Robert Nisbets Understanding of the Ideas of Emile Durkheim

Robert Nisbet placed Emile Durkheim firmly within his own conservative tradition, dating back to anti-Enlightenment thinkers on the Right like Edmund Burke and Joseph de Maistre. They had defended tradition Christian morality and an orderly, hierarchical society with a monarchy and established church, and were skeptical of liberal claims about progress and rationality. Nisbet thought that modern capitalist society had created the seeds of its own destruction by undermining traditional culture and morality, which opened the door to genocidal and totalitarian ideologies like communism and fascism in the 20th Century. This was partially the result of the weakening of intermediary institutions like the church, guild and civil society that had stood between the isolated individual and the power of the state. He found that the general direction of urban, industrial society in the West had been statist and authoritarian, including both the warfare state and the welfare state. At the same ti me, capitalism had also encouraged moral permissiveness and self-indulgence, since traditional Christian morality had stood in the way of mass consumption. Yet the individual under capitalism might have been materially more affluent, but also morally and spiritually empty, highly isolated and alienated and lacking any real ties to society and community. Both the Left and the Right shared many of these critiques of capitalism and its culture, and both claimed Durkheim as one of their own. In

Analysis Of The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, depicts a woman ostracized from her town in Puritan New England after her sin of adultery is revealed, although the father of the illegitimate child remains unknown to the town. In The Tell-Tale Heart, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator murders an elderly man in the middle of the night and attempts to cover up his crime. Hawthorne and Poe use the psychological torment and suffering of Arthur Dimmesdale and the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart to convey that hiding one’s sinful actions from society leads to the strong emotions of pain and guilt, demonstrating that one can only end their misery, leading to freedom, by accepting and exposing their mistakes to society. Hawthorne uses the strong emotion of despair that overwhelms Arthur Dimmesdale, a beloved reverend in the town, to show how pretending to be the pure, sinless man that the town believes him to be causes him great pain, but by confessing he was relieved from his suffering. Romanticism encourages the acceptance of strong emotion, and embraces the free expression of feelings, unlike the Puritans, and in Dimmesdale’s case the emotions were mostly negative. Dimmesdale has been bearing the guilt of his sin for several years after his daughter Pearl’s birth, while Hester has been isolated and able to move on. This has enabled him to keep his religious position in the town, and his status with the townspeople. He attempts to continue the image society has ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Edgar Allan Poe - the Tell-Tale Heart1365 Words   |  6 PagesAnalytical Essay of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart This Edgar Allan Poe’s short story indicates the narrator as the prime character in this story, who describes himself as a sane man, as he expresses in the first sentence, yet he shows a horrifying thing as a proof. Poe presents this story with its frightening atmosphere, full of contradiction and symbolism, so it causes us to be more accurate in interpreting every single part of the story. It tends to demand us, as the reader, to be moreRead MoreAnalysis Of The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1073 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Ha! Would a madman have been so wise as this†. Edgar Allan Poe is an American poet and writer who creates imaginative stories to entice the reader. The narrator of Poe’s â€Å"A Tell-Tale Heart†, an unstable man who tries to convince himself and the readers otherwise, is similar to the main character of â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, who is also psychotic. Both narrators have a dark side which contributes to Poe’s sinister style. Poe integrates an ominous setting and characters to create a dramatic effectRead MoreAnalysis Of The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1237 Words   |  5 PagesIn Edgard Allan Poe The Tell-Tale Heart I do believe the narrator is insane, first off he starts the story by saying I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?. He also goes on to say observe how healthily how calmly I can tell you the whole story . In just the first paragraph of the story the narrator says he hears all things that could mean voices or even things regular people cant hear. He then says he can tell you the story veryRead MoreAnalysis of Edgar Allan Poe - the Tell-Tale Heart1353 Words   |  6 PagesAnalytical Essay of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart This Edgar Allan Poe’s short story indicates the narrator as the prime character in this story, who describes himself as a sane man, as he expresses in the first sentence, yet he shows a horrifying thing as a proof. Poe presents this story with its frightening atmosphere, full of contradiction and symbolism, so it causes us to be more accurate in interpreting every single part of the story. It tends to demand us, as the reader, to be moreRead MoreAnalysis Of The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1943 Words   |  8 Pagesmakes the (unfinished sentence). One horror text which substantiates the necessity of this technique is the short story â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† by Edgar Allan Poe. This story uses sound descriptions and the reader’s imagination, which creates sound effects for the reader, to add suspense to the story. The narrator describes the sound he believes is the beating of the old man’s heart, which drives him to become even more insane than he already is. In lines 171-174 it states, â€Å"I talked more freely to getRead MoreComparitve Analysis of the Raven Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe1257 Words   |  6 PagesComparative Analysis of the Tell Tale Heart and the Raven Edgar Allen Poe was the author of several daunting works of literature. Two examples of Edgar Allen Poes literature are The Tell Tale Heart and The Raven. If we compare these two works, one a short story and the other a poem, we will see that Poe shows great mastery of symbolism, as well as other forms of literary technique. In these two stories, many people would say that Poe uses the tales to reflect the way he perceivesRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart 1291 Words   |  6 Pagessecrets hidden in the story line that does it? Individually when each of you close your eyes and visualise a book that has been flicked by hundreds and has been adored what comes to mind? The famous Edgar Allan Poe stands out in the history of gothic texts, especially his novel the â€Å" Tell-Tale Heart†. However there is a numerous amount of contemporary texts based off this genre including Tim Burton’s â€Å" Vincent†. In this presentation I h ope to engage you in the history of the gothic genre. GothicRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart1104 Words   |  5 PagesPoe Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis began with Sigmund Freud, also known as the founding father of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a method for treating mental illness and also a theory which explains human behavior. (McLeod) Freud broke his theory into 3 different levels, Id, Ego, and Superego. Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and the â€Å"Cask of Amontillado† focused deep into these levels of psychoanalysis specifically the superego and the id. Freud explained that our superego is our conscienceRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart 1560 Words   |  7 Pagesbelong to Mr. Poe. You see, Edgar Allan Poe is still one of the greatest masters of enticing emotion into readers. Whether it is psychological fear in short stories like Bernice and The Pit and the Pendulum or poetry about death, sadness, and love. But, Poe really does raise the bar when it comes to mystery in his poetry. From houses suddenly combusting in The Fall of the House of Usher and uncanny deliriums in The Tell-Tale Heart, mysteries of all kinds encompass Poe s works. Poe has mastered theRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart957 Words   |  4 Pageswhether madness is or is not the loftiness of intelligence,† (Edgar Allan Poe). Edgar Allan Poe is a well known and beloved writer of the horrid and meticulous. Through emphasis on his personal life and personal insanity, we get a glimpse inside the world that might be our own minds as well as stories that teach us life lessons as well as make our blood curdle and ponder over the deep emotions of Poe’s life. Stories such as the Tell-Tale Heart teach us of these life lessons. In this story the narrator Analysis Of The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe In Edgard Allan Poe The Tell-Tale Heart I do believe the narrator is insane, first off he starts the story by saying I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?. He also goes on to say observe how healthily how calmly I can tell you the whole story . In just the first paragraph of the story the narrator says he hears all things that could mean voices or even things regular people cant hear. He then says he can tell you the story very calmly as if he knows he is insane and is trying to convince us of his sanity. What also convinces me that he is insane is that fact that he says I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no†¦show more content†¦When the police come to check the home after being called by a neighbor because they heard a shriek he says I smiled, for what had I to fear?. That is proof that he is mad he is very calm after killing and dismembering the old mans body. in the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them there to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corps of the victim. . The Narrator felt very confidante. The thought of his success on killing the old man felt like a triumph that he even placed the seats for the officers to sit right above where the old mans dismembered body laid. With all that confidence and probably adrenalin running through his body from killing the old man, he is pushing his limits and testing his luck only mad men and insane people do that. After the officers stay longer then he likes he begins to hear ringing in his ears. I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased. No matter how hard he tried he kept hearing the noise. The narrator is starting to hear this noise in his head associating it to the old mans heartbeat. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty god! No, no! They heard! They suspected! They knew! They were making a mockery of my horror!. I admitted the deed tear up the planks! Here, here! It is the beating of his hideous heart!. He could no longer stand the noise ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Edgar Allan Poe - the Tell-Tale Heart1365 Words   |  6 PagesAnalytical Essay of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart This Edgar Allan Poe’s short story indicates the narrator as the prime character in this story, who describes himself as a sane man, as he expresses in the first sentence, yet he shows a horrifying thing as a proof. Poe presents this story with its frightening atmosphere, full of contradiction and symbolism, so it causes us to be more accurate in interpreting every single part of the story. It tends to demand us, as the reader, to be moreRead MoreAnalysis of Edgar Allan Poe - the Tell-Tale Heart1353 Words   |  6 PagesAnalytical Essay of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart This Edgar Allan Poe’s short story indicates the narrator as the prime character in this story, who describes himself as a sane man, as he expresses in the first sentence, yet he shows a horrifying thing as a proof. Poe presents this story with its frightening atmosphere, full of contradiction and symbolism, so it causes us to be more accurate in interpreting every single part of the story. It tends to demand us, as the reader, to be moreRead MoreAnalysis Of The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1361 Words   |  6 Pagesher sin of adultery is revealed, although the father of the illegitimate child remains unknown to the town. In The Tell-Tale Heart, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator murders an elderly man in the middle of the night and attempts to cover up his crime. Hawthorne and Poe use the psychological torment and suffering of Arthur Dimmesdale and the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart to convey that hiding one’s sinful actions from society leads to the strong emotions of pain and guilt, demonstratingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1073 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Ha! Would a madman have been so wise as this†. Edgar Allan Poe is an American poet and writer who creates imaginative stories to entice the reader. The narrator of Poe’s â€Å"A Tell-Tale Heart†, an unstable man who tries to convince himself and the readers otherwise, is similar to the main character of â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, who is also psychotic. Both narrators have a dark side which contributes to Poe’s sinister style. Poe integrates an ominous setting and characters to create a dramatic effectRead MoreAnalysis Of The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1943 Words   |  8 Pagesmakes the (unfinished sentence). One horror text which substantiates the necessity of this technique is the short story â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† by Edgar Allan Poe. This story uses sound descriptions and the rea der’s imagination, which creates sound effects for the reader, to add suspense to the story. The narrator describes the sound he believes is the beating of the old man’s heart, which drives him to become even more insane than he already is. In lines 171-174 it states, â€Å"I talked more freely to getRead MoreComparitve Analysis of the Raven Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe1257 Words   |  6 PagesComparative Analysis of the Tell Tale Heart and the Raven Edgar Allen Poe was the author of several daunting works of literature. Two examples of Edgar Allen Poes literature are The Tell Tale Heart and The Raven. If we compare these two works, one a short story and the other a poem, we will see that Poe shows great mastery of symbolism, as well as other forms of literary technique. In these two stories, many people would say that Poe uses the tales to reflect the way he perceivesRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart 1291 Words   |  6 Pagessecrets hidden in the story line that does it? Individually when each of you close your eyes and visualise a book that has been flicked by hundreds and has been adored what comes to mind? The famous Edgar Allan Poe stands out in the history of gothic texts, especially his novel the â€Å" Tell-Tale Heart†. However there is a numerous amount of contemporary texts based off this genre including Tim Burton’s â€Å" Vincent†. In this presentation I h ope to engage you in the history of the gothic genre. GothicRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart1104 Words   |  5 PagesPoe Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis began with Sigmund Freud, also known as the founding father of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a method for treating mental illness and also a theory which explains human behavior. (McLeod) Freud broke his theory into 3 different levels, Id, Ego, and Superego. Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and the â€Å"Cask of Amontillado† focused deep into these levels of psychoanalysis specifically the superego and the id. Freud explained that our superego is our conscienceRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart 1560 Words   |  7 Pagesbelong to Mr. Poe. You see, Edgar Allan Poe is still one of the greatest masters of enticing emotion into readers. Whether it is psychological fear in short stories like Bernice and The Pit and the Pendulum or poetry about death, sadness, and love. But, Poe really does raise the bar when it comes to mystery in his poetry. From houses suddenly combusting in The Fall of the House of Usher and uncanny deliriums in The Tell-Tale Heart, mysteries of all kinds encompass Poe s works. Poe has mastered theRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart957 Words   |  4 Pageswhether madness is or is not the loftiness of intelligence,† (Edgar Allan Poe). Edgar Allan Poe is a well known and beloved writer of the horrid and meticulous. Through emphasis on his personal life and personal insanity, we get a glimpse inside the world that might be our own minds as well as stories that teach us life lessons as well as make our blood curdle and ponder over the deep emotions of Poe’s life. Stories such as the Tell-Tale Heart teach us of these life lessons. In this story the narrator

Study of Dignity First Fund

Question: Discuss about the Study of Dignity First Fund. Answer: Introduction This project is based on providing homes to the homeless people in Queensland, Australia. This will require a suitable management plan that needs to be executed accurately in order to avoid excessive expenses and unwanted situations. In this project, homes will be built for the homeless people in the state of Queensland. It has been estimated from the survey that around 20,000 people are homeless in Queensland including children and families. The available budget for the project is $20,000,000. This report is based on preparing a suitable management plan for the project including some cost and budget estimations. Management Plan As per the objective of the project, several houses will be built for assisting the homeless people in Queensland, Australia. However, this will require a suitable management plan that needs to be executed accurately in order to avoid excessive expenses and unwanted situations. For the management plan, several factors are to be considered. These are follows. In Scope The following activities will be within the scope of the project. Survey of the total number of homeless men, women and children in the area where the project will be executed (for this project, it will be Queensland, Australia) Analysis of the requirements of the homes for the homeless people (single men and women, families and others will require different types of homes) Analysis and estimation of resources and labor required for the execution of the project Executing the project according to the plan Out of Scope The following factors will be out of scope for this project. Building of other utilities are out of scope of this project Supply of food and other domestic requirements are out of scope of this project Construction of an education system (school) for the homeless children are out of scope of the project Work Plan Based on the in scope, out scope activities and the available budget, the following work plan is to be executed. According to the project objective, homes will be built for the homeless people in the state of Queensland. It has been estimated from the survey that around 20,000 people are homeless in Queensland including children and families. The available budget for the project is $20,000,000. Hence, this budget is to be evenly adjusted for completing all the deliverables of the project. Of the 20,000 people, there are 3000 single men or women and 5000 families of 2, 3 or more members. Hence, 3000 single room homes and 5000 multiple room homes are required. Estimating there are 8000 homes to be built, a suitable area of land is to be procured. It has to be ensured that this area is well connected to public utility services and transport. Moreover, there should be adequate supply of food and water as well as opportunities for work. While building the homes, it is to be ensured that the homes are built with sufficiently good quality of materials. Human Resource Management Plan In any project, a human resource management plan is necessary in order to manage the people involved in the execution of the project. The following human resource management plan can be followed in order to execute the project in the right manner. Upper Management Team (Higher Authority) This is the highest level of the project management system consisting of the project manager, chief accountant, human resources executive (HR) and project evaluators. The project manager is responsible for preparation of the project plan and handing the plan to all the related members of the project. Moreover, the project manager is responsible for approval of any activity related to the project. The chief accountant is responsible for management and allocation of the resources to the project working team. The human resource executive is responsible for appointing all the workers who will work on the project including on-site manager, engineers, house builders and others. Finally, the project evaluators will have to keep tabs on the progress of the project and send daily progress reports to the project manager. Project Execution Management Team This management team is responsible for executing the project on the selected site and consists of engineers (civil and electrical), on-site managers and working team leaders. The civil engineers will prepare blueprints of all the homes that are to be built over the procured land and the electrical engineers will have to prepare a plan for the supply of electricity in the homes. On-site managers will convey daily work orders to the working team leaders. Moreover, in case of requirement of extra resources, the on-site managers will have to report to the project manager for procurement of those resources. On-site managers will also be responsible for procurement of building resources like cement, bricks, stone chips, mechanical instruments and others. The working team leaders will have to lead the workers in the building of the homes according to the prepared project plan. Workers and Volunteers The workers are responsible for building the homes according to the blueprints on the selected piece of land. These workers include masons, electrical technicians, plumbers and mechanical equipments experts. Some volunteers will also be involved for setting up the safety measures and other utility services for the workers during the construction phase. However, random people will not be appointed in any role. The higher authority will be selected among the experienced project managers and other personnel from the company. They will analyze the requirements of the human resources of the project and will appoint workers and other personnel in respective posts after thorough interview and discussion sessions. Cost Management Plan Cost management plan is an essential plan in any project and hence, a suitable cost management plan is necessary. There are two methodologies for the preparation of cost management plan. One of them is bottom up spending cost approach. In this approach, the aggregate spending plan is assessed and then apportioned to each of the divisions in the overall plan of the project. For example, if the bottom up approach is utilized as a part of this project, costs for each of the exercises in the project will be assessed one by one. After every one of the expenses is evaluated, all of the expenses estimation will be added to create a final assessed spending plan. This spending estimation report will be sent to the higher authority (project manager) for endorsement and assignment of the resources. There is another approach called top down approach. In this specific approach, at initially, the general evaluated spending plan is figured from estimation of various costs. After that, from the general spending plan, resources are apportioned to every office for spending in their exercises. The fundamental disadvantage of this approach is that the general spending plan is evaluated before real estimation of resources required for each of the exercises. Thus, over the span of some occasion or action, the apportioned resource may get utilized completely. For this, additional resources are required and this costs a considerable measure of time and also additional resources. Since, the overall budget is already fixed in this project, the top down approach is to be followed. According to the project report, the total allocated budget for the project is $20,000,000. This budget will be divided and allocated to the working departments of the projects as well as the salary department for payment of wages to the workers and other external personnel. The following cost management plan is to be followed for this project. Budget Activity $20,000,000 Overall Budget -$10,000,000 Procurement of Building Materials (cement, bricks, stone chips) -$500,000 Rents for Mechanical Equipments like Crane, Mortar, Cement Blender, Welder and Others -$6,000,000 Land Costs -$2,500,000 Wages $1,000,000 Remaining Balance The remaining balance is estimated to be $1,000,000. This balance is needed to be kept so that some amount of resources can be allocated to a department in case of urgent extra expenses or accidents. All the values in the table are estimated and may differ based on the progress of the project. Cost Baseline and Funding Requirements: Cost Baseline For the preparation of the cost baseline graph, a basic cost expense planning is necessary. This is shown in the following table. Cost Time $500,000 1st Month $700,000 2nd Month $4,300,000 3rd Month $10,000,000 4th Month $3,000,000 5th Month $500,000 6th Month Figure: Cost Baseline Graph (Source: Created by Author) In the cost baseline graph, the expenses have been plotted against the month of project activity. The project is estimated to be completed in six months and the project costs will be managed accordingly. From the overall $20,000,000 budget, it has been estimated that $19,000,000 will be spent on the course of six months in which, the 4th and 5th months will encounter maximum expenses as they coincide with the construction phase of the homes. The graphical representation gives an estimated idea regarding estimations in each month. Funding Requirements The funding requirements call for proper allocation of funds according to the needs of each activity in the project. If there is no parity in the funding to each department, the project will not be successful. For instance, providing a department with excess funds than required will result in loss of resource while providing insufficient funds to a department will result in incomplete works in the project. In order to avoid this situation, a suitable funding structure is to be followed. For this particular project, the funding structure to be followed is as follows. The overall budget for the project is $20,000,000. This budget will have to be segmented and allocated to the different departments of the projects and some amount will have to be saved for cases of emergency. The project manager will analyze the estimated resources for each department and will prepare a funding requirement plan. After the funds are ready to be allocated, the accountant and HR manager will allocate respective parts of funds to the team leaders of the working teams. However, whole amount of funds should not be allocated together. The funds should be made available phase by phase after project progress is reviewed by the project manager. In cases of emergency requirements of funding, the approval of the project manager will be needed before funds are handed over to a department. Conclusion In this project, a suitable management plan has been provided. This includes the project management plan, human resource management plan and the cost estimation plan. Although the cost values are estimated, care should be taken so that these values are not exceeded by large margins as the total budget for the project is fixed. Moreover, the human resource management plan is to be followed strictly in order to enhance the quality and ensure the success of the project. Bibliography Burke, R., 2013. Project management: planning and control techniques.New Jersey, USA. Fewings, P., 2013.Construction project management: An integrated approach. Routledge. Fields, E., 2015. Why not have free housing for all?.Green Left Weekly, (1072), p.9. Goodman, L.J., 2012.Project Planning and Management: An Integrated System for Improving Productivity. Springer Science Business Media. Hwang, B.G. and Ng, W.J., 2013. Project management knowledge and skills for green construction: Overcoming challenges.International Journal of Project Management,31(2), pp.272-284. Kerzner, H.R., 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Parsell, C., Jones, A. and Head, B., 2013. Policies and programmes to end homelessness in Australia: Learning from international practice.International Journal of Social Welfare,22(2), pp.186-194. Reddy, D.C., 2015. Planning and management of rural development projects an action research in Kurnool district AP. Rees-Caldwell, K. and Pinnington, A.H., 2013. National culture differences in project management: Comparing British and Arab project managers' perceptions of different planning areas.International Journal of Project Management,31(2), pp.212-227. Rieger, J., Stanley, J. and Traynor, R., 2014. Project planning and management for ecological restoration. Schwalbe, K., 2015.Information technology project management. Cengage Learning. Sears, S.K., Sears, G.A., Clough, R.H., Rounds, J.L. and Segner, R.O., 2015.Construction project management. John Wiley Sons. Verzuh, E., 2015.The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley Sons. Walker, A., 2015.Project management in construction. John Wiley Sons.

Zephaniah Essays - Twelve Minor Prophets, Book Of Zephaniah

Zephaniah ZEPHANIAH A. Judgment upon all nations, especially upon Judah: 1. The word of the Lord came to the prophet 2. The whole world to be punished for ignoring the moral law of the universe. 3. The judgement will fall especially upon Jerusalem and Judah 4. The judgment is described 5. The day of judgment is near and its devastation will be great B. A plea for repentance: 1. All the people of earth are to consider their ways 2. Punishment on many nations, beginning with the Philistines 3. Moab and Ammon also to be punished 4. Jehovah will demonstrate once again his power over idols 5. Ethiopians and Assyrians to be destroyed 6. If God punishes heathens for their immorality, his covenant people will surely not escape 7. God's righteous judgments on heathen nations should cause Judah to reconsider and repent C. Promise of future blessings for Israel and the whole world 1. Israel to be restored 2. Israel to be purified 3. Israel to be comforted and blessed Zephaniah the prophet, the opening verse of the book Zephaniah is given a genealogy stretching back four generations. Starting with the son of Cushi. Cushi could be a personal name, but also means Ethiopian . This raises the question as to whether an editor thought that someone who may have come from foreign, perhaps immigrant stock needed a longer pedigree to justify his true Jewishness. Zephaniah is also the great-grandson of Hezekiah; giving rise to speculation as to whether this was King Hezekiah. So Zephaniah and Josiah, king of Judah could have been contemporaries. Zephaniah prophesized during the time of Josiah, sometime between 640-609 B.C.E.. Zephaniah has received minimal critical attention. Even those who write about Zephaniah have little regard for its uniqueness. Note the words of Frank Eakin, who says 'Thus we recognize that there was little that was new in the message of Zephaniah. Primarily he built upon the prophetic mentality developed before his time' . Zephaniah opens his prophecy with an announcement of doom. It begins with broad panorama ( all living beings ) then moves to a much narrow focus ( Judah and Jerusalem ) to those who engage in idolatry and syncretistic religious practices Zephaniah speaks specifically of three types of idolatrous worship which have three loci: Baal worship, conducted in the temple; astral worship, practiced on the rooftops; and the ritual dedicated to the Molekh, performed in the valley of Ben Hinnom. The Day of the Lord is described in graphic detail. Destruction spreads through Jerusalem's business district and wealthy residential areas from northwest ( the Fish Gate ) to the southwest ( the Mishneh ) to the south and southeast. The destruction is characterized by its sound, wailing and crashing. Sound is also the feature of the day itself, a day of trumpet blast and siren. Along with sound comes sight, or the absence of clear sight, darkness and gloom, clouds and fog, and finally people walking like the blind. In the aftermath homes will be destroyed, possessions plundered, the victims will wander blindly and will be killed. The whole land will be consumed. The underlying image is that of war . The time of punishment is imminent, the day of the wrath of the Lord draws swiftly near. The humble of the land ( poor ) or those loyal to God are urged to seek safety from the oncoming destruction. If they seek the Lord then perhaps they will escape the disaster. The totality and finality of the prophecy of destruction is moderated by a ray of last-minute hope. There is, perhaps a call to repent, or perhaps it is just encouragement for the faithful. There is no absolute guarantee of escape, only the possibility. The last section of the book of Zephaniah marks a reversal of its previous parts. The theme of this section is joyful. Jerusalem shall sing, for her sentence has been commuted and her enemies removed . God will rejoice over Jerusalem, with whom he is reunited. The gentle nations will be converted, and the faithful, righteous remnant of Judah will be saved and renowned again among the peoples of the world I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the Lord. I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the