What Do You Mean By Deborah Tannen - 1450 Words

Conversation is a ritual every person must encounter throughout their lives in order to function properly with one another in today’s society. However, every individual has a â€Å"different idea about what’s appropriate† when approaching someone in any sort of conversation; that is why we are referred to as individuals (Tannen 327). There are thousands of diverse languages to speak to one another with, in fact that means there are thousands of different ways to offend each other with our words. Within those languages there are several contrasting gestures that can offend any single person, such as the amount of times individuals apologize in one meeting, giving criticism too harshly, or thanking someone so often it does not seem genuine. In the article â€Å"What Do You Mean,† Deborah Tannen touches upon apologies, criticism, and thank yous in further detail to explain where individuals go wrong within conversation and how they can fix their actions. Indi viduals find it satisfying to please others by being polite because it is the ‘right’ thing to do, however like myself others need to stand up for themselves and get directly to the point now in order to avoid conflict later in life. Individuals use unnecessary apologies to please one another in order to avoid feeling like undesirable situations are their fault, but must learn to stop taking the blame and stand up for themselves. In fact, many people conceive an apology as â€Å"self-depreciating† or an â€Å"automatic way of keeping bothShow MoreRelated`` But What Do You Mean? By Deborah Tannen1158 Words   |  5 PagesWithin the essay, â€Å"But What Do You Mean?†, author Deborah Tannen explains several main areas of miscommunication between men and women. Within her article, she goes section-by-section comparing men and women’s preferred style of communication. She concludes that while men and women may communicate differently, neither are wrong. To address this concern, she suggests using language both parties can understand. On the other hand, in William Lutz article, â€Å"The World of Doublespeak,† he takes a differentRead MoreDeborah Tannen s But What Do You Mean?864 Words à ‚  |  4 PagesIn her essay, But What Do You Mean? Deborah Tannen discusses how men and women s conversation styles differ in how they communicate with one another. The problem is that men and women have different perspectives. Tannen explains that the conversation rituals among women are designed to be polite and sensitive to others, while the conversation rituals among men are designed to maintain superiority (328). Tannen explores seven ways in which men and women miscommunicate : apologies, criticismRead MoreDeborah Tannen s Article, But What Do You Mean?955 Words   |  4 PagesWhat I Meant was†¦ In Deborah Tannen’s article, â€Å"But What Do You Mean?† she enumerates seven different ways that women and men tend to have a kind of struggle. Tannen discusses how the men and women have different ways of speaking. The seven main differences are classified and divided into: apologies, criticism, thank-yous, fighting, praise, complaints, and jokes. First, men don’t correctly interpret apologies; they often implicate blame with apology, synonymous with putting oneself down. On theRead MoreEssay on The Qualms of Communication991 Words   |  4 Pagesvarious authors over the years. Deborah Tannen is one such author. Tannen, who has a doctorate in linguistics, is a professor at Georgetown University. She has been studying the way people communicate and the problems they have communicating with each other for many years. Her studies inspired her to write several books on the subject. The excerpt â€Å"Put Down That Paper and Talk To Me,† which appears in the textbook Writing the World, was taken from her best-seller You Just Don’t Understand: Women andRead MoreEssay Men and Women: As Interpreted by Deborah Tannen786 Words   |  4 Pages Did you know, â€Å"men and women talk differently because they are raised in something like two different cultures: a male culture from which young men learn to speak like men and a female culture in which young women learn to speak like women?†(Cooper and MacDonald 9). Well, not actually from two separate cultures, but the idea of men and women being opposites as pointed out in the opening. Deborah Tannen has made her theory that a male culture and female culture each exist, very popular with theRead MoreCommunication Gap Between Men And Women1386 Words   |  6 Pagesin the way that we communicate. What we say, how we say it, and how the opposite sex interprets what we are saying are all affected by gender. With so much focus on building a more compassionate and understanding world, how do we make that step that will bring us closer to closing the communication gap? We learn at a young age starting out that communication between girls and boys is completely different. Girls say boys are mean, and boys don’t know what girls mean, these different attitudes comeRead MoreThe Argument Culture Summary and Response Essay945 Words   |  4 PagesAudience Analysis The audience I will try to reach are young people who have grown up in the information age. They will be approximately 18-35 years old. It doesn’t matter what their educational or ethnic background is. The audience are the ones who grew up in with the internet and media constantly in their face. I believe the targeted audience already knows a lot about confrontation because it’s everywhere on the internet and in the news. I don’t believe they know a lot about the other sideRead MoreSex, Love and Conversation1102 Words   |  4 Pages Deborah Tannen’s: Sex Lies and Conversation When in a relationship things can be very difficult, like in any other situation there are ups and downs. Deborah Tannen has set out to explain and try to justify the increasing divorce rates in America. Through many social realizations and scientific studies, Tannen is able to make a case on why the divorce rate has increased throughout out the years; Wives believe that their Husbands are no longer listening to them. Women have divorced their husbandsRead MoreBut What Do You Mean?1772 Words   |  8 Pages1. What is Tannen’s purpose in writing this essay? What does she hope it will accomplish? From what I gathered Tannen’s purpose was for us to comprehend the importance of communication in the work field. How the simplest verbal functions can be interpreted in many different ways. â€Å"Conversation is a ritual† I find so much meaning behind these four simple words, the article in its entirety are summed up by these word. Tannen wants to enlighten us to remember that our words are powerful. I believe sheRead MoreBut What Do You Mean?751 Words   |  4 PagesIn the essay, â€Å"But What Do You Mean?† author and linguistic expert Deborah Tannen argues her feelings on how men and women vary in their use of conversational â€Å"rituals.† She states that males have a tendency to use wording to sustain dominance in conversation; however, women seem to take in to account the feelings of others. Tannen identifies seven categories in which men and women differ in communication. First, women use apologies to assure other people. Men can misapprehend t hese apologies

Night Creature Blue Moon Chapter 38 Free Essays

I should have slammed the door, but I couldn’t. I was rooted to the floor in the hallway, unable to drag my eyes from the sight in front of me. Clyde’s body contorted; his shoulders hunched; his legs bowed. We will write a custom essay sample on Night Creature: Blue Moon Chapter 38 or any similar topic only for you Order Now He threw back his head and howled. The sound shot ice down my spine. The wolves in the forest paused in their flight and answered. His clothes split open with a shriek of rending cloth and bursting seams. His shoes seemed to explode and paws popped out. He dropped to all fours and the hands that caught him had claws. Black hair sprouted from every pore, thickening, lengthening, becoming fur. A tail erupted from his spine. The last thing to change was his head. I sensed movement behind me, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away. I braced myself, expecting Mandenauer to shoot. But he didn’t. Odd, he’d never hesitated before. The popping of bones, the stretching of skin, caused a horrible sound. I winced as Clyde finished the change. His nose and his mouth stretched, melding into a snout. His teeth grew; his tongue must have, too, since it lolled out the side of his mouth. His brow bulged. When he swung his head in our direction his face was that of a skinned wolf with Clyde’s eyes. Nasty. I wished for the fur to arrive. My wish was soon granted. Black hair flowed over his face, obscuring the bones that marred his cinnamon skin. He shook himself as if he’d just come out of the water, then turned toward me. I gasped. Clyde was the black wolf that had dogged my steps and haunted my dreams. He was most likely the wolf that had bitten Karen Larson and countless others. The gunshot made me scream and fall to the floor, throwing my hands up in front of my face. My ears rang, but I still heard Clyde shriek. I didn’t want to look, but I had to. Flames burst from a neat hole near his heart. The scent of scorched hair and cooking meat filled the air. The howl of a wolf, the cry of a man – he writhed in pain, twisting, turning, his claws scrabbling against the planks of the porch as he died. I stayed on the ground. I couldn’t gain my feet. Man-denauer stepped around me and shoved at Clyde wkh his boot. The wolf’s head lolled sickeningly. I leaned my back against the cabin wall. I was weak, limp. I couldn’t stop staring at what had once been my boss. I’d liked Clyde, trusted him as much as I trusted anyone – except maybe Zee. I couldn’t get my mind around the idea that he’d forever be a wolf. That Clyde would never again spit chew or quote Clint. â€Å"Why did you let him finish the change before you shot him?† â€Å"It is easier to explain a dead wolf than a dead sheriff.† His gaze swept the forest. â€Å"We must go.† â€Å"Go? Where? We got him.† â€Å"The sheriff was nothing more than a minion of evil. The one who will become remains.† â€Å"How you figure?† Mandenauer flicked me a contemptuous glance. â€Å"If he was the one, why did he give the totem to the others?† I hadn’t thought of that. Damn. â€Å"Listen,† Mandenauer whispered. In the distance the wolves called to one another. There were more of them now. The ones who had been here had joined those who waited there. With their leader. I glanced at the sky. The blue moon had not yet reached the apex. Our night had only begun. I struggled to my knees, gained my feet without help. I looked for Will and didn’t find him. Had he passed out from blood loss? I took a step toward the door and Mandenauer stopped me. â€Å"Your lover is putting a bandage on his scratch. He does not need your aid.† â€Å"You call that a scratch?† â€Å"You do not?† â€Å"I say a hole through the arm is a wound and not a scratch.† â€Å"I say if you can walk, then walk.† I tore my gaze from the cabin. â€Å"You trying to tell me something?† â€Å"Follow those wolves.† â€Å"I just knew you were gonna say that.† I stalked inside, retrieved my rifle, went searching for Will. To hell with Mandenauer; I wasn’t going to leave until I saw with my own eyes that Will was all right. I followed the blood trail to the bathroom. Will struggled to fasten gauze around his arm with one hand. He glanced up and his eyes met mine in the mirror. He didn’t appear happy to see me. â€Å"Let me.† I stepped into the room, leaning my rifle against the wall. â€Å"It’s done.† He grabbed one end of the gauze with his teeth, the other with his free hand, and jerked. His breath hissed in sharply when the material tightened on the wound. â€Å"Maybe you should go to the clinic and get stitches.† â€Å"I don’t need stitches. It’s just a scratch.† My lips twitched. â€Å"Scratch. Right. What about your ear?† He shrugged one shoulder. The blood that had bathed his neck cracked, and rust-colored flecks rained down on his already ruined clothes. â€Å"I’ll live.† â€Å"Jessie!† Mandenauer shouted. â€Å"Today if you please?† I stepped closer and smoothed his hair away from his brow. â€Å"I have to go.† He shifted abruptly, his body bumping against mine in ways that would have been interesting if he weren’t covered in blood and I didn’t have places to be, werewolves to kill. â€Å"Let me change my shirt.† â€Å"You aren’t coming.† â€Å"Yes.† His eyes met mine. â€Å"I am.† â€Å"Now that Clyde’s dead they need a wolf clan member. Bringing you along would be downright stupid.† â€Å"I can take care of myself.† â€Å"So can I. Stay here. Clean up. Rest. I’ll come back when it’s over.† â€Å"You think I can just sit here while you face a werewolf army? Wait like a good little boy until you have time to come to me again? I love you, Jessie. If you die, so do I.† The thought of him dying made my palms clammy and my voice sharp. â€Å"I’m not going to die and neither are you. Just let me do my job, Will.† â€Å"Let me help.† â€Å"I don’t need your help.† â€Å"Of course not. You don’t need anyone.† His voice rose and anger warred with the pain in his eyes. â€Å"You certainly don’t need me. You never did.† â€Å"Jessie.† Mandenauer stood in the hall. Urgency tightened his features. I glanced at Will. I wanted to stay, but I had to go. I wanted to kiss him, but he turned away and started the shower. â€Å"I’ll be back,† I promised. He didn’t answer, and that bothered me more than his anger and pain had. Torn between my job, my duty, and my love, I hesitated. In the end, I had no choice. I followed Mandenauer and he followed the wolves. How to cite Night Creature: Blue Moon Chapter 38, Essay examples

Saint Leo Core Values free essay sample

The principles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights relates to the Saint Leo Universities core value of community in a number of ways. Let’s start from the beginning of the declaration. In the preamble it mentions Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. Saint Leo’s core value states that Saint Leo University develops hospitable Christian learning communities everywhere we serve. We foster a spirit of belonging, unity and interdependence based on mutual trust and respect to creates socially responsible environments that challenge all of us to listen, to learn, to change and to serve. Saint Leo University doesn’t discriminate. Every man and woman have the right to study at Saint Leo University if they so choose to. We will write a custom essay sample on Saint Leo Core Values or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This leads us to the second article. Article two states that Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. Saint Leo University doesn’t regard your race or nationally when making a decision for you to study with them. Article eighteen states Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. No matter what religion you worship, Saint Leo’s only intentions are to continue to provide the Christian learning community. Not all religious courses taught at Saint Leo are geared toward one community. Article nineteen states Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. I am currently enrolled in religious 123 â€Å"Intro to the Old Testament† and I am not a Christian but the course and the instructor allow me to voice my opinion freely regardless of what religion group the instructor is a part of they don’t criticize my way of thinking or they don’t push the issue to convert me to their Christianity. The second part of article twenty-six which states Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace reverts back to the previous statement I was saying about the instructors not trying to convince you to see it their way and their way only. Saint Leo University is devoted to provided quality education to those to qualify and to those who want it.

The Importance of Being Victorian Oscar Wilde Essay Example

The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde Essay The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde â€Å"The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility† (Wilde 14). As a brilliant writer of the 1800’s, Oscar Wilde devoted the majority of his works towards unveiling the harsh truths of the Victorian society. Leading a life of deception himself, he chose to showcase his distastes for the social injustice he saw around him with unrestrained humor. Being the first playwright to include homosexual innuendos, uplift women, and mock present social norms, it was surprising to find how widely accepted his production became. Reviews praised his use of witty dialogue and comedic characters, creating the most enduring play of the Victorian Era. In â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,† Oscar Wilde utilizes his personal experiences to unmask the social conventions of the British Aristocracy during the late 1800’s. Oscar Wilde’s life was far from conventional. Born under the irregular name Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde on October 16th, 1854, he grew up in a â€Å"richly eccentric† family (Woodcock 9). His father, Sir William Wilde, was an esteemed aural doctor for the Victorian upper-class who was â€Å"appointed medical advisor to the Irish Census of 1841† by the young age of twenty-eight (Gately). Wilde’s mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, often referred to as Lady Wilde, was an Irish nationalist who believed herself to be a revolutionary. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer She wrote poetry under the pen name â€Å"Speranza,† for a weekly Irish newspaper, The Nation, and organized several gatherings for artists to converse upon intellectual topics (Harris 3). Between the two of his parents, Wilde was introduced to a wide array of artists, intellectuals, and doctors from around the world. These ideas helped Wilde to learn to value witty and intellectual conversation, which he illuminates throughout â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest. † Wilde was provided with the advantage to attain a superior education. Winning several awards at Portora Royal School, he was already considered a profound scholar before attending college at Trinity and Magdalen in Oxford (Pearson 18). At these schools, Wilde began a lifelong adoration of the classics, which would later influence his subsequent writing (Harris 17). Under the influence of three professors, John Ruskin, Walter Pater, and Frank Mahaffy, Wilde was transformed into a capital gentleman who dressed in unorthodox clothing and constantly questioned the Victorian norms (Harris 24). Ruskin inspired Wilde’s imagination and aristocratic soul with â€Å"his prose† style and romantic writing (Harris 28). Pater, Wilde contends, â€Å"taught me the highest form of art: the austerity of beauty† (Harris 28). His emphasis in the arts also urged Wilde to live for pleasure and experiment with â€Å"the instrument of speech,† which later helped him form witty dialogue in his plays (Harris 28). Mahaffy took him on trips to Italy and Greece, inspired his love for the Greek language, and challenged him to look at the repressive ethics around them (Harris 27, Pearson 34). Without the guidance and encouragement of these professors, Wilde may not have evolved into the humorous and esteemed writer seen today. Wilde entered into the celebrity limelight through his intellect and irregular lifestyle. To make himself memorable, he wore eccentric clothing and sported flowers and lilies with each of his outfits. He traveled and lectured to increase his fame in Britain and abroad (Pearson 38). Listeners proclaimed, â€Å"[he] was without exception the most brilliant talker I have ever come across, the most ready, the most witty, the most audacious†¦ Nobody could pretend to outshine him† (Pearson 170). As his reputation blossomed, he began to court celebrities and book triumphant tours. On one of these tours, Wilde met his wife Constance Lloyd, for better or for worse (Harris 52). They settled down together, became respectable parents, and had two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan. Consequently, this all changed dramatically in 1891 when he met Lord Alfred Douglas and entered into a homosexual relationship with him outside of his marriage (Gately). Bored by the convention of his married life at home, Wilde would often escape to a second town home with Douglas and openly share a relationship with him (Small 25). His secret, doppelganger lifestyle, intellectual background, and experiences with Victorian Britain all come together in his comedy to showcase Wilde’s criticisms for the British aristocracy. In the West End of London, Wilde’s ,â€Å"The Importance of Being Ernest,† premiered during a time of transition. Around him, many social, religious, political, and economic doctrines were evolving. Prior performances at the George Alexander’s St. James Theater, for example, never dared to mock the standards of society (Raby xi). It was considered a major foul to scoff the aristocracy, but Wilde was not afraid to jeopardize their support. On February 14th, 1894, â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest,† made its debut and quickly rose to a success, running eighty-six more times thereafter (Gately). As a farce, his humorous play exaggerated physical action such as slapstick, absurdity, and improbability, to surprise the audience with unexpected events and restore genuine comedy to the stage (Bloom 35-39). As an Irish Protestant outsider to London, Wilde was popularly accepted by the upper class of London, even as they laughed about themselves. His three major sources of comedy: social criticism of the upper and middle class, homosexuality, and epigrams and puns; made the play a brilliant success (Mazer). Wilde’s play reveals several implications about this Victorian upper class. Algernon Moncrieff, a wealthy bachelor who pretends to have a brother named â€Å"Bumbry† to escape from the city, is always looking for excitement as a result of his boredom with the conventions (Wilde 15). Concerned with personal satisfaction and appearance, Algernon represents the visual ideals of the upper class and always dresses in stylish and dandy attire. Although he outwardly embodies them, internally, he actually goes against the etiquette of the upper class, creating a paradox. Wilde reveals through Algernon’s character that Victorian values of duty and virtue are repressive to the human spirit (Raby 59). John Worthing, on the other hand, is a justice of the peace, guardian of Cecily, and owner of a respectable country estate. As a result of his position, he is a product of his social standing and therefore, abides by rules (Bloom 38). He is accepted by the upper class for his fortune and appropriate manners, which have a higher value than the lifestyle Algernon leads. Although both men lead a secret life unknown to society, Wilde implies that society â€Å"cares about substance but instead reveres trial and triviality† (Raby 82). Similar to Wilde’s personal life, his male protagonists lead secret lives. In writing a play about truth, â€Å"surfaces [and] labels assume a special ignifigance† (Raby 52). John Worthing refers to himself as â€Å"Jack† in the country and â€Å"Ernest† when he travels to the city for fun (Wilde 15). Algernon, Jack’s friend, also reveals that he created an imaginary friend named â€Å"Bunbury† to visit whenever he desires to leave the city and later on pretends to be Jack’s wicked brother â€Å"Ernest† when he visits his country estate (Wilde 15). Both of these characters parallel to Wilde’s personal character– living as a married man with a homosexual double life. As a Victorian ideal, â€Å"earnestness† means to have great devotion to virtue and duty, standing for sincerity and seriousness (Raby 51). Wilde instead contradicts these implications and turns it’s conservative meaning upside down by making the name stand for deception: a mode by which his characters can escape from the hassles of their everyday lives and responsibilities. Therefore, Wilde is implying that living a conventional lifestyle is formulaic and dull. In order to liven things up, one must seek a fictitious counter-identity, similar to the clandestine one Wilde holds with Lord Alfred Douglas. To the aristocrats, appearance was crucial and style much more important than substance. While a person could lead a secret life, carry on affair within a marriage or have children outside of wed lock, society would look the other way as long as the appearance of propriety was always maintained (Bloom 43). For this reason, Wilde questions whether the more important or serious issues of the day are overlooked in favor of small talk about style and gossip. Gwendolen states, â€Å"In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing† (Wilde 86). Her mother, Lady Bracknell also believes Algernon is a perfect husband for the same reasons. â€Å"What more can one desire,† she questions, â€Å"Algernon is an†¦ ostentatiously, eligible man. He has nothing, but he looks everything† (Wilde 95). In a society where image is everything, Algernon is certainly a perfect surface image of a husband. Throughout the first act, marriages in Victorian England become a central theme. To Wilde, marriages were an institution, characterized by hypocrisy and greed to achieve status within society (Small 109). Following suit, when Algernon’s house servant, Lane, informs him that wine in married households is never superior in quality, Algernon responds, â€Å"Good heavens! Is marriage so demoralizing as that? † and Lane responds that his own was â€Å"in consequence of a misunderstanding† (Wilde 7). The humor continues when Algernon discovers that Jack has come to the city to propose to Gwendolen Fairfax, a wealthy debutante. He believed his friend had â€Å"come up for pleasure? [†¦] I call that business† (Wilde 8). Like Wilde, Algernon believes that once marriage occurs, flirtation and the passion of love all fade away because women do not marry men they are interested in, they marry men for financial security and status (Pearson 175). During a time period where marriage was considered a serious matter, Wilde used absurdity through his characters to humor his conservative, upper-class audience to unveil his true opinions of marriage. In Act II, Wilde introduces us to the repression of sexual desires of the Victorian society. Confined to a country estate, Cecily Cardew is infatuated by sin and wickedness. Being raised far from social life in the city and sexual temptations, Cecily seeks escape by allowing her imagination to run wild in her diary entries. In her society, young women did not know of sex and adults would always speak of it in metaphoric terms in order to protect them. As Mrs. Prism continually tries to teach Cecily German in her studies, Cecily is unable to focus and chooses to live vicariously through her fantasies. Wilde utilizes her character to showcase to his audience that the repression of our innate sexual desires leads to more of a curiosity in them (Bloom 135). Mrs. Prism, her tutor, continually tries to get Cecily to recite her German; however, she finds it plain and redundant. Dreaming of the man she believes Ernest to be is more fascinating to the youthful mind of Cecily. Education sought to promote the status quo during this time period so that young people would learn not to question the society in which they live. By satirizing this, Wilde shows his upper-class audience that imposing rules upon people hinders the personal spirit and can sometimes have the opposite effect upon people. These suffocating norms were so repressive that Wilde creates episodes in which his characters lead secret lives and craft false impressions of who they really are. Algernon and Jack both create personas to escape from their lives and neglect their duties. Wilde unveils their alternative lives within the first act and allows them to continue until the final act to represent his own life of deceit as a homosexual (Bloom 31). Rejecting their responsibilities, Algernon and Jack pursue pleasure and eventually find themselves desiring marriage. Realizing that this will end their secret lives of passion they comment, â€Å"[y]ou won’t be able to run down to the country quite so often as you used to, dear Algy,† and â€Å"[y]ou won’t be able to disappear to London quite so frequently as your wicked custom was† (Wilde 80). If either of these characters were to get married, their spontaneity would diminish and freedom removed because society requires married couples to follow certain conservative standards. These standards would hold Algernon and Jack back from having lives filled with happiness, just as Wilde’s was with his wife, Constance Lloyd. There is an evident gulf between the upper and middle classes in â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest. † Intermarrying was not permitted between classes because families sought to keep their status within the bloodline (Woodcock 166). If such an act were to occur, the family would be tainted in the eyes of society. Conservative, strong, powerful, arrogant, and ruthless, Lady Augusta Bracknell represents the negativity within the upper class. She firmly believes that the lower and middle classes should never be educated or taught to think or question the world in which they live. If they were to obtain power through knowledge, the playing field between classes would be eliminated and the prominence of the upper class questionable (Bloom 31). Education was not designed so that the upper class would be able to think, it was designed to teach them how to mindlessly following convention (Bourke 47). Lady Bracknell explains this explicitly when she states, â€Å"[t]he whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever† (Wilde 67). Wilde speaks his own mind on the matter through her words. He believes as she does that education is meaningless unless the mind is allowed to be free and capable of studying for the purpose of intellect, not social customs. Living in a society full of restrictions and order, Wilde sought an escape from his life of structure and duty. Dictated to live a life full of appearances, Wilde was forced to marry for security, live pure and plainly, repress sexual desires, and dress fashionably. With so many rules to abide by, it’s no wonder Wilde had a difficult time being genuinely happy in life. As the false world he lived in continued to sicken him, he found an escape route through writing â€Å"The Importance of Being Ernest† and his secret relationship with Douglas. If it had not been for Wilde’s background with classic literature and humor, he may have never dared to exploit the faults of Victorian England. Characters like Algernon and Jack provide resemble himself in many ways and reveal subsurface themes about defying the norms of society. Overall, Oscar Wilde’s background and use of humor within â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† allowed him to express the deficiencies of the upper class in Victorian England. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Print. Bourke, Joanna. Working-class Cultures in Britain: 1890-1960: Gender, Class and Ethnicity. London: Routledge, 2003. Print. Gately, Nicole. Biography: Oscar Wilde. 12 Aug. 2005. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. Harris, Frank, and Bernard Shaw. Oscar Wilde. Michigan State UP, 1959. Print. Mazer, Carey M. Wilde, Society, and Society Drama. Peoples Light and Theatre Company, June 1993. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. . Pearson, Hesketh. Oscar Wilde: His Life and Wit. New York: Harper Bros. , 1946. Print. Raby, Peter. The Importance of Being Earnest: A Readers Companion. New York: Twayne, 1995. Print. Small, Ian. Oscar Wilde: Recent Research. Greensboro: English Lit. Trans. , Univ. of North Carolina, 2000. Print. Wild e, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. Lexington, KY: Filiquarian P, 2007. Print. Woodcock, George. The Paradox of Oscar Wilde. New York: Macmillan, 1950. Print.

Ceramic Masks essays

Ceramic Masks essays Since the earliest times masks have played an important role in the culture of Africa. Masks have varied in appearance and function. Many masks are associated with religious ceremonies, myth, dance, rituals or are concerned with spirits of the dead, rites, or even curing sickness. The mask has been used by the Africans mainly to solve major human and social problems. When a man wears a mask his identity is hidden and the expression on the mask projects a new identity. If the features on the mask are unnatural such as an abstract from an animal, it will make the mask emit a more effective and dramatic identity. Because the person is wearing a mask the human identity is hidden so the viewer is unsettled, this causes the man wearing the mask to be strange or unpredictable, this leads the viewer to become fascinated so the masked man can deceive the viewer. Masks representing harmful spirits were often used to keep a required balance of power. This type of mask was often associated with secret societies, especially in Africa, which has the greatest variety of masks on Earth. In ancient Egypt priests used masks to represent gods. Masks were also placed upon the face of mummies to keep alive the appearance of the deceased after death or to give a boost to him and his image. Masks use different facial features such as idealizing human features, frightening features, animal features and naturalistic features to give a deeper meaning to what the mask is meant to express. Masks were often used as a form of ranking in villages, for example a mighty warrior who is known to have a lot of strength would be presented with a mask that would describe this type of strength (e.g. a wolfs mask) whereas the villages leader would have a distinct mask that no one else has, as a symbol of his power and status in the elite, e.g. (an eagles mask). Masks may also be used to help identify the members of a village or tri ...

Your 100 Fan Club

Your 100 Fan Club The older I get, the more simplified I seem to want my life. Thats why I toned FundsforWriters down over the years from four newsletters, to three, to two. . . and now one, just like I started years ago. More time to write. More time to enjoy myself while writing. I love losing myself in a story. But marketing, publishing, and so on tend to distract us and rob us of the joy. At  a recent conference speaker, I spoke to writers about corralling all the to-do things on their plates and learning how to focus on writing. I suggested they do what Im doing. . . write for their most avid 100 fans. You know who those are. They are the ones who review, who respond to your blog, who converse with you on Facebook, who like your Instagram posts. They dont just say they love your work, but they talk it, naming characters and plot points that resonated with them. Why just 100? Because those are your concentrated dose of energy. You have a better feel for what they like. Since theyve contacted you somehow, you feel a few degrees closer to them. You owe them more, and in turn, they deliver back with reviews, emails, and that oh-so-precious word-of-mouth to others about you and your stories. Simply your writing. Write the stories that you think your top 100 will love. Dont have 100? If you keep making an appearance in person, on social media, in writing guest posts on blogs, that 100 will materialize. If you keep writing and quit banking on one book. If you keep reminding the few you have in a newsletter who you are (avoiding saying BUY MY BOOK), that 100 will happen. Who doesnt feel warm and cozy having 100 fans? And that number grows faster the more you cater to that tribe. Theyll practically spread the word for you.

Answer the Questions HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Answer the Questions HR - Essay Example e need to make fresh employees informed about work practices and timely completion of assigned jobs or tasks that in turn could lead to intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. I would advise newly recruited and selected group of personnel about effective time management and successful completion of jobs assigned per day to each individual worker. Indeed, the first useful advice will be about minimum wastage of business hours in unnecessary discussions and informal chit chat with co-workers and peers within organisational premises. This would surely enable employees to pay greater attention to assigned business jobs and their timely completion. In fact, i would suggest workers to have informal and casual meetings during lunch or tea time so that workers could get information about their colleagues that would help in building relationships. As a result, this will foster unity and harmony among workers in the same organisation as well as reduce work overload as all assigned jobs are submitted in-time. The second advice will be to avoid spending time on unnecessary field work and travelling for business purposes. For example, some workers do not correctly sch edule their out-of-office jobs and thus waste many business hours for fewer jobs at hand, which later cause delay in timely delivery of all work requirements and productivity reduces. The third advice will be about preparing daily timetable for all tasks at hand so that workers could prioritise what tasks are to be finished first and what could be delayed because of minimal importance. 3. It is extremely important to investigate accidents thoroughly if an organisation is to put preventative measures in place to ensure that a similar accident does not occur in the workplace. Investigations help to establish the cause of the accident and to put measures in place to stop a repeat performance. What should be included in an investigation? The investigation process should be comprehensive in nature thereby covering all

Osteoporosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Osteoporosis - Essay Example Osteoporosis is a major concern in US where over 10 million people suffer of this disease while another 18 million are at a risk of developing Osteoporosis. Most of those diagnosed and at risk of Osteoporosis are women especially those past the menopause stage. Moreover, research shows that people from certain ethnic background such as Asian and whites are at greater risk of getting Osteoporosis. This paper focuses on the causes pathophysiology, clinical features, para clinic finding, Treatment, and Prognosis of osteoporosis. Causes or Etiology   The major cause of osteoporosis is imbalance between the bone formation and bone resorption processes. This occurs if the body fails to develop adequate new bones or if too much of the formed boned becomes reabsorbed. For adequate formation of the bones, sufficient amounts of calcium and phosphorous must be taken. Actually, the body reabsorbs some of the calcium from the bones, which is used for other body processes such as invigorating fu nction of organs such as brain heart, and other organs (Lane S3-S5). Therefore lack of enough calcium in the diet result in insufficient bone and bone tissue production. Moreover, the bones produced are weaker, fragile, and brittle and break easily. The inadequate calcium absorption is also attributed to shortage of hormones such as estrogen in women and androgen in men. After menopause, estrogen levels reduce and risk of osteoporosis increase. Other cause of osteoporosis include inadequate intake of calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorous. Moreover, age related body changes, lack of weight-bearing exercises, and overuse of corticosteroids, disuse of muscles, genetic disorders, and problem associated with the thyroid gland increase chances of osteoporosis. Other known cause of osteoporosis include use of some medication that may cause rapid bone resorption or prevent calcium reabsorption (Lane S6-S9; Atik, Uslu and Eksioglu 25-27). Pathophysiology Pathophysiology of osteoporosis entails intrinsic bone fragility and frequent injuries. Injuries result from minor to major falls, falling to the side, poor postural reflexes and reduce soft tissues that are required for bone padding. Bone fragility is attributable to composite geometry, reduction in bone mass density, and change in quality of bone content, reduced collagen cross-links, and severed microarchitecture connections (Bartl and Frisch 144-149). Clinical Features In the initial stages, Osteoporosis may exhibit no symptoms. However, it later causes dull pain in the bones and other body parts, especially along the muscles. Other common symptoms include pain in the lower back as well as pain on the neck. As the disease progresses, the casualty may experience sharp and sudden pains especially when doing activities that strain bones and muscles. Other symptoms include one and muscle tenderness. Moreover, persons with osteoporosis easily get fractures on the neck, wrist, hip, and other bones even from minor falls. Sp inal compression occurs easily resulting in dowager’s hump (Atik, Uslu and Eksioglu 25-27; Bartl and Frisch 153-158). Para Clinic Finding Some of the test and exams for osteoporosis include bone mineral density testing which is often done with DEXA scan used to diagnose bine loss, predict risk of bone fractures, and determine the effectiveness of osteoporosis medication. A spine or hip x-ray is used to detect fractures

One Cannot Escape Big Brother Essay Example for Free

One Cannot Escape Big Brother Essay In 1984, by George Orwell, society is portrayed as having lost all traces of individuality, creative thought, and love and humanity. This â€Å"Negative Utopia† depicts the possibility of the future despair of the human race whilst warning readers of the dangers of totalitarianism. The overlying mood in 1984 is the bleakness of the future of the human race. The main character though, Winston Smith, is caught in this society that is dedicated to conformity with a mind full of intelligence, individuality, and rebellious thoughts. Winston is targeted by the government from the beginning because of his continual thoughtcrime as well as his rebellious actions with Julia. However, in a society as bleak and desolate as Orwell has depicted, Winston’s actions against the Party and Big Brother were essentially futile. Throughout the novel, Winston believes that though society forces him to conform on the outside, he can still fight the system with his thoughts and by being with Julia in secret. He believes that his own individuality reveals that there is at least a small sliver of hope for humanity, but this is not so. Syme even questions Winston, How could you have a slogan like freedom is slavery when the concept of freedom has been abolished? (pg.47). There is so much moral decay within the Party, Winston is wasting his breath and energy by trying to bring down Big Brother; it is too great, and he is too small, despite how intelligent he may be. In Orwell’s fiction society, there is no hope, no potential light for the future. Society is too far gone, as shown through aspects of life such as telescreens, Hate Week, the Hate Song, and Newspeak. The government has molded the people of Oceania’s minds into the ideal citizen: unfeeling, lacking any creative thought, love, or uniqueness. The citizens who slip by and do possess these qualities will be vaporized at some point and Winston knows this throughout the novel. Yet he still believes that in some way, he may be of help to the Brotherhood, even though he is not even sure of its existence. One thing that separated the government of 1984 from any modern day government is that when someone was a traitor, or made some attempt to overthrow the government, they were not punished, but rather â€Å"cured†. In the novel, O’Brian, who is a symbol Big Brother, states, â€Å"We are not content with negative obedience, nor even with the most abject submission. When finally you surrender to us, it must be of your own free will. We do not destroy the heretic because he resists us: so long as he resists us we never destroy him. We convert him, we capture his inner mind, we reshape him. We burn all evil and all illusion out of him; we bring him over to our side, not in appearance, but genuinely, heart and soul. We make him one of ourselves before we kill him.† (pg. 318) This portrays how Big Brother essentially ensures its own success by turning their enemies into supporters of their cause rather than persecuting them. Winston had no chance to take down Big Brother because when he was caught, he would not even become a legacy, or a shining light for others to follow suit; he would become nonexistent, a changed man who would be taught to love Big Brother. By not voicing his true opinions about the Party, Winston would have continued to know the truth behind it. However, because he did, O’Brian and other Party members â€Å"cured† him, and molded his mind into what they wished it to be. By going against Big Brother, Winston became a clay mold of the ideal fascist citizen. Winston had no chance of being happy in the world set by Orwell. He was too intelligent to go through life without questioning Big Brother, and the irony exists in the fact that that was ultimately his intellectual demise. However, if Winston had just lived in acceptance of the fact that society was so horribly corrupt, and turned away from the atrocities of civilization, he would have been much better off. He would not have been tortured, he would not have had to experience the betrayal of O’Brian, and he would not have gained then lost Julia. In today’s world, it is perhaps better to have loved and lost; but in Orwell’s 1984, one never truly gained anything because Big Brother was always watching. Orwell says in the novel, â€Å"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever† (pg 271). No amount of rebellion could possibly stop this metaphorical boot from crushing humanity. Winston could have saved himself from a lifetime of even more hurt and despair if he had just kept to himself and turned away from the evils of Big Brother. After all, the slogan â€Å"Big Brother is watching you† (pg 2) was not just a saying for the people of Oceania: it was a sad truth. Thus, Winston would have been much more fortunate given the circumstances if he had not gone against the Party.

A Jewish Reading of Milton Essay example -- Biography Biographies Essa

A Jewish Reading of Milton John Milton produced some of the most memorable Christian texts in English literature. Central pieces of Milton’s work, including Paradise Lost and Samson Agonistes, specifically allude to stories that Judaism and Christianity hold in common. Historically, the anti-monarchical regime Milton supported, under the leadership of Cromwell, informally allowed Jews back into England in 1655 after Edward I exiled them in 1290 (Trepp 151). Additionally, seventeenth-century British Christians looked increasingly to Jewish texts to understand their own religion (e.g. Robert Ainsworth and John Seldon), with Hebraic studies from German scholarship and Latin translations of Jewish texts entering during the interregnum (Biberman 141-42; Werman 25). Thus, critics have wondered how much of an appreciation (or lack thereof) Milton had for Jewish tradition, and how his famous texts speak to Jewish readers. This readership refers not merely to religiously or ethnically Jewish readers but to a literary approach; just as a critic may apply a feminist or Marxist approach, one may also apply questions about treatment or marginalization of Jews, or related attitudes in a text (without being Jewish, feminist, Marxist, etc.). A Jewish reading of Milton reveals that although he held intolerant views toward Jews, his explicit citations and implicit agreements with Jewish Scriptural interpretation, as well as stylistic relations to Jewish commentary, demonstrate appreciable esteem for Hebraic thought. Critics have typically focused on the debate over the extent of Milton’s access to primary sources or whether he used translations and secondary information from Christian Hebraists. Adams, Conklin, Mendelsohn, a... ...nd Law in Paradise Lost. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1994. Steinsaltz, Adin. The Essential Talmud. Trans. Chaya Galai. New York: Basic, 1976. Trepp, Leo. A History of the Jewish Experience. Springfield, NJ: Behrman, 2001. Weiss-Rosmarin, Trude. Judaism and Christianity. Middle Village, NY: Jonathan David, 1997. Werman, Golda. Milton and Midrash. Washington, DC: Catholic U of America P, 1995. Notes 1 Despite the temptation, Flannagan wisely avoids a strong philo-Hebraic reading here, interpreting the praise of â€Å"proto-Christian† art merely as an example of religious superiority over the Greeks and not artistic superiority (footnote 103). Milton continuously uses Greek styles in his work, even citing Aristotle as his guide in writing Samson Agonistes (see â€Å"Of that sort of Dramatic Poem which is call’d Tragedy,† a preface to Samson Agonistes, 799-800).

What is the narrators and others attitude to `jazz?` How is that attitude modified in the course of the study?

The narrator's attitude toward jazz is one of ambivalence, but the attentive reader will understand that it is a form of wilful ambivalence in that the narrator has seemingly made a quiet but definite break with anything that might be considered â€Å"pop† culture and more specifically, black culture or African American culture. The theme of music is a very important theme in the story because it, loosely, represents the human soul.Sonny, the musician and drug-addict, eventually expresses a deep and personal odyssey through the idiom of jazz and the narrator, during the story's climax is able to embrace this â€Å"new† form of expression, and in doing so, embraces not only the aspects of suffering which his brother painfully reminded him of and from which he tried to hide, but to these same aspects of wounding and â€Å"blues† which exist in the narrator himself.The parallel between the story's theme and the central symbol of music that shapes the story is that t he narrator's awareness that the same racial and cultural aspects of American society that have contributed to Sonny's blues have also inspired, within himself, a blues. This realization becomes clear subtly over the course of the story the same way that a musical theme develops over the course of a song, especially an improvised (or partially improvised) song. The closing lines of the story state the story's theme in nearly explicit terms: Sonny's fingers filled the air with life, his life.But that life contained so many others[†¦ ] beautiful because it wasn't hurried and it was no longer a lament† (Sonny's Blues). By embracing jazz, the narrator embraces his brother's soul and his own heritage and finds not only a blues but a repressed joy as well. 2. What role do social mobility and class play in the struggle between the narrator and Sonny? A key role due primarily to the narrator, who teaches math, viewing himself as â€Å"normal† as well-adjusted while all the while experiencing and inner-turmoil of how to relate to his troublesome brother. Social mobility plays the central role of irony in the story.it is a relatively simple premise: that the character who has embraced â€Å"normal† society views the character who has not as â€Å"fringe† as â€Å"affected† and as a troublemaker, but in actuality, it is the â€Å"normal† character who has become troubled and affected. The entire ironic premise of the story is predicated on the idea that the narrator may be an â€Å"Uncle Tom† whereas his brother, Sonny, is an outsider, but it is actually the case that the narrator is not an Uncle Tom, but is simply pursuing his soul just as his brother is not an outsider, by design, but an outsider because he is a true artist.3. What in the family's history act as an ominous prophesy in the futures of the characters? The narrator's father failed to protect his own brother from dying. Because of this, the narrator's mot her instills within the narrator a deep sense of obligation to his younger brother. The idea is that the narrator, even at his most estranged from Sonny, still feels an obligation to him, and to his mother due to the events of his father's past.In this way, the story shows how family history adn oral history can play as large a role in the culturization of African Americans as the so-called establishment. In the long run, the narrator's ties to the establishment give out long before his sense of obligation to his family. 4. How does Harlem-its streets, its people-act as background for this story? Harlem is a microcosm of African American culture and it is portrayed positively in the story although this positivism may not be obvious to some readers on their first reading of the story.The use of the Harlem setting as a counterpoint â€Å"white† society is way of showing the reader that the same divisions between one type of culture and the other exist within the narrator himsel f; that is his crisis. By setting the story in Harlem, it is tantamount to setting the narrator in a direct confrontation with his own culture, a culture which he seemingly does not value or truly understand and one which is in many ways set against the culture he tries to be a part of on a daily basis. 5. The climax of this story involves music and listening to music.How well does Baldwin convey in words what is essentially an aural and non-intellectual experience? Baldwin succeeds with great ability because of his method of venturing into an internal monologue during the climax. By using this technique, he allows the reader to follow thought by thought with the narrator's developing understanding of his brother's â€Å"soul† as it speaks to him through the music. Consequently, the reader reaches the fruition of that understanding and that moment of connection at the same time as the narrator, so the harmony of realization is, in itself, like music.6. In the Bible, Cain asks the Lord, `Am I my brothers keeper? ` How does this story imply an answer? â€Å"Sonny's Blues† makes an ironic turn on this Biblical phrase. In other words, though the narrator believes that he must function as Sonny's â€Å"keeper† because Sonny is troubled and also because of his mother's geas, in actuality, the narrator is no less troubled than Sonny and, in fact, may be less gifted and therefore more prone to losing his own self-identity.Both Sonny's drug and legal problems and the narrator's identity crises present real-world and profound obstacles which have arisen at least partially due to cultural factors of race and social standing. In the final analysis, the story demonstrates that each person is each person's â€Å"keeper† on an equal footing although sometimes immediate circumstances and prejudices allow one person to put himself â€Å"above† another in relation to altruism or helping out one's â€Å"brother. â€Å"

Describe the effects of the Blitz on everyday life in Britain Essay

At 4:56pm on 7 September 1940, the air raid sirens wailed as the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe launched a massive raid on London.Over 350 bombers flew across the Channel from airfields in France and dropped 300 tonnes of bombs all over Britain. This caused a lot of problems for the people of Britain. The aim of the Blitz was to break the morale of the British people by destroying their homes, their source of transport and industry. In London the docks were attacked regularly and across Britain the Luftwaffe also tried to hit railway lines and junctions, power stations and ports. People’s daily routines were also ruined. Because of the lack of availability of food, the Government were forced to ration the small amounts of food that was left in the whole of the UK, which left very many people with virtually nothing. Bacon 6oz, cheese 4oz, dried milk 4 pints a week and dried eggs 12 every eight weeks. This is just a small fraction of what the government had to ration. In the morning queue would be everywhere and anyone would stand in one queue just to see what was selling. Hopefully it was food. The government took a number of steps to try and protect people. They ordered a total blackout at night to make sure that none of the bombers could see them. All windows would have to be covered by thick black curtains; street and vehicle lights were shielded of dimmer. It was known as an offence if light was shown, because even the smallest amount of light could tell the Germans were to bomb. Every night an inspector would come and make sure that each house was covered up properly and if it was not, a fine would be issued and the owners would fix the problem. Everyone was also given a gas mask in case the Germans were to drop a gas bomb anywhere. Throughout the whole time, 31% of the population got no sleep at all, 32% got less than 4 hours and a mere 22% got 4-6 hours sleep. This caused a lot of problems for people who were working. Workers were falling asleep at their stations and even more were fired because they kept on arriving late to work. However, the people who did make it to work, never gave up they were determined to carry on. Shopkeepers covered their smashed windows with plywood and put up notices saying ‘business and usual’, to show that nothing had stopped them from running their lives. Transport was still running, even though there was a lot less. Postmen and milkmen marched through the rubble to make their deliveries, Clergymen held regular services in bombed churches, bomb sites were used as pen-air concerts and dances and many theatres, music halls and cinemas stayed open throughout the whole war. Even though people were moving on with their lives, over 1.4 million people had lost their homes and many had their friends killed or badly injured by the Blitz. This drove many people to theft. They would break into bombed factories and steal whatever they thought would have a value for money. They would then sell these items on for as much as they could and use that money to buy food if they could find it. If anyone was caught, the punishment was death. Even though there were two million Anderson shelters produced in the early years of the First World War, many people had no shelters to stay in while the bombs were taking place. Many people moved in with family and friends where as others went to underground stations and stayed in the tunnels all night. They would stop the trains and the escalators from running so that people could sleep down there without any injuries. These tunnels gave the population the encouragement that they needed. Many people got a lot of sleep down there and even more were getting used to the bombs. However, the government were scared that people might not come back up again, because they were too scared, and tried to stop them, but each night up to 60,000 would demand to go down into the tunnels for protection. In the end the government gave up. So the Salvation Army and the Women’s Voluntary Service ran shuttle services of buns and drinks from station to station to keep them alive. Others would stay at home and hide in a Morrison’s shelter that was attached to the dining room table, or even hide under the stairs because they were designed to carry a heavy weight. Day after day, night after night, so many fire services fought to control the many fires that were going on. Not including the regular fire services, there were 60,000 volunteers in the Auxiliary fire service. Many were on duty for two days in a row and had very little chance to get some sleep. Fire fighters were under constant heat and falling buildings, not to mention the falling bombs the surrounded them. They ran out of water quick because the bombs would hit the main pipe lines. There were also not enough fire trucks so people would have to run to the fire and hope to God that there was a water supply nearby. As people were pulling together and relying on themselves more, community sprit had increased so much throughout the whole of the Blitz. People went straight into action as soon as they heard the bombs going off. People helped the ambulances and the fire department. The heavy rescue squad used ropes and chains to clear away the rubble and then doctors and nurses would then run in and pull people out. To sum up, many people’s lives had been ruined. Loss of family and friend, the loss of their homes, but people really did turn things around. The community really did join together to stick through the whole problem.

All About Robert Frost essays

All About Robert Frost essays Robert Frost Frost, Robert (1874-1963), became the most popular American poet of his time. He won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1924, 1931, 1937, and 1943. In 1960, Congress voted Frost a gold medal "in recognition of his poetry, which has enriched the culture of the United States and the philosophy of the world." Frost's public career reached a climax in January 1961, when he recited his poem "The Gift Outright" at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. His life. Robert Lee Frost was born in San Francisco on March 26, 1874. After the death of his father in 1885, his family moved back to New England, the original family home. Frost briefly attended Dartmouth and Harvard colleges but did not earn a degree. In the early 1890's, he worked in New England as a farmer, an editor, and a schoolteacher, absorbing the materials that were to form the themes of many of his most famous poems. In 1912, he moved briefly to England where his poetry was well-received and where he met poets William Butler Yeats and Ezra Pound. His first volume of poetry, A Boy's Will, appeared in 1913. His final collection, In the Clearing, appeared in 1962. His poems. Frost's poetry is identified with New England, particularly Vermont and New Hampshire. Frost found inspiration for many of his finest poems in the region's landscapes, folkways, and speech mannerisms. His poetry is noted for its plain language, conventional poetic forms, and graceful style. He was deeply influenced by classical poets, especially Horace. Many of Frost's earliest poems are as richly developed as his later ones. Frost is sometimes praised for being a direct and straightforward writer. While he is never obscure, he cannot always be read easily. His effects, even at their simplest, depend upon a certain slyness for which the reader must be prepared. In "Precaution," Frost wrote: I never dared be radical when young ...

Betrayal In The Kite Runner English Literature Essay

Betrayal In The Kite Runner English Literature Essay In this essay I pretend to demonstrate what is betray, in both books it presents a long variety of examples of betrayal, as we know betray is something that had exist in all over the world also is considered as a sin, most of the people had been betrayed more than one time in their lives, but anyone can tell or express their feelings when they feel betrayed, the only way that people can express that feeling is writing, Khaled Hosseini and Ian McEwan show us in their books how betray is presented in the characters. I had read both books and I love them because present us a lot of themes that I feel related with them, but the most important theme that interest me is betray because most of people had suffered one single act of betray. I can compare these two books because both have similarities and can compare to in real life, in a real context. Also these two books showed us how people betray their closest friends or families. The most important think that I am going to present is the cultural differences between Amir and Bryony and why is the main purpose of acting like that and the Redemption of their acts. The first time when Amir Commit betrays is when he saw Assef raping Hassan when Amir won the Kites contest because Hassan denied giving up the kite blue of Amir to Assef; when Assef was ripping Hassan he said â€Å"A loyal Hazara, loyal as a dog†. (The kite runner pages 71-78)1. With this quote I try to explain how betray is clearly present because he betray his confidence, Amir should try to do something to help Hassan and stop that act of insanity. Also Amir felt that he deserved because Amir comes from and high social class because their cultural differences are so strong, because Amir’s and Hassan’s father is the same but he made love with the servant but Amir is a Pashtu and Hassan is a Hazara. The Kite Runner pages 71-78)1 In Atonement Briony betrays her sister, because Briony saw her sister having sex in the library with Robbie à ¢â‚¬Å"When she took another few steps she saw then, dark shapes in the furthest corner. Though they were immobile, her immediately understanding was that she had interrupted an attack, a hand-to-hand fight. The scene was so entirely a realization of her worst fears that she sensed that her overanxious imagination had projected the figures onto the packed spines of books. This illusion, or hope of one, was dispelled as her eyes adjusted to the gloom. No one moved. Briony stared past Robbie’s shoulder into terrified eyes of her sister.† (Atonement page 116)2 , but when the twin’s carrot head escaped to their home, Briony was looking for them and suddenly saw that Lola was being raped by an unknown person, Briony think that Robbie did it because she thought that he was a sexual maniac because she had read the letter that Robbie sent to her sister. Briony betrays her sister because she told to the police that Robbie tried to rape Lola, suddenly Briony showed them the letter that Robbie wrote to Cecilia. Briony never realized that she destroyed two lives (Cecilia and Robbie Lives). Here I tried to explain in both books how families can betray their relatives and destroy a life, also these two books have are related in the same way of betrayal why I said this well, because Briony and Amir had betrayed in one purpose; to feel secure of themselves and demonstrate who is in charge or demonstrate that they are not weak.

Substance abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Substance abuse - Research Paper Example It shall also discuss how substance abuse can be solved using various social controls. Finally, this study shall also explain the potential social or economic benefits which may result if the recommended changes were to be implemented. This study is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of substance abuse as it applies in the workplace. Discussion According to the World Health Organization (2011), substance abuse â€Å"refers to the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs†. Use of psychoactive substances can lead to dependence syndrome which includes various behavioral, cognitive, and physiological symptoms apparent with the persistent use of the substance. Aside from these symptoms, the user has a persistent need to use the substance and a difficulty in controlling the use of the drug even with the appearance of negative consequences (WHO, 2011). Moreover, after repeated use, there is a tolerance developed for the substance and the failure to use it often causes symptoms of physical withdrawal. Such symptoms manifest with unfavorable outcomes for the user. Depending on the drug or â€Å"substance† of choice, substance abuse can have both positive and negative effects on one’s physiology and psychopathy. First and foremost tobacco brings about feelings of pleasure; it improves performance, and it helps in weight control. It also reduces feelings of hunger and depression (Daly, 2011). However, the nicotine content of cigarettes is addictive; moreover, cigarette smoke causes health hazards like lung cancer, heart disease, peptic ulcer disease, and eventually for some, strokes. Another substance, alcohol serves as a â€Å"pick me up† for many users (Daly, 2011). However, it is actually a depressant as it decreases inhibitions, reduces muscle control, and slurs speech. Excessive use of this substance is likely to cause liver failure, heart disease, and cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, and the stomach (Daly, 2011). Drugs and similar substances cause various effects on the user. Marijuana, for example, creates feelings of pleasure and relaxation; however it can also cause impaired coordination and memory (Daly, 2011). Cocaine causes pleasure and increases one’s alertness; however, it can also lead to paranoia, heart attacks, as well as brain, kidney, and heart damage. Heroin causes feelings of drowsiness, pleasure, and reduced breathing rate; however, abuse of the drug can cause death and trigger complications with the use of dirty needles, complications like destruction of the heart valves, abdominal cramps, confusion, and sweating (Daly, 2011). Methamphetamine is a stimulant and increases alertness, reduces appetite, and increases one’s pleasure; however abuse of the drug can cause heart attacks, high blood pressure, and strokes. Long term effects include hallucinations, weight loss, and heart damage (Daly, 2 011). Other drugs like Ecstasy are stimulants which allow users to participate in all night parties. For some users, it also serves to improve their mood. These substances create various effects on users, and with the abuse of these drugs, the users would likely feel euphoric. The danger is seen with stopping their use which can cause the manifestation of withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms are often difficult to hide in the

A critical evaluation of contemporary leadership skills required for a Essay - 1

A critical evaluation of contemporary leadership skills required for a large multi-department organisation. 2,000 words - Essay Example Making decisions and implementing those in organisations is the responsibility of the managers and leaders. Organisations are facing intense challenge in the global market and they are supposed to create more strategies to increase compatibility. In the current study, contemporary leadership skills are critically evaluated on the basis of the multidepartment organisation. Globalised business activities are increasing competition among different firms. Multidepartment firms consist of employees from different backgrounds, so managers face various complexities in order to implement strategies among the team members. Therefore, leaders must implement cross cultural development strategies and increase interaction among the employees. According to Pinnington (2011), trustworthiness is one of the important factors of developing leaders. Some leaders think that trust among the employees will help in merging decisions and strategies for operations of employees. Leaders must treat the employees equally. Such trait of the leaders will remove workplace fatigue among the employees and they will feel more valued2. Dennis (2014) stated that humble behaviour is expected from the leaders so that they can guide employees and discuss strategic goals. However, ego and arrogance of leaders or managers will create complicacy in leading their peoples in multiple departments of the organisation. Dion (2012) has argued that leaders must communicate with the employees and team members to identify problems and develop solutions. Fluent communication will help leaders to reduce the gap between employees and management. Leaders must be activist in nature so that they can present a feasible solution to any problem faced by the organisations3. Allio (2012) stated that analytical skills are required to manage people or team members and different circumstances faced by a multi department firms4. Leaders are taking initiative

A Road to Life Movie Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A Road to Life Movie Summary - Essay Example The movie concentrates upon the activities of the orphan children, who are kept and looked after with proper care and concern in a rehabilitation camp. The movie shows that the camp commission provides them with comforts and trains them to learn various technical skills under an affectionate, nurturing and congenial environment, which is helpful for the socialization of the orphan boys; as a result a large number of boys learn how to behave like civilized persons while interacting with other members of society. Nevertheless, two of the boys keep on deviating from the rules and regulations, and commit the crimes, which create much disturbance and annoyance in the locality. It clearly demonstrates the bitter fact that there certainly exist some people in every society, which have natural inclination towards committing crimes.Since it was the age of black and white films, the director has sought support from shades, shadows and dark colors. For instance, the evening and night scenes of the camp life have been supported with the same techniques. Moreover, being the first sound film, the director has also applied the written words on the screen in order to demonstrate various areas and situations going to be displayed in the movie. The words appear on the screen in order to guide the audience in respect of the location, where the specific part of movie is being established. In addition, close and remote camera skills can also be witnessed in order to show distance between different characters. and objects and places as well. Establishing shot technique has been exercised in Zighan’s catching the shoes stolen by the deviant boy at the railway station. In addition, close up technique has been applied in order to reveal the face expressions and body language of the characters. The film takes the audience from one place to the other through the wonderful application of cross-cuts technique. For instance, the scene showing the main characters standing and wanderin g at the railway st

Complexity of the Concept of the Sacred

Complexity of the Concept of the Sacred Understanding the concept of the Sacred is a complex phenomenon. Assess keeping in mind over 4000 years of the sacred. Since the beginning of Humanity, Man has been trying to make sense of the world around itself, trying to fill in the pieces to questions it does not know the answer to. The human journey can be seen as a quest a search for knowledge, comfort and ultimately for understanding. Perhaps the greatest of humanities question have involved faith and the notion of a divine god/being. Beliefs about god have traveled a long road to todays understanding of the notion of God, the divine and sacred. God as a work in progress began first with the many gods of the polytheistic faith systems, with each god having limited domain of power and responsibility. For early human beings, such gods felt familiar and relatable. They didnt see a big gulf between the divine and the real, this is what made it so approachable, understandable and ultimately follow able. The concept of sacred was simply something that was beyond normal (Armstrong, 1993). According to Stormonth Phelp (1896) the word Sacred is derived from the Latin origin word Sacer, which means dedicated or consecrated to the higher beings i.e. gods or anything divine. The word is often used interchangeably with Holy; however there are minor differences with the concept of holiness in that it is primarily used in relation to relationships and persons, while sacred is used in relation to happenings, places or objects (McCann, 2008). This need for completion has led to various mythos to have formed over the years, culminating in the concepts of the Sacred/Profane dichotomy aptly explained by French Sociologist Emile Durkheim. The sacred is the boundless spirit of the religious and divine experience. Religions throughout their history have included very mixed beliefs and manifestations of those beliefs, but they all have something quite universal and explicit, regardless of their nature, through which the religious experience is differentiated from all others and that is that the sacred is something above and beyond the believers. Therefore, the sacred is highly subjective in its nature and Bastide concisely put it: if I were to give a definition of the sacred, it would cross my subjectivity, my own experience of the sacred and not a general definition (Desroche Bastide, 1974). To begin understanding the concept of the Sacred, it is best to understand what is considered Sacred and what is considered Profane. In Durkheims theory of Religion, both these concepts are the central tenant. The Sacred, according to Durkheim is an ideal, something that transcends everyday existence and is both awe-inspiring as well as fear inducing, and something potentially dangerous as well as extra-ordinary. Sacred in his view refers to things that have been set apart by man as requiring special religious treatment and veneration. One key point to note is that Sacred can be anything, from the earth to the moon, a bird, an animal, a rock, a tree to a god. The sacredness comes from a community marking them as such and once they have been established as a sacred, they are embodied in religious practices, sentiments and beliefs. The profane, on the other hand is anything that is simply ordinary, it embraces practices, persons and ideas that are in the end seen with everyday mundane attitudes of familiarity, utility and commonness. Both the sacred and profane are highly interrelated due to the extreme levels of emotions they invoke in the people that believe in them and according the Durkheim, the concept of Sacred and the profane varies amongst society to society (Durkheim, 1974). Durkheim expanded upon his notions and expressed religion as a management of the sacred, the means by which a system is generated to warrant the execution of the sacred in the community. Various sociological theories suggest that at the centre of any religion is the sacred and religion is nothing but a social phenomenon in its origin, content and purpose (Desroche Bastide, 1974). Sosis Alcorta (2003) are major proponents of the adaptive value theory of religion, having somewhat similar views as Durkheim, stating that religion evolved to enhance cohesion and cooperation between groups. Membership in a group setting allowed for a greater chance of survival and reproduction as well as advancement as a group. They also suggested that the costly-signaling theory suggested why rituals were such a major part of religious practice, stating that it was to ward of those trying to cheat the system i.e. be part of the group without offering anything of value. The reason why understanding the Sacred is such a complex phenomenon, is that the Sacred is highly subjective in its nature, malleable to suit the purpose of its time and context. Whenever a natural disaster occurred, such as an earthquake, flood, drought, the older civilizations took it to god/s being angry and their primitive understanding of nature took to slaughter being a worthy sacrifice to please the deities, resulting in the ending of their suffering. As our technologies advance, so does our understanding of nature and with it a steady decline in the extreme acts humans once used to do. However, humans, being the product of an evolutionary engine, are still quite prone to carrying out irrational behavior so as long as they believe and have faith in the sacred (Shermer, 1997). Armstrong (1993) was also quite clear in her works, stating that after having looked at over 4000 years of recorded human history that the notion of god was never unchanging, with what people considered god, going from polytheistic to monotheistic to atheistic, depended upon a multitude of factors. Today there are 12 classical world religions, those included in most religious definitions namely; BahaI, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism and Zoroastrinism, however if one was to delve further in, they would note that these twelve within themselves include numerous sects and factions with their adherents considering different things as sacred i.e. what might be sacred for a Shia Muslim, might not be for a Sunni Muslim etc. In todays information age of the 21st century where knowledge is expanding at an explosive rate, the words used to define ones understanding of the sacred is ever expanding, with countless expansion in our understanding of human consciousness and with religions ever changing due to the changing socio-political landscape, there is very little doubt that the notion of what is sacred is and always will remain a complex phenomenon. References: Desroche, H. (1975). Religion (Sociologie de la). La grande encyclopedie, 16th vol.. Paris: Libr. Larousse. Durkheim, E. (1974). Regulile metodei sociologice. BucureÃ…Å ¸ti: Ed. Ã…Å ¾tiinÃ…Â £ifică. Armstrong, K. (1993). A History of God. Ballatine Books Stormonth, J Phelp, P.H (1895). A Dictionary of the English Language, Blackwood sons. Retrieved March 19th, 2017 from https://books.google.com.pk/books/about/A_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language.html?id=NmogAQAAMAAJredir_esc=y McCann, C. (2008). New Paths Toward the Sacred Thus, Paulist Press Shermer, M. (1997). Why people believe weird things: Pseudoscience, superstition, and other confusions of our time. New York: W.H. Freeman. Sosis, R.; Alcorta, C. (2003). Signaling, solidarity, and the sacred: the evolution of religious behavior. Evolutionary Anthropology

Speech On Black Panthers :: American History

The purpose of the speech I will give today is to make you folks trust government less, any government. (tell them about Canada) I. How much do you guys know about the civil rights era? Well today I will tell you some startling news about the black panthers, one of the people that gave their life for the cause, and Cointelpro, the FBI program that killed him. II. I am not an expert, but have am in love with the topic. I. The Black Panther Party. A. The Black Panther Party was originally named The Black Panther Party for Self-defense. 1. The Black Panther Party was founded by Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, and Richard Aoki in October 1966. 2. The name came from a voting drive that was organized. Alabama law required that there is an emblem for illiterate voters, so the mascot for Clark Collage was chosen. 3. They started out in the California bay area as a reaction to the growing crooked cops, blacks not having rights, and the war in Vietnam. 4. They did not fallow passive protest like Martian Luther king; instead they modeled themselves after the Black Nationalism preached by Malcolm X. Also they separated from non-violence and took up arms, being influenced by Robert F. Williams book Negroes with Guns. 5. After Getting out of prison for an assault charge Huey P. Newton returned to Oakland city collage in 1965. He and Bobby Seale grew dissatisfied with the inertia of the Afro-American Association. They began to feel more and more that the political and social climate at the time called for militancy. B. The Black panthers created the ten point program and platform. 1. The program was a list of needs for the survival and advancement in the United States 2. One Survival Program was called "Breakfast for Kids." This program was one of the most effective, it began from a church in San Francisco and spread, the program fed thousands of children throughout the party's history 3. Other services offered were: Clothing, classes about politics and economics, medical clinics, and lessons on self defense. 4. The first draft was adopted in 1966 and went through several revisions the last being finished in 1972, near the end of the Black Panther Party. 5. The Ten Point Program was also adopted by White Panther Party, The Young Lords Party, and The Brown Berets.

Quotes for Zorba the Greek

Journal Entry #1 Quote: â€Å"the only way to save yourself is to endeavor to save others? † Page: 5 In life there are times when people cannot only focus on themselves. In order to move on, and fulfill life’s destiny you must help those that surround you. One cannot truly understand who they are and why they were brought to earth unless they consider helping those around them. Helping others teaches you to become more understanding patient, and sympathetic toward others. You initially free yourself of any conflict between others and help them as well. Journal Entry #2 Quote: â€Å"I’d believe in God, and I’d believe in the devil, too† Page: 54 God is considered a supernatural creator and overseer of the universe, while the devil is considered a powerful entity and the epitome of all things evil. Life is never completely perfect; there will always be a glimpse of evil. In order to believe in God you have to believe there is a devil. When I first saw these words I was taken a back; how can one believe in God yet still follow the devil. I then realized that though the God and Devil are completely opposites they both combine to make on just like the yin and yang. Journal Entry #3 Quote: â€Å"I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness† Page: 80 Today in the 21st century we are easily amused by what money can buy us even if it costs a fortune. Yet when you take a break from all the money spending and spend time with friends, nature, and family it is easy to see that you can find happiness everywhere especially the smallest things. You do not have to be economically viable in order to find happiness. Journal Entry # 4 Quote: â€Å"Woe to him who wants to please others! † Page: 182 Today in the 21st century we would read this quote as ‘warning to him who wants to please others. ’ Too often does one get teased upon for helping those in need. This quote further proves that when one person tries to please everyone they get overwhelmed with despair. Another way to read this is that when you constantly try to please others you never help yourself or make yourself happy so you continuously thrust sadness upon yourself. Journal Entry # 5 Quote: â€Å"That’s the road to take; find the absolute rhythm and following it with absolute trust. † Page: 233 As teenagers we are always told that everyone has a talent, when we grow older everyone tells us to pick a job that will support you financially. Sometimes ones talent will not support you financially such as an artist, photographer, or dancer. Yet this quote tells us to find our talent find something we like to do and stick with it. In other words go with your gut feeling. Zorba the Greek Poem: Narrator’s perspective Night had fallen, The sky was pitch – black. Thinking to myself It’s over. God is no longer with us. Laying down in a bunk next to a man, Once a complete stranger is now considered family. I was afraid of finding myself alone one evening I lay down in my new bed, reflecting on my new life. I remember the books and how they comforted me, I remember my precious Friend. Never shall I forget the last moment we shared. Whenever I happened to dream of a better world I imagined myself in the hands of my friend surrounded by life. Awakened from such a beautiful lie, I tell myself don’t let your self be overcome by lies. To believe meant I was weak. Everyday I knew an adventure was waiting for me. The nights were unbearable. Every night was filled with silence. Silence that broke my heart. Night. It was my time to think, To think of my books and my friend. To think of Zorba, and our spontaneous friendship. Most of all to think of what I will become. Night had fallen The sky was pitch – black Laying in a bunk next to a man, Thinking to myself. I am no longer who I used to be. I am no longer the awkward bookworm.

Cuba’s Environmental Problems

When socialism was introduced to Cuba, the idea was that it would be more eco-friendly than capitalism. Instead, the Revolution to quickly controlled two major factors that eventually led to environmental problems in developing countries: population growth and poverty. Contributing to the issue of poverty in Cuba are the financial, economic and commercial blockades imposed by the United States. In order to preserve the environment in Cuba and combat these issues, serious action was necessary. The amount of environmental damage falls into two categories: a) small-scale environmental destruction committed by individuals through illegal hunting, deforestation, dumping of waste into aquatic ecosystems, etc. ; or b) large-scale environmental destruction resulting from major projects and industries approved by governmental agencies and owned by international companies, like hotel chains and mining companies after the Special Period, and agriculture before the Special Period†. [1] The opportunity for Cuba to protect its environment came after the fall of the Soviet Union and the strengthening of the US blockade in 1990. This period, referred to as the Special Period (1990-2000), witnessed a decrease in many environmentally damaging activities both by choice and by necessity, but also resulted in many decisions to resuscitate the Cuban economy. After the Earth Summit in 1992, following Fidel Castro’s speech regarding the condition of the environment on a global scale, Cuba designed and implemented a variety of programs, administrative structures, and public awareness activities to promote sound environmental management and sustainable development. What is most important is the damage that ahs already been done and the efforts to reverse these conditions. Currently, there are many efforts to bring the Cuban environment to a sustainable level. When the former socialist countries of Eastern Europe ended trade and financial relationships with Cuba, the island was forced to make severe adjustments. The emergency measures implemented by the Cuban government aimed at preventing the total economic collapse of the regime, have been referred to by the leadership as the â€Å"special period in peacetime. † This Special Period brought about â€Å"the creation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA) in 1994 [which] provided an important impetus for environmental policy and management on a national scale. †[2] In 1995 the National Environmental Strategy (EAN) was designed, but was not approved by the government until 1997. Since then the EAN â€Å"is the guiding document of Cuban environmental policy, establishing the principles upon which the national environmental efforts are based. †[3] The strategy identifies the main environmental issues in Cuba and proposes ideas and various methods to prevent, solve or minimize these problems. The strategy goals are to improve environmental protection and the use of natural resources in an attempt to meet sustainable social and economic development objectives. Evaluations of Cuba's environmental record in comparison with Eastern European records shows â€Å"that environmental deterioration in Cuba over more than three decades of socialist rule responded to specific conditions not usually found in developing countries†¦ but were present in the former Soviet Union and the former Eastern European socialist countries. [4] As a result of this, Kirwin Shaffer states that: Consequently, central planning ignored local environmental concerns. Also, the absence of private ownership and the lack of citizen input in decision making meant that all decisions affecting the local level were made with regard to how they fit with the overall national plan. Results and impacts at the local level were secondary. Which leads to these conclusions: Cuban agricultural and industrial development following the Soviet models have had similar consequences for water, soil and air pollution as found in Europe. 5] The current Cuban stance that attempts to blame the USSR for these effects in Cuba benefits Cuba’s political system because it takes the blame away from the state, but it is not served by the historical record. The glorified â€Å"greening† of Cuba during the 1990s has beneficial impacts over the short term, but, according to Diaz-Briquets and Perez-Lopez, economic costs and turns toward a development model based on tourism may soon erode those short-term gains. Cuba's pollution and contamination problems are widespread, and not completely the result of Soviet-style development projects. Yet, there is no doubt that many of the current environmental problems in Cuba result mainly from sovietization of the Cuban economy. Soil erosion and soil degradation are the main problems in agriculture. These problems started primarily due to the intensification of mechanized agriculture and the use of petrochemical herbicides and pesticides. [6] Agriculture is just one of the many environmental issues the island faces. In terms of the land, â€Å"the harm caused by permanent crops to these lands is primarily due to a lack of crop rotation causing soil depletion, poor agro-technical management and insufficient fertility measures. †[7] In 1970 La zafra de los diez millones, took place, in which the Cuban government attempted to break all historic sugar production records by producing a ten million ton sugar harvest. [8] The government fell short of their goal by two tons, but by this point the damage was already done. Because crops take so much nutrients from the land, farmers alternate crops each year to allow the land to recover. During la zafra de los diez millones crops were not alternated which took a heavy toll on the land. In Cuba, poorly designed and implemented agricultural development policies have been a major contributor to the degradation of the country’s soils: Soil degradation continued apace with the agricultural practices that came to prevail in Cuba during the first half of the twentieth century as more and more virgin islands were brought under sugarcane and livestock production. There is mounting evidence that the pace of soil deterioration intensified during the second half of the century, principally because of the widespread adoption of modern agricultural practices, particularly from the 1960s to the late 1980s. As in the Soviet Union and other socialist economies, the collectivization of the rural sector was regarded as necessary for achieving the goals of a centrally planned command economy. Collectivization would make possible economies of scale and bring the advantages of mechanization and modern scientific agriculture. 9] After the collectivization of land agrarian reforms were implemented to return the land to the state and to its’ citizens. But this shift in land ownership could have major environmental implications, especially after the fall of the Soviet Union. After the Soviets left Cuba, Cuban farming suffered a shortage of imported agricultural goods; leaving Cuban farmers to use traditional farming practices and some more modern techniques (such as rip irrigation) that are more environmentally friendly: The post-Soviet agricultural model is less dependent on imported agricultural practices that had been abandoned for their alleged backwardness: the large-scale use of beasts of burden, increased reliance on organic fertilizers and biological pest controls, the abandonment of marginal soils that had been brought under cultivation and made productive only by the intensive use of agricultural inputs, and a shift of urban labor to the countryside. [10] According to Diaz-Briquets and Perez-Lopez, more important than this change in agricultural practices, is that transferring the control of lands to farmers who are closely tied it, â€Å"and whose economic well-being will depend on the stewardship of the natural resource base, there is the expectation that the trend of soil deterioration†¦. may at least be slowed down†¦. [but] it is too early tell how successful the new agricultural policies will be. †[11] At this point, many of Cuba’s natural resources are in danger of extinction. Because Cuba has exported sugarcane as its main commodity, sugarcane has replaced natural flora and fauna. There was a time before 1959 when over 30 different kinds of bananas grew on the island, but most of the banana trees have been replaced by sugarcane. Cuba’s crops and animals have been affected by pests and diseases introduced from abroad; coastal pollution and excessive hunting also present severe threats to wildlife populations. [12] Water aquifers have been contaminated by pollutants (and saltwater on the coasts) and their levels are declining due to nearly unrestricted use. Similarly, waterflows reaching the coasts are also highly contaminated, which constantly hurts coral reefs and breeding grounds. Dam and reservoir construction has hurt coastal lagoons and mangroves: Cuba’s fresh water system (rivers/lakes/aquifers) has very serious problems. Under Castro’s policy of voluntad hidraulica, which called for not a single drop of fresh water to â€Å"be lost† to the ocean, the government has built over 1,000 large and small dams throughout the entire island, covering 1. 4% of Cuba’s territory. Although the benefits to Cuban agriculture are clear in terms of increased irrigated land (close to 1 million hectares), the ecological effect has been quite negative in terms of lowering the water’s oxygen level and increasing salinity. Dams have also blocked the dispersal of sediment and fresh water runoff over mangrove areas, contributing to a 30% average reduction of mangrove coverage and biodiversity loss[13] In fact, â€Å"the bays of Cuba are some of the most polluted in the world. Industrial, agricultural and human discharges into the sea, as well as deforestation for strip mining, have contributed to the pollution. [14] Water diversion to reservoirs is linked to the â€Å"virtual destruction of the oyster bed and major decline in the fish catch in the Casilda coastal region of southern Santa Clara Province. †[15] These factors, along with the excessive use of aquifer waters and wells used for sugar and citrus irrigation are contributing to the salinization of the water in Cuba. â€Å"Extensive water logging of coastal aquifers has lead to salinization and soil erosion. It has been estimated in 1991 that 600,000 ha have light to modest salinization levels, while the remainder show high levels of salinization. [16] The main source of water pollution lies in the industrial facilities, warehouses, and workshops and service entities located around the bay. Fifty-three industrial facilities are located in the immediate proximity of the bay, and another 84 industries produce waste that indirectly discharges into the bay through tributary streams. [17] These industrial areas include the port and the nickel industries that add to the contamination of the water supply. The port activity itself is also one of the major sources of contamination for the bay. It is estimated that the ships served in the port generate 150,000 tons of refuse per year. 18] Deforestation is also a factor contributing to the poor state of Cuba’s environment. Forests have not suffered nearly as much as the land, with conservation efforts bringing Cuba's forests back to their 1945 levels, but conservation of forests has not meant saving all woodlands. One of the main problems environmentalists have with deforestation in Cuba is the fact that many of the available estimates regarding how much of the original forest cover remained before the revolution are based on rough figures made by observers with no credible statistical information. According to Eudel Eduardo Cepero: The irrational use of forests has become common practice under the Castro regime. As no current data are available on the actual total area of cover forest, the value of Cuba’s forest resources is unknown. Most of the remaining natural forests are in poor condition from being overexploited. An average of 200 forest fires occur each year, affecting some 5,000 hectares of forest. Reforestation has been precarious, due to poor quality seeds, a low survival rate of plantings, and a narrow range of forest species utilized. 19] The National Environmental Strategy offers statistics to support Cepero’s claims by offering statistical information, but not listing sources to verify its facts; it also states that the forests in Cuba have grown over the last few years, but that there is still much work to be done with regards to improving the forest cover in Cuba: Although the forest cover has increased constantly in the recent years – in th e last 43 years increasing to a total coverage of 2, 696, 587. 9 hectares, bringing us to a forested index of 24. 54% in 2005 – after-effects still persist from years of irrational exploitation of Cuban forests which practically eradicated our most valuable woodland resources†¦. Problems persist with the quality of most native forests as a consequence of prior mismanagement and exploitation – particularly in the most important watersheds. Problems also exist in the nation’s seedbed sources, which do not meet productivity or quality expectations. In addition, a lack of updated forest management plans, insufficient silviculture of forested areas, and insufficiencies and deficiencies in management plans continue to present challenges[20] The EAN suggests that more work be done to investigate invasive plant species that re threatening the native plants. It says that the survival rate of tree plantations and the success rate of trees growing to full maturity have improved over the last few years, but that the numbers are still substantially low when compared to the anticipated numbers. Also, the range of forest species used in â€Å"forestry activities† has been inadequate. Also suffering from the effects of sovietization and the special period is the biological diversity of the island. â€Å"A substantial, unquantified loss of biodiversity exists, due, among other reasons, to improper management of certain ecosystems, the application of intensive farming, the marketing of endangered species, as well as conditions making it easy for important genetic resources to leave the countryâ€Å". 21] Coral reefs, mangroves, the original forest (which used to cover most of the island) and rainforests are ecosystems that are suffering in Cuba. According to the EAN, the leading causes of this loss of biodiversity are: [1] Changes, fragmentation, or destruction of habitat/ecosystems/landscapes due primarily to changes in land use and inadequate practices employed in fishing, harvest, and agricultural soil preparation, among others. Overexploitation of resources, for example fishing and forestry resources. [3] Degradation and contamination of soils, water, and the atmosphere. 4] Introduction of exotic invasive species that displace or affect the functioning of ecosystems and native species. [5]Insufficient regulatory and control mechanisms to prevent and punish illegal activities, including unlawful hunting and fishing, trade in threatened species and other natural resources. [6]Climate change and the resulting intensification of dry periods, the incidence of torrential rains, temperature increase, sea level rise, in addition to the intensity and frequency of extreme natural disasters such as hurricanes. [7] Forest fires. [22] The EAN lists the goals it wishes to achieve and the necessary steps that should be taken in order to achieve these goals. Among these goals are increasing the amount of forest coverage to 26. 7% of national territory; have one million hectares of forest maintained by the National System of Criterion and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management; complete National Forestry Planning in 2007; reduce amount of lands affected by forest fires; 69% of forest cover used as a buffer to protect coastal areas, soils, water and conservation forests; management program for invasive plant species. 23] Before the Special Period much of the air pollution in Cuba was the result of its’ dependence on Soviet and Eastern European vehicles and factories that were contaminating the air: Urban pollution, could be partly traced to Cuba’s extreme reliance on inefficient and highly contaminating Soviet and Eastern European-built vehicles and factories. In the agricultural sector, a practice that resulted in much environmental damage was the promotion of Sovietstyle, large-scale state farm production model based on widespread mechanization, heavy chemical inputs (e. . , fertilizers and herbicides), and extensive irrigation[24] Air pollution in Cuba has increased significantly in the years since the Soviets left the island. â€Å" The absence of mitigation measures for emissions, inadequate control measures on the levels of noise generated by different activities, scarce information about the harmful effects on health and social behavior, the poor technical state of transport, and a lack of standards for emissions are also present. [25] There are few environmental reports available to the public that are based on analytical information that is collected systematically in the field and processed in laboratories. Cuban scientists state that: The two main sources of sulfuric gases within the city limits are the old thermal power plants of Tallapiedra in the Old Havana neighborhood and the Antonio Maceo plant in Regla, across the Bay of Havana. In both of these neighborhoods they recorded the highest level of environmental pollution, measuring up to 7. milligrams of sulfides per square decimeter per day at the Tallapiedra Power Plant†¦. Three secondary sources in the metallurgic, chemical and construction ind ustries were also associated with air pollution, all of them located in the environs of Havana Bay. [26] The Ministry of Public Health, better endowed for this purpose than other branches of government, has produced or published few precise documents dealing with health conditions and environmental degradation. Sulfur oxides, undesirable residues of combustion that are produced mostly in power plants when sulfur-rich fuels are burned, create respiratory problems and cause acid rain. Cuba replaced part of the vanished Soviet fuel imports of the late 1980s with domestic crude containing roughly six percent sulfur. It is used mostly in power plants and to run cement factories. [27] Diaz-Briquets and Perez-Lopez point out that the means of transportation in Cuba are getting old and, due to poor maintenance and inadequate resources to obtain parts, they are polluting and becoming harmful to the environment. Their conclusion is that â€Å"As long as the economic crisis continues, Cuba will not be able to modernize its fleet of cars, trucks, and buses (other than for those few vehicles serving the tourist industry)†. [28] If the Cuban government would allow media to spread environmental education to the citizens of Cuba and to the rest of the world, not only would it help efforts within Cuba to protect and improve the environment but it would also help efforts to improve the environment on a global level. The strategy points out that Article 27 of the Constitution of the Republic says: The state protects the nation’s environment and natural resources and recognizes their close relationship with sustainable economic and social development to make human life more rational and to ensure the survival, well being and security of present and future generations. It is the responsibility of proper governmental agencies to apply this policy. It is the duty of the citizens to contribute to the protection of the water, atmosphere, and the conservation of soil, wild flora and fauna and all the rich potential of nature. [29] Since Cuba has declared a national sovereignty over its natural resources and is actively working to restore and protect them, the state must also exercise rights over the country’s environment and resources. Similarly, Cuba must develop a national tendency towards â€Å"integrated natural resource management, commercial environmental management, and urban environmental management as fundamental traits of Cuban environmental management. †[30] The current embargo the United States has placed on Cuba keeps the island from growing economically. Which means that , since the economy is not changing or being stimulated, the people of Cuba are suffering. Meaning, because man poor, urban people cannot afford daily necessities, they resort to alternate ways to get everyday goods; even if it means depleting the natural resources. With the current government in Cuba and the restrictions caused by the embargo, it is hard to think that the Cuban environment will improve much in the next decade or two; but the National Environmental Strategy offers hope to the idea that Cuba’s environment will improve. The â€Å"National Environment Strategy 2007-2010† is dedicated to improving the environmental conditions of Cuba and finding a way to meet sustainable social and economic development goals. The eradication of extreme poverty is an achievement rooted in the very foundations of the revolutionary process. Achieving this is essential to the pursuit of environmental sustainability, first and foremost because extreme poverty cannot coexist with a healthy environment. The solution to this challenge is one of the principal achievements that Cuba can effectively show to the world. 31] The future of environmental reforms in Cuba will be influenced by a variety of cultural, economic, social, and political factors. Ultimate success or failure, however, will likely depend more on thorough laws, money, human capital, public involvement in environmental decision making, use of incentive-based tools, and international support. Strong environmental laws are a necessary foundation for sustaina ble development, but success will only occur with the continuing political will to implement and enforce them.