Plot vs Character in Tragedy Essay

Q. PLOT Vs CHARACTER In Tragedy In his immortal creation Poetics Aristotle mentions six formative elements of tragedy — ‘Plot’, ‘Character’, ‘Thought’, ‘Diction’, ‘Spectacle’ and ‘Song’. And among them ‘plot’ gets the prior attention and importance. Aristotle claims ‘plot’ to be the soul of tragedy. In his view character as secondary to the plot. He in his book Poetics opines â€Å"Plot is the fundamental thing, the soul of tragedy, whereas character is secondary.† [Chap—7]. It is only in the context of describing ideal plot that Aristotle refers to character. Aristotle categorically states that there can be a tragedy without character, but there can never be a tragedy without plot. According to Aristotle, there are two kinds of plot—simple plot and complex plot. In simple plot we find only ‘peripeteia’ or the reversal of situation, and complex plot shows both ‘peripeteia’ and ‘Anagnorisis’ or the sudden discovery. Besides these main two,’ plot’ can be based on scenes of sufferings. An ideal plot is one which arouses pity and terror and brings about the outlet of emotions. But the suffering of all characters cannot arouse pity and terror. If the tragic hero is a thoroughly bad man, his sufferings will not arouse the desired tragic emotions. And if the tragic hero is a thoroughly good man, his sufferings will shock us. So the arousal of pity and terror demands the description of a person who is neither very good nor very bad. The ideal character should be a person of intermediate sort. Thus, character is subordinated to plot. Tragedy depicts actions, and not character; it is the plot which reveals the character. In the classical tragedies of Greece emphasis is certainly laid on plot. Sophocles’ King Oedipus, Aeschylus’s Agamemnon or Euripides’s Medea is really plot-oriented. But in modern or social tragedies, character is closely assimilated with the circumstances of life—with different social forces. Bradley’s definition of tragedy as a tale of exceptional calamity of a person who falls from prosperity to misery shifts our attention to character. Synge’s Riders to the sea or Ibsen’s A Doll’s House exhibits the greater prominence of characters. To sum up the above discussion we can accept the fact that a proper blending between ‘plot’ and ‘character’ is the sole requisite of a good tragedy. And a successful tragedy writer knows how to provide the  readers or the audience with the blend of these two and make them mutually contributory to each other.

Persuasive paper Essay

Is it right to die? I would state the question in another format, is there a right to die? It is the most difficult question to receive an answer as we focus on people suffering from different conditions, be it psychological, physical or emotional, that beyond doubt, have led to terminal illness. I cannot give a straight yes or a straight no. The debate has been so hot in several nations. Several stakeholders are considering going the Oregon way. The whole debate focuses on suicide. By way of philosophy and other disciplines of ethics, it is very difficult to judge whether suicide is wrong or right. It has hitherto paused hard questions that get diverse responds from different persons. These persons can be philosophers from different eras, different geographical regions, and customs. It is further mesmerizing that those of the same times, similar traditions, and even same places arrive at different answers as pertains this very subject. If euthanasia was to be made legal, there are no criteria that can be used to determine the very genuine cases. Those people who proposes this action, as they define the rights of a person focuses narrowly on the normal cases only; an adult person, who is in his or her right mind, acting in their own volition, putting in consideration his or her own possessions or those entrusted to this person. I would therefore question the basis for determining the abnormal circumstances, and the limits that are sensible in today’s cultural situation. In this, we think of the slippery slope concern, soon many cases will transit to explicit murder. We will not have guarantee for people who instigate murder and claim that the people they killed were more than willing to die. The people that will fall as victims of this murder are the disable, disadvantaged, or those considered to be â€Å"undesirable† in the society – those who are a burden to their caregivers or even the state, which should be obliged to giving indiscriminate care to all groups of people. Goldberg (n. d), states that, â€Å"Thus, many U. S. ommentators fear that, if assisted suicide and euthanasia were legalized, death would be inflicted unwillingly on disabled, disadvantaged, or otherwise â€Å"undesirable† individuals who might be considered a burden by their caregivers or the state† (Goldberg, n. d). He continues to say that â€Å"Biased physicians, family members, or managed care organizations might consciously or subconsciously influence difficult or expensive patients to take advantage of assisted suicide† (Goldberg, n. d). It is also clear that no human endeavour is immune of abuse. This will make the Oregon requirement difficult to trust. Even ‘acting on one’s own volition’ is still not good because many patients may act quickly without enough information of existing medical care, thinking that their fate is just death. So why wont we restrict the ‘person’s autonomy’ till the person is fully informed? Thinking this way will definitely call for not legalising euthanasia. John Stuart Mill gives an example of person who wants to cross a broken bridge, as he concludes he says that this person would not really continue to do that if he is fully informed about the dangers of going that way (Mill, 2005). The other concern that we have is that this practice will be in total contradiction with the present physicians’ role as healer. It is a stipulation that physicians should always do their best to save lives and not destroy them at all. The physicians’ role should be limited to saving lives as it has been over time. Legalizing euthanasia means that the physicians’ role is broadened to the point of the patients’ advocate in the maters concerning their own health and ways they want it to be handled. This will arouse the craving of patients to commit suicide and allow many cases that would otherwise be alleviated, to run to the worst. Still on the issue of rights, every one has a right that is inherent in nature and anyone should not interfere with the individual’s rights. People should therefore exercise their own rights without interfering with others’ and no one should interfere with the autonomy of this individual. As we say that rights are inherent in an individual, we are saying that these person posses this rights because of the life that he has. Without this life, the rights he claims to have are null and void. This takes us to the point that no one should interfere with the life because it is the carrier of this same rights. Mill states that, â€Å"But by selling himself for a slave, he abdicates his liberty; he forgoes any future use of it, beyond that single act† (Mill, 2005, pp 67). He continues to say, â€Å"He therefore defeats, in his own case, the very purpose which is the justification of allowing him to dispose of himself† (Mill, 2005, pp 67). In our case the person who decides to die no longer has the autonomy that we advocate to give in allowing them to die. The person defeats his own reason for wanting to die. Mill continues to say, â€Å"He is no longer free; but is thenceforth in a position which has no longer the presumption in its favor, that would be afforded by his voluntarily remaining in it† (Mill, 2005, pp 67). He concludes on this matter that, â€Å"The principle of freedom cannot require that he should be free not to be free, it is not freedom, to be allowed to alienate his freedom† (Mill, p 67). If we have to protect the autonomy of individuals then we should protect their lives too. We can still work without euthanasia because many of our physicians have worked hard and are still working hard to come up will the best palliative care for the terminally ill people. Under good circumstances of proper palliative care, this practice will be unnecessary. This care can conserve the dignity of terminally ill people till they die. It is therefore our responsibility to give them this care rather than to help them kill themselves, which is not dignified at all (Chochinov, 2002). Though, the numbers of people supporting euthanasia is growing with time, everyone should think about the above-discussed concerns. This will help each one of us know that we are capable of giving good care to terminally ill patients without letting them die suicidal deaths. We can think it right that allowing them to die is actually denying them their autonomy, and hence the inherent rights. We should always strive to give perfect care than to kill.

Chapter 13 Madeye Moody

â€Å"Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures†¦damn it, we’re still with the Slytherins†¦.† â€Å"Double Divination this afternoon,† Harry groaned, looking down. Divination was his least favorite subject, apart from Potions. Professor Trelawney kept predicting Harry’s death, which he found extremely annoying. â€Å"You should have given it up like me, shouldn’t you?† said Hermione briskly, buttering herself some toast. â€Å"Then you’d be doing something sensible like Arithmancy.† â€Å"You’re eating again, I notice,† said Ron, watching Hermione adding liberal amounts of jam to her toast too. â€Å"I’ve decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights,† said Hermione haughtily. â€Å"Yeah†¦and you were hungry,† said Ron, grinning. There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Harry looked up, but there was no sign of white among the mass of brown and gray. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A large tawny owl soared down to Neville Longbottom and deposited a parcel into his lap – Neville almost always forgot to pack something. On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy’s eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment in his stomach, Harry returned to his porridge. Was it possible that something had happened to Hedwig, and that Sirius hadn’t even got his letter? His preoccupation lasted all the way across the sodden vegetable patch until they arrived in greenhouse three, but here he was distracted by Professor Sprout showing the class the ugliest plants Harry had ever seen. Indeed, they looked less like plants than thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid. â€Å"Bubotubers,† Professor Sprout told them briskly. â€Å"They need squeezing. You will collect the pus -â€Å" â€Å"The what?† said Seamus Finnigan, sounding revolted. â€Å"Pus, Finnigan, pus,† said Professor Sprout, â€Å"and it’s extremely valuable, so don’t waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus.† Squeezing the bubotubers was disgusting, but oddly satisfying. As each swelling was popped, a large amount of thick yellowish-green liquid burst forth, which smelled strongly of petrol. They caught it in the bottles as Professor Sprout had indicated, and by the end of the lesson had collected several pints. â€Å"This’ll keep Madam Pomfrey happy,† said Professor Sprout, stoppering the last bottle with a cork. â€Å"An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples.† â€Å"Like poor Eloise Midgen,† said Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff, in a hushed voice. â€Å"She tried to curse hers off.† â€Å"Silly girl,† said Professor Sprout, shaking her head. â€Å"But Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end.† A booming bell echoed from the castle across the wet grounds, signaling the end of the lesson, and the class separated; the Hufflepuffs climbing the stone steps for Transfiguration, and the Gryffindors heading in the other direction, down the sloping lawn toward Hagrid’s small wooden cabin, which stood on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang. There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely. As they drew nearer, an odd rattling noise reached their ears, punctuated by what sounded like minor explosions. â€Å"Mornin’!† Hagrid said, grinning at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. â€Å"Be’er wait fer the Slytherins, they won’ want ter miss this – Blast-Ended Skrewts!† â€Å"Come again?† said Ron. Hagrid pointed down into the crates. â€Å"Eurgh!† squealed Lavender Brown, jumping backward. â€Å"Eurgh† just about summed up the Blast-Ended Skrewts in Harry’s opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small phut, it would be propelled forward several inches. â€Å"On’y jus’ hatched,† said Hagrid proudly, â€Å"so yeh’ll be able ter raise ’em yerselves! Thought we’d make a bit of a project of it!† â€Å"And why would we want to raise them?† said a cold voice. The Slytherins had arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words. Hagrid looked stumped at the question. â€Å"I mean, what do they do?† asked Malfoy. â€Å"What is the point of them?† Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds’ pause, then he said roughly, â€Å"Tha’s next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus’ feedin’ ’em today. Now, yeh’ll wan’ ter try ’em on a few diff’rent things – I’ve never had ’em before, not sure what they’ll go fer – I got ant eggs an’ frog livers an’ a bit o’ grass snake – just try ’em out with a bit of each.† â€Å"First pus and now this,† muttered Seamus. Nothing but deep affection for Hagrid could have made Harry, Ron, and Hermione pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lower them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Harry couldn’t suppress the suspicion that the whole thing was entirely pointless, because the skrewts didn’t seem to have mouths. â€Å"Ouch!† yelled Dean Thomas after about ten minutes. â€Å"It got me.† Hagrid hurried over to him, looking anxious. â€Å"Its end exploded!† said Dean angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand. â€Å"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off,† said Hagrid, nodding. â€Å"Eurgh!† said Lavender Brown again. â€Å"Eurgh, Hagrid, what’s that pointy thing on it?† â€Å"Ah, some of ’em have got stings,† said Hagrid enthusiastically (Lavender quickly withdrew her hand from the box). â€Å"I reckon they’re the males†¦.The females’ve got sorta sucker things on their bellies†¦.I think they might be ter suck blood.† â€Å"Well, I can certainly see why we’re trying to keep them alive,† said Malfoy sarcastically. â€Å"Who wouldn’t want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?† â€Å"Just because they’re not very pretty, it doesn’t mean they’re not useful,† Hermione snapped. â€Å"Dragon blood’s amazingly magical, but you wouldn’t want a dragon for a pet, would you?† Harry and Ron grinned at Hagrid, who gave them a furtive smile from behind his bushy beard. Hagrid would have liked nothing better than a pet dragon, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew only too well – he had owned one for a brief period during their first year, a vicious Norwegian Ridgeback by the name of Norbert. Hagrid simply loved monstrous creatures, the more lethal, the better. â€Å"Well, at least the skrewts are small,† said Ron as they made their way back up to the castle for lunch an hour later. â€Å"They are now,† said Hermione in an exasperated voice, â€Å"but once Hagrid’s found out what they eat, I expect they’ll be six feet long.† â€Å"Well, that won’t matter if they turn out to cure seasickness or something, will it?† said Ron, grinning slyly at her. â€Å"You know perfectly well I only said that to shut Malfoy up,† said Hermione. â€Å"As a matter of fact I think he’s right. The best thing to do would be to stamp on the lot of them before they start attacking us all.† They sat down at the Gryffindor table and helped themselves to lamb chops and potatoes. Hermione began to eat so fast that Harry and Ron stared at her. â€Å"Er – is this the new stand on elf rights?† said Ron. â€Å"You’re going to make yourself puke instead?† â€Å"No,† said Hermione, with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth bulging with sprouts. â€Å"I just want to get to the library.† â€Å"What?† said Ron in disbelief. â€Å"Hermione – it’s the first day back! We haven’t even got homework yet!† Hermione shrugged and continued to shovel down her food as though she had not eaten for days. Then she leapt to her feet, said, â€Å"See you at dinner!† and departed at high speed. When the bell rang to signal the start of afternoon lessons, Harry and Ron set off for North Tower where, at the top of a tightly spiraling staircase, a silver stepladder led to a circular trapdoor in the ceiling, and the room where Professor Trelawney lived. The familiar sweet perfume spreading from the fire met their nostrils as they emerged at the top of the stepladder. As ever, the curtains were all closed; the circular room was bathed in a dim reddish light cast by the many lamps, which were all draped with scarves and shawls. Harry and Ron walked through the mass of occupied chintz chairs and poufs that cluttered the room, and sat down at the same small circular table. â€Å"Good day,† said the misty voice of Professor Trelawney right behind Harry, making him jump. A very thin woman with enormous glasses that made her eyes appear far too large for her face, Professor Trelawney was peering down at Harry with the tragic expression she always wore whenever she saw him. The usual large amount of beads, chains, and bangles glittered upon her person in the firelight. â€Å"You are preoccupied, my dear,† she said mournfully to Harry. â€Å"My inner eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas†¦most difficult†¦I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass†¦.and perhaps sooner than you think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, who looked stonily back. Professor Trelawney swept past them and seated herself in a large winged armchair before the fire, facing the class. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who deeply admired Professor Trelawney, were sitting on poufs very close to her. â€Å"My dears, it is time for us to consider the stars,† she said. â€Å"The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays, which intermingle†¦.† But Harry’s thoughts had drifted. The perfumed fire always made him feel sleepy and dull-witted, and Professor Trelawney’s rambling talks on fortune-telling never held him exactly spellbound – though he couldn’t help thinking about what she had just said to him. â€Å"I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But Hermione was right, Harry thought irritably, Professor Trelawney really was an old fraud. He wasn’t dreading anything at the moment at all†¦well, unless you counted his fears that Sirius had been caught†¦but what did Professor Trelawney know? He had long since come to the conclusion that her brand of fortunetelling was really no more than lucky guesswork and a spooky manner. Except, of course, for that time at the end of last term, when she had made the prediction about Voldemort rising again†¦and Dumbledore himself had said that he thought that trance had been genuine, when Harry had described it to him. â€Å"Harry!† Ron muttered. â€Å"What?† Harry looked around; the whole class was staring at him. He sat up straight; he had been almost dozing off, lost in the heat and his thoughts. â€Å"I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn,† said Professor Trelawney, a faint note of resentment in her voice at the fact that he had obviously not been hanging on her words. â€Å"Born under – what, sorry?† said Harry. â€Å"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!† said Professor Trelawney, sounding definitely irritated that he wasn’t riveted by this news. â€Å"I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth†¦.Your dark hair†¦your mean stature†¦tragic losses so young in life†¦I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in midwinter?† â€Å"No,† said Harry, â€Å"I was born in July.† Ron hastily turned his laugh into a hacking cough. Half an hour later, each of them had been given a complicated circular chart, and was attempting to fill in the position of the planets at their moment of birth. It was dull work, requiring much consultation of timetables and calculation of angles. â€Å"I’ve got two Neptunes here,† said Harry after a while, frowning down at his piece of parchment, â€Å"that can’t be right, can it?† â€Å"Aaaaah,† said Ron, imitating Professor Trelawney’s mystical whisper, â€Å"when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry†¦.† Seamus and Dean, who were working nearby, sniggered loudly, though not loudly enough to mask the excited squeals from Lavender Brown – â€Å"Oh Professor, look! I think I’ve got an unaspected planet! Oooh, which one’s that, Professor?† â€Å"It is Uranus, my dear,† said Professor Trelawney, peering down at the chart. â€Å"Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?† said Ron. Most unfortunately, Professor Trelawney heard him, and it was this, perhaps, that made her give them so much homework at the end of the class. â€Å"A detailed analysis of the way the planetary movements in the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart,† she snapped, sounding much more like Professor McGonagall than her usual airy-fairy self. â€Å"I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses!† â€Å"Miserable old bat,† said Ron bitterly as they joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. â€Å"That’ll take all weekend, that will†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Lots of homework?† said Hermione brightly, catching up with them. â€Å"Professor Vector didn’t give us any at all!† â€Å"Well, bully for Professor Vector,† said Ron moodily. They reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang out behind them. â€Å"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!† Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something. â€Å"What?† said Ron shortly. â€Å"Your dad’s in the paper, Weasley!† said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. â€Å"Listen to this! FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC It seems as though the Ministry of Magic’s troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.† Malfoy looked up. â€Å"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It’s almost as though he’s a complete nonentity, isn’t it?† he crowed. Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Malfoy straightened the paper with a flourish and read on: Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers (â€Å"policemen†) over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of â€Å"Mad-Eye† Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody’s heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene. â€Å"And there’s a picture, Weasley!† said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. â€Å"A picture of your parents outside their house – if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn’t she?† Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him. â€Å"Get stuffed, Malfoy,† said Harry. â€Å"C’mon, Ron†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren’t you, Potter?† sneered Malfoy. â€Å"So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?† â€Å"You know your mother, Malfoy?† said Harry – both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron’s robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy – â€Å"that expression she’s got, like she’s got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?† Malfoy’s pale face went slightly pink. â€Å"Don’t you dare insult my mother, Potter.† â€Å"Keep your fat mouth shut, then,† said Harry, turning away. BANG! Several people screamed – Harry felt something white-hot graze the side of his face – he plunged his hand into his robes for his wand, but before he’d even touched it, he heard a second loud BANG, and a roar that echoed through the entrance hall. â€Å"OH NO YOU DON’T, LADDIE!† Harry spun around. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing. There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry – at least, his normal eye was looking at Harry; the other one was pointing into the back of his head. â€Å"Did he get you?† Moody growled. His voice was low and gravelly. â€Å"No,† said Harry, â€Å"missed.† â€Å"LEAVE IT!† Moody shouted. â€Å"Leave – what?† Harry said, bewildered. â€Å"Not you – him!† Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret. It seemed that Moody’s rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head. Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons. â€Å"I don’t think so!† roared Moody, pointing his wand at the ferret again – it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more. â€Å"I don’t like people who attack when their opponent’s back’s turned,† growled Moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. â€Å"Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly. â€Å"Never – do – that – again -† said Moody, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again. â€Å"Professor Moody!† said a shocked voice. Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books. â€Å"Hello, Professor McGonagall,† said Moody calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher. â€Å"What – what are you doing?† said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the bouncing ferret’s progress through the air. â€Å"Teaching,† said Moody. â€Å"Teach – Moody, is that a student?† shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms. â€Å"Yep,† said Moody. â€Å"No!† cried Professor McGonagall, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing. â€Å"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!† said Professor McGonagall wealdy. â€Å"Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?† â€Å"He might’ve mentioned it, yeah,† said Moody, scratching his chin unconcernedly, â€Å"but I thought a good sharp shock -â€Å" â€Å"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender’s Head of House!† â€Å"I’ll do that, then,† said Moody, staring at Malfoy with great dislike. Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words â€Å"my father† were distinguishable. â€Å"Oh yeah?† said Moody quietly, limping forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. â€Å"Well, I know your father of old, boy†¦.You tell him Moody’s keeping a close eye on his son†¦you tell him that from me†¦.Now, your Head of House’ll be Snape, will it?† â€Å"Yes,† said Malfoy resentfully. â€Å"Another old friend,† growled Moody. â€Å"I’ve been looking forward to a chat with old Snape†¦.Come on, you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And he seized Malfoy’s upper arm and marched him off toward the dungeons. Professor McGonagall stared anxiously after them for a few moments, then waved her wand at her fallen books, causing them to soar up into the air and back into her arms. â€Å"Don’t talk to me,† Ron said quietly to Harry and Hermione as they sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had just happened. â€Å"Why not?† said Hermione in surprise. â€Å"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever,† said Ron, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. â€Å"Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret.† Harry and Hermione both laughed, and Hermione began doling beef casserole onto each of their plates. â€Å"He could have really hurt Malfoy, though,† she said. â€Å"It was good, really, that Professor McGonagall stopped it -â€Å" â€Å"Hermione!† said Ron furiously, his eyes snapping open again, â€Å"you’re ruining the best moment of my life!† Hermione made an impatient noise and began to eat at top speed again. â€Å"Don’t tell me you’re going back to the library this evening?† said Harry, watching her. â€Å"Got to,† said Hermione thickly. â€Å"Loads to do.† â€Å"But you told us Professor Vector -â€Å" â€Å"It’s not schoolwork,† she said. Within five minutes, she had cleared her plate and departed. No sooner had she gone than her seat was taken by Fred Weasley. â€Å"Moody!† he said. â€Å"How cool is he?† â€Å"Beyond cool,† said George, sitting down opposite Fred. â€Å"Supercool,† said the twins’ best friend, Lee Jordan, sliding into the seat beside George. â€Å"We had him this afternoon,† he told Harry and Ron. â€Å"What was it like?† said Harry eagerly. Fred, George, and Lee exchanged looks full of meaning. â€Å"Never had a lesson like it,† said Fred. â€Å"He knows, man,† said Lee. â€Å"Knows what?† said Ron, leaning forward. â€Å"Knows what it’s like to be out there doing it,† said George impressively. â€Å"Doing what?† said Harry. â€Å"Fighting the Dark Arts,† said Fred. â€Å"He’s seen it all,† said George. â€Å"‘Mazing,† said Lee. Ron dived into his bag for his schedule. â€Å"We haven’t got him till Thursday!† he said in a disappointed voice. Chapter 13 Madeye Moody â€Å"Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures†¦damn it, we’re still with the Slytherins†¦.† â€Å"Double Divination this afternoon,† Harry groaned, looking down. Divination was his least favorite subject, apart from Potions. Professor Trelawney kept predicting Harry’s death, which he found extremely annoying. â€Å"You should have given it up like me, shouldn’t you?† said Hermione briskly, buttering herself some toast. â€Å"Then you’d be doing something sensible like Arithmancy.† â€Å"You’re eating again, I notice,† said Ron, watching Hermione adding liberal amounts of jam to her toast too. â€Å"I’ve decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights,† said Hermione haughtily. â€Å"Yeah†¦and you were hungry,† said Ron, grinning. There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Harry looked up, but there was no sign of white among the mass of brown and gray. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A large tawny owl soared down to Neville Longbottom and deposited a parcel into his lap – Neville almost always forgot to pack something. On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy’s eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment in his stomach, Harry returned to his porridge. Was it possible that something had happened to Hedwig, and that Sirius hadn’t even got his letter? His preoccupation lasted all the way across the sodden vegetable patch until they arrived in greenhouse three, but here he was distracted by Professor Sprout showing the class the ugliest plants Harry had ever seen. Indeed, they looked less like plants than thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid. â€Å"Bubotubers,† Professor Sprout told them briskly. â€Å"They need squeezing. You will collect the pus -â€Å" â€Å"The what?† said Seamus Finnigan, sounding revolted. â€Å"Pus, Finnigan, pus,† said Professor Sprout, â€Å"and it’s extremely valuable, so don’t waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus.† Squeezing the bubotubers was disgusting, but oddly satisfying. As each swelling was popped, a large amount of thick yellowish-green liquid burst forth, which smelled strongly of petrol. They caught it in the bottles as Professor Sprout had indicated, and by the end of the lesson had collected several pints. â€Å"This’ll keep Madam Pomfrey happy,† said Professor Sprout, stoppering the last bottle with a cork. â€Å"An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples.† â€Å"Like poor Eloise Midgen,† said Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff, in a hushed voice. â€Å"She tried to curse hers off.† â€Å"Silly girl,† said Professor Sprout, shaking her head. â€Å"But Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end.† A booming bell echoed from the castle across the wet grounds, signaling the end of the lesson, and the class separated; the Hufflepuffs climbing the stone steps for Transfiguration, and the Gryffindors heading in the other direction, down the sloping lawn toward Hagrid’s small wooden cabin, which stood on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang. There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely. As they drew nearer, an odd rattling noise reached their ears, punctuated by what sounded like minor explosions. â€Å"Mornin’!† Hagrid said, grinning at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. â€Å"Be’er wait fer the Slytherins, they won’ want ter miss this – Blast-Ended Skrewts!† â€Å"Come again?† said Ron. Hagrid pointed down into the crates. â€Å"Eurgh!† squealed Lavender Brown, jumping backward. â€Å"Eurgh† just about summed up the Blast-Ended Skrewts in Harry’s opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small phut, it would be propelled forward several inches. â€Å"On’y jus’ hatched,† said Hagrid proudly, â€Å"so yeh’ll be able ter raise ’em yerselves! Thought we’d make a bit of a project of it!† â€Å"And why would we want to raise them?† said a cold voice. The Slytherins had arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words. Hagrid looked stumped at the question. â€Å"I mean, what do they do?† asked Malfoy. â€Å"What is the point of them?† Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds’ pause, then he said roughly, â€Å"Tha’s next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus’ feedin’ ’em today. Now, yeh’ll wan’ ter try ’em on a few diff’rent things – I’ve never had ’em before, not sure what they’ll go fer – I got ant eggs an’ frog livers an’ a bit o’ grass snake – just try ’em out with a bit of each.† â€Å"First pus and now this,† muttered Seamus. Nothing but deep affection for Hagrid could have made Harry, Ron, and Hermione pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lower them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Harry couldn’t suppress the suspicion that the whole thing was entirely pointless, because the skrewts didn’t seem to have mouths. â€Å"Ouch!† yelled Dean Thomas after about ten minutes. â€Å"It got me.† Hagrid hurried over to him, looking anxious. â€Å"Its end exploded!† said Dean angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand. â€Å"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off,† said Hagrid, nodding. â€Å"Eurgh!† said Lavender Brown again. â€Å"Eurgh, Hagrid, what’s that pointy thing on it?† â€Å"Ah, some of ’em have got stings,† said Hagrid enthusiastically (Lavender quickly withdrew her hand from the box). â€Å"I reckon they’re the males†¦.The females’ve got sorta sucker things on their bellies†¦.I think they might be ter suck blood.† â€Å"Well, I can certainly see why we’re trying to keep them alive,† said Malfoy sarcastically. â€Å"Who wouldn’t want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?† â€Å"Just because they’re not very pretty, it doesn’t mean they’re not useful,† Hermione snapped. â€Å"Dragon blood’s amazingly magical, but you wouldn’t want a dragon for a pet, would you?† Harry and Ron grinned at Hagrid, who gave them a furtive smile from behind his bushy beard. Hagrid would have liked nothing better than a pet dragon, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew only too well – he had owned one for a brief period during their first year, a vicious Norwegian Ridgeback by the name of Norbert. Hagrid simply loved monstrous creatures, the more lethal, the better. â€Å"Well, at least the skrewts are small,† said Ron as they made their way back up to the castle for lunch an hour later. â€Å"They are now,† said Hermione in an exasperated voice, â€Å"but once Hagrid’s found out what they eat, I expect they’ll be six feet long.† â€Å"Well, that won’t matter if they turn out to cure seasickness or something, will it?† said Ron, grinning slyly at her. â€Å"You know perfectly well I only said that to shut Malfoy up,† said Hermione. â€Å"As a matter of fact I think he’s right. The best thing to do would be to stamp on the lot of them before they start attacking us all.† They sat down at the Gryffindor table and helped themselves to lamb chops and potatoes. Hermione began to eat so fast that Harry and Ron stared at her. â€Å"Er – is this the new stand on elf rights?† said Ron. â€Å"You’re going to make yourself puke instead?† â€Å"No,† said Hermione, with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth bulging with sprouts. â€Å"I just want to get to the library.† â€Å"What?† said Ron in disbelief. â€Å"Hermione – it’s the first day back! We haven’t even got homework yet!† Hermione shrugged and continued to shovel down her food as though she had not eaten for days. Then she leapt to her feet, said, â€Å"See you at dinner!† and departed at high speed. When the bell rang to signal the start of afternoon lessons, Harry and Ron set off for North Tower where, at the top of a tightly spiraling staircase, a silver stepladder led to a circular trapdoor in the ceiling, and the room where Professor Trelawney lived. The familiar sweet perfume spreading from the fire met their nostrils as they emerged at the top of the stepladder. As ever, the curtains were all closed; the circular room was bathed in a dim reddish light cast by the many lamps, which were all draped with scarves and shawls. Harry and Ron walked through the mass of occupied chintz chairs and poufs that cluttered the room, and sat down at the same small circular table. â€Å"Good day,† said the misty voice of Professor Trelawney right behind Harry, making him jump. A very thin woman with enormous glasses that made her eyes appear far too large for her face, Professor Trelawney was peering down at Harry with the tragic expression she always wore whenever she saw him. The usual large amount of beads, chains, and bangles glittered upon her person in the firelight. â€Å"You are preoccupied, my dear,† she said mournfully to Harry. â€Å"My inner eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas†¦most difficult†¦I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass†¦.and perhaps sooner than you think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, who looked stonily back. Professor Trelawney swept past them and seated herself in a large winged armchair before the fire, facing the class. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who deeply admired Professor Trelawney, were sitting on poufs very close to her. â€Å"My dears, it is time for us to consider the stars,† she said. â€Å"The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays, which intermingle†¦.† But Harry’s thoughts had drifted. The perfumed fire always made him feel sleepy and dull-witted, and Professor Trelawney’s rambling talks on fortune-telling never held him exactly spellbound – though he couldn’t help thinking about what she had just said to him. â€Å"I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But Hermione was right, Harry thought irritably, Professor Trelawney really was an old fraud. He wasn’t dreading anything at the moment at all†¦well, unless you counted his fears that Sirius had been caught†¦but what did Professor Trelawney know? He had long since come to the conclusion that her brand of fortunetelling was really no more than lucky guesswork and a spooky manner. Except, of course, for that time at the end of last term, when she had made the prediction about Voldemort rising again†¦and Dumbledore himself had said that he thought that trance had been genuine, when Harry had described it to him. â€Å"Harry!† Ron muttered. â€Å"What?† Harry looked around; the whole class was staring at him. He sat up straight; he had been almost dozing off, lost in the heat and his thoughts. â€Å"I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn,† said Professor Trelawney, a faint note of resentment in her voice at the fact that he had obviously not been hanging on her words. â€Å"Born under – what, sorry?† said Harry. â€Å"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!† said Professor Trelawney, sounding definitely irritated that he wasn’t riveted by this news. â€Å"I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth†¦.Your dark hair†¦your mean stature†¦tragic losses so young in life†¦I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in midwinter?† â€Å"No,† said Harry, â€Å"I was born in July.† Ron hastily turned his laugh into a hacking cough. Half an hour later, each of them had been given a complicated circular chart, and was attempting to fill in the position of the planets at their moment of birth. It was dull work, requiring much consultation of timetables and calculation of angles. â€Å"I’ve got two Neptunes here,† said Harry after a while, frowning down at his piece of parchment, â€Å"that can’t be right, can it?† â€Å"Aaaaah,† said Ron, imitating Professor Trelawney’s mystical whisper, â€Å"when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry†¦.† Seamus and Dean, who were working nearby, sniggered loudly, though not loudly enough to mask the excited squeals from Lavender Brown – â€Å"Oh Professor, look! I think I’ve got an unaspected planet! Oooh, which one’s that, Professor?† â€Å"It is Uranus, my dear,† said Professor Trelawney, peering down at the chart. â€Å"Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?† said Ron. Most unfortunately, Professor Trelawney heard him, and it was this, perhaps, that made her give them so much homework at the end of the class. â€Å"A detailed analysis of the way the planetary movements in the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart,† she snapped, sounding much more like Professor McGonagall than her usual airy-fairy self. â€Å"I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses!† â€Å"Miserable old bat,† said Ron bitterly as they joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. â€Å"That’ll take all weekend, that will†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Lots of homework?† said Hermione brightly, catching up with them. â€Å"Professor Vector didn’t give us any at all!† â€Å"Well, bully for Professor Vector,† said Ron moodily. They reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang out behind them. â€Å"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!† Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something. â€Å"What?† said Ron shortly. â€Å"Your dad’s in the paper, Weasley!† said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. â€Å"Listen to this! FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC It seems as though the Ministry of Magic’s troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.† Malfoy looked up. â€Å"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It’s almost as though he’s a complete nonentity, isn’t it?† he crowed. Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Malfoy straightened the paper with a flourish and read on: Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers (â€Å"policemen†) over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of â€Å"Mad-Eye† Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody’s heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene. â€Å"And there’s a picture, Weasley!† said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. â€Å"A picture of your parents outside their house – if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn’t she?† Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him. â€Å"Get stuffed, Malfoy,† said Harry. â€Å"C’mon, Ron†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren’t you, Potter?† sneered Malfoy. â€Å"So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?† â€Å"You know your mother, Malfoy?† said Harry – both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron’s robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy – â€Å"that expression she’s got, like she’s got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?† Malfoy’s pale face went slightly pink. â€Å"Don’t you dare insult my mother, Potter.† â€Å"Keep your fat mouth shut, then,† said Harry, turning away. BANG! Several people screamed – Harry felt something white-hot graze the side of his face – he plunged his hand into his robes for his wand, but before he’d even touched it, he heard a second loud BANG, and a roar that echoed through the entrance hall. â€Å"OH NO YOU DON’T, LADDIE!† Harry spun around. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing. There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry – at least, his normal eye was looking at Harry; the other one was pointing into the back of his head. â€Å"Did he get you?† Moody growled. His voice was low and gravelly. â€Å"No,† said Harry, â€Å"missed.† â€Å"LEAVE IT!† Moody shouted. â€Å"Leave – what?† Harry said, bewildered. â€Å"Not you – him!† Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret. It seemed that Moody’s rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head. Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons. â€Å"I don’t think so!† roared Moody, pointing his wand at the ferret again – it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more. â€Å"I don’t like people who attack when their opponent’s back’s turned,† growled Moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. â€Å"Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly. â€Å"Never – do – that – again -† said Moody, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again. â€Å"Professor Moody!† said a shocked voice. Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books. â€Å"Hello, Professor McGonagall,† said Moody calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher. â€Å"What – what are you doing?† said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the bouncing ferret’s progress through the air. â€Å"Teaching,† said Moody. â€Å"Teach – Moody, is that a student?† shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms. â€Å"Yep,† said Moody. â€Å"No!† cried Professor McGonagall, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing. â€Å"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!† said Professor McGonagall wealdy. â€Å"Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?† â€Å"He might’ve mentioned it, yeah,† said Moody, scratching his chin unconcernedly, â€Å"but I thought a good sharp shock -â€Å" â€Å"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender’s Head of House!† â€Å"I’ll do that, then,† said Moody, staring at Malfoy with great dislike. Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words â€Å"my father† were distinguishable. â€Å"Oh yeah?† said Moody quietly, limping forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. â€Å"Well, I know your father of old, boy†¦.You tell him Moody’s keeping a close eye on his son†¦you tell him that from me†¦.Now, your Head of House’ll be Snape, will it?† â€Å"Yes,† said Malfoy resentfully. â€Å"Another old friend,† growled Moody. â€Å"I’ve been looking forward to a chat with old Snape†¦.Come on, you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And he seized Malfoy’s upper arm and marched him off toward the dungeons. Professor McGonagall stared anxiously after them for a few moments, then waved her wand at her fallen books, causing them to soar up into the air and back into her arms. â€Å"Don’t talk to me,† Ron said quietly to Harry and Hermione as they sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had just happened. â€Å"Why not?† said Hermione in surprise. â€Å"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever,† said Ron, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. â€Å"Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret.† Harry and Hermione both laughed, and Hermione began doling beef casserole onto each of their plates. â€Å"He could have really hurt Malfoy, though,† she said. â€Å"It was good, really, that Professor McGonagall stopped it -â€Å" â€Å"Hermione!† said Ron furiously, his eyes snapping open again, â€Å"you’re ruining the best moment of my life!† Hermione made an impatient noise and began to eat at top speed again. â€Å"Don’t tell me you’re going back to the library this evening?† said Harry, watching her. â€Å"Got to,† said Hermione thickly. â€Å"Loads to do.† â€Å"But you told us Professor Vector -â€Å" â€Å"It’s not schoolwork,† she said. Within five minutes, she had cleared her plate and departed. No sooner had she gone than her seat was taken by Fred Weasley. â€Å"Moody!† he said. â€Å"How cool is he?† â€Å"Beyond cool,† said George, sitting down opposite Fred. â€Å"Supercool,† said the twins’ best friend, Lee Jordan, sliding into the seat beside George. â€Å"We had him this afternoon,† he told Harry and Ron. â€Å"What was it like?† said Harry eagerly. Fred, George, and Lee exchanged looks full of meaning. â€Å"Never had a lesson like it,† said Fred. â€Å"He knows, man,† said Lee. â€Å"Knows what?† said Ron, leaning forward. â€Å"Knows what it’s like to be out there doing it,† said George impressively. â€Å"Doing what?† said Harry. â€Å"Fighting the Dark Arts,† said Fred. â€Å"He’s seen it all,† said George. â€Å"‘Mazing,† said Lee. Ron dived into his bag for his schedule. â€Å"We haven’t got him till Thursday!† he said in a disappointed voice.

Radical Theater Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Radical Theater - Research Paper Example For this reason, much of the theatre developed in this time period â€Å"represented the safe middle-class milieu and world-view aspirations of the audiences that would come to see them† (Batty, 2005). The purpose of theatre had been reduced to provide a rather thoughtless, structured evening of culture without the necessity of challenging beliefs or social norms. â€Å"They didn’t want anything else, they were perfectly happy to put their feet up. That was what going to the theatre was normally about, going and putting your feet up and just receive something, received ideas of what drama was, going through various procedures which were known to the audience. I think it was becoming a dead area† (Batty, 2005). At the same time, playwrights and producers had to be careful regarding the content and presentation of their material to be sure it fell within the strict regulations of the Lord Chamberlain’s office. This harsh environment saw the number of theatre s with permanent repertory companies fall from 96 to 55 between the years 1950 to 1955 (Clough, 2006). It was this constraining atmosphere that ironically gave birth to the radical theater movement brought forward by Peter Brook.

Analysis of The Effects of Globalisation Research Paper

Analysis of The Effects of Globalisation - Research Paper Example According to (Giddens 2001), globalization is "the growing interdependence between different people, regions, and countries in the world as social and economic relationships come to stretch worldwide". The International Forum on Globalization defines it as, "the present worldwide drive toward a globalized economic system dominated by supranational corporate trade and banking institutions that are not accountable to democratic processes or national governments." (Rosenberg 2000) defines "The term 'globalization' after all, is at first sight merely a descriptive category, denoting either the geographical extension of social processes or possibly, as in Giddens' definition, 'the intensification of worldwide social relations'." According to the (World Bank Brief 2000) globalization gained pace in the 1980s and 1990s, with the advancements in information technology, transportation, and global communications. These include improved telecommunications, the Internet and faster world travel, to name a few. These technological improvements enabled people to transport goods, services, and knowledge, faster, farther and more reliably. Governments have also adopted more open policies that allow for closer international economic cooperation. All these factors contribute to globalization. Â  In governance and business, many of today's leaders have lost sight of their visions for their organizations because of globalization. Globalization has proceeded throughout history at a fast pace and with uneven intensity. Many organizations have experienced changes due to globalization. They have realized the acceleration once again late in this century, after almost 50 years of regression. More and more, national economies today integrated into single global markets through trade, finance, production, and a dense web of international treaties and institutions. My research will explore the relationship between the different elements that are associated with the new developments of globalization. Â  My study on this topic uses historical and descriptive analysis, which I considered more of a qualitative research approach to the study of globalization. In using this method, I found that it helps to trace the roots of the research problem and its effect on the present debate about globalization. At the same time, it helps to explore the relationship between the different elements that are associated with the contemporary developments of globalization.

World History I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

World History I - Essay Example However as we very well know, that situation is not true and Diamond (1997) presents some very interesting insights into how and why the development of societies took place as it did. The explanations given by him are quite interesting since they are logical and appear to make perfect sense. For instance, the argument about technology appeals considerably because today we live in a world which is very technology oriented and it is clear that countries which have taken modern technology to be an integral part of their economies have gained a lot from it. For example, in recent years both India and China have become economic giants mainly due to the investment in technology made by their respective governments and due to the technological contacts they have had with western powers like America and Europe. Of course the development of America is simply a result of the development of the European powers and their ability to create a food surplus from agriculture and domestication of animals. Diamond (1997) is correct when he says that African armies on rhinos and hippos could have decimated European cavalry charges but horses were domesticated while rhinos and hippos still remain wild and dangerous animals. The food surplus created by effective management and agriculture caused populations to expand which often meant that the chances of a region producing a thinker, inventor or discoverer were also increased. Additionally, the argument about human contact improving societies is very true since the contact between the Europeans, the Arabs, the Indians and the Chinese eventually took technologies like cartography, paper, numbers, and many other developments from one end of the globe to the other. The example of Australia in its relative isolation is quite correct since Australia did not know about these developments there was little chance of them developing these technologies on the same lines as the Eurasians. So the two fundamental

Briefing paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Briefing paper - Essay Example First and foremost, Subway must develop understanding and acceptance about cultural differences. This will be accomplished through an exchange and training programs to all of its subsidiaries to facilitate the easy exchange of information. With the concept of open-mindedness, expatriation will be successful. Finally, Subway must somehow consider other motivating factors and a change of management structure in order to remain competitive. 2. Terms of Reference Motivating people is one of the challenging tasks a manager must handle. Usually, work motivation among employees is influenced by cultural issues particularly in international companies. â€Å"Managing across cultures requires motivating employees from various cultures, but finding a framework for motivating and managing behavior across cultures has proven to be difficult† (Silverthorne, 2005, p.98). Based on the research conducted by Kreitner (2009, p.102), employees are looking for a process that is geographically cohe rent. However, because of diversity in individual needs and workplace expectations, motivating practices from one organization will not be anymore successful towards other jurisdiction. Management-Expert (ME) is a global firm that gives consulting services and training programs to all kinds of management issues. ... Just recently, Subway management decided to expatriate workers for them to experience the culturally diverse global workforce. However, the company encountered some disadvantages and one of those is the adaptability to the culture of foreign environments. Because of these cross-cultural differences, employees are having low morale and at the same time turnover becomes high. Per evaluation of the management team, employee motivation is severely damaged. This briefing paper will serve to explain the nature of Subway’s problem, the overview and analysis of the situation, and some suggested remedies/ recommendations to the problem. 3. Overview of the Situation Expatriating employees is one of Subway’s management strategies to make their employees globally skillful. The organization’s objective is to increase the cultural intelligence of their employees in terms of adapting to different cultures. This is also some kind of private motivation among their front line peop le and managers for them to have a broader global perspective among their international subsidiaries. However, the decision brings some drawbacks and it caused a severe damage to the attitudes and behaviors of employees toward their jobs. In other words, employees are not anymore motivated plainly because of the differences in work values, practices, and culture of foreign environments. According to Finsterbusch (2003, p.6), even though most of the countries nowadays are driven by technological and economic development, there is still no room for uniformed global culture. Values will only shift based on the trend but the origin of the culture in which it is employed will not be constant and so dealing with expatriates need to be

Law of Accounting Coursework question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Law of Accounting Coursework question - Essay Example It is a well established principle that a contract can come into existence even if it is oral or has been concluded in an informal manner, however, it is important to note that there are certain conditions which must be satisfied for a legally binding contract to be existent. The starting point for the formation of a contract is that there must be an offer made and it should clearly not be an invitation to treat and subsequently there should be acceptance. The next aspect is that of the criterion of consideration, the intent to enter into legal relation the presence of certainty. For an effective evaluation of how a contract is to be concluded can be found in the case of Smith v Hughes1, whereby the subjective as well as the objective test was laid down so as to evaluate the existence of a valid and legally enforceable contract. The subjective test focuses on the intention of the parties who entered into the contract, while on the contrary the objective test looks into what had been said, done, not done by the parties and what the intention of saying or doing was. An important evaluation on the principles of offer and acceptance can be seen from the evaluation of Professor Atiyah, whereby it was reasoned that offer and acceptance is determined by of one of the methods which is ‘reason forwards’ and ‘reason backwards’. Reason forwards takes into account of offer and acceptance and their existence at first and then goes on to reason out and conclude on the dispute at hand and as for reason backwards the most reasonable solution is made out and it then turns around to ascertain from that offer and acceptance. The definition offer is unequivocal willingness by the offeror that is the person making offer to be bound by certain terms and conditions subject to acceptance of the offeree that is the peron to whom the offer is made. There has been a clear distinction which has been drawn by the courts on the area of invitation to treat and offer , however, there have been times when the differentiating was a mere thin line. Invitation to treat has been defined as an expression of willingness to induce another party to enter into negotiations and to make an offer, however, the boundary is, the fact that it is conditional and is therefore not an offer. The case of (Fisher v Bell)2 clearly defined the fact that invitation to treat is merely an expression of willingness of one party to enter into negotiations with another party thereby hoping that eventually offer and acceptance would take place and a valid and legally enforceable contract would come into existence. The thin line and the distinguishing features between an invitation to treat and offer can be seen from the cases of of Gibson v Manchester City Council3 and Storer v Manchester City Council4. The facts in Gibson were that the treasurer in his letter to Mr. Gibson stated that the council was willing to sell Mr. Gibson the house and needed him to make a formal applic ation. The courts looked into the circumstances of the case and in particular the price factor and held to be an invitation to treat. Contrary to Gibson, in Storer the courts held that a valid contract had been created because of the fact that the transaction had moved one step further and was prior to exchange of contracts. Even though it was a very thin line the courts distinguished between the

Banking and the political situation in Bahrain Essay

Banking and the political situation in Bahrain - Essay Example The rising issue of increased political pressure and financial crisis are affecting the business operations of financial sector of Bahrain (Shachmurove, 2003). Bahrain is also observed to be the largest financial centre among the ‘Gulf Cooperation Council’ (GCC). The GCC countries are majorly dependent on oil exports on a fixed exchange rate. In the GCC region, the banking sector is considered to be the main dominating player in financial terms. In this respect, the Islamic banks are perceived to be growing in an immense manner and are determined to be the ultimate foundation for financial transactions amid the gulf countries. The banking sector of Bahrain is recognised to be accountable to be the major contributor of ‘Gross Domestic Products (GDP) growth. Bahrain is identified to be acquiring around 80% of the GDP in relation to investment funds. The main objective of Bahrain is to obtain the leading position as a financial hub (INSEAD, 2011; Al-Hassan & et. al., 2010). BNP Paribas is recognised as among the leading banking institutions which is one of the leading financial service providers in the European regions. The bank is identified to be present in around 80 countries. Moreover, the bank employs about 200,000 individuals on a global context. BNP offers three major services which include retail banking, ‘corporate and investment banking’ as well as investment solutions (Bahrain Economic Development Board, 2008). Al Salam Bank-Bahrain (B.S.C) began its business operations in the year 2006 and the bank is located in Bahrain. It is observed to be performing business operations in a differentiation manner for acquiring huge capital and proficient as well as experienced management team. The bank adopts standards and principles which are recognised at international level for its transparency as well as integrity (Al Salam Bank Bahrain, 2012). Topic to Be Addressed The subject of the proposed research study is to determine the im pact of adverse political and financial conditions on the banking sector in Bahrain. Moreover, the proposed research study will assist in ascertaining the importance of stable political conditions for businesses to perform their operations effectively. Project Background In Bahrain, BNP Paribas is recognised to be the principal foreign bank. The bank has established two offices in Dubai with the objective of defending itself from unstable political scenarios and financial crisis. The proposed research study will be based on the analysing the factors which are seemingly affecting the operations as well as competitiveness of the banking sector in Bahrain. In this regard, the impact of unstable political situations and financial crisis of the banking sector of Bahrain will be studied in order to improve their situations. Justification of the Topic Chosen In relation to the present day context, it has been observed that the political condition of a country is significantly affecting the economic as well as business environment. Moreover, there are other specific external factors which are demonstrated to be impacting a country’s political and economic conditions both positively as well as negatively. In this regard, the major problem which has been recognised in this proposed study is changes in the political conditions affecting the financial sector in Bahrain. This problem is also identified to be hampering the competitiveness of its financial sector on a global context. Research Question On the basis of identification of the research problem, the

Managing Communication in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing Communication in Business - Essay Example Every member of an effective group should have the required professional skills for a job, which is assigned to him (Rhee 2007). For a group related to business working, the group members of the group should have skills such as understanding of the work environment, business demands and the job needs. Every group member should be aware of the business setting, job specifications and should be target oriented (Devine, et. al 1999). Effective group also forms when people related to the group have interpersonal skills (Silver and Bufiano 1996). Every group member should identify the skills of other members and should be aware about his/her own working that can be supported by other members of the group (Knouse and Dansby 1999). In an effective group, the group members prove themselves as a support for other members and each member is aware of the skills of other person. Balanced diversity and time frame are other characteristics that the group members should have to make the group effective. Each member of the group should be able to offer diverse ideas in case of need (Devine, et. al 1999). For performing any activity, diverse ideas play an effective role. The group members that have diverse skills are much more suitable to form an effective group. Time frame is a very crucial factor and all the group members should take care of the time allocated for a task to make the group effective. Every member of the group is assigned a different role and every group member should perform the role that is assigned to him/her (Pescosolido 2003). Roles are of many kinds such as initiator, contributor, information seeker and giver, coordinator, orienteer, energizer and many others. The performance of each member affects the over all group performance so it is essential for all the group members to complete their assigned roles within allocated time (Knouse and Dansby 1999). Group size is a very important factor. The size

The Percentage of Men and Women in the U.S Essay Example for Free

The Percentage of Men and Women in the U.S Essay In 1950, 86 percent of men and 34 percent of women age 16 and older were in the labor force (See Figure 1). Although the 1964 Civil Rights Act had outlawed employment discrimination based on race and gender, gender quotas in education had not yet been challenged effectively, and enforcement of the law lagged behind its adoption. Women who entered law, medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine before 1970 did so despite discrimination based on gender. At the time of the 1970 census, sample data revealed that about 20,000 women held jobs in engineering, 13,000 as lawyers or judges, and nearly 26,000 as physicians or dentists. By 1970 women had clearly succeeded better in entering some male professions than others; one physician out of ten was a woman, but only one in twenty veterinarians was a woman. In cognizance of the rising population of working mothers, new womens magazines arose in the 1970s like Ms. and Working Woman, which offered advice and encouragement to the working mother, but the real problems of juggling family needs with employment responsibilities had grown no easier. The dilemma of the working mother stemmed partly from the nations refusal to mandate child day care at local, state, or federal levels (Blackwelder, 1997, p.197). In the face of the inadequacy of affordable day care and continued public rhetoric undermining working mothers’ confidence, working mothers of the 1970s turned to each other for support and for advice. A â€Å"handbook† for working mothers published in 1977 addressed the issue of guilt before turning to advice on the emotional, career, and logistical issues confronting working mothers. The author, Niki Scott, reached a not overwhelmingly affirmative conclusion about the situation of the working mother: â€Å"Perhaps youll learn . . . that some of your guilt is unwarranted; that though . . .guilt in working mothers is nearly universal, most women do not do it allthey just do the best they can; that children are not quite as vulnerable as we might think, given a chance to develop; and that you are not alone† (Scott, 1978). By 2002, wide gaps of men and women in the workforce had converged to 74 and 60 percent, respectively (BLS, 2003). BLS expects the male and female labor force participation rates to continue to converge to 73 and 62 percent, respectively, in 2010 (Fullerton Toossi, 2001). In general, converging labor force participation among men and women visualize that the number of workers that are women is increasing. It was 47 percent in 2000 and is expected to be 48 percent in 2010 (See Figure 1). Currently, U. S. employers are under constant pressure to ensure equality for women with respect to employment, advancement opportunities, and compensation. They also need to accommodate working mothers and fathers through parental leaves, part-time employment, flexible work schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, and child care assistance. In addition, because more women are working, employers are more sensitive to the growing need for policies and procedures to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. Some organizations have special orientation programs to acquaint all personnel with the problem and to warn potential offenders of the consequences. Indeed, globalization has the potential to improve women’s economic achievement. For example, increased employment opportunities for women in non-traditional sectors might enable them to earn and control income, giving a source of empowerment and enhancing women’s capacity to negotiate their role and status within the household and society (Bailey, 2005). In addition, the World Bank’s report entitled Enhancing Women’s Participation in Economic Development stated that women’s economic development will benefit their households and society as a whole: â€Å"International experience has proved that support for a stronger role for women in society contributes to economic growth through improved child survival rates, better family health, and reduced fertility rates. † (Bailey, 2005) Work or Family? With women’s entry into workforce participation came concerns about work-family balance, especially as women began to consider whether and at what points in their careers to have children (Orenstein, 2000). Work-family issues were depicted as either/or dilemmas in which women had to pick or choose sides (Williams, 2000). If they chose both work and family, they were labeled as superwomen or second shifters (Schwartz, 1989). Work and family women still reported exhaustion and guilt over time and energy conflicts between competing (public-private) realms (Edley, 2001). They sought to manage double binds of managerial and feminine identities, career and relational time, and embodied (feminine) differences from professional, rational, and masculine norms (Nadesan Trethewey, 2000).

Different Cultures Learning Styles Essay Example for Free

Different Cultures Learning Styles Essay The word culture has been derived from the Latin word â€Å"cultura† which means to cultivate (Online Etymology Dictionary, 2009). Generally it refers to the manners, norms, values, knowledge, attitudes, art, habits and behavioral practices that are preferred and chosen as ideal by majority of the people of the society. With the encroachment and progress in the hi-tech world of today, different cultures across the globe have rapidly undergone the process of acculturation. Thus, learning of diverse cultures around the globe is not a big issue. There are various styles by which one can easily get versed with the multitude of cultures. Some of the styles are as follows. Worldly classroom set up If we have a look at different traditional classrooms of different countries, as well as different classrooms in various cities within one country; we will witness that a number of similarities and differences exist. There are some common factors like discipline, teaching atmosphere, syllabus, curriculum, learning, traditional teaching tools and classroom sitting style; that are common to all classrooms in any part of the world. The difference comes in the degree of effectiveness in teaching, learning, resource input, extra facilities like heating and cooling system, comfortable sitting arrangements and provision of latest technology etc. These factors definitely contribute to creating differences in the scale of learning among the students. Traditional Classrooms around the world Another very popular and effective style of learning culture is the traditional classrooms around the world. Traditional classroom tends to favor cultural learning to its fullest. It is one of the best places where students can interact for a long duration and learn different regional cultural aspects with the passage of time. Interaction of young students with their fellow age group students and teacher with the students definitely promotes broadening of cultural patterns. These written and unwritten rules, which we call culture, consciously or unconsciously, affect people around us. Students at an early young age being quick observers and imitators are swift in picking, absorbing and following various cultural traits and values. Thus, classroom either at primary, secondary or higher level plays a vital role in learning one’s own as well as other cultures prevailing around us. Today’s American culture verses others If we look into different cultures prevailing across the globe, we see impressions of American culture on rest of the world; reason being advanced technological development. America has played a vital role in diffusing its cultural traits to other cultures. Whether it is progressivism, technology, living patterns, habits, music, entertainment and even mind sets of the people; American influence is clearly visible. Nevertheless, many of the traditional and deeply embedded cultures like Islamic, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Greek cultures still are maintaining their identity, and have truly preserved their norms and values to a great extent. CUSTOMS AND COURTEOUS Taboo of learning in world cultures Every culture in every society observes certain taboos and manners. There are certain issues and topics that are considered forbidden in some cultures like restrictions on sexual activities and relationships, restriction on various diets, incest taboos, exposure of body parts, social-economic class, medical disorders and diseases, alcoholism, depression and divorce. Taboos vary from culture to culture; a taboo in one culture might not be a taboo in another. These taboos are learnt via culture and transmitted to generations. Adapting in different societies Adaptation level of culture and manners varies from society to society. There are various factors like education, technological advancements, public awareness, and values among the old generation that play their role in the adaptation of the culture. Researches have shown that technological advance societies have greater tendency to accept change and modifications as compared to the traditional backward societies (Whitehead, 2005). Learning styles in different communities Learning styles also vary from society to society. For example some societies are seen under great influence of electronic media like TV, radio, and internet. Where as some get inspiration from print material, poetry, literature, newspapers, and classrooms. In illiterate societies people have their leaders, teachers, religious scholars, parents and grandparents as a source of learning. TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASS ROOM The progress of classroom learning Importance of the traditional classroom learning can never be ignored in any society, thus with the advancement in technology, teaching as well as learning has now become a trouble-free chore. Gone are the days when teachers just used to use simple black board for communication. Progress in the classroom learning can easily witnessed with the use of tools like multimedia, overhead projector, computer, audio and video tapes etc (Integrated Publishing). Many Audio Visual aids are available to teachers so they can perform their job quite comfortably. Making use of virtual class rooms has facilitated the teachers in loads. It saves a lot resources and time when the instructor and learner communicate from their locations. It further promotes distant learning, and makes the learning process enjoyable and reasonably priced (Integrated Publishing). Degrees pertaining to technology A lot of degrees that are related to technology are being offered these days. Computer science, instructional technology degree, technology in distance education, diplomas in virtual education, teleconferencing courses etc are definitely rewarding degrees in today’s modern day. Well advanced students with technologies today The amalgamation of Internet with the latest technological aids has played a vital role in enhancing the learning process among the students. Utilization of technology has no doubt drastically brought several changes in the learning of the individuals. Teleconferencing, virtual universities, online degrees and distance learning have very well equipped the students with latest tools and techniques (Conner, 2006). Moreover it provided the students with an opportunity to interact with a number of qualified teachers and students from within their homes. Several chat rooms, discussion forums are available in order to facilitate the students in broadening their views and thinking. We can safely say that well advanced students are equipped with latest technology today (Conner, 2006). POST SECONDARY LEARNING AROUND THE GLOBE Education in America Generally it is believed that education in America provides chances and corridors to achievement. Post secondary educational learning in American society carries great value and importance, as it contributes to the social, economic, cultural, political, mental and visual development of the nation. It therefore focuses on the expansion of critical thinking, promotion of exploration and research, problem solving, developing insight, adopting skills and proficiency among the youth. So that nation could be gifted with highly professional, mobile, innovative and productive individuals at higher levels. Education in Japan If we look into the post secondary educational learning in Japan, we observe that the aims and objectives prevailing are not much different from those prevailing in America. Both being highly advanced and developed countries, more or less focus on similar learning methods. Impacts of European methods of learning are also visible. However, along with similarities, Japanese educational learning system does have some uniqueness as well, like the Special course schools are similar to non-university education in US. Education in Australia An influx of migrants from more than 100 countries, Australia is basically a British-European society. In earlier times post secondary education meant university education. Main aim behind the post secondary education is the development of mental power (intellect), university should be the center of professional training of students. Along with this, in order to cope with the latest trends it is indispensable to inculcate in students such abilities that will help them to become experts in a specific field of study, put out their best and add to the relevant work in their field. It too has influences of British and American educational learning on it. Conclusion In today’s society, there are a multitude of different cultures. In this paper you will learn about the different types of learning styles around the world. You will also be able to understand the different how technology has greatly improved learning and how different regions of the world have different technologies used for learning. References Conner, M. L. (2006). Introduction to a e-Learning Culture. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Ageless Learner: http://agelesslearner. com/intros/elc. html Integrated Publishing. (n. d. ). THE SELECTION AND USE OF AUDIOVISUAL (AV) AIDS. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Integrated Publishing: http://www. tpub. com/content/religion/14229/css/14229_324. htm National Governors Association. (2007). Innovation America. A compact for Postsecondary Education . National Governors Association. Online Etymology Dictionary. (2009). Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Online Etymology Dictionary: http://www. etymonline. com/index. php? search=culturesearchmode=none Whitehead, B. (2005, Oct 24). Educational technology allows for flexibility in learning and teaching. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from web-conferencing-zone. com: http://www. web-conferencing-zone. com/4030-educational-technology. htm

Effect of Globalization on Arabic Culture

Effect of Globalization on Arabic Culture Globalization may be defined as the set of social, economic, political, technological, cultural arrangement and procedures resulting from the altering characteristic of production, demand and marketing of products and services which includes the base of multinational political economies. These changes or alteration are multinational and transnational dynamics which pose great impact on the ultimate objective accomplishment in the determination of business environment, global trade regulations etc (Globalisation). There are four key features of globalization which are as follows: Globalization is the integration of various national economies into global market. It transits the economy from high volume in to high value; it is possible through increase in the number of exhaustive products and services information. It vanish the traditional clash of capitalism and socialism and bipolarity. It leads to the configuration and integration of new business alliance (Globalisation). Introduction to Arabic Culture: The Arabs are considered as the ethnic group of people, we can identify them from their conventional cultural values, language and ancestral civilization. The origin of Arab people is from Arabia and their original language was Semitic being Semites. The Arab Culture comprises of the unique features of Arabian people including language, food, dressing modes, rites and rituals, deities, music, dance, art and craft, literature, social structures etc. The Poetry Composition is a unique feature of Arabian literature which has been revealed through the holy Quran. Arabian music prefers melody and rhythm in comparison to harmony. The Arabian Cuisines were prepared mostly by rice, barley, dates, and meat and yoghurt products. The dress ups of Arabian people provides them unique identity in the world, the Arabian women use to wear robes and always prefer to cover their hairs and faces, and Arabian men also wear robes along with the turbans (Najjar, 2005). Effect on Language: Language is considered to be the most prominent part of any culture because people use to communicate with the help of it, and communication plays an important role in transferring the cultural attributes from one generation to another. Due to the over interference of western culture and globalization in the Arab their language shunned and changed towards the English. As English is simple to learn easily and quickly, it captured and spread in the Arab region and surpassed the Arabic language. Most of the Arab people prefer English over Arab language which leads to the Arabic languages deterioration and make it the secondary language. English has been preferred by the Arabian youths and on the contrary Arab language opposed by them as they considered English as superior language which provide them honorable status in the society (John A. Morrow, 2007). Effect on mode of Dressing: The mode of dressing which was followed by the Arab people traditionally revealed their modesty. But due to the globalization the traditional dressing mode has been replaced by western dressing patterns, and the original ethnic dress ups of Arab people have been preserved for old aged people. The present young generalization of Arab have been influenced by globalization a lot, they generally prefers dresses of western culture like jeans, t shirts, and other dresses which leads to too much exposure in comparison with traditional Arab dresses. It posses significant negative impact on the Arabic cultural and ethnic values, beliefs, and norms as the globalization leads to over dominance of western culture on the Arab people and their dressing mode, which ultimately affects the identity and original dress ups of Arab (Najjar, 2005). Effect on Identity: With the emergence of globalization, Arabs have lost the major part of their traditional conventional culture due to its regional market penetration by western culture countries. The identity of individuals lies in their traditions and culture which includes values, beliefs, customs, rites, rituals, dress ups, language, food, arts and crafts, dance and music etc., culture can be observe in the individuals characteristics. Globalization has led to the desertion of various aforementioned features of Arabian Culture which leads to destruction of the Arab Culture as a whole. It leads to various problems like difficulty in identifying and discriminated Arab people on the basis of cultural aspects as they follow other cultural values. If these conditions would not going to change, the traditional culture of Arab get disappear entirely which leads to loss of rich cultural heritage (Najjar, 2005) . Effect on Arab Heritage Culture: The globalization, modernization and secularization provide various significant benefits to the Arabs in terms of technology, economic development, and political scenario. Apart from these benefits globalization leads to harm the traditional culture heritage of Arabs. The conventional art and craft, music and dance, language and literature, food and dressing mode have been replaced by the western cultural attributes (Najjar, 2005). Conclusion:Â   The Arabian youth do not understand the significance of their conventional culture and its preservation. Globalization has affected the Arabian Culture tremendously through internet, films, music, art and literature, so the strategies pertaining to transformation of Arabian Culture should be taken as early as possible so as to retain its original identity and overcome the losses of globalization.

Biography of Karl Marx Essay -- Karl Marx Communism biographies Essays

Biography of Karl Marx Karl Marx was a professional intellectual and philosopher. Throughout Marx's life, chance meetings with other professional intellectuals and philosophers helped guide Marx to his final destination. Although Marx died in March of 1883, some 122 years ago, his theories are still being studied, and in some cases, used in some governments. In his lifetime Marx explored many different social settings and groups. His final accumulation of work can be found in his Communist Manifesto, which he co-authored with Fredrick Engels. Although very meager at times, Marx lived an extraordinary life. Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in Trier Rheinish Prussia (Germany). Although his family was ultimately Jewish, Karl's father, Hirschel Marx, changed the family's religion to Protestant to avoid anti-Semitism. Later, to avoid further persecution, Hirschel changed his name to Heinrich 1. Young Karl was raised mostly in Prussia. Once he had graduated from the Gymnasium, today's equivalent of high school, Marx entered Bonn University to continue his education and follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer. While at Bonn, Karl spent much of his time socializing and running up large debts. Karl was once wounded during a duel, because a debt collector2. After hearing about Karl's attitude towards higher education, Heinrich paid off his son's depts. However the injury involving the duel made Heinrich insist that Karl no longer attend Bonn, but instead move to Berlin and attend the University of Berlin. While in Berlin, Karl met a lecturer named Bruno Bauer. While under Bauer's influence, Marx was introduced to the writings of G.W.F. Hegel, whom had been a fellow lectur... ...y his wife's passing, Marx needed his eldest daughter, Eleanor, to take care of him. In January 1883 Eleanor herself passed away due to cancer of the liver. Marx, left to take care of himself, died three months later in March of 1883. Although Marx and his wife were separated by death for over two years, they now lay side by side at Highgate Cemetery in London. Notes 1 Frank E. Manuel, A Requiem for Karl Marx (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995) 12 2 V.I. Lenin, The Marxists Internet Archive, 16 September 1999, (9 March 2002) 3 Spartacus Educational, 3 March 2002 (9 March 2002) 4 Richard P. Appelbaum, Karl Marx Vol. 7 of Masters of Social Theory (Newbury Park: SAGE Publications, 1988) 5 Appelbaum, 21 6 Manuel, 35 7 Manuel, 37