Religious Themes in Oryx and Crake Essay -- World Literature Religion

Religious Themes in Oryx and Crake It is in these representations of Snowman that I believe Atwood is making a definitive statement as to whether God created man or whether man creates God. Undoubtedly Atwood is suggesting that man inevitably, despite of himself, creates God, with or without outside assistance. It seems that throughout the novel there is an extended metaphor of Snowman as various figures from the Christian bible. The first figure that Snowman can be said to represent is that of Adam, the first man, though the similarities between the two characters do not follow the same chronology. Just as Adam is given the animals as companions to look over, similarly Crake has ensured that the Crakers and Jimmy are both left in the newly re-created world as companions. Another strong resemblance and play on words can be observed in the Christian story of original sin and Crake's mass destruction of humanity. In Genesis, God sets aside one fruit tree and commands Adam not to touch or eat from it, as a result of Adam's betrayal, God casts him out of paradise, and forces hardship on him for the rest of his days. Likewise, Jimmy is fully cognizant the first time he meets Oryx that she is off limits to him, yet his betrayal of Crake ultimately results in his leaving Paradice and forces various hardships on him. Lastly, in the Snowman-as-Adam device, there is a realization that the companions which have been assigned by a higher power are insufficient, and the following desperate need for companions that are closer on the evolutionary chain. For Adam, this companion was Eve. Throughout Atwood's novel Snowman is absolutely desperate for some companion, someone more understanding than the Crakers, or better than his ow... ...t this leads to a rather interesting debate: whether or not the Crakers would have eventually created religion or at the very least art themselves, regardless of Snowman`s interference. I believe that Atwood is commenting on the fact that it is man's nature to be existential, to wonder where he came from, and who created creation, and that it is natural to invent possible answers to these questions when none are evident. For example, as Snowman returns after his foray back into the Compound he finds that the Crakers have created an idol of him and are chanting his name in a way which sounds like `Amen', "next they'd be inventing idols, and funerals, and grave goods, and the afterlife, and sin..."(361). Either way you look at Snowman, as a religious patriarch or a representation of the biblical serpent, he is still corrupting the Crakers with his false dogma.

Principles of Individual Decision-making Essay

Date In life, we have to make a decision just about everything that we do. These decisions affect our daily lives and they sometimes they affect the lives of those around us. When making these decisions there are make factors that go into making a final one. In economics there are four principles that effect how a person makes a decision (Mankiw, 2007): †¢ People face trade-offs. †¢ The cost of something is what you give up to get it. †¢ Rational people think at the margin. †¢ People respond to incentives. These four principles play an important role in economics. This paper will define each individual principle and then give the reader an insight on a personal decision of the author using the aforementioned principles. Trade-offs Making a trade-off is basically, choosing one thing over another. A classic Italian quote referring to a trade-off is â€Å"you can’t have a full wine bottle and a drunk wife†. As modern technology advances, one could argue that society has traded-off battery life in personal electronics for a smaller size and weight of the individual device. The Cost is What You Give Up After you have looked at what is being traded-off, then you can determine the true value of your decision by what you are giving up for it. As in the previous example of personal electronics, giving up battery life has a serious downside in that the personal electronic device will have to be charged more often, or it will be wired to a wall while the device is in use and charging. Here the cost can be a great one to a person that is  constantly on the go. Rational People Think at the Margin As Mankiw (2007) pointed out â€Å"Economists normally assume that people are rational† (p 6). Being rational means that an individual will do all that they can to achieve their goal with all that they have available to them. A rational person thinking at the margin or on the edge will be able to make decisions that allow them to achive their goal without giving up to much in overall cost. Going back to the personal electronic device, an individual could choose to go with the smaller and more lightweight device because of its portability, but they’ll bring along a portable charging device also, or use the product more sparingly to make the most of the available battery power. People Respond to Incentives An incentive can be varied to something positive like a benefit or something negative like a consequence. Incentives can be a large part of an individuals decision making process. The incentive that an individual would most likely respond to when choosing the new personal electronic device would be that they are carrying around less weight, therefore making them more mobile. The consequence side that would affect the decision would be rooted in the fact they will not be able to use the device as much as they would like. My Personal Decision Recently I took up the hobby of cycling and competitive road racing. A lot of thought went into my decision on whether to get involved or not. I will layout how I can to my decision using the four principles of decision-making. Trade-offs As I have aged I have picked up many hobbies. I was balancing my time between my hobbies, my family, and my job. My lists of hobbies included, but were not limited to, golfing, running, playing video games, and building model cars. I have always had bicycling as part of these hobbies, but it was only an occasional one. When I decided to actively cycle more, I had to  decide what to give up in exchange. First on that list of trade-offs were all of my hobbies. Second was family time. Cycling can take up hours of a day. I usually average 2 hours a day of riding time during the week and up to 4 hours a day on the weekends. I had a lot to think about in my decision. The Cost of what I gave up Giving up my hobbies for cycling was not a cost at all to me because I took that time I was using for the hobbies and focused it towards cycling. The cost of lost family time is more significant and placed more of an impact on my final decision. Being in the Navy and having five to eight month deployments can be hard on a family, so all time spent at home is very valuable. Rationally thinking at the Margin Fortunately I was wasting a lot of time on my other hobbies that it allowed me more time then what I was spending on the bike. I used this spare time with the family at home. Also, I took into account that as my daughters age, I can get them onto bicycles and spend time with them when I am doing my slow recovery rides which play a large part in my training. Incentives Finally, I took in to account the incentives of cycling to make the final decision. The most important incentive was setting an example to those around me. My children will see that I done just come home after work and do nothing constructive and that I am out there trying to improve myself . As for those I work with, they see that I can balance Work, Home and time for staying fit, and hopefully they will follow in my example. Another incentive was the aspect of fitness and personal health. No longer can there be the overweight chief that stresses the buttons of his uniform. In today’s Navy, a sailor is constantly representing his country, Navy, and ship. If a sailor does not fit in his uniform properly then he is not representing the Navy very well, and he could be hazard to the ship in an emergency situation if he is not physically fit. Conclusion In an economy there are four principles that are vital to the decision making process of how it will distributes it’s resources. The first is Trade-offs, giving up one thing for another. Then the determination of the cost of what you are giving up to get to your goal. Third, is the the thought that rational people think at the margin, meaning one will take advantage of all opportunities to achieve one’s goals. Finally, the principle that people respond to incentives, assists in determining the quantity or price of a certain resource. These principles are also applied in individual decision-making, and the results can affect more then just an individual but an entire economy. References Mankiw, N. G. (2007). Principles of Economics. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act Essay - 1621 Words

In our present day in age, technology and the internet has made it very easy to find and obtain music, movies, television shows, and other media forms without having to pay a fee. In recent years, the music and movie industry, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) initiated a campaign to combat the illegal sharing and downloading of files, songs, and movies. These illegal files are usually transferred through users and peer-to-peer networks including LimeWire, FrostWire, Bearshare, Kazaa, and most importantly Napster, which initiated it all. The illegal files are not only limited to music and movies but also various types of pirated software, such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop, that are accompanied with serial numbers and instructional manuals. The RIAA and MPAA argued that if an individual exerts much time, effort, and money into a piece of art or software that they created, they should be thoroughly compe nsated. Therefore, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was created and instituted by the United States Congress to restrict internet piracy by banning the fabrication, allocation, and illegal distribution of pirated materials. In addition, the DMCA was used to accommodate the constant changes of the growing digital age into current copyright laws that are usually reserved for books, magazines, or articles. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is just and protects the rights of the artists andShow MoreRelatedThe Digital Millennium Copyright Act1608 Words   |  7 PagesFailure to Protect and Abuses of the Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act Most laws are passed by the congress with intent to either limit the government s power or to benefit the country and it s people. This was the thought behind the ill fated and commonly criticized The DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). Its purpose, similar to its predecessor, the Copyright Act itself, was to protect the copyright owners from the big scary pirates, thus protecting their profits andRead MoreThe Digital Millennium Copyright Act1513 Words   |  7 Pagesadvent of the Internet, Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in 1998 to address the obligations imposed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaty. Owners of copyright were concerned that their works would be pirated online, and the existing legal systems in place at the time were insufficient to protect individuals and the industry as a whole. The DMCA was passed in 1998 with the intention of stopping copyright infringers from circumventing anti-piracy protectionsRead Mo reEssay about The Digital Millennium Copyright Act1449 Words   |  6 PagesThe Digital Millennium Copyright Act Signed into law by President Clinton on October 28, 1998, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was the foundation of an effort by Congress to implement United States treaty obligations and to move the nations copyright law into the digital age. (Executive Summary DMCA Report) While this seems a valid description of the law, perhaps a more accurate interpretation lies in the following statement: The DMCA is a piece of legislation rushed throughRead More The Effects of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 Essay1313 Words   |  6 PagesThe Effects of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 The verb copy is defined as â€Å"To reproduce an original.† (Webster, 57-58) This idea of copying has been around for hundreds of years. In the current time, laws have had to be written to protect against the idea of copying someone else’s work. There are ways around the copyright laws. â€Å"A copy is in violation of a copyright if the original can be â€Å"perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated by or from the copy, directlyRead MoreImpact Of The Digital Millennium Copyright Act On Copyright Enforcement And Fair Use3378 Words   |  14 PagesImpact of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act on Copyright Enforcement and Fair Use Jean-Paul Muyshondt University of North Carolina Wilmington Abstract The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 has changed the focus of copyright enforcement away from the act of copyright infringement and toward the act of circumvention of the technologies used to protect the rights of digital media owners. Additionally, the act has had adverse effects that outweigh the benefits that it provides. Key Words:Read MoreThe Digital Millennium Copyright Act1777 Words   |  8 Pagesappears in the mainstream media. Whether it’s the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act informing you that some search results have been removed, news of foreign governments controlling what their citizens can and can’t view, or Apple and other corporations refusing to meet the demands of the FBI, the internet, and government dealings are closely intertwined. American media gives coverage to many of these stories but there a lot of bills, acts, laws etc. get no attention. Not only is this lack ofRead MoreWhat Is The Digital Millennium Copyright Act?813 Words   |  4 Pagesby copyright protection, but sharing your favorite author was easy and fun. It was not long after computers became more mainstream that books and other media could be found digitally produced by the author, creator or publisher. With this advancement came the ability to share a book or other media with a friend while ret aining the original copy. This copyright infringement was frowned upon by the people that made money selling the digital products. Along came the Digital Millennium Copyright ActRead MoreEssay on 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act1331 Words   |  6 Pages1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act Right before a movie starts in your theatre, you’re subjected to many advertisements. One that always stood out was the piracy campaign ad which gave a perspective on the downloading of movies from an off set worker. His distinctive message was that, movie stars are paid exorbitant amounts of money but the on and off set workers are not. By downloading the movie or â€Å"screener† in advanced, you’re really hurting the people behind the magic. So what doesRead MoreDigital Millennium Copyright Act At The Embassy Level1237 Words   |  5 PagesThere are not many risks involved with the Digital Millennium Copyright act at the Embassy level, but there are a few. The only issues we could possible run into is that a single user illegally downloads copyrighted material. There are several policies and procedure put into place to stop this kind of abuse through our systems. One good thing is that the OSP to our Embassy will not be help accountable for any copyright violations as long as there procedures are in place. Another issue that may beRead MoreDigital Technology And Its Effects On The World1639 Words   |  7 Pagesagainst some very complex issues such as how to control piracy of copyrighted digital media. However, copyright owners have sought out legal means to protect their intellectual assets. In recent years copyright laws have been in effect to strike a balance between protecting the rights of authors, artist and copyright owners, and according to the U.S. Constitution, to â€Å"promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts.† Digital technology, unlike analog technology that preceded it, can make large copies