The Islamic Hegemony Essay Example for Free

The Islamic Hegemony Essay The course of world history could have been altered if a single detail in the events in the 1200’s was changed or did not happen, or a decision was roughly executed at the wrong time, place and situation. Other races or nations may have been the world’s superpower today if the right opportunities were present at that time, and it only means that what could be happening today may be reversed in an instant as not a single nation holds the monopoly of societal change. The world we know today could have been much different if Genghis Khan’s attempt to destroy the Persian Empire was defeated. In the next sections we will present a historical alteration of events and hypothesize on the consequences of Genghis Khan’s defeat with its repercussions on the political, cultural and economic environment of the present. Islamic armies have conquered much of the Central Asian region and converted the population to Islam before the Mongolian invasion of Persia in the 1200’s which halted the Muslim expansion. Whenever these Muslim warriors went, torture, massacre and abuse on the different nomadic tribes, Turkish, Mongolian and other non-Muslim people were perpetuated. The affair on the Silk Road was the only event which altered the course of history. If Genghis Khan was not able to defeat the Persians, it would have been possible that the Islamic Empire expanded East ward without facing any formidable resistance. China in 1279 during the Sung Dynasty has suffered from Mongolian attacks hence any organized resistance would be impossible and the disoriented armies formed to oppose the Muslims would be severely annihilated en masse. The possibility was great that the combined forces of Khwarazmian Empire’s of Shah Muhammad II of Eastern Iran and the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad could take hold of the territories that the Mongolian hordes have reached; India, China, Central Asia and farther up in Poland. Without the emergence of Pax Mongolica (Phillips 32), Muslim influence could have reached a vast expanse in Asia, Eurasia and the Caucasus for it was evident that the Muslim armies converted to Islam every nation or kingdom that they had conquered under the scimitar and the green flag. Thus, we would be having two of the world’s most populous nations (China and India) under Muhammad’s doctrines and such could greatly alter the balance of power in the contemporary history. With Islam as the world’s leading religion in terms of the number of believers. The factor that could have attributed to the Islamic success in dispersing its culture and belief is that unlike the Mongolians, who subscribed to the cultures of the conquered lands, they brought along with tem an organized religion and culture paired with iron will to impose their belief and culture by the sword. Later in Kublai Khan’s rule, he had planned to conquer Japan from the Korean Peninsula but was halted when the Mongolian fleet was destroyed by a typhoon. The Mongol leader attacked in 1274 but was unsuccessful due to a hurricane, known to the Japanese as the winds of the Kamikaze. Eight years later, Kublai struck again launching the largest naval brigade prior to the 1700s. However, the Mongol fleet was sunk by another massive hurricane. After these two disastrous failures, Kublai deserted his plans for the conquest of Japan. (Hooker 2) Imagine when the Islamic conquerors have annexed China into the Islamic sphere of influence with the Arabian dynasty on its helm, we would have a Muslim Japan, which is another world superpower today. With the occupation of China and Japan, it would have been easier for the Arab converters to take hold of South East Asian countries like Philippines, Indonesia and the Indochina and monopolize the political and religious power in the region, blocking the European colonial powers from acquiring their colonies (Dutch East Indies, Indochina and Philippines) in the early part of the 14th century. On the other side of the picture, Muslim armies were also waging a war in the Iberian Peninsula, taking Portugal and Spain from their bases in Egypt and North Africa. This could have spelled total disaster for the Christian armies that were also engaged in the Crusades aimed at retaking the Holy Land from the combined armies of different caliphates and kingdoms in the Middle East. This would be greatly altered in the event that the Islamic armies would be concentrated on the expansion in the European kingdoms. Europe at that time was facing constant disputes on its closely knitted states and principalities hence the political atmosphere was not conducive to economic activities. Without trade from the East (mainly referred to the Silk Road) the mercantile economy was paralyzed. The Mongol hordes rampaged Europe with: †¦A massive raid rather than a complete occupation; nevertheless, the picture she paints is chilling. Driving across the North German plain, the same route Cold War planners pictured for a Soviet invasion, the Mongols would have made use of expert reconnaissance to target plunder and grazing land. They would have sacked Belgium and Holland, destroying the embryonic financial centers of Europe. They would have turned south into France, destroying Paris and with it the revival of ancient philosophy that it would have hosted a few decades later. Perhaps they would have crossed the Alps and ravaged Italy, destroying the other birthplaces of the Renaissance†¦The Dark Ages were pure light compared to what could have happened (Dutch) With such factors, the European nations would not be able to reach a stage of economic growth. The Anglo Saxon and European kingdoms were limited to self-preservation and busied with internal conflicts, so if ever the Arabian Empire would pose a threat to the continent, the nations would not be able to respond accordingly. Though these nations were not totally annexed by the Arabian Empire, the age of explorations will not be like what it was in real history. The colonial powers of Europe may have not conquered parts of Africa because of a strong Islamic influence on the continent brought about by the healthy trade relations with the caliphates and emirates in the Islamic world. The Asian continents were already fortified with Islamic sultanates that had ensued from China, which was already an Islamic territory. The discovery of the New World may have not been possible because of the diverted attention of the European nations from exploration to warfare and territorial defense. The effects of these events could have paralyzed the entire European economy as they were scuttling for raw materials for their industries and caused a crisis in the production system making wars of aggression and annexation more often. It should be noted that the Crusades were, hypothetically, defeated by the Muslim armies thus, the Holy Land was in the sole custody of an Islamic state in the Palestine. If that was what had happened, there is a strong probability that the Zionist Israel will not exist therefore a more peaceful Middle East. It was also likely that the strong Islamic states have maintained the sovereignty of their oil resources and subsequently created a more prosperous oil industry free of European influences. Hence, the events that could have transpired in the 1200’s would have created a new world order wherein the Islamic culture is dominant. The majority of the world’s population could have been Muslims and with such superiority in number religious discrimination would be inexistent. It could have been possible that a nation in Middle East is today’s superpower not the United States. Such was the gravity of the alterations in world affairs that even as we speak, we would be subscribing to Arabic-speaking television networks. The dynamism of history is truly fragile. There are many possibilities in the historical development of human societies and each would yield another result. Works Cited Dutch, Steven. The Mongols. (1998). May 23, 2008 http://www. uwgb. edu/dutchs/WestTech/xmongol. htm. Hooker, Richard. The Establishment of the Bakufu. Japan, Korea and the Mongols. May 23, 2008 http://www. wsu. edu/~dee/FEUJAPAN/KAMAKURA. HTM. Phillips, E. D. The Mongols. Vol. 2. New York: Frederick A. Prager, 1969.

Life with a Siberian Husky Essay example -- essays research papers

Life with a Siberian Husky I really had no idea what I was getting intowhen I decided to get a Siberian Husky for a pet. Don't get me wrong: Iwouldn't trade him for anything and I love him dearly, but this animal has hisown plan - his own agenda. The last three years of my life have been anawakening to the downright mischievous nature of these dogs. I've met other Husky owners and they all have the same stories of their dogs running away and possessing the trademark Husky stamina. They also tell of the little idiosyncrasies, such as their dogs "talking" and the way Huskies know when you're speaking about them when they are in the room. All of these owners are amazed at the Houdini-like capabilities these dogs have to help them escape any enclosure. I have a few entertaining stories of my own about my Husky, Khayman. First of all, he is the dog that everyone loves and no one wants to own. I can barely get anyone to watch him for more than ten minutes. It's not that Khayman is a mean animal--he isn't--he is just clever. Part of the reason everyone likes him is because of his looks, but mostly he's got a lot of personality. His bandit mask and two different colored eyes (blue and brown) get him attention, pats on the head, dog biscuits at the gas station, and royal treatment whenever anyone finds him on his escapades (which, mind you, have been many). His first escapades didn't take him far, mostly running down the street a few blocks after bum rushing the...

What Gives Us More Satisfaction: the Pursuit of Our Desires?

What gives us more satisfaction: the pursuit of our desires or the attainment of them? People have diverse definitions of happiness. Psychologists relate happiness to emotions and feelings of gratification. Economists define happiness in terms of wealth of individuals. Some people attribute happiness to attainment of desires. Some others believe that satisfaction lies in accepting the fact that human life is miserable and expectations just betray men. But where does real happiness and satisfaction lie?Although attainment is the objective of every pursuit and sense of accomplishment is an ingredient for further progress but still desires and destinations don’t completely satisfy humans yet it is the pursuit which instills a positive attitude towards life and struggle, makes the process enjoyable, it explores ones capabilities and eventually enables humans to transcend from petty pleasures to the higher purposes of their life. Happiness is not something to be derived from achiev ements as such; rather it comes after the pursuer who knuckles down for his desires.The proponents of attainment of desires say that achievement of desires, the motive of every pursuit, is the only way to happiness. They support their claim by saying that achievement is the final point of all human actions done in regard to pursuit of particular desire and outcome is what determines happiness not the pursuit. They exemplify that people and nations who have attained more are better than those who have attained less. Some economists went so far to claim that GDP and GNP can also measure the happiness level of nation. However, supporters of this point of view fallaciously ascribe happiness and pleasure to attainment.Attainment does not necessarily give us happiness and contentment. Furthermore, the example that they cite to support their point is hardly persuasive. This can be proven by the recent study conducted by WHO on over 90000 citizens of various countries. The study found that affluent nations like France (21 percent), New Zealand (18. 2 percent) and the United States (19. 2 percent) had the highest depression rates and people are unsatisfied for their lives, while lower-income countries such as China (6. 5 percent) and Mexico (8 percent) had the lowest incidences of depression. This discontentment is ecause the man, who acquires things easily, cannot stay satisfied and contented for long. Pursuit is better than attainment in the sense that they keep a person alive and satisfied in his work and also synergize his desires in accordance to his pursuit and eventually give him a bigger reward. Sense of accomplishment no doubt comes with attainment of desires and tangible success. Humans feel confident when they have success. Their achievement brings a positive attitude, and proud feeling. Still it would be quite superficial to say that attainment can give a kind of lasting happiness.In fact accomplishment and the happiness associated with it are based little on the net outcome but the way we reach our outcome. Thomas Paine rightly says, â€Å"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly† (qtd. in Bogle 36). It is our pursuit and hard struggle that gives everything its meaning and contribute to human happiness. For instance, Sir Edmund Percival Hillary would have no charm in conquering Mount Everest if he could do it by an elevator; similarly there is no point in conquering moon and mars if humans could do it as easily as climbing on the roof of house.The greater the pursuit involved in any achievement the greater the charm, thrill and pleasure of doing it. Furthermore, it is human nature to want what we don’t have. Human brain values distant things very attractively and our imagination also magnifies the importance of that particular desire in our mind. We struggle for things but once achieved they lose their fervor. This is the time when the person who exclusively focuses on attainment realizes that human life is a wretched life and desires don’t satisfy us. These are mere illusions which keep us busy.However, the person who has struggled for the thing has enjoyed the whole pursuing process and he is satisfied because his struggle, irrespective of outcome, has proved his capabilities and hard work. Pursuit of goals provides humans with real pleasure by giving him bigger success. Pursuit is not only the struggle but it is a whole paradigm which can inspire a person to keep working hard to achieve his goal and redefine the new goals after the achievement. Pursuit oriented persons dream bigger in life and they are more idealistic in their approach.It’s in fact the unending pursuit that bears the sweet fruit of extraordinary success and satisfaction. For instance, Alexander Fleming, Nobel laureate in medicine, never knew that he would win Nobel Prize. He even never aimed at discovering the Penicillin. He was just pursuing his inter est of studying microorganisms with devotion. The discovery of Penicillin, the noble prize and the title ‘Father of Biology’ were the by-products of his pursuit (Sir Alexander Fleming – Biography). Another point illustrating importance of pursuits is that pursuit has many gains in addition to the goal. It has content in itself.It is human nature that he finds himself satisfied in efforts towards his goals. â€Å"The human animal, like others, is adapted to a certain amount of struggle for life, and when by means of great wealth homo sapiens can gratify all their whims without effort, the mere absence of effort from his life removes an essential ingredient of happiness† (Russell 30). Thus, people enjoy the hard work only when they are interested in pursuits rather than in desire. History shows various relevant examples, â€Å"Louis Pasteur was so buried in his work on his wedding day that he entirely forgot the ceremony and had to be fetched by a friendâ⠂¬  (Avery).Similarly, John Nash, a great economist, found that his interests, fun and pleasure lie in Economics and its understanding. It is the pursuit which gives Stephen Hawking enough pleasure and happiness that despite of all his physical disabilities he is still living a contented, meaningful and productive life. Famous American philosopher and poet, Henry David Thoreau, says, â€Å"Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder† (qtd. n Brentar 36). An attainment oriented person always focuses on the upcoming excitement and pleasure because the purpose of his attainment is neither struggle nor pursuit. But do excitements and luxuries give us happiness? â€Å"A life that is too full of excitement is actually an exhausting life in which continually stronger stimuli are needed to give the thrill that has come to be thought as an essential part of pleasure† (Russell 62). And a time comes when it becomes almost impossible for humans to satisfy themselves with attainment of desires and excitements.For instance, Maharaja Patiala in spite of having all the luxuries and attainments could not withstand boredom and died of unhappiness and discontentment (Collins and Lapierre). For a happy life it is necessary to pursue for desire, as pursuit is never ending and it also modifies your goals and desires. This brings us to conclude that all the extra ordinary successes have been made possible by the great pursuit undertaken by human beings.Pursuit by virtue of stretching the human capabilities beyond their limits, enriching human personality with positive attitude and by creating a balance in life provides us real imperishable happiness. A pursuer finds contentment, learning and development for him in every struggle irrespective of the result. On the other hand an attainment oriented person is more interested in net outcomes, therefore, he finds his happiness confined and diminishing. It is pursuit which makes human entity superior to his attainments and transcends his happiness beyond his desires.

The Charge of the Light Brigade Essay - 1055 Words

The Charge of the Light Brigade War poetry is a theme that has inspired many poets. Compare and contrast poems by 2 poets from different eras and cultures. Say which one you prefer and why. The two poems and the poets that I am going to look at are The Charge of the Light Brigade written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Dulce ET Decorum Est. Pro Patria Mori by Wilfred Owen. The first poem was written during the reign of Queen Victoria in England. During this time the Victorians as the people were called had a very religious outlook on life. The account was written by the poet because it was such a bad battle that the government couldn’t let the people see that it had made a great mistake and so it commissioned Tennyson to†¦show more content†¦In simple terms the battle was a terrible mistake. The poet seems to be telling a story. He doesn’t give any impression of being there. The reader might feel that the poet has no experience of being at the battle. He glorifies the men and the battle as if to hide the mistakes of the commanders and the government, ‘was there a man dismayed?’ The poet use words like ‘Half a league, half a league, half a league,’ which gives the impression like the horses were galloping along. Also other words that he uses in it were ‘Cannon to right of them Cannon to left of them and cannon in front of them. Also some of the words he use to describe what was happening to the solider like Boldly they rode and well into the jaws of death into the mouth of hell. This is describing that they are going to face a lot of trouble. There are also six sections to this poem. An overall description of this poem I find it hard to image it as the words he uses describe it very well so I do no really like the poem. I am now going to describe the Dulce ET Decorum EST Pro Patria Mori poem. This poem is written by Wilfred Owen who was on active service during the First World War. He was a young man and was against the terrible waste of life in the First Would War which he believed was due to bad leadership by the generals. Wilfred Owen was able to experience the war as it really was. The biggest difference between Wilfred Owen and Alfred LordShow MoreRelatedThe Charge Of The Light Brigade865 Words   |  4 Pagespoem The Charge Of The Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson was written to honor those who fought and those who lost their lives in the Battle of Balaclava, the Crimean War. The soldiers Volleyed and thundered (Lord Tennyson, Sum V, 4) through the valley of Death and the mouth of hell. Therefore, The Charge Of The Light Brigade do not glorify the war nor glorifies the war. The title itself can relate to the topic of poem which is basically how the soldiers charged to the Light Brigade. MoreRead MoreThe Charge of the Light Brigade600 Words   |  3 Pages The poem â€Å"The Charge of the Light Brigade† by Alfred Lord Tennyson is about a battle in which a commander commits a faux pas and orders his men to move forward with an defensive strategy that would result with their imminent death. As the poem goes on it tells us that we should honor these men because although they knew their leader had made a life altering decision, they carried through with it due to the fact that he was their leader. Tennyson uses personification, metaphor, imagery, symbolismRead MoreThe Charge of the Light Brigade933 Words   |  4 PagesThe poem The Charge of the Light Brigade uses imagery and figurative language to create the tone of exhilaration and the theme of honouring the qualities of the Light Brigade. The poem is an allusion to an actual light cavalry brigade who fought against the Russian army in the Crimean War. Throughout the poem, the poet uses strong imagery and metaphors to help describe the dangers that the Brigade faced, which in turn explained the reason to honour the Brigade for their victory. Furthermore, theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Charge Of The Light Brigade1434 Words   |  6 PagesThe Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson The charge of the light brigade by Tennyson was written about a disastrous military escapade during the Crimean war. The Crimean war was fought between Russia on one hand and Britain, France and Turkey on the other. The charge of the light brigade occurred in November 1854 at Balaclava in the Crimea. The Earl of Cardigan led the charge, and some six hundred cavalrymen took part in it. The brave 600 rode straight down a valley that was fortified at itsRead MoreThe Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson and The Last of the Light Brigade by Kipling2201 Words   |  9 PagesThe Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson and The Last of the Light Brigade by Kipling Generally both the poems are about very similar things. They are both focused on events relating to the Crimean war. For example The Charge of the Light Brigade is written about an incident in which the soldiers obeyed a clearly ridiculous order. Whereas The Last of the Light Brigade is focused on an event after the war which links to the first poem by describing what has now Read MoreThe Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson Essay1127 Words   |  5 PagesThe Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson The charge of the light brigade by Tennyson was written about a disastrous military escapade during the Crimean war. The Crimean war was fought between Russia on one hand and Britain, France and Turkey on the other. The charge of the light brigade occurred in November 1854 at Balaclava in the Crimea. The Earl of Cardigan ledRead More Analysis of The Charge of the Light Brigade Essay1100 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of The Charge of the Light Brigade This particular poem deals with the unfortunate mistake of Battle of Balaclava in 1854. In an attempt to retrieve their stolen firearms, the British, lead by Lord Raglen, took their light cavalry to the innocent Turkish territory, rather than the guilty Russians. In self-defence Turkey protect themselves by attacking the British troops causing hundreds of deaths but not, not the six hundred. Tennyson uses various techniques to involve the readerRead More The Charge of the Light Brigade and Attack Essay936 Words   |  4 PagesThe Charge of the Light Brigade and Attack The Charge of the light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson and Attack by Siegfried Sassoon are two very dissimilar poems. Both of them are on the same topic of war but have many contrasts in how they treat the subject matter, war. The main difference between these two poems is the audience that they were written for. Tennyson, as poet laureate, was written for public reading, but Sassoons work which showed more emotion and feeling, was thereforeRead More To compare The Charge of the Light Brigade with The Destruction of665 Words   |  3 PagesTo compare The Charge of the Light Brigade with The Destruction of Sennacherib In this essay we are going to be comparing two war poems. They are ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) and ‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’ by Lord Byron (1788-1824). ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ is set in the Crimean war. It is about the British cavalry getting the wrong orders and going straight at the enemy’s cannons. ‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’ is a biblical Read MoreTennyson s The Arrow And The Charge Of The Light Brigade950 Words   |  4 PagesOut of all the poems Tennyson wrote, â€Å"The Eagle† and â€Å"The Charge Of The Light Brigade† was the ones that have been selected. Tennyson was one of the greats that came from the Victorian era. Tennyson wasn’t just known for being a poet, he was also known for writing plays and music. There will be some comparing and contrasting of â€Å"The Eagle† and â€Å"The Charge Of The Light Brigade† on the poetic devices Tennyson used and what inspired him to write both these poems. Tennyson was inspired to write â€Å"The