An Analysis of Gish Jen's use of the American Dream in her novel Essay

An Analysis of Gish Jen's use of the American Dream in her novel Typical American - Essay Example The latter abstract phenomenon reveals the secret of American success: immolation of morals in the name of prosperity. Gish Jen's characters, Chinese immigrants, are between two cultures as between the devil and the deep sea, between familial dreams and their own thirst for self-definition, between the Old World traditions and shiny, new dreams of the New World. Chang family are perpetual outsiders, connoisseurs of the strange, sometimes mysterious aspects of the world around them and the odd, surprising ways in which race and discrimination and family history can confuse their sense of individuality. Chang family seems to be stumbling on the edge of American phenomenon, the identity crisis (Kakutani). As newcomers to America, they take this country's chance seriously, a prospect that would cause both liberating freedom and discord. Ralph is the main character, whose ideals were being changed in the process of the novel. He left for America to earn an engineering degree, but he wanted to preserve all the seeds of Chinese way of life. In his mind Ralph surely discarded all tempts available for 'typical Americans' (food, women, entertainments etc) and he thought that he would never be involved into this vicious circle. Chang family mocks at American typicality of living; they make fun of Americans, who have more freedom and liberation, and 'typicality' becomes a kind of 'plague' for them. Nevertheless in the course of time, Ralph gets married, earns his doctorate in engineering, buys his first home, has two daughtersand becomes 'typical American'. Thus it's no wonder that his ambitions need release and Ralph becomes seduced in order to reach an American Dream. Ralph thinks that in America if "you have money, you can do anything. You have no money, you are nobody. You are Chinaman!" (Gish, 66). Suddenly Ralph gets 'a shot I the arm', finds an American-born con-man Grover Ding, who disrupts the harmony of Chang family lives and unties their relationships and provokes them to become "typical Americans". This man instills Chang's gluttonous materialism, marital betrayal, and personal fraudulence. Ralph is highly motivated by Ding's ideas and launches a fast-food restaurant, called Chicken Palace, which eventually fails. Fortunately, Chang family becomes united at the end of the novel and able to restore their initial morals, principles and traditions. A struggle between values In the characters of Ralph, Theresa, and Helen, Jen shows lives of immigrants as a struggle between old-world and new-world values; between good and evil. At first the main characters sacrificed their self-identities, got lost in the New World. In the U.S. immigrants run into changes of their Old World circumscribed roles. They have a subconscious responsibility to preserve at least some

The instructions are given below Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The instructions are given below - Assignment Example However, most of the citizens in the European counties were not happy about what their governments were doing. In connection to this, the relationship between the states worsened. It was at this time that the, France began to experience revolutions. The main cause of the revolution was that, the French government had introduced a lot of tax on most of the commodities. This move was seen by the people as being unfair (Schroeder 5). It was also at this time that most European countries started importing slaves to their countries. Most of these slaves were drawn from Africa. However, the rate of unemployment had started to increase. Therefore, most citizens were not happy with their government because they felt that the government did not have their interest at heart (Schroeder 12). In addition to this, most of the people felt that the slaves could be a security threat to them. This is because at that particular time, Africans were seen as being uncivilised (Schroeder 4). Question two. How were Luther, Equiano, and either Engels or Dickens trying to create change in their worlds through their writings? What arguments did they utilize and who were their intended audiences? Make a historical argument about how their approaches differed and what those differences tell us about changes in Europe in the 16th-19th centuries. In the mid-19th century, Luther become increasingly concerned about how the catholic church was treating Christians. It was at this time that he started writing books why Christians should leave Catholic church and form another church. On the other hand Equiano writing was based on the English slave trade (Schroeder 5). He was more concerned about how the English was not respecting human rights. Finally, Engels main intention was to create awareness on the importance of the government to continue practising socialism. This was because at that particular time, most of the governments in Europe were trying

Non-Audit Services (NAS) Impact on Auditor Quality

Non-Audit Services (NAS) Impact on Auditor Quality The provision of Non-Audit Services (NAS) by auditors to their audit clients reduces total costs, increases technical competence and motivates more intense competition. However, the recent corporate collapses in the US, Australia and elsewhere, was surprising our attention. The issue of Enron arouses great concerns on corporate governance revealing the audit independence problem when CPAs provide audit and NAS for the same clients. In the view of the fact, now a days because of NAS, the audit practice is questionable, whereas third parties believe that without independence, there is no value for accounting and auditing practices (Salehi, M., 2009). Therefore, regulatory has been drawn to the issues of auditor provided NAS and audit quality. In fact, these services do not necessarily damage auditor independence or the quality of NAS. Because of that, this paper contributes to seen the impact of NAS on auditor quality. INTRODUCTION OF NON-AUDIT SERVICES Traditionally, audits have provided Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firms with a large percentage of their overall revenues. However, for many years consulting services constituted a relatively minor portion of the firms revenues. In recent years, firms have expanded the scope of services they offer to audit and other clients such as NAS. Today NAS provided more than 50 percent (%) or more of the total revenues earned by the CPA firms. As Accounting Today in USA (2001, April) states, the income of accounting firms in 2000 showed that the proportion of international and national assurance service was 35%, whereas that of tax advisory service and management advisory service accounted for 21% and 44% respectively. It shows that management advisory service has become the source of total income of accounting firms. NAS generally refer to the services above or beyond the related audit services or services other than traditional CPA work. Many scholars in their studies use different terms for some relevant issues, namely Management Advisory Services (MAS) and Management Consulting Service (MCS). According to Purcell and Lifison (2003), NAS as traditional CPA works including assurance, investment assurance, commerce registration and accounting affairs, tax advisory service, management advisory service, finance and investment advisory service, public offering, mergers and acquisitions services, information technology advisory service and others. However, there are three basic principles of the prohibition of specified NAS is predicated: An auditor cannot function in the role of management; An auditor cannot audit its own work; and An auditor cannot serve in an advocacy role for its client. Most of the firms growth comes from NAS that CPAs provide for their clients when dealing with auditing affairs (Purcell and Lifison, 2003). So, what the motivation and attraction in provision of NAS to companies? Firth (1997a) contends that companies usually entrust outside consultants/firms for service in the following situation: One-off assignments Urgent problems Expert techniques Arbitrating initial disputes Seeking advise Decrease the risk overall management The economic causes for offering NAS include; Growth opportunities Personnel attraction and retention Meeting clients needs Risk diversification opportunities The Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 states that NAS provided to a client should not be more than 5% of the total auditors remuneration; otherwise, the client must obtain pre-approval from its audit committee, as non-audit fees paid in excess of this percentage would deem the auditor as not being independent. In Malaysia, under Malaysian Institute of Accountant (MIA) suggests that audit firms should not accept any appointment if they are also providing NAS to a client; whereby the provision of NAS would create a significant threat to their professional independence, integrity and objectivity. Effective June 1, 2001, Bursa Malaysia (previously known as Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange or KLSE) requires all listed companies to disclose non-audit fees in their annual reports. This is to protect shareholders interests and to increase corporate transparency. Consistent with the practices in other Commonwealth countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom (UK), which also have made it a requirement that non-audit fees of listed companies to be disclosed in the annual report. THE ISSUES OF NON-AUDIT SERVICES The main question/issue that arises when auditors provide or could provide both audit and NAS is whether the auditors are able to conduct their audits impartially, without being concerned about losing or failing to gain additional services, and the subsequent economic implications for the audit firm (Lee, 1993). Auditors seek to provide NAS because of the considerable economies of scope that ensue, i.e. cost savings that arise when both types of service are provided by the same firm. However, the result from several researchers show that the joint provision of audit and non-audit services gives rise to economic rents, which create incentives for audit firms to compromise their objectivity, e.g., waive audit adjustments, to retain audit clients (Palmrose 1986; Simunic 1984). For disclosure of NAS, investors should have enough information to enable them to evaluate the independence of a companys auditors. The proposed rules would bring the benefits of sunlight to the auditor independence area by requiring companies to disclose in their annual proxy statements certain information about, among other things, the NAS provided by their auditors and the participation of leased personnel in performing the companys annual audit. Generally a company required to disclose the fee paid for each NAS performed by its auditor and the fee charged for the annual audit. An exception to these general disclosure requirements is that issuers would not have to describe a NAS, nor disclose the fee for that service. In NAS and its independence, England and Australia have asked companies to publish audit and NAS fee in their annual financial report. According to Dopuch et al (2003) found that disclosure of NAS reduced the accuracy of investors beliefs of auditors independence in fact when independence in appearance was inconsistent with independence in fact. THE EFFECT OF NON-AUDIT SERVICES The dramatic increase in the nature, number, and monetary value of NAS that accounting firms provide to audit clients seen may affect their independence. Accordingly, the proposals specify certain NAS that, if provided by an accounting firm to an audit client, impair an auditors independence. Sami and Zhang (2003) investigated the effect of non-audit services on the backdrop of SECs revised rule that stressed perceived audit independence. They suggested that investors perceive that NAS impair auditors independence. According to Defond et.al. (2000) regulators are concerned about two effects of NAS. One is a fear that NAS fees make auditors financially dependent on their clients, and hence less willing to stand up to management pressure for fear of losing their business. The other is that the consulting nature of many NAS put auditors in managerial role. From the SEC regulations mandating fee disclosures (SEC, 2000), Auditors services relationship raises two types of independence concerns. First, more the auditor has at stake in its dealing with the audit client, particularly when the NAS relationship has the potential to generate significant revenues on top of the audit relationship. Second, certain types of NAS, when provided by the auditor, create inherent conflicts that are incompatible with objectivity. While, according to Firth (1997b), synergy would occur between auditor and auditee when an accounting firm provides audit and NAS simultaneously and consequently it would influence independe nce of auditor. Simunic (1984) indicates that CPA providing NAS would decrease the possibility for presenting the true financial statements and would influence the users of the statements on the recognition of CPA independence. It would further affect audit quality, the reliability of financial statements and the judgment of decision-making. How NAS Can Affect Auditor Independence? The dramatic expansion of NAS may fundamentally alter the relationships between auditors and their audit clients in two principal ways. First, as auditing becomes an ever-smaller portion of a firms business with its audit clients, auditors become increasingly vulnerable to economic pressures from audit clients. Large non-audit engagements may make it harder for auditors to be objective when examining their clients financial statements. Under any circumstances, it can be difficult for an auditor to make a judgment that works against the audit clients interest. Where making that judgment may imperil a range of service engagements of the firm, of which the audit is a fairly small part, it may be unrealistic to expect that an auditor can ignore completely what the firm stands to lose by the auditors action. Second, certain NAS, by their very nature, raise independence issues. Providing certain NAS to an audit client can lead an audit firm to have a mutual or conflicting interest with the client, audit its own work, advocate a position for the client, or function as an employee or management of the client. However, not all NAS pose the same risk to independence. Only these specific NAS that impair independence, namely: Bookkeeping or other services related to the audit clients accounting records or financial statements of the company. The prohibited services are: (a) Maintaining or preparing the companys accounting records; (b) Preparing the financial statements or the information that forms the basis of the financial statements that are required by the company and; (c) Preparing or originating source data underlying the companys financial statements. Design and implementation of financial information systems that aggregate source data or generate information that is significant to the financial statements taken as a whole, unless it is reasonable to conclude that the results of these services will not be subject to audit procedures during the audit of the companys financial statements. This rule does not preclude the external auditors from working on hardware or software systems that are unrelated to the companys financial statements or accounting records. Appraisal or valuation services, fairness opinions or contribution-in-kind reports or other opinions or reports in which the external auditors provide an opinion on the adequacy of consideration in a transaction, unless it is reasonable to conclude that the results of these services will not be subject to audit procedures during the audit of the companys financial statements. This rule does not prohibit the external auditors firm from providing such services for non-financial reporting purposes (e.g., transfer pricing studies, cost segregation studies and other tax-only valuations). Actuarial services involving amounts recorded in the financial statements and related accounts for the company where it is reasonably likely that the results of these services will be subject to audit procedures during an audit of the companys financial statements. This prohibition extends to providing the company with any actuarially-oriented advisory service involving the determination of amounts recorded in the financial statements and related accounts for the company other than assisting the company in understanding the methods, models, assumptions and inputs used in computing an amount. Internal audit outsourcing services relating to the internal accounting controls, financial systems or financial statements of the company. This prohibition on outsourcing does not preclude the external auditors from providing attest services related to internal controls, evaluating the companys internal controls during the audit or making recommendations for improvements to the controls, or management from engaging the external auditors to perform agreed-upon procedures engagements related to the companys internal controls. Management functions. This rule prohibits the external auditors from acting, temporarily or permanently, as a director, officer or employee of the company or performing any decision making, supervisory or monitoring function for the company. However, the external auditors may assess the effectiveness of the companys internal controls and recommend improvements in the design and implementation of internal controls and risk management controls. Human resources functions. The external auditors may not seek out prospective candidates for managerial, executive or director positions, act as negotiator on the companys behalf such as determining position, compensation or fringe benefits or other conditions of employment or undertake reference checks of prospective candidates. The external auditors may also not engage in psychological testing or other formal testing or evaluation or recommend or advise the company to hire a specific candidate for a specific job. Broker or dealer, investment adviser, or investment banking services. The external auditors are prohibited from serving as promoter or underwriter, making investment decisions on behalf of the company or otherwise having discretionary authority over the companys investments, or executing a transaction to buy or sell an investment of the company, or having custody of assets of the company. Legal services that could be provided only by someone licensed, admitted or otherwise qualified to practice law in the jurisdiction in which the service is provided. Expert services in an advocacy capacity unrelated to the audit. This precludes engagements that are intended to result in the external audit firms specialized knowledge, experience and expertise being used to support the audit clients positions in adversarial proceedings. This prohibits the external auditors from providing expert opinions or other services to the company or a legal representative of the company for the purpose of advocating the companys interests in litigation, or regulatory or administrative investigations or proceedings. This rule does not however preclude the company from engaging the external auditors to perform internal investigations or fact-finding engagements including forensic work and using the results of this work in subsequently initiated proceedings or investigations. Any other service that the Audit Committee determines is impermissible. According to Zulkarnain (2006), in Malaysia, scholars reported that only a small number of the shareholders and auditors that participated in their study believed that NAS provision increased their confidence in auditor independence. On the other hand, Teoh and Lim (1996) found that the provision of NAS was ranked as the second most important factor that undermines auditor independence. Arrunada (1999) pointed out that joint provision of audit and NAS would reduce overall costs, raises the technical quality of auditing, enhance competition and need not prejudice auditor independence or the quality of NAS, which would ultimately increase auditor independence (Goldman and Barlev, 1974). Based on the standard organization analysis, Arrunada (1999) showed that cost savings gained from the joint provision of audit and NAS will be transferred to customers as a decrease in price in both markets, and also that the provision of NAS would result in an increase in client- and firm-specific assets, where firm-specific assets would always have a positive effect on independence. This argument is supported by Grout et al. (1994), who argued that permitting auditors to perform joint services would reduce auditors dependence on a single client and encourage them to diversify as a consequence. Opponents to the joint provision of audit and NAS claimed that auditors would not perform their audit services objectively and that joint provision would impair perceived independence because ultimately they would be auditing their own work or acting as management (SEC, 2001), and managements power over the auditor could be increased due to auditors reliance on fees received (Canning and Gwilliam, 1999). Thus, it may influence their mental attitude, impartiality and objectivity, and independence of thought and action (Flint, 1988). The year 2002 had seen the biggest corporate collapses in the United States history that have raised lots of questions regarding auditors independence. For example, Arthur Andersen, being the auditor of the three biggest bankruptcies, Enron, WorldCom and Global Crossing, was heavily criticized for the collapses. It is said that Andersen was purportedly stressing more on non-audit services (NAS) than the audit itself. Auditing profession as a whole has been badly blamed for the collapses and changes were being proposed to ensure that audit firms reduce their over-reliance on NAS (The Star, 2002). As a result, to ensure the independence of auditors and to protect the interest of investors, the accounting profession in most countries has come up with a code of ethics as a guidelines for auditors competency and independence. In Malaysia, under MIA rules that become effective January 15, 2002, professional independence is considered impaired if total fees arising from provision of NAS to a client is 20% or more of the audit firms total annual fees received for two or more consecutive years. Before 2001, the regulators in Malaysia emphasized only on the disclosure of audit fees in the companies annual reports, as required by the Companies Act 1965. Several studies have examined whether the provision of non-audit services impairs audit quality. However, the previous studies report seems conflict in the results depending on the proxy of audit quality used. Teoh and Lim (1996) found that the disclosure on non-audit fees would influence and impair audit independence. A survey done by Gul and Teoh (1986) in Malaysia, suggests that the provision of NAS reduces public confidence in auditors independence. The auditor can be interpreted to compromise its independence if the provision of NAS is significantly tied to the issuance of clean audit opinion. Wines (1994) found that the auditors of those companies that received clean reports over the period derived a significantly higher proportion of their remuneration from NAS fees than the auditors of companies that received at least one audit qualification. This finding suggests that auditors are less likely to give qualified reports to clients financial statements when high levels of NAS f ees are involved. Firth (2002) found that companies that have relatively high consultancy fees are more likely to receive a clean audit opinion due to the non-audit work clearing up problem areas at the client company; or it might be due to high consultancy fees, thus impairing auditor independence. Ayoib, Rohami and Nor (2006) suggests that non-Big Five auditors are less independent when issuing audit reports for NAS purchased companies. This is also consistent with the preposition that large auditors are more independent than smaller auditors (DeAngelo, 1981). The results imply that audit opinion is dependent on the amount of NAS fee. It could be argued that small auditors could not resist against management pressure when issuing qualified opinion. Frankel, Johnson and Nelson (2002) suggest that their results provide evidence that auditor independence is compromised when clients pay high nonaudit fees relative to total fees. Securities and Exchange Commissions (SEC) concern about the growth of nonaudit fees relative to audit fees during the 1990s (e.g., see Levitt 2000). The SECs concern that the growth in the provision of nonaudit services compromises audit firm independence is based on the premise that the provision of nonaudit services increases the fees paid to the audit firm thereby increasing the economic dependence of the audit firm on the client. Based on the use of discretionary accruals and earnings benchmarks as proxies for biased financial reporting, Hollis, Ryan and Brian (2003) find evidence supporting the claim that auditors violate their independence as the result of clients paying high fees or having high fee ratios. DeAngelo (1981) models that as the economic bond between the audit firm and client increases the audit firms dependence on the client increases. Nonaudit fees further increase the client auditor bond by increasing the portion of audit firm wealth derived from a client (Simunic 1984; Beck et al. 1988). Nonaudit fees can also threaten independence when clients use them as contingent fees. Magee and Tseng (1990) note that while contingent fees are explicitly prohibited by audit standards, clients can create contingent fees by withholding profitable nonaudit services when the auditor does not allow the client to report its preferred financial condition. Costs and Benefits of Restricting Certain Non-Audit Services (proposals by SEC) There is increasing concern that the growth of NAS provided to audit clients affects the independence of auditors. If investors lose confidence in auditors ability or willingness to provide an unbiased and impartial examination of companies financial statements, then investors trust in the reliability of publicly available financial information, and in the integrity of the securities markets, may be damaged. Currently, accounting firms may not provide certain services to their audit clients without impairing their independence. The Securities Exchange and Commission (SEC) proposals extend and clarify those restrictions that should be used to evaluate the effect of NAS on an auditors independence and by designating certain NAS that if performed by an auditor for an SEC registrant that is an audit client, impair the auditors independence. The SECs proposals on the provision of NAS may affect to: 1. Benefits (a) Investors. For the reasons explained above, the SEC believes that the proposals will enhance auditor independence and thereby enhance the reliability and credibility of financial statements of public companies. SEC expect these benefits to inure primarily to investors who, if the proposals are adopted, should be able to review public companies financial statements with greater assurance that reliance on the statements will lead to more informed investment decisions. (b) Public Accounting Firms. SEC anticipates that the proposals will confer two primary benefits on public accounting firms: The proposals should clarify what NAS may be provided to an audit client without jeopardizing auditor independence. The proposals could improve competition in the market for the provision of NAS by public accounting firms. Because the restrictions on providing NAS to an audit client would apply equally to all accounting firms, the overall impact of the proposed restrictions may be to re-distribute the restricted NAS among the public accounting firms. 2. Costs SEC proposals on NAS may impose costs on issuers and public accounting firms. (a) Issuers. The proposed amendments have the effect of restricting issuers from purchasing certain NAS from their auditors. (b) Public Accounting Firms. Some public accounting firms provide a wide variety of services both to audit and non-audit clients. Our scope of services proposals is likely to affect these firms in several ways. The primary cost for these firms is that they individually may lose one source of revenue because they will no longer be able to sell certain NAS to their audit clients. CONCLUSION In conclusion, evidence suggests that although auditors have market based incentives to remain independent, auditor independence may be threaten when an auditor provide NAS to their clients and is reasonable that the NAS actually impair independence and quality of auditor. Hillison and Kennelley (1988) had recommended three additional alternatives to a total prohibition of NAS provision to audit clients: Offer NAS to non-audit clients only, Prohibit certain types of NAS, or Permit all types of NAS with full disclosure requirements. However, some professional and academic seen it seemed not much enough to protect auditor independence and It would further affect auditor quality. Thus, national and international professions should be redefined accounting and auditing regulation as well as scanted new regulation regarding to NAS and giving clear picture about that services to auditors as well as investors and heavy penalties, to whom overriding these regulation.

Borderline Personality Disorder Explored in Girl Interrupted Essay

Girl Interrupted is a 1999 film in which Susanna, a high school senior on the verge of graduating with her class in 1967, is rushed to the Emergency Room because she consumed a whole bottle of Aspirin, followed by a bottle of Vodka. After being treated, Susanna is seen by a friend of her fathers, who is a Psychiatrist who believes that her actions were an attempt at suicide. Susanna, of course denies this, instead stating that she was making an effort to rid herself of a headache. The Psychiatrist recommends that she stay at a mental hospital named Claymore for a rest. While there, Susanna meets a number of individuals with a diverse array of disorders. One individual in particular, Lisa essentially runs the group of girls because they either fear or confide in her. As we later find out, Lisa actually displays the symptoms of the borderline personality disorder, the disorder that Susanna is believed to have (Mangold). Individuals with borderline personality must be at least 18 years old and display shakiness in all social relationships and the way they see themselves and spontaneous thoughts that must be noticeably disturbed by early adulthood. Strong, often out of the way attempts, at avoiding any type of abandonment is a key element. Should an individual with borderline personality disorder feel abandonment drawing near in their life, their thinking, behavior, and self-image will change drastically. Five of the following nine statements must apply to an individual for them to be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. 1) Attempts to avoid abandonment, whether it be real or not, 2) unstable relationships with people that are unrealistically amplified to more, or devaluated to less, than what they... ...ess and ways of thinking. This treatment makes sure to keep the bond between the client and therapist at the center so that no boundaries are crossed, giving it a hint of the humanistic psychodynamic approach. Clients who undergo this therapy tend to be able to handle stressful life situations better and mature in their social skills. Less suicides and hospital visits are also reported with those who receive DBT (Comer). Works Cited "Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Center." Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Center. New York-Presbyterian The University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, 2004. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. . Comer, Ronald J. "Personality Disorders." Abnormal Psychology. 7th ed. New York: Worth, 2010. 523-529. Print. Mangold, James. Girl Interrupted. 08 Dec. 1999. Movie.

Recklessness in the Odyssey Essay

Odysseus’ overdeveloped pride and arrogance led him to act recklessly in Book Nine of the Odyssey. This caused unfortunate scenarios for both Odysseus and his men. Odysseus had a lot of pride. This is shown when he states that he is â€Å"known to the world† and that his fame â€Å"has reached the skies† – book 9 line 21-22This is the pride that he has of his name, which leads to his questionable judgment. He regarded as a great hero and that makes him believe that his decisions cannot be wrong. It is very interesting that in the Greek culture where reputation is so significant, it is the very thing that leads to his damaging behavior. Odysseus shows recklessness throughout the novel. Instead of continuing his journey, Odysseus wanted to explore the mainland, the Land of the Cyclops. Once he arrived at the cave, Odysseus wants to gain hospitality of the owner. His questionable judgment lies here. He does not know if the ,inhabitants are civilized or caring, nonetheless, he makes an uniformed, risky decision. He even expresses this: â€Å"what are they – violent savage, lawless? or friendly to strangers, god-fearing men?† book 9 lines 195-196Later on, after Odysseus cleverly defeated the Cyclops, which evidently put him in an even higher state of pride. He taunted Polyphemus long after he had been utterly defeated. Then he went on to revealed his true identity to the CyclopsHe suffered the horrible consequences of his impulsive decisions and actions. Several of his men died horrendous deaths. Their limbs were torn and then they were eaten by a monster. When he instigates the blinded giant, he almost ends the lives of his entire crew because the Cyclops hurls a boulder at the boat. Even though it misses, the aftermath of its splash almost pushed them into Polyphemus’ reach. Once Polyphemus knew that it was the great Odysseus who had blinded him, he prayed to his powerful father Poseidon for revenge. This is how Homer points out to us that we should not act on impulse. Bibliography: The Odyssey by Homer

The Life of Saudi Arabia

The Life Of Saudi Arabia The life of Saudi Arabia is a culture that is different than any country and Region. Saudi Arabia is located in the middle east on the other side of the world over 860,000 miles away from the U. S. The most common language for Saudi Arabia is Arabic (6 million) the other two are are spoken by Saudi’s Nejdi Arabic (8 million) and the Persian Gulf(1. 5 million) Saudi Arabia has a religion than no other country has, there religion is Muslim anyone that doesn’t believe in Muslim has death penalty but their hasn’t been any recent confirmed reports about that in a couple of years.The last Christian that was there was told to leave Saudi Arabia in 1985. They only believe in one god that they call Allah, they pray three times a day, there religious for there holiday is Ramadan, It is a time when Muslims around the world focus on prayer, fasting, giving to charity, and religious devotion. The last third of Ramadan is a particularly holy period, th ey read the Quran which is similar to the bible. They aren’t allowed to celebrate Christmas or Easter .The police go around and make sure there isn’t any Christians there. Saudi Arabia is the world second largest country in the Asia. Its population is estimated to consisted of 16 million citizens and an additional 9 million registered foreign people and 2 million illegal immigrants. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was found by Abdul-Aziz Bin Saud known for his career as Ibn Saud. The Saudi government has been an absolute monarchy since its inception and it describes itself as being Islamic.Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and the kingdom is sometimes called â€Å"the land of the two holy mosques† in reference of Al-masjid al Haram(in Mecca),and Al-masjid al nabawi(in medina) the two holiest places in the Islam. Saudi Arabia has the second largest oil reserves which are concentrated largely in the Eastern Province. Oil accounts for more than 95% of exports and 70% of government revenue although the share of the non-oil economy has been growing recently.This has facilitated the transformation of an undeveloped desert kingdom into the worlds wealthiest nations. Vast oil revenues have permitted rapid modernization such as the welfare state. It has the worlds 6th largest gas reserves. It is the only country that women aren’t allowed to drive. Every adult women has to have a close male relative to be her† guardian† you explain them as minors with very little authority over their own life’s. The guardian is entitled to make a number of critical decisions on a women’s behalf.These include giving approval to the women to travel, to hold some types of business licenses, to study at a university or college and to work if the type of the business isn’t deemed appropriate for a women. Even when a guardians approval isn’t legally required they still sometimes ask for it. Women are also said to faced disc rimination in the courts where the testimony of one man equals that to two women and in family and inheritance law. Polygamy is permitted for men that they can divorce their wife without needing any legal justification.A women can only divorce with the consent of her husband or judicially if her husband harmed her. Cultural norms impose restrictions on women when their in public and these are enforced by the religious police the Matawa. They include requiring the women to sit in separate designed family sections in restaurants to wear a abaya which is a loose fitting full length black cloak covering the entire body and to conceal their hair, Men have to wear headdress(scarf).There is also effectively a ban on women driving. Men marry girls as young as ten in Saudi Arabia. Child marriage is believed to hinder women’s education. The dropout rates for girls increases around puberty as they exchange education for marriage. Roughly about 25% college aged young women do not attend college in 2005 and 2006 there was a 60% dropout rate. Female literacy is estimated to be around 70% compared to men with 85%. The men think that women are weak no matter how high their status’s are.Although some Saudi’s would like more freedom the women have said they didn’t want any radical change. Education is free at all levels. The school systems is composed to Elementary, intermediate, and secondary schools. A large part of the curriculum at all levels is devoted to Islam and at the secondary level students are able to follow religious or a technical track. Girls are able to attend school. The portion is reflected to in the rate of literacy which exceeds to 85% among males and 70% of females. Classes are segregated by gender.The Saudi public school religious curriculum continues on that they have hate towards in the â€Å"unbeliever â€Å" which is christian,jews,Shiites,sufis,sunni Muslims who do not follow the wahhabi doctrine, Hindus atheists and othe rs . The Saudi religious studies the curriculum is taught outside of the kingdom of Madrashed throughout the world. Critics have described the education systems as â€Å"medieval† and that their goal is to maintain the rule of the absolute monarch by casting it as the ordained protector of the faith and that Islam s at war with all the other faiths and cultures. Traditional music is generally associated with with poetry and sung collectively. Instruments include the rababah, an instrument not unlike a 3 string fiddle, and various types of percussion instruments such as the tabl(drum) and the tar(tambourine). Of the native dances the most popular is a martial line dance known as the ardah which includes lines of men frequently armed with swords or rifles dancing to the drums and the tambouries. Bedouin pottery is very popular in Saudi Arabia.Football is the national sport in Saudi Arabia scuba diving, sailing and basketball are very popular also played by both men and women. M ore traditional sports as camel racing became popular in 1970’s. A stadium in Riyadh holds races in the winter . The annual camel race began in 1974 its one of the most important sports constants and attracts animals and riders throughout the country. The conclusion is that people in the Saudi Arabia live a very rough life especially the women being controlled/disrespected by men! We should thank god everyday that we don’t live a life like they do!