Human Resource Information System In Pharmaceutical Industry Information Technology Essay

Human Resource Information System In Pharmaceutical Industry Information Technology Essay This paper generates propositions analyzing the association between Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) and the reliance, pharmaceutical industry places in the technology and models the effect of those associations on HRIS implementation success. It gives information about the human resource management at different levels and how the information technology is used in human resource department to fulfill all its functions with ease. It also gives information about the aspects that help in effective and optimal use of Human Resource Management system and effectiveness in integrating the HR activities with IT. It gives the idea of the uses of different modules of HRMS and other software related to Human resource management. It says about the margins of error and the performance level of current HRMS. It provides with the clues about the challenges faced by most of the pharmaceutical companies in which HRMS assists them to successfully deal with it. It enlightens the pros cons and the outcomes of usage of human resource information system used in pharmaceutical industries. This system adds value to the Human Resource functions but also changes the competencies that define the winning of human resource professionals. This paper also generates the importance of HRIS in Novartis International AG. It also explains its various challenges while implementing the system in the company. Introduction The main use of technology advancement in the corporate has driven the change of means, needs and styles of working. When advanced work effectiveness and output, falling in line with time management agendas and devotion to punctuality guidelines, there are more profits to employees effectively, and best utilization of available resources and a successful deal with corporate. The term, Human Resource Management System (HRMS) or Human Resource Information System (HRIS), matches to all the features in the business system. HRMS is the procedure engaged by the combination of better ways of technological development with conventional ways of the human resource mode of functioning. A Human Resource Management System or Human Resource Information System (HRIS) or HR system is the systems and processes between human resource management (HRM) and information technology (IT). HRM is a discipline which blends its basic HR functions and processes with the information technology. HRMS software was provided by the PeopleSoft.Inc. Earlier, most of the administrative jobs constituted tiresome practice of manual paperwork like determining payroll, tracing data, conserving the collection of database, maintaining and evaluating productivity records, keeping employee personal information, addressing issues and resolving conflicts and scrutinizing employee welfare schemes have now become a simple, time-saving and cost-saving process. There are other functions such as monitoring and retrieving periodic employee performance, planning, controlling and coordinating activities, organizing tables, figures and statistics and evaluating them. This technology is used as a device to make the work environment simple, standardized and user-friendly. Importance of Information System to HR Better safety Better service Competitive Advantage Fewer Errors Greater Accuracy Improved Communication Increased Efficiency Increased Productivity More efficient administration More opportunities Reduced labor requirements Reduced costs Superior managerial decision making Superior control The Human Resources Department needed more management-level information and support to encounter all the expectations. These practices have now begun to branch into the different trends that makeup many organizations today. The huge part of human resources is now E-business. Many companies have implemented a web-based system known as the Oracle Human Resources Management System which helps data access through centralized core HRMS system, enabling companies to control and measure their workforce potentials and allows them to manage risk by recording and monitoring compliance with statutory, regulatory, and industry requirements relating to their employees. The stronger use of technology has allowed HRM professionals to invest more time in counselling, selecting, and coaching managers and front-line supervisors. History of HRIS 1950s virtually non-existent 1960s only a select few 1970s greater need 1980s HRIS a reality in many organizations 1990s Numerous vendors, specialties Aspects helping in effective and optimum use of HRIS HRIS is useful for the employees according to their needs. It can be accessible by adding or modifying the modules and also by offering different facilities to them. Also, HRMS is The best means by which the employees of different departments within the company can communicate. It gives information to support and analyze the companys continuous development. It establishes the level of knowledge which is helpful for upgrading the process and research-based practices. It creates the companys planning agenda and defines its decision making process. It Verifies validates the companys mission statement. Effectiveness in integrating the HR activities with IT To prevent from moderating data and viewing information, a role based security is designed. To make the functionalities easy, various functional roles are available which provides ways of data recording, forwarding, reporting and authorizing. It helps to record and view information for different plant, locations, department and employee. HRIS have different segments categorized as modules like payroll module, HR management module, training module, employee self-service module, etc. The maintenance work consumes less effort due to its different way of designing. Uses of different modules There are different types of HR modules in Human Resource Information System, and they are as follows: Payroll module: This module mechanizes the pay process and calculates different deductions and taxes, by gathering information on employee presence and their work timings. It helps to generate periodic pay checks and employee tax reports. For calculating automatic deposit and manual checks, data is generally available from the human resource department. It contains all employee-related dealings as well as all the information is combined with financial management systems. Benefits administration module: Employee benefits programs such as encompass insurance, compensation, profit sharing and retirement of the employees are being tracked and managed by this system for the organizations. HR management module: This module covers different aspects from application to retirement. All the basic information of the employees such as their demographics, address data, selection, training and development, capabilities, skills, compensation records and other functions are recorded with the help of this module. This module helps the system to offer the facility to read applications and enter appropriate data to specific database fields, informs employers and helps to provide position management and control which are not in use. Human resource management systems work is mainly the job placement, recruitment, training, compensation, evaluation and developments of the people working in the company. Mainly, industries use computer based information systems to create pay checks and payroll results; to maintain personnel records and information of the employees; and training and developing the employees. ATS module: Nowadays, online recruiting has become very popular as the key method of employment by the human resource department. This helps in gathering potential and eligible candidates for the available positions in a company. ATS module generally helps in the following ways: It investigates personnel usage in a company ; recognizes potential applicants for the available positions; It helps in recruiting through company-facing entries; It provides help in hiring through online recruiting sites or publications which is marketed to both recruiters and applicants. Training module: It offers the system for the companies to help in managing and tracking employee training and growth efforts. This system is generally known as a Learning Management System and it is a stand-alone, that permits the HR to track all the information of the employees regarding their education, qualifications and skills, as well as recording their training courses ,books, CDs, etc. whichever are available to improve their skills in different areas. Thereafter the employees are registered for the appropriate courses which are offered at a particular dates with specific sessions, with delegates and training resources by which they are being recorded and managed within the same system. The learning management system helps the managers in approving training, budgeting and arranging together with performance management and appraisal metrics. Employee Self-Service module: This module is useful for the employees of the companies to ask question to the human resource about HR related information. They can also perform HR transactions through the system such as querying about their attendance records from the system without asking the HR personnel. This module also provides service to let the upper managers approve overtime requests from their subordinates without disturbing the functions of HR department. Benefits to the Employees The ways in which employees can be benefited by the HRMS are as follows: Identification of employees key skills for retention excellence. Automated and precise performance appraisals promote healthy relations. Expedite employees recruiting process. Multitude data pulling from single entry can cut in various reports. Helps building a successful environment where employees strive to perform well and exceeding their goals. A collegial flexible work place, Employee input in to how the work gets done, trust in senior management and lack of hierarchy flexible work arrangement. Web-based management system can streamline improvement plans by collaborating creation, implementation and monitoring phases. Help manage workforce and resources. Focuses and aligns staff development and resources. The margins of error The margin of error for the HRIS system is very minimal. The HRIS system maintains and updates its form of modifications or additions of HR modules on a regular basis. The performance level of this system is ideal. Unique areas where the pharmaceutical company uses HRMS effectively The HRMS system, implemented in various pharmaceutical companies, is highly sophisticated and provided with latest versions. Consultants who are expertise in making the software, seeks suggestions and advice on the implementation of the HRIS software in their own company. All the pharmaceutical companies customize its HRIS as per the needs and requirements of the personnel and staff. The unique areas where the pharmaceutical company uses the HRMS effectively are: It contains all the personal information of the employees such as their training, experience, education, leave, job description, pay description at a single point of access. All the information about the leave allocation and movement can be easily drawn with the help of it. It helps in searching appropriate applicants for the available vacancies and in the interviewing process. It is also helpful in managing the insurance of the employees easily. It is important for the growth of the employees which are under their respective training given for their skill development. It is helpful in development of the employees performance appraisal system. It is also helpful in managing all the policy documents at a single source depository. It is also used to do online survey about the companys environment by the employees. By the help of this software, an employee gets the benefit of suggesting any useful advice for the companys well-being. It facilitates with an extra benefit to the employee by notifying about the urgent and critical notices or important messages from a single point. It gives an access to collect opinions easily, fast and with security and confidentiality companywide. It can be used as a budget allocation and consumption tool. The long term benefits The HRMS software is a customized tool and due to this reason, it had very high level of flexibility and the company gets the advantage of adding more features and HR modules according to their specific needs of the management and employees. This provides the company to communicate the employees with their respective departments even better day-by-day. Recently online HRMS newsletter is introduced which enables the employees to share news and information. Through this, it is involving the employees to participate in sharing and gaining knowledge and capabilities with the other departments of the company. Reasons why HRIS fails sometimes Unclear goals/objectives System solves the wrong problem Improper vendor/product selection Low user involvement Planning overlooks impact on clerical procedures Lack of HR/functional expertise in designing Underestimate conversion effort Management- unrealistic expectations Lack of overall plan for record management Lack of flexibility and adaptability Misinterpret HR specifications Poor communication between HR/IS Inadequate testing The HRIS software is sold by different vendors. Some of the contacts of the vendors are PeopleSoft, Oracle HR Applications, Ascentis Software, Eric Systems Inc., Infinium, and Spectrum. Novartis international AG case Now, lets take the case analysis of Novartis International AG. It is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland with 140 branches worldwide. Around 100,000 associates work in this company. This company manufactures drugs such as diclofenac, carbamazepine, letrozole, methylphenidate, etc. There were various issues that Novartis faced regarding its Human Resource System. Some of the issues are as follows: Significant priority of the company was to implement a firm wide HRIS that would convert many of transaction-based HR core processes to an internet-based system. HRIS project was an integral part of Novartis long term strategy for improving overall HR service delivery to the organization that would result in a full HR transformation. A gap in the infrastructure priority was the lack of a global HR information system. Managers in the company were unable to figure out quickly how many HR associates were working at Novartis. Lack of number of associates within the company to fill the leadership position. The existing IT systems within Novartis were not up to mark. Centralization or standardization of HR data. No consistent standards. No consolidated database. Difficult in supporting in the businesses in identifying, moving, and tracking talent. Multiple fragmented systems. Exposure for many small vendors with non-integrated niche application. Exposure to legal/regulatory non-compliance. Employees are feeling stretched because of initial post-merger integration. The top internal issue is little centralization or standardization of HR data. The company operated in 140 different countries. Due to lack of HRIS in the company, the company has many loop holes such as no consistent standards, no consolidated database, and no ability to provide data in form to reflect their matrix structure whereas has difficulty in supporting the business in identifying, moving and tracking talent etc. So, with the implementation of new HRIS, the company will be able to solve the problem easily and allow the managers and HR professionals to respond to the business challenges. The top external issue is the Shifting of HR role from functional expert and transaction processor to strategic partner and change agent. The implementation of HRIS system will enable the HR transformation. It will cut down most of the administrative activities of the HR managers leading to be an evolution of the basic role of HR in the company. There will be requirement of more skilled and professional HR associates who can act as a strategic business partner and change agent. Major challenges faced by Novartis in implementation of the HRIS: 1. The HRIS effort represented a major transformation in the fundamental role and responsibilities of the HR function within Novartis. 2. The new system changed the relationships of HR professionals with their business partners. 3. HR associates expected to play a more strategic, consultative role to the business. 4. Technical challenges for system implementation such as web enabling, SAP R/3 -a core transaction processing system, SAP business warehouse (BW), an enterprise HR portal solution etc. Competencies needed by the HR professionals at Novartis for using HRIS The HR professionals at Novartis should have more human resource knowledge; understand their business and its language. They must have expertise in staffing, development, compensation, etc. They must be able to deliver innovative HR practices that add value to the company. HR professionals need to be effective, able to detect trends and early signals and initiate flexibility in fast changing environment. With implementation of HRIS, the HR professionals have to be a technology expert to deliver services to employees and help them to understand the new system. They must be proficient in using technology to collect data and producing it more strategically valuable information. Hence, HRIS is very essential in the companies all over the world providing better safety, competitive advantage, fewer errors, greater accuracy, improved communication, increased efficiency and productivity and reduced labor requirements.

Pros And Cons Of Mcdonalds Essay -- essays research papers

McDonalds: Welcome sign in the high street or a place to avoid? In this essay I will be discussing the pros and cons of fast foods. Now a day every body will recognize the golden arches of McDonalds, it is hard not to. McDonalds has restaurants everywhere, beside major roads and in almost every high street. Their commercials are on television at least once a day. They became popular within a couple of years. Teenagers especially like McDonalds because of the relaxed atmosphere, cheap prizes and the fact that all over the world you know what you are buying. In restaurants I find that the waiter there look at me and think that I might not be able to pay for the meal. With McDonalds I find that every person is welcome to come in and eat, no matter what you look like or how much money you have. There is also not a certain dress code that you have to oblige to. Fast food is easy to eat food that requires no cutlery. The fast food industry is not only good. The foods contain too much fat, salt and sugars. The food is not always what is said to be and uses a lot of packaging. Packaging that will be thrown on the ground, if the food is not eaten within the restaurant. People usually don’t take the time to throw the packaging in the dustbins. The high streets usually have a whole carpet with litter of fast food restaurants. I think that the restaurants can’t be responsible for the litter but the restaurants can do every thing to make their packaging as environmental friendly. Peo...

Operations Management Theory: Reconciling Capacity and Demand Essay

Question 3: Draw on appropriate Operations Management theory, concepts and frameworks to examine how your organization, or an organization with which you are familiar, reconciles capacity and demand. Information technology services industry is a highly competitive cost based operation sector where availability of resources, tangible and intangible is key to successful projects. This makes a significant challenge to accurately reconcile capacity and demand. OpenText is a leader in providing enterprise content management solutions and we will analyse consulting services provided in the European market along with effect on demand with today’s changing economic environment. Slack et al (2009, p.248) defines relationship between capacity and demand as: "Capacity is the output that an operation (or single process) can deliver in a defined unit of time. Demand is the quantity of products and services that customers request from an operation or process at any point in time". Managing capacity is an on-going effort in the industry by reducing cost through repeat business from existing customer and by engaging new potential customers; This while managing customer expectations and ensuring quality of service. Customer engagement and service delivery are key to OpenText’s economic competiveness in the market. Employee development and attracting highly skilled individuals to the organisation are essential in delivering quality service. When considering potential projects, OpenText need to know the resource availability to perform the tasks. This demand for resources is weighted against who is available (capacity) to determine if additional resources are required to meet the demand and if required what types of resources are needed... ...ly uncertainty. IIE Transactions 34 717-728. Slack, N., Chambers, S., Johnston, R., Betts, A.,(2009). Operations and process management: Second edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited Roth, A.V. and Velde ,M V D.(1991), â€Å"Operations As Marketing : A Competitive Service Strategy†, Journal of Operations Management ,Vol. 10 ,No. 3,pp 303-328 Chiang, W. K. and Feng, Y. (2007). The value of information sharing in the presence of supply uncertainty and demand volatility. International Journal of Production Research, 45 (6), 1429-1447. Hum,Sin Hoon (2000), â€Å"A Hayes-Wheelwright framework approach for strategic management of thrid party logistics services†,Integrated Manufacturing Systems,Vol .11/2,pp 132-137 Buxey,G.(1993). Production planning and scheduling for seasonal demand. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 13(7),4-21.

Civil Rights Movement 1960s

The Civil Rights Movement in the USA in the 1950s and 1960s Research Task – Report Blake Walker Year 11 Modern History Malcolm X Investigate the life and background of the individual/group Malcolm X was born on the 19th May, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, by the name of Malcolm Little. Malcolm was one of eight children to Louise Norton Little who was an attentive busy housewife. His father, Earl Little who was an abrupt Baptist Minister and was also a strong supporter of Marcus Garvey, leader of the Black Nationalism movement.Whilst growing up he was a focused intelligent individual with determination to pursue a career path in Law, which was frowned upon for African Americans to pursue. In Junior High Malcolm graduated at the top of his class proving his perseverance and strong sense of self and direction, but when one of Malcolm’s favourite teacher’s discouraged him by stating that â€Å"His dream of becoming a lawyer was no realistic goal for a nigger†, Malco lm lost all sense of direction, sending him into a downward spiral eventually resulting in his lack of interest towards education and finally, his departure from school.The death of his father sent him into a further downward spiral which began his questioning into the issues relating to racism due to his father’s death, as the victim of a prejudice White Supremacist group known as the Klu Klux Klan. He then began a life in Boston, Massachusetts where he would work various odd jobs for little money, until he turned to a life of crime where he moved to the slums of New York. Malcolm eventually became a leader of various gambling and prostitution rings as well as a distributor of narcotics. In 1946 Malcolm was arrested and charged with burglary charges and was convicted to 10 years imprisonment.Whilst he was in prison, he decided to further his education and as a result, Malcolm came to a valuable point in his life where he became fascinated by the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, a valued prominent teacher of the Nation of Islam religion. Describe the significance of the individual/group to civil rights issues in the USA Malcolm X was an immensely significant individual to the civil rights movement as Malcolm soon rose to becoming the most prominent national spokesman of the â€Å"Black Power† movement, as he specifically worked to spread he political and religious goals of the Nation of Islam on a wide scale. Malcolm acted as an Inspiration proving that African Americans can rise up from the hardship and deprivation and stand up for what they believe in regardless of how much cruel discrimination and neglection you may receive. Continuously over the years of the movement, he encouraged young African Americans to support the initiative through powerful speaking and his remarkable debating skills which enabled him to succeed in recruiting over 30,000 young African Americans.They were enticed by the ideology that in order to achieve freedom, you have t o fight for it and that was the only way to achieve this. This view amongst African Americans (especially younger generations) was extremely popular. It promised to battle racism directly which to most, many thought this view would achieve the goals of the movement over a shorter time span and would be far more effective than the non violent initiatives used by individuals such as Martin Luther King which proved to become less effective over the years.Many believed that this was the only hope of achieving rights for African Americans and reinforces how Malcolm X played such a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement as he offered hope to the African Americans which were an alternative to the slow, ineffective non violent demonstrations. This provided them with an opportunity to stand up for themselves as individuals and African Americans as a nation, securing a better future for the African American in all areas of life.Outline the individual/groups beliefs and ideas and explai n the forces that shaped their attitudes towards civil rights at this time Due to Malcolm X’s religious beliefs being a devout follower of the Nation of Islam, the teachings of Honourable Elijah Muhammad become the foundation of the Black Nationalist Philosophy and Malcolm’s beliefs, which were reaching supremacy over whites by achieving political and economic power as well as improved working conditions for African Americans.Malcolm X also believed in the goal of achieving a separate state for African Americans through pursuing self-determination (which is an individual’s right to exercise the control they have over their own lives and determine their destiny). Although, the majority of the Islamic scriptures and teachings were non-racist, the Nation of Islam believed in racist teachings depicting that the whites as ‘devils’ who needed to be destroyed to empower Black Rule. Due to this perception of Whites, Malcolm did not want a Nation where the w hite an could interact with the darker man, but he encouraged segregation amongst Americans. In order to contest the brutal uphill battle they were fighting, Malcolm believed African Americans needed to become militant and aggressive action in order to overcome racism, otherwise there was no point fighting because in order to achieve freedom, you have to fight for it. This view was adapted because of the brutality demonstrated against African Americans and it was necessary as a act of self defence, as Malcolm X states: â€Å"I don’t go along with any kind of non violence unless everybody’s going to be non violent.If they make the Ku Klux Klan non-violent, I’ll be non violent. † (Retrospective Year 11 Modern History Pg 140 Source 7. 18 lines 1-2). These beliefs and ideology held by Malcolm X, were derived from the Nation of Islam which varied from other Muslim beliefs and were adapted by Elijah Muhammad to combat the discrimination and improve the conditio ns and rights of the African American individual and due to Malcolm’s stern stringent followings of the religion, Malcolm followed them and endeavoured to spread the beliefs of the religion to whoever was willing to listen.Malcolm’s beliefs towards segregation were shaped by his father’s beliefs which where instilled in Malcolm from a young age. Soon after Malcolm separated from the Nation of Islam, his beliefs changed when he visited Mecca, a city considered by Muslims to be the holiest city of Islam. His views which he stood by so passionately, he found soon became outdated and idealistic, which enabled him to see that regardless of skin complexion, people of all colour could have different opinions and not all whites were against African Americans and their movement.Malcolm began to work with white people who wanted to join his cause of ending discrimination and gaining more rights by helping his newly found organization, Muslim Mosque Inc, that’s purp ose aimed to achieve goals for the Black community. Identify and account for differing historical perspectives and interpretations of the individual/group concerned As do with majority of all prominent historical figures, there are differing historical perspectives and interpretations of Malcolm X and the cause he righteously represented.The differing perspectives of Malcolm X are regarding his methods of demonstrating the goals of the movement which to some communicated different messages, often ignoring the intended message. For many, Malcolm X was seen as a great leader of the Civil Rights Movement with a vision, a remarkable Inspiration that uplifted a nation. To others, Malcolm was a careless renegade who used vicious tactics and some speculate by arguing both. Though it has been exactly 47 years since he drew his last breath at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, Malcolm X’s life and legacy continues to affect many in the Harlem and Columbia Communities. His namesake street , Malcolm X Boulevard, lies at the centre of stores, and homes of West Harlem and he still serves as a cultural anchor and political and moral inspiration with enduring power and direct relevance in modern America and throughout the world† (http://www. columbiaspectator. com/2012/02/24/malcolm-x).This perception given by Emily Neil, a Senior Staff Writer at the Columbia Spectator is a prime example of the positive perceptions held in regards to his courageous decisions standing up for his people which in result have shaped our society today. On the other hand, some argue that Malcolm X was a radical individual whose beliefs were outrageous and sinister due to his militant methods and beliefs regarding supremacy over whites. These perceptions have been outweighed by the result of Malcolm X’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement.Malcolm X’s general perception in history has led to him being been remembered as one of the greatest and most influential individual ’s of the Civil Rights Movement and African Americans in history. Bibliography Author: Unknown. Year: Unknown, Title: Biography [Internet] Place of Publication: Estate Of Malcolm X, Accessed: 16th March 2012, Publisher: http://www. malcolmx. comAvailable From: http://www. malcolmx. com/about/bio. html Author: Unknown. Year: 2001, Title: Malcolm X [Internet] Place of Publication:Biography Recourse Centre: Gale Group, Accessed: 16th March 2012, Publisher: www. fricawithin. com Available From: www. africawithin. com/bios/malcolm_x. htm Author: J. D. Scrimgeour. Year: 1997, Title: About Malcolm X [Internet] Place of Publication: The Oxford Companion to African American Literature, Accessed: 16th March 2012, Publisher: www. africawithin. com Available From: http://www. english. illinois. edu/maps/poets/s_z/smith/malcolmx. htm Author: A, Enisuoh. Year: 1993, Title: The Life and Legacy of Malcolm X [Internet] Place of Publication: Online Publications, Accessed: 19th March 2012, Publ isher: http://www. ocialistalternative. org/ Available From: http://www. socialistalternative. org/literature/malcolmx/ Author: E, Neil. Year: 2012, Title: Malcolm X [Internet] Place of Publication: The Columbia Spectator, Accessed: 21st March 2012, Publisher: http://www. columbiaspectator. com Available From: http://www. columbiaspectator. com/2012/02/24/malcolm-x Authors: M, Anderson, A, Low and I,Keese. Year: 2008. Title: Retrospective Year 11 Modern History. Pubisher: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. Place of Publication: Queensland. Page Numbers 138 – 140.

Gay Marriage Rights

After the legalizations in Massachusetts and, most recently, California, gay marriage has been a growing trend in the United States. In the 8 months since the legalization, more and more gay couples have been rushing to California to tie the knot. However, California and Massachusetts are not the first to make an effort to strengthen the bonds of homosexual couples some European countries including Denmark, Holland, some Scandinavian countries, and others have legalized same-sex marriage and have found the results positive. Gay marriage has been a contradictory issue since gay men and women began requesting marriage licenses.However, gays are denied their rights to marriage licenses, which is denying then their rights as American citizens. Gays should be treated equally to heterosexuals and granted their rights to marry the person they love, whether they are the same or opposite gender. Although the idea of a same-sex wedding hasn’t been legal long enough for statistics to be developed on children of same-sex marriages’ developmental upbringing, or that they are harmed by their environment, many people seem to think that they will be less healthy or normal if the couple that raises them are homosexual.People believe that the children will grow up to be gay, or different from any normally raised child, if they don’t grow up in a â€Å"normal† family. The results of studies testing these ideas are quite contrary to the popular belief of heterosexual couples. In fact, the studies show that children raised by gay couples seem to be more adjusted than the â€Å"normally† raised ones. The argument that children raised in homosexual households will grow up to be gay is completely illegitimate.In a study of over 300 children of homosexual parents, there have been no indications that there are any disturbances in the development of the child’s sexual identity, or the lifestyle that the child will live later in life. In reality, most children raised by heterosexuals are not raised in normal households. With divorce also becoming popular we have families with three kids and only one parent. There is no doubt that homosexuals want to have children, and not only is the ban of gay marriage denying their rights to be married, but also denying them their rights to have a two-parent family with children.Some also say that marriage is between a man and a woman for procreation purposes, and that gays cannot naturally produce children. If this were the case then wouldn’t the state prohibit marriage between heterosexuals when one, or both, are sterile? If the purpose of marriage is, in fact, for procreation then who’s to say that post-menopausal women should have the right to marry? Children in foster care and orphanages are also a problem, so why not kill two birds with one stone and give gays their rights and orphans or unwanted children a home and a family that loves them?Another argument against gay marriage is that it is against religion. Whose religion? Some religions, such as Buddhism, actually celebrate gay marriage. The fact that gay marriages are illegal goes against not only the gays’ rights, but their rights also. And the fact that people are bringing the bible into their arguments also means that other religions religious rights are being infringed. The bible has no standing in American law, this was made clear by the first amendment of the United States constitution, and no one has any right or authority to set rules based on something they take as a moral injunction stated by the bible.The Christian and catholic religions cannot speak for all religions, and the United Stated government is allowing them to do just that. The main purpose of our government is to preserve the rights of the citizens, and at this, our government has failed. Homosexuals are not the only people being denied their rights, but also the members of certain religions that support same-sex marriages. Along with this, people also say that gay marriage would force churches that have an objection to perform gay marriage to perform same-sex weddings.There is no law stating that any church would be required to marry any couple, heterosexual or otherwise, that they do not wish to. Gay marriage would not change the churches right to refuse to sanctify any marriage that they do not wish to. It would only give churches the opportunity to legally wed gay couples if they would like to. None of the arguments above are valid. So now, let us examine the true reasons that people oppose the marriage of homosexual couples.Most people just are not comfortable with the idea. For years now, society has promoted the idea that two men or two women being married is wrong. This is mostly because of the arguments mentioned previously. However, none of those objections make sense! So neither does the idea that gay marriage is wrong. Being uncomfortable with a proposal is not a valid reason to oppose it. It is selfish to infringe other human beings’ rights for your

Anglo-Saxon Religious Poetry

Anglo-Saxon Religious Poetry The influence of Christianity came to England from Ireland with the arrival of St. Augustine’mission. The ancient vernacular poetry unredeemed in its worldliness and paganism was sanctified by the Christianization of England. In consequence there was a marked change in the content and emotion of English poetry while leaving it form and general technique unaltered. Instead of seeking themes common to old-Germanic the Christianized Anglo-Saxons adopted a new world of Latin Christianity along with themes and attitudes common to entire Christian world.This enabled the Anglo-Saxon poets to work on Biblical stories, associating them with Hebrew imagination. The special class of poetry which is called Christian poetry and this religious poetry flourished in about the 8th century in North England. Alliterative verse came to the aid of clerkly Latin to give expression of the faith of the Laity and make it popular. The subject of the poet’s song is no w the story of Christ and the deeds of saintly heroes. Caedmon The English poet who took the first attempt to write poems on Christian themes was Caedmon.What scholars know of Caedmon's life comes from Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. He is known best during the time fl. 658-680 AD. , and Bede tells us that he was an illiterate herdsman to a monastery of Whitby who one night in a dream learned how to sing beautiful Christian verses praising God's name. Following his dream, Caedmon became the foremost Christian poets. Earlier he had so little gift of song that he used to leave the feast when he found the harp approaching him he used to leave the feast.One night as he lay asleep in the stable a mysterious being appeared to him in his dreams and commanded him to sing. At his bidding Caedmon at once sang in praise of the Lord, the Creator, verses which he had never heard before. When he awoke he remembered these verses and made others like them. Thus the unlettered C aedmon was miraculously transformed into the first religious poet of England. Caedmon is remembered today for his poetic paraphrases of The Bible.He paraphrased in verse the book of Geneis, Exodus, Daniel and Judith. He is supposed to have sung about  creation of the world, the origin of man, his reign, of exodus, the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection of Christ, the ascension of Christ into heaven, the advent of the Holy Ghost and the teaching of the apostles. He also sang of future judgement, the horrors of hell and the joys of heaven. Research and scholarship however, no longer admit all the poems attributed to Caedmon by Bede to be directly his work excepting the nine-lined poem quoted by Bede in his account of Caedmon’s first inspiration. Genesis A and B The most interesting of the poems in the Junius Manuscript is Genesis.Genesis A of 3000 lines is an account of Satan’s rebellion against God and his fall with the angels into Hell, narrating the subs tance of the first 22 chapters of the Biblical book of Genesis. The poem contains an interpolated passage of 600 lines strikingly different in language and style from the main body of the poem. This has been named Genesis B, a rudimentary Paradise Lost, describing the temptation of Adam and Eve, their Fall and Satan’s rebellion Exodus It relates to the escape of the Israelites and the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea.It is boldly and vigorously written and has an older Epic note. It is written more in the convention of heroic poetry rather than scriptural lore. Exodus brings a traditional â€Å"heroic style† to its biblical subject-matter. Moses is treated as a general, and military imagery pervades the battle scenes. The destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea is narrated in much the same way as a formulaic battle scene from other Old English poems Daniel Daniel, as it is preserved, is 764 lines long. There have been numerous arguments that there was or iginally more to this poem than survives today.It is a paraphrase of the first five chapters of the Biblical book of Daniel. The poet uses his materials for homiletic purposes and tries to inculcate such Christian virtue. The primary focus of the Old English author was that of The Three Youths, Daniel and their encounters with the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II. Prosaic in tone, it also bears an interpolatory passage relating to the poem of Azariah. Judith The finest of the poem attributed to Caedmon is Judith of which a fragment of 350 lines, survive. It is a perfect poem full of action and passion.The Old English poem â€Å"Judith† describes the beheading of Assyrian general Holofernes by Israelite Judith of Bethulia. It is found in the same manuscript as the heroic poem Beowulf, the Nowell Codex, dated ca. 975-1025. The Old English poem is one of many retellings of the Holofernes-Judith tale as it was found in the Book of Judith, still present in the Catholic and Orthod ox Christian Bibles. What is certain about the origin of the poem is that it stems from the Book of Judith. After the Reformation, the Book of Judith was removed from the Protestant Bible.However, it is still present in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles. Similar to Beowulf, Judith conveys a moral tale of heroic triumph over monstrous beings. Both moral and political, the poem tells of a brave woman’s efforts to save and protect her people. Judith is depicted as an exemplar woman, grounded by ideal morale, probity, courage, and religious conviction. Judith's character is rendered blameless and virtuous, and her beauty is praised persistently throughout the poem.Cynaewulf Beside Caedmon, the other most important Old-English religious poet is Cynaewulf. Cynewulf lived roughly c.770-840 AD, yet very little is known about his life. The only information scholars have on Cynewulf's life is what they can discover from his poetry. Two of Cynewulf's signed poems were disco vered in the Vercelli Book, which includes Cynewulf's holy cross poem â€Å"Elene† as well as Dream of the Rood. Where many scholars will argue that all of the poems in the Vercelli are in fact Cynewulf's, the noted German scholar Franz Dietrich demonstrates that the similarities between Cynewulf's â€Å"Elene† and The Dream of the Rood reveals that the two must have been authored by the same individual.The four poems attributed to him trough his runic signatures are Christ. Juliana, Elene and The Fate of the Apostles. Unsigned poems attributed to him or his school are Andreas, St. Guthlac, The Phoenix, The Dream of the Rood. The four poems, like a substantial portion of Anglo-Saxon poetry, are sculpted in alliterative verse. All four poems draw upon Latin sources such as homilies and hagiographies (the lives of saints) for their content, and this is to be particularly contrasted to other Old English poems, e. g.Genesis, Exodus, and Daniel, which are drawn directly fro m the Bible as opposed to secondary accounts. Christ Of all his works the most important and popular poem is Christ, a fragmentary didactic poem in three parts – the first celebrating the Nativity, the second Ascension and the third Doomsday, narrating the torments of the wicked and the joys of the redeemed. Andreas and Guthlac These are poems related to lives of Saints. The first narrates the story of the adventures and sufferings and success of St. Andreas in his travels related to missionary work. Juliana and EleneThese are legendary stories of St. Juliana and the discovery of the True Cross by the mother of Emperor Constantine, St. Helena. They are poems with little artistic merit except for their adventurous element and the rareness in Anglo-Saxon poetry of being dedicated to women. In terms of length, Elene is by far the longest poem of Cynewulf’s corpus at 1,321 lines. It is followed by Juliana, at 731 lines, Christ II, at 427 lines, and The Fates of the Apostle s, at a brisk 122 lines. Three of the poems are â€Å"martyrolical,† in that the central character(s) in each die/suffer for their religious values.In Elene, Saint Helena endures her quest to find the Holy Cross and spread Christianity; in Juliana, the title character dies after she refuses to marry a pagan man, thus retaining her Christian integrity; in Fates of the Apostles, the speaker creates a song that meditates on the deaths of the apostles which they â€Å"joyously faced. † Elene and Juliana fit in the category of poems that depict the lives of saints. These two poems along with Andreas and Guthlac (parts A and B) constitute the only versified saints' legends in the Old English vernacular.The Ascension (Christ II) is outside the umbrella of the other three works, and is a vehement description of a devotional subject. The exact chronology of the poems is not known. One argument asserts that Elene is likely the last of the poems because the â€Å"autobiographica l† epilogue implies that Cynewulf is old at the time of composition, but this view has been doubted. Nevertheless, it seems that Christ II and Elene represent the cusp of Cynewulf’s career, while Juliana and Fates of the Apostles seem to be created by a less inspired, and perhaps less mature, poet.The Fates of the Apostles It deals with the various Christian Gospels in an Elegiac manner. It is the shortest of Cynewulf’s known canon at 122 lines long. It is a brief martyrology of the Twelve Apostles written in the standard alliterative verse. The Fates recites the key events that subsequently befell each apostle after the Ascension. It is possible that The Fates was composed as a learning aid to the monasteries. Cynewulf speaks in the first-person throughout the poem, and besides explaining the fate of each disciple, he provides â€Å"advice† and â€Å"consolation† to the reader.Cynewulf’s runic signature is scrambled in this poem so that the meaning of the runes become a riddle with no unequivocal meaning. Runic signature All four of Cynewulf's poems contain passages where the letters of the poet’s name are woven into the text using runic symbols that also double as meaningful ideas pertinent to the text. In Juliana and Elene, the interwoven name is spelled in the more recognizable form as Cynewulf, while in Fates and Christ II it is observed without the medial e so the runic acrostic says Cynwulf.The practice of claiming authorship over one’s poems was a break from the tradition of the anonymous poet, where no composition was viewed as being owned by its creator. Cynewulf devised a tradition where authorship would connote ownership of the piece and an originality that would be respected by future generations. Furthermore, by integrating his name, Cynewulf was attempting to retain the structure and form of his poetry that would â€Å"undergo mutations† otherwise. From a different perspective, Cynewu lf’s intent may not have been to claim authorship, but to â€Å"seek the prayers of others for the safety of his soul.†It is contended that Cynewulf wished to be remembered in the prayers of his audience in return for the pleasure they would derive from his poems. In a sense his expectation of a spiritual reward can be contrasted with the material reward that other poets of his time would have expected for their craft. The Phoenix The poem is about a mythical bird which burnt itself to be reborn from its own ashes, symbolic of Christian soul. The Dream of the Rood The poem is set up with the narrator having a dream. In this dream or vision he is speaking to the Cross on which Jesus was crucified.The poem itself is divided up into three separate sections. In section one, the narrator has a vision of the Cross. Initially when the dreamer sees the Cross, he notes how it is covered with gems. He is aware of how wretched he is compared to how glorious the tree is. However, he comes to see that amidst the beautiful stones it is stained with blood In section two, the Cross shares its account of Jesus’ death. The Crucifixion story is told from the perspective of the Cross. It begins with the enemy coming to cut the tree down and carrying it away.The tree learns that it is to be the bearer of a criminal, but instead the Christ comes to be crucified. The Lord and the Cross become one, and they stand together as victors, refusing to fall, taking on insurmountable pain for the sake of mankind. It is not just Christ, but the Cross as well that is pierced with nails. The Rood and Christ are one in the portrayal of the Passion—they are both pierced with nails, mocked and tortured. Then, just like with Christ, the Cross is resurrected, and adorned with gold and silver. It is honored above all trees just as Jesus is honored above all men.The Cross then charges the visionary to share all that he has seen with others. In section three, the author give s his reflections about this vision. The vision ends, and the man is left with his thoughts. He gives praise to God for what he has seen and is filled with hope for eternal life and his desire to once again be near the glorious Cross. It is the finest of religious poems in OE, the finest narrative of the Passion in medieval verse (late 7th century, later modified; preserved in the Vercelli Book). The tree of which the Cross was made relates the story the first English dream-poem Anglo-Saxon Religious Poetry The influence of Christianity came to England from Ireland with the arrival of St. Augustine’mission. The ancient vernacular poetry unredeemed in its worldliness and paganism was sanctified by the Christianization of England. In consequence there was a marked change in the content and emotion of English poetry while leaving it form and general technique unaltered.Instead of seeking themes common to old-Germanic the Christianized Anglo-Saxons adopted a new world of Latin Christianity along with themes and attitudes common to entire Christian world. This enabled the Anglo-Saxon poets to work on Biblical stories, associating them with Hebrew imagination. The special class of poetry which is called Christian poetry and this religious poetry flourished in about the 8th century in North England. Alliterative verse came to the aid of clerkly Latin to give expression of the faith of the Laity and make it popular. The subject of the poet’s song is now the story of Christ and the deeds of saintly heroes.CaedmonThe English poet who took the first attempt to write poems on Christian themes was Caedmon. What scholars know of Caedmon's life comes from Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. He is known best during the time fl. 658-680 AD., and Bede tells us that he was an illiterate herdsman to a monastery of Whitby who one night in a dream learned how to sing beautiful Christian verses praising God's name. Following his dream, Caedmon became the foremost Christian poets. Earlier he had so little gift of song that he used to leave the feast when he found the harp approaching him he used to leave the feast. One night as he lay asleep in the stable a mysterious being appeared to him in his dreams and commanded him to sing.At his bidding Caedmon at once sang in praise of the Lord, the Creator, verses which he had never heard before. When he awoke he remembered these verses and made others like them. Thus the unlettered Caedmon was miraculously transfo rmed into the first religious poet of England. Caedmon is remembered today for his poetic paraphrases of The Bible. He paraphrased in verse the book of Geneis, Exodus, Daniel and Judith. He is supposed to have sung about  creation of the world, the origin of man, his reign, of exodus, the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection of Christ, the ascension of Christ into heaven, the advent of the Holy Ghost and the teaching of the apostles.He also sang of future judgement, the horrors of hell and the joys of heaven. Research and scholarship however, no longer admit all the poems attributed to Caedmon by Bede to be directly his work excepting the nine-lined poem quoted by Bede in his account of Caedmon’s first inspiration.Genesis A and BThe most interesting of the poems in the Junius Manuscript is Genesis. Genesis A of 3000 lines is an account of Satan’s rebellion against God and his fall with the angels into Hell, narrating the substance of the first 22 chapters o f the Biblical book of Genesis. The poem contains an interpolated passage of 600 lines strikingly different in language and style from the main body of the poem. This has been named Genesis B, a rudimentary Paradise Lost, describing the temptation of Adam and Eve, their Fall and Satan’s rebellionExodusIt relates to the escape of the Israelites and the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. It is boldly and vigorously written and has an older Epic note. It is written more in the convention of heroic poetry rather than scriptural lore. Exodus brings a traditional â€Å"heroic style† to its biblical subject-matter. Moses is treated as a general, and military imagery pervades the battle scenes. The destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea is narrated in much the same way as a formulaic battle scene from other Old English poemsDanielDaniel, as it is preserved, is 764 lines long. There have been numerous arguments that there was originally more to this poem than sur vives today.It is a paraphrase of the first five chapters of the Biblical book of Daniel. The poet uses his materials for homiletic purposes and tries to inculcate such Christian virtue. The primary focus of the Old English author was that of The Three Youths, Daniel and their encounters with the Babylonian king  Nebuchadnezzar II. Prosaic in tone, it also bears an interpolatory passage relating to the poem of Azariah.JudithThe finest of the poem attributed to Caedmon is Judith of which a fragment of 350 lines, survive. It is a perfect poem full of action and passion. The Old English poem â€Å"Judith† describes the beheading of Assyrian general Holofernes by Israelite Judith of Bethulia. It is found in the same manuscript as the heroic poem Beowulf, the Nowell Codex, dated ca. 975-1025. The Old English poem is one of many retellings of the Holofernes-Judith tale as it was found in the Book of Judith, still present in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian Bibles.What is certa in about the origin of the poem is that it stems from the Book of Judith. After the Reformation, the Book of Judith was removed from the Protestant Bible. However, it is still present in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles.Similar to Beowulf, Judith conveys a moral tale of heroic triumph over monstrous beings. Both moral and political, the poem tells of a brave woman’s efforts to save and protect her people. Judith is depicted as an exemplar woman, grounded by ideal morale, probity, courage, and religious conviction. Judith's character is rendered blameless and virtuous, and her beauty is praised persistently throughout the poem.CynaewulfBeside Caedmon, the other most important Old-English religious poet is Cynaewulf. Cynewulf lived roughly c. 770-840 AD, yet very little is known about his life.The only information scholars have on Cynewulf's life is what they can discover from his poetry. Two of Cynewulf's signed poems were discovered in the Vercelli Book, which i ncludes Cynewulf's holy cross poem â€Å"Elene† as well as Dream of the Rood.Where many scholars will argue that all of the poems in the Vercelli are in fact Cynewulf's, the noted German scholar Franz Dietrich demonstrates that the similarities between Cynewulf's â€Å"Elene† and The Dream of the Rood reveals that the two must have been authored by the same individual. The four poems attributed to him trough his runic signatures are Christ. Juliana, Elene and The Fate of the Apostles.Unsigned poems attributed to him or his school are Andreas, St. Guthlac, The Phoenix, The Dream of the Rood. The four poems, like a substantial portion of Anglo-Saxon poetry, are sculpted in alliterative verse. All four poems draw upon Latin sources such as homilies and hagiographies (the lives of saints) for their content, and this is to be particularly contrasted to other Old English poems, e.g. Genesis, Exodus, and Daniel, which are drawn directly from the Bible as opposed to secondary accounts.ChristOf all his works the most important and popular poem is Christ, a fragmentary didactic poem in three parts – the first celebrating the Nativity, the second Ascension and the third Doomsday, narrating the torments of the wicked and the joys of the redeemed.Andreas and GuthlacThese are poems related to lives of Saints. The first narrates the story of the adventures and sufferings and success of St. Andreas in his travels related to missionary work.Juliana and EleneThese are legendary stories of St. Juliana and the discovery of the True Cross by the mother of Emperor Constantine, St. Helena. They are poems with little artistic merit except for their adventurous element and the rareness in Anglo-Saxon poetry of being dedicated to women. In terms of length, Elene is by far the longest poem of Cynewulf’s corpus at 1,321 lines. It is followed by Juliana, at 731 lines, Christ II, at 427 lines, and The Fates of the Apostles, at a brisk 122 lines. Three of the poe ms are â€Å"martyrolical,† in that the central character(s) in each die/suffer for their religious values.In Elene, Saint Helena endures her quest to find the Holy Cross and spread Christianity; in Juliana, the title character dies after she refuses to marry a pagan man, thus retaining her Christian integrity; in Fates of the Apostles, the speaker creates a song that meditates on the deaths of the apostles which they â€Å"joyously faced.† Elene and Juliana fit in the category of poems that depict the lives of saints. These two poems along with Andreas  and Guthlac (parts A and B) constitute the only versified saints' legends in the Old English vernacular.The Ascension (Christ II) is outside the umbrella of the other three works, and is a vehement description of a devotional subject. The exact chronology of the poems is not known. One argument asserts that Elene is likely the last of the poems because the â€Å"autobiographical† epilogue implies that Cynewulf is old at the time of composition, but this view has been doubted. Nevertheless, it seems that Christ II and Elene represent the cusp of Cynewulf’s career, while Juliana and Fates of the Apostles seem to be created by a less inspired, and perhaps less mature, poet. The Fates of the ApostlesIt deals with the various Christian Gospels in an Elegiac manner. It is the shortest of Cynewulf’s known canon at 122 lines long. It is a brief martyrology of the Twelve Apostles written in the standard alliterative verse. The Fates recites the key events that subsequently befell each apostle after the Ascension. It is possible that The Fates was composed as a learning aid to the monasteries. Cynewulf speaks in the first-person throughout the poem, and besides explaining the fate of each disciple, he provides â€Å"advice† and â€Å"consolation† to the reader. Cynewulf’s runic signature is scrambled in this poem so that the meaning of the runes become a riddle w ith no unequivocal meaning.Runic signatureAll four of Cynewulf's poems contain passages where the letters of the poet’s name are woven into the text using runic symbols that also double as meaningful ideas pertinent to the text. In Juliana and Elene, the interwoven name is spelled in the more recognizable form as Cynewulf, while in Fates and Christ II it is observed without the medial e so the runic acrostic says Cynwulf. The practice of claiming authorship over one’s poems was a break from the tradition of the anonymous poet, where no composition was viewed as being owned by its creator. Cynewulf devised a tradition where authorship would connote ownership of the piece and an originality that would be respected by future generations.Furthermore, by integrating his name, Cynewulf was attempting to retain the structure and form of his poetry that would â€Å"undergo mutations† otherwise. From a different perspective, Cynewulf’s intent may not have been to claim authorship, but to â€Å"seek the  prayers of others for the safety of his soul.† It is contended that Cynewulf wished to be remembered in the prayers of his audience in return for the pleasure they would derive from his poems. In a sense his expectation of a spiritual reward can be contrasted with the material reward that other poets of his time would have expected for their craft.The PhoenixThe poem is about a mythical bird which burnt itself to be reborn from its own ashes, symbolic of Christian soul.The Dream of the RoodThe poem is set up with the narrator having a dream. In this dream or vision he is speaking to the Cross on which Jesus was crucified. The poem itself is divided up into three separate sections. In section one, the narrator has a vision of the Cross. Initially when the dreamer sees the Cross, he notes how it is covered with gems. He is aware of how wretched he is compared to how glorious the tree is. However, he comes to see that amidst the beautif ul stones it is stained with blood In section two, the Cross shares its account of Jesus’ death.The Crucifixion story is told from the perspective of the Cross. It begins with the enemy coming to cut the tree down and carrying it away. The tree learns that it is to be the bearer of a criminal, but instead the Christ comes to be crucified. The Lord and the Cross become one, and they stand together as victors, refusing to fall, taking on insurmountable pain for the sake of mankind. It is not just Christ, but the Cross as well that is pierced with nails. The Rood and Christ are one in the portrayal of the Passion—they are both pierced with nails, mocked and tortured. Then, just like with Christ, the Cross is resurrected, and adorned with gold and silver. It is honored above all trees just as Jesus is honored above all men.The Cross then charges the visionary to share all that he has seen with others. In section three, the author gives his reflections about this vision. Th e vision ends, and the man is left with his thoughts. He gives praise to God for what he has seen and is filled with hope for eternal life and his desire to once again be near the glorious Cross. It is the finest of religious poems in OE, the finest narrative of the Passion in medieval verse (late 7th century, later modified; preserved in the Vercelli Book). The tree of which the Cross was made relates the story the first English dream-poem  Christ is portrayed as a young Germanic hero:Long years ago (well yet I remember)   They hewed me down on the edge of the holt, Severed my trunk; strong foemen took me, For a spectacle wrought me, a gallows for rogues. High on their shoulders they bore me to hilltop, Fastened me firmly, an army of foes!   ‘Then I saw the King of all mankind In brave mood hastening to mount upon me. Refuse I dared not, nor bow nor break, Though I felt earth's confines shudder in fear; All foes I might fell, yet still I stood fast.   ‘T hen the young Warrior, God, the All-Wielder, Put off his raiment, steadfast and strong; With lordly mood in the sight of many He mounted the Cross to redeem mankind. When the hero clasped me I trembled in terror,   But I dared not bow me nor bend to earth; I must need stand fast. Upraised as the Rood I held the High King, the Lord of Heaven. I dared not bow! with black nails driven Those sinners pierced me; the prints are clear,   The open wounds. I dared injure none. They mocked us both. I was wet with blood From the Hero's side when He sent forth His spirit. ‘Many a bale I bore on that hill-side Seeing the Lord in agony outstretched.   Black darkness covered with clouds God's body, That radiant splendor. Shadow went forth Wan under heaven; all creation wept Bewailing the King's death. Christ was on the Cross.It appears from a survey of Old English Christian poetry that the poets chiefly aimed at popularizing the holy writ and only occasionally added pious commentaries to the original.

The Problem with Eating Animals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Problem with Eating Animals - Essay Example Considering food intake should be in harmony with the natural order, it is okay to eat animal meat because that balances the ecological system by creating food chains which maintain nature. Too many animals conflict with humans and therefore resulting in undesirable natural order. Animals try to find their daily diets by grazing around and they might end up destroying plantations like it has been witnessed before where animals such as elephants invade plantations in search of food. This is due to their large numbers that have led to small grazing grounds. As described in the bible, animals are created to be ruled and eaten by man.Having feelings for animals implies that we regard them as humans which should not be the case since naturally humans were created to depend on animal meat as a source of food. Writers argue that eating meat violates animal rights, the reason being they have the life. I doubt that animals have the same feeling as humans and therefore eating animal meat is pe rfectly okay since they do not have a structured life as humans do. Eating meat does not compromise the integrity and stability of the human environment. It is therefore not wrong to eat meat since the order is still maintained-it is ethical. Humans do eat meat out of necessity and not pleasure, therefore, this is morally acceptable. This is a self-preservation mechanism which is meant to preserve life. Just like shooting someone in self-defense is not the same as killing someone for the sadistic reason.