Is Science a Religion Essay Example for Free

Is Science a Religion Essay Is science a religion? This topic has been debated by many creationists and scientists alike. The philosophy of science makes no claims to knowledge about the supernatural or metaphysical and, by not so doing, is left with an enterprise that although hugely successful is also permanently on trial (Manne, 2010). The only thing scientists can agree upon is the empirical nature of science, but the steps from observations to theory are not without philosophical problems. DISCUSSION Thomas Kuhn thinks that scientific paradigms are essentially pictures of the world that are consistent with observations and logically coherent. But such pictures are necessarily always incomplete, at least until such time as we know everything, and our minds seem to struggle to accept this; it seems like there is an aesthetic compulsion to create harmonious images, even if that means filling in the spaces with metaphysical constructs. Andrew Brown states that the dictionary is wrong; science can be a religion too. He explains that if you strictly use the dictionary definition of science then it cannot be considered a religion, but if you look at science objectively you can see how it could be considered one. He makes a strong argument that religion has too many definitions for science to not be considered one. Richard Dawkins believes the opposite. He states that science is based upon verifiable evidence. Religious faith not only lacks evidence, its independence from evidence is its main virtue. Dawkins makes a good argument for science not being a religion. He even goes so far as to reconsider his stance only if science can get as much education time as religion does. Dawkins’ Atheist views are widely known but there are many more scientists that believe religion has no place in the world. Michael Ruse, on the other hand, asks why religion is not being taught in public schools while science is. His argument is that if â€Å"God exists† is a religious claim, why then is â€Å"God does not exist† not a religious claim? And if Creationism implies God exists and cannot therefore be taught, why then should science which implies God does not exist be taught? I am sure Dawkins was referring to Sunday school and bible study when he referred to science getting as much education time as science, but Ruse has a valid point. Science is taught in schools due to separation of church and state, therefore everyone has to learn science. Sunday school is voluntary. Peter Harrison demonstrated how the role of religion in the rise of modern science often focused on the way in which religion motivated particular individuals, or provided the essential content of approaches to nature. These relate to the origins of science and assume that, once established, modern science becomes self-justifying. However, seventeenth century criticisms of science, such as attacks on the Royal Society, suggest that science remained unimportant for quite some time. The rise of science to cultural importance in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was possible only because science was eventually able to establish itself as religiously useful initiative. Religion played a key role not only in the origins of modern science, but in providing the ongoing social sanctions that ensured its persistence and rise to prominence. This is a concept I am sure Dawkins would not appreciate, yet it has merit. The relationship between Science and Religion can be explained from two discrete points of view. Some would argue that scientific explanations are the only means of explaining our existence, while others would argue that religion and the story of creation provide a sufficient amount of the worlds conception. Religion and science both have the same basis, which are truth and understanding. It is this similarity that allows a direct link between science and religion. I believe that there is sufficient evidence to prove that science and religion are compatible. Albert Einstein had the same opinion when he presented the idea of the nature of light that was argued for hundreds of years. Scientology is also a proven example of compatibility between religion and science. Also, when looking at the two from a more general point of view, it would be obvious to say that they can both work together to give us a better understanding of the universe. In the early 1700s, a constructive debate on the true nature of light led to various arguments and theories. The corpuscular theory, which was more religious based, depicted light being tiny particles that were transferred from a source like the Sun to a destination. A more scientific theory suggested that light was a wave phenomenon where the energy was carried by a wave motion and not by movement of actual particles. In the early 1900s, Albert Einstein discovered that light was both a wave and it was composed of tiny particles. He felt that both sides were right all along and both contributed to finding out the true nature of light. With this discovery, he felt that there was a strong link between science and religion. Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind (Einstein, A). Saying this, he believed strongly in the fact that religion and science were compatible. He believed that religion was a byproduct of fear and a tool to help the primitive human mind deal with it. He believed that many leaders and rulers incorporated religion into their daily functions to secure their rule. The question â€Å"is science a religion? † still remains. The problem may lie in how science and religion differentiate in their distinct methodologies of searching for knowledge and belief. Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, it attempts to collect accurate information about the shared reality and to model it in a way that can be used to make reliable. They have concrete and quantitative predictions about events; everything has a hypothesis and has reasons to prove it. Science gains their knowledge through scientific method: testing hypotheses to develop theories through elucidation of facts or evaluation by experiments. It develops theories of the world which best fit the observed physical observed evidence. It can be categorized into two major types of sciences: human science and natural science and they rely mainly on empirical evidence. Religion is a set of beliefs and is related to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction. Theologians believe in the omnipotent power that God has, they put faith on God and use religion as a tool to satisfy their unanswerable questions and desire to know. Some religious people maintain that religious knowledge is absolute and infallible. However, the knowledge each person believes in varies as religious knowledge varies from religion and each individual. Science tends to be more tangible while religion is more imperceptible according to senses. There is domestic danger in being a world religious leader and technological powerhouse. Religious commitment and leadership in science and technology greatly enlarges the potential for conflict between faith and science in the United States. The relationship between religion and views of science should be of interest not just to scientists and social scientists concerned with public opinion research, but to policy makers as well. Public opinion has significant impact upon the making of public policy. Commonly held perceptions about particular scientific findings could help determine the eventual shape of laws and other policies for issues such as abortion or climate change (Keeter, 2007). Tradition has taught mankind that religion and science are two competing theories that can never be intermixed. Science and religion put forth competing theories on how the world was created, who is responsible for such creation, and what happens to individuals when they die. Further, science proposes solutions for many of society’s problems that many religions clearly define as wrong, such as abortion, stem cell research, and cloning. Early scientists and philosophers integrated science and religion to explain the course and state of the cosmos. For instance, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, and Newton all asserted that mathematical relations, the foundation of science, were a product of God. According to the four, it was God who invented mathematics and then imposed mathematical laws on the universe to back them up. More than 100 years ago, William James remarked, â€Å"I do not see why a critical science of religions might not eventually command as general a public adhesion as is commanded by a physical science†. In James view, studying religion by way of science could shed more light on the issue than philosophy alone. James believed that philosophy fell short in that it failed to â€Å"capture the depth, motion, and vitality of religion†. By focusing on religion from a scientific point of view, researchers could better determine the concreteness of the religious experience. So, is science a religion? The answer is it depends on who you ask.  There is no concrete evidence to prove that it is or isn’t. I tend to believe that it could be. People like Richard Dawkins say emphatically no, yet he has blind faith that â€Å"what science cannot explain today, it will be able to explain tomorrow† (McGrath, pg. 148). Some have even gone so far as to compare Dawkins’ â€Å"infatuation† with Darwin with the Christian’s worship of Jesus Christ. I have not read anything that proves this but it could be another example of how science can be viewed as a religion. Either way, it seems that some level of faith is required for both and we can learn a lot from each one.

To Lie on the Bottom Essay Example for Free

To Lie on the Bottom Essay There is a reason that World War II and the Holocaust are considered turning points in human history, a point from which everything changed: philosophy, art, music, film, architecture, politics, history, even the very concept of humanity was altered in an often imperceptible way. Something in us died; extinguished by a darkness so all-encompassing and cold that all hope and beauty and reason and love could not survive it, nothing could, not even God himself. This darkness, this ephemeral force worse than death eventually destroyed Primo Levi, but what it couldn’t destroy, was his soul. His soul witnessed and suffered something worse than death, â€Å"a journey towards nothingness, a journey down there, towards the bottom†(Levi, 17) and this tale from the very bottom of hell showed us a side of man never before seen. Dante’s Inferno where there is no God or heaven or right or wrong, but only hunger and despair. A moral hierarchy envisaged by the masterminds of the Final Solution, a cold, remorseless world where the innocent are destroyed and the strong enslaved. A world guided by the â€Å"ferocious law which states: ‘to he that has, will be given; from he that has not, will be taken away’. †(88) The hierarchy of this realm is distant from the rest of humanity, a timeless realm devoid of any remnants of what has been or what is yet to be. A barren, flat, colorless landscape scarred by never-ending paths of metal and wood all leading into the maw of a churning, smoke belching monster marked with a grim, foreboding preface â€Å"Arbeit Macht Frei, work gives freedom†(22). This is Auschwitz, a place unlike anywhere else in the annals of human history, â€Å"This is hell. Today, in our times, hell must be like this. A huge, empty room: we are tired, standing on our feet, with a tap which drips while we cannot drink the water, and we wait for something which will certainly be terrible, and nothing happens and nothing continues to happen†(22). In a place where the old, the young, and the weak are swallowed into the night and are gone forever, in a godless place like this nothing is as it should be. At the top of this mad house lies the most depraved of all, for in this place the insane rule over the sane, and the cold, mechanical fist of the S. S. is law. An extension of the mad-man responsible for this place, they are hand-picked and forged into thoughtless, remorseless killing machines and entrusted with Hitler’s most important goal: the destruction of the Jew. Little is said about these brutal men, they are above the camp and therefore distant from it, the camp to them is merely their work place and â€Å"they behave with the calm assurance of people doing their normal duty of every day. † At times they speak to the prisoners like animals whipping them into attention â€Å"in that curt, barbaric barking of Germans in command which seem to give vent to a millennial anger†, but during the selections when they decide who lives or dies with the slightest glance they are indifferent and speak â€Å"in a subdued tone of voice, with faces of stone†¦ We had expected something more apocalyptic: they seemed simple police agents. It was disconcerting and disarming†(19). Levi would soon discover that despite their outward appearance, these cold agents of doom were the most apocalyptic men on earth entrusted with the unspeakable mission of the destruction of his people. Below the SS men in the next rung of hell resided the ‘Prominenz’, inhabitants of Block 7 in which no regular prisoner has ever entered, they were â€Å"the aristocracy, the internees holding the highest post†(32). Below them were the Reichsdeutsche, the Aryan Germans, and the Kapos â€Å"they were particularly pitiless, vigorous and inhuman individuals, installed (following an investiture by the SS command, which showed itself in such choices to possess satanic knowledge of human beings) in the posts of Kapos, Blockaltester, etc†(89). These individuals established the backbone of authority, doling out punishment with reckless abandon knowing in the back of their heads if they showed the slightest hesitancy or remorse they would be quickly disposed of. Below them resided the rest of the political prisoners and British POW’s who were given special privileges and leniency. Below them resided the Jewish prominents: a sad and notable human phenomenon†¦ if one offers a position of privilege to a few individuals in a state of slavery, exacting in exchange the betrayal of a natural solidarity with their comrades, there will certainly be someone who will accept†¦ When he is given command of a group of unfortunates, with the right of life or death over them, he will be cruel and tyrannical, because he will understand that if he is not sufficiently so, someone else, judged more suitable, will take over his post. Moreover, his capacity for hatred, unfulfilled in the direction of the oppressors, will double back, beyond all reason, on the oppressed; and he will only be satisfied when he has unloaded on to his underlings the injury received from above. (91) These Jewish prominents were particularly hated by Levi and his fellow Jews and this hatred only served to further distance themselves from the rest of the group. Abhorrent as it may seem to abandon your compatriots and become part of the hated ruling class of the camp; the need to survive overrode any moral dilemma, because â€Å"in the Lager things are different: here the struggle to survive is without respite, because everyone is desperately and ferociously alone. †(88) There is no good and evil here because if you are not a prominent you are only ‘the saved and the drowned’. The saved and the drowned are those at the very bottom of hell with nothing between them and gas chamber, only those deemed capable and fit even survive the first day, the others are exterminated immediately. Most who remain quickly succumb to the all-consuming hunger and exhaustion of the camp, â€Å"their life is short, but their number is endless; they, the Muselmanner, the drowned, form the backbone of the camp, an anonymous mass, continually renewed and always identical, of non-men who march and labour in silence, the divine spark dead within them, already too empty to really suffer†(90). They are the forgotten masses of victims, abandoned by the world to their fate and quickly forgotten; no one remembers their names or their faces for they were condemned by all of humanity to a fate worse than death. â€Å"Imagine a man who is deprived of everyone he loves†¦, his house, his habits, his clothes†¦ everything he possesses: he will be a hollow man, reduced to suffering and needs, forgetful of dignity and restraint, for he who loses all often easily loses himself†(27). It’s in this way the Germans destroyed the humanity of a people before killing them further. The drowned are those who are unable to adapt, they sink down deep until it is too late for in this place â€Å"to sink is the easiest of matters†(90). After their children, women, and parents have all been swallowed up and everything they possess stolen, most give up. â€Å"They follow the slope down to the bottom, like streams that run down to the sea†(90). The saved are the few that remain, the ones who still battle for salvation, who have thrown off all moral constraints that hold them back, resolved to fight â€Å"against the current; to battle every day and every hour against exhaustion, hunger, cold and the resulting inertia; to resist enemies and have no pity for one’s rivals; to sharpen one’s wits, build up one’s patience, strengthen one’s will-power. Or else, to throttle all dignity and kill all conscience, to climb down into the arena as a beast against other beasts, to let oneself be guided by those unsuspected subterranean forces which sustain families and individuals in cruel times†(92). Elias, Schepschel, Alfred L. , and Henri, four very different men, all struggling on the own path to salvation, all willing to do anything; they are not good men, for a good man means nothing in here, all the good men died a long time ago or at least ceased to be good, for only scoundrels remain now. The Germans in a sense created â€Å"a gigantic biological and social experiment†(87), an alien world like no other in history, stripped of all moral and ethical boundaries, all reason and justice destroyed, replaced with a twisted, sadistic existence of perceived order masking the uncontrolled debauchery of it all. From this horror only a few are blessed with the talents needed to survive, some like Elias have â€Å"survived the destruction from outside, because he is physically indestructible; he has resisted the annihilation from within because he is insane†¦ he is a survivor†¦ the human type most suited to this way of living(97)†¦ Henri, on the other hand, is eminently civilized and sane†¦ he is extremely intelligent, speaks French, German, English, and Russian†¦ is perfectly aware of his natural gifts and exploits them with the cold competence of a physic using a scientific instrument†¦ there is nothing in the camp that he does not know and about which he has not reasoned in his close and coherent manner†¦ hard and distant, enclosed in armour, the enemy of all, inhumanly cunning and incomprehensible like the Serpent in Genesis†(98-100) Elias and Henri are two sides of the same coin, one physically invincible the other mentally, the rare, extraordinary survivors of a biological experiment gone too far, perfectly molded for the hostile world created to destroy them. They are interesting only in the fact that they are the statistical anomalies of a mathematically-precise extermination process, one which inevitably would destroy even them. Most who survive are not so lucky, not naturally blessed with ability or strength, but simply scratch and claw their way out. They learn quickly, they learn a little German, begin to make alliances with those who have something to offer. They steal when they can, grabbing anything of value, anything that can be traded for in the ‘Exchange Market’, â€Å"where scores of prisoners driven desperate by hunger prowl around, with lips half-open and eyes gleaming, lured by a deceptive instinct to where the merchandise shown makes the gnawing of their stomachs more acute and their salvation more assiduous†(78). These exchanges are necessary to survive, for to try to live with just the meager sustenance given is impossible, the system was created to destroy them, only by breaking the rules can one hope to survive. Often the saved are assisted by civilian workers or gain the favor of a Prominent who provides them with extra food or clothing. One of the few people Primo Levi’s speaks kindly of in the entire book is such a person, a civilian worker named Lorenzo. I believe that it was really due to Lorenzo that I am alive today; and not so much for his material aid, as for his having constantly reminded me by his presence, by his natural and plain manner of being good, that there existed a just world outside our won, something and someone still pure and whole, not corrupt, not savage, extraneous to hatred and terror; something difficult to define, a remote possibility of good, but for which it was worth surviving. The personages in these pages are not men. Their humanity is buried, or they themselves have buried it†¦ The evil and insane SS men, the Kapos, the political, the criminals, the prominents, great and small, down to the indifferent slave Haftlinge, all the grades of the mad hierarchy created by the Germans paradoxically fraternized in a uniform internal desolation. But Lorenzo was a man; his humanity was pure and uncontaminated, he was outside this world of negation. Thanks to Lorenzo, I managed not forget that I myself was a man. (121-122) Lorenzo represents the last vestige of a better world, a glimpse of sanity and reason that seems to no longer exist. He reminded Levi that there still remained a world outside the Lager, where humanity endured; that someday this world would no longer exist and your life would continue, and all that was thought lost forever would be returned to you. The Holocaust was not decided upon with anger, but with a cold, calculating necessity, hell-bent on destroying every Jew on Earth, to extinguish an entire people. To the Germans the Jews were a disease, a parasitic organism, which required extermination. The Jews of America and England, the Jews of the Soviet Union and of Spain, the Jews of North Africa and the Middle East, they were all to be dealt with eventually. This is the mindset of the creators of this alien world. The depravity of the camp; its cruel, ordered madness reflected the depravity and evil that emanated from the souls of those wicked men. The SS were their finest pupils, there most willing executioners, those entrusted with the sacred task of the Nazi regime: the destruction of its enemies, a war against all of humanity. The morals and ethics of their creation were the ethics and morals of Hitler himself, of Reinhard Heydrich, of Adolf Eichmann, of Heinrich Himmler, of Rudolph Hess, the masterminds of this unparalleled killing machine. This is what Primo Levi experienced deep down in the belly of the beast, inside the heart of darkness. The orchestra of the camp that emanated it throughout its boundaries â€Å"the perceptible expression of its geometrical madness†(51), the driving force behind this choreography of the dead. The SS instilled the camp with their notorious character, driven by their remorseless zeal, controlled by their obsessive discipline. The camp is as much a reflection of them as they are a reflection of their creators, the men who molded them into hardened killing machines. The lack of morals apparent in the camp derives itself from the lack of morals apparent in the individuals who created and ran it. The moral codes and fundamental laws of the Lager are based on three basic assumptions which in accordance formed a deranged society: â€Å"the privileged oppress the unprivileged†(44) and â€Å"to he that has, will be given; from he that has not, will be taken away†(88), and most importantly the complete inferiority of the Jew. The Jew was nothing, the slaves of the slaves, and everyone acted to continually reaffirm this assertion. The Kapos, the Blockaltesters, the cooks, the nurses, everyone, even the Jewish prominents constantly reminded the Jews of their inferiority, every rule and regulation instilled it further. For many non-Jews this place is nothing but a prison, they lived in relative comfort with adequate food, clothing, and shelter. As soon as they enter they are made at ease for at least there are many much worse off than they; they are given special privileges and â€Å"are automatically invested with offices as they enter the camp in virtue of their natural supremacy†¦no ‘Aryan’ Haftling was without a post, however modest†(90-91). For them Auschwitz is but a prison, but to the Jew on the contrary, â€Å"the Lager is not a punishment; for us, no end is foreseen and the Lager is nothing but a manner of living assigned to us, without limits of time, in the bosom of the Germanic social organism†(82-83). This ‘manner of living assigned’ to the Jews has the effect of reducing them to their most basic needs, their dignity and integrity stripped from them. When Levi first arrived he is still a man, cognizant and alive, searching in the distance for his loved ones, â€Å"at the other end of the platform; then we saw nothing more. Instead, two groups of strange individuals emerged into the light of the lamps. They walked in squads, in rows of three, with an odd, embarrassed step, head dangling in front, arms rigid. On their heads they wore comic berets and were all dressed in long striped overcoats, which even by night and from a distance looked filthy and in rags. We looked at each other without a word. It was all incomprehensible and mad, but one thing we had understood. This was the metamorphosis that awaited us. Tomorrow we would be like them†(20-21). They are transformed into tired beasts, desperate and alone, aware of only hunger and cold; they show no signs of solidarity or camaraderie, for in the Lager everyone is on his own. They must shut themselves off from reality to survive; they must dispose of all morality and thought before it destroys them. Only in this way can they survive and even then they are guaranteed nothing. They begin to despise themselves, the sad, pathetic faces they see each day, each a reflection of the other, all reduced to ghosts by the machinations of the Lager. This moral hierarchy based on the depraved morals of madmen, sought to destroy the soul of the Jewish people, to torture them into oblivion. They created a monstrous world, where the weak are crushed and the only escape was through the Chimney. This tragedy beyond all comparison in human history told a story. A story that must be told over and over again, no one should be allowed to forget them. Their stories are all the same â€Å"all full of tragic disturbing necessity†¦ simple and incomprehensible like the stories in the Bible. But are they not themselves stories of a new Bible? †(65-66). This new Bible, this new Exodus would renew the life of the Jewish people, and like all the times before they would begin again. They survived â€Å"to tell the story, to bear witness†¦ to save at least the skeleton, the scaffolding, the form of civilization†(41) and with their help the world would be revived, its humanity restored, and that alien world destroyed and those responsible for it punished. The Lager would remain, a stark reminder of â€Å"what man’s presumption made of man in Auschwitz. †(55)

A market strategy for a wedding reception venue business

A market strategy for a wedding reception venue business Amandas Ballroom Reception is a newly established wedding reception venue business that caters for couples of ALL ages, nationalities and traditions who wish to engage in the beautiful sacrament of marriage. The sole owner of the business, Ms. Amanda Abboud, will take full responsibility for any debts incurred in the business, and receiving no profits during the establishment phase of the business, making it a Sole Trading Business, that is, an unincorporated business with unlimited liability. The establishment and growth phase of Amandas Ballroom Reception will definitely face obstacles at times, but with greater advertising, a lot more awareness of the business, and consumer loyalty, the business is sure to become successful and profitable, and satisfies all customers. Although the business consists of one owner, employees are needed to assist the running of the business including a manager, receptionist, caterers/cooks, waiters, a host and cleaners. The business needs to ensure that all employees abide by all legislations, including OHS and EEO legislation acts, to prevent injury and sustain a great and enjoyable working environment at all times. Amandas Ballroom Reception consists of no more than 20 employees, and because it is a non-manufacturing organisation, is classified as a Small Business. Amandas Ballroom Reception is located in the Bankstown area as the business concentrates on hosting mainly traditional Lebanese weddings, because of the high number of Lebanese residents in the area, as well as other multicultural feasts and celebrations which helps meet demand. Although Bankstown consists of a number of very popular wedding reception venues already established, it increases competition for all businesses, but will also provide greater variety for the community, as only one big wedding reception in a large suburb will not suffice. In order to establish and maintain a successful business, a mission statement is useful for decision making for the business long term future. The main objectives include Gaining consumer loyalty and trust Sustaining a healthy environment to work for employees Providing sufficient amounts of profit Expand awareness by advertising outside the local area. BUSINESS DESCRIPTION AND OWNERSHIP Amandas Ballroom Reception business was created to give consumers a wide variety of options to offer the fairytale wedding people dream of through food, catering, decorations and setting. Amandas Ballroom Reception is a tertiary industry whose prime function is to provide a service for those couples ready to take each others hand in marriage. It is also a market niche, as it specialises in providing celebrations of marriage. It aims to gain consumer loyalty and trust by providing honesty and great service to the public, sustaining a healthy environment to work for all employees, producing sufficient amounts of profit in order for the business to expand and become national, and expand awareness by advertising outside the local area through various forms of media. The legal structure of Amandas Ballroom Reception is a Sole Trader where only the owner takes full responsibility for any debts, and receives little or no profits during the establishment phase. Amandas Ballroom Reception will therefore be an unincorporated business, which comes with unlimited liability, which means that any debts incurred in the business will fall solely under the owner/s responsibility, that that they must repay debts by selling person assets in order to earn any source of funds. The establishment and growth phase of the business will definitely face ups and downs, especially as the owner is an entrepreneur taking the risk in opening a new business with little skill or knowledge, but with greater consumer awareness the business will hopefully become successful and profitable. Amandas Ballroom Reception will contain no more than 20 employees, including caterers, cookers, cleaners and decorators, making it a small business. The location in which the business will open is the Bankstown area because it business will concentrate on hosting mainly traditional Lebanese weddings with customary food, music and entertainment because of the high population of Lebanese in this area, as well as many other multicultural weddings and feasts which will help meet demand. Considering this area contains a number of other wedding reception venues, it will allow larger variety for consumers. Amandas Ballroom Reception is associated with providing a service for those couples looking to get married. Not only does the business provide a venue and food, but will create an enjoyable atmosphere for all ages during a great celebration. Amandas Ballroom Reception is a responsible event organiser and offers what any other business would plus much more. This business is definitely recommended because the service is outstanding and consumers will get exactly what they ask for, which is the key quality of providing a great service to the community. The prime function of the business is providing great service for the community. Putting a smile on peoples faces is definitely important to the business, as gaining consumer loyalty and trust is very important, which is exactly outlined in the firms mission statement. From satisfying customers, the business will slowly become more profitable which is one of the main aims of any business existing. Not only does this wedding reception venue business offer a great variety of reception rooms, entertainment and food, but the business will also help organise a unique ceremony or any couples beforehand. By providing any requirements by to customers to create their dream wedding, it offers anything you can think of to create a day that a husband and his wife will not forget. PURPOSE OF PLAN AND SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS The purpose of writing a business plan is to ensure the greatest likelihood of success to the owner/s. It is important that all internal stakeholders understand clearly what needs to be done, and keep actual up-to-date market research in order to gain realism and accuracy in forecasting. This process should result in choosing the most appropriate and beneficial strategy, enabling the business to achieve its goals. Also, the business plan should be updated regularly to ensure it parallels a changing business environment. Usually, the major goals remain the same but the strategies used may differ according to different internal or external environmental factors. The business plan must be realistic in order to meet all goals required. Writing out a business plan will help in making Amandas Ballroom Reception all the more successful, with well planned strategies and goals to generate a flourishing business. A plan is a scheme or method of taking action, which will make all elements of a successful business all the more clear. A mission statement included in the plan will initiate a start of the vision the business hopes to be in the future. Goals are the overall accomplishments that a business plans to achieve in the long-term, short-term and during its day-to-day running. Different goals are set for all business, (social, financial, personal and environmental) and vary depending on their own individual profession. Different goals are listed as part of the business plan to ensure that they cater a great service for a wide range of people, as well as gaining a personal achievement. These include- Operations Improve rostering and scheduling processes of arranging staff. Use latest technology to help business perform different functions. Finance Improve management accounting and reports for simple decision making. Minimise debt finance. Reduce credit sales. Strategic Goals Marketing Determine consumer buying patterns. Employment Relations Increase wages and salaries for all employees. Improve the skills of managers and employees. Use retained earnings as rewards to employees. Reduce overdraft. Improve skill in calculating revenue statements, balance sheets and cash-flow statements. Improve lead time, so production is completed more efficiently. Accurately measure productivity to determine improvements in the business. To conduct Investigate existing competitors in the market. Ensure employees abide by anti-discrimination and EEO legislations. Social Goals Provide employment and career paths for residents Donations towards Charities Sponsorships Fundraisers Work efficiently and as a team with employees. Keep loyal to anti-discrimination acts and Equal Employment Opportunity legislation. Financial Goals Achieve sales growth Attain a profit in the first two years of running of business. Increasing market share Quick growth of service Personal Goals Own a successful business Gain consumer loyalty and trust Sense of achievement Leadership Friendship with employees. Environmental Goals Use environmental protection initiatives Recycling plastics and cardboard. Minimise the use of fuels and process sewage. A Situational Analysis looks at internal and external environments of the business to identify factors that affect the running of the business, whether the factors are modifiable or not. It also helps establish the current position of the business. A SWOT analysis can help establish a current position, and helps analyse reasons for the position of the firm. Strengths (S) Skilled workers Great reputation Good financial position and location Good technology Excellent communication system Great advertising Weaknesses (W) Unexperienced managers Needs improvement in innovation Lack of consumer awareness Opportunities (O) Expanding to newer and bigger locations Buying out competitors Changing government regulation Add-on services for the reception venue business will become available. Expanding the business nationally Threats (T) Competitors! Increased rent Changing government regulations Increasing inflation Increasing raw material prices Increased tax A factor limiting present operations is the new establishment of Amandas Ballroom Reception. The fact that it is newly opened evades the fast provision of the service this business provides. The establishment and growth phase of the business will definitely face obstacles, as any other newly opened business, but with greater advertising, the business will soon become successful and profitable and demanded by many. The main competitive advantages of the business over competitors is that not only does it cater for a specific nationality, tradition or age group, but has a wide range of choices to suite everybodys taste or idea of a PERFECT wedding. The latest wedding reception venue business in Bankstown will most likely attract attention by a highly populated area, where they may like to trial the newest business and compare to existing businesses nearby. A definite competitor in the area is the very popular reception venue, The Bellevue. Establishing Amandas Ballroom Reception close-by will definitely increase competition and tension for both businesses, but at the same time will provide greater variety for the community, as only one big wedding reception venue in a large suburb will not suffice. Competitor Analysis Comparing a competitors state of their business by using the SWOT analysis to a new business analysis can make clear where improvements need to be made in order to win over the opponent. Strengths (S) Great amount of experience Well-known by the community Experienced managers Skilled workers Great reputation Weaknesses (W) Poor choice of location No innovation people like change! Do not advertise Opportunities (O) Can buy out smaller competitors (they may choose to buy Amandas Ballroom Reception if it is not successful enough. Threats (T) Competitors! Increased rent Increased inflation Increased tax Product Analysis Amandas Ballroom Reception is a newly formed business, therefore making it still part of the establishment phase in the business life cycle. Throughout this phase, the business will face many challenges; however, will also encounter challenges from all areas during its existence. Establishment Phase Customers/ retailers are not familiar with the product or the business so they might not invest in the service of this business they are unfamiliar with, which may result in longer periods of time for the business to get up and running.. Profit will be slow to begin with because expenses are higher than sales revenue, generating a loss for the business. The business needs to undertake expensive promotion strategies in order to advertise the product and make it familiar with consumers. Growth Phase Rapid increases in sales of service as consumers are more alert of the firm. Adequate cash flow must be maintained to continue the rapid expansion and sustain success. Competitors such as other wedding reception venues will be more aware of the improvements of the business, and therefore act on these improvements. Maturity Phase Sales level off and start to plateau. Focus on cutting costs as profits will now be generated. Time to employ more experienced managers to keep the business under control. Introduce a new work team and pay bonuses like fringe benefits to keep them motivated. Post-Maturity Phase Innovation, therefore increasing cash-flow and will attract customers. Cash-flow problems may start to emerge, so cutting down costs will be the best option to take. The state of the business may remain at a steady-state, or can fluctuate by increasing sales, or decline. BUSINESS OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES Whether this is the clients first wedding, a renewal of their vows or their anniversary, the business is interested in every detail of their event to be both a pleasurable and a memorable experience. Therefore, Amandas Wedding Reception business offers a host of packages and services specifically tailored to the needs of each couple. I am confident that this business venture will be a success. If everything runs to plan, net income is estimated to increase  modestly by the second year. The keys to our success are as follows Service the clients needs promptly and efficiently. Maintain an excellent working relationship with vendors, e.g. florists. Maintain a professional image at all times Different objectives are necessary in making the business successful and achieve the highest possible outcome. Some objectives include Improve consumer awareness. This can be achieved by expanding the knowledge of this new business through different forms of advertising. Advertising through television, local newspapers, radio and billboards will hopefully attract the correct target market, that is, couples ready to celebrate their marriage. Create a great working environment. Keeping employees happy with their work environment is essential for a successful business. Making sure they all have equal rights, and abiding by the anti-discrimination and EEO legislations. Also providing them with their wages and fringe benefits they are entitles to. Becoming a threat to our competitors. By continuously providing innovative ideas and offering the services to the market, where more and more consumers will be fascinated and our firm will expand and meet demand. Extending management and business skills. By improving entrepreneurial skills of the owner, improvements in the ability to make good ideas will arise that will help in the profitability of the firm. As skills will increase, so too will the ability to complete a task, and therefore, they may choose to expand my business all around the nation. Possibly by more experienced owners buying the business, different ideas and trains of thought will be exchanged. Sustaining a good reputation! Keeping the communities promises, and providing them with even more than they expect will definitely keep reputation at a steady state and possibly increase. This can be done by staying loyal and true to all customers as they are the ones taking risks and trusting us to give any service required. Goals should be Specific to the area. What needs to be improved and what is being kept efficient should always be taken into consideration in determining how well the business is doing, and if any improvements are required. The quality of the service should be Measurable in what is advertised to provide. Supplying less than what consumers expect can see the demand for the business to decrease, and face down-fall. The working conditions for employees and owners should be Achievable, and have sufficient times off work for a break and to catch up in their personal lives. Ensuring the business provides Realistic services to the community, and only provides what can be promised, based on the amount of resources and funds available. Ensuring the business runs on Time and what is promised to completed by that moment to satisfy a consumers highest expectation and beyond, and also making sure that quality does not decrease by doing this. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT/SERVICE Amandas Ballroom Reception specialises in making the day that all men and women dream of come true! It specialises in planning, creating and producing the whole marriage celebration, after the couples have agreed to spend the rest of their lives together. This day is one of the happiest days that any human will endure, and the business aims to make that day an even happier one! No matter what the age, Amandas Ballroom Reception will cater every aspect of the celebration depending on your preferences. The business is open 7 days a week from 8am to 5pm, which is enough time for any couple to enquire about all of their special offers, and how it is PROMISED to make your day truly one you will not forget. Customers can feel free to contact the business on 97072468 or the business owner, Amanda Abboud, on 0412345678. The website http://www.amandasballroomreception.com.au also provides location and pricing details. It is guaranteed consumers will be shocked on how much is offered. The business provides 2 different rooms with various themes that will make the celebration look all the more classy and elegant. The different rooms also cater for the amount of people you are willing to have to celebrate the special day with you. The Ball room is an elegant decor and unique layout, and accommodates up to 800 guests, while the Pearl Room is an intimate, beautiful room, accommodating for 200 guests. Depending on menus, prices range from $89-$149 per head. The Falling Star Warm and Lavish- Golden Beach Perfect table plan software is used in preparing and organising table arrangements for all guests. It saves typing existing guests lists from spreadsheets, address books or other files. It allows you to drag and drop guests names onto different tables in just one click, and experiment with table shapes and sizes. As well as all this, it allows you to print elegant plans, charts and stationery, including floor plans, table charts, guest lists, place cards and table cards. STAFFING REQUIREMENTS Although Amandas Ballroom Reception consists of only one owner, employees are needed to assist the running of the business. Amandas Ballroom Reception consists of no more than 20 employees. Because it is a non-manufacturing organization, it is classified as a Small Business, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Some employees needed include Manager As well as the owner of the business, Amanda Abboud is the head manager of Amandas Ballroom Reception, and is in charge of the whole running of the business, from food, to decorations and music. The manager must ensure that all employees are working to their full potential, and all legislation acts are followed. She must also make sure that employees receive correct pay and entitlements. Receptionist This person must be able to socialise with different people, and provide them with any information they require. Answering phone calls and adequate knowledge of computers is necessary in making bookings and providing information. Caterers/Cooks Three head chefs and 5 chefs/caterers will be employed for the role of providing food and drinks for all guests. They must be able to create innovative ideas with food, and presentation must always be eye-catching. OHS and EEO legislations must be understood by these employees to ensure a safe and injury-free workplace. Waiters Ten employees will be hired for the role of the waiter. A mixture of men and women will be required. No special qualifications are required for the waiters, but it is preferred that they have had some experience on the role of waitressing. They must also understand the OHS and EEO legislations, and work together as a team with fellow employees. The main recommendation for this role is great social skills, and being able to listen to what customers and guests ask and have good communication skills. MC/Host Up to two hosts will be employed for different nights of the week, and must be great entertainers. Cleaners Up to two employees will be needed in order to keep reception rooms clean at all times, to ensure the business follows the OHS legislation, all employees and guests avoid injury, and the workplace looks presentable and tidy. Hygiene is very important for the health of customers and workers. Required Skills and Attributes of Staff Each job needs particular skills/ qualifications. Amandas Ballroom Reception requires people who are good at communicating with customers, confident, trustworthy, patient, reliable, organized and most importantly happy! Certain jobs require more skill and experience than others, but Amandas Ballroom Reception is willing to provide great training and development sessions through inductions in order to gain the most from all employees, so the business is confident that all employees are working to the best of their ability. MARKET ANALYSIS AND STRATEGIES Amandas Ballroom Reception aims at targeting any people ready to get married. No matter the race, gender or preferences, they cater according to what the customers ask for. Whether it be food, music or even decorations, Amandas Ballroom Reception will cater to create your dream wedding. This business does not specialise in any certain age groups, but will supply for both a traditional or modern wedding, as they believe no-one is ever too old to get married as long as you have found your true partner. This business will appeal to any couples looking to celebrate their wedding vowels, and will even appeal to the parents having to let go of their children. No matter your income, this wedding reception business will cater for people will all allowances, and varies depending on how much you choose to spend. Although the location of the business already has a highly popular reception venue, the Bellevue, already established, it will definitely increase competition for both businesses, but will provide greater variety for the community, as only one big wedding reception venue in a large suburb will not suffice. The latest wedding reception venue business in Bankstown will most likely attract attention by a highly populated area, where they may like to trial the newest business and compare to existing businesses nearby. A definite competitor in the area is the very popular reception venue, The Bellevue. Establishing Amandas Ballroom Reception close-by will definitely increase competition and tension for both businesses, but at the same time will provide greater variety for the community. After completing a market research on ideas on Amandas Ballroom Reception, the following statistics were shown based on ideas of the community. After concluding all findings, research shows that 72% of all customers were completely satisfied with the service of the newly established business and wouldnt definitely use the service again. A dramatic change is evident where 22% of customers were satisfied with what the business provided, and would most likely pay for their services again. Reasons for this may be for lack of experience of the business and/or employees, as it is still new, and running at a slower pace than other experienced wedding reception venues. Only 4% of customers supposed that they may return back to the services of the business, and only 2% of the customers said they would definitely not return. Once again, this may be the case because of lack of experience compared to other well established business. Another reason may be for the prices, as prices start off high for the business in order for them to gain a profit and pay off expenses, and pay employees. Marketing Strategies PRODUCT A high degree of customer service is important in the service of the business to satisfy their peoples needs and make them choose the business and want to return to the service. A catchy trademark and/or logo for the business is used to identify the great services associated with Amandas Ballroom Reception that is provided to consumers, and to differentiate it from its competitors. The business provides great variety of intangible qualities to suite everyones taste. At this stage, positioning or level of services made up by consumers is very important so the firm understands its strengths and weaknesses, and especially in comparison to its competitors. By satisfying consumers with what is promised to them, the reputation of the business is sure to expand.C:Documents and SettingsAmandaMy DocumentsGlassWeddingBells536358.jpg PRICE Young customers preparing their wedding celebrations may not have a high amount of money saved, which is an important factor in pricing the services of the wedding reception venue to suite all incomes. Higher prices may be distributed in order to generate a form of profit, but prices must also be reasonable, where customers are WILLING to put the money value. This gives a greater incentive to provide the best possible service in order to gain consumer loyalty to get them returning to the business. As a newly established business, Amandas Ballroom Reception should not increase their prices higher than competitors, or they will lose any potential customers! Through market research, demand pricing will take place in order to see how much customers are willing to spend on the different variety of services. They would have also used its greatest competitors prices as a guide to not exceed. PROMOTION Sustaining and maintaining great consumer awareness and trust is important for Amandas Ballroom Reception as they only aim to provide the best service to keep their customers coming back, and creating the best possible wedding celebration for the happy couple. Sales promotion; this business offers incentives to the customers through competitions. The employees of Amandas Ballroom Reception also spend a great amount of time on advertising through the media to gain the highest possible consumer awareness, and to get the business to look attractive and trust-worthy. PLACE Exclusive distribution of the service applies to this business as the services provided to customers are different to those of any other wedding reception business, as they come with innovative ideas that would make it almost impossible for potential customers to resist. Amandas Ballroom Reception has a useful and constructive distribution channel, which can offer the opportunity to develop an advantage over its competitors. Also, the business can have negotiating power with potential customers that debates different prices for certain services, depending on the demand and supply for the different services. Market Research Amandas Ballroom Reception Survey Please circle What is your gender? Male Female What is your age bracket? 18-25 26-34 35+ Do you think that Amandas Ballroom Reception will be a success? Yes No Do you trust a newly established business to hold your wedding reception? Yes No Would you recommend this business to friends and family? Yes No Are you satisfied with what you received in relation to what you paid for? Yes No Will you be returning to our business services again? Yes No What most impressed you about our business service? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What least impressed you about our business service? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you have any requests/comments/ recommendations? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FINANCIAL FORCASTS Amandas Ballroom Reception Balance Sheet 4/8/10 $ Current Assets Cash At Bank $15,000 Accounts Receivable $80,000 Inventory $120,000 $215,000 Non-Current Assets Plant/Equipment $1,350,000 Land and Building $500,000 Property $375,000 $2,225,000 Other Non-Current Assets Goodwill $200,000 $200,000 TOTAL ASSETS $2,640,000 Current Liabilities Bank Overdraft $141,200 Accounts Payable $75,000 $216,200 Non-Current Liabilities Mortgage

Beer for Everyone Essay -- legal drinking age, alcohol, drunk driving

Beer for Everyone Each year there are tens of thousands of people who die each year because of drunk drivers, and because of binge drinking. The solution to this problem is not necessarily in raising the drinking age, or in stopping the production of alcohol. America has already tried taking away alcohol, and the effect of that was moon shine. In raising the drinking age it would only mean that older people will be the ones that are drunk and getting into accidents. The solution to this would be in lowering the drinking age and raising the driving age. It may not make a big difference at first, but there will be a time when the number of deaths each year will drop down to the hundreds instead of tens of thousands. If the drinking age is lowered to 16 and the driving age raised to 18, students will perform better in college. They will not want to be part of drinking games when they get older. Also the students know how much alcohol they can handle before driving. Some people would argue that the legal drinking age is just how it should be. Having the drinking age lowered could cause more disruption, some people might say. These people might think that the kids will listen to the song â€Å"The Other Side† by Jason Derulo. One line in the song goes like, â€Å"Tonight we’ll get drunk/ Disturb the peace† there might those kids who here this song and do what it says. Everyone knows that the majority of kids look up these artists as their role models. The artists are not thinking about what effect this will have on others some of them just want to make money. People will say that if 16 year olds can drink then they will cause destruction. The positive effect if younger people can drink is how they will perform in school. A popular activity a... ...k. Prod. Simsoul1. Youtube. N.p., 28 Sept. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. . Ansari, Walid E., Christiane Stock, and Claire Mills. "Is Alcohol Consumption Associated with Poor Academic Achievement in University Students?" International Journal of Preventive Medicine 4.10 (2013): 1175-88. Print. Barnett, Nancy P. "The minimum drinking age debate." DATA: The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory & Application 27.11 (2008): 8. Print. Drunk Driver nearly causes Multiple Accidents - Ends up Crashing. Prod. IDUVO. Youtube. N.p., 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. . Durkin, Anne. "Educating Nursing Students About the Dangers of Drinking Games." Nursing Education Perspectives 29.1 (2008): 38-41. Print. Derulo, Jason. â€Å"The Other Side.† Tattoo. CD. Ammo and Martin Johnson. 2013. 12 Dec. 2013.

Mobile Phone-based Interaction Techniques Essay -- Technology, Bluetoo

Many of the research presented in the field of mobile phone-based interaction techniques that have been developed so far fall into three main classes according to Sas & Dix [21]. In some research, the personal device effectively acts as an extended input device for text editing or pointing task. In others, the phone is used to upload and download media using standard content and protocols. The third class is where the mobile phone is a more integral part of the interaction, typically using the display of the device in concert with the public display. Ballagas et al [7] present a survey of the existed interaction techniques that use mobile phones as pointing device. Alongside with the survey, they present an analysis on these techniques based on the following taxonomy: position, orient, select, path, quantify, and text .The study concludes that the mobile phone is suitable devise for positioning tasks in various ways especially when interacting with public display in pervasive environ ment. Bellow we present some studies based on Sas & Dix classification [21]. Mobile phone as pointing devise: As a research area, several studies use image processing and visual recognition as a base in there interaction technique, since that most of the smart phones and handheld devices are equipped with digital camera. Jiang et al [1] attempted to take advantage of this fact by proposing a study to interact with display through mobile device camera. There method uses the position of the cursor on the display as the basic input source. The presented systems depend on a closed-loop of feedback between the handheld device and the display to provide continuous-visual feedback. This closed-loop starts with presenting the cursor on the display. Then, th... ...sts of three units: the Symbian client application running on the mobile phone. The role of this unit is to enable users to select a track from the presented list on the phone screen. The second unit is the server application running on a PC which counts the votes from all client unit users. The last one is a large public display which acts as the main user interface showing the track list and their votes. Kaviani et al [13] propose new user interface concept that take advantage of the input and output capability of large public display and mobile phone. They call this mode of interface as â€Å"dual display†, which allows users to execute multimedia user interfaces across both large and small display types. By shifting parts of a user interface down to a personal mobile device number of problems originating from limitations in large display real estate can be solved.

Who Owns the U.S. National Debt? Essay -- Obamas National Debt

"Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt." -- Herbert Hoover A recent topic for political debate, and one that is usually included in most political rhetoric, is the national debt, and the debt ceiling crisis. I believe that there are many misconceptions about this issue, and that politicians use and promote these misconceptions for the purpose of making political arguments. The example of this that sticks out for me is a commercial I saw on television that seems to depict a future where the US has presumably been taken over by China. That commercial seemed a little extreme, so for this paper, I seek to correct these sorts of misconceptions, or to at least show that some arguments about the national debt are a little wrong. Probably the most important misconception about the national debt is the misconception that China owns most of the national debt, and that such a situation makes the United States government a puppet to China. The latter misconception doesn't take much research to see as an exaggeration of the truth. Unlike personal debt, national debt isn't enforced by some higher power. Money owed to China is a deal between the borrower and China, and there aren't any higher powers to force the collection of debts. If China wanted to collect on that debt, the worst they could do is to go to war, and that's rather unrealistic. The main problem with this idea that China owns our government, is the fact that China's share of the national debt isn't as big as people seem to think. For this paper, I took a survey from 12 people. I asked them each, "How much of the national debt do you think is owned by China?" Of those people, 3 thought China owned more than 60 percent of the national debt, 4 though... ... to do. To conclude, the national debt is indeed an important issue that needs to be discussed, but it is important also to not take what you hear about it in political arguments as fact. Knowing the truth about issues like this can help you better understand what politicians are really saying, and will help you avoid being manipulated by fear tactics like that commercial about a Chinese-dominated future. Works Cited Historical Data on the Federal Debt. Rep. N.p.: Congressional Budget Office, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. . Surowiecki, James. "Smash the Ceiling." The New Yorker. N.p., 1 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. "Who Really Owns the U.S. National Debt?" Townhall Finance. N.p., 21 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. Herbert Hoover Quote http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/national_debt.html#SP3YaWVBGy0KE3ET.99

Art of the Romantic Period

During the Romantic period, composers had shown their romantic side. The expressive part in all artists was being shown. The passion in art, the variety of bold colors, the freedom of expression, and how one feels through the sound of a piano or violin, it was all being shown. Much of what the classical period was still remained during the romantic period, but to most, the romantic period was so much more. The music was more emotional and expressive, and had even influenced artists that weren’t musicians to be romantic as well. All artists were becoming the romantics of the time, and what a time it was for the arts. The romantic period will always be remembered as a time in history when passion was important, expression was used, and emotion was seen and heard. There are many characteristics involved in the romantic period. The individuality of style was an important characteristic. Each composer had his own style that showed his innermost feelings through and expressed emotional piece of work. Expressive aims and subjects were also important during this period. The romantics explored a universe of feelings that included intimacy and flamboyance, melancholy and unpredictability, longing and rapture Romanticism (1820-1900) in music was brought to the world during the early nineteenth century. This music stressed emotion, imagination, and individualism. The Romantic period was about freedom of expression and breaking away from time-honored conventions. This period in time had influenced many, or even all of the arts. Painters used bolder and more brilliant colors in their works. Also, they had preferred dynamic motion to gracefully balanced poses. Poetry was also changed during the romantic period. Emotional subjectivity was a basic quality in every type of art during this time. Many artists had become â€Å"romantics† and had become drawn to the realm of fantasy: the unconscious, the irrational, and the world of dreams. Romantics were fascinated with the middle age, the time of chivalry and romance. What neoclassicists had thought of to be the â€Å"dark ages†, the romantics had cherished. The spirit of revolution was â€Å"a dedication to the principles of equality, reason, and a representative government. † (Bishop 323) With the overthrow of Kings in America and France it did not stop the injustices or establish a utopia of reason. With the middle class growing a society developed and a new sensibility arose called romanticism, which glorified the individual and prized feelings over reason and intellect. â€Å"This period of revolutionary change and romantic reaction (1775-1850) laid down the principles, and discovered the demons of the first modern society. † (Bishop 323) Elements of romantic art and literature came about to respond to different social and historical circumstances. Poets of this time argued against the social injustices of early society. A woman named Mary Wollstonecraft wanted equal rights for woman, and a Spanish painter Goya bitterly depicted the cruelty of war. Authors in England and North America such as Wordsworth and Emerson saw nature as a mirror of the human imagination. Painters developed now techniques of color and light to render the natural landscape’s sublime beauty. Other people sought escape in the past, and had a taste for picturesque medieval architecture. As the industrial life became dull and mechanical, the lure of exotic lands spurred the imaginations of architects such as Nash and painters such as Delacroix and Ingres. The people of the romantic age were fascinated with evil, the demonic, and the grotesque and the dark side of things that were reflected in the novel, with its medieval setting and tortured characters. The most famous Gothic novel was Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein†, which was a summation of the romantic motifs: â€Å"the genius, the noble savage, the protest against injustice, and the fascination with evil. † At one point in the study of the Romantic period of music, we come upon the first of several apparently opposing conditions that plague all attempts to grasp the meaning of Romantic as applied to the music of the 19th century. This opposition involved the relation between music and words. If instrumental music is the perfect Romantic art, why is it acknowledged that the great masters of the symphony, the highest form of instrumental music, were not Romantic composers, but were the Classical composers, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven? Moreover, one of the most characteristic 19th century genres was the Lied, a vocal piece in which Shubert, Schumann, Brahams, and Wolf attained a new union between music and poetry. Furthermore, a large number of leading composers in the 19th century were extremely interested and articulate in literary expression, and leading Romantic novelists and poets wrote about music with deep love and insight. The conflict between the ideal of pure instrumental music (absolute music) as the ultimate Romantic mode of expression, and the strong literary orientation of the 19th century, was resolved in the conception of program music. Program music, as Liszt and others in the 19th century used the term, is music associated with poetic, descriptive, and even narrative subject matter. This is done not by means of musical figures imitating natural sounds and movements, but by imaginative suggestion. Program music aimed to absorb and transmit the imagined subject matter in such a way that the resulting work, although â€Å"programmed†, does not sound forced, and transcends the subject matter it seeks to represent. Instrumental music thus became a vehicle for the utterance of thoughts which, although first hinted in words, may ultimately be beyond the power of words to fully express. Practically every composer of the era was, to some degree, writing program music, weather or not this was publicly acknowledged. One reason it was so easy for listeners to connect a scene or a story or a poem with a piece of Romantic music is that often the composer himself, perhaps unconsciously, was working from some such ideas. Writers on music projected their own conceptions of the expressive functions of music into the past, and read Romantic programs into the instrumental works not only of Beethoven, but also the likes of Mozart, Haydn, and Bach! The diffused scenic effects in the music of such composers as Mendelssohn and Schumann seem pale when compared to the feverish, and detailed drama that constitutes the story of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique (1830). Because his imagination always seemed to run in parallel literary and musical channels, Berlioz once subtitled his work â€Å"Episode in the life of an artist†, and provided a program for it which was in effect a piece of Romantic autobiography. In later years, he conceded that if necessary, when the symphony was performed by itself in concert, the program would need not be given out for the music would â€Å"of itself, and irrespective of any dramatic aim, offer an interest in the musical sense alone. † The principle formal departure in the symphony is the recurrence of the opening theme of the first Allegro, the idee fixe. This, according to the program, is the obsessive image of the hero's beloved, that recurs in the other movements. To mention another example: in the coda of the Adagio there is a passage for solo English horn and four Tympani intended to suggest â€Å"distant thunder†. The foremost composer of program music after Beriloz was Franz Liszt, twelve of whose symphonic poems were written between 1848 and 1858. The name symphonic poem is significant: these pieces are symphonic, but Liszt did not call them symphonies, presumably because or their short length, and the fact that they are not divided up into movements. Instead, each is a continuos form with various sections, more or less varied in tempo and character, and a few themes that are varied, developed, or repeated within the design of the work. Les Preludes, the only one that is still played much today, is well designed, melodious, and efficiently scored. However, its idiom causes it to be rhetorical in a sense. It forces today's listeners to here lavishly excessive emotion on ideas that do not seem sufficiently important for such a display of feeling.