Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Analysis Of Augustine s Augustine - 863 Words

Augustine is a sixteen year-old boy, like all sixteen year olds he is going through puberty and trying to figure out what love is. Augustine states, For as I became a youth, I longed to be satisfied with worldly things, and I dared to grow wild in a succession of various and shadowy loves (24). Any young adult experiences the same things that Augustine is going through. Augustine struggled with knowing the difference between pure affection and unholy desire. He becomes ashamed of himself and goes into a spiral of sorrow. In chapter one Augustine says, If only there had been someone to regulate my disorder and turn to my profit the fleeting beauties of the things around me (24). Like all teenagers their parents try and tell them right from wrong but most teenagers have to learn from there own mistakes. Augustine reflects back on a quote from Apostle Paul. He realizes if he had just listened to the words more closely, he would not be in the trouble that he is in. Augustine turns to the Lord and ask what can I do and why did I do this? His parents want him to learn from his mistakes and they tell him he should make a powerful speech and become a persuasive orator. While his studies were interrupted, he had come back from a city to further his education at Carthage. His father supported him in everything even though he did not have a lot of money. Augustine s parents told him he only had to be good at speaking. Augustine still lived with his parents and one day his fatherShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Augustine s The Confessions 1068 Words   |  5 Pagesthirteen books making up the Confessions, it is hard to say what had played the most important role in Augustine’s life. Obviously, a crucial point in the story was Augustine’s conversion or return to Christianity. Readers see this as something Augustine was struggled with, from stealing fruit to joining the Manicheans. Through all of his struggles about his faith, his mother Monnica was devoted to his conversion. In this brief paper, I will discuss who Monnica was, how she played a role in her son’sRead MoreAnalysis Of St. Augustine s The Confessions 1297 Words   |  6 PagesJake DeLeers Second Four-Page Essay In Books VIII and IX of the Confessions, St. Augustine describes a long and difficult personal spiritual journey to the end of being to accept and receive God’s grace. Augustine finally had to come to terms with his own intellectual and moral pride masquerading as autonomy and independence. He finally realized that his intellect could not serve as a tool to help a will incapable of overcoming his own sin. One useful way to compare Augustine’s spiritual struggleRead MoreAnalysis Of Saint Augustine s The City Of God 1045 Words   |  5 PagesEight (8) and The City of God Book Five (5), Saint Augustine addresses the criticism surrounding the compatibility of God’s foreknowledge and human free will. Augustine insists on two (2) truths: God is the cause of everything and man has the freedom of choice. Early in Augustine’s career, there is an emphasis on the will. As Augustine’s understanding of human agency begins to develop, his idea of human free will matures. Initially, Augustine describes himself as having two (2) wills, â€Å"one oldRead MorePsychological Analysis Of James Augustine Aloysius Joyce s Two Gallants1514 Words   |  7 PagesPsychological Analysis and Symbolism in Two Gallants James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was born on February 2, 1882 to Mary and John Joyce in the Dublin suburb of Rathgar. A bright youth, Joyce attended private Jesuit schools where he excelled despite increasing familial problems, including encroaching poverty and his father’s alcoholism. Joyce, the eldest surviving son of Mary and John, was the only child in the family to attend college (Beja 11-14). Joyce subsided on various jobs after graduatingRead MoreDeath And Enlightenment By Augustine1313 Words   |  6 PagesDeath and Enlightenment It may seem reasonable that Augustine accepted, at the time of his friend’s death, that God is unchangeable and humans are a temporary creation and just a part of the whole. However, by paying close attention to the text Augustine is writing the Confessions retrospectively. He ends up recognizing the directionality of his love and the change in his grieving in the future, after the deaths of his friend and Monica. Augustine is looking back on his life and is noticing where hisRead MoreMorality And Where Is All Common Ground On Where Augustine s Views On Natural Desires And Free Will1153 Words   |  5 PagesAn Analysis of the concept of morality in Augustine reveals questions facing humankind: what is morality and where is it based. This is the common theme throughout Augustine’s writings, he seem to struggle with making the right choices. His natural desires tend to take over whenever he comes to tough decision. Throughout this paper we will be analyzing this theme, t o see if we can come to some common ground on where Augustine stood and what he had to say on the issue. First let’s analyze Augustine’sRead MoreProposed Seven Philosophers On The Existence Of God And Their Development Of These Ideas1413 Words   |  6 Pagestopic. The seven philosophers are as follows: (1) Socrates, (2) Plato, (3) Aristotle, (4) Francis Bacon, (5) St. Augustine, (6) Thomas Aquinas, and (7) Rene DesCartes. The specific three I want to focus on being; St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and Rene Descartes. Lastly, I will proceed to relate their ideas on the existence of God and their development of these ideas. St. Augustine s epistemology is rationalization. In his argument for the existence of God, he is referring to varying degrees ofRead MoreEssay on Machiavellis The Prince: Politics, War, and Human Nature1334 Words   |  6 Pageshigher is meant to say that the morality comes from the divine, but his vision certainly does not rule out any sort of higher political morality. To guide the actions of men in general, Machiavelli turns to the actions of the strong prince. Machiavelli?s higher political morality is to pursue the means to gain and hold power. Machiavelli approaches the topic of political morality in a completely different way than many of the thinkers that preceded him. Instead of beginning with the wayRead MoreThe Debate Of Silent Reading1359 Words   |  6 PagesIt has long been a source of debate among classicists whether the ancients read silently or aloud. Analysis of this question is necessarily fragmented, since the only information available to modern scholars comes from the few extant ancient sources discussing how texts were read. In the surviving sources, there are many more explicit references to reading aloud than to reading silently, which suggests that reading aloud was more common. Nevertheless, there is evidence in ancient literature thatRead More A Philosophical Criticism of Augustine and Aquinas Essay1548 Words   |  7 PagesA Philosophical Criticism of Augustine and Aquinas: The Relationship of Soul and Body       The relationship of the human soul and physical body is a topic that has mystified philosophers, scholars, scientists, and mankind as a whole for centuries. Human beings, who are always concerned about their place as individuals in this world, have attempted to determine the precise nature or state of the physical form. They are concerned for their well-being in this earthly environment, as well as their

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Similarities Between Beowulf And Grendel - 1433 Words

After reading the novels Beowulf and Grendel, I was interested in how the stories told from different perspectives were influenced by the religion. Beowulf is the hero and savior from all the monsters and Grendel is one of the monsters slain by Beowulf. From a religious standpoint Beowulf is written very focused on religion; like Beowulf acknowledges that God is the reason he is able to slay all of the beasts. On the other hand we have Grendel; he believes that the world is how he defines it. Beowulf was written as an anti-paganism poem, and Grendel was written to tell people the world is what you make of it and of yourself, but be careful to not cross the limits. Grendel isn’t as full of religion, but the emphasis of free-will versus†¦show more content†¦His first fight is against Grendel, the wrecker of Hrothgars mead hall. He defeats the terrible beast with his bare hands. His next fight is against Grendels mother, who avenged her son’s death by killing one of Hrothgar’s men. For the next 50 years Beowulf is king of the Geats, until the dragon is awaken. Beowulf meets his demise when he is bitten in the neck while battling the dragon, but he still manages to slay the dragon in the process. It is told that this was the end for the Geat people, soon they would be taken over by a more powerful clan. But did these events actually happen, or are they just symbols for people to look up to and remember? There is no actual evidence that Beowulf did any of these things. All we know is that Beowulf was probably an actual king whose stories were embellished for generations so that its hard to tell fact from fiction. The monks could’ve been the ones to embellish it to make it do what they wanted. During this time period the monks were trying to convert the pagans into Christians. By getting the pagans to read and relate to a historic old warrior and hero it would have been easier to get them to convert. This is why throughout the nov el of Beowulf we consistently see the reference to the almighty God, as seen on line 2858, â€Å"What God judged right would rule what happened to every man, as it does to this day† (Heaney). Throughout the story the monks cast Grendel and the other monsters as paganism, andShow MoreRelatedCompare and Contrast: Beowulf and Grendel Essay604 Words   |  3 PagesThere are many similarities and differences between the movie Beowulf and Grendel, to the poem. Major differences between the movie and the poem would be Grendel himself. In the poem, he is described as an evil monster born from two demons. In the movie, Grendel is actually human, but known as a troll to the warriors and Danes. The poem doesn’t give the background of Grendel or show how the Danes killed his father and the possible reason of his revenge, like in the movie. If the witch, Selma, wasRead MoreSimilarities Between Beowulf And Spiderman Bear1397 Words   |  6 Pagesbut that he used those powers to he lp others. Beowulf was described as a strong person known by many who defeated many conflicts. Although he had this strength is didn’t necessarily make him a hero. What made him a hero was when he helped others with their problems, like the Danes with Grendel. Although Beowulf and Spiderman bear some minor similarities, the differences between them are clear. In order to understand what the differences and similarities in traits mean, we have to understand the valueRead MoreThe Similarities Of Beowulf And Sense And Sensibility1345 Words   |  6 Pagesare still similarities, if you are willing to look for them. Even stories from different eras and literary movements are going to have similarities. At first glance the two stories, Beowulf and Sense and Sensibility, are completely different, but if you look closer, youll find as many similarities as differences, its just that the differences are the most prevalent elements of these two literary pieces. To start off, Beowulf and Sense and Sensibility are very different. Firstly, Beowulf is an epicRead MoreSimilarities Of The Story In Beowulf922 Words   |  4 PagesBeowulf was originally an epic poem written by an unknown author that set the tone for future epic literature and created the ideal hero for pieces later to come. But despite its significance, Beowulf has been adapted throughout time and the character and poems image has been changed constantly. One of the best examples showing change to the story is the movie depiction of Beowulf. While there are some similarities that connect the book and story together there are overall more differences that separateRead MoreEssay on Good vs Evil in Beowulf1568 Words   |  7 PagesIn Beowulf, the clash between good and evil is the poems main and most significant focal point. Although the epic poem Beowulf utilizes many characteristics of Christian themes, the violence in the poem relates to paganism. By exploring the characteristi cs of â€Å"good vs. evil† such as Cain, Grendel and Beowulf, this paper will explore the elements of Beowulf in such a light. The Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, was originally told orally then later was written down anonymously in the Old English languageRead MoreSimilarities Between Heroes And Monster In Beowulf743 Words   |  3 Pageshero or monster in a real-world sense might seem absurd, however, looking at people who have risked their lives, or devastated the world proves their existence. Similarities between the heroes and monsters of today and those found in poetry centuries ago exemplifies how they still exist. In the epic poem Beowulf, characters Beowulf and Grendel represent the ideals of a hero and monster. Their qualities of courage and envy parallel with that of some of the most significant people today. De Vigny is wrongRead MoreDevil Incarology And Archetypes In Beowulf1408 Words   |  6 Pagesmonsters in Beowulf. The similarities are more than physical they have many mental and circumstantial similarities as well as archetypal. The Basilisk, one of the creatures from Greek mythology is simil ar to Grendel because they are both archetypes of The Devil Incarnate. The Devil Incarnate is an archetype of a monster or villain that is considered to be related or to be the Devil. Both Grendel and the Basilisks are used as symbols for Satan and are both connected to the bible. Grendel is the descendantRead More Point Of View In Grendel And Beowulf Essay1242 Words   |  5 Pages Contrasting points of view in Grendel and Beowulf significantly alter the reader’s perception of religion, good and evil, and the character Grendel. John Gardner’s book, Grendel, is written in first person. The book translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf, is written in third person. Good and evil is one of the main conflicts in the poem Beowulf. How is Grendel affected by the concepts of good and evil? Grendel is an alienated individual who just wants to be a part of something. His desire to fit inRead More Analysis Of Grendel And Beowulf Essay1228 Words   |  5 PagesView in Grendel and Beowulfnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Contrasting points of view in Grendel and Beowulf significantly alter the readeramp;#8217;s perception of religion, good and evil, and the character Grendel. John Gardneramp;#8217;s book, Grendel, is written in first person. The book translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf, is written in third person. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Good and evil is one of the main conflicts in the poem Beowulf. How is Grendel affectedRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare953 Words   |  4 PagesBeowulf is one of the most well known pieces of literature in history. Written between 700 and 1000 AD, this poem has captured the minds of scholars, historians, and readers across the globe. However, despite the fact that it has been passed down for numerous centuries, perhaps one of its most fascinating characteristics are the intriguing battles that Beowulf, the protagonist, takes on. Throughout this epic poem, Beowulf takes on many battles, all of which are practically unwinnable. Each battle

Monday, December 9, 2019

Health Care Bargaining And PPACA

Question: GMFC is a multidivisional company with over 50,000 employees. Given its size, it has chosen to self-insure its health care coverage and subcontract administration to Vesuvius Heath Care (VHC), one of the five largest health care insurance companies in the United States. In addition to paying claims, VHC is also the gatekeeper for what procedures are covered by the plan and for negotiating payment levels with major health care providers. Prior to the effective date of various Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) provisions, the GMFC health care plan had a lifetime benefit of $2 million per covered employee or dependent and offered coverage to dependents up through the age of 22 if enrolled in a full-time degree program. The PPACA has required GMFC to change its coverage to accommodate new benefit and age limit requirements, adding some cost to the company for the current plan. Looking forward, GMFC wants to make sure that its coverage includes the essential health benefi ts required by PPACA, but is concerned with the rate of health care cost inflation. Local 384 is looking toward 2018 and is concerned that the company may abandon the plan because it might be vulnerable to the Cadillac tax. GMFC is considering dropping health care coverage and paying the federal penalties instead. This would leave employees in the situation where they would need to purchase insurance from one of the virtual exchanges. If GMFC were to do this, Local 384 would demand a large wage increase to offset the reduction in contributions from the company. In any event, there would be significant labor relations problems associated with a drastic change like this. Assuming that these issues will be major ones in the upcoming negotiations, prepare either a union or a management position on the issue of future health care benefits at GMFC, recognizing that the employer will be decreasingly able to compete if total compensation costs continue to increase and regulatory mandates be come more cumbersome. Be sure your paper follows APA style according to the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements; the paper should be 4-6 pages in length, not including the cover and reference pages. Use three credible sources. The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these sources. You may not use Wikipedia for any CSU-Global assignment. For this assignment, a credible source is defined as: A scholarly or peer-reviewed journal article A government-based website or publication A trade or industry journal article, publication, or website, including those from trade organizations. Answer: Introduction The employer-employee should share a harmonious relationship with each other for the effective operation of the business entity. There is a need to provide effective HR management to the employees. The human resources department liaison between the the employees and the management. It is important to establish the human resources laws and regulations regarding several parameters such as pay equity, minimum wage, compensation/benefits and others (Ehrenberg Smith, 2016). This case study is regarding the labor relations issues of GMFC. The issue is regarding the decision of discontinuation of the health care coverage and the consequent demand of a significant salary increase. This paper is prepared from a management point of view which outlines the issue of the health care benefits of GMFC in detail. Discussion Issues at GMFC GMFC is a large company with over 50,000 employees. It was handling the employee benefits themselves. The employees were provided lifetime health insurance benefit of 2 million $ per employee. It implemented recently, decided to outsource the health care insurance coverage of the employees to Vesuvius Health Care (VHC). In the new healthcare plan, the company was asked to change the health care benefit plan, which was more expensive for the company. GMFC wants to adopt cost cutting strategies since they are perturbed by the rising costs of the health care expenses. The management is considering discontinuing the health care coverage, which have raised a lot of controversies including a salary hike. The labor union is creating a pressure on management for an increase in the compensation package. Alternatives for GMFC The management of GMFC is correct in its stand as the increasing expenditure and fierce competition is forcing the organizations to reduce their expenditures. The cost cutting measures would allow the company to maintain its competitive position. It also helps in the survival of the firm in the long run. In this scenario, there is a need for high involvement of the human resource department. The human resources team should take active participation in resolving the issues of the labor union. There are three probable actions which can be undertaken by GMFC- Accept the new process- The employer should implement the new strategic structure of the compensation, as proposed by PPACA. The compensation package should be designed keeping in mind the medical insurance alternatives, basic pay, retirement options, house rent allowance, conveyance and others (Fatima Ali, 2016). It would allow the employer to determine the total cost per employee and make comparison with the competitors (Fatima Ali, 2016). It would also allow them to adhere to the benchmarks of the industry. This would also enhance the employee satisfaction levels and there would be a subsequent drop in the attrition rate. Pay the federal penalties- In case, the company decides to cancel the health benefit scheme, they would need to pay federal penalties including the Cadillac Tax (Elliott, 2015). This would mean a reduction of the burden of the employer. The cost savings can be invested for other important purposes. There is a downside of this option too. The company might damage its brand image and company reputation (Elliott, 2015). There may be lowering of the employee morale and a subsequent lowering of the employee productivity. The human resource team may find it difficult to recruit suitable candidates due to the tarnished image of the company. Remodelling of the workforce- The organization can opt for layoffs or hiring temporary employees (Cahuc, Charlot Malherbet, 2016). This would lower their compensation packages and there would be a significant reduction in the health care benefit costs. The recruitment drive should aim for qualified and competent employees only (Cahuc, Charlot Malherbet, 2016). The remaining employees should be motivated so that they can give their optimum performance. Effects of labor unions on compensation and benefits The labor unions possess great powers for creating an impact on the compensation and benefits of the organization. The labor unions possess excellent bargaining capabilities (Bluestone Kochan, 2014). They often demand a compensation package which is above the market standards. They plead for the addition of benefits component in the total compensation package. If they are not eligible for employee health benefit scheme, then they would demand a higher package. They would create constant trouble until their demands are fulfilled by the organization (Bluestone Kochan, 2014). The unions have great impact on the compensation and the professional life of both the unionized as well as the non-unionized workers (Fossum, 2014). The labour unions reduce the inequality of the wages. The unionized labors get more valid health benefits. The labour unions have great impact on the functioning of an organization. The National Labor Relations promote the establishment of labor unions. The employees have the fundamental right to form, organize, join or provide assistance to the labor organizations (Scott Davis, 2015). They are also free to use collective bargaining so that they are protected from the unfair employee practices. The organizations cannot terminate employees randomly during the economic downturn as they would be subjected to the unions bargaining agreement (Bluestone Kochan, 2014). The organizations may need to engage in specific negotiations skills in order to reduce the size of the workforce. Cadillac tax The Cadillac tax is a high cost health benefit plan that is provided by the employers to the employees. It has an excise tax of around 40% on the health care plans (Drake, 2016). This system enciuyrages the companies to spend on the various tax free benefits (Vistnes, 2014). The economic benefits aid the companies to limit their expenditures. The tax distortion would increase the take home package. It is accost control measure in the medical domain in the U.S.A. and came into existence during the health care reforms of the United States of America (Vistnes, 2014). Course of action There are some probable solutions that can be considered under such existing issues- The management should analyze the impact of the PPACA and its revised compensation structure. It should also scrutinize the effect of Cadillac tax on the company (Armstrong Taylor, 2014). It should also be determined if the employees are eligible for any federal tax subsidies in the event that they opt for the exchange process. The voluntary benefits should be measured. A review of the existing and proposed benefit structure should be done. The management must engage in successful employee negotiations (Armstrong Taylor, 2014). It should value the human resources as they are the reason for the success of the firm. There should be an established benchmark model of compensation and benefits, which would give the employees a sense of pride and also acts as a source of inspiration. Conclusion The conflict of labour relations is common in the organizations. There are several issues evident at GMFC which have direct impact on the smooth functioning of the organization. There are three courses of actions that are identified. The organization can select any one of the three possible courses of action. The labor unions affect the decision making activities of the organization. The concept of Cadillac tax is discussed. There are some possible solutions that can be undertaken by the management. The issue of labour relations needs to be addressed by the management on an urgent basis. The rising debate over the continuation or the discontinuation of the health care insurance should be discussed and one consensus should be reached. The organization would continue to suffer until and unless the issue of labor unions is resolved. References Armstrong, M., Taylor, S. (2014).Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Bluestone, B., Kochan, T. A. (2014). Toward a new grand bargain: Collaborative approaches to labor-management reform in Massachusetts.Members-only Library. Cahuc, P., Charlot, O., Malherbet, F. (2016). Explaining the spread of temporary jobs and its impact on labor turnover.International Economic Review,57(2), 533-572. Drake, C. (2016, November). The Cadillac Tax: Projections, Policy Alternatives, and Second-Order Effects. In2016 Fall Conference: The Role of Research in Making Government More Effective. Appam. Ehrenberg, R. G., Smith, R. S. (2016).Modern labor economics: Theory and public policy. Routledge. Elliott, B. M. (2015). Unintended National Security Risks Tied to Healthcare Reform and the Cadillac Tax.University of Miami National Security Armed Conflict Law Review,5(2), 226. Fatima, F., Ali, S. (2016). Journal of Socialomics. Fossum, J. A. (2014).Labor relations. Mcgraw Hill Higher Educat. Scott, W. R., Davis, G. F. (2015).Organizations and organizing: Rational, natural and open systems perspectives. Routledge. Vistnes, J. (2014, June). The Cadillac Tax: Targeting. InHealth Healthcare in America: From Economics to Policy. Ashecon.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost Essay Example

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost Paper sound repeated within words where vowel sounds are repeated define assonance sound repeated where identical or similar consonant sounds are repeated at the end or within a line define consonance repetition recurrence of sounds, words, phrases, lines, or stanzas in a speech or piece of writing; increases the feeling of unity in a poem or song, called a refrain imagery language that emphasizes sensory impressions to help the reader of a literary work see, feel, hear, small and taste the scenes described in the work wants to look around why does the speaker stop in the woods? unsure of why theyre stopping why does the horse shake its bells? the village in the poem, what are the woods contrasted with? reminds the readers of his destination why does the poet repeat the last lines of the poem? AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD what is the rhyme scheme of the poem? sound besides sight imagery, what sense do lines 9-12 appeal to? reflective what is the overall tone of the poem? examples of consonance and assonance sounds sweet, he harness, bells gives, whose woods these, he see me, not stopping, woods frozen The poet is in the middle of the woods, enjoying nature and its peacefulness. However, he has something to do in the village and he knows he has to go. Hes not sure if he should stay or go, but he decides to leave. Describe the conflict hes facing. the village where does the owner of the woods live? theres nothing there why would the horse think its odd to stop there? wind and snow blowing what the poet hears besides the horses bells has somewhere to be and promises to keep why does the speaker decide to carry on with the journey? emphasizes how long of a trip he has left what is the effect of repeating the final lines of a poem? and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep. what is repeated? helps readers appreciate the sound of a poem how do assonance and consonance strengthen the poem? helps you visualize the woods how efficiently does the speaker convey his attitude to the woods on the snowy evening? he enjoys watching nature what do these activities tel you about the speakers personality?