Christianity and Evangelism in Jane Eyre Essay -- Religion Religious B

Christianity and Evangelism in Jane Eyre There were great changes in the religious arena during the time of Victorian England. John Wesley had his warm heart experience, India had been opened to missionizing, and a Utilitarian and Evangelical shift had occurred. Charlotte Brontà « would have felt the effects of these things, being a daughter of the clergy, and by simply being a daughter of the Victorian era. Her novel, Jane Eyre, serves as a reaction to Utilitarianism, and the protagonist Jane emerges as an Evangelical figure. By using this novel as a tool for Evangelism itself, Brontà « has a platform to fulfill moral obligations, and to have a discourse with the socially held views of her time. Beyond this, it also addresses the intrinsic struggle between Paganism and Christianity. The original position of the East India Company and the English Parliament was, the resistance against allowing missionary work in India, and that the clergy would be commissioned to serve only the European population there. They took this stance, because they felt the inhabitants would feel threatened and cause problems for those who had financial interests in the area. In 1813, with the passing of a new Charter Act, India was opened to missionary activity, and many jumped at the opportunity to sacrifice all for the sake of â€Å"heathen† souls. (Viswanathan 36) The very personification of this ideal comes in the form of Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s character, St. John Rivers, Jane Eyre’s cousin and almost fiancà ©. He expounds on this when he explains: After a season of darkness and struggling, light broke and relief fell; my cramped existence all at once spread out to a plain without bounds-my powers heard a call from heaven to rise, g... ... the great religious impact it is meant to have. Christ, should and will, win out in the end – as the last line of the novel says, â€Å"Amen; even so come, Lord Jesus!† Works Cited â€Å"Brigit.† Encarta Encyclopedia Online. 2004. http://encarta.msn.com Brontà «, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Richard J. Dunn. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2001. â€Å"Evangelism.† Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online. 2004. http://www.m-w.com Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995. Viswanathan, Gauri. â€Å"The Beginnings of English Literary Study.† Masks of Conquest: Literary Study and British Rule in India. New York: Columbia University Press, 1989. Weber, Max. â€Å"Luther’s Conception of the Calling.† The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Trans. Talcott Parsons. New York, Dover Publications Inc.

Benifits of Foreign Travel Essay

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of the benefits of traveling to other cultures. Title:Another Life Thesis/Central Idea Sentence: It’s very important and beneficial to take care of ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually, but few ever think to use traveling as a tool to assist in the restoration of all three. Introduction: [Attention Getter] Taking a vacation is on everybody’s to do list but according to a study conducted by the Families and Work Institute only about half of Americans use their full 2 weeks of vacation each year. Motivate audience to listen] I found this odd, but when I examined my own life I found I haven’t taken an actual vacation in over 10 years. [Credibility]It just something I’ve always seemed to brush off by saying â€Å"Oh well, I’ll just take a nice vacation next year, but the following year the same thing happens and before you realize it you haven’t had a vacation in over a decade. Europeans embrace this idea of vacation almost religiously. In Europe vacations are guaranteed by law. In countries like Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, employers are required to provide up to 20 days of paid leave. Americans, on the other hand, get an average of 12 days every year and on average use about half. [Central Idea] It’s important to remember that we are not machines and that we can and do become burnt out. When this happens it can affect everything from our productivity in the work place to our personal relationships with our spouse, children, friends, and family. Depression can become a real side effect and take control of a life we once loved. So it is important to catch a break from our everyday life and take time to â€Å"Stop and smell the roses† (Unknown). Travelling to foreign cultures is just one way to experience different thoughts and ideals for dealing with day to day life. [Preview of points]While many Americans realize the importance of staying fit by exercising it is way more important and beneficial for healthier, happier living to understand that staying fit means more than lifting weights or going for a run, but working out our bodies, our minds, and our spirit in order to live a true healthier life style. Transition Sentence: So let’s begin by discussing the physical benefits of foreign travel. Body: I. First and most obvious there will be a few physical benefits from foreign travel that will be very noticeable from the very first day. A. Walking 1. Whether you vacation in Europe or Asia it really doesn’t matter so long as you get away from America or Canada. Everyone else in the entire worlds seems to walk everywhere. This may sound scary for those who haven’t seen the inside of a gym in a while or in some cases ever, but after awhile you won’t even notice how much you’ve walked. You’ll become so immersed in all that you’re seeing and experiencing that it’s not until you return to your room at night or until you sit for a while that you begin to notice that both you’re feet now have a pulse. 2. The second sounds a bit unbelievable, but after a few days of walking around and once I begin to recognize the landscape. I usually have made a few friends with some of the locals even if I don’t speak the language. There is a lot than can be said with hands, faces and a smile, but once this happens I can’t help but to begin to feel like this could be my second home. B. Food 1. While Europe and Asia do have fast food franchises most will opt out in order to experience more of the culture being visited. This is very true especially if you’re a fan of the food back home. In my case nothing beats authentic Spanish Paella or Italian anything. But in most cases you’ll be eating a bit healthier while visiting and may not even notice. Most food around the world is not processed like it is here in the states. Don’t get me wrong Wendy’s and McDonalds can be pretty delicious, but I’d rather eat real food everyday; I just can’t cook as well as those guys in Italy or even the guys Olive Garden for that matter. . Throughout the day you may dabble in a few different wines, but for the most part you’ll find water to be the beverage of choice. Unless, you’re a beer or soda connoisseur wishing to try some of the local but undiscovered to â€Å"you† refreshments. Towards the end of the day you may finish a bottle or two of wine, but in your defense†¦ One, you’re in a new country representing America and you wouldn’t want to be rude. Two, wine itself in reasonable quantities is actually good for the blood stream therefore good for your heart so â€Å"BAME, Double Whammy†! Three, what better way to socialize with locals or other fellow tourist than over a couple glasses of wine or beer under a star lit canopy dinning â€Å"Alfresco†? II. Next we will discuss a couple of the mental benefits that you will become aware of throughout the trip. A. So, First in order to begin this awesome adventure it is absolutely crucial to learn this one lesson about vacation otherwise you should’ve stayed home and burnt every dollar you spent for this trip. So here is the first mental benefit of going on vacation. It’s learning how to actually take a vacation! The very first thing we must learn is actually the most difficult we must be honest and true to ourselves that we are on vacation for the sake of nothing more than our own well being and revitalization. With that being said we must let go of our old lives if only for the week or two we are on vacation. 1. So first, it’s absolutely important not to work, discuss work or think about work even as a second thought. Your life back home is on pause until you return. 2. Second sever any and all easily available ties to your life back home. Of course if you have children and have to check on them that is an exception, but leave your cell phone, laptop and tablet, PDA, pager in your room. Give the number to the front desk to anyone back home in case of emergency. There is always someone at the front desk and you never have to worry about reception. 3. The first two steps is to ensure that your mind receives the break it deserves from normal life. B. So now that you have accepted the fact that you’re on vacation and are enjoying or not enjoying all this walking. You will definitely notice things that are different; compared to home. 1. Your mind will definitely become broadened by every one of your senses. As every sense becomes titillated each sensation will become forever locked in your memory and you may notice to compare a lot what you experience to something similar back home. 2. As each day passes you may begin to see how differently other cultures deal with life problems. I mean everyone around the world has to deal with work problems, relationships, and out of control children, but its how we deal with them that tends to get the better of us. You may take a few notes just by watching how people just seem to not sweat the small things in Europe and Asia. It seems to me they as we as Americans live to work, the rest of the planet works just enough to live. Perhaps that’s why they get more vacation and work less hours. When was the last time an American labor force took a siesta? III. Finally we will discuss the spiritual benefits that come from foreign travel. A. First off, I must make myself clear that when I use the word spiritual I do so in a general sense of the word. I do not mean to use it in direct connection towards any God or religion. While most people do believe in a supreme being of some kind some believe in science or no God at all, but regardless of what we believe we all have a sense of self therefore we all have a sort of spirit. 1. A very possible but unlikely event of spiritual revitalization is the adaptation of religion. 2. A more likely form of spiritual revitalization may perhaps come from the peace and tranquility that one may find while visiting a spa or in a quiet location away from everything. 3. Once a peace has been given to the spirit, you will become refreshed and ready to continue with life annoying little problems but after a while you will become more aware of when you need a break. Transition Sentence: So let takes one last quick look at all we have covered today. Conclusion: We now know that a vacation is a lot more than time away from work. We have discussed the three parts of us that benefit from vacation the physical, mental and spiritual and the importance of keeping all three areas in shape in order to obtain a more happy existence.

Outline the Nature of Supermarkets Power on the High Street and Beyond Essay

Outline The Nature of Supermarkets Power On The High Street and Beyond. This essay is looking at the power of supermarkets and how they use this power. The word power is often used to â€Å"denote influence, control or domination† (Allen, 2009, p. 9) Supermarkets use this power over suppliers, workers, Councils, consumers and other shops and there are conflicting views as to whether this power is used for the good of everyone or at the expense of everyone other than the supermarkets themselves or as Dennis Wrong (1977) calls it Positive Sum Game- â€Å"where all parties involved benefit to some extent† or Zero Sum Game- â€Å"where supermarkets wield their power at the expense of others† (Allen, 2009, p. 70) Supermarkets due to their sheer size and buying power have a huge advantage over the small independent high street shops. They offer a massive choice of products at a low price because they are able to buy in large quantities at discounted prices, sometimes even below cost price. These out of town supermarkets have convenient parking and consumers are able to do all their shopping in one place, from food, clothing, electrical equipment, financial services, gas and electricity etc†¦ This all makes shopping in these retail parks easier and cheaper for the consumer and the smaller independent high street shops are unable to match these prices, choices and convenience and are therefore unable to compete against the giants. As we’ve seen a move towards more out-of-town, car-dependent stores with large-format retail dominating, its driven trade away from town centres which has clearly had an impact on the small shops that are there, and we see approximately fifty small shops, independent shops, closing every week† Helen Rimmer (Friends of the earth) (‘Evidence in the social sciences’, 2009 track 1) The big supermarkets have also introduced small high street Metro and Express stores to put further pressure on the independents and gain those consumers without cars and who are unable to get to the out of town retail park. According to Helen Rimmer (Friends of the Earth) â€Å"There’s been a study of the impact of Tesco Express which is the Tesco convenience store when they’ve moved into an area, that generally led to a decline, in the small shops locally, of about 30 to 40 per cent† (‘Evidence in the social sciences’, 2009 track 1) To keep their prices low, Supermarkets are putting huge pressures on suppliers both in the UK and globally, they are often dictating how much they will pay and even the size, shape and colour of fruit and vegetables. To meet these demands suppliers are being forced to cut their cost to the bare minimum and in many cases are operating at a loss, forcing the smaller suppliers out of business. There is massive wastage, as food is rejected if it doesn’t conform to the set cosmetic appearance that the supermarkets have imposed, often sacrificing taste and flavour for appearance. Farmers have been known to plough crops back into the land when they have been rejected or the supermarket wants to pay a ridiculously low price. The cost of this wastage is usually met by the supplier, as are the ‘buy one get one free’ (BOGOF) deals that the supermarkets offer to entice their customers. This cost cutting is passed onto their workers both in the UK and abroad. In the UK they are more often than not migrant agency workers who pick and sort the salad crops, who are paid very low wages, sometimes below the cost of living. â€Å"There is a high price to be paid for cheap goods and that cost is borne one-sidedly by the weakest and least powerful groups in the supply chain† (Allen, 2009, p. 3) Meanwhile abroad, cheap clothing is produced in sweatshops, with exploited workers enduring poor conditions, long hours and being paid an inadequate wage. â€Å"The true cost of the cheap jeans and trousers, as well as the bargain-priced shoes, which line Asda’s and Tesco’s aisles, War on Want claim, is the absence of a living wage for workers in their supply chain† (Allen, 2009, p. 85) However the fact that this work is being sourced in Asia means that the clothing industry in these countries is expanding rapidly and this means work that was not there previously. These jobs are in demand by the locals as it means a way out of poverty for them, â€Å"the last thing a country like this wants is for the big retailers to stop sourcing their labour from them. That, it is pointed out, would threaten the steadily rising living standards of the garment workers†. (Allen, 2009, p. 91) Supermarkets use their power over local government to persuade them to allow the further development of new stores. This is done by a method called ‘Planning Gain’ in which they pay for civic facilities to be built i. e. : leisure centres and Doctors surgeries, in return for planning permission for a new store. These developments are Sometimes in run down, poor areas and the development of a new store can be interpreted as a good thing in helping the regeneration of the area, creating new jobs for the unemployed and encouraging new business into the area. Again there is controversy surrounding this, many believe it is for the good of the community and other believing it is â€Å"merely the latest in a series of opportunistic moves by them to get stores built at a time when planners and government frown upon out-of–town developments† (Allen, 2009, p. 4) The supermarkets are providing consumers with what they want. Cheap products in the current climate of recession are a necessity for many having to tighten their belts. The ease of having everything in one place makes it convenient to shop for those who have cars and can get to the out of town stores. â€Å"People like what supermarkets do and the efficiencies that come from the scale of their operations, the quality and choice that they’re able to offer, the prices that people find appealing are all reasons why people choose to shop in supermarkets. Richard Dodd (British retail consortium. )(‘Evidence in the social sciences’ 2009, track 1) There is no doubt that supermarkets are powerful and it is very often a zero-sum game for their suppliers, the supplier’s workforce, and the independent shops on the high street, when they wield this power against them. Town centres and the smaller independent shops are in decline, â€Å"12 per cent of town centre retail premises are now vacant compared with 4 per cent last autumn so that’s a threefold increase†. Richard Dodd (British Retail Consortium) (‘Evidence in the social sciences’ 2009, track 1) and many farmers are going out of business. The consumers however are getting what they want, but at what cost! In this consumer Society that we live in they are seduced by the choice and bargains and turn a blind eye to the lengths the supermarkets are prepared to go to give them this. The exploitation of the workers in the sweatshops of Asia, the bullying of the farmers to sell their milk, fruit and vegetables to them at the price they dictate and the small shops being put out of business. Yes supermarkets are powerful but at the end of the day it is the consumer who is enabling them to continue being so. â€Å"If customers like what a retailer is offering, they will choose that particular store or type of store and they’ll use it. If the retailer gets it wrong, the customers won’t show up and that retailer will very quickly go out of business. It is customers who have the power in all of this†. Richard Dodd (British retail consortium) (‘Evidence in the social sciences’ 2009, track 1)