Rhetorical Analysis Essay Free Essays

Barbie vs. the World I’ll admit it; I absolutely loved playing with Barbie’s as a child! I must have had like twenty of them. She had everything: a dream house, Ken, plenty of friends, and a slender body with all the right curves, everything I dreamed of having when I grew up. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Analysis Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"En Garde, Princess! † by Mary Grace Lord, challenges why every girl loves Barbie. Her article appeared in the online magazine Salon under the â€Å"Mothers Who Think† department on October 27, 2000, before the launch of a new doll line called the Get Real Girls, which were created by Julz Chavez. In this article Lord uses repetition, ethos, comparison and name calling to convince the reader that Barbie will soon encounter a fierce competitor, a better role model, which may finally dethrone her as the best selling doll of all time, or at least â€Å"punch a few holes in her sales† (423). In the first paragraph, Lord repeatedly uses military references to show the reader that Barbie has a fight ahead of her. I think Lord uses these references to draw in the audience that she is appealing to, which are smart, aggressive, opinionated woman. She declares that Barbie has been the leader in the doll industry since 1959, and that she needs to watch out for the â€Å"newly formed SWAT team of action figures known as the Get Real Girls† (419). SWAT means Special Weapons And Tactics, so this leads the reader to believe that the Get Real Girls are well equipped to battle Barbie for her throne. Also, Lord references Barbie need not â€Å"raise the pink drawbridge† (419) or â€Å"dump radio-controlled alligators into the moat† (419), both of which are found in military fortifications. This signifies that Barbie has not lost the battle yet, but that she is dealing with a fierce competitor, one she should be cautious of. Lord establishes ethos by telling the reader that she wrote the book Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll. This suggests that Lord has a vast knowledge about Barbie’s life, from her creation in 1959 to current day, which show us that she is a credible judge of Barbie’s challengers. Lord has examined the demise of several of Barbie’s rivals. In 1963, Miss Seventeen was one of them; she didn’t survive. Jem was another doll who perished in 1985, Happy to Be Me in 1991. As a journalist, she was assigned the task of evaluating the Get Real Girls, and upon seeing them, she thought â€Å"the time seems right for a toy-world upset† (419). This sets up the rest of the article in which Lord uses comparison and name calling to illustrate that the Get Real Girls have a real chance at dethroning Barbie. Lord compares Jill Barad, the recently resigned CEO of Mattel, and Julz Chavez to establish how the makers of these two very different doll lines bears a resemblance to the dolls they represent. Rather than appealing to children through television advertising, like Mattel did in 1955, the Get Real Girls are trying to influence children with the internet. Mattel’s first commercials depicted Barbie as brazenly sexy, which upset parents, but charmed children. GetRealGirl. com, on the other hand, portrays their doll line as â€Å"jocky, and up-to-date on music† (421), which are more important to the girl of today than being sexy. Also, Chavez does not put an emphasis on brands, as Barbie does. Barad â€Å"coaxed high-end manufacturers like Ferrari to license Barbie-size versions of their products† (422). As a parent, I really appreciate the fact that Chavez does not promote brand specific items. Most children grow to love the toys that they play with, wanting those same things later in life. There are not many people in this world who can afford to purchase a Ferrari. By comparing Barad and Chavez, Lord makes her point that Chavez is more concerned about a girl being just a girl. Lord uses the technique known as name calling to describe bad characteristics about Barbie, that make the Get Real Girls seem like they would be a better role model for our daughters to play with. After all, the article was under the â€Å"Mothers Who Think† department, which suggests that mothers who read this article will probably think twice about buying another Barbie for their daughter. Lord points out that the Get Real Girls are strong, muscular, and very physically active, each representing some sort of sport, such as surfing, soccer and basketball. Barbie, on the other hand, has a â€Å"’60s-era pinup girl figure, she looks ridiculous in a basketball uniform-as if she borrowed it for a photo shoot and cannot wait to give it back† (421). Lord presumes that mothers would rather have their daughters play with a toy that reinforces being healthy and active, because in the real world, you cannot rely on just beauty alone. Another aspect is the difference in the dolls proportions. The Get Real Girls have a more accurate body figure to the women of today, 33-24-33, while Barbie is big busted and anorexic. As a mother, I want my daughters to be a healthy weight for their height, physically active and not concerned about the size of their breasts, or looking like an anorexic supermodel. Barbie’s body image is just not realistic, or healthy for that matter. Lord makes a great appeal to mothers by using ethos, repetition, comparison and name calling in her article to make the reader despise Barbie, and look forward to the new comers, the Get Real Girls, to beat her up. Barbie is depicted as a slut, with no morals, while the Get Real Girls seem to be a wholesome bunch. As a mother, Lord has convinced me that I should carefully consider toy choices for my children, as they do influence our children’s lives to a degree; however she has not convinced me to stop buying Barbie’s all together. Dolls are great to get your kids imaginations flowing, which was the main reason behind the creation of Barbie. In the end, the Get Real Girls did not dethrone Barbie, as they are no longer being sold. Work Cited Lord, M. G. â€Å"En Garde, Princess! † Reading Rhetorically: A Reader For Writers. 2nd ed. Ed. John C. Bean,Virginia A. Chappell, Alice M. Gillam. New York: Pearson, 2005. 418-23. 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Nature of the Insurance Business

Question: Discuss about the Report for Nature of the Insurance Business. Answer: 1. The nature of the insurance business is such that it has immense risk as the potentially liabilities in certain sectors such as aviation would be in millions. These risks may be operational, credit, underwriting or market related. Hence, to excel in such a business adherence to the prudential norms along with effective risk management framework is imperative. However, HIH unlike other insurance companies through its faulty policies and inappropriate acquisition strategies enhanced the overall business risk. It did not have follow the industry norms and standards with regards to prudential norms and any disaster could potentially make the company bankrupt as the ability to settle huge claims was limited. Instead, the company relied on reinsurance which is a comparatively very high risk policy. However, despite the faulty business model, the company ventured into providing insurance to high risk sectors such as marine which was highly unadvisable. Also, the various investment plans offered to customers had dismal returns which enhanced the overall business risks. Cumulatively, the core issue of the company was its reckless internal working which did not involve much planning and prudent risk management thus resulting in high business risk for the business (Arens et. al., 2013). The factors to be considered are highlighted below. Non-adherence to the industry regulation norms for risk management and instead including reinsurance at the heart of the risk management meant that the business risk was increased by manifolds and the company was adversely impacted (Gay Simnett, 2012). Lack of due diligence while acquiring FAI Insurance coupled with limited board meetings for discussion of the proposal. The company ended up paying a premium for the acquisition which was not justified and the led to huge financial burden which increased the underlying inherent risk (Arens et. al., 2013). Quid Pro Quo relationship with the external auditor through the usage of consulting contracts meant that the auditor independence was severely compromised and therefore the various lapses with regards to the company and its business policies were not highlighted. This led to higher inherent risk as the owners could run the business as per their whims in collusion with auditor (Livne, 2015). Appointment of ex-auditors to the Board of Directors led to the compromised decision making which would not be in the best interest of the company and thereby allow the imprudent policies to continue and hence cause increased inherent risk (Livne, 2015). 2.1) The relevant case that the auditors can cite for defence against the clients is the Equitable Life Assurance Society v Hyman [2000] case. As per the relevant fact of this case, the clients were given the choice of going for either market rate of return or fixed rate of return when the insurance policy was issued. Every time the market rate was lower than the fixed rate promised, the directors stating the objective of maintaining parity between the returns of both policyholders reduced the terminal bonuses of the policyholders that had opted for fixed returns. Since the fixed returns customers were at a loss, hence the matter was dragged in the court where the partners of the partnership were held guilty of using their discretion in bad faith and they were made liable for the losses incurred by the policyholders (Swarb, 2015). 2) The useful case that the auditors can cite for defence against the creditors is the Raskov vs. Stapke Harris [2010] case. This case allowed for legal determination under the specific conditions when the partnership actually assumed a specified stance and the same may be forwarded by the counsel of the auditor in this case to ward off any liability arising from the creditors due (Notforlaw, nd). Any situation involving negligence needs that the following three conditions are to be obeyed. The defendant must have a duty to care with regards to the plaintiff. To ascertain this, the defendant must ascertain whether his/her decision to engage in a particular action or to refrain from the same would have any impact on the plaintiff or not. In case, the plaintiff could be impacted by the decision, then the defendant needs to ensure that reasonable care be extended to the plaintiff so that he/she must not be protect against foreseeable damages arising from the choices of the defendant (Donoghue v. Stevenson [1932] AC 562 at 580) (Lindgren, 2011). Once the duty to care is established, it needs to be ascertained that the defendant has indeed breached the duty to care. In this regard, it is imperative that defendant must take reasonable measures that a third party would take so as to ensure the safety of the interests of the plaintiff which may be adversely impacted by the decision by defendant. However, if appropriate level of care is not extended to the plaintiff in according with the foreseeable risk, then breach of duty is seemed to take place (Davenport Parker, 2014). Damages need to be incurred by the plaintiff and these must be on account of breach of duty by the defendant. In order to conclusively prove this, it is imperative to establish that if the breach of duty would not have taken place, the damages to the plaintiff were avoidable. However, any damage which is not related to breach of duty or could not have been avoided in case of duty being adhered to, then such cases would not be constitute as negligence (Taylor Taylor, 2015). 3. The decision by the company to offer board position to the previous auditors is a highly dubious step which indicates towards a compromised relation between the two entities. The appointment of not one but three partners seems to justify the largesse doled out by the management for the benevolent auditing services provided by the auditors. The glimpses of this relationship are visible in HIHs case earlier also when high fees was paid to auditors for consulting but still the glaring procedural and policy deficiency was never indicated. It is highly unlikely that the auditors never realised these issues but their independence was compromised and actions driven by self-interest (Arens et. al., 2013). There are obvious advantages of appointing the auditor as the consultant to the firm. The most obvious gains is in the form of superior quality with lesser time and lower cost. On the back of the consulting services, the business model and the underlying risks are better understood which helps tremendously for the audit purpose. The auditor could frame a better enhanced strategy taking into consideration the key aspects of the business along with the level of controls. Similarly, during consulting also, the solutions could be customised keeping in mind the tax implications for the client along with inventory and level of cash flow etc. Hence, the services become better and consume lower time and cost due to synergies (Arens et. al., 2013). Even if the law permits the auditor to offer consulting services, it would be ethical not to use the same firm for both audit and non-audit services. This is recommended since in such situation, the auditor may be caught in a conflict of interest which is best avoided specially in the current scenario where the management provides consulting contracts to auditors based on the flexibility displayed by them during auditing. This is not a healthy precedent and needs to be curbed (Gay Simnett, 2012). Similarly, appointment of previous auditors to the board is highly unethical since it raises concerns regarding boards independence of behalf of shareholders and hence leads to higher agency costs. Further, this may be detrimental to the auditing profession whose credibility is on the decline and hence the profession needs to go the extra file to establish the credibility for the users or its relevance would be lost (Livne, 2015). d) The HIH insurance failure fuelled various concerns in regards to the level of disclosures by the corporate and also issues pertaining to auditor independence. The Ramsay report focused on the issue of auditor independence and recommended the following (Parker, 2002). Auditor independence statement needs to be included as part of the annual report. An auditor declaration with regards to the Board independence included as part of the annual report. Constraining of the auditor client relationship to enhance investor confidence. The constitution of an auditor independence supervisory board was called for to probe the matters of auditor independence. Audits committees scope of activities and role require a drastic increase The above steps suggested would enhance the standards of auditing and would ensure that the incidence of auditors caught in compromising situation would reduce tremendously. This is required due to the deteriorating quality of audit services which puts a question on their relevance (Gay Simnett, 2012). The focus of CLERP 9 was on enhancing the general disclosures made by the firms and thereby strengthens the corporate governance framework. The disclosures were to be included in the annual report and included disclosures such as remuneration and directors report. Also, it recommended that periodic auditor rotation must be done so as to prevent quid pro relation between the auditor and client (Clout, Chappelle Gandhi, 2013). Hence, it is expected that these measures would bring about greater independence of auditors through more information dissemination (Arens et. al., 2013). References Arens, A., Best, P., Shailer, G. Fiedler,I. 2013. Auditing, Assurance Services and Ethics in Australia, 2nd edn., Pearson Australia, Sydney Clout, V, Chappelle, E Gandhi, N 2013, The impact of auditor independence regulations on established and emerging firms,Accounting Research JournalVol. 26, No. 2, pp. 88-108 Davenport, S Parker, D 2014, Business and Law in Australia, 2nd eds., LexisNexis Publications, Sydney Fearnotlaw nd, Raskov vs. Stapke Harris, Available online from https://www.fearnotlaw.com/wsnkb/articles/raskov_v_stapke__harris-33634.html (Accessed on August 29, 2016) Gay, G. Simnett, R. 2012. Auditing and Assurance Services in Australia, 5th edn., McGraw-Hill Education, Sydney Lindgren, KE 2011, Vermeesch and Lindgren's Business Law of Australia, 12th eds., LexisNexis Publications, Sydney Livne, G 2015, Threats to Auditor Independence and Possible Remedies, Finance Practitioner Website, Available online from https://www.financepractitioner.com/auditing-best-practice/threats-to-auditor-independence-and-possible-remedies?full. (Accessed on September 1, 2016) Parker, C 2002. Auditing at arms length, CACharter, February, pp. 38-40 Swarb 2015, EQUITABLE LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY V HYMAN; HL 20 JUL 2000, Available online from https://swarb.co.uk/equitable-life-assurance-society-v-hyman-hl-20-jul-2000/ (Accessed on September 1, 2016) Taylor, R Taylor, D 2015, Contract Law, 5th eds., Oxford University Press, London

A Story That No One Else Knows free essay sample

With all those tears stinging her eyes He led her down a make believe path All filled with stupid Lies Remember you said you loved me? Were you saying that to her too? And the sweet kisses as well Or the Ill never lead yogas? Of all the broken promises Ive forgiven you for This one is different She says as she walks out the door. Now listen to me, and do listen close For I shall tell you a story That no one else knows Its about a broken hearted girl Trying so hard to face this cruel world Having no one to save her As her tear filled eyesMake everything a blur. Her parents say they hate her For her atrocious attitude And bad behavior If only they could see What is on the inside of me She thinks to herself Swallowing another pill She starts to cry Wondering how her life got so bad Knowing she would soon die She takes another pill and chokes it down Thinking of the past Memories all around Now listen to me and do listen close Cause theres something about this girl that no one else knows After all those pills she swallowed down She still survived, though no one knew how!At that moment she set her mind on a thought Im not living here to rot Ill do whats right Not whats wrong Ill try to turn my life around After all those years of pain shed been through She decided to change And be someone new! Now youre listening to me, but still listen close Ill tell you something That everybody should know You cant give up hope! Keep staying strong! You never know what happens Or what life brings along After reading this You know how it is Youve felt this way before Youve done stupid things But now I know That you listened to me, yes you listened close And I told you a story That no one else knows

Resume writing tips for 2018

Resume writing tips for 2018 Are you looking to take your job hunt to the next level this year? If so, then every aspect of your game needs to be razor sharp- especially your resume. Why is this so important? Along with your cover letter, your resume will serve as your first impression to prospective employers, hiring managers, and HR personnel, and we’re all aware of the lasting power of first impressions. Ask any seasoned professional who’s responsible for reviewing the resumes of potential hires and they’d most likely be able to share a laundry list of hilarious- and tragic- resume missteps and mistakes that sunk the chances of their creators before they ever had the chance to show what they’re capable of. Forbes even published an article about some of the more outlandish resume tricks that they’ve come across. These include:One candidate who sent his resume in the form of an oversized Rubik’s Cube, where you had to push the tiles around to align the resume.A job seek er who applied for a food and beverage management position sent a resume in the form of a fine-dining menu.An applicant created a marketing brochure promoting herself as the best candidate.Another job applicant crafted his resume to look like Google search results for the â€Å"perfect candidate.†Outlandish moves like these are always a big risk when sending out your resume- the truth is, sometimes they can serve to make you stand out from a crowd in a good way, but other times they’ll only serve to have your resume laughed all the way to the garbage can or trash folder. Are you willing to accept such a risk?The Forbes article also mentioned that â€Å"one-in-five HR managers reported that they spend less than 30 seconds reviewing applications and around 40% spend less than one minute,† so your window of opportunity for making a good impression is likely slim, to say the least. When creating a resume, there’s little room for error and a misstep can be cos tly.Your best bet here is to apply the principles of effective resume writing that have proven themselves to work time and time again. Great Resumes Fast recently published an article on the best resume writing tips for 2018- these sound principles hold true regardless of whether you’re trying to land your very first job or you’re a seasoned professional looking to reach the pinnacle of your career ladder.Consider using the following resume dos and don’ts when you’re crafting your next resume, and you’ll be setting yourself up to make a great impression on your next job hunt.Resume DosDefine your goals: What is your primary goal for your next big job hunt? Sure, it’s a big question, but it’s one worth asking yourself and answering before you start working on your resume. Why? Your primary goal will be your â€Å"guiding compass† as you craft your resume- everything from your objective to the keywords you use should be targeted towards the industry and position you’re hoping to nail down. Without a primary goal, your resume may come off as unfocused or ambiguous, two qualities that won’t score you any points with hiring managers. Great Resumes Fast suggests asking yourself the following questions when trying to define your purpose and goals:What vision do you have for your career over the next 1, 3, 5, or 10 years?Which values are driving your goals?What’s your purpose?What are you passionate about?Why do you do  what  you do?Target your audience: Once you define your goals, you should be able to articulate a clear vision of your resume’s intended audience- these are the companies, industries, and insiders that you’ve targeted to help you achieve your goals. Great Resumes Fast suggests asking yourself the following questions when trying to define your audience:Are their specific companies I’m interested in?Am I aiming to secure a position in a specific industry ?What advantage or benefit does this position bring to their business?What will the company be lacking or missing if there’s no one in this position?Consider some of the struggles and obstacles facing the employer and the industry. Make a list of the most critical ones, and reflect on times in the past when you’ve confronted similar challenges.Define your value proposition: Once you’ve targeted your audience, you can use your resume (and subsequent interviews) to identify their issues and needs and demonstrate how you can help address them- your unique value proposition. Ask yourself the following questions when trying to define your value proposition:What benefit or contribution do you add?What key accomplishments or successes have you delivered time and time again?What would you say is unique about yourself and how you do what you do?What are your greatest strengths?Reach out to friends, family, and your network and ask them which words they would use to descr ibe you.What do others see as the value you add?Read through your LinkedIn recommendations and past performance evaluations and look for themes. When you put similar words and phrases together what picture do you get?What do others say are your greatest strengths?How do others describe you?What do your boss, team, and direct reports come to you for on a regular basis?Define what makes you stand out: The truth is, for every position you decide to go after you’ll be going up against a slew of qualified and capable individuals. Therefore, your mission is to convince those who come across your resume that you possess certain attributes that make you stand out positively from the job-hunting pack. Ask yourself the following questions when trying to communicate on your resume what makes you stand out:How have you positively influenced others?What would others say is fascinating, compelling, or interesting about you?What benefit would an employer or company get from choosing you ove r another candidate?What benefit or value did you bring to your previous employers?Resume Don’tsAvoid the red flags: If you want to be taken seriously by hiring personnel and prospective employers, there are just some things that should not be a part of any resume- for any position- period. This includes weird email addresses, nicknames, any dubious distinctions (no one cares that you were a beer drinking champion in college), or creepy or disturbing work experiences or accomplishments. Remember, you want the first impression that you give off to be that you’re a polished and capable professional who could potentially add real valuable to your target companies’ teams.Don’t get too cute: Sure, we’ve said before that you want to try to stand out from the rest of the job-hunting pack, but doing so by using wacky and colorful fonts or paper or utilizing a too-cute but ultimately confusing resume format will only detract from your perception as a compet ent and mature professional. Unless it’s standard practice in your industry, or you’re asked specifically to take a creative approach to applying for a particular job, stick to the traditional format and let the content of your resume serve to make you stand out from the crowd.Don’t let mistakes take you out: The people who’ll read your resume are likely seasoned professionals with plenty of experience, and you better believe that they’ll be able to laser focus on any typo, error, or mistake you leave behind- and when they’re uncovered, the chances of your being seriously considered for the job will likely plummet. Do yourself a huge favor and check and double-check your resume for errors before you send it out. Better yet, have someone you trust check your work; a second fresh set of eyes is always a good idea.There you have it- use these tips when you’re writing your next resume, and you’ll be in great shape to make 2018 your year for earning your next big career opportunity.

Ah Leon's Memories of a Classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ah Leon's Memories of a Classroom - Essay Example This essay compares and contrasts two divergent forms of art -- Ah Leon’s ‘Memories of Elementary School’ and James Siena’s exhibit ‘Compare, Contrast, Connect’ – in terms of emotional appeal, form, and theme. While Ah Leon’s ‘Memories of Elementary School’ and James Siena’s ‘Compare, Contrast, Connect’ are ostensibly divergent forms of artistic expression, there are a number of comparative aspects in terms of emotional appeal. Leon’s exhibit is a conceptual piece that recreates an elementary school setting; conversely, Siena’s exhibit contains four etchings with juxtaposed images and colors. In terms of emotional appeal, Leon’s work harkens back to memories of childhood and the process of education. This is contrasted with Siena’s work that is more highly abstract, as it depicts vague exploratory images. In these regards, Siena’s work plays more on direct and int uitive emotions through its elaborate color design and vivid imagery. Still, it’s clear that both images share some emotional qualities. In these regards, they are both clearly concerned with challenging intellectual quandaries. Although Leon’s work contains emotional nostalgia, and Siena’s direct emotional appeal, there is also a removed sort of intellectualism inherent in both works. Another prominent consideration in terms of these works of art is their form. Within this context of understanding, the works perhaps demonstrate their most divergent qualities. The first consideration in these regards is Leon’s ‘Memories of an Elementary School’ as noted above this is broadly characterized through its depiction of seats and chairs of a Taiwanese elementary school. Within this work there is strong regimentation as well as etchings in the desks that further add expressionistic details to the art. In terms of categorical form, Ah Leon’s wo rk clearly falls under what has been termed conceptual art. In these regards, the art form but questions the nature of art, as well as expresses meaning. This aspect of form can be contrasted from Siena’s ‘Compare, Contrast, Connect’. This exhibit can be categorically placed within the context of the abstract art movement and is divergent from Leon’s work in these regards. Indeed, Siena has frequently been characterized for his work in abstraction ("Harlan & weaver," 2010). The work functions less as a self-reflexive question on the nature of artistic expression and more of in terms of the artist’s personal vision. Still, both forms make demands on the viewer as they force them to consider subtle undertones. In Siena’s work this emerges as the viewer is asked to consider the juxtaposition of the four etchings. Ultimately, both forms are on opposing artistic spectrums. A final consideration of these artistic works is in terms of theme. While t hese works seemingly exemplify divergent thematic structures, it’s possible to find similar thematic elements. One of the most notable thematic elements of Leon’s work is his exploration of the rigidity of Taiwanese education. Within this thematic concern is clearly Leon’s characteristic exploration of scale. Indeed, it’s been said of Leon’s other work that, â€Å"The effect of Ah Leon's obsession with scale here is not simply to stun viewers but to move them" (Chung 2000). While Siena’s work lacks a thematic investigation of scale, it does explore a similar mode of personal expression. In these regards

Three Years of the Korean War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Three Years of the Korean War - Essay Example It was the early days of the Cold War and the attentions of the Soviet Union and U.S.A. was more focused on the European theatre than on the Koreas in Far East Asia. Yet, Korea and the Korean War would turn out to be the first theatre to demonstrate the extent to which the grand alliance of Russia with the other Allied powers during the Second World War had fallen apart in the fight by the remnants of the Allied combination against communism inspired by the Soviet Union. At the end of the war there were no territorial gains or prestige for either side, except a rise in the esteem of the newly emerged communist China.1 The Korean War would not have been extended, causing more casualties and suffering, but for the unnecessary invasion of North Korea by the UN Forces led by America. The Course of the War The North Korean invasion of South Korea began on June 25th 1950 and the unprepared army of South Korea could not offer strong resistance, and North Korean troops quickly reached the Se oul the capital of South Korea. American reaction was swift. President Truman in keeping with the American policy of containment of any expansion of communism feared that the fall of South Korea would create a breach in this containment policy and rushed support to the beleaguered South Koreans. In addition, support from the United Nations was obtained, so that more nations could come to the aid of South Korea. Though the immediate result of the America intervention did not go well, the famous Inchon operation by the commander of the American force General MacArthur led to the defeat of the North Korean forces in South Korea. They retreated into North Korea. In spite of disapproval of the Truman administration General MacArthur decided to enter North Korea and inflict a total defeat of North Korea, even if it meant risking war with China. This was the fateful decision that brought China into the Korean War, extending its duration and increasing the number of casualties during the co urse of the war. 2 There is clear evidence to show that had General MacArthur not send American led UN troops into North Korea, China would have kept away from intervening in support of the defeated troops of the North Korea. The Korean War hardly invoked any interest in China. The leaders in China were more concerned with Formosa and the Nationalist forces present there. This clearly indicates that the North Korean provocative action was a decision of their own, for their interests. China woke up to reaction only when there was the threat of American led UN forces invading North Korea, bringing an unwelcome presence of these troops on its borders. Even then it issued enough warnings against such an invasion. The lack of Chinese willingness to become an active participant in the Korean War can be seen by their conveyed willingness of remaining inactive, if the invasion was carried out only by South Korean troops, and would respond only if the invasion force included elements of othe r nations. Unfortunately, buoyed by the success at Inchon, the wrong belief that China would continue not to respond, and false confidence in the might of the American led allied forces, the invasion of North Korea was led by the elements of the American forces that reached the banks of the Yalu River, forcing China to respond to this threat. But for this decision of misadventure, hindsight clearly shows that China would not have entered the Korean War that led to an extension of the war, its intensity, and

Reviewing Ibn Khaldun An Important Figure And Icon Religion Essay

Reviewing Ibn Khaldun An Important Figure And Icon Religion Essay Ibn-Khaldun is one of the most important figures and icons in the fields of History, Philosophy and Sociology in the Muslim history and culture. He opened new chapters in the world of history and played an important role in introducing new notions related to economics and the way of pricing, policing, profiting and other aspects of world economics. Ibn-Khaldun lived a life in search for stability and influence. His full name is AbÃ…Â « Zayd Abdu r-Raà ¡Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¥man bin Muà ¡Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¥ammad bin KhaldÃ…Â «n Al-Hadrami. He was born in Tunisia on the 1st of Ramadan 732 A.H. (May 27, 1332 A.D). He came from a family of Scholars and Politicians. His family was originally from Hadramawt in Yemen and had settled in Spain, but after the fall of Seville, they migrated to Tunisia where he was born. He received an early education from his father and memorized the Holy Quran at a young age. He was taught Hadith, Jurisprudence, Philology, Grammar, Rhetoric and Poetry in which he reached certain proficiency and received certification on. Ibn-Khaldun was introduced to Mathematics, Logic and Philosophy by the great mathematician and philosopher Al-Abili. Under Al-Abili Ibn-Khaldun studied the works of Averroes, Avicenna, Razi and Tusi which helped in widening up his horizons. At the age of 19 a terrible epidemic of the plague coming from the East hit Tunisia which ravaged the world and claimed many victims in the country, among which Ibn-Khalduns parents. This was the first traumatic experience in Ibn-Khalduns life, which had an undoubted influence on the direction of his thoughts. Due to this Epidemic Ibn-Khaldun wanted to migrate to Morocco with some of Tunisias Ulammas and Sheiks but was convinced by his elder brother to stay in Tunisia.  [1]   After the migration of most of Tunisias Ulamma and Sheikhs, Ibn-Khaldun decided to get more involved in the court politics by seeking a political career. At the age of 20, Ibn-Tafrakin (the ruler of Tunis) called Ibn-Khaldun to fill in the position of KÄ tib al-AlÄ mah. This Position consisted of writing calligraphy (the typical introductory notes of official documents). It is here when Ibn-Khaldun got his first hand look at the inner workings of court politics and the weakness of the government. In 713 A.H. (1352 A.D.), The Sultan of Constantine Abu Ziad Al Hifsy Marched with his army towards Tunisia in order to reclaim it back from Ibn-Tafrakin and restore its throne back to Banu Hifs. Ibn-Khaldun accompanied Ibn-Tafrakin with his forces in order to stop Abu Ziad. Unfortunately Ibn-Tafrakin lost the battle and Ibn-Khaldun Escaped to Algeria and settled in Biskra where he got married. During that same time the Moroccan Sultan Abu Enan who had recently settled on the throne after the death of his father was on his way to Conquer Algeria. On his way to join him in Telmcen Ibn-Khaldun met Ibn Abi Amr the Marinid Chamberlain (the appointed governor of Bougie), who welcomed him and invited him to stay in his new residence. After living there for some time Ibn-Khaldun was invited to join the Council of Ulama in Fez. Ibn-Khaldun was Officially Part of Sultan Abu Enan majlisu al-ilmi (literacy Circle) and afterwards was part of his secretariat. Ibn-Khaldun used his Stay in Fez to further increase his learning and studies, he writes, I devoted myself to reflection and to study, and to sitting at the feet of the great teachers, those of the Maghrib as well as those of Spain who were residing temporarily in Fez, and I benefited greatly from their teaching  [2]  . It is said that Ibn-Khaldun took advantage of the Sultans Illness and took part in a plot that aims to free t he former Sultan of Bougie Abu Abd Allah and to re-establish him to his former kingdom. Ibn-Khaldun himself Denis this and refers to intrigues, jealousy and malice; however whats certain is that he was thrown in jail for 2 whole years (758-9 A.H./1357-8 A.D.) until the death of the sultan Abu Enan. After that Ibn-Khaldun was set free and reinstated to his rank and offices by the vizier al-Hasan ibn-Umar. After being set free and gaining back his position Ibn-Khaldun started to scheme against Abu Enans successor, Abu Salem Ibrahim III, with his exiled uncle, Abu Salem. When Abu Salem became the Sultan he appointed Ibn-Khaldun to the office of Secretary of the Chancellery (kitabat al-sirr wa l-tarsil) and the repository of his confidence (Amin as-Sir). Ibn-Khaldun even became the court-poet  [3]  . When the Sultan Abu Salem was overthrown by his Vizier Omar, Ibn-Khaldun sided with the Vizier which helped keeping him in his post, but when Ibn-Khaldun wanted to gain a higher position, his request was refused (Probably because he wasnt trusted). This Refusal made Ibn-Khaldun angry which resulted in him resigning his position. Ibn-Khaldun then requested the Vizier to leave Fez and to head back to Tunisia which in turn was refused by the angry Vizier. It was then when Ibn-Khaldun asked the Viziers son-in-law to plead on his behalf to be allowed to go to Andalusia. In autumn 764 A.H./136 2 A.D. he finally obtained permission to withdraw to Granada. In Granada Ibn-Khaldun was deeply welcomed since at Fez he assisted the Sultan of Granada, Muhammad al-Ahmar, in regaining his throne and power after being exiled by his brother Ismail. In 1364 A.D. Sultan Muhammad entrusted Ibn-Khaldun with an important diplomatic mission to conclude a peace treaty with the King of Castile, Pedro the Cruel. Ibn-Khaldun successfully carried out his mission and was offered a position in Pedros service, Which Ibn-Khaldun respectfully declined. There was a great competition between Ibn-Khaldun and Sultan Muhammads vizier Ibn al-Khatib. Ibn al-Khatib viewed the relationship between Ibn-Khaldun and Sultan Muhammad with great mistrust. Few years later, Ibn-Khaldun was sent back to North Africa and Al-Khatib was accused by Sultan Muhammad of having unorthodox philosophical views and was murdered. In Africa Ibn-Khaldun was warmly welcomed by the Hafisid Sultan of Bougie Abu Abdallah who made him his Prime minister. During this Period Ibn-Khaldun was assigned to collect taxes from the local Berber tribes. In 1366 A.D. when Sultan Abu Abdallah died, Ibn-Khaldun allied himself with AbÃ…Â « l-Abbas, the ruler of Tlemcen. A few years later the ruler of Tlemcen, AbÃ…Â « l-Abbas was defeated by Abdu l-AzÄ «z who seized the throne for himself. Ibn-Khaldun was then taken as a prisoner by Abdu l-AzÄ «z until 1370 A.D. when he was sent to Telemcen by the new Sultan. After the death of Abdu l-AzÄ «z, Ibn-Khaldun resided at Fez, where he was patronage by the regent and enjoyed his confidence. In 1375 Ibn-Khaldun was sent by AbÃ…Â « Hammu (the Abdu l Wadid Sultan of Tlemcen) on a mission to the Dawadida Arabs tribes of Biskra. Thereafter, Ibn-Khaldun traveled back to the west of Algeria where he sought refuge with one of the Berber tribes and settled in the tow n of Qalat Ibn Salama. He lived under their protection for three years in which he wrote his famous Muqaddimah or Prolegomena (which is the introduction to his planned history of the world). In 1378 A.D He returned back to Tunisia, which was at that time conquered by AbÃ…Â « l-Abbas. AbÃ…Â « l-Abbas took Ibn-KhaldÃ…Â «n back into his service. During that time Ibn-KhaldÃ…Â «n devoted himself for his studies and for the completion of history of the world. He wrote, To live in retirement and devote myself exclusively to learning, if only I might be left in peace  [4]  . Ibn-Khaldun, s relationship with AbÃ…Â « l-Abbas remained tense and awkward, as the latter questioned his loyalty. In order for Ibn-KhaldÃ…Â «n to escape his awkward political past that kept following him he decided to leave the Muslim West under the pretence of going to Hajj (Pilgrimage) which is something a Muslim ruler cannot refuse Permission for, and on 24 October 1382A.D./15 Shaban 784A .H. at the ripe age of 50 Ibn-Khaldun left Tunisia and embarked on a boat sailing to Alexandria. During that time and under the Mamluks, Egypt was experiencing a period of economic development, high culture prosperity. But even when Ibn-Khaldun lived in Egypt he couldnt stay completely out of the political life and politics. In 1384 A.D. Ibn-Khaldun was made a Professor of the Qamhiyyah School and a main Qadi of the Malik School of fiqh (jurisprudence) by the Egyptian Sultan Al-Malik udh-Dhahir Barquq. Ibn-Khaldun tried to fight the Corruption and favoritism in the country but due to the Conspiracies that surrounded him he resigned his duty. His resignation coincided with the death of his family and children, when the ship carrying them sank off the coast of Alexandria in 1384 A.D. It was then when he took permission to go to the Pilgrimage to the Holy Lands of Mecca. After returning from his Pilgrimage journey in May 1388 A.D Ibn-Khaldun concentrated more on providing pure educational functions in the various Schools of Cairo. Moreover, in a certain time during a revolt against the Barquq, Ibn-Khaldun fell out of favor at the court. Later after that the relations with the Barquq returned to normal and Ibn-Khaldun once again received the Title of the Maliki Qadi. Throughout his life Ibn-Khaldun received this high title six times, which for many different reasons he never held long to. In 1401, under the Baquqs successor his son Sultan Faraj, Ibn-Khaldun took part in a military campaign against the Mongolian conquest and its leader Tamerlane. Accompanying Sultan Faraj, Ibn-Khaldun marched to Damascus where reports confirmed the arrival of Tamerlanes war Party. The young and inexperienced Faraj only stayed in Damascus for two weeks and returned back to Egypt leaving his army in Syria after concerns about a revolt in Egypt. Ibn-Khaldun remained behind in Damascus for another seven weeks where a series of Historical negotiations went between him and Tamerlane that Ibn-Khaldun mentions in his Autobiography. They Discussed Various Subjects that many where unrecorded. W. Fischel lists 6 specific topics which they talked about: Maghrib and Ibn Khalduns Land of origin. Heroes in History. Predictions of things to come. the Abbsid Caliphate Amnesty and security For Ibn Khaldun and his Companion. Ibn Khalduns intention to stay with Tamerlane.  [5]   After recognizing Tamerlane Intentions and impressing him enough that he asked ibn-Khaldun to join his court, Ibn-Khaldun returned back to Egypt with his final departing words to Tamerlane Is there any generosity left beyond that which you have already shown me? You have heaped favors upon me, accorded me a place in your council among your intimate followers, and shown me kindness and generosity- which I hope Allah will repay to you in like measures.  [6]   Ibn-Khaldun spent the next five years in Cairo completing his autobiography, writing his history of the word and acting as the Maliki Qadi. Due to various political reasons Ibn-Khaldun was dismissed and reinstated three times during these five years as the Maliki Qadi. In addition, Ibn-Khaldun formed an all male club called Rijal Hawa Rijal that attracted the attention of many religious authorities and placed him under arrest. Ibn-Khaldun Passed away on the 19th of March 1406 A.D. / 26 Ramadan 808 A.H. one month after being appointed for the sixth time for the office of the Maliki Qadi. During his life Ibn-Khaldun produced a lot of work and books some that was unfortunately lost. Ibn-Khalduns main work KitÄ bu l-ʆ¢ibÄ r was originally written as a history of the Berbers. Later on the Ibn-Khalduns focus widens and represents a so-called universal history in it. KitÄ bu l-ʆ¢ibÄ r is divided into seven main books; the first one is the Muqaddimah which can be considered as a separate work. The Muqaddimah or the Prolegomena was written in North African in 1377 and records an early Muslim view of universal history. The Muqaddimah also Deals with several topics and disciplines such as sociology, politics, urban life, economics, and knowledge. British historian Arnold J. Toynbee called the Muqaddimah a philosophy of history which is undoubtedly the greatest work of its kind that has ever yet been created by any mind in any time or place.  [7]  Other than that, Books two, three, four and five cover the history of mankind up t o Ibn-Khalduns time, and Finally Books six and seven cover the history of the Berber people and Maghreb. Other works of ibn-Khaldun, LubÄ bu l-Muhassal which is a commentary on the Islamic theology of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi and was written by Ibn-Khaldun at the age of nineteen in Tunis. SifÄ u l-SÄ I is a work on Sufism and was written by Ibn-Khaldun around 1373 in Fes, Morocco. ʆ¢allaqa li-l-SultÄ n, a work on logic was composed by Ibn-Khaldun during his time in the court of Muhammed V, Sultan of Granada. The British philosopher Robert Flint wrote the following on Ibn-Khaldun: As a theorist on history he had no equal in any ageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Plato, Aristotle and Augustine were not his peers.  [8]  . To Conclude, Ibn-Khaldun is considered an important figure and icon in the fields of History, Philosophy and Sociology in the Muslim history, culture and in the world. Ibn-Khaldun remains today a witness on the greatness of the Islamic thought distinguished by the accuracy, the scientific seriousness and the ability on the renewal to enrich the human thought. His Introduction is his greatest legacy he left for all of humanity and for the generations to come.