Chariots of Fire

Chariots of Fire Throughout the world today, people are determined by a persistent feeling of weakness in many areas of life. Financial problems, misconduct, pollution, and other problems appear like they are out of control. In the workplace, employees often complain about being viewed as unimportant and unessential. In marriages, family units and even friendships, falling-out is a common circumstance. It is apparent that there are oppressive forces that manipulate us.While some filmmakers offer the public entertainment as remedies to this dissatisfaction, others reinforce the sense that individual worth is being assaulted from several areas. Chariots of Fire is a film that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Two very different approaches to religion and sport are at the heart of this movie. The film is based on the true story of two British sprinters in the 1924 Paris Olympics; one Christian and one Jewish. Neither runner is out for personal or national glory. These two men are competing for the same reason; a matter of a higher calling but in very different ways.For Harold Abrahams, a proud English Jew from a well-to-do family, running is a weapon against anti-Semitism; a way of validating his worth, and by extension his Jewishness, to his Anglo society and to himself. There is something to be said for this approach: After shattering a long-standing speed barrier at Cambridge’s Trinity College, the master says â€Å"Perhaps they’re the chosen people after all. † In a way, he is right. As an athlete, Abrahams is driven by rebellious anger and shame endangered by the legacy of anti-Semitic prejudice that has gone hand in hand with the Jew’s divine determination.For Eric Liddell, a devout Scot with missionary aspirations, running is something he can do to give glory to God, the same way the grass glorifies him by growing and the sun by shining. In one part of the movie, Liddell tries explaining the value of runn ing to his sister, who doesn’t see the value of it at all by saying â€Å"I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure. † The difference between their motivations is highlighted in a number of ways.Each runner’s commitment goes well beyond whatever obligation either feels to the expectations of their society. Where Abrahams’ commitment leads him to dispense himself from unwritten rules about amateur athletes not receiving professional coaching, Liddell brings his own additional unwritten rules to participation. For Abrahams, the chief crisis he faces is whether he can win after losing a race to Liddell and for Liddell; the crisis is whether he can even qualify when en route to the Olympics discovers the qualifying heat for his event is on the â€Å"Sabbath. While Abrahams must swallow his pride and find the courage to run in the Olympics, Liddell must swallow his hopes and find the courage not to run. Chariots of Fire is an aesthetically well realized work of art. The authentic drama deals directly with issues such as athletic competition, the nature of winning and losing and the central place of beliefs in sports. It touches sensitively and strongly on the longing for perfection, the search for meaning and the struggle for acceptance.

The Augustan Transformation of the Forum Romanum Essay

The Augustan Transformation of the Forum Romanum - Essay Example The noblest of them all was his transformation of the new forum of Augustus at the roman forum and the Julius forum. At this place, a temple of mars the avenger was erected. This was built by Augustus for his commemoration of the war that he had waged to avenge the killing of Caesar. Forum Romanum is a piece of architecture that is both monumental and an envy of many from time immemorial. It became almost as a symbol of unity and Rome. One of the major contributions made by Augustus was the preservation of architecture or buildings that had been built by his predecessors instead of destroying them and building his own to mark his reign. Much credit has been given to Augustus for transforming Rome and preserving the social, cultural, and roman values at his time of rule. The kind of cultural and religious beliefs expressed by the Forum Romanum are immense (Marucchi 1–2). This paper looks at the Forum Romanum’s transformation by Augustus and how this monument is interwove n with the politics, cultures, religious, and other social values held by the roman people. Discussion The Forum Romanum is a plaza that is rectangular in shape and is surrounded by numerous ruins that represent quite a number of important ancient roman government houses that are located in the middle of the city, Rome. This place was initially a place for buying and selling of goods by the roman people and the people originally referred to it as forum magnum. In the roman life, this place served as their central location and marked their public life. This is attributed to the fact that it was the site where all processions of triumph, elections, political speeches, trials of criminals, and matches of gladiators were organized and took place. It was also the commercial nucleus of the roman people (Galinsky 23-56). When looking at these activities, one would be able to understand why the Forum Romanum was such an important location to the romans and why it received so much fame durin g the reign of kings and even in the present day’s history. The statues and monuments that were erected here did commemorate the great men of the city who got fame and favor from the kings, nobles, and the public. It was basically the teeming heart of what could be referred to as the ancient Rome. Historians call this place as the most celebrated meeting place in the whole world and recognized through history. This Forum Romanum is found between the Capitoline Hills and the Palatine. However, currently the Forum Romanum stands out as sprawling ruins made of architectural fragments and has exhibited very intermittent excavations from archeologists (Grant 11-18). The reign of Augustus was extraordinary and left Rome with a new order in government, personal and social identity. His transformations did redefine what Rome was and changed the perceptions of people about what being roman symbolized. Traditions and values that found their roots to new mythology of nationalism were fu lly expressed. The new ideology found its manifestation in architectural designs and art. The political buildings like this Forum Romanum were planned carefully and took into consideration the programs that had been designed for urban renewal and the boosting of the public (Galinsky 23-56). This Forum Roman

History of Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

History of Germany - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that several European, Asian and African states had been under the German subjugation particularly during the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Once divided into nearly three hundred and thirty-nine small Prussian states, as a shattered nation of Germania, the country witnessed its unification in 1871 after winning three decisive wars against Denmark, Austria-Hungary, and France in 1864, 1866 and 1871 respectively. The credit certainly goes to the distinguished Prussian statesman and iron chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who united the entire nation under one banner and motivated them to fight jointly against the rival nations in order to regain their lands from them to ensure and complete the unification process. â€Å"The Schleswig-Holstein War humbled Denmark, the Austro-Prussian War ended in the defeat of Austria-Hungary and the Franco-Prussian War completed German unification by the defeat of France. Consequently, Germany tur ned out to be supreme and one of the most powerful sovereign states of the entire region in the wake of the arrest of the French Emperor and the declaration made in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles in January 1871. Bismarck settled the aftermath of wars against Denmark and Austria-Hungary under very moderate terms and conditions; somehow, he observed unparalleled cruelty and disliking towards France. He not only inflicted upon vanquished France with enormous war indemnity but also snatched her most productive zones including two provinces of Alsace and Lorraine from her. It not only created a boundary wall between the French nation, but also the country had to undergo serious setback after she was deprived of the most productive industrial areas. Hence, Bismarck expressed his extreme repugnance towards the entire French nation, and consequently invited the same bitter sentiments in the hearts and minds of the deprived, humiliated and downtrodden French nation. As a result, feelings of repentance, remorse, hatred, and revenge started growing against the then recently united Germany in the hearts of the French, and Bismarck turned out to be the most unwanted personality for the whole French nation. The sentiments of vengeance arose among the French and the foundations of new foreign policies were laid on the principles of retaliation, uncertainty, and malice. Since the German Chancellor was not unaware of the intense sorrow and grief the French had been undergoing; on the contrary, he acknowledged the very possibility of French invasion whenever she got the opportunity of the same. Consequently, he introduced the politics of alliances in the European governmental avenues and international relations as well in the aftermath of the French humiliation at his own hands with the perils of an imminent French attack on Germany. Thus, the pivot of his foreign policy was to isolate France in the arena of international politics so that she could not manage to threat or t hwart Germany for the future years to come. Under such sheer state of comprehensions, Bismarck created the Dreikaiserbund or the Three Emperors League in 1873, where the Emperors of Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary were united to co-operate with one another at the hour of the need. The alliance also reiterated the moral and strategic support of the allies provided any other state invaded on them. Thus Bismarck's individual foreign policy to isolate France led the world towards the politics of alliances and rivalries dragging these rival alliances on the way to the horrible World War I subsequently.

Petroleum Development of Oman Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Petroleum Development of Oman - Assignment Example The Company's contribution towards training Omani Citizens has been phenomenal and is a part of the shared vision of an educated and qualified Oman as conceived by his Excellency the Sultan. In the aftermath of the World War II, the race for global market leadership has taken an aggressive outlook. Since the first ever discovery of oil in the Middle East the competition in the region is getting fierce and huge investments are being directed towards the exploitation of the so called 'Black Gold'-a name once used for Afro-American slaves. Under these circumstances firms are analyzing every nook and corner of their operation and investing millions of dollars on improving their strategies in the pursuit of a competitive advantage. Employees are no longer mere workers but a core human resource which is being greatly invested upon. Trends in employee training have shown an upward shift in the past decade and a huge budget is being spent on it, in the meantime with the advent of increasingly sophisticated technology training is no longer a choice but a need. Omani Government realizes that in order to achieve the conceived goals of development it is significant for the workforce of the most productive sector, Petroleum, to be motivated. And a key aspect of motivation as identified by the experts of Human Resource Management is Employee Training. With this view in mind PDO under the surveillance of the Sultan is making huge monetary investments for reshaping its workforce. Technical expertise has been imported from the Western World to meet this end and importance is being attached to the coaching of the mechanical staff in view of the future prospects. Emphasis on English and IT Training to employees is a growing trend in PDO and worker welfare programs appealing to different employee groups are being introduced consistently. Developments in this context include the Training to Young Omanis (TYO) program for young graduates and the Omani Technician Training Program (OTTP) for field technicians. An interesting aspect that can be highlighted in the above mentioned programs is the emphasis laid on the training in English and IT departments irrespective of the employee rank and needs. PDO recognizes English and IT proficiency as the traits necessary for the 21st Century employee and it therefore emphasizes on training its employees in these courses. Moreover the stress on English Language training can also understood from the fact that English is the global language. It is understood and spoken even in areas where it is not native thus in order to go worldwide it is pre-eminent that PDO' s workforce should have a solid grasp on the English Language so as to readily communicate with its foreign customers and trainers. In the meantime the lack of technical expertise available in Oman calls for the import of talent from abroad. This would ultimately mean the inflow of foreigners who would be incapable of speaking or understanding the local language. Thus the only

Business senerio Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business senerio - Assignment Example The managerial staff at the firm must find alternative solutions to the problem as soon as possible. The morale problems the company faces have escalated into other human resource issues including a lack of communication, interpersonal conflicts, and physical confrontations. The situation has gotten so bad that the employees have stopped caring about their duties and their actions have reached external stakeholders. Recently an employee acted improperly dealing with a customer by yelling at the customer and acting unprofessionally. We have received several complaints from vendors of the company that have not received important paperwork concerning incoming shipments. The company is not suffering from any cash flow problems, but for some odd reason the finance department never pays the bills on time. The quality of the food at the cafeteria has reached an all time low. It seems as if the company is in the middle of chaos. Due to the negative impact that the morale problem is having on the entire organization the company has to take immediate steps to remedy the situation. The first step towards finding a solution is recognizing the existence of the problem to then take corrective actions. As managers we are responsible for the job performance of our subordinates. This matter cannot be delayed any longer because the low morale at the company is spreading like a virus. The majority of the departments at the firm are underperforming and the firm has become an unpleasant place to work. It is important for the company to take this matter seriously because low employee morale usually results in poor productivity and production. The firm has done a poor job at dealing with the situation so far and has let a simple issue turned into a problematic situation. The objective of the meeting is to allow the entire managerial staff to participate in the process of finding a solution to the morale problem. By the end of this meeting

The Importance of Communication Personal Statement - 1

The Importance of Communication - Personal Statement Example Since the research work was done as a group, there were challenges that were encountered in terms of different factors affecting the way the group was expected to perform and deliver the identified outcome. In every group endeavor, there were initial challenges in terms of aligning each member’s time, skills and abilities, and efforts toward the fulfillment of the group’s goal. In this particular situation, the goal was to come up with a comprehensive case study which focused on miscommunication during a funds transfer transaction within a bank setting. To do this, it was crucial to initially identify the competencies and capabilities of each member, as well as skills and talents. This is necessary to be able to assign roles and responsibilities and to equitably delegate tasks. Thus, during the process of group formation, members were able to agree on a group leader who governed all the tasks, roles, performance, and coordinating among members to ensure that various pha ses of the case studies are complied with effectively according to a definite time frame. Thus, at this particular phase alone, the challenges encountered were as follows: (1) carefully assessing skills, talents, abilities, and roles that each member would assume; (2) deciding who the group leader would be; (3) agreeing on the delegated tasks and responsibilities; (3) coming up with an outline of scheduled tasks to be delivered by each member depending on a time frame; (4) agreeing to meet or correspond on a particular schedule and venue; and (5) exchanging relevant personal details (names, addresses, contact numbers, and available schedules).

The Effects of Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Effects of Global Warming - Essay Example These deadly consequences can eventually result to damages in property and resources and even loss of lives to millions of people. Other known effects of global warming are also reflected in the extinction of plant and animal species and the decreasing diversity of the ecosystem. Plant and animal populations have reduced as they migrate to new habitats for them to survive. Furthermore, human health and safety are also likely to be affected with the detrimental effects of global warming. Due to the rising temperatures, humans can be subjected to diseases such as malaria, dengue and cholera, which can easily spread, not only in tropical areas, but also in the Polar Regions. As such, the effects of global warming can be disastrous, and these can also severely affect human life conditions, as well as the living patterns and survival of the different species that depend on the diversity of the