Themes Of The Glass Menagerie Essays - English-language Films, Films

Themes Of The Glass Menagerie ?The Glass Menagerie? is a play that contains intense human feelings; frustration, shyness, regretfulness, anger, and sadness. The play is set in the apartment of the Wingfield family. In this cramped, dinghy place lives three characters; Amanda, Laura, and Tom, who are desperate to make their dream come true. Amanda is a shrew, she wants to live through her daughter, Laura. Her dream is for her daughter to marry to a well-educated man and support her throughout the rest of her life. Amanda always make complaining remarks about her husband who had left her with Tom and Laura. Amanda nags Tom for spending too much time watching movies instead of working and finding a suitable for Laura. She likes to brag about how many Gentleman callers came to her house to pursue her. Tom is the narrator of the play. His dream is to be a poet and have no responsibilities to his family. He works at a warehouse, which he doesn't appreciate because it avoids him to complete his dream. He detests when his mother tell him what to do and how to do it, sometimes he has to act without pity. Laura is shy and has a low self-esteem. She is compared to her glass collection, fragile in every sense. As an effect of a childhood illness, she was left crippled, which made her think that she was less than everybody else. She avoids socializing because she is afraid of breaking up, however this changes when she sees her old crush, Jim O'cconor. Her dream is to feel good about herself and to get out of her depression. Each character desires to escape from this lifestyle, poverty is what has them trap. The fire escape provides a different purpose for each of the characters. From the opening of the play, Tom's addresses the audience from the fire escape. The fire escape allows Tom to get out of the apartment and away from his nagging mother. Amanda sees it as an entrance for the Gentleman callers to enter their lives. Laura hides inside the apartment not in the fire escape. The fire escape separates authenticity from the undiscovered. Tom escapes in more than one way, first is the fire escape which leads him away from his home, then the movies. The movies temporarily takes him to another world, where mothers and runaways fathers doesn't exist. He also gets away by drinking. He wants to escape his responsibilities of taking care of his mother and sister. He wishes to have a life of his own. Laura finds an escape through her glass collection. She also finds relieves in playing the same old record day after day. Across their apartment is the Paradise Dance Hall. Perhaps the music floating up to the apartment from the dance hall is supposed to be her escape which she just can't take. As time goes it's getting harder and harder for Tom to avoid the real world, and the time for him to leave comes. When he leaves , he feels guilty for abandoning Laura . However, he discovers that he hasn't escaped, but led himself onto a path of even more powerful desperation. The theme escape is used throughout the play to demonstrate the hopelessness of each character's dreams. For the characters, an escape is possible, however, in the end no one finds a clear break. Bibliography Williams, Tennesse. The Glass Menagerie.

Trace the importance of duty and loyalty Essay Example

Trace the importance of duty and loyalty Essay Example Trace the importance of duty and loyalty Essay Trace the importance of duty and loyalty Essay The sacrifice of Sydney Carton is an example of tremendous loyalty to Lucie and her family. Carton loves Lucie so much that he willingly gives up his life to save her husband, Charles Darnay. For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything. Carton single-handedly thinks up a plan and arranges that he replaces Darnay at the guillotine. Cartons love for Lucie eventually makes him a better person, knowing that he will save Darnay radically changes him, For the first time in many years, he had no strong drink. (p324) Even Mr. Lorry notices the change in him His manner was so fervent and inspiring, (p330). For the first time Carton feels like his life may have a purpose and could be useful Of little worth as life is when we misuse it, (p322)Cartons loyalty to Lucie is extremely important for him, in choosing to die for her, Carton not only enables their happiness but also ensures his spiritual rebirth. It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done, it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known. (p361) We can see through all these characters how important loyalty and duty is. For some people like Carton and Miss Pross, it provides a purpose in life. For others such as Dr. Manette, Lucie and Darnay, duty is what they feel is the right thing to do. Overall, Dickens shows us that duty and loyalty can make you a better person and that sometimes sacrifice is necessary to achieve happiness or to produce something good.

#FreelancerFriday #8 - Ellie Clarke, Editor

#FreelancerFriday #8 - Ellie Clarke, Editor #FreelancerFriday #8 - Ellie Clarke, Editor â€Å"For a first-time author the process can be quite illuminating. For the author to have given you their work, and for you to have made alterations and made sure that they’re happy about it, you’re the second-closest person to their project. It can be quite great – especially if you know you’ve done a good job and that the client is happy.† Ellie Clarke is an editor based in the south-east UK. Ellie is something of a polymath, offering services for every step in the process, from ghostwriting through to proofreading. You can  enjoy our conversation below. – What kind of services do you offer as an editor? I do a wide range of editing and editorial work. I do everything from development editing all the way down to proofreading – light copy edits, heavy copy-edits, structural edits. I also ghostwrite, doing things from the other side.   Basically, all the things. I used to work in-house as a project editor. I had to manage everything from end-to-end. That meant organising other people to do the different stages, and sometimes doing it myself. I’ve carried on with that approach – to be able to put myself forward for any type of editing. Once you’ve got the skills it’s important to keep practicing them. Do you often do multiple types of edit for a single client? Like a developmental edit, and then a copy edit as well? For larger clients, publishers and so on, I might do a variety of different types of editorial work on different projects. So for one I’ll be structurally editing, another will be a copy-edit, and another will be a proofread. Private clients sometimes ask for a combined service, and I’m happy to offer it, but usually I would recommend that if someone wants, say, a copy-edit and a proofread, I often think its better to go to someone else for the proofread. A fresh pair of eyes can really help.   Then again, it depends on the project – if someone has specific knowledge that they’ll need in order to do the proof properly, getting the original copy-editor to proofread it is a good idea. Having a fresh pair of eyes is good, but then also familiarity with a project has its own benefits. What do you think those benefits are, in your experience? One of the main ones would be if a new copy-editor comes in after a development edit has happened, they might reverse some stylistic choices previously made – especially if there isn’t a good style sheet for the project. It could be any decision, even down to using double or single quotation marks. That sort of thing can end up being lost unless it’s been written down – but you also can’t write down every single decision – otherwise you’d end up with the Guardian style guide. Does the relationship between the author and the editor change over the course of a project? For a first-time author the process can be quite illuminating. For the author to have given you their work, and for you to have made alterations and made sure that they’re happy about it, you’re the second-closest person to their project. It can be quite great – especially if you know you’ve done a good job and that the client is happy. It can be difficult as well. Sometimes people think of an edit as a friend looking through your book and looking for typos. It’s important to be diplomatic and understand that the project is their baby. The dynamic changes over time. At first people can be defensive. As they realise that you have their project’s best interests at heart it gets a lot easier. This is especially true when you’re working directly with an author – it’s very different to when you’re working through a publishing house or a project management company. Is there a difference between working directly with a publishing house verses working with the author directly? Certainly. It can be beneficial, especially if you’re thinking about self-publishing, in that the author retains a lot more creative control. The benefit of having direct contact with your editor is that you can feed, as we were saying, information about creative elements that you want a certain way directly to the editor. Otherwise that can sometimes get lost in translation. How does thinking about the reader affect how you work, how you set objectives for when you’re editing a piece? I think personally I’m working for the reader. I want the reader to get a book that works for them, that they enjoy, and that is high quality. When you’re editing, what are you looking at? The flow of the prose, the expression of the idea? It depends on the subject matter. For fiction editing, you’re certainly looking at the flow of the story, you’re looking at character development, at whether the text is too long or too short. Line editing and copy-editing is more practical – grammar, typos, for example. When in the writing process should an author approach an editor? You should definitely have a draft ready. Contacting someone when you’ve got a few chapters and a synopsis can be a good idea, and people out there are happy to look at what you’ve got so far to let you know if they think it’ll be worthwhile. In terms of actually getting into the nitty-gritty of the editorial process, you should have a draft and you should have reread that draft yourself.   Some people, quite a lot of people, recommend that before you’re ready to have someone else look at your manuscript you should have gone over somewhere between three and ten times. I would say be as happy as you can be with the manuscript before you send it to an editor. The better shape the manuscript is in, the less editing it will tend to need, which makes it a faster process and a cheaper process – obviously good if you’re an indie author. What makes a project great to work on? Having a shared interest definitely helps. For authors it’s important to find an editor who’s interested in what you’re writing. If you’ve written a sci-fi novel and you approach someone who generally edits gardening textbooks they’re probably not the best person. Maybe they are! Maybe they also have a secret interest in sci-fi! It’s good when an author is ready for the process. Some people sometimes think they’re ready, but still find it quite difficult. When you’re being edited the fact is that some of your text will be changed. Working with someone who’s easy-going and open to talking about change is good. It’s about being able to have those conversations and say â€Å"I would recommend this, what do you think?† The author can say â€Å"Yes, I agree,† or â€Å"No, I don’t agree, and this is why.† Being able to have that flow of ideas with someone really helps It’s also good to be clear about the expectations you have from each other. The author should know what you need from them – in terms of the manuscript, in terms of how much time you need. As the editor, you should know what the author needs – how heavily they want the text edited, how long they have, if they have a specific deadline, if there are certain things they don’t want to change. Do you dialogue with authors as well as marking up the text? In developmental editing there’s often more dialogue – you might come across something where you need to know what the author wants to do before you can really proceed. That can come up in other forms of editing as well. I’ve known people who prefer to be presented with the edit and just go through the comments, and I’ve also known people who want to be consulted at every stage. It’s usually better if the author’s prepared to not have every change discussed – that can take a very long time, which isn’t useful for them. Is there anything about working with a publisher that’s impossible to match working freelance? I don’t know that you’d match it exactly – it would still be a different experience. Unless you hire a project manager as well, which you can do, you end up being the project manager for your own book†¦ which can be quite stressful. But in terms of the book doing well, in terms of getting a good quality of finished project, I think you probably can match it.   As long as you’re willing to take the time with it and understand that you probably do need at least an edit and a proofread – generally one stage isn’t enough to get it as a finished product – then I think you can end up with a very good end product. Obviously, some people do very well indeed from publishing on Amazon, for example. Whether it will be different to a traditionally published book depends on what you as the author are happy to do with the book, and how many stages you’re happy to go through. Thank you for your time Ellie.

BHS 328 - Team Building (Mod 3 CBA) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BHS 328 - Team Building (Mod 3 CBA) - Essay Example nt helps to nurture a culture where every individual is given an equal opportunity regardless of his/her designation, age, gender and race to participate in an organization’s decision making process. In recent years, there has been a growing number of organizations that focus on delegating power to employees to make decisions since it warrants an environment where everyone can give their opinion and this not only enhances the creativity of an individual, it also increases the sense of ownership. In Books4Us, there is a concept of authoritative management which requires that every employee needs to ask his/her manager for making decisions which hampers him/her from taking any risk and thinking out-of-the box. Due to stiff competition, the organization needs innovation ideas to capture the market share but due to low level of empowerment, employees rely on their managers to give them instructions for each task regardless of its complexity and novelty. An Open Book Management culture will encourage employees to study the external environment and leverage the strengths of the organization to avail the opportunities at hand. Moreover, delegating authority to employees helps in building trust between the employee and his superior since the employee senses that he is trusted with the job therefore he strives to his best capability and this results in a higher-level of motivation. Lack of empowerment has resulted in lack of shared vision, mission and goals due to which every employee is pursuing personal goals and focusing on individual achievement rather than the success of Books4us. Increase in the level of authority held by each employee will result in the organization working as a team seeking identical objectives rather than acting as discrete groups. â€Å"What better way to tap into workers brains as well as their brawn than to encourage them to think on the job, to bring to it a greater sense of professionalism and self-motivation and to feel committed to the

Week 3 Discussion Questions and Participation Questions Essay

Week 3 Discussion Questions and Participation Questions - Essay Example Group data refers to data that is illustrated in the form of a range such as 20-50. Ungrouped data shows single numbers such as 20,21,30,42. A good graphical technique to illustrate the prices of homes in a particular region is a bar graph. The bar graph can illustrate the different prices of homes in the area. The reason I choose a bar chart is because it reflects categorical data. Below is an example of a bar chart with five home prices ($100000, $150000, $200000, $175000, and $250000). The basic formula used in a regression analysis is y = a + bx. In this formula the y represents the dependent variable. This variable is subject to the independent variables to find the result of the equation. The dependent variable cannot be controlled, but the result is influenced by the values of the independent variable or variables. If the formula illustrated above had multiple independent variables the regression formula would be a multiple regression. â€Å"In mathematics the independent variable is one whose value does not depend on any other variable† (Wisegeek, 2010). In the formula mentioned above the X represent the independent variable. B is the slope of the regression line, while A represents the intercept point of the regression line and the y axis. Regression analysis is a tool that is very useful due to the fact that it allows managers to forecast information. Once the regression equation is created the user can alter the independent variable in order to fore cast something based on the model. The slope tells us how inclined is the regression line. An application that managers can use is forecasting its sales. The manager would have to input the sales of the company for multiple past periods such as ten years. Once the data is input into the linear regression the manager can forecast the future sales of the company. Regression analysis can be extremely useful to forecast any type of business data. Managers have a need to forecast the future due to the fact

Bricks and mortar retail in Australia Essay Example for Free

Bricks and mortar retail in Australia Essay E-commerce has emerged as a new force in retail providing consumers with more choice and convenience than ever before. People can now shop from retailers across the globe in the comfort of their own home. It would be thought that exciting possibilities such as this would be readily adopted and create competition for existing retail methods. This has not been the outcome in Australia however. Although e-commerce continues to climb in adoption rates bricks and mortar retail has not been affected to any great extent. This being said some areas of e-commerce are becoming successful new ventures on the net. Throughout this essay we will look at what e-commerce is, how it is being used and who is using it. It will also be considered whether e-commerce will ever replace bricks and mortar retailers or will e-commerce disappear? E-commerce is a business that is run on the internet rather than from a bricks and mortar location. E-commerce uses computer networks and telecommunications to conduct its business as it has no face to face contact with its customers. It can be argued that e-commerce is a more effective way of doing business. (NOIE, 2000) This is because it does not require all the overheads and staff required in a bricks and mortar business. However E-commerce is more complicated than it may first seem, more is involved than the simple transfer of funds over the internet. For an online business to be a success it must be planned, established and run as if it were a bricks and mortar business. E-commerce ends with the buying and selling of goods and services over the internet. (Mitchell.J, 2000) Marketing of goods and services, formation of customer relationships, presentation of goods and services for consumers to brows, transfer of funds and after sale customer care must all be established and maintained. E-commerce can be conducted in a Business to business (B2B), Business to Government (B2G) or Business to consumer (B2C) way. B2C e-commerce is an area of significant growth. Many Australians are choosing to use the internet to make purchases. A study conducted by NOIE revealed that in 2002 54% of Australians had access to the internet in their home. Although online consumption is not one of the highest ranking activities conducted by Australians on the internet it is an area that is growing. (NOIE, 2000) One specific area of growth is the use of online banking. (DCITA, 2001) Consumers enjoy the convenience of doing their banking from home on the internet rather than traveling to the bank and standing in line waiting to be served. The most popular online shopping category in Australia however is travel and its related services. Consumers enjoy browsing online for the best deal and creating their own holiday packages. Purchasing travel online also cuts out added fees such as the travel agents commission if flight and accommodation are bought directly from the source rather than through a representative. In a study conducted by NOIE it was found that between 2000 and 2003 there was an increase of 452%in online travel purchase. (DCITA, 2001) This is a hugely significant amount. Other high ranking consumption products on the internet included; books, computer software, computer hardware, music and videos, clothing and share trading. (DCITA, 2001) There are a number of reasons why people choose to use e-commerce rather than traditional bricks and mortar. These reasons are the convenience of the internet, the global scope the internet has to offer and the ease of access. In an increasingly fast passed world convenience is increasingly important. E-commerce provides consumers with the convenience of shopping from home at any time of the day or night, this removes opening hours, travel and queuing as well as spending time looking for a specific good or service. Consumers can log on to the internet conduct a search for the product they wish to purchase and then purchase online quickly and efficiently. Time poor people are using the internet more and more to purchase goods and services. In the lead up to Christmas 1999 Australians spent $150 million on gifts online. (NOIE, 2000) Most of these purchases were made by people who did not have the time to shop at bricks and mortar retailers during business hours. This change in access makes it easier for consumers to find the time to shop; it also helps to take the stress out of shopping. E-commerce also provides consumers with access to a global market. Previously consumers had limited channels for obtaining international goods they wish to purchase E-commerce has created ease of access to international goods and services. Never before has it been so easy to purchase from overseas. Due to the global nature of the internet consumers can brows through what retailers have to offer throughout the world, easily make purchases and have the goods they choose posted to them. This has provided consumers with a new scope of choice which is much bigger than anything offered before. Not only does this ease of access globally mean that Australians can purchase goods and services from around the world, it also means that the world can now easily purchase goods from Australia. E-commerce has opened Australia up to potential consumers that did not exist previously purely due to the inability to access the goods and services available. Due to the internets ease of access e-commerce has opened up a whole new world to people with disabilities, specifically disabilities that inhibit a persons ability to move easily to and from shopping areas. (DCITA, 2002) The internet is easy to use in the home environment and offers an alternative to people who find it difficult to shop at bricks and mortar retail outlets. This also offers empowerment to individuals who previously relied on someone else to do their shopping for them or helped them to shop. These people can now have the independence of doing their own shopping online and the enjoyment of browsing through what different retailers have to offer. Although e-commerce is growing and offers many exciting new opportunities to consumers it is unlikely that it will ever totally replace brick and mortar commerce. There are many aspects of traditional bricks and mortar commerce that cannot be replicated online and as a result of this can never fully replace traditional commerce. Some of these areas include the ability to try products, the social aspect of shopping the entertainment value in shopping, the instant gratification of shopping and the inhibiting effects of the internet. Consumers enjoy browsing through goods and services available to them. (ACS, 2001)This can be done online but not to the same extent as it can be taken to in bricks and mortar retailers. On the internet consumers can only look at a picture of the product they intent to purchase. In bricks and mortar retailers however consumers can make use of their sight, hearing, smell and taste as well as feel a product before they purchase it. Due to the limitations of the internet in this stage of the purchase decision making stage there is more space for post purchase dissonance to occur. When people can use all their senses to make a purchase decision the decision is generally more definite. As well as using all five senses to assist in the decision making process consumers also have the chance to try the product they are thinking of buying in the bricks and mortar environment before they actually do. (ACS, 2001) This is generally not feasible over the internet. Some software programs provide a demo for consumers to trial before they make a purchase, bulky products however cannot be trailed in such a way. Bricks and mortar retail has also become a social activity and a form of entertainment. (ACS, 2001) People meet to go shopping and enjoy the contact they have with people while undertaking this activity. This type of social interaction cannot be recreated in e-commerce. While there are other social activities that can be undertaken on the internet e-commerce does not provide a social aspect. Many bricks and mortar centers of commerce have become entertainment hubs that attract tourists from around the world. Bricks and mortar retail also provides an instant gratification to consumers when they make their purchases and can take them with them. This is generally impossible through e-commerce because the goods need to be posted out to the consumer. (ACS, 2001) While e-commerce assisted some people with disabilities to become more independent it has also created new barriers especially for people who are vision impaired. (Noonan, 1999) No technologies have yet been created to allow this group into the online world. This is a problem due to the fact that it limits these peoples opportunities to benefit from the many aspects the internet and e-commerce has to offer. The elderly is another group that has not been included fully in this e-commerce revolution. More training programs need to be designed to bring our older Australians online and teach them what e-commerce has to offer them. Many elderly Australians would find that e-commerce gave them a new independence if they knew how to use it. Throughout this essay we will look at what e-commerce is, how it is being used and who is using it. It will also be considered whether e-commerce will ever replace bricks and mortar retailers or will e-commerce disappear? E-commerce is the online transfer of goods and services to consumers. As stated many Australians have taken to using e-commerce because of the convenience it offers to them, however some people including the elderly and those with disabilities are being left out to some extent. Although e-commerce continues to develop it is highly unlikely that it will ever totally replace bricks and mortar commerce. The experiences that the two offer are so different that they are both used for different reasons. E-commerce is used for convenience where traditional retaile is often used as a social activity and a form of entertainment. E-commerce has not been adopted in Australia as readily as it has been in some other countries, it will however continue to provide consumers with the convenience of home shopping. Many Australians now would not want to go back to traditional commerce and be force to go into a bank to do their banking rather than simply logging on at home. The e-commerce revolution will continue to grow but brick and mortar will also remain. Referances Noonan, T. (1999) Accessible e-commerce in Australia. Retrieved: November 23, 2004, from: http://www. bca. org. au/ecrep. htm Mitchell. J, (2000) The implementation of E-competent Australia 2000 for VET. Retrieved: November 14, 2004, from: http://www. flexiblelearning. net. au/nw2000/talkback/p71. htm The Australian Government Treasury. (2003)The internet and B2C E-commerce. Retrieved: November 14, 2004, from: http://www. ecommerce. treasury. gov. au/bpmreview/content/DiscussionPaper/03_Chapter2. asp

A Worn Path :: essays research papers

A Worn Path   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Detail of an elderly Negro woman’s journey from deep in the country to town, the while on mission of love. Phoenix Jackson, an elderly Negro women who is frail, old and has many handicaps, she lived during trying times and because of her race, faced many challenges while growing up, Eudora Welty brings the story, â€Å"A Worn Path†, to life through the use of the character Phoenix Jackson and symbols.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While overcoming challenges her character is born. The story is based on an elderly Negro women’s journey into town for medicine for her grandson. Along the way she encounters physical challenges, obstacles and danger. She climbs hills, crosses streams, crawls under barbed-wire fences; she faces dangers while out in the wilderness and a hunter who threatens her life with a gun. This happens on a single trip to town. Phoenix is quite remarkable woman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 Phoenix’s ability to make the journey and overcome these challenges shows her strong determination, dedication, devotion and the will power to endure hardship to finish her task. These weekly journeys had become a virtual ritual. Vande Kieft states â€Å"Miss Eudora Welty often takes ritual action very seriously-especially the most simple and primitive rituals of home, or private rituals which comes from repeated performances of an action of love†, Old Phoenix’s down the worn Path. (70).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The conflicts were put in the story to show us the inner feelings of Phoenix. She was able to endure hardships and yet stays focused on the task at hand. This tells us while she was growing up she over came many obstacles. Kreyling says, â€Å"usually Welty reserved for her black characters the functions of this vital, sure and faithful, ways of living of which modern man has either lost or denied. Phoenix Jackson represents the condition of the human race before â€Å"enfeebling† layers of civilization anesthetized it. Although primitive, Phoenix is centered in and directed toward the value of life, the path worn by habit of hope. She possesses that vitality without which, faith would not be possible†. (24). 3 Using nothing more than details of an old Negro woman’s journey to city to get medicine for her grandson, but gives us a sense of human fortitude that is almost unbearable in its’ sad intensity. (Turner, Harding 262). Using symbols brings color and fullness to the character in the story. This sets the time, place and shows hardships that developed her character.

Progression of African Americans Essay

When the American Civil War ended, all the enslaved African Americans obtained freedom from slavery. From then they were able to live their life in the land of the free. Unfortunately, African American’s didn’t really benefit from being set free. It was almost as though they were set free from slavery, but not set free from disrespect and were not given the same rights as other American citizens. In this assignment, I will discuss some of the progressions of African Americans from 1865 to our present day. Davidson, J. W., & Gienapp, W. E. (2008). Nations of nations: A narrative history of the American Republic (6th ed., Vol. 2). Boston: McGraw Hill. ISBN: 9780077279905. This text is a review of the American Republic and documents historical events of American culture and American government from 1865 through present time. African immigration to America first started between the 16th and 17th century. During that time, African American’s experienced slavery which consisted of clearing new land and growing crops to enhance and establish colonization. Many enslaved African Americans were transported over the Atlantic to do just that. It was very beneficial to landowners if they had more African Americans tending to their crops. The labor of the Africans became very economic. The more skilled an African was, the more they were valued. Dependent on skill sets acquired before slavery, slaves began to have variances in value which depended on skill set, education, and muscle. During this time African slaves fulfilled needs for woodworking, tailoring, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, longshoremen, and even as pilots that guided ships in and out of harbors (Davidson, 2008). Slave labor was not used depending  on the location of economic needs. For example, since the northern part of North America had landowners with smaller properties, slavery wasn’t needed. The North wasn’t as rural as the South. It was more of an urban area. During the 18th and 19th century, the need to own slaves increased as well as violence and discrimination towards the people. Slave codes were laws given to owners that basically allowed them to beat, punish, degrade (rape, sexual assault) and kill slaves. Subjects that will be discussed: -Ratification of the Constitution (Thirteenth, Fourteenth & Fifteenth Amendment) Ratifying these amendments ensured discrimination against African Americans or any other group of people was not allowed. Condit, C & Lucaites, J (1993). Crafting Equality: America’s Anglo-African Word. The University of Chicago Press http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hhNEAuDL0zgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=ratify+constitution+african+american&ots=eMK4tvOsaX&sig=PNNDWUX7oz9tFoQW_TpDXVjVpM#v=onepage&q=amendment&f=false -Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation / Lincoln Assassinated When Abraham Lincoln was Commander in Chief, he created a proclamation that would free all the slaves in the country that were not in rebellion. The 13th Amendment aided in this execution of slavery. Guelzo, A (2004). Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MOFHPTQYqzgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=abraham+lincoln+emancipation&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ondlUtbECI2BhAfihYHwDQ&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=abraham%20lincoln%20emancipation&f=false -Establishment of Negro National League and NAACP civil rights organization The NAACP is an important topic because this organizations main focus was and is to develop equal rights and to cease racial discrimination of people everywhere. Vose, C (1959). Caucasians Only: The Supreme Court, the NAACP and the Restrictive Covenant Cases. The Regents of the University of California. http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=OpkOKUlUQe0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=NA ACP&ots=Daef__LjAl&sig=9SuVw56UyLTcPOy4LbKgdYqRS4s#v=onepage&q=NAACP&f=false -Civil rights movement I will discuss the Civil Rights Movement because I feel that it was a very important time period in American history. The movement started our nation on the progression of freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, equality regardless of race, gender or religion etc. Levy, P (2008). The Civil Rights Movement. Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5AvHGSTFO8kC&printsec=frontcover&dq=civil+rights+movement&hl=en&sa=X&ei=aXBlUrKLBpCjhgerpYGQBw&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=civil%20rights%20movement&f=false References Davidson, J. W., & Gienapp, W. E. (2008). Nations of nations: A narrative history of the American Republic (6th ed., Vol. 2). Boston: McGraw Hill. ISBN: 9780077279905. This text is a review of the American Republic and documents historical events of American culture and American government from 1865 through present time.

Modern day diseases

There is something almost contradictory around the idea of man-made diseases. It could easily create images of mad scientists or evil terrorists creating the ultimate In biological weaponry. At this point the conspiracy theorist In all of us starts to wonder about the origin of any number of diseases and we look over our shoulders cautiously to see if Big Brother is standing there. However, between the conspiracies and the terror campaigns is a fascinating list of diseases that could fit the criteria.Within these there has to be recognition that not all, If any, man-made diseases are created Intentionally and some are more the result f the progress of the species than of any dire plan. 10. Obesity Although It Is more than cause of disease rather than the disease Itself, It Is probably worth recognizing that obesity In the twenty-first century Is the product of a society that has removed, through changing work habits or the provision of convenience, the practices that previously kept it in check. In this way, man has made the basis off plethora of diseases.In the last twenty years, obesity rates in the developed world have virtually doubled. This has had a profound effect on the number of number of people suffering Gall Bladder Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension and Displacement, as well as increasing a number of other health concerns. This has led to obesity being acknowledged as being virtually epidemic in its spread through and impact on the human race. There are those who are genetically disposed to obesity and for these people it remains a condition to be managed.But for the greater part of the Industrialized world, almost a third of all people are afflicted with a disease that is â€Å"caught† through inactivity, poor diet and a lack of awareness. The AIDS virus has been blamed on any number of Institutions, Just as It has on arioso species and continents. While many of us believe that Its eruption and the misery it has caused is similar to othe r dreadful epidemics, such as the Black Plague, that have afflicted the human race and whose origins have never been fully determined, there are also many who mount strong arguments for human intervention. Comate the human race. However, as it primarily attacked the homosexual community, the ravages of AIDS were mostly limited too minority. Yet it is this limitation that has raised so many questions. Was it a stroke of â€Å"luck† that AIDS began in the gay community? Or was it a planned assault on a sector of the community that offended the establishment? The circumstantial evidence has led theorists to consider the role of the American Government, the World Health Organization and even the Catholic Church as players in a diabolical scheme to rid the world of homosexuals.But as any more substantial proof is not forthcoming, it is difficult to accept that any human could inflict such tragedy on another, let alone on millions. Whether through the volume of voices raised in pro test or through the bizarre series of facts that seemed to have fallen into place to see it begin as it did, there is enough injector to consider that AIDS may have been a man-made disease.While there is little, if any, evidence to suggest that Cardiovascular Disease is the product of direct or deliberate intervention by an individual or group of scientists, it must be considered that it incidence has risen dramatically in the light of modern living. This would suggest that, while not exactly man-made, the danger and spread of the disease is clearly attributable to man's cultural and social progress. Cardiovascular Disease was the cause of less than ten per cent of deaths at the start f the twentieth century, yet today has a role in at least thirty per cent of deaths.Eight out of every ten of deaths from this disease today occur in the developed nations of the world. The causes of Cardiovascular Disease include smoking, high blood pressure, physical inactivity and poor diet. This wo uld suggest that as we have become more prone to stress, as we have lost the need to work in ways that maintain physical effort and as we have been provided with convenient food sources as opposed to healthy ones, we have become more susceptible to this disease.Man has made his life more pleasurable, convenient and comfortable, but has multitudinously made a disease that is growing in its prevalence Viruses can have a debilitating effect on susceptible organisms and when people are sick they have a tendency to look for someone to blame. While it is occasionally satisfying to growl at the dog or snarl at the cat when one isn't feeling well, the prospect of blaming a pig for a potentially fatal virus offers little comfort. On this basis, a number of broadly termed â€Å"scientifically-minded† people have decided that Swine Flu is a man-made disease.There is a strained, but compelling logic to the argument. Swine Flu is believed to be he result of a combination of four previousl y identified viruses, a Swine Flu strain from Asia/Europe, North American swine flu, North American avian flu and human different species coming together by accident is incomprehensible, so there must have been human intervention. That is, bitterroot are at work. However, with the speed and ease with which people and animals now move around the world, it is quite possible that a virus could be carried enormous distances by multiple hosts.The high rate of vaccination and immunization that occurs in the general population means that non-symptomatic arises are far more common than was once the case. The sad predicament of the pig in being susceptible to both human and bird diseases, not to mention his own collection of bugs, makes him an effective breeding ground for a huge gathering of virus component. The endpoint being a nasty virus, combining four previously known viruses, that comes from swine, that is the Swine Flu. As neat as this explanation is, the scientists can't realistical ly claim to have it all their own way.Their scenario makes sense, but the probabilities behind it must give something to the â€Å"scientifically-minded†. On this basis, the man-made versus quirk of nature argument remains a nil-all draw. Although the polio virus itself is on the brink of extinction worldwide and many governments have been considering the abolition of vaccination against the disease, US researchers were able to add it to the list of man-made diseases in 2002 by â€Å"building† the first synthetic virus based on the genome of the polio virus.That is to say, while the rest of the world celebrated the defeat of a monster, scientists put time and effort into reviving it once again. While there may have been good reason to create the virus, such as studying it to covers the best means of defeating its like in future, the people responsible had a more simplistic motive for their work. The reason they did it was to prove that it can be done.They also admitted that they had achieved the feat by following a recipe that â€Å"they downloaded from the internet† and were able to use gene sequences that they attained from a mail-order service. In answer to criticism that they had made the way clear for terrorists to create new and deadly viruses, the researchers explained that there are only a handful of people who would have the knowledge to carry out the task successfully. But they did advise that all governments should follow the lead of the World Health Organization and stockpile significant quantities of polio vaccine Just in case.As broad as this topic is, by the very nature of the process through which vaccines are made and administered, they must be the most effective and impressive of man- made diseases. The earliest medical practitioners would probably have noticed that those who survived a virus, however nasty (the virus, not the people), were somehow didn't know how to use this knowledge. The Chinese had a revolting, but cl ever attempt at harnessing this process in their trudge against smallpox, but it wasn't until the sass's that the idea really found an audience in Europe.Now the study and production of vaccines is continually being improved, but the basic procedure remains the same. Simplistically, a virus contains two parts, that which makes us sick and that which contains antigens that stimulate the immune response. By isolating the antigens a vaccine is able to be created that will tell our immune system to build up defenses against a particular virus. Then when the virus reaches us, we already have the defenses in place.

Should I or Shouldnt I essays

Should I or Shouldn't I essays Decisions...Decisions...why is it so hard nowadays to make a simple decision. Personally I do not feel there are simple decisions to make anymore because everything is so fdaPeople living in this present moment in time are living in a world of diverse cultures, populations, and workforces. Technology and globalization are making diversity a top priority issue in major corporations and in operations. Personalities, morals, values and differences in skills and abilities all set precedence in organization behavior. Working in a management position will always require decisions to be made along with dealing with stress factors in relation to technological advances. Trends in organizational behavior can be explained by discussing the influence of ethics on decision-making and the impact that technology has on work related stress. Making decisions can be rather complex and often stressful in many circumstances. Decision-making is defined as the process of choosing a course of action for dealing with a problem or opportunity(Schermerhorn 17:2). In organizational behavior there are two approaches that a manager can go about in making decisions. The first approach a manager can take is called the classical decision theory. In this theory the problem is clearly defined and has knowledge of all possible alternatives and the consequences that exist. The next step a manager could take would be to choose the alternative that offers the best, or optimum solution to the problem. This classical approach is often used as a model for how managers should make decisions(Schermerhorn 17:6). The second approach is called the behavioral decision theory. This theory models the notion that there are limitations to making decisions and managers will not always have a clearly defined problem that an optimum solution can be use for resolution. The two decision-making processes transcen ...

Understanding Kuznets Curve

Understanding Kuznets Curve The Kuznets curve is a hypothetical curve that graphs economic inequality against income per capita over the course of economic development (which was presumed to correlate with time). This curve is meant to illustrate economist Simon Kuznets’ (1901-1985) hypothesis about the behavior and relationship of these two variables as an economy develops from a primarily rural agricultural society to an industrialized urban economy. Kuznets’ Hypothesis In the 1950s and 1960s, Simon Kuznets hypothesized that as an economy develops, market forces first increase then decrease the overall economic inequality of the society, which is illustrated by the inverted U-shape of the Kuznets curve. For instance, the hypothesis holds that in the early development of an economy, new investment opportunities increase for those who already have the capital to invest. These new investment opportunities mean that those who already hold the wealth have the opportunity to increase that wealth. Conversely, the influx of inexpensive rural labor to the cities keeps wages down for the working class thus widening the income gap and escalating economic inequality. The Kuznets curve implies that as a society industrializes, the center of the economy shifts from rural areas to the cities as rural laborers, such as farmers,  begin to migrate seeking better-paying jobs. This migration, however, results in a large rural-urban income gap and rural populations decrease as urban populations increase. But according to Kuznets’ hypothesis, that same economic inequality is expected to decrease when a certain level of average income is reached and the processes associated with industrialization, such as democratization and the development of a welfare state, take hold. It is at this point in economic development that society is meant to benefit from trickle-down effect and an increase in per-capita income that effectively decreases economic inequality.   Graph The inverted U-shape of Kuznets curve illustrates the basic elements of the Kuznets’ hypothesis with income per capita graphed on the horizontal x-axis and economic inequality on the vertical y-axis. The graph shows income inequality following the curve, first increasing before decreasing after hitting a peak as per-capita income increases over the course of economic development. Criticism Kuznets’ curve has not survived without its share of critics. In fact, Kuznets himself emphasized the â€Å"fragility of [his] data† among other caveats in his paper. The primary argument of critics of Kuznets’ hypothesis and its resulting graphical representation is based on the countries used in Kuznets’ data set. Critics say that the Kuznets curve does not reflect an average progression of economic development for an individual country, but rather it is a representation of historical differences in economic development and inequality between countries in the dataset. The middle-income countries used in the data set are used as evidence for this claim as Kuznets primarily used countries in Latin America, which have had histories of high levels of economic inequality as compared to their counterparts in terms of similar economic development. The critics hold that when controlling for this variable, the inverted U-shape of the Kuznets curve begins to dimin ish. Other criticisms have come to light over time as more economists have developed hypotheses with more dimensions and more countries had undergone rapid economic growth that did not necessarily follow Kuznets’ hypothesized pattern. Today, the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC)- a variation on the Kuznets curve- has become standard in environmental policy and technical literature.

Art history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Art history - Essay Example According to Hamilton, Richard Foster and Martin (35), pop art became so dominant and popular in London and New York in the mid 50s, the same time Richard made this painting. Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait (Northern Renaissance) on the other hand, is a proof of the coming and birth of contemporary fashion as suggested by the woman in the portrait who is holding high her brightly colored dress. â€Å"The Arnolfini is filled with complex symbolism and interesting details,† (Seidel and Linda 21). Evidently, Jan’s painting is a Flemish painting from the bright colors used as it is commonly associated with the renaissance, which usually means re-birth. Re-birth was started in Florence and Italy, the same place where the particular painting is based on. The painting was done in 1434 by Jan van Eyck as one of the pioneers of oil painting. In Italy there are a lot of details of wealth from the same place like the rare species of the dog present in the painting, the wealthy clothes and the gleaming brass chandelier on the wall. The ornate Latin signature on the wall near the clock also has some resemblance of the modern day graffiti, which proves more of the birth of contemporary culture. There are several differences between Richard’s painting, â€Å"just what is it that makes today’s homes so appealing?† and Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait in that, Richards painting is a true depiction of modern pop art with modern true day to day life among people like the free and liberal partnership between man and woman as depicted in the picture .Richard’s painting also narrows down the difference between fine and contemporary art while Jan’s painting depicts marriage, fidelity ,and wealth of the fourteenth century as mentioned by Bedaux and Ben( 43) These paintings are similar in style, in that they are bold, colorful interesting to look at and catchy. However, Richard’s