Premise Definition and Examples in Arguments

Premise Definition and Examples in Arguments A premise is a  proposition upon which an argument is based or from which a conclusion is drawn. Put another way, a  premise includes the reasons and evidence behind a conclusion, says  Study.com. A premise may be  either the major or the minor proposition of a  syllogism- an argument in which two premises are made and a  logical conclusion  is drawn from them- in a deductive argument. Merriam-Webster  gives this example of a major and minor premise (and conclusion): All mammals are warmblooded [major premise]; whales are mammals [minor premise]; therefore, whales are warmblooded [conclusion]. The term premise comes from medieval Latin, meaning things mentioned before. In philosophy as well as fiction and nonfiction writing, the premise follows largely the same pattern as that defined in Merriam-Webster. The premise- the thing or things that came before- lead (or fail to lead) to a logical resolution in an argument or story. Premises in Philosophy To understand what a premise is in philosophy, it helps to understand how the field defines an argument, says  Joshua May, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. In philosophy, an argument is not concerned with disputes among people; it is a set of propositions that contain premises offered to support a conclusion, he says, adding: A  premise  is a proposition one offers in support of a conclusion. That is, one offers a premise as evidence for the truth of the conclusion, as justification for or a reason to believe the conclusion. May offers this example of a major and minor premise, as well as a conclusion, that echoes the example from Merriam-Webster: All humans are mortal. [major premise]G.W. Bush is a human. [minor premise]Therefore, G.W. Bush is mortal. [conclusion] May notes that the validity of an argument in philosophy (and in general) depends on the accuracy and truth of the premise or premises. For example, May gives this example of a bad (or inaccurate) premise: All women are Republican. [major premise: false]Hilary Clinton is a woman. [minor premise: true]Therefore, Hilary Clinton is a Republican. [conclusion: false] The  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy  says that an argument can be valid if it follows logically from its premises, but the conclusion can still be wrong if the premises are incorrect: However, if the premises are true, then the conclusion is also true, as a matter of logic.​​ In philosophy, then, the process of creating premises and carrying them through to a conclusion involves logic and deductive reasoning. Other areas provide a similar, but slightly different, take when defining and explaining premises. Premises in Writing For nonfiction writing, the term  premise  carries largely the same definition as in philosophy. Purdue OWL notes that a premise or premises are integral parts of constructing an argument. Indeed, says the language website operated by Purdue University, the very definition of an argument is that it is an assertion of a conclusion based on logical premises. Nonfiction writing uses the same terminology as in philosophy, such as  syllogism, which Purdue OWL describes as the simplest sequence of logical premises and conclusions. Nonfiction writers use a premise or premises as the backbone of a piece such as an editorial, opinion article, or even a letter to the editor of a newspaper. Premises are also useful for developing and writing an outline for a debate. Purdue gives this example: Nonrenewable resources do not exist in infinite supply. [premise 1]Coal is a nonrenewable resource. [premise 2]Coal does not exist in infinite supply. [conclusion] The only difference in nonfiction writing versus the use of premises in philosophy is that nonfiction writing generally does not distinguish between major and minor premises. Fiction writing also uses the concept of a premise but in a different way, and not one connected with making an argument. James M. Frey, as quoted on  Writers Digest, notes: The premise is the foundation of your story- that single core statement of what happens to the characters as a result of the actions of a story.† The writing website gives the example of the story The Three Little Pigs, noting that the premise is: â€Å"Foolishness leads to death, and wisdom leads to happiness.† The well-known story does not seek to create an argument, as is the case in philosophy and nonfiction writing. Instead, the story itself is the argument, showing how and why the premise is accurate, says Writers Digest: If you can establish what your premise is at the beginning of your project, you will have an easier time writing your story. Thats because the fundamental concept you create in advance will drive the actions of your characters. Its the characters- and to some degree the plot- that prove or disprove the premise of the story. Other Examples The use of premises is not limited to philosophy and writing. The concept can also be useful in science, such as in the study of genetics or biology versus environment, which is also known as the nature-versus-nurture debate.  In Logic and Philosophy: A Modern Introduction, Alan Hausman, Howard Kahane, and Paul Tidman give this example: Identical twins often have different IQ test scores. Yet such twins inherit the same genes. So environment must play some part in determining IQ. In this case, the argument consists of three statements: Identical twins often have different IQ  scores. [premise]Identical twins inherit the same genes. [premise]The environment must play some part in  determining  IQ. [conclusion] The use of the premise even reaches into religion and theological arguments.  Michigan State University  (MSU) gives this example: God exists, for the world is an organized system and all organized systems must have a creator. The creator of the world is God. The statements provide  reasons why God exists, says MSU. The argument of the statements can be organized into premises and a conclusion. Premise 1: The world is an organized system.Premise 2: Every organized system must have a creator.Conclusion: The creator of the world is God. Consider the Conclusion You can use the concept of the premise in countless areas, so long as each premise is true and relevant to the topic. The key to laying out a premise or premises (in essence, constructing an argument) is to remember that premises are assertions that, when joined together, will lead the reader or listener to a given conclusion, says the  San Jose State University Writing Center, adding: The most important part of any premise is that your audience will accept it as true. If your audience rejects even one of your premises, they will likely also reject your conclusion, and your entire argument will fall apart.​ Consider the following assertion: â€Å"Because greenhouse gases are causing the atmosphere to warm at a rapid rate...† The San Jose State writing lab notes that whether this is a solid premise depends on your audience: If your readers are members of an environmental group, they will accept this premise without qualms. If your readers are oil company executives, they may reject this premise and your conclusions. When developing one or more premises, consider  the rationales and beliefs not just of your audience  but also of your opponents, says San Jose State. After all, your whole point in making an argument is not just to preach to a like-minded audience but to convince others of the correctness of your point of view. Determine what givens† you accept that your opponents do not, as well as where two sides of an argument can find common ground. That point is where you will find effective premises to reach your conclusion, the writing lab notes. Source Hausman, Alan. Logic and Philosophy: A Modern Introduction. Howard Kahane, Paul Tidman, 12th Edition, Cengage Learning, January 1, 2012.

Cyber Bullying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cyber Bullying - Essay Example This type of bullying often starts as a rumor, a photo or sometimes a forwarded message which spiral out of control. Cyber-bullying affects people at any place and at any time (National Center Missing & Exploited Children 2015). There are diverse forms of bullying, however, the most common are flaming and trolling which involves posting hostile messages with the intention of inflaming the emotions of other people and happy-slapping which involves recording a person being harassed physically then posting the video online. Other forms of cyber bullying include identity theft that involves stealing someone’s password and hijacking their online accounts to post humiliating pictures or information, photo-shopping, physical threats and rumor spreading. In relation to this, Amanda Todd expounds on how she became a victim of cyber bullying (The Amanda Todd Story 2014). In her story, she links he emotional discomfort with her interaction with an unknown person who ended up posting her naked photo in Facebook. It is through the rapid spread of the photo in the social media that she became an enemy to all people including her close friends. Victims of cyberbullying often portray specific signs. For instance, a child being bullied may avoid a computer, cell phone, as well as technological devices associated with receiving messages and emails. Other children may withdraw themselves from family or friends, avoid conversations associated with computers, or exhibit not only signs of low esteem, but also depression and fear. In addition to having poor grades, others develop poor eating and sleeping habits. In her video, Amanda Todd also expounds on the effects of cyber-bullying to her well being. The loneliness she had as a result of losing close friends made her feel depressed to a level that she started using drugs in order to forget about her experiences (How to Change Children from by Standing to Upstanding 2014). Apart from secluding

Recruitment and selection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Recruitment and selection - Essay Example Recruitment and selection are identified as a fundamental to success of an organisation. Placing a deserving candidate at a right place, at a right time ensures that the organisation would not perform below its targeted objectives. Within that context, a process of recruiting and selecting possesses a paramount importance as it is that door that facilitates new comers to become a part of a team.However, online recruitment and selection have considerably revolutionized this concept from the management points of view and from a potential applicant’s point of view Placing a deserving candidate at a right place, at a right time ensures that the organisation would not perform below its targeted objectives. Within that context, a process of recruiting and selecting possesses a paramount importance as it is that door that facilitates new comers to become a part of a team. However, online recruitment and selection have considerably revolutionized this concept from the management point s of view and from a potential applicant’s point of view. 13 Boots and Waitrose are two companies who are analysed from the management’s perspective. The former sets a certain expectations. And, for that purpose it uses the images and pictures in a way to influence over the thinking of potential candidates for employment in Boots. It portrays the pictures and images of its employees as being satisfied with the environment and they enjoy working with Boots. The Boots management considers and values such depictions as a way to communicate with the potential employees. They believe that the content and messages being displayed on its recruitment website must be simple, easy to read and understandable, and it must deliver what the management expect that content to. On the other hand, Waitrose do not use images and pictures of its employee to depict the inside environment of Waitrose. Instead, Waitrose believe in using more professional content and professional use of words in a way to satisfy the expectations of potential employees. For example, its use the word â€Å"partners† instead of using â€Å"employees†. This sort of management philosophy highlights how much values Waitrose attaches with its current and potential partners. They give them a sense of partnership rather than a concept of employee-employer relationship. 13 5.2 Recommendations 14 6.0Bibliography 15 7.0Appendices 16 7.1Peer Review Forms 16 7.2 Interview Questions 19 Executive Summary 1.0 Introduction Recruitment and selection is one of the most important factors to consider for an organisation. Welch and Welch (2005:81 as cited in Banfield & Kay, 2008) said â€Å"†¦nothing matters more in winning than getting the right people on the field.† This is exactly the same when it comes to organisations, recruitment and selection is responsible for ensuring that they have the right people working in the best positions for the organisation to succeed. The use of on line recruitment has increased in more recent years, it is claimed by Price (2007) that 90% of large US businesses use online recruitment. This is becoming a vital part of the recruitment and selection process in the 21st century as more and more jobseekers are turning to the internet in order to find a job that suits them. It is also claimed that web based recruitment can decrease cost of recruitment by 95% from more traditional methods (Price, 2007). This has obvious financial advantages for organisations, but other benefits to organisations include reduced staffing cost as they do not need employees to process large amounts of applications and it allows organisations to shortlist applicants in a much more efficient fashion. Online recruitment is aimed at the younger applicants (Hankins et al, 2005 as cited in Bratton & Gold, 2007) which suggests that it would particularly focus on employing fresh graduates with the high levels of talent and enthusiasm. This report is going to foc us on the online recruitme

Identity Theft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Identity Theft - Essay Example The main focus is on the theft of identity using computer. The next section aims at explaining what Identity theft means furthering which the problems are touched upon. The loss and misuse of personal identification information is called Identity theft. Personal identification information like a social security number, name, place of birth, mother’s maiden name, phone number, etc. act as the only information that identify an individual. This information is used for different purposes like opening a bank account, stealing money, pension payouts or to gain any other benefits. The loss of any of the information can help the id thieves to use this and create a new id for themselves. The thieves become the accused and the person whose id is stolen becomes the victim. A victim can face major consequences with the loss of identity. The misuse of identity of an individual can lead the individual to suffer from bad credits, incorrect criminal acquisitions (Consumer Report, 2008). With the constant improvements in technology, there has also been an increase in the mis-utilisation of the available technology to steal people’s identities or other types of frauds. One of the biggest issues has been that of the influence of Internet over the increase of the frauds. With the increased usage of the Internet, it has been noted that there have been an increase fraudulent activities over the Internet as well. There is a lot of information that flows around the Internet at any given point in time, with the increased usage of the Internet for different facilities like payments of bills, online bookings, e- shopping, etc (Chad, 2004). All these activities involve a lot of personal information floating all over the Internet. The Internet identity theft differs from the normal form of identity theft in a number of ways. In this form of theft the victim will not be

Romantic Era And The Byronic Hero English Literature Essay

Romantic Era And The Byronic Hero English Literature Essay The Romantic Era and the Byronic Hero. During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, literature and art as well as political philosophy were deeply influenced by new ideas about individualism and citizen rights. The American and French Revolutions illustrate the power and volatility of these new ideas. Although the term Romantic wasnt applied to this period until many decades later, the writers of this period expressed a sense of collective intellectual energy that they called the spirit of the age.†It was a time for questioning the status quo, challenging conventions of social hierarchy, and elevating the value of the common man and woman. Romantic writers reflected on the beauty of the natural world as a means of discovering, illuminating, and articulating their own insights about human nature. Their writing frequently included scathing critiques of social injustices, mainly associated with growing urbanization; meanwhile, they idealized rural landscapes and lifestyle s. Many of these authors were profoundly influenced by Miltons poetic works, especially  Paradise Lost. For example, William Blakes  Songs of Innocence and Experience  juxtaposes poetic visions of the world first through the eyes of a child, or innocent, and then through experienced eyes that recognize sin and inhumanity as part of the human fallen condition. As mentioned in the readings, Blake argued that Miltons Satan was the true hero of  Paradise Lost, and many of his contemporaries agreed with him. Miltons Satan inspired a new figure in English literature: the Byronic Hero. In this lesson, we will read several defenses of this rebellious and misunderstood, tragic character. In particular, we will investigate how this figure informs Mary Shelleys famous gothic novel,  Frankenstein. During the Romantic period, the art form of the novel became increasingly popular, in conjunction with a growing reading public. Some of the most famous and influential novels of this era include Jane Austins satiric novels of sensibility and manners, Walter Scotts historical novels, and Mary Shelleys critique of science and society in  Frankenstein. Most of us are familiar with the monstrous figure of Frankenstein from popular culture: film and television images. Mary Shelleys original creature was conceived in the aftermath of the French Revolution and the subsequent bloodshed that shocked and disillusioned many of the initial supporters of this revolution. Note that the name Frankenstein refers specifically to the scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who created a living Creature. The relationship between Victor and the Creature offers a complex commentary on the duties and responsibilities of both a creator and the created, which invites comparisons with Miltons depiction of the rel ationships between God, Adam and Eve, and Satan. Shelley interweaves the Biblical narrative of the Fall in Genesis with the Greek myth of Prometheus, another creation myth about duty, betrayal and punishment. Furthermore,  Frankenstein  explores themes of pride and ambition by combining these grand epic narratives with Shelleys own personal experiences of procreation, parenting, and death. Lesson Four Reading Assignment Readings: In  Masters of British Literature  (Longman, Vol. B), skim â€Å"The Romantics and their Contemporaries†, (pp. 3-28). Also read: William Wordsworth, â€Å"The World is too much with us†; â€Å"London 1802† (231-2); â€Å"Manfred’ and Its Time: The Byronic Hero† (386-7); and Coleridge, â€Å"Satanic Pride and Rebellious Self-Idolatry† (392-3) In the Longman Cultural Edition of Mary Shelley’s  Frankenstein, please read Susan Wolfson’s introduction (pp. xvii-xxii) before you read the novel. Then read Mary Shelley’s  Frankenstein  (the 1818 edition). And, then read the excerpts in â€Å"God, Adam, and Satan† (301-322). Reading Questions: As you read the novel, consider the following questions: What is the effect on the reader of learning about Victor’s story through the third-person, Walton, and his letters to his sister? On page 34, Victor images the gratitude that his creation will feel towards him. How does he respond, on page 37, when he actually animates the body of his creation? How does Victors initial vision of being a creator differ from the reality throughout the rest of his tale? How would you describe Victors character? How is he perceived by other characters in the novel? At various points in the narrative do you find your allegiance shift from Victor to the Creature, or vice versa? Why might the author want the reader to feel sympathy for each of these characters? Traditionally, a novel will have a protagonist, or hero, and an antagonist, or villain. Who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist in this work? Consider how this narrative evokes the story of the Garden of Eden, the Forbidden Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, the desire to be godlike, and the Fall from Grace. What is the effect of these allusions? How does this novel view science and the quest for knowledge? Does Walton learn anything from Victor’s tale? Is it significant that he acquiesces to his men’s desires to return to England? Lesson Four Writing Assignment Essay Assignment: Select one of the following essay prompts. After considering how you would answer each of the questions in the prompt, craft a thesis based on your answers and write a 5-page essay, supporting your selected topic. In Chapter VII of volume II, the Creature finds a bag of books, including Milton’s  Paradise Lost. How is the Creature affected by reading this epic poem as â€Å"true history† (98)? Shelley invites us to compare Victors creation with Miltons retelling of Genesis. How does this comparison influence our interpretation of  Frankenstein?  Is the Creature more similar to Adam or to Satan? Does Shelley’s novel encourage us to view Satan as a heroic rebel or the arch-fiend? Explain your answers with evidence from both  Paradise Lost  and  Frankenstein  and additional readings about the Romantic poets. Milton embellishes much of the Genesis story, but regarding the punishment of Eve, he restates the King James Bible text (Genesis 2:16) with almost no alteration or addition; Miltons God decrees to Eve: Thy sorrow I will greatly multiply By thy conception; children thou shalt bring In sorrow forth, and to thy husbands will Thine shall submit, he over thee shall rule. (Book X, lines 193-6) Mary Shelleys mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was a famous feminist who died from complications of childbirth soon after Mary was born. Mary Shelley suffered miscarriages and the early deaths of several of her own children. Many critics hypothesize that Shelleys experiences of birth and death greatly influenced her creation of  Frankenstein. They argue that Victors obsession with creating a human represents a desire to possess and/or circumvent human reproduction. In your essay, connect Victors desire to supplant human procreation to Eves temptation to possess knowledge and become godlike. How are their transgressions similar and different? How are their punishments similar and different? You might consider the theory of the Fortunate Fall† in your discussion. Discuss how the Romantic Poets interpreted Miltons  Paradise Lost. Explain the political and social events that influenced their ideas about God and Satan.   Refer to at least two examples from the poets writings in the Reading Assignment, as well as the scholarly commentary.  Then, consider Mary Shelleys incorporation of  Paradise Lost  into  Frankenstein.   Does her adoption of Milton reflect or challenge the ideas of what Susan Wolfson terms Romantic Satanism (p 301 in the Longman Cultural Edition of  Frankenstein)?   In other words, how does Shelleys novel respond to the Romantic Poets interpretation of Miltons epic poem? Paradise Lost (Paradise Lost) revealed human sin and corruption. The poem describes the rebellious angels of Satan. Adam and Eve were possessed by Satan, ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that God prohibited eating. Finally, Satan and his cohorts were turned into snakes. Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden of Eden. The poem reflects the poets freedom to pursue the lofty spirit. Satan had gathered many rebel angels under him. The poem describes how Satan and his angels fall into hell by the thunder and the heat of fire, after a while, he wakes from dizziness. Satan awakens all the same angles in Heaven, and they got up. Satan comforts them in the speech, inspiring them, finally he told them, according to an ancient prophecy or report in heaven, there is a new world and a new creature to be created. So they decided to hold a plenary session of the prophecy, and discussed countermeasures. At the beginning of the meeting, the first question is debated: it is necessary to take a risk of war to restore the kingdom of heaven. The final three take a proposal, which is Satan mentioned, to explore whether the prophecy or hagiography is correct. According to legend, the God is creating a new world and a new species, a creature with not much difference between them. The difficult question is who will be sent to do the difficult exploration. Their leader Satan alone bears the task, winning peoples admiration and applause. After the meeting, other members pursue pleasure randomly. In the journey of Satan through the hell gate, the door is closed, the person in charge of the gate talked with Satan. Finally, the man opened the door. Satan saw a big pit between the hell and the heaven, which is chaotic world. Under the guidance of the ordeal, he only went to see what hes looking for in new world. When Satan went into the new world, God seated on a throne saw. The God refers to the prophecy that Satan will seduce human, and his plot will succeed. Human beings are free, and there is resistance to temptation, sweeping all slander to justice, the ability of wisdom. He also claims; people commit crime because of many reasons. Satan is wandering edge of a wasteland for a while in the new universe. Seen from what is called empty border place, people and things soaring; then, he would fly to the sun. He first pretends to deform for junior angels, sincerely, to see a new world and live in one of these people. Under Youlies guidance, he flies to paradise. Satan finally reached the new world, and it landed in a survey of the garden of Eden place, where it has been close to his destination, he alone takes bold adventure, to be against God, man. The moment he got into all kinds of confusion, his heart occupies many strong emotions: jealousy, fear, despair and so on. But in the end he decided to implement the evil plans, along the radial paradise. He crossed the border, into a cormorant, squatting on the tree of life the highest office park, looking around. It is his first sight of Adam and Eve. His wonder at their beautiful appearance and the happy scene make him determined to make them fall. After eavesdropping on their conversation, knowing they were forbidden to eat the fruits from the park tree of knowledge, which can let them under penalty of death. He decided to start, entice them to transgress. He leaves here, trying to further understand the situation. As night falls, Adam and Eve want Gabriel to send an angel, sending two power ful angels to Adams house, to protect the sleep of Adam and Eve, lest suffering from evil. They found him on the ear of Eve, in her dream to seduce her. The devil was arrested on the spot, brought before Gabriel. When questioned, his attitude is very strong; but for the warning, flies out of paradise. After snooping the Satan has sinister motives, like a lost soul in the night and returns to paradise, into the inside body of sleeping serpent. In the morning Adam and Eve are out to work, and each person does the job by their own. Adam did not approve of it, worrying about the danger, which had been previously warned the enemy will seduce her at her when she was alone. Eve would not be as strong and decisive enough, so she wants to separate labor, to test her ability. Adam finally gave in. Seen her alone, snake skillfully came to her, close to her; at first look, then opening, said a lot of flattery, flattering her how outstanding she is. Eve, listening to what the snake spoke, became very curious, asking how he can speak like human beings, but also can also understand so well. The snake answered, that is because of eating fruit from a certain tree in the garden, which can also make people more rational. Eve asked him to have a look of that tree. She looks, what is unexpected is tha t this tree is the right tree of the knowledge that the God forbids her to eat. The snake is of strong courage, using many reasons to persuade her to try. She finally tries, feeling very delicious. She thought to let Adam have a taste of this thing. But she hesitated, finally decided to give him this fruit, and advised him to eat. Adam was frightened at first because this is forbidden. But finally he decided to eat the fruit. The forbidden fruit in the two persons takes effect, they feel ashamed; and they find something to cover their nakedness. Then two people quarrel with one another. God said: they are unable to prevent Satan going into the park. Sin and death, sitting in the gate of hell, are excited to find Satan succeeds in the new world of conspiracy, so they are determined to follow their father Satan. They followed their path according to Satan, building a road or bridge on the chaotic world. As they prepare to leave back to hell, they meet Satan, returning after a conceited triumphant. Satan successfully indulges in verbiage before all the people for human conspiracy. Audience only applauds. And they, like in the paradise, are suddenly transformed into a snake. In their eyes, the scene of the forbidden tree appeared, they stretched to pick the fruit, but full of dust.Sin and death still continue their work. Adam came to know of his degraded condition, deeply sad, and Eve comfort is also rejected by him. Eve adheres to persuade him. In order to avoid the curse fallen to his descendants, she advised Adam to use violence; he strongly opposed, but reminded her of her sons to revenge snake, thereby holding good hope, encouraging her to pray with him to appease the anger of god. Then Satan, in the snakes image, committed a terrible, hateful deception behavior in the garden. Milton has been very clever in describing this story. He uses the story to deliver a spirit of freedom. And he makes full use of this story to show his ideas.

The Foolish Puritans of The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Foolish Puritans of The Scarlet Letter "What is one man's poison is another's meat or drink," Beaumont and Fletcher wrote in one of their plays. Almost everything in the world is interpretable in at least two conflicting ways. In The Scarlet Letter, the Puritan society shuns a character named Pearl, yet the author, who lived in the Romantic period, views her with awe and reverence. Nathaniel Hawthorne's use of nature imagery in The Scarlet Letter reflects Pearl's wild, capricious character that serves as a constant reminder of Hester's sin and whose romantically idealistic beauty frightens the Puritan society. In Hawthorne's descriptions of Pearl as an infant and toddler, nature imagery emphasizes Pearl's startling beauty and unpredictable, yet innocent, character. Pearl's beauty and innocence are apparent from the time of her birth. Hawthorne describes Pearl's "innocent life [as] a lovely and immortal flower"(Hawthorne 81). Even though Pearl is a product of the "guilty passion"(81) between Hester and Dimmesdale, both her soul and her body are untainted and flawless. Hester notices that Pearl has no physical defects, but Pearl's character has an unexplainable aspect of oddity and unpredictability. When she plays near Hester's cottage, Pearl "[smites] down [and] uproot[s] most unmercifully [the] ugliest weeds"(87) which she pretends are the Puritan children. Hester believes that Pearl is so emotional and temperamental because the passion which Hester and Dimmesdale experienced during their sinful act somehow transferred into Pearl's soul. However, Pearl's antipathy for the Puritans is justified; the children often torment her for no good reason. When Hester and Pearl go into town, the Puritan children stop playing and either surround Pearl and stare at her or prepare to hurl mud at the unfortunate pair. Both actions by the Puritans result in a fit of outrage by Pearl. One reason that the Puritans treat Pearl badly is because of her mother's sin. The Puritans believe that since Pearl is the product of adultery, she is automatically evil and depraved. The Puritan hatred for Pearl is also due to the fact that she, like Hester's scarlet letter, is beautiful, and they are in a way jealous of both. Supposedly, Hester's scarlet 'A' is a punishment, but she embroiders it richly and wears it with subtle pride. When the Puritans first see the 'A', they want to replace it with an 'A' made out of

A Quick Review of the United States Media Ownership Essay

This paper is an affirmation that I support the criticism of McChesney that the United States is remotely close to a democratic society in terms of the many making the core political decision. Many key decisions are the province of the corporate sector and most decision made by the government are influenced by powerful special interests with little public awareness or input. According to Wellstone, the media is no ordinary channel of communication between the government and the public (Wellstone, 2008, p. 1). He also affirmed that the media is lifeblood of democracy in America (Wellstone, 2008, p. 1). It is not denied that without the media, the free flow of important news and information relating to the democratic process will be affected. It will weaken the democratic chain of the country and eventually affect the economic, political and cultural development of the country. In connection with these, it is evident that during the 21st century, there were many instances that media mergers occurred in the political and social arena of the United States (Wellstone, 2008, p. 1). Because of that, the fast and dynamic concentration of domination over the United States, media mergers posed a troubling issue for American  system  of  representative  democracy  (Wellstone,  2008,  p.  1).  Scheisel mentioned that the news and information that SBC Communications Incorporated would take and own the Ameritech Corporation greatly shifts the equilibrium relating to power in the United States telecommunications industry (Scheisel, 2008, p. 1). As a result, some political analysts predicted that such announcement, which was motivated by the exploration for savings and financial power, would attach fuel to the already shattering engine of mergers in the communications industry (Scheisel, 2008, p. 1). Moreover, Shah added that traditionally, the media is the foundation of information anticipated to let the public recognize on how the government was operated by their chosen public officials. If there is any hint of bias and chaos in the operation of these means of communication, the democratic chain of the society will weaken. In short, the people will no longer know the exact claims and actuations of the representatives they intended to govern for their welfare. Our awareness of the issue must include the fact that media omissions, distortion, inaccuracy and bias is a little recognized by many people outside the USA, and is gradually understood more and more within the American nation (Nadir, 2005. p. 1). This is an alarming report because in the first place our primary concern should rest on the effective communication between the government and the governed. Essentially, giant telecommunication companies like the AT&T, Pacific Telesis Group, and others that works within a democratic society can greatly stir the way we live. Since we are used to listen, ponder, debate, comment and criticize the different conduct and activities of our political leaders, genuine and exact public information is vital to us. Yet, would that be possible if there will be bias in sending information out of private interests kept by these giant companies? The answer is in the negative. Ordinary citizens, that depends on proper governmental exercise of power need to know that it is merger in the media and entertainment industries that should alarm us most. We affirm that we depend on the media greatly because we need to have access to every idea, opinions, comments, criticisms and many other things that our political leaders profess in public (Wellstone, 2008, p. 1). It is also affirmed that our dependence on the media is due to the necessity of holding concentrated power, it may be public or private, to be accountable to the people in general (Wellstone, 2008, p. 1). As explained by Wellstone what we need then is a wide diversity of ownership and control of the media since it will result to proper performance of the aforementioned functions. Mizruchi discussed a very important topic in support of the claim that the democratic strength of the country can be affected on media merger including the dominion of giant corporations in the government control. It was stated that a few groups of people known as interest groups performing greater functions as heads of enormous organizations existed nowadays (Mizruchi, 2008, p. 60). These people have the power to build, and destroy communities as well as to generate great productivity and wealth (Mizruchi, 2007, p. 60). Yet, unfortunately they also exist to control the distribution of that wealth without regard for those who elected them like the stockholders or those who depended on them like the larger public (Mizruchi, 2008, p. 60). I line with that, post-capitalist society is a new system that is known as a further extension of democracy. In this system, there was a widespread dispersal of stockholders and corporations are publicly controlled (Mizruchi, 2008, p. 60). As such Misruchi found in his study of political behavior among huge companies in the US that inter-firm connections shaped by such factors as economic interdependence, common ownership were associated with the extent to which firms engaged in similar political behavior. This scenario is hoped to be maintained so that the people could be freed from bias operation of telecommunication companies. Shah shared to us that for a democratic country to succeed; people must be given the best opportunity to participate in decision-making and policy at least by means of their public opinion (Shah, 2007, p. 1). Yet, what is happening today as viewed by Shah is the increasing denial by giant telecommunication industry of true and accurate information in favor of the general public (Shah, 2007, p. 1). Most likely, if there is merger in giant telecommunication companies, the tendency is that they are not going to give accurate information if it will hurt or affect the elite owners and operators of the same (Shah, 2007, p. 1). Finally, in order to maintain the strength of our democratic processes, we must see to it that there is a wide diversity of ownership and control of the media. Governmental policies aimed to solve this problem must be formulated and implemented in such a way that it reflects that move.   References Mizruchi, M. (2008). Berle and Means Revisited: The Governance and Power of Large U. S. Corporations. United States of America: Univesity of Michigan. Nadir, R. Common Dreams. Org: News Center. (2005 April 26). Lack of Democracy in the United States. Retrieved June 19, 2008, from http://www.commondreams.org  /views05/0426-30.htm. Schiesel, S. The New York Times. . (2008, June 19). Telephone Giant: The Deal; $ 62 Billion Deal To Shift Balance in Phone Industry. Retrieved June 19, 2008, from http://query.nytimes.com./gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2D81630F931A25756C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all> Shah, A. (2007 April 1). Global Issues. Media in the United States. Retrieved June 19, 2008, from http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/USA.asp. Wellstone, P. RobertMcChesney.Com. (2008). Media and Democracy. Retrieved June 19, 2008, from http://www.robertmcchesney.com/wellstone.html.