Socio-Political Life and Key Values of the British Society Essay Example for Free

Socio-Political Life and Key Values of the British Society Essay The United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the constitutional monarchy. The head of the state is the Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen is the personification of the U. K. By law, she is the head of the executive branch, an integral part of the legislature, the head of the judiciary, the commander-in-chief of all armed forces of the Crown and the temporal head of the established Church of England. But I want to emphasize that in practice, as a result of a long evolutionary process, these powers have changed. Today, the queen acts only on the advice of her Ministers which she cannot constitutionally ignore. In fact she reigns but she doesn’t rule. However, I want to add that the monarchy has more power than is commonly supposed. There remain certain powers in the hands of the monarch, known as the Royal Prerogative. The organs of government in the Great Britain are: 1. The legislature, which consists of the Queen in Parliament and is the supreme authority of the realm. 2. The executive, which consists of the Cabinet and other ministers of the Crown, government departments, local authorities. 3. The judiciary which determines common law and interprets statues. Parliament In principle, the â€Å"Crown in Parliament† is supreme. This means that legislation passed by Parliament, which consists of the House of Commons (elected directly by the people) and the House of Lords (made up of hereditary peers and appointive members—archbishops, senior bishops, law lords, and life peers) becomes law upon royal assent. In practice, legislation is dominated by the prime minister and the cabinet, who initiate all proposed bills and who are politically responsible for the administration of the law and the affairs of the nation. The main functions of Parliament are: to pass laws; to provide, by voting taxation, the means of carrying on the work of government; to scrutinise government policy and administration; to debate the major issues of the day. In carrying out these functions Parliament helps to bring the relevant facts and issues before the electorate. By custom, Parliament is also informed before all-important international treaties and agreements are ratified. A Parliament has a maximum duration of five years, but in practice general elections are usually held before the end of this term. Parliament is dissolved and rights for a general election are ordered by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The life of a Parliament is divided into sessions. Each usually lasts for one year – normally beginning and ending in October or November. At the start of each session the Queens speech to Parliament outlines the Government’s policies and proposed legislative programme. The houses of Parliament in London, known also as the Palace of Westminster is the place where members of Parliament gather to make laws. The members of each Houses meet in sessions which begin at the end of October and last for about one hundred and sixty days. The sittings usually begin at 10 o’clock in the morning and end in the late afternoon. All the time Parliament is in session, a flag can be seen over the building. The members of the House of Commons sit on two sides of the hall. The Speaker is the chairperson at all the debates in the House of Commons, and it is duty to keep order. The Speaker is elected by all the members of the House of Commons. He belongs to one of the political parties in Parliament, but he never votes. The chairperson of the House of Lords is Lord Chancellor. He sits on the Woolsack, a large bag of wool covered with red cloth. The House of Lords is composed of hereditary peers and peeresses, 2 Anglican archbishops, and 24 bishops and life peers whose titles are not hereditary. Life peers include lords of appeal, who make up the court of last resort on matters that can be brought to the House of Lords. Bills from the House of Commons are passed to the House of Lords for discussion. Although no vote from the House of Lords is necessary to pass legislation, the body often suggests revisions and provides a forum for debate free from party politics. Members of the House of Commons are elected from geographical constituencies. The voting age for British subjects was lowered to 18 in 1969. Total membership of the Commons now numbers 651. Once the British Empire included a large number of countries all over the world ruled by Britain. The process of decolonisation began in 1947 with the independence of India, Pakistan and Ceylon. Now there is no Empire and only few small islands belong to Britain. In 1997 the last colony, Hong Kong, was given to China. But the British ruling classes tried not to lose influence over the former colonies of the British Empire. An association of former members of the British Empire and Britain was founded in 1949. It is called the Commonwealth. It includes many countries such as Ireland, Burma, the Sudan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others. The Queen of Great Britain is also a Head of the Commonwealth, and also the Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Now some words about the British Constitution. The British Constitution is a product of many historical events. Unlike the constitutions of most other countries, it is not set out in any single document. Instead it is made up of statute law, common law and conventions. The constitution can be changed by Act of Parliament, or by general agreement to alter a convention. Cabinet of ministers The Cabinet is a small body (of about 20 persons) of ministers selected by the Prime Minister. Cabinet never votes – the Prime Minister’s decision is final. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Queen, and all other ministers are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Most ministers are members of the Commons, although the Government is also fully represented by ministers in the Lords. The Prime Minister is, by tradition, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. The Prime Minister’s unique position of authority derives from majority support in the House of Commons and from the power to appoint and dismiss ministers. By modern convention, the Prime Minister always sits in the House of Commons. The Prime is responsible for the allocation of functions among ministers and informs the Queen at regular meetings of the general business of the Government. The Prime Ministers Office is situated at 11 Downing Street. The functions of the Cabinet are initiating and deciding on policy, the supreme control of government and the co-ordination of government departments. The Cabinet meets in private and its proceedings are confidential. Its members are bound by their oath as Privy Counsellors not to disclose information about its proceedings, although after 30 years Cabinet papers may be made available for inspection. So Great Britain is the constitutional monarchy. Monarch is the Head of the State. But Queen or King rules with the support of the parliament. And practically monarch has no real political power. The main political decisions are made by the Parliament and Cabinet. And the House of Commons are more powerful.

The Devil And Tom Walker, by Washington Irving Essay -- The Devil And

The Devil And Tom Walker, by Washington Irving Washington Irving the author of The Devil and Tom Walker uses the setting of the story to convey that things with a good appearance can be deceiving and be putrid on the inside. He also creates the right atmosphere for the story, and gives precise details to the audience so they can predict the topic and how it will develop. In addition, he describes each character in a manner that the readers can infer who they are, their personal characteristics, and the decisions that they might make throughout the development of the story. Moreover, he provides a background for each character in order to understand their actions and their ending. This tall tale occurs near Boston, Massachusetts that as recorded in history was the place that held the witch hangings in 1692. Moreover he wrote â€Å"†¦there is a deep inlet, winding several miles into the interior of the country from Charles Bay, and terminating in a thickly wooded swamp or morass.† The mentioned description and information gives an overview that the tale may contain supernatural situations and smuggling – or related situations- because it provides the perfect sinister and gloomy environment. As equally important when Irving describes the swamp, where most of the story take place, he gives details such as â€Å"On one side of this inlet is a beautiful dark grove; on the opposite side the land rises abruptly from the waters’ edge into a high ridge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He also says â€Å"It was full of pits...

Summary Essay Globalisations Time Is Up

Summary of James Howard Kunstler’s â€Å"Globalisation’s Time Is Up† Within James Howard Kunstler’s article â€Å"Globalisation’s Time is Up† (Guardian Weekly, 12-18 August 2005), he goes against Thomas Friedman’s view that â€Å"globalisation is here to stay†(254), arguing that globalisation is rather unstable. With the supply of cheap resources and world peace, we have the formula for globalisation, subtract either and we are on a crash course. Kunstler builds on this theory by going over events, which time after time have all lead to the same solution.The period of 1870-1914 the â€Å"first phase of globalisation†(254) is described as the era of coal and steam power. This period brought hope; nations were tied together with booming trade, along with the abundant supplies of resources. The introduction of oil without a doubt would override the power of coal. This was closely followed with serious ramifications for those without oil, the First World War. Kunstler’s formula for globalisation proves to be correct in earlier days. Furthermore, the oil era is slowly approaching its demise. Also you can read this summary –  Protecting Freedom of Expression on the CampusIt has brought economies greatly dependent on its production power that we no longer see what will come of our â€Å"McHousing Estates†(255). The suburban housing along with all other oil dependent arrangements will cease to expand when the global oil production well dries up. â€Å"The American Suburban Juggernaut† (255), is Kunstler’s description of how America has misallocated its existence around the oil economy. With this being said he continues to support his theory, the bond of nations is now separating from one another simply to attain control of what oil remains in this world.The abused usage of the era, and the over usage of its resources has led America through a boom, one that will end with a bust leaving everyone scrambling for what is left. Kunstler ends his argument stating, â€Å"the world is about to become a larger place again†(256), we can take from his explanations that he is implying; the breakdown of local communities butchered by large chains, how shopping will simply fade away in the background of life, and the need for cars will be of little to no use. As a result all that had once become in the oil-short era will then restart a cycle known as globalisation.

The Syntagm of Gilgamesh - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2436 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/07/01 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Gilgamesh Essay Did you like this example? Among the numerous struggles humans undergo within a lifetime, the ultimate struggle of the human experience is to eventually contend with mortality. Kings can obtain as much physical power as they and their subjects have at hand, however even the most powerful of kings are subject to the brutal cycles of the most natural regulators. As solution seekers, humans have a great deal of trouble confronting this inevitable reality. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Syntagm of Gilgamesh" essay for you Create order There are of course, numerous historical paradigms that speak to this timeless struggle. One of these, is as ancient as written stories come, The Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem about a king who is characterized by almost all of the qualifications of a hero. The hero is an archetype that appears in nearly every myth, and undergoes general steps throughout, that make the journey about their progression through some external or internal conflict towards some resolution. Specifically, according to Joseph Campbell’s characterization of the monomyth of the hero, there are three necessary stages of the journey. These are departure, trials and temptations, and finally the reintegration into the familiar realm of the hero’s origin (Devinney and Thury (Whomsley) 219). The template laid out by Campbell is followed incredibly closely by many stories and myths whose hero must learn a valuable lesson, thereby teaching the lesson to the reader and fulfilling the functional role of mythology within the society that constructed the myth. The analysis of the differences and similarities of these narratives reveal the commonality to the message conveyed. In Levi Strauss’s analysis of mythology, he makes an analogy to the nature of syntagms and paradigms in linguistics as a method of understanding the structure of mythologies (Devinney and Thury (Kirk) 263). The universal struggle conveyed by the myth is itself a paradigm, while the specific instance of the myth itself serves as a single syntagm of the paradigm. This paper will explore the syntagmatic journey of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, to then integrate this specific narrative to the general paradigm that is being addressed. To achieve this analysis, the characterizations of both figures, their adheren ce to Campbell’s characterization of the heroic monomyth, and the specific struggle with mortality that Gilgamesh endures after Enkidu perishes, must all be thoroughly examined. In the first part of the epic, the reader is exposed to Gilgamesh’s characterization through the words and prayers of the people of Uruk, directed towards the God Aruru, requesting a method of dealing with their harsh and tyrannical ruler, Gilgamesh. As it is written, â€Å"Though he is their shepherd and protectorGilgamesh lets no girl go free to her bride [groom]† (George 4). The citizens of Uruk are complaining about their ruler who is supposed to be protecting them. This first characterization of Gilgamesh is a rather negative one, as it is implied that Gilgamesh is engaging in inordinately tyrannical behavior, even forcing young newly wed women to sleep with him. It is through this request that Gilgamesh’s parallel is introduced, Enkidu, who is created by the goddess Aruru to appease the qualms of the citizens of Uruk, so that a challenger of worthy capabilities can put Gilgamesh in his place and hopefully achieve a more protected society. So Aruru creates this wild man: â€Å"Coated in hair like the god of the animals† (George 5). It is important to consider Enkidu’s physical characterizations. He is very hairy, and wild in nature. He is one with the animals and â€Å"knows not a people, nor even a country† (George 5). This emphasis on Enkidu’s untamed nature becomes significant as the development of the two characters progresses. As Enkidu’s story progresses, his departure from his own familiar realm is achieved by his succumbing to his temptation of lust, as a hunter who notices that Enkidu is undoing his traps, plans to entrap Enkidu by seducing him with a prostitute. The hunter tells the prostitute, â€Å"Uncradle your bosom, bare your sex, let him take in your charmshe will see you, and will approach you† (George 7). The woman does just this and successfully beds Enkidu for six days and seven nights. This experiences transforms Enkidu, as is evident by the rejection of Enkidu afterward by his animal companions. According to Campbell’s monomyth, Enkidu is accomplishing departure from his animalistic world to a civilized one, largely guided by a powerful female role, referred to commonly within the monomyth template, as the anima (Devinney and Thury 219). Enkidu then learns of the existence of Gilgamesh who is ruling over Uruk unnecessarily harshly, and goes to the city to fight Gilgame sh in an epic fight that literally shakes the whole city (George 16). Finally, their battle comes to an end and the two find a mutual respect for each other. In fact the text even goes as far as to say â€Å"They kissed each other and formed a friendship† (George 17). The unification of these two characters prompts the beginning of their epic journey together. They seek adventure and self-magnification through victories in their conquests. First, Enkidu and Gilgamesh agree to travel to the Forest of Cedar trees to fight the notorious godly guardian of the trees, Humbaba. Their long journey leads them to their battle with Humbaba who is overcome by the two mighty figures and Enkidu eventually convinces Gilgamesh to end Humbaba’s life. He says to Gilgamesh, â€Å"finish him, slay him, do away with his power† (George 43). Gilgamesh agrees and carries out this task as Enkidu eggs him on. It is in this scene that it becomes very evident of the enabling nature of the relationship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh. In their arrival back in Uruk, Gilgamesh’s physical characteristics tempt the lust of Ishtar, a goddess. Gilgamesh however, rejects her advances explaining that he is aware of â€Å"the fates suffered by her many former conque sts† (George 47). The knowledge not to give in to lustful temptations can be understood as a trial in its own regard, and this can also be understood through the lens of Campbell’s hero and Carl Jung’s additional focus on the female anima shaping the journey of the hero (Devinney Thury 222). The role of this temptress goddess is a familiar one to the monomyth and indeed does play a large role in the shaping of the rest of Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s journey. For, in anger of his rejection, Ishtar releases the Bull of Heaven, who comes down to earth and as he snorts, â€Å"a pit opened up, one hundred men of Uruk fell down it† (George 51). After the bull does this twice, Enkidu manages to grab hold of it and the two actually manage to defeat this bull. This scene is particularly powerful in that Enkidu and Gilgamesh are both saving the town of Uruk from death, but also achieving their self magnification by defeating such a powerful being. The accomplishments of the two speaks to the seemingly limitless ability of the two men to handle external conflicts. They seem to be able to overcome whatever struggle they encounter. It is not until the next part of the epic, that the power and abilities of Gilgamesh and Enkidu are brought into question, causing Gilgamesh to c ontend with the truest conflict of the epic, his own mortality. In the next part of the poem, Enkidu relays to Gilgamesh certain disturbing dreams that he has been having. In this dream, Enkidu reveals â€Å"The gods Anu, Enlil, Ea and celestial Shamash held assembly, Anu spokebecause they slew the Bull of Heaven, and slew Humbababetween these two let one of them dielet Enkidu die, but let not Gilgamesh die!† (George 55). Sure enough, as time progresses, Enkidu gets sicker and more miserable and eventually, he dies. Gilgamesh is really affected by the death of Enkidu. He mourns and makes the whole town of Uruk mourn with him but what really gets to Gilgamesh, is that Enkidu, such a powerful being was subject to death, and this implies the possibility that Gilgamesh cannot escape this end as well. Gilgamesh states â€Å"I shall die, and shall I not then be as Enkidu?† (George 70). This confrontation with mortality is the first we see of Gilgamesh’s real worry and weakness. It begins to become clear that the heroic feats of Gi lgamesh and Enkidu served the purpose to characterize these figures as triumphant in almost all realms. They are both of the most desirable, admired, and fiercest men, truly representative of the furthest limitations of the power humans (or even part god humans) can obtain. It is this fulfillment of the superficial characteristics of the hero that make the latter parts of the epic so powerful. Once Gilgamesh has defeated his most challenging adversary’s and watched his closest friend die, he is faced with his own mortality, the one thing he encounters that is out of his control. Of course, this is not something Gilgamesh outright accepts, as is evident through the next part of the epic, where Gilgamesh desperately goes on a journey seeking immortality. The journey of Gilgamesh proceeds, and he finds himself at the sea-shore where he meets a tavern-keeper. He tells his story of triumphs with Enkidu and the tavern keeper inquires, â€Å"If you and Enkidu were the ones who slewHumbabaand slew the Bullwhy are your cheeks so hollow, your face so sunken?† George 77). The notable changes to Gilgamesh’s appearance are important here, as they speak to Gilgamesh’s true transformation after Enkidu dies. The tavern keeper and Gilgamesh talk and eventually, Gilgamesh asks her how to arrive at the â€Å"road to Uta-napishti† (George 78). After a long journey, Gilgamesh actually is able to make it to Uta-napishti, despite this being an almost impossible task. When he arrives, Uta-napishti is curious as well why Gilgamesh looks so defeated. â€Å"Why are your cheeks so hollow, your face so sunken† (George 83). Gilgamesh explains that he is crushed because of the death of his friend, in fact he puts it as â€Å"t he doom of mortals overtook him† (George 84). This is addressing the immediate point. Gilgamesh has actually been forced to confront his own mortality, completely out of his broad control. Despite Uta-napushti’s wise words about the nature and role of death, Gilgamesh presses him further and asks how he has achieved this feat of immortality. Uta-napishti explains his story. This story resembles the biblical story of Noah’s ark, as Uta-napishti is told by the gods to build a huge boat for himself and his family so that he may survive an otherwise completely decimating flood. The result of this is the God Enlil, granting Uta-napishti and his wife immortality, as it says â€Å"In the past Uta-napishti was a mortal man, but now he and his wife shall become like us gods!† (George 95). Uta-napishti then tells Gilgamesh that if he wants to achieve immortality he should endure a test. â€Å"For six days and seven nights, come, do without slumber† (George 95). What is particularly interesting about this task is that it does not involve achieving some large feat of physical strength or courage like Gilgamesh’s previous triumphs. Rather, it is, like death, an inevitable and unavoidable aspect of life that humans must passively endure. In fact, â€Å"As soon as Gilgamesh squatted down on his haunches, sleepalready breathed over himâ₠¬  (George 96). One might pause at this point in some kind of confusion, as this task does not immediately seem as intense as the other feats Gilgamesh has accomplished throughout his journey. This is precisely why this task is chosen, to juxtapose all that Gilgamesh is capable of, to his utter limitations as a physically bound being. Upon waking Gilgamesh after seven days, Uta-napishti banishes Gilgamesh, but tells him of a secret plant, that can make him young again. Gilgamesh, escorted by the boatman Ur-shanabi recovers the plant and decides he will take it back to Uruk. During his trip home however, Gilgamesh bathes in a body of water and sets the plant down. It is then that â€Å"Of the plant’s fragrance, a snake caught scent, came up, and bore the plant off.† (George 99). The snake then sheds its skin to a younger version of itself, just as the plant is intended to do. The explanation for why snakes shed their skin here is quite interesting but what is more attention grabbing, is the aspect of chance, and the trivialness of this simple action of the snake, that dooms Gilgamesh to a mortal fate. Finally, Gilgamesh returns home, fulfilling the last aspect of Campbell’s hero’s journey, reintegration into his familiar realm and society, despite his seeming failures. Gilgamesh is defeated, not by something much stronger, and quicker than him, but of natural events outside of his control. Namely, a wild animal stealing his plant, his own need for sleep and his own inevitable mortality. The scene with the snake is so significant because the plant, and consequently Gilgamesh’s chances of rejuvenation, are simply taken from Gilgamesh after he endures such long and daring journeys. As such, this is truly symbolic of Gilgamesh’s whole journey and the lessons he learns. No matter the feats he accomplishes, the strength he acquires, he is bound by his physical limitations. With the epic at a close, Gilgamesh appears as if he ultimately fails. This abrupt ending sits a little uneasy, as the characterization of Gilgamesh has been so heroic and triumphant. However, there is no better way to end this epic than the squashing of Gilgamesh’s final attempts at his unattainable goal, by a simple action of a tricky snake. The reader should und erstand that if Gilgamesh were triumphant in his goals, he would not be relatable to human beings. In fact, it is his limitations that make Gilgamesh truly the hero of this epic. Gilgamesh, is afterall two thirds god and only one third human. The reader can only relate to the hero in Gilgamesh that is mortal, limited and human. This syntagm of the hero’s journey expands the paradigm of Campbell’s characterization of the hero. That is, instead of achieving heroic status through feats of strength and will, Gilgamesh’s heroism is accomplished through the ultimate reconciliation of his own limitations. It is in this way that the categorical distinction of the hero class is broadened, and that the function of this myth is fulfilled. This epic sways from the typical narrative of mythological stories, as it teaches the reader that throughout all the characterizations of god-like humans modelling the life to live, and setting the template for the hero’s journey, it is only through acceptance of human limitations that the true human hero emerges.