Payroll System free essay sample

Net Compensation Unlimited number of rewards and profit Unlimited number of pay modifications Commissions and piece rate calculations Special runs and thirteenth month calculation Retirement/last settle Computation of expense, SSS, Philhealth, and hdmf can be turned on/off User indicated repeating salary Deduction Unlimited number of credit types Unlimited number of conclusion types Maintains advance amortization and equalizations User determined repeating derivations Government User editable Philhealth contribtion User editable SSS commitment User editable retention charge Beginning year to date sections Configurable Philhealth contribtion Configurable SSS commitment Configurable retention charge Beginning year to date sections Diskette Submissions SSS compensation credits diskette SSS month to month settlement diskette SSS net month to month commitment list (mcl) SSS net pre-approval document (pvf) phic rf-1 diskette hdmf premium settlement diskette hdmf advance installment diskette BIR alphalist diskette bank explicit organizations of bank sees FOR EXEL Payroll Systems Companies can utilize Microsoft Excel to keep pay subtleties. In this action you will make an organization finance table and pay guidance slips for the individual workers. The information for the finance framework has been set up for you; your undertaking will be to finished the recipes. Stacking the Payroll Template ?1? Burden? Microsoft? Exceed expectations, ? or then again? close? the? current le. 2 Click on the OPEN symbol in the QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR or in the OFFICEBUTTON. Access the CHAPTER 16 envelope of the EXCEL 2007 SUPPORT FILES and burden the format: PAYROLLSelecting YES to the READ-ONLY discourse box. 3 There are two worksheets in the format. Investigate the PAYROLL sheetwhich will show the compensation subtleties for all representatives. Snap on the PAY ADVICE sheet. It will show the compensation subtleties for an individual representative. The representative would get the PAY ADVICE printout when they get their compensation. ? 4? Spare the layout in your STORAGE envelope under the record name: Ch16 EvesalonRemember to kill the READ-ONLY RECOMMENDED choice. Finishing the Payroll Worksheet The principal sheets the finance sheet indicating the compensation subtleties for all the representatives of the organization. 1 Ensure that the PAYROLL worksheet is on the screen. 2 Position the cursor At cell G12. We have to compute the OVERTIME RATE OFPAY. It is 1. multiple times the NORMAL PAY RATE. 3. In cell G12 enter the fomula:E*12=1. 4. Auto fill the equation down for different workers. 5 The GROSS PAY is the all out week by week pay earned by the worker before reasonings are taken out. We have to duplicate the NORMAL HOURS by the NORMAL PAY RATE and the OVERTIME HOURS by the OVERTIME RATE at that point include the two outcomes together. 6. Move the cursor to cell H12 and enter (D12*E12) + (F12*G12). 7. Auto fill the equation down for different representatives. NOTE: The sections in the GROSS PAY equation are not so much essential, however they help to isolate the two estimation segments and make the recipe more obvious. 8. The SUPERANNUATION is the sum contributed by employee’s eachweek to a retirement finance. It is typically a level of the employee’s Gross Pay. We will utilize a pace of 5% here. 9 Set the cursor at cell I12 and enter:= H12 * 5% ?at that point? auto? ll? the? recipe? down? for? different workers. The Tax Calculation Normally the TAX is determined through a progression of queries which you did in anearlier part. This should be possible at the privilege of the finance and set not to printwhen the finance is printed. To make things a little simpler we will utilize a base taxrate of 25%. Set the cursor at cell J12 and enter:= H12 * 25%â then? auto? ll? the? equation? down? for? different representatives. Figuring the Net Pay The NET PAY is the GROSS PAY short the derivations (superannuation and duty), Set the cursor at cell K12 and enter:= H12 I12 J12 at that point? auto? ll? the? recipe? down? for? different workers. Printing the Payroll The? print? zone? needs? to? be? ch ecked? so? that? the? entirety? finance ts? on? one? page? what's more, the ORIENTATION should be set to LANDSCAPE 1 In the PAGE LAYOUT tab of theRIBBON set the ORIENTATIONicon to LANDSCAPE and the SIZEicon to your printer’s paper size (itis most likely A4).â 2 Highlight the entire finance (cellsA1 to K17) and set the PRINTAREA symbol in the RIBBON to SETPRINT AREA. 3 PRINT PREVIEW the table at that point print a duplicate and check over it. The Pay Advice Worksheet Each pay day the representatives are offered pay guidance sheets with their compensation. We canuse Microsoft Excel to make a compensation guidance sheet that can import esteems from thePAYROLL worksheet and print this compensation counsel sheet for every worker. Theemployee CODE is utilized to interface the two sheets together. The CODE comprises of the ? rst? three? letters? of? the? employee’s? family name? what's more, the? number? 50. In the event that? two? or?â more? employee’s? have? the? s ame rst? three? letters? in? their? family name,? the rst? in order? name gets the number 50, the second 51, the third 52, and so on. A Naming the Payroll Cells It is profitable to name the PAYROLL table cells with the goal that entering the formulasin the PAY ADVICE sheet is simpler. 1 The PAYROLL sheet ought to be on the screen. B Sorting The Payroll Before beginning the PAY ADVICE sheet it is important to guarantee that the PAYROLL table? is? arranged? into? CODE? request. The? query? recipes? will? not nd? the? right? values if the PAYROLL table isn't in CODE request. 1 With the cells A12 to K15 still featured, click on the SORT FILTER symbol in the HOME tab of the RIBBON and select: SORT A TO Z. 2 Click on a cell to expel the feature and the PAYROLL table ought to be in CODE request. Related Literature Payroll System is an adaptable pay organization arrangement. It is intended to help human asset experts just as fund and bookkeeping work force to oversee representative pay, findings, stipends, and advantages in an association. The framework is incorporated with the Employee Information System, offers proficient highlights and usefulness to oversee companys costs (www.â blastasia. com, 2007). The requirement for computerization explicitly in a Payroll System emerge because of the multifaceted nature of the figuring undertakings . For representatives, the compensation gives the driving force to work effectively. Along these lines, it is significant from the perspective of the association just as the worker â€that the compensation is determined on time with no blunders. A speedier and precise upkeep of the finance turns into a matter of significance, and this is accomplished through robotization to an enormous degree. Computerized Payroll System is an ad lib of the manual Payroll Process. It offers extraordinary advantages to the association by improving the channel of stream of data and furthermore giving simple recovery of data (www. churmura. com, 2010). The PAYROLL SYSTEM is utilized to keep up a rundown of employees’ names, locations and work data and is utilized to intuitively ascertain and print finance checks. Employees’ hours are entered and dispersed to fitting Department/cost focuses. Annualized charge tables are then used to naturally figure conclusions before the check is imprinted on bank stock. Month to month and quarterly reports are utilized to get ready duty filings, and give scientific data. W-2’s can be created naturally at year-en (www. infonetx. com, 2009). â€Å"Employees who handle finance readiness and preparing would now be able to take care of other office needs and worries as the new finance framework will reduce their workload,† she included. Under the new finance framework, arrangement and handling of finance, which mirrors the collected sum payable each fifteenth and 30th day of the month, is done just a single time. Not at all like the tedious old finance framework, readiness and handling of finance is done two times per month covering the principal half and second 50% of the month. It might be reviewed that Mayor Constantino Jaraula requested a week ago the reception of the new mechanized finance framework which is required to produce results beginning the long stretch of October (www. misamisprobe. wordpress. com, 2007). Reasonable Framework It shows the theoretical structure of the examination. Representatives working information, for example, the occasions in and out from the work fills in as the info. Employee’s records and the accompanying: SSS, PAG-IBIG and others kinds of findings are prepared put away in the finance framework. The information being put away in the framework are then handled and produce the finance or the month to month compensation of its workers as its yield.

My Paper

Films are all over the place, however the Harry Potter motion pictures share a lot of practically speaking with the Twilight adventure. I love viewing a wide assortment of films and have seen that the two film arrangement that I love the most are Harry Potter and Twilight. These two arrangement are similar from numerous points of view, they were both brought into the world dependent on books, the two of them have legendary characters in them, anyway they additionally have contrasts, Twilight is all the more a romantic tale and Harry Potter is a greater amount of an activity based film. In both arrangement the age of the entertainers depend on youngsters coming into adulthood and confronting inconvenience all through their journey.They are all in a similar age gathering of seventeen and eighteen when the last film is done. The two motion pictures are about youthful grown-ups confronting risk and living to recount to the story. In Harry Potter you have youthful Harry discovering he is a wizard, at that point moving to the wizard school Hogwarts to figure out how to control his enchantment. The motion pictures start with him as a multi year old kid living with his auntie and uncle who treat him like a hireling. He discovers that his folks were killed by Lord Voldemort. He grows up all through the seven films until he is seventeen and confronted with the way that he needs to battle Lord Voldemort to the death.Twilight starts with Bella Swan, a multi year old young lady moving to her dads in Forks, Washington where she meets Edward Cullen and his group of vampires. Edward is likewise seventeen in spite of the fact that he has been seventeen for more than ninety years. Bella turns into a vampire after she turns eighteen and has hitched Edward. Robert Pattinson has played characters in the two motion pictures. He fills the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potters the Goblet of Fire. He plays the character of Edward Cullen in Twilight. Both arrangement are dependent on books which are mainstream with today’s youth just as youthful grown-ups. Every arrangement has more than on book.Harry Potter has seven books in the arrangement which are named: The Sorcerer’s Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hollows. Dusk has four books in their adventure which are: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. Both were made to keep the reader’s intrigued and needing more when they were done viewing the film. If somebody somehow managed to watch the primary film they would need to see the rest to discover what occurs at long last. Do they live joyfully ever after? Does Harry win against Voldemort? Does Bella become a vampire?Do Edward and Bella remain together at long last? These are on the whole inquiries posed subsequent to viewing the main film of every arrangement. The motion pictures were at last made to see the character with the go al that fans could see who the book was discussing from the earliest starting point. It is constantly simpler to peruse a book that has a film made after it so you can have a face to go with the name of the characters in the book. The last book to every arrangement has been part into a two section film to prop the tension up in the film. Despite the fact that most definitely recognize what will happen it is more enjoyable to witness it on the TV or on a theater screen.Harry says in the last film to Ollivander the wizard that gave him his first wand, â€Å"You talk about wands as though they have emotions. † There are legendary characters in every film, in Harry Potter there are witches, wizards, mythical beings, goliaths, centaurs, werewolves, and others. Harry Potter was primarily about witches and wizards in spite of the fact that they raised the other legendary characters all through the entirety of the motion pictures. They had teacher’s that were a werewolf and a monster. There were mermaids in the lake, centaurs in the woods, and mythical people at both the school and the wizard bank. The Twilight motion pictures depend on vampires and werewolves.Both motion pictures have fascinating characters, for example, Ron Weasley whom is Harry’s closest companion, Hagrid whom is a mammoth that educates at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore who is the superintendent. Dumbledore stated, â€Å"It takes a lot of boldness to face your adversaries, however it takes significantly more to confront your friends,† In the Sorcerer’s Stone. From Twilight there is Emmett Cullen whom is continually having some good times at Bella’s cost. He is continually snickering at her ungainliness and mortality there is Alice who is smooth, carefree and joyful. Alice likewise observes the eventual fate of those around her.Those dreams can be changed, contingent upon the way that the individual takes. At that point there is Jasper, he can detect differe nt people’s feelings just as control the feelings in a space to keep others quiet. The two of them have a fight scene in the last scene of every film. Harry is continually engaging with Lord Voldemort somehow all through the entirety of the motion pictures. He has the last fight in the Deathly Hollows section two where the wizard world battles as one to be freed of Lord Voldemort and his devotees. In Twilight Bella, Edward and the Cullen’s continually fight different vampires to shield them from harming Bella.The utilize the assistance of Jacob Black and his pack of werewolves to crush new conceived vampires that are after Bella alongside in the last film Breaking Dawn section two they need to unite observers to demonstrate that Bella brought forth a half-vampire half-human little girl to Edward. Alice sees an eventual fate of the Cullen’s turning out to be terminated on the grounds that the Vulturi have been informed that Bella and Edward made a vampire kid whe n she is really their organic girl. These two films are likewise unique from various perspectives a couple of these distinctions are that Harry Potter is about a little fellow continually battling for his life and the lives of others.The prescience that prompted Harry’s fate is, â€Å"Neither can live while the other survives,† told by Professor Sybell Trewlawney. It talks about Harry and Lord Voldemort otherwise called Tom Riddle. Harry Potter is even more a man versus man though Twilight is even more a romantic tale. It is a kid meets young lady they begin to look all starry eyed at despite the fact that Bella realizes that Edward is a vampire, they battle to keep each other. Bella stated, â€Å"Surely it was a decent method to bite the dust, in the spot of another person, somebody that you loved,† toward the finish of Twilight.There are numerous individuals everywhere throughout the world bantering on what is diverse between the two film arrangement. They are not as various as individuals state. The fans that like Harry Potter likewise like Twilight, the fans are additionally from all age bunches not really just youngsters and youthful grown-ups. These two arrangement have brought an enormous gathering of individuals together to peruse these books just as watch the motion pictures. Each fan has seen all of both arrangement films more than once just as read the entirety of the books to every arrangement. These motion pictures will consistently be on most people groups watch list.

How Is Methamphetamine Used

How Is Methamphetamine Used Addiction Drug Use Meth Print How Is Methamphetamine Used? By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial policy Buddy T Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on October 27, 2019 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD on October 27, 2019 More in Addiction Drug Use Meth Cocaine Heroin Marijuana Ecstasy/MDMA Hallucinogens Opioids Prescription Medications Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery Methamphetamine is produced in several different forms, and so it can be used and abused in many ways. It can be smoked, snorted, injected, or swallowed in pill form. The method of  using methamphetamine  can vary by geographic region.  Learn more about how it is administered by users. Smoking Methamphetamine Currently, the most common method of abusing meth is by smoking it, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuses Community Epidemiology Work Group data.?? The hydrochloride salt of methamphetamine can be smoked by itself without having to add it to something else or change its form. In this crystal meth or ice form it appears as blue-white rocks. Often, crystal meth is smoked in a small glass pipe called a flute. If you are looking for evidence that someone may be smoking meth, finding such a pipe would be a clue. Smoking meth can lead to the side effects of meth mouth, with dry mouth and corroded teeth and gums. Meth often contains other ingredients left from the illicit manufacturing process, which can have many effects beyond those of the drug itself. The risks of secondhand methamphetamine smoke arent yet known, other than that you can test positive for meth after exposure to secondhand smoke. Smoking meth is believed to be the route most likely to lead to addiction, according  to the Office of National Drug Policy. Injecting Methamphetamine The powdered form of methamphetamine can be injected into the bloodstream. As with injecting any drug, this carries a high risk of blood-borne infections such as HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B due to sharing needles.?? Snorting Methamphetamine Snorting methamphetamine powder is often done by new users. This can lead to damage of the sinus cavities. A chronic runny nose can be the result and continued use might even lead to a hole being worn into the septum. Methamphetamine by Pill or Ingestion Methamphetamine was originally developed for medical use and administered in pill form. Users can still take meth in that way today, either with manufactured pills, homemade pills, or other means of ingesting the drug. Effects of Different Methods of Administration Injecting or smoking meth gives the user the biggest and quickest rush or flash. Snorting methamphetamine results in effects within three to five minutes, while oral ingestion brings effects within 15 to 20 minutes.?? Snorting or oral ingestion does not produce an intense rush, but rather a euphoric high, unlike smoking or injecting the drug. The rush or the high produced by meth lasts for only a few minutes. Many methamphetamine abusers use the drug in a pattern known as binge and crash, taking multiple hits in succession. They are trying to maintain the high by taking more of the drug. Some abusers go on a run, which is a form of a binge during which they dont eat or sleep for up to several days at a time.

The Obesity Epidemic in America - 749 Words

In the United States, a crisis is breaking out known as the Obesity epidemic. For the first time in history, it is possible for the children of this generation to have a lower life expectancy than their parents. Millions of Americans are exposed to ads that are luring them into eating the cheap, fast food of billion dollar companies such as McDonald’s. Obesity has established itself as the fastest growing disease in the nation and continues to make an impact on the general population. The issue of Obesity is directly related to todays technology through television, cell phones, video games and all of sorts of new gadgets. Television ads are arguably the most influential form of advertisement for fast food chains considering the fact that there 115.6 million TV homes in the United States, and over half of these homes have at least three TV’s. Today’s children spend on average of 44.5 hours a week in front of some type of screen whether its computer, TV or cellphone. More than any other activity in their lives other than sleeping (American Physiological Association). It has been discovered that children under the age of eight have difficulties telling apart programming and advertising and do not understand the persuasive techniques used on them, making them the main target for fast food companies. By incorporating famous people in TV commercials, people of all ages are tricked into thinking that if they copy the actions of the famous than it is acceptable to giveShow MoreRelatedObesity Epidemic in America1748 Words   |  7 PagesUnited States of America is the fattest country in t he world. Obesity in America has reach epidemic proportions. Obesity and weight gain has become major concern of public health in the United States. In every state, at least twenty percent of adults are obese, and in twelve of these states the obesity rate is above thirty percent. 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Many may argue American’s are obese because of poor food choices, over-eating, genetic disposition, lack of exercise, or the environment which one lives, while others blame it all on fast-food chains and restaurants. Throughout my research I have come to find a lot of facts and statistics about fast food consumption causing obesity. 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The topic of obesity is important to the field of sociology because obese people make up a significant portion of the world’s population. In addition, the manner in which obese people are treated has a significant effect on societyRead MoreChildhood Obesity : An Epidemic That Is Sweeping Through America1127 Words   |  5 PagesChildhood obesity is an epidemic that is sweeping through America. The key to understanding the threshold for the term obesity is to know the clinical definition. Obesity and overweight are two terms that are intermittently misused. Overweight is clinically defined as the excess body fat one has in terms to their height, muscle, bone, or in a combination of all factors (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obesity is simply the concept of having excess body fat (Childhood Obesity Facts). Adult obesity is theRead MoreObesity : An Epidemic Rate Among The People Of America1385 Words   |  6 Pages Opinionated Obesity Obesity in America is a constant issue that seems to be on the rise and it is has been rising at an epidemic rate among the people of America. When you think of health you don’t necessarily thing of bellies and thighs rubbing together but why not? Is there a possibility of being a healthy and obese person? Who set the standard for what is too much and for what isn’t? And what makes this so wrong? I have done extensive amounts of research on the topic and I am here to question

Television and Media - Categorization of TV Sitcom...

Categorization of Sitcom Fathers For this essay I consulted EPGuides.com[1] and The Internet Movie Database[2], which also includes minimal facts of television shows and casts. Throughout the course of television history there have evolved several types and variations of fathers: the Simulacrum; the Single-parent; the Substitute; the Homer Simpson; the Apathetic. Though their characteristics coincide with American values, the Simulacrum Father does not merely represent ideals but America’s adoption of simulations. Jean Baudrillard concisely describes his complex idea of simulacra as â€Å"the generation by models of a real without origin or reality† in â€Å"The Precession of Simulacra.† Mid-Twentieth-century television fathers such as†¦show more content†¦The Simulacrum Father endures because sitcom fathers reinforce American ideals of fathers through deriving from past generation of ideal father images, the same origin of audiences’ ideals. The Single-parent Father diverges from the Simulacrum as such fathers exist as referents; however, this type signifies another American ideal of the virtuous parent. The model for this type is Bob Saget’s Danny Tanner of Full House, who strove to provide his three daughters the experience of two parents through dedication, over-compensation, and unhealthy doses of didactic conversations. Two shows descended from Full House illustrate both the simulacrum (through their cast connections to Full House) and attributes of the single-parent father: Raising Dad, featuring Bob Saget, â€Å"A sitcom about a widowed father struggling to separate his professional personal lives and keeping his sanity while raising two daughters,† (imdb.com) and â€Å"Two of a Kind,† â€Å"A show about a single father who has his hands full raising twin sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley [Olsen, of Full House]† (imdb.com). The description of these shows alludes to single-parenting as th e modern struggle; unlike other ideals, this television image represents reality at least in as much as the high divorce rates of the 1990s, thoughShow MoreRelatedBlack Culture And Issues Within The Media1625 Words   |  7 PagesThere have been countless shows on television that have had a focus on black culture and issues within the community. The Television shows Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Black-ish bring to light and successfully decode the 20th to 21st century race issues, specifically black male issues that have not been adequately dealt with in the mainstream media. Mainstream television has had black characters and have covered black issues, but they often have characters that fit and fuel stereotypes about theRead MoreGender Stereotypes And Gender Roles1959 Words   |  8 PagesWhether it is on TV or movie screens, the faces of white actors and actresses have always been prevalent in the media. For generations, many teenagers have been exposed to countless movies with w hite people in major roles. Moreover, the few roles that are cast to minorities feature the characters in their stereotypical personas (Bonilla-Silva 179). Even in advertising, Asians are placed in business settings, upholding the hard-working Asian stereotype (Taylor and Stern 50). As Taylor and Stern mentionRead MoreJudith Butlers Perception of the Female in the Modern Era: Gender Identity and the Act of Becoming in Cindy Shermans History Portraits6698 Words   |  27 Pagesand issues surrounding identity, which erupted with such force in America following the publication of Betty Friedans The Feminine Mystique in 1963. Sherman believed that her work was feminist but she rejected any strict categorization, feeling that ultimately such categorization hindered rather than helped her to connect with her art. Her approach to work grew out of an era largely defined by the Womens Movement, but her approach was more practical than theoretical (Berne, 2003). Feminism was the

Maalouf †Leo Africanus Free Essays

Amin Maalouf’s novel Leo Africanus, a fictionalized memoir by an actual sixteenth-century Muslim adventurer, is an often-interesting account of life during the turbulent end of the Middle Ages, told from the point of view of a man who survived his life’s ample turmoil and bridged conflicting cultures without wholly belonging to any. The narrator of this work, a traveler and author known in his lifetime as Jean-Leon de Medici or Leo Africanus, was born in 1488 as Hasan al-Wazzan, son of a prominent Muslim family in Granada, Spain.   At the time, southern Spain’s Andalusia region (of which Granada was its chief city) was Muslim-dominated, with Catholics, Muslims, and Jews alike coexisting in a cosmopolitan, relatively tolerant atmosphere. We will write a custom essay sample on Maalouf – Leo Africanus or any similar topic only for you Order Now    Maalouf depicts Granada as an intriguing, exotic, tolerant place for its time, despite its corrupt rulers and ultimate weakness before the invading armies of Aragon and Castile. Shortly after his birth, Spanish forces conquered Granada and soon started persecuting all non-Christians, forcing them to convert to Catholicism or flee, depriving them of their wealth in either case.   Though European history depicts Spain’s liberation from Muslim rule as a glorious event, it was a tragic blow for the Muslims who had lived there for centuries and built a prosperous, learned society.   As his uncle Khali, a wealthy diplomat, laments, â€Å"See how the people . . . have been forced into slavery after their surrender!   See how the Inquisition has raised pyres for the Jews . . . [and] for the Muslims as well!   How can we stop this, except by resistance, mobilization, and jihad?†Ã‚   (Maalouf, 1988, p. 25)   Though the word â€Å"jihad† today carries ominous meanings for Westerners, in this context it meant self-defense in the face of an intolerant enemy. The Spanish appear in a distinctly negative light, as bloodthirsty, vindictive conquerors who used the Inquisition to crush their enemies, real or perceived.   Maalouf offers in interesting inversion of Western opinion here, and he shows post-1492 Granada as a dark, dangerous place whose intellectual life is crushed.   Also, while modern readers think of Jews and Muslims as mortal enemies, Maalouf demonstrates that they enjoyed peaceful relations in medieval Andalusia, and Leo laments the Spanish edict mandating â€Å"the ‘formal termination of all relations between Christians and Jews, which can only be accomplished by the expulsion of all the Jews from our kingdom’† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 59). His uncle Khali assumes a dominant role in Leo’s life, helping educate him and, more importantly, taking him along on his 1504 diplomatic mission to Timbuktu, then an important Muslim cultural and commercial center in sub-Saharan West Africa.   Even as a teenager, he demonstrates keen insights to the world around him, particularly to the appearances, peoples, and attributes of the cities he visits en route.   For example, he describes Ain al-Asnam, an ancient city destroyed during Islam’s spread, as â€Å"sole witness of the age of ignorance† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 155), implying that despite its former glories, it symbolizes the dark era before Islam spread its enlightened message. In addition, he reveals a gift for vivid descriptive prose when he says of Sijilmassa, a once-thriving city on the road to Timbuktu: â€Å"Of its walls, once so high, only a few sections remain, half-ruined, and covered with grass and moss.   Of its population, there remain only various hostile clans . . . [who] seem merciless toward each other [and] deserve their fate† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 157).   Though he is not intolerant of peoples different from himself, he also does not shy from passing judgments on unfortunate places, though his own life is full of misfortunes; he accepts fate’s fickle nature, which perhaps sustains him through his difficulties. His uncle dies en route back to Fez and Leo returns home to work in a hospice and marry his cousin Fatima, who is far less pleasing than Hiba, the slave girl who becomes his longtime mistress (similar to Warda, the servant whom his father chose over his wife, Leo’s mother).   He also tries to save his sister Mariam from the leper colony, where an influential suitor, a highway robber named the Zarwali, had had her banished for refusing to marry him. One sees by this point that women have a difficult position in Muslim society; denied many rights, they live tightly circumscribed lives and are subject to male commands and whims at all times.   Maalouf does not impose modern sensibilities here; he remains within the character of the times and accepts this lack of freedom as Muslims of the time did, and Leo laments his sister’s fate less because she lacks freedom than because her punishment was unduly cruel. As he enters adulthood, his life continues a pattern of good fortune followed by personal or financial disasters from which he always recovers and rebuilds.   Leo becomes a successful merchant in Fez and fathers a daughter with Fatima, but when his longtime friend Harun (who has married his unfortunate sister Mariam to liberate her from the leper colony) causes the Zarwali’s death, Leo is expelled from Fez for his complicity and loses his fortune on the road to a band of thieves.   He finds some relief in Hiba’s native village, where her former peers buy her back from Leo, restoring some of his wealth but costing him the love of his life. He accepts these reversals surprisingly well by modern standards, but Maalouf implies that the late medieval/early modern world was a cruel and fickle place, with few certainties in life other than misfortune.   A common theme throughout the book is that such events are simply God’s will; when he loses both his fortune and Hiba, Leo laments, â€Å"Such is the judgment of the Most High!† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 214).   His faith does not waver throughout the story, even when Christians abduct, enslave, and force him to become a Catholic. Leo’s destiny seems to be the roads he travels throughout his adult life; his form of geography and travelogue seem to be his calling in life, and he demonstrates a keen grasp of how to describe people and places.   His travels take him throughout northern, western, and central Africa, and he states without obvious boasting, â€Å"When our geographers of old spoke of the land of the Blacks, they only mentioned Ghana and the oases of the Libyan desert. . . . I myself, who am only the last of the travellers, know the names of sixty black kingdoms . . . from the Niger to the Nile† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 216).   Such knowledge would later serve him well. He becomes involved with the era’s political intrigues when he meets and marries Nur, the widow of the Ottoman ruler’s nephew.   While Leo supports the Turks in the vain hope that they will liberate Andalusia from the Spanish and make it safe for Muslims again, Nur opposes it and fears that Turkish agents will murder her infant son to prevent him from assuming the throne.   Reflecting on the discord within his own faith, Leo asks, â€Å"Is it not in the blade of a knife brandished by the Friend of God above a pyre that the revealed religions meet?†Ã‚   (Maalouf, 1988, p. 245)   He longs for the tolerance and unity of his youth in Granada, hence his somewhat naà ¯ve support for the Ottoman Empire, of which he says, â€Å"the turbans of the Turks and the skull caps of the Christians and Jews mingle without hatred or resentment† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 258). His destiny as a geographer and scholar is realized when Sicilian pirates kidnap him in Tunisia and present him to Pope Leo X as a slave.   As with the rest of his life, this misfortune leads to another lucky phase, as the pontiff, impressed with Leo’s intellect, employs him as a protà ©gà ©.   Forcing him to become a Christian and renaming him John-Leo de Medici (for the pope and the family that takes an interest in him), the pope employs him as a teacher of Arabic while tutoring him in European languages, so that he can produce a volume of his travels, Description of Africa.   He earns his freedom but becomes embroiled in papal intrigues, so he must flee yet again – this time for Tunisia, where he can again be a Muslim.   In closing, he advises the reader to be himself in the face of adversity, saying, â€Å"Muslim, Jew or Christian, they must take you as you are, or lose you† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 360).   Though he has kept his Muslim faith inwardly i ntact, Leo’s ability to adapt has ironically saved and sustained him. The book illustrates the uncertainty of life in the pre-modern era, since peaks and valleys of instability mark Leo’s life from the beginning.   His family loses its fortune and is driven from Granada by conquering Spanish Christians, who then launch a wave of intolerance against Jews and Muslims, forcing them to either become Catholic or leave.   In addition, he loses his fortune to thieves, his wife Fatima dies young, he remarries Nur (who leaves him after his abduction), and he is enslaved by Christian pirates in the Mediterranean. He handles it philosophically, accepting the fact that his life is destined to be itinerant, turbulent, and beyond his ability to control.   As he tells Nur, â€Å"Between the Andalus which I left and the Paradise which is promised to me life is only a crossing.   I go nowhere, I desire nothing I cling to nothing, I have faith in my passion for living . . . as well as in Providence† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 261). Overall, Leo Africanus is a solid effort to take the modern reader into the mind of an educated, influential Muslim living at an unstable time in European history.   Maalouf does not inject modern sensibilities into his narrative but depicts the Muslim culture of the times fairly, without a pro-Western bias.   In addition, he strives for authenticity by using a sort of formal, occasionally wordy prose that one assumes is based on the actual writing and conversational style of Leo Africanus’ times.   In the process of producing this interesting historical figure’s tale, Maalouf also makes clear one of the chief realities of this era in history – that life is uncertain and fickle, and that the intelligent, resourceful, and adaptable are best suited to endure these shifts of fortune. REFERENCES Maalouf, A. (1988).   Leo Africanus.   Chicago: New Amsterdam Books. How to cite Maalouf – Leo Africanus, Essay examples

Maalouf †Leo Africanus Free Essays

Amin Maalouf’s novel Leo Africanus, a fictionalized memoir by an actual sixteenth-century Muslim adventurer, is an often-interesting account of life during the turbulent end of the Middle Ages, told from the point of view of a man who survived his life’s ample turmoil and bridged conflicting cultures without wholly belonging to any. The narrator of this work, a traveler and author known in his lifetime as Jean-Leon de Medici or Leo Africanus, was born in 1488 as Hasan al-Wazzan, son of a prominent Muslim family in Granada, Spain.   At the time, southern Spain’s Andalusia region (of which Granada was its chief city) was Muslim-dominated, with Catholics, Muslims, and Jews alike coexisting in a cosmopolitan, relatively tolerant atmosphere. We will write a custom essay sample on Maalouf – Leo Africanus or any similar topic only for you Order Now    Maalouf depicts Granada as an intriguing, exotic, tolerant place for its time, despite its corrupt rulers and ultimate weakness before the invading armies of Aragon and Castile. Shortly after his birth, Spanish forces conquered Granada and soon started persecuting all non-Christians, forcing them to convert to Catholicism or flee, depriving them of their wealth in either case.   Though European history depicts Spain’s liberation from Muslim rule as a glorious event, it was a tragic blow for the Muslims who had lived there for centuries and built a prosperous, learned society.   As his uncle Khali, a wealthy diplomat, laments, â€Å"See how the people . . . have been forced into slavery after their surrender!   See how the Inquisition has raised pyres for the Jews . . . [and] for the Muslims as well!   How can we stop this, except by resistance, mobilization, and jihad?†Ã‚   (Maalouf, 1988, p. 25)   Though the word â€Å"jihad† today carries ominous meanings for Westerners, in this context it meant self-defense in the face of an intolerant enemy. The Spanish appear in a distinctly negative light, as bloodthirsty, vindictive conquerors who used the Inquisition to crush their enemies, real or perceived.   Maalouf offers in interesting inversion of Western opinion here, and he shows post-1492 Granada as a dark, dangerous place whose intellectual life is crushed.   Also, while modern readers think of Jews and Muslims as mortal enemies, Maalouf demonstrates that they enjoyed peaceful relations in medieval Andalusia, and Leo laments the Spanish edict mandating â€Å"the ‘formal termination of all relations between Christians and Jews, which can only be accomplished by the expulsion of all the Jews from our kingdom’† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 59). His uncle Khali assumes a dominant role in Leo’s life, helping educate him and, more importantly, taking him along on his 1504 diplomatic mission to Timbuktu, then an important Muslim cultural and commercial center in sub-Saharan West Africa.   Even as a teenager, he demonstrates keen insights to the world around him, particularly to the appearances, peoples, and attributes of the cities he visits en route.   For example, he describes Ain al-Asnam, an ancient city destroyed during Islam’s spread, as â€Å"sole witness of the age of ignorance† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 155), implying that despite its former glories, it symbolizes the dark era before Islam spread its enlightened message. In addition, he reveals a gift for vivid descriptive prose when he says of Sijilmassa, a once-thriving city on the road to Timbuktu: â€Å"Of its walls, once so high, only a few sections remain, half-ruined, and covered with grass and moss.   Of its population, there remain only various hostile clans . . . [who] seem merciless toward each other [and] deserve their fate† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 157).   Though he is not intolerant of peoples different from himself, he also does not shy from passing judgments on unfortunate places, though his own life is full of misfortunes; he accepts fate’s fickle nature, which perhaps sustains him through his difficulties. His uncle dies en route back to Fez and Leo returns home to work in a hospice and marry his cousin Fatima, who is far less pleasing than Hiba, the slave girl who becomes his longtime mistress (similar to Warda, the servant whom his father chose over his wife, Leo’s mother).   He also tries to save his sister Mariam from the leper colony, where an influential suitor, a highway robber named the Zarwali, had had her banished for refusing to marry him. One sees by this point that women have a difficult position in Muslim society; denied many rights, they live tightly circumscribed lives and are subject to male commands and whims at all times.   Maalouf does not impose modern sensibilities here; he remains within the character of the times and accepts this lack of freedom as Muslims of the time did, and Leo laments his sister’s fate less because she lacks freedom than because her punishment was unduly cruel. As he enters adulthood, his life continues a pattern of good fortune followed by personal or financial disasters from which he always recovers and rebuilds.   Leo becomes a successful merchant in Fez and fathers a daughter with Fatima, but when his longtime friend Harun (who has married his unfortunate sister Mariam to liberate her from the leper colony) causes the Zarwali’s death, Leo is expelled from Fez for his complicity and loses his fortune on the road to a band of thieves.   He finds some relief in Hiba’s native village, where her former peers buy her back from Leo, restoring some of his wealth but costing him the love of his life. He accepts these reversals surprisingly well by modern standards, but Maalouf implies that the late medieval/early modern world was a cruel and fickle place, with few certainties in life other than misfortune.   A common theme throughout the book is that such events are simply God’s will; when he loses both his fortune and Hiba, Leo laments, â€Å"Such is the judgment of the Most High!† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 214).   His faith does not waver throughout the story, even when Christians abduct, enslave, and force him to become a Catholic. Leo’s destiny seems to be the roads he travels throughout his adult life; his form of geography and travelogue seem to be his calling in life, and he demonstrates a keen grasp of how to describe people and places.   His travels take him throughout northern, western, and central Africa, and he states without obvious boasting, â€Å"When our geographers of old spoke of the land of the Blacks, they only mentioned Ghana and the oases of the Libyan desert. . . . I myself, who am only the last of the travellers, know the names of sixty black kingdoms . . . from the Niger to the Nile† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 216).   Such knowledge would later serve him well. He becomes involved with the era’s political intrigues when he meets and marries Nur, the widow of the Ottoman ruler’s nephew.   While Leo supports the Turks in the vain hope that they will liberate Andalusia from the Spanish and make it safe for Muslims again, Nur opposes it and fears that Turkish agents will murder her infant son to prevent him from assuming the throne.   Reflecting on the discord within his own faith, Leo asks, â€Å"Is it not in the blade of a knife brandished by the Friend of God above a pyre that the revealed religions meet?†Ã‚   (Maalouf, 1988, p. 245)   He longs for the tolerance and unity of his youth in Granada, hence his somewhat naà ¯ve support for the Ottoman Empire, of which he says, â€Å"the turbans of the Turks and the skull caps of the Christians and Jews mingle without hatred or resentment† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 258). His destiny as a geographer and scholar is realized when Sicilian pirates kidnap him in Tunisia and present him to Pope Leo X as a slave.   As with the rest of his life, this misfortune leads to another lucky phase, as the pontiff, impressed with Leo’s intellect, employs him as a protà ©gà ©.   Forcing him to become a Christian and renaming him John-Leo de Medici (for the pope and the family that takes an interest in him), the pope employs him as a teacher of Arabic while tutoring him in European languages, so that he can produce a volume of his travels, Description of Africa.   He earns his freedom but becomes embroiled in papal intrigues, so he must flee yet again – this time for Tunisia, where he can again be a Muslim.   In closing, he advises the reader to be himself in the face of adversity, saying, â€Å"Muslim, Jew or Christian, they must take you as you are, or lose you† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 360).   Though he has kept his Muslim faith inwardly i ntact, Leo’s ability to adapt has ironically saved and sustained him. The book illustrates the uncertainty of life in the pre-modern era, since peaks and valleys of instability mark Leo’s life from the beginning.   His family loses its fortune and is driven from Granada by conquering Spanish Christians, who then launch a wave of intolerance against Jews and Muslims, forcing them to either become Catholic or leave.   In addition, he loses his fortune to thieves, his wife Fatima dies young, he remarries Nur (who leaves him after his abduction), and he is enslaved by Christian pirates in the Mediterranean. He handles it philosophically, accepting the fact that his life is destined to be itinerant, turbulent, and beyond his ability to control.   As he tells Nur, â€Å"Between the Andalus which I left and the Paradise which is promised to me life is only a crossing.   I go nowhere, I desire nothing I cling to nothing, I have faith in my passion for living . . . as well as in Providence† (Maalouf, 1988, p. 261). Overall, Leo Africanus is a solid effort to take the modern reader into the mind of an educated, influential Muslim living at an unstable time in European history.   Maalouf does not inject modern sensibilities into his narrative but depicts the Muslim culture of the times fairly, without a pro-Western bias.   In addition, he strives for authenticity by using a sort of formal, occasionally wordy prose that one assumes is based on the actual writing and conversational style of Leo Africanus’ times.   In the process of producing this interesting historical figure’s tale, Maalouf also makes clear one of the chief realities of this era in history – that life is uncertain and fickle, and that the intelligent, resourceful, and adaptable are best suited to endure these shifts of fortune. REFERENCES Maalouf, A. (1988).   Leo Africanus.   Chicago: New Amsterdam Books. How to cite Maalouf – Leo Africanus, Essay examples