Essay on Flood Legends From Around the World - 1695 Words

There are flood stories from many cultures. The flood stories usually consist of a higher power that floods a civilization due to some act that has made the higher power angry. The stories talk about one specific family and how the flood consumes the entire globe. So many cultures have a story about a great flood that have many similar details that it is hard to not believe that it is not true, but whether the story of a great flood is true or not, it is up to the individual to decide. Judaism is religion that many Hebrews are a part of. Many Christian religions like Catholicism also believe the same story that the Jews do about the great flood. They believe that God had become so upset with mankind’s evil ways, he wanted to†¦show more content†¦He then sent out a dove that came back without anything. A week later Noah sent the dove out again, and the dove returned with an olive branch. The next week the dove did not return to the ark. After a year and ten days of be ing in the ark, Noah and his family emerged with the animals. Noah sacrificed some of the animals to God, and God was so pleased he vowed to never destroy all of the living creatures with a flood again. The rainbow that appeared was like the signature to an agreement that he would never do it again. The animals ran wild and began to produce and God told Noah’s family to repopulate the earth (Genesis 6-9). In Greek mythology, Zeus wanted to destroy the men of the Bronze Age so he sent a flood. He thought the people of this age were very wicked. â€Å"Prometheus advised his son Deucalion to build a chest. All other men perished except for a few who escaped to high mountains† (). After Deucalion and his wife floated in the chest for nine days they land on Parnassus. Then, he made a sacrifice to Zeus in which he threw stones and they became men. Then his wife threw stones and they became women. This story focuses on one family in particular, Deucalion and his wife. There is a great flood that wipes everyone out but them, and a great higher power, Zeus, did this to the earth. In Roman mythology, which is very similar to Greek mythology, there is a flood story as well.Show MoreRelatedTracking Myth to Geological Reality800 Words   |  4 Pagesinformation about natural disasters like: tsunamis, floods and volcanic eruptions. It is hoped that this information will save human lives in the future. With all of these new discoveries it is important to remember that it is easy to go too far. Myth cannot account for all geological phenomenon and vice versa. It is crucial to make sure that scientific integrity remains the focus when linking myth and geology. It is important that people learn from history. Recently, it has become apparent that mythsRead MoreEssay on The Foundation of the Netherlands1396 Words   |  6 Pagesof its population is located below sea level, and fifty percent of its land lies less than one meter above sea level (Molenaar) This makes the Netherlands out of all the countries in the world the land with the most land below sea-level. The Netherlands currently has more than seventeen thousand kilometers of flood defenses (Molenaar) Dikes were the foundation of the Netherlands because they made the Netherlands grow, well-known, and made them a pro at building them, but the dikes also wounded theRead MoreTruth of Illusion: The Purpose of Myths749 Words   |  3 Pages From before the dawn of civilization as we know it, humanity has formed myths and legends to explain the natural world around them. Whether it is of Zeus and Hera or Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-mikoto, every civilization and culture upon this wor ld has its own mythos. 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These scholars use various methods developed by other disciplines in order to study ancient texts along with other approaches that are distinctive to the biblical studies. Biblical scholars have recently divided the profession into three paradigms which are commonly referred to as the three worlds. Particularly, some scholars focus on the world within the text; others explore the world in front of the text; and others focus on the world behind the text. Read MoreComparing Cherokee And Lakota Creation Stories1721 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican Military University 08 July 2017 A Comparison of the Cherokee and Sioux Creation Stories There are many cultures throughout the world, and each has its’ own creation story, and many of them are very similar; however the creation stories of the First Nations’ People are some of the most magical. These stories not only tell how the world was created, but give a glimpse into who the Cherokee and Lakota were, and their views of the relationship between human beings and creation, andRead More`` Mesopotamia `` By Pirieenzo And Narrated By Simon Chilvens1250 Words   |  5 Pagesthe country between two rivers. The question that many people wonder is Why this civilization developed in this part of the world? Director of Studies of the Practical School of Higher Studies, Paris, Jean-Claude Margueron, states that â€Å"We think that it began with the Greek civilization that influenced the development of classical civilizations.† Mesopotamians used the water from the Tigris and Euphrates river to irrigate their geographical area. Having agriculture, they lack of wood, stone, and metalRead MoreThe Myth Of A Myth1612 Words   |  7 Pagesall around the world Something that is found a lot in every culture is storytelling. The majority of people love listening to stories. Storytellers have fulfilled the want for a ‘good story’ for many years. A myth is a type of story based on a tradition or legend which has symbolic meaning to culture. A truth is conveyed to those who tell or hear a myth. Some myths are accounts of real events. Myths become shifted in time or place and changed by symbolic meaning. Myths can be used to explain localRead MoreEssay on The Truth Behind Noah and the Great Flood2232 Words   |  9 PagesIt was a time when men lost faith in the Lord, they weren’t aware of how to act or how to worship. Angels in heaven were unfaithful to their God and fell from heaven to make merry with the daughters of men. The Earth was in shambles. The offspring of angels and women were roaming around and destroying the land that God had made. He had to make a decision, and that decision was to end all life on the Earth, and rebuild it. Yet, there was one man, Noah who had unwavering faith in his God. GodRead More Comparing the Great Flood in Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark1162 Wor ds   |  5 PagesComparing the Great Flood in Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark Many of the same ancient stories can be found in different cultures. Each story differs in a small way, but the general idea remains synonymous. One story that is paralleled in several cultures is the legend of a great flood. The epic of Gilgamesh resembles the Bible’s story of Noah’s Ark, but specific details differ in several aspects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story of Gilgamesh originates from twelve fire-hardened,

Defining Social Problems Free Essays

A distinction is made between the definition of a social problem and sociological problem by Peter Worsley (1972). The latter refers to the problem of explaining social behaviour in terms of a sociological theory, whilst the former is some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction and or private misery and calls for collective action to solve it. The study of social problems is a complex and very controversial undertaking. We will write a custom essay sample on Defining Social Problems or any similar topic only for you Order Now Broadly speaking, this is not understandable to the average layman whose concepts of what constitutes a social problem is firmly established by the rhetoric of his/hers everyday social discourse and indeed the classification of acts or situations as social problems seem to be a relatively simple exercise. It is becoming more and more evident by present day sociologists and social scientists alike the complexities involved in defining, identifying and classifying a social situation as a social problem. This process has far-reaching implications on the focus, scope and projected recommendations of studies conducted of a particular social situation. There are two major conceptualizations of defining a social situation as a social problem. The first is centered around the self-explanatory phase â€Å"public opinion approach†. This approach contends that a â€Å"social problem cannot exist for a society unless it is recognized by that society to exist† (Blumer, 1971) the inference here is that it is the members of the society that define and construct their social reality and that via socialization these interpretations of societal phenomena and value consensus is conveyed to the offspring. Individuals and social situations that do not conform to the norms and values of society are often viewed as social problems. In Blumer’s definition of social problem he uses a broad concept of society but fails to further refine his definition. Merton writing in Contemporary Social Problems also utilizes in his definition of what is a social problem the broad and in my opinion ambiguous term â€Å"people†. His definition of social problems is as follows â€Å"a social definition exists when there is a sizeable discrepancy between what is and what people think ought to be†. One discovers that each society has their own conceptualizations and interpretations of their social world and furthermore as contemporary sociologists, namely M. G. Smith and his pluralist model of society (adapted from the research of J. Furnival of Burma), have suggested different fractions of society have competing and contrasting ideologies. The use of such terms suggests social union and cohesion of meanings and oversimplifies the above mentioned complexities of societies. A branching school of thought emerging from the public-opinion approach in the defining of social problems is in my opinion the quantitative approach. Perhaps realizing the aforementioned pitfalls of the definition proposed by Blumer and Merton some sociologist have attempted to further refine their definitions by assigning a seemingly quantitative value to them. Sheppard and Voss’s definition is critiqued by Manis [Contemporary Social Problems] They define a social problem as â€Å"a social condition which a large proportion of society †¦ see as undesirable or in need of attention† Here the quantitative term â€Å"large proportion of society† refines the initial term â€Å"society† and â€Å"people† utilized in the definition of Blumer and Merton respectively. Julian writing in Social Problems, 10th edition, too in his definition utilizes the term † significant proportion of people†, Kornblum includes the term â€Å"most people† and likewise Fuller and Myers in their book The Natural History of a social problem, â€Å"American Sociological Review’ quantifies his definition by added the term † a considerable number of people†. Though the inclusion of some additional factor concentrates the overall definition of what is a social problem it still does not give a full representation of the other forces at work that lead to a social condition being classified as a social problem. We have moved from the ambiguity of the term â€Å"society† to saying that it’s the majority who decide or define social problems. The supporters of the public opinion approach contend that this approach limits the subjectivity of the researcher. Turner and Beeghley believe that by relying on the public’s conceptualization of what constitutes a social problem that the sociologist remain neutral and value-free thereby playing a passive rather than active role in the process of defining social problems, since he/she is unable to impose his values, morals and ethnics. Gross dismisses the proposed objective rational proposed by the supporters of the public-opinon approach. He believes that for the sociologist even to interpret a public response to a social situation as negative or positive, good or bad is in itself a value judgment! This method of defining social problems is not as value free and objective as Beeghley and Tuner insinuate. If one is to speak of the majority, then what of the minority. In all fairness some public-opinion supporters have attempted to address this aspect of the debate around the definition of social problems. Sheppard and Voss have included in their definition the point that not only is a social problem defined by the â€Å"large proportion of society† but by â€Å"powerful elements of it† who see a social condition as undesirable and in need of attention. Julian makes an intuitive juxtaposition of the words to further develop this point. In his definition he contends that a social problem is so defined when â€Å"a significant number of people or a number of significant people† †¦ agree that the condition violates an accepted value or standard†¦. It confuses the definition somewhat since one is unable to determine whether the values of the majority are the ones violated by the social condition and it is thus defined as a social problem or if a social problem is so defined because the accepted values of the powerful (assumption here is that individuals who share the same social status or class have the same values) have been threatened. In the book, Defining Social Problems, there is considerable evidence to suggest that power groups play a significant role in the defining of social problems. Here the writer contends, and correctly so, that a social problem can exist for a number of years and still not be classified or acknowledged as a social problem! A social problem is said to ‘exist when an influential group asserts that a certain social condition affecting a large group of people is a problem that may be remedied by collective action. ‘ This introduces the concept that social problems are ‘subjective, value-laden and culturally informed’ a point contested by Manis. Furthermore it’s the influence of the power groups derived from their ‘strength, status or sheer number of people’ that have significantly impacted on social policy at the national level. The example given was centered around the hysteria of the milk cartoon kids. There arose in the 1950’s in the USA an outcry against the seemingly stark increase in the number of kidnappings. This caused a mass hysteria and this ‘social problem’ was deemed acute and severe enough to warrant an increase in police surveillance at schools. The situation was not a real social condition but it was considered as such. This is one of the primary concerns of Manis whereby subjectivity in the definition of a social problem may lead to falsehoods. He suggests rather an objective approach which he labels the ‘knowledge values of science’. He links social facts to values and devises an approach to defining social problems based on: intrinsic values, contextual values and social responsibility values. By utilizing his method, he contends, ensures objective results by the sociologist. Though not part of the Marx theory, the labeling theory in this case exists alongside and supports the theory that power groups play a significant role in defining social problems. Howard Becker was instrumental in the development of the labeling theory. Pierre Bordeaux, a Marxist, studied the education system extensively and acknowledges the ability of the powerful to impose their definition of reality on others. The controversy surrounding the definition of social problems is still going strong. Some may ask why is it important to understand how a social situation is classified as a social problem. The implementation of social policies affects everyone and some policies may not always be to our benefit. For example the Mass Marriage Movement in Jamaica looked to encourage couples to marry because some British sociologists thought that single-parent families were having adverse effects on their children and this was considered a problem. Through the research of dedicated Caribbean sociologist we know differently. In conclusion, I adapt the view points of Merton and Roberts, Contempory Social Problems, that social problems ‘vary among societies and it varies in the same society among social groups and from time to time, since both the social realities and the social norms differ and change. Fuller and Myers to develop a rather accommodating definition of a social problem. They wrote ‘Every social problem thus consists of an objective and a subjective definition. The objective condition is a verifiable condition which can be checked as to the existence and magnitude by impartial and trained observers†¦. The subjective definition is the awareness of certain individuals that the condition is a threat to cherished values. ‘ How to cite Defining Social Problems, Papers

People Appearances free essay sample

I strongly believe that first impressions are usually correct because people’s appearances inevitably reveal their personalities and attitudes. On top of that, people’s clothes reveal the personal statements they are making to the world. To begin with, I strongly believe that people’s appearances and speech can accurately portray their perspectives and attitudes toward life. This is largely because people’s habitual facial expressions and speech, which are the outward expressions of their minds, accurately reflect their emotional responses and reactions to life. For example, experienced interviewers can accurately judge and evaluate candidate’s characteristics during the few minutes of an interview. According to their accounts, an optimistic and outgoing person has brighter facial expressions, a higher tone of voice, and lively hand gestures. On the other hand, a pessimistic person with low self-esteem has more solemn expressions, a quiet voice, and minimal body motions. This proves that people’s appearances can reveal their characters. We will write a custom essay sample on People Appearances or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition, people’s style of dress reveals what statements they are making to the world. An important reason is that clothes serve as a self-expressive kind of uniform to the world. To illustrate, people who wear dirty, torn, or ill-fitting clothes convey the feeling that they are messy, disorganized, and not interested in their appearances. On the contrary, people who wear neat, well-coordinated, and stylish clothes express to the world that they care about how they look and want to make good impressions. Whether a person underneath his clothes is truly neat and organized or sloppy and scattered, his choice of clothes and general appearance tell the world what image he is interested in conveying. In this respect, first impressions are very revealing of how people want to represent themselves. In conclusion, initial impressions are truthful because they reveal people’s characteristics and attitudes. In addition, people’s clothes show what images they are trying to convey to the world. For these reasons, people can safely trust their first impressions.