Macroeconomics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macroeconomics - Term Paper Example At present, the national debt is $8.8 trillion and is increasing at nearly $2 billion per day (Hall, 2007). If Congress does not control its overspending through measures such as passing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and adhering to it, the country’s economic future is in deep peril. This discussion will provide an overview of the federal budget process and outline the disastrous consequences of continuing to be a debtor nation. The President submits a proposed budget to Congress in early February for the coming fiscal year that runs from October 1 to September 30. The President’s budget request to Congress accomplishes two main objectives. First, it relays the President’s opinion of how much should be taken in via taxation and how much should be spent. Second, it prioritizes the President’s present and future federal funding desires. â€Å"The budget typically sketches out fiscal policy and budget priorities not only for the coming year but for the next five years or more† (Coven & Kogan, 2006). When Congress receives the President’s budget, it usually conducts hearings to discuss many of the requests before developing a budget resolution. This is the budgetary parameters that Congress will work within when making their determinations regarding taxes and spending. The budget resolution, drafted by both Senate and House Budget Committees includes both mandatory and discret ionary spending goals. Following committee approval, the resolution is submitted for a vote and possible amendments by the entire membership of the Senate and House. Afterwards, a joint House-Senate committee is convened to resolve any disparities in the resolution of the two versions passed by each house of congress. The resulting joint report is sent back to both houses for a vote. Congress can choose to employ a procedure known as

Company and Application Exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Company and Application Exercise - Essay Example My past work experience, experience and interpersonal skills makes be capable of fitting into the job requirement. Together with the special software competence in engineering application, I am capable of achieving the requirements of the job across various cultures as per the job requirement. Therefore, it would only be ideal that i bring in my wealth of knowledge and experience into the company’s operation and use my leadership skills and competence to help realize the company’s objectives. Name [xxxxxxxxxxx] Address [street number] Mobile phone number, Home telephone: Email: Personal Profile I posses effective communication skills and I am capable of developing a communicating relationship with people I may not know it total varied environment making it possible to interact with various people across various cultures to ensure accomplishment of tasks. I have a demonstrated leadership track where I have managed to lead various groups of craftsmen as required in order to achieve designated task. Further, I am a team player who is ready and willing to work with others in creating the enabling environment for accomplishing tasks. I have proficiency in various engineering software necessary to accomplish tasks and analysis or various data to arrive at the necessary conclusion. These include CAD and MATLAB. I am also willing to learn more software application as my job will demand from time to time. Education 1. B. Sc .Civil and Construction Engineering, University of Mississippi, July 2011 The four year training in engineering was inclusive of practical skills such project supervision and design work. 2. A levels, Mississippi graduate school, Technical application, graduate, July 2009 At this stage, I acquired fundamental engineering knowledge with exposure on engineering projects and related works. Employment History 1. Field supervisor, City Council, August 11 – present I worked as supervisor in charge of plumbers with the responsibility of ensuring water connectivity to city residents. Coordinate the works of a team of 20 plumbers to various parts of the city to ensure that water connections were in place and correcting any possible problems. Also reported to the water engineer on the daily developments in the water supply of the city. The city council benefitted through the assured continuity of water supply to the residents and thereby reducing complaints from the residents leading to improved revenue collection from the residents by the Council. Achievement The major assignment during the attachment period was to research, analyze and propose the causes of water shortages and the available methods to solve. Providing a recommendation to be followed in solving the water shortage problem was the ultimate objective. Benefits to employer The city council was able to determine, through my services, the extent of water shortage and projection of such increases if they were not mitigated. The employer also adopted water shortage mitigation strategy as recommended by me which was effective and the pressure was considerably eased. 2. Assistant Engineer-Operations, Hayer Construction-China, August 10– Nov 10Â   Feature: To supervise and coordinate the site operations on the construction project Activity: Planning for the supply and availability of quality on the site. Assigning duties accordingly to different people to ensure the flow of the project activities. Benefit: The benefits the

Evolution of Environmental Policies and Agreements 1971-2011

Evolution of Environmental Policies and Agreements 1971-2011 The energy use (EN) and its integration property vary under the influence of different factors. Among various elements such as abundance of energy resources and energy intensity, the environmental policy is the factor that has had increasing effects on the EN. The energy sector and environmental concerns are inherently interdependent and policies in one sector have direct impact on the other. This appendix very briefly reviews the evolution of world environmental agreements and policies during the period of our study.[1] The world environmental system has undergone a significant development in the course of past four decades. It has especially improved by the public recognition of the environment as a vital concern of humankind and adoption of numerous Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). The seminal step was the first United Nation conference on the environment, which was held in Stockholm in 1972. It created a momentum in drawing the public attention to the environmental issues and commitment for taking action. During the last forty years, the MEAs and policies on the environmental issues have evolved in several dimensions while there has almost been continuity in terms of principles. First, there has been a gradual development of the MEAs on environmental protection, with adoption of a large number of conventions and treaties. Nevertheless, after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit the attention shifted more from institution building to implementation, consolidation, and compliance. Yet, majority of conventions, especially at the early stage, have theme, sector, or territory approach, which resulting in treaties overlap or clash. Besides the treaty congestion caused by separate negotiation fora, secretariats and funding mechanism, most of conventions fail to effectively integrate environment standards into other policy areas. It remains one of the most pressing challenges of policy makers’ to design policies that may reconcile interdependencies of pursuing competitive economic growth, social concerns, sustainability, and environmental protection. The second dimension is characterized by recognition of the environment as public global goods. As it is manifested in the Stockholm Declaration, protection of the environment is beyond the interest of the individual countries or specific reciprocal relations and should be respected as part of the public interest of world community. However, there are important differences in understanding of countries on some fundamental concepts like sustainable use of natural resources and sustainable development. The industrialized countries in one hand and the developing countries on the other hand have different views on the policies and measures to adopt, type of commitments to take, and how to share responsibilities. More interestingly, even approaches and policies of industrialized countries, e.g. US and EU members, are significantly different. While the US is traditionally inclined to rely on market mechanism and private sector, the EU, as a leading global player that has some of the worldà ¢â‚¬â„¢s highest environmental standards, tends to act more actively and initiate progressive policy responds. The third trend that can be distinguished is the increasing role of civil society and private sector in MEAs and environmental policy making at national and international levels. In the recent decades there have been significant moves in the societies to call for more transparency, more social conscience and more compliance with the environmental agreements. The Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), as the representatives of civil society, have been increasingly active at national and international levels. Their participation has influenced negotiating, implementing, monitoring and enforcing MEAs. At the same time, there have been pressures from governments, NGOs, and business community leaders to ensure that private sector takes greater accountability and responsibility for its actions. Therefore, in the recent decades, the public policy process has been moving toward more interactive models, where public entities seek to develop partnership with the private sector to manage comple x policy challenges. A famous example of this partnership is the â€Å"green economy†, which is deemed as one of important tools available for achieving sustainable development. Forth, it is generally accepted that science is the best way to evaluate the environmental risks and examine the adverse impacts of human activities. Thus, science and scientific evidence have been increasingly becoming more important in the process of environmental policy making. However, there is no consensus on how to apply the scientific evidence into environmental standards. The integration of science into environmental policies and governance even become more controversial when countries choose contradictory approaches in interpreting the scientific evidence according to their own interest. The different approaches in interpretation of scientific evidence shows science cannot be a good substitute for a liable policy response. Science is only expected to present unbiased and transparent evidence and ensure that policy makers are fully aware of all potential risks. Although MEAs has been significantly developed with adoption of a large number of conventions and treaties, the current international governance system cannot guarantee that all states at the global level will be willing and able to comply and respect the agreed international environmental standards. It urges to improve the quality and effectiveness of global environmental governance. Undoubtedly, it is a challenging and contentious task since there are areas that directly touch the sovereignty of states in managing their natural resources and pursuing their development strategies. To circumvent these concerns, there should be a new move to devise and develop the concept of â€Å"responsible sovereignty†. The concept of â€Å"environmentally responsible sovereignty† can urge states to use their powers in a way that are more aligned with the general interest of the international community and help to protect the global environment. References Hey, C. (2006). EU Environmental Policies: A short history of the policy strategies. In European Union Environmental Policy Handbook: A Critical Analysis of EU Environmental Legislation; Scheuer, S., Ed.; European Environmental Bureau: Utrecht. Bakker, C. and Francioni, F (2014). The Evolution of the Global Environmental System: Trends and Prospects. in The EU, the US and Global Climate Governance; Bakker, C. and Francioni, Eds; Ashgate Publishing. Orlando, E. (2014). The Evolution of EU Policy and Law in the Environmental Field: Achievements and Current Challenges; in The EU, the US and Global Climate Governance; Bakker, C. and Francioni, Eds; Ashgate Publishing. Baker, Susan (2002). The Evolution of European Union Environmental Policy. From Growth to Sustainable Development?, in Susan Baker et al. (eds.), The Politics of Sustainable Development. Theory, policy and practice within the European Union, London, Rutledge, p. 91-106. Von Homeyer, Igmar, (2009), â€Å"The Evolution of EU Environmental Governance†, in Joanne Scott, ed., Environmental Protection. European Law and Governance, Oxford, Oxford University Press, p. 1-26. [1] This part is heavily adapted from Bakker and Francioni ( 2014).

my last duchess Essay -- essays research papers

Poets often use literary techniques to clearly convey the personalities of their speakers. In â€Å"My Last Duchess†, Robert Browning uses point of view, diction, and imagery to achieve a powerful effect, underlining the attitude and personality of the Duke.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a dramatic monologue, character development is based on what the speaker says, and how he says it. In â€Å"My Last Duchess†, the speaker of the monologue addresses a fictional audience, and the reader is seen as an unnoticed third party. It is because of this viewpoint that the reader is able to analyze the words and actions of the Duke, gaining insight into his life and personality that he is not aware of giving. While the poet uses his words to convey his intended meaning, it is up to the reader to draw his own conclusion, through the witnessed events and conversation. His arrogant and possessive nature must be inferred of the Duke’s character from the way he speaks, just as the details of the setting and situation must be inferred from his own words. Although the reader is not directly spoken to in the poem, evaluation of the Duke’s showy attitude can be inferred through his concern with the artwork and his nonchalant description of his wife, which is noticed by the uninvolved reader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Duke wants to present himself as a powerful and sophisticated man, and he does so in the beginning. However, as he ...

Internet, Extranet, Email in companies Essay -- essays research papers

The ever-changing world of technology is making the world become smaller every day. Businesses and organizations are taking advantage of the advances in technology to improve their organizations. Technology’s influence reaches beyond improving relations within an organization to enhancing an organization’s ability to service its customers. But even more than that technology is influencing the shape of the organization itself. In order to realize the impact of technology on business organizations, the following paper will focus on how organizations use technology within an organization (intranet, email), how organizations use technology to communicate with and service clients or customers, and finally how organizations are using the current technology to train both employees and customers. How are businesses utilizing technology with their organizations? Email Many businesses at the very least are taking advantage of the current technology to implement email systems. Email systems, in addition to traditional methods of communication including telephones, voice mail and face-to-face interactions are increasing the ease of communication between people in an organization. Through the use of email, people are able to send messages on a one-to-one basis, or to send broadcast messages to an entire organization, or to send messages to a specific group or department. Email provides an alternative to the traditional face-to-face or telephone communication that is necessary in business. With the increased productivity and demands that accompany day-to-day operations, people are always looking for ways to do more in less time. A written message sent via email can be short concise and to the point, eliminating some of the small talk that would normally take place in a face-to-face or telephone interaction. Another advantage of email is that people are able to respond when it is convenient for them. In a society where time is of the essence, people are able to sort through messages and to prioritize which ones should be addressed first. Furthermore, some people prefer sending email messages instead of face-to-face interactions because they are more likely to be intimidated by face-to-face communication. Email gives those types of people the freedom and the opportunity to say exactly what is on their mind. Electronic messaging systems are also a great asset to a manager... ...that studies to measure differences in student performance should go beyond just grades. Therefore, additional studies have included outcomes including student involvement, and participation, cognitive engagement, technology self-efficacy, attitudes toward the technology employed, the usefulness of the technology, attitudes toward technology-mediated distance learning and the relative advantage and disadvantage of distance learning . In order to achieve learning most effectively, methods should include the use of rich media, interaction between students and instructors, and instructors who project positive attitudes. As technology continues to advance, distance learning will continue to become more like traditional classroom training. More people are looking for alternative means for continuing education. Continuing education in organizations is becoming the rule, not the exception. In all areas, internally and externally organizations are embracing technology to get in touch with their workers and the world. The dynamic nature of technology will continue to push organizations in new directions and will continue to play a role in defining and shaping the organizations themselves.

Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria Essay

This development was heralded as an avenue to usher in democratic stability and good governance. However, contrary to widespread expectations, the post-military regime became an avenue for the explosion of violent ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, since the emergence of democracy in May 1999, not less than one hundred ethnically and religiously instigated conflicts have occurred in Nigeria which resulted in loss of lives and unquantifiable material and psychological damage. Drawing from documentary research and findings, this paper probes the persistent spate of ethno-religious crises in Nigeria and its harmful implications on democratic consolidation in Nigeria. It investigates the history, causes and manifestations of ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria and maintains that unbridled lust for power, corruption, religious intolerance and the failure of the government to deliver democratic dividends, have resulted in these conflicts between ethnic and religious groups in the country. In the light of all these then, can democracy thrive in an atmosphere of crises? Can Nigeria come out of ethno-religious conflicts? If so, what steps can the government take to rein in the menace of these crises? Finally, the paper provides submissions for curbing this social epidemic, which has become a permanent feature of the Nigerian social polity. Keywords: Nigeria, Ethno-religious, Crises, Democracy, Development Introduction Democracy could be said to be a seed: when you sow bountifully, you reap bountifully. Thus, one of the dividends of democracy, which Nigerians have reaped in abundance since the transfer of power from the military to the civilians on May 29, 1999, is the rising wave of ethno-religious conflicts with devastating and untold consequences on lives and property (Jega, 2007: 116). Nigeria is a very populous nation in Africa with diverse cultural heritage. In fact, the country has a population of over 140 million and over 400 ethnic groups belonging to different religious sects as well (Salawu, 2010: 345). Since the attainment of independence, Nigeria has remained a multi-ethnic nation, which has been grappling with the problem of ethnicity on the one hand and that of ethno-religious conflicts on the other hand. At the inception of independence, for administrative expediency the various ethnic factions were fused and merged together by the colonialists. Then, the colonial masters left and things started falling apart, the center no longer held. No ethnic group desired to see the other. Little wonder then that the former Secretary of State at the British Colonial Office (1952-1959), Sir Peter Smitters regretted the action taken by the British to merge diverse ethnic groups into one in Nigeria. According to Ali (2004) cited in Adebayo (2010: 214), he was reported to have lamented that it was extremely dangerous to force diverse radical and social entities into single rigid political structure. However, that statement was medicine after death; the deed had been done. Indeed, a conglomerate of almost four hundred ethnic groups, each having its distinct history, language, culture and political systems before the colonial rule, all preserved in mitigated forms with the British system of governance super-imposed and named Nigeria really had future implications for unity. The colonial administration, for administrative convenience, compressed and merged the various ethnic groups in their respective regions, making Hausa/Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba the major ethnic groups and reinforced the three political/administrative divisions – the north, the east, and the west, under appropriate constitutional arrangement. At independence and post independence era, the status-quo of the colonial era was retained under that infantile freedom, with every group retaining its tradition, language, and culture while sharing the common central institutions in a federal arrangement (Adebayo, 2010: 214). As a result, these major ethnic groups, because of their opportunistic positions were seen as consistently dominating the political and economic scene before and after the attainment of independence in 1960 and this led to agitations for state creation by the other â€Å"minor† ethnic groups who saw themselves as the marginalized groups. However, the more states were created, the more the complaints of marginalization and inequality by the new minorities against the new majorities in each state (Abdullahi and Saka, 2007). Consequently, the proliferation of ethno-religious and political turbulence in the country is therefore necessitated on the one hand by cultural, communal and religious differences and on the other hand by fear of domination nursed by the minority groups. As if what constitutes the federalism is not satisfied, there have been agitations for reversing back to the old regional autonomy of the different groups for the purpose of determining the pace of their development and control of their respective resources. These pernicious phenomena of ethnicity and religious intolerance led to the incessant surge of ethno-religious conflicts, which gave birth to the many ethnic militias today like the O’dua People’s Congress (OPC) put in place by the Yoruba in the south-western part of the country to fight for the protection and defence of Yoruba in Nigeria; the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), fighting for the cessation of the Igbo ethnic tribe in Nigeria; the Bakassi Boys; the Egbesu Boys; the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC), the Igbo Peoples’ congress (IPC); the Arewa People’ Congress (APC) and the Ohaneze Ndigbo among others. This might probably be the feeling of Elaigwu (2005: 12) when he writes †¦the violent protests in the Niger-Delta over perceived injustice in resource distribution; the Itsekiri-Ijaw violence in the Delta; the resumption of the Ife-Modakeke communal violence; the menace of Odu’a Peoples’ Congress (OPC) and the accompanying violence in Lagos and Shagamu areas; the formation of the Arewa Peoples’ Congress (APC) and the Igbo Peoples’ Congress (IPC); the MASSOB feeble attempt to resuscitate Biafra; the Sharia crisis and the demands for a confederation; the South-South demand for the control of its resources; and all the recent interethnic/religious conflicts in various states across the country are all part of the bubbles of the Nigerian federation. They are based on the historical structures of mutual fears and suspicions among Nigerian groups in a competitive process. They reflect dissatisfaction of Nigerian groups with the state of the federation. With the emergence of all these ethnic militias and the deep divide between the various ethnic groups, religious intolerance became more violent and bloody with more devastating results using the ethnic militias as the executing platforms of ethno-religious agenda. Federalism thought to be an approach to national unity, resulted to anarchy in the country. A number of steps were taken to at least mend the disunity and disarray prevalent then and promote unity among the various ethnic groups. These included the establishment of federal institutions in some states of the federation, promotion of national cultural and sporting activities, and, more significantly, the National Youth Service Programme (NYSC), just to mention a few (Adebayo, 2010). Although these steps yielded pockets of successes in achieving national unity, the â€Å"unholy† marriage of convenience of the ethnic groups still begs for irrevocable divorce. While the ethnic rivalry held sway, religious pluralism, which culminated in many crises, shook the country to its very roots. The pernicious effect of this trend is not entirely surprising given the fact that religion is so sensitive to Nigerians that many are not only ready to defend it at all costs, but are ready to die for it. Hence, religious pluralism which resulted in religious intolerance was fused with ethnic rivalry, producing the recurrent spate of ethno-religious crises. And because of the violent nature of ethno-religious conflicts, which often take the form of riots, sabotage, assassinations, lynching and maiming, kidnappings, armed struggles, guerilla warfare and secession in Nigeria, they undoubtedly pose dangerous threats to democracy in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Yes, as Jega (2007: 116) truthfully stated, the genetically engineered seeds of democracy planted by our colonial masters and further successive military regimes have grown to mature crops for harvest. Instead of democracy yielding peace, stability and security to lives and property, it seems to have yielded a return, full circle spate of ethno-religious conflicts and violent eruptions. Thus, the discussion of ethno-religious conflicts in whatever context becomes all the more necessary given the fact that there is a phenomenal recurrence of these conflicts around the nation thereby increasing its threat level to democratic consolidation in Nigeria. It is against this backdrop that this paper attempts to probe the history, manifestations and implications of ethno-religious crises in Nigeria since the dawn of democratic dispensation. Causes of Ethno-Religious Crises in Nigeria According to Awolowo (1990: 35), the notion of Nigeria as â€Å"a mere geographic expression† was engendered by the forceful packaging by colonial authoritarian fiat of unwilling communities of diverse origin and culture under the same polity. Consequently, relations and political behavior of the peoples are characterized by mutual suspicion and invidious hatred since they are strange bed-fellows, who were only coerced into the nation-state via amalgamation. Until 1960, Nigeria was a British colony. Like most colonies, it was not constructed for internal coherence, but rather for the administrative convenience of the British (Shively, 1997: 39). Over 400 different languages and dialects are spoken within its borders, and there is also an important religious split, as the north is primarily Muslim and the south is predominantly Christian, making her not only at ethno-religious crossroads but also at linguistic crossroads. As diverse as these ethnic groups are, they are also not accommodative of each other’s religion and professions of faith. This state of intolerance has added up to fuel the spate of crises in Nigeria. It should be noted that religion has always been the platform for frontal expressions of ethnic aggressions and conflict. Hence, ethnocentric politics, sectional solidarity and primordial interests became prominent features in the nation’s political practice. Sectional and individual virtues and interest rather than collective virtues and national unity are advanced and exalted. Thus, communal orientation precluded any attachment to the state and the syndrome of the ‘son of the soil’ took preference over merit and competence in the choice of policies and leaders. Although as Obasanjo and Mabogunje (1992: 4) aptly observed, colonialism provided scaffolding of holding the different communities together, not much change was achieved in altering communal mentality and predilection. Nonetheless, the persistent military incursion into government and politics did much harm for the body polity as national issues was mostly tribalized and primordial virtues extolled. These regimes had primordial outlook and sub-national mentality under which the northern part of the country was favoured brazenly, on one hand, and the southern part was deliberately dealt with in terms of appointments, contracts, location of government establishments, political oppression and repression as well as provision of social services and infrastructures. As a result, ethnic sectarianism has left a trail of destructive violence and even threatened the territorial integrity of Nigeria (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, 2001). Indeed, after long years of authoritarian rule, when the military clique and their civilian collaborators privatized the Nigerian state (Ukiwo, 2003), politicians in the emergent Fourth Republic were all too anxious to claim control of the state and its oil wealth as well. This thus led to an unbridled competition for political relevance and spheres of interests among politicians, especially in the context of the division of the country into geopolitical zones, states and local governments and the fact that distribution of benefits among the political class depended on the ability of each member of the ruling class to deliver his constituency. This lust for power has led to the neglect of the needs of the masses and the demand for peaceful co-existence. Instead, the rulers continue to enrich their pockets through corrupt dirty means and seek for elongation of tenures for selfish gains. In the circumstance, ethnicity, religion and other sectarian identities are exploited, resulting in avoidable violent conflicts among component units of the country. The persistence of mass poverty and increasing income inequality, largely as a result of the transformation of the fortunes of politicians and their allies from jobless neighbors to emergency billionaires in less than two years after capturing power, have deepened popular alienation. It has also called into question the legitimacy since 1999. Consequently, some of the easiest things to do in contemporary Nigeria are to mobilize an assassin, vigilante, ethnic-cum-religious militia, rioter, crowd or rented pro-government demonstrator. The result could only be imagined. The power lust of the political cliche is one of the perceived causes of ethno-religious crises in Nigeria. Another reason responsible for ethno-religious crises in Nigeria is the wrong interpretation by those who claim authority to the understanding of the holy books. If not so, one wonders why people act contrary to the teaching of the holy books (whether the Quran or the Bible) in matters pertaining to peaceful co-existence, unity and sanctity of life, and property. As it is a serious disease for someone who does not have a full grasp of the interpretation of any of the holy books to claim authority to knowledge, many of the so called ‘religious leaders’ use their shallow knowledge to put up interpretations to suit their selfish ends banking on the ignorance of their followers. Lamenting on the wide gap between the teaching and practice of religion among its adherents, Adebayo (2003) cited in Adebayo (2010: 219) identified some factors responsible for using religion as instrument of polarization, among which is leadership tussle, which also culminated in the proliferation of many denominations in the country. Also, sectarian jingoism, as well as excessive patriotism to one’s religious sect, which consequently transformed to fanaticism, is another major factor contributing to this social menace. Salawu (2010) also noted that the failure of the Nigerian leaders to establish good governments, forge national integration and promote what can be called real economic progress, through deliberate and articulated policies, has led to mass poverty and unemployment. This has resulted into communal, ethnic, religious and class conflicts that have now characterized the Nigerian nation. Poverty and unemployment have therefore served as nursery bed for many ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria because the country now has a reservoir of poor people who warmongers as mercenary fighters. What this means theoretically is that poverty and unemployment increase the number of people who are prepared to kill or be killed for a given course at token benefit. This explains why all ethno-religious crises that ever occurred in Nigeria have a large turnout of people (including the under-aged) as fighters. Lastly and very importantly, and not the least, the ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria also have some historical antecedent (Salawu, 2010). This is because many governmental actions during the colonial rule and after independence encouraged, to a large extent, the sowing of the seeds of ethno-religious conflicts that are found to be rampant in the Nigerian nation today. Over the years, many events in Nigeria have led to the politicization of mistrust, intolerance, violence and acrimonious relations between the mainly Moslem north and the Christian south of Nigeria. To this extent, there has been an unfortunate insertion of ethno-religious discrimination and incompatibility in the structures of the Nigerian State since the colonial period. The political events of the January 15, 1966 coup and the July 1966 counter-coup further entrenched ethno-religious configuration in Nigeria. This is because the killings and counter-killing that followed the coups which took ethnic and religious colorations as the Muslim dominated tribes in the north were set against the Christian-dominated tribes of the southern region.

Power and Control in Hawk Roosting Essay

GRADE G In Shakespeare’s play a man called Macbeth kills the king to get his power. Ted Hughes’s poem ‘Hawk Roosting’ is about a hawk who thinks he is powerful. GRADE F In _Macbeth_ Shakespeare writes about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth who have a plan to kill the king and take over. â€Å"Hail, King thou shalt be.† Ted Hughes writes about a hawk and how powerful he is: â€Å"My manners are tearing off heads.† GRADE E Shakespeare shows that Lady Macbeth wants to be a powerful character because she wants to kill the king so that Macbeth can become the new king: ‘You can putt this night’s great business into my dispatch.† Ted Hughes also writes about power, but from the point of view of a hawk. We know that the hawk has a high opinion of itself: ‘I kill where I please because it is all mine.’ GRADE D The theme of power/ambition is explored in _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting.’ Shakespeare focuses on Lady Macbeth’s relationship with Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth learns about the witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will become king, she hatches a plan to make it happen. Ted Hughes also writes about ambition because the hawk in the poem wants to be the best: â€Å"Now I hold Creation in my foot.† A difference between them is that the hawk is very confident about his own power, but Macbeth is too  loyal to the king to be able to reach his ambition.: â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honoured me of late.† Lady Macbeth is more ambitious than her husband. GRADE C Ted Hughes’s poem ‘ Hawk Roosting’ shows the world as seen from a hawk’s point of view. The hawk seems very determined and powerful. Shakespeare also presents the theme of power and determination, but the difference is that he presents is with a husband and wife who plot to murder the king and take his crown. The hawk also has thoughts of murder: ‘in sleep rehearse perfect kills’. The word ‘rehearse’ suggests that the hawk enjoys killing, and practises to make himself perfect – even when asleep. This also suggests that he is proud of himself. Similarly, in _Macbeth_ Lady Macbeth is proud of her ambitious nature: ‘O never/Shall sun that morrow see.’ She has murderous thoughts and she will kill the king that night. GRADE B _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ both seem to be about power and ambition. In ‘Hawk Roosting’ the speaker is a hawk who describes his view of the world: ‘The earth’s face upward for my inspection.’ This image suggests how the hawk is very confident that the world is there to suit his needs. It is in the form of a statement, which adds to the feelings of the hawk’s confidence. Lady Macbeth is also very powerful at the beginning of the play. She wants Macbeth to entertain the guests while she prepares to kill King Duncan. When hatching the plan, she says to her husband, ‘Leave all the rest to me’. This implies that she feels that she is more capable to commit the crime than Macbeth. The audience will see her as more ambitious at this point. GRADE A Although _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ differ in form, there are distinct links that can be drawn between them. They both concern power and ambition  and how a character’s persona is formed by their self-belief, and what they are prepared to do to achieve their aims. In both texts we are given an insight into the characters’ innermost thoughts. In ‘Hawk Roosting’, because the poem is written in the first person, in the form of a dramatic monologue, we gain a great insight into the speaker’s confidence. The hawk starkly portrays how he feels that the world is there for his ‘convenience’. He arrogantly describes how the ‘air’s buoyancy’ and ‘sun’s ray’ are ‘of advantage’ to him. Similarly, Lady Macbeth initially believes that the crown is her right, and shows her desire for achieving it: ‘Take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers.’ The fact that she is calling on spirits to give her the strength to act implies that she will stop at nothing to achieve her aim. An audience may view this as a shocking, evil and ruthlessly ambitious act. GRADE A* _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ share some common ground in that they are concerned with the unpleasant side of power and ambition. The main characters in both texts appear to be overly confident and assured. ‘Hawk Roosting’ is a dramatic monologue spoken by a non-human voice, a hawk. We are provided with a series of images which depict the hawk’s arrogance and pride. Indeed. The hawk is brimming with superiority: ‘It took the whole of Creation/To produce my foot, my each feather.’ The hawk is seemingly bragging and delighting in how magnificent it appears. This can be directly compared to Lady Macbeth. The way she belittles her husband, referring to him as ‘afeard’ and ‘a coward’ reveals her merciless ambition to become queen. She, like the hawk, feels that she deserves to be ‘great’, and wants her husband to share the power; he calls her ‘My dearest partner of greatness.’ COMPARING _MACBETH_ AND _HAWK ROOSTING_ – SAMPLE ANSWERS (THEME = POWER AND AMBITION) 1. Although _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ differ in form, there are distinct links that can be drawn between them. They both concern power and ambition and how a character’s persona is formed by their self-belief, and what they are prepared to do to achieve their aims. In both texts we are given an insight into the characters’ innermost thoughts. In ‘Hawk Roosting’, because the poem is written in the first person, in the form of a dramatic monologue, we gain a great insight into the speaker’s confidence. The hawk starkly portrays how he feels that the world is there for his ‘convenience’. He arrogantly describes how the ‘air’s buoyancy’ and ‘sun’s ray’ are ‘of advantage’ to him. Similarly, Lady Macbeth initially believes that the crown is her right, and shows her desire for achieving it: ‘Take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers.’ The fact that she is calling on spirits to give her the strength to act implies that she will stop at nothing to achieve her aim. An audience may view this as a shocking, evil and ruthlessly ambitious act. 2. The theme of power/ambition is explored in _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting.’ Shakespeare focuses on Lady Macbeth’s relationship with Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth learns about the witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will become king, she hatches a plan to make it happen. Ted Hughes also writes about ambition because the hawk in the poem wants to be the best: â€Å"Now I hold Creation in my foot.† A difference between them is that the hawk is very confident about his own power, but Macbeth is too loyal to the king to be able to reach his ambition: â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honoured me of late.† Lady Macbeth is more ambitious than her husband. 3. _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ both seem to be about power and ambition. In ‘Hawk Roosting’ the speaker is a hawk who describes his view of the world: ‘The earth’s face upward for my inspection.’ This image suggests how the hawk is very confident that the world is there to suit his needs. It is in the form of a statement, which adds to the feelings of the hawk’s confidence. Lady Macbeth is also very powerful at the beginning of the play. She wants Macbeth to entertain the guests while she prepares to kill King Duncan. When hatching the plan, she says to her husband, ‘Leave all the rest to me’. This implies that she feels that she is more capable to commit the crime than Macbeth. The audience will see her as more ambitious at this point. 4. Shakespeare shows that Lady Macbeth wants to be a powerful character because she wants to kill the king so that Macbeth can become the new king: ‘You can putt this night’s great business into my dispatch.† Ted Hughes also writes about power, but from the point of view of a hawk. We know that the hawk has a high opinion of itself: ‘I kill where I please because it is all mine.’ 5. _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ share some common ground in that they are concerned with the unpleasant side of power and ambition. The main characters in both texts appear to be overly confident and assured. ‘Hawk Roosting’ is a dramatic monologue spoken by a non-human voice, a hawk. We are provided with a series of images which depict the hawk’s arrogance and pride. Indeed. The hawk is brimming with superiority: ‘It took the whole of Creation/To produce my foot, my each feather.’ The hawk is seemingly bragging and delighting in how magnificent it appears. This can be directly compared to Lady Macbeth. The way she belittles her husband, referring to him as ‘afeard’ and ‘a coward’ reveals her merciless ambition to become queen. She, like the hawk, feels that she deserves to be ‘great’, and wants her husband to share the power; he calls her ‘My dearest partner of greatness.’ 6. In _Macbeth_ Shakespeare writes about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth who have a plan to kill the king and take over. â€Å"Hail, King thou shalt be.† Ted Hughes writes about a hawk and how powerful he is: â€Å"My manners are tearing off heads.† 7. In Shakespeare’s play a man called Macbeth kills the king to get his  power. Ted Hughes’s poem ‘Hawk Roosting’ is about a hawk who thinks he is powerful. 8. Ted Hughes’s poem ‘Hawk Roosting’ shows the world as seen from a hawk’s point of view. The hawk seems very determined and powerful. Shakespeare also presents the theme of power and determination, but the difference is that he presents is with a husband and wife who plot to murder the king and take his crown. The hawk also has thoughts of murder: ‘in sleep rehearse perfect kills’. The word ‘rehearse’ suggests that the hawk enjoys killing, and practises to make himself perfect – even when asleep. This also suggests that he is proud of himself. Similarly, in _Macbeth_ Lady Macbeth is proud of her ambitious nature: ‘O never/Shall sun that morrow see.’ She has murderous thoughts and she will kill the king that night.