afterward, Communist Russia was attacked by Britain, America and France, who wanted to get rid of the communist government. They were afraid th workers in their own countries might be inspired to imitate the example of Rus Trotsky, a highly intelligent and energetic communist leader, led the defence Russia with great success. After Lenin's death in 1924, a power struggle began between Trotsky and a leader within the Communist Party named Stalin. While Trotsky was a brilliant intellectual and an idealist, Stalin was a simpler, quieter sort of person, wh based his power not so much on plans and ideas as on alliances with other memb of the Communist Party. While Trotsky believed in Russia's trying to assist wo all over the world to rise up in communist revolutions against their bosses, S wanted Russia to take care of its own business. The rivalry between the two leaders went on for several years. Eventually 1929 Stalin gained the upper hand and drove Trotsky from Russia. Stalin later up a scheme to industrialise the backward country which he called the Five-Yea Plan. It included a number of Trotsky's ideas which Stalin had previously opposed. As Russia developed under Stalin, members of the Communist Party took for themselves many privileges. All the original communist ideals of Marx received service, but it became clearer and clearer that members of the Communist Party becoming a ruling class that was not equal to non-members. Most important of all to Stalin was ensuring that he remained in power. H often used the most brutal tactics. Chief among his creations were two highly effective political weapons - an efficient propaganda machine which more and m promoted the idea of Stalin as a great, nearly god-like leader, and a secret p force which kept the country quiet through the use of terror. At one

Headline after the discovery of the bodies of Holly and Jessica, missing 10 year olds Essays

Headline after the discovery of the bodies of Holly and Jessica, missing 10 year olds Essays Headline after the discovery of the bodies of Holly and Jessica, missing 10 year olds Essay Headline after the discovery of the bodies of Holly and Jessica, missing 10 year olds Essay Essay Topic: Bishop the Fish The Year Of the Flood Wars, earthquakes, racial violence, terrorism crowd our newspapers. No news is good news and in our society this is often the case, as just about every evening the television news brings into our homes reports of senseless murders, great injustice and events that can only be described as evil. At some point in everybodys life they will be subjected to some form of suffering, however much we feel we are familiar of that pain it still shocks and scares us when we are confronted with it. By suffering we generally mean the pain and sorrow caused by sickness, physical handicap, mental handicap, death, poverty etc.Is God really there? If he is, does he care? And if he does, is he helpless to do anything? Why does a God of love permit suffering?The dictionary describes evil as, wickedness, a force doing something which is socially harmful or morally wrong. The word evil tends to denote the baser human emotions such as hatred, prejudice, greed, jealousy, rage etc. The bible teaches us that e vil is the opposite of good and right. It is a destructive force. It is important however to distinguish between two types of evil: natural evil and moral evil. While the two however can often be intertwined, moral evil tends to be the actions of free creatures (theft, rape, murder etc) whereas natural evil is the result of a natural event (earth quake, floods etc).Suffering and evil is unquestionably one of the greatest obstacles to Christian faith. John Stott said, the fact of suffering and evil undoubtedly causes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith. Christianitys very symbol is that of Christ suffering and dying on the cross to save us. To a Christian there is no bigger test of faith than trying to accept the fact that the God who loves them permits them to suffer at times even in excruciating ways. Why does a God allow his creatures, and even his children to suffer? There is so much pain in the world it is hard to see how a fair, kind loving God would create a u niverse with the potential for so much suffering.Where was god when 6 million Jews were slaughtered in the holocaust, when Nazi prison guards threw babies and small children into gutters of boiling human fat rather than waste time gassing them, where was God when the remains of the slaughtered were scavenged- hair cut off to stuff pillows for their killers head rests, skin dried out to make lampshades and gold tooth fillings pulled out and turned into jewellery? Where was he when, in the Ukrainian town of Chernobyl, an explosion occurred that may yet cause up to 300000 deaths and the effects of which could take up to 200 years to remove? Where is he during famines and wars? These are just a few examples of extraordinary human suffering.Christians believe that God is omnipotent. This believe however would imply that, if correct, then he must not be loving enough to use his powers to cease evil and suffering. If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and i f God were almighty, He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore, God lacks either goodness, or power, or both C.S. Lewis People often find themselves rejecting the word of God due to suffering.The book of Genesis in the Bible describes to us that the first man (Adam) and the first woman (Eve), lived in the Garden of Eden, a world of happiness, without fear, shame or evil. It is obvious that God did not intent for there to be suffering in the world; it was not part of his created order. He did however give humans what many would describe his greatest gift, Free will. You may eat the fruit from any tree in the garden, but you must never eat from the tree which gives the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat from that tree then you will die! Genesis 2:16-18 As you can see, God lets man decide for himself whether he should obey him, and through giving him this decision, evil entered the world, there was no suffering in the world until humanity reb elled against God. It would be the view of the fundamentalist (literal belief of the bible) and the Old Testament writers that it was due to Adam and Eve that sin entered the world.Iranaeus was the Bishop of Lyons in Gaul and lived about 125-202. His view was that God created evil. He claims that God does indeed exist, yet explains him to be responsible for the occurrence of evil as he created us to be imperfect. He believes this however to be essential as evil is the only method of creating greater good. The earth is a place for the perfection of souls before their entry into blessedness. The trials of this world are like a refiners fire; they temper, strengthen and purify our natures to fit us to dwell with God.He suggests that the reason that we have such difficulties with suffering and evil is largely due to our imbalance between our concepts of good and evil. He felt that if our concepts were more balanced then we would have created the best possible world for soul making. He d oes, however, support Gods morals in that he believes that free will could not (and would not) exist without the perseverance of evil, as many evil occurrences are a result of people acting through their own free will and without. He therefore concludes that humanity is only partially responsible for suffering.John Hick who stresses the developmental nature of life, especially human life, has further developed the iranaean argument more recently. Believing that humans are not born perfect and that perfection comes at the end of the process. Virtue is not given, it has to be achieved.St. Augustine (354-430) would completely disagree with Iranaeus argument. He believed that God did not create evil but its occurrence just serves as a privation of good. He believed that all suffering was due to humanity who had abused Gods gift of free will. He believed that the creation of evil was largely due to the fall. The fall effected all of creation and the gap between man and God was eventually made to be so big that man began to depart from God and this is where the creation of evil arose. If God is good then he is neither the author of evil, nor its helpless victim. Rather, precisely because of His goodness He chooses to co-exist with evil for a time. Augustine eventually came to the conclusion that evil must be a result of soul deciding through human free will. Aristotle (384bc-322bc) supports Augustines view, believing himself that God could not be responsible for the existence of evil. God is an all powerful and good being, and man cannot ever be to his standard, no one will ever have the same moral values as God.This all would imply that human suffering must be a cause of our disobedience. This said, how can we justify innocent suffering, natural disasters. Events in which human interference has no obvious position?Natural disasters. We hear about them often, earthquakes, floods, famines, landslides, they can wipe out thousands of innocent lives. Starvation and its related diseases causes one person per second to die. 75% of them are infants and children under 5. The suffering caused by floods, hurricanes, earthquakes etc cannot largely be blamed on other people. However its sometimes due to the mistakes of others that natural disasters happen as natures laws are stretched to their limit. Natural disasters are often called acts of God. Again many Christians believe that natural disasters are caused by the fall, a consequence of the disruption of the perfection of Gods original creation.Natural disasters are a result of disorder in creation. However, if you take time to think of a recent natural disaster, such as the Earthquake in El Salvador (Feb 2002) a 6.6 magnitude earthquake resulted in at least 315 deaths and around 3,400 people being injured we cannot begin to believe that are loving god is responsible. Nature is often seen, as it is in the New Testament as natural in Gods eyes. Hanson and Hanson would agree with the sentiments that natu ral suffering is inexplicable. The basic theory to be learned is that nature is not moral and humanity is, therefore, as our world is continually changing however much we strive we will never achieve a perfect world as the natural laws will always follow their own course. God neither allows or forbids evil, it is just part of the way the world is, an event which humanity must put up with if they choice to live on this planet.Although most see suffering as something which is painful and not at all enjoyable, some would believe that there is a reason for it, that it is a privilege, that if you are submitted to great suffering and overcome it you are fulfilled in the eyes of God, you are fit to become a disciple. Christ himself undertook great suffering on the cross to save us and many Christians believe that the suffering they undergo themselves is closely linked with the pain suffered by Jesus, We share in many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through C hrist. If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation, and if we have comfort, you also have comfort. This helps you to accept patiently the same sufferings we have 2 Corinthians 1:5Suffering can also been seen as a test of faith. It is felt but those of the Christian faith that those who are subjected to suffering will eventually be brought closer to God. It has once been said that if we as Christians cannot bear the cross then we will not wear the crown. This is in connection with the above theory of suffering being a method of making oneself fit in the eyes of God to be a disciple. There are references in the bible to how suffering my be a test by God, for example in the Old testament Jesus tests Jobs loyalty to him by inflicting suffering upon him. Job overcomes this suffering and is therefore rewarded for the pain he had experienced. The Lord blessed the last part of Jobs life even more than the first part Job 42:12. God had established that Job would stay true to hi m, even through the greatest suffering.This story of Job you would think would go some way to proving that suffering is not a punishment, as with Job, it just brought him a deeper and more meaningful understanding of God. Still however it is often viewed as a punishment, a way for God to retaliate for humanitys sin. It is common belief, especially in the Old Testament, that evil was solely created for use to punish people who went against Gods wishes. A substantial amount of our suffering is due to our own personal sin, for example, if a person abuses drink and then drives a car recklessly and injures himself then their injuries are obviously partially due to their own personal sin. However what can be said when suffering is subjected to a person who has made no obvious sins in theirs life?When pious people suffer from sickness, bereavements etc the question is often raised, what did I do to deserve this? And when children suffer, such as the disappearance of missing 10 year olds Ho lly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who were later found dead in an area near their home, how can it be possible that their deaths were a punishment for there sin? The problem with coping with bereavement also is that people tend to think, why them and not me?Much of the suffering in the world is caused by others sins however. So much suffering is caused by murder, adultery, theft, sexual abuse, unloving parents, reckless or drunken driving, slander, unkindness or selfishness of one kind or another. It has been estimated that 95th percent of the worlds suffering can be accounted for in this way. As was told with the story of Job however, the bible disagrees with this opinion, the story of job recognises that the wicked often prosper and if we are to believe that the way in which we suffer is a direct mirror of the way in which we live our lives we would be much mistaken as this would be an unfair judgement of Jobs life. God shines on good and bad alike.One of the most important counter a rguments to that of suffering being a punishment is to remember that Jesus himself suffered. He led a perfect life, and yet he still suffered an excruciatingly painful death, Our suffering is not worthy of the name off suffering. When I consider my crosses, tribulations and temptations, I shame myself almost to death, thinking what they are in comparison to the sufferings of my blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ. Martin Luther King. God can be seen to work through suffering. Those who nailed Jesus o the cross did so for evil purposes, but God intended it for good. The cross stands ultimately as a victory because it holds the key to salvation. Christians are taught not to be afraid of suffering and death, and to turn to their faith as, let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid for I am with you always even into the end of the world John 14.Many are unsure as to where the suffering will end. Despite all our talk of the great injustice of human suffering many people are unwill ing for it to end, live is something to be enjoyed in many cases. However the spectrum is wide in that respect as some people are faced with great injustices whereas others lead mainly trouble free lives. Will those who deserve to suffer pay for there sins after death and those who suffer innocently in life rejoice? It is the view of the New Testament that those who have not received salvation will continue to suffer after death, have to endure eternal torment. The Roman Catholic Church, however, believes that when death becomes us we will enter a period of purgatory where we will pay for our sins, but eventually will be rewarded with a life with God.It is the feeling by many Christians that whatever suffering we have to endure on this earth will be fully compensated through the resurrection. That our, light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all 2 Corinthians 4:17. This develops the test of faith theory even more strongly as it take s great religious faith to undergo suffering and still be aware that there will be a greater glory waiting. Gavin Reid, the bishop of Maidstone, tells of a boy who shattered his back falling down a flight of stairs at the age of one and consequentially spent the majority of his life in hospital, when asked the question, is that fair, he simply stated that God had all eternity to make it up to him. The New testament is full of promises of how wonderful heaven will be, so with this knowledge, our suffering should only be making us more fit for the reward that we shall receive.So, if we choose to accept that evil does indeed exist what is it, what form does it take? The New Testament gives the impression of God being at War with evil, or more specifically, a war between the Devil and God. This dualist view that is taken by many people and by religions such as the Zoroastrians of ancient Persia, in which states that the lord of light is locked in perpetual combat with the lord of darkne ss Other religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam remain monistic, in that they are of the opinion that the devil is one of Gods creatures, as the Lord created all. There is a very stereotypical view of the devil, which stems from medieval time. This paints the devil as being a humorous creature with read face; horns and pitchfork but the bible would present it very differently. He is referred to often as Satan, the Hebrew word for enemy.Some would say that one of the synopsis of our sin is our desire to be as God; and wanting all the answers. When looking at the situation with suffering and evil I feel it would be a some what naive and narrow minded view to take that, because of the great suffering endured by so many people that there cannot be a god. As this existence of God is unlikely to be proved and is purely based o n faith it would be wrong to strike of any of the points discussed in this essay as invalid to the situation, all or none may be of relevance.

Personal Application Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Application Paper - Essay Example In looking at your current situation, it is plain to see that working at a large insurance company does not fill you with satisfaction. This is because your heart and soul are not in it. I have seen from your past that you used to enjoy film festivals and coaching baseball. It is not my decision to choose between these two, although I will give you some help in deciding which one suits your needs. The first step of making a career plan involves setting a goal. For you, this could either be working with a small film company within a year or coaching a minor league baseball within that same timeframe. For the film industry, one of your objectives could be to be involved in the production of a film with at least a budget of $1 million. With enough training and effort, this goal is not out of reach. If you decide to become a baseball coach, you could have the objective to coach a minor league team that has a stadium of at least 5,000 people. For the next step, assessing your current posi tion, think about all the skills that you have developed in your job as an Assistant Supervisor at Bernhard Insurance. Although some of the skills in this job may not seem relevant, some of them may be able to be applied to the role of a film producer or baseball coach. For the position of a baseball coach, good communication is required so that everyone is on the same page. It is no different at a large insurance firm because communication is a key part of the business. In terms of the film industry, the role requires a lot of planning with and around other people. Being an assistant at an insurance firm incorporates many of the same characteristics. In evaluating your options, you need to assess how likely each of the job choices are. Which role requires skills that need to be developed and which role requires skills that have already been required. I would recommend that a baseball coach would suit your current job requirements because there are very little skills that you would need to develop. You already have a love for the game, are well aware of all the tactics involved, and are a good communicator with others. Managing baseball players is just like managing your clients at your insurance firm. You need to be clear and articulate when dealing with issues that may crop up. One thing you would have to consider is the necessary qualifications to coach a minor league team. Is coaching a high school baseball team enough to be able to coach a team at a higher level? What coaching courses would you need to be allowed to coach a minor league team? These are all things that you have to consider before deciding which career choice is right for you. The final step is to decide what actions you need to take to achieve your objective. If you choose to go down the path of baseball, what will be your requirements when applying for a job as a coach? How flexible will you be in the negotiation process? If, on the other hand, you choose to be involved in the film indust ry, do you have any contacts that may be able to get you a â€Å"foot in the door?† It does not really matter which career path you choose, as long as you are happy. We, at Bernhard Insurance, will assist you along the way and will help you with whatever enquires you may have. Don’