Albert Camus the Plague Essay Example for Free

Albert Camus’ the Plague Essay ? Can God possibly exist in a world full of madness and injustice? Albert Camus and Samuel Beckett address these questions in The Plague and Waiting for Godot. Though their thinking follows the ideals of existentialism, their conclusions are different. Camus did not believe in God, nor did he agree with the vast majority of the historical beliefs of the Christian religion. His stance on Christianity is summed up most simply by his remark that â€Å"in its essence, Christianity (and this is its paradoxical greatness) is a doctrine of injustice. It is founded on the sacrifice of the innocent and the acceptance of this sacrifice† (Bree 49). Camus felt that Jesus Christ was an innocent man who was unjustly killed. This does conflicts with all of Camus’ values. However, Camus did not believe that Jesus was the son of God. Camus’ inability to accept Christian theology is voiced in The Plague by Riex and juxtaposed against the beliefs preached by Father Paneloux (Rhein 42). Paneloux’s attitude toward the plague contrasts sharply with Rieux’s. In his first sermon, he preaches that the plague is divine in origin and punitive in its purpose. He attempts to put aside his desires for a rational explanation and simply accepts God’s will. In this way he is not revolting and therefore falls victim to the plague. Father Paneloux’s belief that there are no innocent victims is shaken as he watches a young boy die of the plague. Camus purposefully describes a long, painful death to achieve the greatest effect on Paneloux: â€Å"When the spasms had passed, utterly exhausted, tensing his thin legs and arms, on which, within forty-eight hours, the flesh had wasted to the bone, the child lay flat, in a grotesque parody of crucifixion† (215). Paneloux cannot deny that the child was an innocent victim and is forced to rethink his ideas. During his second sermon, a change is seen in Father Paneloux. He now uses the pronoun â€Å"we† instead of â€Å"you,† and he has adopted a new policy in which he tells people to believe â€Å"all or nothing† (224). Father Paneloux, as a Christian, is faced with a decision: either he accepts that God is the ultimate ruler and brings goodness out of the evil that afflicts men, or he sides with Rieux and denies God. The conclusion formed by Camus is that because this is a world in which innocent people are tortured, there is no God. Samuel Beckett does not necessarily deny the existence of God in Waiting for Godot. If God does exist, then He contributes to the chaos by remaining silent. The French philosopher Blaise Pascal noted the arbitrariness of life and that the universe works based on percentages. He advocated using such arbitrariness to one’s advantage, including believing in God. If He does not exist, nobody would care in the end, but if He does, a believer is on the safe side all along, so one cannot lose. In this play, either God does not exist, or He does not care. Whichever is the case, chance and arbitrariness determine human life in the absence of a divine power. This ties in with the two tramps’ chances for salvation. As one critic observes, â€Å"For just as man cannot live by bread alone, he now realizes that he cannot live by mere thinking or hanging on in vain to a thread of salvation which does not seem to exist† (Lumley 203). This explains Vladimir and Estragon’s contemplation of suicide after Godot remains absent for yet another day. One could also argue, in the absurd sense, that each man has a fifty-fifty chance of salvation. One of the two prisoners who were crucified with Jesus was given salvation. This element of chance for salvation can also be extended to Pozzo and Lucky in Waiting for Godot. When they come across the two tramps, Pozzo is on his way to sell Lucky because he claims that Lucky has grown old and only hinders him. In this way Pozzo is trying to draw that fifty-fifty chance of salvation for himself. One of the ways in which Lucky hinders him is that Lucky could be the one to be redeemed, leaving Pozzo to be damned. Even Lucky’s speech is concerned with salvation: Given the existence†¦ of a personal God†¦ outside time without who from the heights of divine apathia divide athambia divide apaia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown†¦ and suffers†¦ with those who for reasons unknown are plunged in torment. (28) After removing all of Lucky’s nonsensical meanderings, the gist of his speech is that God does not communicate with humans and condemns them for unknown reasons. His silence causes the real hopelessness, and this is what makes Waiting for Godot a tragedy Albert Camus’ the Plague. (2018, Nov 08).

Questions on Human Rights Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questions on Human Rights - Article Example For example, there are people with Down syndrome and still are able to perform everything logically. The same is the case of some people with mild forms of Autism. It is worth remembering that famous Winston Churchill who played an unforgettable role in the World War II and as a historian was dyslexic. In addition, Isaac Newton probably had Asperger’s syndrome. However, one cannot deny the fact that most mentally retarded ones are just like children, and hence are unable to make rational decisions. So, one can argue that as far as children are not allowed to vote, the same principle can be used in the case of mentally retarded people too. Thus, in total, one is forced to reach the conclusion that a lot more specifications are required to gauge the degree of retardation in individuals so that an accurate answer can be reached based on the kind and degree of retardation. Otherwise, the ones who are evidently retarded need not be allowed to vote. II There is still intense debate on the issue whether women should be allowed to serve in combat. In fact, women are gradually getting more and more roles in the military avoiding the combat frontline. However, in the case of women infantry, task crew, and combat pilot, there still remains a taboo. Those who are in favor of women’s role in active combat frontline argue that if women show enough physical capability and mental alertness to serve in the combat frontline, denying them a chance amounts to rank hypocrisy. Another point favoring women is that in the modern battlefield, technical expertise and decision making are more important than raw physical strength. The third point is that being forced to play secondary roles is a fact that keeps many patriotic females from joining military. So, by allowing them to have equal opportunities, their presence in the military can be ensured. This is all the more important considering the fact that the presence of women is inevitable for certain tasks like medical a ssistance, policing, intelligence gathering, and mediation. However, there are allegations and claims from the other side too. The first is that though a minority of females manages to show enough physical capacity to join combat, the vast majority ‘miserably fails’ (Willens and Smith). So, the claim that females should be allowed to serve in combat is on shaky grounds. Secondly, the so called courageous females allege sexual harassment in the hands of masculine military subculture. So, the argument is that incorporating females into the force can only lead to more problems and tension in the force, leading to a decline in morality of the men. This will seriously affect the quality of the force in group activities. In total, it becomes evident that there is no base for the argument that females should not be allowed to serve in combat. So, a reasonable conclusion is that the few females who show enough physical capabilities, courage and desire to serve in combat should be allowed to do so. III One can undoubtedly say that the perfect form of freedom allow people to do whatever they like if that only affects their own lives. If this is the case, not allowing people to sell their own organs is a denial of this basic right, according to many. This is so because ones organs are ones own property that one has the right to do anything with. Yet another point is

Discussion borad about special education students Essay

Discussion borad about special education students - Essay Example Most practitioners maintain a reactive stance to various scenarios and the way majority respond to dilemmas or pressing situations are mirrored by the students who look on educators as role models. The diverse applications provided by technological breakthroughs and gadgets give students the orientation and privilege of locating solutions as the tip of their hands. Gone were the days when answers to traditional home works could only be researched by going to the school library and searching for the answers from diverse sources, using extra time and effort to prepare for the compliance of academic requirements. Now, students sit in front of the computer and navigate as answers unfold right in front of their eyes. But this is technological development and no one could contest the path it takes. The most that academicians could do at the point is to design strategies that would use technology in creative and innovative ways to hone problem solving and analytical skills of children. Our external environment provides immediate access to information and our students are just responding to the availability and easy access according to what is expected of them. As educators have already acknowledged that information is readily accessible, and its easy access endangers the ability of students to apply critical thinking, analyzing and problem-solving skills, the more that this environment should provide a challenge for us to use it to our advantage. We should be the one to change our stances to pro-active rather than merely reactive to address the dilemma of students’ inability to apply the needed skills in various scenarios. As a colleague has posted, â€Å"problem-solving, critical thinking and brainstorming often require additional time, team building skills and the effort to go the extra mile†. Teachers should provide the appropriate environment to hone these skills in students and enable them to discern the appropriate skills to use in times when these are needed.

Earthquackes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Earthquackes - Essay Example According to Stein and Wysession (217), earthquakes can also occur due to the elastic rebound theory, which says that in various situations energy is accumulated in rock that is being acted upon by tectonic forces to a degree that the energy rises above the bonding forces holding the rocks causing to break, suddenly returning to its original shape, and the crust moves violently as a result of the quickly released force. However, not all earthquakes are linked to with preexisting faults rather some are linked to intensely buried fold structures, volcanic environments among others in which the molten rock is forcefully pushing out of the crust. The cracking of a rock known as faulting leads to the discharge of energy when stored stress is rapidly transformed to movement and produces vibrations called seismic waves. These seismic waves then move outwards in all directions at a speed of nearly 14 kilometers per second, distorting the rocks they pass through, but the rock returns to its o riginal shape afterwards. The speed of seismic waves is dependent on the plasticity of the media they travel through such as rocks which portray elastic properties. In the event of external forces acting on the rock, they are forced to alter their shapes and since rocks just like other elastic materials, they have an elastic limit after which application of any additional force deforms the shape of the rock. Seismic Waves During earthquakes, the discharge of stress as energy leads to the creation of three different types of waves. The first one, primary waves or P-Waves is the fastest moving waves with the ability to pass through both liquid and solid rock, expanding and compressing the rocks as they move and are the first to be detected by seismographs (Qazi 78). The second type of waves created is the secondary waves or S-waves which unlike P-waves cannot pass through liquids. As these waves move, they are able to cut across the rocks they pass through at positions that are perpen dicular to the direction they are moving towards. Due to their large size in comparison to primary waves, S-waves are considered the most dangerous type of waves and they produce both vertical and horizontal motion as they travel. The seismic activity are terms used to describe the rate of occurrence, cause and magnitude of earthquakes an area experiences over a certain length of time, the instrument used to measure earthquakes is known as a seismometer while a device that not only measures but also records the magnitude is called a seismograph. Seismologists have come up with two scales of measurement to measure the quantitative magnitude of earthquakes one is the Richter scale, named after the American seismologist Charles Francis Richter. This scale is used to measure the movement of the land surface one hundred kilometers from the epicenter, the point on the Earth’s surface directly above the source of the earthquake, also known as the focus and can be as deep as seven hu ndred kilometers. However, quakes are not known to occur past this level since rocks are no not very firm at these higher pressures and temperatures. Smaller tremors are frequently experienced but these tremors usually cause little or no damage. The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale with a

Expanded Definition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Expanded Definition - Essay Example Glycogen is the molecular structure of carbohydrates that is stored in mammals. In humans, the bulk of glycogen is accumulated in skeletal muscles. Glycogen is the key energy substrate during exercise intensity that is more than seventy percent of the oxygen intake. Healthy people often eliminate blood glucose fast when there is excess glucose. The glycogen that is stored in the skeletal muscles is limited because the glycogen synthesis prevents accumulation. After exercise, the rate of glycogen synthesis is increased to replete the stores of glycogen. The diminishing of skeletal muscle glycogen after exercise enables healthy storage of carbohydrates after meals and this averts the growth of type 2 diabetes. Glycogen is carbohydrate stored in human cells. Eighty percent of the produced glycogen is stored in the skeletal muscles. As a result, enzyme glycogen synthase activates the conversion of glucose to glycogen and insulin is the enzyme that prevents conversion of glycogen to gluco se in the body (Jensen et al., 21). Moreover, it is the polysaccharides that maintain the physiological blood glucose concentration. The liver directly contributes to the blood level in the body because of the presence of glucose-6-phosphate. Glycogen in the skeletal muscles is broken down and transported to the liver to help in maintenance of euglycemia (Jensen et al., 2). (2008).  Adrenaline potentiates insulin-stimulated PKB activation in the rat fast-twitch epitrochlearis muscle without affecting IRS-1 associated PI 3-kinase activity.Pflugers Arch.  456, 969–978. doi: 10.1007/s00424-008-0471-z.  [PubMed][Cross

Cheating and plagiarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cheating and plagiarism - Essay Example It is therefore, important to give their meaning in order to fully understand their difference. Cheating is a broad term that is used to describe behaviour that is characterised by any of the following elements: being dishonesty, untruthful or unfaithful where an individual intentionally uses falsehoods that are unacceptable to gain advantage over other people. On the other hand, plagiarism is loosely defined as the act of stealing or using other people’s ideas without properly acknowledging them. This is a form of cheating but is mainly focused on the area of academic work in schools or colleges. As going to be highlighted in detail below, the main difference between the two is that cheating is intentional in most cases and is a broad term while plagiarism may be unintentional and is particularly limited to academic circles. As noted above, when one is being untruthful or unfaithful to other people, it can be said that the person is cheating. Having extra marital affairs or being adulterous is another form of cheating that has gained considerable concern from the members of society especially during this current period. For instance, a married person who indulges in adulterous behaviour is likely to cause conflict if the unsuspecting partner discovers the bad behaviour of the other partner. Socially, it is generally agreed that cheating behaviour is not a good thing to partners who love each other as this is likely to cause misunderstandings that can lead to the disintegration of that relationship. Such behaviour is outside the generally acceptable rules or societal standards of living and the judgment given to the people who are caught on the wrong side of the rules depends on the nature of the offence and the rules of the society. In some instances, people tend to use falsehoods or deception in order to gain advantage over

Space Time Compression Essay Example for Free

Space Time Compression Essay Space time compression refers to the speed of transportation making places closer together in terms of social distance. In this free response answer it will highlight examples how technological advancements have connected people and places around the globe and also show the relation to distance decay and friction of distance. The internet has connected us to over millions of different sites and has allowed us to communicate almost instantly to anyone in the world. With the increase in social media sites and applications, using an application like Facebook, a person from the United States can instant message (IM) to their family member in Australia and â€Å"catch up† versus having to write a letter and take 6-7 business days to arrive. With Friction of Distance it would difficult for a person in the â€Å"old times† to write to someone in a different far away country, especially overseas. It would take much energy and effort to get a letter from the United States to Australia; first you would have to use the Pony Express then send it overseas and take it one month to arrive. Today the evolvement of transportation has surpassed any sort of transportation back in the ages. With cars, trains, jets, cruise liners, the ability to transport or travel is faster than ever before. The first earth tracks were created by humans carrying goods and often followed game trails. Now they have major highways and motored vehicles. Distance decay is decreased because of the amount of tourism in the world. It allows other people from different places in the world to interact with one another. With technological advancements in transportation and communication it has allowed many people and places to have greater interaction because of space-time compression.