Monday, September 30, 2019

The Scarlet Letter: Themes Alive Today

Mike Esposito Mrs. Forstrom American Literature – 1 7 November 2012 The Themes Are Still Alive Today Ah The Scarlet Letter, whether we like it or not, it is now a book we have all read and have most likely come to hate. Whether it be because of the old setting in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony in Boston that we cannot relate to or the old English language in which it is written, Nathaniel Hawthorne just failed to create a novel that most teenagers of the early twenty-first century can enjoy and appreciate.It must be pointed out that first, it’s doubtful he cares, and more importantly that this just simply should not be the case. We juniors should pay more attention to the novel, especially with the thought that the messages Hawthorne tries to convey are still relevant today. Think about it. With all of the experiences of Hester Prynne and other characters in the novel, we interpret concepts that are still correlated with those of today.In Hawthorne’s the Sc arlet Letter, two crucial themes of sin and what it can do to people and the different degrees of evil directly relate to today’s society and modern ideas. As it is known, Hester committed a sin in the novel with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale that the Puritans in her society thought to be one of the worst that could ever be committed: adultery. They conceived a child together, their daughter Pearl, which is a sin that takes a toll on both characters in many different ways.Beginning with Hester, the protagonist, the sin is something that identifies her, and she becomes one with it. At the beginning of the novel, you should recall that she has to take her first punishment of being humiliated on the scaffold and ridiculed by many people of the community while wearing the letter â€Å"A† on her chest to indicate that she committed adultery. But she does not just stick any regular printed letter on her.She goes beyond, as Hawthorne describes, â€Å"But the point which drew al l eyes and, as it were, transfigured the wearer—so that both men and women, who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne, were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time—was that Scarlet Letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself† (51-52). Hester makes the Scarlet Letter so beautiful because it is a part of who she is and it determines her identity.Also, throughout the book, Hester shows she accepts her sin, especially through the fact that she wants to stay in Boston instead of leave to go elsewhere. She does this because she does not want to pretend that the situation never happened and deny a part of who she is. This tremendously demonstrates the message that sin can give someone fortitude. In addition, forgiveness is something that can also result of sin. This is demonstrated very creative ly through the changing of the letter A on Hester’s shirt.It first symbolized the sin she committed, but later in the novel, changes to mean other positive things, such as â€Å"able† and â€Å"awe†. The change of what the letter means shows that her sin was made up for and that she is forgiven. However, in complete contrast to Hester is Dimmesdale, the father, who shows what can also result from sin. No one ever finds out that until late that he was on the other end of the affair with Hester, which was not a good thing for Dimmesdale. Throughout the novel, his psychological turmoil worsens as he unintentionally inflicts his own punishment of self hatred and guilt.He gets vitally ill and sicker as time progresses, which is reinforced with him always having his hand over his heart. One night his agony and remorse sleepwalks him to the scaffold that Hester was embarrassed on years earlier, as Hawthorne words it, â€Å"he had been driven hither by the impulse of t hat Remorse which dogged him everywhere† (144). This clearly portrays the message of hiding a sin can be too much to handle and can destroy a person. Now that the theme of the different things sin can lead to is discussed in The Scarlet Letter, let’s relate it to our life.As the Christian religion will preach, everyone in the entire world sins all the time. Whether the sins are small or really serious, they are a part of our life all the time, and mostly those that are seriously poor decisions can have a great affect on us. As is illustrated with Hester in the novel, those poor choices can be made up for and can give us strength in our later life. For example, steroid use in baseball is a very popular issue. Ryan Braun, outfielder in the MLB, was suspected to have used performance enhancing drugs after a failed urine test.Clearly, taking steroids was a bad choice for him to make, and although it is not commonly thought of as one, it is a sin. However, Braun came back th e next season after the scandal and had a career year. He recognized his mistake and came back stronger than ever, which is quite relatable to Hester and how her sin made her bold. Also, on the other side, sins can lead people today into having too much guilt to be able to handle, no matter how venial or mortal the sin may be. You may lie to your parents and just not be able to hold back a confession because you feel bad.Or, it may be as serious as a murderer who could not live with himself anymore and turned himself in. Whatever the case may be, what Hawthorne wrote about sin in the 1800’s in The Scarlet Letter still relates to aspects of life today. Roger Chillingworth, that doctor that we know and love, presents another major theme in the novel: there are many levels of evil. As we know, Chillingworth was the husband of Hester before she had the affair with Dimmesdale, which obviously is an evil to the Puritans of the colony.One of the details that you may have missed is t hat the marriage between Chillingworth and Hester was arranged, and that she had no say in it. On a side note, Chillingworth was about double Hester’s age, which makes the marriage worse, and kind of gross. But this plays a role in that Hester more likely committed the sin because she wasn’t really in love with Chillingworth, and was with Dimmesdale. This is the justification of her doing what she did. And in addition to the evils that Hester and Dimmesdale carried out, Chillingworth also does.You should remember that as Dimmesdale was sick, Chillingworth, the â€Å"brilliant acquisition†, was chosen to be his doctor and he had to try to save the colony’s well loved minister. As he did this, he suspected something interesting going on with Dimmesdale, and he figured out that he was involved with Hester and realizes his suspicions are correct. So instead of curing him, he begins to torture the minister. This act of malice is definitely more widely consider ed evil than the acts of Hester and Dimmesdale to us, which is exactly what Hawthorne wants us to think.He demonstrates the theme bluntly in Dimmesdale’s speech to Hester when he talks about Chillingworth’s evil, â€Å"There is one worse than even that polluted priest! That old man’s revenge has been blacker than my sin. He has violated, in cold blood, the sanctity of a human heart. Thou and I, Hester, never did so! † (191). Hawthorne clearly wants you to realize that the evil found in Hester and Dimmesdale’s lovemaking is not nearly as bad as evil in its most poisonous form of the cruel revenge taken by Chillingworth.Evidently, the theme of different levels of evil is clearly presented in the novel, but it also occurs in real life. It is a very upsetting fact, but it is true: evil has not gone away. It existed in the eighteenth century, the time period where The Scarlet Letter takes place, the nineteenth century, when the novel was written, and ri ght now, where it is still around today. We know that evil can be something that is somber, such as a serial killer that just doesn’t have a conscience and will never grasp the concept that death is something so mind bogglingly terrible and should never be done to a person.That is one extreme. Evil can also be used to describe your teacher, even if the only reason why is because you didn’t like that she gave you a pop quiz that you failed. This may seem barely related to evil talked about in The Scarlet Letter, but it is not, however. This is because as the Puritans call the acts of love of Hester and Dimmesdale â€Å"evil†, we still don’t really think that they were necessarily evil for doing so, just like the hypothetical teacher probably does not have much of an evil soul.So, there are many different degrees of evil, and they exist in modern context as well as in the wonderful novel. As you now well educated pupils should realize, the novel written hun dreds of years ago, The Scarlet Letter, about a world that we can’t seem to be able to relate to, is still very useful in today’s modern society because of the relation between the novel’s major themes and their relation to today’s modern society.Sin and what it can do to people is a large concept that is a lot to grasp, and it is discussed thoroughly in the book and is clearly alive today. Additionally, the different degrees of evil in the world is definitely a focus of both the novel and our current lives. So no more calling the book bad and difficult and boring. Respect its greatness. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1988. Print.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Motivation and Organizational Culture Essay

What makes a good manager? What makes an employee motivated? There are different types of leaders and everyone has a place in workplace psychology. What is the role of the managers and employees? In workplace psychology management’s role should be to motivate employees and get the tasks completed. Managers are a key in the workplace; they are role models for the employees. Managers should keep a professional relationship with employees but not be so strict that their employees are scared to ask for help or talk about what they need. The key to being able to talk to managers is a positive for managers and employees. It tells the manager what the employee needs to be motivated and always the manager to know where the employee is. Managers keep some of the pressure of the upper level managers and owners. Motivating employees is a key part of management because it helps get the job done and keep the employees happy. If an employee is not motivated and unhappy with their job then they will not do a good job and their work becomes sloppy, eventually they will quit. In workplace psychology employees have the role of carrying out tasks and helping the company become successful. Employees need a clearly defined task, adequate working environment, motivation, and feedback. I the case of Ayame Nakamura, managers need to talk with her to understand her work style and how she can be motivated to do her best. Each person is different and coming from a non-confrontational culture Ayame needs to work in a non-confrontational environment. Her managers need to give her positive feedback so she knows what she is doing right. Being told what she is doing right and wrong in a positive, non-confrontational way may boost Ayame’s motivation, and she may enjoy work again (Robbins, DeCenzo, & Coulter, 2011). Ayame was brought up to avoid being confrontational and always be polite. Japanese are very strict in their business and are very straight forward. If Ayame’s work environment is hostile then she is more likely to think she is doing a bad job. In most cultures, if someone feels they are doing bad then they will try harder, if they never receive the feedback for doing a good job they lose motivation and eventually just stop trying. Ayame comes from a very straight forward culture and does not understand when someone is not straight forward with her. Ayame’s employer needs to change his approach with Ayame to give her more motivation and understand feedback clearly (Robbins, DeCenzo, & Coulter, 2011). Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard have a model called situational leadership theory. In Hersey-Blanchard theory there are different types of managers; telling managers tell employees when, where, and how to complete tasks. They also have low relationships with their employees. Selling managers provide detailed tasks and have a high relationship with employees. Participating managers give low detail on tasks and have high level of communication with employees. Delegating managers give little direction and have low level relationships with employees. Ayame’s managers could help make her more motivated by taking time to get to know the way she works. If they talk to her and understand where she is at in her hierarchy of needs then they can come up with a reward system to motivate Ayame. Also, understanding that Ayame needs to have a non-confrontational environment this is another thing that can motivate her. It seems that Ayame has telling manager and she needs a selling or participating manager. Giving Ayame a good relationship and communication will help her know what she needs to do. Ayame relies on feedback from her employer and is not getting it in her current situation (Robbins, DeCenzo, & Coulter, 2011). Giving employees what they need and keeping them motivated is the job of the manager. There are many different types of managers and some do not give employees what they need. Managers have responsibility to the company to make it as efficient as possible. Some key things managers should remember is that employees need tasks that are clearly defined, some employees may need more direction then others, and all employees need high level of support. Feedback lets employees know what they are doing well and what they can work on. Having something to work toward keeps an employee motivated. A motivated employee is more likely to be happy on the job and complete tasks efficiently; while, an unhappy employee is more likely to be slower, sloppier, and more likely to quit.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Portfolio Analysis and Investment Management Essay

Portfolio Analysis and Investment Management - Essay Example First we must as an individual investor consider the timeframe of the investment, the level of acceptable risk that an individual is willing to undertake and how this will translate to building their ideal investment portfolio. One must become familiar with the intricacies of each financial instrument in order to determine the best way to implement this type of investment in a well diversified portfolio and their individual risk profile. Afterwards we can estimate what the overall effect of this financial instrument will be in the overall risk level of the whole portfolio and how it can suit a particular kind of potential investor. Financial instruments are divided in different classes depending on their financial characteristics, risk levels, and maturity. For financial investments an individual can choose to invest directly in a variety of financial instruments or indirectly through the use of investment companies such as a mutual fund. Direct Investment alternatives available to b uild a well diversified investment portfolio are: Non Marketable Securities- Non marketable securities consist of Savings Deposits, Certificates of Deposit, Money Market Deposit accounts and U.S. Savings Bonds. Saving Accounts and Certificates of Deposit are two of the most popular and widely used financial instruments. They are issued by commercial banks, thrift and credit unions (Madura, 1992). These types of deposits pay a fixed interest rate and in the case of Certificates of Deposit they pay higher interest rates with longer maturity periods and are only redeemable after maturity is due. Although they don’t earn high returns, they are very popular due to their low risk and being virtually risk free up to $100,000 since they are insured by the FDIC. Money Market Deposit accounts are issued by financial institutions and are also insured by the FDIC up to $100,000.These type of accounts pay the typical Money Market interest rate with a minimum deposit to open required. Mone y Market Securities These types of financial instruments include short-term, highly liquid and relatively low-risk investments that are sold by governments, financial institutions and by corporations with idle funds looking to invest. These types of transactions are typically of $100,000 and are bought by money market mutual funds, but are sometimes traded in the open market. Their maturity period ranges from one day to typically no more than 90 days. Most of the securities in the money market are used by financial institutions and banks and large commercial customers. The Treasury bill is considered one of the safest investments by the international investor community. It is one of the most important financial securities and considered the benchmark. It has been traditionally considered a risk-free financial asset since there is no practical risk of the U.S. government defaulting on its debt. Risk averse European investors often seek the security associated with investing in Treasu ry

Friday, September 27, 2019

Literature Review and Research Proposal - That extra intervention of a

And Research Proposal - That extra intervention of a dietician and occupational therapist will maintain a he - Literature review Example To date there is no known cure for the disease even though there are various methods which slow down its advance and thus assists the patients in relieving some of the signs. It is a terminal disease which incurable and leads to death (Innes, Kelly and McCabe, 2012, p. 104). Extra intervention of a dietician and an occupational therapist will ultimately maintain a healthy body mass index and improve quality of life, depression and dyskinesia in the patient with Alzheimer’s disease. This literature review and research paper will take a deep comprehensive study on the vital important role that the dieticians and the occupational therapist play in the slowing down on the effects and symptoms of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (Small and Vorgan, 2011, p. 124). This paper summarizes the specific approaches to the maintenance of a healthy body mass index in the patient whereas taking into consideration the other aspects of good health which include improvement of the qualit y of life, significant reduction of depression and dyskinesia (McDonald, 2010, p. 32). This paper will take into account the world-class recommendations that a dietician will highly recommend regarding certain foods which the Alzheimer’s patient will eat so that the symptoms of the disease are significantly reduced (Pulsford and Thompson, 2012, p. 129). Notable recommendations will also be highlighted regarding the advice that an occupational therapist would outmost recommend to the patient. A detailed overview on what the patient should do to reduce these symptoms are noted whereas providing very valuable advice on how the patients health will improve taking in to consideration the patient’s body mass index, superior life quality and an overall reduction in depression and dyskinesia (Downs and Bowers, 2008, p. 58). Literature Review Alzheimer’s disease has in the recent past turned out to be a widespread dementia complication among old people in the society. As defined, Alzheimer’s disease is the general loss of cognitive functioning which includes reduced reasoning, remembering, and thinking ability. Alzheimer’s disease is also presumed to be an irreversible and a progressive brain disorder which minimises thinking and memory skills. Moreover, recent researches have also confirmed that, long term existence of Alzheimer’s disease may as well reduce individuals’ ability to carry out some of the simplest jobs (Basak, Boot, Kraemer and Voss 2008, p. 777). Based on the available statistics, Alzheimer’s disease is in most cases apparent among people who are above 60 years of age. Compared to traditional society, contemporary societies have witnessed significant increased in cases of Alzheimer’s disease (Vance, McNees and Meneses, 2009, p. 51). In the extreme cases, Alzheimer’s disease is as well affecting young people. The side effects and magnitude of Alzheimer’s disease is with time tur ning out to be very severe and in some cases Alzheimer’s disease has reported to cause deaths. The contemporary nature and side effects of Alzheimer’s disease have forced health researchers and thinkers to undertake intensive researches to identify the main cause of the disease as well as the most cost effective and efficiency means of dealing with the problem (Ziere, Dieleman, Hofman, Pols, Cammen and Stricker, 2007, p. 223). The subsequent literature review is intended at examining how the extra intervention of a dietician and occupational ther

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Application 2 lesson planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Application 2 lesson planning - Essay Example e course including the concepts will be taught) and the simulations laboratories (where the students will be able to practice what they have learnt theoretically). These two contexts will test whether they can perform the oral administration when it comes to real life situations where they are handling patients. The objectives for this lesson are for the students to show a positive attitude to the patients during drug administration and the other is for the students to recognize the difference in patient’s condition, age and doctors’ instructions during drug administration. The objective is important because it is basic knowledge required by all students of nursing (Bastable, 2008). In any course, there are different types of leaners. There are three different types of learners I am likely to meet during this course are: slow learners, those who have had prior knowledge about a few concepts in this course and students from different countries who have different cultural beliefs. The slow learners will make the whole class lag behind because they might keep on asking questions in order to understand a concept that the rest of the class has already understood. If consideration is not made for them, they might fail the course. I will acknowledge such students by teaching slowly or offer them tutorials to ensure they are on the same level of understanding with the rest of the class. For those with prior knowledge, it will be like a refresher for the concepts. I will need to understand the culture of each student in order to facilitate their teaching. The most effective and appropriate teaching strategy is brainstorming as it keeps students on their toes about what has been discussed previously and also ensures that students always link what they are being taught currently with the previous knowledge for better understanding of the course. Brainstorming also ensures that learning is more student-centered as the teacher just initiates the discussion and students

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Analysis of ICT strategic plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of ICT strategic plan - Essay Example However, the latest developments of ICT in the sector of fisheries have resulted in drastic changes in the overall life of fishermen. Various initiatives in the ICTs have greatly expanded and developed fisheries technologies to the farmers of Australia. ICTs are widely being implemented and are used by fisheries sectors for various purposes such as resource assessment and in commercialization purposes. The ICTs strategic plan implemented in Australia have enabled the Australian fishermen to exploit various opportunities such as the use of Global Positioning System for location finding and navigation. ICT has also reduced risk to fishermen through information exchange and emergency warning. At present, the fishermen have access to web-based data/ information along with networking sources (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2007). Analysis of Whether the ICT Strategic Plan Be Re-Assessed or Continued For Additional 3-5 Years During November 2007, The Australian Fi sheries Management Authority (AFMA) was liable for the development of ICT strategic plan and roadmap. The plan would stress on 2005 Strategic IT Review and further it would provide vital initiatives to AFMA which would be implemented over the period of next three years i.e. from 2008 to 2011. AFMA was supposed to invest approximately AUD 7.3 million for the implementation of ICT strategic plan, during these three year period (Australian Government, 2007). The investment program would include sixteen distinct initiatives which would cover forty nine recommendations. These initiatives comprise: 1. Improvement of procurement as well as contract management process and performance 2. To bring improvement related to provided service within industry 3. Governance process 4. Identity as well as access management 5. Develop business as well as IT alignment along with incorporating the process of reengineering related to the business of AFMA 6. Staff upskilling Program 7. Develop ‘on-th e-boat data’ collection 8. Implementation of Business Intelligence Capability 9. Implementation of Corporate Records Management 10. Data Warehouse Department 11. Finalizations of Pisces Program including Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 12. Rationalization of Application 13. Information Security 14. E- Business 15. Infrastructure and Application Rationalization and Technology Baseline 16. IT Market Testing Source: (Australian Government, 2007) The above stated initiatives were developed by grouping various recommendations into core areas capability which would deliver substantial benefits to AFMA. These initiatives were mainly grouped under three main capabilities namely; improved services provided to AFMA stakeholders and its customers, improved data management and information use and, lastly improved effectiveness of the organization which would support AFMA service delivery and information stewardship. Furthermore, the initiatives were to be undertaken on three vital functions related with the fisheries management, these consist of monitoring and research, compliance and licensing and quota management (Australian Government, 2007). Monitoring and Research AFMA was able to record 12% improvement in conformity with the vessel monitoring system across the Commonwealth fishing areas during the year 2008 when compared to 2007. AFMA research contract management system, ‘Omnifish’, has enabled AFMA to closely monitor and also target research providers to improve

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

EU LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

EU LAW - Essay Example As such, Lord Denning stated that EC law was directly applicable at national level under domestic law. However, the term â€Å"directly applicable† has created ambiguity and the principles of direct effect and indirect effect will determine whether the Council Directive relating to the right of consumers to full contract price refunds (the Directive) is directly applicable under UK law4. If a provision of EC law is directly applicable, section 2(1) of the ECA asserts that â€Å"all such rights, powers, liabilities, obligations and restrictions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ shall be recognised and available in law, and be enforced, allowed and followed accordingly.† The current scenario is concerned with the failure to implement the Directive and this analysis will review whether Christina can enforce the rights she would have had if the Directive had been implemented under the doctrine of direct effect; or alternatively, what her rights are against the state for damage suffered as a result of failure to implement the Directive. The specific nature of directives lies in the type of obligations they impose5. Ultimately Member States have discretion as to how to implement a directive, however they must comply with the positive obligation to implement the directive in the first place6. Problems have arisen as to whether Directives themselves can be invoked by individuals in national courts as giving rise to individual rights7, further compounded by the question as to whether a Member State can be liable for damage resulting from its failure to implement a directive, which is pertinent to Christina’s position. In order to be directly effective, a provision of EC law must constitute a complete legal obligation capable of enforcement as such by a court8. Moreover, in the case of Francovich v Italian Republic9, it was asserted that the pre-requisite for direct effect

Monday, September 23, 2019

Business Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Business Intelligence - Essay Example The main thing here is not structure but rather the application of an integrated organizational system which is capable of aligning vital attributes necessary to leadership and accountability (Blumberg & Atre, 2003). In an economy where speed and adaptability can make or break a business enterprise much like TESCO, companies can only win and as a result, stay profitable through proper organization —and keep on making profits. As TESCO grew over the years, it has become more complex, thus as a result, their capacity for quick response and adaptability to change gets stretched thin. As a supermarket, TESCO thus had to deal with a global playing field, since customers are separating into smaller compact units. Data cascades into TESCO, at the risk of being vague regarding meaningful information. Executives in this supermarket chain may find themselves scrambling to react. It is the organization which holds the key (Power, 2010). What will help TESCO set itself apart and become among the top performers is solely based on the quality of their decision making. The key to revive TESCO is to restructure their whole organization so that they will be able to make the most important decisions well while executing them quickly and consistently. It has frequently been found again and again that TESCO’s main rivals like Sainsbury, which announced UK sales growth to be 1.9% for the second quarter, is a worthy competitor since it has proved to be a decision-driven organization, founded on the pillars of effective decision making and flawless execution. TESCO’s governing body should take it into more consideration that making good decisions simply means being clear about which decisions matter most. This requires getting the right people to focus on those decisions at the right moment in time (Rud, 2009). In order to go back to the winning ways, TESCO will have

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Zipcar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Zipcar - Essay Example It can be apparently said that in the US car rental market, as per 2011 statistical records, revenue touched a record high with the process of generation of over $1000, per unit for the entire US market, thereby bringing into focus the various levels of efficiencies that has been achieved by the players in the particular market (Arn.com 2012). However, it can be said that the entire market for this business is highly vulnerable to various factors of macro and micro economic nature (IbisWorld.com 2012). Item 2. The young car rental company Zipcar has increasingly focused its forward approach on various strategies with regards to capitalizing on the various prospects that are associated with the growth of the company as well as its sustenance in the car rental market in the presence of big competitors and tremendous competition and market pressure in the long term. For the purpose of attaining significant growth and business edge, Zipcar focused on effective segmentation and targeting. By the focusing on the opportunity of targeting college crowd for its rental services, it developed a unique market to serve and thereby developing an edge over the others. It can be said that while this certainly provided an edge at the beginning, but it may not be sustainable in the long term as competitors may increasingly target the same market. Also, from the damage point of view, the cost of maintaining the resources while catering to the target market is also significantly high. The financial analysis a lso supports the fact of high operating expenses for the company. The evaluation of the financial performance over the 3 year period shows that thought the company had an increase in revenue yet the cost related to fleet operations also went up. It also revealed that the operating expenses also increased over the period. So, it can be said that servicing the college student are coming out as a little expensive over the years. Talking in terms of the company’s long term prospects, it can be said that the company is yet to get established in a secured manner. The reason behind that is because though the company has achieved a significant growth in revenue yet its operational expenses are also increasing. Despite the high growth rate, it is not very effective for a new company to have high operating costs as the chances of maintaining profits will gets reduced with the company’s attainment of capacity as well as market saturation by other car rental companies. Apart from this, it also has to be taken in to account that the company’s main competitive edge of servicing the college students can be targeted by well established rival companies, thereby reducing the company’s standalone advantages. The company should focus on increasing the efficiency in terms of economies of scale by reducing cost of operations for the purpose of securing itself over the long term. Item 3. It can be said t

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Iconographic Representation Of Jesus Christ Essay Example for Free

Iconographic Representation Of Jesus Christ Essay Jesus Christ, by Christian tradition is known as the lamb of God or the sacrificial lamb, so he is symbolized by a very young lamb seated on a nest of thorns. Other than this Christ is also known as ‘the fisher of men’ which relates to the biblical story of how He was able to gather people into His flock so that they would submit to His teachings; so the ancient symbol for Christ is a simple illustration of the fish as shown in the collage. Other than this, this representation also has something to do with Christ’s words to Peter, when He said, â€Å"Come with me and I will make you fishers of men. This is also the reason why the Pope wears a ring known as ‘the fisherman’s ring† so symbolize his being the Vicar of Christ on earth. Another symbol which represent’s Christ is bread, because he also said during his lifetime, â€Å"I am the Bread of Life, whosoever partakes in my banquet shall have eternal life. †; Christ is also represented by fire, light or a flame because of his pronouncement that He â€Å"is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. †   Another symbol used in the collage is the chi-rho symbol which was an ancient way of writing the name Jesus Christ.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Employee Relations within TESCO plc

Employee Relations within TESCO plc Table of Contents Introduction Task 1 1.1. Compare the three main learning styles of the HRD theory and apply them in relation to the company outlined in the shaping your future. 1.2. Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of the transferring learning to the workplace in TESCO. 1.3. Assess the contribution of the learning styles and theories when planning and designing the learning event for the TESCO. Task 2 2.1. Compare the training needs for the staff at the different levels in the organization. 2.2. Assess the advantages and the disadvantages of both on job and off job training methods used in an organization. 2.3. Use a systematic approach to plan training and development for five of your staff working at various levels in the organization outlined in the shaping your future. Task 3 3.1 3.2. Using suitable techniques prepare and carry out a training event in an organization outlined in the â€Å"shaping your future† section, identifying the following: Who should evaluate the training? What should be evaluated? When should evaluation take place? Why do we need an evaluation? 3.3. As the company director, explain what are the various models of evaluation that could be used to review the success of the evaluation methods. Task4 4.1. Explain how the UK government has encouraged training, development and lifelong learning over the past years in the NEET sector. 4.2. Explain how the development of the competency movement has impact on the public and the private sectors of the country. 4.3. Analyze how contemporary training initiatives introduced in the UK government has contributed to the HRD policy of the organization identified in the shaping your future? Conclusion References Introduction This project is all about the employees relations with the organization TESCO, Plc. It is the responsibility of the company to assess the skills and the knowledge of their employees and helps them in achieving their goals. The company arranges the various training programs for their employees. TESCO is the multinational grocery merchandise company in the United Kingdom. It founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen and known as the third largest company as a retailer from its profits. Task 1 1.1. Compare the three main learning styles of the HRD theory and apply them in relation to the company outlined in the shaping your future. Honey Mumford defines the three main learning styles of the Human Resource Development related to the company TESCO Plc, UK. 1. Activist: In this learning style, various discussions held in the employees group, abilities handling the problems and qualities of learning tasks are use for performing the various functions held in the TESCO. The team members follow the above styles at the time of facing new environment and the challenge like introduction of the new grocery product by the company or initiate any new offer to the consumers. 2. Reflectors: This style reflects the jobs of operations of the employees of the company TESCO. One can use this for evaluating their own operations by considering the feedback through colleagues and the consumers. Feedback can review to make the performance better (Argyris and Schon,1997). 3. Theorists: Employees those are following the particular learning style first goes through the task completely and does the proper analysis. After analyzing all the pros and cons then reach to the conclusion and take some relevant decision. 4. Pragmatists: A proper planning requires solving any of the problems occur inside the company TESCO Plc. The employees accepts new challenges and adapts new surroundings with proper adjustments but does the perfect planning before performing for the operations to get them complete. 1.2. Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of the transferring learning to the workplace in TESCO. A learning curve is the representation in the graphs that shows the development by following the continuous techniques by the TESCO, Plc. Through this curve, the company can achieve its goal in the new surroundings of the job. Experience can enhance the knowledge and the skills but the new techniques use by the company only for facing the new challenges and meet new targets. Continuous assessment can improve the skills of the employees. The importance of transferring the learning to the TESCO, Plc is all about the expectations of the company, innovation and the planning of the career made by all employees. It is the essential tool for the workforce to enhance the wide scope of the opportunities within the company (Doorewaard and Benschop, 2003). Various training events organized by the TESCO for improving the skills of the staff members. It increases the employee’s ability. It gives the chance to the management to evaluate the knowledge of the employees and remove any flaws if there. 1.3. Assess the contribution of the learning styles and theories when planning and designing the learning event for the TESCO. The theories of learning help in understanding the factors of the company TESCO, plc and about the workforces. Learning event is organizes by the company for the employees to meet their company goals. Acquisition of theories state about the structures, types of the learning and its implementations that how knowledge is relevant directly. The company faces the new challenges because of the new structure and the values of the TESCO, Plc. They select the particular learning theory and the style after consider the changes, improvements and the scope of the accountability. An appropriate event designs by the employer for the better results by showing the great impact on the employee’s performance. Task 2 2.1. Compare the training needs for the staff at the different levels in the organization. The company should give the family atmosphere to the employees for motivating them. Requirement varies at the different level of the staff members. Needs of training at the different levels in the TESCO, Plc are. Management Level Leadership quality, taking decisions, Developing skills Consumer Level Manages all queries and complaints by giving solutions. Workshops for the qualitative consumer service. Operation Level Advice for improving the performance and review them of the managers to improve their efficiency and gives them motivation. In the company TESCO, Plc Managerial staff acts as the trainers and counsel their team members in increasing their skills. Employees at the various levels grow as per their accountability of job activities and circumstances (Budhwar, 2000). 2.2. Assess the advantages and the disadvantages of both on job and off job training methods used in an organization. TESCO conducts various training events for their employees for bringing the changes in their working areas. Managers give proper coaching to their team for making their career. The on job and the off job training methods are- 2.3. Use a systematic approach to plan training and development for five of your staff working at various levels in the organization outlined in the shaping your future. A training system organizes by the company where management plays a participative role along with their employees. They recognize the employee’s problems and provide them the various solutions. The solution is first assess and then implemented. Training Method: The top management will collect own conclusions. All employees called for participating in the problem solving session. Time allotted and discussion held among the employees. All employees provide the different solutions to the particular problem as per their own thinking skills (Farquharson and Baum , 2002). The management will evaluate their solutions and make judgment. Both managers and employees participate equally in bringing the change in the environment of the TESCO and for making the best corrections. (Source: Own) Task 3 3.1 3.2. Using suitable techniques prepare and carry out a training event in an organization outlined in the â€Å"shaping your future† section, identifying the following: Who should evaluate the training? The people at managerial level and the management arranges the training events foe their employees for evaluating their skills and their working effectiveness. What should be evaluated? Skills, working behavior of the employees evaluate by the management and then the management gets aware about their needs for the training. When should evaluation take place? Evaluation of the employees done by the management should takes place at regular interval in various forms. It is done by judging the job operational activities performs by the employees and helps them in concluding their behavior and knowledge that shows that whether they require any training or not (Walker James, 2001). Why do we need an evaluation? It shows the responsibility of the employees those are taking the training and assess their skills and the knowledge that reflects their improvement area. 3.3. As the company director, explain what are the various models of evaluation that could be used to review the success of the evaluation methods. The various models use for evaluation that helps in reviewing the success of the evaluation method are- Kirk Patric model, CITO model, ROI model. These models evaluates the impact of the training so that it may improve in the future if requires. The four levels involves in the Kirk Patric model are Reaction, Learning, Behavior and Results. At the time of training operation, managers give the problems to the employees and observe the activities involves in such circumstances. Reaction shows by the trainees (Redman and Wilkinson, 2001). It clears that how well they have attain the training and useful for them. Learning measures reveals what employees as trainees have learnt from the training events and that impact on their behavior. Various outcomes of the business operations show the results of the training. It shows that whether the training events are beneficial for the trainees or not. Task4 4.1. Explain how the UK government has encouraged training, development and lifelong learning over the past years in the NEET sector. The United Kingdom’s government plays an important role in providing the training to the human resources of both the public and the private sectors. As the biggest retail grocery stores, TESCO contributes to the economy of the UK at its maximum. The development of the skills and the efficiency of the employees devote more in the economy of the country (Moon, 1999). The government arranges the various programs for the employees for their self-lifelong learning process. 4.2. Explain how the development of the competency movement has impact on the public and the private sectors of the country. The competency movement leaves the impact on both the public and the private sectors of the country. It compels the other company and considers their job operations of their own. Both the sectors involves equally in increasing the economy of the country. Nobody wants the environment of the competition that slows down their pace towards the success (Liao, 2005). It evaluates the company TESCO and suggest it various measures in the form of training programs to improve the performance. Audit of the company plays the major role here in assessing the business operations of the company. The competent movement maintains the friendly environment to encourage workers for their highest sincerity. Competitive circumstances give more opportunities to the companies to learn more from their personal experiences. 4.3. Analyze how contemporary training initiatives introduced in the UK government has contributed to the HRD policy of the organization identified in the shaping your future? Training programs arranges by the organization TESCO itself for its employees brings the new change for the company and devotes the major portion in enhancing the economy of the country. It improves the working surroundings of the TESCO Plc that moves towards the development. The company can easily face the competitive environment. An acceptance of the contemporary initiatives of training are relate with the decision making as per the structure of the company (Montagu ,1999). Conclusion The success of the training programs does not depend on the levy of the employees but it arranges for analyzing their abilities employed in the company. TESCO is the retail distributor/ merchandiser in the UK performing all its operations in the wide market of the country. Their main strength is the personnel soul presumes the goals of the company at the high rate than never before. They helps in analyzing the environment provide to the consumers by the employees. Various styles are opt by the employees in handling different problems arouse in an organization and the skills of the employees are improve by these training events only. It makes the employees capable enough to face every type of problem and solve them effectively on the base of their improved skills. As a result, the company enhances their business, earns more revenues and helps in enhancing the economy of the United Kingdom. References Argyris .C and Schon. D ,1997. â€Å"Organizational Learning: a theory in action perspective†. New York: Addison-Wesley. Budhwar. P, 2000. â€Å"Evaluating levels of strategic integration and devolvement of human resource management in the UK† , Personnel Review. Vol. 29 Issue 2. pp.141-157 Doorewaard. H and Benschop .Y, 2003. â€Å"HRM and organizational change: an emotional endeavor†. Journal of Organizational Change Management. Vol. 16 Issue 3. pp.272- 286 Farquharson. L and Baum .T, 2002. â€Å"Enacting organisational change programmes: a centre stage role for HRM?†. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Vol. 14 Issue 5. pp.243-250 Liao. Y, 2005. â€Å"Business strategy and performance: the role of human resource management control†, Personnel Review, Vol. 34 Issue 3. pp.294-309. Montagu. A ,1999. â€Å"Race and IQ† (Expanded Edition). New York. Oxford University Press. Moon. J, 1999. â€Å"Reflection in Learning and Professional Development†: theory and practice. London. Kogan Page 0-7494-2864-3. Redman. T and Wilkinson. A, 2001. â€Å"Contemporary Human Resource Management – Text and Cases†. Prentice Hall. Walker, James. W, 2001. â€Å"Perspectives; Emerging Trends and issues in Human Resource Development and Implementation†. Human Resource Planning. March 13. IGNOU, School of Management.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Swastika in MAUS Essay -- Maus Essays

The Swastika in MAUS The image of the swastika pervades Arthur Spiegelman's graphic novel MAUS. In a work where so much of the Holocaust has been changed in some way - after all, there are no humans in this version, only cats, mice, dogs, and pigs - we must wonder why Spiegelman chooses to retain this well-known emblem. To remove it entirely or replace it with another, invented symbol would completely disorient the reader; but some might claim that this is the effect at which Spiegelman is aiming. I believe it is not. Rather, Spiegelman uses the swastika to subtly remind the reader that while the guise in which events are presented may be somewhat unfamiliar, the novel is still a narrative of the Holocaust. The swastika, it has been pointed out, has always been a powerful symbol. Before Hitler's time, it was used across the world, often with the symbolic meaning of the sun, power, life force, or other superlatives - especially as a symbol for the Buddha. The Nazis co-opted this symbol only after much deliberation, and perhaps the Nazi regime never could have come into existence without the use of ideograms such as the swastika. The Nazis perverted this symbol by rotating it into a diagonal position and making it bolder than it traditionally was, therefore giving it more aggressiveness. Given the innate power of this symbol, Spiegelman would be hard-pressed to find an "alternative" for his depiction of the Nazis that could evoke the same response. The image found on the front cover of the book is clearly a Nazi swastika - the traditional, pre-Nazi swastika uses horizontal and vertical, not diagonal lines. However, to clarify who exactly is being identified with the Nazis, we must look to the stylized, angular cat's fa... ...entation of his father's Holocaust experience, it would be dishonest and unfair to do anything else. But then why is the swastika not only seen in places where it would have historically appeared - on Nazi flags, on the sides of Nazi vehicles - but also as a background image for a particularly gruesome event in the book and as a pattern formed by roads? It seems that this is intended to remind us that this is the Holocaust we are reading about. The blurb on the inside front flap states "Its form, the cartoon... succeeds perfectly in shocking us out of any lingering sense of familiarity with the events described." But this is not entirely true - by using the swastika, we are reminded that even though the characters are animals, this is still Holocaust history. The familiarity of the swastika still lingers in our minds and colors our perception of the entire story. The Swastika in MAUS Essay -- Maus Essays The Swastika in MAUS The image of the swastika pervades Arthur Spiegelman's graphic novel MAUS. In a work where so much of the Holocaust has been changed in some way - after all, there are no humans in this version, only cats, mice, dogs, and pigs - we must wonder why Spiegelman chooses to retain this well-known emblem. To remove it entirely or replace it with another, invented symbol would completely disorient the reader; but some might claim that this is the effect at which Spiegelman is aiming. I believe it is not. Rather, Spiegelman uses the swastika to subtly remind the reader that while the guise in which events are presented may be somewhat unfamiliar, the novel is still a narrative of the Holocaust. The swastika, it has been pointed out, has always been a powerful symbol. Before Hitler's time, it was used across the world, often with the symbolic meaning of the sun, power, life force, or other superlatives - especially as a symbol for the Buddha. The Nazis co-opted this symbol only after much deliberation, and perhaps the Nazi regime never could have come into existence without the use of ideograms such as the swastika. The Nazis perverted this symbol by rotating it into a diagonal position and making it bolder than it traditionally was, therefore giving it more aggressiveness. Given the innate power of this symbol, Spiegelman would be hard-pressed to find an "alternative" for his depiction of the Nazis that could evoke the same response. The image found on the front cover of the book is clearly a Nazi swastika - the traditional, pre-Nazi swastika uses horizontal and vertical, not diagonal lines. However, to clarify who exactly is being identified with the Nazis, we must look to the stylized, angular cat's fa... ...entation of his father's Holocaust experience, it would be dishonest and unfair to do anything else. But then why is the swastika not only seen in places where it would have historically appeared - on Nazi flags, on the sides of Nazi vehicles - but also as a background image for a particularly gruesome event in the book and as a pattern formed by roads? It seems that this is intended to remind us that this is the Holocaust we are reading about. The blurb on the inside front flap states "Its form, the cartoon... succeeds perfectly in shocking us out of any lingering sense of familiarity with the events described." But this is not entirely true - by using the swastika, we are reminded that even though the characters are animals, this is still Holocaust history. The familiarity of the swastika still lingers in our minds and colors our perception of the entire story.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Schizophrenia and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde :: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Schizophrenia and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The name schizophrenia is derived from "schizo", which means splitting of the mind (Tsuang 11), and "phrenia" which is derived from the phrenic area which is just above the kidneys where the diaphragm is located. It is a structure innervated by the phrenic nerve. The Greeks and others assumed that the phrenic area was the seat of thought or at least feelings (Berle 12). Up to the 1600s, people with psychotic disorders were sent off in "ships of fools", locked in cages, "flogged into reason", or killed. The care for the insane at this time was the responsibility of nuns and monks (Noll, xviii). In the 1700s, "mad doctors" or doctors specializing in the mentally ill. "They began to devise their own unique classification system for mental disorders. Many cases of what we would now call schizophrenia were probably classified under one or more of these early attempts to devise a more scientific method of understanding mental illness"(Noll, xix). Doctors at this time described the symptoms of schizophrenia somewhat differently (Berle, 14). In 1809, the first clinical descriptions of schizophrenia were written by J. Haslam, however, later it was found that he described a disease called hebephrenia. Some symptoms he included were: loss of memory, more prevalent in females, sensibility blunted, onset at puberty, unconnected with heredity, cyclic, no affection towards parents, inactivity, apathetic, inattention to cleanliness, etc. (Berle 4,5). There is still no unanimously accepted definition of schizophrenia, and appreciable differences exist between the narrowest and widest definition (Tsuang 13). It is a disease that includes a disturbance in cognition that renders the individual "out of touch with reality". Emotions are distorted in schizophrenia and they are typified by being socially withdrawn (Lahey 555). The characteristic symptoms start between the age of 18 and 30. Symptoms include hallucinations and/or delusions. Hallucinations can have various modes. Auditory hallucinations are the most common. These may involve hearing a voice or voices talking to each other and/or to the patient. Visual hallucinations are less common and involve the patient believing they see an object that is not present. Tactile hallucinations are the least common and involve the patient thinking that someone or something is touching them (Nienhuis). Delusions are false or irrational beliefs that are firmly held despite obvious evidence to the contrary. Most common are persecutory, grandiose, and religious delusions.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Manipulative Kate of All My Sons by Arthur Miller Essay examples -- A

Manipulative Kate of All My Sons by Arthur Miller All My Sons is a play about the trials and tribulations of the normal everyday suburbia. The play brings out the reality that not everything is perfect. Holes are created by the fight between good and evil. In this play the evil is the act of lying, and the good is the innocence of ignorance. The play starts with an everyday business man given the age-old fight of man versus himself. He had to decide whether or not to ship defective parts. On the one side if he did not, he would lose his business and his life as he knew it. On the other hand, he could send parts that could kill innocent others. Evil came out of him and he lied and shipped the defective parts. Later on twenty one soldiers died from this, and his business was put on the spot. He lied yet again and had his partner take the blame to spend years in prison. Joe was found not guilty by the court of law and only a few knew of the real happenings. One of those few was his wife, Kate. She was one of the good, innocent few unti l she began to lie to everyone, keeping in her husbands secret. Problems arose when her one son never returned from war. She did not want to assume he was dead; she was only lying to herself. Over time, Kate started to change; she never acknowledged the truth and kept trying to live her own little lie. A sinister outlook started to set in. Certain danger was imminent as Kate’s presence leached into the people of the formerly peaceful suburban t...

Monday, September 16, 2019

Belonging †A Clockwork Orange Essay

The concept of belonging is essential. To belong is to form a connection which will allow a sense of identity, without this we lose our humanity; however, conformity is in a sense a facade of belonging, as it restrains our freedom and forces us to only mimic. My studied texts show how society demands us to conform, yet conformity prevents a sense of true identity being ever created. This notion is elaborated in the novel, A Clockwork Orange. Alex is a criminal who doesn’t belong anywhere within society. In the novel, the government attempts to suppress his criminality by physically preventing him from thinking of violence—thus making him conform to their standards. This is a prime example of how society attempts to make us conform to what is considered ‘normal’. Towards the end of the novel, the character F. Alexander tells Alex: â€Å"They have turned you into something other than a human †¦ being. You have no power of choice any longer. You are committed to socially acceptable acts, a little machine capable only of good. The quote shows us the central theme of the novel; if we cannot choose where we belong we lose our humanity—thus showing us the value of choice as well as the value of individuality. The metaphor and imagery of the title, a clockwork orange, symbolises what conformity does to a man. If we cannot choose where to belong we cease to be human but clockwork, or some type of mechanism. We need to be able to choose where we belong, for if it is not chosen its authenticity ceases. The novel ends with Alex choosing the path of goodness, the established normality of society. He states; â€Å"Perhaps I was getting too old now for the sort of life I had been leading, brothers† Alex chooses to belong to society, thus allowing a connection to be formed between him and the world. Conformity and the need to conform to a group or community is the central theme throughout both of the chosen texts I have studied, those being Strictly Ballroom and A Clockwork Orange. â€Å"Strictly Ballroom† also supports the fact that society attempts to make us conform to what is considered ‘normal’. The movie shows the disastrous effect conformity and fear have among members who gain their place inside the group at the price of conformity. Shirley Hastings, for example, lives a â€Å"life half-lived† cowering before what Barry Fife will say or think. She has let the Federation so dominate her that she has no respect for Doug and can only see her son Scott in terms of winning competitions. The movie represents belonging using a variety of techniques to distinguish between the world of artifice and the more realistic world. The image of the artificial world, shown as the ballroom world, is glitzy and colourful. Luhrmann has presented this world as having power, whereas the character of Fran, shown in plain clothes and reading glasses, is initially shown as powerless, because she does not conform to the ballroom world. The movie traces the shift from a world of false belonging dominated by conformity, fear and the cynical manipulations of the ultra-sleaze Barry Fife, towards the iconic last scene where the line between spectators and professional dancers blurs and is dissolved as Scott dressed in Spanish costume and Fran in Spanish-style red dress put passion back into dance, rescuing it from the deadening effect of the old brigade. Taking the similes of the two texts we can arrive at the conclusion that conformity allows us to become part of a functioning society but can in turn stifle individuality, expression and self-identity. I’ll leave you with two thoughts from â€Å"A Clockwork Orange†. â€Å"Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man. † And so I ask you, ‘Is it better for a man to choose to be bad than to be conditioned to be good? † That is both the crux of the issues involved and the decision we must all, as individuals, make.

My Childhood Blank-kee

Most people have something they treasure since childhood. For some, it may be their first baseball mitt or first basketball. As for me, it is my Chinese traditional blanket. It holds priceless memories of my (1)blissful childhood days when my only worry was how to avoid the vegetables my mother forced on me. It was my constant companion, my partner in crime, and my source of comfort.I was born into a warm, financially stable family. As the youngest child, I was well-loved, so much so that my family (2)indulged me with everything I wanted. That’s why I had the best toys and gadgets among my childhood friends. Although I was showered with these luxurious things, there is one thing that I will never forget—my beloved â€Å"blank-kee,† my priceless possession which I kept over the years.I used to call my blanket a â€Å"blank-kee†, because I can’t pronounce the â€Å"ket† in the word â€Å"blanket.† It was given by my godmother to my mothe r the day after my mother told her that she was pregnant with me. It is an authentic Chinese traditional blanket. Although others think it is (3)repugnant and in poor taste, it is classical in its own way.It is sewn together with different shades of red, embossed with a traditional Chinese Dragon. According to the lunar calendar, I was born in the year of the dragon, and the Chinese tradition states that red is a symbol of happiness. Thus, this blanket was bestowed upon me for luck, (4)prosperity, and happiness.Although it is a perfect gift for a person of Chinese decent, the blanket may seem ill-designed for others because it is an abomination to any design philosophies or principles I have encountered.Plus, I don’t particularly like the color red because I find it corny.   However unsightly this blanket may seem, I still love it! When I was a child, every time I felt lonely, I used this blanket to feel more secure and at ease. It was like a magical blanket that gave me ha ppy thoughts. That is why I have nurtured some sort of love-hate relationship with my blanket.My unique blanket is approximately 3 ½ inches by 5 inches. It used to fit easily into it when I was a child. Now that I have considerably outgrown it, the blanket barely covers me. As it is made of silk cloth, its smooth sensation gives me an unfathomable feeling whenever I rub it against my skin.The stains in it reflect its age and the moments that I have shared with it.   Because of my clumsiness as a child, it was soiled by food spills and several accidents I had, leaving permanent stains. These stains, however, did not make it any less comfy.As a child, my blank-kee was my constant companion. I was the youngest and my sister is 10 years older than me. The â€Å"generational-gap† between us made it a bit difficult to communicate with my sister and develop a good relationship with her. Nonetheless, my blanket never failed to provide me (5)relentless emotional support by giving me more comfort than its capacity to warm.I have been through a lot with this blanket. That is why it was my â€Å"best-partner-in-crime†. I remember the days when my mother force-fed me with veggies. Whenever my mother fed me with something that looks green or has an (6)uncanny smell (EWW!), I spat it out when she was not looking and covered it underneath my blanket.I also have this vivid memory of my mother getting mad at me for my naughtiness. You see, I was a really chubby kid when I was young, so my mother wanted me to go on a diet. I had to cut down my sugar intake, but controlling my craving for sweets was proving more difficult than I thought.When I can’t hold it any longer, I stole from our refrigerator a can of Coke and a Snicker chocolate bar that was a left over from one of our dinner parties. I have not yet drunk the whole can when the doorbell rang, which was an (7)indication that my mom is back from a day of hell.Ihurriedly hid my can of Coke and the cho colate wrapper underneath the sofa out of (8)sheer panic, accidentally knocking over the can. With the adrenaline rush, a brilliant idea came to me and made me use my blanket to wipe off the Coke on the floor, leaving it flawless and sparkly clean. There was nothing to be found in the crime scene.I thought that my partner in crime that saved me would remain to be my sole witness. Later that night, as everyone finished dinner and started approaching the family room to watch TV, my mother found the can and wrapper under the sofa! It was really stupid of me to forget the most important thing to do after a crime—(9)dispose of the evidence!Since no one is willing to admit the misdeed, I stood up and confessed. My mother already knew it was me. My mother even saw my wet blanket and she confiscated it from me. I was like a fish in an aquarium whose oxygen was removed.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Reader Responses

Real Relationships Fahrenheit 451 , written by Ray Bradbury, introduces many motifs to the reader. One of them being television. Television isn't the problem, but the over-indulging was the thing that hurt the many relationships of this book. Having so much technology and instant satisfaction at one's fingertips can be deadly. Specifically, so many people watch It because It's an escape from the viewer's real life. They don't have to face their problems. Without problems being faced, relationships are being less cared about, and less emotions are rolling to the reface.As In Fahrenheit 451 , the protagonist Montage's wife Mildred attempted seclude because of her great pain and Inability to confront her sad life. As the book says, the only attachment she has, Is to the â€Å"family on her favorite television show. In article â€Å"Face Time vs.. Screen Time†, written by Chancre Johnson, researchers found that people, especially teens are communicating with their families more, but with less emotions. Parenting expert Denies Daniels says, â€Å"These kids aren't connecting emotionally.Just like in Fahrenheit 451, no one in this futuristic society was connecting emotionally. They would talk about things that would happen, but not why. They never wondered. They were never emotional. Dry Kate Roberts says, â€Å"Families text rather than have conversations. We're living in a culture of sound bites, and that is not developing our verbal skills or our emotional intelligence. † Like in the book, a character, Mrs.. Bowels (Milliard's friend) has obviously had problems with emotional attachment, emotional intelligence, and communicating with her cabanas/past husbands.She had one divorce, one husband killed in a car accident, and another that has committed suicide. Not to mention that both of her kids utterly despise her. If she wasn't so superficial and had good verbal skills and emotional intelligence, she would be liked. This isn't necessarily her fault though, because this is a normal thing in this books society. Compared to the article, it is talking about real life too! This isn't part of a science fiction book anymore, this is slowly happening to our society.We are losing our communication skills. And if we cannot turn technology off more often, we are likely to lose the people we love. Reader Responses for Fahrenheit 451 By Audrey-Scrooges Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, introduces many motifs to the reader. Deadly. Specifically TV, so many people watch it because it's an escape from the viewer's real life. They don't have to face their problems. Without problems being faced, relationships are being less cared about, and less emotions are rising to the surface.As in Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist Montage's wife Mildred attempted suicide because of her great pain and inability to confront her sad life. As the book says, the only attachment she has, is to the â€Å"family' on her favorite television show. With less em otions. Parenting expert Denies Daniels says, â€Å"These kids aren't connecting emotionally. † Just like in Fahrenheit 451 , no one in this futuristic society despise her. If she wasn't so superficial and had good verbal skills and emotional life too! This isn't part of a science fiction book anymore, this is slowly happening to

Saturday, September 14, 2019

English Distincive Voice Essay

Distinctive voices are used create meaning and change which explores aspects of human experiences. The texts examined are Severn Cullis Suzuki, 9th Earl Spencers Eulogy for Princess Diana and Pink, Dear Mr President. The voices in these text include and environmental activist, voice of the innocent, grieving brother, everyman, lobbyist and remonstrator. All these voices have the ability to change societies view on an issue. The composers of these texts have had human experiences of grief, concern of the environment and concern for social equality. The distinctive voice of an environmental activist, innocence and remonstrator is expressed in Severn Cullis Suzuki Earth Summit. These voices portray the human experiences of having a concern of the environment, being part of a lobby group and seeing the destruction of the earth and wanted an end to poverty. Introduction and purpose, ‘I’m Servern Cullis speaking for ECO- The Environmental Children’s Organisation’ shows the distinctive voice of an activist exploring Suzuki’s human experience as the founder of ECO. Comparison, ‘In Canada, we live the privileged life†¦ Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent time with kids living on the streets’, clearly shows the difference between countries and seeing this, Suzuki has developed the voice of innocence exploring the human experience of Suzuki wanting a world without poverty. The voice of a remonstrator is developed, through the pleading tone, ‘If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it! ’. Severn Cullis blames the adults for this destruction of the earth that she has experienced. She wants the adults to change their ways. This remonstrating voice explores the human experience of being a part of a lobby. Exclusive language gives the adults a goal through the use of the cliche, ‘I challenge you please make your actions reflect your words’, which demands the adults to change their ways portraying the remonstrator. The voices throughout this text effectively represent the human experiences, demanding the audience to change their actions towards the environment for which Suzuki has seen the destruction of. Similarly, the voice of the remonstrator is evident in 9th Earl Spencer, Eulogy for Princess Diana. Both texts have the voice of a remonstrator as they plea to an issue both composers have experienced. The voice of a grieving brother, everyman and remonstrator explores aspects of human experiences for 9th Earl Spencer. These voices explore the human experience of grief. The voice of a grieving brother is portrayed through the use of emotive language, ‘I stand before you today, the representative of a family in grief’, showing the human experience of Earl Spencer as the young brother of Princess Diana. Earl Spencer, acknowledges the great life of Princess Diana which creates a sense of sadness for the audience as they listen in silence, through the allusion, metaphor and allusion, ‘ Today is our chance to say ‘thank you’ for the way your brightened our lives, even though God granted you but a half a life’. The voice of an everyman speaks for the entire world. Inclusive language and metaphor, ‘We are all chewed up with sadness at loss of a woman who wasn’t even our mother’, shows the importance of Princess Diana, that the whole world is deeply saddened by her death. This explores the aspect of a human experience, of the entire world that are in grief and shock after Diana’s death. The voice of a remonstrator explores the human experience of Princess Diana being chased by the media. Earl Spencer speaks of the media as being the cause if her death. ‘She never understood why her genuinely good intentions were sneered at by the media’, creates the voice of the remonstrator which explores Earls experience of Diana and how she felt towards the media. The voice of the remonstrator is also conveyed in Severn Cullis Suzuki’s speech which demand a change and creates emotion. The voice of citizen, the voice of society and remonstrator explore aspects of human experiences in Dear President. These voices which are present in the song represent human experience of seeing the president not doing his job and the rights of people being taken away. ‘Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away’, creates imagery of the bombs and house expressing the voice of a citizen that effectively explores the human experience of a concerned citizen as Pink see’s the struggle that American citizens endured in their life. The American citizen voice effectively represents the human experiences, as the responder is able to emphasize on societies hardships that Pink has seen. ‘What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street? ’, creates the voice of society through rhetorical question and imagery, portraying the negative human experience of Pink, as she has seen many citizens living on the streets. Pink questions the president which emotively appeals to the audience as they reflect on the President’s job. Formal register, ‘Come take a walk with me’ is an invitation for the president to listen to Pink’s opinions creating the oice of a remonstrator. ‘Let’s pretend were just two people and you’re not better than me’, shows the human experience of Pink and how she feels inequality as the President sees himself as better than society. Pink pleads her opinions to the President through rhetorical questions creating a remonstrating voice. This voice asks the audience to consider the President and what he has done. Dear Mr President, Severn Cullis Suzuki Earth Summit and 9th Earl Spencer Eulogy for Princess Diana have the voice of a remonstrator, which appeals to the audience emotively as it changes their view on an issue. These texts reveal the human experiences of grief, concern of the environment and concern for society through the voices of an environmental activist, the innocent, grieving brother, everyman, citizen, society and remonstrator. The composers have effectively used language to create distinctive voices including emotive language which explores human experiences of the composer and creates meaning for the responder. Distinctive voices are important in representing human experiences as the voice has the ability to demand change and a view on an issue.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Sustainable Management Features Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sustainable Management Features - Essay Example This change is evident from the increased use of social reporting and adhering to corporate codes of conduct. Oil companies in the world have embraced international CSR initiatives. Companies such as the SHELL and BP have become major players in the renewable energy industry in order to combat the fact the oil companies are the ones who are mainly held responsible for global warming. In addition to this the oil companies of the world have also taken initiatives that are aimed towards the development of community. It was estimated that back in 2001 the oil companies in the world had contributed $500 million towards community development initiatives (Frynas, 2005). Total Oil Company was formed after the First World War when the French Prime Minister rejected the idea of forming a partnership with Shell in favor of creating an entirely French oil company. Now with revenues of â‚ ¬189.5 Billion it is the 5th largest international oil company of the world as per 31st December 2013. The company produces about 2,299 kilo barrels of oil equivalent per day and with a network of 15,551 service stations serves about 3 million customers worldwide per day. If one analyses the stakeholders who are associated with the company then Total acknowledges the fact that due to the reason that the company operates in more than 130 countries across the globe the company has to face and live up to different expectations of different groups of stakeholders who are associated with the company. The company states that there is number of stakeholders of the company depending on the location in which the company operates and their expectations from the company also differ depending on the location. The company states that the key to its long term integration will depend on how well it can identify and address the expectations of these diverse groups of stakeholders. The company has both upstream and downstream operations that range from exploration of oil to its fractional

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Assessment task 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assessment task 2 - Essay Example iv. The outcome of the intervention is for better diagnosis which helps to set the appropriate treatment for the patient. The question that makes need of my research is whether performing of ECG test on patient arrival helps in better diagnosis compared to delayed ECG test on stroke’s patients ? PART II The method of searching online has been used as a resource for information. These are research healthcare databases such as Medline plus, U.S National Library of medicine. The reason to use this database is that it is a nursing database that you can search online and offer usually access a greater scope of information. The most nursing research and articles as well as journal are found mainly on this database. Medline plus is also a free access to the public. This provides a tool for nursing in finding the resources a given case study as it is in my research. I made my search on electronic databases as well as catalogues in finding the information that was to link the case stud y of ECG test on stroke and also give the appropriate information. I made use of a key word that was typed on Google search. The basic search method that was followed are; identifying the key concept to be searched, entering keyword into the Google search box , clicking on search then an appropriate database was evaluated based on information presented and the level of trust to the source of this information. On evaluation after comparison with other sources such as The Alan E. Lindsay, ECG Learning center in cyber space but felt Medline plus had more accurate information which met my search demand. Other sources that were identified and downloaded on this ECG test but gave sketchy information on it and hence Medline plus was taken as the best. PART III A stroke usually happens if the blood flow stops to some part of the brain. Causes of stroke When blood flow get stopped for long as few seconds and the brain does not get blood which carries with it oxygen then it can cause the cell s to die and this causes a permanent damage. Usually there are two types of stroke that are major. They include; ischemic and also hemorrhagic stroke. Ischemic stroke occurs at the time when blood vessel supplying blood to the brain gets blocked by a clot in blood. This usually happens in two ways: A clot forms in the artery which is very narrow (thrombotic stroke),a clot breaks off right from any place of blood vessels that are in the brain or from other parts of the body and then travels to the brain(cerebral embolism or the embolic stroke). Ischemic strokes can be caused by clogging of arteries. Some Fat and cholesterol usually collect on the walls of arteries and forms sticky substance known as plaque. Hemorrhagic stroke usually occurs if the blood vessel on brain part is weak and bursts thereby causes blood leak to the brain. Some people may have defects that are in blood vessels and in the brain making this likely to happen (Latchaw 2009). STROKE RISK FACTORS High blood pressu re is a high risk for strokes followed by the others such as; Atrial fibrillation, Diabetes, Family history on stroke, High cholesterol, age(especially in age 55 and above) and race such as black people who are more prone to dying of a stroke. People with heart disease and also poor blood flow from

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Architecture advancements Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Architecture advancements - Research Paper Example The Romans had great architects who created admirable and great monuments and buildings located all over the Roman Empire. Primarily, Romans adopted the Etruscan arch as practical architectural devices, and secondly, they constructed aqueducts from these arches. More so, they made cement so as to effectively use these architectural devices. This way, they were able to use these architectural devices in a useful and productive manner. Furthermore, Romans established many beautiful buildings for themselves. Architectural works had been part of the Roman Empire, but with time, Rome architects became more skilled and so, architect evolved to be a profession. This paper provides an explanation of some of the architectural achievement in Rome, noting the developments of arch, aqueducts, and dome among others. The advancement of art work in Rome was to a larger extended developed from Romans predecessors the Etruscans and others. However, most borrowed artistic forms were expressed in their practical dominating spirit (Anderson, 2012). Notably, architecture has been the success of ancient Romans, for instance, Romans were the first people to make of architecture in handling various problems such as infrastructure and urban management among others (Garwood and Blasi, 2012). Due to the popularity of architectural works, architects and engineers advanced their skills and became the designers of great buildings, temples, bridges, imperial palaces, water supply systems, and churches among others. Therefore, Romans modified the techniques that were initially developed by Etruscans and the Greeks so as to allow their architects construct these great infrastructures (Garwood and Blasi, 2012). According, Romans modified the dome, vaults and arches which played a fundamental role in building palaces, aqueducts, public buildings and baths, and theaters among others (Hitchens and Roupp, 2001). Romans adopted architectural features particularly of the arch from the Etruscans, and they also used classical orders of the Greek temple to construct many temples, but they modified these features to come up with a very unique architectural style (Dierckx and ‘Mark Twain Media’, 2012). Arguably, the Romans learned from the Etruscans on how to construct round arches, but they created new and better ways to modify the arch to a barrel vault together with two arches at right angles to each other (Hitchens and Roupp, 2001). The arch was modified by the Romans and was used to support extra structure for building, and typically, this arch was constructed out of concrete, brick as well as stone. The Romans designed the Etruscan arch, which was very famous and often accredited to Romans, and they adopted this arch from the Etruscans, and literally, the arch is constructed by a series of blocks placed together with a key stone placed in the center of the top. Romans put the arch to good practical and decorative use, for instance, they used the arches to make use ful innovations like aqueducts. Indeed, the Romans effectively made use of the Etruscan arch, for instance, as the Etruscans used the arch as a single stone structure to construct gateways, the Romans used the arch in diverse ways. For instance, they combined arches with the use of concretes to construct architectural structures of greater size (Dierckx and ‘

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Personal Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Narrative - Essay Example At that time, I was stationed in Manhattan, KS and had to choose between Manhattan, Salina, and Topeka. Topeka and Manhattan were testing on the same days and as fate would have it, I decided to give Manhattan a try. Having no navigational skills in the city, I was first challenged in finding the testing site for the physical agility test. When I arrived at RCPD range were the recruitment was taking place, I was shocked to realize that I was going to be put up against other forty people who were competing for five or six slots. Once I got out of my truck and started talking to other hopeful applicants I became worried about the chances of success through the hiring process. I was confused on what would be my next step if I was not successful and was unable to secure a chance in the police department. I felt as though I was under qualified after finding out that 60%- 70% of the applicants had degrees in Criminal Justice. I thought for sure that college would be a major hiring point. I was determined to prove my ability and advantage over the graduates who lacked professional experience. The air was thin and cold on this particular day, making just breathing a chore. Gazing out at the course the towers were tall and a long climb, the walls were high with steep drops to the other side. For the agility test, the recruits were expected to run through tires and drag a 170 pound dummy had to a safe zone. I felt confident since I was still in the Army and was in the best cardiovascular condition in my life. The lieutenant introduced himself to the crowd and began explaining the course, at the end of his explanation and demonstration he asked for volunteers to go first. In my mind I thought it would be good to volunteer, but I had learned early on in the Army not to volunteer for anything. I held my ground and stayed back to gauge the motivated people stepping to the front. I watched several individuals run through the course until it was finally my turn. Once I stepped up to the starting line my adrenaline ran high and I felt unstoppable at that point. I had heard the fastest time was 2:09 through the course on this day and I was determined to beat it and set a new record. I took off up the steep flight of stairs and down the other side simulating a chase. I felt like a wild animal closing on my prey as I hopped the fence and dropped to the other side. Next I ran through a makeshift neighborhood setting and to a high wall I had to climb. Once at the top I ran down the steps and around the turnaround point. It was then that I realized how fast I was moving, I was flying through the course and hurting badly inside. Despite the difficulty, I knew I had to hold on for the next 30 seconds and I would have achieved my target. I ran to the shooting simulation and picked the bad guy out of the standup targets, ran to the dummy drag the 170 pounds 20 yards like a dog carries a flea on a daily basis. Once I was at the end of the line I heard the scorer yel l â€Å"2:03†, I had done it. On the finishing line, I felt proud to have achieved my target and was convinced that I had already secured the job. My score got beat by a fraction of a second later in the day, but I was still proud that I was able to overcome the pain to get to the finish

Monday, September 9, 2019

2500 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

2500 - Essay Example The bearing used for this specific case of wind turbine is ball-bearings. The ball-bearings are used for low load and high speed machines. The ball bearings are generally manufactured from steel material. This material is preferred choice due to its high strength, and resistance of corrosion and high fatigue strength. As per standard practice, the outer race of the ball bearing is manufactured from high alloy steel bar, in most of the cases the inner races, wear rings are also manufactured from the same material. The recommended steel alloy for such manufacturing is BMS-931 and 8720H. The manufacturing process begins with the forging of the steel bar, the material is forged into different shapes like cups, cones etc. The forging process is generally hot forging; this process shall release thermal stresses from the material during the process. The forging process can be explained as, "exposure of the steel bar in the induction heater system, the heating process is halted after the temperature reaches the melting point of the material; at this temperature maximum formability for hot forging is attained". After the completion of hot forging, the material is pierced. The material used for the manufacturing is SAE-521000; the material is used in the form of forged rings. The centre-less grinding is applied on the material, which is extremely rough machining process. The material is then treated at high temperature, after which the hardness of the material is checked. The grinding on the material is conducted to secure smooth surface finish. During the process the material undergoes "honing and super finishing followed by washing; later anti-rush agent is applied on the object" (Bruce, 1997). The heat treatment process is extremely critical, and during this process the ample exposure to the heat will release thermal stresses within the object. The process is conducted "to

Sunday, September 8, 2019

IT Security System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT Security System - Research Paper Example Fire and break-in alarm security system being the only available current on-site security/alarm system is a good foundation than having none. However, integration of multiple systems to alarm such as security video, for example, Closed-Circuit Television (CCTVs), and security voice communications would permit more efficient use of on-site security systems and manpower. It is vital to pinpoint that, the better the system integration, the better the company will be able to use its on-site security force (Thomas, 2011). The key to ensuring cost effectiveness incurred on the security system is often the elegant combination of simple technologies into a highly refined systems. For example, installing security cameras all over the boundaries of the company will have a centralized position where the control system is operated. Therefore, this will reduce the unnecessary cost incurred by employing incompetence manpower and ensure improved security system longevity. The opportunity cost can be used to improve other basic operations of the company (Thomas, 2011). Security systems are notoriously short lived as they are composed of numerous delicate components that either fail mechanically or are unable to upgrade as the system scales. Considering the importance of ensuring a constant security system, there is need to keep to –date the security information technology via activities such as regular maintenance and proper handling of the security gadgets such as CCTVs cameras due to their sophisticated nature and through away obsolete and non-compatible with newer technology components (Thomas, 2011). Acquiring external Information Technology security is capital intensive hence often is expensive and with every motive of reduced expenses and increased revenue, there is the need to invest on internal security for the company to reduce such costs. However, it will require specialized people to train

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Percieved control and academic achievment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Percieved control and academic achievment - Essay Example They totalled to about 19 respondents. The findings also show that majority of the respondents have poor mental ability. Using the value 0.05 level of significance, F-statistics, and an Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, the df num value is k-1, or 2 -1, or 1 and the df den value is T-k, or 50 - 2, or 48. So, with = 0.05, the critical value of F in this analysis of variance test was F0.05 (1, 48) = 251. Since computed F (FC) is less than Tabulated F (FT), Ho is accepted, which states that the Rotters LOCUS of Control scores and the Average GPA of the selected respondents has no significant relationship. In other words, the result of the "Analysis of Variance" (ANOVA) shows that the computed F, 0.103 is less than the tabular values of F-statistics, 251 at 0.05 degrees of freedom, 1, 48. This denotes that the GPA has no significant effect on the Rotters LOCUS of Control survey results. The resultant R square value is 0.002. This is very far from the point of reference value 1. This shows that the correlation is not on the normal curve distribution. So, it is interpreted as very small positive correlation. In percentile (%), it is 0.2 which indicates that the Rotters LOCUS of Control scores and the Average GPA of the selected respondents has very minimal similarities. Furthermore, because the R square value of 0.002 is not close to the adjusted R square value of -0.019, this signifies that the regression model is not fit for the data. The very small positive correlation denotes that the Rotters LOCUS of Control scores is uncorrelated with the Average GPA of the selected respondents, it may be either large or small when the scores or frequency is large and vice versa. This further implies that there is no systematic trend in the Rotters LOCUS of Control scores and the Average GPA of the selected respondents. Appendices Score Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 6 1 2.0 2.0 2.0 7 3 6.0 6.0 8.0 8 4 8.0 8.0 16.0 9 3 6.0 6.0 22.0 10 9 18.0 18.0 40.0 11 7 14.0 14.0 54.0 12 5 10.0 10.0 64.0 13 6 12.0 12.0 76.0 14 3 6.0 6.0 82.0 16 2 4.0 4.0 86.0 17 1 2.0 2.0 88.0 18 5 10.0 10.0 98.0 19 1 2.0 2.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 Note: Column 2 and 3 were used for figure 1 Average GPA Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 2 4.0 4.0 4.0 2 7 14.0 14.0 18.0 3 10 20.0 20.0 38.0 4 13 26.0 26.0 64.0 5 6 12.0 12.0 76.0 6 6 12.0 12.0 88.0 7 3 6.0 6.0 94.0 8 3 6.0 6.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 Note: Column 2 and 3 were used for figure 2 Scores versus Average GPA Regression Variables

The Portrayal of Existentialism Within Becketts Play, Rockaby Essay Example for Free

The Portrayal of Existentialism Within Becketts Play, Rockaby Essay The Portrayal of Existentialism Within Beckett’s Play, Rockaby â€Å"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. † The words of Samuel Beckett, from his play Worstward Ho, written in 1983, echo the ideals and philosophies behind absurdist theatre and Existentialism. Created in the early 1950s, absurdist theatre rejects the conventional techniques of theatre in favour of strange and absurd conventions in order to create an impact and impression, and present the worldview of Existentialism to an audience through an artistic medium. Absurdism is influenced by the Existentialist worldview, especially the notion of human existence preceding any essence in life. Absurdist playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco and Jean Genet, present a distorted view of humanity in their plays, through their own worldview which echoes the tenets of Existentialism. Samuel Beckett’s play, Rockaby, is one such play that incorporates non- ­? realist (absurd) theatre techniques to accentuate the existential worldview. Beckett effectively manipulates the Dramatic Languages and Elements of absurdist, non- ­? linear narrative, symbolism and voice, to demonstrate Existentialism through an artistic illustration of the worldview. Beckett effectively exploits the technique of absurdist, non- ­? linear narrative to accentuate the philosophy of Existentialism within Rockaby. One of the most common quotes used to explain Existentialism is â€Å"existence precedes essence. † This phrase can be translated into the notion of not knowing anything about the past or future, but just ‘being’ – existence comes before any meaning of life interpreted from knowledge of historic or future events. The technique of non- ­? linear narrative, used within Rockaby, expresses this belief perfectly in dramatic terms. Absurdist, Non- ­? linear narrative is utilised through the circular, repetitive nature of the script – a technique that highlights the existentialists’ view of life as meaningless and the repetitious passing of time waiting for death. Furthermore, this circular narrative provides no beginning or end, emphasising the existential belief of existence coming before any meaning of life, including both knowledge of history as well as future (beginning and end). The play begins with the word ‘more’. There is no context, no understanding of what has happened or is about to happen. The woman just appears, says ‘more’, then the play begins. This continues in each of the four sections, beginning with ‘more’, and ending with silence, broken only by the next ‘more’. This circular motion highlights the meaningless state of life, and the absurdity of living only to wait until death. The circular narrative is irregular in that it still develops and evolves, with the narrative progressing from sitting at a window, to drawing the blinds, to moving down the stairs, to waiting in the rocking chair for death, to dying. Though this does not perfectly follow a circular narrative, it still does highlight Existential belief: that life is meaningless, useless and absurd, that the only choice we have in a meaningless life is to exercise our minds, to understand our absurdity and therefore become responsible for our own existence. The play begins with the woman sitting at the window, searching the outside world for another like herself – another who can give her meaning and prove her existence. This action in itself is an exercise of her mind. However, her standards drop later in the play and her mental stimulation grows less, as she becomes content just to see movement within one of the windows opposite hers as proof of the existence of another life, and therefore creating meaning in her own life. Upon the realization it was ‘time she stopped’ this searching in vain, she closes the blind (a symbol of death) before descending – both literally and emotionally – to her rocking chair, where she sits and waits for death. Though the narrative is somewhat circular, it still conveys a story of the woman’s original searching for meaning, a realisation of her absurdity and isolation in a meaningless world, her acceptance of the absurdity, and her resolve to wait for death. Through this use of absurdist narrative, Beckett brings out the philosophy of Existentialism stronger than through any of the other dramatic techniques he incorporates. In a similar way, Samuel Beckett incorporates symbolism within Rockaby to effectively present the worldview of Existentialism to the audience. One of the most significant principles within Existentialism maintains the belief that life is meaningless, useless and absurd, and that humans live to die and evaporate into nothingness in an empty, meaningless universe. The focus subject in the play, ‘W’, and her actions, are used to convey this belief to the audience. One of the first, most obvious uses of symbolism is within the costume choices. Beckett’s [1984] notes on the play, as published in the ‘Collected Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett,’ are very particular in describing what sort of gown should be worn: â€Å"Black lacy high- ­? necked†¦ Long sleeves. Jet sequins†¦ Incongruous headdress set with extravagant trimming to catch the light† – A funeral gown. This highlights the feeling of death and ending of life, a concept that is echoed throughout the play. The notion of ‘drawing down the blind’ is another symbol for death, according to Professor Eoin O’Brien [1986] who states, â€Å"A drawn blind is an old custom signifying death†. The last thing the woman does before sitting down in her rocking chair is â€Å"let down the blind,† therefore emphasising the morbid, meaningless ideals of life portrayed in absurdism and its existential foundations. The window is also use to create symbolism, as a representation of the woman’s search for another â€Å"one living soul†¦ like herself,† which alludes to the yearning for meaning, order and the finding of self- ­? value and self- ­? definition in the discovery of another life. Beckett echoes the implications of Bishop Berkeley’s words: â€Å"to be is to be perceived. † [Cited in Davis, R. : 1988] Berkeley is saying that life is nothing more or less than the state of being perceived. It is this existential purpose and meaning of life that the woman searches for. In searching for another living soul, she yearns to find meaning for herself, a search that is in vain, as she finds no one and is seen by no one. The woman’s life and act of living is further explored through the symbol of the rocking chair. The title, Rockaby, refers to a children’s lullaby, and, the original French name, Berceuse, translates to mean both ‘rocking chair’ and ‘lullaby’. In using this title, Beckett brings together two juxtaposed concepts: that of birth (in the sense of the Rockaby baby nursery rhyme) and death (the baby falling from the treetop). This is further explored in the use of the childlike demand for â€Å"more† coupled with the symbolic references to old age and death, through the costume and demeanor of the woman in the chair. Therefore, it is evident that Beckett incorporates many different symbolic references within his play to bring to the forefront the philosophy of Existentialism. Furthermore, Beckett utilises the techniques of voice to emphasise the absurdity within his play, Rockaby. â€Å"The Absurdists’ plays reflect†¦ that human beings have lost the ability to communicate. † [Crawford, A. , et al. , 2003] This is reflected in many of Beckett’s plays as the techniques of voice and language frequently carry a disjointed, nonsensical, empty tone that is characteristic of absurdism. This is no different in Rockaby, where the voice over, recounting the life of the woman in the chair, follows a very disjointed, yet rhythmic, pattern. This disjointedness echoes the concept of juxtaposing youth with frailty and old age. The simplicity and fragmentation of the voice creates a childlike sentiment, but the frailty of the voice maintains the notion of age and weakness. Rhythm in voice is also a frequently used technique in absurdist plays. The script of Rockaby follows a rigid ‘to and fro’ feeling, following the trance- ­? like state of the rocking chair and the dimetric flow of the lines, which are very verse like: â€Å"Time she // stopped Sitting at her // window Quiet at her // window Only // window Facing other // windows Only other // windows All // eyes All // sides High and // low Time she // stopped† The techniques of silence and pause within the voice are also widely used within absurdist theatre, and Rockaby is no exception. The voiceover used often pauses, adding stress and effect to the verse- ­? like lines. Silence is further incorporated in the break at the end of each ‘section’ of the play. The woman in the chair intermittently joins in with the last lines of each section: ‘time she stopped’, ‘living soul’ and ‘rock her off’. This leads to a silence, ended only by the woman’s demand for ‘more’, before the voice over continues the disjointed, rhythmic narrative. Each time the woman joins in with the narration, her voice grows weaker and more fragile, slowly diminishing until, at the end of the last section, she fails to join in, falling into darkness and death. Absurdism is even further explored in the voice through the way the voice over speaks in third person, yet is the woman’s own voice. This detaches the woman from the voice over, through the use of the word ‘she’, yet they are still one in mind, through sharing the same thoughts, feelings and intentions. Furthermore, voice represents the only proof of the woman’s existence; a point that is strongly related to absurdism and easily falls into line with Existentialism. Just as Berkeley said, â€Å"to be is to be perceived,† so too is voice the only object that ‘perceives’ the woman. There is no other ‘living soul’ that acknowledges her existence, therefore, the only way she can prove her existence is through the narration of her life from the voiceover: â€Å"Voice has become the woman’s own Berkeleyan observer, without whose surveillance any claim to existence would be invalidated. † [Brown, V. , 2005] Therefore, it is evident that the use of the dramatic language of voice has been effectively manipulated within Beckett’s play to create the appropriate absurdist impression, which demonstrates an effective portrayal of the existentialist understanding seen through the absurdist techniques. In his play, Rockaby, Samuel Beckett incorporates many different techniques of Absurd Theatre, which accentuates his worldview of Existentialism. The quintessential belief of Existentialism – existence recedes essence – is brought to the forefront of the audience’s attention through the use of the absurdist techniques of symbolism, voice, and non- ­? linear, absurdist narrative. Beckett effectively manipulates these Dramatic Languages to create a play that is not necessarily about Existentialism. Rather, it is a play that highlights the philosophy through the narrative, and silently conveys the principles and ideals of Existentialism, without directly referring to the philosophy itself. In this regard, Beckett has effectively communicated the philosophy of Existentialism to a contemporary audience through the manipulation of the Dramatic Languages. Bibliography: Beckett, S. , (1984) ‘Collected Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett,’ London: Faber and Faber, p 273. Brown, V. (2005) ‘Yesterday’s Deformities: A Discussion of the Role of Memory and Discourse in the Plays of Samuel Beckett’ (Doctorate paper in Literature and Philosophy), University of South Africa. Crawford, A. , Hurst, C. , Lurgering, M. , Wimmer, C. , (2003), ‘Acting In Person And In Style in Australia,’ Macquarie Park: McGraw Hill Australia Pty Ltd. Hale, J. A. , ‘Perspective in Rockaby’ in Davis, R. J. and Butler, L. St J. , (Eds. ) ‘Make Sense Who May’: Essays on Samuel Beckett’s Later Works (Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe, 1988), p 74. O’Brien, E. , ‘The Beckett Country’ (Dublin: The Black Cat Press, 1986), pp 197,198 ‘Rockaby’, (2012), Wikipedia – the Free Encyclopedia, URL found: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Rockaby (Last Accessed Saturday 27th October, 2012).