The Lord Of The Flies Essays - English-language Films, Allegory

The Lord Of The Flies William Golding uses much symbolism in his novel, The Lord of the Flies, to help readers gain a greater understanding of his message. He uses symbolism in three important areas: objects that have symbolic value as references to ideas, characters that symbolize important historical and religious people, and the setting which frames the conflicts on the island in comparison to the whole world. Objects are the first part of the story that are symbolic. Many objects in The Lord of the Flies have important symbolic value. The conch shell represents power and authority, and Ralph uses it to call for the boys to come to meetings. Whoever has the shell has the power to talk. The conch shows how people use objects to give power, like a crown, sceptre, or other thins that show who has power. We also learn that objects don't really give power when people choose not to obey it, like Ralph's conch. The pig's head, or Lord of the Flies, is an important object. To Jack it is a sacrifice for the beast. This object shows that people will make religions and rituals to control their world, even when what they think is not true. The Lord of the Flies is also a symbol of Satan, or the Devil. When Simon talked with the Lord of the Flies, he learned what the real evil was, which is the evil in people's hearts. The Lord of the Flies is a symbol of the things we make up to be the cause for evil, when those things aren't the real reason. The fire is a symbol of hope and rescue. When the fire was burning bright, it was because the boys were working hard to get rescued. When the fire burnt out, it was because many boys, like Jack, didn't care anymore about being rescued. In the end, the fire that got them rescued was not meant for rescue. It was there because Jack was burning down the island to kill Ralph. This shows us that we get things from luck instead of hard work. The objects in the story are used by characters that also have symbolism. The many different characters on the island are symbols of important people. They show how the real world is made up of people. Ralph is a good leader who cannot control bad people like Jack. Ralph is like Franklin Roosevelt before World War II who could not stop the war from breaking out. He also represents democracy, and is responsible. The boys wanted to do what they wanted, but Ralph couldn't stop them. Piggy represents educated people who give advice but nobody listens to them. Piggy was like Albert Einstein because people didn't care that he thought the atomic bomb was bad weapon. Simon was a symbol of Jesus Christ because he knew the truth about the beast, but the boys killed him when he came to tell them the truth. Jack was a symbol of Adolf Hitler. He was a crazy leader who killed many people because he wanted power. Like Hitler Jack was dictatorial and ignorant. Jack started his own tribe when they should stay with Ralph, and Jack killed Simon and didn't care. Roger is even worse than Jack, even though he isn't like that at the start. He is like Dr. Mengele who was Hitler's worker and did very bad operations on people, worse than Hitler. Roger is like this because he makes stick sharpened at both ends. All these people live in an island that is like the rest of the world. The setting of The Lord of the Flies is backdrop that makes it easy to see the boys' wickedness compared to the wickedness of the world and people in general. World War II is going on while the story happens. The parachuter, that the boys think is the beast, shows that they cannot get away from war, and they have war themselves later. Parts of the island are also important. The beach is important because it is where Simon dies, and also where the boys live. Castle Rock is important because this is where the tribe goes to live. It is very small, with no food or soft ground, but the boys still go there because they can defend it. They think they must fight the beast and other boys, but they really have nothing to be afraid of from the

The Affects of Emotions on Job Satisfaction and Commitment in the Workplace Essay Example

The Affects of Emotions on Job Satisfaction and Commitment in the Workplace Essay Example The Affects of Emotions on Job Satisfaction and Commitment in the Workplace Essay The Affects of Emotions on Job Satisfaction and Commitment in the Workplace Essay The Affects of Emotions on Job Satisfaction and Commitment in the Workplace ?The workplace is an environment filled with all kinds of people and personalities that come together and work for a common goal. Since it is rare that two people will have the same personality types, workers will always have different ways to solving problems and finding methods to complete tasks. Whether workers express how they are feeling openly or keep to themselves, emotions have an effect on job satisfaction and commitment. Both positive and negative emotions will affect how a person will describe their satisfaction with their job (Fisher 185). Depending on their emotions, workers will either be more committed at the workplace or less committed, and this could change daily. ?Sometimes, emotions can affect a workers commitment while on the job; a worker could have other things running through their mind and might not be as focused as they should be. Even though some emotions affect their commitment in the workplace, it is their emotions that are caused by things outside the workplace that affect their performance in the workplace. A worker could have carryover stressors that arise from problems at home andthose stressors are brought with them into the workplace (Schieman, McBrier and Van Gundy 138). Some daysemployees might be angry because they have so many things to do and not have enough time to do it, or worried about something or someone. When employees do allow their emotions that arousefrom home to affect them while they are at work, doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t going to work, it simply means that they will not be as focused because it is affecting their work-role (Schieman, McBrier and Van Gundy 138). This isn’t hard to understand either because as more and more women are joining the work force every day, many families have to share the household roles, as each has their own work roles as well. This means that men as well as women, have a larger amount of responsibility in their everyday lives and sometimes that can spillover intoworkplace causing some employees to allow this to affect their work. And while this affects job commitment, it also affects a workers job satisfaction. When discussing emotions in the workplace, one needs to realize that emotions can change very quickly, and workers could even feel different emotions at the same time. The New York Times did a survey in 2005, finding that employees that were closely supervised and isolated were feeling depressed in the workplace. Much of the satisfaction that employees get from the workplace comes from the work itself (Fisher 188). Emotions can change very quickly, an employee could be happy until their boss comes u p to them and tells them that they have to turn in a file by five o’clock, and the employeehasn’t even started working on it yet. When non work stressors spillover into the work place it can also affect job rewards and status (Schieman, McBrier and Van Gundy 141). When an employee doesn’t feel like they are achieving much in the workplace, it can lead to a decrease in job satisfaction. Emotions easily change from positive to negative or the other way around, and depending on the moment an employee’s satisfaction will differ, however it is highly unlikely that a worker will both very unhappy and very happy at the same time (Fisher 188). So job satisfaction depends on worker and how they feel about going to work. Obviously those who enjoy going to work and enjoy what they do at work will have a high sense of job satisfaction. While those who are stuck in a cubicle all day and don’t communicate with anyone won’t have the same sense of job satisfaction. ?I have had a job where I could not stand the thought of going to work, knowing that I would be doing the same thing as I did yesterday and it wasn’t going to change. In high school, I worked for my best friend’s father and he hired me as an assistant file clerk. My job was to make sure all the bills were paid for and filed in the correct folder. I sat at a desk all day, away from everyone else at the office and had to do the same thing everyday all summer. I just got bored from doing the same thing over and over every day for two months straight. Whenever I got the chance I would leave my desk and go see what everyone else was doing mainly because I just needed to break the monotonous work I had been doing for hours. It just seemed like everyone who was working there, hated it. Everyone was doing their own thing and really wasn’t interacting with the other workers in the business. I just didn’t understand how someone can hire all these people and not allow them to exchange ideas or ways of doing things. ?In all, emotions have an important affect on job satisfaction and commitment in the workplace. Workers want to have a job that is they believe is meaningful and makes them happy. When emotions are brought into the workplace from outside sources, it will affect how an employee performs in the workplace. The happier a person is the better that person will perform and the more committed they will be in the workplace. References Fisher C. D. (2000) Mood and Emotions while Working: Missing Pieces of Job Satisfaction? [Electronic version]. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21, 185-202. Schieman S. , McBrier D. B and Van Gundy K. (2003) Home-to-Work Conflict, Work Qualities, and Emotional Distress [Electronic version]. Sociological Forum, 18, 137-164.

Ethical Issues in Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethical Issues in Management - Research Paper Example Hence, Brown and Trevino (2004) have tried to debunk common misconceptions about this term. It is important to note that ethical issues are never easy and the notion that it is not meant to be managed is very wrong. Therefore, it is very important to be wary of possible ethical issues that must be given attention to as well as an acceptance that the complexities of these issues require a very intricate process. Also, it is likewise important to be able to look into the strong possibility that the bad people in the organization that are usually the ones to blame may just be symptoms from a systemic problem in the organization. Hence, there must be a deeper examination of this probability and that the underlying problem must be solved so that there will be a lasting solution to these ethical issues. Character and Ethics Furthermore, there must be a stronger effort than the codes and programs in order to be able to take in these challenges and that there must be the realization and acce ptance that despite all talks about accountabilities and chains of command, corporate leaders cannot really take all the blame for their staffs or employees that go astray. Many leaders are formed by their strong character and an overarching appreciation of their calling (Gallos, 1997). Hence, the many people in the organization cannot be always influenced by their leaders as these people are However, despite the recent issues about these scandals, this has been going on since the time that humans basically started commerce. Indeed, Bowen (2002) stresses the need for a coordinated and strongly planned approach to these ethical issues and that these must be integrated within the organization and even in the vision mission of the company. Indeed, the role of the organization must be very prominent in addressing these ethical issues as this can be the strong force that will enable the company to be able to really direct their efforts at ensuring the maintenance of integrity within thei r ranks (Smith, 1990; Hanson, 1991). Areas of Concern Becker (2010) highlights the dilemmas whereby there are four major areas that must be considered. Hence, in dealing with ethical issues, the human resources must be considered since there lies the enablers and the possible causes of ethical problems. Moreover, the confidence of customers must be adequately considered since business confidence can be greatly affected when ethics crises sets in. This brings forward the next area of concern which is the possible sources of conflicts of interest that the company must look into in order to maintain a spotless record with their stakeholders. Finally, the company must watch over their company resources and how these are spent. Indeed, ethical issues can be very challenging and finding solutions to these problems has been greatly hampered by the aforementioned myths. Although these ethical issues go way back, it must be noted that the current trends in business and society has been great ly influential in its proliferation as well as in its recognition. Social networks have considerably grown in prominence at the turn of the century boosted by the rapid greater improvements in the communications capability worldwide. As such, Borgatti and Molina (2003) have pressed the need for an ethical framework that will govern researches made in these social networks. There have been many reports of privacy concerns arising from such

DISCUSSION AND REPLY TO A DISCUSSION( 4th year Nursing course) Essay - 1

DISCUSSION AND REPLY TO A DISCUSSION( 4th year Nursing course) - Essay Example The article also attempts to determine the extent to which formal FPDR policies exist in hospitals, and the level of awareness among the nurses there. Thus, the article has a great utility to the practicing nurses as it explicates salient issues about the practice of FPDR identified by nurses who responded to the qualitative portion of the survey. The conclusions of the study have great implications for the practice of nurses who experience family presence during resuscitation. "The practice of FPDR impacts both family members and members of the resuscitation team. Nurses weigh these impacts when considering whether or not to bring family members to the bedside." (McClement, Fallis, and Pereira, 2009). According to the findings of the study, the majority of critical care nurses support FPDR which suggests that the formal policies in hospitals to facilitate this process. Therefore, the article provides illumining insights into the nurse's perspective in regards to the presence of fami ly members during resuscitation and it also deals with benefits and risks of FPDR for family members and health care professionals.

Green marketing: Promoting environmentally friendly products

Green marketing: Promoting environmentally friendly products Abstract Green marketing is marketing of products that are environmental safe. Companies market ­ing their green achievements were once a small segment of forward-thinking organisations, but since grown into a group of unlikely advocates that includes an oil company and the worlds largest retailer. Environmental friendly production is vital in running future economies. By nature, plants take carbon dioxide from the air and give oxygen in respiration process. By doing this, they make ecology sensible and sustainable. Companies should stop polluting the environment and make their existence sensible and sustainable. They should go green. This paper discusses what is green marketing, and to what extent are companies inte ­grating its principles into their communications i.e. positioning green and green thinking into their operations? Paper also focuses on what is the effect of green marketing in the satisfaction of the needs and wants of consumers. The challenges in an effort of going green are also put in the paper. Positioning strategies for Green i. e environment-friendly products are suggested in the paper. Keywords: Green marketing, positioning green, environment Introduction According to the American Marketing Association, green marketing is the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe. Thus green marketing incorporates a broad range of activities, including product modification, changes to the production process, packaging changes, as well as modifying advertising. Yet defining green marketing is not a simple task where several meanings intersect and contradict each other; an example of this will be the existence of varying social, environmental and retail definitions attached to this term. Other similar terms used are Environmental Marketing and Ecological Marketing Green marketing refers to the process of selling products and/or services based on their environmental benefits. Such a product or service may be environmentally friendly in itself or produced and/or packaged in an environmentally friendly way. The obvious assumption of green marketing is that potential consumers will view a product or services greenness as a benefit and base their buying decision accordingly. The not-so-obvious assumption of green marketing is that consumers will be willing to pay more for green products than they would for a less-green comparable alternative product an assumption that, in my opinion, has not been proven conclusively. While green marketing is growing greatly as increasing numbers of consumers are willing to back their environmental consciousnesses with their dollars, it can be dangerous. The public tends to be sceptical of green claims, to begin with and companies can seriously damage their brands and their sales if a green claim is discovered to be false or contradicted by a companys other products or practices. Presenting a product or service as green when its not is called greenwashing. Green marketing can be a very powerful marketing strategy though when its done right. Also Known as: Environmental Marketing, Ecological Marketing, Eco-Marketing. Common Misspellings: Geen marketing, gren marketing. Example: Chads green marketing campaign bombed bec Environmental Product Strategies There are a large number of environmental issues impacting on the production of goods and products. For example: What is the impact of production, sourcing of materials and packaging on the environment? Can minimum levels of packaging and/or environmentally friendly packaging be achieved without compromising product quality or appeal? Supplier practices i.e. are they at least as environmentally friendly as the organisation they are supplying? Environmentally friendly products can increase and decrease production costs; environmentally friendly production may increase costs for organisations and their suppliers but this may be offset by lower fuel bills through energy efficiency measures or an increase in sales caused by a positive product image. An organisation may able to pass increases in production costs (caused by EFS) to consumers. However, this will depend on the level of increase, type of consumer, competitor prices for the same type of product and the strength of the economy. For example during times of recession consumers will place price above many if not all of the factors making up the marketing mix. Environmental Place Strategies All organisations will need to carefully time when their product reaches consumers; exact time of distribution will depend on the product or service being distributed. Such timing may have an environmental implication. Some products will need to reach the consumer shortly after production for example fresh food in order to retain freshness, taste or nutritional value. The fastest method of distribution may damage the environment. Conversely a more environmentally friendly method e.g. via canals may impact on speed of distribution and consequently quality of the product. A method of distribution that combines speed with environmentally friendliness may increase distribution costs as some of these processes are still under development e.g. electric vehicles. In addition to the type of transport used for distribution, an organisation will need to review distribution techniques; For example timing deliveries so that they occur during off peak hours and do not contribute to congestion. Some organisations attempt to make fewer deliveries, whilst others promote concentrated products (e.g. fabric conditioner) as they increase the number of products that can carried in each delivery vehicle. Even if environmentally friendly distribution is not at the top of an organisations list of priorities, government policies may elevate it to the top. Congestion charging and low emission zones have been introduced in the London. Apart from the obvious increase in costs emanating from observance of such policies, a failure to observe environmentally friendly rules and regulations will lead to fines and sanctions and consequently negative publicity. After reviewing internal distribution methods an organisation will need to review supplier and subcontractor distribution as consumers and the media expect organisations claiming environmental credentials to only liaise with other environmentally friendly organisations.. For example do the subcontractors use Bio-fuel? Are the subcontractors actively managing their carbon footprint or energy use? Environmental Promotion Strategies Due to the consumer, celebrity and government appetite for protecting the environment environmentally friendly practices are used as promotional tools. For example the award of ISO 14001 (which certifies that an organisation has certain environmental standards, as certified by an independent external auditing organisation) is often quoted in marketing literature. Product packaging that can be recycled will have a message on the packaging clearly stating the recycling properties for the packaging. Similarly organic products will be labelled, not only on the packaging but also around the shelving displaying the organic produce. Some organisations have sought to reduce costs through the promotion of environmentally friendly strategies. The use of carrier bags has changed dramatically in the UK over the last 2-3 years. Retailers actively promote the benefit of reusable bags as they have many benefits Lower costs for the retailer Consumers feel good as they believe that the use of a reusable bag is helping the environment Fewer carrier bags go to landfill Another example is hotels offering guests the opportunity to engage in fewer linen and towel changes. Such strategy is environmentally friendly as it reduces the use of detergents and energy but it also reduces costs for the hotel and improves corporate image. Some organisations providing products and services which may harm the environment have added off setting methods to their portfolios and marketing literature. The idea behind off setting is that the consumer is offered the opportunity to indirectly engage in an activity (such as tree planting) that benefits the environment and therefore balances/evens out the damage they caused for example through flying. Such schemes attempt to ease the consumers conscience and retain a positive image for the organisation providing the environmentally unfriendly product or service. Environmental Pricing Strategies Throughout this article we have discussed how environmentally friendly strategies can either increase or decrease organisational costs. The ideal marketing mix is a reduction in costs and/or an increased in costs which is exceeded by an increase in profits. Pricing must reflect the demand for the product an incorrectly priced product will reduce demand; this is now further complicated by the impact environmental issues have on pricing. If an organisation is paying more for raw materials because the supplier is environmentally friendly it may decide to pass on this price increase to the consumer, the amount the ideal amount will be dictated by the target consumer. On the other hand companies cutting costs and increasing profits at the expense of the environment may be risking negative publicity, fines, sanctions or may simply lose out to organisations actively promoting their environmentally friendly practices even if such competitors offer more expensive products and services. Summary The environmental marketing mix is becoming extremely important in todays business world. Firms will have to carefully manage this mix if they are to successfully operate in a world which is becoming increasingly aware of climatic changes. Wheres the beef? may not be the most accurate phrase, but its the first that comes to mind. Seriously, thats the only thought I could come up with in the face of this news: McDonalds is swapping out the red in its logo for a deep hunter green to tout its environmental credentials in Europe. From an Associated Press article by Mary MacPherson Lane: About 100 German McDonalds restaurants will make the change by the end of 2009, the company said in a statement Monday. Some franchises in Great Britain and France have already started using the new color scheme behind their Golden Arches. This is not only a German initiative but a Europe-wide initiative, Martin Nowicki, McDonalds Germany spokesman, told The Associated Press. [] The company has warmed to greener practices, including environmentally friendly refrigeration and converting used oil into biodiesel fuel. With this new appearance we want to clarify our responsibility for the preservation of natural resources. In the future we will put an even larger focus on that, Hoger Beek, vice chairman of McDonalds Germany, said in the statement. Leaving aside the fundamental unsustainability of the fast food industry as a whole, this is not to say that there is nothing behind McDonalds claims of environmental action the company is working on green buildings, electric vehicles and published a report earlier this year highlighting its best green efforts. Who are the green consumers? Understanding the demographics of green consumerism can help entrepreneurs explore the environmental market, and home in on likely prospects. Research has shown that green consumers: are sincere in their intentions, with a growing commitment to greener lifestyles; almost always judge their environmental practices as inadequate; do not expect companies to be perfect in order to be considered green. Rather, they look for companies that are taking substantive steps and have made a commitment to improve. However, they also: tend to overstate their green behaviour, including the number of green products they actually use; want environmental protection to be easy, and not to entail major sacrifices; tend to distrust companies environmental claims, unless they have been independently verified; lack knowledge about environmental issues, and tend not to trust themselves to evaluate scientific information about environmental impacts. However, at the same time they are eager to learn, and this means that consumer education is one of the most effective strategies that entrepreneurs can use. The most responsive age group tends to be young adults, many of whom are influenced by their children. In addition, women are a key target for greener products, and often make purchases on behalf of men. The best green customers are people with more money to spend. As a result, the most promising products for greening tend to be at the higher end of the market. The most promising outlets for green products are retail stores frequented by better-off shoppers. In general, green consumers have the education and intellectual orientation to appreciate value; they will understand evidence that is presented in support of environmental claims. In the US, children and teens are generally more concerned than adults about the environment, and are more knowledgeable about green alternatives. Increasingly, they influence their parents purchasing decisions. Equally importantly, millions of them will reach adulthood in the next decade, and gain purchasing power of their own. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, US consumers born before the 1950s are the least green. As their numbers diminish, their share of consumer purchases will dwindle. In Canada, children and parents alike tend to have strong environmental concerns. Older people, too, tend to be active green purchasers.

The Glass Industry in India

The glass industry in India. The modern Indian glass industry is around 100 years old. In the first half of the last century the industry was rather primitive, melting the glass in pot furnaces and small tank furnaces that were fuelled by either coal or gas–although some furnaces at the coastal cities used furnace oil. From the early 1950s the glass industry started manufacturing using modern equipment, both for melting and production. Collaboration with multinational companies gave a boost to the industry.It was in the lost decade of the twentieth century that the Indian glass industry started to seriously compete globally, installing improved furnaces to conserve energy and therefore reduce the cost of production. The cheaper availability of natural gas in some parts of the country also enabled the industry to reduce energy costs to some extent, and the flat glass industry upgraded to the float process. India now has four float glass plants, although there are still a few sh eet glass manufacturing units in operation using both the Fourcault and PPG processes.The manufacture of figured glass is well established in India. Container glass production has benefited from the addition of higher capacity manufacturing units during the past decade, and this part of the industry is doing fairly well. The flask linings sector has earned a niche in the export market, as well as meeting the domestic requirement. The manufacture of glass bangles has moved to the semi automatic process and India has its own technology in the bangle and glass bead sector. Research is currently being undertaken for the technological improvement of the finishing process.There has been a quantum leap in glass fibre manufacture with new multinational entrants and a substantial growth in exports. The tableware industry was badly hit with imports and is slowly recovering, acquiring modern equipment to upgrade the sector. There is potential for foreign collaboration here. Ophthalmic glass is still being imported into India and there is scope for putting modern manufacturing units in place. The industry is progressing steadily and will hopefully reach global standards in the weaker sectors as well as in those that are currently strong.Indian glass industry overview. http://www. allbusiness. com/nonmetallic-mineral/glass-glass-manufacturing/85938 9-1. html Date: Tuesday, November 1 2005 At the 61st annual session of the All India Glass Manufacturers' Federation, held in New Delhi last September, retiring President, Sanjay Somany reviewed key issues facing the local glass industry, in the presence of Dr Ajay Dua, Secretary (IPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Government of India. A summary of Sanjay Somany's presentation is given below, together with details of the federation's newly elected officers.Despite the uncertainties associated with two consecutive coalition governments, the Indian economy has undergone rapid and all-encompassing change, clearly indicating the strengths of Indian democracy. Economic policy changes have eased out Indian enterprise from governmental control towards globalisation of the economy. These measures have borne fruit and the economy is on a steady progressive path. In spite of petroleum price hikes, inflation is under control and the national economy is expected to grow by around 7%.The balance of payments continues to be favourable and India has comfortable foreign exchange reserves. Promoting the industry Since its inception in 1944, the All India Glass Manufacturers' Federation has been promoting the cause of all segments of the local glass industry. Sustained efforts are being made by members of the federation to promote the industry's growth and development. Diversified capabilities The Indian glass industry has a rich history. From mouth blown and hand working processes, it has taken to automation in a big way, although traditional manufacturing processes have not been abandoned.Mouth blown and handcraft ed glassware have a dominant role in decorative and table glassware, products which are exported in large quantities. The majority of raw materials required by the industry are available locally, providing excellent scope for growth and development. Flat glass Despite the closure of certain sheet glass manufacturing units, total flat glass production has increased via the establishment of new float lines. There has been an increase in demand for float glass as a result of increased investment from the construction and automotive sectors.Float glass manufacturers are gearing up to meet this demand and are planning to increase their installed capacities. Containers Glass container production has more than doubled from approximately 800,000 tonnes in 1997-98 to some 1. 7 million tonnes in 2004-05. This is despite the stiff competition faced from alternative packaging materials. Production levels increased by 5% in the last 12 months, emphasising the continued importance of the material as a preferred packing material in view of its transparency, chemical inertness, impermeability and ability to maintain the optimum freshness of its contents.Tableware The massive surge of imports, especially from China, continues to impact the local glass tableware industry, with large quantities of opal and crystal ware being dumped in the market. The price at which these items are being sold shows that either all or most goods have reached the market by avoiding customs duty payments. This has resulted in the underutilisation of installed capacity and is adversely affecting the profitability of local manufacturers. ExportsDramatically increased Levels of glass and glassware exports have been recorded in recent years, from US$35 million in 1993-94 to US$200 million in 2002-03 and US$227 million in 2003-04 (all figures ore approximate currency conversions : Ed). In the last 12 months, increasing production costs have slowed the rate of growth, however, to a level of US$234 million . Products to achieve strong export growth in 2004-05 were glass fibre, ophthalmic Lenses, glass lampware, containers, bangles, table/ kitchenware, mirrors, glass beads and false pearls.Export shortfalls were recorded for vacuum flasks and refills, unworked sheet glass, VIALS, float glass and scientific glassware. New AIGMF officers Elected to replace Sanjay Somany as President of the AIGMF for the current term of office is PK Kheruka, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Borosil Glassworks Ltd, Mumbai. His successor as Senior Vice President is Satish Kumar Jhunjhunwala of Shree Gobinddeo Glass Works Ltd, Kolkata. Newly elected to the role of Vice President is Mukul Somany from Hindusthan National Glass ; Industries Ltd. Honorary General Secretary is SC Bansat

Christianity vs. Greek Mythology Essay

Throughout many ages religion has been a very important part of history. It shaped many cultures and allowed us to better understand many civilizations. Two of these cultures are those of the Christians and Greeks. Both have similarities and differences in their religious beliefs that have been compared often and I have chosen to discuss the similarities and differences of Christianity and ancient Greek mythology. Christianity is a monotheistic religion, or belief in only one God, and spiritual practices are based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as written in the New Testament of the Bible, with the role of Jesus as savior and the Son of God. Greek mythology is a polytheistic religion, which is the belief in and worship of multiple deities, called gods and goddesses, belonging to the culture of ancient Greece. Even though their definitions are different, the faith of Christianity and one God and the culture of the Greeks in mythology of many gods are alike in a number of ways. To begin, in both religions humans believe that there are speakers for their God/gods. These people include pastors, priests and nuns in Christianity, and storytellers or prophets in Greek times. Furthermore, the people believe that their God or gods are above humans. Both cultures believe a god is above all mortal and of this earth, and he or she listens to people when they need help, and have supernatural power to help. This is why both the Christians and the Greeks pray to their God and gods for forgiveness. Another similarity between the religious beliefs of these two cultures is that they have explanations for many of ancient mysteries of life and major events on earth. The ancient Greeks and early Christians tried to find an explanation for the evil in the world, and both blame a woman for man’s downfall. Greeks believe a woman named Pandora opened a forbidden box and released all evil into the world. Christians believe a woman named Eve released evil after eating from a forbidden tree. Also, in both the ancient Greek and Christian beliefs of the early world, there exist stories of great floods that destroyed most of humankind. In Greek mythology, Zeus orders a man named Deucalion to make a chest in which he and his family can survive  the flood Zeus was going to bring upon the earth. In the Bible, the account of Christian beliefs, God orders a man named Noah to build an ark in which he and his family, and two of each animal, can survive the destruction from a flood God was going to send. War was also a common characteristic of both the ancient Greek world and of the Biblical world. For example, the Trojan War is a major event in Greek history, and is written about most famously in Homer’s Iliad. The gods always seemed to play important roles in this war, especially Zeus, Ares the god of war, and the other and goddesses living on Mount Olympus. Wars between Greek city-states were also common, with gods and goddesses almost always involved in them in some way. In similar comparison, the Bible accounts many stories of wars between different countries and religious groups, with God being involved in some way in the outcome or fate of the peoples. One of the most famous examples is the war between the Philistines and the Israelites. In this war, God interfered and sent a small shepherd boy David to save the Israelites. David does so by killing the giant Goliath, a super-human thing he would not have been able to accomplish without God’s help. These examples show the cross-cultural belief that war was an important event in the ancient world, and the gods, and God, played significant roles. While Christianity and ancient Greek mythology have many similarities, there are key differences. The main and most obvious difference is that Christian belief is about only one God, and its beliefs and commandments are written about in the Bible. Christians regard the stories told in Bible as actual historical accounts of important people, events and concepts of faith. Greek mythology had 13 major gods and goddesses, and many lesser gods. Different Greek cities also worshipped different deities. There is no book like the â€Å"Bible†, rather many collections of stories that shaped early Greek culture. In short, Greek mythology was created to be the Greek’s science for why things happened. Once they thought they figured out how things really happened, the belief in gods and goddesses faded away from Greek culture. The final difference I want to discuss to compare the ancient Greek creation story and that of Christian belief. In the ancient Greek story, at first there was only Chaos, a shapeless mass of darkness and meaninglessness. Out of Chaos came Nyx (night) and Erebus (the unfathomable deep). The first god to come into existence was Gaea, Mother Earth, though no one knows where she came from or how she came into being. Uranus, Father Sky, was born of Gaea as she slept. He became her husband, and together they had many children. One of these first gods’ descendants was Zeus. After much war between the gods and goddesses, Zeus became most powerful and assigned two lower gods the task of populating the earth with mortal creatures. With that task, one of the two gods granted so many gifts on the lower animals that when the time came to create man, there was nothing left. The beasts already had the sharp teeth and claws, the warm fur and feathers, the tough, protective hides, the wings and shells, speed, size, and strength. The wiser of these two lower gods was given task to figure out what gifts to bestow on man. The gods gave man a more noble, upright stance, so man would be above the beasts, with his face turned toward the heavens rather then down toward the ground. He also gave man an intelligence that reached much higher than the beasts’ mere cunning. In the Christian creation story, God was present in the beginning and He created the universe. At first the earth was shapeless and covered in darkness, and God’s spirit hovered over the waters. God said, â€Å"Let there be light†. And there was light. God divided the day from the night, naming them ‘ day’ and ‘night’. On the second through fifth day God made the heavens, commanded the waters to fill with living creatures and the air to fill with birds. On the sixth day God commanded the earth to bring forth all kinds of living creatures and He saw that it was good. God then said † Let us make man in our own image†. So God created man and woman in his own likeness and gave them authority over all living things. Adam, the first man, was created by God out of soil and given life by God’s breath. Adam named all the animals and birds that God had made, But Adam had no companion of his own so God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and created woman – Eve- from one of Adam’s ribs. In addition, unlike the beginning void of Chaos in Greek mythology, God is not a void of nothingness, but the beginning of all  things. God also remains the ruler of the entire world in Biblical stories, while the Greek Chaos is forced out by several actual divine beings, the most important and permanent of those being Zeus. In conclusion I found there to be many interesting similarities between Christian faith and ancient Greek religious culture, but one final difference is that Christianity is practiced today and the Bible widely read in many countries and published in many languages, while ancient Greek belief system has faded away and become the stories of fantastical books, myths and legends.my