Sunday, July 21, 2019

The Usage Of Metaphors In Pauls Letters Religion Essay

The Usage Of Metaphors In Pauls Letters Religion Essay Reading through the letters of Saint Paul it is clear that he is a master on using metaphors. Actually, one of his main ways to communicate is the using of metaphorical imagery. Inspired by his religious genius, his biblical background and considering that he had a magnificent knowledge of the Hellenism, Paul has all the ingredients to outline a very persuasive speech. Pauls letters were written in order to persuade his audience of the powerful truth of the gospel that he learned from Christ himself. As such Paul is called to preach the crucified Christ in various sets of circumstances and in its many ramifications. Any reader of his letters is delighted by the many images he uses to transmit his message, which are very helpful for the reader to be close of Paul himself. 1. Usage of metaphorical speech by the first Christians As Francois Vouga states, in the early Christianity the pursuit for the truth about the Gospel had accepted a plurality of ways to express the same Creed in order to maintain a fundamental unity. Surely this plurality happened because the impossibility to reduce the God of Jesus Christ to a singles person view or to ones single discourse  [1]  . This could be one of the reasons why that Paul was impelled to use an imagetic language. Generally speaking, in the Bible the metaphors are tropes of language which are largely used to communicate the knowledge and the message of God to his children. As so it is very important to have over and over a deeper understanding of them. At same time each metaphor assumes various significances, in the sense that they can be interpreted starting from different angles  [2]  . Even, the metaphors within themselves can multiply themselves; those are the metaphors squared as Beverly Gaventa likes to call them  [3]  . For instance, when Paul says like a nurse nurturing their own children (2, 7) he his multiplying automatically its meanings. Latter on this work I will take a closer look to this example. 2. How Paul uses metaphor When analyzing a metaphor it is a need to be aware of the context, mainly because the metaphors are always born on a specific environment and refer to it. At same time it is a requirement to pay attention to all hits power: metaphors ask us change our minds  [4]  . Also the relationship between intimacy and metaphor is very important, especially in the paternal imagery that Paul uses  [5]  . Moreover, Paul in his letters uses many powerful images. It is very significant to work of Raymond Collins called The Power of Images in Paul  [6]  . On this book Professor Collins takes up the seven letters of Paul and pulls up the metaphors and all the imagery language that Paul uses. Through this work Raymond Collins concludes that Paul uses the ordinary to describe the extraordinary. Actually, it is correct to say that Paul is skillful on this matter and he uses a wide range of metaphors. Using many sources (for instance: secular language; religious language and biblical themes) Paul intents to speak to various audiences. Certainly Paul tries to persuade his addressees and also clarified them. It is also important that metaphors played an important role in Hellenistic rhetoric mainly because of their philosophical traditions. So, as some of listeners of Paul were Hellenistic he had to speak in their language. Also, he had to trust me to the same doctrine those who had Jewish faith. Meanwhile, being Jew Paul had to appropriate some of his language: For Paul, a Jew addressing a Hellenistic audience, correct relationships with God and ones fictive kin can be summed up in the dyad faith and love. For believers facing the impending eschaton, faith and love must be complemented by hope, the attitude that faith takes in the face of the future  [7]  . II Chapter In the second chapter, I will focus on Pauls itself, in his seven authentic (better, undisputed) letters  [8]  . Afterwards I will isolate some of the sentences where Paul uses the paternal metaphors, does how seemed from my reading of is letters to be the most important on this matter. Also, the order that I present them is according to my understanding of their strength as metaphors. So, after a brief introduction to the letter itself I will do a simple lexical analysis of the Greek words. Doing so, going to a deeper understanding of those metaphors. From there I will draw some of the implications of such images in their contexts as well as in parallel with modern psychology. First letter to the Thessalonians In the first letter to the Thessalonians Saint Paul is quite happy as he writes. This shows Pauls trust that the Thessalonians are following the Lords commandments. As many scholars say, this letter did not pretend to transmit a lot of theories, corrections or teachings. The main goal of Pauls letter was just to show a spiritual closeness to his community, exhorting them to be faithful. About its author in beginning this letter aims to be a coauthored letter (1, 1) by Paul, Silas and Timothy (as it does the second letter to the Thessalonians 2 Thess 1, 1-2). The scholars accept this authorship as true (especially concerning the first Thessalonians). Apparently this correspondence with the Thessalonians were started long after the departure of Paul and his companions from Thessalonica to Athens certainly Paul himself was hoping to come back but was hindered (2, 18), but he managed to send Timothy back. So surely this letters (and perhaps also the second letter also) was written afte r Timothys return with good news from Thessalonica concerning the stability of the community there (3, 6)  [9]  . So from Athens, a little after the year 50, Paul is exulting full of happiness with the good news the Timothy brought, showing at same time his interest for his fellow missionaries  [10]  . Together with Ugo Vanni I agree that there are three different parts on this letter. First off, there is an autobiographical part. On this one he speaks about himself as so as he recalls some aspects of the community. For instance he says We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. (2, 8). For sure, Paul wrought this letter just a few months after the foundation of this community, so it is interesting to see how he indicates right away those highest ideals of Christian faith. The second part Paul exhorts and explains what it means to be a Christian  [11]  . It is also important to note that the first letter to the Thessalonians was very close to the preaching of Paul himself: because the community was just in the beginning when Paul wrote to them. It also signifies that Paul was doing his first experiments on letter writing. Despite their brevity and their relative lack of significantly developed theological themes compared to the other letters in the Pauline corpus, the two letters to the Thessalonians Christians have become the object of much recent examination, particularly in the areas of rhetorical criticism, sociological analysis and the early development of Pauline theology  [12]  . In the beginning of this letter Paul presents himself as a role model of sincerity and integrity for his co-workers. Paul believes that a sincere faith is the key to his success as an apostle. So also, the ministers of the Word should transmit by their own lives the Word that they preach. This means, an incarnate Word. It is fair to say, like in all Pauls letters, that also here he claims the primacy of Jesus for all his work. He, Jesus, is that true center and to which all the communities should gravitate  [13]  . 1. Paul as a nurse lexical analysis 1 Tess 2, 7 (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ° à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ³ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ®ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ ÃŽÂ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ®Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ ÃŽÂ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ­Ãƒ Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ³ à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¶ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½, à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ °ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)but we were gentle among you, à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ ÃŽÂ ¸ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã†â€™ à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ° à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ­ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ºÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±,  [14]  like a nurse keeping warm her little children  [15]   Chose key words analysis Relations with other Pauline passages and biblical texts Paul wants to be considered in the role of father and mother, founding his authority in Jesus  [16]  . Actually, it is in this context that Paul calls himself a nurse. In Greek the word à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã…’à Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ does not mean a biological mother but an adoptive mother. So this word is full of symbolic meaning. This term refers to one adoptive mother, a nurse. As such, the word à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã…’à Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ gives us a sense of motherhood, and, even though it is not a biological mother, it is a mother who nurses her own children (ÃŽÂ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ®Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¶ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½)  [17]  . Going deeper in the analysis, it is possible to conclude that Saint Paul shows that, in reality, those children are not his own but Christs children. If that is true, it is also true that he loves them just as if they were his own. Consequently, this metaphor is full of tender care. It is important also to take a look on the verb that expresses the action of nursing: ÃŽÂ ¸ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã†â€™. Literally, this verb means to keep warm, like a bird keeping warm her eggs. As Raymond Collins claims, the images used by St. Paul are powerful, In this case he says that the word ÃŽÂ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ®Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ (children) used by Paul describes his coworkers. He also notes that there are some doubts about this word: some scholars argue that the word here should be ÃŽÂ ®Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ (gentiles). He doesnt agree with that position like most scholars, saying that this word fits better with all the metaphor; it even helps to inten sify it. The word ÃŽÂ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ®Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ can even be translated as babies, so it goes along well with the word nurse, expressing the closeness and the deep knowledge shared by Paul and the Thessalonians  [18]  . 2. Rhetoric of excess metaphor in the context Context itself Parenetic perspective Affective perspective Theological perspective Apocalyptical perspective Other sources (ancient world use of this imagery) Thus, when Paul was in Athens, he remembered the Thessalonians and was afraid that their faith might weaken. As a result he sent them an affectionate message. As Jerome Murphy-OConnor asserts, Paul had a special concern for newly Christians that they left behind at Tessalonika. Of course they were under attack, as Paul itself was. But the physical persecution was just a part of the problem; the true danger was more subtle as Paul knew the Thessalonians were easily convinced or other doctrines. Paul feared that they would spread because of disillusionment, followed by a disappointment so great as to make them renounce their new faith. If the believers in Thessalonica would come to feel cheated, surely all would be lost  [19]  . 3. Before the modern psychology First letter to the Corinthians As its founder, Paul feels the responsibility to take care, at least through letter writing, of all his communities. The first (and the second) letter to the Corinthians are documents that express that concern of Paul for the community at Corinth and all the communities in the region of Achaia. On first Corinthians especially Paul applies his theological convictions, mainly Christology and Eschatology, when facing practical issues in the church. The authorship of this letter is generally accepted as authentic: is accepted to be Pauls letter (together with Second Corinthians). The foundation of the Church in Corinth (attested by Act 18) took place between the years 49-51 as part of Pauls second missionary journey. After Paul left, the Corinthians had some problems, mainly concerning ethical exclusions. So Paul, as the scholars agree, wrote a letter to them (which was lost) correcting them and giving them some specific advices. From there the Corinthians wrote back saying that they didnt understand or they didnt agree with Paul (also, was lost). So, the canonical first Corinthians followed, answering this letter from the Corinthians (cf. 1 Cor 1, 11; 5, 1; 16, 15-18). Paul was, probably staying in Ephesus trying making arrangements to go to Corinth when he wrote this letter. In the meantime he sent Timothy to visit the Corinthians on his behalf (1 Cor 16, 10-11; Acts 19, 22). This appended between the autumn of 52 and the spri ng of 55. The visit of Timothy, and the sad news brought by him triggered a painful visit of Paul to Corinth (cf. 2 Cor 2, 1; 2, 5-8; 7, 8-13; 11, 4). Then Paul wrote a second letter, which was to be at least a third following the studying line of some scholars, called by many as the tearful letter which he mentions on the second canonical letter (2 Cor 7, 6-13)  [20]  . Concerning to the general structure of First Corinthians it is right to say that it has five main parts. The first part is a salutation (1, 1-3) in witch are two situations that should be note: fist, it is a joint authorship Paul (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) and our brother Sosthenes (even thou afterwards it appears mainly the pronoun I); secondly this letter is addressed to the Corinthians together with all those who are calling upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place. The second part is a opening thanksgiving in which Paul, despite of the problems of the community, thanks God for them: The problems in Corinth are not due to their spiritual gifts per se, but to their attitude toward and use of them (cf. 12-14). From 1, 10 to 6, 20 is the third part on which Paul responds to the reports that he received about Corinth and also tries to clear Corinthians misunderstanding of his earlier correspondence. The fourth section of this letter responds to the letter from Corinth, dealing wit h specific issues like marriage (cf. 7, 1-40), food an idols (cf. 8, 1-11, 1); on the chapter ten Paul shows what are to be the consequences of their sinful acts, calling them to be instead imitators of him. Between chapters 12 and 14 Paul turns his attention to what means to behave Christlike in worship. Finally Paul closes this part calling to mind the cross of Christ on which he had grounded his letter (cf. 1, 18-25), drawing from there the consequences to the Christians, particularly regarding to the resurrection (cf. 15, 1-16, 12). The letter is completed with some concluding remarks, whit a closing sequence of admonitions (especially the need for perseverance in ones faith as it works itself out in love) and greetings from Paul and those with him in Asia (cf. 16, 13-24)  [21]  . Taking a closer look to the third chapter of first Corinthians, there is a metaphor that, again, shows the deep affection that Paul has for his communities. Despite the immense sin of the recipients, Paul is still showing a tender care in his letter. Actually, this metaphor seems like a strategy to get their attention and to make them listen to something important. Even though Paul was saying that the Corinthians are babies in Christ (ÃŽÂ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ ÃŽÃ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã†â€™Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ·) and he fed them with milk (ÃŽÂ ³ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±) (1Cor 3, 1-2), it also points out what is wrong among them. He reminds the ministers that they are to be humble (1Cor 3, 5); reaffirms the equality among all the members of the community (1Cor 3, 6-10); reminds them that they are built upon the same foundation (1Cor 3, 11-15); they are the Temple and in them the Spirit of God is indwelling (1Cor 3, 16-17); A s so, at the conclusion of the chapter he alerts each member to not fall on merely human assessments (ministers specially) and manipulative attitudes (1Cor 3, 18-23)  [22]  . 1. Paul feeds his babies in Christ (1 Cor 3, 1-2- lexical analysis) ÃŽÅ ¡Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ³Ãƒ Ã… ½, à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ´ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯, ÃŽÂ ¿Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ º à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ´Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ®ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ ÃŽÂ »ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿-ÃŽÂ ½ à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µÃƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ºÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿-à Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ ½ à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±Ãƒ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ºÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ ÃŽÂ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ ÃŽÃ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã†â€™Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ·. ÃŽÂ ³ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ± à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ Ã…’à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±, ÃŽÂ ¿Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚  ÃŽÂ ²Ãƒ Ã‚ Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¶ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±Ã‚ · ÃŽÂ ¿Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚ ¬ Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ° ÃŽÂ ³Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ °Ãƒ Ã‚  à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ´Ãƒ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±Ãƒ Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µ. à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ ½ ÃŽÂ ¿Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ² à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ ÃŽÂ ½Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¦ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ ÃŽÂ ´Ãƒ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±Ãƒ Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µ, Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were not yet able to receive it. In fact, you are still not able Chose key words analysis Relations with other Pauline passages and biblical texts In 1Cor 3 Paul has a corrective tone, even though it is still very affectionate. There can be find the maternal imagery once again, but this time it assumes a different approach. The newness lies in the action of feeding with milk, and calling the community babies/children (ÃŽÂ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡). Actually here is notorious the difference from 1Tess 2 because Paul juxtaposes metaphors of mother and father to express his relationship with the community at Corinth  [23]  . It is a clear that this familiar metaphor starts right away with the word brothers (à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ´ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯). But instantaneously he changes his discourse, calling these brothers little children, the ones who should see Paul as someone capable of feeding them spiritually. He does not feed them with solid food because they were immature in terms of faith. It is also very interesting that Paul uses a contrast between milk (ÃŽÂ ³ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±) and solid food(ÃŽÂ ²Ãƒ Ã‚ Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¶ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±). Various scholars have intended to give a meaning to this contrast. For example Raymond Collins claims that given that Paul does not propose two types of membership in the church or two levels of preaching and acceptance of the gospel message, any pursuit of specific references for milk and solid food seems to be inconsistent with his thought. It is also right that Paul does not say that he has provided solid food to anyone. Surely the pursuit for specific references for milk and solid food is not what should be done mainly because it deprives Pauls metaphor of its rhetorical force. It is simple for us to get the sense of the contrast between milk and solid food: it fits with Pauls metaphorical description of the Corinthians as mere infants. Proclaiming themselves to be fully mature, they are really like infants who can onl y drink milk, incapable as they are of eating solid food  [24]  . Even the phrase construction has some implications for our interpretation: Paul uses the phrase have given to drink milk; this use of the past perfect tense shows the maternal affection with witch Paul nourished them. Raymond Collins also explains that, in another way, Paul intended to describe himself as a servant of Jesus, and so is a keeper of his little brothers  [25]  . Note: compare to 1 Cor 4,14-15 (Im not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children. For you can have ten thousand instructors in Christ, but you cant have many fathers. Now I have fathered you in Christ Jesus through the gospel.); 1Cor 15, 8 (Last of all, as to one abnormally born, He also appeared to me.) 2. Rhetoric of excess metaphor in the context Context itself Parenetic perspective Affective perspective Theological perspective Apocalyptical perspective Other sources (ancient world use of this imagery) 3. Before the modern psychology Letter to the Galatians There were some problems among the Galatians, so Paul in writing them rehearses a number of perspectives with the goal of strengthening those Christians, who were influenced by Judaizing Christians. On this letter Paul shows some fury about this going to the extreme of calling the Galatians foolish Galatians (3, 1). Hence, freedom and unity in Christ are central themes of Pauls letter to the Galatians. About the authorship all the scholars (except a few radical critics) accept that Paul wrote this letter and it is considered as a standard example of Pauls style and theology. The proximity of themes between the letter to the Galatians, second Corinthians and Romans (particularly connected by the controversy over the role of the Jewish Law in Gentile churches) may perhaps point out that these tree letters were written during the same time. If that is true, is also true that it doesnt help much on defining an exact year when this letter was written. It is still a fascinating historical puzzle, but the outcome does not have much effect on the interpretation of the major themes of the letter. Despite all the controversies it is at least generally accepted that this letter was written after the so-called second missionary journey (after Acts 18, 22), sometime between 53 and 57  [26]  . Following Murphy-OConnor, Paul wrote this letter on the first year that he has staying at Ephesus ( between 52 and 53)  [27]  . On its constitution this letter shows some influence of the a regular appearance of an ancient letter form. As Betz does, the letter can be grouped as follows: Epistolary Prescript (1, 1-5); Exordium (introduction, 1, 6-11) Narratio (narration, 1, 12-2, 14); Propositio (proposition, 2, 15-21); Probatio (confirmation, 3, 1-4, 31); Exortatio (5, 1-6, 10); Peroratio (epistolary postscript or conclusion, 6, 11-18)  [28]  . In a simpler way, as G. W. Hansen does, this letter can be divide in four sections: salutation (1, 1-5); rebuke (1, 13-4, 11); request section (4, 12- ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­6, 10) and subscription (6, 11-18). On the salutation Paul stats clearly that he is an apostle (so he is speaking with authority), calling to mind already the unavoidable reality that as to follow Christians at all times with all its mystery: the Cross. After that Paul starts to censure the Galatians using not just his own live as an argument (cf. 1, 13-2, 21) but also the scripture (3, 6-21). Than Paul tu rns from rebuke to request: become as I am (4, 12) is the starting statement of a section where Paul uses again his own live (4, 12-20) and an allegory from the scripture (4, 21-31) to ask the Galatians not just to understand him but also to change their lives. Ending the letter Paul does it as was common in Hellenistic letters: he summarizes all the contents and, also, shows how confident he is on the conversion of the Galatians. Particularly in Gal 4, Paul writes about Galatians first experience of Christianity and all its main roots: the newness of the Gospel overcomes all of the Law (vv. 1-7); their conversion to Christ was a joyful choice (vv. 17-18); the community has a close relationship with Paul and they participate in his mission (vv. 12-16); there is negativity in those who wanted to pervert Pauls preaching (vv. 17-18). In verses 19 and 20, the ones important here, Paul shows his affection for the community. Finally, this chapter ends with a biblical argumentation which intends to explain that the primacy of Christ above the Law is already contained in the same Law. 1. Paul has labor pains lexical analysis à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ­ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ºÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ± ÃŽÂ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦, ÃŽÂ ¿Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬Å"à Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ´ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ° ÃŽÂ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ­Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ ÃŽÂ ¿Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½- ÃŽÂ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ Ã‚ Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ °ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ ÃŽÃ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã†â€™Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿-ÃŽÂ ½Ã‚ · My children, again I am in the pains of childbirth for you until Christ is formed in you. Chose key words analysis Relations with other Pauline passages and biblical texts Focusing on the verses 19 and 20 the verb à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ´ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ° (that translated means having labor pains) calls the attention right away. The use of this verb presumes a double significance: in one way it expresses force in the sense that Paul has difficulty giving birth to his spiritual sons into a perfect life of faith; in another way, Paul recognizes the frailty of those little ones, meaning that they dont yet have spiritual strength to resist the attacks coming from outside thinkers. Paul shows, at the same time, that the ones at the head of a community should have a diligent presence in their communities, considering the little ones as a priority. The fact stated by Paul is also important that this birth only progresses as the community lets Christs body take shape among them. They still have to grow spiritually as individuals and as a community. The adverb à Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½, meaning once again also worthy of note. It tells us that this suffering is not the first time for Paul. Christ must be formed in the Galatians once more, i.e., the Galatians must be conformed to the crucified Christ (2:19-20)  [29]  . 2. Rhetoric of excess metaphor in the context Context itself Parenetic perspective Affective perspective Theological perspective Apocalyptical perspective Other sources (ancient world use of this imagery) Raymond Collins argues that, by writing this two these two short verses, Paul transmits what a mother would feel about her own children: just before his exposition of the Sarah-Hagar allegory, Paul writes to the Galatians as a frustrated mother might do: My little children (teknamou), for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth (odino) until Christ is formed in you, I wish I were present with you now and could change my tone, for I am perplexed about you (4:19-20)  [30]  . As Collins continues, even though the internal image is still current, he says that the meaning in this context is quite different from that of the other metaphor found in the letter to the Thessalonians: in 1Tess 2, 7-8 Paul uses this metaphor to show the affection he had for them while he was with the community; in Gal 4, 9, on the other hand, the image of mother that he applies to himself is used to speak about the sufferings caused by the community. This image gets stronger if placed together the two idea s transmitted by Paul: in one way, Paul feels again labor pains (à Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ »ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ à ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ´ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ °); in another way, he continues to be puzzled until Christ is formed (ÃŽÂ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ Ã‚ Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ °ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ ÃŽÃ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã†â€™Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡) in them. See also Gal 1, 15-16 (But when God, who from my mothers womb set me apart and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me, so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.) 3. Before the modern psychology Letter to the Romans The letter to the Romans as J. Dunn explains his bold least controversial of the major New Testament letters and the most important. Actually this text is a well-developed theological statement by a Christian theologian and one which has had incalculable influence on the framing of Christian theology ever since. About the author is accepted (as it has been accepted through the centuries) that the letter to the Romans was written by Paul. Most of the scholars would point its date somewhere between the year 55 and 57, probably when Paul stayed at Corinth for three months. Surely Paul had to calm down and concentrate himself as to write this marble piece of work  [31]  . About the recipients should be noted that some manuscripts omitted the word Rome, so is needed to search deeper for who were to be the recipients. As Paul himself states some of the recipients would be Jews: as known there was a large Jew community in Rome in the first century (between 40,000 and 50,000). It is also known, from the letter to Galatians, that there were some Christians over there bringing the Gospel to the circumcised (Gal 2, 9). Actually those Christians had a fruitful ground among the Gentiles proselytes and God-fears who were attached to many Diaspora synagogues as the book of Acts points out. So not just for Jews but also for Gentiles: to Jew, but also to Gentile (Rom 1, 16; 2, 9-10; 3, 9; 3, 29; 9, 24; 10, 12). Actually Paul writes not only addressing special groups of people but seeing the larger social context. Actually Jews, Christians and Gentiles attached to Judaism were largely influenced by Roman culture. Also there were among them some issues to resolve, a t the least because they didnt have a central spiritual at authority in Rome. About the purposes of this letter can be said that they are drawn from the context that was just described. For sure one of the goals of Pauls letter was to provide a support base for his project mission to Spain (cf. Rom 15, 24-28). Also Paul had an apologetic purpose because he felt himself and his understanding of the gospel under attack and needing to be justified. So this letter is an apology of the Gospel and also self apology, since his whole lifes work was bound up with the gospel preached. Altogether with his purpose the letter shows a pastoral reason mainly because Paul was writing to heal potential or real divisions among churches in Rome. Attempting to have a general understanding of the argument of the letter it can be divided it in seven parts. Firstly an introduction in wh

Saturday, July 20, 2019

miscarriages of justice Essays -- essays research papers

The statement "It is better that 10 guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer" summarises and highlights the mistakes and injustices in the criminal justice system. In a just society, the innocent would never be charged, nor convicted, and the guilty would always be caught and punished. Unfortunately, it seems this would be impossible to achieve due to the society in which we live. Therefore, miscarriages of justice occur in the criminal justice system more frequently than is publicised or known to the public at large. They are routine and would have to be considered as a serious problem in our society. The law is what most people respect and abide by, if society cannot trust the law that governs them, then there will be serious consequences including the possible breakdown of that society. In order to have a fair and just society, miscarriages of justice must not only become exceptional but ideally cease to occur altogether. A miscarriage of justice is basically "a failure to attain the desired end result of justice". In our society, every person should be treated equally and fairly as "our legal institutions are premised on the idea that our legal system is both neutral and impartial, and that all persons are equal in the eyes of the law". The country in which we were born, the language we speak, the colour of our skin and our gender should be of no relevance in deciding the outcome of justice. All these notions are part of "due process" and if this occurs in our society, why are there still miscarriages of justice? Our legal system is based on the fact that everyone deserves a fair hearing. In theory this is ideal, but due to human nature mistakes will always occur. The introduction of DNA into the courtroom ( which can free innocent people wrongfully convicted of a crime twenty years ago) and Anderson's view on allowing juries to ask questions and participate more in tria ls (by stating the evidence on which they base their convictions), on the surface appear beneficial to the outcome of justice, and in some cases this will be the result. However, justice will always be hindered by humans and their corrupt side. Unfortunately, this is part of human nature and even the people in high positions are not immune. When a person is accused of being "guilty", society must assume the person is innocen... ...ct that in less serious crimes the defendant will plead guilty in order to receive a better deal. The theories of Anderson, Hogg,Walker and Wilson are justified opinions and could be advantageous to the criminal justice system. However, even if these theories are implemented into our society, corruption will still always occur. Unfortunately, it is just part of human nature. It is futile to establish new methods of judgement without considering the fact that corruption occurs throughout all levels of society. Juries, police, and lawyers can all be persuaded and succumb to corruption if it suits their needs to do so. Likewise, DNA samples can be tampered with or plagued by human error. It is a vicious circle and until human beings change, miscarriages will continue to occur. Miscarriages of justice are definitely not exceptional and occur much more frequently than most people realise. They place a great burden on our society as a whole and cause injustices and hardships to many people. Just because we do not hear about them, does not mean they don't exist. As Walker states "s ince justice is applied by fallible, prejudiced human beings, miscarriages are inevitable".

Friday, July 19, 2019

Cold War Book Review Essay -- essays research papers

Political and economic perspectives should not dominate the analysis of communist rule. Analysis of the social aspects and results of communist rule are necessary to achieve a full understanding of the effects of such government. Slavenka Drakulic produced How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed, an appealing work with this fresh social approach. This nonfiction work combines the author’s own recollections with the stories of other women of the Eastern Bloc. Drakulic, a renowned journalist and writer, utilizes her keen eye for detail and truth in this quest that shows how communism has devastating effects on the common citizen. She provides insight into the conditions of life for women within a communist system. Several points of view from those living under such a regime are documented in this collection of 19 essays. The author highlights the unimportant aspects of life and how they are important as symbols of recurring injustice under this communist regime in Eastern Europe. Her travels to Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and East Germany result in adequate research of several personalities and experiences. This extensive research abroad, coupled with Drakulic’s own background experiences, provides a solid groundwork for the author’s thesis. However, any amount of research cannot surmount to the experiences Drakulic faced growing up with the lifestyle that comes with communist rule. If she is discussing the perils of doing lau...

Comparing How Advertisements Use Language and Presentation to Persuade

In this capitalist society people are persuaded by advertisers to consume products which are not even needed. Companies need people to consume in order for the economy to flourish. People who already have cars which still perform well do not really require the replacement of a further one. Cars are pretty similar to one another; all cars have one principle in their manufacture which is to move from one place to another (transport). The difference which divides the cars in groups is the engine size, colour/finish, gadgetry etc. However, it is these differences which persuade people to consume cars even if there is no need to purchase one. This is the job of companies; they sell so called 'dream cars' which have fancy gadgets and fast engines etc to satisfy the aspiration of the reader and persuade them to purchase the cars, even though their present one is in fine condition. People are persuaded because of peer and social pressure which intentionally makes them believe that neighbouring people are laughing at them because of their cheap car. This belief makes a person reckon that other people are taunting them, which causes people to consume cars which they believe to have a higher standard. This pattern of behaviour is constructed by marketing departments. Advertisers look for their target audience for their advertising campaign. These could be male/female, A-class people, or even retired people. The advertisers look at people's deepest fears and desires which will make the pitch hard to resist and they manipulate and take advantage of people with these fears and desires. There are all sorts of media that can be used to persuade ta... ...heir powerful medium which draws on people's deepest fears and desires. For this reason we must be discerning as consumers and critical of advertisers. There are also implications of such powerful advertising techniques for our society. There are environmental concerns like pollution and stereotypes are reinforced e.g. the 'MGZS' advert is very problematic since it is based on the construct of muscularity and it suggests that men are risk takers (Genetically Modified) and are sexual breeders (Testosterone Fuelled) which is sexist and excludes women from the advert. Similarly in the 'Lexus RX300' advert stereotypes of rich people are reinforced by presenting luxury and hunting which relates to prosperous people. This excludes large sections of the society, not only women but disabled people, ethnic minorities and so on.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Importance of Tolerance Essay

In the society that I have been raised in, I have always been taught to be accepting of others and not pass judgment on their race, culture or religion. I was told to leave my prejudice at home. In other societies, has this been the case as well? Through the close analysis and reading of four texts, I believe that this wasn’t the case and that intolerance and prejudicial attitudes were common. The four texts that I have chosen that show this is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. These texts have made the themes of intolerance and prejudice apparent and have also shown myself and other readers why it is important to have tolerance within a community, without prejudicial attitudes. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee explores the importance of tolerance through the character of Miss Maudie. Miss Maudie says, â€Å"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.† The Mockingbird is like an innocent person, it doesn’t harm anyone. The author wants to show the reader that people who hurt or judge peaceful creatures show their lack of tolerance and compassion for humanity. The Mockingbird is an appropriate symbol for both Tom and Boo, they are both innocent, harmless creatures but have been subjected to false accusations from the community. Miss Maudie, like Atticus, believes that it is essential to accept people as they are. Judging people through prejudice eyes only marginalizes vulnerable individuals, creating a divided community. The close relationship between lack of tolerance and racism is shown by Tom’s trial. Harper Lee has effectively communicated the intolerance throughout the novel, mainly through the people of Maycomb. They believe Tom is guilty, without giving him a second look. This is based on the setting of the book which was during the 1940’s and as in The Help, white citizens blamed everything on coloured people, and believed that no one who was coloured would be innocent of crimes. The lack of tolerance and racial division in the community is similar to The Help by Kathryn Stockett, where the importance of tolerance is shown through the character of Skeeter. Skeeter says â€Å"I am neither thrilled nor disappointed by the news that they might let a coloured man  into Ole Miss, just surprised.† Skeeter is a white woman and most women of the time would be offended that a coloured man would even be considered entrance to university. In contrast with To Kill A Mockingbird, Stockett is communicating that coloured people are innocent and there is nothing wrong with them, much to another character Hilly’s beliefs that they have â€Å"diseases.† The author wants readers to think deep into tolerance in this time and how many coloured people were discriminated on purely because they were different and how White supremacists thought coloured people would hurt or harm them, because they were different and like many did towards Tom and Boo in To Kill A Mockingbird, many did this towards the maids in The Help. These two texts relate as both Harper Lee and Kathryn Stockett have both established very intolerant divided communities, and this consequently makes the reader think more into their society. Do we discriminate against races such as those from Asia because they have trouble speaking English? This text also intensifies the already questions within the readers minds about the people of that time and readers then compare the people in To Kill A Mockingbird and The Help to themselves. Are we fully tolerant of the differences in our bicultural environment? The lack of tolerance of individuals is established on not only a fictional level but also a historical level in The Book Thief. Through the narration of Death, we learn about tolerance and how one character, Hans Hubermann shows his tolerance of others. It is also through Death’s narration that we learn those who are intolerant of the Jewish race, such as the Nazi Party. What is very important to note is that Hans is German, and the Book Thief is set in the period of Nazism, and as history tells us, men such as Hans would despise Jews and believe all of Hitler’s anti-Semitism policies, and in general would be very intolerant of those who are not the â€Å"pure race.† Death says â€Å"In 1933, 90 percent of German’s showed unflinching support for Adolf Hitler. That leaves ten percent that didn’t. Hans Hubermann belonged to that ten percent.† The reason Zusak has chosen to use these words is to establish Hans as a character- who he is and how he is tolerant. Hans immediately connects with Miss Maudie and Skeeter as all three are people who we would expect to be intolerant but all share the same value: that everyone is the same and should be treated equally. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne also communicates how important tolerance is within a community.  This text centres on a woman who was convicted of adultery, and the text is set in Puritan times. This text is particularly important as it is not relevant to today’s society, as the three other texts are. The prejudice and intolerance towards a woman who committed adultery would be different in the 21st century. This is shown as the main character Hester Pryn ne was forced away from her loved ones when her sin came to light. She was a member of â€Å"as befitted a people amongst whom religion and law were almost identical†¦that the mildest and the severest acts of public discipline were alike made venerable and awful†. The community of her time was very highly based upon religion which is yet again, much like racism and intolerance, is not as common in today’s society. The circumstances that take place with Hester in the novel are not applicable today. In today’s society, we have more of an open society in which one is given more support from their family, government and the community in general when placed in a position such as Hester’s. We realize that adultery is a common occurrence and, therefore, the authority does not place punishment upon adulteresses. This connects strongly with the three other texts as people are more accepting of others in today’s society- we accept coloured people. The United States president is a coloured man, so we also respect them. W e look back at German history and feel remorse for the Jewish race, as we learn they did nothing. They were simply scapegoats. I strongly believe that over the time that the novels are set in, society has changed its values on prejudicial attitudes and as a whole, society is far more tolerant than ever before. After reading my texts and thinking more laterally about them, I strongly believe that today’s society has changed in a big way. These four texts have shown readers how society used to be and although they are merely fiction, they communicate real ideas. In both To Kill A Mockingbird, we think of America in the 1950’s and the racial disparities and the prejudice and intolerance that people such as Boo, Tom and Aibileen would have faced. Markus Zusak takes us straight back to Hitler’s autocratic fascist reign in The Book Thief and we learn even more about intolerance attitudes, but also learn about tolerant characters like Hans, and like Miss Maudie in To Kill A Mockingbird. In the final book, The Scarlet Letter, we see yet again how society has changed. We no longer discriminate against people because of their personal choices or who they are. Through these texts, readers have  learnt this and apply it to their real life and are also thankful that we are tolerant. Thankful that we aren’t killing innocent people, hating on others because of their skin colour or because they simply made a mistake. I am personally glad that society has experienced this change because who knows of what consequences we as a societal whole would be facing today.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Confession of a Former Drug Addict: Learning the Value of Family

Confession of a Former Drug Addict tuition the Value of Family Misguided Youth Oh presently that I consider backwards rough it, I was real stupid when I was young and that my father is really unfortunate to pretend a son compar commensurate me Kong said as he cease with a short embarrassed put-on while he recounts the past he isnt exactly proud of in mandarin. Kong, 36 , had spent most of his youth in and out of the medicate reclamation centre and prison. His parents separated while he was static young and their m some opposite stubborn to bring him and his junior brother on to move into their grand contracts post at Ang Mo Kio.Kong was the eldest among the grandchildren odd in his grand incurs tuition. With his mother busy at work to carry the family and his grandmother busy attending the young kids, the mischievous boy al personal manners fancys the pass off to sneak out of the house. It was and therefore when he got acquainted and started hanging ou t with the quondam(a) kids somewhat his neighborhood. These are the friends that very such(prenominal) influenced and helped mold him into a teenage delinquent. I was encour olden by them to join their gang, to run off school and hang out with them.And it was accordingly when I learn how to shoplift, cutting fibril off bicycles to steal, extorting capital from other kids and acquire into labor for the most minor reason, dear for the sake of getting into trouble and quest thrill out of it. , Kong explained how he was a wayward boy that followed whatever his peers instigated. And it matte really good to be factor of the gang and cool to be doing things other normal good kids didnt dare to do. It was hence when young Kongs misbehaviors and actions, prove that it goat wear direct consequence on his family, and the first to experience it was n unitary other than his younger brother.Both brothers were studying in the analogous neighborhood secondary school. Kongs trua ncy and deadly records kept piling up and finally one day, he withal threatened to digest the schools principal while world called to discipline. Thats when the school decided nice is enough, and Kongs expulsion was announced. But not retributory him alone, his younger brother was to be expelled a persistent with him. Sure the younger brother wasnt exactly the good obedient student, had been verifyn vertical roughly Kong, caused some mischief and playful enough to skip school occasionally.But he neer crossed the line or got snarled with Kongs unlawful activities. Still, the school name these reasons enough to get the siblings off their grime permanently. The principal felt that because hes my younger brother, hes temperament is accreditedly as bad as me Just because hes my younger brother. Kong said while shaking his doubtfulness slightly. You may think thats raw but things were different back then during that time. Now if something the like this happened at on e timeadays, you allow see the principal and school getting onto give-and-take Kong ended with a laugh. From Bad to WorseHis mother and grandmother blamed him for dragging his younger brother into that situation because of the troubles he brewed and creationness a bad influence. But this resultant didnt make Kong reflect on his actions. He didnt think of it as a big deal. He didnt care about anything. The teenagers unmanageable nature wholly served to take things for the worse. curtly after getting expelled from school, he currently finds himself experimenting with drugs. It was the norm as mass nigh him were doing inhalants and drugs. The first he experimented was glue sniffing. thence he moved on to punishing out ecstasy and heroin etc.Experimentation whirls into dependency. The addiction works in an insidious way, it crept in and slowly took everyplace Kongs career before he realize. Days of drug taking ritual turned to weeks, then months and years. It seems l ike Kong wasnt the one unequivocal the drugs, it was the other way round. Spending his sustenance in a drug-fuelled haze, it revolved around being troubled over where to find money to substitute his next make out of drugs. Keeping up with the addiction make to be not cheap. Although he had get together and worked for the lion dance troupe that was associated with his gang, it wasnt enough to keep up with his expenses.To get together with his drug cravings, he resorted to theft and robbery, flush stealing from his family. The one he hurt most during this period was his mother. Seeing her out scream because of him was nothing new. His desperation for drug even made him turned his hand on his very own mother. Kong recalls that particular consequent that he will feel bad for as long as he lived, This one time I was having this capital urge for drugs, but I didnt have money with me, I ransacked the house and approached my mother in the kitchen. But she wasnt willing to hand m e any money and was screaming at me to quit.I got impatient and this explosive surge of anger rose up and I exploded, He slapped his own mother across the face. Kong then go on remorsefully, I was an unfilial and disgraceful son. Unfit to be adult male for hurting my mother like that. kindred what they say, I deserved to be potty ingest by lightning. Relatives chided him as being useless, and a shame to the family. Kong ended up caught and admitted to the drug rehabilitation centre. After his release, Kong was still mixing around with the bad assembly of friends as he felt being shunned by the society and this was the group of people most accepting of him.He couldnt quench clean and soon fell back to his old ways after gaining freedom. He was sent back to the drug rehabilitation centre once more for relapse. I was stubborn and self-centered. I didnt really try hard or be firm enough to change my life. I just thought I was unlucky to be caught the first few times. Kong sa ys. He continued his old ways, involving in gang fight and robbery with hurt. He was sentenced to imprisonment for a total of 7 years and disposed(p) 10 strokes of cane. Turning PointWhen he was finally released from Changi Prison, Kong, 30 by that time, felt that he had already wasted a bad part of his youth. He made sure to remind himself of the guilt and shame. The heart twist moment etched in his memories when he saw how his mother broke down in tears when he was sentenced, how his aged grandmother with declining health having to make her way to visit him in prison over the years. I robbed my mother for years because of my disobedient nature, because of my selfishness. All I did was lying and being dishonest with everything they confronted with me.I never thought about the damage I imposed on my family because of my actions. I took advantage on how they dote, only to make them heart-broken. Kong confessed. Now, he deeply understands for mistakes he made, he wont be the only one paying his dues. His family and love ones will inevitably bear his consequences one way or the other. Among the stains that he was inked over his body during his rebellious younger days, he is in a flash sporting a sak yant on his back, a traditional form of tattoo normally performed on followers by Buddhist monks in Thailand.He decided to report Buddhism and was on a religious wind up to Thailand to receive a sak yant. But the tattoo wasnt what he received. It was there where he got to know this local young adult female from Chiang Mai, who soon became his wife. Kong and his wife now have two young missys. Unfortunately, their first young woman Elina, 6, is diagnosed with minor autism and currently attending a special school. But their younger daughter has an even more unfortunate fate. Rita, now 3, was born with a severe spinal anaesthesia deformity which was curved at 80 to 90 degree in S shape.She is the youngest and one of the most serious cases of indispensable sc oliosis in Singapore. Two titanium rods all(prenominal) 15 cm to 20 cm long was inserted into her body to straighten her acantha and ribs when she was 2. Every six to nine months, Rita will have to go through trading operations until she is 14 years old, to expand the rods allowing growth. beingness the sole breadwinner of the family, Kong currently works as a cargo assistant with a monthly salary of $1600. He try to working overtime whenever possible so as to provide more support to his family.He was able to cover more about half of the medical expenses from his own Medisave and Medifunds for Ritas medical expenses. He shared how he learnt humility and helpfulness receiving help from relatives and donations staged by the hospital. Sometimes I think that maybe its because of my past deeds, it index have been my karma that caused even my daughters to have to suffer. be a father made me realized how much the heart hurts when parents see their children suffer, like how my mothe r used to feel. level(p) now, I oasist revealed all Ritas causation to my Thai wife. Im broken she may not be able to take it. Sometimes she will cry while looking at the long deep surgery scars running on Ritas back. . Kong said. Im really grateful for my family and relatives who knew of my past, but still pass judgment me, loved and cared for my daughters as their own too. Kong added. Even though life may not have turn up perfect, family is now the fuel and motivation for Kong to not turn back his old ways, to be a responsible father and son.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

DEVELOPING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS Essay

DEVELOPING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS Essay

IntroductionLeadership and management, these are two words we use on daily basis. But the questions like how do we realise good leaders, what qualities, attitude, style and behaviour do they exhibit, are frequent. The ability to lead is not connected to education, although most leaders what are intelligent people. Many qualities required for a leader are also possessed by managers.Although it is unique to everyone there are a total number of common ways.I think, by developing our leadership skills, we are assured a more rewarding and successful career. There is no doubt that, leadership potential can be developed. With commitment, effort and practice, anybody can move beyond the skills you how are born with to be an excellent leader.â€Å"The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born—that there is a genetic factor to leadership.Leadership differs to direction.

Bennis. Globalisation has resulted in diversity. To maximise contribution, each organisation and its managers are now challenged with creating inclusive cold working environment. They need to understand effective leadership style and culture to build trust and effective relationship.There are various means of considering leadership, that vary extract from focusing on the character traits of leadership that is excellent to highlighting facets of the scenario that help determine how folks lead.The strategies how that were effective yesterday are not necessarily effective in the same situation today†-QuinnLook more:  strategic management process essayIn order to face the growing competition in the market, it is very urgent for organisations to build potential leader. Developing strategic management and leadership skills should be a part of organisations’ actions.1.1 Explain the link between strategic management wired and leadership Strategic Management consists of t he analysis of any organisation, decision making and necessary actions in order to create and sustain competitive advantages.It is merely one of many other assets a thriving manager must possess.

Usually it is considered as the responsibility for the overall direction of the organization sums up what strategic management is all about. It can consider also define as the process of identifying and executing the organisation’s strategic goals (mission, vision and objectives) by matching its capabilities with the demand of its environment.Strategic senior management contains a set of managerial decisions. Leadership is the ability of a person to get other willingly to follow.Its something which is accomplished when a individual motivates individuals in a group.Equally, a good leader free will also be a manager. Majority of practical people are interested primarily in what they have to do, and not whether it should be labelled ‘leadership’ or ‘management’ or both. â€Å"It is very true that I have said that I considered Napoleon’s presence in the field equal to forty thousand other men in the balance† —Duke of Wellington. Difference between strategic management and leadershipManagement| Leadership|Intended to plan, organize, co-ordinate and evaluate| Job is to inspire and motivate| management administrate the organisation| Leaders innovate | senior Management tries to maintain the organisation| Leaders tries to develop| Focused on system and structure| Focuses on people|They focus on the present situation | They look towards future| React to problems logical and issues| Proactive to issues and problem| Prefer to control| Knows how to delegate|Minimising risk| Taking risk|  There are thousands of examples for leaders in the world.Leadership and top management arent synonymous.

2 Analysis of impact of management and leadership styles on strategic decision There are different leadership and management styles. Different various styles work well in different situations. They are based on different assumptions and theories. Strategic decisions taken by leaders depend upon their style.Leaders that are supportive understand and good sense women and men feel.2. Democratic styleThe leader involves employees in the decision making. This kind of style is usually appreciated by the employees or subordinate. how This style would bring problems in a situation where there are wide ranges of opinion and there is no well-defined way of taking the first final decision.They also need to make sure they manage change effectively.

Transactional leadershipThe assumption behind this kind of leadership is that people how are motivated by rewards and an organisation work well with a clear chain of command. This kind of leader works thorough creating all clear structures. Subordinates duty  will be well defined and also the reward they get for following the orders. Punishments are not always mentioned, but they how are also well-understood and formal systems of discipline are usually in place.Your leaders are the best factor on your companys capability.Transformational leaderThis style is based on the assumption deeds that employees will follow a leader who motivates them and a person with vision and passion can achieve anything. Transformation strong leadership start with the development of a vision, a view and path to future. That will excite and converter the employees. Transformational religious leaders are so committed always.Youre a pioneer, even in case you dont know it.

Understanding the situation 3. Applying appropriate skills and techniques.Leaders having different styles empty can have different levels of key elements. So the way and level in which they identify their personality can differ."Every leader has a certain style of political leadership thats innate.Especially when a strategic decision needs to made quickly. The impact of this style is for many people, this style feels harsh, a first great possibility of demotivation. Rest of people  assured leader can demonstrate consideration and compassion for team while using the Autocratic style, even though the team is not directly involved in the decision. There are situations in which leader wants input from employees or teams.Leaders are common now.

There is a more common thought that leaders who listen considerately to their follower’s opinion before making final decision get good result as compared to non-listeners. In the case of democratic style, the leader gives up ownership and control of a decision and allows the group to vote. Advantage of this own style is fairly fast decision, and an amount of group participation. No organisation or leader can implement a single style to deal with the multitude of decision that needs to be made during change process (Nancy, 2007).It could mean the folks who own and short run the company.Charismatic leadership style got few drawbacks. The complaint against Lord Browne was administration by media and business associates fuelled his charismatic new style and he ignored day to day core business activities.1.3 How leadership styles can be adopted to different situations? Success of an political organisation or a group dependent on the effectiveness of the leader.When employees are empowered theyre more prone to make decisions which are at the very best interest of the particular client and the organization also.

Leaders must be up to date of the situations. Leaders must be prepared to step in and show the way in all kind of situations.Different style can be adapted to different situations in relation to 1. Business- situations 2.Are such far more likely to reveal their very own loyalty the moment it matters.We know that high risk situation needs very strong and active direct involvement by the leader to keep it control. The people or team members: – In every organisation, there will have different different kind of employees or members.Differ by characters, talents, skills, attitude etc. identifying the team members is a tough task.IT leadership theory Learn the best way to be.

He made a resolution to transform GE into one of the world biggest firm. With his unique leadership style and character, Welch made history during his 2-decade journey at GE. His way of leading was based on some concepts. Lead, not manage:- according to him political leadership can be found in as long as they come up with good ideas and can energize rather than depress and control.Face reality: – good company was losing its market values and there was too much bureaucracy when Jack Welch joined the company. He realised the social realities and brought out strategies and  initiatives that made things better. Simplify the business: – his goal at GE was simplify the business. He didn’t think deeds that business had to be complicated.It can mean opportunities, good ideas, new business or new products (kevin, 2007). Lead by more energizing others, not managing by authority: – Welch called his leadership ideal ‘boundary less’, which means an open organization, free of bureaucracy logical and anything that prevents the free flow of ideas, people and decisions (kevin, 2007). His choice was inspiring others to perform well. red Lead by doing- one of the leadership style adapted by GEInformation technology is critical to the future of GE.The basic assumption behind the theory is that individual characteristics’ make how them suitable leaders only in certain situations. Each situation requires a leader to vary behaviour to fit the conditions. In other words, there is no right or wrong way in leading all the time. Fred Fiedler’s contingency theoryIn 1967, Fred Fiedler proposed his contingency theory.

According to Fielder, the direct relationship oriented style is more effective in situations which are intermediate in favourableness. When an intermediate situation is present, the leader can self help to build confidence and cohesion by focusing on the personal needs of the individuals (Henman, 2007). Hersey and Blanchard theoryIt is another situational theory. This economic theory was introduced 10 year after Fiedler’s theory.That is, followers are not mature or immature in any total or chronological sense; rather, they have varying degrees of maturity depending on knowledge of or experience with a specific goal (Henman, 2007). Leader-style theoryThis theory was introduced by Vroom and Yetton. They explain the different ways leader can make decisions and necessary following guidelines for leader in order to determine the extent to which subordinate should participated in decision making. Charismatic leadershipCharisma, as explained by Max Weber, is a certain good qual ity of individual personality, by virtue of which he or she is apart from ordinary people and treated as a personality with exceptional power or qualities.An effective leader needs to diagnose the needs and wants of followers and then react accordingly.The impact of different theories of management on organisational strategy will be different. giant IBM needs extraordinary leaders who can create high-performance work climates and foster employee engagement; people who not only succeed but enable others to as well. A disciplined process of identifying and developing high achievers and leaders has been a main stone of IBM’s strategy to regain market political leadership in the IT industry.As Fiedler explained, task oriented leaders are very effective when conditions are favourable or unfavourable. When conditions are favourable, members relations how are strong, there is a positive relation between team and leader. Hence new strategies can bring and work it out well so easily. In unfavourable certain circumstances or in stressful situations, a leader’s structure and control can remove undesirable ambiguity and the anxiety that goes with it.

2.2 Create a leadership strategy that support organisational direction Leadership strategy for General ElectricsThe General Electric Company, or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in New York. Company operates in five sectors via energy, technology infrastructure, capital finance, consumer andindustrial.It old has been almost a decade since Jack Welch retired as GE’s chairman and CEO, the brain behind the success of GE.If we consider their way in which they lead, and how their decisions, it is clear that they preferred transformational leadership style. Even though both used the same style, Jack Welch had been more opposite extreme than his successor. Leadership strategy: – choosing a best leadership style is the major step in leadership strategy. Leadership at company such like GE is very crucial.It is concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals and includes assessing followers’ motives, satis fying their needs, and treating them as full human beings†- (Northouse). The reason behind the selection of this leadership style is this style motivates the followers. The leader and followers are full well aligned in this system. A transformational leader can motivate the followers by setting challenging goals.We have seen the different leadership style and their impact on organisation. Even though, no particular leadership style is better always. It depends on the situations. The best style GE can use is transformational leadership because of based its unique advantages.

The leaders should have collective capabilities like providing direction, motivate the followers, engaging employees in decision making and to gain their active support in implementing planned cross-functional actions, implementing successful innovations, adapting to change, ensuring transparency just like former leaders, developing talents logical and being responsive to customers like Jeffrey Immlet. Since the corporate strategy is becoming more global, it require greater cultural sensitivity among leaders, enhanced representation of different geographies at top level, enhanced language skills to enable cross cultural relationships and greater understanding of local laws and business arrangement in strategy making.3.1 Use appropriate different methods to review current leadership requirement We know the important of leaders.These programs build perfect foundation for accelerating  learning and development in a particular domain, from commercial to operations, from human res ources to information management, from finance and communications to modern technology (GE, Leadership Programs, 2013).There are more than 300,000 employees in GE. The company operates through different sector. GE consistently ranks as the most admired and respected new company in the world.CEO of GE believes that ideal situation for a global firm was to have its factory on a barge that you could first move around the world to wherever it was the best competitive environment at the time. Their strategy is to expand business globally, instead of just looking for alliances.Fast moving anti Globalisation opens new opportunities for a global firm like GE. Hence leadership requirement at GE is tremendous.But they need leaders not only in quantity great but also in quality.3.2 Plan for the development of future situations requiring leadership Requirement of leaders in the GE increases. Leaders are logical not only required in the top level but also in the various bottom levels also.

Leadership Programs: – GE has various leadership programs. As part of their strategy to achieve commercial excellence and drive organic growth, they are developing a pipeline of strong sales logical and marketing leaders at GE through  the Commercial Leadership Program (CLP).CLP offers a curriculum that boosts the development of commercial skills and various techniques that are critical to success in all GE businesses. CLP prepares candidates for a successful career in sales or first commercial operations by providing the opportunity to learn about GE’s products, industry, and customers while making valuable contributions to the on-going success of GE.As compared to their profit growth, they need more to build leadership qualities in their employees. Human resource leadership program: – In GE’s Human Resources Leadership Program people are gaining real-world business experience, contributing to GE businesses and getting in first line for HR leaders hip roles across the company.HRLPs can build countless HR leaders within GE. Experienced commercial leadership programs: – The Experienced Commercial Leadership Program (ECLP) prepares time MBA graduates and experienced professionals for GE leadership roles in marketing and sales.But under certain specific condition, they need specific skills. The more basic skill required for leaders are explained below.Integrity: – this is the basic quality of a leader. This quality makes people trust the leader.They can speak openly logical and accurately about their limitations. Self-regulation: – People who are in control of their feelings and sudden  temptation are able to create an environment of public trust and fairness. Appropriate self-regulators are usually thoughtful and resist making impulsive decisions. These are definite qualities of a good leader.

Communication skills: – to deliver leader’s idea properly, private communication skill is very necessary. A good communicator can pay attention and listen carefully. Lead by example: – One of the best ways to red lead is by example – use where needed, lending a helping hand, and making sure that the work you do is clearly understood by apply your team. Leadership skills strataplex: –Leadership skill requirements are often described as being stratified by organizational level.They are comprised of those skills related to basic cognitive capacities, such as collecting, processing, and disseminating information and learning and are the fundamental skills required for a large portion of the activities in which political leaders are engaged (Mumford, 2007) .These skills include skills like oral communication, written communication, ability to learn and adapt etc. 2. Interpersonal SkillsThese are skill relating to interacting keyword with and influe ncing others.Strategic SkillsStrategic skill requirements are highly conceptual skills needed to take a systems perspective to understand complexity, deal with ambiguity, and to  effect political influence in the organization (Mumford, 2007). This includes skills for planning, visioning etc. â€Å"Leaders are not born, they are grown†- this is the word by the heavenly father of management, Peter Drucker. Leadership ability is not an inborn skill most times.1. Entry level program or Commercial leadership program (CLP) is an example for it. The CLP is a 12 to 24 month program that develops marketing and sales skills through a strong very core curriculum and challenging assignments. 2.

The ECLP program consists of three, eight-month rotational assignments within the marketing and sales functions of one of GE’s businesses (GE, Experienced Program, 2013).4. normal Operation management Leadership program (OMLP): OMLP accelerates development of entry-level talent and produces leaders capable of meeting the challenges facing the Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing logical and Quality functions at GE (GE, Entry level program, 2013).4.Commercial leadership program (CLP) provides candidates with valuable training, personal experience and exposure to a team of motivated colleagues and helpful mentors that can accelerate their careers. HRLP (Human Resource Leadership program) has created countless generations of HR leaders at GE. The program continues today and still focuses on taking talented people, providing forgive them with globally diverse challenging experiences, and developing them into world-class HR leaders. Candidates will have formal training, ro tation, seminars, business molecular simulations and community service activities.Another way of developing leadership skills is to get familiar with your followers. It will great help you in understanding their feelings and their needs, which in turn will help you in managing preventing their needs. Different plan for the development leadership skills includes conducting seminar, training programs, meetings, job rotations etc.ConclusionThis assignment is used to explain the important link between strategic management and leadership.Style should be adapted according to the business situation, team members and culture of the organisation. Different leadership theories are discussed in the assignment. Situational theories and contingency theories have been applied. The situations in which different theories can be applied are explained.

In this competitive world, organisation best can only sustain if and only if they can bring strong leaders.There are different ways of enhancing the leadership skills for future requirements. And there should be a plan of developing these skills. The new plan should cover all the current and  future needs for leadership and is helpful in the overall progress of the organization.Leadership style : A powerful model. TJ. Derue, S. (2011).Entry level program. Retrieved 2013, from www.ge.com: http://www.Retrieved may 5, 2013, from www.ge.com: http://www.ge.

ge.com: http://www.ge.com/careers/culture/university-students/experienced-commercial-leadership-program/india GE.com: http://www.ge.com/careers/culture/university-students/experienced-commercial-leadership-program/india GE. (2013).ge.com/careers/culture/university-students/information-technology-leadership-program/india GE. (2013, January 1). Leadership Programs.com/in/careers/leadership_program/index.html Goleman, D. (2004). Leadership That Gets Result.