Fahrenheit 451 & Gattaca Comparative Study

Throughout time Science Fiction writers have produced their work, using the concept of dystopia as a method to express their outlook and opinion on the issues within their existing societies, in which they are writing from. The writer delivers a message to the audience, educating them about the current contextual concerns and the possibility of the dystopias that are developed as a result. This is demonstrated in the novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury and the film Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol.Both of these composers illustrate their fears for the fate of their society through the structural and language features of their texts. Ray Bradbury explores the value of using knowledge and independent thinking rather than blindly following the ‘rules’, without a second thought or question. Andrew Niccol uses the reality of scientific methods, addressing the responder of the direction society is heading in and the fatal result of the future if we were to mess wit h the balance of nature. Like all texts, Fahrenheit 451 is a product of its time.It was published in the early 1950s, during a time recovering from World War II and facing the Cold War, which caused key contextual concerns of this period. During the McCarthy era, the rise of the mass media contributed to the themes and ideas explored by Bradbury’s dystopian fiction novel. These ideas include the danger of censorship, knowledge vs. ignorance and the role of technology which are explored in a world where people are so busy that they do not stop to think or notice beauty or to really communicate with the people around them.This is a world where the media feeds the minds of numbed masses whose highest goal is happiness; a goal that persistently eludes them. Although Gattaca was created many years afterwards, Andrew Niccol’s futuristic film also explores the contextual concerns within his present society; the twenty-first century. Niccol looks at the role of science and tec hnology and the concerns that can come from being too dependent upon these. Gattaca provides us with a dystopic vision of the not-too-distant future if we are to continue to strive for perfection.He challenges our concept on what it is to be an individual human being and what extent we are willing to go to before our morals and ethics are forgotten. This is shown in the film through ideas such as destiny vs. free will, systematic discrimination and the role of nature and technology. A key concern that Bradbury has about the future that is directly related to context is the danger of censorship. The Nazi book burnings in Germany in 1933 had been widely publicised after World War II. These book burnings became a major symbol of the repression that followed in Nazi Germany.The importance of literature and the freedom to read and write was a central concern of liberal-minded people during the 1950s, and this thought was common to Bradbury. In Fahrenheit 451, society has evolved to such and extreme that literature is illegal to possess. No longer can books be read, not only because they might offend someone, but because books raise questions that often lead to revolutions and even anarchy. A major example of censorship is book burning, which with Bradbury’s use of symbolism reinforces the ideas of anti-censorship.Fire is used symbolically to identify the issues of censorship and represents the destruction of books, people and society. Censorship in the world consists of book burning, manipulative parlor families, and the intolerance of those who attempt to be an individual. Bradbury’s use of symbolism reinforces the ideas of anti-censorship. Fire is used symbol of censorship as it represents the destruction of books, of people, and of society, however is used to cover up all things that the firemen’s propaganda does not enforce.The first sentence of the novel introduces the role of fire saying â€Å"It was a pleasure to burn. It was a pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed†. Obviously fire is a symbol of destruction, but in this quote fire has multiple functions; it destroys the book in one sense, but in another it changes the book and even creates something new. Captain Beatty wants to use fire to cleanse the world of knowledge, a thing that he believes is evil. He wants to use fire to erase people's memories and problems. He believes that fire can destroy anything and make problems disappear.When he explains that cremation is important to make people forget the dead, he says that they should â€Å"Forget them. Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean†. He thinks that the only way to have a peacefully and happy society is to make people forget the past and ignore or forget anything that they do not like. This reflects back to the society after WWII and the motives of the Nazis – removing thoughts and the past will result in peace and happiness. Bradbury a lso serves to warn us of the danger of ignorance in this futuristic dystopia.This again is reflective of the Nazi book burnings and the idea of people leaving behind knowledge and becoming ‘blissfully’ ignorant of the past. In Fahrenheit 451 the fireman's responsibility is to destroy knowledge and promote ignorance in order to ensure equality. Ignorance, however, promotes suicide, poor decisions, and empty lives. When Beatty discovers Montag's hidden collection of books, he explains that all firemen become curious of books, and may have time to explore them for a short time before disposing of them.He then tells Montag about the state of the world: people are made content by their lack of knowledge. Those who truly know the world are unhappy, while those who are ignorant of it have a false sense of happiness. From this moment, Montag is given the choice of conforming and living an artificial but happy life, or seeking knowledge and bearing the pain that accompanies it. In the novel, when Captain Beatty mentions the history of fire fighting and the history of books.He says, â€Å"Classics cut to fit fifteen-minute radio shows, then cut again to fill a two-minute book column, winding up at last as a ten-or-twelve-line dictionary resume. † The use of a hyperbole in this quote exaggerates to make a point of how really short they are to him or compared to what they used to be, displaying the ignorance towards knowledge and the past. Losing touch with nature and becoming reliant on technology is a concern that Bradbury forces us to examine in Fahrenheit 451.Bradbury uses personification to demonstrate this idea, describing technological equipment as animals and giving them human characteristics. â€Å"The Mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the firehouse. † This quote is a pure example of personification, where the mecha nical hound, a mere machine, is described as having a personality and behaviours similar to that of a human being. Also, this quote can be expressed as an irony to the people in the society.Another example of the being too reliant on technology is the palor walls and the people of Fahrenheit 451 spend most of their time consumed by the information they are being fed, losing touch with the outside world, or nature and becoming completely dependent on technology. Using personification once again, Bradbury defines the machine used to ‘clean out’ his wife, Mildred as a â€Å"black cobra down an echoing well looking for all the old water and the old time gathered there†, once again refer to a machine as an animal. The way he writes â€Å"This machine pumped all of the blood from the body and replaced it with fresh blood and serum,† indirectly xplains the emptiness of the people's souls in the society. This machine is pumping Mildred's blood and we can say that Mildred is the ‘representative’ of the society. In this line, it states that the machine can just replace the blood with new one, meaning that there's nothing precious in Mildred's soul. Her life is just full of nothingness, nothing to hide and nothing to lose. Technology has stripped society of its personality and identity. Niccol too explores the role of nature and technology in the futuristic dystopia he has created in Gattaca.He forces the responder to question the dangers of uncontrolled technology. In the ‘not-to-distant future’, the world of Gattaca is where genetic engineering has become the normal approach to procreation. Overall the setting of the film is quite severe and uncluttered and is dominated by people and symbolic locations. This sterile and cold society of elitist collaborations like Gattaca promotes competition, isolation and discrimination. This is something that is dangerous to individuals and relationships and shows an arrogant belie f to the world of science.The film begins with the quote â€Å"Consider Gods handwork: who can straighten what he has made crooked† from Ecclesiastes 7:13, followed by the quote â€Å"I not only think that we will tamper with Mother Nature, I think Mother Nature wants us to† from Willard, then cuts to extreme close ups of Vincent exfoliating, removing fingernails, hair, skin fragments and eyelashes. Niccol very intricately places the two quotes one after the other to force the responder to think about what being human truly is and how far is it before we’re ‘playing god’. This is extremely relevant to today’s society, as we continue to tamper with Mother Nature.The use of the extreme close-up of the fragments reminds the audience of the idea of being ‘put under the microscope’ reflects society’s obsession with defining people by their genetic ‘background’ and further magnifies the importance of genetic materia l. The role of human relationships is important to Niccol in his film Gattaca. He forces us to understand the concept of systematic discrimination. People are no longer discriminated against by race, personality, or religion, but are judged only by the superiority of their genetic code, as stated â€Å"We now have discrimination down to a science†.Visual metaphors in the film reinforce this concept. Various motifs throughout the film, such as glass and water, which illustrate the invisible walls Vincent is rebelling against. These motifs are seen in the film in separate scenes; one when Vincent is looking into Gattaca through the glass, when he is still a janitor, and another is shown in the swimming scene, with Anton becoming a symbol of the society who rejects Vincent. The continuously daunting identity checks throughout the movie reinforce the oppressive and dystopic society and the concerns presented further display the idea of discrimination.Although the discrimination i s not one that we have in this current society, the amount of discrimination we have now builds concerns that this could be a possible path for the future. Furthermore, a similar concern to that which has been raised in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is the idea of conformity versus the individual. This can connected to the idea of destiny versus freewill. Vincent chooses to ignore his destiny and rebel against what is considered to be ‘normal’ in order to reach his dreams. Gattaca shows us that our destiny cannot be mapped out using our genetic code.In the beginning of the movie the idea of destiny seems to overshadow freewill. This is shown when Vincent’s ‘destiny’ is supposedly mapped out at the moment of his birth, being born with a 99% chance of a heart attack, his father realising this did not give him his name as he did not deem him worthy. Despite Vincent’s life being apparently planned for him, â€Å"there is no gene for the hu man spirit,† and this is shown when Vincent beats his ‘perfect’ brother in two rounds of the game ‘chicken’. The swimming scene contains another form of symbolism with the colours the two brothers are wearing.The two brothers wear contrasting colours when racing. Vincent is wearing white, symbolising purity whilst his brother, wearing black represents altercations, and something that has been tampered with. When his brother asks how he could possibly have beaten him, Vincent replies â€Å"This is how I did it, Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back†. This quote further supports the concept of free will vs. destiny and that our free will and our determination are what ultimately determine the path our life will take.Therefore, by taking a step back and examining the contextual concerns of the time that texts were written in, allows us to clearly see the issues and values the composers of texts are trying to create. In Ray Bradburyâ€⠄¢s Fahrenheit 451 the major value he is trying to send is that literature is much more important than technology and expresses to us his concerns for control of thoughts and the limit of knowledge one is permitted. Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca informs the audience of the values of individual identities and surpassing one’s boundaries. He allows us to understand the obsession with being perfect can be an unwarranted threat.Both these writers of Science Fiction address to their audience of the unnecessary extremes that our world could lead to if we do not understand what our boundaries are. The context and techniques of these two medians have supported the statement that Science Fiction writers create dystopias to communicate their concerns about society and its future. They use these techniques to underline what society would be like if a totalitarian regime is enforced on society, where individual thought is discouraged and propaganda is fed to the masses in order to contr ol society.

Liberty University

I am a police officer and more times than not, I find myself dealing with school ages kids. Usually they range between the ages of 13-18. Most of the time I feel like a counselor because when we deal with juveniles, the juvenile judicial system has tied our hands in what they will incarcerate a juvenile for, so we usually give them a stern talking to and release them back to the custody of their parents. I also work closely with the middle and high school administrators. Sometimes we are in the schools dealing with problems or sometimes we take kids back to school that we find skipping class.This is why I chose to write this discussion board entry on the ethics of school counselors. There are several ethical standards for school counselors, so I will only be touching on a few of them, while comparing them to biblical passages. The first I would like to hit on is the counselor’s responsibilities to their students. They are to treat their students with respect at all time and al ways consider the students future when talking with them. Romans 12:10 states, â€Å"be devoted to one another in brotherly love, but give preference to one another in honor. I think this passage fits perfect here, because when a student goes to a counselor it is usually to talk about a problem they are having or advice on a particular topic. This verse is saying to be devoted to the person as you want the same devotion to you. Another ethical standard for school counselors is confidentiality. The administrators and counselors are not to discuss the student’s issues and school records with anyone unless a informed consent has been agreed on and signed. Proverbs 12:22 states, â€Å"lying lips are an abomination of the lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. Taking this passage word for word to me basically means that the lord frowns upon the lips that lie and lying is also one of the Ten Commandments that should be remembered when being trusted by another. One of the ethical standards is that counselors and administrators but inform parents and/or legal guardians if a student poses a danger to himself or another. The counselors are never to negate the risk of harm because some students will hide this in order to avoid any type of further scrutiny from other students, teachers or administrators. Corinthians 6:19-20 states, â€Å"do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify in your body. † I don’t think that many of these students who look to harm themselves or harm someone else are thinking past the injury and into the bible and what they are actually doing in the Lord’s eyes. The next ethical standard by which the counselors are held to is professionalism. They are to treat everything that you do in a way that is looked at as professional to society.They are to seek the consent of parents before conduc ting any research into a student or educational records, and treat every research opportunity with professionalism. Psalms 34:22 says, â€Å"The Lord redeems the life of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. † References: The New King James Study Bible, publisher Thomas Nelson, Inc. , 2007 undefined. (1984). American School Counselor Association. In Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Retrieved February 19, 2012, from http://www. mnschoolcounselors. org/EthicalStandards2010. pdf.

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Information Processing Theory Essay Example for Free

Information Processing Theory Essay Information processing is a theoretical approach used to analyze human behavior (psychology) and learning processes (education). Information processing, in the pedagogical perspective, may be defined as the process of acquiring knowledge based on memory structures and information in different stages of information or mental processing. (Think Quest Team, 2007) It deals with thinking, storing, remembering and forgetting information. (NSW HSC Online, 2007) Information processing and the cognitive learning theory are closely associated with each another. This is because their propositions are similar in content. Information processing theory emerged at the dawn of the computer age (Hall, 2007). This theory suggests that memory and computers have common features. 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We acquire information through our senses, process it in our memory in the same way that we create responses in our memory, and carry them out through our senses. Fourth, the genetic make-up of humans is meant for information processing. For instance, infants do not learn to think from other people. Their curiosity allows them to think and develop their senses. (Huitt, 2003) Information processing applied as an approach in the classroom setting, gains broader meaning and undeniable importance. The theory recommends a variety of techniques and methods to make teaching more efficient. Information processing also provides several tools and procedures that teachers may use to enhance thinking skills and extend mental capacity among the students. The learning process through information processing starts with the activation of schema, defined as the state of existing knowledge structures prior to the introduction of new information. Schema is often altered to accommodate new information. Therefore, new information related to the learner’s schema is more meaningful to them. (NSW HSC Online, 2007) Activation of schema is followed by acquisition of new information by the learner. Information processing postulates that in processing and in the retrieval of information, it is necessary to ensure that information is significant to the learner for him to be able to relate previous knowledge or schema to new information. The information is processed to fit schema, or in some instances to complement schema. The information is then stored in the long-term memory for future retrieval. There are also various key concepts to remember in applying information processing theory in the classroom setting. First, it is easier to remember significant information. Learners remember information that is interesting and relevant to their personal lives. Second, words are easily remembered based on their position in the text. For instance, words written in the beginning and in the end are easier to remember than words written in the mid area of the text. Third, repetition is efficient for memory retention. Memory retention is best improved through repetition and practice. Fourth, learning should be systematic. When learners make lists to organize lessons learned, information is easier to remember. Fifth, much effort should be exerted in processing information. Information that is processed in depth is easily stored in the long-term memory. Sixth, information processing is affected by schema. If information does not relate to a person’s schema, then there would difficulty in information processing. Lastly, there is a necessity to provide advance organizers for students. Advance organizers aids and prepares the learner for the next lesson. (Huitt, 2003) In the classroom setting, the teacher must come up with a lesson plan that follows a thorough procedure. Systematic procedures must be followed in information processing because there are limitations to memory capacity and thinking processes. Teachers must make sure that purpose of the previous step is achieved before moving on the next step. For instance, activation of schema comes first before the processing of information. To follow this step, the teacher must first provide stimulus that catches the attention of the students. Consequently, the learner perceives and processes this information in his sensory registers and short-term memory, allowing him to respond to the stimulus. The next step is to ensure that the information you teach is retained in the learner’s long-term memory. This can be achieved by following key concepts previously enumerated. In applying information processing in the classroom setting, keep in mind that its primarily goal is for students to learn by enhancing memory retention and maximizing information processing and capacity. The teacher must be guided with the key concepts and principles governing information processing theory to achieve greater success in meeting educational goals and objectives. References Hall, R. (2007). Information Processing Theory. Retrieved November 22, 2007. http://medialab. umr. edu/rhall/educational_psychology/2001/vl2a/info_new. html Huitt, W. (2003). The Information Processing Approach to Cognition. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved November

The History Of Community Mobilization

The History Of Community Mobilization Introduction: The term community has various meaning. We can define community is a place where people living in the particular geographical area and they shares their common values, interests and they follows a particular way of living. The term community may refer to the national community or international community. In biology a community is a group of interacting people sharing a populated environment. Apart from a geographical area a community is a group or society, helping each other. In human communities belief, resources, needs, interest and a number of other conditions may be present in common, which also affects the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness. In every society various types of communities may take place. Some categorizations are as follows:- Geographic communities: It ranges from the local neighborhood, suburb, village, town or city, region, nation or even the planet as a whole. These refer to communities of location. Communities of culture: It ranges from the local clique, sub-culture, ethnic group, religious, multicultural or pluralistic civilization, or the global community cultures of today. They may be included as communities of need or identity, such as disabled persons, or frail aged people. Communities are nested; one community can contain another-for example a geographic community may contain a number of ethnic communities. Identity is also one of the important factor to assess the type of community. For example if a group of people shares the common identity other than the location, we can call that as community based on their common interest. Likewise, in present scenario we can see that various communities exist in society based on the certain profession. A professional community is a group of people where they are with the same or related occupations. Not on the basis of above things, There are different things that bound people together to their different communities or that they may have in common with the other people living around them, which includes beliefs and values, traditions, common interest, language, territory, religion, culture and occupations. Community Mobilization: A strong community feeling one can identifies at the time of crisis and occasions like change for families, such as marriage and death. In a community people shared their we feeling with each other. As we know that proper management and utilization of resources is the best possible way for the development of the community. Therefore community mobilization is always prominent for the development and upliftment of any community. For mobilizing the community people make their plans and then do the things accordingly. They take charge, transforming, developing their community and their lives as well. Community mobilization is a process which allows people in the community to identify their needs and problems and bring them together for a social action and their community development. Communities can mobilize to work for changes that will fulfill the social, emotional, financial and physical needs of people. Community mobilization is an organized process through which people can aware regarding the present situation of their community also how to bring positive changes within the community by using various resources. Nutshell, community mobilization is one of the strategic method which helps the people to attain maximum community development. For community mobilization communication is one of the important tool to achieve it. Through proper and effective communication various methods of mobilizing the community can be implemented. Here we are discussing the various methods for community mobilization by given actors as per the fig 1.1. Mobilizing the community Political Parties Social Movements Individual groups Political Parties The use of social networking sites by political parties and other politically active groups has been increased in these days. All these political and other groups realized that by suing of social networking sites many people can be mobilized. The internet has become the strongest communication tool even at the global level. Even various politicians also used Twitter, Flicker, You Tube, and Facebook among people to communicate and mobilize people. As political parties using of social networking sites is one of the effective method to mobilize the people. In the present scenario, the use of social media is really important to mobilize the people and communities for collective action. We know that today millions of people are connected in one way or another to the internet. People are easily accessible on internet. It is another way of reaching large numbers of people to mobilize them for a group effort. Facebook, Mixit, Twitter can also be effective for the above. To generate awareness among people and to mobilize them in large number to make a community independent. Newspapers, radio stations and the TV have the authority to inform thousands more people about various campaigns for mobilizing any community. By writing a press release, a political party can highlight the facts, peoples demands, and what people want the media to talk about regarding the development and continuous empowerment of their community. Parties can also organize a press conference. So they can invite the reporters to come to a meeting where spokespeople from the community organization speak out publicly about the problem and the solution of the problems of community. Apart from above, Political rallies and the use of local languages are instrumental in the mobilization of groups for social action. Social Movements Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations which focus on specific political or social issues for their development. In other words, they carry out, resist or undo a social change in the society. Social movement campaigns play a critical role in mobilizing and maintaining the submerged networks of social movement communities. A social movement refers to collective effort organizing from the people for their development and to bring social change in the society. Community mobilization is often used by grassroots-based social movements, which includes revolutionary movements. Through Social movement for mobilizing the people in community we can apply various methods like large public gatherings such as mass meetings, marches, parades, processions and demonstrations. These gatherings usually are part of a protest action. These are the different ways by which a community can be mobilized and can raise voice for the demand of development of the community. In other words, community mobilization seeks to facilitate change within the community for its development. Modern Western social movements became possible through education (the wider dissemination of literature), and increased mobility of labor due to the industrialization and urbanization of 19th century societies. Social movements have been and continued to be closely connected with democratic political systems. Occasionally, social movements have been involved in democratizing nations, but more often they have developed after democratization. Modern movements often utilize technology and the internet to mobilize people globally. Adapting to communication trends is a common theme among successful movements. Research is beginning to explore how advocacy organizations linked to social movements use social media to facilitate civic engagement and collective action. Social movements are any broad social alliances of people who are connected through their shared interest in blocking or affecting social change. Although social movements do not have to be formally organized. Social movement is always an important tool to bring the change in society and as well as to mobilize the communities for their own development. By arranging people in mass meetings, parades, marches, discussions on various issues, movements for stressing the education of people, bringing the concept of democratization in light communities can mobilize through theses social movements. Social movements are always a part of society, and people may compare their options and make rational choices about which movements to follow. As long as social movements wish to be success, they must find resources (such as money, people, and plans) for how to meet their goals. Furthermore, for organizing successful social movements and mobilizing the people there should be strong and effective networking with other organizations especially the organization which are exist in the local community. There has to be proper networking and strong communication even on the grass roots organization which are working locally in the community such as Church groups, clubs, special interest organization, local schools, hospitals , recreational groups and other community groups can support the social movement and through effective and strong networking with the above organizations we can mobilize the communities. Physical concentration is also necessary for organizing successful social movement and for mobilizing people. We should bring people into closer proximities in cities, factories, local university campuses which help the social movement to get into the right direction for mobilizing people for their betterment in society. Also a co-optable communications network should be there to speed up the social movements for mobilizing the people and to spread awareness among the people. As we know that the greater the number and excessive participation of people builds a strong network which leads to mobilizing the greatest number of people. Also for maintaining the above and to get a fuller participation of people and to mobilize them we need to able ourselves to maintain the resources within and outside the community. We should also provide the equal opportunity to each and every unit of the community. We cannot let the youth and other units to go. We need to encourage every individual with n o matter of his / her own personal identity. We need to motivate people to participate actively in the social movement and consider the point of availability in our mind. As People with full time jobs, marriage and family responsibilities are less likely to participate in social movement activity. Autonomous individuals with few personal responsibilities such as college students and single professionals are much more likely participants. On the other hand, for mobilizing people without considering them as particular unit of society, we need to encourage them for their maximum participation. Through motivation and encouragement we can mobilize people and can make them ready for their community development. Individual groups It is always easy to start a fire and involve a number of people. Community members need to choose certain people whose role will be to keep the fire of community mobilization burning. In this guide these people will be called motivators. People in the community know each other very well. Take time to carefully choose honest people who are respected by others, and who can encourage others to work well together. They need to have some time and energy available, have a desire to bring change and be willing to work free of charge. Each community should select two or three motivators. The people chosen will need equipping and support in their role. Each local area has a number of different kinds of resources. People use these resources to keep alive and to cope with changing seasons, political change and cultural pressures. Helping people to understand and to value the different resources they have is very important. These are the main kinds of resources: _ Natural resources include land, trees, forests and water. _ Human resources include the skills, knowledge, understanding and labour of local people. _ Financial resources include money, access to credit and loans, credit unions and government support. _ Social resources include the culture, traditions, organizations, friends and extended family. _ Physical resources include buildings, tools, roads, water pumps and transport. _ Spiritual resources are the strength and encouragement that people gain from their faith. Local people already know more than any outsider about their community and the people living there. Many people assume they know everything about their local area, but there is always more to learn and understand before making new plans. Take plenty of time to help people in the community to tell their story together. One very effective way of doing this is to draw maps, either using clear ground with sticks, leaves and stones, or if available, large sheets of paper and pens. Encourage small groups to draw different maps to show: the natural and physical resources in the area (hills, forests, roads and rivers, for example) -where people live, noting important people and organisations -how the area looked 50 or 20 years ago (only for older people). So for mobilizing communities, individual groups can do the social mapping of the community so that the people can aware about the present problems in the community. Another helpful way to focus on key issues within the local area is to encourage people to prepare a role-play to express their concerns. As people discuss what subjects to use, they will often focus on important issues. However, they are also likely to share these in funny ways. Laughter has a way of taking the pressure out of a situation, helping people to discuss sensitive issues, sometimes for the first time. Again, encouraging people to work in small groups is another way to mobilize the communities. Having chosen their first priority for action, local people need to decide whether they have enough information to take action. For example, if education is identified as the priority, people may need more information about the problems and whether they are at primary or secondary level. The problem may be poor attendance and, if so, there is a need to find out why. Considering electing teams of local people to gather relevant information is another way to mobilize the communities. Choose people who can be trusted and who know their community well. Before sending teams out to gather information, take plenty of time to decide exactly what kind of information is needed. Apart from this, conducting role plays- street plays in the community is always a good strategy to mobilize the maximum number of people and to preparing them for a social action. By Arranging a community meeting to share all the information gathered is showing information clearly to the people. A large number of people can mobilize for the collective action after getting all the facts and problems of the community. Also, motivation plays an important role in this activity. As keep motivating the people in right direction is always worthy and will be fruitful for attaining maximum development of the community. Initial contact with the community is another way to mobilize people. Understanding community practices and traditions prior to establishing contact can help identify the appropriate approach for engaging with different groups and members of the community. It is important to focus on learning from the community, especially during the initial contact.  Taking every opportunity to meet informally with diverse members of the community (at the health post, during registration, at distribution points, in the queue for water). Also utilizing community leaders also increases the chances of reaching a cross-section of the population and not just a narrow representation. It is essential that all members of the community receive word about mobilization and how they can be involved.  Outreaching to those who are isolated, vulnerable or considered. If they cannot personally attend a meeting, it is important that they be represented in some way. So as per the above discussion, motivating peop le, arranging meetings, initial contacting with the communities, utilizing the community leaders, conducting role-plays, street plays, community outreaching are different ways to mobilize the maximum people of community by individual groups. Also, identifying an existing committee or a community-based organization which can give individual groups access to the community and facilitate distribution of  messages. Meeting the host community and the authorities is important to reach out the goals for community development and mobilization.   Messages might only reach certain groups, such as community leaders, and not all members of the community.  Developing outreach strategies with the leaders and others to ensure that everyone is informed, including women, girls and boys, minority groups, and people with mental and physical challenges. Making sure that information is delivered in a language everyone can understand, is culturally sensitive and is correctly perceived and understood.  As always communication should be effective and strong for the mobilization. Arranging meetings at mutually convenient times. As far the mobilization concern, for development of any community individual groups should make positive rappor t building among the community with key people- like facilitator, leaders, service providers etc. and whole community as well. A good rapport building is effective strategy to mobilizing the people.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Transparency, respect and consistency are essential for building trust, confidence and collaboration between organizations and partners, including members of the community.  Also individual groups have to make ensure that after the first contact immediate follow-up action is taken or not.   Orienting the Community is another way to mobilize the people. The first step in mobilizing the community is to orient them to the process.  This can be done in a number of ways, including written communication, television, radio, or an organized meeting.  Meetings are more personal and conducive to building relationships.   They also facilitate two-way communication where questions can be answered efficiently. As groups can motivate community people for their maximum participation in every discussion as they should feel that they are the key part of it.   Also to start these meetings as soon as possible, so that trust and a positive working relationship can be built between parties. Having the meeting sponsored or hosted by a respected individual or group within the community can add credibility to its agenda.  This may happen through a church, school, tribe, or other local group.   Utilizing community leaders also increases the chances of reaching a cross-section of the population and not just a narrow representation. It is essential that all members of the community receive word about mobilization and how they can be involved.  Outreach is prominent to those who are isolated, vulnerable or considered marginal is critical. If they cannot personally attend a meeting, it is important that they be represented in some way. Individual groups should take care of these things before conducting any activity as part of the community or within the community. An only arranging meeting is not as sufficient. The goals of the meeting must be carefully considered and reflected in the agenda.  Community leaders can provide assistance presenting the information in a culturally appropriate manner. Some of the community leaders may be chosen to convey topics with which they are familiar.  During this meeting, it is important to invoke the input of the community. Identify their needs and begin to priorities how those needs will be met.   Individual groups sho uld know that this meeting will be an opportunity to develop an awareness of what the contributing organizations can provide, and also an opportunity to learn about the strengths and resources of the community. It will be important to define mutual goals and develop a plan as to how to reach these goals.  This will include organizing individuals to work together and coordinate services.   Proper organization of every resources and management is necessary to mobilize the people. Also individual groups should develop ongoing ways to communicate for mobilizing the people. Once goals have been defined and a plan has been developed, it will be important to identify ongoing ways to communicate.  Rather than having large meetings, cluster meetings of project staff, community leaders and community members working on similar tasks are more manageable and efficient.  The groups should begin team building with all team members (international  and national staff, community leaders and community members). It is vital that marginalized and vulnerable people are included in these teams.  Intervention with the community may be required for them to allow marginalized or isolated members of their community to participate in a team.   Working in small teams that include affected people as well as outside helpers.  Team leaders should meet daily for sharing of information, planning and coordination. Not all teams will be required for all emergency response projects. Some people may be a member of more than one team. Conclusion: It is to be concluded that for continuous community development mass awareness, people mobilization is very important. In our society there are different resources which can perform to mobilize the community. But one should only need to generate these resources within the community or outside the community. Maximum resource utilization and mobilization of people are key things for developing any community. Community development emphasizes participation, initiative and self-help by local communities but should be sponsored by national governments as part of a national plan.

The Growth Of The Takaful Industry Economics Essay

The Growth Of The Takaful Industry Economics Essay Takaful is derived from an Arabic word â€Å"Kafala† which means mutual guarantee, whereby a group of participants agree to mutually guarantee among themselves against a defined loss. This simple concept of takaful is the foundation of the takaful business, which is the present Shariah-compliant insurance Takaful is â€Å"a scheme based on brotherhood, solidarity and mutual assistance which provides for mutual financial aid and assistance to the participants in case of need whereby the participants mutually agree to contribute for that purpose† The contemporary jurists acknowledge that the foundation of Takaful was laid down in the system of â€Å"Aaqilah†, which was an arrangement of mutual help or indemnification customary in some tribes at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Takaful provides solidarity in respect of any tragedy in human life and loss to the business or property. The elements present in the conventional insurance viz; Gharar (uncertainty), Riba (interest) and Maisir (gambling) are against the tenets of Islam. Muslim Scholars do not object to insurance per se but only to certain weaknesses in the insurance contract (which weaknesses render the insurance contracts fasid). It is for this reason, 1972 Fatwa by National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs of Malaysia that life insurance is not lawful as it contains gharar, Maisir and riba. Hence, takaful tries to remove all these facets present in the conventional insurance and works within the guidelines of Shariah. The concept of tabarru makes the transaction permissible and valid according to Islamic law. It changes the basis of contract from an exchange contract (muawadat) which is bilateral in nature, to a charitable contract, which is unilateral. 2.0 Takaful Industry overview Globally, the takaful industry has been growing rapidly, appealing to both Muslims and non-Muslims. Currently, there are more than 110 takaful operators worldwide. As per the Ernst Youngs World Takaful Report 2009, global Takaful contributions have risen to $3.4bn in 2007 as compared to $2.5bn in 2006 (36% Growth). The new projections for 2012 for Takaful Market are US$ 7.7 bn and US$ 11.0 bn by 2015. Saudi Arabia was the biggest market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with contributions totaling USD 1.7 bn in 2007, and Malaysia the largest takaful market in Southeast Asia with contributions of USD 800 mn. Malaysia has achieved significant milestones in the development of its takaful industry. With the enactment of the Takaful Act 1984, the first takaful company was established in 1985. Since then, the industry has been gaining momentum and increasingly recognized as a significant contributor to Malaysias overall Islamic financial system. There are currently eight takaful operators and two re-takaful operators, with five foreign participations from the UK, Bahrain, Germany and Japan. These takaful operators conduct both domestic and foreign currency business. 2.1 Current Trends and Future prospects With the expanding demographics of Islamic countries and that of the Islamic population globally, the prospect of takaful looks promising. The Accounting Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) has been playing a key role in framing and reviewing the regulatory standards governing takaful companies. With improved standards of living and increasing awareness of Takaful, the market is expected to see steady growth in per capita spend on Takaful premiums and also in terms of market share in comparison with conventional insurance. 2.2 Strategic Issues and Challenges With projected growth as described above, the industry will experience much change. As with all new product offerings, success will depend on several factors, both internal and external. Highlighted below are a number of strategic issues and challenges that providers will contend with as the industry expands. Distribution Challenges New entrants should create synergies that can be used to leverage existing distribution channels, banc-Takaful and strategic alliances across geographies. This will also enable the operators to increase premium volumes to improve profitability; a key factor in surviving the ‘start-up years. Developing Innovative Products Developing attractive and competitive products that meet diverse customer needs will be a major challenge for Takaful operators. Though Takaful operators cater to a very specific and presently unsatisfied market, they still need to create product offerings that are as sophisticated and innovative as their conventional competitors. Improving Marketing and Branding Tactics The present brand value of Takaful is relatively limited particularly in non-Islamic countries. Analysts have suggested that Takaful has enormous potential for Islamic and non-Islamic populations, offering an ‘ethical insurance alternative. Experts also propose that Takaful can potentially be a useful mechanism for poverty alleviation. Raising the Standards in Customer Service As the industry grows and becomes more competitive, building customer service skills and developing best practices will become increasingly important. At present, general customer service standards are average among Takaful providers, relative to their conventional counterparts. IT Solutions for Takaful Issues such as innovative product development, time to market, servicing of policies and claims within acceptable time lines, accuracy of calculations, cost containment, and improvement in service standards can all be facilitated by the implementation of robust and flexible IT solutions. Takaful compliant IT solutions serve an important purpose from a regulatory compliance standpoint and can help operators avoid susceptibility to unfavourable regulatory decisions and the possibility of increased regulatory compliance costs. 3.0 Takaful Models A takaful model depicts the relationship between the company and the participants. Based on the nature of relationship between the company and the participants, there are various models like Wakalah (agency) Model, Mudarabah Model and the combination of agency and Mudarabah models. In Mudarabah model that is practiced mainly in the Asia Pacific region, the policyholders get profit on their part of funds only if Takaful Company earns profit. The sharing basis is determined in advance and is a function of the developmental stage and earnings of the Company. In Wakalahmodel, the surplus of policyholders funds investments net of the management fee or expenses goes to the policyholders. The shareholders charge Wakalah fee from contributions that covers most of the expenses. In order to give incentive for good governance, management fee is related to the level of performance. 4.0 Takaful Categories 4.1 General takaful The general takaful provides protection on a short-term basis, normally covering a period of one year. It commonly provides protection for property loss or damage, liability arising from damage. In general Takaful, the company raises a fund, which called as ‘tabarru fund or account, where the participants pay to the fund. The company will invest the remainder of the fund after deducting the operational cost of the scheme. Any profit or return from the investment will be returned back to the fund. If there is any participant who faced loss or damage to his property or belonging, then the particular participant will be compensated from this fund. 4.2 Family takaful The family takaful is a combination of protection and long-term savings, usually covering a period of more than one year. It provides benefits if the insured is inflicted by a tragedy as well as potential profits. Risks covered include premature death, illness and permanent disability, and regular income during retirement. 5.0Shariah issues in Takaful: As is the case with any industry in its nascent stages, the takaful industry too is facing its own set of teething problems. Whenever we go to conferences (or) read the literature and article related to takaful, the general and the most common allegation (or) complaint is that, â€Å"Inconsistency in the interpretations of certain Shariah rules or standards is said to be an issue of the Takaful Industry†.Some of the commonly discussed Shariah issues relating to takaful are: which is the right model to follow?, who are the real owners of the takaful fund?, the methodology and the process to be adopted to share the surplus between the participants, the issue of hibah (gift) in a takaful policy, the issue of insurable interest and whether underwriting in concordant with the principles of maqaasid as-Shariah etc. So, let us analyse these issues in the light of Shariah to understand the arguments for and against each of these issues to get a clear idea on the issue. Finally, we will also try to analyze if the issue of inconsistency is as serious as it is being projected and what are the areas which need to be standardized, if at all it is required. 6.0 Issue #1: The dilemma of choosing the right takaful model In many of the takaful conferences and literature available, the question that is manifested is regarding the different takaful models existing in the world market. Some people express a desire towards a standardisation of takaful products as this will avoid confusion, facilitate regulation etc. Before we analyze the pros and cons of this thought, let us understand the modus operandi of the mudarabah model. Some people, usually criticize the mudarabah model since the operator too shares the underwriting surplus which should ideally belong to the participant. 6.1The modus operandi of the mudarabah model Generally, many Takaful companies (especially those using the Mudaraba principle) claim that their operations are based on the concept of mutual or co-operative insurance as approved by the Muslim jurists. This claim is on the basis that: They receive the premium or contribution from the insured on the basis of the Mudaraba principle, whereby the company becomes the entrepreneur (Mudarib) and the insured party the capital provider (Rab al-Mal). The insured party agrees to donate a certain percentage (or in some cases as in General Takaful the whole of the amount paid) of the premium/contribution to a special fund used to pay compensation or benefits to contributors. Any surplus left in the fund after settlement of all claims is shared by the company and the insured as profit in a ratio as agreed in the contract. An insured party who has received compensation, the amount of which is greater than what he could have received as a share of the surplus had he made no claim, is not entitled to share such a surplus. The company uses normal actuarial principles to calculate risk and premium. 6.2The industry practice Until recently, the Mudaraba model adopted by Malaysian takaful operators refers to profit as the underwriting surplus, which is the excess of premiums over claims, plus investment returns. This arrangement marks a departure from the original Mudaraba model, which will entitle the takaful operator a ratio in the investment returns, without sharing in the underwriting surplus. The modified Mudaraba model justified the sharing of the underwriting surplus on the grounds that such an arrangement would allow takaful operators to withstand competition and avoid overpricing, which may eventually sway takaful participants from takaful, and be attracted to conventional insurance, with all its non-Shariah compliant elements. This is further justified by the fact that there is nothing haram in sharing the underwriting surplus, in the view of the absence of any textual or general Shariah principle disapproving such a practice. 6.3Modes of surplus distribution Generally the surplus which is generated after paying all the claims and other expenses is distributed in the following ways. Pro-rata mode: Whether the surplus is underwriting surplus plus profit or underwriting surplus only, it is distributed in proportion to the premium paid by the participants, without differentiating between claimable and non-claimable accounts. Selective mode: This mode tends to indemnify non-claimable accounts only. Takaful operators tend to deprive claimable accounts, so that they become more prudent in the future. 0ff-setting mode: This mode tends to offset the rate of underwriting surplus from the amount claimed. This is applicable only on accounts whose underwriting surplus less than the claims. If the underwriting surplus is equal or more than the claims, then the participant does not share in the surplus. 6.4Do Takaful models need to converge? While the positive desire towards a standardisation of takaful products to avoid confusion, facilitate regulation etc, are welcome, the other side of the coin is that takaful is an Islamic phenomenon and should be viewed through the prism of fiqh and socio-cultural context. We should realise that takaful per se is not a product, and thus should not be equated with insurance. It is described as a system, rather than a product, which aims at the joint-guarantee between the contributors in a risk-covering scheme. We should not lose focus of the source of the inspiration of takaful. It is primarily to spread a risk to alleviate financial burden when it inflicts a person in a spirit of humanism. Unlike in the past, presently money is contributed in advance. This element of philanthropy should also be reflected in takaful to differentiate it with insurance, which is a pure tug of war between maximising premium to be paid and minimising the compensation to be paid. If one adulterates the spirit of takaful and treats it as a pure standardised commercial venture then the Shariah spirit may be lost. The different models in fact create a space to reactivate the juristic acumen. For any legal system to survive, especially in an era of globalisation and universalism, one should allow the system to evolve. This evolution is in turn influenced by many external factors such as politics, schools of law, tax implication etc, which differ from country to country. For instance, many multinational banks offer different home financing products in different jurisdictions. May be in one country Ijarah (lease) will best suit everybody while in another country the Murabaha (differed payment). This shows the versatility of Islamic law. The same spirit should prevail for takaful. One cannot replicate these products on the basis of Islamic law and then try to standardize the Islamic products developed on the premise of conventional products. This should not be the case, a change in mind set is required because Islamic financial products should have its own features ultimately. Standardization is good in a way as it brings in more certainty. However, one should ponder on Imam Maliks attitude towards standardization of Islamic law when Ibn Muqaffa asked the caliph of that time to standardize Islamic law. But he refused on the basis that the jurisprudence developed by other imams also had their proofs from Shariah. Hence one cannot accept only Maliki school of law. In other words Islamic law must preserve its legal elasticity. By standardizing Islamic finance one will lose the legal beauty inherent in Shariah. Therefore by accommodating various models different branch of fiqh is revived. 7.0 Issue #2:The issue of surplus distribution The most critical issue in takaful is the issue of surplus distribution. Being a taawuni instrument to provide a mutual guarantee for possible risks, surplus arises as an issue of what to do with it if such risks are dealt with through risk transfer or indemnification. A recorded surplus at the end of the financial year of a particular takaful operator is an issue that invokes both Shariah and legal scrutiny. As far as surplus distribution is concerned, two juristic views have surfaced and dominated the takaful industry in the Middle East and Malaysia. The first one categorically prohibits the sharing of the underwriting surplus between the takaful operator and the participants, but the other view validates the sharing, based on ratios that differ according to the line of products offered. The opponents of sharing the underwriting surplus back their contention by decisions taken by highly acclaimed institutions, such as AAOIFI, whose standard on takaful reads: â€Å"The Takaful operator does not share in the (underwriting surplus)†. The AAIOFI Standard on takaful states: â€Å"The underwriting surplus and its returns, less expenses, and payment of claims, remain the property (milk) of the policyholders, which is the distributable surplus. This is not applied in commercial insurance, where the premiums become the property of the (insurance) company, by virtue of contract and acquisition, which would make it revenue and a profit for commercial insurance† This statement by AAOIFI raises the issue of ownership claimed on the premium paid. On one hand, the participant has donated the premium as tabarru, hence, losing title over it, as prescribed by the rules of hibah in the Shariah, but on the other hand, he still holds claim over it in the form of getting the whole underwriting surplus or a part thereof. Hence, let us analyse the ownership issue element in hibah and the extent of its Shariah compliancy. There are a number of jurists who emphasized that pure hibah leads the wahib to relinquish his ownership over the object of hibah. Ibn Qudamah asserts that â€Å"al-hibah tamalik†- a hibah which requires the wahib to enable the beneficiary to claim title of the object of hibah. Al Imam al- Shirazi points out that â€Å"Al-hibah tamlik bighayri ‘iwadd â€Å"- a hibah which enables the beneficiary to own the object of hibah without an exchange. In such a case, the juristic implications of hibah, as Ibn Nujaym al- Hanafi asserts, will be the transfer of hibah to the beneficiary, entitling him to hold title over the object of hibah (thubut al-Milk lil mawhubi lahu). Generally speaking, the Shafi‟is view hibah as transferring the ownership of an asset without exchange during ones lifetime, on a voluntary basis. The other mazahib (schools of jurisprudence) refer to the same meaning, with a special emphasis on the element of â€Å"no exchange†, i.e.: bi ghayri ‘Iwadd. This transfer of ownership would be effective, either by way of acquisition (qabd) on the part of the beneficiary, which is the view of the Shafi‟is and Hanafis, or by way of ijab and qabul (offer and acceptance),, which is the view of the Malikis. This juristic approach is an evidence that tabarru requires the relinquishing of ownership over the object of hibah. Since the latter entitles tamlik to the beneficiary, we can rightly say that the mutabarri (donor) does not hold any legal right or claim over the asset donated. Having said so, the takaful operators are at liberty to stipulate conditions on how the underwriting surplus should be distributed, invoking the doctrine of shurut (conditions) in contracts, as articulated in Islamic jurisprudence. The only shroud of right that the donor may still enjoy to hold title of his hibah is when he donates it in exchange for a counter value, a principle known as â€Å"hibah al-thawab† Contemporary scholars like al-Qurdaghi are of the view that the principle of hibah al-thawab (a gift for on exchange) is a good premise to justify the confinement of surplus to the participants only. It is true that some of the Prophetic hadiths referring to hibah al-thawab have secured some right of ownership to the donors after donation. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: â€Å"The donor holds an exclusive right of ownership over his hibah, provided he is not rewarded for it†. This hadith is the only piece evidence attesting to a conditional ownership of the hibah by the wahib, allowing him to retract his hibah if he is not rewarded or satisfied with the reward. However, as clearly understood from the hadith, this evidence only gives conditional retraction of the same gift, not a surplus of it. In the case of Islamic insurance (takaful), this hadith is not applicable to surplus distribution, rather it is about retraction of hibah. Another hadeeth which is given as an argument for confining the surplus distribution to the participants only is the hadith of Nahd/Nihd. It has been mentioned in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, (Book of Sharikah) that â€Å"Muslims did not see any harm in Nahd†. The latter, as Ibn Hajar explains, is â€Å"The allocation of a fund in proportion to the number of participants (in the fund)†. Although this arrangement was more useful and practical in journeys to provide mutual coverage of expenses, it has been viewed as a mechanism to transfer risks, whether in a journey or otherwise. After citing the same hadith, the appendix of AAOIFI Standard on Takaful provides an explanation to Ibn Hajar‟s definition of Nahd. The Standard states that Ibn Hajars definition of Nahd refers to the underwriting surplus, which should be redistributed to the participants, so that it could be used in another journey. Revising Ibn Hajars view in his Fath al-Bari, it can be hardly understood that Ibn Hajars definition and explanation of Nahd does not refer in any way to surplus redistribution to the same participants. The hadith, is thus, completely silent about surplus, opening the doors for ijtihad to be exercised, in view of the maqasid al-Shariahand general Islamic financial principles. Another issue raised by those who oppose the sharing of surplus to the takaful operator is that Sharing in the underwriting surplus is a kind of taking peoples property unjustly. This contention is held by prominent scholars like Hussein Hamid Hassan and Al-Qurgaghi. The contention seems to go beyond the accepted parameters of justice. Although there could be plausible grounds for such a view, in light of the practices of some takaful operators that seize the lions share of the underwriting surplus, there should not be any shred of doubt that, in light of our earlier juristic analysis, sharing the underwriting surplus is Shariah-compliant as long as it falls within the parameters of accepted conditions (shurut), as well as the principle of the rida (satisfaction), featuring such contracts. With the existence of sound regulatory framework that caps the percentage of the distributable surplus, takaful operators will not be in a position to take peoples property unjustly. 8.0 Issue #3: Distribution of death benefit in family takaful Another Shariah issue (or) concern raised is in family takaful on to whom should be the death benefit is paid after the death of the participant. One group of scholars and Takaful operators say that it should be given entirely given to the beneficiary as in the case of conventional insurance and the other group feels that the beneficiary should act as a executor of the deceased and the benefit should be distributed to the legal heirs of the deceased. So, let us analyse the arguments put forth by the two sides in the light of Shariah. 8.1The concept of mal in the light of Takaful benefit The Arabic word mÄ l, or property, originates from the root word mawala that literally means to finance. ZuhaylÄ « defines mal literally as being anything a man owns that is in his actual possession and this includes corporeal and usufruct. The classification of mÄ l by Dr. Muhammad Daud Bakar, which is suitable to the modern context, appears to adopt the majoritys definition. According to him, mÄ l or property can be classified into three types: Tangible assets like landed property, present items and stock including Islamic bonds that are asset-based such as ijÄ rah, musyÄ rakah and mudarabah bonds. Intangible assets such as copyright and royalty, trade name, trademark etc Financial rights (haqq mÄ liyy) such as rights to receive (receivable) that include Islamic bonds, deferred dowry maintenance, right to damages, the right to takaful compensation, etc. In the modern application, takaful benefit is also treated as mal (property). According to Sec.2 Takaful Act 1984, takaful benefit includes any benefit, pecuniary or not which is secured by a takaful certificate, and â€Å"pay† and other expressions. In family takaful, there are two accounts, namely the Participant Account and the Special Participant Account. The premium is paid into both accounts based on a ratio agreed by the takaful operator and the participant. The Participant Account is considered to be the deposit account of the participant whereas the Special Account is for the sole purpose of making donations. When a participant dies, there is no question regarding the heritability of the money in the Participant Account as it is part of the deceaseds estate. However, the money payable by the takaful operator taken from the Special Participant Account for the death benefit is still questionable. It is a standard practice in Malaysia that the payment of the money by the takaful operator to the nominee appointed by the deceased participant is subsequently distributed among the participants legal heirs in accordance with the farÄ `id law. The distribution of the proceeds among the legal heirs of the deceased participant has seemingly become standard practice in Malaysia. Section 65(1) of the Malaysian Takaful Act, 1984 stipulates that the payment of takaful benefits is made to the proper claimant. Section 65(4) explains that the ‘proper claimant is a person who claims to be entitled to the sum in question as executor of the deceased or who claims to be entitled to that sum under the relevant law. 8.2The concept of ownership in Takaful benefit Islamic law provides four legitimate means for acquiring absolute ownership[13]: (i) The contract of exchange such as trading and leasing contracts, and unilateral contracts such as wasiyyah, hibah and waqf, (ii) the replacement, or khalafiyyah, i.e. inheritance, the payment of diyyah and compensation, (iii) the control over permissible things such as fish in the sea and birds in the sky and (iv) The growth and the production of things owned such as eggs, milk, etc. Takaful benefit falls under the second part of the first category, i.e. unilateral contract (tabarruat). It could be contended that without the participation of the policyholder, the takaful operator would never pay the money. In other words, it is the contract entered into by the policyholder for family takaful, which generates the benefits. This contention is based on the fact that ones effort becomes a justification for ownership. As a result, the money is divisible among the heirs of the policyholder according to the law of farÄ `id. 8.3The takaful benefit to sole beneficiary vs. to the legal heirs Takaful contracts realize the obligation upon the company to pay. They do not create wealth in the insureds ownership, but rather they create an obligation to ease the burden suffered due to the losses of fellow participants. The participants contribution is his or her donation for the good of others, not for himself. The proceeds payable belong to the fund of the participants, not the takaful operator. Therefore, even though it is the deceaseds effort, the money is more appropriately to be regarded as an obligation upon the takaful tabarru fund to pay on behalf of other participant as financial assistance to the insureds family in case of death. This is the importance of considering a legal and financial entity for the fund. This monetary obligation is directly based on the agreement or promises of mutual assistance stated in the contract. In other words, the tabarru fund managed by the takaful operator on behalf of the participants agrees to pay the proceeds, and the matter of to whom they are paid should be freely and totally left to the agreement or the stipulation made by the policyholder to the company. This is similar with the condition made by the performer of wakf as he stipulated condition is binding. The primary objective of takaful is to provide financial assistance to the participants family. If the payment is payable strictly only to the heirs of the participants or insured, it implies that it is the property of the deceased. If this is so, the money is subject to the fulfilment of certain rights that must be carried out before distribution to the heirs, such as the payment of burial expenses, the deceaseds debts. This would mean that the compensation is not being used to ease the burden of the family but rather it seems that other fellow participants are under an obligation to settle the debts of the dead participants. In this regard, the creditors would have prior rights over the participants dependants. The dependants would only receive the benefits after the creditors claims have been satisfied. As such, inserting a clause legally and strictly imposing a duty on the appointed nominee to distribute the money among the legal heirs of the dead participant seems to contradict the objective of both the takaful. Inserting such a clause as currently practiced in Malaysia is not based on valid arguments. Furthermore, by considering it an estate for inheritance purposes, the takaful and insurance activity becomes a source of income. This is contradictory to the purpose of takaful i.e. mutual cooperation to ease a burden. Interestingly there are a number of contemporary fatwas allowing the distribution of takaful benefit to a particular beneficiary which is the common practice in the conventional insurance. The SAC of Bank Negara in its 34 meeting held on 21st April 2003 resolved: Takaful Benefit can be used for hibah since it is the right of the participants. Therefore the participants should be allowed to exercise their rights according to their choice as long as it does not contradict with Shariah. The status of hibah in takaful plan does not change into will (wasiah) since this type of hibah is a conditional hibah, in which the hibah is an offer to the recipient of hibah for only a specified period. In the context of takaful, the takaful benefit is both associated with the death of the participant as well as maturity of the certificate. If the participant remains alive on maturity, the takaful benefit is owned by the participant but of he dies within such period, then hibah shall be executed. A participant has the right to revoke the hibah before the maturity date because conditional hibah is only deemed to be completed after delivery is made (qabd). The Participant has the right to revoke the hibah to one party and transfer it to other parties or terminate the takaful participation if the recipient of hibah dies before maturity The takaful denomination form has to be standardized and must stipulate clearly the status of the nominee either as a beneficiary or an executor (wasi) or a trustee

Biblical Allusions in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of a world lost to superficiality and greed. Falsehood and deception are the currency which fuels the characters in the novel. Dwelling in this fallen world, Fitzgerald has placed a fallen god. Gatsby is bathed in descriptions that identify him as the Son of God. Fitzgerald makes a conscious effort to clothe this character with imagery and actions to make him the patron deity of this fallen world, but Gatsby is too much enveloped by his surroundings to save them and is consumed in the attempt. Despite the biblical allusions, strong images and explicit statements identifying Gatsby with Christ, the prevailing tone of the novel prevents him from being a Christ-figure. A strong pattern of biblical allusions establishes an image of Gatsby as Jesus. The very first description of Gatsby conjures biblical images. Gatsby is described as having "a heightened sensitivity to the promises of life" and "an extraordinary gift for hope" (6). Jesus "came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (Jn. 10:10). Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, identifies hope as the second of the three theological virtues (13:13). Furthermore, Nick describes Gatsby's handwriting as "majestic," suggesting the kingship of Christ (46). Gatsby's kingdom, like Jesus' is "not of this world" (Jn. 18:36). When Gatsby stands in his yard, surveying the stars, Nick describes him as laying claim to a section of the "heavens" (25). Gatsby's parties are even reminiscent of biblical themes. Nick observes that "people were not invited; they went there" (45). This recalls the parable of the wedding feast, in which, lacking invited guests, the king sends his soldiers out to the highways to gather ... ...Marius. "Scott Fitzgerald's Criticism of America." Modern Critical Interpretations: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 11-27. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. England: Penguin, 1990. Hack, Robert and Libby Stockstill. "Colour in The Great Gatsby." http://www.nmusd.k12.ca.us/cdmhs/gatsbycenter/roberthack&libbystockstill. November 29th 2001. O'Brien, Meghan et al. "Colour Imagery in The Great Gatsby." http://www.nmusd.k12.ca.us/cdmhs/gatsbycenter/meghanobrien/gg.html. November 29th 2001. Tanner, Tony. "Introduction." The Great Gatsby. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald. England: Penguin, 1990. vii-lvi. Way, Brian. "The Great Gatsby." Modern Critical Interpretations: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 87-108.   

Pushkins The Queen of Spades Essay -- Pushkin Queen of Spades Essays

Pushkin's The Queen of Spades French connoisseurs already know Pushkin's The Queen of Spades in Mà ©rimà ©e's translation. It might appear impertinent to offer now a new version, and I do not doubt that the earlier one will appear more elegant than this one, which has no merit other than its scrupulous exactness. That is its justification. A preoccupation with explaining and rounding off induced Mà ©rimà ©e to blunt somewhat the crystalline peaks of the tale. We have resisted adding anything to Pushkin's clean and spare style, with its slender grace, which hums like a taut string. When Pushkin writes: Herman quivered like a tiger, Mà ©rimà ©e adds: ... lying in wait. When he has Lisaveta bend over a book, Mà ©rimà ©e says gracefully. This charming writer thus marks his own manner, and if some criticize his dryness it is clear here that the criticism is ill-founded, or, at least, that only by comparison with the lush style of the writers of his period can Mà ©rimà ©e's style seem so unadorned to us. The clarity of Pushkin, on the other hand, chafes him, and nothing shows that better than a study of this translation. Poets, Pushkin wrote, often sin by neglect of simplicity and truth; they pursue all manner of external effects. The pursuit of form sweeps them toward exaggeration and bombast. He criticized in Hugo, whom he admired, an absence of simplicity. Life is lacking in him, he wrote. In other words, truth is absent. The strangeness of most Russian writers, including the greatest among them, often baffles the French reader, and indeed, sometimes repels him; but I confess that it is the absence of strangeness in Pushkin that confounds me. Or at least what baffles me, is to see that Dostoevsky, that genius so prodigi... ...offers us geniuses like Shakespeare, Cervantes, Schiller. But show me, even one among them all, who possesses to the same degree as Pushkin the capacity for universal comprehension. And again: Pushkin was the only one among the poets who succeeded in assuming the soul of other poets. But according to Dostoevsky it is to his profoundly Russian character that Pushkin owes his universality, for the mission of each Russian is doubtless a universal mission. ... To become truly a Russian, he adds, to become completely Russianmeans to feel oneself brother to all men. The Queen of Spades, that brief masterpiece, offers us an excellent example of the admirable poetic qualities of Pushkin and his gift for self-effacement. Work Cited Gide, Andre. "Preface to The Queen of Spades." Reflections on Literature and Morality. New York: Meridian Books, 1959.