How over expansion and militarism led to the fall of Rome Essay

How over expansion and militarism led to the fall of Rome - Essay Example The term Roman Empire referred to a period in the history of Ancient when Rome, as well as its territories, ware ruled by tyrannical Emperors. The empire is believed to have lasted from 27 BC-475 AD, a period believed to be more than 500 years. During this era, the Roman Empire was very powerful and had territories covering south and west Europe, land around the Mediterranean Sea, Britain, North African and Asia Minor(Goldsworthy, 2009a). From the mentioned continents, it is evident that Roman Empire had widened its boundaries extensively. However, its expansionism strategies were diminished by its fall. Though this may be one of the features that led to the fall of Roman Empire, there are also other major factors that contributed to the same (Gibbon, & Bury, 1946). According to Gibbon (1932) and Goldsworthy (2009b), events took place in a chronological manner, and therefore, one cannot say that there was no order in which these factors occurred over the period of about five hundred years. The five hundred years that took place before the rise and fall of Rome Empire were accompanied by many factors that resulted in its decline. The major causes of Roman Empire’s decline can be detailed as follows: Antagonism between the Senate and the Emperor Political Corruption and the Praetorian Guard Decline in Morals Constant Wars and Heavy Military Spending Barbarian’s Knowledge of Roman Military Tactics The 'Mob' and the value of the 'Games' ... the 'Games' Decline in Ethics and Values Fast expansion of the Empire Unemployment of the Working Classes (The Plebs) Failing Economy Christianity Barbarian Invasion Natural Disasters and slave labor Antagonism between the Senate and the Emperor As in examples above, antagonism between the senate and the Emperor could be counted as one of the major causes of the collapse of the Rome Empire. At this time, the legal powers to rule the Rome’s religious, the civil and military associations were under the emperor while the senate acted as an advisory body. Though the two bodies were meant to act together, things never worked as their relationship began to change (Perkins, 2005). The emperor had no authority over life and death. The two bodies started taking different directions as the authoritative and affluent roman Emperors unavoidably become corrupted and lived a dishonest, deceptive and dishonest lifestyle (Parsons, 2010). As a result of this, Roman Empire experienced a lot of opposition between the Emperors and the Senators. In his case, everybody saw each other as the most corrupt, viewed each other as enemies and as enmity persisted, poor leadership set in resulting in the collapse of the empire (Nardo, 2001). Constant Wars and Heavy Military Spending This being one of the results of the fall of Roman Empire, constant war played a vital role in its fall. Since the empire was growing at a rapid pace, it needed more soldiers for it to survive a great conqueror. In this case, constant fighting needed heavy military spending. This demand for the military was high since the Roman Empire became over stretched, and the need for more solders was proportional to its obligations for expansion and protection of their overstretched territories (Fagan & Stonebarger, 1999). Due

The effect of minimum wage laws on income inequality Essay

The effect of minimum wage laws on income inequality - Essay Example Income inequality is one of the major problems faced by the society through out the world. It may vary in its extent from one country to another country, but is omnipresent in its existence. Several steps are required to reduce the income differences among different sections of the society. Even though effort have been made at government and non government levels, still lot of inequality in income is clearly visible which is to be managed effectively for better prosperity of mankind (Levy and Murnane, 1992). The effect of uneven distribution of income will certainly influence the income inequalities among different sections of the society. Minimum wages laws will significantly reduce these anomalies and reduce the income inequalities (David M Cutler and Lawrence F Katz,1992). However several researchers found that minimum wage laws may result in higher income inequalities (Cotterman, 1981 and Kaun, 1965). Literature has been collected from different sources relating to the origin of the minimum wages laws and their consequences in different countries. Similarly the information relating to the economic or income inequalities was also reviewed. Consequences of income inequalities and the necessity of minimum wages laws and international scenario of minimum wages were also studied and analyzed thoroughly. The positive and negative effects of minimum wages laws on income inequalities were discussed in detail. Wages are what a worker gets from money or solid appreciation of their work. This differs according to education and constitution the worker belongs to and works in. It is negotiable and thus the worker could offer more for his working time the more the appreciated he is and the effect of such behavior is the giving efficiently into the work done. If improperly done, the law has the right on the side of the customer and employer to cut

How East-Asian Martial Films Have Influenced Hollywood Cinema Literature review

How East-Asian Martial Films Have Influenced Hollywood Cinema - Literature review Example This genre has been known to incorporate richly detailed choreographed action scenes with high-flying kicks and martial art techniques. When it was first seen in Asia, it was far-removed from the American film genre and style. However, it soon became a common feature in the Hong Kong film industry (Michallet-Romero, 2003). While trying to preserve the traditional stories of Chinese heroes, Hong Kong film directors translated martial arts techniques into film and in the process influenced the Hollywood film industry. The Wuxia tales in Chinese history were representations of male and female sword masters who represented much heroism in their actions (Garnet, 1999). These tales of heroism were developed in an era dominated by Confucianism and the teachings of this religion. Confucius was very much focused on loyalty, obedience, and on fulfilling one’s duty to one’s family. The father was considered the head of the household and as such total respect was owed him by the re st of the family (Morgan, 2001). Confucius also advocated the belief that those who were stronger must protect the weak, the aged, and those who were unable to defend themselves. Confucius also supported the ideal leader, ordering his warriors to live their lives with dignity and with valour. From these teachings grew wuxia literature. This literature was also enriched by the stories of the Buddhist religious leader Siddartha Gautama (Michallet-Romero, 2003). Buddha’s teachings incorporated philosophical beliefs to the wuxia tales and also advocated the idea of alleviating the sufferings of man. Physical disciplines were later associated with Buddhism and Confucianism and these movements were meant to enhance a person’s chi, which is considered to be the life force of all beings (Michallet-Romero, 2003). ... iplines were later associated with Buddhism and Confucianism and these movements were meant to enhance a person’s chi, which is considered to be the life force of all beings (Michallet-Romero, 2003). From these movements Kung Fu would soon evolve. The Wuxia tales presented the image of the hero – either male or female – as one who is able to wield a sword skilfully, travelling to distant lands and carrying out heroic deeds in defence of the powerless and the weak. These heroes were often known to travel alone, exemplifying their strong skills in martial arts and sword play (Desser, 2002). The relationship of master and student within these stories were also apparent. The wuxia tales also presented the virtues of justice, valour, and sacrifice for the greater good of the people. The protagonists were also usually of common lineage and with skill and training gained much prestige (Birrell, 1999). This protagonist was very much different from the protagonists portra yed in Western stories where the heroes were often of noble blood. Wuxia folklore eventually made its way into the common and the noble people of China and these stories were retold with slight changes in their characterizations, making them darker and flawed and somehow representing a danger to those who were weak. Due to these changes in their characterization, the heroes were often made to confront their dark side as well (Birrell, 1999). Eventually however, this wuxian hero would be able to redeem himself by favouring the original teachings of Buddhism and Confucianism, harnessing enough chi to make the ultimate sacrifice for the people. These wuxia tales became popular forms of literature in China and they became common themes among travelling groups of actors in China. When the Peking Opera was

Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun - Research Paper Example He mixes Coast Salish cosmology and Northwest Coast reserved design standards with aspects of European surrealist and scenery painting traditions. Yuxweluptun handles controversial social, political, environmental, and cultural subjects, in these vibrant colors, a lot mysteriously witty painting. He is much more concerned with giving voice to the concerns but feels that the conventional forms of the Northwest Coast are not enough. Yuxweluptun clearly challenges the perception of a revitalization of Northwest Coast art, which he presumes reinvents tradition and by doing so, emphasizes a disgraceful inheritance of prejudice and anguish of the First Nations people of modern discussion. Tweaker For over 20 years Yuxweluptun work have articulated a far-ranging range of socio-political issues including the realities of urban Aboriginal life, ecological squalor, Aboriginal rights and freedoms, colonialism, and the social division produced by deprivation, reliance and mistreatment. Integrati ng a far ranging of techniques borrowed from First Nations and Western customs, he investigates the explosive connection between cultures in divergence. In Tweaker a rebellion of multifaceted and multihued oviods populates the canvas. Yuxweluptun it seems is keen on recreating a torrid activity and mindset of meth users who frequent Vancouver’s infamous Downtown Eastside. These persons who are viewed as members of an aberrant society, have become the victims of ill-treatment both the government and the peddlers who rely and/or on them (Laurence 50-55). Scorched Earth, Clear-cut Logging, Shaman Coming to Fix This is a more sophisticated painting on an analogous theme. A shaman, in the front of the left hand corner, is gloomy faced certainly, and stands on next to a squatting individual.... For over 20 years Yuxweluptun work have articulated a far-ranging range of socio-political issues including the realities of urban Aboriginal life, ecological squalor, Aboriginal rights and freedoms, colonialism, and the social division produced by deprivation, reliance and mistreatment. Integrating a far ranging of techniques borrowed from First Nations and Western customs, he investigates the explosive connection between cultures in divergence. In Tweaker a rebellion of multifaceted and multihued oviods populates the canvas. Yuxweluptun it seems is keen on recreating a torrid activity and mindset of meth users who frequent Vancouver’s infamous Downtown Eastside. These persons who are viewed as members of an aberrant society, have become the victims of ill-treatment both the government and the peddlers who rely and/or on them. This is a more sophisticated painting on an analogous theme. A shaman, in the front of the left hand corner, is gloomy faced certainly, and stands on n ext to a squatting individual. The aspects in the backdrop moan and lie sagging and sapped.

Where Should We Look to Find the Causes of Educational Inequalities Essay Example for Free

Where Should We Look to Find the Causes of Educational Inequalities Essay In this essay, I will be attempting to explain where I believe the causes of educational inequality lie. I will be focusing on 3 of the reasons that I believe there are such deep rooted inequalities in the education system. I believe that gender, ethnicity and class have the biggest impact on inequality in education. These are the issues which I will be discussing. The statistics are daunting, as Asthana, A (2010) states: boys are falling behind girls in 11 out of 13 learning categories by the age of five and Caribbean pupils are three times more likely to be excluded than any other ethnic group. I have chosen to focus on gender, ethnicity and social class in my essay, though these are by no means the only problems within the education system. I will start by discussing gender and educational inequality. Gender inequalities in education The impact on child attainment Women have always been allowed formal education, though formal education for all children has only been an ideal since about the mid-19th century. There were always a large proportion of people of both sexes who could not read or write, and many for whom formal education never went beyond basic reading and writing and simple arithmetic. Practical skills were more important for most people. Girls in ancient Greece and Rome for example, were educated, it was normal for women to be able to read and write, though most would not have had the same degree of education as boys. For girls, learning the practical skills to run a household would have been the most important part of their education. But some women did manage to make their mark as writers; Sapphos poetry was admired more than any other poet in ancient Greece except for Homer. Girls were often educated at home, though in medieval times for instance there were schools that educated children of both sexes. And upper-class girls sometimes went as boarders to nunneries. Among the upper classes it was commonplace for girls to be more literate than boys, because reading and writing were usually regarded as effeminate pursuits, a boys proper occupation was warfare. Grammar schools were normally only for boys, and in England, universities were open only to male students, though the proportion of boys who went there was tiny compared to the number who go today. Education for girls was of a fairly low standard during the 17th and 18th centuries, but from the early 19th century in America, and the mid-19th century in the UK, it was increasingly the case that all children were expected to attend school. Although boys and girls went to the same schools, they were not in the same classes and certainly were not taught the same subjects. Girls learnt subjects such as embroidery, needlework, music and writing as it was thought more important for them to study ‘accomplishments’ rather than academic subjects. Although a lot has changed regarding the differences between boys’ and girls’ education, there are still some issues that concerns us; the gender gap for example. The gender gap is the difference in attainment with boys and girls. In recent years, there has been a lot of worrying about the growing gap in attainment between boys and girls. By the age of 5, 53% of boys had reached the expected writing level compared with 72% of girls. They then underachieve at GCSE and not as many go on to university. Even once there, they are less likely to achieve a 2:1 or a first (Asthana, A 2010). Some contribute boys’ lower attainment to the changing notions of masculinity and differing attitudes to schoolwork. As Renold, E (2001) stated, many boys learnt the hard way early in their school careers that studiousness and academic success conflict with conventional forms of hegemonic masculinity. Renold (2001) then goes on to argue that as a result of the contradictory masculinities produced by the school, the boys invented an array of strategies and techniques to avoid what were perceived as ‘non-masculine’/ or ‘feminine’ classroom behaviours and to disguise both their desire for and the achievement of, academic success. As Connell (1996, cited in Renold, E 2001) claims, when he discusses ‘gender strategies for schools’, existing patterns of gender relation can only be altered or changed by paying close attention to the ‘dynamics of masculinity’, especially the means by which alternative masculinities are construed (peer support/ collectivity) and resisted (gender and sexualised bullying). Another issue is, of course the same sex school debate. I believe that Co-educational schools are better for children as it teaches them things that are not on the curriculum. It teaches kids maturity with members of the opposite sex. We can logically conclude that members from a coeducational school are generally more understanding of their opposing sex than those who are in a single-sex school. This doesn’t apply to students who have no siblings or are in relationships. It applies to the vast majority of students with any form of schooling. A sibling only has one personality, a girlfriend or a boyfriend only possess one personality. One must be able to understand and cope with members with different personality types to be counted as mature. Also, in a co-ed school, pupils form more diverse relationships. More diverse friendship types would supposedly lead to a bigger and better social life, which is important to have for school students as they progress in life. The logic behind this reasoning is that once you are in the working force, you must be able to deal with anyone that you work with, work for and assign work to. In the real world, we are not separated from the opposite sex so why are we separated in schools? Ethnicity and Inequality in education Ethnicity and inequality of education has always been, in my opinion, a delicate subject. There’s always the possibility of appearing racist or as though discriminating in some way. Rob Meyers (1994) when talking of educational inequality states; â€Å"with the passing of slavery, equality of education was one of the rights formerly held back that was now for Black people to take advantage of. With this equal starting ground, social integration would be a realizable dream. Yet after over 120 years, equality of education had been denied to Black children, thus preventing them from the amount of financial success white children have in life after school. Through benign neglect and the goal of some to find a genetic link to race and intelligence, Black students have been railroaded into low end jobs and inescapable poverty. As Bowles and Gintis have stated, the purpose of education is to preserve the existing class structure. Since the abolition of slavery, racist whites have used the educational system to keep their thrones and to keep blacks poor. Ideas of minority inferiority are spread, and the misinformed fall into the trap of believing that race determines intelligence, using skewed test data to help support their ideas. † Although I’m sure Meyers work has some implications of truth, I don’t believe that this is all about racism and it certainly isn’t all about black children. There are ethnic minorities from all over the globe who experience educational inequality and discrimination. For example, while some ethnicities like Caribbean boys receive negative discrimination I. e. teachers thinking that they won’t perform to as high a standard as the other children, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, other ethnicities such as Chinese girls receive positive discrimination; teachers thinking that they will be able to perform naturally higher than other students for example, thus putting added stress and pressure on the students. Though one could argue that the fact Asian girls excel is not due to positive discrimination but because their families, friends and societies value hard work, discipline and educational achievement. It is however, very important to maintain high expectations for all students, no matter the race, social background or ability. In the UK, there is evidence that points toward black Caribbean pupils being excessively moved into for lower tier maths and science exams at age 14. Strand (in press, cited in Twining 2012) has shown that black Caribbean students are the only ethnic group to be regularly under represented, relative to white students in entry to higher maths and science test tiers. Furthermore, this under-representation is not a by-product of their lower prior attainment; nor of variances in gender, social class, and a wide range of contextual variables. Strand concludes it is possible that teachers’ conclusions of black Caribbean students’ academic possibility may be distorted by observations of their behaviour as more challenging than it actually is. This may, in turn, lead to a inclination to miscalculate their academic capability (Twining 2012). While black Caribbean children (especially the males) have been consistently labelled as being the underachievers in secondary level education, research has shown that white working class males actually make up around half of the number of low achieving school leavers (Kingdom and Cassen, 2007; Cassen and Kingdom 2007, cited in Twining, 2012). As Asthana (2010) convincingly states, â€Å"Once it was a story of black and white, in which racial discrimination was a major driving force. But in tomorrows report, the story of ethnicity is a complicated one – in which poor black boys underachieve, as do those from Irish Traveller families, but poor Chinese girls overachieve; Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities see different outcomes to Indian ones; and there is a growing group of mixed race children who in themselves have complex outcomes. Other issues students from other cultures face is the need to conform to British culture. I believe that the classroom would be a more efficient place to learn if students were allowed to incorporate knowledge from their cultures into it. Or perhaps teachers should be trained to understand other cultures and to try to teach students by referring to things they may have learnt in their communities.

Negative Effects Of Divorce On Children

Negative Effects Of Divorce On Children Divorce is the worst situation that a child experiences in the growth and development life which they have to cope up with. The effects divorce has on children depend on age of the child when divorce occurs. Other factors that determines the effects the divorce impacts on children depends on childs personality and the gender, the support offered by other family members and relatives besides the frequency of conflicts and disagreements between parents determines the magnitude of the effect. In consideration of age, young children who are below two years of age are less affected by divorce although this might not be the case when there is a close relationship between the children and the parent (s). These infants do not get to understand the nature of the conflict but nevertheless they react to the changes that accompany divorce. When such a situation is prone to happen, the concerned parents should make special and prior arrangements on childcare and parenting to reduce the negative i nfluence their separation would impact on children (Alison and Cornelia 34). Children who are yet to join school (preschool children) usually takes the blame incase divorce and separation occurs. This is facilitated by their fear of been abandoned and left alone by parents separation. However if separation through divorce occur, preschoolers responds by turning to be uncooperative, angry and depressed. Their personality is also greatly affected and they change completely from their initial socialization when they become aggressive and disobedient towards any adult near them while living a life of denial that nothing happened (DeBord 12). Divorce has the greatest and long lasting effect on school aged children than the young ones. Their personality and emotional attachment to their parent is so strong that they find it extremely difficult to cope up and adjust with the new situation of loneliness of either parent. The difficult situation experienced by elementary children who are school age results from their maturity to understand every bit of situation that is happening with their parents. This age is mature and old enough to comprehend and feel the pain associated with separation from divorce of their parents. The unfortunate part that school age children undergo is the inability they have to control the internal pain caused by divorce (Mary 1). The manifestations associated with effects of divorce on this age group of children are resentment, grief, intensive anger, embarrassment, resentment and divided loyalty. They also tend to be isolated from other children and may develop total withdraw from other childrens activities like creative playing and games. These children live with a hope that their parents will still return together; in case of otherwise, these children feel rejected by the parent who left. Apart from personality and emotional effects, divorce at this age may affect the health of children who may frequently complain of stomachaches and headaches (Eileen and Josephine 23). When divorce occurs during adolescent stage of children, its effects are more severe than any other stage in childs development. Some teenagers feel abandoned, guilt and a sense fear. Their emotional set up is severely disrupted by divorce; they experience loneliness, depression and anger towards other people and mostly their parents especially the one who has left. During this age, the children are mature enough to handle some family responsibilities. However they feel punished and burdened especially when they are responsible for the childcare of their younger siblings. Their response is always swift and they try to fill the gap by assuming adult responsibilities due to high levels of stress and low energy levels with their parents. Some teenagers struggle with sexual desires since they have no one to confine to and experience low self esteem of handling marriage and getting married. Since teenagers understood well the causes and situations surrounding their parents separation and subsequent divorce, their stability in education greatly declines due to lack of concentration and stability, in addition, they are not in a position to deal with future changes occurring in their family life. Children in this age bracket gets themselves in a confused state of mind since they are unable to decide which parent to accept over the other (Hughes 12). The pressure they experience on deciding who to blame for the cause of divorce stress them up affecting negatively their academic life declining in performance since they spend much of their school time evaluating and thinking about the situation back at home. They are also occupied with many thoughts especially if they have assumed responsibilities to take care of their younger siblings. Their emotional status is greatly affected since they experienced whatever happened with their parents; they lose confidence with marriage institutions and do no longer have ability and confidence to handle their family life (Mary 1). Based on gender, children who are raised by parent of the opposite sex are greatly affected by divorce more than boys raised by fathers and girls raised by mothers after divorce. Children raised by opposite sex tend to develop aggressive behaviors and resentment. Emotional disorders are common to children brought up by opposite sex parent while those raised by same sex tends to be responsible and respond to their environments more quickly. Although age, gender and other factors have been identified as influencers of the extent to how children respond or/ and affected by divorce, the most determining factor is the parent to children relationship (Alison and Cornelia 43). However, children should be assisted to adjust to divorce situations in their life. The parent in custody of children should consistently maintain communication and discussion of divorce regardless of how painful it is to the children to help them overcome it. This process will also assure their confidence and adequately prepare them for the future especially the adolescent group who requires understanding in a more detailed manner than younger ones. To recover quickly and reduce the effects of divorce, conflicts and aggressiveness of parents after divorce should be minimized and avoided if possible. Finally disruptions of children should be kept at low levels always and parents should have proper plans of how to deal with after divorce events. Work Cited Alison Clarke and Cornelia Brentano, â€Å"Divorce: causes and consequences,† Yale: Yale University Press, 2006 DeBord Kennedy, â€Å"Focus on Kids: The effects of divorce on children,† North Carolina, Cangage Learning, 1997 Eileen Hetherington and Josephine Arasteh,† Impact of divorce, single parenting and step parenting on children, New York: Routledge, 2001 Hughes Recker, â€Å"Parenting on your own:† Illinois, Routledge, 1999 Mary Temke, â€Å"The effects of Divorce on Children: Family and Consumer Resources,† Retrieved on April 5th 2010 from: http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache%3AQPgXCQMt0pcJ%3Aextension.unh.edu%2FFamily%2FDocuments%2FDivorce.pdf+The+negative+effects+of+divorce+on+childrenhl=engl=ke

The Problems of Facebook :: Social Networking, Pro Con Essays

The popular site, Facebook.com, has amassed more than one billion registrants since it started in February 2004. It is another social networking site, just like MySpace.com and Xanga.com, which is common to High School and College students. But this is no ordinary site; people’s lives literally revolve around Facebook. I have a Facebook account and log in at least once a day. I personally believe that Facebook is a fun and interactive site. However, some students may not feel that same way because they have encountered some negative aspects, aside from Facebook’s legal problems. Students who want to find jobs may regret posting private pictures and comments on Facebook. Employers not only screen resumes and conduct interviews, but also view job candidates’ Facebook profiles. The boss wants to know if the applicant is actually a â€Å"professional.† Pictures may show the person drinking, smoking, or doing other unprofessional activities. Offensive comments can also hurt an applicant’s chances of getting the job. Not many Colleges check up on their students through Facebook, but Oxford University is an expert at doing just that. Any picture or comment pertaining to illegal activities will lead to a student being charged with a fine. Since I am about to head off to college soon, I would disapprove of this invasion of privacy. Nonetheless, other colleges may soon pick up this way to spy on their students. Just as MySpace has online predators, Facebook may have some too. Some Facebook users have profiles with personal information that are visible to everyone. AOL screen names, phone numbers, and even addresses are posted on the site. Police are now looking into Facebook because a few convicted sex offenders have registered on the site. The entire Facebook company is being sued by three owners of ConnectU, which is another social networking site.