The Naturalistic Ideals of Jack London Essay - 825 Words

The Naturalistic Ideals of Jack London As an adolescent, Jack London led an impoverished life and struggled to earn more money to support himself and his mother. In an attempt to find a small fortune, London joined the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897. Unfortunately, he returned home penniless. However, his adventures in the Yukon provided him the most epic experiences that guided him into writing some of his most famous, widely acclaimed literary works. His novels focus primarily on naturalism, a type of literature in which the characters are shaped by their environment through the practice of scientific principles. The author centralizes his themes around this literary technique. Jack London’s naturalistic portrayal of his characters explores†¦show more content†¦Through his vivid writing style, London captures the spirit of the wilderness and that â€Å"life was a struggle for survival†¦ the ‘fittest’ would come out on top† (Napierkowski and Stan ley). Again, this philosophy is the result of Buck’s destiny shaped by a force beyond his control. He is heavily influenced by his pack leader’s incessant teasing and desire for a fight. Through these conflicts, Buck evolves into the most savage, fearless animal that roams the winter nights. London sees Darwinism as â€Å"a law of life† (Berkove) and Buck has certainly accomplished it. He successfully achieves the status of alpha dog by later killing the pack leader and proving himself to be the â€Å"fittest†. Although this process is very difficult, London manages to evoke a brighter side to the situation. Buck’s struggle for survival produces a new personality fit for the environment of the Yukon, thus completing his transformation. However, there is a fine line between the struggle for survival for a human and an animal. In his story â€Å"To Build a Fire†, Jack London reveals the teamwork required from both the man and the dog in order to conquer the ruthlessly cold winter. â€Å"To Build a Fire† centers on a man trekking out into the below zero temperatures of the Yukon with his dog companion and ultimately succumbs to the unrelenting force of nature. The man puts his best battle with the wild but to no avail.Show MoreRelatedNaturalism Literary Period2601 Words   |  11 Pages readers can see the steadily decline that nature, or fate, had evoked on the protagonist of naturalist stories. Also unlike romanticism, Zola uses his characters as a device for symbolism rather than a hero for readers to look up to. In these naturalistic writing of Zola, there is also much emphasis of people working together in groups, the literary references are greatly due to the labor wars that were taking place during the turn of the century. â€Å"Zola also took frankness about sexual functionsRead MoreRealism And Realism Of The Late Nineteenth Century3010 Words   |  13 Pageswe have today. The two, realism and naturalism were both movements that occurred in American, European and English literature that encompass the feelings of early well-known writers such as Edith Warton, Stephen Crane, Jack London, and of course, perhaps the figurehead of naturalistic literature, Emile Zola. A great number of other early writers utilized this technique, just emphasizing the importance and popularity of it. A large number of these works have been linked as and cited as direct inspirationRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Build A Fire With The Film The Revenant 1558 Words   |  7 Pagesbefore and is marked by the close to life writing. The naturalist, in particular, observed the nature as a powerful, unpredictable force that had full control over people behavior. Notable authors emerged during this era e.g. Jack London and Leonardo DiCaprio. Jack London composed a significant tale of reason versus instinct known as â€Å"To Build a Fire.† The story, published in 1908, includes the essential beliefs of Nat uralism. Since Naturalist writers worked to illustrate real world situations,Read MoreEssay on Naturalism and Realism1298 Words   |  6 Pages Beginning in the late 19th century, two separate movements spread across America know as realism and naturalism. While the two were very similar in their beliefs and ideals there were still many apparent distinctions to differentiate the two. Realism and naturalism showed themselves in many aspects of life, from art and sciences to new math techniques and even religion. However, above all else these movements may have been most evident in the literature of this time. Reading through American literatureRead More Stephen Cranes The Open Boat and Jack Londons To Build A Fire 2309 Words   |  10 PagesStephen Cranes The Open Boat and Jack Londons To Build A Fire Stephen Crane’s short story, â€Å"The Open Boat† speaks directly to Jack London’s own story, â€Å"To Build A Fire† in their applications of naturalism and views on humanity. Both writers are pessimistic in their views of humanity and are acutely aware of the natural world. The representations of their characters show humans who believe that they are strong and can ably survive, but these characters many times overestimate themselves whichRead More Carol Ann Duffys Revision of Masculinist Representations of Female Identity3217 Words   |  13 Pageson her, giving her everything I had. Jack the Lad, Ladies Man. Easier to say Yes. [†¦] She lost a tooth. I picked her up, dead slim, and slid her in. A girl like that should have a paid-up solitaire and high hopes, but she asked for it. A right well-knackered outragement. (49#8209;54) While the voice of the woman is diminished by his Yes, he is essentially the weaker character; he has to physically abuse her to achieve his sexual status as Jack the Lad, Ladies Man. This is furtherRead MoreBlack Naturalism and Toni Morrison: the Journey Away from Self-Love in the Bluest Eye8144 Words   |  33 Pagestheory of naturalism as well: the idea that one s social and physical environments can drastically affect one s nature and potential for surviving and succeeding in this world. In this article, I will explore Toni Morrison s The Bluest Eye from a naturalistic perspective; however, while doing so I will propose that because Morrison s novels are distinctly black and examine distinctly black issues, we must expand or deconstruct the traditional theory of naturalism to deal adequately with the AfricanRead More Visions of The Primitive in Langston Hughes’s The Big Sea Essay examples6201 Words   |  25 Pagesvisitors and I almost never went ashore. Those long winte r nights with snow swirling down the Hudson, and the old ships rocking and creaking in the wind, and the ice scraping and crunching against their sides, and the steam hissing in the radiators were ideal for reading. I read all the ship’s library. (Hughes, 1986, p.95) Among the books that Hughes finds in the ship’s library is a copy of â€Å"Conrad’s Heart of Darkness† (p.95). That Conrad’s novella should be mentioned in this context reveals a playfullyRead MoreSLA Lg teaching methods approaches7312 Words   |  30 Pagesgrammatical paradigms in isolation is rare nowadays. The Direct Method While Henri Gouin’s The Art of Learning and Studying Foreign Languages, published in 1880, can be seen as the precursor of modern language teaching methods with its ‘naturalistic’ approach, the credit for popularising the Direct Method usually goes to Charles Berlitz, who marketed it as the Berlitz Method. The basic premise of the Direct Method was that one should attempt to learn a second language in much the same wayRead MoreHerbert Spencer Essay13142 Words   |  53 Pagesneglecting such traditional subjects as history. Spencer initially followed up the scientific interests encouraged by his father and studied engineering. For a few years, until 1841, he practiced the profession of civil engineer as an employee of the London and Birmingham Railway. His interest in evolution is said to have arisen from the examination of fossils that came from the rail-road cuts. Spencer left the railroad to take up a literary career and to follow up some of his scientific interests. He

Indonesia And Pakistan Healthcare Systems Health And Social Care Essay Free Essays

string(26) " states to decrease them\." Health and nutrition are a critical portion of the development of any state and lend widely to its growing in footings of societal and economic development. The wellness of a state is defined by the wellness and nutritionary position of the two chief groups of the society ; mother and kid. It is imperative to retrieve that a healthy female parent is the innovator of a hereafter healthy coevals. We will write a custom essay sample on Indonesia And Pakistan Healthcare Systems Health And Social Care Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Pakistan and Indonesia suffer to a great extent from hapless maternal and infant mortality rates as compared to other developed states. The maternal mortality ratio for Pakistan and Indonesia are 260 and 240 per 100,000 unrecorded births severally ( WHO 2010 ) . Siddiqi et Al. ( 2004 p.120 ) believes that major majority of the hapless maternal status in Pakistan are concentrated in the rural countries, where there are perennial gestation, hapless dietetic wonts, scarceness of proper antenatal and postpartum attention and deficiency of proper immunisation coverage, saying a figure of merely 48 % coverage for lockjaw anatoxin ( Federal Bureau of Statistics 2002 cited in Siddiqi et.al. 2004 ) . Indonesia paints a really similar image in this respect with statistics demoing 59 % place bringings ; 39.5 % in urban and 76.1 % in rural countries ( Indonesian Health and Demography Survey 2002-2003 cited in WHO 2011 ) . Harmonizing to WHO ( 2011 ) Urban countries in Indonesia are over supplied with specializers and physicians but many community Centres in rural and distant countries lack even general physicians. The just distribution of work force has been a challenge for the authorities of both states and one of the greatest grounds of the high mortality rates. Table 1. Maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 births in 1990-2008, by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and The World Banks Maternal Mortality Estimation Interagency Group 2010 ( WHO 2010 ) . However detecting the maternal mortality rates of these states from 1990 to 2008, a singular betterment has been seen particularly in Indonesia. The chief ground for this has been the execution of a figure of strategically good planned plans by both states. Indonesia tackled this by integrating wellness voluntaries, supervised by a visiting nurse or small town accoucheuse and by increasing skilled birth attenders who ensured prenatal and postpartum attention, nutritionary guidance, wellness instruction and better immunisation services ; these all came with the acceptance of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness in 1997 ( Trisnantoro, L et.al 2010 ) . In Pakistan the Prime Minister ‘s Program for Family Planning and Primary Health Care was implemented, which aimed to supply services of generative wellness, female parent and kid wellness instruction, actuating and supplying household planning tools and intervention of minor complaint by a lady wellness worker, who was a local of the community ( Ghaffar et al. 2000 p40 ) . Therefore, the success of both these plans was based on two factors, the job was addressed at the grass root degree and local people and voluntaries of the community were utilized in supplying these services. Poor maternal wellness translates into birth of kids who are under weight and under nourished, therefore lending to the high baby mortality rates. Both states have undertaken steps for rectifying their bing hapless maternal wellness position, however a comparing of their infant mortality rates reveals otherwise. Indonesia has been observed to hold had much more success with a reduced infant mortality rate of 31 per 1000 unrecorded births while Pakistan shows a markedly high rate of ( WHO 2008 ) . These rates clearly indicate that the Indonesian authorities was able to implement their policies and delivered to the community more efficaciously than the Pakistani authorities. 1.2. Nutritional lacks in kids: In developing states like Pakistan and Indonesia major wellness concerns revolve around nutritionary lacks in kids. Pasricha A ; , Biggs ( 2010 p.2 ) believes that blowing acrobatics and underweight are a contemplation of nutritionary want, chronic malnutrition including micronutrient lack and associated factors like low birth weight, infective diseases and enteric parasitic infections et cetera. Table 2. Prevalence of malnutrition among kids under 5 old ages, World Health Organization growing criterions 2008 ( Pasricha A ; , Biggs 2010 p. 2 ) The high rates evident from the information for acrobatics, scraggy and blowing from the above tabular array highlight the prevalence of malnutrition in both states. David A ; Lobo ( 1995 p.1 ) believe that the major cause of morality in under 5 twelvemonth olds in developing states is, diarrhoea and malnutrition. But the informations from WHO ( 2008 ) speaks otherwise pneumonia as the taking of under five mortality with prematureness and diarrhoea following it, in both provinces. On the other manus Iram A ; Butt ( 2006 ) argued that the causes of child malnutrition in developing states are non merely those related to traditional 1s like hygiene, respiratory or diarrhoeal disease but include the impact of a state ‘s political instability, economical growing and resources and without taking into history these the overall purpose of diminishing malnutrition would be near to impossible. Pakistan is one of the three states in the universe to hold the highest figure of ill-fed kids ( Nuruddin, R 2009 p. 712 ) . This can clearly be seen by the high mortality rate for under 5 twelvemonth olds in Pakistan for 2009 which come to be 87 per 1000 as compared to 39 For Indonesia ( World Bank 2009 ) . These high rates highlight the failure on the portion of the Pakistani wellness ministry to better the factors responsible for better wellness results in kids. Indonesia although in comparing to Pakistan has a lower under 5 twelvemonth old mortality rate, but is still plagued by a batch of issues lending well to the present mortality rates, one of them being malaria. Malaria contributes to around six million clinical instances and 700 deceases each twelvemonth ( Laihad F cited in Sipe A ; Dale 2003 p.1 ) . Thus it can be overall concluded that the high rates reported in respects to nutritionary lacks and diseases prevalent in both states indicate that there is much room for bett erment and revolves around the attempts of the several states to decrease them. You read "Indonesia And Pakistan Healthcare Systems Health And Social Care Essay" in category "Essay examples" Major constituents of the wellness attention system The wellness of a state depends upon how its wellness attention system is planned and organized. The wellness system of a state is controlled by a figure of characteristics like the legal system, the political system and its economical position. The basic model of Indonesia and Pakistan is rather similar, with a cardinal authorities responsible for the ordinance of all facets of the wellness industry and allied. 1. Leadership A ; Administration: Pakistan has a federal system of authorities with a cardinal authorities, states, territories and sub territories while Indonesia has a cardinal authorities. Both states have a ministry of wellness which is the chief government organic structure which comes under the cardinal authorities responsible for deputing power to the provincial and territory degree. In Pakistan the federal ministry of wellness is the premier regulating organic structure responsible for preparation of national wellness policies, Torahs and statute laws refering wellness, nevertheless the execution of these policies, under the fundamental law of Pakistan, is the duty of the provincial authorities ( Ghaffar et al. 2000 p. 38 ) . Furthermore after the Devolution program of the authorities of Pakistan in 2000 ( Govt. of Pakistan 2000 cited in Shaikh A ; Hatcher 2005 p. 50 ) the territory authorities were given complete powers in all affairs of finance allotment, schemes and intercessions based on the demand ident ified by them ( Shaikh A ; Hatcher 2005 p. 50 ) . In Indonesia the construct of decentalisation is more recent and came with ‘The Decentralization Policy ‘ in 1999 where the three regional degrees of Province, District and City regional were given liberties ( WHO SEARO 2007 p. 8 ) . Owing to this policy it was expected that the wellness attention system of Indonesia would better. Heywood A ; Harahap ( 2009 ) nevertheless believe otherwise, reasoning that the cardinal determinations like finance at territory degree were still made by the cardinal authorities and small power had been really allocated to the territory authorities. 2. Finance: Finance is one of the basic pillars that a wellness attention system sustains itself on. The per centum of budget that a state allocates for wellness, defines the degree of wellness commissariats available to its people. The % of the entire GDP that both Indonesia and Pakistan have assigned for wellness is 2.2 and 2.7 severally ( World Bank 2007 ) . With the % of the budget assigned for wellness it is seen that both states rely to a great extent on foreign AIDSs to fund their wellness attention systems. It has besides been observed that the more the input of financess by foreign bureaus in wellness sectors in developing states, there is less disposition to apportion fundss to the wellness sector. 3. Service Delivery: Health attention bringing in both states comprises of public and private sectors which provide services in infirmaries, wellness Centre, clinics et cetera. 3.1. Public wellness sector: The public wellness sector is the constituent of the wellness system which is regulated by the authorities in footings of funding and allotment of work force and wellness units. Pakistan ‘s public wellness sector is set up in footings of degrees of attention get downing from Basic Health Units which serves a population of 10,000 to 20,000, and rural wellness Centres which serve a larger population of 25,000 to 50,000 ; following are the tehsil infirmaries which cover 0.5 to 1 million population and eventually the third degree infirmaries functioning 1-2 million people ( Shaikh A ; Hatcher 2005 p.50 ) . The public sector of Indonesia starts from bomber Centres which cover the small towns, following are the wellness Centres or Puskemas which are the focal point of primary wellness attention which come at the sub-district, following are the third infirmaries at territory, provincial and cardinal degree ( WHO SEARO 2007 ) . Despite the apparatus of these Centres, the rural and dis tant countries of both states suffer from non-availability of wellness staff due to the glut of the work force in urban countries. 3.2. Private Health sector: Private wellness sector includes all the wellness suppliers outside the authorities sphere. In Pakistan it serves 70 % of the population and is a fee-for-service system ( Ghaffar et al. 2000 p.39 ) . This includes non merely all the infirmaries and general practicians but besides wellness professionals belonging to alternate medical specialties like homoeopaths, hakims, herb doctor, religious therapists and quacks ( Shaikh A ; Hatcher 2005 p. 50 ) . Similar tendencies are besides seen in the private sector of Indonesia, where the authorities is seen to be actively promoting it therefore private disbursement on health care doing up 75 % of the sum ( Healthcare A ; Pharmaceuticals Forecast Asia A ; Australasia 2005 ) . Majority of the community prefers the private services due to better quality of attention provided and better handiness of resources. Thus the private sector in both provinces has rather efficaciously closed the spread in the wellness services but is limited as people with limited fiscal resources can non entree them, foregrounding the defect of the system. 4. Health work force The major issue when it comes to workforce is about understanding the demographics of a state. It is non about increasing measure but just distribution of work force. In both states at that place have been important additions in the figure of physicians and nurses but yet there is lack in rural countries. In Pakistan there has been a ample addition in the figure of medical colleges, postgraduate medical colleges and nursing colleges ( Ghaffar et al. 2000 p.40 ) , yet there is scarceness in rural countries. This is because the bulk of the wellness work force is cantered in the urban countries go forthing the rural countries deficient of equal wellness workers. In Indonesia every bit good although the figure of physicians and installations has been increased but these are more inclined in favor of the metropoliss ( Healthcare A ; Pharmaceuticals Forecast Asia A ; Australasia 2005 ) . It has besides been observed that when undertaking shifting was applied in both states by using the services of local voluntaries of the community who are non needfully physicians or nurses, and developing them, as using Lady Health workers in Pakistan ( Ghaffar et al. 2000 p40 ) and Skilled birth attenders in Indonesia ( Trisnantoro, L et.al 2010 ) better consequences were received as can be seen by the decrease in the maternal mortality ratios. Decision: To reason it was seen that in supplying a comparative position of the Pakistan and Indonesia, there came up some similarities and some important differences. In respects to prevalence of wellness issues it was observed that there were some dramatic resemblance in the class of the diseases that plagues both states but the difference was observed in their incidence rates. This was observed majorly due to the rigorous base taken by the Indonesian authorities on their execution policies while some deficits were seen in the Pakistan authorities in this respect. However comparing their wellness attention systems revealed rather similar methods of administration, similar lacks in the system. There was seen to be a inclination of the authoritiess to trust on foreign support, and saving less for their wellness budget, a weak public sector with an increasing disposition towards the private wellness sector and an unequal distribution of work force. Overall there was a deficiency of turn toing t he issues at the grass root degree seen in both states. How to cite Indonesia And Pakistan Healthcare Systems Health And Social Care Essay, Essay examples

Personal Look unto Wellness Essay Example For Students

Personal Look unto Wellness Essay A personal look into wellness When I am not feeling well I find relief and comfort talking to my girlfriend. Occasionally I may think of topics such as my future and particular things I want to achieve and I fluster myself with over exaggerated thought with issues like college and school and people and everything else thats happening at that moment in my life, but talking to my girlfriend allows me to release any anxiety that I may posses created by the persons around me and places order back into my thinking. When I talk, she listens with a glowing understanding and she always suggests ideas that may help solve my problem or piece back together my disarray of thought. Since the time I began to confide in her about my most personal upsets she has become not only girlfriend but my best friend as well. Being with her allows me to experience a closeness that I have never experienced with anyone. She is the one person that can make me feel better and happier about myself. She helps me forget about problems that dont need to be worried about by just being and talking with her. To me she is that one very special person that I love. The feeling of love for her is a deep, passionate, caring, understanding, and unconditional love. Ph.D. Shelly Wu of the university of Pennsylvania says that love is an intense feeling for a certain person or thing. In my opinion love is truly indefinable in the sense that I cannot explain or break down the exact way I feel for my girlfriend. I do not disagree that it can be described, but to truly know love is to love and by loving, you will undoubtedly be loved in return. You might not achieve the classical sense of, that special someone love, but you can find love in friends and family which is another form of love and it can all be just as fulfilling just as long as you committed to loving. As long as it is understood that love is not just a four-letter word or trait but more of a mutual connection between two people, it can be easily be comprehended. The clearest way that I believe love can be explained is, less is more, meaning that the less your see love as a definition or a tangible object, the more you will realize that it is a feeling from within, an untold language that can not be heard with ones ears but with ones heart. It would be a lie to say I never once experienced happiness before I met her but it would be true to say I have never felt happiness on this level that I am now. When I was younger, I was not happy, nor was I depressed but some how I found a median between the two. Two irresponsible parents preordained my future. The choices they made affected my life as well as theirs. My mother as well as my father established themselves among friends and families as substances abusers. They became addicted to cocaine and heroine at a young age. They began to lie, cheat, and steal from the people that loved them the most. The longer the stayed substance abusers that larger the craving for heroine and cocaine became and the larger it became the more money the stole. Once I reached the age of five they divorced and shortly after their departure from each other my father held up a corner store to pay for his drug habit and was arrested soon after he committed the crime. He was sent to San Quentin to serve out his sentence of ten years and I was allowed to visit him once in that time with his parents. All of this was because my parents wanted a better sense of wellness but the wellness they were receiving was a false since of wellness that only created more and more problems, which developed into stress. After becoming addicted to heroine the body craves it more often and what use to be habit turned to a necessity and money becomes more and more scarce as it is spent all .

What Were The Causes And Effects Of World War I Essays -

What were the causes and effects of World War I title = What were the causes and effects of World War I World War I was a military conflict from 1914 to 1918. It began as a local European war between Austria - Hungary and Serbia on July 28, 1914. It was transformed into a general European struggle by declaration of war against Russia on August 1, 1914 and eventually became a global war involving 32 nations. Twenty - eight of these nations, known as the Allies and the Associated Powers, and including Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and the United States, opposed the coalition known as the Central Powers, consisting of Germany, Austria - Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria. The immediate cause of the war between Austria - Hungary and Serbia was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, at Sarajevo in Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip, a Serb nationalist. (Microsoft Encarta, 1996) On July 28 Austria declared war against Serbia, either because it felt Russia would not actually fight for Serbia, or because it was prepared to risk a general European conflict in order to put an end to the Greater Serbia movement. Russia responded by partially mobilizing against Austria. Germany warned Russia that continued mobilization would cause war with Germany, and it made Austria agree to discuss with Russia a possible change of the ultimatum to Serbia. Germany demanded, however, that Russia demobilize. Russia refused to do so, and on August 1, Germany declared war on Russia. (Microsoft Encarta, 1996) The French began to mobilize on the same day. On August 2, German troops invades Luxembourg and on August 3, Germany declared war on France. On August 2, the German government informed the government of Belgium of its intention to march on France through Belgium in order, as it claimed, to prevent an attack on Germany by French troops marching through Belgium. The Belgian government refused to allow the passage of German troops and called on the witnesses of the Treaty of 1839, which guaranteed the justice of Belgium in case of a conflict in which Great Britain, France, and Germany were involved, to observe their guarantee. Great Britain, one of the witnesses, on August 4, sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding that Belgian justice be respected. When Germany refused, Britain declared war on it the same day. Italy remained uninvolved until May 23, 1915, when, to satisfy its claims against Austria, it broke with the Triple Alliance and declared war on Austria - Hungary. In September 1914, Allied unity was made stronger by the Pact of London, signed by France, Great Britain, and Russia. As the war progressed, other countries, including Turkey, Japan, the U.S., and other nations of the western hemisphere, were drawn into the conflict. Japan, which had made an alliance with the Great Britain in 1902, declared war on Germany on August 23, 1914. The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. (Microsoft Encarta, 1996) The outbreak of war in 1914 set in motion forces more gigantic than any previous war had seen. Two million Germans were on the march, the greater part of them against France, and there were another 3,000,000 trained men to back them up. France had nearly 4,000,000 trained men at call, although they relied on only 1,000,000 active troops in the first clash. Russia had more millions to draw upon than any, but their mobilization process was slow, a large part of their forces were in Asia and even their great potential strength was to a large extent canceled out by lack of munitions. (Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart, 1984) The growth of these tremendous forces had been due primarily to a military gospel of mass. Known by Clausewitz, the Prussian military philosopher, who drew his inspiration from Napoleon's example, the spread of this gospel had been stimulated by the victories of the Prussian conscript armies in 1866 against Austria and in 1870 against France. It had been assisted also by the development of railways, which enabled far larger numbers of men to be assembled, moved and supplied than had been possible previously. Therefore the armies of 1914 - 1918 came to be counted in their millions compared with the hundreds of thousands of half a century earlier. (Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart, 1984) The essential causes of World War I were the attitude of intense nationalism that permeated Europe throughout the 19th and into the 20th century, the political and economic rivalry among the nations, and

Free Essays on Valley Of Dreams

Valley of Dreams Silicon Valley or The Valley of Dreams represents many things to different people. It’s the place were the integrated circuit, the first commercial radio broadcast, minicomputers, miniprocessors, gene-splicing, 3-D computing, and Internet commerce were all invented or created. It’s also believed that if it stood alone as an independent country, it would hold the world’s 12th largest economy. This valley could also just represent the place where a lot of the nerds we use to make fun of ran off too. Those nerds however, have become some of the wealthiest men not only in California and the United States, but some are right up there with other world economic leaders. The driving force for the creation of the Valley of Dreams has got to be: â€Å"Get it today, because it may be gone tomorrow† (Kaplan, 27). It is the slogan that most of its residents go by. There’s a hunger that fuels the valley’s residents and pushes them to go forward. Ma ny hope to gain more wealth and others want the wealth but have aspirations of changing the future as well. It’s definitely the valley of the dollar where most people have hit it big or believe they are about to. It’s that attitude that helped the Silicon Valley get where it is today, as an â€Å"American icon† (Kaplan, 13). However, Silicon Valley doesn’t guarantee immediate or promised success. Kaplan explains the rise of venture capitalism in and around the Valley. The story tells of the traditional missed opportunities committed by William Shockley and Fairchild Semiconductor. Shockley was a technical genius with little business sense and his rise and fall marked the beginnings of Silicon Valley as we know it today. Shockley represents only a minority of those who have lived there because he certainly did fail but there aren’t many that can relate to him. John Doerr, Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs, Jim Clarke, Marc Andreesen, and Jerry Yang are some of the... Free Essays on Valley Of Dreams Free Essays on Valley Of Dreams Valley of Dreams Silicon Valley or The Valley of Dreams represents many things to different people. It’s the place were the integrated circuit, the first commercial radio broadcast, minicomputers, miniprocessors, gene-splicing, 3-D computing, and Internet commerce were all invented or created. It’s also believed that if it stood alone as an independent country, it would hold the world’s 12th largest economy. This valley could also just represent the place where a lot of the nerds we use to make fun of ran off too. Those nerds however, have become some of the wealthiest men not only in California and the United States, but some are right up there with other world economic leaders. The driving force for the creation of the Valley of Dreams has got to be: â€Å"Get it today, because it may be gone tomorrow† (Kaplan, 27). It is the slogan that most of its residents go by. There’s a hunger that fuels the valley’s residents and pushes them to go forward. Ma ny hope to gain more wealth and others want the wealth but have aspirations of changing the future as well. It’s definitely the valley of the dollar where most people have hit it big or believe they are about to. It’s that attitude that helped the Silicon Valley get where it is today, as an â€Å"American icon† (Kaplan, 13). However, Silicon Valley doesn’t guarantee immediate or promised success. Kaplan explains the rise of venture capitalism in and around the Valley. The story tells of the traditional missed opportunities committed by William Shockley and Fairchild Semiconductor. Shockley was a technical genius with little business sense and his rise and fall marked the beginnings of Silicon Valley as we know it today. Shockley represents only a minority of those who have lived there because he certainly did fail but there aren’t many that can relate to him. John Doerr, Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs, Jim Clarke, Marc Andreesen, and Jerry Yang are some of the...

Poverty and Inequality in the United States

Poverty and Inequality in the United States Americans are proud of their economic system, believing it provides opportunities for all citizens to have good lives. Their faith is clouded, however, by the fact that poverty persists in many parts of the country. Government anti-poverty efforts have made some progress but have not eradicated the problem. Similarly, periods of strong economic growth, which bring more jobs and higher wages, have helped reduce poverty but have not eliminated it entirely. The federal government defines a minimum amount of income necessary for the basic maintenance of a family of four. This amount may fluctuate depending on the cost of living and the location of the family. In 1998, a family of four with an annual income below $16,530 was classified as living in poverty. The percentage of people living below the poverty level dropped from 22.4 percent in 1959 to 11.4 percent in 1978. But since then, it has fluctuated in a fairly narrow range. In 1998, it stood at 12.7 percent. What is more, the overall figures mask much more severe pockets of poverty. In 1998, more than one-quarter of all African-Americans (26.1 percent) lived in poverty; though distressingly high, that figure did represent an improvement from 1979, when 31 percent of blacks were officially classified as poor, and it was the lowest poverty rate for this group since 1959. Families headed by single mothers are particularly susceptible to poverty. Partly as a result of this phenomenon, almost one in five children (18.9 percent) was poor in 1997. The poverty rate was 36.7 percent among African-American children and 34.4 percent of Hispanic children. Some analysts have suggested that the official poverty figures overstate the real extent of poverty because they measure only cash income and exclude certain government assistance programs such as Food Stamps, health care, and public housing. Others point out, however, that these programs rarely cover all of a familys food or health care needs and that there is a shortage of public housing. Some argue that even families whose incomes are above the official poverty level sometimes go hungry, skimping on food to pay for such things as housing, medical care, and clothing. Still, others point out that people at the poverty level sometimes receive cash income from casual work and in the underground sector of the economy, which is never recorded in official statistics. In any event, it is clear that the American economic system does not apportion its rewards equally. In 1997, the wealthiest one-fifth of American families accounted for 47.2 percent of the nations income, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based research organization. In contrast, the poorest one-fifth earned just 4.2 percent of the nations income, and the poorest 40 percent accounted for only 14 percent of income. Despite the generally prosperous American economy as a whole, concerns about inequality continued during the 1980s and 1990s. Increasing global competition threatened workers in many traditional manufacturing industries, and their wages stagnated. At the same time, the federal government edged away from tax policies that sought to favor lower-income families at the expense of wealthier ones, and it also cut spending on a number of domestic social programs intended to help the disadvantaged. Meanwhile, wealthier families reaped most of the gains from the booming stock market. In the late 1990s, there were some signs these patterns were reversing, as wage gains accelerated especially among poorer workers. But at the end of the decade, it was still too early to determine whether this trend would continue. - Next Article: The Growth of Government in the United States This article is adapted from the book Outline of the U.S. Economy by Conte and Carr and has been adapted with permission from the U.S. Department of State.

Men in Nursing Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Men in Nursing - Literature review Example Such understandings can cause escalation in the understanding of the obstacles that influence the staffing and retaining of men in the occupation, and they are dynamic if nursing is to grow, not only staffing policies focused on males, but more significantly, retention strategies that address current and uninterrupted gender relations that impact all nurses lives. Historical accounts of the monastic movement, dating back to the fourth and fifth centuries, show that people of the male gender participated actively in the provision or nursing care and protection to the ailing as members of religious groups. The Command of St John of Jerusalem, an order of military knights or knight’s hospitallers was the first of many orders of nobility established in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The Cavaliers of St John of Jerusalem who defended Jerusalem during the crusades, later provided protection to travelling pilgrims and also built hospitals and castles across Europe that served as both lodgings for pilgrims and places to nurse the sick. This order continues to operate as the St John Ambulance Link, an organization formed to offer people the necessary training required to caater for the health needs of the injured and ill, in 1877. Men as nurses also participated in non-military nursing orders such as the Brothers of St Anthony. This order, founded in 1095, cared for victims of erysipelas, a disfiguring skin disease later called St Anthony’s fire. Other orders included the Hospitallers of St John of God, founded in the late sixteenth century in Spain, and the Alexian Brothers, who became a religious order in 1472 (Kauffman 1976). The Alexians, an order of uneducated craftsmen, preached the word of God and provided basic healthcare to the lowly in society in ancient Europe (Kauffman 1976). It was a culture of the Alexians to burry the dead, and the ministry gained momentum and appreciation during the plague years of the fourteenth and fifteenth centurie s. With the final disappearance of the plague in the eighteenth century, the Alexian Brothers gained fame because of their work. The insignificant, but rising number of males in the nursing occupation does not herald a liberal integration of male and female sex roles. The confirmation presented in this paper proposes that even in female-conquered jobs such as nursing, male-controlled gender associations which reflect a tall estimate of all that is manlike and masculine, play an important role in situating an uneven number of males in managerial and elite department positions. At the core of this sex dynamic is the need to detach the masculine from the less valued female. Male harbors do this by staffing plans that allow them to detach themselves from female coworkers and the quintessential female image of nursing itself, as a precondition to uplifting their own status and authority. They are assisted in this mission by male-controlled cultural organizations that craft and spread mal e benefit, as well as by female nurses themselves who, deliberately or automatically, nurture the vocations of male coworkers (Wheeler 1991). The low status of women in a society controlled by the male gender is manifest in the female dominated occupation of nursing. Here, stereotypical feminine traits of nurturing, caring, dependence and submission

Employee rewards and management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employee rewards and management - Essay Example Having a well-motivated workforce may be equivalent to better work productivity and success in product salability in the market. Additional advantages are lower level of absenteeism and staff turnovers because the employees are satisfied with their work. This also means that training and recruitment costs are lowered because work positions are always reliably staffed (Dawson, 2009). In motivating and retaining good employees, it is important for management to establish a reward system to ensure that good performance is sustained. The Total Reward system is â€Å"the monetary and nonmonetary return provided to employees in exchange for their time, talents, efforts and results† (Christofferson and King, 2006). Total rewards involves the deliberate integration of key elements such as pay, benefits, learning and development and work environment (Brown, 2001) which all effectively attract, retain and motivate the talent required to achieve desired business results. In addition to t hese elements, Christofferson & King (2006) have added the elements of development and career opportunities which may be equivalent to Brown’s (2001) learning and development; performance and recognition and work-life balance which both belong under the work environment key of Brown’s (2001) framework. Figure 1. Christofferson & King’s Total Rewards Framework Key Elements: Pay The monetary component of the Total Rewards System which includes Base Pay, Annual Bonuses, Long term incentives, Shares and Profit sharing may serve as the most concrete reward an employee can hold, and is the most practical to use to meet his daily needs over time. Research has shown that pay satisfaction and the need for career growth are two of the most important predictors of job satisfaction (Gyanmudra and Vijaykumar, 2007). Individuals who are satisfied with the pay they get and the opportunities for professional advancement find that the costs of leaving their jobs would be greater so they develop positive attitudes towards their jobs and appreciate it for what it gives them. Benefits Receiving benefits such as pension, holidays, perks & flexibility of time may make an employee feel more accepted as part of the organization. Usually, it takes time before one can enjoy such benefits, and having proved oneself worth of such is adequately rewarded. Learning and Development Learning and development opportunities such as training, on the job learning, performance management, career development and succession planning may yield more long-term outcomes for both the employee and the organization. It increases the market value of the employee as he gets regularly updated about current trends in the business and be actively involved in contributing to its growth. Brown & Hunning (2010) claim if an employee adopts a learning goal orientation, he focuses on improving his abilities; a he is likely to have job satisfaction even if he is not intrinsically motivated. This is because of his intrinsic desire for the job due to the learning it brings him. Work Environment The work environment should also bring about rewards for the employee. This includes the organisation culture leadership, communications, involvement, worklife balance and non financial recognition. Maintaining positive work environments means having positive working

Change Management and Communication Plan Essay Example for Free

Change Management and Communication Plan Essay Riordan Manufacturing needs to develop a formalized method for controlling all client information into one centralized client administration method. The first part of this plan will develop a modified administration plan that will include many critical elements; for example, suggestion of a plan in order to execute modifications during the coming year and an explanation of the assessment processes following the implementation of the modifications. The 2nd part of the plan will make reference to an exhaustive communication plan for the suggested modifications. A sample message communicating the plan to the company employees is also included. Riordan Manufacturing currently uses a bureaucratic structure based on formal power. This structure is designed with set rules and functions on how the business will operate daily. Their organizational chart describes how the organization is departmentalized by scope of work into functional areas. Each specialized department has a vice president and managers that control their operations. The major advantage of this type of functional departmentalization is efficiency gained from putting like specialists together (Robbins Judge, 2013). The power and political structure could affect the employee behavior because all decisions must go up the ladder. For example, if a decision needs to be made about how a heart valve machine needs to be updated, the decision must be routed through proper authority, rather than being handled by the foreman. Another advantage of this structure is that there is direct communication between lower level managers and their supervisors; this provides effective leadership, vision, and communication throughout the ranks in the organization. The most appropriate and effective organizational structure for Riordan is departmentalization and formalization. With the planned change for a new customer information system, structure, organization, and good communication between departments  is necessary. This form is valuable when an organizationâ€⠄¢s customers are widely distributed geographically and have similar needs based on their location (Robbins Judge, 2013). Most of the positions in the organizations are standardized, so each employee is placed in the correct department according to his or her abilities. Riordan Manufacturing has a separate department for each product they make, which is an example of departmentalization. Employees in a departmentalized and formalized organization have set rules to follow and are specialized to their department. Riordan Manufacturing employees are a diverse group that offers solutions in a diverse market. Each member is part of a team where each product made grows their total portfolio. Riordan’s culture is based on organic growth with innovation, although they are a bureaucratic organization. They are constantly looking for new products to innovate and expand in new areas without looking to cut costs to gain growth. Their characteristics include: ethical standards, innovative, and team building. The corporate culture of Riordan Manufacturing influences employee behavior by innovation and risk taking with an emphasis on team building. Riordan uses good communication and team orientation to keep their employees motivated. Some workers may become unwilling to cope with modification. Possible reasons may be the lack of knowledge regarding the modification, comfort, anxiety about being unsure, personal private views, job security, pressure from peers, clashes, and lack of confidence. Even though workers are being resistive, the administrators are intending to cope with the opposition and assist workers with the modification more efficiently. Administrators may apply the modification by conveying it clearly, being straightforward, and acknowledging their worries together while respecting workers. Administrators may provide support by meeting directly in regards to the modifications or by additional co aching. Administrators might place the resistive workers with employees or another company temporarily who are already using the modification. This can allow for administrators to make certain they have set some objectives to ensure the success of the modifications was worthwhile and advantageous. Modifications need constant and continuous quality improvements. During the 12 months, administrators must be sure that the modification they put in place continues to remain effective. Administrators can perform this by assigning reaction teams to  areas which are in danger, as well as continue to make contact with their workers via phone, email, direct contact, or memo. Safety precautions will also continue to be managed and improved. Staff and administration attitudes will remain optimistic, involving workers, caring for their views, ideas, and thoughts, continuing to provide training sessions, set objectives and goals, and encourage inspiration. Administrators may assess achievement by monitoring the effectiveness of the modification, organization numbers/sales, and ensuring workers are producing great results. In case the organization is failing or hasn’t seen any growth then they must adjust the modification. Communication Plan The best way to overcome the resistance to change is timely communication to employees. Managers should have meetings with employees, as necessary to discuss the changes. The reason for the changes should be conveyed in a way so employees will understand the necessity for the changes. Managers also need to make themselves available to address any concerns and to listen to feedback from employees. It is very important to listen to their concerns, and address them in a professional and compassionate manner. The manager needs to assert themselves as being calm and professional, while conveying the change and listening to concerns of the employees. Along with meetings, regular emails and memos should be sent to all employees to inform them in a formal manner of the changes that need to take place. It may be prudent to appoint a few reactionary team members to assist the employees with the new procedures. Some employees should be selected to join the reactionary team to instill a sense of ownership into the changes. If a written communication method was to be utilized there could be physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Not being able to see the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can make communication less effective. To counter that, our preferred communication channel will be face-to-face to discuss anything that could be considered sensitive in nature. Jargon, abbreviations, and slanged terms for what is considered common items is commonly used in corporations; this can cause confusion for some whom may be less familiar. To ensure everyone has a firm grasp on the message being relayed, the use of these terms should be minimized in all formal communications. Email and Memo Message Valued Employees of Riordan Manufacturing: The organization decided to apply a client administration method that will permit you to easily monitor our clients. The administration knows that we have put enormous accountability on you to manage client info and wish to provide you with the methods to do this job more efficiently. This info might be more effective when we keep it in a uniformed style and saved in a convenient location. By applying this method we will be allowing the info to be easily available to all workers and will streamline searching methods. We know that this info, if not saved correctly will get lost, and we dont want to jeopardize the client associations which you have worked so hard to maintain. Formalized training will be given to all workers prior to the launch of this method. Our objective is to make sure that you are happy and capable of using the latest program before its put into use. We have created a formalized coaching agenda for following week to make sure everybody has had time to see, work, and know the program. We hope that this may be applied on Monday March 30th, 2015. Administration knows that understanding the latest method is a difficult task, however we believe you will notice the advantage of this latest program. We thank you all for your hard work, persistence, and assistance in this matter. Please contact your immediate supervisor with any questions or problems. Thank You, Riordan Manufacturing Administration Conclusion The document has assisted in developing a modification administration plan for Riordan Manufacturing by deciding formalized and casual power structures of the company and their influence on the conduct of workers. It has additionally determined suitable company structures for this organization which will help in achieving the modifications. The document has described the company’s tradition by identifying its features, and the possible impact of this tradition on the conduct of workers. Riordan must think about applying the specified modifications which are contained in the modification administration plan, and they must also apply the communication plan that will assist in implementing the modifications effectively. Reference Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A. (2013). Organizational behavior (15th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Shakespeares Hamlet - Regarding Gertrude Essay -- Essays on Shakespear

Regarding Hamlet’s Gertrude  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy Hamlet, the audience meets a queen who is a former and present queen. She was unhappy before – how does she feel now? Is she evil, guilty, motherly, lascivious? The multiple aspects of her personality deserve our attention.    Angela Pitt in â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies† comments that Shakespeare’s Gertrude in Hamlet is, first and foremost, a mother:    Gertrude evinces no such need to justify her actions and thereby does not betray any sense of guilt. She is concerned with her present good fortune, and neither lingers over the death of her first husband nor analyses her motives in taking another. . . .She seems a kindly, slow-witted, rather self-indulgent woman, in no way the emotional or intellectual equal of her son. . . . Certainly she is fond of Hamlet. Not only is she prepared to listen to him when he storms at her, proof that he is sufficiently close to her to have a right to make comments on   her personal life, but she is unfailingly concerned about him. (46-47)    Gunnar Bokland in â€Å"Hamlet† describes Gertrude’s moral descent during the course of Shakespeare’s Hamlet:    With Queen Gertrude and finally also Laertes deeply involved in a situation of increasing ugliness, it becomes clear that, although Claudius and those who associate with him are not the incarnations of evil that Hamlet sees in them, they are corrupt enough from any balanced point of view, a condition that is also intimated by the â€Å"heavy-headed revel† that distinguishes life at the Danish court. (123)    Gertrude’s â€Å"contamination† does indeed affect the hero. Courtney Lehmann and Lisa S. Starks in "Making Mother Matter: Repression... ...    Lehmann, Courtney and Lisa S. Starks. "Making Mother Matter: Repression, Revision, and the Stakes of 'Reading Psychoanalysis Into' Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet." Early Modern Literary Studies 6.1 (May, 2000): 2.1-24 <URL: http://purl.oclc.org/emls/06-1/lehmhaml.htm>.    Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint of Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.    Smith, Rebecca. â€Å"Gertrude: Scheming Adulteress or Loving Mother?† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of â€Å"Hamlet†: A User’s Guide. New York: Limelight Editions, 1996.   

Public Administrations Essay

The external environment is the highly complex macro-environment that influences the purposes and modes of operation of public organizations. The importance of the ability of public organizations in properly responding to the pressures by these external influences is crucial in maintaining the organization’s optimum functions (Mc Kinney & Howard, 1998). The external environment plays important role in the functioning of the organization. First, it provides demands and resources that trigger and sustain the organization. Second, it sets parameters for organizational activities and third, it belongs to one of the major places where organizational activities are judged. The three major components of the external environment are ecology, cultural setting and the political economy. There is interrelation between the components and change in the external environment cause change in the structure and internal processes of public administration. The changes influence the outputs of the organization. Public administration takes the central role in a political system. By studying each component and understanding why and how organizations behave and perform the way they do, public administrators are able to manage the external environment in order to make the organization function more accountably. The ecology of the government determines greatly what is to be done while the cultural setting helps identify the proper response to these particular demands. Political economy specifies how government officials exercise the power that is granted to them. At the executive level of an organization, leaders are asked to deal with the external environment that include the market organization works within, the competitors and the workforce fluctuations that may be present. At this level, individuals lead the organization in terms of the mission and the vision of the organization and they are in charge as well to strategically plan for the future (Rabin, 2003).

Analysis of a Key Passage in One Hundred Years of Solitude Essay

The chosen passage is an extract from Gabriel Marquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. This passage was chosen because it is the final pages of the story that describe the great tragedy of the town of Macondo. At this point, the novel seems to become clear and everything that happens in between is justified. The passage describes the great prophecy of Melquiades. It reveals that all of the elements of the Buendà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½a Family’s lives were predicted down to the most trivial details. It is the exact antithesis of an existentialist novel, where the characters themselves are responsible for everything that happens to them. Marquez instead demonstrates the idea of an overall fate and destiny that lures you into its shadows and leads you down its dark trail. The ending may seem as an equivocation, but it is so much more. Marquez’s use of nature throughout the novel is ironic, because it is nature that eventually murders the town of Macondo, expunging all memories of it. Marquez’s use of a third person point of view is very essential to the novel’s understanding, because we are able to stand on the outside, and look down upon 100 years worth of time. Throughout this time, the characters are blissfully unaware of their future, living for moments alone. We as readers however, are able to decipher the cyclical writing through Marquez’s writing styles and techniques. The Buendà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½as were a huge part of the foundation of their town, Macondo. They built a civilization out of nothing, a wondrous place indeed. But little did they know that the town, along with themselves, was destined for doom. As the Buendà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½a family began to deteriorate, so did the society in which they lived. From generation to generation, the same things happened over and over again. Each new generation of the family seemed to repeat the same mistakes as their predecessors. This happened in accordance to Macondo’s deterioration until the town â€Å"†¦was already a fearful whirlwind of dust and rubble being spun about by the wrath of the biblical hurricane†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rquez, p.416). Marquez uses this metaphor of a whirlwind to demonstrate how things kept going round and round, enclosed within a powerful force that is impossible to escape. This comes off as peculiar because when Jose Arcadio Buendà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½a died, nature showed its condolence with a shower of flowers. Nature was kind to Jose Arcadio Buendà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½a, because he did not have detrimental intentions. By the end of the novel, the story is corrupt with jealousy, hate, and lust. Therefore Nature had no sympathy for them. One such instance of the cyclical philosophy in the novel is Marquez’s usage of the Buendà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½a family tree. The confusion that is created with the repetition of names and personalities is intentionally concocted by Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rquez in order to illustrate the idea that identity is not important and not present in the novel. By using the same names through all six of the generations, he illustrates the Buendà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½as’ desire to stay the same and resist change. Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rquez’s stylistic choice makes it difficult to distinguish between characters with similar names, but this is merely to show that it simply does not matter. No matter what their name is, or which generation they are in, they’re destined for the same things. This is why most of the Jose Arcadias were tough and fighters, while most of the Aurelianos had an interest in science and art. Colonel Aureliano Buendà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½a for instance, grew tired of the war and became highly interested in poetry. This is in fact a bigger metaphor to represent the actual people of society. Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rquez conveys that people, and ultimately society, never learn from their mistakes. This is the sole cause of their downfall. Because Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rquez writes in magical realism time is essential to the story, but along with time, he also utilizes the motifs of amnesia and nostalgia. Part of the reason why things were always repeated, and people never questioned it, was because of the amnesia that swept over the people of every generation. After even the most memorable and life-changing experience of the Banana Plant Massacre, the people lost all memory that it ever even existed. Their willingness to believe what was told to them shows their lack of individuality and thought. In fact, they had to put up a sign reminding themselves that God even existed. If a person does not have any recollection of a past event, then ‘doing it again’ would seem to them, only the first time. This could explain the constant repetition that the town encounters. This would allow no margin for repent or a lesson to be learned.

The Harmful Effects of Colorism

The Harmful Effects of Colorism The effects of colorism are far-reaching. Skin color bias has an impact on self-esteem, beauty standards, and even personal relationships. An offshoot of racism, colorism is discrimination based on skin tone in which light skin is regarded as superior to dark skin. A serious social problem, its repercussions should not be underestimated. The Effects of Colorism on Relationships Colorism is a particularly divisive form of bias. In the face of racism, people of color can usually turn to the support of their communities, but that’s not necessarily the case with colorism, where members of a person’s own racial group may reject or resent them due to the skin color biases rooted in the West’s history of white supremacy. Colorism in the African-American community led to light-skinned blacks treating their darker counterparts in the same discriminatory fashion as whites have treated people of color generally. Dark-skinned blacks could be denied the chance to join certain civic groups, clubs, and sororities in their schools and neighborhoods. This led to these African-Americans being doubly discriminated against, by whites and the light-skinned black  elite, alike. Colorism turns intensely personal when it shows up in families. It can lead to parents favoring one child over another because of their skin color. This may erode the rejected child’s self-worth, break the trust between parent and child, and foster sibling rivalry. How Skin Color Bias Narrows Beauty Standards Colorism has long been linked to restrictive beauty standards. Those who embrace colorism not only tend to value lighter-skinned people over their darker-skinned counterparts but also view the former as more intelligent, noble, and attractive than darker complexioned people. Actresses Lupita Nyong’o, Gabrielle Union, and Keke Palmer have all spoken about how they desired lighter skin growing up because they thought darker skin made them unattractive. This is especially telling given that all of these actresses are widely considered to be good-looking, and Lupita Nyong’o earned the title of People magazine’s Most Beautiful in 2014. Rather than acknowledging that beauty can be found in people of all skin tones, colorism narrows beauty standards by deeming only light-skinned people as beautiful and everyone else as less than. The Link Between Colorism, Racism, and Classism While colorism is often thought of as a problem that exclusively afflicts communities of color, thats not the case. Europeans have prized fair skin and flaxen hair for centuries, and blonde hair and blue eyes remain status symbols for some people. When the conquistadors first traveled to the Americas in the 15th century, they judged the indigenous peoples they saw on their skin color. Europeans would make similar judgments about the Africans they enslaved. Over time, people of color began to internalize these messages about their complexions. Light skin was deemed superior, and dark skin, inferior. In Asia, though, fair skin is said to be a symbol of wealth and dark skin, a symbol of poverty, as peasants who toiled in the fields all day typically had the darkest skin. Why Skin Color Discrimination May Foster Self-Hatred If a child is born with dark skin and learns that dark skin is not valued by her peers, community, or society, she may develop feelings of shame. This is especially true if the child is unaware of colorism’s historical roots and lacks friends and family members who shun skin color bias. Without an understanding of racism and classism, it’s difficult for a child to understand that no one’s skin color is innately good or bad.

Can the animal testing done to find cures for diseases be done Essay

Can the animal testing done to find cures for diseases be done humanely or is it by nature inhumane - Essay Example animal testing because much more relaxed standards on what a researcher could do to his animal were in place that allowed for very torturous acts to be undertaken in the name of science. It is extreme cases like that which prompt modern opposition to animal testing. However, research institutions much more tightly regulate live animal testing today in order to protect the interests of animals when they are being tested, and there is no reason to believe that animal testing cannot be conducted in a humane fashion. Animal testing endures a great number of regulations in order to protect the interests of animals. At Stanford University, scientists adhere to the Animal Welfare Act and must submit proposals for how they will use their animals in experimentation. This requires a researcher to think beforehand about the best way to use his animal resources to achieve his intended outcome, and this allows other scientists to criticize that method if it is cruel. Scientists also sit down to discuss concepts of cruelty and the appropriate use of animals in a laboratory (Stanford News Service). With grant money depending on these scientists’ abilities to understand and apply these concepts of humane treatment, there is a strong incentive to treat animals with a measure of respect they have not been given in centuries prior. The Canadian Council on Animal Care proposes additional practical ways in which animal tested can be conducted humanely, summarized as the â€Å"three R’s† (CCAC). The first â€Å"R† refers to â€Å"replacement,† or the preferred use of an inanimate system or model instead of a live animal model. Cell and tissue cultures are sometimes even better than a full-scale live animal model because there are fewer variables to consider. â€Å"Reduction† is the second â€Å"R,† which means decreasing the number of animals used in experimentation. This is a good scientific practice anyway, regarding the number of confounding genetic variables that may arise in a

Education for the Future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education for the Future - Essay Example The pace of learning will increase, whereas the necessary attendance is likely to be reduced, as there will appear such feature as virtual attendance - human hologram will be able to perceive all information, including from sensual channels (see, hear, touch and so on). The concept of education is also likely to alter - from 'teaching' to 'education' in pure meaning, i.e. there will be more attention to individual assignments. Nevertheless, the role of teacher, or, more precisely, tutor, will remain intact, and in addition, the professor's authority and knowledge will become one of the main stimuli for secondary education. In fact, schools will be more adjusted to each person's needs, and classes will be formed according to each student's interests and aspirations for future. From earliest years, students will concentrate on the subjects or topics they find interesting or worth attention, whereas the so-called general disciplines, such as math, history, literature and physics will 's urvive'.

Resolving Ethical Business Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Resolving Ethical Business Challenges - Essay Example In this situation, Marry is also facing an ethical problem that either she should care for the customers to lie or to speak the truth. On the other side, it is also important that if she lies to the building owner and the buyer then what would be the benefit of it. In the business world, the ethics program may also include the true and sincere involvement of the employees with their business and the business parties and stakeholders. If Mary lies to the building owner and hides the reality of her negotiation with the owner of the buyer then it also indicates that she is trying to fulfill her duty. However, she may face a little problem after the negotiation when both parties will come to know the truth. At least until that time, the building will be sold and this sale is actually beneficial for both parties. The building is not considered for many years and now the only customer who wants to own this building is here. Therefore, if Mary put her efforts to make this purchase possible then it will not be considered as unethical. However, it is quite possible that if Mary is successful in her efforts to convince Ted that the buyer is purchasing that building for a noble cause and he cannot arrange the required down payment because of the charity funds. Then it will not be a problem for the buyer and the seller that there is an issue with the agreement.

Case Study #4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study #4 - Essay Example Against this background, the major problem sought to be addressed by the case study is that of trying to assist both Mike and Dorothy on the best way they can adopt in order to be better positioned to cope with the disease. The other issue being addressed is that of trying to find out possible means of helping Mike to prevent the disease, foster independence as well improving the quality of life. It can also be noted that emphasis is put on the notion that this kind of ailment is not equivalent to mental disorder or madness but just something that can be associated with old age where one can manage to treat it or live with it without major repercussions. This can be treated as a normal development in elderly people where they can get proper medication to overcome this ailment and lead a normal life once again. In some cases, elderly people tend to lose track of events which can be a normal thing given that the brain, just like any other part of the body reaches a point of getting tired as result of age thereby cannot continue to function perfectly compared to the young and energetic adult people. The major concepts presented in the text include the issue of forgetfulness which can either be attributed to Alzheimer disease. Schaie & Willis (2002) suggest that the condition of forgetfulness of the mind can be attributed to old age and this is seen as a normal development in the life of the human beings as they rich older ages. Thomas (1996) also concurs that research has shown that about 25 million adults have what he calls Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Some do not know it but in case of the adult people, it can ruin their relationships because of their forgetfulness, inability to be on time and in some cases leaving unfinished projects. In the case of Mike, it can be noted that he is beginning to forget even week days as well as the names of

Digital Intermediate Frequency in LTE Superheterodyne

Digital Intermediate Frequency in LTE Superheterodyne Research and implementation of the digital intermediate frequency in LTE superheterodyne transmitter Abstract: Digital IF (Intermediate Frequency) is an indispensable key technology in modern communication, among which digital up converter (DUC) and digital down converter (DDC) are important parts between baseband and IF. In this paper, we give a general method and solution of designing digital IF to meet the demands of practical application. Firstly, we analyze the theories and technologies of digital IF including filter bank and DUC. Secondly, we set about analyzing how to design filter bank in key part and implement a superheterodyne. Finally, we put forward a specific design plan of DUC and develop a digital IF suitable for TDD-LTE (Time Division Long Term Evolution) system. The results of simulation show that our design method of DUC can satisfy the requirements of relevant indicators. It has been implemented on FPGA platform in a practical LTE based transmitter. SECTION I. Introduction Nowadays, digital subscriber line (DSL) network far remains one of the most promising means of broadband communications. DSL communication is evolved from conventional discrete multitone (DMT) system to filtered architectures. The smooth evolution of filtered multitone, FMT, provides higher peak rate and higher spectrum efficiency as the widening of the limited frequency increases. As the frequency resources become increasingly scarce, research on subband coding in the field of high-speed DSL communication is of great significance. Adaptive subband estimate is the core of the FMT receiver. With the development of FMT technology, an orthogonal filter bank transmissions have become the focus of attention. As the key technology of recent multirate systems, filter banks technology is also the starting point to a breakthrough of frequency selective transmissions. For frequency selective channels, digital up-conversion must be completed firstly before filtering. Analysis filter bank structure mainly includes filtering, interpolating, mixing and resampling. Filter bank implementation involves the computation of an efficient spectral allocation and often estimates high complexities. It is very difficult to implement full corresponding spectral after sampling using the current DMT [2]. In application design, the common method is to use DMT in the time-domain to achieve digital up-conversion. In this paper, we mainly research the theoretical characteristics of the digital up-conversion in the frequency-domain, and design a set of digital up-conversion scheme suitable for FMT system. Finally, the design of subband transmissions is implemented. SECTION II. Design Requirements of DUC DUC usually needs spectrum shifting that modulate the baseband signal to band-pass signal. Because of the lower sampling rate of baseband signal, it cannot meet the needs of radio-frequency emission. The sampling rate conversion should be added. The method to implement DUC is as follows. At first, the signal is divided into two channels baseband signal (I, Q). Then the signal is transformed into a higher sampling rate through the filter interpolation. Finally the two-way signals are respectively modulated and thus the spectrum is moved to a specific point through the digital mixer. Up-converter module is realized using filter bank cascade and finally modulate it to realize the spectrum shift. The up-converter principle block diagram is shown in Fig. 1. Figure 1 Figure 1. The up-converter principle block diagram. View All Usually, the sampling rate can be improved through the filtering and interpolation [3]. We modulate the baseband signal to the NCO (Numerically Controlled Oscillator) intermediate frequency carrier. This paper designs a broadband wireless DUC which is operated based on the TDD-LTE standard and the bandwidth is 5MHz. The Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards specifies that the sampling rate of signal carrier 5MHz bandwidth TDD-LTE is 7.68Msps. In order to shift the spectrum to the intermediate frequency 21.4MHz, signal needs to use interpolation for 8 times to achieve the sampling rate up to 6I.44Msps. Then we make analog transformation in DAC according to the Nyquist sampling theorem. DUC provides the function of spectrum shaping and improving the sampling rate, with the premise of satisfying the requirements of 3GPP standards. In 3GPP TS 36.804, it puts forward the specific spectrum requirements to the front-end of digital transmitter. On the one hand, the suppressio n performance outside the band of filter needs to meet the regulation of the spectrum template [4], [5]. On the other hand, it needs to satisfy the requirement of the 5MHz broadband. In addition, the sampling rate should be increased 8 times. The specific indicators is shown in Table 1. Table I. Design requirements of DUC Table I. SECTION III. Detailed Design Scheme of DUC In this paper, the multi-stage interpolation is adopted in DUC part. The total design is shown as Fig. 2: Figure 2 Figure 2. Digital up converter design. View All We need 8 times interpolation, therefore the design uses two CIC filters of 2-fold interpolation. Because the interpolation factor is a power of 2 times, particularly suitable for Half-band filter, we cascade a Half-band filter to achieve interpolation filtering function. A. Interpolation Theory Interpolation [6] is an integer multiple insertion of the original sequence. We do I times interpolation by inserting (I-1) zeroes between the adjacent two sampling points. The relationship between original sequence x(n) and interpolated sequence xI(n) is shown as: xI(n)={x(nI), 0,nI is integerothers(1) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. Spectrum relationship is obtained as: XI(ejω)=X(ejωI)(2) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. The original sequence does I-fold interpolation in the time domain, which is I times compression for the original spectrum. General interpolation method is inserting zeros between the sampling sequences. However, the signal spectrum XI(ejω) after interpolation not only contains the fundamental frequency X(ejω), but also high frequency mirror, the frequency of which is greater than Ï€/I. In order to recover the original signal spectrum from XI(ejω) we need to put signal through a low-pass filter with bandwidth Ï€/I. After low pass filtering, the inserted zero point smoothly get into the accurate value of x(n). Figure 3 Figure 3. Signal and spectrum before and after interpolation. View All The maximum output frequency of interpolation can reach (I-1) times of which of original sequences. The frequency spectrum of the signal is consistent with the original spectrum but frequency shifts, as is shown in Fig. 3. When the sampling rate is transformed, the I times interpolation can be realized by using only single stage. But if we design a low pass filter with larger interpolation multiple factor using the same method of single stage, the order of the transfer function h(n) will be relatively high. Its difficult to implement on an embedded hardware for its large requirement of storage and calculation. So in order to implement easier and reduce calculation, this paper uses a method of multi-stage interpolation and cascaded together [7]. A simple two-stage interpolation method is shown as follow Fig. 4: Figure 4 Figure 4. Multi-level implementation of interpolation(i=i1*12). View All After processing by multi-stage method, the order of the interpolation filter is decreased obviously. B. CIC Filter Principle and Design CIC (Cascade Integrator Comb) filter, a kind of efficient extraction or interpolation filter, is been widely used in the multi-rate signal processing. The basic components of CIC filter include two parts: integral and comb filtering. Single-stage CIC decimation and interpolation filter is shown in Fig. 5. Where, M is latency state, D is extraction factor and L is interpolation factor. Figure 5 Figure 5. CIC decimation and interpolation filter structure. View All In single-stage decimation CIC filter, the integrator stages N=1, and the feedback coefficient is 1: The state equation is defined as: y(n)=y(n−1)+x(n)(3) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. From (3) we can obtain the Z transform as: HI(Z)=11−Z−1(4) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. The state equation of comb section is defined as: y(n)=x(n−1)−x(n−DM)(5) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. where M is state delay, its function of Z transform is as: HC(Z)=1−Z−DM(6) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. Transfer function of extraction CIC filter is defined as: H(z)=HI(Z)HC(Z)=11−Z−1(1−Z−DM)(7) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. From (7) we can obtain its frequency response as: H(ejω)=sin(ωDM/2)sin(ω/2)(8) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. The amplitude-frequency characteristics of single-stage CIC filter has a higher sidelobe, so we can use a multi-stage cascade CIC filter to reduce sidelobe and improve stop-band attenuation. The system function of CIC filter can be expressed as: H(z)=HNI(Z)HNI(Z)=(11−Z−1)N(1−Z−DM)N=[∑D−1K=0Z−k]N(9) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. When we set CIC filters order D to the multiple factor of interpolation I and do an equivalent transformation, the CIC interpolation filter cascading in practical applications will be shown as Fig. 6: Figure 6 Figure 6. Cascading structure of CIC interpolation filter. View All Considering the system requirements and debugging repeatedly by MATLAB, we set the design with stages N=2, sampling rate R=3 and delay M=1. Then we can get the frequency response of interpolation CIC filter with the parameters N=5,M=1,R=3, as shown in Fig. 7: Figure 7 Figure 7. Frequency response of CIC filter after 2x interpolation. View All C. CIC Compensation Filter Design CIC filter has good anti-imaging and anti-aliasing effects. In the design of the decimation/interpolation filter, it is indispensable to get a relatively flat pass-band and a relatively narrow transition band especially for broadband systems. Consequently, if the CIC is applied to the broadband systems, the pre-compensation and compensation filter which can significantly improve the performance of the filter is needed. The amplitude response of the compensation filter is the reciprocal of the CIC filter in ideal circumstances. When we use an equal-ripple FIR [8] filter with anti-sinc function as the CIC compensation filter, its spectrum after two filters cascade will be shown as Fig. 8. According to the requirements of 5MHz bandwidth of our special TDD-LTE system, we set the parameters of CIC filter as fellow: cutoff frequency of pass-band B=5MHz, interpolating multiple D=2 and input sample rate is 30.72MHz. Figure 8 Figure 8. CIC and CIC compensation filter cascade effect. View All The so-called compensation means cascading a compensation filter in front of the filter bank. After simulation cascade in MATLAB, the band ripple of CIC filter is shown in Fig. 8(b). As can be seen from the figure, the band ripple drops about 3dB. After compensation filter processing, we find the attenuation of pass-band ripple improves so significantly that it can meet the design requirements. D. Half-Band Filter Design Half-band filter is a pretty useful and special filter and it plays an important role in the high speed signal processing and multi-stage filter design. Half-band filter is also a kind of FIR filter, and its impulse response h(k) is even symmetry with respect to the coordinate axis with the character of h(k)=h(-k). h(k)={1,0,k=0k= ±2, ±4(10) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. According to the above formula, we learn that the impulse response of Half-band filter is not 0 except in the coordinate zero point but the rest of even position is 0. This feature is very suitable for achieving the decimation and interpolation of power of 2 times. When using Half-band filter for sample rate conversion, the system can save half amount of calculation. Therefore, Half-band filter cascade is widely used in high order filter design and high-speed processing. For Half-band filter, Stop-band bandwidth π−ωA is equal to pass bandwidth ωc, and the width of the transition zone is determined by the pass bandwidth and sample rate together by consensus. In addition, the pass-band and stop-band ripple is the same. As is shown in Fig. 9: Figure 9 Figure 9. Half-band filter. View All As we can see from above figure, the response of Half-band filter in Ï€/2−ωA interval is not zero. When making 2 times extraction, it does not satisfy the conditions of extraction without aliasing, which will result in signal aliasing distortion. But the spectral structure of signal (0∠¼Ãâ€°c) in the pass-band has not been damaged and it can still be recovered without aliasing, so we can still use Half-band filter to design 2-times sample rate conversion of pass-band signal. In DUC design of this paper, we cascade a Half-band filter to achieve 2-times interpolation. After completing the design of filter banks, we simulate the solution in MATLAB and the result is shown in Fig. 10: Figure 10 Figure 10. Frequency response of our filter bank. View All SECTION IV.Simulation Results A typical TDD-LTE signal with 5MHz bandwidth is shown in Fig. 11. The baseband signal at the zero frequency is moved to 21.4MHz after up-converter. Figure 11 Figure 11. Signal spectrum before and after up-converter. View All As can be seen from the figure above, the design of our program meets the design requirements. Specially, in Fig. 11(a) we add two noise signal outside the passband into input signal. After the designed filter banks, the additional noise signal is also normally filtered out and the indicators such as band attenuation and ripple all meet the requirements. It is shown in Fig. 11(b)-(c). SECTION V.Implementation on FPGA At the end of design, Xilinxs xc7a200t-3fbg676 chip is selected to implement the system using VHDL language [9]. Simulating and synthesizing processes run in Xilinx [10] ISE14.3 development environment. The specific implementation structure is shown in Fig. 12. There are mainly five parts: 1) DUC_pre_tx (stabilizing date rate of the up-converter input data to ensure a constant rate for the next module); 2) CIC _ compensation (compensation filter of CIC filter which has a certain filtering characteristic); 3) CIC filter (achieving the function of filtering and interpolation); 4) halfband (achieving the function of filtering and interpolation); 5) dds_modulate_tx (moving spectrum from zero frequency to IF 21.4MHz). Figure 12 Figure 12. Realization diagram of fpga. View All Fig. 13 shows the signal waveform after interpolation with CIC compensation module in simulation tool ModelSim. As can be seen from the figure, the input signal is filtered as expected. The original signal is mixed with high-frequency signal and the high-frequency part is filtered through CIC filter compensation. It indicates that our filter design has reached satisfactory results. The signal waveform processed by CIC and halfband filter is shown in Fig. 14. We can see from figure that the original input signal becomes smooth, which suggests that the signal processing is successful. The signal waveform processed by dds _ modulate _ tx module spectrum shifting is shown in Fig. 15. In the figure, we can see that the signal spectrum has been moved successfully from baseband to intermediate frequency. Figure 13 Figure 13. Waveform and spectrum before and after interpolation. View All Figure 14 Figure 14. Waveform after CIC and half-band filter. View All Figure 15 Figure 15. Waveform and spectrum after frequency shifting. View All SECTION VI. Conclusion This paper introduces a general design method for digital IF and analyzes the main parameters that affect its performance. According to the specific index of TDD-LTE, we calculate the values of various parameters that the system needs. In addition, we analyze the frequency spectrum, band-pass ripple and band-stop ripple to judge whether they meet the requirements. The designs of CIC filter and Half-band filter are analyzed respectively. After that we analyze and design a CIC filter compensation best with the purpose of achieving possible to meet the system design requirements. Finally, we verify the actual effect of the filter in Model and implement the design on FPGA platform. The result suggests that the design method is reasonable and feasible.

Dark Overtones And Their Contrasts In My Antonia :: essays research papers

Dark Overtones, and Their Contrasts in My Antonia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In My Antonia by Willa Cather, there are many dark overtones that pervade the novel. It is through the use of symbolism and contrast these overtones are made real. The prairie is the predominant setting of the novel. It may be shaped, and it conforms to the desires of those working it. The prairie ¹s loneliness, shown by the wide open spaces, is a brilliant way of revealing internal conflict by using a setting. Also, it brings out the characters true meaning. Cather shows through the character of Lena Lengard that society ¹s next generation would not be as good, or quite as noble as that of Cather ¹s childhood. The primary inscription on the first page states that the best days are the first to flee. Cather contrasts these ideas with Antonia ¹s personality, which is always bright. This contributes to the dreariness of the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the novel the prairie is a metaphor for internal conflict. Cather brilliantly demonstrates the prairie as a representation for internal conflict being portrayed by a setting (Kelley, Sean). It symbolizes loneliness and depression. When Jim, one of the main characters, was young, the prairie was uncultivated and there were not as many settlers; it was a lonely place. Being isolated from society with little or no human contact could drive anyone insane. Despair, bad luck, greed, and self-absorbtion make one lose hope also, but it is mostly the lack, or the underuse of, imagination (Kelley, Sean). The prairie was a desolate strip of land that continued as far as could be seen. In the beginning of the novel, Jim Burden states about the land:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There seemed to be nothing to see, no fences, no creek or trees, no hills or fields. I   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  had the  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  feeling that the world was left behind, that we had gone over the edge of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  it.... If we never arrived anywhere, it did not matter. Between that earth, and that   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  sky, I felt erased, blotted out. (3 - 4) It seems that Jim tries to express that the prairie is forlorn, and deprived of life, making one aware of being alone. Because Jim has left behind all that is familiar, and started over his life, he has a clean slate, and that is what the prairie is. E. K. Brown, once wrote,  ³The impersonal vastness of the land is the freedom it represents.

First Year Writing Essay

The first year biology majors and accounting major of YU are all asking themselves the same question: â€Å"How is First Year Writing going to help me? † As an accounting major in the Syms School of Business, I was extremely troubled by the university requirement to take first year writing as well. â€Å"How will FYW help me with balance sheets? † I asked myself. How will this class get me an accounting internship this summer that I so desperately need to improve my resume? Seemingly, FYW will not assist me in realizing my professional aspirations. Furthermore, the requirements of a dual curriculum are taxing enough without the added labor an â€Å"extra,† unnecessary requirement. Having finished the course, I believe that First Year Writing should be mandatory for all students for three reasons: FYW raises students’ awareness of critical educational issues, it develops their writing skills, and cultivates intellectual independence. In my First Year Writing class, I was first exposed to articles that dealt with educational issues such as the promotion of online-education and the advancement of math and science at the expense of the Liberal Arts. My professor began a class discussion about the popularization of online education by assigning David Brook’s article â€Å"The Campus Tsunami. † Brooks documents the millions of dollars dedicated by elite colleges such as Harvard and M. I. T. to e-learning the year. Before reflecting upon and researching the issue, I thought of e-learning as a convenient, cheap and efficient form of education. Brooks’s article confirmed my initial feelings. However, in this FYW required readings like an â€Å"An Elite College Education, Online? (which were response letters to Brook’s article) and â€Å"Summa Cum Avaritia† by Nick Brommel that forced me to engage the alternative point of veiw. These two articles argue that online classes should not supplant the class experience because online classes â€Å"reconceive knowledge as information† (Brommel,73). Brommel distinguishes between knowledge and information and argues that online classes can convey only the latter. Students are delivered the facts but are not forced to synthesize the information with the rest of what they know. In the traditional classroom, professors introduce the students to omprehensive knowledge, not simply information. After reading these articles, I concluded that e-learning diminishes the quality of education. Simply put, online education cannot supplement the classroom experience. As a result of FYW’s student discussions and assigned readings, I reconsidered and, ultimately, shifted my view of e-learning. â€Å"But who cares that you changed your view of e-learning? † one might ask. But my view on e-learning has consequences. It might determine who I vote for (candidates disagree about online education) and, perhaps, the future choices I willmake regarding my children’s education. Although I do not have children, I hope to one day. ) In addition to raising my awareness of important educational issues, FYW gave me the opportunity to improve my writing skills. Before submitting my first essay, I went to the writing center for help. After I read over the essay to the professor at the writing center, he put a big X on the paper and recommended that I clearly outline my ideas before beginning the writing process. â€Å"Where is your thesis statement? Why does each one of your paragraphs have three different ideas? † he asked. Quickly realizing that I was a novice writer, the professor gave me some instructive tips. Now, before I start writing an essay, I outline what I want to say in each paragraph. And after much practice, I have a better understanding of how to formulate a clear thesis statement, simply my supporting paragraphs, and avoid general sweeping statements. In short, FYW has made myself and students like me better writers. Nevertheless, a science or business major might question whether writing is always a valuable skill. I maintain that the skill of writing assists is necessary for success as college student and professional, regardless of one’s major or career. In my first semester at YU, I was assigned a term paper in my management course, in which I was expected to clearly answer personal questions like â€Å"what is your vision for your career? † No amount of biology or accounting could provide me with the tools necessary to answer the above question. FYW enabled me to both reflect upon and clearly articulate my professional aspirations. In addition to helping one in the classroom, developed writing skills, assist one in the workplace as well. Again, in my first semester, I asked my accounting professor to push off the exam so that I could finish an essay due that day. As I offered my excuse, I began to ramble about the impracticality of writing for accountants. My professor sighed and then replied, â€Å"When are you kids going to learn that writing is important even in accounting? † He explained that writing skills are necessary in order to communicate financial statements in a coherent manner. Poorly written reports with grammatical errors will lack credibility. Conversely, a well drafted report will be readily understood. My professor’s example reflects Brent Staples’s description of writing as â€Å"a critical strategy [†¦ for] students to prepare them to succeed in the work place† (34). But as Mark Slouka’s article â€Å"Dehumanized† demonstrates, Staples and my accounting professor’s view of writing does not fully capture the importance of writing and the humanities. Most importantly, FYW has forced me to become intellectually independent. As a former soldier in the Israeli Defense forces, I struggled with the adjustment to Yeshiva University life. In the I. D. F. , I lived a life of obedience: I ate when told to eat, slept when told to sleep, and even showered was I was told to shower. Israeli soldiers live by the adage, â€Å"rosh bakir,† which roughly translates to â€Å"don’t think, just do. † In contrast to the IDF, my FYW course styled itself off of Mark Edmunson’s concept of â€Å"democratic thinking,† where each student is encouraged and, in fact, expected to offer his own thoughts. During my year and half long army service, my life choices were made for me. But upon entering YU, my FYW course required that I apply intellectual independence in evaluating the â€Å"Purpose of Liberal Arts,† a difficult task for a soldier whose bathroom breaks were previously timed. Initially, I viewed my professor as commander and myself as soldier. I relied on her exact directions about how to write the essay at hand. Quickly, my professor identified my dependency and challenged me to develop and articulate my own thoughts. But one need not serve in the army in order to fear independence. Like soldiers, students who simply who â€Å"go with the flow† depend heavily on things like social pressure and parental guidance. FYW forces students to exercise their intellectual independence in reflecting on big questions like â€Å"Purpose of Liberal Arts. Throughout this essay, I have argued that that First Year Writing should be mandatory for all students for three basic reasons. First, FYW raises awareness about critical life issues of which online education is but a single example. Second, even accounting majors who may not interested in the humanities can apply the writing skills they acquired from FYW when doing assignments for other classes and, eventually, when drafting financial statements. But most importantly, FYW should be mandatory because it forces students to exercise their intellectual independence.