Grassroots

Grassroots Grassroots Grassroots By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, Could you please explain the roots of the word grassroots? I sometimes wonder what the connection between people and grass is!   Grass has a great deal to do with people. Grass is a powerful archetypal symbol that works at the unconscious level to stir a variety of emotions. In his short, emotionally powerful poem called â€Å"Grass,† Carl Sandburg uses the symbol of grass to convey the waste and ultimate meaninglessness of war: Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo. Shovel them under and let me work- I am the grass; I cover all Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor: What place is this? Where are we now? The author of Psalm 103 uses grass to illustrate the brevity of human existence: As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and the place where it was shall know it no more. The importance of grass to human beings is rooted deep in the unconscious. Grasslands once covered up to 25 to 40 percent of the earths land surface. Grass feeds animals that feed people. The roots of grass are so interconnected that damage to one small patch threatens the whole. New grass signals the coming of spring. In fact, grass was once used as a name for spring or early summer: â€Å"She was five years old this grass.† One meaning of the term grassroots is â€Å"the fundamental level; the source or origin,† as illustrated by this citation in the OED: Not till I came to Shamlegh could I meditate upon the Course of Things, or trace the running grass-roots of Evil. - Kipling, 1901. Because grass is rooted in the earth, grassroots has become a term for â€Å"the common people.† In the context of politics, grassroots is used as both noun and adjective in reference to society at the local level. These observations at a political site called Renew America illustrate some of the meanings politicians attach to the term grassroots: Any political strategy that depends on broad grassroots support for its success needs to be based on a sound understanding of how the grassroots works.   By definition, the grassroots is the  bottom of the political pyramid,  opposite the establishment, which controls the top.   The grassroots is the very essence of politics.  It is dumping tea in a harbor, or standing up and testifying at a local city council meeting. It is that whole realm of politics  beyond official station. Grassroots is only one of several idioms that refer to grass. I’ll save the others for another post. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund PhrasesConnotations of 35 Words for Funny PeopleEbook, eBook, ebook or e-book?

FedEx Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FedEx - Essay Example The different challenges that do arise within such a context include understanding of the relevant technological changes, analyzing which advancements are suitable for FedEx and its processes, adopting to the different technological mainstays and thus getting instant results for the very same. There has to be a real vision and working regime behind the scenes which plays the right strokes at all times possible and no hiccup must be entertained under such a competitive industry where competitors are running after each other’s customers day in day out. Management must prioritize the tasks which are there to be undertaken by the subordinates and more so coming directly under the technological quarters. What this will do is to automate the processes since delegation of tasks and duties is one significant aspect that FedEx could look to do in the long run. What innovative approaches toward business functions in partnering with sites that draw together like-minded customers (e.g., electronic neighborhoods, reinventing commerce, extracting information from data exchange)? The innovative approaches in the wake of the ever-changing business needs and technological regimes are immense since FedEx has to remain one step ahead of the competition at all times. This is because it is an established name and it has to play with its tag and reputation whilst offering state of the art services, value for the customer and customized offerings – all in a single go. It becomes challenging nonetheless to live up to the expectations of one and all. However what FedEx can do is to be more creative and think out of the box to satisfy the needs, wants, aspirations and desires of the customers. This, it could do through the incorporation of technologically advanced equipments at different sites like having electronic neighborhoods where the usage of WiFi is just a single example which could be made use

Relgion in Politics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Relgion in Politics - Research Paper Example In fact, the conflict between religion and politics has been great with the main area of focus being in the power of population control. Politics and religion focus on control of the population, but the level of control varies significantly depending on the level of affiliation or allegiance. The desire to control world governments by religion in the past led to serious challenges including the development of rebellion against the religious states and the development of secular states across the world. Currently, there are more secular states that the traditional religious states or government. The success of the change is pegged on the desire to create autonomy between church and state (Pew Research Center). Despite the drive for autonomy, the state leaders are expected to be affiliated with a certain religion. The case is applicable to most countries including the US and European countries. This paper will evaluate the role of religion in politics and changes in politics and religi on by evaluating the changes in trends of governance. Likewise, the current interplay between religion and politics will be evaluated in order to develop the necessary understanding of the current position of religion. History of the relationship of religion and politics The relationship between religion and politics is complex due to several issues associated with both politics and religion. Politics and religion share almost the principles because of the desire to control the population. However, in the past two centuries, the power of religion in shaping political survival has increased significantly by the end of the era coming during the industrial revolution. Coupled with the change in the societal structure and liberalization of the society, the change ensured that the power of religion is greatly reduced and even increased the level of societal liberalizations. The change in population and acceptance of behaviors that religion rejects totally indicates the changing role of r eligion. Through liberalization, the power of religion in shaping the politics of the day has been greatly reduced (Hawkins). The collapse of communism and the end of the famous cold war was viewed as the beginning of a change. However, it was not the end of the global conflict. After the cold war and the end of communism, the dictatorship governments of the time started crumbling and then led to the growth of democracy. The rule of majority spread very fast giving rise to a new world order, which was based on freedom peace and market economies. The peace existing globally affected the spending on security. In fact, the US reduced spending on military operations by closing its overseas bases. The growth of radical Islam throughout Asia during the century was not an issue affecting the western countries because it was not an issue of grave concern. The conflicts in Palestine and other countries were not viewed as important. In addition, the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan was n ot viewed as a potential problem. The peace allowed tranquility in the world, but ensured that the animosity and hatred of many Muslims towards perceived Jewish and Christian imperialism increased. In the US, Christianity underwent resurgence including the teaching of the family values by the conservatives. During the time, Christianity enjoyed the respect as one of the historical foundations of the western culture. The influence of

Same Sex Marriage in India and the United States Essay

Same Sex Marriage in India and the United States - Essay Example The essay "Same Sex Marriage in India and the United States" compares the issues of the same sex marriage in India and the US. This paper analyses the childless married women’s experience and resistance practices. This paper is of particular importance as it brings to light the importance that is given to motherhood in India.According to the Bible, God sent Adam and Eve, of two different sexes, to the earth for procreation. According to Hindu mythology also the first human beings that were sent down were Manu and Shatarupa, again of two different sexes. The purpose in both cases was procreation because this can happen only with the union between the opposite sexes. Same sex marriages are condemned the world over by every religion as it goes against the law of nature. While spiritualism directs to look at every individual as a soul and not to look at the external form and shape, hence beyond gender, but same sex marriages create social distortions and challenge the very institu tion of marriage. In India same sex marriages are a taboo and motherhood is essential to attain fulfillment. Nevertheless, close-knit Indian families are traveling beyond and embracing the new way of sharing the love. In the US, same sex families claim to provide the same environment to the children and the children grow up in a better environment than natural families and hence through adoption, they can fulfill the desire to have children. Same sex marriages in the US is gaining acceptance while in India it is still a stigma and a taboo.

Abortion -The Wrong Choice :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Abortion-The Wrong Choice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The abortion debate is raging in America. The opposing sides in the debate each strongly believe they are right. The pro-choice supporters see a woman's right to choose as central to the debate. The life of the baby is the most important concern of the pro-life advocates. Very little middle ground exists on the issue of abortion. Abortion is murder and should be illegal except in instances when the mother's life is endangered by the pregnancy. Abortion is murder. The embryo is a person from the moment of conception. According to Shettles, "Scientists identify the first moment of human life as that instant when a sperm cell unites with an ovum or egg cell" (18). Most pro-choice supporters do not believe the fetus is a person until the first or second trimester. Pro-choice people do not think abortion is murder because they consider the aborted fetus a mass or cells or tissue (Shettles 20). Abortion is the taking of innocent human life, which is wrong under virtually any circumstances. An unborn baby is more than potential life. An unborn baby is meaningful human life that should not be considered expendable. After conception, no event occurs in the development of the fetus that indicates a change in the fetus from not being human to becoming one (Foster 33). Human life begins with conception. A middle-aged person, a teenager, and an unborn baby are all in stages of human life. Killing the unborn baby is no more justifiable than killing the two other people. Abortion is a practice that should be prohibited by law because it basically amounts to murder. An unborn baby's right to life should have priority over a woman's right to choose. No woman or man should have the power to decide if a baby is allowed to live. Pro-choice advocates believe women's rights are being jeopardized when the right to an abortion is taken away. The pro-choice camp fails to take into account that the baby has a right to life. A woman's rights over her body do not give her the right to an abortion (Schwarz 113). If a woman has rights over her body, then the unborn baby has those rights too. The child has the right not to be killed. The appeal to a woman's right over her body as a justification for abortion backfires because the right must also be extended to the child (Schwarz 123).

Death of a Salesman Comparisson

Death of a Salesman After reading and watching Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, it was clear that there were many similarities and differences between the film and the text. Many of the actors chosen for roles in the movie seemed to have fit Miller's portrayal of the characters. Between Willy feeling confused and lost to Linda’s vivid concern for Willy they all were presented very well. However, in the play, Willy Loman is portrayed as a man of considerable size while in the film he is much smaller.Although Dustin Hoffman depicts the character of Willy Loman well, he gets so enthralled in the heat of the scene that it sometimes makes the audience wonder if Miller intended for Willy to be so dramatic and emotional. At times it's overwhelming and even difficult to understand what Hoffman is saying. A problem with converting plays or books to motion picture is one can't see pictures that go along with text. The mind must create its own pictures of what is being described.The portrayal of Linda Loman on screen was completely different than what I had imagined her to be as while I was reading. I envisioned her to be a little younger and a lot more run-down and tired from dealing with not only Willy and his lost life but to her two sons and the social issues they have as well. I saw her to be more distressed. As far as plot goes, the storyline was almost exactly the same in the movie and the play. Some scenes were interchanged, but not so much as to disrupt the development or structure of the story.It also looks as though the director of the film purposely made it appear like the movie was taking place on a stage, probably to stay true to the fact that above all, Death of a Salesman is a play. I felt like the flashbacks were complete and in the film it visually helped the audience to understand what was going on. In the text on the other hand, it was up to the reader to understand when they happened and who all were part of them. I thi nk the movie adaption of this was done very well showing how Ben wasn’t â€Å"really there† and it was just Willy’s imagination when it came time for a flashback.The writers of the film script did a very good job with keeping specific lines clear and understandable, keeping in mind that they had to most likely change small things here and there. Overall I found most of the movie compared to the play a success. Between choosing actors who fit their parts as though they actually were Willy Loman, Biff Loman, Bernard and so forth, to being spot on with the plot for the most part they were both very similar. Some failures in my opinion existed in the movie when comparing to the text as well. Read also: â€Å"Realism and Expressionism in Death of a Salesman†When reading the play I didn’t see Willy and Linda being so touchy feely, as in the kissing and hugging that went on. Also the woman that Willy cheats on Linda with is much younger than I imagined. She is much more annoying especially with her laughing than as I saw her to be in the play itself. Lastly, toward the end, Biff seemed in my eyes much more emotional than I saw him to be through the text. I saw more anger and distress instead of caring about willy and crying that happened in the movie. Overall, yes there were successes and failures when comparing the film to the actual play, but I must say both were quite similar.

The Doll House and a Good Man Is Hard to Find...

Delia Tebedo Dr. Kingsley Intro Eng Lit 5 March 2009 Narcissistic View of Nora and Grandmother Narcissism is defined as the love of ones self. Sigmund Freud was the first to use the word to characterize certain character traits. He got the word from the Greek mythological legend Narcissus who saw his reflection in water and fell in love with himself. Freud suggests that all of us have a bit of self love, but when self love goes extreme it can be a problem and is considered a pathological problem. Nora from â€Å"The Doll House,† only exuded narcissistic behavior because she was treated like a doll. She was spoiled and only thought that that was how she was supposed to behave in order to get what she wanted or to please the men in her†¦show more content†¦The children convince their father to take the turn that supposedly leads to this house. Unfortunately it ends up being the road to hell. The long dusty dirt road ends up being the ill-fated end to all their lives thanks to the grandmother. A criminal that is on the loose happens along the dirt road. He has his cronies take each family member into the forest and kills them. The entire time this is happening, the grandmother is trying to talk to him out of killing them by being nice to him and trying to convince him that he is really a good man. Instead of grieving for the death of her family, she tries to talk him out of killing her. She even tries to buy her own life. She seemed to care more for herself than her family. If she cared more for them, she would have offered more for their lives. At the very end of the story it seems the misfit got to know the grandmother very well in those few moments he spent with her. He said, â€Å"She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.† Works Cited Meyer, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, (2008):