Caribbean Folklore: Le Loupgarou and Ol Higue

Le Loupgarou† and â€Å"Ol Higue† Folklore exists in many cultures throughout the world. Folklore in the form of tales, myths and legends is passed from generation to generation through the oral tradition. Folklore in the Caribbean has been drawn from the rich and diverse backgrounds of our ancestors who came from various parts of the world. Our ancestors brought with them their language, culture, religious beliefs and practices, and their tradition of storytelling.The tales of demons, ghosts, zombies and spirits have been fascinating for the young and old alike, and variations of these stories have been told again and again. â€Å"Le Loupgarou† and â€Å"Ol' Higue† share similar characteristics as they are both based on Caribbean folklore. â€Å"Le Loupgarou† means werewolf or lagahoo. Fittingly, Derek Walcott's poem tells a tale of a man named Le Brun. He sold his soul to the devil and so he changes into a werewolf at night. He is ostracized by the village and lives all alone in a small old house.Similarly, â€Å"Ol' Higue by Mark Mcwatt is a poem about what Caribbean people would call a soucouyant which is in essence, a female vampire that takes off her old skin at night and turns into a fire ball, lurking through the nights to feed on her poor victims. Interestingly enough, the soucouyant is the female counterpart for the lagahoo. The old woman is â€Å"Ol' Higue†, like Le Brun, lives alone in an old house. She almost never comes outside during the day as her feeding is done at night.She doesn't like children and isn't amiable by nature which are also characteristic of Le Brun. Walcott’s poem opens with the line â€Å"A curious tale† suggesting that we, already from the beginning, should be questioning the verity of the story since tale usually is associated with fiction. â€Å"Ol' Higue† doesn't indicate that it is a fictitious story but as Caribbean people, it is easy to come to the conclusion just from the first stanza that she is a soucouyant. â€Å"Le loupgarou† is written in a†¦ [continues] Read full essay

Articles of Confederation Essay

America’s first form of government was under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was written after the Revolutionary War, compiled of ideas by the Continental Congress. Under the Articles of Confederation its powers included conducting foreign relations, settling disputes between states, controlling maritime affairs, regulating Indian trade, and valuing state and national coinage. It purposely did not give the national government all the power in fear of tyranny like in Britain. In the end, the Articles of Confederation proved to be both inadequate in economic conditions and foreign relations. Under the Articles of Confederation the national government was not allowed to raise revenue to finance the war and other essential needs that a country need money for. The state governments had control of taxing the American people but many were unwilling to do so. So to try and finance the war the government and the states started to print currency. Although the currency was just paper and not backed by anything it was given out freely without excessive downgrading during 1775 to 1776. As 1776 went on the demand for both military supplies and civilian goods began to increase as the war progressed. America also encouraged trade and local production between the states. As the end of 1776 was approaching, the armies suffered reverses in both New York and New Jersey causing the prices to rise and inflation to finally set in. The state governments tried to fight inflation by taking control of wages and prices, and accepting paper money equal to hard money. They would also borrow funds, establish lotteries and even levy taxes to try and stop inflation. Their efforts were useless, though Congress attempted to stop printing currency altogether, they relied solely on money contributed by the states. By 1780, currency was worthless. Congressmen started to take action by establishing a department of finance with help from Robert Morris, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant. The government then asked the states to amend the Articles of Confederation and allow the Congress to levy duty of 5% on imported goods. Robert Morris had put national finances on stable balance, but the customs that Congress asked for were never adopted. The states’ had resisted in fear that the central government would become too powerful. As the war was ending Congress had to face major diplomatic problems. In the Articles of Confederation Article 4 had promised repayment of prewar debts, most of which were owed to by Americans to British merchants. In Article 5 it stated that states should allow loyalists to recover their confiscated property, which aroused considerable opposition. The state governments passed lass that denied the British subjects the right to sue for the recovery of property or debts in American courts. Since Congress had no power under the Articles of Confederation to overturn the decision, many loyalists were unable to get back what had rightfully been theirs to begin with. With this decision it gave the British an excuse to main their military posts on the Great Lakes long after when troops were supposed to have withdrawn. This had showed Congress weakness in the area of trade because the Articles of Confederation denied power to establish a national commercial policy. Right after the war had ended, Britain, France and Spain limited American trade with the colonies. The Americans were outraged but were unable to do anything about it. They thought that after the war, their independence would bring about trade with all nations. Members of the Congress, watched as British manufactured goods started to flood the states, while American produce could no longer be sold in British West Indies, once its prime market of trade. In the areas of finance, overseas trade and foreign affairs the Articles of Confederation were obviously inadequate. Congress was not allowed to levy taxes, nor was it able to impose its will on the states to establish a commercial policy. The Articles of Confederation, led the economy into a depression. The Continental Congress gave little power under the Articles of Confederation to the central government in fear of tyranny. In the end it only proved that too little power is not sufficient in controlling both economic conditions and foreign relations.

Pathogencity and Immuneology; Host resistence and the immune response Essay

Pathogencity and Immuneology; Host resistence and the immune response - Essay Example The virulence, resistance and the antigenicity of the microorganism are the most important in my view to determine the spread and severity of the disease that it may cause Virulence of an agent is very important when determining the infection that a certain microorganism is able to cause. Certain agents are highly virulent whereas some of them not virulent because of which they do not cause diseases that can be life threatening. In a community it is necessary that measures are taken by the authorities to ensure that the highly virulent strains do not harm the people in anyway. The resistance of an agent which causes disease is also important in determining its effect on the human beings. If an agent is resistant to environmental conditions then it is possible that it can survive the latest of the antibiotics and this would cause havoc in the human society. Diseases can get severe and life threatening if the resistance of a strain is high. Some of the strains of agents get resistant to antibiotics and adverse environmental conditions because of the continuous exposure to them and hence the authorities should ensure that this practice does not prevail in the community. Lastly the antigenicity of an agent is a factor which helps to determine whether an agent would be able to cause the same disease in the community or not. Some strains have a high antigenicity because of which they can be destroyed immediately while some of the strains have low antigenicity. It is important to determine the antigenicity of an agent so that it can be confirmed that the disease may or may not be caused again. If the antigenicity of an agent is low then the authorities should enhance the passive immunity of the people so that their immune system can fight off the agent. Infectivity is a measure of the ability of an agent to multiply and cause a disease. It is not considered to be important

Gender issues in sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Gender issues in sport - Essay Example Gender inequality in educational institutions has an impact on a wide variety of areas within society and must be evaluated for the financial problems equality creates in balance with the social problems that are averted by programs that are created to have equal opportunities. Inequality still exists within the world. According to Lauren Thompson from the Daily and Sunday Express (2007), inequality is between the genders is still highly prevalent within the worldwide system of cultures. She quotes a report written by Plan International titled â€Å"Because I am a Girl† that states that 100 million girls per year are destroyed before or at birth simply because they are the less desirable gender. Genital mutilation still occurs in two million girls per year. Death for girls between the ages of 15-19 is highest for dying during childbirth. It is estimated that 7.3 million women have HIV over the 4.3 million males that have the disease. As well, more than 70% of the world’s population that is living on less than a dollar a day are women. The culture of inequality is not just the idea that women haven’t the opportunities because of bias, but that they are put at risk because of those biases. In a case study that surveyed children’s responses in essay form to an assignment in a London school that asked them to write about gender issues within that school, 38% of the girls responded with essays about inequality, while only 7% of the boys wrote about inequality. In writing about the perceived inequalities, the girls’ stories were primarily centered around issues about their sports programs. One girl wrote that while the girls hockey team had won a tournement and received a large trophy, the boys rugby team had one a single match. The principle, however, had only mentioned the win for the girls while the single win for the boys had been covered extensively in

Discuss the impact of social media on traditional media in relation to Essay

Discuss the impact of social media on traditional media in relation to news production,delivery and consumption - Essay Example This role as well as the role of gatekeeper to information is being redefined in the light of social media usage patterns. This paper discusses how social media has influenced the way in which users consume and experience news as well as the ways in which traditional media organizations produce and distribute news content. The discussion in this paper highlights the challenges posed by social media to the authority of traditional media. It also identifies the opportunities for collaboration between the two. Social Media and User Engagement Crowe (2012) describes five types of user involvement in citizen journalism, with varying degrees of involvement and objective reporting. Blogs, discussion boards, tweets, etc. have become common tools to share news items within social networks. These tools allow users to create editorial content for others. Crowe (2012) argues that citizen journalism has had considerable effects of the traditional media in terms of profitability. He explains that although the content produced by citizen journalists does not go through the rigorous vetting of traditional media channels, the sites encouraging such form of journalism collect information from a large number of similar sources which results in validation of the information. This is particularly true in emergency situations when reporters may not arrive for some hours. Crowe (2012) notes that these developments have inspired traditional media organizations to collaborate with social media platforms for delivery of news content. Organizations entering into such collaborations include Newsweek and AOL. Changes in News Production The way in which news is produced on social media is dramatically different from the traditional methods of news production. Kerrigan and Graham (2010) note that the Internet and Web 2.0 technologies are having a huge impact on the production and consumption of regional and local news. In the social media environment, news is increasingly produced by blogger s and citizen journalists in a way that encourages the consumers to participate in the news generation process. On the other hand, in the traditional media, the production function is performed by the journalist and the news is then offered to the consumers as information. Kerrigan and Graham (2010) note that it is a competitive disadvantage for traditional regional news media if they do not exploit the potential for engaging readers in the production of local and regional news. Traditional media have been affected by reduced entry barriers and advertising share to more engaging social media sources. News consumers can act as reporters and editors of news content in the new media which leads them to prefer new media news sources over traditional ones. Thus, there is a need for traditional media sources to overcome resistance to change and embrace the new social media environment. The advent of social media has had considerable impact on the credibility and power of traditional news media sources. O’Connor (2012) notes that the role of traditional media as gatekeeper of information has been considerably weakened. In addition, the perception of a news media organization as a brand has eroded to some extent in favour of the personal branding enjoyed by citizen journalists, bloggers and others in the social media. O’

The Middle Ages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Middle Ages - Essay Example According to (Bates,2009) â€Å"In thinking about the characteristics of a good society different people tend to emphasize different things that they consider to be important e.g. egalitarianism, personal freedom, moral values and spirituality†. Different political philosophers have different opinion about a good society. Political philosophers gives their idea based on their judgment and thinking and hence their ideas and concepts varies. However all political philosophers advocate an ideal society as one which is peaceful, prosperous and moral .Freedom of the people is also of great concern when it comes to an ideal society .The two political philosophers to be considered here are Martin Luther and Niccolo Machiavelli and their ideas and perception on a good society. Martin Luther is a professor, theologian and church reformer who believed ardently in God’s judgment and Human righteousness. Niccolo Machiavelli is a historian and diplomat from Italy and had a positive view on politics and human welfare. Martin Luther on Good Society Martin Luther was a person who had strong faith in God and was a monk whose teaching had profound impact on the society of his times. He was an advocate of love, peace, truth and Christian doctrines. He emphasized on virtue and suggested that good work must follow faith. He believed that a person should be good before he does any good act and a good person can only form a good society. His moral perception was that classical ethics of Christianity should be the basic fundamentals for an ideal society. Luther is of opinion that truth must be the foundation of a good society and not religion. As per (Voude, 2010pg.27)â€Å"Luther suggests that without truth, society founds no basis for government , no purpose in education and no standard for the passing along of the information†. Luther believed that Godlessness can lead to the destruction of a society. He demanded that faith and reason is essential element for t he well being of a person and a society. Luther explained that every member of a society should educate themselves through reading and writing to promote a society. Ignorance should not be an excuse or an option for anyone. He advocated that religion has a prominent role in the betterment of a society. Martin Luther believed in giving power to the people and allowing mass education for the upliftment of the society. He wanted the members of a society to be critical thinkers and active participants. According to him an ideal society should not be slave to the oppression by the wealthy and rich class. Niccolo Machiavelli on a Good Society Niccolo Machiavelli is a great philosopher and a political thinker Italy has ever seen. Machiavelli had a positive outlook on humanity but had a bad reputation as leader as Hitler and Mussolini followed him to acquire and power and position in the society. Machiavelli highly regarded for position and power in a society and believed not much on moral and ethics. He is supportive of war and explained many strategies to win a war. This shows that he is not a person who idealizes peace and harmony .He is a person who gives importance to passions and dominative power. Machiavelli was more concentrated on gaining power and authority by the means of war. He believed that evil actions can bring good results. He believed that the common men are of weak nature and require a strong ruler in order to remain in

Had the Increased Influence of Minor Parties and Independents Enhanced Essay

Had the Increased Influence of Minor Parties and Independents Enhanced Democracy in Australia - Essay Example It is for this reason that democracy is said to be governance for the people (Stock, 2006). These positive remarks about democracy do not mean however that the successes associated with democracy come on a silver platter. Democratic successes are actually worked and it only takes a country with very good structures and systems to have a perfect democratic practice that is free from hitches and predicaments. A democratic practicing nation, Australia has held on to the very fundamental provisions of democratic governance for a very long time. Though globally acclaimed as a democratic giant, the country continues to make strives in getting her democratic practice become even better. It is for this reason that the democratic practice of Australia continues to be under scrutiny and research. All these happen in a bid to establish the core place of Australia’s democratic practice in global politics. 1.2 Research Question The successful completion of this essay would be judged by whe ther or not the writer has been able to address and sufficiently answered the question: â€Å"Has the increased influence of minor parties and independents enhanced democracy in Australia?† 1.3 Rationale for the Study As pointed out earlier, Australia as a country is never resting on her achievement as a recognized practitioner of fair and transparent democracy. Rather, there continues to be ways of searching for knowledge and ideas to make the democratic practice of the country even better (Warhurst, 2007). The rationale of this essay is firmly rooted in this philosophy to examine the role of minor political parties and independents in Australia and ways of ensuring that the minor political parities become even more proactive and useful to the democratic dispensation of the country. 1.4 Central Argument One of the core philosophies of the Australian democratic practice that could be pointed out as a secret to her democracy is the involvement of minor political parties in the country’s democratic dispensations. The writer therefore takes the position that the increased influence of minor political parties and independence in Australia’s political system has enhanced democracy in Australia. 2.0 REVIEW OF INFLUENCE OF MINOR PARTIES TO AUSTRALIA’S DEMOCRACY The writer shall use the following sections to break his persuasion into three major themes of the role of minor political parties in enhancing the democratic practice of Australia. These themes were first used by Gauja (2010). The themes are electoral influence, organisational influence and parliamentary influence. Each theme shall have two major factors or roles. 2.1 Electoral 2.1.1 Consolidates the basic provisions of the constitution The first electoral role that the minor political parties play in Australia’s political democratic system is that they help in consolidating the basic provisions of the country’s constitution. This is because in Australian constitution , there is a special provision for proportional representation (Vromen and Gelber, 2005). Proportional representation method of voting is a special dispensation that demands that minor political parties and independents should attain a minimum of one quota in all electoral state. Such representation is further manifest in the parliamentary system as the representatives from the minor political parties are represented in a parliamentary chamber. This is a major justification that in the absence of minor poli