Ethical Theories for Outsourcing

Ethical Theories for Outsourcing This paper analyses each key reasons for outsourcing through three ethical theories, such as Utilitarianism theory, Kantianism Theory and Social contact theory. Outsourcing compromise the safety and quality of products. When a company gets outsourced, the people who are culturally removed from the parent company have to transfer the knowledge to the new employees those who come to the board. Can these services meet quality expectations? In some cases it does not satisfy the full requirements. There may be a communication gap when you transfer your knowledge to the third party. May be you have lack of interest to train the third party people, but you are forced to do it. In this case honesty in communication and doing the right duties make the attention of ethical issues. This is against the Freedom of Speech. There are language and cultural barriers while communicating with the overseas workers. The overseas workers communicate with Americans in broken and incomprehensible English. As a result, the companies have to compromise on the quality of the product. Indirectly if we see, now days because of job outsourcing in a peek, overseas workers are good in communication and very talented. They can easi ly understand the situation and come up with good ideas, provide the quality and safety of the product. End users get benefited from the outcome of the result. For Utilitarian analysis outsourcing is good. Company outsources due to highly skilled, educated labor with cheaper price in foreign countries. Sometimes foreign countries use very cheap quality raw material and less manual effort to finish the project for their profit. For an example, China use lead paint in toys. From the outcomes the users as well as the company suffer .This is not good. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: The services or projects which are outsourcing are the Intellectual Property of the company. The company has the right to protect their intellectual property. For that need company has to enforce proper planning strategy on what services should be outsourced and what services should not. If there will be lack of proper planning, then may be chances of Identity Theft and the company goes through loses. In opposite way, if there is a proper planning, then company can focus on core services and outsource the ancillary duties and at the end provides a good quality product to the users. All the users and company get benefited, no one get harm. In conclusion by providing proper training to the replacement employees, good communication to new employees, proper planning strategy of the company before outsourcing, then users get benefited and satisfied at the end with the quality and safety product. So according to Utilitarianism, outsourcing is good and no need to compromise the quality and safety of the product. Kantian Theory Analysis: If there is drop in quality and safety of the outsourced product, the community and the users are going to suffer. Company use overseas workers at cheaper rate to accomplish the goal, the quality of the product drops. Overseas workers use as a means to an end for the company benefit. Most of the previous workers who used to work before are getting laid off. Company treated them with disrespect. So outsourcing is not good. Social Contract Theory Analysis: Company has the right to give a good quality product to the community. If there is drop in quality, the rational begins are not get benefited to the maximum level. So according to social contract theory, outsourcing is not good, as it drops the quality. It affects the global economy. People in the developed countries like US and UK tend to blame outsourcing for their job losses, low paying jobs. But offshore outsourcing is an inevitable phenomenon that has many viable benefits to the world economy. Global outsourcing helps in creating newer international markets, promotes global citizenship, helps recognize global talent and in a larger sense helps in the development of economics of all the countries taking part in it. People are more worried about job loses rather than realizing new jobs are getting created. Outsourcing is an evolution that is revolutionizing our societies and laying the foundation for a better world economy. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: Companies exploit the cheap labor of offshore countries and cut down on man power costs, reduce operational costs and capital expenditure. The overseas workers dont get greatest happiness but at the end the global economy rises, all the people are getting benefited. So outsourcing is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: Though outsourcing increases global economy, the companies exploit the workers and infrastructure facilities available in the third world countries and use as a means to an end. So outsourcing is not good. Social Contract Theory Analysis: All the rational begins are getting benefited through outsourcing as it increases the global economy. So for the world benefits, outsourcing is good. An employer outsources some work to escape taxes and regulations. By outsourcing certain tasks, the companies can save money based on taxes they pay in the offshore countries. Developed countries like America and Europe have more corporate tax rate than other countries. The U.S. tax code allows American based companies to get the tax exemptions for that percentage of tax already paid to foreign countries, which is very less compared to U.S. Some companies even move some tasks to the small offshore island, such as Caymans, where they can create tax free account and avoid paying taxes. The company uses the materials and resources of the foreign country and that helps in building small local companies and foreign country generate more tax revenues from those small local companies. In overall the outsourced company end up with paying less tax or sometimes get the tax exemption to the foreign country, because it increases the economy of the foreign country and create more jobs in that country. The U.S. companies only give tax based on their operation ac count income in U.S. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarian point of view, the companies move certain tasks to the offshore countries for tax benefits. They help other foreign countries to grow and create jobs there and also give tax to the countries based on the profit in those countries. The tax rate at foreign country is very low compared to the parent country. The parent country gets less tax revenue where as the foreign countries and the company both are getting benefited with this. So outsourcing is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: The companies create more jobs in the overseas for tax incentives. They do not invest money in their country and do not create jobs for their society. According to Kant, this is morally wrong, the companies has some responsibilities for the country. They cheat to the country and give less tax based on profit in the parent country not the profit through overseas. Social Contract Theory Analysis: The outsourced companies give lower foreign tax rate to the foreign countries as compared to U.S. and deduct those foreign taxes on their American tax return. The outsourced company creates jobs overseas and give tax based on profit earned in the overseas, as a result the overseas countries get financially benefited. As a moral rule, if all the U.S. based companies move their business overseas for their tax benefit, then economy of the U.S. will drop, it is not right. So outsourcing is not good. Honesty in communications is at the ethical core of trustworthiness. Another problem in outsourcing is transfer of knowledge. How honestly the parent employees who are culturally removed from the company, will transfer the knowledge to the foreign employees. The offshore countries have the responsibilities to give back the quality and safety product to the company; how much honesty will exist in this process, is a question? Honest in relationship between the developed country and the foreign country is a key constraint for better and successful business. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarianism Theory, if a work is done with honest, it will give satisfaction at the end. When two countries are working together with handshaking, one should have trust with another and they should do work with honesty. If that criterion meets, then both the countries get benefited. Outsourcing is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: An outsourced company gets profit with the help of other foreign country; simultaneously foreign country also gets profit with the outsourced work. Both should do work with honest and trust. If one country use other as a means to an end for its benefit, then it is wrong. If there is honesty, outsourcing is good. Social Contract Theory Analysis: As a moral rule, honesty in communication required for better business and makes a better word. So in outsourcing, honesty is a key factor. Skilled and talent professionals work for other nation. Developed country like U.S. moves some tasks to foreign countries to utilize skilled and talented workers at lower rates compared to U.S. talented workers that will lead to an increase in productivity and save costs in a major way. Large number of engineers is graduating every year from India and China compared to U.S. As a result there is an oversupply of talented workers from overseas. But these foreign countries sometimes can not produce quality and challenging jobs for them at a good rate, where they get their satisfaction jobs from other developed country at a feasible rate. They leave their own countries because they are not absorbed by the economies of these developing countries and work for other nation. Outsourcing offers opportunities for talented individuals to stay at own country and work for the other country. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarianism Theory, if talented and skilled workers stay at own country and work for other country, the workers get satisfaction with their job as well as the economy of their own country gets better. At the end, even though workers drain brain for other nation, own nation also get benefited. Skilled workers work for other nation is good. Kantian Theory Analysis: Developed countries give job to the talent and skill workers overseas for their benefit in place of own talent workers. According to Kant, this is wrong because developed countries workers use as a means to an end. Social Contract Theory Analysis: Talent and skill workers get opportunities and build their career and company also gets benefited. It does not matter where these workers drain brain, but global economy increases. Restricted access to secured data for maintaining the privacy and confidentiality. Outsourced company should concentrate on core business and need specialized attention while moving some operations to the third party company. The core concern of outsourcing is to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, security and privacy of the company business. It is wise if outsourcing partner does not have adequate information security measures. As a practice of ethical rules and privacy policies of the organizations like non-disclosure of trade secrets and non-disclosure contracts with staff, third party service providers and visitors should sign the disclaimer contract. So the outsourcer feels safe to do the business with a partner who is miles away. Everyone has right to protect his intellectual property. Privacy is a prudential right. From the point of view of rule utilitarianism, social contract theory and Kantianism, it is necessary to maintain some privacy and confidentiality information to the third party company. It increases the productivity of the services. By employing more numbers of skilled and talented manpower at lower cost, company boost up their productivity. Companies produce better product at low price which increases the demand of the product and also increases revenue of consumers. In order to produce more products, workers must be hired, that results in more job creations. Companies operate on an around the clock, 24/7 production cycle, provides customer service 24 hours; which further adding productivity. By outsourcing it is possible for projects to be shuttled between multiple sites, allowing around the clock and get the tasks done in time. For an example, a team in Palo Alto spends its day to find bugs in a piece of software, then hand the bug reports to Bangalore team of India that spends its day fixing the bugs. Outsource results into better customer satisfaction and increased profitability. If we see in other way, infrastructure in less developed countries can make business more difficult, which hampers the productivi ty. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: According to Utilitarianism, customer get good product in less price, which enhances total happiness of the customer. It also creates new jobs. So outsourcing increases the productivity. Kantian Theory Analysis: By employing skilled manpower at lower cost, company boost up productivity which is morally wrong according to Kantianism theory, because company uses skilled manpower as means to an end. Social Contract Theory Analysis: Outsourcing process increases productivity of the company and also provides customer satisfaction. According to social contact theory outsourcing is good. Conditions when the outsourced get outsourced: Outsourcing Company outsources jobs to offshore countries to get the product within a much reduced cost. To get maximum revenue benefit, offshore countries outsource some of their job areas to third offshore country to reduce their operating costs. The outsourced jobs in the offshore countries get outsourced to another offshore country because of reducing the cost of infra structure, cost of raw materials, and cost of labor. Most of the times offshore country keeps the core functionality of the outsourced jobs and outsources their non-core jobs to third offshore country for the utilization of available skilled labors. Also the offshore country outsources their jobs to get the benefit out of lower corporate tax rate of 3rd offshore country. Sometimes Supply of demands can be a factor to get the jobs outsourced from one offshore country to another offshore country. For example, developed country like America outsources mostly IT jobs to India to get a better quality product at a lower price. India outsources certain tasks like software testing, software documentation of those IT services to other offshore country like Philippines and other south Asian countries to get the tasks complete within very low labor cost. Sometimes Indian corporations outsource job to developing nations to meet the need for workers who speak the varieties of languages that global clients demand. Utilitarianism Theory Analysis: The business of the company spread globally. Three countries get benefited and also skilled and talented workers get good job. Sometimes own country skilled workers do not get job, this is a negative consequences. Managing the tasks is difficult as it spread to country to country. The confidential information are less secure, this gives negative impact. Total benefits is more than total harms. So outsourced get outsourced is a good phenomenon. Kantian Theory Analysis: The developed country like America outsource job to developing country like India for their benefit. Similarly India outsources some task to third developing country like Philippines. According Kantian theory, America uses India as a means to an end. India uses Philippines as a means to an end. This is not a good idea. Social Contract Theory Analysis: The businesses of the company get distributed around the world. Higher quality product is sold at the best possible price due to competition among possible providers of the same product. This is beneficial for the society. Poorer countries gain employment, creating jobs around the world reduces unrest and leads to more stability. For everyones mutual benefit, outsourced get outsource is good. Conclusion: Outsourcing has tremendous impact on economic growth, national security, balancing between Jobs vs. the workforce. These impacts are both positive and negative. When the business owners and BPO consultants move jobs overseas, they claim that their actions have a clear net positive. In contrast certain group of people and the community of outsourced country are adversely affected through outsourcing. It is very difficult to determine who are the ones affected from outsourcing. The jobs as well as the capital resource are transferred from developed to developing countries. As a result unemployment rate increases in the parent country and in most cases the qualified skilled labors in their own domestic land are forced out of jobs. Also people in their own domestic land are losing interest in education because of lack of skilled jobs originating in their own country. Based on various arguments and discussions from different sources, outsourcing also enhances the global economy of the domestic country and creates new jobs in the country. If we consider each key reasons of outsourcing through ethical theories, some key reasons have more moral value than the others. So it is very hard to decide whether outsourcing is good or bad. Recommendation: Though outsourcing loses some jobs in developed country, it also creates some new high-tech jobs in developed country and also increases global economy. I argue that outsourcing is not necessarily unethical, nor is it unavoidable. After all, international business has opened huge markets for United States products and has provided customers with new and cheaper goods. With advancements in shipping and telecommunications, it is easier now than ever before to sell products and services across the globe. If businesses and customers are willing to accept the international market, then we must also accept its consequences increased competition. Company should do proper planning about outsourcing, keep the core functionality of the outsourced jobs and outsources their non-core jobs. So company can focus on the core function and produce good product. The confidentiality and the privacy of the company get secured. So from my point of view, outsourcing is good.

Major Depressive Disorder Assessment Strategies

Major Depressive Disorder Assessment Strategies Introduction The mental health problem that I have selected is Major Depressive Disorder. This can be recognized by low mood, low self-esteem and loss of pleasure in normal activities. This is known by many names such as clinical depression, unipolar depression and major depressive disorder. The symptoms interfere with all areas of a person’s life- personal, social and economic and are experienced most days and have been present for at least two weeks. Depression can be described as mild, moderate or severe; melancholic or psychotic. (BeyondBlue, 2014) Depression has a high lifetime prevalence one in seven Australians will experience depression in their lifetime. (ABS, 2009). Ranked 13.3%, depression has the third highest burden of all diseases in Australia (AIHW, 2007). Assessment Framework The purpose of a conducting a clinical assessment is to gather information enabling the clinician to determine what is likely to be causing impairment in the individual’s functioning. I would develop a hypothesis and proceed to rule in/ rule out associated disorders while progressing through the process. Each individual case would require consideration for options regarding, interview, symptoms checklists and behavioral assessments. (Goldfinger Pomerantz, 2010) The structured process of assessment would include File Review Collateral Information I would check the GP referral and conduct a file review, appraising historical information and copies of reports and notes from previous interviews. (Week2, Weekly Notes). I would also gather collateral information from significant others to assist in the overall assessment of the individual Clinical Assessment To determine what symptoms the individual is presenting I would conduct a face-to-face initial interview. I would establish parameters of assessment (e.g. informed consent and confidentiality) and build rapport with the individual through the acceptance, understanding and respect. (Phares Trull, 1997). This would enable the individual to feel comfortable and gain trust in the process. Groth-Marnat (2003) discuss the benefit of the face-to-face interview as enabling the clinician to make behavioural observations and note the idiosyncrasies and reaction to their current challenges and difficulties including the risk of harm to self and others. I would take note of the history of the presenting difficulties and note the onset of symptoms. I would also conduct a psychosocial evaluation. (Wright, 2011). Psychological Testing: Selection, administration and interpretation A psychological test uses standardised materials, administration instructions, time limits and scoring procedures for all test takers.(Cohen et al, 1996). This step in the process would assess the individual’s appearance, behaviour, speech, mood, thought processes, attention, memory and level of consciousness through the use of the Mental Status Examination (Daniel Crider, 2003). I would also assess the presence of symptoms consistent with diagnostic criteria for depression. As outlined in Wright (2011), to support the hypothesis of depression I would use self-report, symptom focused measure such as Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID) or Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) during the interview phase. In selecting the diagnostic tools I would review validated assessment tools in line with major international classification for depressive conditions such as DSM-IV-TR Criteria for Major Depressive Episode and Major Depressive Disorder (APA, 2000). I could use the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) to help develop treatment plans and differential diagnosis (Butcher et al, 1989). A trained professional with the expertise in depressive disorders should administer, score and interpret the information. The analysis of test scores would be transformed into a standardized metric and compared to various sets of norms. Psychological tests are only one element of the assessment and should never be used alone as the sole basis for a diagnosis. A detailed history of the individual and a review of psychological, medical, educational, or other relevant records are required to lay the groundwork for interpreting the results of any psychological measurement. (FAQS, 2014) Psychological Assessment Report Feedback In the writing of the report I would first determine who the audience would be- i.e. referring GP, case manager or individual and include background information that had been gathered during the semi-structured interview. The outline of each test conducted and the results of the symptom and behavioral checklists, along the results from structured interview and behavioral assessment would be included in the report. (Goldfinger Pomerantz, 2010) Modification of approach for different individual populations Cultural and language differences in the individual may affect test performance and may result in inaccurate test results. There is also the potential for the standardized testing to exhibitâ€Å"cultural bias† (Goldstein Hersen, 2000). I would need to be aware before psychological testing begins if the individual is not fluent in English and/or belongs to a minority culture. I would need to consider the inclusion of an interpreter or cultural support person during the assessment. (ACAP, 2013) Different tests would also need to be considered that were age specific i.e. Child, Adolescent or Elderly. Conclusion Overall, the psychological assessment holds avitalrole in counseling and clinical practice. Without the useof psychological testing, the treatment of thepatientwould not be as effective and fewer people wouldreceivethe necessaryhelpthey need to live a healthy life. References American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (4th Text Revision ed.) Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009). National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results, 4326.0, 2007. ABS: Canberra. Australian College of Applied Psychology (2013) Facilitate the Counselling Process Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2007). The Burden of Disease and Injury in Australia. AIHW: Canberra. Beyond Blue (2014) Sign and Symptoms. Retrieved 20/08/14 from Beyond Blue website: http://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/depression/signs-and-symptoms Butcher, J. N., Dahlstrom, W. G., Graham, J. R., Tellegen, A, Kaemmer, B. (1989).The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2): Manual for administration and scoring. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. Cohen, R.J., Swerdlik, M.E., Phillips, S.M. (1996) Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (3rd ed.). Mountain View, CA, US: Mayfield Publishing Co. (1996). xxviii 798 pp. Daniel, M. S., Crider, C. J. (2003). Mental Status Examination.Diagnostic interviewing (3rd ed.). FAQS (2014) Psychological tests Retrieved 20th August 2014 from FAQS.org website http://www.faqs.org/health/topics/56/Psychological-tests.html#ixzz3AvfH5RMR Goldfinger, K., Pomerantz, A. M. (2010).Psychological assessment and report writing. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE. Goldstein, G. Hersen, M. (Eds.). (2000).Handbook of Psychological Assessment (3rd ed.). New York: Pergamon Groth-Marnat, G. (2003).Handbook of psychological assessment(4th ed.). Chapter 3, Laureate Online Education (2011) Week 2, Weekly notes: Assessments in mental health https://elearning.uol.ohecampus.com/bbcswebdav/institution/UKL1/MAP/201480_AUGUST/APPTRE/readings/APPTRE_Week02_weeklyNotes.html Phares, E.J. Trull, T.J (1997) Clinical psychology: concepts, methods, and profession Wright, A. J. (2011).Conducting psychological assessment: A guide for practitioners. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons.

Ideas of the Parthenon Essay -- essays research papers

The Greek people of the 5th century BC created a culture that was deeply rooted in philosophy and the arts. Their endless search for their place in the grand scheme of the universe and in nature around them influenced everything in their lives especially their love of the arts. Their drama, sculpture, and even architecture are all shining examples of the ideas that were so dominant in the minds of the Greek people. What could be considered the crown jewel of Greek architecture, the Parthenon, is one such of these examples. It brings into form the three principal ideas of humanism, rationalism, and idealism of the 5th century Greek people through not only its structure, but its ornamentation and sculpture as well. The basis of humanism can be summed up in the words of Protagoras, â€Å"Man is the measure of all things.† Humanism is the idea that human beings are the yardstick by with to measure all things in the universe, including Greek gods and goddesses. The Parthenon stands for this very idea through the fact that it is a human organization of space. It brings an understandable order into a chaotic space that would otherwise be incomprehensible to a human being. It allows a human to see the space and recognize it as something that is real. It also consists of repeated patterns and distance intervals throughout its structure that add to this order. The metopes, for example, are set in an alternating pattern with the triglyphs around the entire building at distinct intervals bringing a clear order to the entablature of the Parthenon. The columns that support the Parthenon are also placed in certain distance intervals from each other and coincide with the pattern formed by the metopes and triglyphs. These columns, however, are not in a perfect pattern of equal distances around the entire Parthenon. The columns on either side of the doorway to the Parthenon are placed a little farther apart than the rest to show a clear entrance to the building. Also the corner columns of the building are positioned slightly closer to their neighboring columns in order to compensate for the human eye. Without this compensation the columns would give the illusion of leaning outward and being farther apart than the rest of the columns because of the distortion of such a large structure to the human eye. The stylobate that the columns rest on is also built to allow for this op... ...ding hints to the fact that the Parthenon is a place that is not meant for a human or even built with a human being in mind. For example, the steps of the Parthenon are to such a large scale that is clumsy and awkward for a man’s normal stride, but in the Greek mind, the perfect distance and size for that of a goddess. The entrance to the Parthenon, through it’s colossal size, denotes that a human is not the main concern when it comes to entering and exiting of this building in the mind of the architect. The 5th century Greek people played a pivotal role in the shaping of not only the world of philosophy but also the world of art and architecture. Their ideas of humanism, rationalism, and idealism were the things that brought to life the artwork of their time and still effects ours to this day. The Parthenon, with its bulging columns, its repeated ratios, and its colossal size expresses how these ideas formed the structure of the building and then shows how the same ideas brought to form the beautiful pediments and sculptures that give us a deeper insight into the minds and hearts of the Greek people. The Parthenon is truly an elaborate time capsule overflowing with Greek ideas.

Realizations of Loss Essay -- Personal Narrative

It is no longer the home I grew up in. The loss of my mother is evident now more than ever, cementing the realization of how one person’s impact can be as much the foundation of a home as the concrete itself. It has been two years since our lives changed forever. My dad is recently remarried and trying to move forward after losing his wife of almost thirty-eight years to terminal brain cancer. Since my mother’s death and my father’s subsequent remarriage, our family house has lost its comfortable feel of home; in its place now resides a reflective sadness, an impersonal emptiness, and a surreal urgency. The living and dining rooms are now tidy and impersonal. Gone is the familiar clutter of children’s books and teaching aides. The half-finished crosswords and other reading material are no longer in their stacks next her chair in the living room. The chair isn’t even there anymore. It had traveled with Mom to hospice care after a stroke left her unable to walk. Another major difference is the remodeling activity. Since my parent’s purchased this house when I was four, they had remodeling plans. Somewhere along the way, everyday life and complacency had always gotten in the way. Lately, almost as if in defiance of the past, my father’s current â€Å"do it now, there may not be a later† attitude had taken over. He is currently working on the upstairs master bedroom. My parents had always wanted to make one large master bedroom out of two adjacent bedrooms upstairs, but it always seemed to take a back seat to more urgent fixes or budgetary needs. The two extra bedrooms upstairs now stood as one, finally coming closer towards their fruition. The smell of fresh paint brings a sad nostalgia running through me. Why isn’... ...as my family, my childhood†¦my mother. As time passes, I know that I will have to accept that what once was will never be again. Maybe things would be easier if my dad and his second wife moved to a different house, but that is not my decision to make. Change is part of life and while sometimes it is wonderful, other times it is a painful journey in which we feel alone, even abandoned. My home, the place I grew up in, was not so much the walls themselves, but the person who created the security that I felt through an unconditional love. That is what a home is; home is a nonjudgmental, irreplaceable love that can still see your best even when you are at your worst. Those of us who have had that kind of home should feel fortunate. I didn’t realize how fortunate I truly was until I stood within its absence. I know I do now, in more ways than ever before.

Satan :: personal Narrative Religious Essays

Satan On a winter’s evening in 1967, I drove crosstown in San Francisco to hear Anton Szandor LaVey lecture at an open meeting of the Sexual Freedom League. I was attracted by newspaper articles describing him as â€Å"the Black Pope† of a Satanic church in which baptism, wedding, and funeral ceremonies were dedicated to the Devil. I was a free-lance magazine writer, and I felt there might he a story in LaVey and his contemporary pagans; for the Devil has always made â€Å"good copy,† as they say on the city desk It was not the practice of the black arts itself that I considered to he the story, because that is nothing new in the world. There were Devil-worshiping sects and voodoo cults before there were Christians. In eighteenth-century England a Hell-Fire Club, with connections to the American colonies through Benjamin Franklin, gained some brief notoriety. During the early part of the twentieth century, the press publicized Aleister Crowley as the â€Å"wickedest man in the world.† And there were hints in the 1920s and ‘30s of a â€Å"black order† in Germany. To this seemingly old story LaVey and his organization of contemporary Faustians offered two strikingly new chapters. First, they blasphemously represented themselves as a â€Å"church,† a term previously confined to branches of Christianity, instead of the traditional coven of Satanism and witchcraft lore. Second. they practiced their black magic openly instead of underground. Rather than arrange a preliminary interview with LaVey for discussion of his heretical innovations, my usual first step in research, I decided to watch and listen to him as an unidentified member of an audience. He was described in some newspapers as a former circus and carnival lion tamer and trickster now representing himself as the Devil’s representative on earth, and I wanted to determine first whether he was a true Satanist, a prankster, or a quack. I had already met people in the limelight of the occult business; in fact, Jeane Dixon was my landlady and I had a chance to write about her before Ruth Montgomery did. But I considered all the occultists phonies, hypocrites, or quacks, and I would never spend five minutes writing about their various forms of hocus-pocus. All the occultists I had met or heard of were white-lighters: alleged seers, prophesiers, and witches wrapping their supposedly mystic powers around God-based, spiritual communication. LaVey, seeming to laugh at them if not spit on them in con-tempt, emerged from between the lines of newspaper stories as a black magician basing his work on the dark side of nature and the carnal side of humanity.

Prose Study Coursework Essay

In chapters 13 and 14 of the novel Treasure Island, through use of different literary techniques such as animal imagery, similes, metaphors, assonance and many more, Stevenson achieves a sense of foreboding as to what will happen later in the novel, dropping hints here and there. These chapters are important because the crew of the Hispaniola, including Lon John Silver and Jim Hawkins, have just landed on the island, and are about to set off in search off the buried treasure. We can even get a sense of foreboding from the island itself as it is seen to be gloomy and mysterious, and this does not bode well for the adventure ahead. We can find foreboding through the author’s use of similes and metaphors in the chapters. ‘Spires of naked rock,’ is a way of saying the rocks are very tall and imposing, as well as exposed. This is scary as just reading the exerpt creates a dark atmosphere, and it paves the way for the future of the novel. This is achieved by use of dark colours, and ‘naked’ implies that after Jim has escaped there is nowhere that he can hide, because everyone can see everything. This creates the effect on the reader of sadness, as they really feel for Jim, as he is trapped on the island with those monsters. Jim also gives away hints towards the future events of Treasure Island when he says ‘my heart sank’ when he realises what he has done in sneaking ashore with the pirates away from people he knows he can trust and this shows his disappointment. Jims downbeat mood portrays a bad effect to the reader, and they start to feel for Jim, as bad things obviously loom later in the novel, for instance, the planned mutiny of Long John Silver, and how if successful, Jim and his comrades will be doomed, and Jims capture by the pirates. The quotation ‘hung over the anchorage’ is used to create a bad air and produce fearful images in your mind. Foreboding is shown because there is obviously a bad atmosphere on board, symbolising the planned mutiny of Long John Silver, and the good hands on board are of course fretting over what to do. ‘Clouds of birds’ conveys to the reader the image of a deep mass of birds, and when there is a lot of something, especially animals that are making lots of noise, can strike fear in to people. This can give us an insight into what may happen later because birds are good at sensing danger, and quickly fly away if anything unsettles them. If they are very disturbed and are hanging over the ship, then surely the mutiny must be destined to happen, and the crew must have to face the wrath of Long John Silver. Through animal imagery we can get a sense of fear such as ‘crawling on all fours’ when Jim is near Long John Silver and he is crouching when he has run away from Silver and does not want to be seen. This shows us what may happen later in the novel because it shows Jim is scared of Long John Silver and Silver is not really a very good person, and is planning bad things later in the novel. ‘Agile as a monkey’ when used to describe Silver is showing him in a bad light, because he is deceiving everyone by hobbling around everywhere with his wooden leg, however, when he is out of view of the captain he is very quick and has lots of agility, which shows appearances can be deceptive and this confirms to us that he is planning a mutiny and other evil activities on the return leg of the journey, behind the other crew members backs. We can also get a sense of foreboding by one of the good men’s reactions when he is faced with Silver and does not to be involved in the mutiny. ‘Like a horse at the spur’ shows the unconverted crew member faced with Long John is very startled by the scream, and he immediately suspects Long John Silver and wants to get away because he knows Long John is starting the process of whittling down the numbers of good men on board to make the future mutiny much easier. Through the quotation ‘crouching trees,’ when Jim is lost in the woods, we get a sense that Jim is trapped and is enclosed by the trees which seem alive, which is a good example of personification. This creates a sense of what may happen in the future as everything so far has had a bad feeling about it, and it can only be a matter of time before something happens. ‘Would not the first of them who saw me wring my neck like a snipe’s?’ Fear is created by the rhetorical question and the use of animal imagery, and we feel a sense of sorrow for Jim’s dire situation. It gives us a premonition that later in the novel if the pirates catch Jim he will be killed straight away. We can decipher what will happen in the immediate future of the novel when Stevenson says ‘Silver†¦was watching his companion like a snake about to spring.’ This shows Silver is a conniving, cunning creature, which will do anything to get the treasure, even kill one of his own. As well as this, in the bible, snakes are seen as evil, such as in the Garden of Eden, and people were very religious back then. Also, we now know that Tom will be killed sooner rather than later because snakes don’t waste time, and once they have their target, they rarely fail, so this is a clever way of Robert Louis Stevenson building up to Long John Silver committing the murder. Fear imagery can be created using powerful adjectives and can also give us a strong sense of foreboding, through colours used, and words commonly associated with fear. In ‘grey melancholy woods, and wild stone spires’, the words ‘grey’ and ‘melancholy’ are commonly associated with apprehension, and we get a view to future events because the island in the readers mind is terrifying and forbidding, and Jim has to endure this to escape capture, however, bad images are everywhere, provoking the reader to imagine terrible things happening to Jim on the isle, such as his eventual capture by the pirates, and his life threatening encounter with Israel Hands, in which, he is just successful. Through the citation ‘the outline of the Spy-glass trembled through the haze,’ we get fear from trembled, because not only is it an imposing land mass, it also is surrounded by a mist, and appears to move. Jim knows he must pass close to this monster of a mountain if he is to succeed on his quest, and it means he has the evil, obsessed pirates on one side, and a sinister peak in front, he is certain to encounter them on his travels, and the chances are, face the consequences. ‘Then one horrid, long-drawn scream’ is an example of fear imagery because you can imagine a high pitched scream, and the reader sees him or herself in Jim’s position, alone on a desert island, and is also scared. The assonance of the ‘oo’ and ‘a’ slows down the action and gets us to feel and imagine the scream. This shows foreboding because the allies of Jims and his alliance are being whittled down, and in the future there will be only a few remaining. The novel can also show us the imminent events through the use of assonance and consonance. Assonance (the repetition of vowels) is given in ‘should I dare to go down to the boats among those fiends, still smoking from their crime?’ The way the ‘o’ sound is repeated many times, and how the sentence flows off the tongue, gives a constant reminder throughout the sentence of the fear that Jim faces, and the decisions he is required to make. In the future, does Jim return to the pirates in hope of a return to the ship, but face Silvers wrath, or does he journey on into the centre of the island in hope of survival, and we know that in the end, the hero Jim ends up in both of these positions, but the reader does not know this and is left guessing. To demonstrate the use of assonance, the sentence ‘what if I returned to the boats and the fiends, still shadowed by their crimes’ is nowhere near as effective, and creates only a pinch of the fear found in Stevenson’s actual work. Assonance is also found in a very obvious place. The ‘o’ sound is repeated in ‘Long John,’ which is terrifying, as we know he is a main character who is also very evil, and it will be a constant reminder through the future of the novel as to his plans and his traits and the threat he poses. Consonance (the repetition of consonants) can also be found frequently in chapters 13 and 14 and can show us foreboding. In ‘only the rustle of the redescending birds and the boom of the distant surges disturbed the languor of the afternoon,’ the repetition of ‘r’ gives the section of text a fear effect along with the good adjectives, because overall, it is speeded up, and creates more of a fast paced action. Also, the atmosphere is affected by the use of onomatopoeia in ‘rustle’ and ‘boom.’ Again, an insight is achieved as through the use of effective adjectives and consonance, we see that not all is well on Skeleton Island. Skeleton Island itself suggests fear, as skeletons are a symbol of death and forbidding, and you would be wise to stay away from them. Combining fear adjectives with consonance is also found in ‘a smell of†¦rotting tree trunks.’ The use of an ellipsis shows that Jim is thinking and he must recognise the smell from somewhere before. The repetition of ‘r’ along with rotting creates a sense of fear of the trees, and this is also alliteration, and Jim and the reader begin to think that the island and everything on it must be similar to the experiences here. Through repetition, Stevenson achieves fear, and allows the reader to generate a better image in their mind, as well as emphasising his point further. ‘Of all the gloomy features of that gloomy afternoon,’ is an example of this. When the author/Jim repeats gloomy, it repeats the fact that the place is gloomy, which is an adjective commonly associated with darkness and fear, so it is stressing that everything is not going well. There is also time left in the day, and other bad things may happen, for instance, Jim running into a trap set by Long John Silver, or the good side being forced out of the stockade by the pirates, and this could just be the beginning. As well as all these things, the repetitions also create a sense of dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½jà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ vu, and that people are going round in circles and they are lost, and all for the treasure, which is the main focus of the novel. Another literary technique that the author uses is alliteration. ‘The sun still shining mercilessly.’ This is personification, and the consecutive letter s at the start of each word, along with an adjective that is connected with fear and evil created the illustration of the sun being evil, all seeing, and it seems to have deserted the good side, and just seems to be causing more heartache, as they lose the stockade, and the pirates get on the trail of the buried treasure. The overall theme of the chapters generates a sense of foreboding just by itself, because they are to do with pirates and a treasure hunt, and everyone knows that this kind of story is almost certain to have twists and turns later. I also think Jim how Jim goes off by himself into the forest shows he is developing from a boy into a brave young man. Through the use of colours in his writing, Stevenson also creates both a sense of fear and foreboding. ‘Long John Silver’ is an example of this because Silver is a shade of grey, which is a colour associated with grim things and fear, and it shows foreboding because, if a person is named like this, he must be a character that is planning, or will partake in evil things at some point in the novel. The author also uses black I ‘black conscience’ to describe Lon g John, as he can kill all these people, and not have them on his mind for the rest of his life, and not feel guilty. In conclusion, I think that the literary techniques used in chapters 13 and 14, are very effective in showing how, or giving hints as to how events may unfold in the latter stages of the novel, as they get closer to the treasure and the race hots up. As I have shown earlier I in my essay, Robert Louis Stevenson uses a great variety of different methods to get his points across, and he is very clever in using some techniques and how they foreshadow events easy to find, however, some you have to search for, and rack your brain to understand how they show foreboding, such as the use of assonance and alliteration. Example, ‘should I dare to go down to the boats among those fiends, still smoking from their crime?’ Yes, the excellent adjectives help create fear which in turn introduces foreboding, but I had to search for it. My final verdict is that Robert Louis Stevenson is an immensely clever writer, and the way he gets the reader to think is amazing, and through close language analysis, we can see that chapters 13 and 14 are very clear in predicting character development and how events will pan out in the novel.

Moral Dilemmas

4 November 2012 HUM 115 Catherine Reynolds: Moral Dilemmas The five of the moral dilemmas I chose were the following: The Partiality of Friendship; A Poisonous Cup of Coffee; A Callous Passerby; The Fat Man and the Impending Doom; and A Father’s Agonizing Choice. Out of these 4 dilemmas I have chosen the dilemma that is titled: A Callous Passerby. The reason why I chose this particular one is because I got a story that relates to this story. When it comes to saving a person life and not caring how the situation may go while doing but you know you can succeed in doing is a great deed.This certain dilemma would go under an altruistic moral theory because in the reading it states this moral is under the golden rule that I always taught: â€Å"Do unto others as you have them do unto you. † And this is basically saying do the right thing at all times and don’t let minor things do give you a set-back on the situation. My experience with this type of moral was to see a lady in a burning house trying to find her kids and grandkid and get them out the burning house. I was on my way to a movie and I was dressed too. I had new clothes, shoes, and just left the hair dresser early that morning.When I saw the house it looked like it just started burning. No fire trucks, polices, or ambulances were on the highway to come to the seen. The lady was outside and screaming for help. Good thing I had took the back way to my destination or else I would not have seen this incident. As the lady screamed â€Å"call for help, my kids are in there! † I knew right then she didn’t have a phone or couldn’t get to it. So I called for help and they said they were coming. So as I asked the lady how long has this been going on and she said about 30 minutes. As she was telling me what happened I heard some kids hollering and crying.I asked her how many were in the house and she said 4. Two of her grandchildren and her other two were her kids by adoption. When it came to me getting them out, I burned up my pants and shirt and also damaged my hair. But I think of the situation as a blessing because those kids would’ve of been burnt if I would not of save them. I was just thinking I am going to be late for the movie I have no more clothes to change into and my hair smells awful. However, I had to look at like this, I saved a life that wouldn’t have been here another day. The movies are always playing movies.My general conclusions about my moral compass are what I was taught growing up from childhood. When it came to me helping people when I knew I could I would go for it. My mother and father always said â€Å"think about what you do, and don’t do anything that you’ll regret later and always remember this â€Å"treat others how you wanted to be treated; and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. † Those words meant a lot to me growing up and the reason why is because I followed through t hose words in life and it got me feeling good about life because I know have done right.