Free Essays on Bring Things Home

The Colonizer and the Colonized The colonial system that emerged from the Imperialist expansions of the European powers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries seemed, to Europeans, to be a undeniable fact. The status quo could be maintained, and the hegemony of the white industrialized nations would be maintained. Yet by the twentieth century, the system began to crumble; an example of this collapse is presented in Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers. This film represents the final hours of the colonial system, being destroyed by the revolt of the colonized as predicted by Albert Memmi's The Colonizer and the Colonized. But the end of the colonial system does not mitigate the damage done by the years of European rule. The Algerians, unable to assimilate, turn to revolution and violence which the French are only too willing to return. Thus the vicious cycle of mutual degradation and hate predicted by Memmi continues. Memmi concludes that there are two options available for a colony: assimilation or rebellion. The former is impossible because of the colonizer will not allow the destruction the abject colonized population, so the situation that all too often occurs, as in Battle of Algiers, is the latter. Yet Pontecorvo presents the unattainable choice between assimilation and rebellion. As the three women are preparing to bomb civilian targets in the heart of European Algiers, they dye their hair, remove their veils, and create as far as possible the illusion of being ``white.'' Memmi claims that ``the first ambition of the colonized is to become equal to that splendid [European] and to resemble him to the point of disappearing in him'' (Memmi 120). While the terrorists are successful in creating the illusions of being European, they are not assimilated. The French work against them to prevent integration into French culture - the checkpoints consciously remind them of their place, making their usurped identity more of a cr... Free Essays on Bring Things Home Free Essays on Bring Things Home The Colonizer and the Colonized The colonial system that emerged from the Imperialist expansions of the European powers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries seemed, to Europeans, to be a undeniable fact. The status quo could be maintained, and the hegemony of the white industrialized nations would be maintained. Yet by the twentieth century, the system began to crumble; an example of this collapse is presented in Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers. This film represents the final hours of the colonial system, being destroyed by the revolt of the colonized as predicted by Albert Memmi's The Colonizer and the Colonized. But the end of the colonial system does not mitigate the damage done by the years of European rule. The Algerians, unable to assimilate, turn to revolution and violence which the French are only too willing to return. Thus the vicious cycle of mutual degradation and hate predicted by Memmi continues. Memmi concludes that there are two options available for a colony: assimilation or rebellion. The former is impossible because of the colonizer will not allow the destruction the abject colonized population, so the situation that all too often occurs, as in Battle of Algiers, is the latter. Yet Pontecorvo presents the unattainable choice between assimilation and rebellion. As the three women are preparing to bomb civilian targets in the heart of European Algiers, they dye their hair, remove their veils, and create as far as possible the illusion of being ``white.'' Memmi claims that ``the first ambition of the colonized is to become equal to that splendid [European] and to resemble him to the point of disappearing in him'' (Memmi 120). While the terrorists are successful in creating the illusions of being European, they are not assimilated. The French work against them to prevent integration into French culture - the checkpoints consciously remind them of their place, making their usurped identity more of a cr...

Biography of Richard Aoki, Asian-American Black Panther

Biography of Richard Aoki, Asian-American Black Panther Richard Aoki was a field marshal in the Black Panther Party, the less well known colleague of Bobby Seale. Eldridge Cleaver. Huey Newton. These names often come to mind when the Black Panther Party is the topic at hand. But after his death at the age of 70 in 2009, there has been a renewed effort to familiarize the public with this Panther who’s not as well known. Fast Facts: Richard Aoki Known For: Civil rights activist, founder of the Asian American Political Alliance and field marshal of the Black PanthersBorn: November 20, 1938, in San Leandro, CaliforniaParents: Shozo Aoki and Toshiko KaniyeDied: March 15, 2009, BerkeleyEducation: Merritt Community College (1964–1966) Sociology BS, University of California at Berkeley (1966–1968) MS Social WelfareSpouse(s): noneChildren: none Early Life Richard Masato  Aoki was born Nov. 20, 1938, in San Leandro, California, the eldest of two sons born to Shozo Aoki and Toshiko Kaniye. His grandparents were Issei, first-generation Japanese Americans, and his parents were Nisei, second-generation Japanese Americans. Richard spent the first few years of his life in Berkeley, but his life underwent a major shift after World War II. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, xenophobia against Japanese Americans reached unparalleled heights in the U.S. The Issei and Nisei were not only held responsible for the attack but also generally regarded as enemies of the state still loyal to Japan. As a result, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in 1942. The order mandated that individuals of Japanese origin be rounded up and placed in internment camps. The four-year old Aoki and his family were evacuated first to the Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno, and then to a concentration camp in Topaz, Utah, where they lived without indoor plumbing or heating. â€Å"Our civil liberties were grossly violated,† Aoki told the Apex Express radio show of being relocated. â€Å"We were not criminals. We were not prisoners of war.† During the politically tumultuous 1960s and ’70s, Aoki developed a militant ideology directly in response to being forced into an internment camp for no reason other than his racial ancestry. Life After Topaz After his discharge from the Topaz internment camp, Aoki settled with his father, brother and extended family in West Oakland, a diverse neighborhood that many African Americans called home. Growing up in that part of town, Aoki encountered blacks from the South who told him about lynchings and other acts of severe bigotry. He connected the treatment of blacks in the South to incidents of police brutality he’d witnessed in Oakland. â€Å"I began putting two and two together and saw that people of color in this country really get unequal treatment and aren’t presented with many opportunities for gainful employment,† he said. After high school, Aoki enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served for eight years. As the war in Vietnam began to escalate, however, Aoki decided against a military career because he didn’t fully support the conflict and wanted no part in the killing of Vietnamese civilians. When he returned to Oakland following his honorable discharge from the army, Aoki enrolled in Merritt Community College, where he discussed civil rights and radicalism with future Panthers, Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. Black Panther Party Aoki read the writings of Marx, Engels and Lenin, standard reading for radicals in the 1960s. But he wanted to be more than just well read. He also wanted to effect social change. That opportunity came along when Seale and Newton invited him to read over the Ten-Point Program that would form the foundation of the Black Panther Party. After the list was finalized, Newton and Seale asked Aoki to join the newly formed Black Panthers. Aoki accepted after Newton explained that being African-American wasn’t a prerequisite to joining the group. He recalled Newton saying: â€Å"The struggle for freedom, justice and equality transcends racial and ethnic barriers. As far as I’m concerned, you black.† Aoki served as a field marshal in the group, putting his experience in the military to use to help members defend the community. Soon after Aoki became a Panther, he, Seale and Newton took to the streets of Oakland to pass out the Ten-Point Program. They asked residents to tell them their top community concern. Police brutality emerged as the No. 1 issue. Accordingly, the BPP launched what they called â€Å"shotgun patrols,† which entailed following the police as they patrolled the neighborhood and observing as they made arrests. â€Å"We had cameras and tape recorders to chronicle what was going on,† Aoki said. Asian American Political Alliance But the BPP wasn’t the only group Aoki joined. After transferring from Merritt College to UC Berkeley in 1966, Aoki played a key role in the Asian American Political Alliance. The organization supported the Black Panthers and opposed the war in Vietnam. Aoki â€Å"gave a very important dimension to the Asian-American movement in terms of linking the struggles of the African-American community with the Asian-American community,† friend Harvey Dong told the Contra Costa Times. In addition, the AAPA participated in local labor struggles on behalf of groups such as the Filipino Americans who worked in the agricultural fields. The group also reached out to other radical student groups on campus, including those that were Latino- and Native American-based such as MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztln), the Brown Berets and the Native American Student Association. Third World Liberation Front Strike The disparate resistance groups eventually united in the collective organization known as the Third World Council. The council wanted to create a Third World College, â€Å"an autonomous academic component of (UC Berkeley), whereby we could have classes that were relevant to our communities,† Aoki said, â€Å"whereby we could hire our own faculty, determine our own curriculum. In winter of 1969, the council started the Third World Liberation Front Strike, which lasted an entire academic quarter- three months. Aoki estimated that 147 strikers were arrested. He himself spent time at the Berkeley City Jail for protesting. The strike ended when UC Berkeley agreed to create an ethnic studies department. Aoki, who had recently completed enough graduate courses in social work to obtain a master’s degree, was among the first to teach ethnic studies courses at Berkeley. Teacher, Counselor, Adminstrator In 1971, Aoki returned to Merritt College, a part of the Peralta Community College district, to teach. For 25 years, he served as a counselor, instructor and administrator in the Peralta district. His activity in the Black Panther Party waned as members were imprisoned, assassinated, forced into exile or expelled from the group. By the end of the 1970s, the party met its demise due to successful attempts by the FBI and other government agencies to neutralize revolutionary groups in the United States. Although the Black Panther Party fell apart, Aoki remained politically active. When budget cuts at UC Berkeley placed the future of the ethnic studies department in jeopardy in 1999, Aoki returned to campus 30 years after he participated in the original strike to support student demonstrators who demanded that the program continue. Death Inspired by his lifelong activism, two students named Ben Wang and Mike Cheng decided to make a documentary about the onetime Panther titled â€Å"Aoki.† It debuted in 2009. Before his death on March 15 of that year, Aoki saw a rough cut of the film. Sadly, after suffering several health problems, including a stroke, a heart attack and failing kidneys, Aoki died on March 15, 2009. He was 70. Following his tragic death, fellow Panther Bobby Seale remembered Aoki fondly. Seale told the Contra Costa Times, Aoki â€Å"was one consistent, principled person, who stood up and understood the international necessity for human and community unity in opposition to oppressors and exploiters.† Legacy What distinguished Aoki from others in the black radical group? He was the only founding member of Asian descent. A third-generation Japanese-American from the San Francisco Bay area, Aoki not only played a fundamental role in the Panthers, he also helped to establish an ethnic studies program at the University of California, Berkeley. The late Aoki’s biography based on interviews with Diane C. Fujino reveals a man who counteracted the passive Asian stereotype and embraced radicalism to make long-lasting contributions to both the African- and Asian-American communities. Sources Chang, Momo. Former Black Panther leaves legacy of activism and Third World solidarity. East Bay Times, March 19, 2009.  Dong, Harvey. Richard Aoki (1938–2008): Toughest Oriental to Come out of West Oakland. Amerasia Journal 35.2 (2009): 223–32. Print.Fujino, Diane C. Samurai Among Panthers: Richard Aoki on Race, Resistance, and a Paradoxical Life. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 2012.

Building Cost Estimation and Calculation of Construction Profit Essay

Building Cost Estimation and Calculation of Construction Profit - Essay Example Item rate contracts Sources of profit specific to item rate contracts: 1. Profit as a percentage of each executed item from tender. Contractors try to reduce low-margin items and increase high-margin items. 2. Profit from sub-contractors. 3. Profit from administrative reimbursable expenses borne by client. 4. Profit from delays caused due to client, or design changes. Cost plus fee or Cost plus percentage contracts Sources of profit in cost plus fee contracts: 1. Profit as a percentage of expenditure. Higher the project cost, higher the profit. 2. Profit from efficient material purchase. Material is bought low and contractor's fee is calculated as a percentage of a higher material cost. Profit from material and from administrative charges. Not possible if material bought by client. Labour contracts 1. Profit from labour. 2. Profit from administration, site office and other reimbursable expenses. Design-Build Contracts. Sources of profit in Design-build contracts: 1. Profit on design services. 2. Ability to maximise profit through influencing the design process. 3. Reduction in costs through better coordination and streamlining of execution. 4. Control of costs through easy and efficient tracking of changes and adaptability to change. PFI (Private Finance Initiative) or BOT (Build Operate Transfer) contracts: The only way for contractors executing such projects it to maximise revenue by operating the project for a specified period of time that is deemed to be sufficient for the contractor to recoup expenses and a reasonable profit. Such contracts are given for large public projects like roads or power plants. In conclusion, a contractor has two avenues of maximizing profit from a project; direct and indirect methods. Direct methods are...Material is bought low and contractor's fee is calculated as a percentage of a higher material cost. Profit from material and from administrative charges. Not possible if material bought by client. The only way for contractors executing such projects it to maximise revenue by operating the project for a specified period of time that is deemed to be sufficient for the contractor to recoup expenses and a reasonable profit. Such contracts are given for large public projects like roads or power plants. In conclusion, a contractor has two avenues of maximizing profit from a project; direct and indirect methods. Direct methods are those that are built into the contract, and indirect are those profits that accrue due to an efficient and well managed project team.

Business portfolio. Company Google Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business portfolio. Company Google - Term Paper Example Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin whilst studying for their doctorate Stanford University in 1995. However, the company was founded in 1998. The company mainly specializes in Internet-related products and services. These products and services include software, search, online advertising technologies, cloud computing. The company also derives a lot from returns from ads. The company also offers online productivity software including Gmail, as well as a social networking site. The other products offered by the company particularly in the desktop section include web browsing applications, instant messaging, and photo editing. Last but not least, the organization leads the development of the mobile operating system for Android.The mission of Google is mainly to organize the information and make it universally useful and accessible by every person. The company’s initial goal before it diversified to collect all global information and organize it.A good mission and vi sion statement should capture the aspirations of the company and should also indicate where the company wants to go, and along with its core products. In the case of Google, the mission and vision statement does not meet the criteria. This is because it aims to organize information and make it universally available to all people. This kind of mission does not even indicate which kind of information it wanted to organize and how people will access given that not everybody across the world has access to the Internet.

Psychology Phobias Coursework Essay Example for Free

Psychology Phobias Coursework Essay The area studied for this study is phobias, by adapting the work of Bennett Levy and Marteau.  The alternative hypothesis was whether the participant disliked a particular thing about the animal; in particular it being likely to bite, being ugly, or having a strange texture, they will also give a high fear rating.  A survey was completed by 30 participants aged over sixteen years old, using an opportunity sample, to find their opinions about how likely the variables are likely to occur. The principle finding was all the variable results gave a positive significant correlation.  The main implications of the findings were it supported the research by Bennett Levy and Marteau that there is a strong correlation between an appearance of an animal and fear.  Introduction:  The definition of a phobia is a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the conscious awareness that it is not dangerous. Explanations to how a phobia develops differ between schools of psychology. The behaviourist theory argues that phobias are learnt by classical conditioning and reinforced by operant conditioning. An experiment on phobias supporting the behaviourist theory was executed by Watson and Rayner in 1920. The aim of the experiment was to show how classical conditioning could be applied to condition fear of a white rat into Little Albert, an 11 month old boy. The psychodynamic theory sees phobias resulting from the displacement of repressed impulses to an object or situation which becomes a focus for a phobia. Sigmund Freud speaks of an Oedipus complex which is where children of both sexes regard their father as an adversary and competitor for the exclusive love of their mother. This is related to phobias in the study of Little Hans. Little Hans phobia of horses is due to the fact that he took pleasure in his father getting hurt by a horse, as it meant Little Hans could have his mother all to himself. The cognitive theory states that people with phobias tend to focus on negative aspects of situations. The way people typically think, such as catastrophising, affects the likelihood of a fearful response. Tomarken et al (1989) supported this theory by finding the participants with phobias greatly overestimated the number of times fear related slides were followed by a shock. The biological theory states phobias tend to run in families which suggest a genetic component. Phobias related to survival, such as snakes, spiders, and heights, are much more common and much easier to induce in the laboratory than other kinds of fears. Seligman proposed the Preparedness theory that states humans are genetically disposed to respond rapidly to hazards in order to survive dangerous environments, therefore a result of evolutionary history. Consequently, the innate predisposition to fear these objects became an adaptive human trait. Ohman et al also said that many common phobias, such as heights and snakes, are based on things which may have threatened human survival in the past. While researching the biological theory, a decision was made to focus on this theory due to it having many areas that one could explore. These included the study Bennett-Levy Marteau and Sharma.  Bennett-Levy and Marteau (1984) showed there is a strong correlation between fear of small harmless animals and an animals appearance. Specifically it is seen that the amount of fear expressed is related to the extent of the difference from the human form. They did this by conducting surveys, and correlating two variables. A number of surveys correlating fears and phobias have also been done by Agras, Sylvester Oliveau, 1969; Costello, 1982; Kirkpatrick, 1984.  Sharma wrote a paper suggesting disgust and fear are closely related. Sharma observed many patients postpone or avoid a simple blood test, and was unsure whether this was due to the test being painful or whether it just felt icky. Sharma wrote that fear and disgust are both one of the five basic universal emotions, found in all cultures and societies as it is essential for survival, fear tells us to run and disgust tells us to avoid contact. However, Sharma says that some people with the phobias of spiders or insects have greater disgust sensitivity. Disgust sensitivity is a term used to describe a person who finds things disgusting easier and quicker than the majority of other people.  From the research by Bennett-Levy and Marteau, a questionnaire was made in order to be able to see the correlation between fear/deadliness and how disgusting the animal is.

Guilt, Suffering, Confession and Redemption in Crime and Punishment Ess

Guilt, Suffering, Confession and Redemption in Crime and Punishment  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   "You keep lying!" screamed Raskolnikov, no longer able to restrain himself. "You're lying, you damned clown!" And he flung himself on Porfiry, who retired to the doorway, but without a trace of panic. "I understand everything, everything!" He approached Porfiry. "You're lying and taunting me so Ill give myself away-" "You can't give yourself away any more than you have already, Rodion Romanovich, old man. Why, you've gone into a state. Don't shout, I'll call my men, sir!" (Dostoyevsky, 34) No humane person with any values is able to commit a heinous crime without some feeling of guilt or remorse afterwards. Slowly, this guilt festers and eats away at one's conscience until the point of escape, reached by confession, thus leading to salvation. Throughout Dostoyevsky's Crime and. Punishment the main character, Raskolnikov is stricken with guilt and suffering that eventually lead to his confession and redemption motivated by many forces. Crime and Punishment is the story of a young "intellect", Raskolnikov, who develops a superman theory. In his hypothesis, he felt that certain men were extraordinary and could commit unethical acts without punishment or a guilty conscience. In his case, he wanted to rid the earth of a parasite through the vicious slaying of an old pawnbroker, Alyona, and her sister, Lizaveta, in order to gain money so that he could continue his studies and to see if he was truly extraordinary. Was he truly the Napoleon that he thought he was? Could he walk over people with no regard for their feelings or sufferings as Napoleon had? (Literary Criticism, 68) "He is obviously no superman or Napoleon, but didn't get enough fre... ...ut its overwhelming power and the fact that it made such a painful impression on readers that those with strong nerves fell ill and those with weak nerves had to give up reading it. (Kjetsaa, 183) Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Interpretations. New York, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. New York, New York: New American Library, Inc., 1968. Gale Research Co. Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism. Detroit, MI 1984, Vol. 7. Kjetsaa, Geir. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, A Writer's Life. New York, New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1987, Magill, Frank. Masterplots. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1976. Terras, Victor. Handbook of Russian Literature. New Haven, CT; Yale University Press, 1985. Timoney, John. Speech on Crime and Punishment. Mt. Holyoke College, November 10, 1994.

Family and Consumer Behavior Essay

Therefore, not only do we have to study and do research about individual consumers but we also have to consider groups of people such as families and the influence of their members on others within the group. â€Å"Today in the United States, 68 percent of the 111. million household are families. According to many sources, the family remains the central or dominant institution in providing for the welfare of its members and is the major household consumer and consuming unit† (Schiffman and Kanuk 2007, 347). This means the family is a notable consuming unit if not the most important one. â€Å"Although families sometimes are referred to as households, not all households are families. For example, a household might include individuals who are not related by blood, marriage, or adoption, such as unmarried couples, family friends, roommates or boarders. However, within the context of consumer behavior households and families usually are treated as synonymous, and we will continue this convention† (Schiffman and Kanuk 2007, 347). Consequently, groups of people who interact to accomplish either individual or mutual goals may be considered as a unique consuming unit even if they are not related by blood, marriage or adoption. Thus, The research process would be the same. Families can be divided in three main types: the married couples, the nuclear family and the extended family.

The Bible Among Myths

Old Testament Introduction July 6, 2014 Introduction The author, a research professor at Wesley Biblical Seminary by the name of John N. Oswald, attempts to explain the similarities and differences of the Holy Scripture and its teachings from that of the neighboring Ancient Near East beliefs.Moreover, he attempts to answer the question of how scholarly opinions of the disagreements found between Genesis and Babylonian accounts of the origins of the world. He points out how the modern-day scholars are now comparing the Bible to other religious documents and considering it as Just another mythical belief. Oswald credits this world-view change to a study of similarities between the Bible and like Near Eastern writings rather than before when perhaps more interest was placed on viewing the differences.These studies are explained in the first half of this publication and sub-titled The Bible and Myth. Within the second part of the book sub-titled The Bible and History, he solicits the rea der to ask questions about the authenticity of the Old Testament, or is it even important that the Bible be historically accurate? Even if those inaccuracies are proven, does it hold any significance in the theological beliefs presented within? To summarize the books overall theme, Oswald desires that his reader gives any evidence of accuracy the credit it is due.Not to be swayed by unsubstantiated conjectures that might diminish the focus of what is fundamentally true. His is not a request for us to look past the inaccuracies or to take a stance that if the Bible says it's so then that's all there is to it. Mr.. Oswald asks the reader to allow the possibility f ‘harmonistic' and not Jump to any conclusions without allowing for the truth to reveal itself in the scripture. Part I The Bible and Myth Chapter One The Bible In Its World In the opening chapter, Oswald looks into the diverse views of world creation and being.He compares and contrasts how Greek philosophy influenced t he monotheistic culture of the Israelites which ultimately contributed to the Western world beliefs we know today. Early Greek philosophers reasoned that there is but one â€Å"universe† with a sole point of unification and not a â€Å"powers† with variable sources of creation. They taught that everything could be reasoned and that something could be so and not so at the same time. This belief conflicted with that of the world view of the Ancient Near East (ANNE).The world view supposed that existence on earth was the result of many unseen forces in the realm of the invisible. Apparently the Greek philosophers proposing this message didn't win over the acceptance of that culture and they found themselves forced out and into hiding, some taking their own lives thus ending the age of Greek philosophical thought. This struggle was displayed in he play Beach by the Greek playwright Euripides wherein the conflict is played out between the rational human-nature component act ed out by men who were pitted against the women that played the part of the irrational side of Human existence.The men were killed by the women depicting the two opposing views could not coexist and the polymers of many deities would dominate cultural thought. At about the same time, it seems that the Israelites were experiencing a similar battle of faith. The Hebrew believed that there was a sole Creator that rewarded and disciplined based on obedience to God's will. This view was quite the opposite from that of the polymers thinkers and against the beliefs of the Ancient Near Eastern cultures that trusted in the parallel invisible world.Even them, the Hebrew held to their conviction of a monotheistic God and the prophet's ability to predict the exile and return of the Israelites strengthened that resolve. Christianity was to be the compilation of Greek thought and Hebrew belief. The Greek logic provided cause and effect for the Hebrew creation theory of God. Finally acknowledgment that God is not the world and the world is not God. Logic and science working together. Oswald writes here that an important conclusion is derived in that science and logic are not self-evident, neither able to stand alone.Together, the system provided value to the individual and the importance of history and why things are as they are. Closing out Chapter one Oswald laments the apparent modern reliance on rationalism and less on our God. History and the people are becoming less relevant and there is more emphasis placed on comfort, pleasure and self-preservation. Assault's hope is that the younger readers will realize this direction and reconsider the turn away from God and toward the enemy. Chapter Two The Bible And Myth: Oswald lays out the root for Biblical reality.He questions how the Bible can be included with the Ancient Near Eastern arguments as a myth when it is so radically different. The true question being the actual definition of a myth. Oswald allows that this questio n fully depends on the definition of the term. It is also important to grasp why there is a desire to place it in the mythological category to begin with. Here Oswald compares the many definitions of a myth. He assembles all the similarities possessed by each to redefine a true myth. Oswald provides allegory reasoning to establish that a definition too broad will result in a loss of validity.He explains that only to broaden the scope of the definition to suit (or include) the Bible does nothing to add credit to the validity of the meaning. Oswald ends this chapter with a compilation of definitions and has primarily grouped them into two categories. Within this the first, we find etymological, sociological and the literary. Primarily, Oswald wants the reader to know that to appropriately define a myth, you must have narrowed down the definition. In this category, the definition is narrowed down to hat of Just characteristic rather than function or quality.Something with order and pre dictability. This section summarizes the attempts to provide more adaptive definitions and theories to define a myth led to commonality or continuity to describe the world-view. He offers that the philosophy of continuity states that all things are continuous and are one, defining that God and earth are one but separate. That said, an item made from earth is God. This is true for all religions except those beliefs which have derived from the Hebrew being Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Chapter Three Continuity: The Basis Of Mythical ThinkingIn this chapter we follow Oswald as he delves into the ideology supporting the supernatural aspects of myth. It provides that myth views are Just another way of tuning into reality than what we accept using Westernizes logic. By defining myth as â€Å"all things continuous†, there can be no distinction between the three realms of human, nature and divine. Oswald describes the term pantheism and how things that look and sound alike are con sidered the same therefore to worship an idol is to worship a God. Through this logic, mankind can alter the outcome of natural events by way of their idols.He states that this is the single most important aspect to the way of thinking that characterizes myth. It is believed that in Myths, a magic spell can disrupt the continuous nature of things, bringing chaos and disorder between the realms. Myths are polytheism meaning many Gods. They are often represented through symbolism. It is fundamental in myth that all things begin with matter. In myth, humans exist to serve the gods. They have no significance in the mythical world. Personalities are exceptions to the norm creating chaos to the continuity.That world is a continuous circle coming and going nowhere at all times. Chapter 4: Transcendence: Basis Of Biblical Thinking The Bible, when compared to the surrounding ANNE, is radically different in how it approaches reality. The Old Testament, regardless of the historical statements being true or false, is consistent. Common Characteristics Of Biblical Thought: The two biggest differing traits in the Old Testament are monotheism and iconoclasm. Monotheism maintains that Heehaw is the sole creator and separate from the world.The Hebrew people are the only culture ever to exist that believed in monotheism. Israel, which was less advanced in all aspects of culture then the surrounding ANNE, insisted on a monotheistic religion above all. Iconoclasm states that God cannot be made in any image or any created form. It is clearly stated and defined in the Old Testament (Ex. 20-4-5); muff shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them. † This belief is the basis of transcendence.God is not the world, God cannot be identified to the world, God cannot be recreated and God cannot be manipulated by the world. Other distinct characteristics that sep arate Hebrew thought from all other belief systems are: 1 . God is spirit and not matter which is the polar opposite viewpoint of myth. Myth states that matter is the basis of everything. 2. ) There was no conflict during the creation process. In myth creation evolves from chaos but in the Old Testament the world exists only because God spoke it into existence. 3. ) The Old Testament has a very high viewpoint of humanity.In fact man is made in the image of God. God created man last and man is the apex of all creation. In myth humanity is an afterthought and the only purpose is to provide for the gods. 4. ) God is reliable and consistent. Heehaw will bless people and be there for his people even when it is not to God's advantage. In myth the gods are fickle and only self-serving. 5. ) God is supra-sexual which simply means God is not sexed. He is neither male nor female. He is spirit being and does not take on any traits of sexuality and sex played no part in the creation process.In myth gods comes into existence by sexual means. They have sex with each other to make other gods and also have sex with desirable women to make semi-gods. 6. ) Since God is not sexed in the Bible, sex is dissocialized in the Old Testament. God set clear boundaries o establish what is acceptable and what is forbidden when dealing with sexual relationships. Mythology uses all types of sexual rituals so that they can influence and manipulate the gods. There are no boundaries and anything goes. 7. ) The Old Testament also prohibits the use of magic.Sorcery of all kind is forbidden and may not be used to attempt to manipulate God in any ritualistic way. The attempt to manipulate God to gain self-interest is vile to God. You maintain a personal relationship with God though prayer and obedience. In mythology magic, sorcery and rituals are common and essential to dealing with the gods. There is no individual as the individual is Just part of the continuous nature. The gods are only influenc ed through the rituals of society. 8. Humans relate to God though ethical behavior and to the disciplined obedience of God.What matters most to the Israelites is how people treat their parents, their children, their neighbors and strangers. They show their commitment to God by how they interact with others. God gives strict laws for his people to uphold and follow. Strict obedience to this covenant will create holiness for oneself bringing one closer to the holiness of God. Transcendence As The Underlying Principle: The underlying and most important distinction in the biblical understanding of reality is how God is in relation to the cosmos.In mythical thinking god is the cosmos or the cosmos is god. The source and the manifestation are indistinguishable and are continuous. In Biblical thought God is transcendent. God is not the cosmos and the cosmos is not God. God is separate and apart from the creation. This belief is completely contrary to continuity and distinguishes that God a nd heaven are not part of the natural world. The world is separate and only exists cause God willed it into existence by his word. This is the law of transcendence that clearly shows God is other than the cosmos.Oswald established in this chapter that all the reasons which make something a myth are opposite from the biblical worldview of the Old Testament. The Bible can therefore not be considered a myth. This does not say that the Bible is true but it is definitely not a myth. One thing is true; the Bible is unique and consistent which gives credence to the approach. Chapter 5: The Bible Verses Myth Ethics: In mythology there are two kinds of ethical misbehaver, offenses against gods ND offenses against people. Most offenses against the gods deal in the magical realm with rituals or spells.It is an attempt to ward off the gods from interfering or to manipulate the gods to gain favors. The repercussion of the offense depends on the mood, reaction and the personality of the god at th e time. Offenses against other people are another matter. It is a crime against the laws of society that have predetermined punishments. In myth the laws are understood to be human creations. Therefore Judgment is by the people and there isn't reason to appeal to gods for help. In biblical thought, God has a covenant with man and all the laws for how people relate to God and to each other come from God through transcendence.One is either obedient or not to the law of God. There is no distinction between sin against God and crime against society. They are both lack of obedience to the written commands from God. What is unique is that the standard of the law and covenant with God is formed from the character of the one true Heehaw. Another biblical thought on ethics to consider is that the expectations are clear to all. There are clear results from compliance or noncompliance by the individual. One can gain more insight into God's nature by how one reacts ethically in the physical wor ld.Things happen too person because of what that person has done or is doing. It is no longer an unknown act in the divine world. Lastly, is the free choice from allowed by God, a person's choice can impact what happens; it is no longer Just a reflection from the other realm or from a cosmic event. Jerusalem fell not because other gods in the divine defeated Heehaw, but because the people broke their covenant with God and God allowed the fall. It was a result of free choices and the consequences from those hoicks.The Significance of Similarities Between Israelites and Non-illustrates: Oswald now turns to similarities between the Israelite belief system and other surrounding cultures of the ANNE. There are five main topics that Oswald reviews: 1). Similarities in Practice: Without question there are similarities in the practices of the Hebrews and their neighbors. One obvious similarity is that both had laws that were delivered to them from God. Another similar practice is the ritual of sacrifice and the ceremonial cleanness associated with the practice.Still further is the set-up of the tabernacle ND covenant with God which is almost identical to the Canniest sanctuaries. What makes the Hebrews stand apart is the obedience to the concept that if I do something to my neighbor it has a direct correlation to my relationship to God. The Egyptian, Canniest and Mesopotamia could not accept that if one stole from another person it was a violation to the creator. No matter how similar any of the beliefs or practices seemed, the deciding factor that separated the Hebrews was their relationship of the individual to God.There is a system of ethics that affect by one's behavior in all matters. 2. Similarities in Expression: There are references in the Bible to the cosmos and to other mythical things such as the Leviathan. Some argue that the Hebrews believed in the chaos of cosmos or continuity because of the mention of mythical things that are used as reference in the Bi ble. Oswald states the difference is that, â€Å"the transcendent God is accomplishing his will through an obedient nature in a specific historic event.In a unique moment in time and space, never to be repeated, but also ever to be forgotten, God has worked redemption for his people. † The Bible doesn't necessarily believe the myth of the surrounding ultras, but makes the point of the myth, to only break the myths validity, to make it absolutely clear it is God who prevailed. 3,) Similarities in Thought Patterns: There is a scholarly consensus that believes the Israelite religion is based on the principle of continuity which is similar to the surrounding ANNE culture. The Israelites abandon the belief system of continuity because of a cataclysmic event.It is further argued that the event was the exodus from Egypt and that all documented history of the Israelites prior to the exodus was rewritten to mirror the recent adopted reenactments God belief. The problem with this argum ent is that the Hebrew believes that God reveals himself through unique events and persons in time and space. The historical relevance is absolute and the inspired written word of God. It is contrary to the entire belief system of a transcendent God that defines the Hebrew thought. 4. ) Genesis: Is Genesis, especially the early chapters, written in myth?The problem with this thought is that the characteristics that define a myth are absent. There are not multiple gods, there is no continual creation that the world reflects, sex is not a part f the creation story, there is a high view of man not a low one and there is no conflict between order and chaos. Scholars have attempted to say that in Genesis 1:1 â€Å"When God began to create the heaven and earth, the earth was without form and void. † that Hebrews believed in a preexistent chaos. The second point scholars make to say that Genesis is a myth, is that the creation story is similar to the Babylonian.When observed closely the texts of the two stories do not really match. The majority of the Babylonian creation story focuses on the creation of the gods and the battle between gods for a supreme rule. They are only similar in a logical progression of how things were made The bottom line is that there is no conflict between good and evil or any sexual deeds that transpired to make the creation process start. The world both in heaven and on earth are because God willed it and commanded it to be so by his word. Psalms: There are many Psalms that can be construed as similar and describing pagan gods and viewpoints.Oswald demonstrates in Psalm 29, Psalm 68 and Psalm 104 the comparison that the author could be describing Ball instead of Heehaw. Both are cloud riders and both control the rain. In all accounts it is clear hat God is separate from the rain and storms, God is not the rain or the storm but apart from it. God is the maker and giver of all things. In myth there is no separation only oneness with al l things. Ball is god, Ball is nature and Ball is the idol. Ball cannot be separate from the storm because of continuity Ball is the storm.Chapter 6: The Bible And History: A Problem Of Definition The main distinction of biblical Old Testament thought is that God interacts in unique non-recurring events in a specific time and place. The Bible contends that the events are factual and happened as written. The idea that human choice and actions can effect outcomes in the natural world and that these choices are non-repeatable and are aligned toward a single measurable universal goal are all unique and recorded in the Bible. Definitions Of History: Like a myth, history needs a clear definition.History can refer to the recording of an event, the study of the past or Just a connected experience of an event in time and space. Oswald reviews different definitions and interpretations of what history means and how it will refer to the Old Testament. Oswald then offers his own definition: â₠¬Å"A history is a narrative of a series f events revolving about human beings acting in time and space. Existing for the purpose of human self-knowledge, it purports to be an accurate account of all significant elements for the eventual outcome. † History is about the accurate account of human beings.Understandings Of Reality On Which History Writing Depends: In order to establish the importance of history, it must be established that the belief in human free will and choice is absolute. If not then history doesn't matter. Oswald reviews six theological points and six historical practices of the ANNE that historic writings depend on: 1 . Humans are free and responsible. If there isn't free will and choice then everything is preconditioned and Just part of a continuous cycle. History and the knowledge gained from the study of history cannot change a predetermined fate of a future event. Choice is Just an illusion. . ) There is cause an effect to an event in time and space. Thin gs are not Just by chance as a result from events in the invisible world. 3. ) Truth is absolutely necessary to establish order to study history. If an event in history never happened, what is the point of learning from the choices made by a person in that event? If there is only speculation and interpretation without fact, then the event is meaningless. 4. ) Humans are dynamic and goal- oriented. Humans must believe that we can change for the better. If we are Just part of a repetitive cycle there is no reason for goals and improvement. 5. Relationships within time and space have significance. If this is true then what happens in the physical world matters. If not relationships are all continuous and predetermined. 6. ) A consistent standard must be established to measure against. If there isn't a standard there will never be agreement and it all becomes meaningless. Omens: An omen is a sign which foretells the results of a particular event or Journey. Omens diminish the value of f ree choice and lead to predetermination by the gods. In Babylonian culture much time has been spent on documenting all the different omens and meanings of their signs.King Lists: Is simply the names, lineage and length of each king being documented. Date Formulae: In ANNE it was standard practice each year to document the name of the ruling king with his title and announce what he accomplished within that particular year. Epic: Epics are narratives that reveal events of a hero on a Journey. Many of the characters have been found to be based on historic individuals with the feats based in fact. E. G. Ulysses was an actual character who fought in Troy and did have difficulty getting home. Royal Annals: These annals record in detail the events in each a kings reign.They describe in detail military conquest, building projects, interests and favorite topics of that king. Chronicles: Chronicles are an objective documented account of the life of a king describing his victories and defeats as well as his line of succession. It does not evaluate the value of the feats. Reasons For The Absence Of History Writing: Oswald outlines five reasons why there would not have been documented writings in the ANNE: 1 . ) Focus on â€Å"NOW': If we conclude that the ANNE was founded on and believed in continuity then all that matters is the present.Nothing in the past or future influence or effect what was happening today. There was no need to document it. 2. ) Subjective Orientation: Historical writings gain credibility when written by an outside person. In the ANNE all is connected and one with each other so there is no outside or subjective opinion. There was no point to have it written by a neutral person as there is only me. . ) Multiplicity of Causes: In continuity there are infinite causes to an event. How the stars line up in the sky have more impact on what happens then human free choice.What happens in the invisible world effects the physical world giving infinite reasons why it happened. 4. ) Determinism: Choice is just an illusion because of the cyclical and interconnected nature of reality. In reality there are no choices because everything is dictated by outside forces. What a person does is predetermined regardless of what they believe. What is the point to document and study an event if they have no future choice? . ) Preoccupation with Order and Security: The forces in the cosmos are constantly battling each other over good and evil, creating and destroying at all times.Chaos is always around whether in the physical, material or political world. Security is completely dependent on the outcome of the victory of order. The study of events from the past would have no impact on the battles waged in the cosmos which is where order and security is decided. The Bible's Unique Approach To Human-Historical Experience: 1 . ) Humans treated as Real Individuals: The Bible is radically different from other literature of the ANNE. The Bible uses characters that are real and human. Truth is found in the individual not in the normalcy of things, but in the character of that individual.The ANNE literature uses semi-gods and supernatural representatives which is contradictory to the Bible. The emphasis of the individual in the Bible is important and had no relevance in ANNE culture. 2. Failures and defeats Not Glossed Over: In the Bible both positive and negative traits of the individual character are highlighted. Failures are documented and Judged by God. There isn't glory in failure as in Greek Eric literature, Just lessons to be learned. 3. Significance of relationships: The Bible deals explores in detail, relationships with individuals and with God.It does not pass over them as insignificant, but rather goes into them in detail from a purely neutral perspective. Our actions and what we do to others matter. What David chose to do with Bathes was done and Judged by the transcendent Heehaw. Heehaw dealt with the result, but allowed the choice of the individual to be made. 4. Significance of Human Choice: The Bible states that it is human choice that shapes the events on earth, not a predetermined continuous force in the cosmos. A person can interact with God, but that person has the right to choose and the results are determined by the choice. . Developmental Relationships: The Bible relates past events to the present and compares the results. This is completely in contrast to the ANNE literature which only deals in the â€Å"NOW'. The writings are strictly to document the current reign. They do not demonstrate or compare one reign to the next one. There is no purpose to documenting as it is Just another repetitive report in an endless continuous circumstance. Implications of Transcendence For Israel's View Of Human- Historical Experience: Transcendence is the belief that God is separate and not part of the world.This concept is a major difference in approach to all the surrounding ANNE. Transcendence makes it im possible to believe that human events correspond to a mirror opposite invisible world. There isn't a connection between the two, what happens in invisible world doesn't affect the physical world. 1 . ) Possibility of Transcending Events: Since God is separate and apart from creation, there is a space beyond this created world. Since this world is purposefully created by God who judges all things, then there is a reason to act beyond ones own self-interest.This concept is documented many times in the Old Testament with how the individual relates to the covenant presented by God. There is a force outside this world to Judge the events of the individual. 2. ) Impossibility of misleading God: God is all knowing and all is revealed to God. You can't fool God. In the ANNE the gods are part of the system, so they can be manipulated. I can document things that are not true because I can trick the gods. Not so with a separate God who created all and is transcendent. God knows everything and will Judge according to integrity of the individual's choices and actions.God used the Prophet's to write the history of the Bible and to uphold God's integrity. All of Israel respected and knew that the Prophets were chosen by God. The Prophets could write the truth without fear of consequences of man. In the ANNE culture if a person wrote something the king didn't like he could be killed. 3. ) A Simplified Understanding of Causation: In the Bible God is responsible for all and God has no rival. God is the only one to answer to and the cause of everything. Humans are personal and at the same time disconnected from God.Everything that a person chooses to do is either in defiance or compliant to God. This makes relationships with humans to God and humans to humans very significant. God wants our obedience and more importantly God wants a relationship with people. That is something that cannot be predetermined. 4. ) Speech as the Mode of Accomplishing Divine Purposes: God chose to com municate to his people by entering the lives of individual's through personal experiences and non-recurring historical vents. Since God is not continuous, but separate from this world, one cannot participate in God's life.Any attempt to do so is forbidden in the Bible as discussed in earlier chapters. So how does a person then participate in the life of God? By that person demonstrating an ethical character and obedience to God's law, a person receives God's blessing and approval. God reveals himself through the human historical experience at a specific time and space. Therefore what God does is very important and how it is truthfully documented is extremely significant. That is why commented history is captured. History writing As Myth-Making: ANNE culture used nature to express myth in culture.Did Israel choose another mode for myth and use historical myth to express their faith? The answer is no. In pagan worship idols are made from nature and nature is the gods. All is continuou s with each other. There is no separation. With Israel God is not the history rather the history is the people who experience God along the way. This is because God is separate and transcendent. Israel, like the neighboring ANNE, attempted many times to place God in a box to control God. Unlike the recurring continuous pagan gods of the ANNE, God liked to perform miraculous one-time events to keep the people on track.God also used the prophets to constantly remind the people that they were different and God was different. The Hebrew therefore, does not witness faith by retelling a fictional story or by a ritual of drama to recreate an outcome. The Hebrew recites how God intervened with individuals and the nation of Israel that was directed by God through the prophets. Chapter 7: Is The Bible Truly historical? The Problem Of History (l) The Bible is thought by many to contain â€Å"historical-fiction†. Is the Bible history like or is it historical fact? The bigger question is, are biblical accounts history and does it matter?Historians argue that history is accepted only if complete human responsibility for events and outcomes are present. Clearly events and outcomes of the Bible are not only human responsibility. Other historians now believe that history is accepted if the historical writing is for a divine purpose. Human involvement and choice is always involved but divine intervention explains what happened. Since there is no way to document the purpose and true nature of God, we are only left tit speculation. E. G. There is no way to prove biblical accuracy to the events of the exodus.So does that make the Bible a myth or historical fact? History as Revelation: INADEQUACIES: The Bible can be considered as history revelation. That is the interpretations of God's actions in the Bible are through humans and are flawed but still bear witness to the revelation of God. Revelation Is Not Confined to Divine Action: James Barr argued, the problem with this ex planation is that the Bible doesn't distinguish the division between revelation and witness to revelation. If there is a preference then the miracles all disappear and the reports of the events are not valid.If the only access to the events is the witness, then that source isn't trustworthy; there is no truthful access to the acts at all. If history is rooted in faith the history disappears. This argument states there is no revelation in the Bible. The Bible is Just speculation, a vehicle of history writing the Hebrew people chose to use. Divine Action in History Is Not Unique to Israel: Another attack on the uniqueness of the historical revelation of the Bible is that there are many other cultures that use gods o intervene on behalf of an individual in a specific event in history.The thought that a god could act in history was not a new concept to the ANNE. Oswald stated the difference: â€Å"that this was the only place he acted that had significance for human beings, that those actions were according to a consistent, long term purpose, that he was using the details of human-historical behavior to reveal that purpose, and that he was Just as capable of using enemies as he was friends to accomplish his good purpose—that, I maintain, is not found anywhere else in the world, ancient or

A Day Late and A Dollar Short †Theology Essay

A Day Late and A Dollar Short – Theology Essay Free Online Research Papers John came to me depressed and hopeless. As he talked, he painted a bleak picture of unemployment, old age, ill health, and feelings of failure and helplessness. Whatever I do and whatever I try, it always seems that Im a day late and a dollar short, said John dejectedly. Perhaps you can identify with John in some aspect of your life. One day Jesus met a man at the pool of Bethesda. It was a famous pool. Multitudes of sick and infirm people came to the pool seeking healing. It was believed by many that at certain seasons an angel would go down into the waters and stir the waters up. Whoever was first into the waters was healed of their disease. (See John 5:1-17). The man that Jesus encountered at the pool had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed, he replied, more or less, Im always a day late and a dollar short. Actually the man said, Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me. (John 5:7). But that encounter with Jesus changed his life, brought healing, and hope. If you can identify with being a day late and a dollar short in some aspect of your life, come to the pool of Bethesda. Dont look for an angel, look to Jesus, who is. MERCIFUL. Even in the old covenant, before Jesus went to the cross, God displayed His mercy in various ways and occasions. During the Israelites trek through the wilderness, they began to murmur, complain, and rebel against God. God sent fiery serpents among them. Multitudes were bitten and died. When they cried out to God, He instructed Moses to make a brazen serpent and put it on a pole. If someone was bitten by a poisonous snake and looked on the brazen serpent, they were healed. David blessed such a merciful God with thanksgiving and praise. (See Psalm 103). Even before Jesus went to the cross to provide salvation and healing, God would send an angel down to trouble the water at the pool of Bethesda and bring healing to some. (See Isaiah 53; John 5:1-17). Why did He do it? Because He is merciful. Why did Jesus bother with this invalid who was always a day late and a dollar short? Because His compassions fail not. EXPECTATIONS. Jesus raises our expectations and hope. Jesus asked this invalid of thirty-eight years a very unusual question. Do you want to be well? One would think that would be a forgone conclusion. But Jesus knew that unless we raise our expectations, we will never be healed. We will be paralyzed by hopelessness, despair, fear, and doubt. This invalid was looking for someone to help him into the water. He had no one. But God wants us to raise our expectations from others, or even ourselves, and focus on Him. He is our expectation and hope. (See Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 62:5; Luke 3:15; Romans 13:13). RAPHA is the Lord who heals (Jehovah-Rapha). When Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness, they had no water. They finally came to Marah, but could not drink the water because it was bitter. Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree. Moses threw the tree into the water and the water became sweet. God made a covenant with Israel and revealed Himself as Jehovah Rapha the Lord your Healer. (See Exodus 15:22-26). I believe that tree, thrown into the water, is a type of the cross of Christ and Gods provision for us through the atonement of Christ. What do you need to be healed from? Is it sin? Bitterness? Sickness? Look to Rapha Jesus your Healer. COMMANDMENTS and obedience go together with healing, health, and hope. Jesus told the sick man at the pool to take up his bed and go home. The man was healed as he obeyed Jesus command. Read carefully Gods condition for healing in Exodus 15:26. Faith and obedience work together. YAHWEHS LORD. For years, this invalid had been looking to people to help him. God many times uses people, but only one Physician can heal our soul. Only Yahwehs Lord Jesus is the all-sufficient one. When the religious leaders asked who the man was who healed him, he didnt know. Later he met Jesus in the temple and discovered that Jesus is Yahweh (Jehovah). The name is derived from the Hebrew root to be, to become. It is the most sacred name for God. He is totally self-existent. Jesus said He is the One who has life in Himself. (John 5:26). Why do we look elsewhere? Why dont we rest in His unchangeableness? He has never failed. He cannot! The Lord (Yahweh) sent the man on his way with this admonishment. Behold, you have become well; do no sin anymore, so that nothing worse comes upon you. (John 5:14). Have you dealt with the sin issue in your life? Perhaps youve noticed that each points of this article forms an acrostic MERCY. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). Research Papers on A Day Late and A Dollar Short - Theology Essay19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)The Hockey GameThe Project Managment Office SystemMind TravelThe Fifth Horseman

What Are the Ivy League Schools Acceptance Rates for 2018

What Are the Ivy League Schools' Acceptance Rates for 2018 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The eight schools in the Ivy League are among the most well-known and selective universities, both within and outside of the U.S. Because of this, Ivy League (and similarly selective non-Ivy) schools have tens of thousands of students from whom to choose their class of 2023. But what are Ivy League schools' acceptance rates, and how have those rates changed over time? In this analysis, we'll look at Ivy League admissions, from the number of applicants to the number of students who ultimately end up attending. In addition to the eight Ivy League schools (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, and Yale), we'll also consider eight equally selective non-Ivy League national universities: Caltech, Duke, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Northwestern, Stanford, UChicago, and Vanderbilt. Ivy League Schools: Acceptance Rate Averages and Range So what's the most recent data on undergraduate Ivy acceptance rates? We've sleuthed out this information for you and compiled it into a chart below. School # Applied # Admitted % Admitted Stanford 47451 2071 4.4% Harvard 42749 1962 4.6% Columbia 40203 2214 5.5% Princeton 35370 1941 5.5% Yale 35308 2229 6.3% MIT 21706 1464 6.7% Caltech* 7339 568 7.7% Brown 35437 2718 7.7% UChicago 32291 2329 7.2% Northwestern 40426 3392 8.4% UPenn 44491 3731 8.4% Duke 37302 3097 8.3% Dartmouth 22033 1925 8.7% Vanderbilt 34299 3050 8.9% Johns Hopkins 29129 2894 9.9% Cornell 51324 5448 10.6% Average (Overall) 36635 2698 7.4% Average (Ivies) 38364 2771 7.2% *Caltech has not released its 2018 data as of this article's publication, so we've used 2017 data here. As you can see from the chart, the Ivy League and non-Ivy League schools are neck-in-neck as far as applicants, admitted students, and admission percentages go. For lowest 2018 acceptance rate, non-Ivy Stanford (with a 4.4% acceptance rate) just barely beat out Harvard (with a 4.6% acceptance rate). On the other end of the spectrum, the Ivy League school with the highest acceptance rate is Cornell (10.6 % undergraduate acceptance rate overall), which is just slightly more than the school with the next-highest rate, non-Ivy Johns Hopkins (9.9%). When it comes to Ivy League admissions, though, last year's acceptance rates are just a peek into the process. To predict what trends are going to look like for this coming admissions season, we need more data. Ivy League Admissions: 2014-2018 A disclaimer before we dive in: it's true that past admission rates aren't necessarily a sure-fire guarantee of what admissions rates will be like in the future for Ivy League (and other top-tier) schools. Cornell might decide that it wants to decrease its class sizes, causing its admissions rates to suddenly plummet; alternatively, students might decide they don't want to apply to any schools with frat scenes, which would cause Ivy League admissions rates to spike. But putting the unknowns of the future aside, it's still helpful to look at Ivy League admissions trends over the last five years to get some idea of what to expect for this admissions season. We've graphed the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 admissions rates for Ivy League and similarly-competitive national universities below. Data for 2018 comes from sources linked in chart; data for 2014-2017 comes from schools' publicly available Common Data Sets or equivalent school pages. Admissions rates overall have trended downwards since 2014, with top schools becoming more and more selective. Based on the data we've collected, this trend is largely due to more students applying to schools, rather than schools accepting fewer students per year. You can see how the number of applicants to each school has increased at roughly the same rate as acceptance rates have gone down in the graph below: Data for 2018 comes from sources linked in chart; data for 2014-2017 comes from schools' publicly available Common Data Sets or equivalent school pages. Just by eyeballing the graph above, it's clear that for most schools, the number of applicants 2014-2018 increased and so the acceptance rates decreased. The data from the last five years also make it pretty clear that the decrease in acceptance rates is not at all caused by schools accepting fewer and fewer students each year. As the graph below shows, most Ivy-level schools have stable or even increased class sizes over time. Data for 2018 comes from sources linked in chart; data for 2014-2017 comes from schools' publicly available Common Data Sets or equivalent school pages. Pay attention in particular to the flatness of the dotted lines showing the average number of students admitted overall and to Ivy League schools in particular. Aside from Cornell, Northwestern, and Johns Hopkins, every other school on the graph admitted either around the same number of students over the course of five years. By looking not just at Ivy League college acceptance rates over time, but also at the raw numbers of applicants and admitted students, it's clear that there's not a whole lot of variation in how many students Ivy League schools are accepting each year. Most of what's making Ivy-caliber schools more and more selective is the increased volume of students applying. There's one final piece of the puzzle to discuss, though, and that is each school's yield, or the percent of accepted students who decide to enroll at a college. Not that kind of yield. Ivy League Undergraduate Enrollment In the Ivy League admissions game, there are two main factors that schools care about. We already discussed one aspect of admissions to top-tier national universities, which is admissions rates (which depend on the number of applicants and number of students admitted). The lower the admission rate, the more selective the school is seen as being (which leads to schools being higher-ranked, which leads to more people knowing about those schools and applying to them, which leads to lower admission rates...and so on). Besides acceptance rates, the main other factor Ivy-level schools care about is their yield, or how many of the students admitted end up enrolling. Schools want their yield to be high because it demonstrates that students really want to attend their schools. More desirable schools end up ranked higher, which drives more high-achieving students to apply to the schools, which allows the schools to have their pick of applicants. Yield also informs acceptance rates. Based on years of admissions data, schools know almost exactly how many students they need to admit to get the class size that they want. The difference between knowing almost exactly how many students will enroll and the exact number is the reason for waitlists: if more students decline admission than expected, schools still need to fill their incoming freshman class. As a general rule, the lower a school's yield, the higher its acceptance rate. This usually happens because schools with lower yields need to admit more students (AKA have a higher acceptance rate), since a lower percentage of those accepted will attend. So how does this play out in the Ivy League Plus admissions field? While Ivy acceptance rates don't vary a huge amount (from Harvard's 4.5% to Cornell's 10.6% in 2018), the yield rates of Ivy League schools vary quite a great deal. Let's look at a chart of the yield for all students enrolling in Ivy League-caliber universities Fall 2017 (since the data for Fall 2018 hasn't been released by all schools yet). School % Admitted # Admitted # Attending Yield Stanford 4.7% 2085 1703 81.7% Harvard 5.2% 2037 1687 82.8% Columbia 6.1% 2263 1405 62.1% Princeton 6.4% 1990 1306 65.6% Yale 6.9% 2285 1579 69.1% MIT 7.2% 1452 1097 75.6% Caltech 7.7% 568 235 41.4% Brown 8.5% 2779 1639 59.0% UChicago 8.7% 2419 1740 71.9% Northwestern 9.2% 3442 1903 55.3% UPenn 9.3% 3757 2456 65.4% Duke 9.8% 3261 1748 53.6% Dartmouth 10.3% 2093 1217 58.1% Vanderbilt 10.9% 3415 1607 47.1% Johns Hopkins 11.8% 3133 1349 43.1% Cornell 12.7% 5962 3349 56.2% Average 8.5% 2684 1626 61.7% Average Ivies 8.2% 2896 1830 64.8% Note: Data in table is for freshmen who started college Fall 2017. Unlike the mere six-percent range of Ivy League Plus acceptance rates, the yield rates for Ivy League Plus schools range from the lowest yield rate, Caltech's 41.4%, to the doubly-high yield rate (82.8%) of Harvard. In other words, in Fall 2017, relative to the number of students admitted, more than twice as many first-year students enrolled at Harvard as at Caltech. Because Harvard's admission rate is a couple of percentage points lower than Caltech (and because Harvard has a liberal arts undergraduate program, while Caltech is an engineering school), it makes sense that there would be a difference in yield rate between the two schools. However, there are still some pretty startling gaps between school yield rates, even for schools with similar acceptance rates and academic focuses. For instance, MIT (8.3% admitted) had a yield of 72.7%, while Caltech (8.8% admitted) had a yield of 41.4%. Are these trends consistent over time? Let's look at yield over the last five years for these same schools. Data for 2018 comes from sources linked in chart; data for 2014-2017 comes from schools' publicly available Common Data Sets or equivalent school pages. Overall, for most of these top 16 schools, yield rate has gone up over the last few years. This indicates that not only are schools accepting fewer students each year, but more students are also accepting the offers of admission they can get. However, unlike acceptance rate (which is very much within the control of the school), how many students decide to enroll after being admitted is much more dependent on the attitudes of the students admitted. Yield can be affected by factors as clearly related to enrollment as financial aid packages or as seemingly tangential to enrollment as a public exposà © of a school's toxic social atmosphere. To make their yields more predictable, most top universities (including all the ones mentioned in this article) have some kind of early admissions policy (whether it's early decision, restrictive early action, or just plain ol' early action). In the next section, we'll discuss how schools nail down their yields through these early admissions programs. Want to get into Harvard or your personal top choice college? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Yield and Early Admissions at Top Universities Looking at applicant numbers over the years, it's clear that Ivy League schools aren't suffering from lack of choice when it comes to their applicant pool. While it's true that better-qualified applicants tend to apply early, there's no doubt that any of the sixteen schools we've mentioned in this article could get rid of their early admissions program this year and still be able to fill their class of 2023 with eminently qualified students. However, in addition to netting schools high-qualified candidates, early admissions programs also have the distinct benefit of boosting a school's yield. Having binding early decision programs mean that before regular admissions starts, schools can be assured that they've already met anywhere from 20-35% of their yield goals. This early admissions yield boost can even carry over for schools which offer non-binding admission programs, also known as early action programs. For example, in 2018, 56.8% of freshman who enrolled in Harvard were early admit students. The chart below shows early admission stats for students applying Fall 2017. Schools with non-binding early admission programs (AKA early action programs) are italicized. School Early Applied Early Admitted Early Admit % Total Admitted Total Admit % Stanford 750 2071 4.4% Harvard 6630 964 14.5% 1962 4.6% Columbia 4085 2214 5.5% Princeton 5402 799 14.8% 1941 5.5% Yale 5733 842 14.7% 2229 6.3% MIT 9571 664 6.9% 1464 6.7% Brown 3502 738 21.1% 2718 7.7% Northwestern 4049 1072 26.5% 3392 8.4% UPenn 7074 1312 18.5% 3731 8.4% Duke 4090 875 21.4% 3097 8.3% Dartmouth 2270 565 24.9% 1925 8.7% Johns Hopkins 2037 610 29.9% 2894 9.9% Cornell 6325 1549 24.5% 5448 10.6% Average* 5064* 895* 19.8%* 2698 7.4% Average (Ivies) 5128 967** 19.0%** 2771 7.2% *for all schools reporting data. Caltech, UChicago, and Vanderbilt are omitted due to lack of data.**for all Ivies except Columbia As you can see from this chart, early admission acceptance rates for these highly selective schools are double, or even triple, those for students applying regular decision (or deferred after early admission). The takeaway from this is that if you're a "borderline" admissions case, early admission might make the difference between being accepted and rejected. A note of caution: early decision and early action admission rates being higher than regular admission rates are more a reflection of qualified students deciding they want to apply early than schools admitting students because they applied early. If you're just applying to a school as a shoot the moon kind of chance, you're not going to get admitted just because you applied early instead of regular decision. However, if you're "borderline" in some way (e.g. your test scores aren't at the 75th percentile, or your GPA isn't quite where you'd want it to be, but you're otherwise qualified), applying early will give you your best shot at getting admitted to Ivy League Plus schools. 5 Tips to Boost Your Ivy League Admissions Chances So far, we've gone through the hard data of Ivy League schools' acceptance rates and yields over time, analyzed trends, and discussed why schools care about these admissions metrics. Moving from the abstract to the concrete, we'll now give you five tips for how to increase your chances of getting into one of the elite national universities we discussed in this article. Tip 1: Show Your Passion in Your Application Ideally, your college application will tell a story about what kind of student you have been (and suggest what kind of student you will be). As PrepScholar co-founder Allen Cheng writes in his article on how to get into Harvard and the Ivy League, highly selective national universities care more that you demonstrate your passion for one subject than your ability to be well-rounded. Rather than aiming for diversity within each student, Ivy League-caliber schools aim for diversity among students. Practically speaking, this means that instead of showing elite universities that you can do anything and everything well enough, you need to show them that you can do a few things really well and are really interested in those things. Tip 2: Aim for High Test Scores and a Standout High School GPA Universities who regularly receive a high volume of applications use standardized test scores (mostly SAT/ACT) and GPA as filters to decide which applications to even read through at all. Going through tens of thousands of applications is simply not practical when the majority of students are submitting their applications early January and expect to hear back by mid- to late-March. Even Caltech, with its ~7,500 applications, would have to go through roughly 80 applications a day between the date applications are due and when students get notified. When you consider the existence of non-workdays and the fact that admissions officers "need sleep because they're not undead," it makes sense that schools use test scores and GPAs as filters. Yes, it hurts to feel like you're being reduced down to a few numbers. But on the other hand, that means that there are a few clear indicators of success that you can aim for. Tip 3: Take Rigorous Courses Related to Your Interests Highly selective schools care almost as much about what classes you take as about how well you do in them. This doesn't mean that you have to take every difficult course in your school, but you should take the most rigorous courses that fit in with the narrative of your application. For instance, if you're applying to schools with the narrative that you're a math nerd who loves working on solving p vs np in her spare time, schools will look a little askance at you if you're taking the easiest math and physics courses at your school, even if you're taking advanced English or History classes. A real-life example of this is a high-school friend of mine, M, who took rigorous courses in all subjects throughout high school, including AP Calculus BC in junior year. When M got to her senior year, she had a choice of taking AP Statistics (the only other math class available to her) or Film and Media Studies, which was a non-honors level English class that involved analyzing films. Because M was so deeply passionate about film (she'd started a film club at our school), she decided to take the non-honors English class instead of a math class senior year. Now, granted, she still was taking AP Spanish, AP Bio, AP Macroeconomics, and AP English Lit, so she was still pursuing advanced coursework in the areas that interested her (and ended up taking the equivalent of two English classes); however, the fact remains that M didn't take a math class senior year...and still got accepted early decision to UPenn. To figure out what advanced coursework makes sense for you (and what is unnecessary), we strongly recommend reading our blog articles on what and how many APs Ivy League schools require and what high school classes in general Ivy League schools like to see on students' transcripts. Tip 4: Strive for Quality, Not Quantity in Your Extracurriculars Just as you should focus your academic rigor in the areas that most interest you, you should also focus your extracurricular time on the activities that match up best with your interests. When it comes to non-academic activities (music, sports, community service, and so on), you want to aim for quality over quantity and dedication over broadness. Even if you don't end up pursuing the interests you had in high school in colleges, showing that you are capable of focus and dedication to excellence in a particular area will help your college application. Consider the following two hypothetical students. Candidate A participated in Math Olympiad in your school for one year and in math club a different year. Colleges are not likely to find this super inspiring, even if the student has excelled in her math classes otherwise. On the other hand, consider Candidate B, who was captain of her high school fencing team for two years (after two years on the team). Even if this student doesn't go on to fence in college, the fact that she was willing to put the time and energy into sticking with the same thing for four years (and took a leadership role as captain for two of those years) makes her a better candidate than candidate A. Tip 5: Ensure All Parts of Your Application Are Top-Notch While test scores, GPA, course rigor, and extracurriculars are usually the most important factors for applications to Ivy League or other top-tier national universities, you can still affect your chances with stand-out letters of recommendation, personal statements, and application supplements or portfolios. A strong letter of recommendation from a teacher who's seen you grow as a student, a well-written personal statement that reveals something not evident elsewhere in your application, or an impressive portfolio of work (whether oil paintings or web apps) give schools more points of data for whether or not they should accept you. This admissions officer cannot believe how secure the web apps you've developed are. Or he's floored by the fact that you can levitate your computer. Either way, impressive! What's Next? Now that you've had a look at the admission rates for these elite universities, you might be wondering what kind of test scores you need to get in. We tell you what good scores are for Ivy League schools plus MIT, Stanford, and UChicago here. You know how these schools compare acceptance- and yield-wise, but what about across other dimensions like student satisfaction and graduation outcomes? Find out what our current Ivy League Rankings are and what those rankings really mean in this article. If you're a student athlete, your path into top-tier colleges might be slightly different from what we've described in this article. Learn more about Ivy League athletic recruiting in this article. Looking for a detailed guide on how to be one of the ≠¤10% accepted to Ivy League Plus schools? Read PrepScholar co-founder Allen Cheng's reflections on his college application and tips for how you can get into Harvard and other Ivy League-level schools. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 19

Marketing - Essay Example A brand requires a unique name for its identification that is so very important to chalk out before it turns from a product (or service) into one of a brand. Thus this brand name need not only be unique, it also requires that the name is also what it must convey to the people in mind, how it is meeting their expectations and whether this name has a positive (aspirational) association with the product in the long run or one that takes the end customer away from it, one that can be remarked as being dissociative to say the least. Further, the message which should be used in advertising must be unique as well as fresh so that the consumers are made sure about the quality and the value for which a product is really a known name in the present times. There needs to be a clear and distinct brand positioning statement in order to meet the objectives that are desired by the company in the wake of its new marketing strategy. Strategic positioning research is conducted to determine who the cus tomers of your product/service are and what should be told about the product or service to get them to buy from you. Finding the right target and message to build your marketing plan can be crucial in the success of your product. Similarly, tactical positioning research looks at finding the short term measures which would be suited to the relevant target audiences. We can say that positioning concentrates on getting value to the buyers as concerns to the product. In recent times, positioning has fallen down as becoming a mere document that plays a game with the customers and asks them to fall into the trap of buying the product solely. It is said that the best positioning relies only on how the product will be able to solve the specialized customer queries, concerns and problems. Thus the end result of positioning is one which could be easily observed through a product being