Sophocles Antigone - Creon is Donig the Right Thing :: Antigone essays

Defending Creon: a monarch within his rights to rule In Antigone, especially with the feminist movement now holding the title character, as prototypical downtrodden woman, the king Creon is often villified. While accepting the fact that Creon has misogynist tendencies, the gender issues can cause the pure argument of validity of actions, to fall by the wayside. So supposing for a moment, that Antigone's rebellion had been undertaken by a male, would Creon's choices have been different. Did he choose such harsh punishment and intractable course because Antigone was a woman ? As I read him, this is not the case. He has made a value judgement as to who is traitor and who is worthy. He has made a secondary judgement as to the rights of traitors, and the need of the people to know the consequences of traitorous acts. While one may disagree, with the value judgements he has made, as king he is well within his rights, indeed his obligation, to rule according to what he believes best at the time. Outcomes are not always the best vantage point from which to judge a man. Creon did not have the advantage the reader has of seeing final outcomes, indeed we must remember these outcomes were contrived by Sophocles, to illustrate his point of view. Is it not conceivable that in real life, these outcomes are far from assured, indeed a bit preposterous ? So then to summarize, Creon simply made his best decision, and that decision was with in his right to rule as the recognized sovereign. Â   On the surface, Antigone is the classic tragic hero, it is she that Sophocles wants us to be drawn to. It is Creon against who he stacks the cards. A writer's value judgement, nothing more. So then, once more assuming Antigone is a male instead, are her or his actions noble or foolhardy, and irresponsible. While on the surface it appears noble to risk death for a principle, is it really ? Aren't relationships more important than principles ? Much is made of Creon sentencing his own son's fiance to death, did she not by her foolhardy, kneejerk reaction sentence herself. Where is her consideration for her husband to be ? And her sister, who has lost so much, and now clings to her so desparately, is rebuffed and dismissed as not worthy of the glorious Antigone.

Christian vocation coursework Essay

Describe how a Christian may follow the call to discipleship through daily life and work Vocation is the idea that people get a call from god to do a certain job this can also be said about being called into Christianity by god, it may not be an actual call or a big flash of light but just s feeling that you have created by god. ‘Vocation’ comes from the Latin word meaning ‘to be called’. Some Christians may say that they were called to Christianity and so were all Christians. For example Jesus was called by god, he heard his voice when he was baptised by John. Discipleship is another term used my Christians used to mean following Jesus like his disciples did, living a Christian lifestyle and helping others also apply to discipleship. Christians follow Jesus by following his examples like his love, service and compassion towards others. Someone who has chosen to follow Jesus should be living a caring helpful life, possibly in a caring profession such as a doctor, nurse or teacher. Any job can be a vocation, some Christians say god has a plan for everyone and he may call you to a job that isn’t related to Christianity at all. St. Paul said in Colossians 3:23 â€Å"whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the lord, not for men.† Possibly meaning that god has called everyone to their jobs because he knows its right for them so work for him and do the job well. A Christian may choose his or her job just simply because they want to do the job although this want or urge to do a job could be put down to god. I don’t think there are any jobs unsuitable for Christians, Jesus loved everyone anyway even if they were a sinner he did not commend what they did but he still loved them. I do not think your religion should constrain your job opportunities. A Christian may serve god in an ordinary job by obeying the 10 commandments in their job and generally being caring and helpful. Christians can put Christian teachings into their family lives by following Paul’s teachings and the 10 commandments. Paul’s teachings say, â€Å"A wife, must put her husband first. This is her duty as a follower of the lord. A husband must love his wife and not abuse her. Children must always obey their parents. This pleases the lord. Parents, don’t be hard on your children. If you are, they might give up. (a)(ii) Explain why some Christians join communities and take vows or poverty, chastity and obedience. Christian communities are a group of Christians who live together. A convent is where a group of female Christians would live also known as nuns and male Christians or monks would live in a monastery. A contemplative order is focusing your life on god, in prayer and everyday life. An example of a contemplative community is the poor clares. The normal day in the poor clares community may consist of many things, gardening, housework, cooking, cleaning, helping the elderly and sick, praying or working in the shop; making candles, encaustic wax cards, as well as cards created and printed on a computer, turning wood and knitting garment on their knitting machine. The nuns do this type of work involving their hands because it leaves their minds free to focus on god and pray. Jesus says in Matthew 6:24 how â€Å"no one can serve two masters†, â€Å"you cannot serve both god any money† so the nuns in the poor clare community decide to â€Å"serve god† and his people and help them rather than work for money. An active order is doing something about what you believe in, for example if you want to be one of Jesus’ disciples you would follow in his footsteps and his examples and help people maybe by helping out at a hospital or a school. People or monasteries and convents today are living like the first Christians as recorded in the book of acts because the first Christians lived out alone in the desert, Christians live in s slightly similar way today. They have no possessions, they cannot have sex and they dedicate their time to thinking if they are contemplative, as you would alone in a desert, or doing things to help others. Living in a Christian community would help a Christian to follow their call to discipleship because of the vows they take when they join, they have to do things in a similar way to Jesus therefore helping to follow their call to discipleship. Some Christians may say joining a Christian community is a vocation because whatever they do as a job or joining a community is a vocation. God has a plan for them and they follow it via vocation. Some Christians believe that god want them to live in a religious community rather than an ordinary one because its better for them and other who they would be helping. A vow is an oath or promise you make. Nuns and monks take vows when they join a religious community; they take a vow of poverty so they are not tied down by possessions and money and can focus on god. Christ was poor to make us rich so they follow in his footsteps and enforce discipleship. They also take a vow of chastity, which means they must remain celibate so they can devote themselves to god as Jesus did. Also a relationship with someone from the opposite sex will get in the way of god and praying; St. Paul advises Christians to be celibate so they can â€Å"be devoted to the lord†. Obedience is the third vow they take, by this vow they give to God their freewill. They must be obedient to their abbot or abbess. Again showing their discipleship, because Jesus was obedient until the point of death on the cross for god. It is important for Christians to make these vows in front of a community because then there is witnesses so you cant get out of the commitment and also if you are doubtful they can remind you about them. (a)(iii) Explain the purpose and practice of one particular religious community. The poor Clares are a religious community for women who want to dedicate their lives to god. They originated in 1212 by St Francis and St Clare in Assisi in Italy. The poor clares are a contemplative community. The contemplative community of nuns started as a way of being united with god and to follow Jesus. The aims of the poor Clare community are mostly â€Å"to pray for the world and the Church†, to live a life through their prayers, dedicated to god and â€Å"to live out the Gospel command of love† which means to live their lives as god wanted helping others and loving them. The normal day in the poor clares community may consist of many things, gardening, housework, cooking, cleaning, helping the elderly and sick, praying or working in the shop; making candles, encaustic wax cards, as well as cards created and printed on a computer, turning wood and knitting garment on their knitting machine. The nuns do this type of work involving their hands because it leaves their minds free to focus on god and pray. Jesus says in Matthew 6:24 how â€Å"no one can serve two masters†, â€Å"you cannot serve both god any money† so the nuns in the poor clare community decide to â€Å"serve god† and his people and help them rather than work for money. Their timetable is shown below 5.00 Rise 5.45 Readings – a morning invitation to prayer composed of some psalms and two readings, one from Scripture and one from a Christian teacher or saint. These nourish our spirits for the day ahead. A quick breakfast followed by time for personal prayer, reading, study until 7.30 7.30 Morning Prayer, the Prayer of Praise to God followed by Spiritual reading 8.30 Holy Mass followed by a short Office and then work until 11.50 11.50 A short Prayer written by Francis of Assisi and Scripture reading 12.30 Dinner; some free time until 2.15 2.15 back to work with a tea break at 3.30 and a short prayer together in the refectory at 4.00 to sanctify our work 5.50 Evening prayer 6.30 Supper followed by an hour of personal prayer time until 8.15 8.15 Compline or Night Prayer, which closes the day. The poor clares take three vows as a sign of their commitment and consecration to God. The vow of chastity allows the nuns to focus their love on god, they give god their bodies and souls and their right to marry. They also take the vow of poverty so they are not tied down by possessions and money and can focus on god. Christ was poor to make us rich so they follow in his footsteps and enforce discipleship. Obedience is the third vow they take, by this vow they give to God their freewill. Again showing their discipleship, because Jesus was obedient until the point of death on the cross for god. (b) â€Å"Christians should lead active rather than contemplative lives.† Contemplative means to life your life dedicated to god through prayer, to live a contemplative life. An example of a contemplative community is the poor clares. a day in the poor clares community may consist of things such as , gardening, housework, cooking, cleaning, helping the elderly and sick, praying or working in the shop; making candles, encaustic wax cards, as well as cards created and printed on a computer, turning wood and knitting garment on their knitting machine. The nuns do this type of work involving their hands because it leaves their minds free to focus on god and pray. Jesus says in Matthew 6:24 how â€Å"no one can serve two masters†, â€Å"you cannot serve both god any money† so the nuns in the poor clare community decide to â€Å"serve god† and his people and help them rather than work for money. Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk; he took a vow of silence amongst other vows his writings have had a big influence on many Christians. He took part in many social protests even though he had to be silent; he took part in such protests as the struggle for racial equality in the USA and the struggle against nuclear weapons in the Vietnam War. An active life for a Christian is doing something about what you believe in, for example a Christian can help follow their path to discipleship by following Jesus and helping others by helping people at hospitals, nursing homes, schools etc. ‘ordinary’ Christians can lead active lives by living in a Christian lifestyle and helping others also apply to discipleship. Christians follow Jesus by following his examples like his love, service and compassion towards others so do this in your everyday life and work and you will be living an active life. ‘Extra-ordinary’ Christian could do many great things for example Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement he was a Baptist minister, and had a huge impact on the people of America. his most influential and well-known speech is the â€Å"I Have A Dream† speech. In 1964, he became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. he spoke out against injustices against black people of america, they were not allowed to vote, not allowed in the same places as white people and got half the pay. Martin luther king changed this Another example of a ‘extra-ordinary’ active christian was Mother Teresa (August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997), she was born a roman catholic nun, she won the nobel peace prize in 1979. she was fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their service. By the early 1970s, Mother Teresa had become an international celebrity. Her fame can be partly attributed to the 1969 documentary ‘Something Beautiful for God’. In 1982, at the height of the siege in Beirut, Mother Teresa rescued 37 children trapped in a front line hospital by negotioating a temporary cease-fire between the Israeli army and Palestinian guerillas. Mother Teresa inspired a wide variety of commemorations. Besides receiving numerous honors during her lifetime, she has also been memorialized through museums, been named patroness of various churches, and had various structures and roads named after her. In conclusion living an active life is far more beneficial to others and is more noticeable, living a contemplative life is good if you believe prayers work and they really were helping. Christians serve god in many different ways some more subtle than others. However it is to be taken into consideration that active Christians do pray and contemplate and contemplative Christians do work and help others. In my opinion active Christians are making a more valuable contribution to the world because I do not believe that prayers do anything and even if god doesn’t exist active Christians are still doing something good for the world

Martin Luther to the German Nobility †Theology Essay

Martin Luther to the German Nobility – Theology Essay Free Online Research Papers Martin Luther to the German Nobility Theology Essay Power. Throughout the extensive tale of human history, there have been few factors that have influenced the construction and rise of civilized and happy nations, and even fewer that have enticed the destruction and tyrannical corruption of peoples than has the possession of power. The word itself is vague at best, a term we use with such indiscriminate promiscuity that its very definition is scattered across the realms of religion, politics, law, philosophy, and all the natural and physical sciences. Ethically, the concept is innocent and splendidly neutral- to make a moral judgment requires not the condemnation or endorsement of power itself, but of its wielder. Power can make a man (or a god) a momentous influence for the righteousness and happiness of those over whom he has power; it can also spawn an influential corruption that can degenerate even the greatest of heroes. Martin Luther, in his treatise, â€Å"To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation,† fueled by his love of the Gospel as taught by Christ and armed with a relentless determination to inspire the Catholic Church and its power-wielding leaders of his day to turn from corruption to the true pursuit of the Lord’s teachings, seeks to appeal to the political leaders of the German ic people in order to convince them of their rights as independent Christians and their ability to influence change in the Church. Despite the eventual creation of the â€Å"Lutheran† Church and the vast amount of other sects inspired by the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther does not write his treatise with an attitude of breaking off the Catholic Church. The whole work rather is written with the ardor and aim of a medical doctor; it is an attempt at a repair rather than any sort of amputation preceded by simple condemnation. But why would an attempt at renovation of the clergy be directed at the political ruling body? Luther explains his apparent misdirection in the opening of his epistle: â€Å"I am carrying out our intention to put together a few points on the matter of the reform of the Christian estate, to be laid before the Christian nobility of the German nation, in the hope that God may help his church through the laity, since the clergy, to whom this task more properly belongs, have grown quite indifferent† (7, italics added). The point then, is that the clergy are quite comfortable in their follies and not interested in their own reform; Luther is thus appealing to the political powers to assist in bringing about his improvements. There is a problem with this, however. The root of corruption, according to Luther, is the church in Rome- the pope and his clergy- and its members have declared themselves both infallible and possessing final authority over any political entity. Thus, if laity were to attempt any reform, Rome quickly responds by declaring that laity are not priests and thus have no authority for any such alteration. If the laity tries to prove their case by the scriptures, Rome replies that only they can interpret the scriptures. It is a logically impossible circular argument, a variation on the classic â€Å"infallible authoritarian† argument: â€Å"Rule 1- Rome is always right. Rule 2- If Rome is wrong, see Rule 1.† In reaction to this claim to supreme authority, Luther has two basic responses. First, he makes the argument that his audience, the temporal political nobles of Germany, if they be just Christians, are priests with the same authority as any of the clergymen. It is a fallacy that the clergymen of Rome belong exclusively to the â€Å"spiritual estate† and that anyone who is not a member of the clergy is only a part of the â€Å"temporal estate.† In other words, anyone who is a Christian is a priest with the same authority as any man wearing the clerical robes; being Christian is synonymous with being part of the â€Å"spiritual estate.† The difference then, is not one of power or authority, but of office and responsibility. Essentially, Luther is giving the men to whom he writes justification to effect reform in the Church- he is telling them that they have the authority, just like any member of the laity, to have a say in clerical and religious matters. Scripturally and historically, they have the power to take action such as to elect and app oint bishops and monks, just as the laity of Hippo appointed St. Augustine. Second, he makes a sharp division of labor between politics and religion. He says, â€Å"The pope is not a vicar of Christ in heaven, but only of Christ as he walked the earth† (54). The image of Christ in heaven, then, is a king- with a throne, ruling majestically on high- omniscient and possessing all power. The King of Heaven and of Earth is certainly a political station. However, Christ needs a man like St. Peter, who will represent Him how He was on the Earth. Jesus certainly held no political power when He walked the streets of Jerusalem- neither did Peter or the other apostles. Their responsibility was to serve the children of God; they were to care for the poor, sick, and needy in both body and spirit. In other words, they were to carry on the work of Christ. Martin Luther clearly declares that a true representative of Christ cannot effectively hold any political power. For, indeed, how can a man pay full attention to the body of the Church, and at the same time rule a n political entity such as a city- much less an empire? The distinction then is clear. We need political officers, and we need church leaders, but in order to do their jobs effectively, they cannot be the same person or group of people, and neither can claim authority over the other in the other’s realm, e.g., the clergy cannot claim the right to control or suppress a king’s acquisition of territory. It is clear throughout the treatise that Luther writes from the most sincere position- he wants to effect changes for the good of God and his fellow men- not to secure power or position for himself or his friends. He constantly quotes scripture and uses precedents and examples from Christ’s own life and the lives of the apostles to make his justifications for reform. Although he could not have possibly realized the scope of the division his movement would create in Christianity, his efforts are certainly exceptional enough to bestow upon him the title of Father of the Reformation. 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How Ethical is Torture

How Ethical is Torture Free Online Research Papers The Ethics of Torture The dictionary defines torture as being the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty. Arguments on whether or not torture is justified have been going on for a very long time. Some people believe that torture, no matter what the outcome, is immoral and unjustified. Others believe that torture can be justified as long as the outcome is positive. This is a very heated debate with two controversial viewpoints. In my opinion, torture can be both justified and unjustified, depending on the situation. Torture is a very complicated topic and, in my opinion, it is not necessarily justified or unjustified but is more of a judgment call based on the situation at hand. There are many good points made on both sides of the argument. Although I can see how people would go either way on the subject, I would have to say, in most cases, that torture is wrong. There are an unwritten set of rules and values that every human being should follow. Torture is simply an abomination. It is one of the most horrible violations of moral civility. I think that the debate over torture brings up a great question, is it ever right to cause another pain to ease your own? Is it right to cause extreme amounts of pain to people to obtain knowledge? These are questions that I think every person who thinks torture is ethical should put some thought into. The main reason I find torture to be unethical is because most of the time there is no way of knowing whether or not the person being tortured is guilty. What if the person is tortured but never gives up the information that is needed? What if you tortured them but all along they never even knew the information you were searching for? Suppose torture, as a general rule, was ethical as long as the right people were tortured for the right reasons, hypothetically speaking. Would it be ethical to torture someone who knew nothing and was innocent? Even if torture did happen to be ethical, torturing innocent people based on unreliable facts is not. How can you even know whether or not they are guilty for sure? Based on that ambiguity, could torture ever be a just decision? If the person that decides to initiate the torture has absolutely no doubt that the prisoner is guilty, odds are they have already obtained the information they are seeking. How else would you know they have the informa tion you are seeking? Another reason I find torture to be wrong is because there is no way of knowing whether or not the information gained is reliable. How reliable could information or a confession be if it was given while the prisoner was being tortured? The prisoner would most likely just give away false information in order to put an end to the torture. I think that Doctor King would side with this point of view. He was a man that did not believe violence was ever the answer. In Lee A. Jacobus’s A World of Ideas, it said, â€Å"His views concerning nonviolence spread throughout the world, and by the early 1960s he had become famous as a man who stood for human rights and human dignity virtually everywhere. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.† I could never even imagine a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize saying that torture is ethical. No matter what the situation, Doctor King never resorted to violence, although he had to deal with the danger of violence everyday. The book also said, â€Å"Although King himself was nonviolent, his program left both him and his followers open to the threat of violence. The sit-ins and voter registration programs spurred countless bombings, threats, and murders by members of the white community. King’s life was often threatened, his home bombed, and his followers harassed. He wa s assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.† This really showed what kind of a man Doctor King was. Although he had to face violence every day, he never resorted to violence himself. He did what he thought was right in God’s eyes. Dr. King once said, â€Å"I just want to do Gods will. And hes allowed me to go to the mountain. And Ive looked over, and Ive seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.† Despite all of this, in some situations, torture can be justified. If millions of lives were at stake and the torture of one person could save the rest, I would have to say it is justified. For example, if a known terrorist leader was captured and had made threats to bomb the United States, I would have to say that torture would be justified in order to save millions of lives. I believe that torture is necessary if it means avoiding tragedy although it should be used as a last resort. I also believe that nowadays there are forms of torture that do not include physical pain. There have been many advancements in psychoactive medications that are used to obtain information from people who will not provide it otherwise. I believe that since this form of torture does not involve inflicting any physical pain on the subjects, there is nothing wrong with using it in necessary situations. Another view some people have is that if we torture terrorists, it will further justify their attacks against our country. I disagree with this point of view. In my opinion, our government is very good at keeping things a secret. I am sure that they are doing things that will have an impact on most of society every day that nobody knows about. I think that if the government tortured terrorists and they really didn’t want anyone knowing about it, no one would know about it. One example that I feel helps to prove my point is Area 51in southern Nevada. The government has been doing things out there for years that almost no one knows about. Some people have even done interviews that have worked there. The government has put so fear in them that they never show their faces. This shows the high level of secrecy that our government has. I do not think that torturing terrorists would impact our standing in the world. Judging by what our government is capable of, I do not think that an yone would find out about a couple of terrorists being tortured. I also believe that from an evolutionary standpoint, creatures that are not prepared to fight to the death to prolong their own lives will eventually be killed by another creature that is. As Niccolo Machiavelli said, â€Å"Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate, so that the injury done to a man ought to be such that vengeance cannot be feared.† He was saying that if you are not willing to hurt someone enough to where they can not retaliate, they will take vengeance on you. He also said, â€Å"Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries for heavy ones they cannot.† He was also saying here that if you injure someone but do not destroy them, they will get revenge. This proves to be a problem that affects everyone. In most cases, people who are willing to cheat have an advantage over those who aren’t. This is also the case when it comes to differences in ethics between different countries. For example, say there are two countries at war. One country is very ethical and is not willing to use nuclear warfare to defeat the other country. Meanwhile, the other country is willing to do whatever is necessary to win the war. In this situation, the country that is willing to do whatever it takes to win the war could resort to using nukes and wipe the other country out. This works the same way with torture. In some cases it is necessary to do whatever it takes in order to save countless people’s lives. This is the final situation in which I find torture to be allowable. I don’t think that Machiavelli would have cared whether or not torture was ethical, he just would’ve done whatever he had to do to stay in power. In the book it says, â€Å"Through the years, Machiavelli’s view of human nature has come under criticism for its cynicism. For instance, he suggests that a morally good person would not remain long in any high office because that person would have to compete with the mass of people, who, he says, are basically bad.† This point of view shows that if Machiavelli was a prince or ruler, he would stop at nothing to stay in power. Ethics and morals were not important to him and I am sure he would have used torture if it meant he would not lose any power. The book also says, â€Å"Perhaps Machiavelli is correct, but people have long condemned the way he approves of cunning, deceit, and outright lying as means of staying in power.† This shows how merciless Machiavelli really was. He put personal success ahead of the thoughts and feelings of others. Finally, I find ethics to be a very complicated thing. I do not necessarily think that you can say that torture is right or wrong as a whole. I think you have to identify and analyze the situation. You have to decide whether or not the price you pay is worth the reward you get in return. Torture will always be a bad thing but under some circumstances it is necessary in order to avoid tragedy. In other words, sometimes you have to use bad means to achieve a good end. Martin Luther King once said, â€Å"Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.† I do not completely agree with this quote. I think that in some situations it is necessary to use means that are not pure in order to achieve a positive outcome. I also think that unless the person who decides to do the torture is absolutely sure the person being tortured knows the information, it is unjust. I do believe, however that if someone is being tortured in order to save millions of lives, it can be justified. 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Battle of the Bogside Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Battle of the Bogside - Assignment Example Battle of the Bogside In August 1969, the district of Derry known as the Bogside remained highlighted around the world for 3 days due to the clash between the local residents and the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The conflict aroused when local residents protested against the RUC’s attempt to fissure barricades that they had erected in protection of the area. The RUC had had several clashes with local residents time after time in past 11 months since the Bogside residents had been opposing Northern Ireland Government and its representatives and were aligned behind the Civil rights Movement. The Battle of Bogside was the climax of Ulster’s civil rights movement and set off the dilemmas of Northern Ireland. The annual Apprentice Boys march on August 12, to remember the victory of Protestants in the 1689’s Siege of Derry had to be organized. The march of a huge number of Apprentice Boys along with their followers by way of Derry city center and past the verge of Bogsid e was being viewed quite provoking by city Nationalists. McCann, the Derry activist wrote in his book that the parade was considered as a deliberate insult to the Catholics of Derry (McCann 1993). In order to avoid clash among the locals, the RUC and the demonstrators, plans had been prepared. Moreover, a defense plan was also prepared in case the regular plans failed. Officials made several attempts to prevent potential confrontation. In this regard, the Derry Citizens Defense Association (DCDA); an association that was established in July 1969 to design a defense plan for the Bogside and that included senior republicans, had meetings with senior figures of Apprentice Boys Association to convince them to cancel or at least reroute the march. They refused the request. As the Apprentice Boys started off their march on August 12, the air was filled with tension and threat could be felt throughout the city. When the Apprentice Boys and their followers paraded past Waterloo Place on the verge of Bogside, the RUC men and Nationalist youths faced each other. It was the time when the Troubles broke out. In the beginning, the Bogsiders and the loyalists exchanged taunts followed by stoning. Wardens and Nationalist leaders tried to control the crowd but failed and confrontation escalated (McCann 1993). The mob turned out in the Bogside, stoned the cops and shelled petrol bombs. This was the time when the riots started to intensify. Local youths settled on the roof of Roosevelt Street’s High Flats for bombardment on the RUC with missiles. The RUC had no prior preparations for such battle. They were not equipped with defensive tools. In order to take the control of situation the RUC began using CS gas. This was the first time that such an undiscerning weapon was used in the jurisdiction of United Kingdom. Police from all over the Northern Ireland had been drawn up. On 13 August, Taoiseach Jack Lynch addressed about the Derry event and said that he was worried abou t the injury and sufferings of innocent people and hence he would send the Irish Army at the border which would set up field hospitals for those wounded in the battle (Ranelagh, 1994). The reaction to this pronouncement was mixed. Later that evening, the Unionist rioters attempted to burn down the City Hotel. By 14 August, the riots had turned even more horrific. The B- Specials, an ancillary, typically Protestant police, were assembled in the predominant Unionist area. In the evening the B-Specials mobilized to Waterloo Place, on the city wall and on the verge of Fountain. The RUC troops had started to withdraw as they had completely exhausted after 3 days’

Marketing Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Marketing Planning - Essay Example ............................................ 3.0 How are we going to get there?.................................................................................. 4.0 Implementation........................................................................................................... 5.0 Ethical issues............................................................................................................... 6.0 Possible problems........................................................................................................ References Appendix Marketing Plan: Sainsbury’s 1.0 Introduction J Sainsbury Plc is a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom currently maintaining a 15 percent market share (Thompson 2010). Sainsbury competes with major supermarkets such as Tesco, Morrison’s and Asda. Tesco, the company’s main competitor holding 28 percent of market share in the UK for this industry, has maintained its leadership position through innovation in p roduct and service delivery as well as global brand loyalty. Sainsbury offers traditional products in the food category and has recently diversified to include clothing styles that are exclusive to the supermarket. Sainsbury is recognised not only for its high quality products, but for its emphasis on corporate social responsibility which provides the company with a positive brand reputation. However, Sainsbury’s is unable to outperform its main competition, which is attributable to lack of effective promotion. This marketing plan focuses on building revenues through marketing of the company’s new clothing line, branded under the name Tu. The Tu line targets young adult female consumers, providing lightweight and contemporary clothing with a fashion-forward design and motif. The company had, until recently, believed that the Tu line was a â€Å"stand alone brand† (Sainsbury 2011, p.3). However, the Tu clothing line cannot support revenue growth for the supermark et chain without creating a brand personality and developing a more effective promotional campaign. 2.0 The marketing plan This section highlights the rebranding strategy necessary to achieve brand recognition and brand preference in the young female target market and relevant audits of the current situation faced by the Tu clothing line. 2.1 Current situation Currently, the Tu clothing line provides Sainsbury with ?680 million in sales revenues (Reid 2013). This is insignificant considering the costs of distribution, manufacture and importation of materials utilised for production. Sainsbury is attempting to compete with such companies as Marks & Spencer and Zara which produce similar fashion merchandise under a fast fashion model. These competing organisations have well-established brands and consumer loyalty for providing relevant and modern fashion styles, making it difficult for the company to lure consumers to the Tu brand. Additionally, the Tu brand boasts 60 percent of its c urrent sales volumes stemming from impulse shoppers, meaning that consumers are not actively seeking to shop for clothing at Sainsbury’s market, instead purchasing whilst shopping in the supermarket for food products. Sainsbury’s corporate leadership recognises this shortcoming and points out that consumers have â€Å"tight budgets† and the business must â€Å"create outfits that catch attention† (The Guardian 2012, p.2). Sainsbury is also redeveloping the in-store experience to enhance the clothing shopping experience, adding fitting rooms and floor models that emulate the fashion floors of

Strong Interest Inventory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strong Interest Inventory - Essay Example s which matches the interests as well as the personal styles in relation to issues such as leadership qualities and risk taking abilities of the individuals is very important for the students as there is a strong relationship between the interests, preferences and personality. The school counselor also interacts with the students who are experiencing social or personal problems, and after identifying the issues aids them by providing counseling for achieving their academic and career goals. Due to legislative compulsions, the schools are required to update their testing programs and design new assessment methods. There are standardized tests developed by the test publishers. In the recent years new editions of the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency Batteries have been released by the reputed test publishers. They also publish interest inventory tests which broadly measure the students’ vocational or academic interests. Attitude and personality scales used for measurement cover various parameters. For example the results of the  Myers-Briggs Type Indicator  (MBTI) assessment (CPP Inc., 2004) include: Scores on the level of interest on each of the six  Holland Codes  or General Occupational Themes.  Holland Code Themes  include – Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Standardization: A standardized test conducted under standard conditions and vigilance, with specified time limits and scores are either norm or criterion referenced, and interpreted as per standards consistently. The standardized tests are useful in the assessment of academic success or achievement, and could also be effectively used for diagnostic testing in counseling for identifying weaknesses such as reading and writing skills as well. ACT, SATII, GRE, MAT, GMAT, MCAT and LSAT are some of the good examples of standardized tests. Norming: Norm refers to average level of achievement or performance in relation to a group. Norm-referenced tests