Theeb (2014) Summary and Review

Theeb (2014) Summary and ReviewBrandon SandersTheeb is a drama thriller fool away directed by Jordanian bring director, Naji Abu Nowar. The fritter is about a young Bedouin boy named Theeb, play by Jacir Eid, who must adventure crossways the large desert of Wadi peculiar. It takes place in the middle east surround World War I and is set during a period know as the Arab Revolt. This was a time when Arab nationalists sought to fight for independence from the fag Empire. They saw an opportunity to be fit to free Arab lands from the control of Turkish oppression, but could only accomplish this with the help of British officials. Which is why Edward, played by English actor Jack Fox, accompanies the boy in the locomote of a lifetime (Stephen 2015 1).Additionally, much of Theeb was filmed in Wadi Rum, located in southern Jordan. Although, it was split up into three locations the first event, Theebs tribal encampment, was spear in Wadi Araba. The second event, the pilgrims trail, w as quip in wadi rum. Finally, the third event, the ottoman fortress, was shot near Amman. This is whiz of the things that attracted me to the film because of how accurate and square(a) to nature the locations were. It wasnt worry they were filming in America trying to portray what happened, instead they chose Wadi Rum which has deep roots in Bedouin history and kitchen-gardening. Another aspect of the film that attracted me was how recent it had been released. Its hard to find foreign films that are contemporary and true to assimilation. What I mean by true to the burnish is they dont use directors or actors from outside the culture because in roughly cases it could lead to inaccuracy or enjoyment of the film, and all the actors were recruited from the Bedouin tribe. Except for Jack fox of course, who played the British soldier. Which is why Theeb was a perfect choice to help describe Bedouin cultural background and meaning.For this reason, it is main(prenominal) to be ab le to understand Bedouin culture to fully notify the film. The Bedouin, a nomadic Arabic-speaking culture from the mall East, are animal herders of the desert. centre they earn their living primarily from animal husbandry by native graze and browse of sheep, goats, and camels (Chatty 2009 1). Traditionally speaking, the Bedouin seasonally migrate over the Middle East and North Africa depending on pasture and water because they need animals for survival. This more or lessly plays into the subsistence of the culture, whereas the core of Bedouin subsistence is pastoral nomadism. Another important aspect of the culture that one should mark off before watching the film is Bedouin history and cultural relations. For the most part, Bedouin societies are always linked to other non-pastoral societies by economic, social, and political relations. nub that they are considered specialist in livestock breeding in damage of local context. This is important when understanding the role of B edouin societies for aspects concerning cultural relations. In addition to this, Bedouin history is largely important. In regards to the film, the most important information to note is the Arab Revolt. The Arab Revolt started in 1916 with the goal of gaining independence from the Ottoman Turks, with the hopes of being able to unite a single Arab state. This largely was due to the appeal of Arab nationalism, and is sometimes referred to as the Arab Awakening (Jones 2013 399-401). In the film, you see the this portrayed in the actors as they fight their way across the desert accompanied by British soldier.In addition to this, there is much cultural meaning with the work. It exemplifies the culture by show history in an accurate setting and utilise actors from a Bedouin tribe to help illustrate Bedouin culture. It portrays to the audience the lifestyle of Bedouin culture by showing accurate representations of camps and implementing core values. Values such as the importance of hospi tality in spite of appearance Bedouin culture. Hospitality is greatly ritualized and taught within the teachings of the Quran. And, for the most part, Bedouin are considered Sunni Muslims and follow the teaching of the Quran. In fact, hospitality is so important that guests must be protected as if they were family members (Chatty 2009 7). The film portrays this accurately with the acceptance of the British soldier, Edward. The film also shows the roles of men, where handed-down Bedouin- Arab families are dominated by males. Also, shown in the film, men are the primary outfitters of war and political issues.Furthermore, this film helps to signify or convey traditional values and history of Bedouin culture by accurately following cultural context and history within the film. Such as Men having dominant roles within the film and showing cultural context such as religious practices of hospitality. It shows the importance and make out of Bedouin history, and makes known the traditiona l aspects within the culture. Traditional aspects such as subsistence, credit and location, history and cultural relations, and religious beliefs and practices.All in all, Theeb is an excellent receive film from Bedouin culture and accurately highlights and shows key aspects of the culture. Furthermore, the film represents a comprehensive message that translates to all cultures. Inspiring perseverance through trials and tribulations and encouraging traditional cultural practices inspiring nationalism. It is a contemporary example that even now films can be made that exemplify culture.CitationsChatty, D. (2009). Culture Summary Bedouin. rising Haven, Conn. Human Relations Area Files. Retrieved from http//ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu/document?id=mj04-000JONES, C., MILTON-EDWARDS, B. (2013). Missing the devils we knew? Israel and political Islam amid the Arab Awakening. internationalist Affairs, 89(2), 399-415. doi10.1111/1468-2346.12024Holden, S. (2015, November 05). Review In T heeb, a Bedouin Boys Brutal Coming-of-Age. Retrieved March 30, 2017, from https//www.nytimes.com/2015/11/06/movies/review-in-theeb-a-bedouin-boys-brutal-coming-of-age.html

Use of Porosity in Public Spaces

Use of Porosity in Public SpacesIntroductionThe connection between the built and the unbuilt / between the indoor and the outdoor/ between the mass and the reduce is a very sensitive and debatable topic.The pass of a quadruplet can be severely affected by the ways its edges ar treated, i.e. by controlling how a person enters/exits the put. Transitional experience plays a vital role in over solely feel and experience of spaces. varied types of spaces require different types of treatments on their edge conditions.Porosity is one of the legion(predicate) guiding factors in designing a space, speci ally universal places, which atomic number 18 the key strategic spaces in providing the bea/ city its character.Not unless does cargonful design of such spaces increase the aesthetic attribute of the place, nevertheless also plays a major role in increase the standards of functionality, safety, quality and many such factors under which a city can be categorised. Porosity, is one s patial quality that can definitely benefit the humankind spaces, specially in places like Delhi, where the individual is getting isolated from the fraternity in his efforts to cope up with the pace of life that the city has to offer.Also, with the increasing gap between the two extreme income groups of the city, the spaces, which atomic number 18 meant to be customary, cater only to a certain section of the society, neglecting those which fail to commit the entrant requirements .Apart from giving spaces back to all the sections of the society, increasing porosity in community spaces can also act as a measure against increasing crime rates in the city, as it opens up the space to a larger section of the society.Topic Porosity in popular spacesResearch Question How can porosity in macrocosm spaces be increased to enhance their utility for the society in familiar ?Public SpacesPublic spaces are an inevitable component of human settlements. Parks, plazas, roads, beaches, etc are typically considered cosmos spaces. They are the common ground for people to move with others, share knowledge or goods, or carry out their nonchalant rituals, be it daily routine or occasional festivities. By definition, they are spaces that should be doorwayible to all the members of the society, irrespective of their economic strength.It was stated that Regarding the cadence of access, usual space is a place which is open to all. This means its resources, the activities that presume place in it, and information about it are available to everybody. Concerning the monetary standard of agency, public space is a place controlled by public actors (i.e., agents or agencies that act on behalf of a community, city, commonwealth or state) and used by the public (i.e., the people in general). As for interest, public space is a place which serves the public interest (i.e., its benefits are controlled and received by all members of the society) (Akkar, Z 2005).Of course, these defin itions refer to an reportl public space, while the urban automated teller is not entirely composed of rigidly public and closed-door spaces instead, it is an union of public and private spaces with different degrees of publicness. Accepting that the relation between public and private space is a continuum, it is possible to define public spaces as having various degrees of publicness. Regarding the dimensions of access, actor and interest, the extent of publicness will depend on third categories the degree to which the public space and its resources, as well as the activities occurring in it and information about it, are available to all the degree to which it is managed and controlled by public actors and used by the public and the degree to which it serves the public interest. lifetime in public spaces, not only has a function in the society as a whole, but it is also a abounding source of individual amusement, pleasure and play. One criticism of the prevailing socio-functio nal flak towards urban public space can be that the individuals perspective is much disregarded. To what extent do city dwellers like to meet other urbanites in public places? Hardly any planner, architect or urban executive seems to be interested in that question. Planners and city councils are eager to tattle about public spaces as meeting places. They find it an attractive idea to conceive of public spaces as a unifying element where all sectors of the urban population meet. With the help of that image they can present their cities as communities, despite all the contrasts and differences. Most social scientists dealing with urban public space also tend to regard processes that take place in the public realm as a contribution to the social organization, as a fulfilment of societal needs. This top-down-view, however, neglects the daily users perspective. Do city dwellers inclination to get together with all their co-urbanites? Everybody who has ever been in a city knows the an swer no, certainly not with everyone. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that at least some individuals derive great pleasure from being in public.Whether a space will function well depends on a range of aspects that include scale, use, safety and comfort, density and links. In many cases it is the individuals experience of walking or dancing down a street, and the quality of environment, that is the most(prenominal) important element. Design then becomes about maximizing choice and try to provide for different individuals goals.Problems with public spacesDespite the resurgence of interest in public spaces, urban design and planning litera- ture has frequently hinted at the change magnitude publicness of public spaces in modern cities. Some researchers have pointed out the menace of recent privatization policies, and claimed that public spaces, traditionally open to all segments of the population, are more and more being developed and managed by private agencies to produce profit for the private sector and serve the interests of particular sections of the population (Punter, J 1990). Others have commented on the high degree of control now maintained over access and use of public spaces through surveillance cameras and other measures intended to cleanse their security (Reeve, A 1996). Still others have argued that contemporary public spaces more and more serve a homogenous public and promote social filtering.These open-access public spaces are precious because they enable city residents to move about and take over in recreation and face-to-face communication. But, because an open-access space is one everyone can enter, public spaces are classic sites for tragedy, to invoke Garrett Hardins famous metaphor for a putting green (H, Garrrett 1968, cited Ellickson, R 1996)A space that all can enter, however, is a space that each is tempted to abuse. Societies therefore impose rules-of-the-road for public spaces. While these rules are increasingly articul ated in legal codes, most begin as slack norms of public etiquette (Taylor, R 1984, cited Ellickson, R 1996). Rules of proper street behaviour are not an impediment to freedom, but a foundation of it (Ellickson, R 1996)

Sensorimotor Loss And Hemiplegia Health And Social Care Essay

sensorimotor Loss And Hemip stickia Health And Social C be Essay schoolmaster Scarlet and skipper regretful were working in the intelligence ingredient of Cloud-base when in that location was a terrorist attack by the Mysterons. A bomb change integrity causing the ceiling to collapse trapping both(prenominal) of them under the rubble. Captain Scarlet escaped with only minor injuries but Captain Blue was struck across the shoulders by masonry and piping, which pinned him down. It took several hours to dig him out and when he has pulled free he was unable to move his fortifys or legs. When he arrived at the Cloud-base hospital, he complained of his softness to move and of shooting/burning persistence in both arms. Neurological examination revealed a unexpended unilateral paralysis and remunerate hemipargonsis with a Babinski sign deport bilaterally. hurting adept was anomic from the advanced shoulder downwards. Bladder, bowel and genital reflexes were in like manner a bsent. X-rays of the cervico- thoracic kingdom were taken and subsequently he underwent surgery to remove work up fragments and to energize the cervical spine.A month later, transaction of the right arm and leg had better. Two months after surgery, movement in the right hand had improved further but there was no voluntary movement on the left. Fasciculation of the left deltoid muscle was effect together with spasticity of the left arm and leg, with clonus at the ankle. A Babinski sign remained on the left position. Joint sic sense was present on both sides but pain sense experience was absent on the medial right aspect of the upper right arm, right side of the thorax, abdomen and whole right glower limb. disrespect reassurances from his Colonel that his condition willing improve further, Captain Blue feels that he will never physically recover from his injuries.Organisation of spinal anesthesia anaesthesia anesthesia pileIn its own definition of spinal electric elec tric corduroy, Oxford medical dictionary states The portion of the rudimentary nervous system enclosed in the vertebral column, consisting of nerve mobile phones and bundles of poise connecting all parts of the body together(1). spinal cord is divided into 2 regionsThe colour point It contains the axons of the neurons that make up the descending and ascending tracts obligated for the communication of the spinal cord with the brain. The white matter can be split into the dorsal, the ventral and the lateral funiculous as seen in render 1.The whiten matter contains the following quadruplet path musical modes that argon essential for the scenario and that will be further discussed in the next objective. Each tract carries a particular(prenominal) modality (types of perception) in the brain. The position of each tract in the white matter is seen in come across 2.Dorsal column medial fillet tract (DCML) It is creditworthy for conscious proprioreception and discriminative tou ch. It is split into the gracile and the simple fasiculi which carry these modalities from the lower and upper limbs respectively.Spi nonhalamic tract(STT) It is trustworthy for the pain and temperature sensation.Spinocerebellar tract (SCT) It is obligated for the unconscious proprioception to the cerebellum which controls the co-ordination of movements.The preceding(prenominal) are ascending pathways i.e. they send selective in makeation from the spinal cord to the brain. The following is a descending pathwayCorticospinal tract (CST) It is obligated for sending in exploitation to the spinal cord for controlling voluntary movements of the lower and upper limbs. frame of reference 1 spinal cord transection (2)The Grey matter It mainly consists of neural cell bodies and glial cells. Ten different layers of gray matter called laminae can be distinguished. it is further divided into 3 or 4 regions (depending on the level of the spinal cord) each containing several laminae as see n in Figure 2Superficial dorsal trump It consists of laminae I-II and receives in validation from nociceptors about pain and temperature from Ac and sensory fibers.Deep dorsal horn It consists of laminae III-VI which receive information for touch and conscious proprioreception from the low threshold mechanoreceptors form I sensory fibers.Lateral horn This can be found in the spinal levels T1-L2 and is responsible for the autonomic control as it contains cell bodies of autonomic preganglionic fibers.Ventral horn It consists of laminae VII-IX and contains the cell bodies for -motor neurons that render the muscles, as rise as here the muscle afferents terminate.Figure 2 Organisation of spinal cord (3)Organisation of pathways in Spinal cordEach of the four pathways mentioned above will now be describedDorsal towboat Medial Lemnsicus pathway (4)Figure 4 DCML tract (3)The Information from the cuteneous mechanoreceptors excursion done I fibers in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and provide the dorsal column nuclei.The Axons ascend ipsilaterally the spinal cord.They decussate in the medulla and ascend through medial lemniscuses to the ventroposterolateral nucleus of the thalamus.Then they change of location through the congenital capsule to the primary somatosensory cortex in the postcentral gyrous.Spinothalamic tract (5)Figure 5 STT tract (3)It conveys information such as pain and temperature from nociceptors through C and A fibers to the laminae I-II of the dorsal horn.The axons decussate in the grey commisure of the spinal cord one or two segments above the point of entry.2ndary axons ascend in the lateral lemniscus of the spinal cord and supply the ventroposterolateral nucleus of the thalamus.3rd order axons travel through the internal capsule to primary somatosensory cortex in the postcentral gyrous.Spinocerebellar tract (6)Figure 6 STT tract (7)It conveys information for unconscious proprioception from the muscle mechanoreceptors and through I f ibers in the deep dorsal horn.The axons ascend in the dorsal columns and innervate the Clarkes columns.This pathway does not decussate.The axons enter the cerebellum through the inferior pudencle.Corticospinal tract (8)Figure 7 STT tract (3)It curries information from the primary motor cortex in the precentral gyrous to the ventral horns of the spinal cord and from there through - motor neurons to the muscles.The axons from the pre-central gyrous devour through the internal capsule and decussate at the spino-medullary junction to form the pyramidal tract.From there they descend in the lateral corticospinal tract to innervate -motor neurons nuclei in the ventral horn.-motor neurons travel in the body and innervate the muscles. formulate the symptoms DiagnosisBelow are listed and explained the symptoms scored by the spinal combat injury endowment a possible diagnosis at the end. The symptoms of Captain Blue are referable to the damage of the spinal cord ca employ by the verteb rae beat fragments.Symptoms invoiceInitial inability to move and shooting pains in both armsThese are due to the spinal shock (9). This causes temporarily discharge of function of the whole spinal cord. As a result, there is a loss of ability of voluntary control to all body give the impression of muscle flaccid paralysis. Also there is loss of sensation and in this case there is a shooting pain in both arms. The spinal shock usually starts to face off in one day and gradually the reflexes, the control of movement and the sensation in the undamaged part are gained back.Babinski sign bilaterally. Clonus in the ankle and spasticity of the left arm and legThe Babinski reflex is a polysynaptic reflex evoked when there is nocturnous stimuli on the sole of the foot. The normal Babinski reflex causes withdrawal of the foot with adduction and inflection of the toes. An abnormal Babinski sign is one that shows abduction and extension of the toes of the foot when the foot is withdrawn. In neonates it is normal to show an abnormal Babinski reflex as their corticospinal tract has not yet matured (10).Clonus is a series of contraction when the muscle is stretched.Spastisity is increase muscle tone.All the above are indicators of an upper motor neuron lesion and indicate a possible damage on the corticospinal tracts of the spinal cord.FasciculationsFasciculations are spontaneous, involuntary muscle contractions that can be seen below the skin. These are due to spontaneous firing of damaged -motor neurons. These are caused by the damage on the ventral horn where the -motor neurons synapse with the descending tracts.Left hemiplegia and right hemiparesis. after(prenominal) two months right hand movements are improved.Hemiplegia is the complete inability of the voluntary movement of the one side of the body whereas hemiparesis is the weakness in movement.As concluded above there is damage in the CST of the spinal cord. This causes ipsilateral loss of movement below the le vel of lesion. Left hemiplegia indicates that there is a lesion on the left side of the spinal cord as the CST decussates in the medulla. The right hemiparesis is due to the initial spinal shock.Pain sensation lost from the right shoulder downwardsThe loss of sensation indicates damage of the spinothalamic tract. The loss of sensation is on the right side as the lesion is on the left part of the spinal cord. This is due to the fact that STT decussates in the spinal cord. The level of loss of pain sensation is an indicator of the possible level of lesion. The shoulder region is innervated by the C5 level. Therefore, this is probably the level of injury.Bladder, bowel and genital reflexes were absentBladder, bowel and genital reflexes are autonomic reflexes controlled by the brain. In the lateral horn of thoracolumbar and sacral levels, autonomic preganglionic fibers originate and innervate the organs.In more detail, parasympathetic performance in men is responsible for arousal where as sympathetic activity is necessary for ejaculation and orgasm. Autonomic activity in bowel and bladders controls the muscles responsible for defecation and dieresis respectively.A lesion in the spinal cord can damage the pathway and result in incontinence of bladder and impotency for men.Joint position sense was present on both sides but pain sensation was absent on the medial right aspect of the right arm, right thorax, abdomen right lower limb.Information for joint position is ascending to the brain through the DCML tract. This means that this pathway is not damaged. On the other hand as explained above, pain sensation travels in the CTT which is damaged.In Figure 8, there is a body map showing the area affected as farthermost as motor movement is concerned (solid brown area), and the area of impair sensation. On the right, is the area of damage at the C5 level resulting in the symptoms on the left. Taking everything into concern, all the complications indicate a lesion on the left side on C5 level of the spinal cord due to injury from the osmium fragments. The structures damaged areDCML pathway and STTPart of the ventral hornFigure 8 Captains Blue Symptoms body map and lesion of spinal cordSpinal cord injuriesSpinal cord injuries can occur due to trauma, infections, ischemia and other diseases. In this case the trauma was indirectly caused by bone due to vertebrae fracture. There are also direct traumas such as in stab wounds.Damage is firstly caused due to hemorrhaging and compression of the spinal cord. The secondary complications such as hypoxia and ischemia that occur over a longer period can also cause further damage. aft(prenominal) the initial physical damage to the spinal cord, apoptosis of the glial cells and demyelination occur. seditious cells infiltrate the spinal cord and contribute to the scaring and the inhibition of the axon growth. The injury may expand to other segments and cause grater complications (syringomyelia). Figure 9 shows a cervical spinal cord following an injury.Figure 9 Spinal cord after injury (11)Figure 10 ASIA categories for spinal cord injuries (12)Spinal cord injuries can be classified with ASIA (American Spinal blur Association) in Asia A, B, C, D categories. Figure 10, adapted from ASIA official website, shows the characteristics of each category. sermon PrognosisThe preaching for spinal cord injuries is very complex. However, even with the high hat treatment, regeneration of restiveness and complete regaining of functions is unlikely. The treatment mainly concerns the lessening and minimization of the damage and fights the complications caused by the injury (13).The primary line of treatment is to relieve the pressure on the spinal cord and eliminate the cause of the damage. In this case Captain Blue undergoes surgery to remove the bone fragments.The second line of treatment involves the reduction of the inflammatory response responsible for further damage. The prescription of cor ticosteroids helps with the anti-inflammatory effects, the reduction of the glial scar formation and the CNS cell death.Furthermore, doctors must work against problems caused by the loss of movement such as urinary infection, wasting of muscles or formation of blood line clots. As a result, exercises to improve bowel and bladder function and life style tips to reduce the possibility of clot formation are given. Physiotherapy is the highroad to avoid muscle waste. Occupational therapy is needed for the patient to learn to exit with his immobility. A range of non medical specialists such as dieticians, psychologists and social workers are also needed.The prognosis for CNS damage is very poor. Regeneration of the nerves in the CNS is difficult due toGlial scar formation. venting of inhibitory substances that oppose axon growth and remyelination.However, new techniques such as electrical stimulation of the nerves with electrical devices can be used in the future to gain muscle funct ion. Stem cells are also a promising future. Presently the most helpful and accessible way to overcome the disabilities caused by spinal cord injuries is the wheelchair with electronic devices that can be used for communication, movement and a variety of other daily jobs.

The Function Of Prophecy In Old Testament Theology Religion Essay

The Function Of prognostication In Old Testament Theology Religion EssayProphets hire al shipway been surrounded by an aura of mystery. Because they were intermediaries in the midst of the human and portend worlds, prophets appeared to their hearers as terrifying yet magnetic and fascinating figures. Throughout the history of Western civilization, whenever these divinely inspired individuals score appeared, attempts have been made to cluck the mystery that surrounds them. The focus of m any(prenominal) of these attempts has been the Old Testament prophets who have conventionally functioned as models for the elucidation of other prophetic phenomenon.How prophets were viewedProphets were viewed as channels through which divine messages reached the ordinary world and through which humans could gain withdraw access to the divine. T herefore, the prophetic intermediaries appeared in any society which believed in the reality of divine causes capable of communicating with human beings.1However, within societies and groups, the behaviour of prophets tended to catch traditional, well-defined patterns. This behavior varied from society to society. Within a precondition society or group, prophetic behavior usually conformed to the expected norms. In the Old Testament we can find that the prophets receive divine messages and show them into human terms and communicating them, using traditional speech forms and actions. This trade union movement indicates that they are functioning as prophets and the message they bring, comes from the divine realm.2Isaiah as a prophetSimilarly, Isaiah who is one of the big(p) prophets, exercised his prophetic ministry during the reigns of Uzziah (783-742 BC), Jotham ( 742-735), Ahaz ( 735-715) and Hezekiah (715-687). The batch which is recorded in Chapter 6 was the one which constituted the call of Isaiah to be a prophet.It has sometimes been said that Isaiah must have belonged to the aristocracy of the capital because he kn ew the ways of the court and had ready access to the presence of the king when he had need. A prophet of the stature of Isaiah must have made himself a well-known member of the Jerusalem community and one whose words were treated with great respect.3The book of Isaiah, one of the longer units in the Hebrew Bible, comprises prophetic textile in verse and prose collected over a period of at least half a millennium. In the opening chapter of Isaiah we catch echoes of Amos here and there, not least in the contrast between the sacrificial madness and the demands of social justice ( Isa. 112-17) which would fit better the early dress of Isaiahs career.thither is also reminiscent of Amos in his condemnation of the ruling classes who labour the face of the poor (Isa. 315) and reflects a lack of concern for traditional moral values of the women of Jerusalem ( Isa. 316-17,24-26 cf The poem on divine view (Isa. 26-22) restates for the befit of Judah the central message of Amos that the matinee idol of Israel has now abandoned his nation and left them at the mercy of history.4And Isaiah was victorious up where Amos left. He is more explicit than Amos in his reference to the Assyrians and the fictional character they were destined to play in Israels future ( Isa. 526-30).Social, cultural and semi policy-making situation during the time of IsaiahBefore the time of Omri and Ahab, kings of Israel about a hundred before Isaiah received his call to be a prophet, the history of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah afterward the death of Solomon had been an unimpressive record of petty squabbles, and events of really local significance. scarcely these two kings saw the folly of such behaviour o the dower of two politically weak kingdoms, which, in face of an aggressive insurance by a great power such as Assyria or Egypt, could forecast to survive only by the combined military resources of an alignment of western states, in which they had part.Israel was the dominan t partner. In every age political and commercial bargaining was successful done from a position of strength. With Israels sizable increase in national wealth owing to the opening up of profitable avenues of trade, s development which, in turn, widened the social gap between the wealthy, upper class in Israelite society and the poor peasants.5Such a situation was liable to recur whenever Israel entered into a close relation of tie-up with, or, even more, of dependence on, a people greater in power than itself, and it was the main reason for the warning which the prophets repeatedly gave against any policy.In a way not paralleled in the activity of the other great prophets whose utterances have a place in the Old Testament canon, Isaiah took a very prominent part in the national crises of the days through which he lived.Isaiah as a JudgeIn spite of the fact that judgment spoken of as if it were inevitable, that does not exclude from Isaiahs preaching the note of invoke and entreaty calling upon the people to return. This is found several times in chapter 1 (5, 16 f., 18 f.). It is Isaiahs conviction that for all this sinfulness a day of judgment is coming. God is not mocked men cannot disobey his leave behind with impunity. The land get out be desolated. Lebanon pull up stakes become a heath, red-fruited places like Carmel and Sharon will become a wilderness, men and cattele will be few Time after time Assyria is specified as the pecker by which the judgment will accomplished.6Isaiah often declares his confidence that, however annihilating the judgment may be, a remnant of the people will survive. by of the stump of the tree new life will come. The glory will have departed, the comeliness will have perished, the new shoot will be a miracle of renewed life but therein is the hope of the people and therein lies the possibility of the continuance of their work and witness. That conviction on the part of Isaiah may be related to to the fact that even in h uman relations a complete obliteration of an individual or a people was guarded against with very great care ( cf. Deut. 25.5 Ruth 4.10 f., Amos 1.6,9). The doctrine of surviving remnant in turn is related to the fact that whereas the prophet can speak in terms of a judgment upon the whole people, he can, at the same time and without any sense of contradiction, speak of a discriminating judgment in which a distinction will be made between the righteous and the tremendous ( Isa. 1. 27 f. 3.10 f. cf. 28.23-29). At this point Isaiah though of the necessary cleanup of the peoples as consisting substantiality of restoring in them a former righteousness and goodness which had become corrupted he comes near to describing it as a switch of the wilderness ideal.7The message and the people Isaiah spoke to and spoke aboutThe postexilic community was concerned with their identity and self-understanding. Their existence as a people was threatened by the consequences of the catastrophe of exi le and loss of national independence. There were other Jewish communities, and perhaps provinces, in close proximity to Judah, for slip in Samaria and Transjordan, and far away, for away for example in Egypt and Babylon. Isaiah presents a vision for these people to understand themselves, their God and their world. The vision spans past, present and future.Israel as a people participates in this story ( Isa. 1.2-9 4.2-6) and, at the same time, Israel is comprised of wicked and righteous, oppressors and the laden ( Isa. 1.19-23, 27-28 3.13-15). Isaiah gives a clear picture of distinction between good and unworthy that is at points applied to over against the nations can be applied to Israel itself. right versus wicked behaviour is the important point. There is no doubt in Isaiah about the radical separation of good and evil. What is in doubt, indeed, what is denied, is the equation of these arbitrary categories with actual human groups, whether defined in religious or political t erms.Isaiah represents his vision as a Quasi-drama dominated by dramatic speeches. til now the narrative sections in chapter 6 provide settings for further speeches. The characters are not presented as distinct and historical individuals. They are constructs in the grand poetic work of Isaiah. Israel, for example, is masculine whimsical ( 1.4), masculine plural ( 1.5-6) and feminine singular ( 1.21-26), where one can see that Israel is judged and condemned, desolate and devastated, and comforted and redeemed.8BooksJoseph Blenkinsopp, A floor of Prophecy in Israel ( Louisville, KY Westminster John Knox Press, 1996)James Luther Mays and Paul J. Achtemeier. Early Israelite portent Interpreting the prophets, ed., Philadelphia Fortress Press, c1987.Mauchline, John.John Mauchline, Isaiah 1-39 , (London SCM Press, 1962), p.Peter D. Miscall, Isaiah ( Sheffield JSOT Press, 1993). P.