The Causes of Party Polarization in America Term Paper

The Causes of Party Polarization in America - Term Paper Example Polarization is defined in politics as the process through which public opinions are divided and go to extremes (Baumer and Howard 22). Party polarization is defined as the process through which extreme factions within a political party gain some form of dominance within the party. In such a case, the moderate factions tend to lose influence and power. In recent years, the United States political system has witnessed increased polarization. Party polarization has had consequences in the United States especially with respect to policymaking. Whereas the parties tend to go to the extremes, the public opinion does not really go to the extreme. That notwithstanding, party polarization greatly shape public opinion especially in regard to policy. Party polarization is very evident in both the Congress and the Senate (Ura and Christopher 280). The state of American politics is increasingly colored by partisan polarization: the two major political parties have grown ideologically more unifie d internally and farther apart from each other. As the two parties’ policy preferences diverge further from each other at the elite level, it naturally becomes more difficult for the two to work together. With the shrinking rank of ideological moderates, â€Å"the possibilities of bipartisan negotiation and compromise diminish.† Today the two parties clash with each other more often and more strenuously and vigorously than recent history in Washington and in state capitals. Party-based conflicts, policy stagnation, and paralysis inspired by party competition seem to have become the norm in the early twenty-first century. It is against the above background that it is important to understand party polarization in the United States. To achieve this, this paper will seek to respond to the following questions: What are the roots of partisan polarization? What specific developments in the emergence of the political parties led to party polarization? What are the main contrib uting factors to the re-emergence of party polarization? How is partisan polarization linked to deeper cultural divisions within American society? What have been the policy consequences of partisan polarization for the policy process? Roots of Partisan Polarization Partisan polarization in American politics traces its roots from the period of the Civil War. However, it became more apparent after the attainment of American independence. Over the past century and a half, the American political system has been dominated by two main parties. Third parties that have emerged from that time achieved some measured success, but in the end, they have usually been absorbed by one of the dominant parties (Frymer 336). Partisan polarization has been as a result of ideological differences that can be traced throughout the American political history; it has emanated from the ideological divide of liberalists versus conservatives. It is also important to note that there are other factors apart from the ideology that has been critical in creating partisan polarization; for example, geographical divisions have been so evident as parties have taken the dimensions of the â€Å"Southern† or â€Å"Northern† wings (Pearson 1). While the rapid rise in partisan polarization is relatively recent, the origins of party polarization are not; in fact, much of what we see today can be traced back to the early twentieth century.

A study on the link between abortion and crime Essay Example for Free

A study on the link between abortion and crime Essay Imagine being raised in a home where education wasn’t encouraged. Imagine being truant from elementary school because your parents regularly abused drugs and weren’t there to take you to school. Would you be where you are today? Where do you think you would be? Here’s another question that may seem unrelated. Why did crime drop drastically in the early 1990’s? According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, from its peak in 1991, violent crime fell roughly 34 percent by 2001. The rate of homicide – one of the most studied and arguably the most serious crime there is – fell massively. Over a slightly longer period, homicide rates per capita fell 44%, almost being halved. So we are left with the question, why? Such a massive decrease in crime affects all of us, even if it happened in the 1990’s. If a crime had continued to rise at the same rate, we’d live in a dramatically different world today. Understanding why this happened provides us with a crucial understanding of how the world works. Perhaps the answer lies in one of the biggest and oldest moral dilemmas of modern times.   A paper written by Steven Levitt of the University of Chicago and John Donohue of Yale University titled â€Å"The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime† in 2001 revived the idea that legalized abortion has an effect on reduced crime. The main argument behind it is that after the legalization of abortion took place in 1973, crime fell sharply 18 to 22 years later in the 1992-1995 period. Think about it. Males in the 18-24 age range are those most likely to commit crimes, and 18 to 24 years after abortion was legalized, crime fell drastically. See a connection? While this is a glaring indicator that there is a connection, it is not the only one. States that legalized abortion before Roe v. Wade experienced declines in crime before other states. On top of that, states that had higher abortion rates in the mid-1970’s had steeper declines in crime. These aren’t the only factors that contribute to the Donohue-Levitt hypothesis. Unwanted children, such as those that were born to people denied abortions, are more likely to suffer from neglect and abuse or to be abandoned. These children are more likely to eventually drop out of school, join gangs, and commit crimes or be incarcerated. Bringing a child into a family that is unable or unready to provide for it increases the child’s likelihood to exhibit delinquent behavior. The purpose of studying the link between abortion and crime isn’t to advocate abortion, or to hail it as a crime-fighting tool, but to instead understand trends in crime, and, ultimately, how the world works. In studying this, we can discover why people commit crimes, what affects crime rates, and the effects of abortion on society. The abortion debate is, and always should be, one of the moral values.

Managing Oneself By Peter F Drucker Management Essay

Managing Oneself By Peter F Drucker Management Essay In his article, Managing Oneself, Peter F. Drucker establishes the correlation between success and self-awareness. Success in the knowledge economy comes to those who know themselves, their strengths, their values, and how they best perform. We will be able to achieve results, remain competitive and be successful by knowing our strengths and limitations. Furthermore, by knowing our strengths and limitations, we can position ourselves where we can best contribute and excel within the organization. Drucker suggests a self-assessment using the following questions. What Are My Strengths? Learning more about our strengths can be done through feedback analysis, and also by comparing expectations versus results. Knowing what our strengths are will allow us to maximize our potential in areas in which we can excel, instead of wasting time trying to cultivate skills in areas of little or no proficiencies. Knowing our strengths will let us determine where we belong. How Do I Perform? The way we perform is a matter of personality. Everyone performs differently and how we perform is unique. Recognizing if we are a reader or a listener, as well as, identifying how we learn, can help us find out how we perform. Understanding how we perform is essential to prevent wasting time and effort in trying to change the way we learn and operate. Instead, it is far more advantageous to improve our performance and try not to take on work we cannot perform well or perform at all. What Are My Values? To work in an organization whose value system is unacceptable or incompatible with ones own condemns a person both to frustration and to non-performance. People and organizations have values. In order to perform well or be effective in an organization, both the values of the organization and the individual must be close enough so they can co-exist. Value conflicts can result in frustration and poor or non-performance; therefore, values should be a primary focus in situations in where personal values are not in sync with an organizations. Where Do I Belong? Knowing our strengths, how we perform and our values can help us answer the question, where do we belong. This is important because by knowing where we belong, we can place ourselves where we can make the greatest contributions within the organization. It also can help us to select the tasks and responsibilities in which we are more likely to excel based on what we know about our strengths, performance and values. What Should I Contribute? Or what should my contributions be? Contributions to our organizations should make a difference for the better. Its results should be visible and measurable. In addtion, contributions should be based on our given strengths, performance and values, and follow a course of action: what to do, where and how to start, and what goals and deadlines to set. Managing oneself requires a high degree of self control, self awareness and social skills. Since we are all part of society, we all should be aware of our relationship responsibilities. This is recognizing that an organizations composition includes people with different values, strengths and performance levels, knowing them will help us work better with others and accomplish more. With regard to relationship responsibilities, it is also important to take responsibility for communication. Effective communication helps to build consensus, increasing efficiency and building trust. Through effective communication, we can learn and understand members of our organizations to ensure we are in sync to achieve our goals and provide our greatest contributions to our firms and society. What Leaders Really Do By John P. Kotter In his article, What Leaders Really Do, Kotter establishes the difference between managing and leading. The key distinction he makes is that management involves coping with complexity and leadership has to do with coping with change. Good management brings a degree of order and consistency to key dimensions like the quality and profitability of products. According to Kotter, managers promote stability while leaders press for change, and only organizations that embrace both sides of that contradiction can thrive in turbulent times. Although there are clear differences between managing and leadership, effective leadership cannot be achieved without good management. Management has to do with objectives and results. It does require planning, organizing, leading and controlling. An effective manager will find or will administer the necessary technical and human resources to get things done effectively; this is, with the lowest cost and in the fastest time. Leadership, in contrast, has to do with the social aspect of managing. In our organizations, leaders set up the direction and vision. A manager will make sure to plan accordingly and direct the necessary resources to follow the direction or vision of our leaders in their organization. Kotter also lists the following as activities that leaders dont do; They dont make plans, they dont solve problems, they dont even organize people. What leaders really do is prepare organizations for change and help them cope as they struggle through it. Leaders inspire change and prepare organizations to manage change. However, based on my work experience, I disagree with the author on the idea that leaders dont plan, solve problems or that they dont organize One can argue that a leader may not has the same level of involvement as a middle manager or supervisor in performing these activities; however effective leaders do have to make plans, resolve problems and organize even move people. The degree of contribution of a leader carrying out these actions will depend on the type of leader they are, the situation they are in and organization they are leading. Another idea that is presented in this article is that leadership has nothing to do with having charisma or other exotic personal ity traits. Although it is true that being charismatic is not a requirement to be a leader, it has been demonstrated by many studies and theories that a charismatic leader has a positive effect on their followers. People want to be led by these individuals They inspire and motivate, which in turn makes it easier for a leader to effectively influence others to act or change and work toward achieving the leaders vision. After all, this is the very essence of effective leadership, to inspire and influence others to act and change. What makes a leader? By Daniel Goleman The term emotional intelligence was introduced by Daniel Goleman in 1995. In his research at nearly 200 large global companies, he found that in addition to intellectual abilities and technical skills, effective leaders are alike in having a high degree of emotional intelligence. The five components of emotional intelligence are: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. The first three components of emotional intelligence are self-management skills, the last two have to do with the persons ability to manage relationships with others. Why emotional intelligence is so important for leaders? Self-Awareness and Self-Regulation: The ability to recognize, understand and control our emotions plays an important role in decision making in business. People who know how their feelings and impulses affect them and affect others, can make better decisions and can adapt to changes more easily. Motivation: Effective leaders are driven to achieve. Their passion goes beyond money and status. Motivation ensures organizational commitment and plays a role in the levels of optimism within the organization. Empathy: Carefully consider employees feelings along with other factors in decision making. People feel better when they are led by someone who cares and understands them. Empathy impacts productivity and effectiveness in team work and in retaining talent. Social Skills: Knowing that in business, as well as, in many other professional fields, nothing important is accomplished individually. Using effective interpersonal skills and networking allows leaders to effectively get the job done through others. In the organizations in which I have been a member of, emotional intelligence has made the difference between effective and ineffective leaders. On many occasions, high technical and intellectual skills of managers have not been enough to make them effective in their efforts to lead teams or the organization in general. In contrast, managers and CEOs who seem to know themselves well, understand and control their emotions, seem to project their positive attitude and approach onto other members of the organization. They can see the bigger picture in situations of conflict or problems. They remain in control, not allowing their feelings or emotions to interfere with their decision making process, and come up with creative solutions that others within the organization were unable to see (perhaps because they let their feelings and negative thoughts get in the way). They remain optimistic and can efficiently motivate others even in situations when the odds for success seem against them. T hey also show empathy and genuinely care about others; many of them are involved in activities or programs that help their communities or are mentors for their employees. There is consensus in the way they are perceived. Everyone agrees they are people persons with a natural ability to maintain and build relationships in and outside the organization. More than relationships, they establish bonds, partnerships and networks that help to influence to get the job done effectively. More importantly, they seem to always look for the upside or positive side of an issue and make people feel good about being part of the organization, which has a direct effect on productivity and success. They lead by example and treat everyone with respect. For me, these traits and abilities represent what emotional intelligence is and they are as important as technical and intellectual skills in order to lead effectively. Mastering the components of emotional intelligence can make the difference in the effe ctiveness of a leader. What Every Leader Needs to Know About Followers By Barbara Kellerman There is no leader without follower(s). The relationship leader-follower can be described as interdependent. They need each other to exist, and they impact each others actions and behaviors. Many of us share the perception that a follower is someone who willing accepts anothers ideas, vision or assignments, sometimes unconditionally or without questioning the purpose or reason their leader has. Historically, because leaders were in positions of power or authority, followers simply acted as compliant subordinates. According to Barbara Kellerman in her Harvard Business Review article, What Every Leader Needs to Know About Followers, the relationship leaders-followers has changed. A confluence of changes- cultural and technological ones in particular- have influenced what subordinates want and how they behave, especially in relation to their ostensible bosses. The advances in technology and globalization have resulted in less usable power for leaders. Followers now have access to inform ation and tools that were not available to them in the past. The trend in todays business environment is that followers think of themselves and act more as free agents by not being totally dependent on or submissive to their leaders ideas or objectives. More often than not, followers now can challenge leaders decision. For this reason, leaders are now more careful in the way they treat their followers. They are aware that their actions may be subject to scrutiny, not only by their followers, but also by their organization and the society as a whole. Additionally, because power is now shared in most modern organizations, leaders look for followers feedback and support. At the same time, followers can impact a leaders behavior. For example, they can withhold support from a bad leader and support good ones, or organize themselves to pursue an objective that challenges or blocks their leaders action. Just as there are different types of leaders, there are different types of followers. In general, having high technical skills, knowledge and emotional intelligence are associated with being a good leader. Leaders and followers have similar traits or characteristics; their differences are related to their behaviors and roles. In my personal experience, good followers challenge their leaders. With their knowledge and use of available information, they invest time in making judgments about their leaders. They also contribute to a cause or organization with their engagement and passion. Good followers also actively support a leader who is effective and ethical, and will actively oppose an ineffective or unethical lerader. Good leaders are essential for successful businesses. At the same time, good followers have a direct impact on strengthening their leaders actions through their support or weakening their leaders to their lack thereof.

Erythroxylum: The Coca Plant :: Botany

Erythroxylum: The Coca Plant The coca plant is a member of the order Geraniales and the family Erythroxylaceae. There are four genera with an estimated 200 species in Erythroxylaceae (De Witt, 1967). Coca was first described as Erythroxylum by A.L. Jussieu in 1783. It was given the binomial Erythroxylum coca by Lamarck in 1786. Early botanists believed that all coca plants were of the same species. Later researchers found that two species of domesticated coca existed. These are Erythroxylum coca Lam. and Erythroxylum novogranatense (Morris) Hieron (Rury and Plowman, 1983). The two species have two varieties, Erythroxylum coca Lam. var. coca, E. coca var. Ipuda Plowman, E. novogranatense (Morris) Hieron var. novogranatense, and E. novogranatense var. truxillense (Rusby) Plowman (Plowman, 1983). Distribution Coca is grown in South America, Africa, Ceylon, Taiwan, Indonesia and Formosa (De Witt, 1967). Coca is most commonly associated with its center of origin, the South American Montana zone of the eastern Andes below 2000m (Bray & Dollery, 198:3). According to Rury and Plowman (1983) E. coca var. Coca, Huanuco or Bolivian coca is the ancestral variety. Bolivian coca grows in the moist tropical forests of the eastern Andes of Peru and Bolivia. This variety is the only one of the four found growing wild. Bolivian coca is the major source of commercially produced coca leaves and cocaine. Amazon coca, E. coca var. ipuda is cultivated in the lowland Amazon. It has been suggested that this variety is a lowland cultigen of Bolivian coca. In contrast to Bolivian coca it is not found growing wild (Rury and Plowman, 1993). E. novogranatense var. truxillense or Trujillo coca is a hardy, drought resistant variety. It is found growing in river valleys of coastal Peru and other arid areas of this region. Bohm, Ganders & Plowman (1982) state that this variety displays many characteristics that are intermediate between E. coca var. coca and E. novogranatense var. novogranatense, and may represent an evolutionary stage between these species. E. novogranatense var. novogranatense or Colombian coca is cultivated in both moist and dry areas in the Colombian mountains. It is also drought tolerant and is not found growing outside Cultivation. Evidence shows that this variety maybe the most evolved species (Rury & Plowman, 1983). Cultivation Coca plants are small evergreen shrubs with reddish brown bark. They have many small branchlets with elliptical-obovate opposite leaves measuring 4-7 cm. in length and 3-4 cm.

To Kill a Mockingbird Analysis

Themes play an important role in the novel for it presents the main dead or the underlying meaning of the literary work. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the themes are made to surface through the shared feelings and attitudes of the main characters like Scout, Gem and Tactics Finch. The characters' thoughts and conversations, especially the ideas which are repeated in several dialogue exchanges and their actions in significant events also develop the novel's themes. The novel presents the oldest yet timeless conflict between good versus evil.This is evident in most situations and conversations which explored human morality and the innateness of oddness and evilness of people in the society. Tactics Finch represents the moral voice of the novel because he believes that people have aspects of both good and evil, but good will always prevail. He has never lost his faith on the goodness of man amidst the fact that man has also the tendency to do bad things. In the novel, he struggles to defend a black man of false accusation in a racist society but he never gives up and firmly holds on unto the idea that someday the truth and the good will overpower racism in their community.The same theme is manifested through the experiences of Scout and Gem. Tactics, their father, teaches them to believe in the goodness of all people and values and morals guide everyone in their actions but as the story progresses, both children are exposed to the reality that the world isn't really that perfect. Their innocence is stripped away from them through several incidents that made them think twice of their father's belief.Scout, in the beginning, is an innocent and good -hearted little girl who has no experience with the evils of the world but as she encounters racial discrimination in their town, she starts to get confused and questions everything around her. Gem, n the other hand, is older and in the midst Of entering puberty but the effect of the societal prejudice to a convicted black ma n is much graver compared to Scout's. Gem gets frustrated and disappointed to the harsh reality that sometimes justices will not prevail. This leaves him vulnerable and traumatized in an important facet of his life.Harper Lee manages to exhibit children's transition from innocence to maturity. She intelligently portrayed the fact that at some point in time in a significant event, children will be bound to graduate from their innocence and learn the facts about life and its imperfections. With children as the main characters in the novel, education is but obvious for a theme. In the initial chapters, the novel discusses the difference between institutionalized education and education at home. A conflict emerges as Miss Caroline scolds her for being too advance for their class.Scout gets disappointed for being punished because she is taught well in home by her father and their black servant. Miss Caroline even reminds Scout to tell her father that he shouldn't teach his child because he doesn't really know how to. He is in no position to teach for he is not a teacher. This conflict shows criticism to institutionalized education. This presents the conceitedness of teachers and the curriculum in providing education to learners. The system is too strict and traditional in their pedagogies thus resulting to ineffectiveness in developing and molding a child's intelligence and ability.Clearly, Lee expresses a lack of belief in the Institutionalized educational system. Furthermore, this makes one realize that true education is not experienced in school but outside it. Education shouldn't be limited in the four walls of the classroom; instead it should be brought out to the outside world where reality and life lessons are best learned through experience. The novel also presents moral education in question. Scout believes that she learns moral lessons best in home rather in school. Her teachers appear to be hypocritical as they teach things that are not even true in real ity.Scout notices this most obviously when learning about the Holocaust. Miss Gates explains that such oppression of one group of people could never happen in the United States however racial discrimination to black people is very evident in their town. Scout sees conflict with the lesson aught by Miss Gates when she heard her talk about black people and say : â€Å"time somebody taught them a lesson, they thought they was getting' way above themselves, an' the next thing they think they can do is marry us. This makes Scout doubt her education and rather listen to her father than to attend school. Hypocrisy is apparent in the system. The teachers breach what they teach thus emphasizing the incompetence and ineffectiveness of instruction provided by the educational institutions. This further implies that moral education and good values are not necessary best taught in school. Sometimes, it is best learned from other places like ones home. In a town of Macomb, Alabama, Lee illustrate s the complexities of social hierarchy.The well-off Finches are near the top of the pyramid, the Cunningham family are mere farmers thus Stay in the higher bottom above the white-trash Lowell family. These social statuses greatly confuse the children especially the rules that come along with them. Because of the structure, the children are prop bibbed to mingle with other families who are lesser in standing. This frustrates them most especially Scout because she ants to choose her own friends based on her definition of what makes a good person and not because of family income.The novel presents the dilemma of social inequality. The story takes place during the Great Depression thus social standing is as important as survival. People battle with society rules and structure. Lee exhibits how injustice and partiality divides a community and hinders human interaction thus contributing nothing but negativity to the people and the society as a whole. Racism, which is closely related to so cial inequality, is another focus of the novel. Harper Lee creates Macomb as a town separated by race.Harper Lee shows the bitterness that remains in the whites five decades after the end of slavery. This bitterness is best illustrated by the way that the way blacks are still oppressed, not by force but by fear and suppression. California, the Finch's servant is to be exceptionally bright, she even teaches Scout to write in script, but because she is black and a woman she cannot land a better job. The whites belittle and harass the blacks because they firmly believe that they are greater and more superior. This racial tension foreshadows Tom Robinsons case.Right in the beginning, everybody knows that Tom is innocent but because he is a black man, the prejudice jury still convicted him guilty of harassing and raping a white woman. The conclusion of the Tom Robinsons case ends with Tom being shot repeatedly while trying to escape despite his injury. Racism is considered as a social di sease. It brings out the evil nature of man as prejudice and discrimination overpowers conscience and moral code. It is through this novel that people are made to understand how nobody can ever benefit from racism.It only causes the creation of walls teen people thus hindering relationships and interactions to blossom. Lee shows the significance of human perspective in the processing of events and solving of problems. The character's outlook in life is deemed important in the development of the story and how each managed to understand the situation. In the novel, Tactics encourages Scout and Gem to be more considerate of other people and understand their situations. The children shouldn't immediately judge as it is not fair to the others.Tactics urges his children to try to step into other people's shoes to understand how they see he world: â€Å"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. † This lesson helps Scout gain insight into how other people view life and the world. Moreover, this broadens her moral education and social understanding. This theme was evident when Tactics requires Gem to go to Mrs.. Double's house to read to her as punishment for cutting all the flowers in her front yard.Gem didn't like Mrs.. Dubos and claims that she is an awful woman. Tactics tells Gem and Scout to try to understand Mrs.. Double's point of view. She is an old woman, very set her in ways, and she is entirely alone in the world. Gem and Scout agree to visit her and from that experience, they understood how she felt because they were able to see the world from her perspective. Scout applies her father's lesson when she meets Boo Raddled, a black man who kept himself hidden from the public because of the unjust and prejudice treatment.After she walks him home, Scout stands on Boob's porch and imagines many of the events of the story (Tactics shooting the mad dog the chil dren finding Boob's presents in the oak tree) as they must have looked to Boo. She then last realizes the love and protection that he has silently offered her and Gem all along. Scout's ability to assume another person's perspective sympathetically is the culmination of the novel. The final theme and probably the most significant is the mockingbird which represents the idea of innocence. Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. † That was the only time I ever heard Tactics say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maude about it. â€Å"Your father's right,† she said. â€Å"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy .. .But sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. † When Scout and Gem receive arraigns for Christmas, Tactics tells them that although he would prefer that they practice their shooting with tin cans, if they must shoot at living things, they must never shoot at mockingbirds.Tactics explai ns that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Clearly, this is the title scene, but the theme continues throughout the book. Miss Maude explains why Tactics is correct – mockingbirds never do anyone any harm, and are not pests in any way. All they do is sing beautifully and live peacefully. Therefore, it is a sin to kill them. The mockingbird represents true goodness and purity. Tom Robinson is one example of a human â€Å"mockingbird†. He is accused of raping and beating Malay Lowell, but is innocent of the charges.

Definition and Examples of Rhetorical Questions

Definition and Examples of Rhetorical Questions A rhetorical question is a  question (such as How could I be so stupid?) thats asked merely for effect with no answer expected. The answer may be obvious or immediately provided by the questioner. Also known as  erotesis, erotema, interrogatio, questioner, and reversed polarity question (RPQ). A rhetorical question can be an effective persuasive device, subtly influencing the kind of response one wants to get from an audience (Edward P.J. Corbett). See Examples and Observations, below. In English, rhetorical questions are commonly used in speech and in informal kinds of writing (such as advertisements). Rhetorical questions appear less frequently in academic discourse. Types of Rhetorical Questions Anthypophora and HypophoraEpiplexisErotesis Examples and Observations Something [rhetorical] questions all have in common . . . is that they are not asked, and are not understood, as ordinary information-seeking questions, but as making some kind of claim, or assertion, an assertion of the opposite polarity to that of the question.(Irene Koshik, Beyond Rhetorical Questions. John Benjamins, 2005)Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who would want to live in an institution?(H. L. Mencken)It did not occur to me to call a doctor, because I knew none, and although it did occur to me to call the desk and ask that the air conditioner be turned off, I never called, because I did not know how much to tip whoever might come- was anyone ever so young?(Joan Didion, Goodbye to All That. Slouching Towards Bethlehem, 1968)The means are at hand to fulfill the age-old dream: poverty can be abolished. How long shall we ignore this under-developed nation in our midst? How long shall we look the other way while our fellow human beings suffer? How long(Michael Harringt on, The Other America: Poverty in the United States, 1962) Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for republicans? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to understand?(Frederick Douglass, What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? July 5, 1852)Hath not a Jew eyes?Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?If you prick us, do we not bleed, if you tickle us, do we not laugh?If you poison us, do we not die?(Shylock in William Shakespeares Merchant of Venice)Can I ask a rhetorical question? Well, can I?(Ambrose Bierce)Arent you glad you use Dial?Dont you wish everybody did?(1960s television advertisement for Dial soap)To actually see inside your ear canalit would be fascinating, wouldnt it?(Letter from Sonus, a hearing-aid company, quoted in Rhetorical Questions Wed Rather Not Answer. The New Yorker, March 24, 2003)If practice makes perfect, and no ones perfect, then wh y practice?(Billy Corgan) Isnt it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do practice?(George Carlin)Am I alone in thinking it odd that a people ingenious enough to invent paper, gunpowder, kites, and any number of other useful objects, and who have a noble history extending back three thousand years, havent yet worked out that a pair of knitting needles is no way to capture food?(Bill Bryson, Notes From a Small Island. Doubleday, 1995)The Indians [in the Oliver Stone movie The Doors] serve the same function they did in Dances With Wolves: they make the far more highly paid white movie actors seem soulful and important and in touch with ancient truths. Do Indians enjoy being used this way, as spiritual elves or cosmic merit badges?(Libby Gelman-Waxner [Paul Rudnick], Sex, Drugs, and Extra-Strength Excedrin. If You Ask Me, 1994)Rhetorical Questions in Shakespeares Julius CaesarRhetorical questions are those so worded that one and only one answer can be generally expected from the audience you are addressin g. In this sense, they are like the unmentioned premises in abbreviated reasoning, which can go unmentioned because they can be taken for granted as generally acknowledged.Thus, for example, Brutus asks the citizens of Rome: Who is here so base that would be a bondman? adding at once: If any, speak, for him have I offended. Again Brutus asks: Who is here so vile that will not love his country? Let him also speak, for him I have offended. Brutus dares to ask these rhetorical questions, knowing full well that no one will answer his rhetorical questions in the wrong way.So, too, Marc Antony, after describing how Caesars conquests filled Romes coffers, asks: Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? And after reminding the populace that Caesar thrice refused the crown that was offered him, Antony asks: Was this ambition? Both are rhetorical questions to which one and only one answer can be expected.(Mortimer Adler, How to Speak How to Listen. Simon Schuster, 1983) Are Rhetorical Questions Persuasive?By arousing curiosity, rhetorical questions motivate people to try to answer the question that is posed. Consequently, people pay closer attention to information relevant to the rhetorical question. . . .At this point, I think it is important to note that the fundamental problem in the study of rhetorical questions is the lack of focus on the persuasive effectiveness of different types of rhetorical questions. Clearly, an ironical rhetorical question is going to have a different effect on an audience than an agreement rhetorical question. Unfortunately, little research has been conducted on how different types of rhetorical questions operate in a persuasive context.(David R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, What Is the Role of Rhetorical Questions in Persuasion? Communication and Emotion: Essays in Honor of Dolf Zillmann, ed. by Jennings Bryant et al. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2003)Punctuating Rhetorical QuestionsFrom time to time, people become dissatisfied with the broa d application of the question mark and try to narrow it down, usually by proposing distinct marks for the different kinds of question. Rhetorical questions have attracted  particular attention, as- not requiring any answer- they are so different in kind. An Elizabethan printer, Henry Denham, was an early advocate, proposing in the 1580s a reverse question mark  (ØŸ) for this function, which came to be called a percontation mark (from a Latin word meaning a questioning act). Easy enough to handwrite, some late 16th century authors did sporadically use it, such as Robert Herrick. . . . But printers were unimpressed, and the mark never became standard. However, it has received a new lease of life online . . ..(David Crystal, Making a Point:  The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation. St. Martins Press, 2015) The Lighter Side of Rhetorical QuestionsHoward: We need to ask you a question.Professor Crawley: Really? Let me ask you a question. What does an accomplished entomologist with a doctorate and twenty years of experience do when the university cuts all his funding?Rajesh: Ask uncomfortable rhetorical questions to people?(Simon Helberg, Lewis Black, and Kunal Nayyar in The Jiminy Conjecture. The Big Bang Theory, 2008)Penny: Sheldon, have you any idea what time it is?Sheldon: Of course I do. My watch is linked to the atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado. Its accurate to one-tenth of a second. But as Im saying this, it occurs to me that you may have again been asking a rhetorical question.(Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons in The Loobenfeld Decay. The Big Bang Theory, 2008)Dr. Cameron: Why did you hire me?Dr. House: Does it matter?Dr. Cameron: Kind of hard to work for a guy who doesnt respect you.Dr. House: Why?Dr. Cameron: Is that rhetorical?Dr. House: No, it just seems that way because you cant think of an answer.(House, M.D.)I forget, which day did God create all the fossils?(An anti-creationism bumper sticker, cited by Jack Bowen in If You Can Read This: The Philosophy of Bumper Stickers. Random House, 2010)Grandma Simpson and Lisa are singing Bob Dylans Blowin in the Wind (How many roads must a man walk down/Before you call him a man?). Homer overhears and says, Eight!Lisa: That was a rhetorical question!Homer: Oh. Then, seven!Lisa: Do you even know what rhetorical means?Homer: Do I know what rhetorical means?(The Simpsons, When Grandma Simpson Returns) Pronunciation: ri-TOR-i-kal KWEST-shun

Gases - General Properties of Gases

Gases - General Properties of Gases A gas is a form of matter that lacks a defined shape or volume. Gases share important properties, plus there are equations you can use to calculate what will happen to the pressure, temperature, or volume of a gas if conditions are changed. Gas Properties There are three gas properties that characterize this state of matter: Compressibility - Gases are easy to compress.Expandability - Gases expand to completely fill their containers.Because particles are less ordered than in liquids or solids, the gas form of the same substance occupies much more space.   All pure substances display similar behavior in the gas phase. At 0 ° C and 1 atmosphere of pressure, one mole of every gas occupies about 22.4 liters of volume. Molar volumes of solids and liquids, on the other hand, vary greatly from one substance to another. In a gas at 1 atmosphere, the molecules are approximately 10 diameters apart. Unlike liquids or solids, gases occupy their containers uniformly and completely. Because molecules in a gas are far apart, it is easier to compress a gas than it is to compress a liquid. In general, doubling the pressure of a gas reduces its volume to about half of its previous value. Doubling the mass of gas in a closed container doubles its pressure. Increasing the temperature of a gas enclosed in a container increases its pressure. Important Gas Laws Because different gases act similarly, it is possible to write a single equation relating volume, pressure, temperature, and quantity of gas. This Ideal Gas Law and the related Boyles Law, Law of Charles and Gay-Lussac, and Daltons Law are central to understanding the more complex behavior of real gases. Ideal Gas Law: The ideal gas law relates the pressure, volume, quantity, and temperature of an ideal gas. The law applies to real gases at normal temperature and low pressure. PV nRTBoyles Law: At constant temperature, the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to its pressure. PV k1Law of Charles and Gay-Lussac: These two ideal gas laws are related.  Charless law states at constant pressure, the volume of an ideal gas is directly proportional to temperature.  Gay-Lussacs law says at constant volume, the pressure of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature. V k2T (Charless Law), Pi/Ti   Pf/Tf (Gay-Lussacs Law)Daltons Law: Daltons law is used to find pressures of individual gases in a gaseous mixture. Ptot Pa Pbwhere:P is pressure, Ptot is total pressure, Pa and Pb are component pressuresV is volumen is a  number of molesT is temperaturek1 and k2 are constants