Literature and Ideals Essay

Definition: Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking, â€Å"literature† is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. Why do we read literature? Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But, literature is more important than just a historical or cultural artifact. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. We learn about books and literature; we enjoy the comedies and the tragedies of poems, stories, and plays; and we may even grow and evolve through our literary journey with books. Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. We may interpret the author’s message. In academic circles, this decoding of the text is often carried out through the use of literary theory, using a mythological, sociological, psychological, historical, or other approach. Whatever critical paradigm we use to discuss and analyze literature, there is still an artistic quality to the works. Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us. Even when it is ugly, literature is beautiful. Importance of Literature. It is a curious and prevalent opinion that literature, like all art, is a mere play of imagination, pleasing enough, like a new novel, but without any serious or practical importance. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Literature preserves the ideals of a people; and ideals–love, faith, duty, friendship, freedom, reverence–are the part of human life most worthy of preservation. The Greeks were a marvelous people; yet of all their mighty works we cherish only a few ideals,–ideals of beauty in perishable stone, and ideals of truth in imperishable prose and poetry. It was simply the ideals of the Greeks and Hebrews and Romans, preserved in their literature, which made them what they were, and which determined their value to future generations. Our democracy, the boast of all English-speaking nations, is a dream; not the doubtful and sometimes disheartening spectacle presented in our legislative halls, but the lovely and immortal ideal of a free and equal manhood, preserved as a most precious heritage in every great literature from the Greeks to the Anglo-Saxons. All our arts, our sciences, even our inventions are founded squarely upon ideals; for under every invention is still the dream of Beowulf, that man may overcome the forces of nature; and the foundation of all our sciences and discoveries is the immortal dream that men â€Å"shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. † In a word, our whole civilization, our freedom, our progress, our homes, our religion, rest solidly upon ideals for their foundation. Nothing but an ideal ever endures upon earth. It is therefore impossible to overestimate the practical importance of literature, which preserves these ideals from fathers to sons, while men, cities, governments, civilizations, vanish from the face of the earth. It is only when we remember this that we appreciate the action of the devout Mussulman, who picks up and carefully preserves every scrap of paper on which words are written, because the scrap may perchance contain the name of Allah, and the ideal is too enormously important to be neglected or lost.

Oedipus Rex Essay

Oedipus Rex was written during the fifth century. A time when Rome was in power and Athens was the center of the world. In this time people beleived that gods controlled all. Fate and destiny could never be escaped and as is shown in this play, no one can change their own destiny. The fact that this play takes place in less than one day’s time means that many desicions are made in a rash and uninformed fashion. After finding out that his destiny has been fulffiled Oedipus blinds himself out of pain and the wish that he would never look upon the misery and horror that he himself has unknowingly created. The play is set in Thebes, recently a great powerfull city, but has been stuck by sickness and death. Most of the action takes place within the coutyard of the King’s palace. This setting represents power and arrogance. The fact that Oedipus does not go to anyone, everyone, including his wife comes to him suggests this arrogance. He still fears the destiny foretold to him, but he beleives that he can change that destiny by staying away from his family. Pg. 59 line 360 tells of this fear and belief. â€Å"As, that I should lie with my own mother, breed children from whom all men would turn their eyes; And that I should be my father’s murderer. I heard all this, and fled. And from that day Corinth to me was ony in the stars. Descending in that quarter of the sky, as I wandered farther and farther on my way to a land where I should never see the evil sung by the oracle. † Most other men in this time would except their fate, but his arrogance will not let him. His beleif that he can cheat fate is ultimatly what is destroying the people of Thebes. Oedipus’s family is a complicated tangle of lies made by people who also tried to cheat fate. The family that he beleives is his own in fact is not. The fact that he is even alive to recieve this family is not supposed to be. He left his adoptive parents never to return once he learned of his destiny thinking that he could prevent this from comming true. He denied to himself the knowledge that these were not his real parents. This is told on Pg. 59 line 345 â€Å"At a feast, a drunken man maundering in his cups cries out that I am not my father’s son. I contained myself that night, thought I felt anger and a sinking heart. † This tells me that in his heart he knew that it was a true statement but could not admit it to himself. His true father was Liaos, King of Thebes. Liaos had been told of his fate by the oracle that he would be killed by his own son. So like father like son, Liaos also tried to cheat fate as told by Iokoste on Pg. 59 line 260 â€Å"But his child had not been three days in this world before the King had pierced the baby’s ankles and left him to die on a lonely mountainside. † Oedipus celebrated the death of his father and therefore his succesfull escape from the prophesies of the oracle. But as he was told this news he was also told again that he was not his father’s son. The messenger on Pg 62 line 137 states † Polybos is not your. father. † This conversation continues on to tell the tale of how he was found as a child by a shepard with his ankles bound by a skewer. Polybos who had no children took in this baby as his own. This is when Oedipus finally starts to reallize that he was Liaos’s son but he will not accept it until he confirms this with the shepard who had found him. Iokaste, his wife obviously realizes that his destiny has become fullfilled and that she is not only his wife but his mother as well. She is angry and wishes that Oedipus will not know the truth of his parentage. She states on PG. 62 line 217. † You are fatally wrong! May you never learn who you are! † But as oedipus speaks with the shepherd he learns again of his horrible fate. on Pg 64 beginning at line 110 Oedipus finally admits to himself after being told numerous times that he has already unknowingly fufilled his own destiny. † Shepherd : For if you are what this man says you are, no man living is more wretched and oedipus. Oedipus: Ah God! It is true! All the prophecies! – Now, O light , may I look on you for the last time! I, Oedipus, Oedipus, damned in his birth, in his marriage, damned, damned in the blood he shed with his own hand! â€Å"

Beowulf’s Defining Characteristic

Beowulf Essay Beowulf, like so many other heroes, is described as a great fghter and a man of tremendous strength. He has self-confidence bordering on insanity. He is willing to do whatever it takes to earn trust and protect his people. He chooses to fght Grendel, an invincible monster unarmed and unprotected because he is very confident in his own strength. Despite his many qualities that make him who he is, bravery is the defining characteristic of heroism in Beowulf.Beowulf has a strong desire to demonstrate his bravery to others. He travelled to the Land of the Danes in large part to prove his courage by destroying Grendel. Just as he was about to kill Grendel, he offered a prayer to God. After the battle, Beowulf knew that he did not kill Grendel alone. He says that God allowed him to kill the monster and gave him all of the credit. Beowulf then fearlessly goes to Grendel's mother's underground lair after she attacks the mead-hall Heorot to avenge his eath.Beowulf became ruler o f the Kingdom of the Geats. His first task as he ruler was protecting the Geats from a fearsome dragon. The dragon was angered because a servant stole an ornamented cup from him. Before engaging in his biggest battle thus far, he remains brave and confident. Beowulf remembered all of his past victories and knew he had to stay loyal to his people, no matter what the challenge was. Through Beowulf's bravery, strength, and loyalty, he earned the respect of many people.His actions resemble one of America's most important Political fgures, Martin Luther King, Jr. MLK and Beowulf both have the intentions freeing and protecting their people. Beowulf saved his people from giant, invincible monsters, while MLK saved his people from the monster of racism. The two of them showed an amazing amount of bravery while doing this. Although their hardships and battles were completely different from each other, their motives and intentions to save their people were nearly identical.

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness Essay

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness - Essay Example He had a strong vision for the United States of America to this end and envisioned a country in which respect for the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was the order of the day. No wonder, his draft of the Declaration of Independence stated, We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness. (Boyd 438) The independence of the United States has seen many changes to the way life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have been treated. While the citizens of the U.S. enjoy these three natural rights to a greater extent than they did before independence, the country is yet to fully realize Jefferson’s dream for the country. This paper will analyze the extent to which the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are respected in the U.S. today. Before engaging in a discourse on the subject of the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is important that the three subjects (life, liberty, and happiness) are defined. Life basically is the characteristic that living things have and that non living objects do not have as noted by Alberts (45). In other words, it is what distinguishes objects that have self-sustaining processes from those that lack them. Biologically, living objects or organisms have the capacity to grow, reproduce, respond to stimuli, maintain homeostasis and metabolize (Alberts 47). On the other hand, non-living objects have no capacity to perform these processes. When life is taken off an organism, the organism is considered to be dead or non-living. Liberty, on the other hand, is the quality that one enjoys when they can personally control their actions as noted by Westbrooks (134). In other words, liberty has a lot to do with

The administrative structure of public education in the state of Essay

The administrative structure of public education in the state of California - Essay Example 2) To establish a viable structure, by employing a superintendent, laying down guidelines for hiring other personnel, adopting appropriate policies and curriculum, establishing budget priorities and ensuring provision of facilities. The Board also gives direction for formulating and adopting collective bargaining agreements. 3) To provide support to the superintendent and staff to carry out their functions by providing good personnel management, making resources available, upholding district policies, and liasing between the public and school functionaries. 4) To ensure performance/ program/ financial accountability to the public. . The Board evaluates the superintendent, and sets guidelines for evaluation of other staff, periodically assesses the curriculum and student performance, and also does self-assessments. 5) To acts as community leader by meaningfully involving the community in educational programs; it communicates to them information on district policies/ programs. The Board stands as a link between the student and the community too. (School Board Leadership) Discussion Question (2) Briefly discuss a case or hearing that was presented at your local school board or in one of the court systems. What was the final decision Give your opinion and/or reason for supporting this decision. I refer to a case of 1981, Segraves v. State of California. (Sacramento Superior Court #278978) Although the case is more than twenty-five years old, the issue is current. It relates to the teaching of scientific evolution in the classroom, and its likely clash with the religious views of the students, and their right to their views (as enshrined in the US Constitution). Segraves' contention was that the discussion of the Theory of Evolution prevented his children and him from the free exercise of their religion. The court, however, "found that the California State Board of Education's Science Framework, as written and as qualified by its anti-dogmatism Policy, gave sufficient accommodation to the views of Segraves." (Matsumura & Mead, 2001). The Anti-dogmatism Policy insisted that scientific explanations in the class room focus on the 'how', and not 'ultimate cause', and that speculative statements concerning origins, "both in texts and in classes, should be presented conditionally, not dogmatically." (Matsumura & Mead, 2001) The court also ruled that all areas of science be covered by this Anti-dogmatism Policy. While I agree that science should be taught without dogmatism, it is also necessary that dogmatic adherence to religious beliefs do not prevent a child from acquiring scientific knowledge. Therefore, the judgement in this case was right, permitting openness in looking at scientific theories, and the evidence that was available to support them. *Prompt: Numerous Civil Rights Acts have covered a variety of topics that have influenced public education: unlawful employment practices, denial of benefits, equal rights, equal protection, and equal employment opportunities. Elaborate on a statement that I heard at a governor's conference which stated, "The Right to Read is a student's Civil Right" Explain how the above quote may be both a detriment and an asset to

Article Critique about information system Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critique about information system - Article Example For a business entity to be successful, there are many elements that come into play. They range from political, economic, social and technological factors. LPL Financial is mostly concentrating on the latter while it has entirely neglected the other equally important elements that are classified as the macro environment. This is the wrong approach that it adopted. First of all, the company has too many advisers. 13500 advisers is a huge number for one business no matter how big it may be. The argument that may be brought forth is that the more advisers for a company the more it is likely to achieve its goals, because with many experts nothing can go wrong. However, what this business does not know is that a huge chunk of their revenue is used in servicing the salaries of these professionals. Expert advice does not come cheap and for a company that is in the process of expansion, this is a very bad move. Secondly, the company is also relying on 700 institutions’ opinions before it can make a decision. This is a clear contradiction because the business claims to be a leader in discovering new trends. Successful businesses do not rely on others, others rely on them. The business should concentrate on coming up with new inventions and the 700 institutions that it relies on will start relying on it. Being a slave for other institutions will result to bullying. Take for instance, several institutions decide to change from one line of product to another. LPL Financial will respond by restructuring its business to suit these institutions, but this is an expensive venture and may take a long time to recover the finances used. Lastly, the business has designated too much power to the employees. Allowing workers to come up with different inventions and thrive is not a bad thing, is it? The problem is the management does not come into the picture. What is their role in all these? Do they even have work? Allowing different

Emerging Issues in Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Emerging Issues in Criminal Justice - Essay Example The US Supreme Court has maintained that DNA testing and storage of records does not violate this right. The report further describes the value of DNA testing in the prevention of repeat offenders of violent crimes. Statistics are included on the scope of the program and reports on the number of cases that it has aided, as well as the number of potential cases that it could help in the future. In addition, it was found that the economic expense might become overwhelming to operate the program in a prudent manner. The rapid expansion of the program has called for increased lab space, storage facilities, and technicians as law enforcement begins to rely more heavily on DNA evidence. In addition, social pressure needs to be handled in a manner that does not give the public the perception that it has further eroded their constitutional guarantees. The report reaches the conclusion that meeting the financial and social challenges presented by NDIS will be an important step for the future of forensic investigations. Recent advances in DNA technology have been both a blessing and a curse for the United States' justice system and federal and local law enforcement agencies. It has offered law enforcement officials an important new tool to track, investigate, and prosecute dangerous criminals. DNA evidence has provided for the proof beyond a reasonable doubt in thousands of cases involving the most serious crimes of murder and rape. DNA evidence has also been useful in the exoneration of countless convicts that had been wrongly convicted, many of them on death row. To take advantage of this new technology, the US government has pursued a program of compiling a databank of DNA information taken from US citizens. This database can later be used to crosscheck for suspects that may be linked to crime scene DNA evidence at a later date. The US system is similar to the program that is operated in the United Kingdom. While there are significant benefits to be gained from maintaining a large DNA database, it has come at a substantial cost. The economic cost places a burden on law enforcement's already scarce resources. There are also significant social costs due to the perception of the invasion of privacy and the constitutional questions regarding the right to privacy. In addition, there are several logistical challenges to be overcome to assure the proper collection, analyzation, and long-term storage of the mounting quantities of DNA evidence. Determining the most appropriate policies regarding the US DNA databank requires an evaluation of the benefits and costs of the program, while examining the issue in light of the US constitution and global human rights standards. The federal government coordinates the DNA databank program as advocates have sought to expand the database. Individual states vary in their DNA reporting requirements but all states participate in the gathering of DNA information on the most serious violent crimes, which is passed to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a program managed by the FBI (Walsh, 2006). This DNA information is made available to law enforcement agencies through the National DNA Index (NDIS), which currently has over 6,384,379 offender profiles and 241,685 forensic profiles on file and has aided 77,700 investigations as of

Sibling separation Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sibling separation - Annotated Bibliography Example In the article, there are the effects of sibling separation like trauma, extreme sense of loss and anger. The article also clearly states the repercussions of sibling separation like making it difficult for the siblings to heal, development of a healthy self image and making personal; attachments to people. In the article, there are the reasons for the placement like lack of resources and the needs of the siblings, and the factors to consider when carrying out the exercise like determining the level of attachment between the siblings. Lastly, the article looks into the ways in which the sibling can be adjusted during the process. The article expounds on the implications of sibling separations and relationships in child placement practice. The article gives details of how the relationship and bonds developed by the siblings can be monitored and understood. According to the article, the sibling placement process is multidisciplinary area requiring inputs from family therapy, rivalry, adult siblings, incest and siblings from poor families among others. The article also explains the importance of maintaining relationships and bonds during the sibling separation process. The article also gives recommendations on how to make the process of children placement in foster care successful. This book gives the details involved in children adoption process and lists the groups involved in the process. The book also explains on the measures prerequisite to enable the process to be a success. The book also explains the implications of the children separation from their friends and family on basis of various age brackets. The book also explains the various types of adoption and the implications on the sibling of each category of adoption. In the book there is a list of the social policies to be followed to make the process legal and ensure that the process has less negative impacts on the sibling, the siblings new family and the former family. The

Psychological Therapies and Youth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Psychological Therapies and Youth - Essay Example In this chapter, the need to actually find the right reason and the right procedure to help these young individuals survive their youth. All the different situations that they are to face must be well prepared for. Besides this, it should also be assured that the decision that they make is well guided so as to ensure their decisions would have better future results. IT could not be denied that not giving these individuals proper guidance would cause their future to stumble down. As a result many young individuals are now subjected to different therapies that are aimed to giving them the necessary assistance that they are in need of to live a better life. These therapies are rather developed to ensure that the said youngsters are given the right guidance that they need to assure that they are given the right attention so as to make them more competent and strong enough to face their lives as young adults who are getting ready for a better future ahead of them. In support to this Hanne l (2006) says that "being able to identify the fact that a young individual needs an assistance, giving them the right attention is a must, to assure that they are given a good chance to a good future" (15). ... ing the right path to youth therapy is that of preventing the roots of the situation to cause different problems in the life of the young generation later on. It could not be denied that through this particular prevention, people living around the young ones are to be subjected for involvement. It could not be denied that the therapies designed to follow this particular aim are designed to involve all the others who are supposed to help in the process of preventing the young ones from facing all the different struggles that are to be undergone if they make the different decisions in life. Besides that, the issues on youth depression are also issued an attention through these therapies. (Cappuzzi, 2008:76) In preventing the causes of youth depression, the therapies are created to make sure that the different issues faced by the young generation are given careful attention by the people that are in charged in giving the necessary assistance needed. IT could not be denied that through these therapies and assistance programs, the youths and their families are given the right knowledge and reasoning so as to make it certain that they are considerably giving each other the right support needed by each individual to face the different challenges of human living (Hannel, 2006:76). Therapists appointed to finish these responsibilities are then subjected to the challenge of identifying the different issues that certain young individuals need to face as young adults based on the different background situations that they are involved in. It could be observed then that knowing these issues are essential to the creation of the different psychological therapy approaches needed to specifically deal with certain situations that youths need to face in their journey to life. Chapter 4:

Hiring an Administrative Assistant to Teck Security Firm Research Paper

Hiring an Administrative Assistant to Teck Security Firm - Research Paper Example .†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..7 Contribution of Teck Security in Hampton County †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 Effects of straining understaffed Administrative personnel in Teck†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Nature of Criminals in Hampton County†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.10 Best practices employed by security competitors in Hampton...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.12 Benefits of Hiring an administrative Assitant at Teck Security †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.14 Outcomes of implementing the Findings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.14 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..15 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..16 List of Illustrations Figures Figure 1: Hampton, SC ratio of number of residents to the number of sex offenders compared to nearest cities †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 Figure 2: ration of number of sex offenders to the number of residents †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11 Tables Table 1: Crime issues in Hampton County (2010-2011)....†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 Executive summary This report is all about the Teck Security Firm and the Security Situations in Hampton County, North Carolina. Research is carried out through an interview, a questionnaire method to determine how effective the Company is in security matters, and what Hampton County residents say about it. The findings indicated that Teck Security Firm is one of the best in the area and most preferred for physical security services. This report... The aim of this report is to come up with the best security enhancement solutions for Teck Security Firm in order to improve security provision in Hampton County and the neighboring regions. The report examines the security situations in Hampton County and the role of Teck Security. It also examines black spots in the region and highlights the best security measures to be undertaken by Teck Security Firm. Other areas examined in this report include effects of straining administrative personnel in a firm, nature of criminals in Hampton, competitive advantages of competitor firms and benefits of hiring an Administrative assistant. Hampton County is a fast developing area with population growing more than 200, 000 individuals according to the last census carried out in 2010. This means that the rising population requires better-modified security services to accomplish its mission of becoming the leading region in security solutions. In the past few years, Hampton County widened its serv ice delivery base to encompass areas like Kazuri and Hoja meaning that the security firms in the region must also expand to meet the rising demands. However, the Teck security system, which is the leading security provision in the region, has been deteriorating in the past few days. The main reason for deterioration is the deficiency of administrative assistance since junior staff has increased due to the increase in population in the region and expansion.

Managing Role Stress as a nurse Essay Example for Free

Managing Role Stress as a nurse Essay Role Stress is the number one reason nurses leave the nursing field (Chang, Hancock, Johnson, Daly, Jackson, 2005). Role Stress happens when you find yourself experiencing things that you did not expect to happen to you as a nurse. It is the difference your perception of a role versus the reality of your role. You might first experience this as a new grad Nurse without confidence, facing unrealistic expectations, and value conflicts. You could also experience Role Stress due to a lack of job control, high demands, and work overload. We are now being faced with shorter and shorter hospital stays equaling more work to be done in less time. (Blais Hayes, 2011, pg. 27 ) A nurse experiencing Role Stress might end up with Role Strain. An emotional reaction accompanied by psychological responses, such as anxiety, tension, irritation, resentment, depression, and job dissatisfaction (Blais Hayes 2011, pg. 27). A stressor that one might experience as a substitute school nurse is the lack of consistency on policy from one school to another. A good way to manage the stress caused by the inconsistency is to research school nurse policies in the state you are in, and work under those regulations. Also, voicing your concerns to those involved can help if done politely. This was shown to be effective, thus eliminating stress. In another example; one may not realize the emotional stress of a job. Death in the ED can take a toll on both staff and family. It can produce feelings of guilt, anger, failure. One might become numb and develop emotional defenses to cope with the way they feel. To help with this special education or training can be given to the nurse, which can help improve wellness and performance (http://emedicine. medscape.com/article/806280-overview). In every different nursing environment we will eventually run into stressors, that can cause role strain. There are fortunately some strategies that can help manage stress. A plan of care to manage stress might be helpful to all working in the health care field. The following interventions might help reduce stress: Learn how to identify problems and solve them, have good time management skills, delegate well, and learn to not procrastinate. It is also helpful to not assume too many roles, to arrive early, and prepare ahead of time to eliminate any work overload stress. (Blais Hayes, 2011, pg. 29). A short term goal could be to arrive early to work everyday which in return could prevent some additional stress.. A long term goal would be the reduction of stress through applying the above strategies, as well as doing something healthy for yourself, such as a walk, exercise, alone time, or perhaps a good book. Using community resources and help available through specialist and friends can also be beneficial. In summary, it is first necessary to take care of yourself, then you will be in a position to apply the many other helpful techniques enabling you to care for others. References Blais, K.K. Hayes, J.S. (2011). Professional Nursing Practice: Concepts and Perspectives (6th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, Inc. Chang, E.J., Hancock, K.M., Johnson, A., Daly, J., Jackson, D. (2005). Role stress in nurses: Review of related factors and strategies for moving forward. Nursing and Health Sciences, 7, 57-65. Medscape. (2009). Grief Support in the ED. Retrieved September 4, 2013, from http://emedicine,medscape.com/article/806280-overview)

Relationship Between Department Essay Example for Free

Relationship Between Department Essay Having people know about different language skills will help them to be more knowledge and will help them to be easy understanding around people that are different from themselves. Make sure that we have training regularly about employee cultural differences so employees will finally to cooperation peaceful. Reduce the conflicts and disputes between of them. On the other hand, our company will be provide more money to encourage our employees learn more language s. Enhance their language skill. This plan will not only be able to assist them to strengthen their language and culture and communication skills, but also help in the works. We are the five stars and luxury hotels, most of the guests visiting from different countries, If our employees have excellent language skills after training, so that more in-depth understanding of the needs of customers and provide them with the best service. The second point on how to deal with employee cultural differences is to make sure that people know what the respect is. Ensure that everyone knows that some of colleagues always treat not fair on way. Or does not get special treatment because of their cultural difference. We will also want to make sure that you have something that goes out to remind people that everyone is equal. We can do this either by employee training or meeting; I can have a little presentation in staff training. I just need to make sure that it is addressed so people know that it is ok to have cultural differences in our hotel. However, quick to criticize and condemn the error of employees, and received the award slowly, many managers are always discriminated against ome of the staff, because they are not locals. Part of the local staff will imitate manager. Such discriminatory behavior, only a few people willing communicate with them. Therefore, they increase the pressure and the self-esteem hurt performance directly affects the workers left. On the other hand, if the situation continues, the relationship between employees will become fragmented. More reminiscent of the dictator. Simply dictating to them wh at they could get the job done, but there is no incentive to do it well. Employees are not exactly the same as the standard machine to perform over and over again the same job, if you do not recognize their effort. Their performance has been deteriorating. More modern and progressive workplace goals and reward schemes to motivate employee. In addition, the manager must make a good role model to promote the relationship between the employees become harmonious, happy work. The third point on how to deal with employee cultural differences is if some one is getting picked on because of their culture. You need to make sure that people know that it is not acceptable to treat others differently because of their culture. You will want to make sure that you take some action so that the problem does not continue. The worst thing is to have a unhappy employee because some one else has taken it upon themselves to be rude because of the racial discrimination. The fourth point on how to deal with employee cultural differences is enhance the exchange between employees, a better understanding of each other, I decided to organize more large-scale events in our company in future. For example, some large dinner, outdoor travel, outdoor activities such as football matches, participate to Marathon. These activities can make between employees a better understanding of each other, to establish a good relationship. If the employees between full unity, communication and reduce differences on return to work, they like these movements smooth co-develop team efforts, make excellent performance, driving the company‘s internal and external developments. There will be space for development cannot estimate. Therefore, Outdoor activities and group activities for communication.

The Process Of Coastal Erosion Environmental Sciences Essay

The Process Of Coastal Erosion Environmental Sciences Essay Coastal erosion is a natural process in which sand and rocks are dislodged from the shoreline by various eroding agents. Wave erosion is one of the major eroding agents which erode the beaches by breaking the rocks. In coastal erosion land is permanently and completely shifted from one region to another. The intensity of erosion along a beach is influenced by how hard a wave hits it; the intensity of the wave depends on tides and the water density. Coast erosion usually affects most people that live along the coastline and also the marine organisms that have their habitats along estuaries, bays and very shallow parts of the ocean water. Discussion Many coastline are facing rampant coastal erosion and mostly in the Atlantic and gulf where erosion percentages are about 6% per year. Many coastlines within the United States of America have been affected by coastal erosion and in our study today we will concentrate on the coastal erosion in Louisiana specifically along the Mississippi river. Wetlands within the United States are declining at a very fast rate in the past 200 years, this because of the increase in the natural evolutionary processes and also some human activities such as dredging. The wetlands within Louisiana are vast and wide as they extend to about 130 kilometers inland and 300km onshore. Various wetlands within the U.S.A are in stable conditions but the one in Louisiana if not quickly addressed it will be completely eroded in the next two hundred years (Dunne and Knapp 123). The delta plains within the Mississippi river together with its shorelines have been the recipient of sediment deposition by the river dating back to seven thousand years back. There have been shifts in the course of the Mississippi river which has resulted in the staking of sand and mud which later formed deltas which were abandoned by the changing of the river course. These delta began eroding and degrading reason being the following factors; the subsequent increase in the water level which may have been caused by global warming, bombardment by the loose sediment which may have been deposited and also the reason may have been the sudden occurrence of storms which could have washed away the sand particles which were deposited on the deltas. Other than the above reasons the natural marine processes did erode the margins of the deltas which were seaward leading to the formation of barrier beaches and also sandy headlands. Erosion subsequently continued resulting to the barrier islands which were of low relief and eventually causing separation with the main land by lagoons and shallow bays The erosion of the coastal shorelines in Louisiana has really led to the environmental and economic decline of the region as compared to the past. If urgent measures are not addressed the wetland in Louisiana will be no more. Due to the erosion of the deltas there was formation of barrier islands which acted as buffer zones hence leading to the decline of the ocean wave effects to the surrounding wetland and estuaries. Researchers have come up with findings that tend to explain that if the eroding of the barrier islands continue they will be no more by the climax of this century hence exposing the wetlands to the mighty force of marine processes which include; tidal power, transportation of sediments, wave action and the intrusion of salinity. These marine processes will therefore lead to the degrading of the wetlands. Coastal erosion which is also known as shoreline retreat can cause a lot of economic losses since the following sectors are adversely affected and they include ; agric ulture, tourism which to some countries is the main source of income, fishing and shipping as harbors are also affected (Finkl and Khalil 206). In Louisiana there are oil refineries and energy production sites and therefore through coastal erosion such activities are hampered and disrupted. In certain estimation by economists it was noted that if oil refineries in Louisiana were to be hampered for three continuous weeks then the countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s economy could suffer a setback of three hundred thousand jobs and also the loss of over one billion dollars. In a study conducted by waldemar nelson he states that if the coastal erosion is not corrected then the following economic conditions are likely to be affected: the transportation of oil and gas may be disrupted, navigation will also be hampered as erosion will make it difficult to navigate through the Mississippi river, commercial fishing may be hampered and some recreational activities like surfing may be affected. These are the direct impacts that may accrue as a result of coastal erosion. In a study conducted by Richardson and Scott they stated that coast erosion will impact a lot in the general economy of the United States of America. They further stated that there will be loss of jobs, decline in the household earnings and some of the business transitions of economy may be affected if the coastal erosion continues to disrupt industries in Louisiana. These are the indirect challenges that Louisiana may face as a result of the coastal erosion. Louisiana has had a decline in its wetlands for the past thirty years or so due to this a body of experts was formed to address this problem. This body was known as coastal wetlands planning, protection and restoration act which was made up of a task force whose responsibility was to keenly monitor, implement and design the conservation of the coast and also they were to make a follow up of the restoration projects that were being undertaken (Limnological Society of Southern Africa 81). For the purpose of their duties these task force were u fed with the high resolution and colored photographs of the region which were usually taken through aerial photography. These photographs enabled them to monitor the restoration progress and this was to continue for a period of twenty years. This taskforce always submitted a report of its findings and restoration projects to the congress. The projects to be undertaken were usually ranked regarding their costs and the benefits that were to be acqu ired from it. There is a formula which was used in accessing the benefits and ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s calculated through a methodology which is usually known as the wetland value assessment. Every year restoration projects were to be done and they include; restoration of the hydrology, protection of the shoreline, restoration of the barrier island, diversions of sediments, marsh management, proper use the material which is dredged, introduction of fresh water, planting vegetation and trapping of nutrients and sediments. A special body was established to monitor the progress and effectiveness of the projects. In the restoration of the coastal erosion in Louisiana the project needed an approximate of five hundred billion dollars to one billion dollar. These amounts were to assist in the protection of Louisiana against hurricane attacks (Morton 08). It is noted that it is not nature alone that is to be blamed on the degradation and destruction of wetlands in Louisiana but also the human activities which have been taking place in the Mississippi river delta. The following are some of the activities; there has been construction of levees which were designed to channel the riversà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ waters two thousand kilometers inland hence leading to the transportation of sediments which were deposited far from the coast. This sediment was of importance as they usually nourished the wetlands. Another human activity that has degraded the coast was the dredging of canals which were to be used in the facilitating of hydrocarbon exploration and its production, these led to the intrusion of salty water to the wetland from the Gulf of Mexico. Finally the drainage of water into the wetland so as to give room for development and agriculture has led to the loss and subsequent deterioration of the wetland (Finkl and Khalil 187). There are various ideas which have been put forward to address the problem of erosion of the Barrier Island and wetlands. Some of the ideas include; the restoration of the coast through the nourishment of the barrier island, sand and other materials that were dredged to be distributed to the wetlands, some other people state that a new navigation channel to be created so as to allow the delta plains to proceed normally with their erosion. These ideas still have their pros and cons as they still affect some communities, some interests in agriculture and also the petroleum and oil industry. There are various engineering solutions which are very expensive to implement for instance building of breakwaters so as to prevent the full force of the waves from hitting the wetland and also building of breakwaters. This idea is viable but it is very costly. The only way curb this problem is by understanding how wetlands and barrier islands change or evolve. Various coordinated studies are showing how the nature intended both the wetland and barrier island to work. Therefore in the planning process the researchers should take into consideration how they evolve rather than going contrary to Mother Nature. Some studies are also trying to examine the possibilities of replacing sediments with very fine grained sediments. All this are very good and attainable ideas but up to date all the engineering actions performed are still fruitless (Dunne and Knapp 128). .

To Be Someone, To Belong:The Black Womyns Experience in Rastafari :: essays papers

"To Be Someone, To Belong":The Black Womyn's Experience in Rastafari Introduction Upon seeing various Jamaican films and listening to various reggae artists, a constant question running through my mind was,"Where are all the womyn?"In all of the films it seemed as though there were virtually no womyn in Jamaica, and those that were there were only on the periphery, not playing a main role in everyday life. Those films that depicted the Rastafarian way of life seemed to show no womyn in them either. I was somewhat confused about the seeming absence of womyn, and it forced me to question their role in Jamaican and Rastafarian society. My questions regarding this issue were pushed further when a friend of mine returned home from Jamaica and expressed the same kinds of concerns. She said that during the few weeks she spent there she had seen maybe a dozen or two dozen Jamaican womyn altogether. As I moved further into my studies of Rastafarianism and reggae music, I noticed how gendered the language in both the religious tenets and music lyrics was. As a western womyn, this was peculiar to me. As you can notice, I don't even write the word"womyn"with the"man"in it. I find it insulting that my identity should be bound up in that of the opposite sex. I am entrenched in the world of political correctness and gender neutrality. However, reggae music and other rhetorical pieces of literature from Rastafari do not contain the same element of neutral gender identity as the United States has been moving towards. Rather, much of it is framed in a male or masculinist language. This implanted a few suspicions within me about the possibility of Rastafarianism being somewhat patriarchal, but, I was at first unwilling to accept the idea. I felt that this was impossible due to the fact that Rastafarianism was such a socially conscious movement dealing with the horrors of oppression and ex ploitation of blacks. However, it seems as though the impossible is possible, or at least mostly possible, and traditional Rastafarianism enforces rules and cultural norms that keep womyn in the subordinate, domesticated realm of everyday life. Yet, in the last thirty years or so, those rules and norms have been slowly challenged by a new generation of Rastafarian womyn who no longer accept their inferior position and are demanding greater equality. These womyn, some of whom turn to reggae to promote their own socially conscious ideas, symbolize the growing consciousness of womyn in Jamaica and other majority world countries who have experienced centuries of oppression.

The Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays

The attacks by Communist forces inside South Vietnam's major cities and towns that began around the Vietnamese New Year (Tet) of 1 February 1968 were the peak of an offensive that took place over a period of several months during the Vietnam War. Gen. William C. Westmoreland, the American commander in Vietnam, believed the attacks to be a last "throw of the dice" by the losing side. The attacks that Americans dubbed the "Tet Offensive" were just part of what the Communists called a "General Offensive and Uprising," designed to jolt the war into a new phase. The offensive ultimately achieved the Communists' aim, but at a price many of them thought excessive. The offensive had long†term conceptual origins in Vietnam's August Revolution of 1945, in which the Communist†led Viet Minh had instigated popular uprisings in the cities to seize power from a puppet government Japan had installed before its defeat. Two decades later, as American commitment to the anti†Communist government in Saigon deepened in the early 1960s, the Communists looked to that earlier event for inspiration. Lacking the military power to inflict outright defeat on the American military, the Communists had somehow to destroy American confidence that â€Å"limited war† could eventually bring victory for the United States. By sending armed forces directly into the South's cities and fomenting rebellion there, the Communists hoped to pull down the Saigon government or facilitate the rise to power of neutralists who would demand the withdrawal of U.S. forces. Even if the offensive did not bring immediate victory, the Communists calculated it would all ow rural forces to disrupt the pacification program, destroy the American illusion of success, and induce the United States to enter negotiations in which Hanoi could bargain from a position of strength. The plan formally approved by the Communist Party political bureau in Hanoi in July 1967 recognized that American, allied, and Saigon forces constituted a much more formidable foe than the shaky regime the August Revolution had toppled in 1945. The offensive therefore actually began in September 1967, with artillery†supported assaults by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), supported from the North, on the U.S. combat bases located along route 9 just south of the demilitarized zone, and then with operations in the central highlands, to test American reactions. The tests revealed that the Americans would remain in defensive positions; and although PAVN troops would face devastating firepower, massing for attack on these positions in remote areas could lure significant forces away from population centers.

Critique and Revolution: The Faces of Karl Marx :: Essays Papers

Critique and Revolution: The Faces of Karl Marx â€Å"The nobility of man shines upon us from their work hardened bodies.† (Manuscripts, 100)[1]. And according to Karl Marx, that is the bottom line. In Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 and Manifesto of the Communist Party[2], two of his most profound works, Marx outlines both his harsh critique of capitalism and his prophetic theory of impending communist revolution. Although these texts are extremely complex—Manuscripts is described often as the hardest sixty pages of modern philosophy—their main points can be summed up concisely. For Marx, a worker’s labor, and therefore product, is an extension of himself, and any practice that separates the two, most obviously capitalism’s private property, essentially tears the man apart. A system such as this is beyond repair, and the only feasible solution is a forceful and complete communist revolution ending in the destruction of private property and the reunion of mankind with his labor. The complex philosophizing behind these two doctrines will be revealed shortly, but now the question arises, are they consistent? More specifically, do the circumstances that exist under capitalism, as described in his critique, put the world in a realistic position to undergo his desired revolution? Taking his opinions of the world under capitalism as fact, the answer is yes: the desperation of alienation will drive the growing majority of men to unite and revolt. That said, a thorough examination of both his critique of capitalism and his planned communist revolution are necessary. Marx begins his discussion of life under capitalism by defining the term â€Å"estranged labor.† In essence, estranged labor is a separation between a worker and his product. This can come as a result of a division of labor, the institution of machines in factories, or the rise in importance of money, among other things, but the result is the same: the worker loses control of his product. Estranged labor does not seem inherently flawed until the observation is made that the more a worker produces and the more valuable his product becomes, the poorer he becomes. For Marx, this leads to the worker himself becoming a commodity that, like his product, he does not own. Instead of a worker owning his labor with his labor having inherent value, the labor is jailed inside the products, and outside of the worker. Critique and Revolution: The Faces of Karl Marx :: Essays Papers Critique and Revolution: The Faces of Karl Marx â€Å"The nobility of man shines upon us from their work hardened bodies.† (Manuscripts, 100)[1]. And according to Karl Marx, that is the bottom line. In Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 and Manifesto of the Communist Party[2], two of his most profound works, Marx outlines both his harsh critique of capitalism and his prophetic theory of impending communist revolution. Although these texts are extremely complex—Manuscripts is described often as the hardest sixty pages of modern philosophy—their main points can be summed up concisely. For Marx, a worker’s labor, and therefore product, is an extension of himself, and any practice that separates the two, most obviously capitalism’s private property, essentially tears the man apart. A system such as this is beyond repair, and the only feasible solution is a forceful and complete communist revolution ending in the destruction of private property and the reunion of mankind with his labor. The complex philosophizing behind these two doctrines will be revealed shortly, but now the question arises, are they consistent? More specifically, do the circumstances that exist under capitalism, as described in his critique, put the world in a realistic position to undergo his desired revolution? Taking his opinions of the world under capitalism as fact, the answer is yes: the desperation of alienation will drive the growing majority of men to unite and revolt. That said, a thorough examination of both his critique of capitalism and his planned communist revolution are necessary. Marx begins his discussion of life under capitalism by defining the term â€Å"estranged labor.† In essence, estranged labor is a separation between a worker and his product. This can come as a result of a division of labor, the institution of machines in factories, or the rise in importance of money, among other things, but the result is the same: the worker loses control of his product. Estranged labor does not seem inherently flawed until the observation is made that the more a worker produces and the more valuable his product becomes, the poorer he becomes. For Marx, this leads to the worker himself becoming a commodity that, like his product, he does not own. Instead of a worker owning his labor with his labor having inherent value, the labor is jailed inside the products, and outside of the worker.

Research on Amanda Todd: Cyberbullying Essay

Todd’s suicide received widespread, international media coverage, much of which included a link to Todd’s YouTube video and an email address provided by the RCMP appealing for information from the public. Within 24 hours of the appeal, over 400 tips were received.[9] The RCMP has stated that its investigation was hindered by the amount of false information in online postings after Todd’s death, and scams claiming to raise money for her family. Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old Canadian schoolgirl hanged herself, last week, after years of unrelenting abuse by peers and online predators, one of whom persuaded her to flash her breasts and then shared the picture around the world. In a personal video posted on the internet weeks before her death, Amanda told her story of â€Å"struggling, bullying, suicide, self-harm†. The sexual bullying of women and girls online is not a new phenomenon and Amanda’s story is not unusual. A quick search shows hundreds of simil ar videos of tormented young women across the world telling intimate tales of loneliness and abuse, often by bullies who use the internet to ogle and harass women and girls with impunity. What is unusual is that this week, a fight back began. Since her suicide, more than one million Facebook users have â€Å"liked† Todd’s Facebook memorial page.[9][33][34] Mingled among the positive support and comments are continuing attack posts and images from strangers and those claiming to be her former classmates, such as a message stating â€Å"I’m so happy she’s dead now.† [9] After one man’s derogatory Facebook comments about Todd’s death were reported to his employer, the Grafton-Fraser Mr. Big & Tall clothing chain confirmed that he was no longer an employee Of course, the problem is far bigger than a few isolated creeps. The problem is a culture that persecutes women and girls for being visible online and in the physical world. Until bullies everywhere, in schools, on the internet and in positions of power, get the message that sexual abuse and harassment of women and girls has real, tangible consequences for them as well as for their victims, vigilante e-justice will remain the only effective way for women and their supporters to hit back.

Mark Twain: America’s Great Humorist Essay

The 19th century United States was ravage by war, poverty and great expansion. Novels and American Literature flourished during this time leaving many of this period’s great authors to remain infamous. Much of this literature is still considered some of the most influential written works of art the world over. Students all over the country still read and learn much from one of these authors being Mark Twain. The writing, of Mark Twain, one of America’s greatest humorists and novelists, was the result of his travels and life experiences. Mark Twain the father of American Literature was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30th 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He was born the sixth of seven children extremely premature and sickly, to Jane Lampton Clemens and Marshall Clemens, a clerk, attorney general, and storeowner in Tennessee (The Life That Shaped Mark Twain). His father passed when at the young age of twelve while his mother lived until he was fifty-five years old. (M ark Twain House) Samuel’s early life was greatly influenced by the Mississippi river after he moved to Hannibal, Missouri at the age of 4. Look more:  huckleberry finn essay Hannibal became the influence for the fictitious town, St. Petersburg in both novels on Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Samuel never had any formal education, but was a quick and keen learner, and visited public libraries quite frequently. Being so fascinated by the river, he became a cub apprentice with the ambition of becoming a riverboat pilot, later earning his license in 1858. His experiences as a successful pilot played a major role in his writing, and even influenced the pen name he used for his entire writing career. The river also took his brother, Henry’s life being the victim of a steamboat explosion while working on the river (Hannibel.net). Clemens’ love for literature was apparent early on. He began working as a typesetter or printing apprentice at the age of eleven and continued to do so, throughout most of his young life. He traveled around most of the country even worked as a typesetter in New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Francisco and more. He wrote for several newspapers and worked as an editor temporarily (Mark Twain House). He even served a short time in the confederate army, seeing no action and later was sent to travel European countries with the assignment of writing travel logs to be printed in the newspapers (The Life That Shaped  Mark Twain). Although he enjoyed working in the printing world he returned to the river that he loved so much and became a steamboat pilot, a position that held great rank and esteem. The pilot’s were paid well for the time and were essential for knowing the ever-changing depths of the Mississippi River. As the pilots charted along the river they would frequently stop to check the river depths using the second line on a pole in the river signified two fathoms or twelve feet deep, which meant the water was deep enough for the boats to pass. To signify this depth the boat workers would cry out, â€Å"mark twain.† (The Mississippi River) This is where he would receive his iconic pen name. He continued to work as a steamboat pilot even though the Mississippi t ook the life of his younger brother in a tragic steamboat explosion. If it weren’t for the outbreak of American Civil War, in 1865 ceasing travel on the Mississippi, he may have spent the rest of his days on that river (Mark Twain House). With no work as a steamboat pilot, he left the river to follow his older brother Orion, to the west. During this time he traveled the western part of the US, through the Rocky Mountains, visited Mormon towns and stopped in Virginia City, Nevada where it was that he first used the pen name, Mark Twain. Upon returning home from his travels he settled down and married Olivia Livy Langdon in 1870 and had 4 children together. Their marriage was plagued with heartache. Of the three daughters that they had together, Susy, Clara and Jean only Clara lived past her twenties. They also had one son together who died of Diphtheria at nineteen months old. Some historians suggest that many of his works were influenced by the social elite he came into contact with as a result of his marriage. From his marriage to Olivia, who came from a liberal yet educated family, this broad man was exposed to much more. He met slavery supporters, abolitionists, women’s rights activists (including Harriett Beecher Stowe) and Frederick Douglas a utopian writer. His views expanded and in the coming years he wrote most of his successful works at his sister-in-law’s house during summer holidays (Mark Twain House). Oliver and Samuel settled down in a home that he built for the couple in Hartford, Connecticut where he felt the family would be properly sheltered. The great works of Mark Twain included: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and A Tramp Abroad were greatly influenced by his early  life, experiences on the Mississippi river and his world travels (Mark Twain House). In writing, A Connecticut Yankee, he opened the world to a new genre of writing, being science fic tion. The novel tells the story of Hank a Connecticut blacksmith whom was knocked out in a fight and wakes up back in time in King Arthur’s Court (A Connecticut Yankee). This increased interest in time travel and more and a recent motion picture film entitled, The Black Knight, starring Martin Lawrence was a loose adaption of this 1889 classic (The Black Knight). The author included his feelings on many controversial topics into his work. He wrote of political issues, issues between the north and south, slavery, and poked fun at political and social norms. He held a great belief in mystic connections and included this symbology in many of his pieces of writing. Many contribute this to his birth coinciding with Halley’s Comet (Mark Twain House). In the Adventures of Tom Sawyer slavery was barely mentioned by Twain, and African Americans were referred as â€Å"Negros,† instead of more colorful terms used at that time. Then in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain portrays Huckleberry Finn as being adamantly against slavery even attempting to prevent Jim, the, â€Å"negro,† from being found. Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn, during a time that ex-slaves were subjected to economic exploitation, disenfranchisement, and unprovoked lynchings. Huckleberry Finn, is a satire not about slavery but of the racism that overtook American society as Twain wrote the book in the late 1870s and early 1880s, which continues to stain America today (Mark Twain House). The author’s views on slavery in the US, during the 1800’s, was greatly influenced by his early upbringing in the state of Missouri, a slave state. Later he related to those experiences in his novels when expressing his own views on the practice of slavery. Being a southerner he was taught to be pro-slavery, and was encouraged to keep slaves, but he truly shared mixed views on the subject that comprised of southern, western and, â⠂¬Å"Yankee beliefs.† The author developed this mixed view thru his experiences as a wanderer, living in hundreds of places around the world. This broad experience allowed him the freedom to choose views on slavery that weren’t innate to southern living. This was a difficult position as anti-slavery beliefs, were against the beliefs of his family. Conversations with abolitionists, his father in law, and former slaves, forced Twain, to re-examine the world and the morals that were ingrained in him as a result  of his southern upbringing (Mark Twain House). One of Samuel’s earliest memories of slaves came from an old slave couple who worked on his uncle’s farm. He spent time there in the summer with his siblings and would often be entertained by the story-telling of slave, Dan’l and Aunt Hannah. They were some of the first slaves that he knew and cared for before he, ever knew it was, â€Å"wrong.† (The Life That Shaped Mark Twain) In one of his many autobiographies, he explained that one of his first memories of seeing slaves haunted him. It was a memory of ten or more slaves chained together waiting to be shipped downriver to the slave market. He remarked on how sad their faces were (Hannibal.net). He later would make his first writing appearance in Atlantic Monthly by telling the true and sad account of a slave named, Mary Ann Cord whose husband and seven children were taken from her and sold to other slaveholders. Mark Twain felt this was wrong and decided to share it with the world (The Life That Shaped Mark Twain). In Huckleberry Finn, Samuel writes that after Huck helped slave Jim get to freedom, his conscious started to eat at him, causing him to write a letter to Jim’s owner, explaining where Jim was. He thought to himself about how close, â€Å"I came to being lost and going to hell.† (Twain, 214) After writing the letter he hesitates while thinking to himself on the river’s edge, about how good Jim was and about their great time together and then he said to himself, â€Å"All right, then, I’ll go to hell,† tearing up the letter and changing his mind (Twain, 214). This scene most definitely symbolizes the internal struggle Samuel felt, when dealing with the act of slavery. Samuel met great success with his many works of fiction, but his love for science ate through his pocket. Samuel made more than todays’ 8 million dollars and spent it all on trying to help new inventions take off which turned out to be great failures. All of his savings were dumped into science due to the fact that it intrigued him so much that he wanted to be apart of something new. Many say that Twain passed away from a broken heart, the summer before the death of his last daughter his best friend H.H. Rogers also passed away. It is said that the sadness from the combination of great losses created his broken heart. He died on April 21, 1910 at the age of 75 along with the reappearance on Haley’s comet. He always joked that came into this world with Haley and would also leave with her. In his later life Samuel attempted having a publishing company and continued on writing. (Mark  Twain House) His last writing included an autobiography that was written in a jumble chronological order, always sticking to his humorist roots. Many scholars and historians have attempted to reorganize the work as to make it more understandable without success. With his jumbled autobiography he left American Literature forever changed. The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC even gives the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, every year to an artist who displays a great impact on American society similar to the ways that Mark Twain did in the 19th century (Kennedy Center). Samuel left behind a legacy of great humor and sati re all of which can be attributed to his life on the Mississippi River his experiences and his world travels. Works Cited â€Å"2013 Mark Twain Prize Recipient Carol Burnett.† The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"The Black Knight.† IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court: Novel Summary.† Novelguide. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"A Life Lived in a Rapidly Changing World: Samuel L. Clemens‚ 1835-1910.† Welcome to the Mark Twain House & Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"Hannibal.net | The Hannibal Courier-Post.† Hannibal.net | The Hannibal Courier-Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"The Life That Shaped Mark Twain’s Anti-Slavery Views.† AFT. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. â€Å"The Mississippi River.† Mark Twain at Large:. University of California, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Twain, Mark, and Harriet Elinor. Smith. Autobiography of Mark Twain (vol. 1): Authoritative Edition from the Mark Twain Project. Readers ed. Vol. 1. Berkeley, CA: U of California, 2010. Print. Mark Twain Papers.

Typography & Typeface Design

Design Is everywhere. It may be a bit of click, but It Is definitely true. We live In an age of mass consumption and mass communication, and everywhere we look we can find examples of design. As an industrial design student l, naturally, tend to focus at product design, but there are of course many other design disciplines. However, there is one design discipline that I for some reason never perceived as design, until I was scribbling In my notepad one day. I was bored and drawing variations of the letter At first, it was just mindlessly doodling, but then I realized what I was actually doing.I wasn't just drawing the letter, I was designing it. It may sound Like a trivial discovery, but for me It was a revelation that Immediately triggered my curiosity. The truth is: typeface design is everywhere, and because of this it easy to forget that typefaces are products of design too. Somebody designed the logo of your favorite soft drink brand, somebody designed the font that is displayed on the â€Å"emergency exit† sign, and somebody designed the very letters you are looking at right now.Even In product design typefaces and typography can play a major role. Once I started to take notice of the amount f typography around me, it became almost overwhelming, and I couldn't help but starting to wonder. Who designed these typefaces and with what purpose? Where do they come from and how did they become such a big part of our everyday life? But above all, what can I as an industrial designer learn from studying this huge but for me uncharted design discipline?Typography In the middle of the desert HISTORY If we trace typography back to its roots, it is fair to say that it typography and typeface design emerged somewhere mid-1 5th century with the Introduction of movable type printing in always handwritten, but movable type printing allowed for new possibilities and systematic typography. Johannes Gutenberg designed the first typeface: Texture. The design was heavily influenced by the gothic style of the German area scribes. This style is called Gothic or Blacklisted.This new form of printing spread fast across Europe, and played a major role during the Renaissance. In Italy the German gothic style was replaced by the Venetian style, which was based on the instructional capitals on Roman buildings and monuments. These new typefaces were designed in a very structural way, and were very detailed and balanced. They soon became he main typeface for western civilization. The Italians also reintroduced the Roman concept of â€Å"minuscule†, or lowercase letters. The â€Å"minuscule† where kept in a case at low level easy access, while the capitals where kept in a case above that one.This is where the terms lowercase and uppercase come from, which are still used today. Eventually all these different elements melted together and these typefaces are referred to as Roman types. Late 15th century Italian printers realized that they could pri nt text in a slanted way, so that the vertical space a word occupied could be minimized. This way they could print more ext on a page. This style is called Italics, and is named after its place of origin: Italy. So in the early 16th century there where three main type classifications of Western typography: Roman, Blacklisted and Italic.However, people started combining Roman and Italic type, and nowadays Italics are often only used for emphasis, quotes and names or titles. During the 17th and 18th century typefaces evolved further, and typeface designers were experimenting with different stroke-weights and serif styles. Serifs are the little strokes at the end of characters In the 19th century the industrial revolution kook place. The rise of advertisement demanded for large-scale typefaces that Egyptian, or Slab-serifs, and were recognizable by their thick block like serifs.Early in the 20th century a new movement within typography emerged: modern typography. Modern typography was part of the modernist movement, which was a movement that strove for a new, modern interpretation of art, architecture, literature, etc. Modern typography strove for an universal form of communication, and by this is meant that they did not want the typeface to interfere with the message in any way: typefaces should be neutral, and their arm should be dictated by its function. They wanted information to be displayed in a visually linear and ordered way.One of the most characteristic developments of modern typography is the popularization of the sans-serif typefaces. Sans- serifs (literally â€Å"without serifs†) appeared as early as 500 B. C. , but modernists looked at them with new interest. They were clean, simple typefaces, and they lent themselves perfectly for the â€Å"function over form†- ideology of modern typographers. Gothic Roman Slab-serif Sans-serif Some modernist movements started to experiment with the form and placements of rods as well. Especially Dada ism experimented a lot with typography and pushed it in another direction.The Dada movement was a movement that rebelled against the established art forms. They deliberately avoided all logic and order in their works, and it is fair to say that the Dada typography was the counterpart of modern typography. Dadaist typography is characterized by the many use of different typefaces and letter sizes. Words were printed in both horizontal and vertical directions, random letters were placed throughout the poster and punctuation was often illogical. For Dadaists the form of the ext was more important than the message itself.A great example of this is the poem â€Å"Boom Pauses† of the Belgium poet Paul van Stained. Movement during the early 20th century. They started experimenting with shape of letters, trying to abstract them and build them up from basic shapes like circles and squares. These types are called geometrical typefaces. They were heavily influenced by the Dutch art move ment â€Å"De Still†. During WI, art forms where hindered in developing. Instead typography turned to propaganda posters for artistic outlet. Post WI typography developed at a rapid rate.After the war designers begin looking for a form of unification within design. This became the International, or Swiss style. It was characterized by the heavy use of sans-serifs, with a neutral and geometrical appearance. In the ass's the psychedelic movement emerged, which preferred on flowery ornamented typefaces, and distorted texts to mimic the effect of drugs, and even later styles such as â€Å"Grunge-typography' emerged. At the end of the 20th century computers started to appear in every household. With these computers came word processing software, and many default typefaces.It didn't take long or people to start experimenting with text and typefaces, and soon everybody started making their own typography. Especially with the arrival of internet DID typography became increasingly po pular, sometimes to the dissatisfaction of professional typographers. Think for instance of the controversy that surrounds Comic Sans. Nowadays, typography has become something that everybody does Looking at the background and history of typography we see that, although typeface design is a form of design, it is significantly influenced and used by different art movements throughout the years, which is a remarkable contrast.Design is a rational and orderly activity; designers structurally approach a design and follow certain rules when designing objects. In design it is often functionality that influences form. But in art, the form of an object is the aesthetic choice of the artist, and is not subordinate to functionality. Art does not follow a predetermined set of rules and the artist is free to experiment with form to his liking. In typography these two elements clash. On the typeface has a clear function: convey messages to the reader. But on the other hand the typographer is fre e to shape the letters in any way he desires.By doing so, the typeface itself can attain a certain â€Å"identity', and convey a message that goes beyond Just the displayed text. The Dadaist where the first to really experiment with this, and this may be further explained by looking at some famous typefaces. ANATOMY OF A TYPEFACE Before we dive deeper into typefaces and start to analyze them, it is important to understand some of the terminology of typeface design. Characters consist out of many parts, more than I am going to describe here, but the following are the most important and defining for a typeface. Arts of the specific letter, but each letter has a tern, which is the main body of the letter. What the elements attached to stern are called differs per letter. Typefaces are generally divided in serifs and sans serifs. Serifs are recognizable by the little extra stroke at the ends of characters, called a Serif. The lines that make up a character are called strokes. Strokes c an be modulated, which means they vary in thickness, or strokes can be modulated, which means they have the same thickness throughout the character. Well-designed typefaces are always designed within a structured grid.This grid consists out of multiple lines, in which the character is placed. The baseline is the line on which the characters â€Å"rest†. Parts of a character that extend below this line are called descendent, like for instance the bottom part of a â€Å"J†. So, as we can see, there are many different parts the typeface designer can use to give a typeface its identity. The height between the baseline and mainline is called the X-height. The Cap Height indicates the height from to baseline to the top of uppercase letters like H. Of most lowercase letters. Parts that extend above the mainline are called ascenders. He height from to baseline to the top of uppercase letters like H. A lot of letters have their own names for various IMPORTANT TYPEFACES THROUGHO UT HISTORY Now that we have acquired enough knowledge about typefaces and their history, let's take a better look at some (in)famous typefaces throughout history. Guttenberg Bible Texture (1452) Texture was, as mentioned, the first ever typeface. Texture was designed after the gothic style of the German scribes of that time. The strokes are modulated, and the serifs are very sharp and calligraphic. This is a great example off time related design.Anything you will type in this text will look medieval. Aloud Manumits' Roman (1495) A few decades later this typeface was designed in Italy. It defined the essential form of Roman types for the following three centuries. The characters have thick sterns and thinner â€Å"arms†, and very classical serifs. Because of their long existence, Roman typefaces tend to come across as a bit boring, and are often associated with formal and uninspired prints, like the â€Å"out of order†-sign you would hang on a bathroom door. Robert Gran dson's Civility (1557) This is one of the first typefaces that were designed from the ground up.It was made to look like calligraphy and show the qualities of quill riding, which was mimicked by using heavily modulated strokes and short ascenders and descendent. Note that the typeface is a sans-serif. The typeface expresses a sort of luxurious quality, while also displaying some old gothic features. This was the first slab serif font. It is characterized by its bold strokes and block-like serifs. It was popularized by the advertising industry, and it is not hard to see why. It is a typeface with a powerful look, and it's great for â€Å"yelling† at your audience.Kidney Grottoes (Hans Hoffmann, 1898) An early sans-serif that became the benchmark for future sans-serifs. It lived on to become evilly used in publications of Bauhaus and Swiss-style. Its modulated strokes and rational design gave it a neutral appearance, which made it one of the fundamental types of modern typeface design. Future (Paul Renee, 1927) This was the first truly geometrical sans serif. Renee put a lot of effort in modeling the lowercase letters into a very exact looking, mono-line appearance. As a result the typeface looks tight, simple and modern.Helvetica (Max Midrange/Eduardo Hoffmann, 1957) Comic Sans (Vincent Concern, 1994) Maybe the most beloved typeface of all time. It is a modulated sans serif, designed to be impolitely neutral. During the ass's, Helvetica became the face of corporate branding. Because of its neutrality, it is widely used in many different contexts: street name signs, subway signage, but also in graphic design. If you are walking in a city, you won't have to look far before you spot a text printed in Helvetica. It is so popular that even a feature length documentary was made about it.Comic Sans might Just be the most hated typeface ever created. Especially designers have a beef against this playful typeface. It was originally designed to be implemented in W indows 95 as part of Microsoft Bob, an animated dog hat provided help to Windows 95 users. It was based on the way classical comic book lettering. However, the typeface was not finished in time introduction of home printers, people at home started to experiment more with typography, and when they first laid eyes upon the funny looking Comic sans, they Just couldn't resist using it for their homemade wishing cards and flyers.As a result the typeface became insanely popular, and has stayed popular ever since. However, the truth is, it is not designed very well according the principles of typography, and especially since it is used so often in wrong contexts, typographers ant help but complain whenever they can. Entire essays have been written about the flaws of Comic Sans. New Alphabet (Wimp Cromwell, 1967) New alphabet is a geometric San serif, designed by Dutch graphic designer Wimp Cromwell as an experiment in 1967. It designed to deal with the limitations of early digital data dis plays.He wanted to adept his design to the technology, instead of adapting technologies to meet the design. Because the typeface consists of only vertical and horizontal strokes, some characters look a bit unconventional. With his experiment Cromwell sought the limitations of what we can perceive as readable. Comic Sans TYPEFACES IN CORPORATE BRANDING Heinlein (Heinlein) So we can conclude that different typefaces have different â€Å"identities. For many companies logos are very important. Often, an entire brand is created around a logo.Often these companies use certain typefaces as an additional tool of branding. By doing so, companies use the identities of a certain typeface to create or reinforce the identity of their brand. Here are some examples: Google (Actual BC) Backbone (Slovakia (Modified)) goes by the name Actual SQ. The Heinlein logo is developed especially for Heinlein. Note the â€Å"laughing† ex.'s as one of the rand's hallmarks. TIME Magazine (TIME) Ferreira (Offer Ross) Who doesn't recognize the clean white sans-serif on that blue background? Because of its thick Moline appearance, the Backbone logo looks fresh and modern.A very classy slab-serif that embodies Ferrier's characteristics: power and style. TIME magazine's logo consists out of four capitals. It looks like a classic Roman type but in a modern Jacket. The logo has something powerful, and makes you feel like that what you are about to read is very important. I have always been interested in graphic design and typography, which is one of the reasons I hose this sublet. It may be interesting to take a closer look at the my favorite typefaces and what they say about me. Next Light Gotcha Black Rockwell I Just love the no-nonsense factor of Gotcha.It is pretty powerful looking typeface, but also really simple and clean. This is the typeface I always use for titles and headers, but also for text that needs to pack some extra â€Å"punch†. My favorite slab-serif. It looks v ery solid, but the strokes are not too heavy. I especially like the way the serifs seem to be part of the stroke, and not Just added for esthetics purposes. Another simple typeface that I really love to use or smaller texts. It looks sleek and stylish, and really has a nice flow to it. This is a more elegant typeface. It the roundness of the characters give it a very friendly look.Code Light It may not look that impressive, but that is because it needs to be used with a pointiest (so letters need to be BIG). This typeface Just looks so incredibly light and has a high design-factor. There's Just something about this type that says: â€Å"good taste†. When I look at the selection I made it tells me something I already knew: I love minimalism. I don't want things to be as simple as possible; In design, but also in typography. However, thanks to all the knowledge I gained by writing this essay, I can go a bit deeper than that.For instance, I notice that I really prefer sans-serif s over serifs. These types are associated with modernism, and it might be worthwhile to investigate modernism some more. I have encountered this movement before, while searching for my vision and identity, and it is interesting to encounter it once again, although this time via my preferred typefaces. Now that we have seen the visual impact a typeface can have, it seems a logical conclusion that a typeface can be a powerful tool for a signer, if he wants it to be.Of course, typefaces can be chosen by Just picking one that looks about right, but they have much more potential than that. Not only can it be used to convey a certain message to the user, but designers can use typefaces as an expression of the identity of a product. It is interesting to see how typefaces have evolved over the past 500 years. From a medium to simply display information, to an art form which can hold the identity of an artist, or even an entire company, to a tool used by the masses to express their individua lism. It begs the question if industrial design might follow a

Miss Julie/a Dolls House

2) Miss Julie/ A Dolls house DFK 120 Erene Oberholzer 11045231 Dr. M. Taub 4 September 2012 In this essay two plays, Miss Julie written by August Strindberg, and A Dolls House written by Hendrik Ibsen will be compared and concerns such as gender, identity and class will be contextualized. The section I’ve chosen to portray realism and other elements concerning these two plays resourced to the last pages of both scripts. As I see the last pages construct the difference between the plays and characters. Both these plays inform a strand of realism, as in the Traditional Western canon.Third world text can be characterized by their degree of immediacy, topicality, mimetic quality, and even social realism (Gugelburger, G. M:1991). Realism: The term Realism introduces a strand of thought and considers the world as not reality but, mere appearance. We have no access to â€Å"reality† other than through representations. Yet, all representations only show us particular perspectiv es on reality. When people use the term â€Å"realistic† to describe a film they are saying the film shows them an image of reality that they have come to know.Realism is a constructive construct, produced by reconcilable codes and conventions which change over time. Realism has been constructed to point out existing social reality. Naturalism, on the other hand, conveys a representation that looks sounds and feels like the actual world outside the work of art. Naturalism looks sounds and feels like the things we would expect (Bob Nowlan [sn]: [sp]). Where Ibsen trends more to the line of realism, Strindberg informs naturalism in his writings. For Strindberg ‘good’ naturalism looked for natural conflicts. For him true naturalism meant truth to nature.He was determined to have his plays deal with fundamental truths. Miss Julie contains traces of symbolism, which were born out of the foundation of naturalism. Although many believe that due to the use of symbolic af fects in Miss Julie, the play drifts away from the naturalistic, and more to the realistic. Strindberg used all the elements needed for the development of the plot and the transference of superiority from Julie to Jean. Naturalism does not help for the development of the plot, whereas realism is a structure that reveals real life events and is focused on the people portrayed, as shown in Miss Julie.Strindberg wanted to create dramatic illusion. His audience was to be completely convinced of the reality of the world off stage, and then transported into a sphere of influence. Ibsen’s contribution to realism began when he consciously started to dramatize the forces and frictions of modern life. Ibsen indicates in A Dolls House that he was creating a particular life through Nora. Ibsen’s dialogue of A Dolls House comes of naturally; he wanted the spectator to sit down, listen and look at events that happens in real life.Ibsen wrote mainly about hidden relationships, social conversion and secret fears and anxieties Strindberg’s play was actually written as a response to Ibsen’s A Doll house. Ibsen wrote his plays advocating women, and Strindberg had a contrary view. Hendrik Ibsen’s attitude toward society is evident in his double vision of a secure social position. On the one hand, it’s a defense against attack, on the other; such concerns lead to hypocrisies and superficial values. His play reveals him as far more than a realist (Taylor, J. 972: [sp]). Comparing: My examples of both plays illustrate the elements of gender, identity and class. Both playwrights scripts set the last page out to set everything about the differences of these elements. By the ending we can see the fall (Strindberg) and rising of the woman (Ibsen) in social society that time. Gender, class&identity in A Dolls House: Hendrik Ibsen was known as the father of modern drama as he helped popularize realism. He became an observer of the real human life and informed realism in drama.In 1877 Norway’s social structure influenced Ibsen’s writings. He wanted to extol freedom and truth in his people. A Dolls House questions the suppressed role of women in that time’s society and also introduced the woman as having their own goals and own purposes. Torvald reveals many times his prejudice viewpoint on gender roles. He believes his wives duty is to be at home and embarks on her to always appear beautiful. The central conflict in this playwright revolves around Trovald’s controlling treatment of his wife.The tragedy of this story is not only about a man controlling his wife, but also the â€Å"dehumanizing of the children† (Mahal 2012;476). They are never given a chance to improving their position in the society. Nora, in the beginning of the play, seems to be happy and content whereas she acts out child like qualities. When Torvald walks in Nora’s childlike qualities becomes more transparent. His true character is later revealed when he accuses Nora of forgery and when he tries to disown her. His attitude changes when everything is sorted out, but she walks out of the marriage.Nora is depicted until the end of the play as a â€Å"helpless, mindless fool† (Mahal 2012: 476). In the end of this story this degrading treatment of Nora by her husband is resolved. This play stresses upon the status of women and how their roles were perceived, as mothers and wives. Nora feels like she’s been used as doll for her father and her husband, with no depth in their relationships. Nora exits her ‘doll’s house’ with a door slam, emphatically resolving the play with an act of bold self-assertion. A Doll’s house appears to mislead the audience of the characters true colors.Our first impression of Nora is that she is childlike and Torvald is seen as strong. The play’s climax leads to the expose of resolving identity confusion. Nora becomes to be a brave woman and Torvald a sad man. Gender, class&identity in Miss Julie: Strindberg was a Swedish playwright and drew his writings from personal experiences. He failed at three marriages. Circumstances made him a naturalistic writer. He was known as a misogynist and a â€Å"women hater†. In Miss Julie (1879) he expresses his hatred for the opposite sex.He was forced to write a second ending for the play after much controversy. The play was censored all over Europe as the play was socially offensive to women. The daughter of a count has an affair with a valet, who in turn forces her to commit suicide. Strindberg had an eye for injustice, but only dealt with the problem of women’s rights as a facet of realism in his plays. Julie suffers an identity crisis and displays her regard for class and gender conventions. She mingles with the servant when a party is thrown.She expresses absurd behavior but on other times she is coy. Jean warns her of her behavior as she was seen as a temptress. She wavers between the high and low class identity, and is in the end confused with her own identity. Julie also identifies herself with both female and male figures. She confesses she has no self she can call her own. The characters in Miss Julie are portrayed through gender, class and ideology. In the end she orders Jean to hypnotize her to commit suicide. The play reveals Julie having no control over her sexual instincts.Once Julie and Jean seduced each other, their lives are changed (Ramandeep Mahal 2012: [sp]) mentions that â€Å"the aristocrat in the social sphere becomes the slave of the valet and the valet becomes the aristocrat in the sexual sphere as Julie lowers herself beyond redemption†. Julie is seen as an example of the naturalistic movement. â€Å"The characters are seen as helpless products of hereditary and environment who interact with their minds and bodies, as they would in real life† (Mahal 2012: [sp]). Both playwrights by Ibsen an d Strindberg came of shocking the audience of their time, with the way they portrayed their women characters.They’re portrayal of sex and divorce was set off to much controversy (Mahal 2012:475). A Dolls House is considered to be more feminist work, where Strindberg has been seen as â€Å"his arch enemy† on that point. Ibsen has been seen to deny writing in a feminist point of view; he has said many times that he wrote for the â€Å"everyday man†. Strindberg tended to emancipate woman. For example when Julie grows conscious about her humiliation she falls to Jean’s knees. Jean triumphantly stands over her. This also symbolizes the hierarchy of the 1800’s.These ideas govern the central world of the everyday in the aspect that they inform social hierarchies and show out elements of real happenings people experience everyday. Women were demanded by men, and men were befallen to the beauty of women. In that time of social structure woman belonged in th e kitchen (As Strindberg’s points out in Miss Julie) and they were there to raise the kids and beautify their homes. That was the real world. Some of these conventions still stand today in aspect of class and gender. Resources: Ibsen, H. A. A Dolls House. Gugelburger, G.M. 1991. â€Å"Germainistik†, the Canon, and Third world literature. Mahal, R. 2012. A comparative study of Portrayal of women in Ibsen’s A Dolls House and Strindberg’s Miss Julie. Available. [o]. Accessed 2 September 2012 www. rspublication,com Lukas, Nowlan, B. An introduction to the problematics of Realism in video, film, and moving image- culture. Available. [o]. Accessed 2 September 2012 www. uwec. edu/ranowlan/realism film_video_moving-imag_culture. html. Taylor, J. C. 1972. Ritual, realism, and revolt: Major traditions in the drama. New York: Schribner.

A Study on the AIDS Epidemic

A Study on the AIDS Epidemic Afraid to Know the Truth AIDS is an extraordinary kind of crisis that is both an emergency and a long-term development issue. Despite increased funding, political commitment and progress in expanding treatment, the AIDS epidemic continues to outpace the global response. No region of the world has been spared. The epidemic remains extremely dynamic, growing and changing in character as the virus exploits new opportunities for transmission. The UNAIDS/WHO global overview of the AIDS/HIV epidemic has reported in the year 2003, almost five million people became newly infected with HIV, the greatest number in any one year since the beginning of the epidemic. At the global level, the number of people living with HIV continues to grow. In the year 2001 the number increased from 35 million to 38 million in 2003. In the same year almost 3 million people have died of AIDS; over 20 million have died since the first cases of AIDS were identified in 1981 (5).According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 850,000 to 950,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the United States one quarter of which are unaware of their infection (par.6).Based on these statistics it is an obvious fact that this is a growing problem which continues to get worse year after year. The AIDS epidemic has been established as not only a national problem, but just as well as an international problem. In 2003, young people (15-24) accounted for nearly half of all new infections of HIV worldwide; more than 6,000 became infected everyday (par.3). I become very dismayed to find out that the majority of people that are infected with this terminal disease are at the ages where many at this age go out in the world to make a life for themselves. But, because of lack of responsible actions they must live with this disease for the remainder of their lives. Even though there are many types of treatment for those infected with this disease and with treatment AIDS/HIV patients can live a lot longer than 20 years ago when the first cases of AIDS were identified, the fact still remains it is an incurable disease. The most vital factor that will have to come into play to make a significant difference in slowing down or possibly stopping this epidemic is prevention. But, despite the seriousness of this problem there are many factors that come into play that discourage steps in prevention.In my opinion, the two main barriers that get in the way of preventing further infections, adequate care and support and treatment to lessen the impact of HIV/AIDS are shame and apprehensive thoughts of being discriminated against. These two barriers can be set off by many factors. Many of which include the lack of understanding the disease, myths about how the disease is spread, prejudice and social fears. Thoughts of mortification and becoming filled with fear of being discriminated against can discourage many people from getting tested, contribute to them infecting others and prevent people who are infected from getting adequate treatment and care. Peoples positions in society could have a tendency of fueling shame, discrimination, and risky behavior. It seems that it is many times thought that members of a community who are viewed as living proper lives can not become infected with HIV/AIDS. Only those who do not have any morals and are promiscuous are the ones who go out and become infected. When the thought of only being viewed as living a proper life is set into an individuals head, it easily becomes linked together with apprehensive thoughts of being discriminated against. Individuals who become infected with HIV/AIDS may become fearful of how people will react to the news and may become afraid that they will look at them differently now. Because of this it makes people afraid to find out whether are not they have this disease mainly fear of others reactions. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that one-third of Americans were concerned that people would think less of them if they found out they had b een tested for HIV (par.7).Another main factor that may lessen the impact of possible prevention of HIV/AIDS is that many think they are not at risk of contracting this disease. For example, people who come from a small community might see that a majority of people who contract this disease are in more urban populations. Because of these thoughts they may think the HIV/AIDS epidemic does not relate to them or their community. According to a new national survey 8 of 10 (80%) heterosexual adults say the number one reason why they do not get tested is that they do not consider themselves at risk of being infected with HIV, an indication that more HIV/AIDS prevention education is needed for heterosexuals (par.4). One possible solution to these many factors that get in way of prevention of this epidemic could be wider access to VCT (voluntary counseling and testing) it could lead to openness about HIV/AIDS and lessen fears of stigma and discrimination. If people could actually see individuals who have HIV/AIDS speak out about their infection it could then encourage others to come forward to get tested. If people who have been tested and have found out they had HIV/AIDS speak out before they become seriously ill, this could change the image of HIV/AIDS illness from suffering and death to living positively with the disease. HIV positive individuals involvement in activities that contribute to the reduction of the two main barriers of prevention; shame and fear of discrimination could be vital. People speaking out about living with HIV and how they are learning to cope could be one of the many steps that need to be taken to tackle these barriers. This can make people realize that HIV is part of their community and is not just omeone elses problem. A HIV negative individuals role in their community should not be undervalued. Friends and family who show support for an HIV positive individual could have an immense influence on others to show wider support for those who are infected.Just one action can not be taken to overcome these many barriers linked to the prevention of this epidemic. But, there are many things that could be done to overcome them. The fear of prejudice that lies at the core of HIV discrimination needs to be tackled at both community and national levels. A more compliant community needs to be established so there can be an increase of acceptance of HIV positive individuals and can be viewed as a normal part of society. Some may disagree with this; others may suggest that if HIV positive individuals are viewed as a normal part of society it could lead people to think it is acceptable to have HIV/AIDS and further precautions in protecting themselves from it may not be taken. I would suggest that every individual desires acceptance, but it depends on the situation that the person is in that would result in the amount of acceptance that could easily be given. In other words, it is hard to become accepted in society when acceptance is hard as it is to come by, and there is obvious discrimination that is linked to having this disease. Fear of being discriminated against is one of the main reasons why a person is afraid to find out whether or not they are a carrier of this disease. It is obvious that many people believe that contracting this disease is very unacceptable, and would not view it as being okay of contracting it.In conclusion, many people are afraid to know the truth in fear of how people will react and are worried that they will be looked at differently. Many are just afraid to find out the truth, because they may not be able to accept and deal with the reality of the truth appropriately. A CDC( center of disease control and prevention) study interviewed 2370 HIV-negative or untested people, 25% of those who were tested and 23% of those who delayed testing said the fear of a positive result was the main reason why they delayed t esting (par.2). The biggest step in stopping this epidemic before it continues to have an even bigger impact on the world is obviously prevention. People need to become more aware of the risks and must become more responsible in protecting themselves. A crucial factor that would help the prevention of this epidemic even more is getting tested. I must quote the infamous lines that are said in getting tested commercials that are frequently aired on MTV and VH1, Å“Knowing is Beautiful.