The Struggles and the Victories of Modern France Essay Example for Free

The Struggles and the Victories of Modern France Essay Introduction Modern France has been a product of the historical struggles between the then prevailing Catholic Church and monarchy and the rising influence of intellectuals and revolutionaries. Pierre Birnbaums The Idea of France traces the roots of the modern French state and how the current status quo had been influenced by the ideological, political and social struggles that have shaken the country. Essentially, Birnbaum argued that France as we know it today was a product of one of the most important periods in the history of France- the Enlightenment and the French Revolution of 1789. Hence, much of what democracy in France today can be attributed to that period and the succeeding years of struggle to reach its current political stability. The Idea of France France according to Birnbaum has seen its soul as residing in a privileged relationship with reason (Birnbaum, xiii). This hallmarks the principles of enlightenment where reason was the primary tool in governing human activity particularly in the affairs of the state, the individuals and the society. Hence, it was a call to end the prevailing rule of the Church and the monarchy that was the remnants of the Middle Ages which is seen by the revolutionists as irrational and superstitious. Therefore, from the side of the revolution activists, the emergence of the power residing in the people emerged through the National Assembly or the Third Estate which received criticisms and oppositions from the traditionalists composed of the monarchy and the Church. From the oppositions and the struggle for supremacy in the government, Birnbaum argued that these antagonistic forces had served as the birthmark of the contemporary French democracy particularly its emphasis on plurality. While Modern France was built in over 200 years after the Enlightenment period, this era according to Birnbaum marked the time when the future of modern France was first hallmarked. In doing so, Birnbaum traced the origins and the development of the political antagonists and protagonists in order to support and defend the current status quo in an era when monarchy and the belief in the divine power was the norm. The division of France also stemmed from philosophers- those defending the reign of the Catholic Church and the monarchy and those who had been advocating a reform in the current system as advocated by the likes of Tocqueville. Hence, Birnbaum described the Third Republic as fraught with divisiveness reaching its peak in the Bloody Week of June 1871 and the conservatives gaining the upper hand. However, this victory was temporary and the ensuing Liberation and the Fourth Republic was established. At this time, France has already shifted to a parliamentary form of government existing in a coalition. At this time, the changes that were advocated during the French Revolution has been on process and the divisiveness still existed. It was only in the Fifth Republic that the political factions waned and the Republic and the Catholic Church evolved- they no longer exhibited the hatred that once fuelled their ideologies but rather have reformed their principles to change the anti-clericism. In doing so, the French government was able to provide for a pluralistic government as well as a cultural pluralism in the society of France. Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The primary strength of Birnbaums book is its ability to depict the contradictory forces in French history as both protagonists of democracy: it objectively portrayed the Catholic Church and the monarchy was essential elements in the reformation of a modern France. In doing so, Birnbaum avoids the overtly one-sided depiction of French history as nothing more than a struggle between proponents and opponents of democracy. Each had been ancillary to the other. Needless to say, the French Revolution occurred due to these two forces. Second, Birnbaum treated the 200 years and more as a history not only of politics but also of philosophies and of the people. For one, Birnbaum showed the historical context of the Modern France through a careful and thorough analysis of the cultural struggles in the country at the time. Moreover, it included an analysis of how France was able to overcome the multiculturalism at the time in order to give way to a more tolerant and a brand of French culturalism that is unique. Consequently, upon reading the book, one would appreciate the uniqueness of the French society and its struggles particularly in ushering the Enlightenment period. Hence, Birnbaum also showed readers and scholars from all over the world that the role France has played in modern democracies and current governmental structures are important. Third, while most history books would have delved into too much detail hence, focusing more on facts than on the importance of those facts, Birnbaum was able to capture the readers attention by focusing on the latter: the importance of events can only be appreciated if it can be related to what is relevant at the time and in modern times. Consequently, the only weakness of the book has been its inability to thoroughly relate the world events at the time and how it influenced the Frenchs history as well as how France had influenced other societies. While this is not central to the books theme, it would have given the readers the idea how revolutionary and how important the events in French history had been at a time when most governments are governed by the Church. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Guided by reason and a vision that looks at the society and the people as the primary guiding force for the changes in the society, The Idea of France rested on the argument that historical forces are all protagonists in shaping what French society and government is today. The actors primarily the Republicans and the Catholic Church and the monarchy including the opposing intellectuals and the people versus the nobility- all of these had been instrumental in creating the France that we know today. Modern democracies such as that of France springs from a multitude of events- in the case of The Idea of France it had been the increasing dismay of the people on the status quo governed by the Church and the monarchy. Essentially, The Idea of France by Birnbaum aptly captured the struggles and the victories of France in paving the way for a more democratic form of government particularly in establishing a government by the people and for the people. Concurrently, the struggle of France had endured years before it finally established the Modern France that we know today. Essentially, it is during the period of the Enlightenment and the succeeding years after it that the idea of modern France had been crafted and cemented. Work Cited Birnbaum, Pierre. The Idea of France. Hill and Wang. 352 pages. 2001.

Sophocles Antigone - The Stubborn Antigone and Creon :: Antigone essays

The Tragic Duo of Antigone and Kreon In the play Antigone, both Antigone and Kreon could be considered tragic heros. A tragic hero, defined by A Dictionary of Literary, Dramatic and Cinematic Terms, is someone who suffers due to a tragic flaw, or hamartia. This Greek word is variously translated as "tragic flaw" or "error" or "weakness". Kreon's hamartia, like in many plays, is hybris - Greek for overweening pride, arrogance, or excessive confidence. Kreon's hybris causes him to attempt to violate the laws of order or human rights, another main part of a tragic hero. Also, like all tragic heroes, Kreon suffers because of his hamartia and then realizes his flaw. The belief that Antigone is the hero is a strong one, but there is a stronger belief that Kreon, the Ruler of Thebes, is the true protagonist. Kreon's main and foremost hamartia was his hybris, or his extreme pride. Kreon was a new king, and he would never let anyone prove him wrong or let anyone change his mind once it was made. One main event that showed Kreon's hamartia and also caused the catastrophe was when he asked his son Haimon, who was engaged to marry Antigone, if he still loves his father. Haimon says he respects Kreon's ruling, but he feels, in this case, that Kreon was wrong. Haimon asks his father to take his advice and not have Antigone executed, but, because of Kreon's hybris, Kreon gets furious and makes the situation worse then it already was. He was way too proud to take advice from someone younger, and in his anger he decided to kill Antigone right away in front of Haimon's eyes. "'Just understand: You don't insult me and go off laughing. Bring her here! Let him see her. Kill her here, beside her bridegroom'" (Sophocles 919-921). This was too much for Haimon to take, and he runs out of the room, yelling, "'...her death will destroy others'" (Sophocles 908). Blinded by his pride and arrogance, Kreon takes that remark as a threat to himself, unknowing that it wasn't directed to himself, but was a suicide threat by his own son. Another example of Kreon's tragic pride is when the prophet, Teiresias, travels all the way to Thebes to tell Kreon very important news, but Kreon pride makes him ignore it and he accuses Teiresias of being bribed.

Presenting for Success Quotes

â€Å"Life’s like a movie, write your own ending Keep believing, keep pretending We’ve done just what we’ve set out to do Thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and you. † – Kermit the frog â€Å"There are two types of people – those who come into a room and say, ‘Well, here I am! ’ and those who come in and say, ‘Ah, there you are. ’† – Frederick Collin â€Å"The greatest power ever bestowed upon mankind is the power of choice. Choose to persist without exception. Hold fast to your dreams and stay the course, even in the face of exhaustion, rejection, and uncertainty. † – Andy Andrews Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. † -Mark Twain â€Å"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, n either does bathing.That's why we recommend it daily! † – Zig Ziglar â€Å"A positive attitude won’t help you do anything, but it will help you do everything better than negative thinking. † – Zig Ziglar â€Å"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. – Aristotle â€Å"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. † – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe â€Å"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face†¦ You must do the thing you think you cannot do. † – Eleanor Roosevelt Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Calvin Coolidge May we never let the things we can’t have, or don’t have, or shouldn’t have, spoil our enjoyment of the things we do have and can have. As we value our happiness, let us not forget it, for one of the greatest lessons in life is learning to be happy without the things we cannot or should not have. – Richard L. Evans Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses. – Dale CarnegieWhen one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. – Helen Keller There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. We all have a choice. You can decide which type of person you want to be. I have always chosen to be in the first group. – Mary Kay Ash I think there is something, more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision. W. Clement Stone What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it. – Alexander Graham Bell A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done. – Vince Lombardi You've got o sing like you don't need the money, love like you'll never get hurt. You've got to dance like no one is watching. It's gotta come from the heart, if you want it to work. – Susannah Clark Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exac tly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. – H. Jackson Brown If you want to get somewhere you have to know where you want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never give up. – Norman Vincent PealeFor many people, an excuse is better than an achievement because an achievement, no matter how great, leaves you having to prove yourself again in the future but an excuse can last for life. – Eric Hoffer If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, â€Å"I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me. – Ann Landers Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline.Then, with supreme confidence, determination and dis regard for obstacles and other people's criticisms, carry out your plan. – Paul Meyer Goals help focus you on areas in both your personal and professional life that are important and meaningful, rather than being guided by what other people want you to be, do, or accomplish. – Catherine Pulsifer Success is waking up in the morning, whoever you are, wherever you are, however old or young, and bounding out of bed because there's something out there you love to do, that you believe in, that you're good at — something that's bigger than you are, and you can hardly wait to get at it again today. Whit Hobbs Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by someone who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret – curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable. – Walt Disney I believe l ife is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life's greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. – Tony Robbins

Unit 7 Perds Childcare

P7 Task 2 Write a short report on how you’re setting promotes positive images of children and reflects a diverse society. Include in your report: P7. 5 Explain how the setting promotes positive images of children and reflects a diverse society An image which presents a mixture of cultural backgrounds coming together such as an Asian and black girls playing together, this will show children that they are able to play with different races and therefore a positive image.Promoting a positive image is important especially in settings which work closely with children because once a child enters a setting they take interest in the images and objects around them, and by seeing images that celebrates different cultures and background will teach the child and allow them to see how others live and play together. To prompting positive image my setting takes pictures of the children interacting with each other through play and work. Once the child and other children see this on display the y repeat the same thing because of the positive effect it has had on them.This helps to build children’s self-esteem through play because now they will be able to interact with a range of different children and create a wider friendship group. It is important for settings such as nurseries to reflect on the way they promote positive images because the images that a child sees at an early age can influence behaviour. According to public opinion journalist Walter Lippman â€Å"the little picture we carry around in our heads†. Children will then start to relate life to that image the now have in their heads.Nurseries should incorporate images around the world so that children can have a better understanding of those around them, also that the children don't assume that the one image that they setting has is the right image for them or the characters that they see on Walt Disney such as Cinderella, sleeping beauty and snow white is the appropriate way for a young lady to d ress or behave as a damsel in distress. Walt Disney presents young ladies as sexual beings that cannot help themselves but wait for that handsome prince to come and save them.Girls are passed images like this from a young age with creates that stereotype image in their head which can affect their behaviour the way they think and act as they grow through their adolescents and adult years. Creating a diverse society by welcoming every family, regardless of their sexual orientation, family status, religion, race and ability will allow the every child and family member to feel welcome in that setting. This also allows children from an early age to understand that every child is an individual and has their own ability.This is why we have a welcome poster which has a number of ways in which parents and staff welcome each other, this encourages and shows that the setting is welcoming. P7. 6 Describe a resource which uses positive images The recent Christmas advert by M, included a child wi th Down syndrome, this images allows other children with Down syndrome and their families to see that they too can do what is considered â€Å"normal†, this image was then displayed as part of a mixture of images at my setting.An image which presents a mix of races in a family photo sends the message to children that the colour of a person skin doesn’t determine who or can be in their family. The media is a strong resource which in many ways controls the child's sub-conscious minds. Through media we are now able to see a more positive and realistic image of the world we live in. This summer was the 2012 Paralympics, showed on television live for the first time, this showed people who were deemed disabled to overcome the impossible in their lives.The Paralympics showed people without limbs, running races, swimming laps and the visually impaired playing football. The media holds many connection to what humans see and keep in their minds, what newspapers print out, what s hows advertise and how all add to the positive images we see today. At many of the settings I have worked in have book corners or library's, containing a number of books from based on different cultural background such as the well-known story ‘handa's surprise' this book shows a African girl planning to surprise her friend, this story shows children how to be kind, and nice. P7. Evaluate briefly your learning from finding information for this report For this report I researched the many different ways in which we see images, whether it be a positive or negative image. I learned about the effects on a child from the images they see in their settings, on the streets and in their homes. This report has made me to understand the effects of Barbie dolls and action figures have on a child's sub-conscious mind. Images of young vulnerable beautiful ladies who find themselves in some sort of danger and the only way to get help are through a strong handsome man, these images presented t ime and time again by Disney.But images by presented by Dream works, where the woman are able to defend for themselves, male and female are equals and they fight crime together such as Shrek and princess Fiona. This image shows both girls and boys that they are equal also that not all girls are â€Å"weak† and â€Å"vulnerable†, boys don’t have to be the â€Å"hero†. I had not realised how wide-spread gender stereotyping is. Properly because I am so used to seeing it all the time, I did not really question it or the influences pictures have on us.Images are seen through many resources such as the media which is a massive impact, what we see on bulletin board, adverts, posters in stores and parents. From this short report I was able to understand that an image might be positive or negative just by what a person says or the Picture portrays. A simple image e. g. a family with mixed races from around the world, a simple comment such as â€Å"we are familyâ €  could slowly show a child that diversity is a good thing, but if the comment was â€Å"that aren’t right, they don’t look the same†, will create in the child’s mind that every member of a family has too look the same.I think that in future when I see a new form of attraction whether through the media, books or toys that I will look closely at the aims that other I. e. parents and young children may not see. Task 3 P7. 8 Describe TWO (2) examples of activities or experiences which encourage children’s awareness of their own and other’s safety One day at my setting I witnessed a child running with scissors in his hand, I stopped the child and told the practitioner; once I told the practitioner and she immediately call all the children to the carpet to talk to them.She asked them if they knew why she called them all to the carpet, many thought it were to practice for their school play, and others thought it was a game. The practitioner th en explained to children that they are sitting on the carpet because of what she was told that someone was running with scissors. She then asked the children if scissors are dangerous. The children replied in simultaneous voice, â€Å"yes†, she then asked should we through or run with scissors in our hands? The children replied â€Å"no† and where should the scissors stay when we want to move around the room? On the table†. The practitioner then explained to the children that if these rule where broken that someone could get seriously hurt. At my last lesson I was able to take part in going a school trip to the natural museum with the nursery class. The day before the trip I helped the practitioners in the class to set up a miniature road course, by placing red, yellow and green cones on either side of the playground. The three cones represented the traffic light; I also placed images of the red and green man on the floor on the opposite side of the playground.My job was to control the red/green men, as the practitioners explained to the children, the instruction and the role of each individual sign and their jobs we began the activity. I watched the practitioner get the children in to peers as they will be the next day, once the children were ready and settled the children where walked around the pretend road side, once they came across me at the traffic lights I Held over my head the red man as the practitioner as the children what the symbol meant. She also explained in detail why it is dangerous to cross when this symbol is show.Once the practitioner had finished explaining about the red man, could out the traffic light colours in descending order then swopped the red man for the green man. The practitioner then repeated the same explanation by about the green man, after she has explained she lead the children across safely. P7. 9 Reflect on the effectiveness of the activities or experiences in practice My first experience was not a pla nned activity but was effective in its own way; it was affective in a way whereby the practitioner asked the children questions to identify what they knew about running in the class with sharp objects like scissors.From asking them questions the practitioner and my self was able to see that the children did know the rules but needed to be reminded. I think that if the class had posters of the rules in the class it would remind the children. In the future we can get the children to create their own posters on road safety. I feel that my second activity was very effective because it created a pretend scenario for the children which they will encounter the next day. This activity explained the different symbols, why they are there to keep us safe.This activity also taught the children what to look out for and how to follow the road signs. By the practitioner asking the children questions she was able to notice who has started to understand the signs and who needs more explanations. If I was to repeat this activity, I would allow the children to pick which symbol or sign they think it correct for at point in time this is because it evolves the children and allows myself and other practitioners to see what the child may already know or has picked up.

Mitchell Surname Meaning and Family History

Mitchell Surname Meaning and Family History The Mitchell surname is a common form or corruption of the given name Michael, meaning big or one who is like God. Mitchell is the 44th most popular surname in the United States and the 15th most common surname in Scotland. Mitchell is also popular in England, coming in as the 51st most common surname. Surname Origin:  Scottish, English, Irish Alternate Surname Spellings:  MICHELL, MICHILL, MACMICHAEL, MACMICHELL, MECHEL, MEITCHEL, MICHISON, MICHIE, MITCHAL, MITCHEL, MICHELSON, MITCHELLSON, MITCHISON, MITCHOL, MITSCHAEL, MITSSCHAL, MITTCHEL, MYCHELL, MYTCHELL, MCMICHAEL, MICHEL Famous People with the MITCHELL  Surname Margaret Mitchell  -  American author, best known for her novel Gone With the WindArthur Mitchell  - first African American Democrat elected to Congress  Maria Mitchell  - first professional female astronomer in the United States; the comet she discovered in 1847 became known as Miss Mitchells CometWilliam Billy Mitchell  - American military aviation pioneer Where Is the MITCHELL Surname Most Common? Mitchell  is the 808th most common surname in the world, according to surname distribution data from  Forebears. It is most prevalent in the United States, where it ranks as the 46th most common last name, and is also common in countries such as England (51st), Australia (37th), Canada (49th), Scotland (23rd) and New Zealand (27th). WorldNames PublicProfiler  indicates the Mitchell surname is especially common in Scotland, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United States. Within Scotland, Mitchell is found in the greatest numbers in northern Scotland, including Moray, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perth and Kinross, and Fife. There is also a greater percentage of Mitchells in East Ayrshire.   Genealogy Resources for the Surname MITCHELL Mitchell  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Mitchell family crest or coat of arms for the Mitchell surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? MITCHELL  DNA ProjectMore than  250 members with Mitchell roots in Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, France, Germany, Poland, Canada, and the United States,  have joined this project for the Mitchell surname to  work together to find their common heritage through DNA testing and sharing of information. MITCHELL Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Mitchell  ancestors around the world. Search the forum for posts about your Mitchell ancestors, or join the forum and post your own queries.   FamilySearch - MITCHELL GenealogyExplore over 7.2 million  results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Mitchell surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. MITCHELL Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Mitchell surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. GeneaNet - Mitchell RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Mitchell surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Mitchell  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Mitchell surname from the website of Genealogy Today. Ancestry.com: Mitchell SurnameExplore over 15  million digitized records and database entries, including census records, passenger lists, military records, land deeds, probates, wills and other records for the Mitchell surname on the subscription-based website, Ancestry.com. Source Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Unsaturated Definition in Chemistry

Unsaturated Definition in Chemistry In chemistry, the term unsaturated usually refers to one of two things. When referring to chemical  solutions, an unsaturated solution is able to dissolve more solute. In other words, the solution is not saturated. An unsaturated solution is more dilute than a saturated solution. When referring to organic compounds, unsaturated means a molecule contains double or triple carbons of unsaturated organic molecules include HCCH and H2CO. In this context, being saturated can be thought of as being saturated with hydrogen atoms. Saturation can also refer to the percentage of protein binding sites that are filled or the the lack of susceptibility of an organometallic compound to oxidative addition. Whenever the term saturation is used in chemistry, it refers to whether a phenomenon is close to maximum capacity.. Source Badertscher, M.; Bischofberger, K.; Munk, M.E.; Pretsch, E. (2001). A Novel Formalism To Characterize the Degree of Unsaturation of Organic Molecules. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling. 41 (4): 889. doi:10.1021/ci000135o

Investment Risk Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Investment Risk - Research Paper Example These might include people who either have very small investments or can not afford to diversify; or people who have very strong belief that the stock in which they have concentrated their investments into, will perform as good as they desire. There are many risks to an investment in stocks that an ordinary shareholder has to experience and has to deal with, in order to ensure that his or her investment does not result into a loss. One easiest way to minimize risks is to invest into only those stocks that belong to the companies that are generally called 'blue chips'. These are the most stable in the market and have little risk of the investment going bad. But, these are also accompanied by a lower rate of return. As a general rule, the higher the risk, the higher the gain, and vice versa. Hence, it is critical for the investor to understand the nature of company he or she is investing into. The risks are required to be kept low but at the same time, the purpose of the investment is to earn profits. This takes us to the discussion around the efficient frontier, which is explained as the optimum portfolio that gives the highest returns while ensuring the security and risk appetite of the investor. This is called as the optimal portfolio or operating at the efficient frontier. Whenever an investor invests into any stock, he or she takes on two broad kinds of risks, known as systematic risk and non-systematic risk. The systematic risk is due to market conditions like interest rate movements, recession in the economy and other factors that are not in the control of the investors. The non-systematic risk, however, is the one that can be reduced to lower levels using various strategies for risk management including diversification. Diversification is defined as keeping one's investments into different securities instead of keeping all money in one stock. This is important since different market conditions affect the stock market differently and this affect does not appear on all stocks in the same fashion. Hence, it is possible that an investor faces huge losses by keeping all the investments in specific stocks. Diversification allows the standard deviation around the desired average investment returns to be minimum which is what is desired from the stock inv estments. Any portfolio that lies on the efficient frontier has least risk and the most optimal return on the investment. Investors should aim to achieve this efficient frontier in order to reap the maximum benefits with least loss expectancy. Hence, the concepts of portfolio risk, portfolio investment theory and efficient frontier are closely tied together. This framework is called Modern Portfolio