Aristotle - Short Essay Essay Example for Free

Aristotle Short Essay Essay Throughout his life, Aristotle paid particularly close attention to the notion of happiness. In Aristotle’s opinion, happiness is achieved by obtaining the highest good by living a good life. However, living a good life in accordance with Aristotle’s views can be difficult. He believes that in order to live a good life, one must constantly seek to fulfill the bodily needs. To do so, one must live with moral and intellectual virtues at all times. Aristotle believed that living with moral and intellectual virtues is accomplished by developing a keen sense of rationality. He says that rational judgment is the result of living within the appropriate mean of two extremes. There are several examples he gives to illustrate this conception. One example he provides is the appropriate mean between acting bravely and acting cowardly. He proceeds to explain that if he was to act overly brave then when he was in battle he would act overzealously and cause himself harm. However, if he was to act without enough aggression then he would appear cowardly. Aristotle explains that it is reasonable to be confused with this explanation. He further explains that it is not finding the exact mean between two extremes that one must endeavor, but to assess each situation individually. He says that with each situation that arises, one must analyze it and determine to what degree of one extreme or another one must respond with. Each person, he believes, will react differently and no situation will be exactly the same. It is through one’s intelligence and practical wisdom that will allow them to live with moral and intellectual virtues. By following this conception, Aristotle believes happiness can be achieved. Although Aristotle’s conception of happiness is a sensible argument, it fails to account for a number of situations. Aristotle’s primary thesis concerns the application of the appropriate mean of two extremes. However, there are several situations which do not have an appropriate mean between two extremes. For example, there is no mean found on the issue of murder. If Aristotle’s conception was applied, would someone have to determine the mean between excessively murdering and only slightly murdering another person? In such a case as this, Aristotle argues that there are some actions which do not need any application of the mean of two extremes because some actions are always wrong. With this explanation raises the question why the concept of a mean between extremes is given if it cannot account for all situations? Furthermore, it also brings into question when to apply a mean between extremes or how to determine that a particular action is an exception because it is just simply wrong. Therefore, because Aristotle’s conception of happiness fails to account for all practicalities, it is not a good model to define happiness.

Why I Am Learning English Myself English Language Essay

Why I Am Learning English Myself English Language Essay Im learning English because I want to get the information by myself which have not been interpreted yet. In the world many information havent been interpreted. I like American movies, comedies and TV dramas. So when I want to get a lot of information about those, it is better to be able to understand English, which is a common language of the world, than to be not able to. If I could get much information, I can be more enjoyable those entertainments and share the information about those things with people all over the world who have same interests. The second reason of learning English is to survive in other countries. I like a trip abroad. In other countries I often have many troubles. For example, imagine that you go shopping in other country. If you cant speak English, you may be not able to buy things which you need because you cant tell a clerk what you want to buy. Being able to listen to and speak English is the one of the best way to solve those troubles. And by learning Engl ish, I can have many chances to feel other cultures and histories because English is the only common language of the world. I may be able to bring up and discover new myself by knowing other cultures and histories. So, learning English is important thing for understanding many cultures and histories. This is the last reason. So I am learning English. The skill of English I would like to strengthen most is listening and speaking. When I was a high school student, I stayed an Australian familys house for a month. I was full of confidence with my English skill. However, I couldnt listen to what they were saying. And even when I could do, I couldnt speak because I didnt know the right grammar and was afraid of making a lot of mistakes. Now Im so regretting because I didnt take advantage of the chance to polish my English skill. So I think that listening to and speaking English are the most important things for me. There are two ways of improving my listening skill. One way is listening to American music with understanding words and means. And another way is watching American movies with focusing on sound of speaking. I dont like studying, so I want to enjoy studying. These ways of improving listening skill are the best for me. And for improving speaking skill, I speak with myself, the wall or the mirror about what happened at the day or what I think. This way of practicing speaking skill may be strange, but I think that this way is very effective to polish speaking skill. I was taught this practice way by my English teacher, who I respected. Thanks to him, I had a great interest in studying languages and other countries cultures and came to like English. And thanks to him, I could pass the exam of Osaka University, where I wanted to enter for a long time. So I believe the way of studying which he taught to me. Now I am interested in Korean idol singers and Korean dramas. At first, I wondered why Japanese people were absorbed in the culture. However, the more I get to know about it, the more I come to like it. Korean idol singers not only are handsome but also sing and dance very well. And most of them can speak their mother tongue and many foreign languages. They are hard to study everything. Therefore they are more fascinating than Japanese idol singers. Korean dramas are different from Japanese one. Most Japanese dramas are ordinary love dramas, but construction of story of Korean drama is interesting because themes take various forms. We can learn difference of the culture between Japan and Korea from dramas. I think that when I study the culture and the custom about a country, the best way to know about them is to live in the country, but it is difficult. So, seeing a drama is a good way because we can find a life style of people who live in the country. And by being interested in Kore an idol singers and dramas, I get to want to know about the country, Korea, and learn about the Korean language. Therefore, Im learning about Korean history and the Korean language by oneself. Learning other culture is very fun. So, Im interested in Korean idol singers and Korean dramas.

Hamlets Procrastination :: William Shakespeare Hamlet

"To be or not to be", is Hamlet's most famous quotation. Hamlet is the protagonist of Shakespeare's. His father, king Hamlet, killed by his own brother, Claudius, then Claudius marries king Hamlet's wife, Gertrude, and won the kingship. Prince Hamlet who suffers from Oedipal Complex, felling in love with his own mother and considering father as a rival to his love, can't make his mind whether to kill his uncle and take his father's revenge or not. And ask this question from himself, because in one hand he knows that if he kill Claudius, his companions will kill him, in other hand his father's ghost appears to him and ask him to kill Claudius. He was in a dilemma. Hamlet's tragic flaw is his procrastination, Hamlet procrastinated only because of his fear of intimacy with his mother, he knows that Claudius was the only person separating him and Gertrude. Now this question would come to our mind that why does Shakespeare give so much prominence to the delay without clearly presenting th e reason for it? James k. Lowers in his Tragic Heroes argues that "Shakespeare's tragedy is a work of surpassing interest and genius, and the tragic hero is universally attractive and fascinating" (12). We must keep two things in mind. First, Shakespeare makes it clear that Hamlet is acutely aware of a delay. Second, Shakespeare also makes it clear that Hamlet himself is not sure why he delays. At the end of the eighteenth century, Goethe in Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship proposed that Shakespeare means, in Hamlet, to "represent the effects of a great action laid upon a soul unfit for the performance of it"(152). Hamlet is not sure about ghost?s says, he wants to reveal the fact, and prove his father's innocence, because his ghost said to him that Claudius kill him to gain king ship and his queen. From the religious point of view we can consider him as a religious man, we can disgust that he put off taking revenge, because in Christianity taking revenge is forbidden. He put off killing his uncle 3times as Jesus was put off 3times for crucifixion. At the beginning of the twentieth century, A. C. Bradley proposed another reason for the delay in his Shakespearean Tragedy Bradley argued that ?Hamlet's delay is the result of a melancholic state of mind, brought on by the death of his father and the hasty remarriage of his mother.

Goegraphy of Dominica :: Essays Papers

Goegraphy The geography of Dominica is quite unique. It is an island fortress unlike any other island in the Caribbean, and is the largest and most mountainous of the Windward Islands. The island was created by volcanic activity, and still today shows signs of active volcanic activity. Its steep mountains prevented colonists from completely taking over and have made the island a prime destination for Eco-tourists. The island contains over 3,000 peaks, the tallest of which are Morne Diablotin (4,747 ft) and Morne Trois Pitons (4,600ft). (www.delphis.com) The island itself is located between the French islands of Guadeloupe to the north and Martinique to the south. It is 29 miles long and 16 miles wide, and covers 290 square miles. Its exact location is approximately 15 degrees North and 61 degrees West (www.delphis.dm). The island of Dominica is home to the only surviving population of Carib Indians. This was only possible because of Dominica’s treacherous mountains. Early European colonist were not able to drive out or kill all the natives as they had done on other islands. The Caribs now live in the â€Å"Carib Territory†, a 3700-acre reservation on the northeast coast, which was given to them in 1903. The reservation has a chief and is home to between 300 – 3000 Caribs (the exact number of Caribs is hard to determine because without detail genealogy records it hard to prove or disprove that someone actually is a Carib). (www.delphis.dm) The recent boom in eco-tourism has made Dominica one of the premiere tourist destinations both in the Caribbean and in the world. In recent years Dominica has designated more national parks, forests and marine reserves per capita than nearly anywhere else in the world. Dominica’s largest national park is the Morne Trois Pitons National Park. It covers 17,000 acres (9% of the island), and is home to the world’s largest boiling lake. The lake is 70 yards across with an unknown depth and the lake is situated over a massive volcanic sulfur vent, which keeps the water temperature between 180 – 197 degrees Fahrenheit. The park is also home to several waterfalls over 100 feet tall. The average temperature range is between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Average rainfall varies between 50 inches on coastal areas, and 300 inches with in the interior. The driest months are from January to June, and hurricane season which is usually between July and early October.

Similarities and Differences in the Two Poems, Cousin Kate and The Sedu

The two narrative poems, ‘Cousin Kate’ and ‘The Seduction’ have a number of similarities between them, such as the poems are both based on love and the misuse of women. However, the two poems are also very different in some ways. For instance, the reactions to love vary in the poems. ‘Cousin Kate’ was set in the 1860’s and ‘The Seduction’ was set in the 1970’s, therefore, the poems are set one hundred years apart from each other. It is due to this that they have many differences between them. The difference in time contributes to the language that the poems have been written in. The two poems are also set in different areas. ‘Cousin Kate is set in the rural countryside, and ‘The Seduction’ is set in an urban area. An example of a difference is the way their emotions and views on love are presented. For the reason that the poems are set in different centuries, people thought of love differently, they did have the same morals or reactions to the pregnancies. ‘Cousin Kate’ was written by a female poet called Christina Rossetti. The poem is divided into six stanzas. It consists of an abcb rhyming scheme. For instance, the poet has rhymed ‘air and fair’. The rhyming of the words allows the poem to be read fluently and in a rhythmic pattern. The poem could be sing-songed to seem more interesting to listen to. This poem consists of three main characters – the Cottage Maiden, Cousin Kate and the Great Lord. The three characters have three very diverse personalities in the poem. The poem is written in the first person, from the Cottage Maiden’s point of view, therefore, she is describing her feelings throughout the poem. On the other hand, you can only observe Cousin Kate and the Great Lord through the Cottage Maiden’s eyes and conseq... ...to live. Ultimately, as well as having their differences, the poems are very alike. They both have the same moods throughout the poem – anger, sadness and betrayal. The themes are also comparable – betrayal, respect, pain and love. However, they are different because of the way the poems have been written. ‘The Seduction’ is more like a story, going through the different stages in her life. Whereas, ‘Cousin Kate’ could be seen like a diary, the Cottage Maiden is talking about her feelings and emotions about different aspects of her life. I think that both of the poems succeed in what the poet set out to do. In ‘Cousin Kate’ I experienced the emotions the Cottage Maiden encountered. In ‘The Seduction’ I saw how inconsequential the girl’s life was to the boy. She was not ready to be a woman, but she had no choice. I felt the loneliness and betrayal she experienced.

Crime and Hurricane Katrina Essay

Hurricane Katrina caused many forms of distress, displacement and disruption to the community of New Orleans and the citizens most certainly were forced to act in drastic ways for survival. The response by the people has been considered forms of criminal activity and in all senses of legal activity has been defined as crime. Acts of looting and violence were reported by many reporters of various news media. Crimes were not only committed by everyday citizens of New Orleans, but volunteer workers as well and even, what people saw as the most shocking display of violence and betrayal of trust, by the Law Enforcement Officials as well. What is also interesting is how this destructive event altered the residents’ perception of what is crime and what can be considered criminal. What was once considered to be a betrayal of trust towards another member of the community had been transformed into an activity that was now a means of survival. Some of the acts varied from a â€Å"need† to steal because they â€Å"had to† (i. e. , stealing from Bath and Body works for soap, supermarkets for food, water, clothes, etc. ) and then increasing to other side of the spectrum to murder of strangers, friends, and even family. Hurricane Katrina caused a massive social disruption to the people of New Orleans and this catastrophic event would eventually lead to their breakdown of societal rules and values. And it is this breakdown that would not be lost to the eyes of the news media and would be broadcast everywhere, all across the world (of Katrina, apocalypse 2005). The New York Times gave many accounts of the violence, destructive and slide into anarchy that was happening in New Orleans. One article, published September 29th, 2005, After Katrina, crimes of the imagination, detailed the mass amount of looting and violent crimes in the area. The article details the fears and horrors of becoming a broken society and living in fear of your once loved neighbor. Another thing this article seemed to touch on was that it was possible that fear was actually caused by a trick of the mind. â€Å"†¦Some, but not all, of the most alarming stories were figments of frighten imaginations, the product of no reliable communications, and perhaps the residue of raw relations between some police officers and members of the public. † Speaking of the â€Å"raw relations between some police officers and members of the public,† these supposed raw relations were only further hurt and ripped apart by actions made by the police department themselves. Five police officers were accused and convicted (six years later) of shooting and killing defenseless citizens attempting to cross a bridge in search of food, water and shelter. These same officers along with the help of their department attempted a brilliantly mastermind plot to cover up their crime. This included â€Å"made-up witnesses, falsified reports, and a planted gun† to prove that they were under fire by the citizens and were only trying to protect themselves. This news article Jury Reaches Guilty Verdict in Hurricane Katrina Shootings Trial by Fox News shows the corruption and hidden brutality of the law enforcement department of New Orleans. In association with police corruption and brutality, there was a similar crime committed by five different police officers a mere two days before the crime previously mentioned. An injured 31 year old male was taken to the temporary headquarters of police by his friends in search of help. The officer drove off with the car with the injured male still in the back seat and his remains were found in the torched car. The implicated officer, for shooting the injured male and attempting to cover up by burning the car with the body still inside (oddly enough) was charged with a civil rights violation and the remaining four were charged with obstruction of justice. This just yet another article (5 cops charged in post-Hurricane Katrina shooting, burning death) found in the Daily News archives describing the corruption and brutality of law enforcement in the face of disaster. However the actual brutality of the police system is not entirely at fault on its own. In a New York Times article: More Horrible Than Truth: News Reports published September 19th 2005, described of the crimes of the people against each and against law enforcement. There were gangs shooting at rescue crews, emergency room physicians were being confirming the rising amount of murders and rapes, and there were eye witness accounts of police officers being shot at while trying to help out a group of helpless victims. While there is no excusing the horrible brutalization by the police department, it is clear to see that all of it is not always unprovoked. There have also been many other forms of crime in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that do not involve looting and murder. There have also been crimes by the state and government which have affected the residents of New Orleans. In Time Runs Out for St. Bernard Parish, an editorial in The New York Times, the housing and racial discrimination was brought to light. The parish was banning anyone who was not a â€Å"blood relative† from seeking shelter at the parish. Since being in a predominantly white neighborhood this was implied to many any people of color was banned from the church. There were also crimes against the government through insurance fraud and lawsuits. Insurance companies were defrauding their clients (Attorneys arrive for opening of first Katrina insurance lawsuit, 2006) and then also evacuees of New Orleans were attempting to fraud insurance money away from FEMA and FBI grants (Katrina: Four Years Later, 2009). The aftermath of Katrina was no match for the crime that occurred during and after it. The crime destroyed the faith and rationality of the people which prolonged and deepened the chaos of New Orleans. The news media as always played a big role in the hype of the crime wave but without the media the true seriousness of the crime would have never been investigated and given proper consideration to improve.

Classicism Versus Positivism

Two criminological approaches that have the origin in contemporary criminology are classicism and positivism. Classicism has the origin in the eighteenth century and positivism in the nineteenth. Both, the classical and the positivism theory are expanded in the past with their own roots, but in today criminal justice system are still alive. Classicism was first developed by Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham, two famous writers which propose in their works that both law and administration of justice should be based on rationality and human rights. Cesare Beccaria’s concept of punishment is that â€Å"punishment should fit the crime.Criminals are seen to owe a ‘debt’ to society and punishment should be fixed strictly in proportion to the seriousness of the crime. † (Beccaria, 1974 cited in Burke, 2001, p. 27) and Jeremy Bentham greatest principle was â€Å"the greatest happiness for the greatest number, he felt that punishments should be calculated to infli ct pain in direct proportion to the damage done to the public interest. † (Criminology a social introduction, second edition, p. 56) Positivism or ‘the science of crime’ was first developed by Cesare Lambroso in the late nineteenth century.He is the founder of modern criminology and he is known for his notion of the ‘atavistic criminal’ (Taylor et all, 1973, p. 41) and he described criminals as â€Å"atavistic, a throwback to an earlier form of evolutionary life† (Taylor et all, 1973, p. 41). Cesare Lambroso defined them into five main categories: born criminals, epileptics, insane criminals, occasional criminals and criminals of passion. (Lecture 3) â€Å"Positivism within criminology has been enormously influential and comes for substantive and sustained criticism.Critics of individual positivism such as David Matza (1964) argue that it draws on three problematic sets of assumptions (Tierney, 1996): determinism, differentiation and pathology . † (Criminology, Tim Newburn, p. 128) Firstly both criminological approaches have different perspective on the human subject. The classicalist theory says that human are rational beings with a free will to act and once they make a decision they must accept the consequences after it. They are individuals and they make a ration choice.On the other hand the positivist theory says humans have no moral responsibility, they are driven into crime by forces largely out of their control and they are using methods derived from the natural sciences and their crime is caused by biological, psychological or social factors (‘determinism’). â€Å"Crime is not a free choice but is determined. Positivism is a deterministic theory. † (Criminology a social introduction, second edition, p. 63). Secondly in the classical model â€Å"unlike positivism, it views committing crime as making a free choice† (Criminology a social introduction, second edition, p. 8). In positiv ism theory we can find a ‘differentiation’, â€Å"the criminal is a specific type of person† (Criminology a social introduction, second edition, p. 62) and criminals differ from non-criminals. Thirdly between classicism and positivism is also a pathology difference: the criminals are not only different; there is something wrong with them. Cesare Lombroso â€Å"identified not just the born criminal, but also the emotional criminal, the morally insane criminal and masked epileptic criminal† (Criminology a social introduction, second edition, p. 62).In conclusion these two contrasting approaches are different and contain distinct periods in the past, classicism and positivism. I believe it is fair to say that their existence is not as heavily relied upon as it once was in the past. Bibliographic reference: An introduction to criminological theory, Roger Hopkins Burke. (2001) Criminology a social introduction, Eamonn Carrabine, Pam Cox, Maggy Lee, Ken Plummer and Nigel South. (Second edition, 2009) The New Criminology, Taylor, I. , Walton, P. and Young, J. , Chapter 1. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. (1973) Criminology, Tim Newburn. (2007)