Case Management Essay Example for Free

Case Management Essay Workflow, Business Process Management and the management of Unstructured Documents Plethora of unstructured documents such as text documents, spreadsheets, images, XML components, videos, podcasts, email messages that exists around in a large enterprise and it represents the enterprise’s information assets. The problem is that in today’s competitive environment there is an ever increasing generation and use of unstructured electronic documents. It has become highly imperative that there has to be an enterprise wide lifecycle management of these documents which can enable the workers to access the documents in a relative business context. Many product companies and experts dealing in the area of content management and business process management have proposed that a semantic relation is to be derived between documents and business domain. Thus, the semantic network that eventually gets formed will result in efficient search and filtering of these unstructured documents. Types of data: Structured and unstructured data People use and create unstructured data on daily basis. Although they may not be aware, people create, store, retrieve unstructured data in the form of emails, word documents, excel spreadsheets and other forms. The unstructured content has no data type as such so it requires human intervention to tag the data with some relevant keywords and meta tags so that it can be read by machines and applications. Structured data is also being used by people and such data is easily managed by technology being allowed for querying and reporting as the data type is predetermined and relationships are explicit. There are two categories of unstructured data: 1) Bitmap Objects: Images, videos, audio and other non-language based files 2) Textual Objects: Word documents, Spreadsheets, Emails and other written or printed language documents Most of these object types can’t be tapped easily to extract relevant information by technology or methodology as technology today can only address textual objects. With the advent of technologies like Enterprise Content Management (ECM), it has become possible to address unstructured data. Data mining and other analysis tools exist to query and analyze structured data. However, the challenge remains in bringing both the worlds of structured and unstructured data together. Once when they are brought together is when the most value can be derived and gained but this is where the highest level of challenge exists. Few challenges are listed below: 1) Irrespective of having the data in a word document format it may not be consumable from a semantic level perspective 2) A compatible technology may not be able to give insight in to the context of the information unless it is read 3) The way we interpret is largely subjective Organizational Challenges Today the organizations are inherently complex in structure and the departments are loosely connected while they work in isolation. They only come together when there is a need which leads to an internally disconnected approach. These large organizations need to be responsive to the customer and market needs. In order to be responsive they need to be agile and flexible when it comes to leveraging their matrix management structure as a whole. This can pose some long term as well as short term challenges. The path to overcome these challenges is to have follow business process which entail the entire organizations. In most organizations, wherever the business processes exist they tend to be isolated to a specific department and are usually manual. This leads to manifestation of various management and operational challenges. Some of the consequences that come up due to these challenges are listed below: 1) Due to inaccurate and untimely information generated as a result of isolated units of an organization, it becomes difficult for management and employees to take correct decisions 2) As information may not be aligned to business context or a business process it may lead to inconsistent decisions 3) Broken or incomplete workflows lead to generation of inconsistent and poor information 4) IT systems may act as inhibitors even if they support business processes when they lack system integration that would hide a single view of the information 5) Strict business rules, policies and procedures can lead to delay in fetching important information Organization and business process alignment These hurdles and challenges which the organization faces are due to factors such as inflexible procedures, legacy infrastructure, orthodox management which include: 1) Manual approach even when business processes and frameworks exist 2) IT enablers found in departments and functional silos making information sharing and gathering labour intensive and tedious 3) IT and other infrastructure is maintained centrally which may not provide quick solutions and service to meet the requirement of internal users 4) As organization is dependent on vendors or contractors for maintenance, support and development of IT and other infrastructure it raises issues of managing changes by themselves. Organizations need to orient themselves around process rather than functionally. They have the necessary infrastructure and technology in place but the challenge is to align all of it together using business processes. Aligning the organization to business processes and automating the same will help in solving decision making bottlenecks and will integrate functions, departments, core systems to deliver measurable business value. As of now most of the organizations, have IT infrastructure which comprise of applications that address each department separately. These departments may have business processes that cater to the purpose of the department specific function but this may lead to creation of unstructured and structured data in isolation from other departments defeating the purpose of one goal of the organization. Due to lack of integration between department’s applications and business processes it leads to creation of islands of redundant information for each department. Knowing that there is duplicate information across various applications residing in various departments there will be multiple points of integration which makes it even more complicated. There is a requirement of point to point integration to resolve this. This increases business risk, delivery costs and it becomes even more important to retain existing talent who can handle the data and information well. IT challenge On drilling down, the problem of not being able to use unstructured data along with structured data semantically whilst the data is specific to each department’s function and not business process of the organization is a challenge for the IT support department of organizations. Integration of silo applications and automated business processes across departments with respect to the overall business context pose many intricacies which makes it is a very challenging and a costly exercise for the IT function. Few of the reasons are listed below: 1) Laborious task to integrate a variety of business processes and applications 2) Changes in particular to each function may become difficult to replicate across the organization each time 3) Data across functions can’t be normalized due to existence of data in multiple format 4) Data inconsistencies due to unavailability of an information master leads to dependency on data stored on spreadsheets These kind of challenges have typically no end so a comprehensive solution has to be worked out which is robust and serves the goal of the organization by delivering value flawlessly. Workflow Model, Business Process Management (BPM) and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) It is Workflow Automation and a Business Process Management System that will solve the business and technical problems that have been described in this paper so far. A workflow model is automation or a semi-automation of business processes. On the other hand Business Process Management is a method for managing the workflow model while continuously evaluating its performance and closing the feedback loop. Business processes form the nervous system of an organization or an enterprise. Business Process Management (BPM) is a discipline that empowers an organization to analyze, automate, re-design, streamline, monitor and improve business process while providing end to end visibility and control from technology to people. An organization has numerous business processes which take place every now and then. They may be simple or complex and may rely on unstructured data. For e. g. Banks have a business process to process the fresh loans application, local retailer has a business process to order new inventory and more. Business processes are the means which enable people, system and information to work simultaneously in order to meet organizations’ goals. However, it is not as easy as it sounds. Consider an example where in an insurance company the claim officials need digital photos to process a claim, customer representative need customer records and statements, accounts personnel need invoice approvals to disburse the required amount. To address such multi dimensional situation companies are resorting to capabilities of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) which is Business Process Management (BPM) to integrate, optimize, and automate processes and information. This solution enables organizations to make timely and accurate decisions. Together BPM and ECM businesses are able to deal with explosion of business related content which in turn helps them in becoming nimble and agile. Primarily, there are three changes that drive the need for businesses to become nimble and agile. They are: 1) Creation of islands of business relevant content internal and external to the organization 2) High maintenance cost of information created and stored by disparate sources 3) Incremental strain on IT to meet core business requirements while driving process innovation In response to these needs ECM and BPM enable organizations with the following: 1) Empower all employees to develop process centric solution 2) Quickly synchronize information from disparate internal as well external data sources 3) Couple processes and content to meet business requirements Businesses today need to use the content that is available across the business processes rather than letting it remain restricted under applications specific to a department or a function. Holistically, the content needs to be put to use for a greater benefit and a better ROI. Management of Unstructured Documents ECM has become one of the major software category post consolidation of various solutions like Document Management, Document Imaging, Web Content Management, Digital Asset Management while collaborating with BPM. It shouldn’t be treated as only a software category but can be primarily looked at as a strategy to manage all unstructured information – images, web content, media assets and records. Secondly, its job is to ensure that the content is put to use by the business users as per the business processes. The ECM solutions available today are built to support today’s dynamic requirements of the organization. They are scalable and high on performance when it comes to handling islands of new content and information with respect to complex business processes. Their design is such that they can integrate any kind of unstructured information with business processes and provide features such as process modelling, analytic capabilities, simulation and activity monitoring. They are also capable to handle process exceptions and can respond to demands for content from associates or customers. It is deduced that ECM as a technology and as a strategy enable information management professionals to manage the unstructured information in the organization to reduce risk, improve productivity in order to bring customer delight. Market Overview Organizations are increasingly adopting ECM to manage the increasing volume and growing diversity of unstructured content which now represents around 80% of the information residing in the enterprise. The opportunity identified is to devote similar rigor to unstructured data as being given to structured data. The market for ECM registered a double digit growth between the year 2004 to 2007 but it slowed down to single digit in 2008 primarily due to recessionary conditions. As per data gathered by Gartner, around $3. 3bn was collected as license and maintenance revenue for ECM. The ECM market has forecasted compounded annual growth rate of 9. 5% through till 2013. It is expected that the revenue generated from ECM markets worldwide would exceed $5. 1bn by 2013. The ECM market has seen major consolidation between the periods of 2003 to 2007. Large players such as IBM, Oracle, EMC have been acquiring companies to capitalize in this space. For example, EMC went on spree acquiring Legato, Document, Captiva and Document Sciences. Autonomy acquired Interwoven and Open Text purchased Vignette to become the largest independent vendors in this space competing directly with Microsoft’s Sharepoint. Market Drivers In spite of the recession which forced businesses to refrain from technology spending, the ECM market remained insulated from it for the following reasons: 1) Increase in volume and complexity of content is the reason for concern and investments in ECM henceforth 2) Pricing pressure from open-source vendors stimulating higher demand 3) It targets the overall ROI of the organization As there is a need to manage risks that come along with tonnes of paper and vast variety of digital content, a focus has been brought on governance and content rationalization. Vendors are addressing this by providing different stakeholders or customers with products that serve their purpose while keeping in mind the overall business processes of the organization. Recognizing this focus area many enterprises have become conscious about the lifecycle, access management, availability and cost of the content. There has been a slowdown in the ECM market due to the recessionary climate as it made the decision makers cautious about investments. In a research conducted by Gartner it was noticed that during this period companies have started looking for a thorough business case and ROI justifications for any kind of technology expenditure. However this could also turn out to be positive for the ECM market as these are the times when the organizations will realize the benefits of ECM solutions and frameworks. Conclusion Business Process Management and Workflow are not about moving documents across departments. It is about aligning businesses to their core processes and they provide the catalyst to exploit knowledge base to provide improved customer service. Thus, help in delivering measurable bottom line benefits in variety of business cases. List of References Toby Bell, Karen M. Shegda, Mark R. Gilbert, Kenneth Chin, Mick MacComascaigh. ( October, 2009), Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Content Management http://www. gartner. com/technology/media-products/reprints/microsoft/vol10/article3/article3.html, Gartner Hakan Akbas (August 2009), Consolidation in the Enterprise Content Management Industry Who Will Be Next Autonomy or Open Text? http://www. cmswire. com/cms/enterprise-cms/consolidation-in-the-enterprise-content-management-industry-who-will-be-next-autonomy-or-open-text-part-i-005174. php, Cmswire Icon Resources and technologies ( 2007), Document/Business Process Management http://www. iconresources. com/new/irt_bps. html Hinnerk Brugmann, ConSense: Management of unstructured Documents using semantic Meta-Information http://www.wi2. uni-erlangen. de/index. php? id=consense PNMSOFT, Sequence and Sharepoint, http://www. pnmsoft. com/sharepoint_workflow_integration. aspx PNMSOFT, SEQUENCE BPM workflow software platform, http://www. pnmsoft. com/sequence_bpm_workflow. aspx Rivet Logic Corporation (October 2008), Enterprise Content Management 2. 0: The Case for an Open Source Approach http://viewer. bitpipe. com/viewer/viewDocument. do? accessId=12186060, Bitpipe Research Kyle McNabb (March 2008), Enterprise Content Management http://www. forrester.com/rb/Research/topic_overview_enterprise_content_management/q/id/40327/t/2, Forrester Research Ann All (March 2010), Case Management Is Step Forward in BPM Evolution , http://www. itbusinessedge. com/cm/community/features/interviews/blog/case-management-is-step-forward-in-bpm-evolution/? cs=39882page=2 Strategy Partners (2003), Business Process Management and Workflow, http://www. aiim. org. uk/download_files/aiimuserguides/5_BPM_and_Workflow. pdf, AIIM International – ECM Association Barclay T. Blair (October 2004), An Enterprise Content Management Primer, The Information Management Journal

Strategies for Small Molecule Activation

Strategies for Small Molecule Activation Introduction Developing novel strategies for small molecule activation is the core aim of catalysis reasearch. One approach that recently gained prominence in catalytic activation of organic molecules is photoredox catalysis. Visible light photoredox catalysis has risen to the interface of current organic chemistry as a remarkable way to facilitate single electron transfer (SET) processes with organic substrates upon photoexcitation1. This technique relies on the property of metal complexes and organic dyes to undergo SET with visible light2. The commonly employed transition metal based photocatalyst used to harness the packets of energy carried by visible light are polypyridyl complexes of ruthenium and iridium, named as tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium (II) or Ru(bpy)32+ (Figure 1). Figure 1. Structures of common transition metal photocatalysts. These complexes give stable, long-lived excited states (for Ru (bpy)32+*, à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ = 110 ns)3 when irradiated with visible light of electromagnectic spectrum4. This relatively long lived excited state may allow bimolecular electron-transfer reactions through outer sphere transfer, both by the quenching of excited state photocatalyst and deactivation pathways5. The quenching can be accomplished in both oxidative and reductive ways (Figure 2), which offers this mode of catalysis flexibility. Figure 2. Oxidative and reductive quenching cycles within photocatalysis. Moreover, varying the metal (Ru, Ir, Cu, Cr,etc.) or ligands steer to foreseeable changes in redox potentials, enabling customization of the catalyst to ones needs. In contrast to classical approaches these photochemical methods offer surprisingly mild conditions to radical reactions, as they typically operate at ambient temperature, utilize bench-stable reagents and display high degree of functional group tolerance.6 The extensive application of visible light photocatalysts have been recognized in the field of inorganic and materials chemistry. In particular, these catalysts have been found to be actively decomposing water into hydrogen and oxygen7 and reducing carbon dioxide to methane.8 Also, they have been employed in (i) as components in dye sensitized solar cells9 and organic light-emitting diodes,10 (ii) in polymerization reactions,11 and (iii) in photodynamic therapy.12 Until recently the reports of using these complexes as photocatalysts in organic synthesis were scarce. Their limited investigation was very surprising, as single electron, radical processes offer   a unique pathway and reactivity to form C-C bond which are complementary to the closed shell, two electron processes.13 In the last decade detailed studies form the Yoons , MacMillan sand Stephensons groups have shown the application of Ru(bpy)32+ as photoredox catalyst to perform crucial C-C bond forming reactions such   as [2+2] cycloaddition,14 ÃŽÂ ±-alkylation of aldehydes15 and reductive dehalogenation of activated aryl halides.16 These quality work of above groups have   rejuvenated the interests of many researchers in this field, triggering the diverse ideas into the utility of photoredox catalysis as conceptually novel approach to synthetic organic reaction development. The application of visible light photoredox catalysis in organic synthesis revolves around its ability to engineer unusual bond constructions which are not easily formed by established protocols.   For instance, overall neutral redox reactions can be performed by photoredox catalysis, as both the oxidant and reductants can be generated within the same reaction vessel. Visible light photoredox catalysis has been proved to be convenient in designing reactions, which needs gain and removal of electrons at disparate centres in a reaction mechanism. In contrast to these methods, others require stoichiometric quantity of both oxidant and reductants, which many times are incompatible with each other. Radical intermediates generated from single electron transfer (SET) events have been shown to have different reactivity patterns fundamentally different from those accessed through the ground state of catalyst.17 Harnessing   these intermediates by means other than photoredox cata lysis are often challenging or requires conditions which are incompatible with substrates. It is noteworthy to mention, Ru (II) and Ir (III) based photocatalysts are widely used to generate radicals for use in a diverse range of radical reactions, and most of these reactions occur under mild conditions such as room temperature without the need of reactive radical generators (e.g., azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), BEt3), and toxic reagents (e.g., Bu3SnH), and in many cases, high temperature. The source of irradiation typically used are commercially available household light bulbs, which has significant advantage over specialized equipment employing high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light. Moreover, organic molecules generally do not show absorbance in visible region, so there is little probability of unwanted side reactions that might occur from the photoexcitation of the substrate itself. Even, the low photocatalyst loading of 1 mole % or less is sufficient enough to achieve high conversions. These all collectively have proven that visible light mediated photoredox catalysis to b e a uniquely well-suited in designing safer and more sustainable strategies for synthesising more efficient materials and reducing waste streams. Further incentivizing the design and application of novel visible light-mediated methodologies toward both natural and non-natural scaffolds of interest to pharmaceutical and agrochemical domains.18 This review highlights the earlier work done on the use of Ru (II) and Ir (III) transition metal complexes as photoredox catalysts to promote C-C bond forming reactions in organic synthesis. Specifically, there is great emphasis on the applications of visible light photoredox catalysis which have enabled the total synthesis of natural products and related molecules, focusing on a range of powerful transformations that include: reductive coupling, indole functionalization, radical cascades, ATRA reactions, trifluoromethylation and selective C-O bond cleavage. Reductive Dehalogenation Reductive deahalogenation refers to process in which a C-X bond is reduced to a C-H bond where X denotes halogens. These classes of reactions have attracted attention of organic chemists all over the world due to its prime importance in rational organic synthesis. For instance a significant number of examples of these reactions can be found in nature, where enzymatic dehalogenation is performed by microorganism present in soil to check the concentration of lipophilic halogenated species.19 There has been a whole library of reducing systems developed to carry out reductive dehalogenation successfully, which practically guarantees the existence of specific reagents for specific substrate. Organo-tin hydride has been the most used reagent in the past to perform reductive dehalogenation in laboratory as well as in field of synthesis, as it has been proven capable for both radical generation and kinetic radical trapping.20 By far, the system of tin hydride is tributyltin hydride (TBTH) (AIBN) is the most utilized for radical-promoted dehalogenations of organic halides.21 However, there are three main problems in use of TBTH. First, toxicity of tin rule out its use in pharmaceutical synthesis. Second, there are lots of problem associated with the purification of reaction mixture from tributyltin residues. Third, TBTH is not a stable compound, even after careful storage it is likely to steadily decompose.22 It is the toxicity, that has almost precluded its use in a wide range of useful radical reactions in organic synthesis. In recent years, the search for superior alternatives to TBTH has been the central goal of radical chemists. A replacement reagent needs to overcome all three problems mentioned above while at the same time an exhibiting similar reactivity and an ease of use. Earlier work of Fukuzumi and Tanaka focused on use of Ru(bpy)32+ as a photo redox catalyst to promote the reductive dehalogenation of phenacyl bromides23 and reductive dimerization of benzyl bromide24 respectively (Scheme 1), has shown that the application of visible light photoredox catalysis to access radicals can offer a promising solution to this problem. Scheme 1. Reductive dehalogenation of phenacyl bromide (A) and reductive dimerization of benzyl bromide (B). But, it was the efforts of Narayanam and co-workers, focussed on developing the novel means for accessing radical chemistry while avoiding the toxicity and problems associated with tin hydride, has laid a milestone in development of a tin-free reductive dehalogenation systems (Scheme 2.).25 Scheme 2. Photoredox catalytic reduction and potential C-C bond formation. In their primary investigation, Narayanam et al. used a system consisting Ru(bpy)32+ as a photocatalyst, iPr2NEt as major hydrogen atom source and visible light to successfully perform the reductive debromination. In the net transformation, the 3-bromopyrroloindoline (7) was reduced to pyrroloindoline (8) as single product, with the addition of Hantzsch ester or formic acid to the catalytic system produced debrominated product in >90% yield (Scheme 3). Scheme 3. Initial attempt for reductive dehalogenation. In further development of general tin-free visible light mediated dehalogenation protocol, a range of different activated alkyl bromides and chlorides were tested which afforded the corresponding dehalogenated product in good to excellent yield. Although, the un-activated aryl and alkenyl iodides were completely unreactive, as it was expected due to their exceptional negative reduction potentials  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   (-2.24 V Vs SCE for iodobenzene).26 The solution to this problem lied in the use of Ir(III) based   photo-catalysts instead of   Ru(II), which offered more reducing power than Ru(bpy)32+,and the dehalogenation of less activated alky, vinyl and aryl iodides with good functional group tolerance was achieved using oxidative quencing cycle of fac-Ir(bpy)3 (Scheme 4).27   Scheme 4. Reductive dehalogenation of activated and unactivated halides. Furst et al. used this practical strategy for reductive dehalogenation for a further development of more challenging intermolecular C-C bond forming protocols, which demonstrated an efficient way to promote intermolecular additions using visible light mediated photoredox catalysis. Furst et al. reported a facile coupling of indole with malonate radicals, as malonate-like motifs are common C2-subsitutents in bioactive indole based alkaloids such as actinophyllic acid (9) and undulifoline (10). Using this procedure, an extensive range of indole and pyrrole derivatives were synthesized in good yields by employing (1) as the photocatalyst and N,N-diphenyl-4-methoxyaniline as the reductive quencher (Scheme 5).28 Further, this protocol was extended by Stephenson et al. to synthesize quaternary carbon centres adjacent to C2 of indole based alkaloids by employing more challenging tertiary malonate radicals.29 This transformation was accomplished by directly reducing bromomalonate (11) via oxidative quenching of more reducing fac-Ir(bpy)3 photocatalyst, providing targeted quaternary carbon centres in good to high yields (Scheme 6). Scheme 5. Intermolecular radical addition of secondary radicals to electron-rich heterocycles Scheme 6. Intermolecular radical addition of tertiary radicals to electron-rich heterocycles. Atom Transfer Radical Addition (ATRA) These transformations was first observed by Kharasch30 in 1940s, over the time atom transfer radical addition sparked the interest of organic chemists, as it offers the potential for uniquely efficient and economical approach for dual functionalization of olefins. This functionalization leaved a tremendous impact in organic chemistry, and have also found wide applications in industry and academic research. Similar to the intermolecular malonate-indole coupling mentioned above, these transformations are redox neutral, theoretically eliminating the need for additives, which in terms, reduces the likelihood of deleterious off-target reactivity. The most important application of atom-transfer radical addition reactions is inclusion of fluorinated functional groups into molecules, as the addition of these groups has a strong impact on biological properties and bioavailability of bioactive compounds.31 In 2011 Stephenson, et al. for the first time reported visible light mediated ATRA reactions, proving this methodology as an efficient way to improve the overall performance of this kind of reaction compared to classic radical initiation conditions. This synthetic approach was effective for the preparation of a wide range of perflourohalogenated substrates from unactivated alkenes by using Ru(bpy)32+ as the photocatalyst combined with sodium ascorbate as an electron donor (Scheme 7).32 Scheme 7. Atom transfer radical addition mediated by photoredox catalyst. A similar kind of transformation also providing halotrifluoromethylated product was reported by Han et al. (Scheme. 8)33 using triflouromethanesulfonyl chloride as the triflouromethyl source and visible light in presence of Ru (II) photocatalyst (1). Using this protocol, the variety of substrates including mono, di-, and tri-substituted unactivated alkenes went under trifluoromethylation in excellent yields. Scheme 8. Trifluoromethyl chlorination of disubstituted and internal alkenes. Radical Cascades Radical cascades are one of the most powerful tools for accessing complex structures in single step if substrate is stable under the for radical initiation conditions.34 One of the earliest examples of radical cascade was reported by Stokes et al.35 is intermolecular addition of Sn-radical to alkynes, he also studied the regioselectivity of vinyl radical cyclizations onto C=C double bond (Scheme 9). Cyclization cascades initiated by intermolecular addition of Sn radical to alkyne can be distinguished between reactions where tin-moiety retained in the final product with those where Sn radical essentially acted as a catalyst, which was later removed by the homolytic cleavage of labile C-Sn bond. Scheme 9. Radical cyclization sequence, triggered by regioselective addition of tin radical. Nowadays, because of the recognized toxicity associated with organotin compounds, the focus has been shifted toward the development of alternative tin-free and less environmentally problematic methods for radical cyclizations. Visible light photocatalysis has offered a powerful and sustainable tool for the development of new catalytic radical cascade reactions due their unique ability to facilitate formation of various reactive radicals and radical ions in mild and environmental friendly conditions. Various structurally diverse carbocycles and heterocycles from basic and readily available materials have been synthesis by using this protocol. The augmentation of radical cascade cyclization and visible light photoredox catalysis approach has inspired   radical chemists   around the world to develop novel and efficient methods for synthesis of important heterocyclic motif that are prevalent in nature products exhibiting a wide range of bioactivites. One highly   effective method for radical cascade, generating tetracyclic fused ring was reported by Furst et al. where they used visible light mediated protocol to synthesize tetracycle   from bromomalonate and tricyclic compound from alkyne in good yields as a single diastereomers36 (Scheme 10.). Scheme 10. Intramolecular radical cascades. Xiao et al. further extended the application of visible light mediated radical cascade reactions in synthesis chromam-2ones and dihydroquinoline-2-ones based scaffolds, as these are omnipresent components in biologically active natural products and pharmaceutical drugs37. They reported a new type of radical cascade reaction between photogenerated ÃŽÂ ±-amino radicals and acyloyl ester- and acrylamide-tethered aroylhyrazones.38 (Scheme 11). Scheme 11. Photoredox catalyzed radical cascade reaction of ÃŽÂ ±-amino radicals. In addition, they developed an oxidant free N-radical cascade reaction of ÃŽÂ ², ÃŽÂ ³-unsaturated hydrazones by incorporating visible light photoredox and cobalt catalysis to obtain dihydropyrazole-fused benzosultams (Scheme 12),39 that has never been reported previuosly. Scheme 12. Visible light photocatalytic N-radical cascade reaction of benzosultam synthesis. Recently, Xu et al. devised a valuable cascade annulation by generating acyl radicals from abundant acyl chlorides under visible light mediated photoredox catalysis which then started a cascade cyclization of 1,7 enynes (Scheme 13).40 Scheme 13. Visible light induced cascade cyclization of 1,7-eynes with acyl chlorides. Applications in Total Synthesis In the history of organic synthesis, indole based alkaloids grabbed much more attention because of their abundance in natural products and biologically active compounds, and they have always been interesting and challenging synthetic targets. The unique ability of visible light mediated photoredox catalysis in forming key C-C bond granted access to numerous applied intermediates that facilitated synthesis of these diverse natural products. In 2011, Stephenson and co-workers reported the asymmetric synthesis of (+)-gliocladin C (21), a natural product with interesting cytotoxic activity (Scheme 14.)41 starting from L-tryptophan, the important intermediate C3 bromopyrroloindoline (17) was synthetically prepared by standard transformations using Boc-D-tyrptophan methyl ester (16). The vital step in the synthesis was the formation of C-C coupled intermediate (18), which was accomplished by reductive dehalogenation-arylation process triggered by blue light irradiation on substrate in the presence of aldehyde (22), photocatalyst (1) and NBu3 as a quencher. This intermediate was converted into natural product in 7 high-yielding steps, which was more efficient than the previous reported 21-step structural synthesis of (21) starting isatin with and overall yield of ~ 4%.42 Scheme 14. Total synthesis of (+)-gliocladin C. Another more recent example is the synthesis of biologically active alkaloids drimentines A, F and G (Scheme 15.).43 by Li and co-workers utilising reductive C-C bond forming strategy. In this example, the heterocycle (25) was coupled with acceptor (24) by intermolecular radical 1,4-addition to generate the important intermediate (26), which facilitated the product (27) -(29) in good yields. Scheme 15. Total synthesis of drimentines A, F, G Targeting Pharmaceutically Relevant Scaffolds The unique capabilities of photoredox catalysis is an access to variety of fluoroalkyl radical species at late stage modification of therapeutic leads. Fluorinated functional groups (trifluoromethyl group in particular) have become increasingly popular over the decades44, because these motifs have dramatic on the molecules physiochemical properties, making them more selective, increasing their efficacy, or making them easier to adminster. Photoredox catalysis can provide an approach tailored on industrial scales by using abundantly available CF3 sources and eliminating the need of pre-functionalized substrates. This chemistry was readily translated to multigram scales for a number of substrates, one most important example of this strategy is the synthesis of trifluoromethylated 2-chloropyridine (32) (Scheme. 16) a vital synthon in production of anti-infective agents at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc.45 Scheme 16. Preparation of Boehringer-Ingelheim intermediate. A novel redox system comprising pyridine N-oxide and trifluoroacetic acid was designed by Beatty at el. where C-C activation was achieved by pyridine N-oxide, a redox trigger, which could in situ generate modified trifluoroacetate shifting the redox potential of trifluoroacetate lower, within the reach of Ru(bpy)32+ photoredox catalyst.46 ORL-1 Antagonist Intermediate Opioid receptor-like 1 (ORL-1) antagonist which is currently under the development for the cure of depression and obesity,47 has a gem-difluorobenzyl functional group around the spirocyclic piperidine (34), the earlier synthetic route consisted a total of   8 steps starting from (33) with an overall yield of 28%.48 Futhermore, this sequence included AIBN initiated radical bromination, and most challenging step was the benzylic fluorination by using 2.6 equiv. of Deoxo-Fluor 9 (specialised fluorinated reagent) as a fluoride source, which remained problematic as it required the use of pre-functionalized substrates through classical nucleophilic or electrophilic fluorination. Radical rearrangements reactions have demonstrated the strategic benefits in its synthesis when compared to this method.49 Visible light mediated radical Smiles rearrangement was developed to address the challenging synthesis of gem difluoro group ORL-1 antagonist from fluorinated thiophene (35), which could be produced from difluoro-ethanol from readily available corresponding ethyl ester (Scheme 17) reported by Douglas et al.50 This strategy has solved the problem of high number of steps and overcome the overall low yield and use of specialized fluorinated reagents. This new 5-step synthetic route eliminated the undesirable feature of previous synthetic route, the challenging benzylic defluorination could be accomplished by switching a key transformation to a C-C bond instead of a C-F bond formation. Scheme 17. Previously reported route towards ORL-1 antagonists and new photochemical radical smiles rearrangement route. Biofeedstock Processing Biomass set itself aside from other renewable resources, since the energy it contains is stored in the form of chemical bonds, which allow biomass to be used for several purposes other than generating electricity and heat, such as liquid fuel and value-added chemicals. In particular, depolymerisation of lignin50, one of the most abundant feedstock for aromatic commodity compounds, which has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Lignin is a stable, branched biopolymer which is a part of the plant cell wall and is primarily responsible for providing rigidity and protection against environmental conditions. Primarily, it is composed of three different types of cinnamyl alcohols coupled together to produce a various array of motifs inside of the polymer chain (Scheme 18). The multiple connectivity and stability has hindered attempts to efficiently isolate value compounds through the degradative processing.51 The most sensible point of start in lignin degradation is ÃŽÂ ²-O-4 linkage, as this is the most abundant (45-65%). Photoredox catalysis provides mild means of cleaving these critical bonds by a two-step procedure, which includes the selective oxidation of the alpha carbon followed by photochemical reductive cleavage.52 Scheme 18. Two steps protocol for degradation of lignin model system. This strategy could be used for efficient degradation of a range of lignin model systems, isolation of the fragmentation products in excellent yields by employing photocatalyst 3 under the reductive quenching conditions. Conclusions. Photoredox catalysis with Ru (II) and Ir (I) metal complexes has recently received widespread attention as a tool for synthetic chemists, and it has been applied to the development of wide range of new C-C bond forming reactions. The utility of photoredox catalysis arises not form its ability to promote C-C bond formation, but rather from its ability to generate a diverse array of reactive via single-electron transfer. As shown, these species include electrophilic ÃŽÂ ±-carbonyl radicals, tert-malonate radicals, ÃŽÂ ±-amino radicals, acyl radicals and trifluoromethyl radicals. These intermediates have been used to develop reactions as varied as reductive dehalogenation, indole functionalization, atom transfer radical additions, radical cascades and Smiles rearrangement. Also, photoredox catalysis has been proved as valuable tool for the synthesis of various biologically active compounds and their derivatives, as demonstrated by its application in the total synthesis of gliocladin C, drimenties A, F, G, and pharma relevant scaffolds. In each of these syntheses, simple and typically inert functionalities in the starting materials are transformed into reactive intermediates upon single electron transfer. These powerful transformations are not only redefining the synthetic strategies, but it has also changed the face of radical chemistry; a fundamental area in organic chemistry which mostly accessible using hazardous radical reagents. These robust class of reactions have inspired many researchers in designing and developing novel approaches to synthetic targets. The growth of visible light phototredox catalysis is not only significant on its own right, also bodes well for the future of organic synthesis. References: Nicholls, T. P.; Leonori, D.; Bissember, A. C., Applications of visible light photoredox catalysis to the synthesis of natural products and related compounds. Natural Product Reports 2016, 33 (11), 1248-1254. James J. Douglas, J. D. N.; Kevin P. C., Enabling Novel Photoredox Reactivity via Photocatalyst Selection. Aldrichimica 2014, 47, 15-25. Kalyanasundaram, K., Photophysics, photochemistry and solar energy conversion with tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) and its analogues. Coordination Chemistry Reviews 1982, 46, 159-244. Juris, A.; Balzani, V.; Barigelletti, F.; Campagna, S.; Belser, P.; von Zelewsky, A., Ru(II) polypyridine complexes: photophysics, photochemistry, eletrochemistry, and chemiluminescence. Coordination Chemistry Reviews 1988, 84, 85-277. Juris, A.; Balzani, V.; Belser, P.; von Zelewsky, A., Characterization of the Excited State Properties of Some New Photosensitizers of the Ruthenium (Polypyridine) Family. Helvetica Chimica Acta 1981, 64 (7), 2175-2182. Tucker, J. W.; Stephenson, C. R. J., Shining Light on Photoredox Catalysis: Theory and Synthetic Applications. The Journal of Organic Chemistry 2012, 77 (4), 1617-1622. (a) Graetzel, M., Artificial photosynthesis: water cleavage into hydrogen and oxygen by visible light. Accounts of Chemical Research 1981, 14 (12), 376-384. (b) Meyer, T. J., Chemical approaches to artificial photosynthesis. Accounts of Chemical Research 1989, 22 (5), 163-170. Takeda, H.; Ishitani, O., Development of efficient photocatalytic systems for CO2 reduction using mononuclear and multinuclear metal complexes based on mechanistic studies. Coordination Chemistry Reviews 2010, 254 (3-4), 346-354. Kalyanasundaram, K.; Grà ¤tzel, M., Applications of functionalized transition metal complexes in photonic and optoelectronic devices. Coordination Chemistry Reviews 1998, 177 (1), 347-414. Lowry, M. S.; Bernhard, S., Synthetically Tailored Excited States: Phosphorescent, Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes and Their Applications. Chemistry A European Journal 2006, 12 (31), 7970-7977. (a) Lalevà ©e, J.; Blanchard, N.; Tehfe, M.-A.; Morlet-Savary, F.; Fouassier, J. P., Green Bulb Light Source Induced Epoxy Cationic Polymerization under Air Using Tris(2,2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) and Silyl Radicals. Macromolecules 2010, 43 (24), 10191-10195. (b) Fors, B. P.; Hawker, C. J., Control of a Living Radical Polymerization of Methacrylates by Light. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2012, 51 (35), 8850-8853. Howerton, B. S.; Heidary, D. K.; Glazer, E. C., Strained Ruthenium Complexes Are Potent Light-Activated Anticancer Agents. Journal of the American Chem

Roses Journey Upon the Ship of Dreams :: Creative Writing Titanic History Essays

Rose’s Journey Upon the Ship of Dreams My journey started when I saw a report on the television. The report was about a picture which the ocean archaeologist’s found. The picture was of me, not now a course but when I was a young teenager. Titanic researchers with the ocean archaeologists were looking for a ruby which was worn by someone on the titanic, they’d been looking for 20 years but now they’d come across a picture of a lady wearing it around her neck. They had found the picture miles under the ocean, they were showing there founding’s on TV. I just caught a little glimpse of the image on TV. I was ecstatic; I was so excited I thought I had lost that picture for ever but I was wrong. It was remarkable that the picture had been under water for nearly 100 years and it was still in good condition. I had to see it, for real. I phoned the helpline; a young man answered the phone there was lots of racket in the background but could here this young man speaking on top of it all, â€Å"hello how we can help you?† He asked. I replied by saying â€Å"I wanted to know if you have found the heart of the ocean yet?† He sounded quite surprised. â€Å"What’s your name?† he asked. â€Å"Rose Dawson† I responded. â€Å"Now, Rose Dawson you have me attention,† he uttered. â€Å"Now tell me who that lady in the picture is Rose?† he continue to questioned. â€Å"The lady in that picture is me!† I said. â€Å"That can’t be true, if it was, u must be over 100 years old† he claimed â€Å"Actually I’m 101 next month† I countered I was invited to the ship, not the titanic, but to the research ship. I stepped out of the helicopter. There were so many machines and so much noise and racket. There were people running about, It reminded me of that night when the ship hit the ice berg. I felt so vulnerable. I was also quite anxious to believe that I was here 100 years ago, when the titanic foundered. I could see the sights I saw that day, crossing my mind back and forth. It was like a time bomb had exploded in my head and I was remembering everything. The young man presented my room. It was so basic two beds and a window and a TV. I was sharing my room with my granddaughter who I didn’t think knew what was going on, she look confused. â€Å"Would like anything else Mrs. Dawson† the young man asked.

Families Portrayed In Roddy Doyles Books Essay -- essays research pape

Families Portrayed In Roddy Doyle's Books Why do we hear so much about family these days? Perhaps it is because relationships between family members are assumed to be the prototype for all other social relations. In the novels, The Commitments, The Snapper and The Van, Roddy Doyle shows his support of the family as an institution. Each character demonstrates strength and direction within the family unit. However, when the stability of the family is threatened, each character breaks down along with the family itself. When we think of family life we associate happiness, a life of sharing memories and developing unbreakable friendships. It is easy to create a family that is make believe, we just tend to leave the ugly side of the relationship out. It may be true that there is a family that lives like the "Cleavers" in our society today, but speaking realistically every family will breakdown eventually. In an interview about his novels the author said, "I didn't set out to capture the good in every family, or bad for that matter, I just wanted to show a typical Irish family."1 Doyle's writing is real--he deals with issues that might not hit home with every reader however, they are events that confront many people every day. The Rabbitte family is used in all three novels that make up the "Barrytown Trilogy." While the times are both good and bad for the eight members of this Irish family, in some way they find a way overcome every problem that faces them. One of Doyle's strengths is his feel for personality: his characters are neither devils nor clowns, dolts nor wits, but wobble between the extremes. "They're fish gutters and mechanics, young knockabouts and unemployed workers who spend a lot of time watching T.V. drinking Guinness and jawing at the pub, trying to stave off the feelings that they are nondescript people in a nondescript world."2 The Commitments is Doyle's first full-length novel. The main character Jimmy Rabbitte, the eldest son, puts together a band. It is almost every teenager's dream, at some point, to be famous playing music in front of large groups of people. In fact, this is how this book started off. In the end, however, it turns out to be the complete opposite. Doyle captures ... ... about unemployment and welfare. One night when the family is eating Darren says something to upset his father whose reply is: "Darren, don't you forget who paid for tha' dinner in front of you, son, righ' -I know who paid for it, said Darren. -The state did."7 This reaction not only made Jimmy Sr. upset but, he came to terms with the fact that he was going nowhere and if he wanted things to get better he had better get a job soon. The Rabittes may have gone through times when they wanted to kill each other, but other times they cared. Doyle is a down-to-earth writer, he shows the way of life for many families with the use of slang in his writing and his abillity to capture humour when the times are hard. The Rabbitte family shared many bonds, they had many memories and of course many fights, but they are a family. They may be fictional but they represent a modern family. It is true that when the stability of the family is threatened, each character breaks down along with the family itself.

Western Civilization Essay -- essays research papers

Western Civilization from 1589 to 1914 had many specific changes that contributed to the structure of the western world before World War I. In the absolutism state sovereignty is embodied in the person of the ruler. Kings were absolute kings and were resposible to no none except god. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries absolute rulers had to respect the fundamental laws of their land. They had to control competing jurisdictions, institutions or groups that were interested in their territory. They regulated religious sects. France of Louis was the classic model of absolutism. Louis XIV, " the sun king," was a devoted Catholic who believed that god had estalblished kings as rulers on the earth. The French language and culture became an international style because of him. People liked what he was doing, people really liked him. He effected the western world in a good way. He made them see that absolutism could indeed be very productive. Constitutionalism is the opposite of absolutism. Tis is the limitation of the state law. Under the constitutionalism, the state must be governed according to law, not by royal decree. It implies the balance of power of the government and the rights of the subjects. Constitutional governments may be either be republics or monarchies. Between 1603 and 1649 absolutism ran along second to English beliefs. This is when costitutionalism began to rise. This was also during the English civil war. This was a messy period for England. After this period however, the English monarchy was restored. The Stuart kings were stored in 1660. This did not however, help religion of the relationship between king and parliament. The test was passed in 1673. This stated that those who joined the church of England could not vote, hold office, preach, teach, attend universities or assemble, and these restrictions could not be upheld. Fear of a catholic monarchy led to the expulsion of James the 2nd and t he glorious revolution. Constitutionalism was the way of the future and in my own personal opinion it was the best way to go. Shortly after absolutism and constituionalism the scientific revolution came into effect. The scientfic revolution of the seventeenth century was the major cause of the change in world view and one of the key developments in the evolution of the weste... ... The American Revolution was fought from 1775-1789. The British wanted Americans to share the imperial expenses. The Americans did not like that so they fought for there freedom and they won. They won their independence. America’s greater political equality was matched by greater social and economic equality. By the time the American revolution ended in 1789 the French revolution began and went on until 1791. The French were influenced by the Americans so they decided to revolutionize too. By the 1780’s France’s government was nearly bankrupt as was the banking system. The French raised bread prices and prices on other essentials. France had to do something so they went to war. France did not endure the immediate successes the way the America did. Theirs was a more slow moving process but eventually they got there. These revolutions reinforced the enlightenment idea that a better life is out there. Everything that happened shaped western civilization in one way or another. None more so then the American Revolution. The western world looked at was going on and learned from it. Western civilization has come along way and yet has a long way to travel.

Quakers Case Essay

This research paper will argue that the evangelicals were embraced mostly by blacks not only because it’s the nearest imitation of their African nature rituals but because they have given support to the abolition of slavery in the United States. Quakers were known to be the most vocal concerning their opposition to slavery; there were also other denominations that did not favor slavery. George Fox, founder of the Quaker group â€Å"Society of Friends†, preached against slavery in the late 16oo’s, but never really took action against it. Even though Fox, a major Quaker leader, was opposed to slavery, other Quaker leaders owned slaves. This was because they interpreted the doctrines of their religion to exclude slaves. The institution of slavery became a divided issue among Quakers in the Society. Benjamin Lay, for example, was against slavery. Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians were very vocal concerning their dissatisfaction with slavery. (1) However, the main concern was that large amounts of the population were not being exposed to God. They had to resolve whether the larger concern was to end slavery and thus allow many â€Å"unchristian† people to go to hell after death, or to evangelize the slaves while letting the issue of slavery slide under the carpet. Subsequently, Methodists and Baptists also became the two denominations to achieve the earliest successes in proselytizing slaves (Lane 184). The first third of the nineteenth century was a significant time for antislavery. Haitian slaves had risen up and freed themselves from French rule in 1803. In England, decades of antislavery agitation led Parliament to abolish slavery in the British Empire by 1834 In the United States, sectional friction related to slavery began in earnest with the Missouri crisis of 1820. Nor were black voices silent. Free African American ministers sermonized against slavery’s cruelties. Periodic fears of slave violence came to a head in 1822 with the discovery of Denmark Vesey’s planned slave uprising (2). As the conflict over slavery heated up, and as news of the Vesey conspiracy broke in 1822, and word spread about the rebellion of Nat Turner in 1831, a great fear enveloped whites (5).   All these factors caused a few whites to begin to renew the spiritual struggle against slavery. The Reverend George Bourne, an Englishman who headed a Presbyterian congregation in Virginia, refused communion to slaveholders and excoriated slaveholding ministers. Way back 1784 Methodists were so bold as to say that they â€Å"promised to excommunicate all Methodists not freeing their slaves within two years† (5). Opposing racism is definitely amongst the strongest reasons for the abolition of slavery. This argument seems quite feasible, considering the fact that only Negroes were slaves. That is to say, skin color was the most deciding factor in whether somebody was a slave or a slaveholder (1). Catherine Meeks, professor of African American studies at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, says, â€Å"It was the white control of the worship [on slave-holding plantations], the inability to accept blacks as equals, and the negation of black personhood that led to the separation of the black church from the white church and to the emergence of a black religious community.† (4) Independent black churches—most of them Baptist or Methodist—†were not separating themselves from whites because they held a different doctrinal view of Christianity,† notes James H. Cone of Union Theological Seminary. â€Å"Without exception, blacks used the same articles of faith and polity for their churches as the white denominations from which they separated. Separation, for blacks, meant that, they were rejecting racism that was based on the assumption that God created blacks inferior to whites.† (5) Even though white Protestant denominations in the 1840s split over the issue of slavery, the congregations of northern Protestants remained just as closed to blacks who moved north. Given the increasing racial proscription in the mid-1800’s, (9) Many Black preachers developed a significant following across the South among both whites and blacks. John Jasper of Virginia was one such man. Slaves would defer funeral ceremonies for as long as necessary to bring him to the plantation for the service. And Jasper was equally popular among whites. During the Civil War, Jasper won a warm response from the Confederate wounded to whom he preached and offered solace (9). A long history of antislavery and political activity among Northern black Protestants had convinced them that they could play a major role in the adjustment of the four million freed slaves to American life. In a massive missionary effort, Northern black leaders such as Daniel A. Payne and Theophilus Gould Steward established missions to their Southern counterparts, resulting in the dynamic growth of independent black churches in the Southern states between 1865 and 1900 (10). Predominantly white denominations, such as the Presbyterian, Congregational, and Episcopal churches, also sponsored missions, opened schools for freed slaves, and aided the general welfare of Southern blacks, but the majority of African-Americans chose to join the independent black denominations founded in the Northern states during the antebellum era. Within a decade the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) churches claimed Southern membership in the hundreds of thousands, far outstripping that of any other organizations. They were quickly joined in 1870 by a new Southern-based denomination, the Colored (now â€Å"Christian†) Methodist Episcopal Church, founded by indigenous Southern black leaders (11). The relentless evangelist figures were catalysts of the constitutional abolision of the slaves. They fought for the freedom through the exposure to God’s theoretical equality. Emancipation from slavery in 1863 posed distinctive religious challenges for African Americans in the South. When the Civil War finally brought freedom to previously enslaved peoples, the task of organizing religious communities was only one element of the larger need to create new lives–to reunite families, to find jobs, and to figure out what it would mean to live in the United States as citizens rather than property. Melville J. Herskovits has advanced the thesis that the success of Baptists in attracting blacks was rooted in the appeal of immersion which suggests a connection in the slaves’ mind with the river spirits in West African religions. Others have attacked this position including, the black scholar E. Franklin Frazier who argues that enslavement largely destroyed the social basis of religion among blacks, and that the appeal of Baptists to blacks concerns the emotional content of their worship. Stanley Elkins (whose views were heavily influenced by what took place in the concentration camps of World War II Europe), has argued–like Frazier–that slavery was so demeaning that blacks (like the Jews in the camps) were eventually stripped of every shred of dignity and humanity, including their faith. John Blassingame, on the other hand, has provided a significant body of evidence that blacks hung on to their religion as a form of resistance (11). African-American religion dealt with life as blacks lived it. It was about pain and sorrow, sin and shortcoming, pardon and joy, praise and thanksgiving, grace and hope. This version of Evangelicalism provided a wonderful benefit; it was able to accomplish great things in their lives that were frequently shouted about. This transition coincided with the period of intense religious revivalism known as â€Å"awakenings.† In the Southern states beginning in the 1770s, increasing numbers of slaves converted to evangelical religions such as the Methodist and Baptist faiths. Many clergy within these denominations actively promoted the idea that all Christians were equal in the sight of God, a message that provided hope and sustenance to the slaves (12). Slave Spirituals became the creative group expression of these aspirations. The Ring Shout was the most distinctive expression of religious worship in the praise service, with African-derived dancing and body movement emphasized. The invisible religion of the slave quarters also included conjure, a system of spiritual influence that combined herbal medicine with magic and sometimes gave surprising authority to slave practitioners who believed they could affect whites as well as blacks (6). They also encouraged worship in ways that many Africans found to be similar, or at least adaptable, to African worship patterns, with enthusiastic singing, clapping, dancing, and even spirit-possession. It was here that the spirituals, with their double meanings of religious salvation and freedom from slavery, developed and flourished; and here, too, that black preachers, those who believed that God had called them to speak his Word, polished their â€Å"chanted sermons,† or rhythmic, intoned style of extemporaneous preaching. The closest replication of their religious belief was the evangelicals’ approach. African Americans, often termed as ‘blacks’, was so closely intertwined with their total life experience that the starting point in understanding the meaning of that religious life must be the total life experience. For them, before they were forced to become unwilling participants in one of the most oppressive systems of slavery that the world had witnessed, the ancestors of the African Americans in Africa were very much a religious people. In their native land the totality of their lives was informed by what in western Europe was defined as â€Å"religion,† but what, to them meant as a basic and integral part of life (Jones 1991).Thus, they brought that â€Å"religion† with them. Blacks responded to the evangelical message, though, for different reasons than those advanced by slave owner-sanctioned preachers. The potential for spiritual equality, and even the hope for earthly liberty, could be taken from evangelicalism, and that was a powerful appeal to slaves. (8) Evangelicalism’s informal, spirit-driven style of worship could evoke remembrances of the religious ecstasies of African dance religions, another reason to embrace the faith. Nowhere else in southern society did African Americans find the status that they could achieve as in churches. Some African Americans worshipped in separate black churches, but black Baptists and Methodists had shaped evolving Evangelicalism in general since the earliest revivals. Most slave worship was in biracial churches. Evangelicalism took root among African-Americans. Large numbers underwent conversion, baptism, instruction, worship, and lived the life of Christian even in face of oppression. Although, the development of their own religious institutions would await Emancipation and the war’s end, there were many thousands of Negro Baptists and Methodists by 1850. Emancipation brought many tangible rewards. Among the most obvious was a significant increase in personal freedom that came with no longer being someone else’s property: whatever hardships they faced, free blacks could not be forcibly sold away from their loved ones. But emancipation did not bring full equality, and many of the most striking gains of Reconstruction — including the substantial political power that African Americans were briefly able to exercise — were soon lost. In the decades after Reconstruction African Americans experienced continued poverty and exploitation and a rising tide of violence at the hands of whites determined to re-impose black subordination. They also experienced new forms of discrimination, spearheaded by a variety of state laws that instituted rigid racial segregation in virtually all areas of life and that (in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments) effectively disfranchised black voters. The struggle to overcome the bitter legacy of slavery would be long and arduous. Many abolitionists belonged to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ). AMEZ became a platform for preaching against slavery. â€Å"The ministry was by far the most common occupation of the black leaders in the abolitionist movement† (Sorin 101). AMEZ enabled people like Denmark Vesey to plan revolts. Pennington traveled as far as Europe to preach against slavery. He wrote, â€Å"If the New Testament sanctions slavery, it authorizes the enslavement of whites as well as us† (Voices of Triumph 127). Ward was born into a slave family that escaped in 1820. He lived in upstate New York and was an agent for the American Anti-slavery Society. Ward actively protested the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. He was also an assistant to fugitive slaves (Voices of Triumph 145) (9). Over one hundred and thirty years after Nat Turner was hanged, black theology emerged as a formal discipline. Beginning with the â€Å"black power† movement in 1966, black clergy in many major denominations began to reassess the relationship of the Christian church to the black community. Black caucuses developed in the Catholic, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches. The central thrust of these new groups was to redefine the meaning and role of the church and religion in the lives of black people. Out of this reexamination has come what some have called a ‘Black Theology’. (10) The secret meetings of â€Å"praise† of the former slaves was later institutionalized and these assemblies gave rise to independent churches. The first religious institution primarily controlled and administered by blacks was established at Silver Bluff, South Carolina in the 1770s.The Free African Society of Philadelphia, established in 1778 by two former slaves, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones was an example of one of the earliest formal organizational activity- more frequent among the free blacks in the urban North (Woodson 1922). Most of such groups were quasi-religious bodies and churches frequently came into existence from the membership of these societies. The Free African Society of Philadelphia, that newly created independent body, was the mother of two African Amertican churches- St. Thomas African Episcopal Church (later named the St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church) established in 1794, and the Bethel African Church (later becoming an independent organization known as the African Methodist Episcopal Church), which was the first black congregation in the Philadelphia Methodist Conference. In 1894 black Baptists formed the National Baptist Convention, an organization that is currently the largest black religious organization in the United States. There may be several reasons that evangelist were able to convert slaves, some would argue that this may be attributed to the verity that the slaves saw religion as the nearest observable fact to freedom. Still, it is quite notable that the evangelist were able to gather members not only because the African- Americans see their way of teaching as the nearest to their old rituals but also because of the evangelists’ unerring efforts to abolish slavery in the United States.

The Punishment of Oedipus the King

The Punishment of Oedipus the King At the end of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Oedipus, king of Thebes, ends up banished forever from his kingdom. Additionally, Oedipus physically puts out his own eyes, for several reasons which will be discussed later. The question is: Did Oedipus deserve his punishments? There are many factors that must be considered in answering this, including how Oedipus himself felt about his situation. His blinding was as much symbolic as it was physical pain. After all factors have been considered, I think that only Oedipus' banishment was the necessary punishment.. It is important to keep in mind the whole basic reasoning for Oedipus' search for Laius' killers: he wished to put an end to a deadly plague, and that plague would only be stopped when said murderer is killed, or driven from the land (pp 4-5). Thusly, when it is revealed that Oedipus himself murdered Laius, then banishment seems to be the only option. Death, in my mind, is not valid simply because of what it might do to the kingdom's people. Even though it seems that Oedipus has not been a particularly good monarch, in fact his only major accomplishment seems to be killing the Sphinx all those years ago, having a king put to death could have serious repercussions on the rest of the kingdom. So in the end, the only way to cure the plague and keep the kingdom stable seems to be the banishment of Oedipus. In this case, the question of whether or not he deserved to be punished seems irrelevant; Oedipus' only goal was to stop the plague and by leaving, he has accomplished that goal. Banishment was the only choice. But what exactly was Oedipus being punished for? Even after re- reading the play, this still seems to be a gray area. Incest? Immoral, to be sure, but Oedipus was obviously ignorant to his actions, and to my knowledge, in Sophoclean times, there was no written law against it and therefore no punishment for it. Oedipus' punishment may have been for killing Laius, but how could you punish someone for being a victim of fate? Greeks believed at the time of the play's writing that a man's life was † woven† by the 3 fates (Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos) and that he was irrevocably bound to that destiny. Knowing this, and knowing that Oedipus became king of Thebes only because it was his destiny to murder Laius and kill the Sphinx, how could he rightfully be punished? Even Oedipus himself knows that his actions are not by choice, but by acts of the gods, he mentions this twice in the play: â€Å"Some savage power has brought this down upon my head. † As well as â€Å"My god, my god — what have you planned to do to me? † Such quotes clearly show that Oedipus knew that he had no choice in his actions. In this manner and in this manner alone, Oedipus is undeserving of said punishment. Oedipus may not have been a particularly good man, but in the end he knew what was best for his kingdom: â€Å"Out of this kingdom cast me with all speed† †¦ for only that would save his former subjects. Were that Oedipus' only punishment, the play might have been quite a bit simpler (and this essay quite a bit shorter), but Oedipus, in a fit of rage, stabs his own eyes with Jocasta's dresspins. This was Oedipus' way of trying to punish himself, as well as an escape. Oedipus would no longer gaze upon the faces of his subjects, his brother (uncle? Creon, or even those of his children. He is plunged into a world of darkness. It must be noted that this was more than simply a punishment, though I'm sure that it was one of the ways Oedipus intended it. The physical pain alone seems to prove that. There are much easier ways of becoming blind to the world than stabbing one's eyes out. As I have stated before though, Oedipus was blinded by his foolish pride long before the beginn ing of the novel. He only realized the truth behind Laius' murder when it was right in front of his nose. He was by no means stupid, in fact he came off as quite a clever man, but his was a world of blindness because of pride and power. I have been concentrating on the two most obvious of Oedipus' punishments, but there is another one that may not seem so clear. Keeping in mind that Sophocles made it very clear that Oedipus was a man of so much pride that he may have thought himself to be akin to a god, was not Oedipus basically stripped of that pride at the end of the play? The true punishment has been revealed. Oedipus' life was based on pride. It was what led to the murder of Laius, which in turn led to the killing of the Sphinx, which led to his becoming king. As he continues on his particular thread of life, Oedipus becomes more and more powerful, and as such, his pride also increases proportionately. He threatens both Tiresias and Creon, and single-handedly tries to unravel the mystery of Laius' death. What must go on inside his mind when he finds out that not only did he murder his father, the king, but he also slept with his mother? Knowing full well that his kingdom would eventually find out his acts, how could he hold his head up when walking through the city streets? How could his subjects respect and revere a king who was a murderer and commiter of incest? Oedipus is thusly stripped of his pride, the driving force behind his whole personality. He has been crushed, and that which he had so much of before has been denied him. Where he was once at one extreme (hubris), he is now at the other. To take away the very thing that drives a man is worse than any physical pain or even death itself. That is truly, as Sophocles intended it, Oedipus' ultimate punishment. When the curtain falls and the lights go out on Oedipus Rex, the king's punishments total three. Though in my mind at least, one far outweighs the other two, they are all important and they all contribute to the total experience of the Greek tragedy. In the end, I do not feel that Oedipus truly deserves the punishments he is handed, but that is only because of the fact that I place myself in the time period that this was written in, using the beliefs of that time for my own. Were this story to have taken place in modern times, Oedipus certainly would have deserved his punishment, but this idea is irrelevant because, quite simply, this did not take place in our â€Å"advanced† civilization. Oedipus was a victim of fate, incapable of free will, and as such he should have not been punished, save banishment only to cure the plague. The Punishment of Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)