The King And The Once And Future King Religion Essay

The King And The Once And Future King Religion Essay This is Jesus, King of the Jews. (Matthew 27:37b) Yes, Wart, said Merlyn. Or rather, as I should say (or is it have said?), Yes, King Arthur.' (White 161) Jesus was King of the Jews; Arthur was King of the Britons. Many people would not see much of a comparison between these two great kings. However, upon further analysis, one would find that the similarities between Jesus and T.H. Whites depiction of King Arthur are plentiful. These similarities include: a destiny of greatness, a humble background, a pursuit of great change throughout the world, and a betrayal. Although there are some factors that hurt the comparison, there is far more evidence showing how similar these two kings truly are. There are some definite differences between Jesus and Whites Arthur that would cause many connoisseurs of literature to rebuke the idea that they shared any similarities at all. Although many of their differences are minor, there is one that is profound. This extremely noticeable and important contrast is the difference in maturity and wisdom between King Arthur and Jesus. From a young age, Jesus was noted as being very wise and showed much maturity. In the Gospel according to Luke, one reads And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40) Luke goes on to tell us that when Jesus was still only twelve years old, he stayed at the temple in Jerusalem instead of returning home with his parents. (Luke 2:41-47) When he was eventually found, his parents asked him why he had stayed behind; he replied Why were you searching for me? he asked. Didnt you know I had to be in my Fathers house?' (Luke 2:49) Even at such a young age, Je sus showed wisdom that rivaled the religious leaders. He also had the maturity at that age to realize who his true Father was, and showed signs that he was aware of his ultimate destiny. As Jesus grew older, he continuously showed off his wisdom and maturity in almost everything that was thrown his way. He never had to ask another person advice on what he should do, nor did he ever need to be told that what he was doing was wrong. Jesus truly did have the maturity necessary to become the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He knew it was his destiny to save mankind, and readily accepted his fate. Whereas Jesus was far more wise and mature than even the leaders of his time, T. H. White depicts an Arthur with the maturity and wisdom of a small child. There were many instances in which Arthur almost could not think for himself and relied on his tutor Merlyn to correct his faults. This can be seen after one battle when Arthur did not know how many men he had lost and was prideful of his victory. Merlyn was enraged but Arthur could not (or would not) figure out for himself what was wrong and was forced to ask Merlyn what was wrong. To this Merlyn replied, Tell you! he exclaimed. And what is going to happen when there is nobody to tell you? Are you never going to think for yourself?' (White 169) Here we can see that Merlyn was aware of King Arthurs fatal flaw. Even when Arthur is warned about Guenever, he ignores the warning and decides to marry her anyways. (White 252) Even though there is not one particular act that led to Arthurs demise, a combination of stupid mistakes led to h is ultimate downfall. Once that primary difference in maturity and wisdom is peeled away, one can begin to look at the similarities between Jesus and Arthur. The first of these comparisons is the fact that both of the two men were destined to be great. Throughout the Old Testament, there are many predictions and prophecies of the coming of Christ. One such account is in Isaiah, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14) The coming of Christ was not a random occurrence of chance; rather, it was foretold long before the day would come for an innocent man to die upon a tree. It was Jesuss destiny to become King of the Jews. It was Arthurs destiny to become King of the Britons. Although he was unaware of it, his father was Uther Pendragon, the former King of England. (White 160) This meant that Arthur was the rightful King of England after the death of his father. Though he was not raised as a future king, it was inevitable that he would become one. As he grew up, his tutor, Merlyn, taught him important lessons that were essential for Arthur to develop into a great king. Merlyn knew that Arthur was destined to be a great king because he lived backwards in time. (White 24) However, Merlyn was the only person who knew this. Arthur lived his life thinking that he would become the squire of his foster brother. He had a very humble beginning, but that all changed when he pulled a sword from a stone. Every story has a beginning, and for Jesus and Arthur, it was a humble one. When most people think of the birth of a future king, they think of the child in an extravagant crib within castle walls, especially for the King of Kings. Jesus, on the other hand, was first laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. (Luke 2:7) This is vastly different from the picture that is normally painted within ones mind. He did not lie in a bed, he was not in a castle, and there was nothing extravagant about his birth. Other than the prophecies and predictions, there was no other indication that this baby boy was the Son of God. Even the environment in which he would grow up was normal. His father was not a king, soldier, or scholar. His father was just a carpenter that lived a simple life. As far as anyone else was concerned, Jesus was just a normal human being. The Wart was called the Wart because it more or less rhymed with Art, which was short for his real name. (White 5) Though he would come to be King of England, he was not raised as such. Before it was revealed that he should rule over the British Isles, Arthur was to be the squire of his foster brother, Kay. Wart looked up to Kay and could always be found at his side. Besides, he admired Kay and was a born follower. He was a hero-worshipper. (White 9) This shows the vast contrast between the early personality of Wart and the king that he would have to become. Fortunately for the sake of England, Wart did mature, and due to his humble beginning, King Arthur sought to bring about a lot of needed change. You must be the change you want to see in the world. (Gandhi) There have been many people throughout the history of mankind that wished to save the world from itself. They saw the fatal flaws of the human condition and tried to correct the flaws before they became detrimental to society. One such person was Jesus of Nazareth. However, he did not simply wish to change the world; he actually did it. In fact, Jesus was sent to Earth just for that reason. Everywhere he went, Jesus taught new ideas and concepts in order to change the way people thought, acted and felt. He would challenge everyone to always take things one step further. For instance, instead of telling people to not commit adultery, Jesus tells a crowd of people that they should not even look at a woman with lust. (Matthew 5:27-28) Jesus told people to love their enemies instead of hating them. (Matthew 5:44) Instead of warning the multitudes to not murder, He taught them to not even become angry with someone. (Matthew 5:2 1-22) Jesus was determined to bring about the change that he so desperately sought, even if it meant he had to die in the worst way imaginable. Before the rule of King Arthur, knights did as they pleased without consequence. (White ch. 6)They believed that the person who is the strongest is right and this led to a lot of chaos and violence. With the consult of Merlyn, Arthur saw how destructive this idea was and wanted to change knighthood into an institute that promoted good deeds. It was this pursuit of change in which the Knights of the Round Table were founded. Why cant you harness Might so that it works for Right? (White 189) Arthur reasoned that he could use the Knights to do good in England instead of causing chaos. He finally decided to instill a code of chivalry and formed the Knights of the Round Table. Then you should have died! Died, rather than betray your friends, as we would have done for you! (Rowling ) Sometimes our friends turn out to be enemies. For both King Arthur and Jesus Christ, this statement could not be any truer. Throughout his ministry, Jesus acquired many disciples who followed him, but only twelve of these disciples were known as the Apostles. The Apostles were always with Jesus and were meant to continue his ministry after his crucifixion. Unfortunately, one of these twelve Apostles was not as noble as everyone believed. Judas Iscariot agreed to betray his teacher (which would result in Jesuss arrest and execution) in exchange for thirty silver coins. (Matthew 25:38) Interestingly enough, betrayal has its way of exacting justice on the betrayer. After the crucifixion, Judas returned the money and hanged himself. This one act of betrayal had not only destroyed one life, but his betrayer was ruined as well. Arthur was a person that was quite familiar with the idea of betrayal. Throughout England, there was not a greater knight than Lancelot. (White 252) It was not long before Lancelot joined the Knights of the Round Table and would become Arthurs close ally. Unfortunately, Lancelot was not immune to human emotion and fell in love with Arthurs queen, Guenever. In turn, Guenever fell in love with Lancelot because he was such a great knight. The two eventually start a romantic relationship, thus betraying King Arthur. This would also lead to the demise of Arthur, because his enemy (and son) used Arthurs love of both Guenever and Lancelot against him. Interestingly, like Judas, Lancelot almost destroyed himself because of the guilt of his betrayal. He eventually went mad and it was many years before he would return to normalcy. Though King Arthur and Jesus Christ were to completely different people from completely different times, the two characters have many striking resemblances. They both had a very humble beginning and early life but were destined for greatness. Both men wished to bring about change that would make the world a better place. Finally, each of them was betrayed in a way that led to their demise. One was King of the Britons; the other was King of the Jews, but they both were great kings nonetheless.

Navigation :: Geography History Navigation Essays

Navigation Early Explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Magellan relied on landmarks for early navigation, which could result in serious miscalculations. Later explorers discovered they could use the stars as their primary choice for navigation. As technology increased the compass and sextant were used in navigation purposes. The needle of a compass always pointed north, while the sextant used adjustable mirrors to measure angles of the moon and stars. The sextant could only calculate latitude so a device called the chronometer was later invented by John Harrison to compute longitude. The sextant and chronometer were used together to compute measures of longitude and latitude. In the early 20th century many radio-based navigation systems were developed. However these radio based systems were either accurate or covered a large area of space, but not both. Scientists then decided that the only way to cover the entire world was to put high frequency radio systems in space, hence the id ea of GPS or global positioning systems was born. GPS was funded and founded by the Department of Defense. The Departmemet of Defense also controls GPS. The first GPS satellite was launched in 1978. The first ten satellites were called block I satellites. From 1989 to 1993, 23 production satellites called Block II were launched. The last satellite was launched in 1994 completing the system. From this point on with a GPS receiver costing only a few hundred dollars you could constantly learn your location on the planet. GPS is the only system available today that will tell someone their exact position on Earth at any given time in any type of weather. There are 24 satellites in all, which orbit about 11,000 nautical miles above the earth. The satellites are monitored by ground stations located around the world and can transmit signals that can be detected by anyone with a GPS receiver. Using this receiver you can determine your position on Earth with great accuracy. GPS satellites consist of 3 segments: space, control and user. The space segment consists of the 24 satellites in six orbital planes(four satellites in each plain). Each satellite repeats the same 12-hour orbit, but appears four minutes earlier each day. Each satellite orbits at 55 degrees in respect to the equatorial plane with a 12-hour period to orbit the earth.

Environmental Case Analysis Essay

The case tells about the current crisis in the New England fisheries, which recorded the devastation in the ocean ecosystem due to overfishing in that part of the globe. The discovery of the George Bank or â€Å"St. George’s Shoal† in the northern pole between the Newfoundland and Labrador in 1821 paved the opportunity for the fishing industry by the Gloucester’s fleet since then (p. 42) until groups of fishermen exploited the area in 1950 from different countries such as the Russians, Germans, Poles, and Spanish (p. 44). It is said that the modern vessels using modern facilities in fishing used by the latter fishermen had triggered the extinction of the many kinds of fishes in the sea. Today, it is documented that rich stock of living organisms that includes the marine food web have decreased in a very alarming level. The twentieth century fishing left the marine resources at stake with a report of sixteen percent decrease per year, with a total loss of about ninety percent of â€Å"predatory fishes† (p. 37). The George Bank, which was previously overpopulated with living organisms, had damaged considerably enough to call the attention of the authorities as well as the stakeholders to act upon the tragic loss. It is recorded that the Gloucester’s fleet and smaller craft in 1859 had brought in â€Å"60,000 barrels of mackerel, 11,400,000 pounds of codfish, and 4,590,000 pounds of halibut,† and few million of other species (p. 42). Since 1970’s, the decline began spontaneously; with record of about â€Å"4. 4 million tons of fish† in 1973 to â€Å"2. 6 millions of tons in 1992† is an indication that ecosystem in the bank is getting impoverished. Variety of fishes may face extinction which range from predators or species of higher tropic level such as tuna and halibut to species of lower tropic level such plankton-eaters such as anchovies and cod. The worst is, since the main predators as well as the codfish and haddock are facing annihilation, the dogfish and skate may dominate George Bank, and that will cause â€Å"ecological shift† (p. 46). Because of this, the market has changed its demand for dogfish and skate (ibid). Thus, many concerned individual and groups take into account the crisis and proposed recommendation to revive the sea. For instance, the East Coast Fisheries Federation executive director James O’Malley suggested the â€Å"50% effort reduction† to replenish the stock of fish in the bank (p. 48). This problem concerns the many stakeholders particularly the people who are dependent on fish for food such as in the case of people of Europe and America. Likewise, if the fifty reduction or other proposals such as the â€Å"buyout† scheme or fish farming may also harm the fishermen for their bread and butter is fishing. This will also harm the fishing industry. There will be constant battle between the opposing interests of government and business groups, which includes global fisheries, for both attend to their own interests. No matter what, if the problem will not be settled, worst scenario may come about – damage in the ocean ecosystem and extinction of fishes which is vital to human survival. Relationship to Science and Ethics The sustainability of the â€Å"marine food web† lies greatly on reducing fishing capacity until such time that oceans reach appropriate level. In connection, when fishing activity is reduced, the serial depletions or collapse of species will gradually reduce and thus improves the condition in the ecosystem. This will provide sufficiency for all the people who need sea foods for survival. In this endeavor, people are to work hard hand in hand to increase the sustainability of oceans in providing food that people need. Without reducing in fishing will affect the ecosystems of the fishes and other living organisms in the water because those involve in the marine food web are important and interconnected in the chain. For instance, the predators though serve a negative impact on their prey yet, provide help in the preservation of the prey in such a way that they also consume â€Å"other predators and competitors† so the prey will abound and will become â€Å"available for humans† (Pauly, Christensen, Guenette, Pitcher, Sumaila, Watson, & Zeller). Thus, their extinction may lead to worst condition to prey. In addition, according to Pauly, et. al. , there will be reduction in the â€Å"number and length of pathways linking food fishes to the primary producers† that results to fluctuations in the population of the prey. Thus, the issue of overexploitation done by people to the marine life is a threat to human consumption that without appropriate and immediate action, people will greatly suffer. The ethics that must be seen in this case is the interest that governs every action. Whose interest should prevail – the interest of majority or the interest of few for money? Either of the interest will determine the action that will be made. What persuades us the value of preserving the New England fisheries? The above alarming scenario in the marine life is enough to consider steps towards reducing fishing around the area. Stakeholders must cooperate with each other towards the preservation of the remaining life in the ocean for the benefit of many more people. Above many reasons, the preservation of marine life through fishing reduction will ensure the future of the food supply. Definitely, if fishing continues, none will be left for humans for there will be no chance for these species to survive. The demand for immediate action is great that international cooperation is deemed important. The process may take several years before full the recovery, yet the impact is lasting – for men’s survival. Preservation of New England Aquatic ecosystem is another reason for this. Even politicians and government leaders and even ordinary fishermen have taken for granted the ill effect of overfishing because they all thought that â€Å"ocean will yield what we need† (Pauly, et. al). People never realize that as human population increases, the water resources decrease to supply the demand for food. Thus, the preservation of ecosystem could sustain the healthy economy of the country because biological resources are sufficient to supply ecological needs. How does it happen that it is in no one’s interest to preserve the fisheries but it is everyone’s interest to preserve the fishery? At this point in time, though there are studies conducted on the serious problem with aquatic life, people often neglect their responsibility because they have a negative attitude about the problem. The fishermen understand the problem but they resist doing positive action, rather, they are â€Å"against limits, against collectivization and consolidation, against being regulated, reformed, and brought in line with the common good for the long run† (p. 52). This particular problem will lead to total collapse of the ocean ecosystem that affects every individual. Well, preservation of fishery is everyone’s business. This must be understood by every stakeholder especially the fishermen. The efforts by the civic groups and the government must also direct to these individual by reeducating them of the true intention of the action. Reference Pauly, D. , Christensen, V. , Guenette, S. , Pitcher, T. , Sumaila, R. , Watson, W. , & Zeller, D. (2002). Towards sustainability in world fisheries. Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science, 418 (689-695). http://www. nature. com/nature/journal/v418/n6898/full/nature01017. html Skunked. Crisis in the New England Fisheries (file attachment)

Theodore Roosevelt s President Of The United States Essay

Theodore â€Å"Teddy† Roosevelt was the president of the United States during the time of 1901 to 1909. He was vice president during William McKinley’s term. When McKinley was assassinated in 1901 by Leon Czolgosz, Roosevelt had to step up. He was a Republican, but his foundations were more progressive. This plays a part in why he did not get the Republican nomination in the year 1912. He lost the nomination to his handpicked successor Taft, who had run as president in the previous term (1909-1913). When he did not get the nomination, Roosevelt decided to run as a third party which he called the bull moose party. By doing this, it splits the Republican vote between Taft and Roosevelt. This has a large effect on the election, causing the Democrat Woodrow Wilson to become president. Woodrow Wilson was president from 1913 to 1921 with World War I happening in 1914. Wilson declared neutrality. 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