Life Is What You Make It Essay

Playâ€Å" LIFE â€Å" A marvellous journey, a joyous song; smells of roses but also pricking thorns. A fairy tale or an interesting story long; yes this is life, take it, as it comes along. For a moment one is on success hunches; next day may be in disaster trenches. Reaping today the crops of joy, tomorrow the land may be barren and dry. Surrounded now by madding crowd; big gang of people but don’t feel proud. Later he may be a mourning loner; with none to love in the life fair. Endowed with success, do not go too high; flip of coin and good luck may defy. Also face the challenges with a smile; as even the darkest clouds will pass by. Life is continuity,no buttons to pause; a school but unknown is level of class. It cons you with the problems; but hidden in it are all the keys and solution. No absolutes or formulae for it are known; change is what every day shown. Stocked with loads of energy piecemeal; that fills it with enthusiasm and zeal. It has a few painful separations; but also some strengthening bonds of relation. It has myriad colours and emotions; sorrow and joy in equal sessions. SO†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Share, care and love your dears; no point in clinging on to your fears. For trifling grudges it is too short; do not let the failures you to thwart. Never hurt others, choices might distract; just sincerely follow your heart. Even amidst the agony never fret; do the best with what you get. Do not lose hope, keep learning new skill; march forward, life is a total thrill. Live without inhibition; as life is about surprises and wonderment. Instead of logic trust your intuition; have daily goals be it health or relation. Commit mistakes, you have every right; face it courageously with all the might. Do not envy but live uncluttered; fall in love anytime u want with whatever. First learn to enjoy and use the present; life will be then much more pleasant. So just a small adage to say; life is nothing but a stage play. Live every moment as it unfolds; each day is a new chapter to be told. Inevitable, lively and unpredictable; this trek of life is really adventurous. Nothing ventured, nothing gained is what they say; so go ahead and have your share of play†¦

Characters important in the novel? Essay

1. 2. Steinbeck uses Crooks to show the loneliness of itinerant workers and the power of ‘the dream’. The harsh way in which he is treated by other characters indicates a strong sense of racism in America in the 1930s. 3. 4. Racism is an important theme in the novel due to an excess of prejudice towards black men and women in America during the 1930s. Crooks is ostracised at the ranch and is a victim of extreme violence because of the colour of his skin, â€Å"Smitty says he would have killed the nigger†¦ He [Candy] paused in relish of the memory. † Candy, who is seemingly a harmless old man â€Å"relishes† the thought of the stable buck being harmed and smiles in delight over the memory. This depicts an America where racism is socially acceptable and is an everyday occurrence with casual degrading racism by referring to Crooks as a â€Å"nigger† whose opinion is deemed worthless, â€Å"If I say something, why its just a nigger sayin’ it†- the oppression has caused him to become angry and at the same time pity himself in the idea that his is regarded as inferior. The fact that he begins to pity himself accentuates the severity of the racism, as the effect is so detrimental to him (and all black people) that he loses hope of ever attaining freedom. Furthermore, when we are made aware of his possessions, we are told of his owning a shotgun, illustrating a scenario where he may be abused to the extent that he is forced to use it out of self-defence. 5. When Lennie inquires as to why Crooks â€Å"ain’t wanted†, he replies â€Å"cause I’m black†¦ They say I stink. † The white people act as though it is offensive to them to have the stable buck in the bunk house and is a disgrace for him to be in their presence. Lennie, who is unaware of racism, is Steinbeck’s way of displaying that is not necessary as a white and black man can get along well. However the author does this to show us that the racism is out of ignorance and out of a need for power as the depression has left them with nothing. There is an element of irony here as Crooks â€Å"has books† and a â€Å"tattered dictionary† which shows he regularly uses it to expand his vocabulary, indicating that he is better educated than the other workers. This is important as it displays that he is in fact not inferior and does not deserve to be treated as though he is. Steinbeck’s intention here is to show the reader that the prejudice is ignorant and even though he is more intelligent than the white men he is still mistreated, depicting a society where racism is integral. 6. 7. The treatment Crooks receives on a daily basis is one surrounded by racial prejudice and acts of violence towards him. Nonetheless, when Candy enters his room infatuated by the dream, his demeanor is significantly more friendly. This shows that ‘the dream’ is very powerful and is able to break the racial barriers between the men. The stable buck’s response however, is somewhat cynical- â€Å"you guys just kiddin’ yourself†, expressing his lack of belief due to futile attempts at realising his own dream and seeing â€Å"too many guys† suffer the same fate. 8. Although Crooks is mocking of their dream, when Candy notes they â€Å"got the money right now† he expresses his desire to â€Å"come an’ lend a hand†, even though he has reason to doubt their talk of a farm of their own. This conveys his yearning to belong and the fact that he is beginning to become accepted by other workers sees the start of his dream unfolding. 9. 10. 11. Crooks is used by Steinbeck to represent the extremity of loneliness of itinerant ranch life in America. Before encountering Crooks we are made aware that at Christmas â€Å"Smitty took after the nigger† showing how he is constantly living in fear of others and is forced into a life of loneliness and segregation. We see that this violence has led him to isolate himself and become an â€Å"aloof man†; for the most part he is left alone in the stable, however when Lennie enters the harness room, â€Å"Crooks said sharply, ‘You got no right to come into my room’ † He is instantly suspicious of any kindness and anyone, due to past experiences of prejudice, and the extent of this suspicion is seen through â€Å"Crooks said sharply† as though he is almost resentful of company as he is accustomed to being alone. 12. Steinbeck uses Crooks to bring into perspective the loneliness experienced by all ranch hands during the depression as they migrate to find work. â€Å"A guy needs someone – to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody†¦I tell ya, a guy gets too lonely, an’ he gets sick† He is telling Lennie of the need for human interaction and to have someone to care for you and provide security. Crooks is talking mainly of his own experience and how the oppression of living in the barn and not being allowed to â€Å"play rummy ‘cause you was black† has shaped his cynical character. The fact that he is disheartened by not being included in rummy games and decides not to discuss the violence against him shows his desperation to be realised as an equal within society. However this may also be interpreted as being a generalisation as he speaks of â€Å"a guy†, Steinbeck includes this to show how it can relate to everyone during this time. 13. 14. 15. Crooks is treated as inferior and this has led him to become an aloof character who isolates himself from others and is used by Steinbeck to represent the loneliness experienced by all itinerant ranch hands in America during the depression. The sense of the stable buck being inferior is shown when he is physically and verbally abused by being called â€Å"a nigger† indicating the prominence of racism in America, this is important as it allows Steinbeck to explore the paradox of America with the land of freedom and hope being stained with racism. Furthermore, the fact that Crooks is forced to live apart from the white workers accentuates the idea of racial segregation during the 1930s as he, and by extension all blacks are seen as a disgrace. Additionally, the change in attitude towards Crooks by Candy from â€Å"relishing† his pain to inviting him into the dream is used to show the power of the dream. Riken Shah 11S Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

Creation Henry Ford, Ford Motor Co, Model T, and Assembly Line

Creation: Henry Ford -> Ford Motor Co. -> Model T -> Assembly Line Who is Henry Ford? The man who invented the automobile is the response received by 7 out of 10 college students when proposed with this question. The other 3 responded with the man who invented the Model T and when asked further how he developed that they went blank. So why the misconception on a man who without we would not have roughly 600 million passenger cars today around the world, which averages to about 1 per ever 11 individuals. Brinkley 243) That fact alone puts Henry Ford in a category in history of individuals whom without the world would be quite different. Was Henry Ford from the start set up for this role of changing the world? Born in a small village and living on a farm in Michigan some might think not. (Watts 15) But some also think he invented the automobile. Ford took a lot from the farm life style to get to the point of starting up Ford Motor Company.Despising farm work was a great inspir ation for Ford but without the invention of the automobile in France, the eagerness that the United States welcomed the concept of the invention of the automobile, and Ransom E. Olds, who was the first man to bring the automobile into mass production in the United States, the stage would not be set for Ford to create the evolution he had. (Sloan 9-15) Before founding Ford Motors Company Ford had quite a few set backs and experiences with other companies in the automobile industry. Fords determination led him to overcome these obstacles and resulting in Ford Motor Company being founded.Ford Motor Company produced the Model T and the Model T had success on its own because of its availability to the average American. (Douglas 123) Ford had a different approach then ever other business man had about the automobile production, he did not see the only way of making earnings was to pocket money, he wanted to create mass production. That is when Henry Ford applied the concept he had created which we know as the assembly line. That is the basic cause of and affect of creations established from Henry Ford. But was this easy, did Henry Ford just get in the business and succeed from the start?Let’s just answer that question without an assumption, not even close. Seventeen years before the founding of Ford Motors Company a man by the name of Gottlieb Daimler had demonstrated a makeshift gasoline motorcar on the streets of Paris. (Brinkley 20) Daimler was not only the inventor of the first automobile he also invented the high speed internal combustion gasoline engine, and after inventing that applied this invention to the creation of the first self propelled vehicle. (Brinkley 21) Because of this invention France was leading the world in the production of the motorcar. Brinkley 22) In 1903 France had surpassed the United States by producing 5000 more cars than us, this was the last year they would top the United States, and also coincidently the year that Ford Motor Co. was founded. (Brinkley 22) The United States was not only ready for this invention as an individual but also with resources.By 1890 the United States had one third of the worlds iron and steel. (Sward 15) Americas asset that could that be ignored was that they had the most wide ranging railroad system in the world. Sward 15) This meaning that they had the largest prospect of users for this invention and attaining the most distance of utter land. The United States was eager for the idea of the product, one that was affordable, could run properly, and practical for there lifestyle during this time period. (Sloan 122) But that took 10 years to receive because when the car was first produced in the United States every part of it was completed by hand and that resulted in quite a pricey penny. (Brinkley 63) In 1899 Ransom E. Olds whom managed Olds Motor Works, began his production of the original Oldsmobile. Brinkley 74) Olds was the first in the United States to create a factory tha t was just for the production of the automobile the followers of Olds idea were unbelievable. (Brinkley 74) Olds is even referred to as the â€Å"father† of automotive mass production. (Brinkley 74) But the automobiles may have sold for a cheaper penny but when you create a new method of doing things it cannot just be put into action and succeed because the inexperience with the factory methods the automobiles were equally unreliable and unrefined.These changes in history of the automobile really were just perfect for such a zealous man like Henry Ford. Henry Ford was born in Michigan in 1863 his father was a modestly successful farmer. (Sward 18) Growing up on a farm really was how Ford got the drive for what he aspired to but this drive was created with his hatred for farm work. Ford despised all the labor that had to be done throughout the day. Ford described in his biography that the only thing that kept him going while living on his fathers farm was â€Å"fiddling with machinery†. Sward 19) Ford would constantly fix things around the farm he completed lots of it with trial and error but taking apart the broken items and then working on putting them back together, he would even go to neighbors and ask if they had anything that needed to be repaired when everything was completed that needed fixing at his fathers farm. (Wattz 9)1879 Ford set out to follow the machinist’s trade and left the farm heading for Detroit. (Sward 22) Ford was hired right away to work as a machinist’s apprentice, but he never worked to hard he always wandered around the factory to see what everyone else was doing. Sward 22) After 8 years of working on machinery, Ford headed back to his fathers farm. (Sward 23) Now 24 and Ford had the wit to grasp what he could not quite understand as a child on the farm that the farm life was not for him. (Sward 24) Ford left again after 2 years and had been experimenting those 2 years with tasks that invoked the tinkering characteristic he so strongly possessed. (Sward 24) Ford went to work at the Edison Illuminating Company were he stayed employed for 11 years. Sward 24) In 1892 when Duryea shocked everyone with his invention of the first automobile like many other mechanics Ford was determined to make a car of his own. (Brinkley 82)Ford had to remain at his job because of basic need so it was even harder for him to complete this task that so many other individuals were striving to complete. It was trying and trying again and that was what Ford had been doing with items at the farm at such a young age that he was determined to complete the task. Ford had the luck of meeting Charles B. King who was also attempting to complete the same task as Ford. Brinkley 129) But King’s attempt was successful before Ford which had to do a lot with the advancement King had educationally and with experience when it came to machinery and the automobile. (Brinkley 129) In 1894 King’s automobile had a tr ial run but after that King decided he would head to Paris to study the French auto industry because he assumed that his creation here was probably already outdated by the French inventers, and lucky for Ford, King gave him a present before he departed of all his parts and designs of the car he had demonstrated in 1894. Brinkley 130)In 1896 Ford created his first successful work the automobile itself was nothing different or spectacular but what it did for Ford was complete his first set out task and continue to the next. (Sward 40) Ford completed two more experimental cars after that and was waiting for the moment he could dedicate himself fully to what he loved, the automobile. (Sward 40) By 1899 Ford was quite the established individual in the business with being credited to the creation of three automobiles. Sward 41) Individuals who wanted to start a business approached Ford and this was what he was waiting for so he accepted and became the chief engineer for Detroit Automobile Co. (Wattz 102)Is Detroit Automobile Company were Ford success started? Not quite Ford actually failed at manufacturing he used a lot of the budget for a high priced racing automobile in an attempt to perfect it. (Wattz 103) Ford resigned and in one year reattempted to enter the market this time as manager for the Ford Automobile Company. (Wattz 103) But yet again Ford repeated his mistake, and the company lasted one single year. Wattz 103) Fords success rate was not looking prosperous but he was determined to get into the industry and knowing Ford he does not give up or fail so he went back to correct what he had failed at when working for Detroit Automobile Company. Ford focused on perfecting the racing automobile he was working on at the company he did not have much interest in the racing events themselves but just wanted to show his work and the success it would bring in hopes of gaining attention and getting one more chance in the manufacturing industry.Ford characteristic of determination created just that with his first distinguished success at a racing event. Ford had produced his most famous racer automobile by the time he decided it was time to exit the racing industry in 1902. (Brinkley 302) The automobile was called the â€Å"999† Ford was not willing to risk his life driving the automobile because of the speed the car was built to reach. (Brinkley 302) Ford hired a driver to race with the â€Å"999† in a popular 3 mile race. (Brinkley 303) The â€Å"999† finished half a mile in front of the closest racer whom was Alex Y. Malcomson.Malcomson was a successful coal dealer who was getting ready to invest a moderate fortune in the automobile business. (Brinkley 303) Took Ford failing for two companies, working with determination to prove that the failure was not a representation of his work, and a heck of a automobile to get him into business. Malcomson knew what he wanted to do but was lacking an automotive inventor and after For d’s creation of â€Å"999† he choose Ford as that man. (Sward 62) Ford and Malcomson joined forces and created Ford Motors Company but did not just get straight to work it took them 7 months to lay out what needed to be done. Sward 63) Ford was suppose to create an sample automobile that could beat the competition and Malcomson had to deal with all the financial needs to get the corporation running. Ford Motor Co. was successful from the start. Selling more than 1700 cars in the first 15 months of the company opening. (Sward 70)Ford Motors was at is limit of success and needed to decide which automobile was best suited for the market and this is were Ford made his fortune and created his greatest input to modern times. (Sward 70) The first 5 years while Ford Motors was in business it had developed 8 different automobiles. Sloan 90) The first model in 1903 was set at a reasonable price and sold but after that in 1905 and 1906 Ford Motors had created automobiles thatâ₠¬â„¢s prices had ranged from one thousand to two thousand dollars. (Sloan 92) This drastically affected sales and everyone was concerned in the company so they lowered the price the next year and sales went up. Ford recognized that the lower the price the higher the profit, which is what the company had proved. Ford knew that to make the prices even lower that car would have to be as basic as it gets and the market he wanted to appeal to was everyone all the way down to the farmer.Ford envisioned it to be able to do everything he had despised as a child on the farm. The product that Ford created from this vision was the Model T. It was an automobile made to complete what was needed from it, durability, performance, strong, and the key to it all affordable. (Brinkley 253) The Model T sold for eight hundred fifty dollars. (Brinkley 259) Model T was instantly successful and for clear reasons and on top of it the automobile was simple in terms of mechanical principle that it could be pu t together quick and mastered to be put together by a new mechanic.With just one year of being on the market the automobile was established as a best seller and a leading moneymaker. (Brinkley 280) Ford sold 11,000 cars and he took over the industry by exceeding any producer or any profit made. (Brinkley 280) But with the product in such high demand it was soon established that the method of production needed to be altered to continue success for the quickly growing company. The process of putting the automobile together was one mechanic who was duty bound to move around in order to complete the car from bare frame to the completed automobile. Sward 71) Ford created minor changes by bringing all the tools needed in bins closer to the automobile so every time a new step of putting the car together had to be done the mechanic did not have to run to go get the correct parts and tools. (Sward 73)But this was not enough and Ford knew it so he called in a factory expert, Walter E. Flander s. (Sloan 157) Ford proposed a task for Flanders complete 10,000 cars in one year and he would be paid a bonus of twenty thousand dollars. Sloan 157) Flanders took on the task and went right to work by rearranging the equipment in the factor to make more efficient for the production. Flanders did successfully complete 10,000 cars and thanks to him Ford was now equipped with what was necessary for mass production and even more influential for Ford was what he had learned from Flanders work. (Sloan 163) Ford purchased a bigger factory and wanted to get straight to work applying what he had learned from Flanders but yet again this was a task that Ford would not complete quickly or easily.For 12 years Ford and his workers would alter a step of assembling an automobile and realize it worked in one aspect but prolonged another. (Sward 90) Ford Motors did this process over and over until at last Ford realized what he thought might be the solution he wanted to strive for straight line produ ction, placing what was needed in lines vertically so that as going thru putting together the automobile least amount of time would be wasted and they would have everything needed for each car in a long line.But this method was quickly outgrown by Ford Motors in 1913 they adjusted the method by giving each work a more narrow down task and they would just move from car to car completing that task. (Sward 92) This had positives but caused more cautious then the factory had ever seen people were constantly pushing against each other and confusion was being created. Ford Motors growth was not helping this stump in production because it was just getting more and more demands on the Model T. The demand for it was increasing every day and something had to be changed.The method of putting a car together from start to finish in motion was Ford and his men’s next inspiration. (Sward 100) They were ready in 1913 to put it to the test and the moving final assembly was to say the least su ccessful it could produce a Model T automobile in less than half the time it had previously taken. (Sward 102) Fords next invention was by accident when one of the assembly lines had broken because of too much weight and force on. (Wattz 267) This resulted in Ford creating the first complete continuing conveyor for the assembly of the car. Wattz 297) This made the process of assembling a car completely down to 93 minutes, now one tenth of the time it had taken 8 months before that. (Wattz 268) After this the rest was history, Ford continued to set multiple records and brought the company higher in every way, he created an empire. (Wattz 285) The story of Henry Ford is one with many setbacks and many accomplishments. The history changing events of the automobile itself with the first automobile and the first time it was brought to the United States to be mass produced started the spark for Ford.It leads to Fords first attempt and completion of an automobile. Leading to all the compan ies Ford worked for and ultimately to the creation of Ford Motors Company itself. The Model T the golden creation that came out of the company and then the assembly line that let that creation keep going successfully. Henry Ford was not educated and learned most of all he knew from trial and error and other individuals that was experienced and educated. But we cannot rule out Fords ambition, energy, mechanical genius, determination, and will to never stop without completing a task.All these characteristics merged with a mechanic from a farm created a man who created an empire that changed the world to this day. Henry Ford did not create the first automobile he created evolution in means of transportation, to say the least.Bibliography Douglas Brinkley, Wheels for the World (New York: Viking Penguin, 2003) Alfred P. Sloan, Jr, My Years With General Motors (New York: Doubleday & Company, 1963) Keith Sward, The Legend of Henry Ford (New York: Atheneum, 1968) Steven Watts, The Peopl e’s Tycoon Henry Ford and the American Century (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005)

4 Different Questions that need to be answered about 60-70 words per Assignment

4 Different Questions that need to be answered about 60-70 words per question - Assignment Example The mission of leadership initiative will be to educate, inspire, and empower the young student, and through mentoring, this mission will be accomplished. Thus, the students’ new student will be able to observe, interact, and learn from other students. The following steps were applied during the development of time management skill that serves a role model in the next class. I wrote somewhere the things that I was supposed to accomplish such as personal, and homework. Then I came up with deadlines for every task that I was to accomplish. I made sure; I did not multi-task. And then, I applied my downtime. Finally, I rewarded myself after finishing my activities. Particular approaches helped me to acquire decision-making skills. For instance, before making any decision, I could first weigh the pros and cons before making the best decision. After that, I narrow the options so as to stick to the best. I made sure, I evaluate the significance of the potential decision, and then final, I made sure I go for the well informed

Confederate General Robert Lee Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Confederate General Robert Lee - Research Paper Example That was the case with Robert Lee. From the ancestors from the mother’s side he got a handsome appearance; from the father’s - physical strength and sense of duty and responsibility, which during the years of revolution General George Washington himself noted in Henry Lee. Even the financial problems of father positively affected his son: for his entire life, Robert Lee was extremely meticulous and careful in all the matters concerning money and business. Ann Carter Lee also instilled in the son the perception of the importance of the family values. Robert tenderly loved his mother. By the time he turned 12, his father died and his brothers had left home so he was the only son living with his mother. He had to become a head of a big house and took a great care of his mother and sisters, who were weak health wise. Robert Lee chose a military career because of the financial concerns. His older brother Charles Carter was studying in Harvard and the family did not have money for Robert to do likewise. So he took the only option available, which is of entering West Point Military Academy. During his cadet years, Lee did not receive a single penalty and served as the cadet corps’ adjutant. He was loved and respected by his schoolmates and graduated second in his class. Years later, in 1852, Lee returned to the West Point Academy as the superintendent. The best graduates were assigned to Engineer Corp; the same applied to Robert Lee. Among his first assignments in the practical military field was dam construction in Saint Louis and strengthening coast forts in Brunswick and Savannah. He carried out engineer projects in Georgia, Virginia and New York. On June 30, 1831, he married Mary Ann Randolph Custis, a distant relative. Mary was the only daughter of George Washington Park Custis, adopted grandson of George Washington. Robert Lee always honored the memory of George Washington and really admired his great services to his country.

Project Part 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project Part 3 - Assignment Example The purpose of this paper is to present all the text content that will be used in Anna Bridal boutique website and to highlight the web pages that will be needed to implement the site. This web page will provide an outline of the benefits that accrue to a site visitor who opts to register or create an account with the website. Moreover, it will include a link to a user registration page for visitors who wish to create accounts. This page will highlight and provide links leading to different pages like web forum, catalogue or reservations. Forums page will provide visitors with a means to hold online discussions pertaining to various issues like fashion trends. Catalogue page Allows customers to search for and accumulate a list of items for purchase and place orders. Reservations page will contain an online form to be filled by visitors who have intentions of visiting the premises of Anna Bridal boutique as a strategy to help the management to curb overcrowding at the shop. This page will have links to newsletters, promotions and previews pages of the site. Newsletters page will display a form prompting users to provide their email addresses so as to receive regular newsletters via the supplied addresses. Promotions page will display items that are under promotion please a detailed description of what the promotions entails. Previews section will provide a preview of the stocked items specifically item name, price and availability. This page will contain links to FAQ, search and sitemap pages. FAQ page will enlist all frequently asked questions posted by visitors to the site. Search page will provide a search form for a visitor to enter a search term if interested in getting specific items. Sitemap page will enlist all pages of the Anna Bridal boutique website which are accessible to website users and

How cultural values get reflected in technological artifacts Essay

How cultural values get reflected in technological artifacts - Essay Example Poster informs that the media of first media age is centralized and restricted as it is in the hands of certain producers and consumers who use media for their own purposes. Moreover, Poster adds that no value is given to culture in first media age while the second media age because of its being unrestricted will give value to culture. Technology helps any culture to depict its cultural values. With the help of technological development, media is going to be free to reveal its culture with freedom, as is informed by Poster. According to Poster, technology has affected the society and culture as a whole because it is only because of technological developments that the media is going to enter from first media age to the second media age. With technological development, there will also be culture development and media will enjoy more freedom as compared to its previous status. According to Poster, with the help of technology and culture in the second media age, the communication process will be decentralized. According to Mark Poster, the second media age is closely related to enhancement in technology. Mark Poster informs with the help of interface that the technology has improved. According to him, the word interface means a connection between human beings and the machines. Computers have an interface that allow them to be connected to human beings, while being worked at. According to Mark Poster, it is the technology that can be considered as associated to the second media age. With the help of technology, the second media age will be more supportive for media. Communication in second media age will be decentralized. Winner, in his article, â€Å"Do Artifacts Have Politics?† informs that culture and technology are related to politics. According to Winner, technological design, artifacts and social order have the power to affect the affairs of a community.

Globalisation - Poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalisation - Poverty - Essay Example In this number 400 million people were in absolute poverty and about 173 million people in the People’s Republic of China. On a percentage basis on regional wise, the sub-Saharan Africa region takes 47 percent that is the world highest incidence rate of absolute poverty. This is a global challenge since even in developed countries there are there are cases of people living in abject poverty. According to report that was given by UNICEF estimatethat half of the worlds children about 1.1 billion live in poverty (Kerbo, 2006, pp 34-79). Before the industrial revolution, poverty was accepted as an inevitable where economies produced little wealth scarce, Poverty reduction is the responsibility of every person living on earths surface using the best formulate methods where food as the most basic necessity should be increased, advanced agricultural technologies such as the use of nitrogen fertilizers, new irrigation techniques, fast growing new seeds and formulation of new pesticides have helped to reduce food shortage in modern times we are living in hence boosting yields. However, even with these new products the people who are categorized as the poor need to access them, improved transport infrastructure and roads to the interior will open up most of these places. Giving example of African countries, it cost more to move fertilizer from an African port that is located only about sixty miles inland, as compared to ship it from United States to Africa mainly because of low quality roads which are sparse, leading to t he cost of the same fertilizer costing twice the world average cost. Countrys no not need to gain wealth to gain wealth, since every country, however, small has its strengths they need to strategize in maximization of those strengths to make more opportunities to convert them in the source of wealth that will benefit its citizens (Kerbo, 2006, pp 34-79). Connectively, of basic

Impact of Freezing on Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Impact of Freezing on Food - Essay Example While food preserved in many home freezers are held at -10C, commercial freezers are under -18C (0 degrees Fahrenheit). Long-term freezing for commercial purpose requires a constant temperature of -18 C or less. At this low temperature, the growth of micro-organisms is more or less stopped. Deteriorative microbial reactions will still occur, but over a much longer time. In addition, deteriorative enzymatic reactions will still take place during frozen storage (Omafra Staff n. pag. 2005). Though freezing is an effective method of food preservation, freezing can adversely affects the texture of many foods. It should be noted that the texture of nearly all foods is damaged by thawing and re-freezing. It is also important to understand the technology behind freezing. Since water expands when it freezes, cell walls in food especially fruits and vegetables having high water content are often ruptured, resulting in food that is limp or pulpy when thawed. The high starch content in some of the vegetables reduces such damage. Besides less damage is also done if the food is frozen immediately. Hence unfrozen food should be placed in the coldest areas in the refrigrator (Wikipedia n.pag. 2007). Freezing has been a key technology in bringing convenience foods to homes and restaurants. It causes minimal changes in the quality of food in terms of size, shape, texture, color, flavor and microbial load. This is assuming that the freezing process is carried out properly. A key factor during food freezing is how fast we freeze. When food is frozen slowly, the ice crystals formed will be large these large ice crystals are undesirable as they will damage the cell structure especially the non-vegetarian foods like meat and fish. Hence ice formation will result in poor texture and excessive dripping upon thawing. Frozen food must be maintained at the proper temperature at all times. For instance if we take the case of ice creams, it is very sensitive to fluctuations in temperature. In cases of temperature fluctuation, it can cause a defect called sandy texture and the ice cream will in fact taste grainy, as if it contained come kind of granules. These granules are nothing but lactose crystals which naturally occur in milk that is generally dissolved. Temperature fluctuation, however, will cause lactose to crystallize out, imparting sandiness (Institute of Food Technologists n.pag 2005). There are also studies that have done comparative studies on muscle from fresh (unfrozen) and freshly frozen chickens. The results showed that freezing caused small, but detectable changes in eating quality and also that these changes in muscle proteins during freezing depended on freezing rate. Slow freezing resulted in a larger loss of drip on thawing, a larger loss of nitrogenous constituents and nucleic acid derivatives to the drip, and a larger loss of water-holding capacity of meat, than fast freezing. Besides, slow freezing, as compared to fast freezing, increased proteolysis and caused a greater decrease in the adenosine-triphosphatase (ATP) activity of myofibrillar proteins. In addition difference in taste was also noted. The results of this study suggest that rapid freezing preserves the integrity of muscle proteins to a greater extent than slow freezing and there by the quality of fo

Critically evaluate the claim that Marxism offers a coherent account Essay

Critically evaluate the claim that Marxism offers a coherent account of the modern international political system - Essay Example The most notable example of its failure to build up a fruitful political system is the Soviet Union whose eventual collapse was engendered by the flaws and paradoxes lying at its heart. In the first place, Marxism fails to perceive the corruption of absolute power. Secondly, it fails to perceive that ruling proletariats in the power of a socialist state are bound to assume the behaviors of capitalist elite class. The third flaw lies in its attempt to impose equality and to steal away freedom in the name of a classless society. Such socialist attempt to maintain equality by robbing a man’s freedom is essentially Totalitarianism which inspires corruption and discourages people’s protest against this corruption. Further the paradox of an equal society does not permit a congenially productive economic system. When the equal distribution of wealth among the citizens theoretically seems to contribute to an equal and just society, this distribution ultimately discourages the i ndividual to involve in production activities. Thus a socialist economy goes futile. Again, a Marxist state continually aims at establishing the working class at the power of a country. Therefore, a socialist political system poses threat to other states which do not hold a socialist view. A Brief Overview of Marxism and a Marxist State Being commissioned by the Communist League, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels jointly wrote the book, â€Å"The Communist Manifesto†, in 1848, which is often accepted as one of the most influential political documents around the world. Indeed, Marxism is regarded as a social theory which foretells and philosophizes about the future of modern capitalist society as well as human history. But it is also true that the Communist Manifesto can be considered as the political guidance for those who are involved in the production system of the modern capitalist society. For these authors, modern society is essentially the latest one of those changes in th e mode of production throughout the evolution of human society. At the same time, since Marx and Engels envisaged that the stage of human society, next to Capitalism, is a world of the working class people, in Marx and Engel’s word the proletariats, that is based on the socialist modes of labor as well as production, the proletariat or the working class people of the world should unite themselves to take the society to this stage. Theory of Class-struggle and Marx’s View of a Socialist Political System Marx and Engels have assumed that the Capitalist society has evolved from the breakdown of the previous feudalist society through the conflicts between the feudal landowners and their subjects. Through this dissolution of the feudal society two more incompatible classes emerged: the bourgeoisie and the working class. While the bourgeoisies, occupying a country’s political system, control the instruments of production, the working-class are economically subjugated by those in a capitalist political system. These bourgeoisies are exclusively profit-driven. Though they lack any morals, they continue to support any moral system which is congenial to

Generation & people Essay Example for Free

Generation people Essay It is interesting to study what makes a generation, before we go into whether generational factors play a key role in making one more willing to do or successful. It is generally accepted that a generation does not necessarily mean the same age people. It is rather the set of influences that worked on them during their formative years that makes their generation distinct. What is more important is that they share the same formative experiences. The whole theme of ‘generation factor’ is based more on observation and theories than on any dependable evidence. Our common sense tells that it is not so much the person’s date of birth that defines them it is rather what influences they were exposed to during their formative years and some time thereafter that is important. According to Rhode and Platteel, formative experiences produce powerful symbols from which arises a sense of a new generation. The plasticity of our brains, besides responding to the people and training to which we expose it, also responds, for good or for bad, to the technology all around us: television, movies, mobile phones, e-mail, laptop computers and the Internet (The New Brain Dr Richard Restak. 2003) The strongest influences on the ‘generation –y’ are the well known world brands and their products. They have successfully created a generation which is prosperous, happy and well adjusted. (By David Plotz. 1999). These influences play a key role in making the minds of the generation. Undoubtedly, all these will create openness in their approach resulting in willingness to do what think right. They are quite different from the previous generations which were more skeptical lacking the much needed information and guidance, reserved and unwilling to take risks. Now, â€Å"the brand touches the mindset and the heartstrings of a large proportion of VG by offering the attitude for living: ‘Just do it†. (David Plotz. ) References David Plotz (1999). The American Teenager. Why Generation Y? http://slate. msn. com/id/34963/ Richard Restak. ( 2003) . The New Brain. Rodale Ltd Rhode Platteel. (1999). Symbol Soup, Thames Hudson, ,

Investigating the acceleration Essay Example for Free

Investigating the acceleration Essay The aim of this experiment is to investigate the motion of a trolley on a plane and compare the results with a mathematical model. Models Assumptions   No Friction When creating the mathematical model I am going to assume that there is no friction acting upon the trolley. This is due to the fact that the trolley will be running upon a smooth plane, which offers no resistance. The trolley is also constructed upon wheels, which minimises the affects of friction between wheel and surface if any. Furthermore the track used for the trolley is specifically designed for the trolley, therefore reducing friction even more. Smooth Pulley The pulley over which the weights pulling the trolley will be passing through, will be smooth. This is for the reasons that the most costly and smoothest pulley available to me will be used. Therefore this should not also provide any resistance, which may impede the flow of motion.   Inextensible String The string, which will be attached to the trolley to accelerate it, will be inextensible, i. e. the string used will not be elastic. Flat Surface The plane over which the trolley is going to be run must be flat, i. e.it must not be slanted up or down or to a side, or else gravity will also be playing a major part in the acceleration or deceleration of the trolley. To ensure the track is flat I placed a ping-pong ball on the track. If the ball rolled up, down or to a side then I would know that the track is not flat and would adjust it in accordance with the motion of the ping-pong ball. String not at an angle The string running off the trolley should be parallel to the track. This is due to the fact that a non-parallel string would be pulling the trolley down as well as forwards. Pulling Forwards = ? Cos ? Pulling Down = ? Cos ? No Swaying In the mathematical model I am going to assume that the falling mass does not sway. This uses the same concept as the rope not being parallel to the trolley. If the mass sways, the falling mass is not using its full potential. Pulling Down = m Pulling Sideways = m Cos ? Negligible Air-Resistance This is due to the unique construction of the trolley; low frame, compact design and no extended parts or objects disrupting the aero-dynamics. Conduct To mimic the real life situation of the motion of a trolley on a plane I am going to use a trolley of mass ranging from 498g to 1498g, which will be run upon a set of smooth tracks. To accelerate the trolley a light inextensible string will be attached to the trolley, which will then be run over a smooth pulley. At this end of the string masses ranging from 20g 80g will be attached which will accelerate the trolley. The mass of the trolley will also be changed. The length of the track will always be kept at 1 metre and the time taken for the trolley to travel the metre will be recorded. While conducting the experiment I realised that clamp holding the pulley covered 1cm of the track. Therefore when carrying out the experiment I released the trolley from 1.1m along the track, giving the trolley its 1m course to run. Accuracy To ensure accurate and reliable results a set of fixed rules must be followed. The length of the track will always be kept to 1 metre. Also three separate readings will be recorded when measuring the time taken for the trolley to travel the fixed metre. Furthermore I am going to ensure that the track is flat, i. e. it is not slanted up, down or to a side, else gravity will also be acting upon the car. Mathematical Model To create the mathematical model I am going to use Newtons second law, which states, The change in motion is proportional to the force. For objects with constant mass, as is the case with this experiment, this can be interpreted, as the force is proportional to the acceleration. Resultant force = mass   acceleration This is written: F = ma The resultant force and the acceleration are always in the same direction. If I use the equation of Newtons second law F = ma and transpose it into the form y = mx + c where the gradient of the graph is gravity. F = ma mg T = ma T = Ma (Substitute into mg T = ma) mg Ma = ma mg = ma + Ma mg = a (m+M) a = g (m/m+M) a = g (m/m+M) + 0 y = m x + c This graph should pass through the points (0,0). To work out acceleration for the mathematical model using the above formula. Mass of trolley (M) = 498g Mass of weight (m) = 20g Distance = 1m a = g (m/m+M) + 0 a = 9. 81 (20/20+498) a = 0. 38 ms-2 All the accelerations have been worked using the above technique and have been presented in the table of results below. Mass of Trolley (g) Mass of weight (g) Distance (m) Acceleration (ms-2) 4 Experimental Results To work out the acceleration for the actual experiment I am going to use the equations of motion, Analysis As can be seen from the graphs the mathematical model, models the actual experiment fairly well until the m (mass of weight) is increased such that the trolley is travelling too fast to ensure accurate timing. Consequently on all three graphs the line of best fit starts from the origin and then gradually veers away from the mathematical model. On the graph of results for M = 498g, it is observable that the actual experiment models the math model reasonably well, until m is 60g. Thereafter, for m = 70g 80g, the trolley is travelling too fast to ensure precise timing hence the big error bars. Therefore I have not taken those two results into consideration when drawing the line of best fit through the points. Furthermore when working out the acceleration for the experimental results I had to square the timing, (i. e. t2) hence doubling the error in timing. The other two graphs of M = 998g 1498g, there are no anomalous results. I think the reason for this is, because of the increased weight of the trolley; the trolley will clearly be travelling slower, hence giving more accurate and reliable timing. The gradient of the line in all the graphs should be in theory 9. 81, but this clearly is not the case. Thus I am going to work out the gradient of the lines and compare it with the math model and observe how well the two compare with each other. As can be seen from the above results the math model did fairly well to model the real life situation of two connected particles. The model I designed does not match the results I obtained in the experiment. This is because either I overlooked some variable quantities or the initial assumptions were flawed. On the other hand it may have been the procedure, which was at fault. In any case all these must be investigated into further. Each assumption ought to be scrutinized independently to deduce whether it is viable with regards to the experiment, in that, some assumptions were unnecessary and others were not made. I think that if the experiment had been conducted in a vacuum and I used air-tracks the experiment would have been a lot more successful.

Ambitious Effects In Frankenstein English Literature Essay

Ambitious Effects In Frankenstein English Literature Essay In Mary Shelleys novel, Frankenstein, the book examines a variety of aspects of ambitionfor instance, with Victor, ambition proves to be his undoing, and, in turn, Victors example becomes a forewarning for Robert Walton; meanwhile, the Creature is, in a sense, Victors child and thus inherits facets of Victors ambitionbut because the Creature is also a conglomerate of all the humans who embody him, he is thereby also symbolic of Mankinds ambitions that do not fully come to realization nor fulfillment, which is why readers can identify with the Creatures tragic elements. Frankenstein explores the repercussion of man and monster chasing ambition blindly. Victor Frankenstein discovered the obscure secret that allowed him to create life. And after Frankenstein discovered the source of human life, he became utterly absorbed in his experimental creation of a human being and it consumed his life completely. Victors boundless ambition and his yearning to succeed in his efforts to create life, and to have his creation praise him as his creator for the life he gave it led him to find ruin and anguish at the end of his ambition. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. (P. 42) Walton wanted to sail to the arctic because no other sailor had ever reached it or discovered its secrets. The monster was created against his will; his ambition was to requite his creation as an appalling outcast and to attain some satisfaction for crumbling the world around Victor. These three characters all acted upon the same blind ambition. Modern man is the monster, estranged from his creator-sometimes believing his own origins to be meaningless and accidental and full of rage at the conditions of his existence. Since the monster has no name of his own, hes not quite an autonomous fellow. Instead, he is bound to his creator. He is naught without Victor. He is as much a part of Frankenstein as he is his own self. The monster comes into the world by a pretty horrendous set of circumstances. He has the physique of a giant, yet a puerile mind. He has an amiable nature, yet his physical deformity hides his benevolence and makes everyone fear and abuse him. His own creator even rejected him because of his hideous looks. His feelings are the most deep and poignant of any characters in this novel, as well as the most conflicted. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, the, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned? (P. 105) To make matters more complicated, the mons ter is correlated to both Adam and Satan in Paradise Lost. This may seem slightly nebulous. The thing to keep in mind is that the idea at the heart of the monster is his duality. He has a very abstruse duality. He is at once man in his immaculate state before the Fall (the Fall = evil), and yet the manifestation of evil itself. This is starting to sound like Victor Frankenstein. Abstruse dualityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦conflicting characterizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦could it be that the monster mirrors his maker in his duality? Of course, the other reason the monster turns on humans is because Victor was his last tie to humanity. The monster is one of many people in this text that is affected by loneliness, isolation, and an all around desire for companionship. Victor may have scorned him, resented him, and tried repeatedly to eradicate him, but at least he talked to the monster. At least he recognized the monsters existence. And for a creature that spent most of his wretched life in hiding and ex ile, alone without anyone there for him, this can be pretty good reason to pursue Victor. Good or bad, Victor is the only relation hes ever had and he tries desperately to cling to this relationship. Do we accuse him? Do we spite him? Do we adore him? Hes tenderhearted. He articulates well with others and he even rescues a little girl from a river. He just gets the cruelty and hatred because hes ugly. Can we blame him if he lashes out in abrupt and absurdly violent ways? From that moment he declared everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against Frankenstein who had formed him and sent him forth to this insupportable misery. (P. 99) This sounds like more clashing emotions. Could it be that we, the reader, feel the equivalent duality of emotions that the monster and Victor feel for each other? One more thing, what does it mean that the monster is made out of dead-person pieces? If hes made up out of people, then hes essentially a person himself. But if theyre inert, then hes never really extant in the first place. You could also say that, since hes an aggregate of human parts, hes also a conglomerate of human traits. This might show us the nature of his complex duality. Modern man is also Frankenstein, furthermore estranged from his creator-usurping the powers of God and irresponsibly tinkering with nature, full of benign purpose and malignant results. Both Frankenstein and the monster begin with affable intentions and become murderers. The monster may seem more softhearted because he is by nature an outsider, whereas Frankenstein purposely removes himself from human society. When Frankenstein first becomes enthralled in his efforts to create life, collecting materials from the dissecting room and slaughterhouse, he breaks his ties with friends and family, becoming increasingly confined. His father reproaches him for this; eliciting Frankenstein to ask himself what his single-minded quest for knowledge has cost him, and whether or not it is morally acceptable. Looking back, he concludes that it is not, contrary to his credence at the time, If no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with the tranquility of his domestic affections, Greece h ad not been enslaved; Caesar would have spared his country; America would have been discovered more gradually; and the empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed. (p. 35). Natural world is like Eden and will be corrupted through too much knowledge (science). [ProofBiblical Conception of Knowledge; man evicted from paradise for knowing too much; Prometheus reined in by Gods; novel written in Romantic era which upholds the values that Progress is Dangerous and that there must be a return to Idealized Past]. Through Victor and Walton, Frankenstein represents human beings as deeply ambitious, and yet also deeply erroneous. The labors of men of genius, however erroneously directed, scarcely ever fail in ultimately turning to the solid advantage of mankind. (P. 29) Both Victor and Walton fantasize of transforming society and bringing prestige to themselves through their scientific conquests. Yet their ambitions also make them ignorant. Blinded by dreams of glory, they fail to consider the repercussions of their actions. So while Victor turns himself into a god, a creator, by bringing his monster to life, this only highlights his fallibility when he is ultima tely inept of fulfilling the obligation that a creator has to its creation. Victor thinks he will be like a god, but ends up the progenitor of a devil. Walton, at least, turns back from his quest to the North Pole before getting himself and his crew annihilated, after hearing Victors tale about the devastating aftermath of pushing the boundaries of exploration. I will not lead you on, unguarded and ardent as I then was, to your destruction and infallible misery. Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow. (P. 33) He learns from Victors tragedy. After Victor dies, he turns the ship back to England, trying not to make the same mistakes that Victor made in the obsessive compulsion that destroyed his life, but he does so with the resentful conclusion that he has been deprived of t he glory he originally sought. Frankenstein is an expostulation of humanity, specifically of the human concept of technical progress, science, and enlightenment, and a deeply humanistic effort full of empathy for the human state of our own condition. Victor is a brilliant, sentimental, visionary, and accomplished young man whose studies in natural philosophy (p. 31) and chemistry evolve from A fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature. (p. 22). As the novel develops and the plot thickens, Frankenstein and his monster oppose each other and fight one another for the portrayal of the main protagonist of the story. We are inclined to identify with Frankenstein, whose character is admired by his immaculate friends and family and even by the ship captain, who saves him, berserk by his pursuit for vengeance, from the ice floe. He is a human being, nevertheless. Notwithstanding, regardless of his humanitarian ambition to Banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death! ( p. 43), Frankenstein becomes tangled in a hostile pursuit that causes him to destroy his own well-being and shun his fellow-creatures as ifguilty of a crime (p. 35). His irresponsibility is the stimulant, the foundation of what causes the death of those he loves most, and he falls under the ascendancy of his own creation and fails to break free from the chains that bind him. Neither Victor nor Walton could liberate themselves from their blinding ambitions, they made it seem that all men, and notably those who pursue to raise themselves up in renown above the rest of society and even god, are in fact impetuous and imperfect creatures with feeble and defective natures. We can all learn from Victors last words to Walton, Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries. (P. 162)

Artistic Expression in 18th and 19th Century America :: American America History

Artistic Expression in 18th and 19th Century America The first settlers in the New World faced unpredictable hardships. The men of the Virginia colony had enough trouble learning to live off the land, let alone having to defend themselves from native attacks. Famine proved to be a hard obstacle to conquer for all of the new colonies. New England, while having a more suitable climate for the prevention of diseases, also had its conflicts with local tribes. The Puritan ideals of New England were very strict especially in regard to private indulgences, including art. The only type of art that was "acceptable", were portraits, almost exclusively of upper class citizens and clergy. Through the years leading up to the revolution, however, as the population became diversified, new ideas started to influence popular thought. There were many different cultures coexisting as well as different social classes. However, as was the standard in Europe, only the upper class people were part of the "art world". Look at paintings from the per revolutionary era, including The Mason Children: David, Joanna, Abigail, (unknown artist), Hanna Minot Moody (Joseph Badger), New England Merchant (Charles W. Peale), Portrait of Elizabeth, The Artist's Daughter (John Singleton Copley), we notice many similarities among them. As stated previously, they are all portraits. All of the subjects are portrayed in very fine clothes and are obviously posing for the painting. Most of these works have little or nothing at all in the background. One gets a very "cold and sterile" feeling when looking at these, and they are most certainly intended not for artistic expression but simply to record the image. "As late as 1800, owing to the limited economy of the Colonies as well as the Puritan’s prejudice against idolatry and their regard for art as a luxury, portraiture was the only accepted form of expression in painting." (Bazin 341). In the period following the American Revolution up to the turn of the eighteenth century, we start to see some subtle yet significant changes in the popular artwork. We can see a much bolder use of color and background, as in C.W. Peale’s Benjamin and Eleanor Ridgely Laming (1788) and Mather Brown’s Sir Richard Arkwright (1790). Emotion is shown of the faces of the subjects and Ralph Earl showed the Striker Sisters (1787) with their arms around each other and pleasant, happy smiles on their faces. Mr. Peale’s work shows the physical attraction between Benjamin and Eleanor.

Organizational Psychology :: Graduate Admissions Essays

Organizational Psychology The University of Tulsa prepares Industrial/Organizational psychologists to deal with individual problems in the workplace. This philosophy matches my research area of interest on the effects of individual differences in the work environment. I believe that individual differences influence nearly every aspect of human behavior and interaction, including those in the workplace. By necessity, a successful manager is one who understands the potential influences of individual differences in the work environment. As an example, the management style utilized (as I have learned first hand) must match the personalities of the employees being managed. By conducting research in this area, theory relevant to motivating individually diverse employees may be developed and then applied. Of particular interest is the motivation of aging employees. The elimination of a mandatory retirement age has greatly increased the need for further research in this area. My interest in the University of Tulsa is strengthened by the required practicum and field experience, as well as, excellent faculty and facilities. I intend to pursue a career in applied research and organizational consulting, therefore, these qualities are imperative to myself and my career. My career goals are to: (a) initially gain practical experience in the field through employment with a consulting firm, and (b) eventually acquire a teaching position with a college or university, while continuing research and consulting endeavors. It is my intention to contribute empirically based findings to the Industrial/Organizational psychology field through my research and practice. I also hope to be a strong influence and encouragement in students' lives through my contact with them during their academic careers. I have assisted Dr. Whitsett of the University of Northern Iowa psychology department in the writing of his book on merging companies with different organizational cultures. For Dr. Whitsett, I selected and condensed pertinent information from audio-taped organizational interviews. Dr. Whitsett's book has not yet been submitted for publication. My research experience will be expanded during the spring, when I will be assisting Dr. Whitsett with a research endeavor on Vroom's Expectancy Theory. I will also be a teaching assistant for Dr. Whitsett's psychology research methods class. I believe I possess particular strengths that will contribute to my success in a graduate program. I am intrinsically motivated, possess a strong desire to remain "on task", and I persevere when confronted with obstacles and difficulties. Also, being a disciplined person, I have developed very useful time management skills to handle my busy work and class schedule during my undergraduate education.

Of Mice And Men - The Importance Of George :: essays research papers

Even from the very start of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the uniqueness of George, as a character, is already noticeable. He is described as â€Å"small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features† and has an obvious dominance over the relationship between Lennie and himself. This lets the reader know from a very early stage in the book that George is different, and probably the essential character. George’s character seems to be used by Steinbeck to reflect the major themes of the novel: loneliness, prejudice, the importance of companionship, the danger of devoted companionships, and the harshness of Californian ranch life. George’s relationship with Lennie has made him selfless; his conversations, with and with out Lennie, are generally revolving around Lennie, although in the case of their dream-ranch George seems to find fulfilment for himself as well. Due to these altruistic tendencies that he shows throughout the novel, a danger is bestowed upon George; he tends to care for Lennie far too much, and too little for himself. In occasional moments, he escapes his sympathy and compassion for Lennie, and realises the burden that he causes. This usually results in George taking his frustration out on Lennie, which can often harm his simple mind, leaving Lennie upset and forced to confess to his own uselessness, and George feeling guilty for what he has caused. We can learn very little about George through his actual conversations, which made it necessary for Steinbeck to focus the novel on him in particular, and let the reader gain an closer insight on him through his actions. Generally, he seems t o be caring, intelligent and sensible, but is greatly worn by the constant attention Lennie requires. This illustrates a major theme in Of Mice and Men, the dangers that arise when one becomes involved in a dedicated relationship. Despite the frustration that Lennie causes, without him George would probably be a lot like the other men on the ranch; simply roaming the country-side of California looking for work, and although he often prides himself on being different, he sometimes complains, usually after Lennie has caused trouble, and wishes that he could be like a normal guy and not have to live with Lennie’s hindrance. An example of this is seen when George responds sharply to Lennie's constant request for ketchup. "If I was alone I could live so easy†¦no trouble†¦no mess at all.

All the Pretty Horses Essay

The book All the Pretty Horses is a western drama about teenage cowboys as they transition from adolescence into manhood. The author, Cormac McCarthy, structures the book using echo words and parallel structure that links dialogue exchanges and makes the scenes flow smoothly. McCarthy is a master of this sort of repetition and uses this structure throughout the entire book. There are many examples of this used throughout the book, but the author primarily focuses on the interpersonal relationships, diversity, and change. There are many different types of relationships based on a very vast scale. John Grady Cole has many complicated and some not-so-complicated relationships with his friends and family members. In book 1, McCarthy informs the audience that John Grady’s parents are divorced and in book 4, John Grady’s wife, Alejandra, leaves him. When John Grady flees Texas in book 1, he has the expectations that any sixteen year old cowboy might have. It is ironic that he ends up experiencing events and overcoming obstacles he never thought would occur, including falling in love and then getting his heart broken by his wife. John Grady Cole’s relationships with the leading women in the novel are also peculiar in the way that the women discipline him. In book 1 it was his mother and the servants in the house, and in book 4 Duena Alfonsa definitely gets her way with him. Alfonsa warns John Grady when he is about to cross the line with Alejandra, and then later in the book when she bails him out of jail. In a way, John Grady has to rely on the women which is comforting since he is on a journey of growing up, yet he still falls back on others to guide him. Another parallel relationship occurs in book 1 when John Grady meets with his father who tells him to forgive his mother. In book 4, John Grady seeks the judge for advice and to confess a crime he committed; the judge tells him he should forgive himself. John Grady has a good heart, tries to do the right thing, and reassures himself by going to others for advice. John Grady’s choice in his friendships and choices effect who he has strong relationships with throughout the book and he maintains his strategy through both book 1 and book 4. Another key parallel theme in the book revolves around diversity between John Grady’s homeland-the United States- and his new home in Mexico. On page 25 of book 1 it says, â€Å"The last thing his father said was that the country would never be the same† which relates to book 4 in many ways. One relation occurs on page 299 which states, â€Å"I don’t know, said John Grady†¦I don’t know what happens to a county. In this scene he is reflecting on how things have changed and how there are many differences between events on his homeland in Texas and the events that occur in Mexico. A more direct relation is in book 1 when the boys (John Grady, Rawlins, and Blevins) cross the Rio Grande naked and then in book 4 when John Grady crosses Rio Grande naked-heading back to Texas. The sense of home and the countries boarder really affects John Grady and how he makes decisions based on where he is. The last key theme in the book concerns how John Grady changes during the course of the novel. In book 1 John Grady is ignorant to reality and is just looking for an adventure. On page 5 of book 1 it states, â€Å"He stood like a man come to the end of something. † This quote is ironic because it saying that John Grady is posing as a man at the end of something which is silly since it’s just the beginning of the story. The parallel event that corresponds to this occurs on page 254 of book 4 which states, he â€Å"saw clearly how his life led to this moment. This simple phrase shows that John Grady really observed and reflected on how he accomplished the transition into manhood, and by doing this, changed emotionally and spiritually into a more well-rounded human being. McCarthy really is an outstanding author by being able to use parallel events and echoed sentences between book 1 and book 4. He really accomplished his themes and getting his audience to understand the importance of parallel events that have to do with relationships, diversity, and change.

Baxton Technology

Student name: Joseph Maloney Student number: 10391669 Word count: 940 I hereby certify that this project is entirely of my own work and has not been taken from the work of others save to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of the project. Signed: _____________ Alkermes’ human resource (HR) strategy is all about acquiring employees who show personal initiative and who get satisfaction of knowing that they are helping to make a difference in the lives of millions of people every day.Alkermes ultimate goals are to develop medicines that address unmet patient needs, to help its customer’s live happier, healthier lives. The Athlone facility of Elan must choose a strategy that supports the corporate objectives of Alkermes. They must align and prioritise the various activities of the strategy to accomplish their objectives. HR strategies need to simultaneously focus on building skills, motivation and behaviour for a successful business str ategy. In my opinion the generic HR strategy most appropriate to align with Alkermes corporate strategy, is the resource-based view (RBV) model.The RBV model works towards identifying the firm’s potential key resources and developing and manipulating them to build a value-creating strategy. When Alkermes decided to merge with Elan one of their main reasons for doing so was that they could use Elan’s most valuable resource, the Elan drug technologies (EDT) unit. The EDT develops proprietary drug technologies that can be applied to a number of products, improving the effectiveness of the drugs. With Alkermes now having obtained a technological resource with a rarity that will help them gain a competitive advantage over their rivals, they must now focus on their human resources.They look to acquire talented employees who show initiative and feel good about improving people’s health. Combing and developing these resources will help them build a strong RBV model. Whe n Alkermes employees are asked what is the main objective of the organization the reply should always be, â€Å"Excellence in everything we do†. They pursue this excellence because they know they are working towards improving the wellbeing of other people. Alkermes hopes to instil this same hypothesis in the Athlone facility of the organization.They plan to acquire talented employees who show initiative, motivation and know their commitments are ultimately towards improving the health of their customers. They plan to set up a R&D programme where employee engagement is encouraged and rewarded. Most importantly they want to manage performance so that all processes are carried out in the most successful way. If all of these objectives are met the success of the organization should be easily obtained and worthwhile. RBV shows that people are strategically important to a firm’s success and that they are a potential source of sustainable competitive advantage.Alkermes have o btained a rare and valuable organizational capital in the form of the EDT unit; they now must match this with a highly skilled human capital that will get the best out of this technological resource. RBV focuses more on the HR pool, i. e. the employees than on the actual HR practice, so employees should have both a high level of skills and a willingness to achieve. Creating a good HR pool can be hard to imitate by competitors, so it can create a competitive advantage. High pay is always a major pull in attracting the best employees, as is perks, i. . company car and health benefits, as is bonus and new job opportunities for good work. Yet, Alkermes states that their commitments are ultimately towards the wellbeing of the patients that use their products. This will attract employees who feel they have a morale obligation to help people in need. This is an example of attracting potential employees using a non-monetary policy. When trying to create a performance management policy for a n organization you have to look at all the types of capital that affect performance, i. . human, social and organizational capital. RBV looks to integrate all the capital resources of an organization to create the most suited HR policy. Alkermes have already greatly improved their social and organizational capital by merging with Elan and using the EDT unit respectively. Now Alkermes have to look at managing the performance of their human capital. When trying to collect data on performance you cannot completely rely on employee reports via surveys about how they feel the HR strategy is working.You have to collect more quantative data. Collect data on things such as production per hour rate and job turnover rate, this will give you a more in depth idea as to how employees are preforming. You can now use this information to decide on what reward and training systems to put in place to improve performance. Communication must be both upward and downward in an organization to discover ho w employees are performing. It will give you an idea on what employees want and if they are best suited to the post they are in.Good performance management will result in higher operating performance, which will translate into increased profitability. Reward management is concerned with the implementation of strategies and policies that aim to reward people fairly, equally and consistently in accordance with their value to the organization. The objectives of reward management are to recruit and retain, motivate employees and to strengthen psychological contracts. They can be both monetary (bonuses) and non-monetary (esteem, i. e. job title).RBV looks at obtaining and holding onto the best possible employees, and the best way to retain them is through a strong reward system. Overall I believe that if Alkermes adopt the RBV approach and combine all of their resources by carrying out the objectives entailed they should be able to achieve their cooperate strategy. I feel that the inform ation presented in this report is a good guideline as to how they should carry out their objectives. Hopefully the merger between Alkermes and Elan will run smoothly and will be profitable. References: http://www. alkermes. com/ www. shrm. org. digitalcommons. com.

3G network based security threats Essay

The key threats for 3G networks in perspective of integration of networks are: Wireless LAN customer who does not have access to 3G networks get access to 3G services without subscription. WLAN user gains access to 3G network and creates issues such as Denial of Service WLAN user gains access to 3G network and uses impersonation for using the service but charging other customers. Manipulation of charging when services like calls are transferred from one network to another. Application and Data related threats. Collection of login details and personal details that are transmitted over the network by using sniffing tools and mechanisms, especially when sufficient transport security is not set. Manipulation of information used for user authentication or service access to gain access to unauthorised services or manipulation of billing. Extracts personal information that are used at other places such as credit card information. Obtain information about user such as permanent identity in the network. Virus attacks from WLAN devices to other devices in the network Trojans and malicious software passed from one end-device to another. For volume based charging model, a rogue partner can flood the user with garbage packets to increase the invoiced amount. Malicious programs on the user terminal that increases the traffic to certain sites or content to illegally increase the traffic. Security Considerations for 3G-WLAN Integrated Networks. The security framework for 3G-WLAN integrated networks consists of various layers. Each security layer is independent of the other layers. However, there needs to be an overall security scheme that connects all the security requirements together. Also, since some of the vulnerabilities can happen at multiple layers, a holistic approach and framework is required to address all the risks of the special network. Authentication security at the user terminal. The authentication scheme in the case of 3G-WLAN should be based on a challenge response protocol similar to the existing mobile communication authentication scheme. This requires that the authentication details in the user terminal to be stored securely on UICC or SIM card. This should support mutual authentication and security mechanisms such EAP. Signalling and User Data Security. The subscriber needs to have the same level of security as the mobile access that is specified for the 3G networks. This means that the WLAN authentication and re-authentication mechanisms must be at the same levels as for 3G USIM based access. It needs to support the maintaining session key verification and maintenance. Also the 3G systems should provide the required keys with sufficient length and levels of entropy that are required by the WLAN subsystem. WLAN key agreement, distribution and authentication mechanism should be secure against any attacks by middlemen. The WLAN access technology between the user equipment and the access point/ network should be able to utilise the generated session keying material to ensure the integrity of the connection for authentication. Privacy of User Identity. The keys used by 3G AAA function that are used for the generation of temporary identities that is used for the communication between the network element and the user terminal should not be possible to recover. If it is possible to retrieve the keys, the permanent identity can be derived from any of the temporary identities. Also it should be possible to mask the different temporary identities corresponding to the permanent identity.

Was king henry an innovator?

Henry the VII was born on the 28th of January 1457 and had a very interesting life. He became king In the well-known Battle of Bowwow's where he killed the king at that time, who was Richard Ill with the assistance of the Stanley brothers. At that point In history, England was a very weak culturally, economically and militarily. England was also torn in half for years by a civil war which is also known as the Wars of the Roses. This meant that king Henry VII had not only inherited the crown but several major robbers, which Henry intended to solve these issues.Some of these problems were that the British Isles needed unification, as both Ireland and Scotland were both hostile and separate, or the English Just didn't have control over them. Another problem was the military development. The army Henry inherited with his crown relied on the bow, while other nations were moving on to fire arms. Above all else, though, King Henry VII planned to create a new dynasty; the Tudor dynasty. He w ent about solving these Issues In a very clever and unique style which proved to be effective.Some believed, though, that Henry merely adopted these ideas from previous monarchs and It just proved more effective In his rule. That's why there Is not an agreement on whether or not King Henry was an Innovator. Some historians argue that King Henry the VII was an innovator, and have many arguments to support them. Most, if not all, of these arguments revolved around three main areas which were finance, foreign policies and his relationship with the nobles. On the first area, Henry held money very close to his heart. He had adoptedEdward Avis use of the chamber (which can also show that he wasn't an innovator) but had ended up creating more than 3 times the revenue that Edward had made, which was due partly to the fact that Henry supervised his accounts more closely than Edward. Henry also TLD spoil his family. He was assisted greatly by the fact that the only relative In his family was his uncle who had passed away a decade after his reign. Further proof can be seen by â€Å"He was careful not to give away much to his wife's relatives, the Woodpile connection, to whom Edward had been more generous†.Henry also developed to a fine are his recognizes, which were basically a way of ensuring that henrys more important subjects obeyed the law and lived in peace. The way these recognizes worked were that if a nobleman or gentleman offended the king, or that their conduct was a threat to the public order, they would be obliged to pay specified sums of money if they broke the conditions laid down by the recognizes. It is shown that out of the 62 peers that existed between years 1485 and 1 509, 46 of them were under recognizes at one point or another.This as henrys method of holding the upper class to ransom for their good behavior. At the start of Henrys reign, he had inherited a considerable debt, but ended up becoming solvent In the beginning of his reign. Henry n ot only became solvent but ended up securing a surplus In his later years. He also had a very strong relationship with the nobles. During The Wars of the Roses, many nobles had taken advantage of relationship to the nobility than his predecessor did.Henry, unlike Edward who made nine new earls, only made two new earls who were his stepfather Lord Stanley and Edward Courtesan. Another difference between Henry and Edward were that there were no â€Å"super-nobles†, while in Edwards reign; he had made his mother's brother more powerful by showering him with land. Henry was very cautious not to reward too generously, even to the nobles who were most useful to him. Retaining, which was that lords could retain servants or followers to serve him in war or peace, was a major problem for Henry.Both Henry and his predecessor knew that they shouldn't end it all together, as they recognized a nobles right to retinue, due to the fact that these ties of loyalty between lords and their foll owers were important for the smooth functioning of society'. Henrys aim, though, was to attempt to end the lawlessness and corruption which could result if retaining remained unchecked. That is when he created the rule in 1504, which stated that every lord had to obtain a license for his retinue from the king equipped with a list of named retainers. The main difference between Henry and Edward was that Henry enforced his laws in a more resolute way.Foreign policies were another one of his specialties. Both Edward and his successor .NET about similarly taking claim to the French throne, both led invasions of France and both achieved treaties by which the French king agreed to pay them annually. They were also very similar with Scotland, as both of them concluded long truces with their neighbors which were eventually broken up by open war. Differences between the two kings were even clearer. King Edward was the renaissance prince, and sought out to gain land by attempting to invade Fr ance and Scotland, which were both serious attempts to gain some of the land that England had lost.Henry on the other hand was quite the opposite. He was â€Å"more inclined to peace than war†. Henry had signed a treaty with Spain to ensure security. The treaty of friendship opened the way to marriage between Catherine of Argon, the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, and Henrys eldest son, Prince Arthur. He had also strengthened his connections with Scotland by marrying his daughter Margaret and James IV of Scotland, and also ensured that Henry VIII should marry Catherine of Argon, after the death of Prince Arthur.

Controversial History of the House of the Seven Gables

Africa, by David Diop David Mandessi Diop (19271960) was a revolutionary African poet born in France but with parents of West African descent. His poems highlighted problems of Africa brought about by colonialism and gave a message to Africans to bring about change and freedom. He was known for his involvement in the negritude movement in France, a movement started by Black writers and artists protesting against French colonialism and its effects of African culture and values. His views and feelings were published in â€Å"Presence Africaine† and in his book of poems â€Å"Coups de pillon† which was published in 1956.Diop died at the age of 33 in a plane crash. Africa my Africa Africa of proud warriors in ancestral savannahs Africa of whom my grandmother sings On the banks of the distant river The poem starts by Diop reminiscing about Africa, a land he has not seen but only heard about from his grandmother's songs. His choice of words like â€Å"distant† symbolis e how far he is from his country, a feeling based on his real life as he lived in France throughout his childhood and only visited Africa in the 1950s.Despite this, he paints a vivid scene of Africa and the proud warriors who walk on its â€Å"ancestral savannahs† You can sense how much he misses his homeland by his stress on the word Africa, and he continues to call it â€Å"My Africa† to emphasise it is his land and his feelings of patriotism towards it. I have never known you But your blood flows in my veins Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields The blood of your sweat The sweat of your work The work of your slavery He continues to say that he has never known Africa, but despite the distance he cannot deny how much it is a part of him.The â€Å"beautiful black blood† which flows in his veins describes his African descent and shows how much Africa is a part of him and his love for it and its people. The next verses are angry and accusatory as he stresses that it is the blood and sweat of his people which is irrigating the fields for the benefit of other people. By this he is pointing a finger at the colonialists who exploited Black people and used them as slaves to profit from their hard labour. Africa, tell me Africa Is this your back that is unbent This back that never breaks under the weight of humiliationThis back trembling with red scars And saying no to the whip under the midday sun. In these verses he urges the Black people to stand up to the pain and the humiliation that they are suffering in their own land. He reminds them of the strength Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka Nigerian poet Wole Soyinka uses irony to depict the absurdity of racism in his poem, â€Å"Telephone Conversation. IRONY the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony of her reply, â€Å"How nice! † when I said I had to work all weekend. technique of indicating, as through character or pl ot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated. (esp. in contemporary writing) a manner of organizing a work so as to give full expression to contradictory or complementary impulses, attitudes, etc. , esp. as a means of indicating detachment from a subject, theme, or emotion. Irony, sarcasm, satire indicate mockery of something or someone. The essential feature of irony is the indirect presentation of a contradiction between an action or expression and the context in which it occurs.In the figure of speech, emphasis is placed on the opposition between the literal and intended meaning of a statement; one thing is said and its opposite implied, as in the comment, â€Å"Beautiful weather, isn't it? † made when it is raining or nasty. Irony differs from sarcasm in greater subtlety and wit. In sarcasm ridicule or mockery is used harshly, often crudely and contemptuously, for destructive purposes. It may be used in an indirect manne r, and have the form of irony, as in â€Å"What a fine musician you turned out to be! or it may be used in the form of a direct statement, â€Å"You couldn't play one piece correctly if you had two assistants. † The distinctive quality of sarcasm is present in the spoken word and manifested chiefly by vocal inflection, whereas satire and irony, arising originally as literary and rhetorical forms, are exhibited in the organization or structuring of either language or literary material. Satire usually implies the use of irony or sarcasm for censorious or critical purposes and is often directed at public figures or institutions, conventional behavior, political situations, etc. Some examples:When something bad has happened: â€Å"This is just great,† or â€Å"That was just perfect. † In response to a bad joke: â€Å"That's just so funny,† or obviously feigned (and often weak) laughter â€Å"Ha. Ha. Ha. NOT. † When a boring statement has been made: â €Å"Wow, great! † When someone has thoroughly botched something: â€Å"Great job! † or â€Å"Congratulations! † When somebody accuses another of something bad/wrong: â€Å"Do I get bonus points if I act like I care? † Used when writing: I love school The speaker of the poem, a dark West African man searching for a new apartment, tells the story of a telephone call he made to a potential landlady.Instead of discussing price, location, amenities, and other information significant to the apartment, they discussed the speaker's skin color. The landlady is described as a polite, well-bred woman, even though she is shown to be shallowly racist. The speaker is described as being genuinely apologetic for his skin color, even though he has no reason to be sorry for something which he was born with and has no control over. In this short poem, we can see that the speaker is an intelligent person by his use of high diction and quick wit, not the savage that the landl ady assumes he is because of his skin color.All of these discrepancies between what appears to be and what really is create a sense of verbal irony that helps the poem display the ridiculousness of racism. â€Å"The price seemed reasonable, location / Indifferent† The first sentence of the poem includes a pun that introduces the theme of the following poem and also informs us that things are not going to be as straightforward as they appear. â€Å"The price seemed reasonable, location / Indifferent† If we read over these lines quickly, we would assume that the speaker meant â€Å"Being neither good nor bad† by the use of the word indifferent .But, indifferent is also defined as â€Å"Characterized by a lack of partiality; unbiased. † This other definition gives the sentence an entirely different meaning. Instead of the apartment's location being neither good or bad, we read that the apartment's location is unbiased and impartial. However, we quickly learn in the following lines of the poem that the location of the apartment is the exact opposite of unbiased and impartial. The speaker is rudely denied the ability to rent the property because of bias towards his skin color.This opening pun quickly grabs our attention and suggests that we as readers be on the lookout for more subtle uses of language that will alter the meaning of the poem. â€Å"Caught I was, foully† After this introduction, the speaker begins his â€Å"self-confession† about his skin color (line 4). It is ironic that this is called a self-confession since the speaker has nothing that he should have to confess since he has done nothing wrong. He warns the landlady that he is African, instead of just informing her. â€Å"Caught I was, foully† he says after listening to the silence the landlady had responded with. I hate a wasted journey—I am AfricanAgain, the word caught connotes that some wrong had been done, that the speaker was a criminal caught committing his crime. By making the speaker actually seem sorry for his skin color, Soyinka shows how ridiculous it really is for someone to apologize for his race. To modern Western thinkers, it seems almost comical that anyone should be so submissive when he has committed no wrongdoing. ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT? Her goodness is seemingly confirmed later on when the speaker says that she was â€Å"considerate† in rephrasing her question (line 17). Her response to the caller's question included only â€Å"light / Impersonality† (lines 20-21).Although she was described as being a wealthy woman, she was seemingly considerate and only slightly impersonal. The speaker seems almost grateful for her demeanor. Of course, these kind descriptions of the woman are teeming with verbal irony. We know that she is being very shallowly judgmental even while she is seeming to be so pleasant. The landlady, on the other hand, is described with nothing but positive terms. The s peaker mentions her â€Å"good-breeding,† â€Å"lipstick coated† voice, â€Å"long gold-rolled/Cigarette holder,† all possessions that should make her a respectable lady (lines 7-9).These words describing her wealth are neutral in regard to her personal character, but allow that she could be a good person. â€Å"How dark? ,† After recording the all-important question, â€Å"How dark? ,† the poem pauses for a moment and describes the surroundings to give a sense of reality that shows that the ridiculous question had really been asked (line 10). The speaker describes the buttons in the phone booth, the foul smell that seems to always coexist with public spaces, and a bus driving by outside. His description gives us an image of where the speaker is located: a public phone booth, probably somewhere in the United Kingdom.The â€Å"Red booth,† â€Å"Red pillar-box,† and â€Å"Red double-tiered / Omnibus† are all things that one might find in Leeds, the British city in which Soyinka had been studying prior to writing this poem). In addition to the literal images that this description creates, a sense of the anger running through the speaker's mind is portrayed by the repeated use of the word red. This technique is the closest that that the speaker ever comes to openly showing anger in the poem. Although it is hidden with seemingly polite language, a glimpse of the speaker's anger appears in this quick pause in the conversation.In the end, the landlady repeats her question and the speaker is forced to reveal how dark he is. â€Å"West African sepia,† he says, citing his passport . She claims not to know what that means. She wants a quantifiable expression of his darkness. His response, feigning simplicity is that his face is â€Å"brunette,† his hands and feet â€Å"peroxide blonde† and his bottom â€Å"raven black†. He knows that she just wants a measure of his overall skin-color so t hat she can categorize him, but he refuses to give it to her. Instead he details the different colors of different parts of his body. wouldn't you rather / See for yourself? † As it was meant to, this greatly annoys the landlady and she hangs up on him. In closing, he asks the then empty telephone line, â€Å"wouldn't you rather / See for yourself? † The speaker, still playing his ignorance of what the lady was truly asking, sounds as though he is asking whether the landlady would like to meet him in person to judge his skin color for herself. The irony in this question, though, lies in the fact that we know the speaker is actually referring to his black bottom when he asks the woman if she wants to see it for herself.Still feigning politeness, the speaker offers to show his backside to the racist landlady. Throughout the poem, yet another form of irony is created by the speaker's use of high diction, which shows his education. Although the landlady refuses to rent an a partment to him because of his African heritage and the supposed savagery that accompanies it, the speaker is clearly a well educated individual. Words like â€Å"pipped,† â€Å"rancid,† and â€Å"spectroscopic† are not words that a savage brute would have in his vocabulary (lines 9, 12, 23).The speaker's intelligence is further shown through his use of sarcasm and wit in response to the landlady's questions. Although he pretends politeness the entire time, he includes subtle meanings in his speech. The fact that a black man could outwit and make a white woman seem foolish shows the irony in judging people based on their skin color. Wole Soyinka's â€Å"Telephone Conversation† is packed with subtleties. The puns, irony, and sarcasm employed help him to show the ridiculousness of racism. The conversation we observe is comical, as is the entire notion that a man can be judged based on the color of his skin.Night Rain John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo was born at Kiagbodo in the Ijaw country in 1935. For a while he worked as a newspaper editor, before going to Princeton University in the United States where he was a Parvin Fellow. On his return to Nigeria he became a Research Fellow at the University of lbadan. He spent ten years as editor of the highly influential literary magazine Black Orpheus. He then moved to the University of Lagos, as Professor and Head of Department. He took voluntary retirement in 1980 to allow time for his research and creative endeavours.He set up the first Repertory Theatre in the country, PEC Repertory Theatre. A poet, playwright and essayist, Clark-Bekederemo has been a prolific author. His writings include a book of critical essays, America their America, a collection of literary essays, The Example of Shakespeare, and a highly acclaimed translation of the Ozidi Saga. He has published numerous volumes of poetry including A Reed in the Tide, which is said to have been the first by a single African poet to be p ublished internationally (rather than in an anthology. His poetry is inspired a great deal by his cultural roots among the Ijaw people of Nigeria. Other volumes of poetry include Casualties, which came out in 1970 just after the Nigerian Civil War, A Decade of Tongues, State of the Union, and a sixth book of poems, Mandela and other poems. JP Clark remains a controversial figure in some respects, but there is no doubting his prowess as a poet. Nigerian poet and playwright; he originally published under the name of J. P. Clark. Poetry is the genre in which he is probably most successful as an artist.His poetic works are Poems (1961), a group of forty lyrics that treat heterogeneous themes; A Reed in the Tide (1965), occasional poems that focus on the poet's indigenous African background and his travel experience in America and other places; Casualties: Poems 1966-68 (1970), which illustrates the horrendous events of the Nigeria-Biafra war; A Decade of Tongues (1981), a collection of seventy-four poems, all except ‘Epilogue to Casualties' (dedicated to Michael Echeruo) His poetic career spans three literary pedigrees: the apprenticeship stage of trial and experimentation, exemplified by such juvenilia as ‘Darkness and Light' and ‘Iddo Bridge'; the imitative stage, in which he appropriates such Western poetic conventions as the couplet measure and the sonnet sequence, exemplified in such lyrics as ‘To a Fallen Soldier' and ‘Of Faith', and the individualized stage, in which he attains the maturity and originality of form of such poems as ‘Night Rain', ‘Out of the Tower', and ‘Song'. While his poetic themes centre on violence and protest (Casualties), institutional corruption (State of the Union), the beauty of nature and the landscape (A Reed in the Tide), European colonialism (‘Ivbie' in Poems), and humanity's inhumanity (Mandela and Other Poems), he draws his imagery from the indigenous African background and the Western literary tradition, interweaving them to dazzling effect. Although he is fascinated by the poetic styles of Western authors, particularly G. M. Hopkins, T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, and W. H. Auden, he has cultivated an eloquent, penetrating, and descriptive voice of his own.Bekederemo's dramas include Song of a Goat (1961), a tragedy cast in the Greek classical mode in which the impotence of Zifa, the protagonist, causes his wife Ebiere and his brother Tonye to indulge in an illicit love relationship that results in suicide. As one of Africa's pre-eminent and distinguished authors, he has, since his retirement, continued to play an active role in literary affairs, a role in which he is increasingly gaining deserved international recognition. In 1991, for example, he received the Nigerian National Merit Award for literary excellence and saw publication, by Howard University, of his two definitive volumes, The Ozidi Saga and Collected Plays and Poems 1958-1988. Chinua Acheb e's â€Å"Refugee Mother and Child†The Mother has always held a supreme position in all religions. In Islam, she holds the first,second and third places. In Hinduism, the Mother and Motherland are deemed greater than heaven. In Christianity, the privilege of â€Å"giving birth divinely† was also handed over to a woman. The image of Madonna with her child is supposed to be the highest paradigm of motherhood one can envisage . Here ,Chinua Achebe states that even that image could not surpass the picture of a mother expressing tenderness for a son she would soon have to forget. It is the most poignant impression one's imagination and memory can ever perceive. The prescribed poem is titled â€Å"Refugee Mother and Child†.The adjective ‘refugee' assumes different meanings in this context. One, the mother in question may be a refugee. Besides, one who flees from danger, and is in a secure and protective circle is also called a ‘refugee'. In this regard, th e baby is a refugee, and his refuge is his mother's womb till he comes out to this cruel world. Another interpretation would be the mother finding refuge from the reality of the death of her son in a make-believe world. The air held a nausea of unwashed children with traces of diarrhea,and the stench of the emanations post-delivery. The rawness of the struggle to attain motherhood is depicted as the poet states: The air was heavy with odors f diarrhea of unwashed children with washed-out ribs and dried-up bottoms struggling in labored steps behind blown empty bellies. Mothers there had long ceased to care, as the poignancy of the situation of the refugees had reached their saturation point. But this one still held her own. She donned a ghost smile. The situation is scary because the new-born is dead and the smile seems ghastly. The term ‘ghost smile' may also signify that the lady held a ‘ghost' of a smile that once was real. Now that the genuine reason for the smile is lost, it may be termed as a ‘ghost of a smile. ‘ Her eyes also looked super-focussed as it held the ghost of a mother's pride.She combs ,with maternal affection, the hair on his ‘skull'. Note that it is ‘skull' and not ‘head' as the baby is impoverished, and dead. Her eyes appeared to sing a lullaby, as she parts the son's hair. In an otherwise situation, this act would be of little consequence; another everyday affair before breakfast or school. Here,however, it happens to stand for the last display of maternal affection and is therefore equivalent to â€Å"putting flowers on a tiny grave. † If You Want to Know Me By Noemia de Sousa My apologies for the long drought without a FUUO poet of the week. Noemia de Sousa (aka Vera Micaia) was born in 1927 in Maputo, Mozambique.She lived in Lisbon working as a translator from 1951 to 1964 and then she left for Paris where she worked for the local consulate of Morocco. She went back to Lisbon in 1975 and became member of the ANOP. In the early years of the liberation struggle she was very active. She later left and lived in exile. Noemia racial background was Portuguese and Bantu and in much of her poetry she explores the idea of Africa and her heritage. Her poem below is phenomenal. It’s angry and inspired and that final stanza—where she proffers her body as a medium for Africa’s struggle for freedom–wow, powerful. And she ends her poem without a period, perhaps because her last word is ‘hope’ and what is more hopeful than an undefined end? 1926–2002), Mozambican poet and writer. Carolina Noemia Abranches de Sousa was born in the Mozambican capital, Lourenco Marques (now Maputo), the child of two mixed-race parents, roughly fifty years before her country's liberation from Portugal. She was proud that her background included German, Portuguese, and Goan (Indian) ancestors as well as Ronga and Makua from Mozambique. Her early education was in Maputo, though after her father died she was not able to attend an academic high school. She trained at a commercial school, learning to type and do stenography, but she also pursued more traditional academic subjects and studied English and French.De Sousa's first job was working at a local business as a secretary, employment she took in order to support her mother. She published her first poem, â€Å"O irmao negro† (The Black Brother), in the local literary magazine Mocidade (Youth) when she was nineteen. She was then known as Carolina Abranches , so she disguised her identity by publishing under the initials N. S. E. , referring to her unused names of Noemia de Sousa. She soon began working for the Associacao Africana (African Association), a political group that included the renowned Mozambican poet Jose Craveirinha , and she was responsible for reviving the association's militant newspaper, O Brado Africano (The African Call).She wrote several well-received and m uch anthologized poems through the late 1940s, though after 1951 she no longer wrote poetry, with the exception of a commemorative poem following the death of independent Mozambique's first president, Samora Machel , in an airplane crash in 1986. Her early poems are often cited as representative of the Negritude school of writing, extolling black African culture and history, though she was writing in isolation from the better-known French school of Negritude. Her poems celebrated Mozambican culture and history. One of the most often cited is a poem about migrant workers in South Africa's gold and diamond mines, â€Å"Magaica† (â€Å"Migrant Laborer†) which concludes: † Youth and health, the lost illusions which will shine like stars on some Lady's neck in some City's night. â€Å"Her celebration of â€Å"my mother Africa† (in the poem â€Å"Sangue negro† [â€Å"Black Blood†] is continued in â€Å"Se me quiseres conhecer †¦ ,† [â €Å"If You Want to Know Me†], which has a catalog of Mozambican lives: † If you want to understand me come, bend over this soul of Africa in the black dockworker's groans the Chope's frenzied dances the Changanas’ rebellion [ †¦ ] † And she was appreciated for her cries for liberation, as with these closing lines from â€Å"Poema de Joao† (â€Å"The Poem of Joao†): â€Å"who can take the multitude and lock it in a cage? † In 1951 she moved to Portugal to escape the vigilance of the Portuguese secret police, who were interested in her work at O Brado Africano. In Portugal she met and married her husband, Gaspar Soares, in 1962. The couple moved to France, where de Sousa worked as a journalist under the pen name Vera Micaia.She returned to Portugal and was living there when she died in 2002. I Thank You God Bernard Binlin Dadie Bernard Binlin Dadie (or sometimes Bernard Dadie) (born 1916 near Abidjan) is a prolific Ivorian novelist, playwright, poet, and ex-administrator. Among many other senior positions, starting in 1957, he held the post of Minister of Culture in the government of Cote d'Ivoire from 1977 to 1986. He worked for the French government in Dakar, Senegal, but on returning to his homeland in 1947, became part of its movement for independence. Before Cote d'Ivoire's independence in 1960, he was detained for sixteen months for taking part in demonstrations which opposed the French colonial government.In his writing, influenced by his experiences of colonialism as a child, Dadie attempts to connect the messages of traditional African folktales with the contemporary world. With Germain Coffi Gadeau and F. J. Amon d'Aby, he founded the Cercle Culturel et Folklorique de la Cote d'Ivoire (CCFCI) in 1953. [1] His humanism and desire for the equality and independence of Africans and their culture is also prevalent. Famous for his work I Thank You, God â€Å"I thank you God for creating me black, For havin g made me the total of all sorrows, and set upon my head The World. I wear the lively of the Centaur And I carry the world since the first morning. White is a colour improvised for an occasion Black, the colour of all days And I carry the World since the first evening.I am happy with the shape of my head fashioned to carry the World, satisfied With the shape of my nose, which should breathe all the air of the World, happy With the form of my legs prepared to run through all the stages of the World. I thank you God for creating me black For making of me Porter of all sorrows.. Still I am Glad to carry the World, Glad of my short arms Of my long arms Of the thickness of my lips.. I thank you God for creating me black White is a colour for special occasions Black the colour for every day And i have carried the World since the dawn of time And my laugh over the World, through the night, creates the Day. I thank you, God for creating me blackGabriel Okara's â€Å"Once Upon a Time† â€Å"Once Upon a Time† has been published in the Edexcel GCSE anthology. In â€Å"Once Upon a Time†, Gabriel Okara speaks of a time when Africans were rooted in the simplicity of tradition and minimalism of sophistication; and how different they have turned out to be with the advent of colonialism. The very title â€Å"Once Upon a Time† points to a fairy tale existence long ago that is almost deemed unbelievable â€Å"Once Upon a Time† they used to laugh with their hearts and eyes in complete sincerity. A smile, if natural, first reaches the eyes. Therefore Okara portrays fake, unfelt smiles. A smile is the first greeting a person is received with.If the greeting itself is deceptive; the rest is to be regarded with great suspicion. â€Å"Once Upon a Time† they were children in the lap of nature . However, now they have turned into processed products of the pseudo modern existence. They now laugh mechanically with their teeth and ice-block cold ey es. The term ‘ice-block cold eyes' is very suggestive of death and stagnation. It also denotes lack of communication. Pictorial vehemence suggests the lurking hypocrisy. The people only ‘search behind' the speaker's shadow. Okara means to say that every action is analyzed and every motive criticized. Also, they are satisfied with the shadow of the person in question, and do not seek the identity of the persona.This points to the current media policy that project the shells of various personalities without delving to their depth. They fail to comprehend the enigma behind each unique individual. The poet moves from expression to action. Now they shake hands ‘without hearts' as their left hand probes the speakers' pockets. People do not go out of their way to help others now-a-days. Instead, influenced by the Western formula of success, they take advantage of others to reach their end. The poet asserts that immersed in the crowd, he has also become a cog in the wheel of society. Like Kamala Das echoes in her poem â€Å"Fancy-Dress Show†, the poet claims that he has learnt to adorn different faces to suit the situation- homeface, officeface, streetface, hostface, ocktailface, with all their conforming smiles like a fixed portrait smile. The third stanza portrays the hiatus between words uttered and bitter reality. The divorce between the intention and remark is explicit. The poet has also learnt o say â€Å"Good bye† when he means â€Å"Good Riddance† The shut door stands for modern insularity: it foregrounds the alienation of the individual from tradition, tribe and clan. . The speaker tells his son that he wants to relearn everything and be like him. He seems to echo that :†Child is the father of man†. Okara ,in other words, would like to go down to his roots. The man distrusts even his mirror image, his reflection: for my laugh in the mirror hows only my teeth like a snake's bare fangs! The poisonous erudition is implicit in his own state of being. The poet opines that unpolluted simplicity and innocence can only be found in childhood, and relived in the same. The Call of the River Nun is a similar celebration of lost innocence David Rubadiri's â€Å"A Negro Labourer in Liverpool† An analysis of David Rubadiri's â€Å"A Negro Labourer in Liverpool† The poem strives to highlight the plight of a Negro labourer in Liverpool. The indefinite article ‘a’ points to the lack of a specific identity. They are just one among a group, one of the community, who do not necessarily possess any individual identity.They are labeled according to their work(labourer)or corresponding to their geographical location. The poet himself hints at the indifference of society as a whole to the plight of the labourer as he states that he ‘passes’ him. He slouches on dark backstreet pavements. His ‘marginalization’ is evident in his position ’slouchingâ€℠¢. Further, it is also emphasized in his being side-stepped on the pavements. Again the pavement is qualified by the phrase ’dark backstreet’. The head is ‘bowed’ when it would have preferred to be straight. He is overcome with fatigue and totally exhausted. He is a dark shadow amongst other shadows. He has no unique identity, his life is not colourful.The poet asserts that he has lifted his face to his, as in acknowledgement. Their eyes met but on his dark Negro face. The poet probably refers to the reflection of the speaker’s eyes in the eyes of the labourer. The eyes are foregrounded on his dark face. There is no sunny smile as he wears a forlorn expression. The sun is an important and recurrent motif in African poetry. A wise man once said that a man is poor if he does not have a penny; he is poor if he does not possess a dream. The labourer here neither has hope nor longing. Only the mechanical ‘cowed dart of eyes’ that is more mec hanized than the impassive activity of the people. People in their ‘impassive’ fast-forward life fail to notice the labourer.He painfully searches for a face to comprehend his predicament, acknowledge his suffering. It expresses his utter solitude and utter desperation. Capitalism & Women Academy. Mises. org Feminists Should Thank Capitalists. Mises Academy Course. Enroll Today! Ads by Google Notice that the poet shifts from the indefinite article ‘a’ to the definite article ‘the’ in addressing the Negro labourer in the second stanza. It is to assert and affirm his existence in society that the poet does the same. David Rubadiri goes on to describe him in terms of his motherland; and in terms of his emotions: ’a heart heavy’. He bears a century’s oppression that had sought after an identity.He strives to attain the fire of manhood. But ironically, even in the Land of the free (England), he is unable to attain the same. Neve rtheless, the free here are also dead, in a state of decay and stagnation, for they too grope for a light, a ray of hope. The speaker puts forward the question: Will the sun That greeted him from his mother’s womb Ever shine again? Not here- Here his hope is the shovel. And his fulfillment resignation He awaits a new dawn, as fresh as that promised as he arose from his mother’s womb. He longs for the rays of hope of a sun that will never set for him. Presently his hope is his shovel-his hard work, and he discovers content in its fulfillment.