Engineering Design Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Engineering Design Process - Essay Example Among the fundamental elements of the design process are the establishment of objectives and criteria, synthesis, analysis, construction, testing, and evaluation". (Engineering Design, 2006) problem, an existing condition in need of change, a challenge to look ahead for problematic conditions of the future, of design and construction. Because it is important for the engineers to be sure that they understand the problem thoroughly, the first step in the design process is for each group to state the problem. (Garmire, 2002) To recognise the problem requires the ability to think laterally, to anticipate the unexpected and to appreciate the aesthetics of problem solving as well as the material aspect. The aspects within which the problem is being addressed must be understood. (Eng, 2006) Because statements of problems exist within a context, they usually involve bias and often imply solutions. Effective engineers learn to observe the context and eliminate bias. They must clarify the problem statement by looking at each word or phrase and redefine it to make the statement more precise. What is the real problem (Garmire, 2002) Usually brainstorming is done in this stage and is effective enough to reach to a reasonable conclusion. option to confirm its feasibility before being formulated a... They must clarify the problem statement by looking at each word or phrase and redefine it to make the statement more precise. What is the real problem (Garmire, 2002) Usually brainstorming is done in this stage and is effective enough to reach to a reasonable conclusion. 3. Develop possible alternative solutions: Choosing the right design requires a creative team effort to identify several possible solutions, and evaluate development of the preferred option to confirm its feasibility before being formulated and made. (Eng, 2006) This enables engineers to study and analyse in detail each and every alternative solution with respect to its opportunities and drawbacks. Performance, cost control and complexity objectives must be considered and balanced during design evaluation. Example: Financial concerns might make an engineering company choose rental over equipment purchase. Specific performance objectives, that the new system must perform online data processing may result in a complex network design for which control procedures must be established. Evaluating and selecting the best design involves a balance of system objectives that will best support organisational goals. 4. Select the best solution: Out of several possible alternates, only one is chosen in the light of its effectiveness and accuracy. After choosing the final solution, the design specifications are said to be frozen, as this formal step avoid cost overruns and missed user expectations. 5. Prototype development: Prototyping acts as an iterative approach to the engineering design process. During each iteration, requirements and alternative solutions to the problems are identified and analysed, new solutions are designed, and a

Spectator and Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Spectator and Cinema - Essay Example In the mid-'70s, the concept began to play a major role in the theoretical discussions in Britain and North America, with the result that psychoanalytical studies of the viewing subject have proliferated. In my reading of Wings of Desire, I borrow from several theoreticians of suture, including some who have been at odds with each other concerning the scope and consequence of this concept. Although my reading of Wings of Desire certainly owes much to the French scholars, claims I make concerning Wenders' film run counter to the original polemical thrust of their work. For them, suture denotes the operation by which cinema encloses the subject in ideology. Their analysis bears primarily on dominant Hollywood cinema, and they restrict the scope of suture to the ideological effacement of the cinematic code. They are reductive as well with respect to the semiotic system of suturing, positing at times the shot/reverseshot system or point-of-view cutting as the fundamental cinematic articulation of suture. Other French film theoreticians who complement a general semiotics of cinema with Lacanian notions of the subject and signification, such as Christian Metz and Jean-Louis Baudry, have avoided such a rigid application of suture to the cinematic apparatus and, nevertheless, have arrived at the even more pessimistic conclusion that cinema itself functions as a support and in strument of ideology. (Metz 1974, 39-47) Anglo-American film scholars have expanded on these psychoanalytical theories of cinema without sharing their negative assessment of the basic cinematic apparatus. (MacCabe 1977, 48-76) However, such challenges to the original French position on cinema and ideology have pertained for the most part only to films that resist closure and foreground lack and alienation. Thomas Elsaesser's 1980 article on Fassbinder is an important example of such criticism in the area of German cinema. Focusing on Fassbinder, but also claiming relevance for New German Cinema in general (mentioning by name Herzog, Wenders, Syberberg, and Kluge), Elsaesser responds to the more radical conclusions drawn by Baudry and Metz. He rejects their implication that "the cinema is indeed an invention without a future' because it systematically ties the spectator to a regressive state, in an endless circuit of substitution and fetishization." (Elsaesser 1986, 537) Nevertheless, suture as well as narrative closure of any kind has remained ideologically suspect. Wings of Desire provides, I think, an excellent opportunity to re-examine this bias that, in the wake of Oudart and his successors, persists against identification and narrative (closure). In the discussion of suture, the emphasis has been on processes of identification that position the viewing

Term Paper About Sports Essay Example for Free

Term Paper About Sports Essay The sport datesback to the Egyptians, who played games involving the kicking of a ball. Now, the sport has grown to a global pastime, including men s and women steams, and the World Cup (which is played every four years). The sport is also known by other names in some parts of the English-speaking world, usually association football and its contraction, soccer. These names are often used to distinguish the game from other codes of football, since the word football may be used to refer to several quite different games. Football is a team sport played between two teams consisting of eleven players each. It is a ball game played on a rectangular grass field with a goal at each end. The objective of the game is to score by maneuvering the ball into the opposing goal. Other than the goalkeepers, players may not use their hands or arms to propel the ball in general play. The winner is the team which has scored most goals at the end of the match. Football is played at a professional level all over the world, and millions of people regularly go to football stadia to follow their favourite team, whilst billions more avidly watch the game on television. A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. According to a survey conducted by Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), footballs governing body, published in the spring of 2001, over 240 million people regularly play football in more than 200 countries in every part of the world. Its simple rules and minimal equipment requirements have no doubt aided its spread and growth in popularity. In many parts of the world football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations; it is therefore often claimed to be the most popular sport in the world. Because of this it is often dubbed as the Worlds Favorite Pastime. 1. Football is rougher than most people actually think. People usually dont see whats happening outside the television camera’s view or off the field. Off the screen, you have players kicking each other, exchanging words, or even pushing each other around. Dont feel bad, though, because the referees dont see it half the time either. Then, during the game you have players slide tackling and taking each other out for possession of the ball. These players are wearing nothing to protect them from serious injuries. According to a survey conducted by Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), footballs governing body, published in the spring of 2001, over 240 million people regularly play football in more than 200 countries in every part of the world. Its simple rules and minimal equipment requirements have no doubt aided its spread and growth in popularity. In many parts of the world football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations; it is therefore often claimed to be the most popular sport in the world. Because of this it is often dubbed as the Worlds Favorite Pastime. 2. II. History of Football (Soccer) During the 1800s the people of England played a game similar to soccer. Many rules changed and each person interpreted the rules differently. The modern version came about in the early nineteenth century,in England. It started as a game involving kicking and handing, but later this branched off into two separate sports: rugby and football (which is what the English call soccer). In 1848 a group of school representatives met at Trinity College in Cambridge and drew up the first of soccer rules. In 1863 English soccer clubs founded the Football Association. By the late 1800s soccer began to spread to the rest of the world. The Canadian Soccer Association was established in 1912 while the United States Soccer Federation was set up in 1913. The first World Cup Championship was in Montevideo, Uruguay. Since then it has been played every four years except during WWII. The North American Soccer League (NASL) was formed in 1968 and the sport began to gain popularity in the 1970 s. Modern Game and Rules The modern game of soccer has a simple goal: kick or head the ball in to the goal of your opponent s team. Basically, there is also one simple rule: No one except the goalkeeper may use they rehands to play the ball. Soccer is a simplistic sport. Eleven members of each team defend their side of the field to prevent the ball from being forced into their goal, which results in a point scored by the team kicking the ball. There are only three officials involved during play: The referee, and two linesmen. The equipment used in soccer is also very simple. In addition to the field itself, all that is needed for a game is two goals (eight feet high and eight yards apart) and a ball. Each player wears hard plastic or padded shin guard, covered by long socks, for protection during play. Cleats are alsoworn for traction on the field. A goalie may also wear a special padded shirt,and gloves to protect his or her hands. A standard field, as regulated by the Federation International de Football Association (or FIFA), has a length between 100 and 130 yards,and a width of between 50 and 100 yards. The rules of play for soccer have deliberately been kept simple. The referee makes most of the decisions, and attempts to encourage fair play. A soccer or football game begins with a kickoff in the center of the field. A coin is flipped to decide which team will kickoff. The other team kicks off at the start of the second half when the teams switch sides or nets. 3. III. Nature of the game The game is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game, which are summarised below. Two teams of eleven players each compete to get a round ball (itself known as a football) into the other teams goal, thereby scoring a goal. The team which has scored the most goals at the conclusion of the game is the winner; if both teams have an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. The primary rule for this objective is that players, other than the goalkeepers, may not intentionally touch the ball with their hands or arms during play (though they do use their hands during a throw-in restart). Although players mainly use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their bodies other than their hands or arms. The physical contact between players is restricted: holding, tripping, kicking or excessively pushing opponents is not allowed. Such actions (along with handling the ball) are called fouls and are punishable by a free kick (or a penalty kick if commited in the vicinity of the offenders goal; see below for details). In typical game play, players attempt to move towards a goal through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling (running with the ball close to their feet); by passing the ball from team-mate to team-mate; and by taking shots at the goal. Opposition players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent who controls the ball. Football is generally a free-flowing game with the ball in play at all times except when the ball has left the field of play by wholly crossing over a boundary line (either on the ground or in the air), or play has been stopped by the referee. When play has been stopped, it recommences with a specified restart (see below). At a professional level, usually a few goals are scored during a match. For example, during 2004-05 season of the FA Premier League, an average of 2. 57 goals per match were scored, and 88% of the matches ended up with not more than 4 goals scored. However, only 8% of the matches finished goalless. 4. IV. Playing Area An  association football pitch  (also known as a  football pitch,  football field[1]  or  soccer field) is the playing surface for the game of  association football  made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the  Laws of the Game, The Field of Play. [2] All line markings on the  pitch  form part of the area which they define. For example, a ball on or above the  touchline  is still on the field of play; a ball on the line of the goal area is in the goal area; and a foul committed over the 16. -metre (18-yard) line has occurred in the  penalty area. Therefore a ball must completely cross the touchline to be out of play, and a ball must wholly cross the goal line (between the goal posts) before a goal is scored; if any part of the ball is still on or above the line, the ball is still in play. The field descriptions that apply to adult matches are described below. N ote that due to the original formulation of the Laws in England and the early supremacy of the four British football associations within IFAB, the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in  imperial units. The Laws now express dimensions with approximate  metric  equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), but use of the imperial units remains common in some countries, especially in the United Kingdom. 5. V. Physical (Soccer/Football) Conditioning Soccer is a sport requiring high levels of physical fitness. It is one of those rare games which demands not only speed but agility, strength, power and endurance. Players at top levels can run over 14 km in a game whilst not forgetting the frequent accelerations, decelerations, changes of direction and jumps they must undertake. Fitness is important at all levels of the game, whilst being essential for top level players, it is beneficial for beginners who will improve both their effectiveness and enjoyment through good standards of fitness. The aim of fitness training in football is to enable a player to cope with the physical demands of the game as well as allowing the efficient use of his various technical and tactical competencies throughout the match. Fitness may be described as a set of attributes that an individual has or has acquired which help in their ability to perform physical activity. The diagram below (Fig 1) outlines the general components which make up and are required for physical fitness in sport. Mental fitness and diet could be included but the diagram refers to the main components of fitness which require physical activity and which bring about physiological changes in the body. | Fitness as mentioned earlier is based on the attributes an individual has, meaning what he is born with or has acquired, in other words through training. Thus, performance is influenced by inherited abilities (genetic) and training status. An individual who is naturally gifted will still need proper training to make the most of their talent. Different sports require different fitness components. Football players must be able to perform prolonged intermittent exercise (endurance), exercise at high-intensity, sprint, and develop high levels of power (force) when kicking and tackling. Good levels of agility and coordination are also necessary and distinguish between elite and average players. During a game the exercise intensity varies continually thus fitness training should be as realistic as possible. Training should also involve regular use of the ball as this will not only help develop the specific muscles involved in match play, but improve technical and tactical skills and help keep players interested. 6. Coaches such as Marcello Lippi formerly at Juventus, are big believers in individual fitness programs as every player has different needs. This is important as well when training women and youth players. Fig 2 details the major components involved in football specific training. | In all the different components of fitness mentioned above, there are certain basic principles that apply to football fitness training. Frequency   Refers to the quantity of training sessions during a defined period of time, often a week. For example, a professional player may train twice a day, 5 times a week. Intensity   Can be simply defined by how  hard  a player trains. Too much exercise can lead to injury and fatigue whereas too little will not have enough of an effect. Elite players can train longer and harder than players at a lower level. Intensity is often based on the number of repetitions and how many exercises/sets done. It is linked to the principle of progressive overload. Progressive overload amp; duration   Training programs should stress the players’ physiological mechanisms enough to cause an improvement in the desired area. This means that working on the same fitness programme for a long time will not bring about improvement. Therefore, training status will only be bettered by gradually increasing the load that the body is working against. Incorrect overload may bring injury and demotivation due to over-zealous targets. The duration is the time spent in a training session and is dependent upon the sport and individual.

Democratic Peace Theory and Georgia

Democratic Peace Theory and Georgia Georgias decision to launch an offensive attack against Russian personnel occupying the contested regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia seems to contradict the theoretical underpinnings of the Democratic Peace Theory. However, further analysis of Georgias and Russias regimes reveals some of the criticisms of the theory itself and their impact on the Intelligence Communitys (IC) ability to provide warning in the region. The Democratic Peace Theory states that democratic states do not go to war with each other, or at least, are much less likely to. The basis of this theory is two-fold: first, that democracies are like-minded in fiscal and political polices and that democratic political culture makes going to war less likely, and second, that political constraints on leaders of democratic states discourage the use of force as a foreign policy option.[1] In his book, Democracy and International Conflict: An Evaluation of the Democratic Peace Proposition, James Lee Ray further describes the cultural and structural explanations of democratic peace: Disputes between states do not escalate to war because the leaders expect, on a basis of common culture, to be able to work out their differences, and that greater decisional constraints [i.e., political structure] on a leader produce a lower probability that a dispute involving the state will escalate to war.[2] Additionally, studies have argued that when dem ocratic leaders do choose to escalate international crises, their threats are taken as highly credible, since there must be a relatively large public opinion for these actions.[3] In August 2008, Georgia and Russia, both democratic countries, went to war over two disputed regions within the borders of Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, that had long been sources of conflict. South Ossetia and Abkhazia also have established, democratic governments, although Georgia does not recognize the government of South Ossetia as legitimate. Prior to the break-up of the Soviet Union, all had coexisted relatively peacefully under Soviet control. Conflict over the desire for independence by the territories and nationalism by Georgia had erupted after the break-up and had been simmering since then, with Russia quietly supporting the regimes in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in a covert attempt to assimilate first the population, then the territory into the Russian Federation.[4] The conflict impacts stability in the region, which has implications for the safety and control of major oil pipelines, roads and railways between Russia and Armenia and between Georgia and Russia through South Ossetia. Support to Georgia, as an emerging democracy in the region and a member of the coalition in Afghanistan, puts the U.S. at odds with Russia, which is counterproductive to stability in the region and even globally. Given the cultural and structural explanations of the Democratic Peace Theory, the conflict between two democratic states can be explained through criticisms of the theory. First, one of Dean Babsts four indicators of a democracy is the country must have been independent.[5] Georgia was part of the Soviet Union until gaining independence in 1991, and the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is not agreed upon by the international community. Georgia, despite its independence, is still in the process of establishing state sovereignty within an ethnically divided nation. Next, the vulnerability of democracy is a criticism of the theory.[6] President Mikheil Saakashvilis election in 2008 was hotly contested, and it threatens to unhinge the real progress Georgia has made towards institutional, democratic and economic reform from 2004.[7] Additionally, the leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church has proposed a constitutional Monarchy to guarantee stability.[8] Therefore, Georgias infant dem ocracy, after it spent years under a communist regime, is far from security. Finally, Spencer Weart stated wars have never occurred between well-established democracies.[9] However, he does not delineate what constitutes a well-established democracy. Georgia has operated as a democracy for almost two decades and fulfills Babsts other three indicators of a democracy.[10] While Russia is fundamentally structured as a representative democracy, Freedom House lists Russia as not free based on the Kremlins stage-managed parliamentary election campaign, Putins move to Prime Minister after two terms as president, and an alarming increase in state power over civil society.[11],[12] The point at which Georgia and Russia can be considered democracies that will not go to war with each other is vague. Therefore, the United States and the IC cannot apply the Democratic Peace Theory to the conflict in Georgia. In order for the IC to assess the threats to U.S. interests in Georgia, analysts must predict Georgias willingness to resort to armed conflict with Russia over the disputed regions. Georgia has troops in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and they are politicking heavily to become part of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).[13] In this sense, they are striving to become part of the international democratic community. If Georgia is part of the EU and NATO, then any action they take against Russia would require support on the part of other member nations. The United States assisted Georgia in their efforts against Russia, specifically through airlift. However, U.S. combat and combat support forces did not deploy to the region due to undesirable outcomes from United States combating Russian forces. While Georgia continues to present itself as a U.S. ally, the IC needs to provide warning to U.S. policy makers of any impending conflict in the Russian occupied regions. President Obama needs to use other national instruments of power to resolve the dispute or stabilize relations between Georgia and Russia in order to avoid going to war with Russia over a civil conflict within a sovereign state. The Democratic Peace Theory seems to be well supported when applied to states which have both the cultural and structural aspects of democracy. However, it falls short of establishing criteria to consider a country truly democratic despite giving indications of democracy. Georgia and Russia, both newly democratic states, cannot be viewed through the lens of the theory, especially in light of the recent trend towards authoritarianism by Russia. With Russia occupying regions in Georgia and declaring them independent states, the IC must continue to analyze relations between the two states and provide warning to policy makers in the United States. References James Lee Ray, Democracy and International Conflict: An Evaluation of the Democratic Peace Proposition (Studies in International Relations), p. 30, Columbia: Univ Of South Carolina Pr, 1998. Ibid. Democratic Peace Theory , Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_peace_theory (accessed November 30, 2009). The Georgia-Russia conflict: lost territory, found nation, Open Democracy, http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/the-georgia-russia-conflict-lost-territory-found-nation (accessed November 30, 2009). Ray, Democracy and International Conflict, p. 12. Ray, Democracy and International Conflict, p. 204. Robert Parsons, Mikheil Saakashvilis bitter victory. Open Democracy (January 2008), http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/conflicts/mikheil_saakashvili_bitter_victory (accessed November 30, 2009). Giorgi Lomsadze Time for a King for Georgia? Eurasia Net (October 2007), http://www.eurasianet.net/departments/insight/articles/eav 101207a.shtml (accessed November 30, 2009). Ray, Democracy and International Conflict, p. 35 Ibid., p 12. Russia, Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia (accessed November 29, 2009). Freedom in the World Russia (2008), Freedom House, www.freedomhouse.org/inc/content/pubs/ fiw/inc_country_detail.cfm?year=2008country=7475pf (accessed November 30, 2009). Ambassador Batu Kutelia (lecture, National Defense Intelligence College, Washington, D.C., October 5, 2009)

Reigning In Hermits: The Conflict Between Individualism and Participation :: Essays Papers

Reigning In Hermits: The Conflict Between Individualism and Participation In the wake of Enlightenment thinkers like Hobbes and Locke, who asserted the primacy of the individual as the possessor of rights and emphasized the resulting legal equality of all men, the question arose of how an individual who originates in a state of nature interacts with society. Early 19th Century writers had an advantage in answering this question over the original thinkers in the form of a grand experiment in Enlightenment theory currently being conducted in America. Here, for the first time, was a democracy run by consent of the governed, all of whom were equal individuals before the law and, according to the dominant religious tradition, before God. The more thorough this leveling, Alexis de Tocqueville argued in Democracy in America, â€Å"the less [men] are inclined to believe blindly in any man or any class†¦all having the same means of knowledge, truth will be found on the side of the majority† (Tocqueville, 435). At the same time that the power of self-sty led authorities fades in both public and religious life and people are more apt to simply tow the line, he sees the ties that once created interdependence in aristocracies—economic dependency and social hierarchy—weaken, resulting in the isolation of the individual from public life, or, â€Å"individualism† (Tocqueville, 506-7). Tocqueville’s apprehension towards individualism was not merely a passing worry—he saw in its extreme form the potential for despotism to replace democracy. â€Å"Despotism, by its very nature suspicious, sees isolation of men as the best guarantee of its own permanence† (Tocqueville, 509). This tension between personal isolation and participation in civic life surfaced in other contemporary works as well, including Charles Finney’s â€Å"Lectures on Revival of Religion† and Ralph Emerson’s â€Å"On Self Reliance,† in which the former argued in a vein similar to Tocqueville’s that the nature of democracy will always create this conflict, and the latter disposed of democracy in favor of the individual. Tocqueville’s own reconciliation of the individual’s natural inclination toward isolation is found in his analysis of the nature of knowledge in democratic societies. On a purely practical political level, there must, he argued, be certain beliefs held in common by all citizens in order for common action to be taken to administer government (Tocqueville, 433). Local government is the individual’s closest connection to the public sphere, and the same selfish impulse that leads to individualism will make it necessary for him to form political associations to secure his interests.

The Tragedy of Macbeth :: Classics, Shakespeare

â€Å"Macbeth,† written by William Shakespeare initially described the main character, Macbeth, as an honorable, brave, loyal hero. He was a Scottish General and thane of Glamis. Macbeth fought for his country and supported the king. Macbeth was looked up to and admired for being so courageous and brave. He understood the difference between right and wrong. Macbeth was a man who seemed to have everything, including a loving wife! So what happened to this great man? How did he change from a hero to a villain in a very short time? Macbeth had a very bad character flaw. He was a powerful man, but he was not virtuous; thus, he allowed many outside influences to invade his thoughts and he acted on them! He was immoral. The first outside influence that allowed Macbeth to begin showing his true colors was the three witches. The witches addressed Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland (1.3.49-51). Initially Macbeth is stunned by the way they addressed him and he had many questions. He was confused and, yet a bit excited. His best friend, Banquo, was with him and both of them began asking questions. Banquo was told that he would father a line of kings (1.3.68). While Macbeth and Banquo were still talking with the witches and asking them questions, they disappeared. Two of the king’s men arrived and told Macbeth that King Duncan had sent them to thank him for defending the country and that King Duncan wanted to see Macbeth to give him good news. They told Macbeth that King Duncan told them to call him thane of Cawdor (1.3.107). When the witches’ first prediction came true, Macbeth began to think that he might become King of Scotland. In doing so, he imm ediately began to think about murdering King Duncan (1.3.135-141). This is the first sign of the evil that lies within Macbeth! Macbeth sent a letter to Lady Macbeth to tell her of the witches’ predictions and how the first prediction came true. While reading the letter, Lady Macbeth, thinking about her husband’s nature as she knew it for many years, felt that he had ambition but that he did not have a mean streak that would allow him to kill King Duncan (1.5.15-19).

Cain and Abel Analysis

Cain and Abel The Graves/Jung model is an interpretative method that attempts to explain a variety of things on a variety of levels. It explains how individuals progress, how societies progress, how theories progress, how we view others, and how others view us; just to name a few. I will be applying the theory to analyze the story of Cain and Abel found in the fourth chapter of Genesis, in the Bible. I will be interpreting the three main characters to assess what level of the model they are functioning in. We meet the main characters of the story in the first two verses.Cain is Abel’s older brother and we learn of their occupations, â€Å"Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. Their nature of their occupations could already be setting up the idea that Abel is physically small and Cain is physically larger. In the Hebrew world, shepherds are historically the youngest children and often girls. Later in the Bible, there is a mirror of this in 1st Samuel. it is King David (portrayed as the smallest amongst his brothers) who is also a shepherd. Typically anyone who â€Å"works the land† is going to have to be physically fit, which leads to more capabilities of physical violence.The author may have put these important details in to start to paint the picture of â€Å"helpless innocent Abel† and â€Å"big bully Cain†. This is just the beginning of why this is a Level 3 story of competitive, survival-of-the-fittest type interactions. Even though the characters might be functioning at the level 3, I think the society they are living in is at least level four. We see this in verses three and five when the third main character is introduced, â€Å"the Lord†. The fact that Cain and Abel’s god needs a offering implies that at some point someone said or wrote that he needed one.They wouldn’t just do that if it were not made clear by society that offerings were expected. This is all fitting with Level fou r. This also implies that the god is at least a level four god. In verses six and seven the Lord states, The LORD said to Cain, â€Å"Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it. † This shows that the god of this story can function on level six.He is empathizing with Cain and even offering advice, or at least his challenge to Cain without explicitly telling him to not go through with his anger. However, to get to a level six, one must come out of a level five which came out of a level four. The level four god comes out in his punishment of Cain, â€Å"And the LORD said, â€Å"What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength.You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. † He is saying by this punishment that there are rules and you broke them, a very level four statement. The god in the story of Cain and Abel when the context is not extended to the whole Bible is a level four god. Cain is a textbook level three character he gets â€Å"angry† and jealous that someone else did better and he decided to go through with level three actions in verse 8. â€Å"Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Cain essentially decided that he was bigger and stronger so he could deal with things accordingly. The problem with that is that he is on a level four society with a level four god. Level four was created to stop individuals functioning at level three and this story follows suit with the Lord’s punishment of Cain and the society carrying it out. This is seen in verse 15, Then the LORD said to him, â€Å"Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. † And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. Now we also see a little bit of level two come out in Cain’s words.When the lord asks him where his brother is, Cain responds with, â€Å"I do not know; am I my brother's keeper? † This is a very mischievous thing to say because Cain knows exactly where Cain is. It is very similar to a child being asked by his parents â€Å"Where did all those cookies for the shower go? † and the child who, while knowing it was wrong, ate them responds with â€Å"well I don’t see them anywhere. † Cain is mirroring this. I find it interesting that when it comes to a conflict both the Lord and Cain begin to function in lower levels than their original state.Lastly there is Abel, since the author doesn’t give us and lines of dialogue to reference, we will use the context of the story to evalua te what level character he is. I would say because he abides by the level four standards set by society and the level four god then he is at least functioning at the level. We see this in the fact that not only was he attempting to do the societal norm in making an offering that potentially allowed him to have â€Å"regard† with the Lord but also he succeeded in that. This shows he possibly could be a higher level than four but it is hard to say since we do not know exactly how he responded to Cain’s attack.