The Muslim Empires Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Muslim Empires - Essay Example Emperor Selim annexed Syria, then Cairo, before calling himself the new caliph, Muhammad’s successor. The Ottomans also conquered North Africa. From 1521 onwards, under Suleyman the Magnificent, the Ottomans advanced to Belgrade, Hungray, Austria, and Vienna. The Ottoman Empire lasted until the eighteenth century, but was challenged by the growing Austrian Empire in Southeastern Europe and Russia in the north. The government of the Ottoman sultan administered a diverse population through appointing pashas who managed new territories through collecting taxes, paying a fixed percentage as tribute to the central government, and preserving peace and order. The bey refers to the chieftain or tribal leader and who served as pashas too. Tribal disputes were resolved through tribal law, while Islamic law was secondary. In addition, the sultan ruled through an imperial council, which met four days a week and where the grand vizier served as the chairman. Ottoman rule was more localized than those applied in Europe and Asia. The Ottomans declined by the seventeenth century due to various reasons, including Suleyman’s execution of two capable sons and increasing social unrest (due to corruption and economic difficulties). The Safavid dynasty began with Shah Ismail. Ismail conquered Iran and Iraq in 1501. The Safavids attained the peak of their ruling under Shah Abbas. Furthermore, they ruled a mixed-race and mixed-religion Persia. They used Shi’ism as the unifying force. Their empire disintegrated in 1723 due to succession conflicts and attacks from the Ottomans. The shah was like the sultan who claimed divine quality. Furthermore, the Safavid appointed people to senior management positions by merit than birth. The Safavid shah was also like the Ottoman sultan who traveled regularly to the city to check his subordinates for moral or religious transgressions. Babur established the Mughal dynasty. He conquered Kabul in 1504. He expanded his

Conflict Can Be Character Building Essay Example for Free

Conflict Can Be Character Building Essay â€Å"Conflict Can Be Character Building† â€Å"Character building† is such a common phrase and has become a cliche designed to put a positive spin on painful experiences. While it is true to say that conflict is an inevitable aspect of life, it is not true to say that it always results in â€Å"building† people. In fact in some cases it tragically destroys them. While novelists and filmmakers, in particular, build a plotline which neatly introduces conflict, complications and crisis points which always lead to a positive resolution, real life doesn’t work that way. Stand by Me neatly follows this pattern, while real life conflicts such as friendship rifts, religious rivalries and political unrest may never be resolved and destroy many lives. Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me portrays conflict through its narrator and protagonist’s reflections of an important journey he took when he was twelve. It was a journey that helped him confront some of his own internal conflicts regarding the loss of his brother, grief and his relationship with his grieving parents. It also explored the personal conflicts of his peer group and their own internal struggles as well as the conflict they had with family and a rival â€Å"gang†. While Gordy’s â€Å"victory† in finding the body and standing up to Ace is a crisis point in which he emerges as a hero, we are aware that there are still conflicts that have been overlooked in the focus on the one experience. The other characters are glossed over as they return to their unhappy and dysfunctional homes and so too is the fact that the threat of retribution from their rivals. The film is tied up with a content Gordy who conveniently became the writer his older brother always told him he was, had a nice home and happy relationship with his own son and has memories of â€Å"friendship† to cherish. But we need to focus on the most tragic conflict from which his friend Chris does not survive. â€Å"He was stabbed in the throat; he died almost instantly. Although I hadnt seen him for more than 10 years, I know Ill miss him forever.† Group conflict is a reality most of us experience on a regular basis.It comes in many forms.It can be about friendship groups, family feuds, school or institutional authority, gang supremacy, sporting, political, religious or racial rivalries in the extreme state of outright war. Individuals and  groups do clash. Sometimes the conflicts are accepted as differences that will never change while other times they ignite violent reactions. Even bullying is seen as a conflict and for those who are truly affected by bullying and inturn suffer a life long struggle with mental health and self esteem-these people do not ‘build character’ whatever person they were has been destroyed. Instead of the polite, outgoing person-a new, changed character has come about and with it is drugs, self harm and eating disorders. Australia has seen many refugees and asylum seekers risking life and limb to reach our shores in an effort to escape conflict. We know that may of them don’t make it many losing lives at sea and others scarred by the trauma of loss and their journeys. Our community has opened itself to many of the â€Å"lucky† ones who do make it here and yet they will tell you that the conflict in their lives haven’t â€Å"built† them but harmed them. Some have confessed that they will never recover, haunted by their experiences every day is a struggle. They don’t look back and say they are glad for the conflict as it gave them an opportunity to â€Å"build character†. Many people fear conflict with others but fail to consider the harm internal conflict has on them. There is an acceptance in dealing with or being concerned about conflict with others and internal conflicts still seem to be an issue most people are ashamed to acknowledge, much less discuss. True to its name they keep it all internal and wage a struggle on the inside.Internal conflict leads many to suffer silently on a daily basis and rather than build their character it can absolutely warp them and even break them. Depression, substance abuse (drugs and alcohol) as well as self harm, risky behaviours and suicide are all results of internal struggles that have not ended in â€Å"building† but instead ruining character. â€Å"Dealing with one young person’s sexual orientation was such an internal conflict that he turned to drugs and ended up a completely different personality who sadly overdosed. Friends and family just couldn’t understand why it ended so tragically.†- It is not an uncommon story. Character building happens in many ways. Ultimately, It happens through experience, growth, education, love, relationships, travel and support to name a few. It is wrong to assume that true character growth can only happen  with painful experiences and conflicts. It may be the case that sometimes a conflict teaches us a great deal and can contribute another layer to our character, but it is also more often the case that conflict can start a chain of events that ends in tragedy and has a destructive effect on an individual or groups of people which can even reverberate for generations.

The Foils of Laertes and Fortinbras in Hamlet Essay -- Essays on Shakes

The Foils of Laertes and Fortinbras in Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare wrote the classic play, Hamlet in the sixteenth century.   Hamlet would be a very difficult play to understand without the masterful use of foils.   A foil is a minor character in a literary work that compliments the main character through similarities and differences in personality.   The audience can identify similarities and differences between any of the characters and Hamlet, however, there are two characters that share so much in common with Hamlet that they have to be considered the most important foils in the play.   These two characters are Laertes and Fortinbras.   It is the great similarities between Laertes, Fortinbras, and Hamlet that make the differences so obvious and therefore help to shape the character of Hamlet.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Laertes is the most noticeable foil for Hamlet, because of his continual direct involvement in the play.   Laertes and Hamlet have many things in common.   Laertes and Hamlet are both educated men with a high social standing.   Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and Laertes is the son of Polonius, Lord Chamberlain.   Both Hamlet and Laertes desire revenge for the death of their fathers.   Claudius murdered Hamlet's father and Hamlet killed Laertes' father.   Hamlet and Laertes both had an undying love for Laertes' sister Ophelia.   Laertes showed his love for his sister when he warned her about seeing Hamlet.   Laertes knew that as head of the state Hamlet would be unable to choose who he married and that Ophelia would be hurt if she fell in love with him.   Hamlet had an undying love for Ophelia despite his actions and words toward her in Act III.   He shows this at Ophelia's burial when he proclaims that his love for h.. . ...one as important as that which he shares with Laertes and Fortinbras.   Both Laertes and Fortinbras, although in different ways, provided the admiration and pity needed to make Hamlet the tragic hero he was.    Sources Cited and Consulted: Bloom, Harold. "Introduction." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 1-10. Findlay, Alison. "Hamlet: A Document in Madness." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 189-205. Goldman, Michael. "Hamlet and Our Problems." Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Ed. David Scott Kaston. New York City: Prentice Hall International. 1995. 43-55 Rose, Mark. "Reforming the Role." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 117-128   

Changes in Farming Post Civil War

Changes in Farming: Contributing factors in farming changes post Civil War After the Civil War there were many factors that contributed the changes that occurred in farming in America. Among them was the drive for the South to renew and regain what had been lost due to the war. Leaders saw it as a time to diversify and turn towards industrialization. The Industrial revolution was underway and with it brought many new inventions that would lead to growth in the farming industry. The wide open space between the East and the West called â€Å"The Frontier† was open for homesteading. New immigrants with their farming knowledge and ability were flooding the East and West gates of the U. S. This was a time in American history when Americans made the â€Å"American dream† what it is today. The end of the Civil War in 1865, fought between the North and the South, spurred many changes in farming in the South. The changes occurred rather quickly and started in what was referred to as The New South. The New South, wanting to keep the Union of the North at bay and decided diversification was the key. Before the Civil War Cotton was a thriving crop in the South that gave the region a sense of power. Many southerners blamed cotton for its losses caused by the Civil War and some might speculate that without this crop, also know as â€Å"King Cotton†, the Civil War may not have taken place. After the Civil War the South was left to rebuild and reestablish what had been destroyed. Many leaders also saw this as a time for economic growth. The south had very good soil for other crops to thrive in. First of the many changes in the New South was the resurgence of tobacco. The discovery of two new tobaccos named Bright leaf and Burley helped increase the tobacco production and market. Other changes to follow were the growth in products such as Louisiana sugar cane, rice, Southern Pine trees, clay, coal, glass and stone products. The introduction of Hydroelectricity which is electricity produced by water served in the process of industrializing The New South. Changes in Farming 3 Before the Civil War slaves worked the fields and did most of the farming work in the South. After the slaves were freed in 1863, the South had to make changes to supply labor for the farming. Many shady practices by the white man occurred because of this. Sharecropping and crop liens were eveloped to keep the black man somewhat under their control. Since freed slaves had no money and no place to live, land holders would allow a tenant to live on their property and worked the land in exchange for a share of the crop produced, also known as sharecropping. The crop lien system was a developed to allow farmers to receive goods such as food, supplies, and seeds to be paid for after the crop wa s produced. This kept the black man and poor white farmers in a constant form of debt. Cotton still played a big part in the growth of farming in the south. There was a high demand for textiles and cotton mills increased production of cotton bales up to 1,479,000 bales per year. While these changes were occurring in the South, many changes in farming were also taking place in other parts of the nation. The government wanted to encourage settlement in the vast areas of the country not yet populated. The Homestead Act helped shape the western landscape. This act allowed farmers to claim up to 160 acres of land. Farmers would stake a claim to a parcel of land and by living on it for five years would be free and clear to take title of the land. Or the farmer could buy the land for $1. 25 per acre after living on it for six months. This opportunity attracted many to move west in the aftermath and destruction the Civil War caused in the South. As settlers moved west towards The Great Plains region they discovered it did not have the water supply and rich soil the South possessed. This area also had other downfalls in contrast to the South. Temperature fluctuations, hail, wind, and swarms of locusts that made farming quite difficult in this area. The farmers adapted to the conditions of the plains by changing what they farmed, turning to grains such as sorghum and wheat; both crops that did not require much water. The immigrants from Changes in Farming 4 Russia, who were used to this climate, brought valuable knowledge of farming techniques. The Russians also introduced new wheat called Red Turkey to the area. The changes in this area and the crops produced here inspired new farming inventions needed to plow and till the grains which created new business opportunities. Since much of this area was more suitable for grazing then for farming crops, farmers turned to cattle ranching. There were millions of long horn cattle, left from the old Spanish settlers, which roamed free. Ranchers would hunt these cattle for their hide at first. The job of the cowboy was created to herd up the cattle and drive them to different areas of the country. Many cattle trials were created that ran from central Texas to Kansas, central Texas to New Mexico and to Wyoming to name a few. Abilene, Kansas was one of the first towns that were a center for Cattle shipment. With the invention of barbed wire in 1874 ranchers began to fence cattle in large areas. And with the building of the transcontinental railroad system the need for the cowboy decreased. The railroad could transport the cattle to the needed destinations. With the invention of the air-cooled train car meat packers began shipping slaughtered meat. Local farms were no longer required to produce perishable foods since these items could arrive by train as well. The Mississippi Valley region, Minnesota, and North Dakota took advantage of the new benefits the railroad system offered, and farmers changed their views of farming. They no longer had to produce everything they needed on their land and turned their focus to making a business out of their farms. Instead of producing a variety of crops they focus on one cash crop such as cotton, wheat, or corn. They could mass produce their crops to be shipped by rail all over the country and shipped by boat worldwide. Farming became more of a factory and required the purchase of more machinery to Changes in Farming 5 produce their product. America quickly became the world’s largest producer of fruits, vegetables, and meats. California was busy producing fruits and vegetables of their own as well by farmers and settlers who were attracted West by the gold rush. The promise of the great frontier, the reorganization of the South, and the industrial revolution were all big contributing factors to changes in farming after The Civil War. But I believe the largest contributing factor was the creation of the railroad system that crisscrossed across the country. It transformed the way people farmed, thought, invented, traveled, and lived. By the time it was finished there as many miles of tracks across America as the rest of the world put together. The visible changes the Railroad system created were remarkable. It contributed to the 19th century being the century of the greatest changes in U. S. history to date. American farmers were very hard-working people with big dreams of a new life and making it on their own. They possessed the right traits to survive in the frontier such as risk taking, self-reliance, and the drive to succeed. I believe Americans still have these traits today and have so many opportunities give more changes to come here in the United States of America. References This link leads you to a page describing tenant farming and share cropping in depth. http://digital. library. okstate. edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/TE009. html A link to Georgia’s cotton history from the state’s encyclopedia http://www. georgiaencyclopedia. org/nge/Article. jsp? id=h-2087 This link will bring you to information on the gilded age http://www. academicamerican. com/recongildedage/topics/gildedage1. html The text book provided online for unit 1 US History 2 http://www. hippocampus. org/US%20History%20II

Assignment: Change Models Essay

In this paper the executive at a high-end retail chain selling luxury watches, jewelry, and hand bags is in charge of the company’s first expansion in the international pool, which is about a new store open in Shanghai, China. This is only a short term objective as the company expects to open several stores in the BRIC countries, such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China, which is the long-term plan. The executive explains the chain models used to follow the short-term and long-term goals and the effects these changes would have on executives, managers, and employees from the company. Organizational Change Change is not easy to implement and plan. It requires a lot of responsibility for the ones that are impacted by it and for the ones who enforce it. Weis (2012) reminds about three types of change that can be at an organizational level, such as: developmental, transitional and transformational. Developmental change refers to improvements of what already exists. A good example of developmental change is when a company improves a procedure or a process that exists within the organization like the leave time or the update of an HR policy. There is little stress involved in such change and it does not really need to be of a larger scale and scope. The second type of organizational change reminded by Weiss (2012) is transitional change and it refers to implementing a known desired state, different from a current one. It is a type of change of a larger scale and it deals with a certain amount of stress, unlike developmental change. A good example of transitional change is the merger or acquisition procedure of a company. Another example when it comes to processes and procedures is about replacing them with new ones, like when a new technology system is installed, replacing an older one. Transitional changes can unsettle jobs, can shake things in a company, and they can also create new jobs, requiring training and hiring. The third type of change is the transformational model which requires or involves the emergence of a new and unknown state for the company. When a company moves to a new and different target market it requires different strategies, as well as skills. Another good example of transformational change is when the CEO and executives of a company want to change the culture or/and the structure of a company. This type of change is the requiring intensive focus and involving a lot of stress. It may be the most complex among all three change types. The short-term objective that needs to be implemented by the executive is the open of a new store in Shanghai, China. Being a single event it may not require such intensive focus; however, there are aspects of the matter that need to be highly considered. The strategy proposed for the opening of a new store in Shanghai is to reach the objective through a transitional change model. A good way to implement this change model is with the 7-S model. Waterman, Peters, and Philips (1980) explain that the 7-S Model for Organizational change examines seven key areas of the company, as well as the relationship of each of the elements one another. The 7 elements are grouped into two major categories, such as: soft elements and hard elements. The elements are as follows: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff, and skills. Through strategy, the company plans to maintain competitive advantage, while the structure refers to the hierarchy of the company. In both situations, the short and long-term, the hierarchy of the company suffers modifications and the executive needs to make sure the employees and everyone affected by the change are ready to experience it. Systems refer to every-day processes through the company, while shared values refer to the core value of the company. The executive will follow and enforce the shared values of the company in both the short-term and long-term events. Planning for the short-term and opening a new store in China, may be slightly difficult since it is the first time the company deals with such an action. That is why every step needs to be well calculated. It is the first time when the executive needs to come up with a plan involving the inventory of the new store, how it will be maintained, and how supply of products is made. Laws and regulations of China when it comes to retailing need to be considered properly. The first experience will be useful into creating the long-term strategy because it provides the experience necessary to such change within the company. No longer will the other managers and executives need to think locally and nationally. They have to think globally and that is a change required to be addressed in the first place. Since it involves opening a new store, the employees would be hired locally. This is a change that affects the managers because they will have to learn how the hiring process takes place in the country where the new stores are opened. The long-term strategy may not be as complex as the short-term strategy for change because there will be a precedent and the company will cope with the change easily. Conclusion Dealing with change can be challenging when a company focuses on going globally. This paper exposes the strategies an executive at a jewelry store has to deal with opening new store in China (a short-term objective) and other stores in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). Given the cultural diversity of these countries, hiring approaches, as well as the laws and regulations being different in these countries can make the achievement of the objectives more difficult. References Waterman, R. H., Peters, T. J., & Philips, J. R. (1980). Structure is not Organization. Retrieved from http://www.lmcuk.com/management-tool/the-7-s-model-for-organisational-change Weiss, J.W. (2012). Organizational Change. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Free Essays on “sweat“ By Zora Neale Hurston

The short story entitled Sweat illustrated a common social problem that plagued pre-21st century America, which was domestic violence. Sweat takes shape within a middle-aged married black couple, consisting of a disgruntled man named Sykes and his hard-working wife named Delia. This was an unhappy marriage only kept together because Sykes had no means of income and had to economically depend upon his wife. Delia only stayed with Sykes because she feared him due to his physical and emotional abuse of her. A reason behind Sykes’ abuse of Delia is likely his belief that instilling fear upon Delia will keep her from leaving him. Another reason could be the fact that he is not the breadwinner of his home. Therefore, Sykes takes out his jealousy on Delia. Sykes feels that Delia’s hard work, coupled with his lack there of, threatens his masculinity. Sykes will do anything to feel more powerful than his wife, even bring home a snake, which he thinks would scare his wife into su bmission or subordination. Early in the story Sykes scares his wife by stroking her gently with a leather whip, making her think it’s a snake. Early on we can see that Delia is deathly afraid of snakes and Sykes gets his kicks and self-satisfaction from scaring his wife. This event foreshadows later events in the book that deal with snakes and fear. This event also serves as means of proof that Sykes scares his wife into submission because he is jealous of her. Another event that showed Sykes’ jealousy of Delia is when he heckles her about her job of washing clothes. â€Å"I’ve done told you time and again to keep those white folks clothes out of this house†, Sykes would say. He says this despite knowing the fact that Delia’s clothes washing was their only means of income. This is then illustrated by Delia’s comment, â€Å"My tubs of suds has filled your belly more than your own hands have. My sweat has done paid for this house you live in†. Sykes im... Free Essays on â€Å"sweatâ€Å" By Zora Neale Hurston Free Essays on â€Å"sweatâ€Å" By Zora Neale Hurston The short story entitled Sweat illustrated a common social problem that plagued pre-21st century America, which was domestic violence. Sweat takes shape within a middle-aged married black couple, consisting of a disgruntled man named Sykes and his hard-working wife named Delia. This was an unhappy marriage only kept together because Sykes had no means of income and had to economically depend upon his wife. Delia only stayed with Sykes because she feared him due to his physical and emotional abuse of her. A reason behind Sykes’ abuse of Delia is likely his belief that instilling fear upon Delia will keep her from leaving him. Another reason could be the fact that he is not the breadwinner of his home. Therefore, Sykes takes out his jealousy on Delia. Sykes feels that Delia’s hard work, coupled with his lack there of, threatens his masculinity. Sykes will do anything to feel more powerful than his wife, even bring home a snake, which he thinks would scare his wife into su bmission or subordination. Early in the story Sykes scares his wife by stroking her gently with a leather whip, making her think it’s a snake. Early on we can see that Delia is deathly afraid of snakes and Sykes gets his kicks and self-satisfaction from scaring his wife. This event foreshadows later events in the book that deal with snakes and fear. This event also serves as means of proof that Sykes scares his wife into submission because he is jealous of her. Another event that showed Sykes’ jealousy of Delia is when he heckles her about her job of washing clothes. â€Å"I’ve done told you time and again to keep those white folks clothes out of this house†, Sykes would say. He says this despite knowing the fact that Delia’s clothes washing was their only means of income. This is then illustrated by Delia’s comment, â€Å"My tubs of suds has filled your belly more than your own hands have. My sweat has done paid for this house you live in†. Sykes im...

Free Essays on Interests

Suffering: The prerequisite for having interests â€Å"We cannot directly experience anyone else's pain, whether that "anyone†is our best friend or a stray dog. Pain is a state of consciousness, a "mental event, †and as such it can never be observed. Behaviour like writhing, screaming, or drawing one's hand away from the lighted cigarette is not pain itself; nor are the recordings a neurologist might make of activity within the brain observations of pain itself. Pain is something that we feel, and we can only infer that others are feeling it from various external indications . . . †( Singer, 1990 ). Many environmentalists like Aldo Leopold and Holmes Rolston III criticize as unecological the emphasis those animal liberationists like Peter Singer place on preventing animal suffering. Their argument holds that animal liberationists must regard predation as bad by extending the role of moral consideration to include things that do not feel pain or pleasure. The view that Leopold and Rolston hold maintain that like the natural system of the animal world ( humans and non-human animals ), the eco systems of the land (including soil, plants, and all animals) is highly debatable and should be taken into moral consideration. This paper disputes the latter view by arguing that the capacity for suffering and enjoying things is a prerequisite for having interests at all. As Holmes Rolston III argues, â€Å"Singer has himself proved blind to the still larger effort in environmental ethics to value life in all its ranges and levels, indeed to care for biosphere Earth . . . His victory is mainly for vertebrates, who form only 4 percent of living things by species and only a tiny fraction of a per cent by numbers of individuals†( Rolston, 1990 ). It is reasonable to suppose all vertebrate animals to be capable of feeling pain. With invertebrates the matter becomes unclear but some invertebrates also seem likely to experience pain. As... Free Essays on Interests Free Essays on Interests Suffering: The prerequisite for having interests â€Å"We cannot directly experience anyone else's pain, whether that "anyone†is our best friend or a stray dog. Pain is a state of consciousness, a "mental event, †and as such it can never be observed. Behaviour like writhing, screaming, or drawing one's hand away from the lighted cigarette is not pain itself; nor are the recordings a neurologist might make of activity within the brain observations of pain itself. Pain is something that we feel, and we can only infer that others are feeling it from various external indications . . . †( Singer, 1990 ). Many environmentalists like Aldo Leopold and Holmes Rolston III criticize as unecological the emphasis those animal liberationists like Peter Singer place on preventing animal suffering. Their argument holds that animal liberationists must regard predation as bad by extending the role of moral consideration to include things that do not feel pain or pleasure. The view that Leopold and Rolston hold maintain that like the natural system of the animal world ( humans and non-human animals ), the eco systems of the land (including soil, plants, and all animals) is highly debatable and should be taken into moral consideration. This paper disputes the latter view by arguing that the capacity for suffering and enjoying things is a prerequisite for having interests at all. As Holmes Rolston III argues, â€Å"Singer has himself proved blind to the still larger effort in environmental ethics to value life in all its ranges and levels, indeed to care for biosphere Earth . . . His victory is mainly for vertebrates, who form only 4 percent of living things by species and only a tiny fraction of a per cent by numbers of individuals†( Rolston, 1990 ). It is reasonable to suppose all vertebrate animals to be capable of feeling pain. With invertebrates the matter becomes unclear but some invertebrates also seem likely to experience pain. As...