Modern Britain Essay Example for Free

Modern Britain Essay Being able to come to a believable conclusion about this statement could be quite hard due to the many definitions of religion and secularisation in the first place. There are so many different definitions for these that defining it correctly once arent the case. However secularisation is overall seen to be the decline in importance given to religion. Wilson put forward the idea that religion has declined and is now less important / influential in society than it was in the past. This was known as the secularisation thesis. Wilson focuses on statistical evidence relating to religious institutions and their activity. Church attendance statistics are used for evidence of secularisation in the UK and these vary and show big differences. The fall and rise of statistics in different areas show that religion has little influence today. Interpretive sociologists say that these statistics should be treated with caution as statistics for previous centuries may be inaccurate as data wasnt collected as well as it is today, the golden myth is not accurate and it could be misleading. On the other hand present statistics may not either be reliable as different religious organisations could have different counting methods to one another and also previous centuries. Bellah questions the validity of statistics, as they dont show the full picture e. g. a person attending church doesnt have to mean that they are religious. He says that religion is a private experience and cannot be measured for most people. Statistical evidence only tells us about participation in certain institutionalised religions, not religious belief / practice as a whole. Wilson suggests that rational thinking in the shape of science has replaced religious influence in our lives because scientific progress has resulted in higher living standards. Science has also come up with convincing explanations for phenomena which were once given by religious organisations e. g. how the world was created. People have therefore become increasingly disenchanted with religion. However people say that Wilson maybe overemphasising the influence of rationality, evidence tells us that people at times prefer religious explanations to scientific explanations. Social attitude surveys tell us that 70% of the UK population profess a string belief in god. Many people subscribe to quasi religious concepts such as luck or fate. There has been a decline in commitment to beliefs. Membership of high commitment organisations has generally decreased and low commitment organisations membership has increased. The popularity of some cults may be explained by the fact that they do not demand a great deal of commitment. Wilson argues that the church is no longer involved in important areas of social life such as politics. He says that politicians have no interest in making sure their policies meet with the approval of religious leaders. The media is more likely to have an impact and direct people rather than the church. Wilson says that the church has become disengaged from the wider society and only plays a marginal role in modern society. However critics say that religion is still a major provider of education and welfare in society today. The media still shows a great interest in religious issues such as women priests or the Church of Englands attitudes to homosexuality. National religious ceremonies such as the funeral of Princess Diana suggest that the sacred might still be important.

Ode of the West Wind by Percy Shelley Essay -- too a skylark, spirit,

Percy Shelley was a rebellious writer. Many of the things that he had written didn’t really follow the social standards of his time. Many times, he would call something out or introduce many ludicrous ideas. He also was a huge fan of William Wordsworth, a poet who thought the Industrial Revolution was ruining our connection towards nature. So, Shelley tended to follow this theme, except in a more rebellious way and Adam Kirsch agrees when he states, â€Å"Unlike the average radical, then, Shelley didn't just challenge social taboos; he openly violated them, living his personal life in accordance with unpopular principles like equality, women's rights, and free love.† (Kirsch, Adam). One of the many tools Shelley used in his writing was the use of personification, or treating non-human things as if they were human. For example, Ode of the West used personifies the wind which is shown throughout the poem as he speaks to the wind like he would a person. In To a Skylark, he admires the bird and uses many creative images to express the wonder and magnificent qualities of the skylark. Percy Shelley’s poems Ode of the West Wind and Too a Skylark both use imagery to show links between spirit and nature, and they each use personification of different things to show these connections. First of all, both of Shelley’s poems Ode of the West Wind and Too a Skylark use imagery to illustrate connections between nature and spirit. Ode of the West has many magnificent images that are described throughout the poem. Shelley used many illustrating words that really formed a picture of what he was talking about. The connection of nature and spirit are shown in lines such as, â€Å"Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red, / Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O... ...that show connections between spirit and nature. Works Cited Donovan, Josephine. "Aestheticizing Animal Cruelty." College Literature 4(2011):202. eLibrary. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. Kirsch, Adam.. "AVENGING ANGEL ; Books." New Yorker, The. 27 Aug. 2007: 85. eLibrary. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. Knapp, John. "The spirit of classical hymn in Shelley's "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty"." Style 33. 1(1999):43. eLibrary. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Neth, J., Michael.. "The Shelley-Byron Conversation.(book reviews)." ANQ 9. (1996):61(4). eLibrary. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. William, James , 1792-1822 (1792-1822) The Complete Poetical Works of Shelley including materials never before printed in any edition of the poems: Edited with textual notes by Thomas Hutchinson Oxford The Clarendon Press 1904 xxvii, 1023 p. Preliminaries, introductory, and editorial matter omitted; non-English verse omitted.

Porfirio Diaz’s leadership tactics Essay

†¢ Diaz was able to manipulate other politicians as well as his surrounding leaders. He created great relationships with regional leaders, reminding them that the growth of Mexico’s economy would also create economic growth for them. [1] †¢ Diaz created peace among the Catholic Church supporters, and opponents. Diaz enforced new laws, reforming church privileges. [2] †¢ In order to boost the economy, Diaz looked to foreign investment. He gave tax breaks for international investors, used foreign capital to pay for infrastructure, and always encouraged trade with other countries (i.e Britain, United States, Germany, etc.). [3] †¢ To maintain political power and approval, Diaz regularly jailed those who spoke out against him or his policies, resulting in many editors and writers being imprisoned and opposing leaders â€Å"disappearing†. [4] Porfirio Diaz’s Presidential Terms †¢ Diaz served as president first in 1876, though the public realized his love of power, and elected a new president, Gonzalez, after Diaz’s first term. After a term of Gonzalez, Diaz then reclaimed presidency, and stayed in power from 1884 to 1910, a grand total of 30 years. [5] †¢ Diaz eventually lost power in 1911, after several public uproars and criticism’s about Diaz came forth, and the Maderistas took up arms against him. Soon, a revolution at the battle of Casas Grandes, took place, defeating Porfirio Diaz. [6] Juan Manuel de Rosas accomplishments †¢ Rosas walked into a politically unstable, Argentina. To fix this, Rosas believed in a greater amount of power for the governor. Through doing so, Rosas became a tyrant like leader, similar to Diaz. [7] †¢ During his reign, Rosas increased exported beef and hides, ended the ongoing civil wars, obtained much more land, and declined foreign debts. [8] Leadership Style of Rosas †¢ Rosas was extremely oppressive, not always being sympathetic or thoughtful, often showing no mercy to those whom he though betrayed him. [9] Analysis The Caudillos Juan Manuel de Rosas and Porfirio Diaz are two extremely powerful men in Latin American history, each changing different things about their country in different ways. However, one thing is consistent when analyzing both; they were masters of political power and maintained it better than most leaders. The rise and preservation of power does not come from simple charisma or character. Each leader devised strong strategies and processes, ensuring them the necessary support to rule a country for such an amount of time. After first being elected president in 1876, then losing his position to Gonzales, Diaz then reclaimed the presidency from 1184 to 1910, meaning he remained in power for a total of 30 years. [10] Diaz did this by manipulating others around him, including other authorities as well as the public. Those who did not agree with Diaz or spoke out were punished. Many were imprisoned or found disappearing[11]. Aside from the public, Diaz also took care of threatening opposing authorities by creating great relationships with regional leaders.[12] These relations, military power, and strive for strength created the everlasting regime of Porfirio Diaz. Like Diaz, Juan Manuel de Rosas grew to be extremely powerful during his country of Argentina’s, time of need. Again, being similar with Diaz, Rosas, while powerful, was also oppressive, as many Caudillos of the time soon became. Through a letter written by a citizen to Juan Manuel de Rosas, in which the man pleads for his daughter’s safety, Rosas is unmoved by the article and executes the daughter.[13] This is a prime example of the leader ship style of Rosa. Though, it does raise the question that if he was so oppressive and powerful, why was he in office for so long? When Rosas arrived in Argentina, political chaos was obvious. In order to ensure stability, Rosas implemented many changes in the government, including giving more power to the governor, which in turn, saved Rosas job for the future, allowing him to become a tyrant like leader.[14] Both of these Caudillos illustrate human’s crave for power, and the manipulation, deception, and devilish processes that can be used to maintain this power. We can see both of these men as great leaders, as they thoroughly accomplished what they decided was best. We can also see them as great lessons, teaching us of the dangers of leadership and the risks it often involves. Conclusion The view of past and present Caudillos will consistently change with the person the view is from. However, one thing is clear. Juan Manuel de Rosas and Porfirio Diaz were two Caudillos of political excellence, maintaining a long and influential regime. This was accomplished by both, through their personal triumphs over the previous government of their nation as well as a triumph over threatening authorities around and within the nation, such as Diaz regularly jailing those who spoke out against him or his policies. Rosas and Diaz both knew what they wanted and had valid processes in accomplishing this; though the moral values of their actions are up to discussion. This situation is common throughout history, including skilled leaders such as Hitler, Stalin, and Castro. Juan Manuel de Rosas and Porfirio Diaz display patterns of the past and expectations of the future.

India s Population Is Not Illegal - 1226 Words

India s population is approximately 1.2 billion people. Out of those 1.2 billion people, there are roughly 2.1 million people that have HIV. India has the third largest HIV infections in the world. Because of the prevalence of the sex industry in India, the people most at risk are sex workers, men who have sex with other men, transgender people and migrants (truck drivers). According to the website I saw, there are 868,000 female sex workers and 427,000 male sex workers. Even though running brothels are illegal in India, sex work itself is not illegal. Due to stigma and discrimination because of the re-criminalization of adult consensual same sex sexual conduct, men who have sex with other men are at higher risk of not being informed†¦show more content†¦In fact, it is twice as high as males that inject drugs. Majority of females who are sex slaves inject drugs and that is why the transmission of HIV is so high amongst drug users and sex slaves. So, female sex workers who i nject drugs are more likely to test positive for HIV. The third category of people who are more at risk for contracting and passing on HIV are Migrant workers, mainly truck drivers. Because truck drivers are away from their homes and wives for extended periods of time, they turn to sex workers for sex. Truck drivers do not use condoms consistently, therefore, they get infected, go back home to their wives, and end up infecting their wives with HIV. Because of the prevalence of HIV in India, several organizations help aid in the fight against HIV. The National AIDS Control Organization is primarily responsible for implementing new programs in India to help prevent and stop the transmission of HIV. One of their main goals is to target these high risk groups and provide HIV treatment, education and support for them. For female sex workers that entails educating them on the spread of HIV, providing them with condoms to use to lower the rate of transmission to their male clients, who in turn the male clients will have a lower transmission rate to their female partners. There is a project designed specifically for men who have sex with other men and transgender people called Project Pehchan, which allows these type of individuals to get