Indian Economy Has Gone Through Many Phases Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Since 1991 till date Indian economy has gone through many phases. It has seen many contemporary developments in terms of changing trends in economic growth, inflation, fiscal deficits, capital investment flows (FDI FIIs),current account and capital accounts convertibility, foreign exchanges reserves etc. In 1991 when India faced major crunch of foreign exchange reserves, it opened up its economy and introduced many economic reforms with more thrust towards globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation. Over the years, out of these various economic contemporary phenomena, the one which has assumed great importance in the economic scenario of the Indian economy has been foreign capital flows (Foreign Institutional investments constituting major portion of total foreign investment in India ). These inflows have had both positive as well as negative impact on the health of the Indian economy. On the positive side, these capital inflows have raised the level of economic development by augmenting the domestic investment, contributed towards increased market capitalisation, more competitiveness in the capital market and widened financial intermediation. But at the same time, these capital inflows have also posed several threats to the economic and financial system of the recipient economy like inflationary trends, appreciation in exchange rate, overheating of the economy and unmanageable volatility in the capital market due to the possibility of their sudden withdrawal. Thus over the year s due to their increasing magnitude, the FII flows have impacted various economic factors in the Indian economy directly and indirectly like volatility in the stock market, risk-return patterns, inflationary trends, economic growth, foreign exchange reserves, decision on capital account convertibility and so on or vice versa. Over the years, FIIs have been showing diversified magnitude and changing trends with various underlying reasons for the same. During the initial year 1992-93, when the FII flows started flowing into India it just amounted to Rs 13 cr. because at this moment government was framing policy guidelines for FIIs. However within a year in 1993-94 the FIIs flow rose to `Rs. 5127 cr. increasing with 39338 percent because government had opened door for investment in India. Thereafter, the FII flows witnessed mixed trends over the years like from 1994-95 to 2008-09, FIIs showed negative comparative growth. However from 1995-96 to 2009-10, they have been showing comparative positive growth. There have been many reasons for these non patterned flows of FIIs in Indian economy. In 1997-98, FII inflow posted fall due to the South East Asian Currency Crisis. In 1998-99 FIIs also flew back. This was primarily due the economic sanctions imposed on India by US, Japan and other industrialized economies. These economic sanctions were the result of series of testing of nuclear bombs by India in May 1998. The slowdown in 2004-05 and 2005-06, 200 was on account of global uncertainties caused by hardening of crude oil prices and upturn in the interest rate cycle. During 2007-8 the whole world felt the heat of global financial crisis (popularly known as SUB-PRIME crisis) originated in USA. Even Indian economy could not remain unaffected from these global phenomena and in 2009-8-09 for the first time in the history since 1992 when FIIs first invested in Indian economy, it witnessed highest ever negative net investment outflow. During this period the gross purchases were ` 614575 and the gross sales were ` 6,60,386 Cr. It amounted to net out flow to the tune of ` 45,810 Cr. However as discussed earlier, FIIs flow has also shown positive trends over the last many years. In 2010 FIIs injected ` 1,12,000 cr.(net investment) in Indian equities. Even till date the trend is quite positive and F IIs has already made net investment to the tune of ` 7335 cr. till March 2011. It has been the experience over the years, Indian economy has not been immune to these FIIs flows. They have affected various economic factors of the economy considerably like volatility in the stock market, risk-return patterns, inflationary trends, and economic growth, foreign exchange reserves, market capitalisation of the companies listed with BSE, NSE, and government policy with regard to decision on capital account convertibility and so on or vice versa. Viewed from other perspective, there are many economic and financial determinants which have pulled and pushed the flows of FIIs into and out of India economy. Like Returns on Indian stock market, risk and inflation in foreign country might have positive impact on FIIs inflow whereas risk and inflation in domestic country and stock market returns in foreign country might have negative influence on FIIs investment to India. In addition to this, market capitalization, macro economic determinants like economic growth, liberalisati on policy (i.e. more capital account convertibility ) , burgeoning amount of foreign exchange reserves, decisions taken on tax benefits for FIIs in India might also have significant positive influence on FIIs flow in short-run as well long run. From time to time Government of India has taken many positive as well as precautionary initiatives to enhance the flow of FIIs into Indian economy but at the same time ensuring stability of stock market and protecting the interest of the shareholders. Like foreign firms and high net-worth individuals have been permitted to invest as sub-accounts of FIIs, FII ceiling under special procedure has been enhanced to 49 per cent, dual approval process of SEBI and RBI has got changed to single approval process of SEBI, Investment cap for FIIs in Government securities and corporate bonds has been increased and so on. Thus there are many perspectives attached with FIIs flows into Indian economy. From the problem of scarcity in the early 1990s to the problem of plenty now, the large foreign inflows into our economy has assumed utmost importance in recent times and managing such inflows have become a challenge in itself. Such inflows have thrown up new policy challenges as these inflows have influenced various macro level economic variables like inflation, , foreign exchange reserves, exchange rate (money value visa vis foreign currency), market capitalisation and so on etc. . Moreover, as India is in the process of liberalizing the capital account, it would have significant impact on the foreign investments and particularly on the FII, as this would affect the stability of the financial market in the short run as well as in the long run. And imposition of capital controls will reverse this process towards full convertibility of the rupee. This issue is extremely important for contemporary policy ma kers since managing such large FIIs inflows into India in recent times has come to haunt both the RBI and the Indian government.. Therefore in the light of the above scenario it has become important to study and analyse FIIs magnitude, trends , determinants and their impact upon various macro level factors, and the impact of policy decisions taken by Government of India, RBI, capital market regulator (SEBI) to enhance and the flow of FIIs. It is hoped the insight offered by this research work will help us to construct suitable policies in such a way that on the one hand the Indian economy will enjoy a large inflow of FIIs but at the same time there will not be unnecessary enhanced degree of volatility in the capital market. This will go a long way in cementing and consolidating the economic scenario of Indian economy in general and confidence of the investors in particular1. Review of Literature : Since 1990 till date several research studies have been undertaken on FIIs Flow in India. However their results have been mixed in nature and at certain time contradictory with each other also. Some of the major studies and their summarised findings have been discussed in the following pages: Classens (1993) analyzed the return and diversification benefits of investing for an investor in an industrial country with emerging markets and barriers which prevent a free flow of funds. Study found that equity portfolio flows can be affected by efficiency of domestic stock market as well as market segmentation created by barriers. Investors perception and attitude may thus matter as much as formal barriers. Chuhan (1994) analyzed portfolio switching behaviour by investors between different emerging markets. Study has found that institutional investors from Canada, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) have not contributed to the growth in portfolio investment in emerging markets (the countries where they have invested). These investors, who otherwise are major players in international capital markets, have approached developing countries securities markets with great caution. Institutional investors generally enter markets with significant liquidity, market capitalization and claim to have a longer time horizon in their risk return assessment than other investors such as performance based retail traders. Study concluded that any country that shows good track record in its reform process may expect to have a lower risk and e higher returns from portfolio investment, thus, consequently large portfolio flows are expected to go to such countries with good track records of liberalization, fiscal consolidation and regulatory reform than to those emerging markets that do not exhibit such a performance on sustained basis. Gooptu (1994) undertook research on Are Portfolio flows to Emerging Markets Complementary or Competitive He concluded that there is a competition between developing countries for portfolio investment from abroad. The study analyzed gross portfolio investment flows for a sample of eight emerging markets over the period of 1989 to 1993 using quarterly data. Four countries in each geographical region, namely, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand in Asia while Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico in Latin America have been examined. All of these countries have experienced large portfolio investment inflows in recent years. However, the gross portfolio flows to Latin America has been observed to be more significantly related to East Asia (Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand) than those to South Asia i.e., India in this study. According to the study, it is important for the policy makers in the developing economies to provide right signals to international capital markets in terms of economic and domestic institutional reforms to successfully compete with other developing economies to attract portfolio investment from abroad. Study found that to attract more private capital flows policy makers must continue to provide right signal to foreign institutional investors in terms of economic and domestic institutional reforms that attract portfolio investment from abroad. Study concludes that there is a need to continue for increasing pace of reforms in any given emerging stock market in order to maintain the steady portfolio flows to developing countries. Agarwal (1997) found that world stock market capitalization had a favourable impact on the FPI in India. FII inflow depends on stock market returns, inflation rates (both domestic and foreign), and ex-ante risk. In terms of magnitude, the impact of stock market returns and the ex-ante risk turned out to be the major determinants of FII inflow. Kumar (2001) investigated the effects of FII inflows on the Indian stock market represented by the Sensex using monthly data from January 1993 to December 1997. Kumar (2001) inferred that FII investments are more driven by Fundamentals and they do not respond to short-term changes or technical position of the market. This finding is in contradiction with the findings of Rai and Bhanumurthy (2003) who did not find any causation from FII to return in BSE using similar data between 1994 and 2002. However, Rai and Bhanumurthy have also found significant impact of return in BSE on NFI. Chakrabarti (2002) made an empirical investigation to see the inter relationship between FIIs flows and equity returns in India in the Indian context. Following the Asian crisis and the bust of info-tech bubble internationally in 1998-99 the net FII declined substantially by US$ 61 million. Using the monthly data between May 1993 and Dec. 1999, Chakrabarti (2001) found that FII flows and stock returns are strongly correlated in India. The entire sample period was sub-divided into Pre-Asian Crisis and Post-Asian Crisis period to capture the impact of the Asian crisis on the net FII inflows. The study found that there appears to be significant differences in the nature of FII flows before and after the Asian crisis. In the pre-Asian crisis period any change in FII found to have a positive impact on the equity returns ( FIIs acted as independent variable and other variable like return acted as dependent variable). But in the post-Asian crisis period it was found the reverse relation exi sted that is the change in FII was mainly due to change in equity returns ( where FIIs acted as dependent and other variables like return acted as as independent variable). It was also found that FIIs did not have any informational disadvantage in comparison with domestic investors in India, since the US and world return were not significant in explaining FII flows. Besides, changes in country risk ratings for India did not appear to affect the FII flows. The beta of the Indian market with respect to SP 500 index seemed to affect the FII flows inversely, but the effect disappeared in the post-Asian crisis period. Thus there appeared to be significant differences in the perception of FII flows before and after the Asian crisis. In the post-Asian crisis period i.e. from 1998 onwards, returns on the BSE National Index became the sole driving force behind the FII flows. Eun Rensick (2002) observed that international portfolio Investment has been growing rapidly in recent years due to (a) deregulation of financial markets (b) introduction of new investment vehicles such as international mutual funds, country funds and internationally cross listed stocks which allow investors to achieve international diversification without incurring excessive costs. Despite sizable potential gains from international diversification, investors allocate a disproportionate share of their funds to domestic securities displaying the so called home bias. Home bias is likely to reflect imperfection in the international financial markets such as excessive transaction/information costs, discriminatory taxes for foreigners and legal/institutional barriers to international investments. Mukherjee P (2002 ) undertook research study on Foreign Institutional Investment in the Indian Equity Market. Contrary to the general perception of foreign investors activities having a strong demonstration effect and driving the domestic stock market in India, evidence from causality tests conducted suggests that FII flows to and from the Indian market tend to be caused by returns in the domestic equity market and not the other way round.( returns acted as the driving force i.e independent variable ) Batra A (2003) in their study on The Dynamics of Foreign Portfolio Inflows and Equity Returns in India used both daily and monthly data in order to understand the trading behaviour of FIIs and returns in Indian equity market. It was found that there is strong evidence of FIIs chasing trends and adopting positive feedback trading strategies at the aggregate level on a daily basis. However there is no evidence of positive feedback trading on a monthly basis. The results of our analysis also indicate that foreign investors have a tendency to herd together in their trading activity in India. The trading behaviour and biases of the FIIs do not appear to have a destabilizing impact on the equity market. Trivedi Nair (2003) in their study on Determinants of FII Investment Inflow to India concluded that any investments, either domestic or foreign, would depend heavily on the risk factors. Hence, while studying the behaviour of FII, it is important to consider the risk variable. But it was only Trivedi Nair who considered this factor in their study in 2003.. Further, they have decomposed it (risk) into realized risk (observed) ex-ante and unexpected risk. Ex ante risk is an observed component and is negatively related to FII. But the relationship between unexpected risk and FII is obscure. Hence, one needs to separate the unobserved component from the realized risk while examining the impact of risk on FII. Gordon and Gupta (2003) in their study on Portfolio Flows into India: Do Domestic Fundamentals Matter conclude that given the huge volume of investments, foreign investors could play a role of market makers and book their profits, i.e., they can buy financial assets when the prices are declining thereby jacking-up the asset prices and sell when the asset prices are increasing Hence, there is a possibility of bi-directional relationship between FII and the equity returns. Boss and Coondoo (2004) undertook study on Impact of FII regulations in India A time series intervention analysis of equity flows. In this study they examined the impact of regulations over FIIs in India and gave an interesting results that the restrictive measures aimed at achieving greater control over FII flows do not show any significant negative impact on the net inflows. They also found that FII restrictive policies mostly render FII Investments more sensitive to the domestic market returns and raise inertia of the inflow. Griffin and Nardari (2004) in their study titled Are daily cross-border equity flows pushed or pulled found that foreign flows are significant predictors of returns for Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and India, indicating that foreign investors are buying before market index increases. Increasing trends of FIIs inflows can act as a predictor for upward trend in the value of index or vice versa. FII and Stock Index show positive correlation, but fail to predict the future value. They also found that contemporaneous flows are positive and highly significant in India. Kumar SSS (2005) in his study on Role of Institutional Investors in Indian Stock Market examines the pulling and pushing role of Foreign Institutional Investors in Indian stock markets. He finds using granger causality test that the market movement can be explained using the direction of the funds flow from these investors. Rai and Bhanumurthy (2006) in their study on Determinants of Foreign Institutional Investment in India studied and analyzed the determinants of foreign institutional investment in India using monthly data from January 1994 to November 2004. The study revealed the positive association of FIIs investment with return on BSE Sensex, inflation in US (home country) ; and negative association with inflation in India (host country), return on SP 500 index, ex-ante risk on BSE and ex-ante risk on SP 500 index. Thus empirical estimates seems to be perfectly in consensus with the proposed theoretical model, except for ex-ante risk in US stock market, which adversely affects the FII flow to India. This could be due to the dominant position of US stock market. However, the ex-post risk neither in US nor in India affected FII inflow to India. Study also did not find any causation running from FII inflow to stock market returns in BSE as it was found by some existing studies (Gordon Gupta, 2003). Study concluded that stabilizing the stock market volatility and minimizing the ex-ante risk would help in attracting more FII inflows. Otherwise there would be adverse impact of non-fundamental factors on FII behaviour which in turn would affect the real economy in the long-run. They further studied the impact of news on FII flows and found that the FIIs reacted more (sell heavily) to bad news than to good news. Saji kumar (2006) in his study titled FII vs. Sensex: An Emerging Paradigm analyses the performance of Sensex in terms of market Capitalisation , movement of Sensex, Returns on Sensex, trade turnover and Sensex P/E ratio and found out that they are significantly related to the surge in FIIs inflows. The behaviour of returns on Sensex and volatility has been more stabilizing due to external inflows and the fluctuations are largely due to withdraws by the domestic equity holders during the period considered. Singh (2008) in his study on FII Investment Flow and SENSEX Movement concluded that there are many variables which contribute to the positive growth of the stock market. FIIs investment is considered to be one of the biggest push after the economic fundamentals got stronger. The liberalisation of the FII flows into the Indian Capital Market since 1993 has had a considerable impact on Indian stock market. Babu and Prabheesh (2008) in their study on Causal relationships between Foreign Institutional Investments and stock returns in India concluded that the FII investments in India are more stock returns driven. Perhaps the high rates of growth in recent times coupled with an increasing trend in corporate profitability has imparted buoyancy to the stock markets, triggering off high and thereby leading to return chasing behaviour by the FIIs. Chakraborty (2007) undertook study on Foreign Institutional Investment Flows and Indian Stock Market Returns: A Cause and Effect Relationship Study. The empirical investigation of the direction of causation between FII flows to India and Indian stock market returns over the time period from April 1997 to March 2005 has revealed that FII flows are caused by; rather than causing the national stock market returns. However, the Indian policy makers must adopt a cautious approach while further liberalizing the FII policy by instituting in-built cushion within the system against the possible destabilizing effects of sudden reversal of FII flows. Rajput Thaker (2008) in their study on Exchange Rate, FII and Stock Index Relationship in India concludes that in globalized world, exchange rate, FII and Stock Index are important economic variable and reflect underlying strength and stability of business and an economy. Earlier study findings have revealed positive, negative and mixed relationship amongst those variables. They measure the relationship and its predictive power for the period ranging from January 2000 to December, 2005, in the light of third generation reforms in India. Using simple correlation and regression analysis it is found that no long run positive correlation exists between exchange rate and Stock Index except for year 2002 and 2005. FII and Stock Index show positive correlation, but fail to predict the future value. Kumar and Gupta (2010), in their study on FII Flows to India: Economic Indicators concludes that the trading by the FIIs in the Indian stock market is registering sharp hike every year but their net investment is often registering negative growth rate. It can be said here that they are much interested in making short-term profit by trading in the market. Their investment is equity oriented which accounts around 95 percent of the total investment. It has also been found that share of FIIs cumulative investment in the total market capitalization is below five percent and share of trading by FIIs in the total stock market turnover is around 17 percent. Though enjoying a lesser share in the stock market, the FIIs have emerged as the big custodian in the Indian capital market. Research Gap: Despite a number of initiatives and actions action taken by Indian government , there has been apparent problem of unwarranted volatility in the capital market due to unpatterned flows of FII in Indian economy. Due to these reasons, research in the field of FII flows in Indian Economy has received good deal of attention both for academicians and policy makers. However most of the researches have included stock return as the deciding variable for studying the determinants of FII in India. Since FII investment in stock market is sentiment driven, it is affected more or less by everything. The crucial task is to settle down on critical determinants which affect the flows of FII in India. In addition, majority of the research works have offered mixed findings. Even there are some studies which have contradicted each other in terms of their findings pertaining to the same data base. Like Kumar (2001) and Gordon Gupta, 2003). Whose findings (who supported the view that there is positive causation from FII to return in BSE) are in contradiction with the findings of Rai and Bhanumurthy (2003) ( who did not find any causation from FII to return in BSE using similar data between 1994 and 2002). More over there is a void in the field of research on FII flows in India as far as empirical investigations are concerned. After going through the review of literature, it is found that study and analysis on FII flows, magnitude, trends, determinants and the impact of government decisions need intensive investigation. This could fill part of the existing knowledge gap. Hence the study will be undertaken with these objectives. Objectives: 1. To study and analyse the magnitude and trends of FII flows in India since 2000 and make estimate for the same till 2015. 2. To study and analyse the impact of FII on Indian economy with special reference to stock market, exchange rate and foreign exchange reserves. (inflation) 3. To study and analyse the policy initiatives taken by Government of India and their impact. 4.To study and analyse the factors ( political and economic) affecting FII flow in and out of India. Research Methodology: Research Design: The proposed study will be an empirical research aiming at exploring the relation between the FII flows and various economic and financial factors operating in home and foreign country. Data Period of study: Data used for the study will be secondary in nature and the period of study will be from 2000 to 2010. Nature of Data: Research will be based upon secondary data. Methodology: The data (secondary in nature) on FII flows (sale and purchase ), return , risk will be collected from various sources/sites and the same will be analysed elaborately underlying the reasons for the same. And for estimating FII flows for future period and analysis of the same the relevant statistical techniques (as per their applicability ) like correlation, regression, standard deviation, and various econometrics methods will be used.

Monetary Policy of the U.S Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Inflation has seen an upward spike in the first half of 2006 as a result of the increase in crude oil prices which has resulted in an upward price spiral on a diverse range of goods and services. Even after this spike, inflation did remain within expected parameters. It seems the American economy is undergoing a transition which is visible in the delayed effect of monetary policy. During the end of the year growth in service, industries remained strong with the weakest growth in the automobile and housing sector yet housing demand continued to be considered strong in a limited number of markets. Wages managed to grow moderately with some regional exceptions. The rise in long-term interest rates contributed to an increase in borrowing costs. Inflation has been higher than expected with the increase reflecting on the prices of a range of non-energy goods and services. In addition, an increase in housing rents has contributed to higher inflation. This rise in inflation is of more conc ern to the Federal Reserve than any recession fears because the achievement of price stability is one of the core objectives of Congress's mandate to the Federal Reserve. We will write a custom essay sample on Monetary Policy of the U.S or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page It is this lag between policy actions and their effects that the Federal Reserve analyzes and basis its policies upon. As Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said in his testimony to Congress (July 19th, 2006)

Causes of the Salem Witch Trials Political, Religious and...

Between the months of June to September of 1692, the infamous witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts resulted in the hanging of 19 men and women; the deaths of five others, including two children, while imprisoned in jail; the pressing to death of an 80-year old man, and the stoning of two dogs for collaborating with the Devil. Hundreds of others faced accusations and dozens more were jailed for months during the progress of the trials. For over three hundred years these events have not only captured the general publics imagination, but that of the academic community. Beginning with Charles Upham, in 1867, historians have attempted to explain the mass hysteria that swept through Salem in 1692. These accounts vary both in their†¦show more content†¦First, the Puritan religion was under direct attack from other religious groups including the Quakers and the Baptists. The Quakers, a religious sect newly founded in England, began coming to Massachusetts in 1656. Laws were enacted to prohibit their coming, but they came in defiance of the laws. Between 1659 and 1661 four people were hanged according to these new laws. Though the Puritans tried to defend themselves by the plea that they were defending the public peace, they were roundly condemned in England. By the mid-1670s, Quakers were protected by the English law and could conduct non-religious business in New England. Moreover, in 1654 the congregation of Cambridge Church was shocked by a statement from Henry Dunster, the highly respected president of Harvard College. While a baptismal service was in progress, he arose to dispute the practice of infant baptism as un-Biblical and proceeded to take each point from the pastors sermon and to answer it with Baptist views. He was silenced, stripped of his Harvard presidency and publicly rebuked. Those perceived as religious dissidents would be accused of witchcraft during the Salem trials. Arguably, the colony had previously been beset by religi ous dissidents, dealing with each episode without incurring a public outcry of a witchcraft conspiracy; however, this time there were other more alarming developments taking place within the colony. A longShow MoreRelatedReasons : The Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials741 Words   |  3 Pagesarrested in Salem, Massachusetts. All but one of these people were believed to be witches (Background Essay). Prior to the hearing in Salem witch trials were carried out in several different towns. â€Å"In 17th century New England witchcraft was a serious crime (Background Essay).† Two girls aged nine and 11, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, identified a slave name Tituba and two other local women as witches. This led to the accused women being carted off to jail starting the Salem Witch Trials. WithoutRead MoreThe Causes of the Salem Witch Trials (DBQ)1337 Words   |  4 Pagesseem preposterous. 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10 U.S. Cities That See White Christmases Every Year

Gore Vidal and Legalization of Marijuana - 1243 Words

Gore Vidal, An American writer acknowledge for writing plays, essays, and novels is also famously known for the essay â€Å"Drugs: Case for legalizing Marijuana.† In this essay, he talks about the effects of legalizing Marijuana. As he begins to talk about the possible ways of stopping addiction, he analyzes modern society while critiquing the flaws of preventative laws against illegal substances. Using himself as an approach to explain that addiction does not occur after one intake; however after various usage. Vidal testifies that he has experimented with almost all illegal substances and can attest that he has not became addicted to any of them (Vidal). Realizing that the solution to preventing drug addiction in America is a simple task, Vidal solution is to make all drugs available, while selling them at a cost. When putting all illegal substances on the market, a label detailing the affects, good or bad, when a person consumes such substances (Vidal). As people are entitl e to their own actions, it is impossible to completely rid the world, much a country, of drug addiction. Vidal explains that everyone in this world is not sane and that there will be addicts and substance abusers. Similar to those who choose to end their life, the issue will remain persistent only just at a reduce minimum (Vidal). Realizing that due to a substances illegalization, people tend to crave more of the substance because it is not allowed. With all substances, including Marijuana, becomes legalizedShow MoreRelatedShould Marijuana Be Legalized? Essay1011 Words   |  5 Pageseveryone has lost there mind right? This very statement would categorize you as a crazy individual. California only recently legalized Marijuana and that has not yet taken into effect and now we’re talking about legalizing every drug? Although all of this sound like crazy talk, legalizing every drug would actually have positive outcomes. In the essay â€Å"Drugs† by Gore Vidal, the author explained that by legalizing every drug it would help the U.S stop most drug addictions. In this aspect I agree with theRead More Drug Legalization Essay957 Words   |  4 PagesDrug Legalization Drug abuse has progressively, over the last thirty years, become a tool for crime organizations and bureaucracies, independent and under the control of the federal government, used to transform drug addiction into a profit through the passage of countless laws against drug abuse. Gore Vidals assertive essay communicated his belief that drug addiction should be legalized in order to ensure the eventual well-being and individual freedom guaranteed to Americans by the constitutionRead Morecritical analysis of Drugs by Vidal Gore1446 Words   |  6 Pages Critical Response of ‘Drugs-Vidal Gore’ The article ‘Drugs’ by Gore Vidal was written in order to pace forward a tough case for legalizing all types of drugs in United States of America. He tends to explain the basic human philosophy and the chronological happenings to bring forward this obstacle. First and foremost he brings into front three main arguments concerning the usage of drugs. He deems and strongly claims that by making the drugs illegal does not help toRead MoreThe Political Leadership For Ending The Drug War872 Words   |  4 Pagesname another political issue, other than the legalization of drugs, which would better accomplish the party’s goals for reducing government spending while benefitting the private sector. The Republican Party has somehow successfully attached itself to the drug war while selling fears of â€Å"big government† and â€Å"the nanny state.† Republicans tout the virtues of free markets, yet they apparently don’t feel those same virtues apply to a free society. As Gore Vidal once stated, they prefer â€Å"laissez faire† economicsRead MoreEssay on American Drug Abuse1236 Words   |  5 Pagesin it for anyone (Vidal 197).† Marijuana prohibition alone costs taxpayers over $7.5 billion annually. It has been proven in the past that prohibition only increases the allure of drugs. Drug prohibition disproportionately impacts minorities. Blacks and Hispanics are over-represented both in numbers of arrests and in the numbers of drug offenders incarcerated. These two races make up 20 percent of the marijuana smokers in the United States, but comprise 58 percent of the marijuana offenders sentenced

The Secret Circle The Initiation Chapter Five Free Essays

The gray cashmere sweater or the blue-and-white Fair Isle cardigan, that was the question. Cassie stood in front of the gilt-framed mirror, holding first one and then the other in front of her. The blue cardigan, she decided; blue was her favorite color, and it brought out the blue of her eyes. We will write a custom essay sample on The Secret Circle: The Initiation Chapter Five or any similar topic only for you Order Now The plump cherubs on top of the old-fashioned looking glass seemed to agree, smiling at her approvingly. Now that the first day of school had actually come, Cassie found that she was excited. Of course, she was nervous too, but it wasn’t the stark and hopeless dread she’d expected to feel. There was something interesting about beginning school in a new place. It was like starting her life over. Maybe she’d adopt a whole new personality. Back home, her friends would probably describe her as â€Å"nice, but shy† or â€Å"fun, but kind of quiet.† But no one here knew that. Maybe this year she’d be Cassie the Extrovert or even Cassie the Party Girl. Maybe she’d even be good enough for the girl with the shining hair. Cassie’s heart beat more quickly at the thought. It all depended on first impressions. It was vital she get off to a good start. Cassie pulled on the blue sweater and anxiously checked her reflection again in the mirror. She wished there were something more to do with her own hair. It was soft and it waved slightly, with pretty highlights, but she wished she could do something more dramatic with it. Like the girl in this ad – she glanced at the magazine open on the dressing table. She’d bought it specially when she’d driven into town last week so she could see the back-to-school fashions. She’d never gotten the courage to walk up to the yellow Victorian house again, although she’d cruised by it slowly in her grandmother’s Volkswagen Rabbit, hoping vainly to bump into the girl â€Å"accidentally.† Yes, tomorrow she’d pull her hair back like the model in the ad, she decided. Just as she was about to step away, something on the opposite page of the magazine caught her eye. A horoscope column. Her birth sign, Cancer, seemed to be staring out at her. Automatically her eyes followed the words after it. That daggy insecure feeling has got you again. It’s time for positive thinking! If that doesn’t work, remember that nothing lasts forever. Try not to make waves in your personal relationships this month. You’ve got enough to cope with already. Horoscopes are such garbage, Cassie thought, closing the magazine with a slap. Her mother had always said so, and it was true. â€Å"That daggy insecure feeling† – just telling someone they felt insecure was enough to make them feel it! There was nothing supernatural about that. But if she didn’t believe in the supernatural, what was the chalcedony lucky piece doing in the zipper compartment of her backpack? Setting her jaw, she took it out and put it in her jewelry box, then went downstairs to say good-bye. The school was an impressive three-story red brick building. So impressive that after Cassie had parked the Rabbit, she was almost afraid to go any closer. There were several narrow paths that led up the hill, and she finally nerved herself to take one. At the top her throat closed and she simply stared. God, it looked like a college or something. Like a historical landmark. The bold stone facing on the front read NEW SALEM HIGH SCHOOL, and below was a sort of crest with the words Town of New Salem, Incorporated 1693. Was that how old this town was? Three hundred years? Back in Reseda, the oldest buildings around had been there for maybe fifty years. I am not shy, Cassie told herself, forcing herself to walk forward. I am Cassie the Confident. An incredibly loud roar made her head jerk around, and sheer instinct sent her jumping to the side just in time to avoid being run over. Heart pounding, she stood and gawked at what had almost hit her. It was a motorcycle on the bike path. But even more astonishing was its rider – a girl. She was wearing tight black jeans and a motorcycle jacket, and her trim, athletic body looked tough. But when she turned around after parking the motorcycle by a bike rack, Cassie saw that her face was ravishingly pretty. It was small and feminine, framed by tumbling dark curls, and marred only by a sullen, belligerent expression. â€Å"What are you staring at?† the girl demanded suddenly. Cassie started. She supposed she had been staring. The girl took a step forward, and Cassie found herself stepping back. â€Å"I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to – † She tried to tear her eyes away, but it was hard. The girl was wearing a skimpy black midriff top under the jacket, and Cassie glimpsed what looked like a small tattoo just above the material. A tattoo of a crescent moon. â€Å"I’m sorry,† Cassie said again, helplessly. â€Å"You better be. You keep out of my face, get it?† You were the one who almost ran me over, Cassie thought. But she nodded hastily, and to her vast relief the girl turned away. God, what a horrible way to start the first day of school, Cassie thought, hurrying toward the entrance. What a horrible person to be the first one you spoke to. Well, at least after a beginning like that, things could only get better. All around her teenagers were greeting one another, shouting hello; the girls giggling and hugging, the boys horsing around. It was an excited bustle, and everybody seemed to know everybody else. Except Cassie. She stood looking at the fresh haircuts of the guys, the brand-new clothes of the girls, smelling the scents of too much perfume and unnecessary aftershave and feeling more alone than she ever had in her life. Keep moving, she told herself sternly. Don’t stand around looking for that girl – find your first class. Maybe you’ll see somebody there who’s alone, and you can talk to them. You’ve got to look extroverted if you want people to think you are. Her first class was writing for publication, an English elective, and Cassie was glad she had it. She liked creative writing, and the Program of Studies had said that the class would offer opportunities for publication in the school literary magazine and newspaper. She’d worked on the newspaper in her old school; maybe she could here, too. Of course, the Program also said you had to sign up for writing for publication the previous spring, and Cassie still couldn’t quite understand how her grandmother had gotten her enrolled just before school started. Maybe her grandmother had special pull with the administration or something. She found the class without much trouble and took an inconspicuous desk near the back. The room was filling up, and everyone seemed to have someone to talk to. Nobody took the slightest notice of Cassie. She began doodling ferociously on the front of her notebook, trying to look totally involved in it, trying to look as if she weren’t the only one in class sitting alone. â€Å"You’re new, aren’t you?† The boy in front of her had turned around. His smile was genuinely friendly, but it was also dazzling, and she had a feeling he knew exactly how dazzling it was. His hair was auburn and curly, and it was clear that when he stood, he’d be very tall. â€Å"You’re new,† he said again. â€Å"Yes,† said Cassie, and was furious to hear her voice shake. But this guy was so good-looking†¦ â€Å"I’m Cassie Blake. I just moved here from California.† â€Å"I’m Jeffrey Lovejoy,† he said. â€Å"Oh,† Cassie said, trying to make it sound as if she’d heard of him before, since this seemed to be what he expected. â€Å"Center on the basketball team,† he said. â€Å"Also captain.† â€Å"Oh, how great.† Oh, how stupid. She had to do better than this. She sounded brainless. â€Å"I mean – that must be really interesting.† â€Å"Are you interested in basketball? Maybe we could talk about it sometime.† Suddenly Cassie felt very grateful to him. He was ignoring her blundering, her lameness. Okay, so maybe he liked to be admired, but what difference did that make? He was nice, and it would definitely improve her status to be seen around the campus with him. â€Å"That would be great,† she said, wishing she could think of another adjective. â€Å"Maybe – maybe at lunch†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A shadow fell over her. Or at least that was how it felt. In any case, she was aware, all at once, of a presence at her side, a presence that made her voice trail off blankly as she looked up, wide-eyed. A girl was standing there, the most striking girl Cassie had ever seen. A big, beautiful girl, both tall and voluptuous. She had a mane of pitch-black hair and her pale skin was touched with the glow of confidence and power. â€Å"Hello, Jeffrey,† she said. Her voice was low for a girl’s; vibrant and almost husky. â€Å"Faye.† Jeffrey’s voice, by contrast, was noticeably unenthusiastic. He looked tense. â€Å"Hi.† The girl leaned over him, one hand on the back of his chair, and Cassie caught the scent of some heady perfume. â€Å"I didn’t see much of you over summer vacation,† she said. â€Å"Where’ve you been?† â€Å"Around,† Jeffrey said lightly. But his smile was forced, and his entire body was taut now. â€Å"You shouldn’t keep yourself hidden away like that. Naughty boy.† Faye leaned in closer yet. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder top – completely off both shoulders. It left a great deal of skin exposed just at Jeffrey’s eye level. But it was her face Cassie couldn’t help staring at. She had a sensuous, sulky mouth and extraordinary honey-colored eyes. They seemed almost to glow with a strange golden light. â€Å"You know, there’s a new horror movie at the Capri this week,† she said. â€Å"I like horror movies, Jeffrey.† â€Å"I can take them or leave them myself,† Jeffrey said. Faye chuckled, a rich, disturbing sound. â€Å"Maybe you just haven’t seen them with the right girl,† she murmured. â€Å"Under the proper circumstances, I think they can be very†¦ stimulating.† Cassie felt embarrassed blood rise to her cheeks, though she scarcely knew why. Jeffrey wet his lips, looking fascinated in spite of himself, but also scared. Like a rabbit in a trap. â€Å"I was going to take Sally down to Gloucester this weekend – † he began, voice strained. â€Å"Well, you’ll just have to tell Sally that†¦ something came up,† Faye said, raking him with her eyes. â€Å"You can come get me Saturday night at seven.† â€Å"Faye, I – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, and don’t be late, all right? I hate it when boys are late.† All this time, the black-haired girl had not even glanced at Cassie. But now, as she straightened up to leave, she did. The look she turned on Cassie was sly and secretive, as if she were perfectly aware that Cassie had been listening, and she liked it. Then she turned back to Jeffrey. â€Å"Oh, and by the way,† she said, lifting one hand in a languid gesture that showed off her long red nails, â€Å"she’s from Crowhaven Road too.† Jeffrey’s jaw dropped. He stared at Cassie a moment with an expression of shock and distaste, and then he quickly turned around to face the front of the room. Faye was chuckling as she walked away to take a seat at the very back. What is going on? Cassie thought wildly. What difference did it make where she lived? The only thing she could see now of Jeffrey-of-the-dazzling-smile was his rigid back. She had no time to think anything more, because the teacher was talking. He was a mild-looking man with a graying beard and glasses. He introduced himself as Mr. Humphries. â€Å"And since you’ve all had a chance to talk during your summer vacation, now I’ll give you a chance to write,† he said. â€Å"I want each of you to write a poem, right now, spontaneously. We’ll read some of them aloud afterward. The poem can be about anything, but if you have trouble thinking of a subject, write about your dreams.† There were groans from the class, which gradually died into silence and pen chewing. But Cassie bent over her notebook with her heart beating rapidly. A vague memory of her dream of last week intruded, the one where her mother and grandmother had stood over her. But she didn’t want to write about that. She wanted to write about him. After a few minutes she scribbled down a line. When Mr. Humphries announced that the time was up, she had a poem, and reading it over she felt a thin chill of excitement. It was good – or at least she thought so. What if the teacher called on her to read it out loud? She didn’t want him to, of course, but what if he made her, and what if somebody else in class thought it was good and wanted to talk to her afterward? Maybe they’d ask her about the guy in the poem, and then she could tell them the mysterious and romantic story about him. Maybe she’d get a reputation for being kind of mysterious and romantic herself. Maybe the girl in the Victorian house would hear about her†¦ Mr. Humphries was calling for volunteers. Predictably, no hands were raised†¦ until one went up in the back. The teacher hesitated. Cassie turned to see that the raised hand had long red nails. â€Å"Faye Chamberlain,† Mr. Humphries said at last. He sat on the edge of his desk as the tall, striking girl came to stand beside him, but Cassie had the oddest feeling that he would have moved away if he could. An almost palpable air of tension had filled the room, and all eyes were on Faye. She tossed her glorious mane of black hair back and shrugged, causing her off-the-shoulder top to slip down a little lower. Tilting her head back, she smiled slowly at the class and held up a piece of paper. â€Å"This is my poem,† she said in her lazy, husky voice. â€Å"It’s about fire.† Shocked, Cassie looked down at the poem on her own desk. Then Faye’s voice caught her attention. I dream about fire – Tongues of flame licking me. My hair burns like a torch; My body burns for you. Touch my skin and your fingers will stick – You’ll blacken like a cinder. But you’ll die smiling; Then you’ll be part of the fire too. As the entire class watched, riveted, Faye produced a match and somehow – Cassie didn’t quite see how – managed to light it. She touched it to the paper and the paper caught fire. Then, walking slowly, she moved to stand directly in front of Jeffrey Lovejoy, waving the burning paper gently before his eyes. Howls, whistles, and desk banging from the audience. Many of them looked scared, but most of the guys looked excited, too. Some of the girls looked as if they wished they dared to do something like that. Voices called out, â€Å"See, Jeffrey, that’s what you get for being so cute!† â€Å"Go for it, man!† â€Å"Watch out, Jeff, Sally’s gonna hear about this!† Jeffrey just sat there, the back of his neck slowly flushing dull red. As the paper was about to burn her fingers, Faye sashayed away from Jeffrey again and dropped it in the metal wastebasket by the teacher’s desk. Mr. Humphries didn’t flinch when something in the wastebasket flared up, and Cassie admired him for that. â€Å"Thank you, Faye,† he said evenly. â€Å"Class, I think we can call what we’ve just seen an example of†¦ concrete poetry. Tomorrow we’ll study some more traditional methods. Class dismissed.† Faye walked out the door. There was an instant’s pause; then, as if everyone had been released by a spring, a sudden mass exodus. Jeffrey grabbed his notebook and was gone. Cassie looked at her own poem. Fire. She and Faye had both written about the same thing†¦ Suddenly she tore the sheet out and, crumpling it into a ball, thrust it into her backpack. So much for her dreams of being romantic and mysterious. With a girl like that around, who was ever going to notice Cassie? And yet they all seemed almost afraid of her, she thought. Even the teacher. Why didn’t he give her a detention or something? Or is lighting fires in trash cans normal in New Salem? And why did Jeffrey let her hit on him that way? And why did he care where I live, for God’s sake? In the hall, she nerved herself to stop someone and ask where room C310 was. â€Å"It’s on the third floor,† the girl said. â€Å"All the math classes are. Go up that stairway – â€Å" â€Å"Yo! Look out! Heads up, everybody!† a shouting voice interrupted. Something was whizzing down the hall, scattering students right and left from its path. Two somethings. Dumbfounded, Cassie saw that it was two guys on roller blades, laughing and bellowing as they tore through the crowd. Cassie had a glimpse of disheveled shoulder-length blond hair and almond-shaped, slightly tilted blue-green eyes as one passed – and then she saw it all again as the second one streaked by. The boys were identical, except that one was wearing a Megadeth T-shirt and the other’s said Motley Cre. They were creating chaos as they went, knocking books out of people’s arms and grabbing at girls’ clothes. As they reached the end of the hallway, one of them caught a pretty redhead’s miniskirt and deftly flipped it up to waist level. The girl shrieked and dropped her backpack to push it down. â€Å"Why doesn’t somebody do something?† Cassie blurted out. Was everybody in this school crazy? â€Å"Why doesn’t somebody stop them – or report them – or something. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Are you kidding? Those are the Henderson brothers,† the girl said, and she walked away, joining another girl. Cassie heard a fragment of a sentence float back: â€Å"†¦ doesn’t even know about the Club†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and both girls glanced back at her, then walked on. What Club? That girl had said it as if it had capital letters. What did a club have to do with breaking school rules? What kind of place was this? Another bell rang, and Cassie realized that she was now late for class. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and ran for the stairs. By lunchtime, she still hadn’t exchanged more than a â€Å"hi† or â€Å"hello† with anyone, no matter how she tried. And she hadn’t seen the girl with the shining hair anywhere – not that that was really surprising, considering the many floors and corridors of this school. In her present state of insecurity, Cassie wouldn’t have dared to approach the girl if she had seen her. A leaden, miserable feeling had settled in her stomach. And one glance at the glass-walled cafeteria teeming with laughing students made her knees go weak. She couldn’t face it. She just didn’t have the nerve. Arms wrapped around herself, she walked away and kept walking. She walked right through the main entrance and out the door. She didn’t know where she was going – maybe she was going home. But then she saw the lush green grass of the hill. No, she decided; I’ll just eat here. Partway down the hill there were several craggy outcrops of natural rock, and she found she could sit comfortably in a little hollow below one, shaded by a tree. She was shielded by the rock from the school; it was almost as if the school didn’t exist. She could look down a flight of meandering steps to the bottom of the hill and the road beyond, but no one from above could see her. As she sat, looking at the dandelions dotting the grass, the tension gradually drained out of her. So what if the morning hadn’t been the greatest? Things would be better this afternoon. The clear blue sky seemed to tell her that. And the rock at her back – the famous red granite of New England – gave her a feeling of security. It was strange, but she almost felt she could hear a buzzing in the rock, like a heartbeat tremendously speeded up. A buzzing of life. If I put my cheek to it, I wonder what would hap-pen? she thought with a curious excitement. Voices distracted her. Dismayed, Cassie knelt up to look over the top of the rock – and tensed. It was that girl, Faye. There were two other girls with her, and one of them was the biker who’d nearly run Cassie over that morning. The other was a strawberry blond with a tiny waist and the most well-developed chest Cassie had ever seen on a teenager. They were laughing and sauntering down the steps – right toward Cassie. I’ll just stand up and say hi, Cassie thought, but she didn’t. The memory of those disturbing honey-colored eyes was still with her. She kept quiet and hoped they’d pass her by, go all the way down the hill and off campus. Instead they stopped on the landing just above Cassie, sitting with their feet on the steps below and pulling out paper lunch bags. They were so close that Cassie could see the red stone blazing at Faye’s throat. Although she was in shadow now, if she moved they wouldn’t be able to miss her. She was trapped. â€Å"Did anybody follow us, Deborah?† Faye asked lazily as she rummaged through her backpack. The biker girl snorted. â€Å"Nobody’s stupid enough to try.† â€Å"Good. Because this is top secret. I don’t want you-know-who to hear anything about it,† Faye said. She took out a stenographer’s notebook with a red cover and laid it on her knee. â€Å"Now let me see, what shall we do to start this year off? I feel like something really wicked.† How to cite The Secret Circle: The Initiation Chapter Five, Essay examples

Oedipus Essay Paper Example For Students

Oedipus Essay Paper OedipusD.T. Suzuki, a renowned expert on Zen Buddhism, called attention to thetopic of free will in one of his lectures by stating that it was the battle ofGod versus Man, Man versus God, God versus Nature, Nature versus God, Manversus Nature, Nature versus Man1. These six battles constitute an ultimatelygreater battle: the battle of free will versus determinism. Free will is thatability for a human being to make decisions as to what life he or she would liketo lead and have the freedom to live according to their own means and thuschoose their own destiny; determinism is the circumstance of a higher beingordaining a mans life from the day he was born until the day he dies. Freewill is in itself a far-reaching ideal that exemplifies the essence of whatmankind could be when he determines his own fate. But with determinism, a manhas a predetermined destiny and fate that absolutely cannot be altered by theman himself. Yet, it has been the desire of man to avoid the perils that hisfate ho lds and thus he unceasingly attempts to thwart fate and the will of thedivine.. Within the principle of determinism, this outright contention to divinemandate is blasphemous and considered sin. This ideal itself, and the wholeconcept of determinism, is quite common in the workings of Greek and Classicalliterature. A manifest example of this was the infamous Oedipus of The ThebanPlays, a man who tried to defy fate, and therefore sinned. The logic of Oedipus transgression is actually quite obvious, andOedipus father, King Laius, also has an analogous methodology and transgression. They both had unfortunate destinies: Laius was destined to be killed by his ownson, and Oedipus was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. This wasthe ominous decree from the divinatory Oracle at Delphi. King Laius feared theOracles proclamation and had his son, the one and only Oedipus, abandoned on amountain with iron spikes as nails so that he would remain there to eventuallydie. And yet, his attempt to obstruct fate was a failure, for a kindly shepherdhappened to come upon the young Oedipus and released him from the grips of death. The shepherd then gave the young boy to a nearby king who raised him as his own,and consequently named him Oedipus, which meant swollen feet. Upon Oedipusascension to manhood, the Oracle at Delphi once again spewed its prophecy forth,this time, with the foretelling that Oedipus shall kill his father, whom hethought to be the king that had raised him as his own, and marry his mother. Oedipus, like Laius, was indeed frightened of such a dire fate, and thusresolved to leave his land and never return, so that the prophesy may not befulfilled. Oedipus tried to travel as far away from home as he possibly could,and along his journey, he crossed paths with a man who infuriated him with hisrudeness. Oedipus killed the man without the knowledge that that man was indeedhis father Laius and ultimately, half of the prophecy had been fulfilled. Andwhen he came to Thebes, the remaining portion of the prophecy was fulfilled ashe became the champion of the city with his warding off the Sphinx, hencewinning the hand of his own mother Jocasta in marriage. Together they bore fourchildren, and Oedipus dire fate had been fulfilled, all without his knowledge. The Theban Plays begin with a plague that ravages the city of Thebes, andOedipus sets out to find the cause. At length, he discovers that he himself isthe cause for he was guilty of both patricide and incest. When that realizationis manifested, the utter shock and disgust of the horrific situation causes thetormented and disillusioned Oedipus to blind himself of a self-inflicted wound2. .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 , .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 .postImageUrl , .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 , .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1:hover , .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1:visited , .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1:active { border:0!important; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1:active , .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1 .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0fe950294931a0ba3aa19405ec05a7e1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Analysis Of Maltese Falcon EssayAccording to some scholars, this was the retribution he paid for his crime, butothers would argue that Oedipus had no choice in the matter and simply hadfulfilled his destiny. The latter argument seems to be more convincing becauseOedipus does not consciously know of what he was doing at the time, and thus,his crime was not entirely premeditated. And one cannot condemn ignorance nomore than one can realistically condemn good intentions, for Oedipus was bothtruly unaware of what he had done and of no desire to harm whom he had thoughtto be his parents. In the aspect