Does the Pentateuch tell a good story Essays

Does the Pentateuch tell a good story Essays Does the Pentateuch tell a good story Essay Does the Pentateuch tell a good story Essay Essay Topic: Left To Tell Religion The Pentateuch the first five books of the Old Testament seems to be fundamentally fragmented in form. Genesis tells of creation and of the early history of Israel up until preparations to leave Egypt, the next three books consider Israels drift through the desert and the laws formed on these travels, while Deuteronomy exists for the most part as a collection of laws and legislative poetry by Moses. Can such fragments make a good story? However, while the Pentateuch is both divided into five parts and appears to be fragmented in style and subject, the Pentateuch manages to show a unity in narrative1. What do we today understand by the term a good story? I would suggest that a clear beginning, middle and end are essential to hold onto narrative meaning and coherence as a story. The beginning must be powerful, must be able to address universal problems and questions and must both set the scene and introduce essential characters. The middle must intrigue, excite and be meaningful, while the end must seek to wrap up any questions or problems addressed and wrap up the narrative. I believe that to some degree, the Old Testament manages to do this. Genesis 1 is most definitely a powerful beginning. Surely nothing can be more grand and universal in scale that the very creation of the universe? Genesis also acts to introduce the main character of the Pentateuch, God, and His creation of man and the world. The first chapters of Genesis have to be seen to act as a universal framework for the way that we are to understand God, and indeed the world. But the story of creation must not be literally interpreted, or thought of as myth. The use of the word myth to describe this section of Genesis is frequently used, but can be misleading. Myths are often based on fantasy and fiction, but the creation story must be seen as aiming to give a true portrayal of the world and of humanity in the world in relation to God. Genesis establishes Him as the fundamental base and character through which all is to be interpreted. Genesis aims to set the scene for the way in which we are to understand the relationship between man and God. The overarching theme is that even though mans disobedience seems to isolate him from God, darkness and potential death are turned around. It appears that, salvation is identical with creation. 2 The first story of this kind in Genesis is that of Adam and Eve. Their disobedience of God in search of the fruit of knowledge and hence the attempt to become gods themselves, is met with severe punishment through the Fall they are separated from paradise and are met with pain and suffering. God, however, dresses them in skins which shows that life with God is not totally broken. Similarly, the story of Noah and the Ark shows how the evil and disobedience of man is punished with obliteration. Yet still potential life with God can be seen through the relationship of God and Noah. Noahs obedience of Gods word saved him and his family. These two stories are stories of the human condition to disobey God and to act evilly. Each one, however, ends in a glimmer of hope that suggests life with God. This possible life with God is articulated in His relationship with Abraham which begins in Genesis 12. The relationship between God and Abraham shows the reader emphatically how God deals with the human condition described in Genesis 1-11. This relationship is the realisation of a new beginning with God at the helm, and although the relationship is with Abraham alone and therefore seems to narrow down the extent of Gods work, this relationship holds a universal importance. Gods covenant with Abraham (seen in Genesis 15) can be seen as turning the darkness of the evil of man into a true life with God. However, even though the central theme is that God is offering as the saviour of Israel, he tells of a dark and terrifying future; a future of slavery and oppression. Faith is therefore an integral part of the story of Abraham. This is best shown when God instructs Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. The sacrifice of Isaac, his only son from his wife Sarah, would surely lead to an awful and dark place in his life. God rewards Abrahams faith by sparing Isaacs life, but also Abraham is to be blessed with offspring, as numerous as the stars of heaven and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves 3 God shows universally that, if you obey God and have faith in His word, then you be blessed and find life with God. The story of Joseph is, however, the first great masterpiece of the Pentateuch. The point of the story is that Gods will is being articulated even though the individuals who are involved in it may not be entirely conscious of it. It appears to be the most coherent story met yet in the Pentateuch. Indeed, G. von Rad writes that, the stories about Joseph are clearly distinguished from those about Abraham and Jacob, and are a real connected narrative and not a compilation of many previously independent traditions. 4 Coherence, it seems, appears to be integral to unifying the narrative of the Pentateuch. The most powerful, dramatic and coherent story in the Pentateuch, however, must surely be Israels escape from Egypt with Moses a story that is also of utmost importance for the remaining parts of the Pentateuch. Exodus, the second book of the Pentateuch, essentially traces the escape from Egypt and Israels stay at Mount Sinai. We are shown very early on that this story will be central to both the Pentateuch and the Old Testament, as it is here that the real name of God, Yahweh, is revealed both in Exodus 3:15 and 6:2. Through Moses, God works to save Israel from the Egyptians, most notably by sending ten plagues on Egypt. Eight of these plagues affected agriculture in ancient times society depended heavily on agriculture to trade and to survive at all. Therefore, eight plagues affecting Egypts agriculture must not be passed over as insignificant, but instead taken to be as deadly serious. As the Israelites exit Egypt, the story becomes sincere and soft in tone shown in Exodus 12:42, that same night is a vigil to be kept for the Lord by all the Israelites throughout their generations, followed by directions of how to act on this Holy day. This quiet, however, is shattered by the hugely dramatic pillars of cloud and fire, by which God lead the Israelites out of Egypt. The almost physical form of God here emphasises God integral involvement in the present and future of Israel, and that Moses liberated the Israelites through the power of God. The crossing of the Red Sea shows the reader both the great power of God working through Moses, and God wrath for those who are disobedient all the pursuers are drowned, showing that all those who act against His people, those who reject the word of God, shall die and themselves be rejected from a life with God. This coherent narrative, and the following story of the Israelites stay at Mt. Sinai, makes an important impact on the story of the Pentateuch as a whole. Much of the rest of the book of Exodus is of a legislative nature, as is Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. However, as extensive areas of these books are of a legislative nature, can they really be said to make the Pentateuch a good story or in fact help to give a sense of overarching unity to the work as a whole? A narrative unity can be traced in the Pentateuch, although it is not at all times clear. Genesis acts as a prologue, while Exodus begins the story of Moses and the Israelites, but the story is broken with legislation surrounding the stay at Mt. Sinai. The Book of Leviticus acts to show what the Israelites must do for God, after showing them in Exodus what he had done for them in fact the instruction-like form of much of the scripture surrounding the stay at Mt. Sinai stretches from Exodus 19 Numbers 10; a significant body of work. One may ask how such interruptions to the narrative strengthen the Pentateuch as a story. It is important to understand that, aw lay at the foundation of Israels religion 5 Those who were disobedient to God in the past had been severely punished (Adam and Eve for example) and therefore Gods law became fundamental to Israels life and society. However, while there is definitely a narrative unity in the Pentateuch, it is often extremely thin and loosely scraped together. 6 Deuteronomy seems to be quite a separate collection of speeches all together. It is distinct in form, literary style and language and most scholars accept that Deuteronomy dates from the 7th century BCE obviously a far later work than Genesis through to Numbers. I am of the opinion that the collection of such obviously separate sources in Deuteronomy has resulted in a very uneven and inorganic whole. However, the Pentateuch does not exist without Deuteronomy, and the book does display narrative similarity with the previous books. For example, the Ten Commandments are restated in Deut 5 and Moses, the key figure in Israels history, both reminds Israel that God has cared for them, and himself acts as a symbol of Gods work. Deuteronomy can be seen as an expression of Gods basic will for Israels future, and ultimately acts as the culmination of the whole Pentateuch story. The book acts to emphasise that the Pentateuch has become the foundation story of Israel, a story that shapes and regulates Israel ever after, and a story that has become the canonical story of Israel. So what, if anything, is the unifying and underlying base of the Pentateuch as a story? Is there a thematic unity alongside the narrative? If the narrative exists as pearls on a necklace, is there a string upon which the narrative rests? Gods covenant could indeed be this theme, as it is an important feature of Genesis, Exodus and Deuteronomy. 7 One may also argue that Moses is the key theme. Although not present in Genesis, Gods word and action is articulated through Moses in Exodus-Deuteronomy. Scholars such as D. Clines argue that, The theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfilment of the promise to or blessing of the patriarchs 8 Clines thinks that this partial fulfilment can be seen in three stages: Genesis deals with the promise of descendants and great future generations, Exodus and Leviticus deal with promises surrounding the two way relationship between God and man, while Number and Deuteronomy deal with the promise of a land for Israel. The third stage is left unfulfilled at the end of the Pentateuch; the story is left seemingly incomplete. However, this can act to show modern readers that they are not simply looking back at the past, but that the Pentateuch is not a closed story it looks forward and therefore involves the modern reader in a story that regulated the life of Israel. Perhaps, also, the apparent failure of the Pentateuch to wrap up the loose ends must be viewed in the light of the New Testament? The Pentateuch could just be a signpost of that which is to come ultimately the Messianic prophesy. For example, the sacrifice of Christ can be seen as being prefigured by the near sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. If the Old Testament can be thought of as inconclusive and thought to require a sequel, then surely the New Testament is exactly this. God worked through Moses in the Old Testament; therefore, perhaps the embodiment of God in Christ in the New Testament can be seen to conclude perfectly the story that the Old Testament told. I would argue that the Pentateuch does tell a good story, and that it has both a narrative and thematic unity. Criticisers of the Pentateuch often make no attempt to ask, ow stories or literary complexes from originally discrete sources were to be read and understood when combined with one another 9 Negative evidence that suggests the disunity of the Pentateuch can be used constructively. It can show that consistent works can have their integrity destroyed by editorial attempts to mould them together. The Pentateuch, in the form that it exists today, can be seen as not only a collection of narrative sources, but also as a collection of theological concerns set against and integrated with one another, which together act in the past and the present to shape the life of Israel a life with God.

3 Problems with Parenthesis

3 Problems with Parenthesis 3 Problems with Parenthesis 3 Problems with Parenthesis By Mark Nichol Parenthesis is the strategy of setting a word, phrase, or clause off from a sentence to interject additional information into that statement. Despite the name, parenthesis can be accomplished with a two commas or a pair of dashes as well as with a brace of parentheses. However, several problems can occur when writers attempt to parenthesize: The punctuation employed is not appropriate, the parenthesis is misplaced in the sentence, or what appears to be a parenthetical element is in fact something else. The following sentences illustrate these three problems respectively. 1. He took it from me, stole it, really, years ago. Really is a parenthesis of â€Å"stole it† (a parenthesis can follow rather than interrupt the phrase or clause it supplements), and â€Å"stole it, really† is a parenthesis of â€Å"He took it from me years ago,† so a hierarchy of punctuation should be employed to clarify the sentence organization. Because dashes are more emphatic than commas, they should assume the major parenthetical role; the comma separating â€Å"stole it† and really can remain: â€Å"He took it from me- stole it, really- years ago.† 2. Attacks relating to phishing fraud attempts have been very common in recent times (e.g., someone posing as an organization’s CEO emails its CFO to request an urgent payment transfer). A parenthesis should be directly adjacent to the element of the sentence it pertains to. This parenthesis relates to â€Å"attacks relating to fraud attempts,† not to â€Å"recent times,† so it should immediately follow the former phrase: â€Å"Attacks relating to phishing fraud attempts (e.g., someone posing as an organization’s CEO emails its CFO to request an urgent payment transfer) have been very common in recent times.† 3. But the battle has not been lost- the battlefield keeps changing and continuing to evolve- as one door closes, another is opened. This sentence is punctuated as if â€Å"the battlefield keeps changing and continuing to evolve† is a parenthetical statement interrupting the framing sentence, but the statement that remains when the parenthesis is omitted is â€Å"But the battle has not been lost; as one door closes, another is opened,† which makes no sense, because the point of the second clause does not follow from that of the first. However, the statement between the dashes is not parenthetical, and the third clause is an extension of the second one, not the initial one. The first dash correctly signals that a shift in syntax is imminent (another function of the dash besides parenthesis), but another punctuation mark should replace the second dash so that the two dashes are not misinterpreted as bracketing a parenthetical comment: â€Å"But the battle has not been lost: The battlefield keeps changing and continuing to evolve; as one door closes, another is opened.† (Another option is to divide the sentence into two statements, as here: â€Å"But the battle has not been lost. The battlefield keeps changing and continuing to evolve; as one door closes, another is opened.† In this case, the second dash can be retained instead of replacing it with a semicolon.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals50 Idioms About Roads and Paths10 Tips About How to Write a Caption

Operations Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Operations Summary - Essay Example Examples of these include the grocery stores, ATM at banks, the supermarkets, websites and e-ticketing. In this design the physical office is eliminated (APICS) Personal attention: In this approach the customer has a minimum contact with the provider and the customer develops a relationship with the service provider representative. Eg sales person. This approach the work flow is not customized and provider seeks to build customer loyalty. Job Shop Process: This is manufacturing of a product in a fixed time and cost as per the requirements of the customer, and is done one by one. The jobs are unique, volumes are low and the variety is quite high (S. Anil Kumar, 2006, p. 17). The examples of Job Shops include in metal fabricators, ship building and in construction. Batch flow; examples of batch flow include air travelling, traditional mortgage loan processing, textile apparels, and bread factories. The products are manufactured in regular intervals, characterized by the routing of the jobs and sometimes the products are kept in a warehouse awaiting sales (S. Anil Kumar, 2006, p. 18). Assembly line: The examples of assembly line include in car manufacturing, mobile handset, television and most consumer products goods. The operations are performed in sequence and are assembly-oriented. The product moves from one workstation to the next in a sequence of operations and materials are handled by devices like conveyors (S. Anil Kumar, 2006, p.19). APICS. (n.d.). APICS Operations Management. Retrieved August 27, 2014, from APICS:

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Review - Article Example For instance, a drug called D-KLAKLAK-2, is known for destroying cancer cells. But it is also effective against Gram-negative a bacterium that fights against anti-biotic. Now scientists have devised a way to fuse this drug with naturally occurring toxins called AMPs. These are like the chemical weapons which bacteria themselves have developed overtime. So here comes the art of war; this AMP is combined with D-KLAKLAK and given to the patient. Now bacteria gets ‘confused’ and can’t predict or see a pattern in the drug that is in the body to kill it. It delivers a knockout punch and dies. In my view this is a brilliant scheme. It is wonderful to know that such innovation is possible in medicine. From research, it is proven that bacteria, over time, can develop highly immune system that can resist a drug that it is fighting. The more drug a patient takes, the more resistive bacteria becomes. To resolve this issue, scientists have developed a method to kill the bacteria by ‘distracting’ it. The drug is combined with naturally occurring toxins so the bacteria unable to ‘read’ the moves of the drug and gets effectively knocked out. In my opinion such innovative methods are must in any field. It is very common to observe that when a patient goes to a doctor and complains about some bacterial infection, usually the bacteria gets stronger, as if it has a mind of its own and practices fighting the drug, and gets stronger in the process. One thing that crossed my mind while reading the article was its effectiveness in proven tests and experiments. How successful has it been on humans/animals so far? This is the question I would like to be answered. The article doesn’t mention anything on this issue. Having said that, I still think that this method is very innovative, it seems theoretically sound. If there is a survey in which civilian opinion is required regarding approval or disapproval of this drug, I

Anthony Trollopes: An Eye for an Eye :: Ethics Morals Anthony Trollope

Anthony Trollope's: An Eye for an Eye Anthony Trollope's intense commitment to drawing for his readers a picture of the world as it actually is, to creating a fictional reality in which they "might recognise human beings like to themselves" (Autobiography 145), can obscure the depth and sincerity of his concern with the moral dilemmas confronting the characters he has so painstakingly rendered lifelike. But as the startlingly candid passage quoted above from the Autobiography reveals, Trollope's purposes in his fiction are not merely descriptive, but normative as well; he sets out both to show us "the way we live now" and to direct our attention to questions that are in the broadest sense ethical: how ought we to live? His unflagging desire to "please," however, and his firm belief in the primacy of characterization among the novelist's tasks render the extraction of his "system of ethics" from his novels a delicate and difficult task: his characters are, ineluctably, individuals and unlike those populating the works of more overtly "philosophical" novelists, cannot often be taken as unproblematic representatives of an abstract quality larger than themselves. Trollope's "system" is to be an ethics of everyday life, one that takes as its province situations irreducible to arid formulae. Close examination of the late novel An Eye for an Eye illustrates both the nuanced, even protean, subtlety of Trollopean ethics and the ways in which his moral code is complicated by the gender, class, and national dimensions of the life he portrays so vividly. The novel, in its remarkably evenhanded treatment of the agonizing choice facing a young English aristocrat who seduces and impregnates an Irish girl of disreputable provenance, displays a sophisticated and sympathetic understanding of the manner in which larger social and historical forces impinge on the decisions we make as supposedly free moral agents. The story dramatizes the tension between two approaches to moral problems: on one hand, there is what we might call an ethics of particulars, represented by Scroope Manor and the older members of the Neville family, an insistence that questions of right and wrong can only be justly resolved by reference to the social position of the moral agent and to the organic structure of the society in which he or she is enmeshed. On the other hand, there are the claims of a universalizing ethical praxis in which each individual must be viewed as an end in himself or herself, regardless of circumstance. Anthony Trollope's: An Eye for an Eye :: Ethics Morals Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope's: An Eye for an Eye Anthony Trollope's intense commitment to drawing for his readers a picture of the world as it actually is, to creating a fictional reality in which they "might recognise human beings like to themselves" (Autobiography 145), can obscure the depth and sincerity of his concern with the moral dilemmas confronting the characters he has so painstakingly rendered lifelike. But as the startlingly candid passage quoted above from the Autobiography reveals, Trollope's purposes in his fiction are not merely descriptive, but normative as well; he sets out both to show us "the way we live now" and to direct our attention to questions that are in the broadest sense ethical: how ought we to live? His unflagging desire to "please," however, and his firm belief in the primacy of characterization among the novelist's tasks render the extraction of his "system of ethics" from his novels a delicate and difficult task: his characters are, ineluctably, individuals and unlike those populating the works of more overtly "philosophical" novelists, cannot often be taken as unproblematic representatives of an abstract quality larger than themselves. Trollope's "system" is to be an ethics of everyday life, one that takes as its province situations irreducible to arid formulae. Close examination of the late novel An Eye for an Eye illustrates both the nuanced, even protean, subtlety of Trollopean ethics and the ways in which his moral code is complicated by the gender, class, and national dimensions of the life he portrays so vividly. The novel, in its remarkably evenhanded treatment of the agonizing choice facing a young English aristocrat who seduces and impregnates an Irish girl of disreputable provenance, displays a sophisticated and sympathetic understanding of the manner in which larger social and historical forces impinge on the decisions we make as supposedly free moral agents. The story dramatizes the tension between two approaches to moral problems: on one hand, there is what we might call an ethics of particulars, represented by Scroope Manor and the older members of the Neville family, an insistence that questions of right and wrong can only be justly resolved by reference to the social position of the moral agent and to the organic structure of the society in which he or she is enmeshed. On the other hand, there are the claims of a universalizing ethical praxis in which each individual must be viewed as an end in himself or herself, regardless of circumstance.

World War Z as a Sociopolitical Assessment of Globalization

World War Z as a Sociopolitical Assessment of Globalization World War Z showed readers that what may have worked in peace time was unsuited for war. By doing so Brooks was able to make a good assessment of our current global systems with the overarching evaluation of globalization’s literal and metamorphical infectiousness. He uses the novel to comment on the social issues such as government ineptitude, while also playing on innate human fear and our ability to adapt to new situations for the sake of survivability.By adding an overarching apocalyptic theme with a touch of old-fashioned zombie gore, Brooks is able to provide a thoughtful, entertaining assessment of how different parts of the world would react to a widespread crisis. World War Z is one of the most creative social commentary of our times. It is chilling, to say the least, not only because of the ghouls themselves, but also how the rest of the world reacts to them. Max Brooks was able to depict a huge range of mot ivations and human intentions in this novel that could be comparable to a sociological study of humans in a time of crisis.He also does an excellent job of describing the sort of cold, logical planning that was necessary in order to survive a zombie apocalypse and that even after the war is over, the world still has a long way to go before it can move on. Survivalism and disaster preparedness are two other dominant themes in the novel. Many of the interviews in World War Z that come from United States citizens focus on policy changes with the intent of training themselves to thwart off zombie attacks and, in a post-apocalyptic world, rebuilding the country to its former glory.This was an interesting policy for the United States to take up, as it completely changed the social hierarchy by putting the working class mechanic above the CEO of a multimillion dollar corporation (Brooks, 2006: 140). Throughout the novel, Brooks repeatedly presents characters with the sort of mental and phy sical toughness required to survive a disaster. Although one’s physical fitness is a factor that attributes to one’s survivability, many of these interviews are of ordinary people with extraordinary resiliency who were able to rise to the occasion when they were needed.In this sense, readers can see a distinction in the United States from the rest of the world in that its citizens are a nation full of individualists who believe that they have the ability to survive any dire situation as long as one has the right â€Å"tools and talent† (Brooks, 2004: 140). It was also inspirational to read that in times of extreme adversity man can be beaten and brought to his knees but also rise up to show his resilience, When zombies were first written about, they seemed to be created by magic. In recent decades, however, their origins have become more and more complex.Today, one would be hard pressed to find a zombie novel or movie where the origin of the zombie species is no t from radioactivity and viruses being used as a sort of biological warfare. One thing that many books in the zombie genre do not address is how the rest of the world develops weapons to specifically deal with the zombie threat. Brooks not only creates new weapons in his zombiverse, he also finds new uses for previously existing ones. It is true that new wars create new technology and there is no better motivator than a worldwide crisis such as a potential zombie apocalypse.World War Z is no exception to this fact, as various peoples around the world were able to adapt and overcome technical limitations when it came to facing a new enemy. The United States Marines, for example, are credited for creating the â€Å"Lobotomizer,† a fusion of shovel and double-bladed battle-axe improvised from the recycled steel of cars (Brooks, 2006: 146). People were also able to repurpose the resources that they had in new ways, such as using K-9 units to sniff out zombie populations (Brooks, 2006: 283).This adaptation and repurposing of resources was crucial in the Zombie War effort and is a reflection on how important a military’s ability to adapt to new situations is in establishing victory in a war. In â€Å"Why do some people think they know what is good for others? † Naeem Inayatulla talks about many westernized country’s desire to give aid to these third world countries and how this can prove to be ineffective if done with the view that these impoverished countries need to be given what the western world thinks they need (Inayatulla, 2009: 345).This point is further emphasized in Brook’s novel when he describes how these â€Å"third world† countries seemed to fare the same, if not a bit better than their first world counterparts. This is especially true when one reads the section of the book with the interview of Xolelwa Azania, or Paul Redeker in the United States of Southern Africa. This interview talks about the origins of the Redeker Plan, which was a systematic way of intentionally sacrificing a large portion of a population in order to save another population in a more easily defensible or important location (Brooks, 2006: 106).During the zombie outbreak in South Africa, Redeker adapted his Plan Orange 84 into a zombie survival plan should the outbreak become a serious threat. Plan Orange 84 was a â€Å"doomsday scenario† survival plan for the Apartheid government if the Black African population rose up against the White Afrikaners. Being a logical and dispassionate person who thought emotions such as love and hate to be inefficient, Plan Orange made Redeker a hated man in South Africa.Although this plan came at the cost of Redeker’s sanity, it proved to help out the rest of the world by allowing them to adopt and modify the plan for themselves, in addition to indirectly saving thousands, if not millions of people from being turned into zombies and thus wiping out the human race. This le ads into the argument that authoritarian regimes tend to be most effective during times of war. It seems that democracies tend to be most effective during peacetime, while authoritarian regimes function best under times of war or crisis.The reason why this is so effective is because of fear. Authoritarian regimes are most effective when its citizens are afraid of what might happen to them if they break the law or participate in suspicious activities. This is especially true during World War II, when Adolf Hitler was able to amass support from almost an entire country using fear and intimidation. There are many parallels that can be drawn between World War II and World War Z, such as the early responses to the impending crisis. That is to say, arly warnings went unheeded, profiteers made millions selling a placebo to the masses and the military prepared itself with the tools that would have been perfect for the last war that it fought. This is all combined to highlight the fact that almost no one really paid much attention to the crisis until it was staring them in the face, or, more appropriately, shambling towards them. Another prevalent theme that Brooks considers in World War Z is not only that of fear, but the uncertainty that breeds that fear. Zombies are the perfect harbinger of the apocalypse because they do not play by the traditional rules of the â€Å"game. Any other enemy, be it another nation or a group of terrorists, initiates or receives an attack and then this sort of back-and-forth warfare begins where you go and fight them and then they retaliate. Zombies have no wartime strategy or vendetta against any particular group. They are thoughtless, infectious humanoids who are driven by one of the most basic instincts of seeking out their next object of consumption. It is the mindlessness of the zombie theme that plays so perfectly into the apocalyptic genre and furthermore the fear of an enemy that acts more like a virus than a predator.A predator is naturally intelligent and knows not to over-hunt its territory, lest it starve to death. Zombies are undead, and will just continue to infect and consume despite everything. Although the zombie war was rightfully portrayed as a disastrous event, there were some good things that seemed to come out of the war. For example, cooperation between Israel and the neighboring Muslim countries greatly increased during the Great Panic. Israel opened its borders to everyone regardless of their race or religious affiliation.Although this was only for a short time, this act spoke volumes throughout the world. While this may be a somewhat too idealistic portrayal of what could happen in a situation such as the one presented in World War Z, it is inspirational to imagine countries that were once enemies band together to face a common enemy in order to survive. Perhaps one of the more surprising stories in World War Z is how Brooks imagines Cuba dealing with the zombie crisis and even coming out as one of the world’s postwar superpowers. Cuba became an ideal refuge for a number of reasons.Besides being surrounded by Caribbean waters, which gave Cubans time to prepare for the invasion, their lack of diplomatic ties to the United States, their militaristic dictatorship and their generally well-educated populace helped to resist the first waves of zombies. Early outbreaks were handled in brutal fashion and the Cuban military fortified their shorelines early on and only let in the most desirable workers and talent. Although Cuba was by no means spared from the heavy fighting during the war, their early successes made them one of, if not the most desirable nation to flee to (Brooks, 2006: 228-233).World War Z is a novel that redefined and repopularized a genre while also giving a thought-provoking look on how the world might react to a disaster on a worldwide scale. Max Brooks writes his novel with such a finesse and realistic perspective that one might be misled into th inking that a zombie apocalypse is something that could actually happen in the future. The personal accounts of people help to give a frighteningly accurate commentary on modern society by playing into innate human fear and desire to survive.All in all, World War Z takes a serious, geopolitical and sociopolitical look at a fantastical premise and disastrous event with a keen eye for detail. He also shows just how resilient man can be when faced with extreme adversity. Brooks, Max. 2006. World War Z: an oral history of the zombie war. 1st ed. New York: Crown. Inayatulla, Naeem. 2009. â€Å"Why do some people think they know what is good for others? † in Global Politics: a new introduction, edited by Jenny Edkins and Maja Zehfuss, (New York: Routledge), Ch. 15, pp. 344-369.

Oakland, California. A Place Where People Call It Home

Oakland, California. A place where people call it home or a war zone. In the case of many teenagers, Oakland was their destruction. Based on my reading, The Labeling Theory will best suit with this book simply because many teens from this volume were said to be someone they weren’t. In case you don’t know about this theory, the focus of it is not on the behavior of a person but on how others view that behavior or the person itself. According to the book â€Å"Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys†, all the teens experienced being misread as horrific people based on their shade of skin color. In the book, Victor Rios declared how â€Å"[the] system had such an extensive influence on the lives of the boys that many of them were†¦show more content†¦And as time passed by, they ended up defining their view of the police. Instead of regarding the police as their mediator, they viewed them as their enemy. The Oakland police abused many of them by shaming, labeling, and even beating them just because the guys were assumed to be a bad person. For instance, when Tyrell was in the fourth grade, he had his first terrifying encounter with the police. As a young boy, Tyrell and his friends were kicked out of the Coliseum by the police because they wanted to watch the game. After kicking them out, the police threatened to take them to jail if they were to see them at the Coliseum again. Two years later, when he was in the sixth grade he was kicked out of school due to his height. He stated that, â€Å"because he looked like a man by [the] age [of] twelve, he also became a target of constant police surveillance and random checks for drugs or criminal suspicions† (Rios, p. 50). This manifest that due to his height, Tyrell was seen as a danger to his surrounding. Tyrell grievously knew that he was already seen as a criminal, so why not get it out of the way and become one? This ironically led him to becoming a criminal. Ano ther example that had a tremendous impact with the police was Jose. When Jose was around 6 years old, he was coming home with a milk carton when a gang member decided to bully him. This caused Jose to drop the milk carton which led to his momShow MoreRelatedMy Eulogy Essay1130 Words   |  5 PagesOur family left Hot Springs, Arkansas headed back to Oakland, California. We drove through Texas, New Mexico, and Nevada. While we were in Nevada we stopped at the Grand Canyon. It is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen; we took several pictures got back in our vehicle and we were off. Five or six hours later we arrived in Oakland, California my birth place. We entered our first tool booth. Police inspected our vehicle asked us where we were coming from; my grandmother told them ArkansasRead MoreProposal For Board Of Supervisors783 Words   |  4 Pagesnotifications for your home city, work location, and other sites of your choice on your home, email address, text messages and more. AC Alert is a unified system for Alameda County residents in businesses, and visitors. We are in partnership with Alameda County agencies and our 14 cities. ↘ Emergency response: Always call 9-1-1 for life threatening emergencies Suicide crisis hotline 1-800-309-2131 Miss children hotline 1-800-222-find (1-800-222-3463 Report a gas leak 9-1-1 or call PGE at (800)Read MoreThe Importance Of A Registered Nurse For Pediatrics1172 Words   |  5 Pagesanalyze results. Caring for children and infants illnesses has to be a RNs number one concern. On my career assessment test on my skills I was better at helping, managing people, and problem solving. I love to help people in any way I can because seeing other people happy is the type of person I am. It says I like to motivate people and evaluate their performance and that’s also true and that goes perfect with what a RN should do. The problem solving skill is also correct when I identify a problem IRead MoreThe Violence Of African American Communities953 Words   |  4 Pagessuch enclosed space, while they make suburban home for the economically fit causing them to commute and now they are systematically removing them after they made it a community only because they have the power to. In an article by the American Prospect organization, they talked about how gang injunction is considered the holy grail of solutions for city council members, and enforcers particularly in San Francisco, but present all over California in places that need to put a cap on gang violence. TheyRead More The Ebonics Controversy Essay examples5572 Words   |  23 PagesControversey What is the controversy over Ebonics about? The Internet offers diverse views on the Ebonics topic. Ebonics entered the lime light in December of 1996. The television and news media have made the issue unclear and have left many people wondering what the recent controversey over Ebonics entails. Long after the six oclock news has comfused and abandoned the public on the issue of Ebonics, the Internet is alive with commentary. Sampled together, the pages present a social moodRead MoreDifference Between Law Enforcement And Crime Enforcement2549 Words   |  11 PagesLaw Enforcement: Differences in types of law enforcement jobs as well as the difference in salary and where you decide to work, including certain programs and methods to be involved in. Think about going into the law enforcement field, What are the capabilities needed to have or the way of handling things? First off, being involved in any type of law enforcement career whether its an FBI or CIA agent, Police officer/ Detective, U.S Marshal, K-9 officer, an investigator, security or an undercoverRead MoreProblems in Air Traffic Control and Proposed Solutions4560 Words   |  19 Pagesnorthern California this summer, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unintentionally performed its first operational test of free flight; aviation without direct air traffic control. This was an unintentional experiment because it was a result of a total shut-down of the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). Although Oakland is only the 16th busiest ARTCC, its responsible for the largest block of airspace of any ATC facility; 18 million square miles. Oakland directs allRead MoreEssay about Problems in Air Traffic Control and Proposed Solutions4403 Words   |  18 Pagesnorthern California this summer, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unintentionally performed its first operational test of free flight; aviation without direct air traffic control. This was an unintentional experiment because it was a result of a total shut-down of the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). Although Oakland is only the 16th busiest ARTCC, its responsible for the largest block of airspace of any ATC facility; 18 million square miles. Oakland directs allRead MoreNo-Kill Shelter Essay1748 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States is faced with the problem of what should be done with the excess of stray animals. This is a complex thing to solve, but that doesn’t mean killing the animals for space is right. Stray dogs and cats have just as much right to a good home as pets that already have owners. No-Kill shelters are beneficial, they provide a safe, pet-friendly environment that would help solve the problems of pet homelessness and overpopulations, as a result of spay and neuter being provided as well. ForRead MoreClimate And The Global Climate Justice Movement3592 Words   |  15 Pages5 million people live within 4 ft. of the high tide areas in the United States; and 1 in 10 persons live in low lying coastal areas around the globe, then the numbers illustrate cause for great concern. An estimated 634 million people will be impacted by rising sea levels (Greenfieldboyce) and 1 billion people could be displaced from their homes by 2050 as a result of climate change (O‘Rourke). With a $2.2 trillion economy, California has the 7th largest economy in the world. California makes more