A Secular Christmas Examining Religion in Dickens A Christmas Carol - Literature Essay Samples

While in Christianity Christmas maintains certain religious icons that help school boys and girls remember the story of the birth of Christ, had Tiny Tim attempted to recite the Christian myth he likely would have earned a swift stroke of the hickory stick for his ignorance. In a novel chronicling the conversion of a bourgeois capitalist during the calendars most celebrated holiday, Charles Dickens tears the public anniversary from its Christian roots and establishes the season as a time of humanitarianism and communal charity in a secular world, where the actions bestowed in kindness hold more weight than the dogma from which they stem. Consequently, while such traditional religious acts as going to church, donating to charity, and prayer exist in Dickens A Christmas Carol, they survive merely as religious, not Christian, actions. In this manner, Dickens successfully captures the philanthropic nature of the Christian holiday-the Christmas spirit-in order to denounce the materiali stic world of capitalism while carefully avoiding preaching an Old World message of Christianity in a post-Darwinian society.The 1830s and 1840s saw a sudden shift in social thinking that not only radically altered the economic theory of the time, but also cracked the bedrock upon which the deific Church had ruled supreme two thousand years strong. Beginning in the 1830s, England found itself fostering sprouting industrial cities such as Leeds, Bradford, and Manchester, correctly described by the London Peoples Journal in 1847 as the type of a new power on the earth. This rapid industrialization, coupled with the revolutionary thinking of Charles Darwin that put the fittest, most capable humans at the forefront of mankinds advancement, encouraged not only an economic growth and a drive for capital gain, but a digression from the classical religion of Christianity. No longer did the hoi polloi feel a divine oppression to conform to a Church-imposed social hierarchy, as evident by the movements to repeal the Corn Laws, thereby prompting a decrease in the cost of corn at the expense of the landowning aristocracy, as well as the 1832 Reform Act, which redistributed representation in Parliament out of the hands of the small corrupt boroughs of landowners and into those of the industrial cities of the north. Furthermore, Chartism-with its birth most recognizable in the Peoples Charter of 1838-showed a push for the idea of laissez-faire in the economy, most notably in the motion to introduce universal suffrage for all males over the age of 21. These reforming motions, combined with Darwins survival of the fittest, ignited the tinder of the ever-ready quest for materialism, forging capitalism. It is in this newly flourishing blaze of capitalism that Dickens finds his voice to counter what he sees as a wildfire set to destroy humanity, choosing not to appeal to ecclesiastical values, but rather to the altruistic nature of man. Setting an early tone of fundament al benevolence, Dickens opens his A Christmas Carol with the call for an act of goodwill.The caring nature of Ebenezer Scrooge is plainly absent from the very outset of the novel. While the opening lines of Dickens critique first identify the capitalist society that runs his London and the protagonist as a subscriber of that economic system, they also show the cold, unfeeling streak that runs through Scrooge. Dickens first reveals Scrooges apathy toward his late friend and business partner, Jacob Marley, then his standoffish and gruff disposition toward his nephew, i.e. his family, and finally his attitude toward greater mankind. It is this third and final aspect of Scrooges cold, businesslike manner that will run throughout the novel as a humanitarian motif, an attestation of Dickens new philanthropic religion. Approached in his office by two gentlemen seeking donations for the poor, Scrooge inquires as to the status of the laws meant to provide basic necessities and means of d ebt payment for the poor, then flaunts his true capitalist colors when he says If they would rather diethey had better do it, and decrease the surplus population' (p. 6). The reader only feels the full harshness of this line, however, because a page earlier one of the two altruistic gentlemen states that at this festive season of the yearit is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time' (p. 5). This stark contrast against the cold nature of capitalism claims only a humanitarian mission-to help those who are in want, to spread joy to the joyless. Furthermore, the speaker here yields not to the hope of a selfless action mirroring the life of Christ, but rather to the notion of festivities and mirth. Spreading goodwill and happiness is of greater concern to these aid workers. With the memory of a similar kindness toward all, the Ghost of Christmas Past elicits a spark of humanity from the otherwise callous protagonist.In the second stave, the first of three Spirits visits Scrooge, allowing the old man to vividly relive memories from his past. In the third of these Scrooge finds himself at the business of a former employer on Christmas Eve, where before Scrooges eyes he watches everyone employed by Fezziwig partake in the celebration, even his younger self. In accordance with this overhauled religion, Dickens herein shows a crowd of merry people of all levels of society (from shop owner down to the lowly boy from down the street) joining together to dance, eat, and drink their full. The moral of the Spirits tale does not lie within a biblical message of divine redemption, but salvation through community and merriment. This parallels a scene later presented by the Ghost of Christmas Present, who himself is a symbol of this post-Darwinian reformation of religion.Stave III presents the reader with the most tangible of the three Spirits, and indeed the scene as Dicke ns describes it is nearly palpable. Entering a room adjacent to his bedchamber, Scrooge finds a giant sitting in a well-lit-which counters the single candle Scrooge had burning himself-and festively decorated hall which furthermore had heaped upon the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters (p. 32) and numerous other delectable foods. The giant himself is attired in a style reminiscent of the Greeks or Romans: a simple green tunic bordered in fur, barefoot, and wearing a holly wreath upon his brow jeweled with icicles. Dickens undoubtedly intends for the image of a crown of thorns to present itself to the reader here, as this character can be interpreted as a pagan Christ figure. The seemingly endless hoard of food-which Scrooge notes before the Spirit himself-suggests the Spirit as a sort of divine caregiver, supported more so in that h e likens it to a throne. A few pages later, Scrooge and the Spirit are present on the streets to watch the masses flock to Church, but not before turning their Christmas dinners over to the bakers. In Dickens world of general satisfaction, the Church falls second to that which causes true happiness on Christmas-a good meal and the festivities surrounding it. Scrooge observes as shop-goers jostle how the Spirit sprinkles water from his torch, likened to the horn of Plenty, thereby pacifying all and maintaining the Christmas spirit of goodwill. Right after this scene the Spirit takes Scrooge to the Cratchit household, wherein the family enjoys a poor, yet contented Christmas dinner. Never does the transition between the streets of London and the humble home of Bob Cratchit stray to the pews of the Church or the message delivered before them. Dickens mentions the Church as the destination of the masses, as well as the place from which Bob and Tiny Tim arrive, but never as more. This limitation on the Christian aspect of the holiday nonetheless provides a fleeting glimpse of religion, thereby offering a sacred ambiance without an overtly doctrinal implication. The resulting pagan theme is reflected in the Ghost of Christmas Present, the Fezziwig party, and even the Christmas party of Fred, Scrooges nephew.Just as in the previous Christmas party at Fezziwigs, the one thrown by Fred, though modest in comparison, nevertheless champions pagan ideals in lieu of Christian values. In Freds party Dickens stresses the importance of friends during the festivities of the season, as well as emphasizing the rakish nature of youth in such games as blind mans bluff and the merriment of mixed company. Toppers shameless pursuit of one maiden over the others, as well as his necessary groping when blind in her direction (p. 46) underscores this bawdy atmosphere and further detracts from the religious nature of the holiday. Yet the final departure from Christianity comes i n the form of the novels ultimate redeeming figure, Tiny Tim.The epitome of the poor and a potential casualty in Darwins theory of survival of the fittest, Bob Cratchits young crippled son is the savior of mankind in A Christmas Carol. While the second spirit shows a pagan mirror image of Christ, Tiny Tim can be likened to Christ in the redemption that he [inadvertently] offers. At the end of Stave III, the Spirit draws back his robe to reveal the forms of Want and Ignorance at his feet, two symbols Dickens uses to show the impending doom of mankind at the hands of capitalists like Ebenezer Scrooge. This damnation, however, will only occur if those champions of selflessness and timeless joy-represented in the figure of Tiny Time-are destroyed by an unfeeling, greedy capitalism. The world dies with the death of Tiny Tim in Dickens novel because he has spent the better part of the five staves showing how no man is his neighbors better. Conversely, if Tiny Tim lives, so too does m ankind, and in this way does the destitute invalid offer the world salvation as a secular Christ.This religious (though not Christian) worldview in A Christmas Carol argues against capitalism and social Darwinism, as well as the materialism it advocates. Dickens stance is plainly in opposition to materialism; from the weights that burden Marley in the afterlife (p. 11) to the minute profit granted the robbers of Scrooges possessions upon his death (p. 55) Dickens shows the futility of stockpiling monetary wealth. Instead, with an emphasis on family and community relations, he paints a warm and cheery picture of life in moderation, yet without want. In a society jaded by a Church too lost in its own doctrine to fulfill its founders teachings, Dickens strays from the beaten path of Christianity in favor of a spiritual, perhaps pagan religious tone in A Christmas Carol in order to emphasize philanthropy and community while minimizing the dogma of a stale faith.

Machiavelli Essay - 1597 Words

quot;The term Machiavellian refers to someone who is unscrupulous, cunning, cynical, and unprincipledquot;(Goods 1998). Many scholars agree that this particular adjective would have dismayed Niccolo Machiavelli, the man from whom the term is derived. In reality he has been attributed as being one of the brightest lights of the Italian Renaissance through his works as not only a writer, but also as an influential philosopher of history and political thought. His most famous work The Prince has been misunderstood due to the motives discussed and the blatantly honest language used. Many of his critics have condemned him for his pessimistic outlook of man as a whole and in doing so try to negate the bulk of his work. Yet even after over 470†¦show more content†¦In fact, Machiavelli used various early diplomatic missions as the basis for a short guideline he sent to the Florentine diplomat of Spain named Raffaelo Girolami. In this letter Machiavelli discussed not only what he had done but also how he could have improved (Gilbert 1961, 209). This letter was meant not only as advice for a particular situation but also as a learning aid to apply to all situations. We see from this and other letters like it that Machiavelli not only learned the theory behind politics but also continually refined his skill with each new challenge. Machiavelli demonstrated a great knowledge and insight regarding politics through his writings but more importantly he displayed a man who went through great effort to pay attention to details. Nowhere else is this fact more evident than in the advice and instructions that he imparted to less experienced government officials. His own advice states to â€Å"†¦write to those with whom you do business so clearly that when they have a letter of yours they may think they are there-in such detail it describes the thing to them†(Gilbert 1961, 123). Not only does this apply to his beliefs in documentation, but also encourages them to pay close attention to details in order to supplement those writings. This type of statement was far from uncommon, in a large quantity of his letters to less experienced diplomats he advised them to â€Å"’go to the extreme of writing too much rather that too little† (GilbertShow MoreRelatedThe Machiavelli And Machiavelli s The Prince2 348 Words   |  10 PagesI have always found great interest in the infamous Niccolo Machiavelli and his ways of thinking; my eye was drawn to him long before I knew I would be studying at Colorado State and even before I had any interest in politics. It was from young man know as Tupac Shakur, and let me tell you it is great to finally understand who Machiavelli is and the things he has done for the outlook on politics after hearing about how much respect and praise he got from the iconic rapper of the 1990s. 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The Prince, has been criticised due to itamp;#8217;s seemingly amoral political suggestiveness, however after further scrutiny of other works such as The Discourses, one can argue that it was Machiavelliamp;#8217;s intention to infact imply a positiveRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli Essay1536 Words   |  7 PagesNiccolo Machiavelli Around 1513 Niccolo Machiavelli while writing The Prince would not be considered a theologian. When thinking of Machiavelli many people confuse him together with the names of rulers who have abused his writings. It also seems other people confuse Machiavelli with the rapper who took his name. Either way people confuse Machiavelli it seems they fail to look at his true message, bettering the state and the greater good. Machiavelli may seem evil to some but his political

Affect of the Internet on World Culture - 2780 Words

Abstract As the collective world turns on their computers, it is becoming increasingly important to know why they have decided to turn them on and what drives them while they are on. There have been several theories governing modern social society that can be translated rather precisely into the world of the Internet. The personality theories developed by John Atkinson, Abraham Maslow, Joseph Veroff, and Dan McAdams helps define the different shapes that people take while on the World Wide Web. In the following paper, I will discuss these theories, some of the social behavior that takes place on the Internet and the combination of the two into a cogent description of human drives on the Internet. Issue Paper According to projected†¦show more content†¦A person will not try to attain esteem, for example, if they do not have any food to eat. Additionally, a person will not search out self-actualization if they have no friends or loved ones. Other psychologists have disputed the theory ever since its inception because of its vagueness and its presupposition of selfishness in every action, but this hierarchy claim seems relevant to human drives on the Internet. Joseph Veroff, who gave much credit to the acclaimed psychologist David McClelland, voiced his belief in a motivational system with gave recognition to two types of influencing factors in a persons life: the need for achievement, and the need for power. The paradoxical relationship between the two, as noted by Veroff, is that achievement brings power and with power brings achievement recognition, but they themselves are dramatically different. An achievement motivation exists because certain social standards of excellence have been laid down and the person following this motivational factor tries to reach this level and get esteem from it. However, a power motivated person finds satisfaction only in their control of the environment as a means in itself. In my own experience, I have found one overriding theme to Internet use: an unequivocal need for control. Which would imply that the need for power is greater than the need for achievement on the Internet. According to Ellen J. Langer, a noted psychologist who graduated from Yale University, inShow MoreRelatedTelevision Is A Common Part Of Contemporary Society1043 Words   |  5 PagesThe television is also a very important aspect of popular culture that affects the American Identity. Watching television is such a common part of contemporary society, that most Americans adopted it as a part of their daily routine and watch television for at least an hour a day. Stanley Crouch, a poet, music and cultural critic, writes that whenever people pretentiously and proudly announce, â€Å"I don’t watch television,† they should follow it up with â€Å"I don’t look at America either† (Masciotra 79)Read MoreGlobalization And Its Impact On The World1435 Words   |  6 Pagesinfluence and shape the world? 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Management Accounting Manufacture of the Goods

Question: Discuss about theManagement Accountingfor Manufacture of the Goods. Answer: Main use of the Product Costing System Product costing system can be described as the system utilized by the management of various organizations to have a hold on the cost of product of the manufactured goods or done with an aim for resale purpose. The cost of goods done before the sale is known as product costs. When it comes to the manufacture of the goods, it is the expense done during the process of manufacture. Moreover, there might be a case when the goods are purchased then the product cost can be said to be the expenses done to purchase the inventory and other expenses incurred such as a carriage, freight, etc for the inventory purchase (Drury, 2013). Once the assessment of the manufactured products is done, the further costs needed to seal the products are added to the manufactured cost of products and the product cost in total ascertain the cost of sales. The overall process is defined as the product costing system (Lacoma, 2016). The main aim of the product costing system is to evaluate the above-discussed cost s in a chronological manner so that it becomes easy to compute the total cost of sales and final profit can be computed with ease. Further benefits that are derived from the product costing system is that it enables smooth computation of the manufactured cost of goods manufactured per product, ascertainment of the cost that pertains to various level of production, differentiation of the cost incurred on the product with the budgeted cost and the deviation can be traced with ease (Horngren, 2011). Moreover, it supports the management in policies formulation, selling price fixation, shedding light on the profitability in a product wise manner. The under and over application of overhead is properly traced with the help of this system. Product costing system is the need of the hour because the costs are left unchanged to the service or product as per the scenario. Such a scenario can be witnessed in the case of job costing or service sector costing (Lister, 2016). When the product costing system is deficient in an organization then there might be an issue of unrecorded expenses or income that are overstated that projects a bad impression for the financial condition of the company as it will influence the profit either an understatement or overstatement will happen. Further, under pricing of the product might happen or inflation of the profits (Lacoma, 2016). The product can be either under or over priced that will affect the companys goodwill. Product pricing is mainly concerned with the manufacturing business, however, the application can be witnessed in non-manufacturing industries. When it comes to merchandising companies, it contains buying, as well as transportation of merchandise in the product cost (Vanderbeck, 2013). For example, the producers of inventorial goods, agricultural products, and mining products consider the cost of producing the goods. The product cost role in such companies is same as that of the manufacturing firms. When the process of product costing happens, the management considers the overhead that needs to be incurred. During the process of manufacture, there might a difference in terms of the actual cost being incurred with that of the estimated costs. These estimated costs are applicable to various processes of manufacturing by utilizing an overhead rate that is pre-determined. The differences are spotted by the accounts team when the production process ends (Horngren, 2011). The differences lead to under or over application of overheads. Over application of the overhead is a scenario when the applied overheads surpass the overhead that is actual. On the other hand, when the actual overhead exceeds then it is said it be a case of under application of overheads. It needs to be noted that the concept of over or under application creates a variation in the profitability that the organization estimates at the start of the season and is followed by the maximum of organization (Lanen et. al, 2008). To minimize the difference, the management requires time, as well as efforts so that the rate of overhead can be ascertained with an enhanced level of accuracy as the pre-determined rate is the chief ingredient in the application of overhead. If over or under application happens then the organization have to deal with certain scenarios. The difference is written to Profit and loss account When this method is put into implementation then the over or under application is moved to the profit and loss account so that the treatment is done in the same accounting year. The major loophole of this method is that the inventory figures gets inflated or understated because the under or over application needs to be distributed between finished goods work in progress and cost of sales (Lanen et. al, 2008). Treatment in Reserve accounts When this method is used, the over or under applied costs are tuned to the reserve account and projected in the balance sheet. However, this method should not be used as the adjustment for over or under applied overhead must be done in the same accounting year and not be carried forward (Needles, 2011). Inventories adjustment Work in progress, as well as finished goods and cost of sales is done so that the accounts is brought into connection with the actual cost. The overheads that are applied in excess or low must be distributed to the supplementary rate in work in progress, the cost of sales and the finished goods. Adjustment of over or under application in the cost of sales The cost of sales is determined by the accumulation of all the expenses that pertains to selling and distribution and then the addition is done to the cost of goods sold. In the case of an under application or over application, the same gets shifted to the cost of sales account. It can be done in a monthly manner or annually. ABC even known as activity-based costing is a mechanism that is used to assign products, tasks, or acquisition that is based on activities that flow into them and resources consumed by such activities. ABC can be contrasted with the traditional mechanism of costing that sometimes assigns cost by utilization of the hypothetical allocation percentage for overhead that is termed as indirect costs. Therefore, ABC estimates the cost of goods sold and gross margin in a different manner for different products. ABC should be introduced into the organization (Charles, 2012). The cost accountants have a clear understanding that the traditional system of cost conceals information when it comes to an individual product and services. Hence, a shift to ABC will lead to understating the real cost of the products, as well as services in an accurate manner. The implementation of ABC is done by the companies by identification of the products on an individual basis that is not profitable, ascertainment of the true costs so that pricing policy can be supported and revealing costs that are unnecessary so that it can be eliminated with ease. Firms that use ABC attain the objectives in an effective manner (Shim Siegel, 2009). The main benefit of ABC lies in the fact that the same accounts are influenced however different perspective is used. ABC helps in bringing enhancement in the margin hat is reported and even the profitability. Such an outcome is possible when ABC projects where to adjust the models of pricing. The areas where ABC can show vast improvements and benefits are cost accounting, budgeting, financial accounting, etc (Venanci, 2012). ABC scores over traditional method but needs to be noted that ABC is not free from deficiencies. References Charles, T.S 2012, Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis, Pearson Education Drury, C. M 2013, Management and cost accounting, Springer. Horngren, C 2011, Cost accounting, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Australia. Lanen, W. N, Anderson, S Maher, M. W 2008, Fundamentals of cost accounting, NY: Hang Loose press Lacoma, T 2016, The Advantages Product Costing Offers in Financial Accounting, viewed 20 May 2017 https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-product-costing-offers-financial-accounting-24883.html Lister, J 2016, Product Costing vs. Cost Accounting, viewed 20 May 2017 https://smallbusiness.chron.com/product-costing-vs-cost-accounting-37642.html Needles, S. C 2011, Managerial Accounting, Nason , USA: South-Western Cengage Shim, J. K Siegel, J G 2009, Modern Cost Management and Analysis, Barron's Education Series Vanderbeck, E J 2013, Principles of Cost Accounting, Oxford university press Venanci, D 2012, Financial Performance Measures and Value Creation , State of art . New York: Springer.