New Product Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

New Product - Research Paper Example This paper proposes to launch a new car, Eco-Zen, which will be running on water-fuelled technology. It has been observed that segmentation of market and targeting potential consumers are essential prior to the launch of a new product. It helps in making marketing mix for a particular product (Wedel, Kamakura and Bà ¶ckenholt, â€Å"Marketing data, models and decisions†). There are generally four major market segmentation procedures such as: To segment the market for Eco-Zen, geographical and socioeconomic factors will be followed. Among geographical factors metropolitan areas have been considered and among socioeconomic factor income is the most important variable for this product. According to the researchers, certain section of consumers prefers to purchase a premium product as it is closely related to the status symbol. It also satisfies their high self-esteem (Goyat 45-55). Manufacturers are launching this product to promote green-marketing concept and this car will completely eliminate toxic emissions that are currently rampant in the existing automobile industry. So, market segmentation of the car is being done on the basis of geographical factors and marketers need to find regions where consumers are ready to experiment with new innovation. In the introductory phase Eco-Zen will be accepted in metropolitan areas only because these areas are already equipped with required physical infrastructures such as broad roads and highways. To be more specific and accurate about right customer, the market must be further segmented into socioeconomic categories such as their income and affordability in particular. Income is the most important determinant to decide whether the customer is able to purchase the car or not. This is the main reason why the purchasing power of consumers is important variable here. The product is going to follow a premium pricing strategy, so consumers in the higher income group

Civil Rights Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Civil Rights Paper - Essay Example First-hand accounts of the Civil Rights Movement are common. They provide a superb window into the United States of the time. One of the things that make America such a strange country is that it was founded as a beacon of liberty, and was indeed the freest country in the world for much of the 18th and 19th centuries—if you were white. The flip side was that millions of Americans were slaves—treated like objects or animals. How could this dichotomy exist during this time in American history? The answer is that it could not continue to exist—it would be destroyed by the Civil War. While many Americans lament the loss of life during the Civil War and the destruction wrought by the dispute, the truth is that there was a glorious side to the War. It set millions of people free. One of the great predictors of this was John Quincy Adams. He was a president in the 1820s and died before the war began. Nevertheless, his first-hand account of what slavery meant to the Unit ed States is a very important aspect of our understanding of the United States at this time. In his memoirs he wrote: If slavery be the destined sword of the hand of the destroying angel which is to sever the ties of this Union, the same sword will cut in sunder the bonds of slavery itself. A dissolution of the Union for the cause of slavery would be followed by a servile war in the slave-holding States, combined with a war between the two severed portions of the Union. It seems to me that its result might be the extirpation of slavery from this whole continent; and, calamitous and desolating as this course of events in its progress must be, so glorious would be its final issue, that, as God shall judge me, I dare not say that it is not to be desired (Haysville). An account such as this one really breathes new life into our understanding of the precursor to Civil Rights Movement. In his memoir, Adams shows us just what America should be and what a cancer slavery and racism truly are . Without this kind of language it would be hard to grasp the full dimensions of the conflict that would come—both the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Flash forward to the 1960s. A hundred years have passed since the slaves were emancipated and yet little has truly changed. African Americans cannot vote and have few rights. Something must be done about this situation. And so the Civil Rights movement was born. This was a gathering of millions of Americans who believed that the promise of American has not yet been fulfilled. They came from all backgrounds and races and they all believed in the worth of their country and themselves. They believed that America should truly be a beacon for freedom. Their leader was Martin Luther King Jr., a man whose speeches and writings provide an excellent view of this incredible historical movement. Few men left us much of a mark on the movement as Martin Luther King Jr. King Jr. is famously known today as a great speaker, but his wo rds are more than great rhetoric, they are a depiction of a whole era and the soul of the movement. We understand from just a few sentences what the Movement means to the country, when in a Birmingham jail, King says: You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But

The Crucible inevitable Essay Example for Free

The Crucible inevitable Essay The Crucible was written in 1953 by the American playwright, Arthur Miller. It is a historical play, which takes place in the small theocratical Puritan village of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. However, Miller wrote the The Crucible not just as a straight historical play detailing the Salem witch trials; the play in fact acts as a political allegory based on the situation in America during the Cold War in which Miller wrote the play. The allegorical story relates back to the Salem witchcraft trials and connects them to their contemporary equivalent in Millers time, the McCarthy trials. Just as the people in Salem believed that witchcraft threatens their village, many Americans during this time saw Communism as a threat too. Arthur Miller himself was called in front of the committee, when he refused to give the names of friends who might have believed in Communism he was fined for contempt of court. The political witch hunt of McCarthyism becomes clear in Millers play, which was written to illustrate how fear and hysteria mixed with an atmosphere of persecution may end tragically. The Salem witch trials took place from June to September of 1692, during which time nineteen men and women were hanged, including a man named John Proctor, at Gallows Hill near Salem, while another man was pressed to death. Hundreds of other people were accused of witchcraft and many more suffered in jail without trials. The tragedy shows how over imaginative minds can lead to disastrously unjust consequences and represents the village as a paradox as usually Puritans were extremely religious and never committed sins as like as those that went on during the time of the witch-hunt. The actual word, crucible, has a few meanings. It can be a container which is able to resist heat; a melting pot, this could be a pot in which all of the characters in the play melt into individuals. It also has a connection with witches, as this melting pot could symbolise a cauldron. It can be the hollow at the bottom of an ore furnace, representing the hollowness and dishonesty of the villagers in Salem. As a result, the title does not immediately make the audience believe that John Proctors death be inevitable as the villagers of Salem are represented as being hollow and shallow so are expected to willingly admit to witchcraft if it means that their lives will be spared. To reinforce the theme of religion, the word crucible can mean the bearing of a cross, which relates to a crucifix. In the Act, the importance of religion is immediately introduced as John Proctor is illustrated as being a very sinful man as it is revealed that he has not been at Sabbath recently, this was a serious issue as religion was so important to the Puritan society and he is therefore suspected of witchcraft. Proctor claims that there is no need to go to church, for he feels Reverend Parris is too obsessed with hell and never mentions God anymore. Parris warns that there must be obedience or the church will burn like Hell, but Proctor asks if he can speak one minute without mentioning Hell. This expresses how deeply religious Proctor is and also gives a glimpse of goodness in him as he cares for his family as he says I never knew that I must account to that man for I come to church or stay at home. My wife was sick this winter. This also shows that Proctor is an individual, as he does not go with the majority of the village by not working on the Sabbath day. He despises hypocrites; he had a sharp and biting way with hypocrites, and even seems to hate the hypocrisy of religion even though he had a deep spiritual belief in God. John Proctor is introduced as being harsh, unkind, and extremely powerful. This does not make his death foreseeable, as he seems to be an obvious sinner. His insensitive nature is shown in the way that other members of the village of Salem are scared of him, afraid of him and strangely titillated, and more importantly it is expressed by the heartless treatment he gives Abigail Williams, a former servant of his family. Proctor patronises her by calling her a child and as Abby is relatively unknown at this point, we can relate to her as she is a around our age. Abby is obviously deeply in love with him as she is extremely flirtatious and speaks affectionately and to him; tauntingly, but Proctor is numb and aggressive towards her, this is shown in his actions; setting her firmly out of his path, beginning to anger, do you look for a whipping? and shaking her. This makes the audience disrespect him and empathise with her. Abby talks of the affair she had with Proctor, it is this affair that seems to be the catalyst to the witchcraft accusations, as it seems to be the reason why Abigail starts condemning people of witchery and the key element that starts the witch hunt. She is very sensual and tries to seduce him by saying I am waiting for you every night but he just states that he will cut off his hand before he will ever reach for her again. His dismissive actions further create the audiences disgust towards him and make the audience sympathise with Abby, as she appears to be a victim, John, pity me, pity me. However at this point in the play, Proctors true personality has been hidden beneath the outer appearance of a cruel, immoral, insensitive man which does not make the audience believe that his death will be inevitable as when faced with the accusations of witchcraft, the audience feel that he would easily admit to them if it would re sult in him preserving his life.

Oneness Of Being Unity With God Religion Essay

Oneness Of Being Unity With God Religion Essay In attempting a study on Sufism one cannot ignore the theology and life of Ibn Arabi. Knà Ã‚ ¾wn by some aц¢ thà Ã‚ µ grà Ã‚ µatà Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢t of Muslim philiosophers, Ibn à Ã‚ rabi waц¢ bà Ã‚ ¾rn in MurÑ ia in ц¢Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾uth-à Ã‚ µaц¢tà Ã‚ µrn à Ã¢â‚¬ ¦pain, during the time of the development of à Ã‚ ndaluц¢ian Mà Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾riц¢h Ñ ulturà Ã‚ µ. He was born in a situation and moment in time which Jewish, Muslim and Christian intellectuals gained knowledge from each other. Depicting the most sophisticated metaphysical and theoretical philosophy of his era, Ibn Arabi generated an astonishing mystical theology that fundamentally developed from his own spiritual realization. He has been recognized for 800 years as the Sheikh al-Akbar, or the Greatest Master, because the sophisticated characteristics of his wisdom. In these works he presented some unique theological perspectives. One of the most pivotal is his teaching about humanitys unity with God. It is the goal of this paper to attempt to explain why Ibn Arabi stressed this concept as being essential to ones spiritual life. To understand the oneness of being with God, one must first comprehend what Ibn Arabis beliefs were between of the universe and ontology. Ontology for him consisted of three different levels of existence. These were rendered as: Absolute Being, or the unrestricted existence of God, the necessary; the Self Existent, the Absolute non-Being Page 2 which is non-Self Existent; and the Mediator or Separator whereby these two are distinguished one from the other.  [1]   God is the only necessary being. All of the rest of creation depends on God for existence. Creation reflects Gods attributes. Ibn Arabi believes that all things pre-exist as ideas in the knowledge of God. The world is merely an outward aspect of that which in its inward aspect in God.  [2]     Creation should not be confused with God himself, however it is a reflection of God. When you look at creation you realize that is upheld by God but in its very nature buried in it is Gods own nature. It is natural to say that all that exists has a connection with God. This has to be balanced with still acknowledging tanzih as well. This might suggest that this is almost a pantheist view. But Ibn Arabi was not claming that God and the Universe are identical. God created the world that is very different from himself but he still wants to hold a relationship with it. This ends up with humankind seeking union with God. In his manuscript, the Bezels of Wisdom, Arabi makes the claim that what we see and experience is only a dream. While nearly all people are ignorant that we aren not seeing reality, everything that we perceive and sense is an delusion, we know what we see only a representative manifestation of what is the one genuine Reality. Ibn al-Arabi writes, All Page 3 men are asleep; only when they die, do they wake up.  [3]  Ibn Arabi does not signify that one has to expire so one can recognize true Reality. However it is showing that the progression human beings have had to undertake so they can understand apparent actuality to reveal the Reality. It was Ibn al-Arabis estimation, this divine development is a self-annihilation analogous to ones demise. Following the alteration making residence, humans awaken to an totally dissimilar world, liberated of the rationale that conceals the absolute Reality. This death or awakening which Arabi comprehends as reality directs to a new state of knowning the Reality. It is inaccurate to articulate that the two are not connected because the absolute Reality is unlike that we perceive to be as reality. Actually Ibn Arabi upholds that they are very much interconnected. We might think that which we perceive as real is not fully worthless, but is a symbolic representation of the Reality. Both our imaginings or reality are not what they appear to be. The theory concerned in the employment of symbols is a indispensable one. Ibn Arabi labels this as tawil, which can be defined as bringing something back to its foundation. Nothing is what it appears to be. In Islamic terms, every exterior (Zahir) must have an enterior (batin). Tawil means going from Zahir to the batin, outward reality to the inner one. The Universe articulates to him in the language of symbols. The progression of tawil can be relevant to all the wonder of Nature and all that encloses humans in this life. The precepts of religion and the experience within the heart of man are also responsible for the Page 4 deep-seated method of personal interpretation. One must undergo five levels of Divine self- manifestation for this death or conversion that one must experience to interpret these symbols. For Arabi there are five levels of Divine self-manifestation. They are: The plane of the Essence (dhat), the world of the absolute non-manifestation (al-ghayb al-mutlaq) or the Mystery of Mysteries The plane of the Attributes and the Names, the Presence of Divinity (uhulhiyah) The plane of the actions, the presence of Lordship (rububiyah) The plane of Images (amthal) and Imagination (khayal) The plane of senses and sensible experience (mushahadah)  [4]   Together these create completion, however the exacting planes mirror the stages recorded above. The same as was conveyed previously, everything contained by these stages are a depiction of facet of Divine Existence. The entire entity is a revelation, an instruction, or a communication from God.  [5]  To be capable of discovering the uppermost plane, we need to discover the connection that exists even within the transcendence and immanence of God. We can find this possible if one rejects the corporeal nature but also with some of the sense of reason to reach a level of unadulterated intelligence. While understanding this position we will recover the reason we discarded, just the reason we recover with be an entirely different Page 5 type then the one that was thrown away. Liberated of corporeal confines, thethe entirety things on all the planes will be disclose concerning their proper nature. When we distinguish that every of these descriptions are purely diverse varieties of the Divine Being, according to Ibn al-Arabis theology, we will have arrive at ed the uppermost plane of Being. We will be faultless. Regrettably, though it is achievable to attain this plane and get the capability to know Reality on the greatest sacred point, Muhammad is the only one that has accomplished such consciousness. Even though Ibn al-Arabi deems every part of of existence is a dream, he too believes it is feasible to arouse from this dream and discover the unqualified Reality. By freeing ourselves from reason and our corporal nature, we are capable to fuse the transcendence and immanence of God. This permits us to deduce the figurative descriptions of the Divine Existence reflected at the distinctive planes of Being, ultimately directing us to recognize that they are entirely one and the same. Each dream, and all of existence, are a expression of the Absolute. Actuality is the Absolute. Ibn al-Arabi deem that what we see as reality and what we understand of Reality is achievable throughout the course of our minds prospects. Imagination oversee every thing: complete nothingness, the unattainable, the Necessary, and the possibility, and makes them clear through symbols that we can understand. Imagination provides the outline to where all aspects of the Divine Existence, despite whether reason informs us they can or cannot exist. Yet opposites and contradictions, even being in two distinctive places at the same instance, turn out to be reasonable with imagination. Anything that is rational is created by ones imagination. Every part that is reasonable should be interpret. Imagination makes the Page 6 sensible world of reality connect with the spiritual. Accepting imagination role is the solution to interpreting the metaphors imagination generates and unleases what they are aiming to communicate. Humans were originally made in the form of Allah but have forgotten this knowledge and ultimate position that it puts them. Arabi thought that there existed a Perfect Man that remembered and acknowledge the relationship with God and humankind. One should try to become like this person. Ibn Arabi claimed that Muhammad was this Perfect Man. The Quran portrays Muhammad as a highly moral man. He saw clearly who he was by through the actualization of divine names.  [6]  He stands as an example of knowing God and therefore knowing himself. This means of realization connects God and our place in the universe. One must follow the path of takhalluq, or assuming the traits of Muhammad.  [7]  The knowledge of the oneness of God is not just for the Perfect Man but one who receives the idea and is affected by it. But it is through striving to be the Perfect Man that this can happen. One must be able to extinguish the self into the presence of God. This happens within the human heart. This changed person achieves unity with God and becomes a reflection of God in humans. For Ibn Arabi, the soul attains a state of self-annihilation and is able to perceive the unity of all things especially God and its creation. God reveals himself because God wanted to be known. Page 7 It seems that the idea of oneness is almost shirk for a Muslim but Ibn Arabi made a distinction between God as the transcendent and the God that related to the cosmos. Humans were only able to draw near to the God that related to the world. This only happens as one becomes perfected. Then one may be able to acknowledge Gods presence within oneself. Man as barzakh, the connection involving Being and non-Being, is important to Ibn Arabi. Humans are given the important role of being the link between God and creation. When God created Adam and breathed his spirit into him, he placed all of his attributes in humans. We all have the potentional of reflecting Gods nature, living the realities of the Divine Names. Humans reflect Gods Divine Names. This is comparable to Christians claiming that we are made in Gods image. Humankind may have been created with all of Gods attributes in them but we have somehow lost this knowledge. This would correspond with traditional Islamic belief that we have a tendency for forgetfulness. The only path to open up our eyes is through revelation from God. Unity comes when one has realized that our very existence belongs to God. One must be completely absorbed in God. We are limited but we can be connected to God the absolute. To connect with God is the aim of the Sufis life. Within all of us is the desire for God. When we finally come to the knowledge of how the cosmos works and pondering the Divine Names can one attain unity with God. One might even say you must get lost in God. Page 8 This can only happen by certain means. Humanity can draw near to God through the experience of oneness through asceticism. There must be self-purification and self-stripping as well as abstinence and solitude. In this environment real conversation can take place with God. There must be certain guidelines that must be followed. Arabi wrote, do not enter your cell until you are aware of your station and of the extent to which you able to oppose the power of the imagination. If your imagination has power over you, you must go into retreat only under the guidance of a teacher.  [8]  People must have the capacity to receive and encounter God on such a deep level. For the Sufi, it is not to be taken lightly. There is a connection between ones preparedness and the measuring out or ones destiny. This is determined by Allah. Before God brought us to be, he knew the qualities we would need to be able to have the capacity to receive. He brings humans from nonexistence to existence. We cannot worship God in His very Essence only by what is allowed by are preparedness and our destiny. The practice of the dhirk is tremendously important. Dhirk does not simply mean repeating the names of God for a Sufi. It is a liturgy of sorts that includes recitation but also music and dance. These acts will bring to remembrance who God is and what over relationship to him is. At some point in his days, Muhammad predicted that Islam would be divided just as Christianity had started to be separated. Certainly this prophecy was accurate which can be Page 9 seen through the commonness of many sects and atypical viewpoints that are found in the faith of those who assert to be Muslim. One of these division is seen with those who call themselves Sufis. They began engaging in some different behaviors. A number of people initiated in unusual types of devotion and worship. Some began to reject the world surrounding them by way of ascetic exercises. Originally they were regarded as Muslims, though what they were engaged in was an fresh and different. After awhile, a Sufi practice and philiosophy began to advance. Some began to deem those who practiced it to be beyond the religion of Islam. There are similar fanatical Sufi practices that have similarities in Christianity. Equally Christianity and Sufism have roots in a supernatural outlook of God and the religious experience. It is a personal practice concerning an inner voyage of the person to God, not just an practice of relating truths. It is rooted on spirituality more than reason. The understanding is somewhat purposely fashioned by participant through bodily and intellectual exercises, as the encounter does not manifest itself. One must participate in the exercise. There is an stress put on in encountering a personal God. This discovery comes through prayer, meditation, music and even chating and meditation. Another place of common ground is the belief that God addresses people directly to in both Christian and Sufi circles. Christians accept as true that God articulates revelation to them directs them through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is one aspect of the trinity, the other essences of God being the Father and also Jesus. Most Christians would agree that they can obtain a relationship with God by communing with the Holy Spirit. This happens through prayer and reflection. Most would say that the Holy Spirit is present in each person Page 10 as part as a outcome of Jesus atonement on the cross to rescue and save humankind. The Holy Spirit was sent after Jesus ascension. The Holy Spirit can articulate openly to people whether they are wide awake or during dreams. Sufis also claim that God communicates directly to them and divulges to special hidden knowledge to them that is not known to others. This idea derives itself from the Sufi belief that Allah inhabits in their souls and that people have divine characteristics. This is precisely the equivalent as the Christian thought of the individual soul that is enlightened and steered by the Holy Spirit. Sufis have created a specific tafsir of the Quran in which they utilize, which exposes the concealed connotation of language and terms of passages that are not clear when trying to uunderstanding them. For instance, Ibn Arabi deduces that the verse Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearings to mean that They hear not except from Him (Allah) and understand not except from Him. They see not except by Him, and they neither turn to you nor to what you have because of what We have made and placed with them.  [9]  Ibn Arabi purports that Allah has sealed the hearts and hearing of Sufi s to everything except from what Allah shows them candidly through their prayers and meditation. Ibn Arabi trusts that his tafsir was divinely inspired and inscribed by way of Divine transcription and Allah placing the implication in his heart. Because there is a focus on personal relationship with the Divine, directly through the Holy Spirit, both religions seem to take on a especially personal manner about them. On the whole the focal point is distracted from the others and society. Their association with God as a whole, only seems to concentrate on the connection to the individuals relationship with Page 11 God. The mystical path can become a distinctively individual solitary way to find God, all relying on the self. The Christian and Sufi prays and mediatates; they may even attend worship, whether in a mosque or other group gathering. Nevertheless, the prominence of thought is generally constantly on the self. The accountability to the others is makes one indifferent and narrowed the importance of others appreciably. This is in disagreement to the overall rationale of religion, as God sent prophets to the people and countries not to just individuals. Islam and Christianity both should integrate the society or atleast others from different ways of life. We are all diversely joined and should be inseparable. When focus is taken off the individual the whole scheme of belief changes. Religion should not be something every individual does absent from the society on his or her own; it is also displayed through every deed that the person makes. There is not enough to emphasis on the community and together their relationship to God. One worries about getting people saved and not how live in community. If one mainly concentrates on their own individual bond with God, the church and the world populace is lacking because of it. Another problem that arises from an individualistic way of expressing religion, every person can develop their own system and beliefs supported by anything they sense God fancies them to do, not what God says they should do. This somewhat explains the mystical understanding where imagination, not reason is implemented. This personal tone of Sufism and Christianity is too often the outcome, whether it has been intentional or not, which can isolate people from God, since they are not following there own way not the way God gave them. Page 12 In trying to evaluate Ibn Arabi individually from a Christian perspective, he makes some claims one can seem to agree with. Christians tend to claim to want a relationship with God and that we are made in the image of God. At first glance this seemed to be similar to Christian thought. This is different for the Christian because it was not just forgetfulness that separates us from God but rebellion. We cannot do anything to bridge to gap between us and God. One needs a savior to pay the atonement for ones sins which make it possible for relationship. Knowledge is not path to get someone there. Christians do talk about how someone must decrease and God increase in their lives. This is very similar to the oneness that is spoken in Sufism. The more someone becomes like God, the less we are like themselves. An attempt is made to leave the carnal nature behind. Those that follow the teachings of John Wesley speak of working towards perfection. Wesley taught that perfection, or sanctification, was possible in this lifetime, though he never claimed to achieve total perfection. This could only happen by intentional behaviors meant to hone in your carnal nature. This is also completemented by first the working of the Holy Spirit in ones life. Most Christians would say that perfection is an unattainable goal. Only Christ was the perfect man. We still need to mature in our faith. That will change us into better people. Sufis have always honored Jesus as the ultimate contemplative. Jesus achieved the ultimate ideal for intimacy by displaying the ascetic life and love for God. Jesus had long Page 13 periods of fasting and prayer retreats that many Sufis would consider a good model. Many Christians shrug off fasting and retreat as unnecessary even though it is commanded by Jesus. This paper sought to explain how for Ibn Arabi, union with God is a pivotal theological concept. This can only be understood by looking at the way he viewed the world including symbolism. These all influence how one sees creation and how one relates to God. For Christianity, Sufism brings some challenges as well as at time places of agreement. It is important for one to understand other concepts to be able to understand ones one theological framework better. We both agree on a personal loving God. Some other ways, like prayer and meditation, are exceptionally important to both groups. One can be challenged as we try to understand each other so there can be more peace. Only in that environment can Christianity be heard and understood. Christianity can not make as much an impact if we do not strive to understand other religions. Christ would want us to observe and interact with people of other religions so others could see Christ through us. Page 14

presentation for billy collins :: essays research papers

Billy Collins   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Billy Collins was born on March 22, 1941 in New York, NY and is married to Diane Collins. He is the son of Katherine M. Collins and William S. Collins. Collins received a Bachelors Degree at the College of the Holy Cross in 1963 and also received a Ph.D. in romantic poetry in 1971. He has been a writer-in-residence at Sarah Lawrence College and also was a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library. He is an English Professor at Lehman College for CUNY, where he has been teaching for over 30 years. In June of 2001, Collins was appointed United States Poet Laureate (2001-2003). In January of 2004, he was named New York State Poet Laureate 2004-2006. Collins has been able to put together high critical acclaim with such broad popular appeal which is something no poet has done since Robert Frost. His last three collections of poems broke sales records for poetry. His audiences include people of all ages and backgrounds. Collins published eight collections of poetry. He also edited two anthologies of contemporary poetry: Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry and 180 More: Extraordinary Poems for Every Day. His work has also appeared in such periodicals as The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The Atlantic Monthly, and The American Scholar. Critical Essay on  ¡Ã‚ §The Afterlife ¡Ã‚ ¨ by Chris Semansky Chris Semansky claims that Billy Collins serio-comic book Questions about Angels, addresses religious questions without being religious. Semansky evaluates Collins ¡Ã‚ ¦ poem  ¡Ã‚ §The Afterlife ¡Ã‚ ¨ and emphasizes that Collins draws a relationship between imagination and belief. Semansky claims that  ¡Ã‚ §imagination is at the root of belief. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Semansky calls Collins a relativist which is a philosophical position which asserts that the belief of each individual is relative to his or her own belief. Semansky believes that Collins description of the afterlife, and the images of the journeys of the dead, draw a relationship between an individual ¡Ã‚ ¦s imagination rather than a religious standpoint. Semansky sums it up by saying that Collins is not trying to send a religious message to his readers but rather he is trying to inform his readers to find the meaning of life ¡Ã‚ ¦s experiences rather than waiting for the rewards of the afterlife. Chris Semansky,  ¡Ã‚ §Critical Essay on The Afterlife ¡Ã‚ ¨, in Poetry for Students, Vol 18, Gale, 2003. Collins, Billy by Tod Marshall Tod Marshall describes Billy Collins as both philosophical and comical. He also claims that Collins is not only intellectual but accessible.

Deism and Changes in Religious Tolerance in America Essay -- Deism Rel

Deism and Changes in Religious Tolerance in America      Ã‚  Ã‚   Religious conscience in America has evolved considerably since the first settlers emigrated here from Europe. Primary settlements were established by Puritans and Pilgrims who believed "their errand into the wilderness [America] was above all else a religious errand, and all institutions - town meeting, school, church, family, law-must faithfully reflect that fact" (Gaustad 61). However, as colonies grew, dissenters emerged to challenge Puritan authority; indeed, many of them left the church to join untraditional religious sects such as "the Ranters, the Seekers, the Quakers, the Antinomians, and the Familists" (Westbrook 26). Debates over softening the stance on tolerance in the church engendered hostility in many religious leaders, priming some officials to take action. Whether it was in direct response to "the liberalizing tendencies beginning to take hold in some [. . .] New England churches" (Westbrook 65), or a "reaction against the attempt in the Age of Reason to reduce Christian doctrine to rationalistic explanation" ("Great Awakening"), the Great Awakening impressed upon the issues of religious conscience. Moreover, what spawns from this controversy is a query over the juxtaposition of morality and spirituality: the question of whether these conditions are actually related. The gradual escalation of unconventional thinking in religious affairs facilitated new ideas on what defined spirituality; one religious theory, boosted by Thomas Paine and his book, The Age of Reason, denounced both Christianity and Atheism, proposing instead, a new concept: the middle path of Deism.    As a progressive religious view rising in popularity during the middle of the e... ...ns, it is quite possible that American's would not have religious freedom today.       Works Cited    Gaustad, Edwin S., ed. A Documentary History of Religion in America to the Civil War. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1982. "Great Awakening." Colliers Encyclopedia. 1996 ed. Paine, Thomas. The Age of Reason. Ed. Moncure Daniel Conway. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1930. Richmond, B.A. "Deism: It's History, Beliefs, & Practices." Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 25 July 2000. http://www.religioustolerance.org/deism.htm. Walters, Kerry S. The American Deists: Voices of Reason and Dissent in the Early Republic. Lawrence: UP of Kansas, 1992. ---. Benjamin Franklin and His Gods. Chicago: University of Illinois, 1999. Westbrook, Perry D. A Literary History of New England. Cranbury: Associated University, 1988.

Documentary

Documentaries are an important way in determining the way we construct history and memory. The word document is originated from the Latin word docere, which means to teach. It is also used to describe a piece of paper that demonstrates evidence. Today, films, photographs, and even recordings are correspondingly considered as documents. In Robert Coles book Doing documentary work, Chapter one â€Å"The Work: Locations in Theory† he claims that when doing a documentary, the researcher must express his or her perspective in the story they choose to tell. A close reading of what they ultimately wrote about their experiences, helps clarify our thinking about the various ways observers can respond to what they have seen and heard and come to believe†(24-25). Robert Cole’s first insight on how the views differ from reality and documentary work was when he wrote about the migrant farm children as a journal read by the physicians and psychiatrists. Writing this journal he came across a problem. Cole said that he tried to describe the various states of mind he observed in the children he met. At one point, however I inadvertently got myself and my editors into some trouble by using the word poignant denial of their very condition as young farm workers† (28). Even though the editor understood what Cole was implying he doubted to eliminate the word because it would â€Å"stand out. † But whether or not one uses descriptive, subjective words such as poignant, â€Å"who we are, determines what we notice and what we regard as worthy of noticing, what we find significant,† Coles says. Throughout Cole’s first chapter he brings upon different forms of documentaries like audio journals and photo essays. Audio journal is a form of documentary communication that uses technology to provide journalistic information to those who are unable to access a printed page or for those who are print disabled. They provide local and national news information and important events. An advantage of having an audio journal is one can have a better understanding of what is going on or being said. Robert Cole classifies tape recorded material as audio journal and explains how helpful these recordings are to better understand of what he is hearing and seeing in connection to his work as a â€Å"participant observer†, work mainly done with SNCC. Cole also felt that he could learn more by being able to listen a second time (36). Another form of a documentary is a photo essay; they rely on simple truth. A photo essay contains a series of photographs that tells a story and attracts the viewer as to just using words. â€Å"A photo essay engages the viewer at a very personal level. While people can respond to written stories intellectually, photography essays often create an instant emotion within the viewer† (photography essay). Robert Cole also provides an example of photo essay. Dorothea Lange, was a portrait photographer of the well-to-do in San Francisco. Photos she took were in the early 1930s during the world of the Great Depression (42). Web exhibits also fall into the category of documentaries. They are like physical museums but to our great advantage it is available at our fingertips. â€Å"A true online exhibit not only promotes discovery and exploration, but it also provides quality information built on a breadth and depth of knowledge, employs a variety of tools that support multiple learning styles, and supports structured educational efforts†(What’s an Exhibit). A benefit to having a web exhibit is that there is no limited space; it can contain much more content than a physical museum. Another advantage is that unlike physical museums, a web exhibit is always available; there is not a set time of visiting hours. All of these examples of documentary work are convenient and a great way to retrieve information. They have also processed information through our generations which created our history. From the very beginnings of life, mankind has found ways to leave a print of its history and life. We can find these early accounts of early life in cave pictures. Without this documentary work we could not been able to understand our past or even look forward to our future.