Nick Carraway Essay Example

Nick Carraway Paper In the light of these quotations, explore the uses Fitzgerald makes of his narrator, Nick Carraway, in the novel. Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, introduces himself to the reader as a person to trust and he aims to assure the reader of his decent character. Talking of his father and his own personal issues from the very beginning, allows the reader to feel at ease with his comments and that they are what Nick feels to be the truth. Tony Tanner discusses Nicks introduction, When Nick is introducing himself to us, he speaks about his family with such casual, disarming honesty that it is easy to overlook the implications of what he reveals. It is true that it is easy to concentrate on what Nick tells us about other characters, however this novel is more about Nick and it is important not to overlook Nicks character whilst reading about the other characters. We will write a custom essay sample on Nick Carraway specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nick Carraway specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nick Carraway specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Nick sees himself as a guide, as narrated in the opening chapter when he directs somebody to the West Egg village. Fitzgerald labelling Nick with this description at an early point in the novel, prepares the reader for Nicks role: I was a guide, a pathfinder, an original settler. He had casually conferred on me the freedom of the neighbourhood. In the first few chapters of the novel, Nick remains a spectator on the other characters lives, as he is a newcomer to this vast world of wealth. He detaches himself from their wealth and situation and tries to keep his involvement with them to a minimum. He observes in the nature of this pathfinder, watching every movement and examining it. In the very first few lines of the novel Nick quotes from his father: Whenever you feel like criticising anyonejust remember that all the people in this world havent had the advantages that youve had. Nick uses this in the introduction, which suggests it is something he thinks about daily and follows consistently. However, he doesnt. He criticises many of the characters throughout the novel and picks up on their faults and downfalls. This lack of tolerance is surprising considering his own fathers advice, and as he points out just a few paragraphs on, it has a limit. Nick describes the East and West Egg villages with graphic images and details to emphasise the wonder of his surroundings. He also uses a lot of reference to light, linking with the green light, which Gatsby sets his life around: With fenders spread like wings we scattered light through half Astoria.. Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water. The use of this language shows Nicks feelings about the landscape. He is biased in the way he narrates throughout the novel, which reminds the reader that it is being narrated from one mans point of view. Once Nick has introduced himself to the reader, he moves on to talk about significant events in his life. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are old acquaintances of Nicks. Daisy is his second cousin once removed and he knew Tom from college, and so when they invite him over for dinner he feels obliged to accept the invitation. The reader is immediately made aware of the importance of the Buchanans role and the change that they make on Nicks life, the history of the summer really begins on the evening I drove over there to have dinner with the Tom Buchanans. At first Nick finds it hard to understand Tom and Daisy. Daisy has a singing compulsion in her voice, which is used to compel Nicks attention. Tom physically takes control of Nick swinging him around by one arm. At this point Nick is passive and malleable. However, as the novel moves on, we see changes occurring in Nicks relationships with the other characters. In Chapter IV Gatsby calls on him: Good morning, old sport. Youre having lunch with me today and I thought wed ride together. Here Nick is being moved to the edge of other peoples lives at their command. This allows excellent narration from him. If their lives had no relevance with his own morals and experiences, there would be no significance of these events. Wealth and money are issues introduced early in the novel. They play an important role in most of the characters lives (fantasies). It is what brought them to where they are now, drawn by the style, beauty and glamour. After the war Gatsby goes to New York, the centre of wealth. It was hard to realize that a man in my own generation was wealthy enough to do that. Wealth is something that Fitzgerald, through Nick, often revisits throughout the novel. Tom, Daisy, Jordan and Gatsby are all very wealthy and Myrtle craves this lifestyle. The characters are morally blind. They fabricate reality, they fantasise, gossip, misread themselves and others, they lie and they betray. Nick implies this to the reader when talking about Doctor T. J. Eckleburgs eyes. Those blue and gigantictheir retinas are one yard high.brood on over the solemn dumping ground of the valley of ashes, but they see nothing. The characters see what they want to see, living their own fantasies the way they want. Gatsby becomes a strong interest of Nicks before they even meet. The gossip and rumours that Nick hears increase the intrigue of the character. At the party Nicks companion whispers to him: Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once. These small details stimulate Nicks curiosity. When he finally meets Gatsby, he picks up on Gatsbys use of terrible clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s and that listening to him was like skimming through a dozen magazines. This suggests that Gatsby has fabricated his past in order to make it seem full of wonder, beauty and glamour. He relives the past and lives the dream. However, Nick also comments on how Gatsby does appear to be telling the truth when talking about the war, with his distinguished and heroic war record. Gatsby continues to talk about his childhood, and Nick knows it is an unoriginal fantasy, but he does want to believe him. Throughout the novel Nick is morally critical of Gatsby and his comment, I disapproved of him from beginning to end supports this. However, despite this, Nick continues to be drawn to Gatsby. Nick perceives two sides to Gatsby. One side is a romantic person with a rare charm, and the other is an uncultured man who adopts a stiffly formal manner to conceal his social faults. He struggles to criticise Gatsby, when through his own morals he knows he should feeling a certain shame for Gatsby. Throughout the novel Nick provides some powerful visual impressions of Gatsby. Nick talks again and again about Gatsby standing in a formal pose with an arm raised against a background of light and shade. These gestures show Gatsbys romantic cravings and are strongly characteristic. Nick is drawn in by this mysterious figure, which seems almost without substance. He is unable to understand Gatsby and his gazes, which frustrates Nick: Involuntary I glanced seaward and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of the dock. Nick also has difficulty grasping Gatsbys parties: Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission When Nick himself receives an invitation to Gatsbys little party, his intrigue for the man increases. He finds it difficult, at first, to understand why a man would put so much effort and money into producing such a marvellous event so frequently, and yet not attend himself. Being a neighbour of these events, Nick is able to witness the amount of input, and yet he seems blind to all the servants and caterers who make it the event it is. To Nick, Gatsby is almost like a magician who creates these parties by himself. We understand towards the end of Nick and Gatsbys relationship that it was all done for Daisy. His love for Daisy stimulated his want for wealth and success. However, when the dream of Daisy materialises into the shape of a real woman, the world of Jay Gatsby vanishes, as the reality of his wealth is revealed. You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of the dock Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Gatsbys passion for Daisy takes over his entire life and self-image. It is the depth of that feeling which holds Nicks fascination. Nicks feelings towards Gatsby change constantly though the novel as a result of such different perspectives. When Tom takes Nick to see his girl, he comments that Toms determination to have my company bordered on violence. Tom is described to have talked to Mr Wilson coldly, showing his wealth and power. The images are deeply unpleasant. Nick doesnt seem to think very highly of Myrtle: She smiled slowly and, walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him flush in the eye. Nick is also aware of Myrtles falseness and her longing for the dream. She likes to feel she is of higher class and wants the chance to be someone else. Myrtle lacks the character and intelligence of a woman of higher class. She thinks herself above her husband, Wilson, which both Nick and Tom know isnt true. Her attempts to be a real lady fail: At the news-stand she bought a copy of Town Tattle and a moving picture magazine. I want to get one of those dogs. Gatsbys death is an important part of this novel. Until this point Nick has been living his life through the eyes of the other characters, but keeping a certain amount of detachment to enable him to judge them critically. Gatsbys life intrigued Nick the most, and once Gatsbys dream world is smashed, Nick is able to sympathise with Gatsby, rather than admire. From the very first word Nick hears of Gatsby, he starts piecing together information to develop an understanding. After Gatsbys death Nick is in full command of the outline of his life. It is also at this point where we see Nick moving to the centre of the narrative: .it grew upon me that I was responsible, because no one else was interested interested, I mean, with that intense personal interest to which everyone has some vague right at the end. Morals seem to be an important issue throughout the novel. Through his own morals, Nick rejects Gatsbys offer to, pick up a nice bit of money. The novel challenges his morals by the use of the diverse characters. Nick picks up on the moral failures of the Buchanans, beneath their wealth and power: Tom and Daisy they smash up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess that had made. Kathleen Parkinson states that: Fitzgerald allows Nick to claim authorship of the book. I agree with this comment, and even at one point Nick is said to be, Reading over what I have written so far. Many of the events written about in the novel are not what Nick has experienced, but what others have recounted and what he has retold. It seems at the start that Nick has been untouched throughout his life. The war hasnt left any marks on him as he enjoyed it so much: I enjoyed the counter-raid so thoroughly that came back restless. It isnt until Nick meets Gatsby that he makes an emotional commitment. He commits himself to a belief in Gatsby even though he is aware of the ugly factors of the mans life. Nicks intuition provides a valuable insight into Gatsbys identity and his vulnerability. It is easy to underestimate the importance of Nicks role in the novel. The title automatically turns our attention to Jay Gatsby, the handsome, wealthy, dreamer who conducts other peoples lives in order to bypass his own. However, it is Nicks narration and interests that direct the novel in the direction it takes. Tony Tanners comment about the writer of the book, clearly evaluates the entire novel: Fitzgeralds book is Nicks book, but Nick is not Fitzgerald.

Marijuana Laws essays

Marijuana Laws essays Drug use and abuse is by no means a new phenomenon, but in the United States the problems associated with drugs has recently received much attention in the media, in politics, and in the scientific communities. In particular, drug use among teenagers has been the focus of many studies. Eric Sterling notes that "illegal drugs such as heroin and marijuana were more easily available to high school seniors in 1998 than at any time in history," suggesting that drug control measures issued by the US government are failing miserably. Marijuana has received the strictest criticism of all the drugs in the illegal pharmacopeias, ostensibly because it is the most popular illicit substance. An estimated 76% of Americans aged twelve and over who use illicit drugs use marijuana; almost half of these people don't imbibe any other drug like cocaine or heroin (NIDA). The news is peppered with drug-related death stories, most of which ironically do not involve marijuana use but "harder" drugs like cocaine, crack, heroin, amphetamines, and "designer" or "club" drugs like ecstasy and crystal methamphetamine (crystal meth for short). On the contrary, marijuana has no known overdose level. Still, the War on Drugs, which began decades before Ronald Reagan officially launched the campaign, largely targets marijuana, its users, buyers, and sellers. Officially classified as a drug with no known medical benefits, marijuana has not received any worthwhile laboratory treatment or objective scientific analysis as opiates or cocaine has; many prescription pharmaceuticals pose greater health and addiction risks than the hardy weed known botanically as cannabis sativa. The real drug problem in the United States, therefore, is not the widespread use of marijuana, although marijuana use does incur many detrimental psychological and physical side effects. Rather, the drug epidemic in America is bolstered and propagated ...

Apush Slavery Dbq

Both the free African Americans and enslaved confronted and endure the challenges they faced as they fought for rights and equality. The Revolutionary War was a major factor in the development of slavery during that period of time. During the early months of the war, the Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation was written which declared all slaves free if they took up arms against the American colonists. (Doc A) The British took advantage of the slaves’ desire for freedom to disrupt the American’s war efforts. Antislavery sentiments were circulating in the North due to the ideas of the war. However, in the South, the whites believed that they deserved to own the slaves and that it would secure the freedom that they were fighting for. After the Americans won the war, slavery was abolished in the North and further importation of slaves was prohibited. However, slavery was still ongoing in the southern and border states. Manumission, the act of freeing slaves, was soon occurring in the 1790’s because people started to feel that slavery was bad because it went against the ideals of the Revolutionary War. Venture Smith’s Narrative was an example of manumission as the slave paid for his freedom. (Doc F) This was a common act as many slaves were freed as such during the 1790’s. The Revolutionary War and the ideals revolving around it contributed to the increased number of free African Americans. Related article: Apush Taxation Without Representation Dbq However, even as more and more slaves were being freed, the institution of slavery was expanding too. The southern areas of the United States had an increasing number of slaves from 1790 to 1830. In 1790, only the southern states along the east coast and an area around the Ohio River had an overwhelming percent of slaves. This increased as in 1830, almost all the southern states up to the Mississippi River had a large group of slaves. (Doc C) A reason for such an increase in slaves was due to the invention of the cotton gin. This led to a revival in slavery due to the increase amount of cotton farms to accommodate the demands from England. Cotton ruined the farmland and this led to expansion west as the soil exhausted which explains the increasing trend of slaves in the southern states. During the same period, both free African Americans and enslaved ones faced challenges as they tried to gain rights and freedom. Free African Americans felt they had the right to vote and â€Å"no taxation without representation†. They felt that since they fought along with the colonists in the Revolutionary War for the same ideals then they should have the rights to it instead of it being imposed on them now. Doc B) Even though some African Americans were freed, they were not spared from discrimination and abuse. Free African Americans in Boston had to bear with daily insults and physical abuse on the streets. Images of African American’s deformity were also common placed in areas of cities and towns. (Doc I) David Walker was an abolitionist who called for blacks to take up arms and fight back against the whites. Walker b elieved that the blacks should be just as free as Americans and it will just end up hurting the Americans if the blacks have to obtain their freedom by fighting. Doc J) There have been frequent slave rebellions in hope of obtaining freedom. The Haitian Revolution led to an increase in slave revolts as slaves gain hope after seeing the successful revolution in Haiti. Both the freed and enslaved African Americans faced their challenges by enduring and taking up arms against the whites. Overall, the Revolutionary War and its ideals led to the manumission of many slaves. The cotton gin was a major factor of the revival of slavery in the south. Both the freed and enslaved African Americans fought for their equality and rights. Due to these changes, the African American’s role in society is reconsidered. Apush Slavery Dbq Both the free African Americans and enslaved confronted and endure the challenges they faced as they fought for rights and equality. The Revolutionary War was a major factor in the development of slavery during that period of time. During the early months of the war, the Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation was written which declared all slaves free if they took up arms against the American colonists. (Doc A) The British took advantage of the slaves’ desire for freedom to disrupt the American’s war efforts. Antislavery sentiments were circulating in the North due to the ideas of the war. However, in the South, the whites believed that they deserved to own the slaves and that it would secure the freedom that they were fighting for. After the Americans won the war, slavery was abolished in the North and further importation of slaves was prohibited. However, slavery was still ongoing in the southern and border states. Manumission, the act of freeing slaves, was soon occurring in the 1790’s because people started to feel that slavery was bad because it went against the ideals of the Revolutionary War. Venture Smith’s Narrative was an example of manumission as the slave paid for his freedom. (Doc F) This was a common act as many slaves were freed as such during the 1790’s. The Revolutionary War and the ideals revolving around it contributed to the increased number of free African Americans. Related article: Apush Taxation Without Representation Dbq However, even as more and more slaves were being freed, the institution of slavery was expanding too. The southern areas of the United States had an increasing number of slaves from 1790 to 1830. In 1790, only the southern states along the east coast and an area around the Ohio River had an overwhelming percent of slaves. This increased as in 1830, almost all the southern states up to the Mississippi River had a large group of slaves. (Doc C) A reason for such an increase in slaves was due to the invention of the cotton gin. This led to a revival in slavery due to the increase amount of cotton farms to accommodate the demands from England. Cotton ruined the farmland and this led to expansion west as the soil exhausted which explains the increasing trend of slaves in the southern states. During the same period, both free African Americans and enslaved ones faced challenges as they tried to gain rights and freedom. Free African Americans felt they had the right to vote and â€Å"no taxation without representation†. They felt that since they fought along with the colonists in the Revolutionary War for the same ideals then they should have the rights to it instead of it being imposed on them now. Doc B) Even though some African Americans were freed, they were not spared from discrimination and abuse. Free African Americans in Boston had to bear with daily insults and physical abuse on the streets. Images of African American’s deformity were also common placed in areas of cities and towns. (Doc I) David Walker was an abolitionist who called for blacks to take up arms and fight back against the whites. Walker b elieved that the blacks should be just as free as Americans and it will just end up hurting the Americans if the blacks have to obtain their freedom by fighting. Doc J) There have been frequent slave rebellions in hope of obtaining freedom. The Haitian Revolution led to an increase in slave revolts as slaves gain hope after seeing the successful revolution in Haiti. Both the freed and enslaved African Americans faced their challenges by enduring and taking up arms against the whites. Overall, the Revolutionary War and its ideals led to the manumission of many slaves. The cotton gin was a major factor of the revival of slavery in the south. Both the freed and enslaved African Americans fought for their equality and rights. Due to these changes, the African American’s role in society is reconsidered.

Unified Tobacco - Business and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unified Tobacco - Business and Ethics - Essay Example His decisions are based on his definition of right and good. And in Socialism, the ethics of virtue is expressed through the concept that the fulfilment of a human is in helping others (â€Å"Ethics† 2006). As such, both Ethicists’ most probable way to handle this conflict is to find ways to communicate to the protest groups the positive side of the tobacco business, despite its evident disadvantages to the community, but under different premises. Unified Tobacco sells a product that is known to be harmful to everyone’s health. The hazard of smoking is plain and simple: it causes ailments that potentially lead to death, not just to the users themselves but also to those who are considered passive smokers. The issues of the protesters are actually valid. However, to address these concerns, the government has already established various resolutions to regulate the use of cigarettes, particularly in public places. Furthermore, the government and other concerned groups are involved in various massive campaigns to promote information regarding the disadvantages of using this product. Man always has a choice of whether or not to patronize cigarette smoking. Even the manufacturers themselves warn the public of the dangers of smoking through their tagline â€Å"cigarette smoking is dangerous to one’s health†. However, on the other side, the tobacco industry helps bring jobs to the community. It employs hundreds of people and gives them a livelihood. Further, it greatly contributes to the community’s economy. The industry supports the development of the community through its tax returns and through company-initiated activities that aim at promoting social welfare and cater to community needs. In the end, the tobacco industry largely contributes to the community’s economy despite the nature of its product. As it makes one a good person to be of assistance to the community in general and to participate in the pursuit of common good, a Virtue Ethicist’s action plan is to facilitate the increase of the company’s drive to promote awareness on the use of cigarette smoking.

EDMA_601_Assignment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EDMA_601_Assignment - Assignment Example Managers are ultimately accountable for the performance of their subordinates, and this can be measured through sales, production costs, etc. In addition to this, managers are also responsible for making sure that goals and objectives are communicated between upper management and the working staff. Managers are required to make sure that employees are staying on track and are moving toward the goals of the firm. Planning involves first determining an end goal or point by which success can be measured. Second, planning requires coming up with a process that will help the organization to get where it ultimately wants to. Finally, there needs to be the flexibility to readjust goals part way through the process if the situation changes. The three types of planning are operational, strategic, and contingency. Operational planning has to do with specific goals that are used to achieve job responsibilities. Strategic planning is more about the goals of the entire organization and then matching those up with each department. Finally, contingency planning is putting in emergency measures in case there is a change in the plan. Staffing has to do with assigning employees to roles and training them appropriately. The three major parts of staffing are planning, execution, and maintenance. Planning involves preparing for future changes, execution is how to enact those changes, and maintenance has to do with making sure nothing goes wrong with the changes proposed. The management function of controlling has to do with making a comparison between organizational performance and desired outcomes and then making adjustments to meet those outcomes. Management is all about making sure that the process is continuous and there is a clear chain of command. There are three main types of control: feedforward, concurrent, and feedback. The difference between each of them is that the first attempts to prevent problems from occurring in

Inflation and Unemployment Essay Example for Free

Inflation and Unemployment Essay Recently, the United States of America has been bombarded with a great financial crisis. Many companies resulted to bankruptcy forcing the owners to close their businesses. Other companies had lay-off some workers to lessen the operating costs of their business. Few other companies resulted to cutting the employee’s benefits to avoid laying-off and closure. Workers earning below marginal income resigned from their job in the hope that they could find another job which pays better. Among these responses, the most notable problem is the increase in the rate of unemployment. In a report from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009) among the 2,309 population in Iowa only 1,602 are employed while 62 are jobless in 2007. In 2008, from 2,325 members of the population, 1,607 are employed while 69 are jobless. Measuring the employment-population ratio of Iowa residents aged 16 years and above, the rate of unemployment was at 69. 4 percent in 2007 and 69. 1 percent in 2008 (U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). Meanwhile, the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009) reported that the unemployment rate in Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metropolitan Area rose at 8 percent in February 2009 whereas the jobless rate was recorded at 4. 9 percent. This is relatively high as compared to unemployment rate in 2008 which was at 3. 9 percent and in 2007 which was at 3. 7 percent (U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). State inflation has been identified as one of the major factors that contributed to the increased number of the unemployed. Inflation refers to â€Å"a process in which the average level of prices increases at a substantial rate over a considerable period of time† (Grolier Encyclopedia, 1995, 150). This implies that more money is needed to buy a certain amount of products and services. In Keynesian term, the relationship of inflation and unemployment has been described as: Wage costs are among the costs that rise in response to higher pries. When unemployment is low, employees can old out for full compensation for the higher prices, and raises above that. When unemployment is high, however, the employees will have to settle for less, and so costs do not rise as fast as prices when unemployment is high. (cited in Inflation and Unemployment). Adopting this term in the case of Waterloo-Cedar Falls, the high price of goods and services lead to increase in the number of unemployment since the companies are forced to cut down their human resources to adapt to the increasing prices of goods and services that caused high costs in production. There are also times in Waterloo-Cedar Falls when high unemployment caused high inflation yet the production cost did not increase as fast as the prices. In this situation, high employment is caused by low labor wage. Since the wage is low, the demand for product and services is also low forcing the companies to increase their prices in order to compensate for the low demand of products and services. Analyzing the relationship between inflation and unemployment the following factors are said to contribute to the increase or decrease of the two variables: wage as part of production costs, level of demands and supply, and cost of goods and services. Depending on the movement or behavior of these factors, the level of inflation or unemployment will either increase or decrease. Yet, it does not always follow that when unemployment is high; inflation is also high or vice versa. There are other instances when unemployment is low yet the level of inflation is high or vice versa. Again the increase or decrease in level of the two variables depends on the above mentioned contributing factors. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls, however, tried to address the problems of inflation and unemployment by creating job opportunities for its residents. As expressed by Bob Seymour, Cedar Falls community services manager and economic development director, in an interview by Jim Offner (2009)† â€Å"Obviously, we’re not immune to what’s going on nationally, but we’re pleased that we’ve been able to see some expansion and new-project interest in Cedar Falls right now. The university obviously keeps us on an even keel, and I think our business community has learned to be more diversified and in a better position to weather these down times. Projects like Target Corp. ’s new perishables distribution warehouse and retail developments in Cedar Falls also are helping the city withstand national trends. † (cited in Offner, 2009). This solution however is applicable only for a short period of time. To really solve the problem of inflation and unemployment, Waterloo-Cedar Falls should implement a demand managing policy wherein the government and private sectors will be required to learn how to manage demands in supply (both of labor and product materials) and demands in product and services according to economic situation. Such management is needed so that the people of Waterloo-Cedar Falls will be trained to expect the worst consequences of increase or decrease level of inflation and unemployment. References Grolier Encyclopedia. (1995). Inflation. In U. S. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge 10, 150. USA: Grolier Incorporated. Mc Cain R. A. 2009. Inflation and Unemployment. Retrieved April 24, 2009 from http://william-king. www. drexel. edu/top/prin/txt/AS/where1. html Offner, J. (2009). Local jobless rates among best in state. Retrived April 24, 2009 from http://www. wcfcourier. com/articles/2009/03/11/news/breaking_news/doc49b7a3bf91f75482515049. txt U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2009a). Over-the-year change in unemployment rates for Metropolitan Areas: Monthly rankings, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved April 24, 2009 from http://www. bls. gov/web/laummtch. htm. U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2009b). Regional state and unemployment, 2008 annual averages. Retrieved April 24, 2009 from www. bls. gov/news. release/pdf/srgune. pdf.

Guidance of Young Children Essay -- Elementary Eduacation

My prior understanding of discipline was uneducated and inaccurate. I was certain that discipline was related to punishment and the goal was to have a particular unwanted behavior to cease. A child that required discipline would be singled out, scolded, forced to perform a chore or action, such as sit for a time out, or the child would have something taken away, such as television or toys. As a child, I grew up in a household with parents who were primarily authoritative. They tended to be fair; however they did use punishment through "grounding", which generally meant that we were not able to engage in fun for set period of time. Other times, we were instructed to perform some sort of labor of their choice, such as washing my Dad's car. I rarely misbehaved in school due to the fact that I was extremely shy, so I lacked the need for negative discipline however I can clearly recall other children being told put their heads down, sit in the back of the room or move to the hallway when the teacher would become exhausted with their continuous misbehavior. I became aware that many people including the parents of students still validate these tainted forms of discipline and may require some edification on the behalf of the teacher to discover more appropriate methods of discipline (EDC, personal communication, October 13, 2011). As my education with the childcare field strengthens, I have discovered that guidance is the appropriate method to be used to reach the goal of harmony in the classroom. "Guidance means creating a positive learning environment for each child in the group" (Gartrell, 2004, p. 21) With the use of guidance and a democratic classroom, children feel important and have greater respect for their teacher, whi... ...ng, and walking in safe, open areas while also providing children with the ability to safely push, pull, roll, and climb (Marion, 2012, p. 108). Younger children are just developing their gross motor skills and tend to fall or bump themselves, so furniture must be safe and low to the ground. Because the children in a daycare are so young, there is a higher risk of injury if the environment is not accommodating. In a school classroom, the majority children are sturdier, have more advanced gross motors skills, as well as prior knowledge about certain dangers, so while precautions have to be taken, they are not as extreme. Bibliography Gartrell, D. (2004). The power of guidance, teaching social-emotional skills in early childhood classrooms. Belmont, CA: Delmar Marion, M. (2012). Guidance of young children. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc

A Dream Story – Creative Writing

Around me is long tall grass swaying slowly in the gentle breeze. Ahead of me is a thin path which meanders into the valley below me. Above me the clouds do not appear to be moving and each cloud seems to be looking at me expecting me to move. I tell myself I should, but the question is where? I want to move but my heart is telling me, change is ahead. I take a large deep breath of the clean, odourless country air. My legs begin to move. I have decided to follow the path which seems to have an abnormal atmosphere about it. As I begin to stroll forward I see naked trees with no leaves. The trees sway in the cold wind which makes them look as though they are shivering. The clouds above me are getting darker and darker; eventually they get as black as soot. All of a sudden creature like sky above me lets out a roar and its white deposits drift down onto me. It is snowing. As I continue to walk down the path questions begin to fly around me. How did I get here? Why am I here? Before I got here I was in my room listening to some music. All of a sudden an ear splitting noise besieged my ears. It was as if someone was drumming on my eardrums. Around me everything became a smoky mask. The world around me became a white blur. My eyes slowly shut into a midnight black world. When I awoke I had been transported into a setting that was very new to me. I began to think what I had just left behind I continued down the hill. I began to meander further and further down the path. At my feet the snow was starting to thaw out. Small flakes of snow on the ground were glistening in the bright sun as if they were saying â€Å"The joke's on you.† But why? It wasn't as if I had chosen to come here, wherever I was. Even when I was perched on the top of the hill, my path had already been chosen for me and that was the only direction I could go. What did this path symbolise? I would find out in due course. After another five minutes of constant downhill walking. I reached a small hindrance. A small transparent stream was blocking my path. It didn't really pose a large problem to me. All I had to do was to roll up my trousers and walk across it. For some weird reason, I was wearing sandals with no socks. When I was back in my room I had been wearing socks. All of the rest of the clothes I had been wearing were unchanged, so why the change of footwear? The water in the stream was surprisingly warm. In the water there was absolutely nothing. I dipped my head and I took a large gulp of the precious liquid, as I was desperately thirsty. My body was also cooled down. With fluid inside me I was ready to continue on my path. Around me trees were getting fewer and all that was around was tall grass. The only hill in sight was where I had come from, where I had launched my expedition into the unknown from. The path was beginning to get wider, smoother and easier to walk on. Perhaps I was getting somewhere significant. Maybe I was near the end of the path close to my friends and family. Was this all wishful thinking? Only time would tell. I started to walk faster. My walk grew into a jog. My jog grew into a run. My run grew into a sprint. All this because the path was getting wider and the surface was evening out. I knew something was ahead of me. I was beginning to tire. In the distance a barrier was slowly starting to form. What was I about to reach? I stood by the red and white wooden barrier which was blocking my way and preventing my onward journey. Why was it stopping me? Of course! I suddenly realised that it was a level crossing. On the floor in front of me were two iron parallel lines which were the train track. As it had just shut before my eyes a locomotive must be approaching. I looked left. Nothing. I looked right. Nothing. Again I looked left. Again nothing. Then I looked right and there it was chugging towards me. An ancient steam locomotive was coming towards me and out of the top of the engine steam billowed as if there were a hundred chimneys. The engine became louder and louder as it approached. Slowly it passed me. Gold letters shone out at me which read â€Å"Paul Sturrock†. Who was Paul Sturrock? All I could think of was that he must have been a great man to have had a fine locomotive named after him. Whilst I was daydreaming the train had almost passed by me. Should I get on the train? If I did where would I end up? The train might just go to some city I have never nor have any desire to go to. If I didn't get on the train I would just carry on the path to where ever I got to, but I would probably be safe. It was decision time. I ran past the red and white striped barrier. As this was an old fashioned train it wasn't going extremely fast. The rear carriage had a small platform where the conductor would stand. For some reason this train had no conductor. Come to think of it when I saw the train slowly pass me by there wasn't a driver by the looks of it. Perhaps though I was just imagining that. As I pulled my self up onto the black floor of the rear carriage I had a peek inside, there appeared to only be a handrail around the coach and a table with food coming from it. It was my favourite food roast beef with all the trimmings. I opened the door into the carriage. Nobody was inside. The smell of the warm Sunday lunch slowly drifted my way. I started to dribble at the thought of food. It must have been hours since I had eaten. I sat down on the comfy looking cushioned chair. It was beautiful. I could rest my feet which had recently clocked up many miles. I felt like I was a car who had just run out of petrol and who was just refuelling with delicious looking dinner in front of me. I picked up the shiny polished silver cutlery. I took a bite of the meat. It was exactly how I liked it. Not well done but not rare. It was the perfect medium to rare meat. I gobbled down the rest of the food very quickly. I now began to realise that somebody must have realised I was getting onto this train and must have cooked me the food. I advanced into the next carriage. Nothing. The next carriage. Nothing. The next carriage. Nothing. Finally in the last carriage I found a spotless kitchen. I begun to wander round it. In the oven there was no evidence that something had just been cooked. There were no finger marks on the stainless steel food preparation tables. On the floor something caught my eye. It was a note of places which were on this train's trip. I had heard of none of the places such as Jopwold, Southchester, Keele, Harow and the last place was simply named â€Å"The Wall†. Had we just stopped at one of these places before I got on? Were we heading back to the depot? I had no idea; all I could do is wait. Sitting down in an empty kitchen is hardly the most fun ever and it seemed to go on forever. I stood up looked in the cupboards there weren't even any spare ingredients so I couldn't even try and make some interesting food. Outside, there was nothing but the same tall, abysmal looking grass. I heard a high pitch screech as the train lurched me forwards. We were stopping. Were we at one of the stops on the piece of paper? As the train began to get slower and slower I stuck my head out of the carriage window. The train stopped. I looked left and right down the carriages to see if anyone was getting out. As I expected, nobody was. As I was leaning out, the door suddenly opened and I fell out crashing to the floor. I sat down where I had fallen waiting for the train to move on. Five minutes later it still hadn't moved. I presumed that I had reached â€Å"The Wall†. I looked around me. Where was this wall? I walked round the other side of the train. There it was. A glass wall stretching as far as the eye could see. On the other side of the glass wall was a black void with absolutely nothing in it. I knocked on the glass. It seemed very strong. I wanted to get through it. There was nothing round me to help me break through, just the same grass. Of course the table I had just eaten off on the train! I picked it up and carried it off the train. I pulled one of the legs off it and threw it at the glass wall with all my strength. It just rebounded off. I quickly pulled off the other three legs and hurled them at the wall but they just bounced off. I knew in my mind I had reached the end of the world.

Dracula Essay

Texts such as the novel Dracula, and the film Interview with the Vampire, are often shaped by the values and attitudes within society at the particular time in which it was created. As a result, the context plays a major role in the construction of a text. In Dracula, a novel in epistolary format set and published in 1897 by Bram Stoker, not only do the concepts of sexuality, religion, family, technology, class and gender roles reflect the way they were viewed in the Victorian era, but the actual form of the text itself, a long novel in a book form, mirrors the style of Victorian texts due to the limited technology available. Similarly, in the film Interview with the Vampire directed by Neil Jordan, the different and changing concepts of religion, sexuality, class, family and gender roles from the four different contexts; the 1791 slave period, the 1870s in France, the 1980s in America and the 1994 context, are reflected in the film in a DVD format. In Dracula, the representation of woman as belittled and with limited roles mirrors the rigid expectations of the Victorian era. During the 1800s, women were confined to narrow gender roles, as represented by the virgin/whore dichotomy substantiated through two of Dracula’s key characters, Mina and Lucy. The figure of Mina displays the innocence, loyalty and purity expected from women of the time: â€Å"she is one of Gods women†¦ † (P. 226), whilst Lucy’s character illustrated the non-virtuous figure as she appears as flirtatious: â€Å"you will think me a horrid flirt†¦ † (P. 70), and gives us the subtle impression that she has a hidden desire to break out of the social constraints of the Victorian period: â€Å"why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all the trouble? †(P. 70). Due to Lucy’s desire to break out, she must be punished in order to restore Victorian standards: â€Å"Arthur took the stake and the hammer†¦ hen he struck with all his might†¦ there, in the coffin lay no longer the foul Thing†¦ † (P. 259/60). This use of imagery implies that Arthur returns Lucy to a state of purity, passivity and innocence, as well as signifies the power and dominance males had over females at this particular time due to the patriarchal tendencies and views of the Victorian society. The actions of Dracula constantly using his powers to fulfil his desires also symbolizes this male dominance and superiority over women: â€Å"his right hand gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his bosom†¦ terrible resemblance to a child forcing a kitten’s nose into a saucer of milk to compel it to drink. † (P. 340) Stocker uses strong imagery to evoke this. Comparably, in Interview with the Vampire, the positioning of an African American woman as a maid, as exemplified by the close up shot of Yvette’s hand clearing away Louis’ plate, reflects the gender roles in the 1800s slavery period. During this period, white men had great power over their African American slaves. As a result, many took advantage of them. The panning camera shot progressing up Yvette’s body from Louis point of view reflects the temptation many men endured to satisfy their sexual urges. In this case, Louis could not resist and took a bite, symbolizing penetration. The extreme close up shot of Yvette’s face exposes the pain and suffering many belittled African American women experienced, whilst the act of Louis putting his hand over her mouth and killing her due to her screaming symbolizes the concern of other people becoming knowledgeable about such a dirty action of a prosperous, well respected white man. Conversely, the involvement of two men, Louis and Lestat, in the growth of Claudia’s vampirism reflects the contemporary context of the increasing role of males in society as well as in their children’s life: â€Å"you became my mother, and my father†¦ †. The freely expressed conversation between Yvette and Louis also mirrors the contemporary context, as back in the 1800s, a slave would never talk to their master without been spoken to first. In Dracula, the constant mentioning of religious phrases and religious symbols, such as the crucifix and wafer indicates the importance of religion in the Victorian culture even though the introduction of various forms technology began to change this. This change in Victorian values is represented by the conflict between Dracula and the four men; Jonathan, Quincey, Dr. Seward and Dr. Van Helsing. The character of Dracula symbolizes the changes commencing, whilst the men symbolize Victorian sensibilities- belief in the power of God:â€Å"The Professor stood up and, after laying his golden crucifix on the table†¦ Dr. Helsing went on†¦ †but we, too, are not without strength†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ † (P. 286). This battle between good and evil ends with the defeat of Dracula, allowing the return of the important ideals of the Victorian culture: â€Å"after all, these things- traditions†¦ are everything†¦ † (P. 287) The importance of religion and the idea of the vulnerability to evil of those not religious in the Victorian era is emphasised when an old women offers a crucifix to Jonathan after learning he was going to meet Count Dracula: â€Å"she then rose and dried her eyes, and taking a crucifix from her neck offered it to me†¦ (P. 6). Throughout the text, the demonic figure of Dracula is conveyed to be the opposite of Christ as exemplified when he creates â€Å"one of the greatest and suddenest storms†¦ † (P. 91) to aid his arrival into the harbor. This is the complete opposite to the act of Jesus quietening the storm when he was at sea with his disc iples. Similarly to Dracula, the representation of religion in Interview with the Vampire also reflects the way it was viewed its various contexts. The close up shot of Armade saying â€Å"I know nothing of God, or the Devil†¦ illustrates how the belief and understanding of religion has significantly dropped in the 1994 contemporary context. The mid shot of Louis saying â€Å"actually I’m quite fond of looking at crucifixes† elucidates the lack of power religion has in today’s society. The practising of Voodoo as shown in a mid shot of the African Americans waving dolls near a fire accompanied by yelling and chanting, symbolizes the importance of religion and warning off evil during the slave trade in a still highly religious society. Likewise, the use of a religious symbol as shown the mid shot of Armade holding the young girl’s arm up in a similar way to Jesus on the cross whilst performing on stage, is used to signify that death and the resurrection, though as a vampire, is about to occur. In Dracula, the exemplification of sexuality reflects the controversial topics of the rigid Victorian era. During this period, women were belittled and suppressed. If a woman was to be sexually assertive, it was deeply frowned upon by society as there was a great emphasis on the importance of encouraging chastity and innocence of ladies. At the commencement of the novel Lucy is evidently a sexual women: â€Å"My dear Mina, why are men so noble when we are so little worthy of them? † (P. 70), however her full expression of sexuality is released when she is transformed into a vampire: â€Å"Come to me Arthur†¦ my arms are hungry for you. Come and we can rest together†¦ †. As aforementioned, punishing Lucy for being sexually forward will restore Victorian order and put her back in her rightful place: â€Å"She is not a grinning devil now- not anymore a foul thing for all eternity†¦ † (P. 261). During the Victorian period, homosexuality was considered a serious matter, thought to be evil and wrong, and was often punished by time in jail or even death. In Dracula, there are many metaphoric references to homosexuality, the first incident being when Jonathan cuts his cheek shaving: â€Å"I felt a hand on my shoulder†¦ the man was close to me†¦ the cut bled a little†¦ his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat†¦ † (P. 30). This sees Dracula tempted to take a bite, therefore symbolizing the temptation of penetration. Analogously to Dracula, the film Interview with the Vampire also conveys the sexual attitudes of its various contexts. The close up shot showing the homoerotic tensions between Louis and Armade accompanied by emotional classical music reflects the 1990s context in which people were beginning to openly express their homosexuality during the Gay Rights Movement. During this period, many gay couples also began to adopt with the intention of creating a family. This is evoked in the novel when Lestat revives Claudia and turns her into a vampire: â€Å"you’re mine and Louis’ daughter now†¦ †, with the purpose of creating â€Å"one happy family†¦ . During the 18th century in America, the discussion and about sexuality and the act of kissing in public was beginning to be socially accepted as symbolized by the mid shot of Louis and Lestat kissing a girl on a chair whilst in the public’s view. Through analysing the novel Dracula and the film Interview wit h the Vampire, it is evident that the context plays a major role in the construction of a text. Many of the social meanings of a text reflect not only the values and attitudes of society at a particular time, but also the concerns and fears as exemplified through the studied texts.

Illiad essays

Illiad essays In the 8th century Homer brought the world the epic tale of war, love, and human spirit. He named this outstanding poem The Iliad. The Iliad begins in the tenth and final year of the great Trojan War. This is the war the Greeks sailed in a fleet of one thousand ships, lead by Agamemnon the king of kings to lay siege to Troy. They sailed to recover the stolen queen of Sparta, Menelaus wife Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships. She was stolen by Paris, the youngest son of Priam, Ruler of Troy. The tale opens with the Greek Warriors in a hard time. Agamemnon had insulted Apollo, and his punishment was nine days plague upon his troops. Achilles, the greatest warrior, called an assembly of the army to rectify the situation. During that, Agamemnon and Achilles fought bitterly. Agamemnon confiscated Achilles slave girl to try and regain control, but his actions angered Achilles so much that he withdrew himself and his great men, the Myrmidons. Achilles mother Thetis, a divine sea-nymph, convinces Zeus to help her son, causing the Trojans to win the war for some time. Eventually things get so bad that Agamemnon sends a delegation to Achilles to offer him compensation and ask him to rejoin the fighting, as he knows from a prophecy that the Greeks will not win unless Achilles is by their side. Achilles declares that he will only fight once the Trojans attack his own ships: at that point, he feels, he will be able to rejoin the battle as a point of personal honour rather than as Agamemnon's hired muscle man. When this happens, Achilles does not return, but sends his best friend and suspected lover Patroclus in his armour, and with the instruction NOT to attack the city. Unfortunately, Patroclus gets caught up in the fighting and, ignores Achilles' instructions, attempts to take the city of Troy himself, and is killed by Hector with the aid of the sun god Apollo. At the death of his friend, Achilles sinks into an untamed ra...

Population Growth and Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Population Growth and Control - Essay Example In other words, it is a ratio: population over resources. If a given environment has a population of 10, but there is food and drinking water enough for only 9 people, then that environment is overpopulated, while if the population is 100 individuals but there are food and water enough for 200, then it is not overpopulated. Over population can result from increases in births, a decline in mortality rates, which is linked to increases in life expectancy, or from an unsustainable use and depletion of resources. Advances in technology can reduce the threat of overpopulation by making new resources available, or by increasing the productivity of existing resources. Resources to be taken into account when estimating if an ecological niche is overpopulated include clean water and air, food, shelter, warmth, or other issues related to survival. In the case of human beings, there are others such as arable land and, for all but tribes with primitive lifestyles, lesser resources such as unemployment, money or other economic resources, education, fuel, electricity, healthcare, proper sewage treatment and waste management, and transportation. In the context of human societies, overpopulation occurs when the population density is so great as to actually cause an impaired quality of life, environmental degradation, or a long-term shortage of essential goods and services. Overpopulation is not merely an imbalance between the numbers of individuals compared to the resources they need to survive, or a ratio of population over resources. This is because such an imbalance may be caused by any other number of factors such as bad governance, war, injustice and exploitation, etc. When other such factors come into play in a certain locale, and population density cannot be shown to be the major cause, overpopulation cannot be conclusively said to occur. The world's human population is currently growing by more than 75 million people per year. This is down from a peak numerical growth of about 88 million per year in the late 1980s. About half the world lives in nations with sub-replacement fertility, and population growth in those countries is due to immigration. Thomas Malthus (1798) argued that if left unrestricted, human populations would continue to grow until they would become too large to be supported by the food grown on available agricultural land. He proposed that, while resources tend to grow linearly, population grows exponentially. At that point, the population would be restrained through mass famine and starvation. Malthus (1798) also argued for population control, through "moral restraint", to avoid this happening. As the population exceeds the amount of available resources, it decreases, since the lack of resources causes mortality to increase. This process keeps the population in check and

POLITICAL CONSPIRACY AND SLANDER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

POLITICAL CONSPIRACY AND SLANDER - Essay Example However, the investigations were unsuccessful in solving crimes of political slander or even to pinpoint the officials and organizations most probable to have been executors (Pfau 2005). Thus investigations of doubtful political incidents eventually came to be ridiculed as ‘conspiracy theories’ due to the fact that, after reviewing official accounts, they frequently apply vague proofs to hypothesize about threatening schemes and convoluted cover-ups (Goldzwig 2002). As remarked by Stewart and colleagues (1994), â€Å"a conspiracy may be real or imagined, but the process is the same; a chain of apparently unrelated events or actions is linked to reveal concerted actions and intentions to cause all sorts of social, economic, political, religious, and moral problems† (ibid, p. 3). Thus, it is at times hard to discern fantasy from reality. It may be hard to put off disorientation as well. This remains a reality. People of the United States are still prone to be victim s of suspicious events that benefit confer advantage to political elites, and still Americans lack means of finding out whether the events are inevitable incidents or, rather, crimes instigated or allowed by the authorities themselves (Smith 2006). Recent cases in point are the 2000 and 2004 election troubles; the failures of defense on the 9-11 attack; the chain of threats of terrorism circulated based on weak evidence (Katyal 2003). A number of these events were never scrutinized. Others were investigated shallowly. Even the September 11 attack, which gained the most elaborate and systematic investigation, was studied by political insiders who circumvented inquiring whether the incident might have been a conspiracy (Smith 2006). Nevertheless, elites exploited these incidents to defend constraints on civil liberties, a current strategy, and an American militarism, unparalleled for the United States, of preventive conflict (Melley 2000). To be certain, large portions of the U.S. pop ulation and all over the world think that the administration of Bush accepted and may have in some way allowed the 9-11 attack, yet these misgivings are only another group of conspiracy theories that create more issues than clarifications. To transcend incident-specific assumptions of government schemes, the discussion of political conspiracy and slander in this paper would employ social scientific premises for ideas into the widespread occurrence of state assaults on democratic principles and practices. Political Conspiracy and Slander in the United States Even though conspiracy theorists have been unsuccessful to build up a sufficient explanation of state crime, they are worthy of recognition for emphasizing a threatening possibility historically taken for granted by scholars. The latter have investigated different types of state criminality, but in nearly every instance the opportunity for government authorities in liberal democracies to undermine or challenge democratic principl es and practices has been overlooked (Pozen 2010). In criminology and sociology, a large number of studies on state crime have put emphasis on connections between subversive and public organizations, particularly the symbiosis that frequently emerges between organized crime and law enforcement agencies (Pfau 2005). Hardly any intellectuals in these disciplines have also investigated state criminality as a kind of political