Images of Blood in Faulkners Light in August Essays -- Faulkner Light

Images of Blood in Faulkner's Light in August      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Blood" is considered by many to be one of the most important ties between human beings; it is therefore frequently used as an image that defines a character or a relationship between characters in a novel. For example, a prince might be defined by his "royal blood," or a weak man described as having "thin blood." Close friends may be "blood brothers," or families may have a "blood feud." In William Faulkner's Light in August, the image of blood permeates the themes of sexuality, race, and religion. Blood is common to all of these themes: it is evident in reproductive cycles and births, it is a medium for the genetic passage of race from one generation to the next, and it serves as a symbol of life or death in many religions. Faulkner centers these powerful images of blood around Joe Christmas, the main character, whose blood, as a force giving him the will to live, is strong despite his sins. Christmas associates physical blood with his impressions of women, defines races and genders by the smell of their blood, and is guilty and damned because of the darkness in his "black blood." Christmas's view of the world and of issues Faulkner intimately relates to him, in particular sexuality, race, and religion, is tinted by the images of blood revolving around him.    Blood is one of the most important elements in Christmas's view of sexuality. He has a twisted perception of women and his sexual role due to his traumatic first exposure to sexuality at the age of five, in which he perceived the sex act as violent and disgusting. Christmas overheard a sexual ... ...ng him lifeless both physically and spiritually, though his influence lasts beyond his years. Christmas's "mixed" blood and mixed ethnicity provide imagery for the themes of race and religion; his conception of himself and the world is strongly impacted by his confusion over these two issues. His ideals are further affected by the connections he draws between blood and sexuality: he views blood as an inherent part of femininity, and he sees sex as a violent struggle for dominance. Whether it is a definition of race, a definition of sin or godliness, or a definition of the essence of females, the image of blood influences Christmas's perception of the world around him.    Works Cited Faulkner, William. Light in August. 1932. Notes Joseph Blotner, Editor's note Noel Polk. New York: Vintage Books, 1990

Countrywide Financial

Countrywide Financial: The Subprime Meltdown Course:| MAN3065| | Team or Group #:| 8| Date submitted:| 02/27/13| Reference#:| 726077| | Term:| 2012-2| | Days:| M & W| | Time:| 7:05pm – 8:20pm| | Prof: | Hoa N. Burrows, CPA| Countrywide Financial: The Subprime Meltdown Questions: 1. Are subprime loans an unethical financial instrument, or are they ethical tools that were misused? We believed subprime loans are ethical tools that were misused.Subprime loans involve â€Å"lending to borrowers, generally people who would not qualify for traditional loans, at a rate higher than the prime rate† (Ferrell et al 385) meaning that it is a financial instrument in which borrowers benefit from accessing capital that otherwise would have been denied to them, and financial institutions benefit from charging a higher interest. What made subprime loans so attractive was the fact that it enabled low-income individuals and minorities (no qualifies for regular loans) to have access to home ownership.In the right hands, in the right time, a subprime loan could signify an important tool for different minorities to improve the quality of their lives by obtaining financing for more than just home mortgages but also school tuition, for example (Iacono). However, as the Countrywide Financial case illustrates, there is wide misuse of this tool by institutions that engage in indiscriminate lending for the sake of short-term profits at the risk of major financial downturn, as in the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Ferrell et al 388) Moreover, while lending money to low-income and minority families justifies a higher interest rate due to the risk of debt default, lending money to families that would very unlikely be in the capacity to fully repay their mortgage is a threat to both the financial institution – who would had lost the invested money – and the borrowers who would be forced to face foreclosure; but even more threatening were the endless securities backed on these subprime loans, whose real risk were only known by Countrywide Financial.By deciding to lend money indiscriminately, this company ended up misusing a financial instrument that would have otherwise brought on progress for its customers and the company itself. 2. Discuss the ethical issues that caused the downfall of Countrywide Financial Different ethical issues caused the downfall of Countrywide Financial including unethical actions of both the company and the borrowers. Firstly, Countrywide Financial misused the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM): Borrowers were told that they would not get negatively affected with an increasing interest rate as the value of their property would increase accordingly.Nonetheless, when the recession came many of these borrowers discovered they were unable to pay. (Ferrell et al 386). Secondly, between many of the accusations against Countrywide, two of the main ones were that â€Å"real estate appraisers began to inflate the value of homes to ens ure that loans would go through. † (Ferrell et al 387), and that they had a special VIP discount mortgage programs for high-end well qualified individuals who had no need for discounts, called â€Å"Friends of Angelo†, Angelo Mozilo’s – Countrywide Financial CEO -friends including Senator Charles E. Schumer and Representative Henry A.Waxman. (Ferrell et al 390) Fourthly, Countrywide Financial was negligent in knowingly â€Å"giving out highly risky loans to people who could not afford them for the sake of quick profit† (Ferrell et al 389) which also brought out the question of whether the company was also involved in predatory lending – misleading its borrowers. (Ferrell et al 389) On the other hand, borrower’s actions were also unethical as it was proven they were dishonest in their loan applications: â€Å"90% of liar loan applicants knowingly overstated their income, with three out of five overstating it by at least 50%. However th is fact only seems to prove that Countrywide was helping borrowers falsifying information in order to secure the loan. (Ferrell et al 389) 3. How should Bank of America deal with potential ethical and legal misconduct discovered at Countrywide Having acquired Countrywide Financial’s debt and bad reputation, Bank of America should focus on disconnecting itself from previous affiliates that were a part of the former company during their financial meltdown, such as ex CEO Angelo Mozilo, ex COO David Sambol, and ex CFO Sieracki (Ferrell et al 392).In addition to this they should make sure that the required information is being promptly provided to pertaining authorities. Moreover, Bank of America should ensure that a proper risk management policy is set up, continuing as well with programs to ease loan terms and prevent borrowers from losing their homes, such as the Countrywide Comprehensive Home Preservation Program which helped consumers refinance their debt. Ferrell et al 388) In conclusion, Bank of America should continue with their current actions whilst making sure the authorities are getting the information necessary to reach the bottom of what really happened at Countrywide Financial, and thus prevent this situation from ever happening again. . Works Cited Ferrell, O. C. , John Fraedrich and Linda Ferrell. Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. Mason: South-Western, 2011. Iacono, Tim. â€Å"Iacono Research†. One-Third of Student Loans Are Subprime Loans. 04 02 2013. 22 02 2013 .

A compare and contrast Analysis of “The Metamorphosis” and “The Things They Carried” Essay

Society’s alienation and misunderstanding of humanity can transform once life, both Gregor Samsa and Norman Bowker suffered from isolation. Freedom is truly conquered when one is at full peace spiritually; one can be imprisoned in its own thoughts, desires and memories. To follow I will provide examples form both narrative texts were both characters are imprisoned in their own thoughts, desires and memories. In the process of discovering true freedom Gregor is pressured by society and his family to support them after his father lost his job. â€Å"At the time Gregor’s sole desire was to do his utmost to help the family to forget as soon as possible the catastrophe that had overwhelmed the business and thrown them all into a state of complete desire.† Trapped in a jam box where he must be exceptional, with a work mentality to support the family. Hating his job as a travelling salesman, but must continue doing it to pay off his parents’ debts all he talks about is how exhausting the job is, how irritating it is to be always travelling: making train connections, sleeping in strange beds, always dealing with new people and never getting to make new friends or even a loved one. We can see this on the text when he has the magazine cover instead of a real picture with a friend or a loved one (pg 89). â€Å" Hung the picture which he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and put into a pretty gilt frame. It showed a lady, with a fur cap on and a fur stole, sitting upright and holding out to the spectator a huge fur muff into wich the whole of her forearm had vanished!† Leaving behind his desires as a human being all he will think about was his father’s debt and how much he will have to work to help his family. Gregor had earned so much money that he was able to meet the whole family expenses. We can see evidence in the text on (pg 111). â€Å"They had simply got used to it, both the family and Gregor; the money was gratefully accepted and gladly given, but there was no special uprush of warm feeling.† His family has used Gregors noble hearth for their own benefit, for comfort since he was able to meet the whole family’s expenses and in returned cold hard words, and isolation were given to him, no love. No true family love disgusted by the truth cockroach he had become, an animal treated like one left in the dust, completely alone slowly becoming a curse in his sister’s eyes and the rest of the family. We can see some of the sister’s rejection toward Gregor when she brings in the food on (pg 107). â€Å" But his sister at once noticed, with surprise, that the basin was still full, except for a little milk that had been spilled all around it, she lifted it immediately, not with her bare hands, true, but with a cloth and carried it away.† Trapped inside a body that repulses his family months passed by and Gregor is physically and mentally abused by his father several times, starving for true family love. At the end of the text when Gregor finds humanity, he feels no shame about anything or anybody he moves toward the music fights towards something that he felt passion about without thinking about the others. Is when Gregor truly understand the meaning of freedom and what it is to be human. On the other hand Norman Bowker and courage soldier, a survivor from the Vietnam War who fought for our freedom. A true warrior earned 7 medals in his soldier journey and he will not see the greatest in him. Having difficulty adjusting to everyday life in the late afternoon on the Fourth of July holiday, Norman drives around the lake on his dads Chevy for hours, passing time and thinking about his life before the war, as his memories from Vietnam. He remembers driving around the lake with Sally before the war thinking about how his friends have gotten married or moved away to find jobs. Complete alone, isolated from his family and the world he imagines a conversation with his dad. We can see that Norman Bowker has no pride in him constantly putting himself down like it was no brave thing to accomplish the 7 medals on (pg 162). â€Å"Well this one time, this one night out by the river†¦ I wasn’t very brave.† â€Å" You have seven medals.† â€Å"Sure.† â€Å" Seven. Count ‘em. You weren’t a coward either.† â€Å" Well, maybe not. But I had the chance and I blew it. The stink, that’s what  go to me. I couldn’t take a goddamn awful smell.† Norman continues to drive around the lake while listening to the radio and thinks more about courage and cowardice was something small and stupid. Thinking about the incident that led up to Kiowa’s death on that rainy shit field and recalls the scene with great detail as the memories play again and again in his mind. Torturing him every second, thinking that he could have done more, and extra effort would have saved him and putting the guilt on him. His consciences was stronger them him unable to cope with his life, trapped in thoughts. The war was over and his not free, his locked in in his horrible memory punishing him every second of his life, complete alone from the world and eventually killed himself. He hanged himself. Overall both text Frank Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis and The Things They Carried contributed me to a better constructive symbol of what means to be human since we see the downfalls and rises from each character. Gregor provides the strength to fight for your beliefs for what moves you in life as a person. I realized that one has to enjoy life have friends spend time with their love ones and grow as a person, not just work because at the end you may never know what can happen and Norman Bowker taught me that we have to be at peace with our sol and mind, learning to forgive ourselves to turn the page of that horrible experience we had in life, even if sometimes can take a life time.

What Makes Us Human

Anthropologists say that we are humans because of evolution. The portion of DNA that is responsible for the structure of proteins is 99. 4% common in humans and chimpanzees. Anthropologists say that we are humans because of evolution. The portion of DNA that is responsible for the structure of proteins is 99. 4% common in humans and chimpanzees. The dictionary says that human beings are individuals of the genus Homo, or more specifically, Homo sapiens. That only answers the anthropological aspect of what makes us human.Paul Bae also takes the anthropological stance on humankind saying that â€Å"Changes caused by evolution and time make us human. † When asked what separates humans from animals, he replied saying â€Å"human minds are more developed than animals, allowing humans to be at the top of the food chain. † Psychologists say a distinctive quality in humans is the cognitive process. The cognitive process is a demonstration of the central ability humans possess th at define us. More simply, it is our ability to think and make decisions. The brain plays the most crucial part in the cognitive process.The part of the brain that differentiates the human brain from brains of other species’ is the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex controls senses, thoughts, language and memory. The brain plays the most crucial part in the cognitive process. The part of the brain that differentiates the human brain from brains of other species’ is the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex controls senses, thoughts, language and memory. Aaron Marentette agrees with psychologists and says â€Å"The thing that makes us humans is our ability to make smart choices and just choices in general. When he was asked the question of what difference there is between humans and animals, he responded, saying â€Å"The difference is that we have undergone evolution and therefore, have become more civil. † Finally, sociologists say that the factor that makes humans human is culture. Culture is simply the ideas, abilities, and behaviours people have acquired to become members of society. Culture is always evolving in society and the world and it mainly unique to the human species. Above: Culture plays a huge part in shaping humans.Culture affects how we treat each other and interact. Above: Culture plays a huge part in shaping humans. Culture affects how we treat each other and interact. Below: Culture is specific to humans. Animals indicate SOME aspects of culture but it is ingrained by genetic programming. Humans can change their environment and pass the changes onto their children. Below: Culture is specific to humans. Animals indicate SOME aspects of culture but it is ingrained by genetic programming. Humans can change their environment and pass the changes onto their children.Max Nascimento believes that we are human because â€Å"humans have free will and have the ability to conquer anything we envision. † His thoughts on th e variation between humans and animals are that â€Å"animals walk on four legs, act on instinct, and don’t have a conscience. † All three answers to what makes us human are correct. Evolution made us human through changes in DNA. The cognitive process made us human through our ability to problem solve and think. And finally culture shaped us into the social beings we are. They are all factors that affect humans and differentiate us from any other living species on this planet.

Management Information System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management Information System - Essay Example The variety of services offered to the passengers may be extended to include, for instance, communication between the cabins, GPS service, gambling etc. The system may also provide the customization of the offerings, by finding the stored information about the choices made during the previous trip and suggesting to a passenger his or her favorite dish or wine. On the other hand, for the ship managers and personnel the Ship Partner provides enormous benefits as well. By maintaining an extensive real-time database, allowing easy extraction of the information in the form of reports needed and facilitating the communication process with the passengers, the Ship Partner allows the managers to focus more on the core competencies. If there is no need to devote a lot of time to conducting these activities, the management can concentrate on providing a better customer service and inventing ways to improve cruise ship's current operational activities. In general, such an information system and communication network, customized to the needs of particular business sphere, would prove to be of use in the sectors for which reliable and up-to-date clients' information and provision of a high-level services to the custome

Human health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human health - Essay Example The development of stress related heat diseases will continue until they become epidemic if adaptation and remedies to the problem are not put into place. As a result of increases in overall temperatures on the surface of the Earth and increase radiant effects from the sun, the increases in non-communicable disease caused by global temperature elevation will continue to increase as human life begins to change in relationship to the effect. Climate change is about the sun. The way in which the radiation of the sun is distributed by the complex systems that prevent the Earth from scorching or freezing from the balance between radiation and the gasses that radiate into the system is essential to understand in order to understand how temperature affects the human body. It is also essential to understand how the sun’s rays affect the overall nature of human health both through giving vitamins, but also in creating damage to the skin, which is the body’s way of regulating tem perature. ... biodiversity loss, changing timing of growing seasons, coastal erosion and aquifer salinisation, permafrost thaw, ocean acidification, and shifting ranges for pests and diseases†. In other words, the entire natural world is at risk for changes that can be detrimental to existing ecological balance and will result in a shift in the way in which disease and pestilence is spread. The UK government is in a constant effort to pass and implement Bills that will require the reduction of greenhouse emissions because of the importance of this problem (Great Britain 2007). The greenhouse effect is defined by the way in which thermal radiation is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere and then re-radiated into a variety of directions. Some of it is radiated towards the Earth. This re-radiation is being increased by the accumulation of gasses in the atmosphere which in turn is increasing the temperature of the Earth’s surface. The natural greenhouse gasses help the Earth to make human life possible by creating the optimum temperature at which life can thrive. Human activities are now putting that balance in jeopardy as deforestation and burning fossil fuels are putting the effect out of balance (Porteous 2008, p. 314). Human activity has created an anthropogenic influence on the ozone layer which impacts the greenhouse gasses and radiation of the sun since the 1950s, but the debate about its existence still rages on (Muller 2010, p. 12). 2.1 Affects of Climate Change The surface effects will be drought, the inability to grow grains, about 25% of the worlds species will be at risk for extinction, and communities will suffer from heat stress that will result in a number of different manifestations (World Bank 2011, p. 78). Industry capacities will change, meaning that work may

Pollution & the Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pollution & the Environment - Essay Example Water may be polluted when pollutants come from point or non-point sources. Non-point sources include those sources that are non-discrete or that do not originate from one discrete source. Non-point pollution arises from the cumulative effect of contaminating agents in little quantities over a large area. When nitrogen compounds found in fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and other agricultural products leach out, it can easily cause pollution. Sheet flow over land used for agriculture may lead to pollution of water as the nutrients that were present in soil runoff in storm water. Point sources of pollution are those sources that come from discrete sources. For example, when a manufacturing company discharges hot water from its cooling system into a river, lake or other water body making the water body to become warm, pollution occurs from a point source. There are a wide range of agents that may cause water pollution. Some of these pollutants include pathogens, chemicals, and physical changes to the natural characteristics of water. While some minerals naturally occur in water, when their concentration in the water goes beyond the natural limit, the water is considered to be contaminated. Also, when substances that cause oxygen to be depleted in water such as man-made chemicals, grass and leaves, water pollution occurs. Pathogens or disease causing organisms such as Salmonella, Giardia lamblia, Burkholderia pseudomallei, and Cryptosporidium parvum may get into the water when waster water or sewage is not adequately treated (Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservatio, 2002). Chemical contaminants of water may include detergents, petroleum hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), products used for disinfection and waste from tree logging operations. Inorganic water pollutants include sulphur dioxide that is