Dangers of Darkness in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: essays research papers

Webster’s dictionary defines darkness as a space â€Å"devoid or partially devoid of light.† Throughout Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad uses darkness in many ways, as this book truly defines its title. This also develops Conrad’s theme, which is the presence of darkness in both ourselves, and in the world we live. Darkness symbolizes the unknown, the concealed, and the feared. Darkness can hide many hurtful, fearful, and savage things. Several times in the novel readers can see characters afraid of the darkness and the unknown behind it. One of these is when the men aboard the steamboat, which is heading into dense fog, hear a piercing scream. The men are especially frightened because the source of this scream is unknown because of the darkness. Darkness is also shown throughout the book as an abstract term referring to the absence of morals in a society. The â€Å"darkness† of the country conceals the brutal actions of the region. This is especially evident in Kurtz’s most barbaric act, the placement of human heads on poles that surround his house. Conrad tries to portray to readers that the fearful â€Å"darkness† can also be something that is not strictly literal, but instead something spiritual. Lastly, the tendency toward darkness in all humans is evident in this book. First the company of men is willing to go into the darkness of the jungle because of the potential of wealth. Secondly, this is portrayed when the men see the sunlight, and instead of heading towards it they decide to head back into the darkness. Conrad is showing readers that human’s natural tendency is to head towards the darkness instead of light. This is summed up beautifully at the end of the book when the narrator says the boat is headed â€Å"into the heart of an immense darkness.† This shows that from beginning to end humans have that natural tendency to head into the â€Å"darkness.

Muslims and non Muslims interactions in the world Essay

A Muslim is a person who claims to follow the Islamic teachings while Islam is the people ‘s way of life of the Muslims. The Qur’an is the source book of the Muslims and contains in it the message that Allah gave to his prophet. Islam’s beliefs, goals and values have been controversial in the modern world and the media has been reporting on it more so after the11th September 2001 in USA (Ahmad 2011). This has been followed by many misconceptions associated with their way of life. Islam continues to be practiced all over the world by the many diverse cultures. This paper will look into the countries that Islam is practiced and its effects to the general population residing in these countries. Some of these countries will include USA, India, Pakistan and others. This will lead to the differences between other main types of worship like Christianity and Judaism with Islam. Due to the diverse understanding of Islam by the people, there are different reactions from dif ferent groups in the world. Many of the misconceptions about Islam are due to lack of adequate knowhow of its beliefs mostly of the non-Muslim. Misconception on Islamic beliefs, goals and values The Quran teaches on the equality and the marrying those without husbands and being faithful to them. On the issue of inheritance, it is the sole duty of the man to work and provide for the family. The woman on the other side is to be provided and is not to support the family. This explains why men should have twice the amount of inheritance as compared to women. This clears the misconception that women are not valued in Islam. Another main misconception about Islam is that it is meant to the Arabs. This is because the Quran is written in Arabic and most of the Muslims are Arabs. This is a misconception because only 18 percent of the Muslims are Arabs. The country with the highest number of Muslims is Indonesia followed by Bangladesh both of which are not Arabic countries. Islam has spread in all corners of the world and does not include Arabs only, although the Quran was first written in the language. There is also the belief that Muslims kill innocent people in the form of holy war. The Quran teaches about the need to preserve life and no one should take away life apart from the one who gives it. Islam stands firm that a real Muslim will observe this order from the Quran and Sunnah. Anybody who does kill innocent people is not a Muslim by deeds, but by the word of the mouth. Many people in the world believe that the Muslim community worship a man by the name of Muhammad. On the contrary, it is lack of knowledge of Islamic teachings since he is only a messenger from Allah. Quran and Sunnah teach of a monotheistic Islam mode of worship and only a non-Muslim would argue that they do worship a prophet. The Quran continues to erase the misconception that they do not recognize Jesus. But the main truth is that the Muslims recognize Jesus, but not as the son of God, but as just one of the prophets that served Allah. Teachings of Islam and its effects in different countries According to Dabashi (2012), in the USA, Many of the Muslims believe that Religion is a vital part of their worship. Many of the Muslims pray every day with many praying the five Salah. Others attend the weekly religious meetings in the mosques and many of the Muslims in this country believe that it is not Islam only that can take people to the paradise. USA is characterized by many groups of Muslims with different beliefs. Some believe in Muhammad, angels, God and others in the judgment day. Women have their separate place of worship like in other countries, although women do not wear hijab mostly as compared to other countries. They have been seen negatively since the 11th September issue, but they have remained resilient and remain active in the economic and political activities. In the United Kingdom, the Muslim community has involved itself in the creative lifestyle as many are artists. The women have followed the fashion diversity of the country. They have raised Islam by use of creative arts and have even started a newspaper under their name. Many of them continue to be arrested, affected by diseases and poor educational levels. This shows how they have been neglected and seen as outsiders. India has experienced violence against the Muslims. This has been attributed to socio-political and historical reasons with the Hindus. This has been brought by competition in business where Muslims businesses are targeted plus they are seen as a political threat to the Hindus due to their increasing numbers (Dabashi 2012).) Pakistan’s population is made up of Muslims raging to 96 percent. There are Islamic schools that teach people on the modern education. Due to media influence, women have been forced to wear Hijabs. There has also reduction in the number of attacks due to the intervention of the government and agencies of intelligence.In the middle East part of the world, Muslim enjoys a huge following with Judaism and Christianity also having following but not as Islam. Sunni is the major part of the Muslim and Shi’a is the minority. Violence has always been there due to the two having conflicts on who is to lead the Muslims in general. Judaism in Middle East is commonly found in Israel while Christians migrated into the area long time ago. The number of Christians has been decreasing due to the persecution by the majority who are the Muslims.This is due to Jihad as anybody who does not believe in Allah deserves not to live. Relationship between Islam, Christianity and Judaism All the three religions have one God and are as a result of one father who is Abraham(Peters 2008). The source books are the Bible, Quran and Hebrew Tanakh. According to the Christians, Jesus Christ comes to reconcile people and forgive sins, in Islam was to spread the gospel while Judaism does not attach any relevant role of Christ. He is the second in the trinity born of a virgin in Christianity, a prophet sent by Allah for the Muslims and Judaism does not attach any relevant tittle but takes him as an ordinary Jew. In Christianity, sin is inherited from Adam, Muslims believe they were born without sin while Judaism does not show any knowledge of sin that is original. Interaction of Muslims and Non-Muslims Allah did not object to the idea of Muslims mixing with non-Muslims in the Quran. He, however,proposes that such a relationship should be to promote peace and order. For this reason, Muslims in the world mix freely with the non-believers. This is an exception of countries with different understanding of the non-Muslims who view them as not worth living for example in the Middle East. Islam teaches on peaceful coexistence and love to the mankind. This is the reason most of the Muslims in USA and Great Britain live in love with those who are not Muslims. They are taught not to take behaviors of the non-Muslims more so on the issue of dressing (Thomas et al 2009). Even when the enemies are against them, Islam teaches about finding amicable peaceful solutions and not war. Those who fight are not true Muslims, according to their belief and teachings. Muslim socializes with the non-Muslims to establish, compassion, justice and tolerance. They visit their sick, socialize during happy moment s, greetings in the form of handshake and hugging, sharing and giving them gifts. They also offer condolence messages when struck by a disaster. Conclusion Islam is a religion with a following in many countries in the world. Many of its believers are found in the Middle East part of the world. The religion has been full of misconceptions by the non-Muslims on their general beliefs and way of worship. Most of the people believe that women are not valued, that the Muslims do not recognize Jesus, Worship a person in the name of Muhammad and are mostly Arabs. These misconceptions are only to the people who do not know the teachings of the Quran. Islam is practiced by people of diverse cultures from USA to Great Britain, Pakistan and India. The teachings of Islam makes them relate well with the non-Muslims as it teaches on peaceful existence and love to the neighbors. Outline The research paper shows how Islam is a sensitive part of the general public in the country today. It has been associated with many misconceptions which are only false beliefs. The introduction in brief, explains the difference between Islam and Muslims and the different areas the paper will dwell on. The first part of the paper describes the main misconceptions that are there in the society. Many believe that Islam is a religion of the Arabs whereas the country with the highest number of Muslims is not Arabic speaking. There is also the misconception that Islam does not recognize Jesus and that it does not value women. It is also a misconception that Muslims worship a person. The second part shows the different areas and the reactions of Muslims towards the non-Muslims. These areas have different approach due to the diverse cultural beliefs in the areas. The third part describes the relationship among the three major religions which are Islam, Christianity and Judaism. This part shows a similarity among the three and some differences. This shows the different beliefs of the different groups in the different religions. This leads to the next part of the paper which is how the Muslims interact with the other groups which are not Muslims. This is based on the teachings of the Quran which insists on peace and love of the mankind. It also cautions on the influence of the non-Muslims to their beliefs and code of conduct. The conclusion concludes the main points that are discussed in the research paper. Reference Ahmad, S. D. (2011). Islam in perspective. S.l.: Authorhouse. Dabashi, H. (2012). Being a Muslim in the world: Rethinking Islam for a Post-Western History. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Peters, F. E., & Esposito, J. L. (2008). The Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam: A New Edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Thomas, D., Roggema, B., Monferrer, S. J. P., Chesworth, J., & Azumah, J. (2009). Christian Muslim relations: A bibliographical history. Leiden: Brill. Source document

Management and Work Culture Essay

Instrumental to conduct SWOT analysis, and 3. Plan and build strategy based on the work culture How to develop strategic and operational plans by knowing work culture It is integral part of any individual, and organization. It describes shared value of an organization. It helps anyone to understand how things are done. Here is my cultural preferences: well resourced, ethical, and teamwork centered. Knowing my ideal work culture, I can do better planning and formulate the strategies for an organization. My cultural preferences Necessary resources to do high standard work. Using advantages of available resources, one can do better job of delivering projects with high quality standards. Active promotion of equal rights and justice for all. It will create a culture to grow with the company attitude. Fairness among the employees and employer makes everyone trust each other and the employer. Emphasis on social and environmental responsibility. In this culture, work and life balance here. Social and environmental responsibility culture will help employees more committed to the employer. Because organization is not just focusing on profit itself but also understand human values and help communities around them. Interdependence. Culture of interdependence makes everyone connected, and emphasis the important of collaboration between them. It results toward high level of performance, innovation, and productivity. Friendly and supportive colleagues. Friendliness and supports among colleagues is highly important for employees to challenge themselves, confront each other, and share the knowledge between them. Essential Competencies to Conducting (SWOT) analysis Strategizing competency is one of the most essential to do SWOT analysis. Steps to conduct SWOT analysis: 1. Identify mission statement and goals, 2. Review of internal strength and weaknesses, and 3. To find external opportunities and threats that affect the business or an organization. How my competencies relate to the essential competencies for conducting a SWOT analysis Based on competencies and career interests profiler, my strength are 1.

Business Ethics And Social Responsibility Commerce Essay

Business Ethics And Social Responsibility Commerce Essay Generation of maximum returns for its stakeholders is the ultimate purpose of any business establishment but over the last decade, there has been an ongoing dialogue about the role of business as responsible stewards. Though profit motive for any organization is well understood and accepted, people do not accept it as an excuse for ignoring the basic norms, values, and standards of being a good and responsible citizen. Standards, Norms Procedures and expectations to define values of responsible business conduct are emerging worldwide. In the past few years, ethical problems in business have been reported several times by leading newspaper and magazines. The term ‘ethics’ is mainly used to refer to the rules or principles that define the right and wrong conduct. According to Clarence D. Walton and La Rue Tone Hosmer, â€Å"business ethics is concerned with truth and justice and has a variety of aspects such as the expectations of society, fair competition, advertising, public relations, social responsibilities, consumer autonomy, and corporate behavior in the home country as well as abroad.† Practically speaking it can also be considered to be a value system which is â€Å"concerned primarily with the relationship of business goals & techniques to specifically human ends†, It also means viewing the needs & aspirations of individuals as a part of society. In the present day scenario it is one of the major task for the management to inculcate values & impart a sense of business ethics to the employees and organization, Managers, especially top-level managers, are responsible for creating an environment that fosters ethical decision-making in organization. Theodore Purcell and James Weber suggested three ways for applying and integrating ethical concepts: 1. Establishing of a policy regarding ethical behavior or developing a code of ethics in organization 2. An ethics committee in organization to resolve ethical issues 3. Teaching busine ss ethics and values in management development programs. These concepts should be applied taking into consideration the Social, Cultural, Political and Economic factors that affects the state of personal value and business ethic within different industries. Types of Managerial Ethics Archie B. Carroll, an eminent researcher, identified three types of management ethics, depending on the extent to which the decisions were ethical or moral: moral management amoral management immoral management Types of Managerial Ethics 1) Moral management Moral management strives to follow ethical principles and doctrines. Moral managers work to succeed without violating any ethical standards. They seek to succeed remaining within the bounds of laws. Such managers undertake such activities which ensure that though they may engage in legal and ethical behavior, they also continue to make a profit. The law should be followed not only in letter but also in spirit. Moral managers always seek to determine whether their actions, behavior or decisions are fair to themselves as well as to all other stakeholders involved. In the long run, this approach is likely to be in the best interests of the organizations. 2) Amoral management This approach is neither immoral nor moral. Amoral management simply ignores ethical considerations. It is broadly categorized into two types – intentional and unintentional. Intentional amoral managers do not take ethical issues into consideration while making decisions or while taking any action, because in their perception, general ethical standards should only be applicable to the non-business areas of life. Unintentional amoral managers, however, do not even consider the moral implications of their decisions or actions. Amoral managers pursue profitability as the only goal and pay very little attention to the impact on any of their social stakeholders. They do not like to interfere in their employees’ activities, unless their behavior can le ad to government interference. The guiding principle of amoral management is – â€Å"Within the law of the land, will this action, decision, or behavior help us make money?†

Homework 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homework 5 - Essay Example The main aim of getting enlightened is to gain confidence in extricating themselves from minority, a public should enlighten itself hence have its freedom since in each society there is always a few independent thinkers, who are beyond the yoke of minority and embraced a spirit of rational valuing of one’s own worth which summons everyone to think of their own. Individual who by themselves are unable to be enlightened cannot be able to redeem the society from the yoke of minority which only deals with being dependent. For enlightenment to take place, freedom to make public use of one’s reason in all matters, this implies that one can argue as much as possible but obey due to the limits that exist with freedom. a person should obey the laid down procedures and process but also should be allowed to make remarks about the errors and also putting them before his public for appraisal. Though slowly, the society is becoming enlightened due to emergence of many scholars. Teachers and clergymen in schools and religious institutions who encourage people to be rationale thinkers, we cannot comfortably say that we are in an enlightenment age but we can conclude that wee are in an age of enlightenment. Kant states that were are in the genuine age of criticism where he explains that the power of judgment should no longer be put off with illusory knowledge and demands that reasons to be taken on a new difficult task which is called self-knowledge which shall be a way of instituting a court of justice, where the reason may secure its rightful claims while dismissing all its own eternal and unchangeable laws. In addition, the decision about the possibility or impossibility of a metaphysics in general and the determination of its sources which is mainly determined by the principles. for a critique to be complete it should have comprehensive system which should require derivative concepts to be present, however it cannot be pre-estimated in a

Talk about science of astronomy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Talk about science of astronomy - Essay Example It is from these humble beginnings that astronomy takes off to become one of the important sciences, as it provides the means to look back to the origin of all life including human kind, as well look forward to provide glimpses of what could happen in the future to the universe that we all live in. Early astronomy made known to the ancients the existence of five planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter besides the sun, moon and the stars with their visibility to the naked eye. To the Egyptians and the Chinese go the initial credits in astronomy. The Egyptians divided the stars into constellations, but in a different manner than what is known today, and the Chinese with their keen observation came to understand eclipses. However, early astronomy was affected significantly by the limitations of the vision of the naked eye. This gave rise to many fallacies that were to remain a part of early astronomy. These fallacies included the belief that the earth was flat and the earth was the centre of the universe, around which all other objects in space went round and round. That was what they saw and hence the believed it. It was not until development of astronomy in its true form, in Greece from approximately 600 B.C. onwards that there was a better understanding of the universe we lived. It was Aristotle who, based on his observations, suggested that the earth was round. Eratosthenes in 240 B.C. calculated the circumference of the earth, and Hipparchus drew up an accurate catalogue of the stars. Amidst these contributions from the Greeks was also the contribution of Ptolemy towards extending the false geo-centric belief, as he devised an ingenious system to explain observations on earth from a geo-centric perspective. The Church was to extend support to this theory and it remained in place for many centuries, right up to the fifteenth century. In the sixteenth century Nicolas Copernicus based on the observations of the movements of the sum moon and

Political Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political Systems - Essay Example Political system of Libya In accordance with the article â€Å"Libya is Bigger for EU than for US† published by European Affairs on the official website of the European Institute, â€Å"the revolt in Libya differs radically from the recent regime changes in neighboring Egypt† (Libya). The author considers that Libya has the largest degree of violence and transatlantic challenges. The Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi is described as a ‘mad dog’, but still USA and EU have economic or business affairs with this country. If America tried to fight against Libyan repressive regime, EU has already established certain economic concerns. At first European countries and America neglected oppression of Libyans human rights, but currently the main political issues of cooperation with Libya are solved and the world’s society makes an attempt to pacify a bloodbath. Oppressions of Gaddafi and military forces directed on civilians are severely criticized in the modern world. Therefore it is relevant to establish a new regime in Libya and not to ‘squeeze’ current repressive process. ... Further on the article deals with considerations of potential risks for Europe and America. The main impact on Europe is seen in oil output of Libya and oil supply of the EU. Migration to European countries, especially to Italy is another challenge caused by current turmoil in Libya. Unlike Europe, America tries to pacify terroristic moods in this country and made an attempt to fight against it by military attacks in 1984. Thus the political leader of Libya is scared off by America, but Europe is on the starting point of conflicts with Libya. Consequently, on the background of challenging international relations with Libya, social turmoil is shown. Libyans do not want to be â€Å"rooted in tribalism which Gaddafi carefully preserved and nurtured as part of his technique of divide-and-rule in Libya† (Libya). Thus Libya is in a more unstable position than Egypt, where military force is the basic pillar of the country. Political system of Egypt In the article â€Å"Egypt and the   Middle East:  revolution  or evolution?† the political system of Egypt is also described on the background of current turmoil events. The repressive regime of Egypt made this nation to fight against repressive regime and to protest against ‘fake’ elections. Egyptian nation has been tired of oppression and tyranny. This revolt is a sign of nation’s evolution from scared off social subjects to individuals striving for independence and democracy. Egyptians want â€Å"freedom and justice for every Egyptian† (Egypt). The main emphasis in this article is made on a potential struggle of ME against high-speed development of China and India. The author suggests to make an attempt and to fight for developing of the country. Therefore there are