Thursday, October 31, 2019

Using Effective Promotions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Using Effective Promotions - Essay Example It was also a good advert as it alerted consumers that Nike offered free shipping on some orders. Therefore, it encouraged consumers who could not visit a Nike outlet, due to varying reasons, and are not members, to order the products online. Consequent to this, the advertiser has to communicate the intended message, which informed consumers of the possibility of online purchasing. Online purchases contribute to the increase of the sales of the company, which makes the advert significant to the company. Informing people about the free returns for members also made this a good advert, because, it motivated online purchasers to order for the goods they needed without worrying that the goods may be in bad condition. Therefore, the advertiser has to communicate about the free return service offered to members of the community, if the delivered products fell short of their expectations. The advert was also good as it drew more customers to join the Nike community, and it promoted the loya lty of consumers to the organization. Such offers also help in shifting the attention of the consumers from the price of the products to the services offered, which gives Nike an opportunity to create good relations with its customers. Conclusively, the discussed advertisements allowed the advertiser to achieve increased sales of the products. The seller gets to advertise to the consumers at a personal level, through the social media, which reached a wider group of people. This boosted the competitiveness of the company.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Dust Bowl Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Dust Bowl - Research Paper Example Egan describes it â€Å"as if a curtain were being drawn across a vast stage at world’s end.†1 Much of Egan’s prose has this biblical tinge to it, and it strikes the proper tone for a disaster that seemed like a foretaste of Doomsday. A catastrophic symbiosis occurred. The region’s residents suffered crippling economic and personal privation from which most never recovered; similarly, the region sustained a devastating physical transformation from which it has never fully recovered. And there is irony of biblical proportions at work here, in that the people who endured such abject misery were the same ones who were responsible for the most spectacular climactic shift in American history. The land that farmers so freely exploited was part of an exquisitely delicate eco-system. The pristine grasslands which massive herds of buffalo had kept in check created a root system that held fine, fertile soil in place. When the buffalo were exterminated, the plains Indians whose subsistence depended on them moved further west, leaving only white settlers concerned with profiting from the richness of the land. That meant clearing away the grasses. When the Depression hit and wheat prices fell, farmers were forced to increase their yields, clearing more and more grass in order to do so. Millions of tons of dust were picked up by the highest winds in the United States, rendering bare survival problematic. Farmers found themselves incapable of adjusting to the situation, and agricultural profitability in the region suffered. â€Å"During the Depression and through at least the 1950s, there was limited relative adjustment of farmland away from activities that became relatively less productive in more –eroded areas.†2 In the more-eroded counties, attempts at agricultural adjustment resulted in a recovery of less than 25 percent of initial losses.3 One of the most remarkable aspects of the Dust Bowl, and which speaks to the sheer

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Roles Of Women In The Fourth Gospel Religion Essay

Roles Of Women In The Fourth Gospel Religion Essay The voice of Raymond E. Brown concerning the Gospels, and especially the Fourth Gospel is an authoritative one. His bold and un-conventional opinions regarding the Gospels and Gospel studies have already made controversies chiefly among the conservative scholars. This article, Roles of Women in the Fourth Gospel is another study of Brown which touches a hot contemporary debate about the role of women in the Church and about the possibility of ordaining women to the priesthood. Though thirty six years have been passed after the publication of this article, still this is a contemporary debate in the Catholic Church, though the Magisterium has infallibly declared the impossibility of womens ordination since it is founded on the written Word of God, and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the tradition of the Church. Brown begins his article stating the possibility of different approaches concerning the biblical evidences in this particular debate. One approach that he mentions is a general discussion of first-century ecclesiology found in the NT texts. But he asks whether such evidence about the foundation of the Church and the institution of the sacramentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..is culturally conditioned? The second approach he points out is the discussion of the explicit texts that refer respectively to the equality and the subordination of women in society and cult. He bluntly states that he is not convinced of this discussion, since each text has a counter-text to support or deny. A third approach, that he wishes to follow is considering the general picture of women in the fourth Gospel, and in Johannine community. Before beginning the study he gives a general introduction to the Evangelist and his community. He highlights the peculiarity of the Johannine community, namely the importance given to t he following of Christ and obeying his word, rather than having special ecclesiastical charism from God. Brown starts his discussion saying that we do not have much information about church offices in the fourth Gospel, and about women in church offices. But he says the text of Martha serving at the table (diakonein) has a significance in the historical context (in the 90s) when such a service had been already become a ministry of an ordained person. Except for this one passage, Brown reminds, our discussion will be on the general position of women in the Johannine community. The story of the Samaritan woman is the first one to be discussed. Samaritan woman who perceives Jesus as Christ testifies this to others. The Evangelists comment that the Samaritan villagers believe because of the womans word (4,39. 42: dia ton logon pisteuein), says Brown, is noteworthy because it occurs again in the priestly prayer of Jesus for his disciples: I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word (17,20). Brown writes that the Evangelist can describe both a woman and disciples at he Last Supper as bearing witness to Jesus through preaching and thus bringing people to believe in him on the strength of their word. Then the author deals with the dialogue between Jesus and the disciples soon after the leaving of the Samaritan woman and just before the coming of the Samaritans to Jesus because of what the woman has told them. The important terms like apostellein, to sow, and to reap in this passage are clear proof of the real mis sionary function of the Samaritan woman, Brown states. The story explicates that the woman has sown the seed and thus prepared for the apostolic harvest. Chapter 20 is another example given by Brown to explain that the evangelist gives a quasi-apostolic role to a woman. Seeing the risen Christ is considered to be an integral part of the apostolate (1 Cor 9,1-2; Gal 1,11-16; 1 Cor 15,5; Lk 24,34). In the Fourth Gospel, it is a woman, Mary Magdalene who sees the risen Lord for the first time and is sent by the Lord himself to give the message to his brothers. Brown notes that what she proclaims is the standard apostolic announcement of the Resurrection: I have seen the Lord. She is the apostle to the apostles. In the story of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, the confession of Martha: You are the Christ, the Son of God (11,27) substitutes the supreme confession of Peter which is found in other gospels. Considering the place of women in Johannine patterns, Brown makes another interesting observation. He notes that discipleship is the primary Christian category for John, and the disciple par excellence is the Disciple whom Jesus loved. But in 11,5 we see Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Another proof is given from Chapter 20 again, where Mary Magdalene recognizes the voice of her master. In an allegorical parable (10,3-5) a disciple is like a sheep who recognizes the voice of its shepherd. Since the sheep are his own (twice in 11,3-5), it is clear that even woman can be in the same category of relationship to Jesus as the Twelve. The second part of the article is dedicated to another important woman in the fourth Gospel, who is none other than the mother of Jesus. After explaining the tradition behind the miracle at Cana in detail, Brown indicates that the evangelist understands the role of the mother in relation to discipleship. This point is clear from the second scene where she appears at the foot of the cross (19,25-27). There are two great symbolic figures whose personal names are never mentioned in the Gospel. The reason, says Brown, is that their primary (not sole) importance is in their symbolism for discipleship rather than in their historical careers. The women, in this Gospel, are first-class disciples by telling that Jesus loved Martha and Mary and that Mary Magdalene was one of his own sheep. The mother of Jesus is given a further important role. She shares with the Beloved Discipleship an equal plane as part of Jesus true family. Brown is sure, after researching the evidence of the fourth Gospel, that the Johannine community valued the following of Christ and there was no difference male and female in that. To end the article, Raymond Brown writes: but even John has left us with one curious note of incompleteness: the disciples, surprised at Jesus openness with a woman, still did not dare to ask him, What do you want of a woman? (4:27). That may well be a question whose time has come in the Church of Jesus Christ. The Magisterium has closed any discussion on the possibility of ordaining women. But this article of Raymond E. Brown convinces his readers that there is still possibility of a discussion about the role of women in the Church as real missionaries and apostles to testify the risen Lord to the whole world. I may end my overview of this article with the words of Brown which he puts in one of his footnotes: At a time when we are engaged in a necessary debate as to who among the baptized can be ordained to priesthood or bishopric, it may be useful to remind ourselves that it remains more important to be baptized than to be ordained, more important to be a Christian than to be a priest, bishop, or pope.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Manifesto of the Communist Party Essay -- Politics Political

The Manifesto of the Communist Party Drafted in 1848 by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, the â€Å"Manifesto of the Communist Party† outlines the views, tendencies, and aims of the communist party through the so-called philosophy of historical materialism (Distante). These views were expressed throughout four distinct sections of the â€Å"Manifesto of the Communist Party.† The first section describes the relationship between the bourgeois and the proletarians. The next section depicts the relationship between the proletarians and the communists. The third section of the document presents socialist and communist literature. The â€Å"Manifesto†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is ended with a section stating the position of the communists in relation to opposition parties. The first section begins with a brief history of the bourgeois in various societies. Marx shows that like earlier civilizations, the bourgeois, or modern capitalists and employers, has oppressed the proletarian class, or the working class of the society. Comparisons are made regarding ancient Rome as well as the middle ages with the modern bourgeois. Marx claims that the â€Å"modern bourgeois society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society [†¦.] It has but established new classes, new conditions of oppression (Marx).† During the feudal period, the feudal lords monopolized industry. As time progressed, this system was insufficient for the growing needs of the nation. A new manufacturing system took the place of the monopoly system and soon provided for the natural evolution of the capitalist class. Due to increased work and efficiency, the markets continued to grow to the point that even the manufacturing system was not sufficient. Industrial revol... ...tionary movement against the existing social and political order of things. In all these movements they bring to the front, as the leading question in each, the property question†¦Working men of all countries unite! (Marx)† Works Cited 1. Brians, Paul. Communist Manifesto Study Questions. http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/manifesto.html (19 Oct. 2001). 2. Distante, Patrick. Evolutionary Philosophy---the Late 19th Century. http://home.earthlink.net/~pdistan/howp_9.html (19 Oct. 2001) 3. Kuhn, Rick. The Communist Manifesto. http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html (19 Oct. 2001). 4. Marx, Karl and Engels, Freidrich. The Manifesto of the Communist Party. (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1964) 5. Marxism Made Simple. http://www.marxism-made-simple.fsnet.co.uk/mainpage.htm (19 Oct 2001).

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Extraordinary Making of You

The three-part documentary series Countdown to Life: The Extraordinary Making of You, by Jonathan Renouf, Naomi Austin and Martin Johnson is depicted around the journey to discover the process of the formation of us, the human beings. Hosted by Michael Mosley; the documentary contains animations of fetal development and individual's sharing their stories about their own birth defects while relating to the fetal developmental process that happens prior to birth. Though the documentary does not explain the human development process in details, I decided that this was a good start for laymen who wants to understand the process of how us human beings are made from the point of conception to the point of birth at forty weeks. As a human being living in the social community, we need a better understanding on how an individual operates either biologically, behaviourally or emotionally. The documentary emphasized on critical stages that happened before we were born and the consequences of having a defect when the developmental process was disrupted. In which it delivers, it also brought upon the uniqueness and differences of human beings in the concept of biology, focusing especially in genetics. In the following paragraphs, while basing on the documentary I will explain more in details on the critical stages of fetal development process with in-depth explanations of the defects that could occur within these stages.The first episode of the documentary series ventures around the processes that happens to the embryo during the first eight weeks in the uterus. It shows how the human development began with the process called fertilisation where the male gamete, sperm together with the female gamete, the oocyte, fused and unite to give rise to a zygote (Sadler ; Langman, 2012). Two sets of genetic instructions, half from each parent combined to create unique genetic code for one human being. Occasionally, instead of forming only one zygote, the cell divides to become identical twins, triplets, and in rare cases, even quadruplet cases. Holly, Jessica, Ellie and Georgie, are one of the rare identical quadruplets in which it was mentioned that the odds of having four genetically identical individuals are one in 64 million. A theory was presented for how separate embryos can be formed and it was due to the breakdown of vital communication between the cells causing clumps of cells to get separated and went on to create separate individuals. This shows that just from a simple yet complicated breakdown process that occurs between the cells, it could affect the number of individuals to be formed, causing the creation of identical twins. This however, does not applies to what we called fraternal twins. In biology, identical twins are termed as monozygotic twins while fraternal twins are termed dizygotic twins. According to Lakna (2017), on her article Difference between Monozygotic and Dizygotic Twins, she explained that dizygotic twins are developed from totally two different eggs, which are fertilized by sperms separately. When a woman is pregnant with fraternal twins, it is like having two pregnancies at one simultaneous time. Unlike identical twins that are genetically similar, fraternal twins are entirely different individuals that does not share the same genetic properties. It is mesmerising to find that human could be undergoing the same process yet so different, due to simple twists just within five days of conception. I was bewildered by the next fact that I found from the documentary. It was claimed that around 200 hours after conception, changes that occurred in the embryo can determine the lifespan of an individual. Based on seventy-year research done in Keneba,Gambia that study on this matter, children conceived during dry months are at seven times higher risk of mortality compared to that of children conceived during wet months. In dry season, mothers eat more calorie-rich grains compared to mothers who conceive in the wet season, who eat more leafy greens. The moleculer chemical from the vegetables combines with the strand of DNA and changes how some our genes work permanently, affecting our lifespan. In many socio-cultural norms in the world, the expression â€Å"eating for two† is commonly heard to refer to pregnant women in regards to their dietary habits. Ellis, Giannetti, and Fagan (2011) conducted an analysis of relationship of mother's nutritional intake with the effect on her developing fetus in life. In the analysis, the authors stated that, â€Å"the most important thing a mother can do during pregnancy is take care of her own body so that the baby can flourish later in life†. Hence, it is clear that mother plays important role in determining the health of the future generation that will be born, either physically, metabolically, psychologically or genetically.Melanie Gaydos' story is one of the stories that remained intact in my mind from the moment I watched it. From the story, I knew that her birth defect has affected her deeply in psychosocial aspect and influenced the flows of her life, shaping her for who she was. Her story discussed on what happened to a fetus within the first fifteen days after conception. The cells began to transform into over four hundred different cell types to make up parts of the body. Human beings are made up of three layers of cells; ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. Any defect during this point of transformation could produce serious defects to the embryo, such as in Gaydos' case, ectodermal dysplasia. Ectodermal dysplasia is a group of inherited disorders characterised by defect in hair, teeth, nails, or sweat gland function, in addition to other abnormalities in the ectodermal tissues. The disease is caused by mutation or deletion of particular genes located on different chromosomes and it either can be passed down the family line, or the mutation occurred de novo (Bhaudaria, Sharma, & Prajapat, 2014). Talking about genes, the documentary also shared the story of Nell who inherited an extra growth gene from her father. Unlike her, a normal embryo inherits one only growth gene from both paternal and maternal origin and each of the gene balance one another to produce a normal-sized embryo. This defect made her a large for gestational age (LGA) fetus and the extra gene has stimulated the overproduction of growth hormone, IGF-2. She became morphologically larger than her peers and consequently, exposed her to a high risk of cancer. From their cases, it is important that we need to have a normal gene development to ensure a normal development of self.In our body, we have hair-like projections called cilia to direct the proper placement of organs in our body. The process usually occurs around nineteen days after conception. Average normal human beings have their hearts located on the left side of the body and the liver is located on the right side. In rare instances, there are cases where the organs are located in totally opposite sites like a mirror image and this happened to Randy Foye. His condition is called dextrocardia. Maldjian and Saric (2007) wrote a review on dextrocardia. According to their review, dextrocardia is a heart positional anomaly in which heart is located in the right hemithorax with its base-to-apex axis directed to the right and is caused by intrinsic factors of the heart itself. Since I was a medical student before, I could assure that his condition would definitely baffled any doctors of any level of experience during the regular medical check-up session. Fortunately, according to the documentary the condition did no harm to his body and he could live as a normal living being, outwardly. Commonly, dextrocardia is accompanied by cardiac anomalies (Maldjian & Saric, 2007). The formation of the heart itself began when the embryo was initially a flat disc. It then folded and became a neural tube and the edges came together to form a spinal cord. Eventually, primitive heart was created and within five weeks of pregnancy, it could already be detected by using ultrasound. Heart anomalies are extremely serious that some babies need an immediate surgery right after born. Examples of congenital heart defects are right ventricular hypertrophy, aortic valve stenosis, coarctation of aorta or atrial septal defect.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Quantitative Article Review

Research Article Critique 1 Running Head: RESEARCH ARTICLE CRITIQUE Research Article Critique of â€Å"The Study of Teacher Perceptions of Instructional Technology Integration in the Classroom† by Lynette Molstad Gorder The purpose of this assignment was to review a peer reviewed journal article that is research based, and is representative of one of the research methodologies we discussed in class. The format of the article has the appearance of a dissertation because it has many of the same components. It starts with an abstract that discusses the main points of the research and the results. After reading the article, I found that the abstract failed to mention that the research was based on teachers who attended a technology course at South Dakota University. After going through a basic and advanced technology course, the teachers were sent a survey to analyze whether those teachers were integrating technology into teaching and learning. The research methodology used in this study were surveys analyzed in a quantitative design. More specifically, two survey instruments were introduced in the article, but only one was used. Both were designed by Mills and Tincher (2003). They describe the Technology Integration Standards Configuration matrix (TISC) as the first tool. This looked at technology as a tool to enhance student learning and a tool for professional productivity. The second tool described by the same designer developed the Technology Integration Matrix (TICM). This tool was more user-friendly and just described what the teacher does and what the students do in a technology outfitted classroom. Later in the article we discover that TICM is survey based on a scale rating; (1)never, (2)seldom, (3)sometimes, (4)often, and (5)always. Using this tool, the author sought to find out to what degree teachers integrate technology into their classroom and into teaching and learning after taking two technology integration classes. Using the survey the study also revealed comparisons of teacher perceptions of uses and integration based on personal characteristics. These characteristics are age, gender, number of years in the teaching field, grade level taught, content area, and education level. The research questions the study offered were 1) How do teachers currently use and integrate technology for teaching and learning in the classroom? ) How do teachers differ in the extent to which they integrate instructional technology based on the characteristics of gender, age, teaching experience, grade level taught, content area, and educational level? The characteristics are considered factors and were compared to the integration of technology in the classroom. The dependent variable in this study is the integration of technol ogy in teaching and learning in the classroom. The independent variable is the basic and advanced training course that teachers took at South Dakota University. Two courses were given at South Dakota University. The subjects for this study were all the students who participated in the two courses. The author used teachers in K-12 who attended both a Basic Technology for Teaching and Learning Academy, and the Advanced Technology for Teaching and Learning Academy at Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota. A possible issue related to sampling may be that the author used teachers who attended a specific professional development experience. What if the courses did not benefit the students? A survey was mailed to the 300 South Dakota teachers who attended the classes. Of the 300 teachers who took the classes, 174 returned the survey. This was a 58% response rate. As we discussed in class 50% is a good response. The findings were based on the participants use and integration of technology in the classroom for teaching and learning, and the differences in perceptions based on the demographic and personal characteristics. Of the thirteen page article, seven pages were devoted to the findings. Demographic data collected were gender, age, teaching experience, grade level teaching, content area, and educational level. Research question one, â€Å"how do teachers currently use and integrate technology for teaching and learning in the classroom† was divided into three phases. Phase one devoted to professional productivity, phase two devoted to delivering instruction using technology, and phase three devoted to teachers integrating technology into student learning. The results were displayed APA style in a chart that displayed Mean and Standard Deviation. For this question, the findings report that teachers do not integrate technology well for teaching and learning, but do for professional productivity and facilitation of delivery of instruction. The second research question compared technology integration to each characteristic factor. For the first factor of male vs. female, a t-test was used to compare. There was no significant difference in gender and the use or integration of technology. Each factor was compared using a one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance). ANOVA is used when you have factors and a dependent variable. For each of the characteristics or factors a means was displayed for each of the differences of perception regarding, age, years teaching experience, grade level taught, content area, and educational level. From the findings of this analysis, only grade level taught had a significant difference in technology integration and uses. Teachers of Grades 9-12 use and integrate technology into learning more than teachers in lower grades. The study was accurate in their analysis and their findings. The study does not describe the content of the courses the teachers attended at the South Dakota University, or method of delivery. It only supplies the title of the course. References Gorder, L. (2008). A Study of Teacher Perceptions of Instructional Technology Integration in the Classroom. The Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, L (2), 63-76. Mills, S. C. , &Tincher, R. C. (2003) Be the technology: A developmental model for evaluating technology integration. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 35(3), 382-401.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Essay Sample on How to Solve a Financial Problem

Essay Sample on How to Solve a Financial Problem Problem solving forms part of thinking. Well thought-out the most difficult of all rational functions, problem solving has been distinct as advanced classify cognitive development that requires the accent and control of more routine or fundamental skills. It occurs if an organism or an artificial intelligence system does not know how to proceed from a given state to a desired goal state. Its part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem solving. (Engel, 68) Complex problems have some classic distinctiveness such as lack of precision of the situation where by one does not understand the problem. Some problems require numerous goals to be dealt with, thus become difficult to handle. Some are so complex that they are in large number of items, interrelations and require a lot of conclusion. (ibid, 78) For example when am faced with a financial problem, I always resolve the limitation by first identifying the nature of the problem. Despite the fact that I cannot solve a problem without knowing exactly what the problem is, many people try to do just that. When asked about their financial situation, most will say, the problem is I need more money. They jump immediately to attempting to solve a problem they have not yet clearly defined. In order to gain clarity about my overall situation, I gather all the facts and figures I need to answer the following questions: What is my net worth? What is my current income? What are my expenses? Exactly how much do I owe? What is my credit rating? What interest rates am I paying on loan balances? When are my payments due? Are my expenses higher than my income? How much money do I need? By when do I need it? Answering these questions may be the last thing I want to do, however most of the time I experience a sense of relief when I finish. I might even find things are not as bad as I imagined. (Frensch and Funke, 112) The second step is to come up with all solutions. I immediately engrave down all that comes to mind. I do not critic or critique my ideas because that could suspend my inspired flow. I therefore use my intelligence by letting it reach for new potential. (ibid, 121) The third step is selecting a resolution. Afterwards I go over my catalog and cross things off that do not appear realistic. I choose the solution that makes the most sense for the moment. With money problem solving, I may decide to act on more than one solution as long as the options I choose do not take me in different directions. (Frensch and Funke, 126) The fourth step is receiving achievement. In this point of the progression, I will have the energy curving in my support. I there fore follow through on the resolution or solutions I chose. If I find my self besieged with all the action items, I go back over my list and prioritize. In regular problem solving I would focus on one solution because scattering my efforts by trying to follow through on too many ideas at once can hamper my effectiveness. (ibid, 130) The fifth step is evaluation. If the problem is solved, I celebrate my success if it did. I use this experience to strengthen my commitment to utilizing my problem solving skills in other areas of my life. (Frensch and Funke, 132) If my solution or solutions did not work, I might not have correctly identified the problem. Identifying the problem is the most important step. Most people will want to go back to brainstorming more solutions, which will unavoidably lead to more frustration. Instead, I go back to step one, and focus on identifying the problem. (ibid, 133)

Monday, October 21, 2019

Water Pollution in the Jamaican Society Essays

Water Pollution in the Jamaican Society Essays Water Pollution in the Jamaican Society Paper Water Pollution in the Jamaican Society Paper NEAP revealed, concerned the discharge of trade effluent into the environment without the requisite license, while the reported breach under the Wildlife Protection Act had to do with allowing a toxic substance into a water body that contains fish. The preliminary water sample test results were showing that the ROI Cobber had a pH level of 1 1. 2 on August 30 when the fish kill was detected. Our results were 11. 2, which is very close to 14. That level was very alkaline and resulted in the fish kill, NEAP told the Sunday Observer. They added that the presence of sodium hydroxide, an alkaline sodium compound used by bauxite companies in their operations, had likely caused the waters alkalinity. The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEAP), has served an Enforcement Notice on the National Water Commission (NC) for the alleged discharge of improperly treated trade effluent from a sewer main on North Street, Kingston. The sewer main empties into a gully that discharges into the Kingston Harbor. The discharge of improperly treated trade effluent into the environment poses a serious threat to the health of persons in immunities in the vicinity, as well as to the natural resources within the Kingston Harbor, said a statement from NEAP For non-point pollution in particular, prevention is the most effective measure. Harmful production, consumption and disposal practices need to be monitored, controlled, and where possible prohibited, to prevent hazardous substances from reaching water bodies and impacting human and ecosystem health. Destruction is a mans will, nevertheless prevention is also a mans will, its a mans choice to choose between destruction and prevention. Pollution is an everyday thing, e all do it, we see friends, family and strangers do it, we know it is wrong so why do we further the destruction of our island? We are not just killing the small fishes in the sea, or making our beaches look unpleasant but making our small home unfit for our living. It has been written that the meek shall inherit the earth. What has not been written is that they shall inherit it after the greedy and the selfish have already polluted the air, fouled the water and poisoned the food chain. The actual moral of the parable is stand up for yourself, for our planet and for all who dwell here.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Challenges of Writing Papers for Students Confessions of an Academic Writer

Challenges of Writing Papers for Students Confessions of an Academic Writer Challenges of Writing Papers for Students: Confessions of an Academic Writer People who are unaware of what it is like to be an academic freelance writer might say it is a swell job: you can work in your pajamas at home, you have a flexible schedule, and drink vodka while you pound out essays and articles (though not advised). However, when one is writing papers for students, there are a bunch of messy details: usually, students provide any minimal instructions, you can have grueling periods of work, and your head can almost explode with the amount of information you have to take in. Messy Instructions Sometimes, students simply write â€Å"do my essay† in the instructions field of the order form. Or even worse, students provide instructions that make no sense. For example: â€Å"Write a compare and contrast essay that shows the cause and effect through a case study format.† Somehow, you are supposed to read the student’s mind and create a masterpiece. In the worse case scenario, they provide super vague instructions and wont even message you back about giving more details and then get mad at you for writing something that they didn’t want. You just feel like slamming your head against your desk. Flexible Extended Working Hours Another overlooked part of being a freelance academic writer for students is that you can work for 12 or more hours in a day. Say you took an order to write a dissertation in five days and it amounts to 50 pages. The student who ordered that dissertation can, at the last moment, send you a message, and say something like, â€Å"Actually, I wanted to write about something different. Can you change the wording around in the whole document and change section 4-11 accordingly.† It is now midnight on a Friday and you just worked your butt off for a week, and essentially have to do the work all over again. Your weekend is gone and your enthusiasm for the project will most likely drop dramatically. Excess of Information It might seem cool to be constantly learning about many things (although seemingly random) and increasing your education, so to say. But, the flip-side of this is that it is easy to get overloaded with information. Writer’s brain, after a day’s work, usually feels like it has been smashed by two thousand articles, words, and ideas. Writers barely have the energy to do anything creative or useful after work. They just feel like playing video games, watching a movie, or sitting on the couch and staring at a wall. By the time writers feel mentally fresh again, it is time to go to sleep. This amassing of information can truly affect one’s work, as the brain can only handle so much information at a time. Writers make more mistakes in my writing in general simply because they have to cope with massive amounts of information each day, which are usually disconnected from each other. As you can see, being an academic paper writer for students is not a dream job. Instead, it is a rewarding preoccupation with plenty of downsides, like dealing with unclear instructions, having an unhealthy amount of work to do at times, and being consistently overloaded with information. Stress is a common factor in the life of an academic writer for students  Ã‚  the kind of stress that makes you want to do something else.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Compare and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Compare and contrast - Essay Example For example, if something sad happen, and then it is going be heart wrenchingly sad. If something is happy, then it is over the top on cloud-nine happy. Whereas American dramas on the other hand, are not melodramatic, the characters seem to have real emotions. For example, if something sad or bad happens, the character seems to run through a day or less of denial, regret and crying. When the situation is happy, then it is just jumping up and down, nothing special like the Korean dramas. People still love watching them, especially the 90’s dramas. Second, the situations the Korean characters go through are not realistic at all. For example, in King of Baking, Kim Takgu the main character Kim Takgu, runs away from his father’s family to strive and find the person who kidnapped his mother, after that he finds a gang member and the gang member told him to get beat in order to find his mother’s location, rather than going to the police officer. He gets distracted by t he secrets of baking. Whereas American dramas tend to be realistic and the topics and situations that could happen to the person next door, the characters may be unique, but if character’s the acting gets ridiculous, then the show does not last very long. For example, in the Ringer the posted girl for the former WB, even Sarah Michelle Gellar could not intrigue the viewers. Third, Korean drama makers, invests so much in following what the fans say. They invest emotionally in the drama. People will watch the drama, go online and discuss it. The Korean drama makers read/re-read the recaps, watch the previews and sometimes if the makers will follow it and that makes such an improvement to the drama. Whereas American drama makers do not seem to have that kind of influence on their viewers. It may be intriguing while it is currently showing, but once it is over or even showing on TV the audience seems to have lost interest or have forgotten the show. Also, the viewers do not seem to have the patience to stay around if the acting is really bad or the story has holes in it. Fourth, Korean dramas will revolve with family issues. For example, pleasing family members/ maintaining family reputation. Even when the main character is trying to solve or doing something there is always family influence. Also, there is this issue of â€Å"what people think of the main character† . Whereas American dramas, they will generally deal with people who are having trouble finding themselves, making their own way in the world and they have the attitude of â€Å" be your own man† kind of attitude. Fifth, Korean characters have this unique innocence and clueless in them. For example know about sex, never been kissed, fighting is horrific, but there are Korean dramas that adhere American aspects whereas American dramas find innocence as ignorance. Lastly, Korean dramas are a bit more corny and cheesy and also in Korean dramas, people are brought to tears and they well say if it's done well â€Å"oh I feel sorry for her†. Whereas In American dramas if a girl was in love, but she is diagnosed with some rare disease, people say â€Å"oh yea, what are the odds?† From American perspective of making dramatic films or TV series, the Korean melodramatic theme may be a flop or just plainly a turn off from their traditional sense of taste of how a drama flick should be. But this traditional perspective is slowly eroding and changing as Korean

Friday, October 18, 2019

How relevant is Machiavelli's Prince for today's political leaders Essay

How relevant is Machiavelli's Prince for today's political leaders - Essay Example The book can be used as a manual for the politicians who yearn to win and stay in power as in his literature, Machiavelli guides a prince on the manner to act towards his enemies and applying both force and fraud in the course of war2. Regardless of the perceptions people have concerning politics, the book goes straight to the reality of how things work in what Machiavelli considers as effectual truth. It demonstrates that allies who exist in politics at home and across boarders are never really friends. Among the principles that are championed by Machiavelli is that leaders are always supposed to cover up their real intentions, make sure they cannot be predicted, and regularly act in a manner that is against mercy, faith, humanity and religion, so that they may be able to preserve the state, making ,Machiavelli’s name synonymous with the tyrants who are cunning. When the dismal perception of Machiavelli in regard to humanity is understood, it becomes easy to appreciate the ethical universe that he operates in as he begins his discussion that touches of virtues that a prince should have by discarding them immediately. According to him, virtues do not have utility and are simply products of a person’s imagination. In Machiavelli’s terms, truth is a factor of the effect or outcome associated with a specific action from the dictator’s perspective but not any intrinsic or rigid standard of value and obvious liberty or freedom is not among them. This creates the definition of the term effectual truth and Machiavelli defines himself as a relativist who adjusts to the situation why favoring dictatorship. This is the same kind of discourse that has been associated with the liberals as well as democrats; it has also been seen and heard in the self-proclaimed conservatives as well as the republicans. The introduction of a new approach in relation to the traditional political science by

Explanation of business decision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Explanation of business decision - Essay Example Several individuals’ re-adore believers of the ethical standard of utilitarianism: â€Å"Each individual is obligated to perform whatever will attain the biggest good for the biggest figure† (Ferrell, 2010:161). Another group is even as dedicated to the main principle of Immanuel Kant: â€Å"Each individual is obligated to perform merely in manners that adore the human self-respect and ethical rights of all people† Ethical standards such as these concentrate majorly on persons’ deeds and actions. People use them through asking what these standards need of them in specific situations; for example, when evaluating if to lie or commit suicide. People in addition use them when they ask what they need of them as experts, for example, doctors, lawyers, or business individuals or what they need of their social rules and organizations (Havard, 2007:57). In the past ten years, dozens of morals institutions and schedules dedicated to â€Å"business ethics†, à ¢â‚¬Å"legal morals†, â€Å"medical morals†, and â€Å"morals in civic rule† have emerged. These institutions remain established to study the effects ethical standards have to people’s lives. ... These moralists note that through concentrating on what individuals must do or the way individuals must behave, the â€Å"ethical principles approach† ignores the much significant matter-what individuals must be. Consequently, ethics does not constitute â€Å"what must people do?† however, â€Å"what type of individual must one be?† (Fernando, 2010:10) Depending on â€Å"virtue ethics†, there are some realities like excellence or devotion to the common good, to which people must struggle and which permit the complete growth of people’s humanity. These realities remain noticed by imaginative reflection on what people as human beings have the capacity to change to. â€Å"Virtues† remain feelings, dispositions, or character attributes that facilitate people to be and to perform in manners that grow this capability. They make people follow the realities they have accepted. Brevity, sympathy, honesty, loyalty, fairness, kindness, integrity, carefu lness, and self-control are all examples of good values. How does an individual grow virtues? Virtues remain established by education and by practice. Like the early philosopher Aristotle proposed, an individual would develop his or her behavior by observing self-discipline, whereas a precise character can remain distorted through recurrent self-lenience. Just like the capability to run a marathon grows by much practice and coaching, so the same people’s ability to be justice, to remain brave, or to remain sympathetic (Harris, 2011:74). Virtues are customs. That is, the moment they remain adopted they turn to feature of an individual. For example, an individual who has grown the virtue of kindness is always termed as a kind individual since these people appear to be kind in all situations when

Environmental Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Environmental Law - Research Paper Example The decisions of the Agency unavoidably comprise value judgments, and the resolutions should be reached within a web of political restrictions. The EPA’s administrator is the legal authority on any specific resolution; nevertheless, the job is appointed by the President, and the administrator performs his/her tasks under the President’s authority (Glicksman 53). Moreover, regulatory agencies are largely controlled and affected by the manpower and budgetary proposals of the Office of Management and Budget, by the outcome of Congressional inspection, and by the Congress’s supervision (Glicksman 61). EPA should essentially moderate its decisions and activities with a certain level of political sense. In fact, political circumstances may prevent regulatory decisions that seem to be constitutional, and even important, under related statute. Furthermore, since regulatory activities carried out by EPA in Washington should be overseen either by the EPA regional departmen ts that are supervised by independent local and state governments or by fairly autonomous appointees, EPA’s decisions should be appropriate to an even wider array of political interests and should predict difficulties in implementation (Rom 82). This research paper argues that the EPA should have the authority to change policy and implement those policies concerning the health of the nation’s population without causing a political conflict in Washington over the economic impact of government regulations. In essence, this paper argues that EPA should be highly involved in the decision-making process, but it should not be in conflict with the economy and the government. Protecting the Environment and the Economy The regulation of activities that have an effect on the environment has been current event in the United States, but it is a perfect case of the economic involvement of the government for a social reason. Since the 1960s, Americans became more and more worried ab out the effect of industrial progress on the environment (Heyes 61-62). For example, engine exhaust from numerous vehicles was held responsible for air pollution in major urban areas. Pollution corresponded to ‘externality’, which is defined by economists as â€Å"a cost the responsible entity can escape but that society as a whole must bear† (Heyes 62). Because market dynamics are not capable of addressing these issues, numerous environmentalists asserted that government has a moral responsibility to safeguard the planet’s delicate environment, even though doing so entails that a certain level of economic progress be given up. Several major laws were ratified to prevent and regulate pollution, such as the 1972 Clean Water Act and the 1963 Clean Air Act. Environmentalists accomplished a very important objective in 1970 with the creation of EPA which merged into a single organization numerous federal projects focused on environmental conservation. The EPA e stablishes and implements acceptable regulatory practices, and it provides timetables to encourage polluters to conform to these norms. Because majority of the prerequisites are current, industries are granted a substantial amount of time to abide by these rules (Schoenbrod 25). The Agency also has the power to organize and

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Considering Bullough's theory of psychical distancing and notions of Essay

Considering Bullough's theory of psychical distancing and notions of kinaesthetic empathy (Stolnitz etc.), discuss the extent - Essay Example Two scholars in particular dominated this debate in the early to mid-twentieth century and this paper explores each of their theories in turn: first Bullough’s theory of psychical distance and secondly Stolnitz’s theory of kinaesthetic empathy . The language of these two authors is quite technical and so definition and clarification of the terms they use in each case is necessary before the theories can be understood in depth. In the light of these two approaches and some more recent critiques of them, there is then a consideration of the extent to which the choreographer can attempt to shape or control the viewer’s degree of attention, and in particular whether or not it is possible to create the conditions within an audience for different levels of attention. A key element in the work of Stolnitz is the idea that when we look at things in the world we always do so with a certain attitude, by which he means that we devote more attention to some things and less t o others and that this varies from person to person and from one occasion to another. He uses the example of an Indian scout giving close attention to markings (Stolnitz, 1960, p. 17) as someone at the more focused end of this spectrum whereas someone just out for a stroll would be at a the less focused end. This state of giving something close attention involves excluding other things which might be a distraction and preparing to react to what is seen, either in a positive or negative way. The relevance of this to dance is that when an audience comes to watch dance being performed they come with a special kind of attitude, involving focus and hopefully a positive expectation of perceiving something worthwhile that they will react to in some way. This kind of expectant appreciation is, in Stolnitz’s terms the aesthetic attitude, deriving from ancient Greek philosophy where aesthetics is the appreciation of beauty. A further important distinction, in Stolnitz’s view, of this special attitude and way of perceiving things is that it is quite different from everyday kinds of perception, because it is not put to some practical purpose: â€Å"Usually perception is merely a rapid and momentary identification of the kind of thing it is and its uses.† (Stolnitz, 1960, p. 18) In contrast to this Stolnitz defines the aesthetic attitude as â€Å"disinterested and sympathetic attention to and contemplation of any object of awareness whatever, for its own sake alone.† (Stolnitz, 1960, p. 19). In ordinary modern English we might assume that â€Å"disinterested† means â€Å"bored† or â€Å"not much interested in† but in fact it has a narrower meaning of not wanting any specific purpose out of the act of paying attention something. In terms of dance, then, this aesthetic attitude is what comes into play when a member of the audience comes simply to observe and enjoy the performance. He or she may at times reflect on what is seen , or react with pleasure, or distaste, or even anger at what happens in the performance, but the point is that coming to see the dance is the only outcome that the observer is really after. The example of a lecturer coming to watch a student performance would not, in Stolnitz’s view, be an example of someone approaching the dance with the appropriate aesthetic

Case Description on Monsanto Company Research Paper - 1

Case Description on Monsanto Company - Research Paper Example The company had been constantly attacked because of health concerns and company transparent. The media has been recently attacking the company because of their business practices that have raised public concern; thus impacting the performance of the company. Recently, there was an argument in the Supreme Court of America about cutting patent rights for the genetically modified seeds. The argument was between Bowman vs. Monsanto Company and the case was how Monsanto Company can control the Roundup Ready patent. Vernon Hugh Bowman, the Indian farmer presented the case to court arguing that he had discovered a loophole for a second and riskier crop in the growing season (Liptak 2013). Bowman argued that the Roundup Ready gene, which is a patent for the Monsanto Company was a threat to farmers. This patent was for the soybeans that the company patented, but it was also argued that the patent was likely to cause broader implications for many biotech products, as well as impact information technology products. The lawsuits over the patent rights for their seeds, which are distributed across the globe, were presented into the court. The farmer (Bowman) argued that Monsanto could not have sold their Roundup Ready soybeans to farmers because thi s patent and the progeny are exhausted (Mann, 2013). Additionally, the lawsuit pointed out every case that was presented to the court about Monsanto’s products. Many of the company’s patent dealt with varied issues affecting the company including the living organisms such as seeds, which sells replicates. Each case presented to the company contributed to another verdict; thus, it became apparent that some of the case rulings could impact the patent right of the company and humanity because of cloning effects. The company received a lot of pressure and this impacted their performance because it started producing little without caring the long-term impact on people.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Considering Bullough's theory of psychical distancing and notions of Essay

Considering Bullough's theory of psychical distancing and notions of kinaesthetic empathy (Stolnitz etc.), discuss the extent - Essay Example Two scholars in particular dominated this debate in the early to mid-twentieth century and this paper explores each of their theories in turn: first Bullough’s theory of psychical distance and secondly Stolnitz’s theory of kinaesthetic empathy . The language of these two authors is quite technical and so definition and clarification of the terms they use in each case is necessary before the theories can be understood in depth. In the light of these two approaches and some more recent critiques of them, there is then a consideration of the extent to which the choreographer can attempt to shape or control the viewer’s degree of attention, and in particular whether or not it is possible to create the conditions within an audience for different levels of attention. A key element in the work of Stolnitz is the idea that when we look at things in the world we always do so with a certain attitude, by which he means that we devote more attention to some things and less t o others and that this varies from person to person and from one occasion to another. He uses the example of an Indian scout giving close attention to markings (Stolnitz, 1960, p. 17) as someone at the more focused end of this spectrum whereas someone just out for a stroll would be at a the less focused end. This state of giving something close attention involves excluding other things which might be a distraction and preparing to react to what is seen, either in a positive or negative way. The relevance of this to dance is that when an audience comes to watch dance being performed they come with a special kind of attitude, involving focus and hopefully a positive expectation of perceiving something worthwhile that they will react to in some way. This kind of expectant appreciation is, in Stolnitz’s terms the aesthetic attitude, deriving from ancient Greek philosophy where aesthetics is the appreciation of beauty. A further important distinction, in Stolnitz’s view, of this special attitude and way of perceiving things is that it is quite different from everyday kinds of perception, because it is not put to some practical purpose: â€Å"Usually perception is merely a rapid and momentary identification of the kind of thing it is and its uses.† (Stolnitz, 1960, p. 18) In contrast to this Stolnitz defines the aesthetic attitude as â€Å"disinterested and sympathetic attention to and contemplation of any object of awareness whatever, for its own sake alone.† (Stolnitz, 1960, p. 19). In ordinary modern English we might assume that â€Å"disinterested† means â€Å"bored† or â€Å"not much interested in† but in fact it has a narrower meaning of not wanting any specific purpose out of the act of paying attention something. In terms of dance, then, this aesthetic attitude is what comes into play when a member of the audience comes simply to observe and enjoy the performance. He or she may at times reflect on what is seen , or react with pleasure, or distaste, or even anger at what happens in the performance, but the point is that coming to see the dance is the only outcome that the observer is really after. The example of a lecturer coming to watch a student performance would not, in Stolnitz’s view, be an example of someone approaching the dance with the appropriate aesthetic

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Coca-Cola Company Financial Results Analysis Essay Example for Free

Coca-Cola Company Financial Results Analysis Essay This paper will attempt to discuss the North American market for The Coca-Cola Company in the impact to volume growth or declines for the period, discuss the drivers of profitability during the quarter at The Coca-Cola Company and the likely long-term impact of these drives on profits, discuss the EPS results for the quarter in comparison to historic results and long-term growth targets, and discuss the emerging markets for The Coca-Cola Company and the likely future impact on earnings per share. Coca-Cola Company Financial Results Analysis Discuss the North American market for The Coca-Cola Company in the impact to volume growth or declines for the period The North American market for The Coca-Cola Company is growing positively. Increasing mobility of the company and continuing a positive image for emerging new middle class clients is fueling Coca-Cola into claiming the title of number one beverage producer in North America. Providing that outside factors do not put a slump on the economy, strategic focus of building a strong brand, creating a positive value for the products, and keeping with sound investment practices will ensure the continuing growth of The Coca-Cola Company. For the first quarter of 2012, the North American market for The Coca-Cola Company impact on volume was positive. First quarter reported that the North America Group’s volume grew 2% in the quarter. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) The net revenues increased by 5% with â€Å"as reported† volume growth of 1%. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) The volume growth reflected the effect of having one less day for the quarter in the current year. There was also a positive price/ mix of 3% and a 1% benefit due to the structural change in relation to the acquisition of Greayt Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) Sparkling beverage volume, drinks with carbonation, grew by 1% for the quarter and still beverage volume grew by 6%. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) There was a reported decline in operating income in the first quarter. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) Due to the cycling of lower commodity costs in prior periods as well as having one less day for sales in the current year quarter, comparable currency nuetral operating income declined 9% in the quarter. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) This decline may be linked to current year timing in comparison to the prior year, which was comtemplated in The Coca-Cola Company’s internal planning process. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) Discuss the drivers of profitability during the quarter at The Coca-Cola Company and the likely long-term impact of these drives on profits. The drivers for profitability came from strong brand programming, positive pricing of products and overall structure change. Smart investing is also another driver of profitability. The advertisement seen at events and on television programming has helped push The Coca-Cola Company’s products into the view of the consumers. The planning processes have positioned The Coca-Cola Company into staying conservative with its investments and watch the market fluctuations as to creating long term investment growth possibilities. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) Things on the radar for The Coca-Cola Company include watching the employment rate in the countries where they are located and the economic environment globally, in relation to if the markets are improving or declining. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) Keeping brands and investments healthy and positive are the main drivers that will impact the long term profitability of this company. Discuss the Earnings per Share results for the quarter in comparison to historic results and long-term growth targets. The earnings per share reported for the first quarter was $0.89. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) In comparison to April 30, 2011, the diluted net income per share was up by 9%, up from $0.82. (Muhtar Kent, 2012) The Coca-Cola Company launched a new program that was to starting the first quarter of 2012 and ending in 2015 called the â€Å"Productivity and Reinvestment program†. (The Coca-Cola Company Reports Full-Year and Fourth Quarter 2011 Results, 2012) This program ihas been set to provide an incremental yearly savings of $550 to $650 million. (The Coca-Cola Company Reports Full-Year and Fourth Quarter 2011 Results, 2012) This goal is fueled by the more than $500 million annualied savings from the previous productivity program launched in 2009 and ending in 2011. (The Coca-Cola Company Reports Full-Year and Fourth Quarter 2011 Results, 2012) The Company’s 2020 goal of designing and implementing the most effective and efficient business system is well on its way towards becoming a reality. Discuss the emerging markets for The Coca-Cola Company and the likely future impact on earnings per share Volume growth for newer markets in China, Japan, and Thailand are on the forefront of The Coca-Cola Company’s main list of places to increase their product presence and strengthen their brand. Having a good price mix of investments and watching the economic status of these countries will help the Company to make sound investment strategies and increase their earnings per share in these regions. China will be an important player in the growth of business for The Coca-Cola Company. This is one of the fastest and largest markets to gain control of and strong marketing practices, along with bringing new jobs to this powerhouse economy will only increase the likelyhood of achieving a positive earnings per share return. In Japan, expanding the current market of items like coffee, sparkling beverages, and teas would help to increase sales in this country. Keeping the brand present as this country tries to recover from a natural disaster in 2011 will help to ease The Coca-Cola Company’s presence back into the line of things for the consumers in this market. Working closely with bottling groups and keeping good ties are helping to spur coke in a positive direction as Japan attempts to recover from the prior year’s decline due to natural disasters. The Coca-Cola Company’s outlook remains positive as it attempts to keep moving forward in the market of beverages. The Company’s long term goals of increasing its efficiency in branding, increasing its productivity, creating new jobs globally, and working on restructuring the company is helping to keep the Company as a top contender in the beverages category and will help maximize its efforts to increase profits for itself and the shareholders.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Romanticism in American Literature

Romanticism in American Literature Kathryn Pierce American Literature, section 43 Essay #3 Since the time of Socrates it has been widely said that art imitates life. In the case of literature, however, it would be more accurate to say that art reflects life. The writings of both the Romantics and the Realists were an outgrowth of life in 19th century America and both reflected that life through style, approach, and subject matter. American Romanticism was the first truly American literary movement and it included a group of authors who wrote and published between 1820 and 1860. Among the best-known are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Romanticism first emerged as a reaction to Enlightenment ideas. Romantic writers rebelled against the idea that reason was the best tool for discovering truth. Instead, they deliberately delved into feeling, imagination, fantasy, and belief. Their style took advantage of personal freedom and spontaneity in order to break through the wall separating the author and the reader, and gave the author the freedom to comment on the events in the story in novel ways. The uniquely American history and landscape had a profound influence on the Romanticists. Many were writing not long after the American Revolution and/or the War of 1812, and these historical events were reflected in their preoccupation with democracy and freedom. (insert comment on authors and their works) This was a time of growth and expansion and their idealism fueled high hopes for the infant nation. The country was moving westward into great swaths of newly acquired territory. The frontier, both as a place and a concept, became an important representation of the American spirit. The country was filled with thousands of miles of untamed wilderness that held the promise of a new life filled with adventure. (insert comment on authors and their works) While American Romanticism was a new attitude toward nature, often stressing it over culture, it was also a new attitude toward people, promoting the solitary individual standing against society. Individualism is a quintessential American value and was central to their writings which urged people to follow their inner knowing regardless of the pressure to conform. (insert comment on authors, Emerson Thoreau, others, and their works).  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Romanticists believed that emotions shape peoples experience and their knowledge of the world. They were an important part of an individuals identity. Heartbreak, happiness, awe, and rage, and many other emotions were very important in American Romantic literature. (insert comment on authors, Emerson Thoreau, others, and their works) Stylistically, the American Romantics liked to experiment with form and the novel became an important vehicle for expression (unlike the European Romantics who focused mainly on poetry). They also made clever use of symbols to allude to truths or knowledge that exist beyond rationality. Unusual, often supernatural, characters and forces act in romantic stories. Nature was a particularly important theme, expressed in almost obsessive preoccupation with beautiful flowers, gigantic trees, towering mountains, and brilliant sunsets.   (insert Cooper, Emerson, Thoreau) Other themes that figured prominently were   an impulse toward reform (temperance, womens rights, abolition of slavery); a concern with the impact of new technology (the locomotive, for example); an idealization of women (Poes Anabel Lee, for example); and a fascination with death and the supernatural (Hawthorne, Poe). Despite these lofty ideals, the new nation faced challenges. Principle among these issues was the expanding population base due to immigration, the role of government, the treatment of Native Americans, and the expansion or limitation of slavery. At the same time, advances in science and philosophy brought changes in thinking. There were two occurrences that propelled the transition from romanticism to realism: the Industrial Revolution and the American Civil War. Both of these contributed to a change in emphasis in literary expression. Change was already coming. The Realist movement began as early as the 1830s, but the line of demarcation was the onset of war. In just four years, this war became the most disruptive and transformative event in American history. It was out of this turmoil that the movement grew and reached a prominence that continued until around the end of the nineteenth century. In the 1850s, the ideals that were driving the nation toward war were expressed in literature, but many writers became uncomfortable with this kind of moral certitude even though they had contributed to creating it. The war, with its observable gap between higher purpose and brutal reality, began to change what they believed and how and what they wrote. Realism was a reaction to and a rejection of Romanticism. In her book, Social Construction of American Realism, Amy Kaplan called realism a strategy for imagining and managing the threats of social change. Realism was about recreating life in literature. Realists were concerned with the here and now, and their work was centered in their own time and dealt with everyday events and ordinary people, and with current socio-political issues. Stylistically, the author was separate from the world of the story and acted as an objective observer/narrator. Gone was the elaborate use of figurative language. Realism presented a basic view of life and a real outlook on the world   that refused to idealize or flatter the subject. Even when the subject matter was complex, their stories used straightforward, simple language that described common scenes and experiences. American Realists chose to show their readers rather than must tell them. They made their readers face reality as it happened in the real world instead of in the make-believe world of fantasy. (insert comment on authors and their works) . They often explored the qualities that formed a persons character and examined how those qualities motivated their behavior. To accomplish this they used omniscient narrators who could jump from the mind of one character to the mind of another, and could move instantly from one location to another. For the most part, they depicted people that were in charge of their own destiny. Characters were superior to their circumstances even though it was the circumstances that created the plot. (insert comment on authors and their works) .   Their characters were dynamic and well-rounded and drove the story forward. The Realists also incorporated empirically verifiable causality into their stories and often used foreshadowing. At times the outcomes wer e left open. The Realists also used their stories to critique the social and political structures that governed peoples lives. From issues like gender inequality and racial bias to poverty, class mobility, and government power, their stories contained a strong emphasis on personal morality, particularly as it played out between the individual and society. (insert comment on authors and their works)    Theirs was a sweeping view of a city, a nation, or a society and, like the Romantics, it was supported by the format of the novel. The transition from Romanticism to Realism was a natural progression. Just as the United States grew and changed so did the literature its writers produced. Romanticism grew out of the new-found expression of national character and focused on plot, hyperbole, metaphor and feeling. The nation changed, however. Realism grew out of these societal changes and focused on characters, details, objectivity and separation of author and narrator. Realism expressed a message that depicted situations realistically, whereas romanticism illustrated messages by using fiction. Both are informative reflections of American life and culture. Works Cited Campbell, Donna M. Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890. Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. 07 Sept 2015. Web. 24 Mar 2017. http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm Shmoop Editorial Team. Realism Top 10 List. Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. http://www.shmoop.com/realism/top-ten.html Shmoop Editorial Team. American Romanticism Top 10 List. Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. http://www.shmoop.com/american-romanticism/top-ten.html

Sunday, October 13, 2019

My Antonia Essay: Women on the Frontier -- My Antonia Essays

Women on the Frontier in My Ántonia In 1891, marking the elimination of "free land," the Census Bureau announced that the frontier no longer existed (Takaki, A Different Mirror, 225). The end of the frontier meant the constant impoverishment, instead of the wealth they had dreamed of, for a large number of immigrants from the Old World: they came too late. My Ántonia, however, illuminates another frontier, a frontier within America that most immigrants had to face. It was the frontier between "Americans" and "foreigners." The immigrants were still "foreign" to the "Americans" who came and settled earlier. They had to overcome the language and cultural barrier and struggle against the harsh conditions of life. The novel focuses on the ironic moment that the frontier spirit - a uniquely American one - is realized through "foreigners." Furthermore, it is women, the "hired girls," who are put in the foreground in the novel. What has made America is the foreign within, or rather, the foreign women on the fron tier. The division between the "Americans" and the "foreigners" is found throughout the novel. Even though naturalized, immigrants are still "Bohemians," "Russians," "Norwegians," and so on. They are foreigners in conception as Jim Burden's grandmother says, "If these foreigners [Norwegians] are so clannish, Mr. Bushy, we'll have to have an American graveyard that will be more liberal-minded...."(emphasis mine 73). According to her, the demarcation between foreigners and Americans is purely cultural: as far as foreigners are not clannish and liberal-minded like "Americans... ...an: the heterogeneity within one Bohemian-American family. Children learn Bohemian, the parents' mother tongue, first, and English when they go to school. They eat both American and Bohemian food. Mother from country and father from city, children are open to a wide experience than their parents. Ántonia's first daughter, although married and left the house, is another significant heterogeneity of the family. As the first Mormons scattered sunflowers seeds on their ways to freedom, Ántonia, a woman on the frontier, has raised many future citizens of America. Even though they claimed the end of the frontier, her children might confront another kind of frontier, but it is clear that it is not the same frontier on which their mother has had to stand. The frontier comes back, but always in a different shape.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Theme of Prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird :: Kill Mockingbird essays

   The theme of prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird is much more than just a case of black and white. The entire novel is about prejudice in its' many forms, the most prominent case of prejudice is the hate between the blacks and whites. The whole town of Maycomb is based on stereotypes of it's inhabitants, that are passed down from generation to generation. Rumors run rampid and very little truth is usually in them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "So Jem received most of his information from Miss Stephanie Crawford,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a neighbor scold, she said she knew the whole thing. According to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Miss Stephanie, Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   entered the room. As Mr.Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   into his   parent's leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and resumed his activities."   (Chapter 1, page 11)   Ã‚   I don't see how you can't expect to have prejudice in a small town like that, after all isolation is a major factor in why prejudice and racism arise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Men hate each other because they fear each other,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and they   fear each other because   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  they don't know each other,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and they don't know each other because   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   they are often separated from each other. "   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   -Martin Luther King   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The stereotypes in this novel are fairly common but the fact that they are accepted and used so openly in public is what astonishes me. I think people in the community, even if they do disagree with what is being said or done, they will say or do nothing because they are afraid of going against the majority of the community and become a victim of prejudice themselves. Atticus was one of the few who actually stopped and listened to himself without being biased by the views and opinions of the rest of the town. He then had the courage to stand up and take prejudice himself for trying to correct the prejudice against a black man, and prove his innocence.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Scout, you aren't old enough to understand some things yet, but   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   there's been some high talk around town to the effect that I

Friday, October 11, 2019

Statistical Literature Review and Critique of Empirical Article

ARTICLE REVIEW AND CRITIQUE: â€Å"Efficiency of Brand Placement in an International Film- Effects of Exposure in a Local Context† Slim Khalbous and Merium Maazoul Journal of Creative Communications, Volume 5, Issue 1 (March 2010), p. 23-46 SYNOPSIS Product and brand placement arouses a particular interest at the announcers. However the massive use of brands in international programs incites us to wonder about the effect of the local socio-cultural context on the efficiency of this creative technique.This research presents, first an explanatory abstract frame of the influence of the local context variables and the variables of programming on the recall of the placement; and second an empirical validation realized in two phases. First of all, a qualitative analysis of contents by experts; then a quantitative study by experimentation realized with 150 individuals. The results show that, globally the effect of the local context on the memorization of the placement is direct and t hat the recall of the placed brands depends on attitudes towards the spoken language, on social interactions and some characteristics of the audience.KEYWORDS Brand placement, recall, programming, context, exposing language, social interactions The empirical application was done by showing a James Bond film that had several product placements in a part of North Africa called Tunisia; an area where a lot of international films are consumed. The study wanted to explore the â€Å"effect of the specific context related to the international film on the effectiveness of the placement in terms of memorization. In order to do this, the research had to go through three stages: (1) a state of the art, which generated some of the research propositions (2) a qualitative phase, to choose and analyze the international film, and (3) a quantitative phase, which would measure the impact of exposure in the effectiveness of placement in the film. Attitudes toward Language Effect Foreign language can improve the advertising effectiveness for a product because a foreign language attracts attention, creates a positive attitude, and is more memorable, which can be explained by Helfer’s theory of mbiguity. A study done by Khalbous and Maazaul in 2007 proved that the â€Å"attitude toward advertising is positive when the audience prefers watching the programs in French and commercials in Arabic. † Social interactions also play a huge role in product memorization and attitudes because people will remember what they were saying or doing with others while watching television or film. Individual Variables Effect Gender and the area of residence are two variables on the effectiveness of product placement.American, French, and Austrian men are more likely to accept a product seen in films than women according to studies. However, another study showed that women have more positive attitudes towards placement. â€Å"On the other hand, women would be emotionally more touched th an men, by the stimuli which surrounds them, especially television programs to which they are exposed (Schwartz et al. 1980). † The area of residence is the other factor. The wealthier areas are more likely to be less favorable towards product placement because they are exposed to it more, and have become bored with the predictability of it. According to the study of Hall (2004), the percentage of consumers who said they would try a product if they saw it in a film is 53 percent in Mexico, 49 percent in Singapore, 35 percent in India, and only 26 percent in the USA and 8 percent in France. † The Effect of Specific Context Related to the Program The appreciation of an international film, and the intensity of the emotions generated by the film were the two aspects being studied in this area of research.Most of the interest was about the impact of the characteristics of the film and how they affect the audience’s cognitive reactions. Program Liking Effect Although th ere was no link found between the film’s likability and the memory of product placement in a study conducted in 1994 by Karrh, there was evidence of a link found in 2000. In that study, Blonde & Roozen (2007) found evidence of people being more likely to remember a product placed in a film they liked. International Placement and Tunisian Local ContextThe empirical validation of the conceptual framework was conducted in two stages: the qualitative analysis to select and qualify the selected film (the visual content analysis by experts), and then (2) a quantitative study which determined the impact of the contextual variables on the effectiveness of the placement of products in the film (the experiment). Selection and Analysis of Placements in an International Film: Qualitative Stage Choice of International FilmJames Bond- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) was the film chosen by a board of four experts for three reasons: it’s known for use of product placement, because the film was not created to pertain to a certain audience, and because the old exit date of the film eliminates short and medium term memorization. Quantitative Experimentation of the Selected Film The main focus was to test the effects of the exposure on the efficiency of placement, while controlling the external variables. Model and Hypothesis of MeasurementIn order to test the relationship between the variables, two things were necessary: firstly, to propose measurements of conceptual framework, and secondly, to form the hypothesis of research to be studied quantitatively. Measurement and Experimental Design The sample used in this study was composed of 150 undergraduate students whose average age ranged between 20 and 22 years old. In order to minimize sampling confound, the students were from different areas and levels of study, different income levels, and were from three different universities, each in different cities in the country.Type of Recalled Placements: Qualitative Analysis of Frequencies According to Table 2, the frequencies of recall of the product placements show that BMW stands out more than the others because it is the only audio-visual placement in the film. It was also repeated several times. Next is Ericsson, whose high scores are due to the familiarity of the brand to Tunisians. The scores may be high for Ericsson, but its rate of recall is low because of its very subtle placement in the film.According to Khalbous and Maazaul, â€Å"the qualitative analysis showed that the high scores of recall were obtained for the audio-visual placements, integrated in the scenario of film, where the brand is presented in a very visible way, accompanied by several integrated and prominent recalls of placement. These results agree results agree with the conclusions of Lehu’s study (2005), according to which the traditional criteria of the placement does not systematically guarantee the success of a placement, by enhancing the recall of the brand.It is thus necessary to consider a global approach integrating the various creative techniques of placement. † Three Things I Liked First of all, the topic was interesting to me because I can relate my own experiences to it. For instance, I have seen a few James Bond movies, and what I love mostly about them is the cars. When I think of James Bond, I think of an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, a dream car of mine only because of the film James Bond 007- Die Another Day.Obviously, the product placement caught my attention, like it did to most of the sample of college students in Africa that were being studied, and was memorable to me, since I’m still talking about it today, even though I saw the film about 5 years ago. Another thing I liked was the study about audio-visual seeming to make the biggest impact on product memorization. I agree with this conclusion because while searching for a movie clip online of my favorite moment of the James Bond 007 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, I s tumbled onto the wrong clip.I didn’t even remember the part when James Bond’s assistant introduces him to the Vanquish. Based upon research done, the article tells me why: because there was no sound to go along with it. The only part of the movie (or actually, the car) I remember was a very noisy moment full of engine revs and tire squeals. I also liked the study they did on emotion influencing memory, and agree with it also. I can remember when I saw the James Bond movie at the theater, and the feeling I had while watching James Bond drive the Aston Martin on a sheet of ice during a high-speed chase.I was scared, nervous, excited, and my adrenaline was pumping. Immediately after the scene, I turned to my boyfriend and asked â€Å"What kind of car was that? † because I knew it belonged on my dream list. To this day, when someone asks me what my dream car is, I say â€Å"An Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. † I’ve never seen the movie again, but that car, and the feeling I had when I saw it has stayed with me. A few minutes ago, when I went to YouTube and did a search for the â€Å"007 ice chase† I eventually got the right clip; the one that gave me that feeling of excitement.I was surprised, and a little disappointed that I didn’t get the same feeling. Actually, I’m thinking of changing my dream car now, because I don’t think it’s quite as attractive as I remembered it being. This raises a question that I didn’t see research done on in the article: What are the benefits of product placement in an international film vs. an international commercial. I’ve seen some pretty in-depth, action-packed car commercials, but none of them have managed to persuade me to let go of my first dream car, the Aston Martin. Why is that?Is it because there isn’t enough time for a commercial to spark that kind of height of emotion in me? Or maybe because I view commercials as being annoying (except f or Super Bowl commercials; those I like because it gives me something to look forward to during the game). Maybe it’s just the whole experience of being in a movie theater, with that special someone, and being surrounded by loud â€Å"Vrooms! †, and hearing others’ reactions to the movie that just can’t be captured by watching a commercial. I don’t know, but I think these researcher guys are onto something! What I Didn’t LikeLike I said before, I would have liked for them to compare the effect of international commercials and the effect of international films because maybe there is a way to get create enough emotion in a short 120 second commercial if it’s in a language not native to the viewers. I would also like to know about the similarities and differences between the effectiveness of product placement in an international film and one that is native if there are any. Question According to Khalbous and Maazaul, high scores of recal l of the products placed in the James Bond film were obtained for what reasons?

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Princess Elizabeth and Descartes Essay

In his book â€Å"Discourse on Method and Mediations on First Philosophy†, Descartes mentioned the composition of the body and mind. When Princess Elizabeth read his book, she had many questions to give to Descartes, especially about the mind-body interaction. She said in her letter wrote to Descartes â€Å"how the soul can determine the spirits of the body to produce voluntary actions. † (Elizabeth, 11) They wrote letter to each other to ask questions and to answer each other’s questions. As we read along the letter, we can see the questions and answers of both Elizabeth and Descartes are irresistible. Descartes pointed his theoretical points that â€Å"This ‘I’ – that is, the soul, by which I am what I am, is entirely distinct from the body; and would not fail to be what it is even if the body did not exist. † (Descartes) In his explanation, Descartes believed that mind and body are all together. When the mind thinks, it makes the soul reacts as its thought. That is why the theory enters society â€Å"I think; therefore, I am. † (Descartes) After reading that theory, Elizabeth responded that â€Å"I beseech you tell me how the soul of man (since it is but a thinking substance) can determine the spirits of the body to produce voluntary actions. (Elizabeth, 11) She was questioning about how the mind-body can work together and act voluntarily, according to Descartes’s theoretical point. She also explained how she comes up with this question â€Å"You entirely exclude extension from your notion of the soul, and contact seems to me incompatible with an immaterial thing. That is why I ask of you a definition of the soul more particular than in your metaphysics – that is to say, for a definition of the substance separate from its action, thought. (Elizabeth, 12) Then, on May 21, 1643, Descartes wrote back to her to answer her question that he found three â€Å"primitive notions† which can answer her question. The first thing he mentioned was the body. He said that the body is the only notion of extension â€Å"which refer to everything we can conceive. † (Descartes, 13) Secondly, he referred to the soul which â€Å"are comprised the perceptions of the understanding and the inclinations of the will. † (Descartes, 13) Lastly, he mentioned the soul and the body when it goes together. He said â€Å"the force f the soul for moving the body, and of the body for acting upon the soul by causing its feelings and passions. † (Descartes, 13) Descartes gave three â€Å"primitive notions†: body, soul, body and soul in his explanation of dualism. He said that the soul is responsible for understanding the will and the force of the soul will cause the body to act since the body can conceive everything. Notwithstanding, Elizabeth responded that â€Å"†¦it would be easier for me to concede matter and extension to the soul, than the capacity of moving a body and of being moved, to an immaterial being. For the first occurred through ‘information’, the spirits that perform the movement would have been intelligent, which you accord nothing corporeal. And though in your metaphysical meditations you show the possibility of the second, it is, however, very difficult to comprehend that a soul, as you have described it, after having had the faculty and habit of reasoning well, can lose all of it on account of some vapors†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Elizabeth, 16) In general, the entire conversation between Descartes and Princess Elizabeth is talking about the mind-body dualism. Princess Elizabeth keeps asking question about the mind and body correspondence no matter how Descartes tried to explain. For her question to Descartes, Descartes explained by listing three â€Å"primitive notions†: soul, body, soul-body; but it still does not make Princess Elizabeth fully satisfy. In my opinion, Descartes’s answer for Princess Elizabeth’s question is adequate. He explained the mind-body correspondence clearly through his theoretical point of â€Å"primitive notions† of soul, body and soul-body. Each of them has their own part in making the body to produce voluntary actions. In his explanation, he said that the body can conceive everything and the soul comprehends things to make the body reacts. I think it makes sense. Our body is the combination between mind and body. Without the thinking and understanding of the soul, the body cannot perform and vice versa. Mind-body is a perfect combination to create human and their sensation. Thus, his point of view â€Å"I think; therefore, I am† is a perfect answer for Elizabeth’s question. Because of the thinking mind, the body can perform what the mind is thinking. On the other hand, if the body does not conceive what it sees, the mind cannot control the body to act. Both of them have to co-ordinate with each other to construct sensation; and from sensation, it constructs human with action. Not only that, the combination of mind and body is helping people to differentiate the right and the wrong.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Intrest throughout the three stories Essay

Sherlock Holmes is the main character in the story, as in all the Sherlock Holmes stories. He is a very proper and intelligent man with an extraordinary gift. He is Observant and analytical person and can obtain a large amount of information from a small amount of clues, which most others would overlook. From early on in the story Holmes does not hesitate to show off his detective skills when he meats Helen Stoner: â€Å"You have come in by train this morning, I see. I observe the second half of a return ticket in the palm of marks are perfectly fresh. There is no vehicle save a dog-cart which throws up mud in that way, and then only when you sit on the left-hand side of the driver†. This shows that Holmes considers these observations to be trivial, and that they do not stretch his talent whatsoever. Doctor Watson is Holmes’ assistant. He is a fully qualified doctor and so a clever man, but next to Holmes he often comes across as a clumsy, less intelligent person. This contrast makes Holmes and Watson an interesting duo to read about. Watson is used for occasional humour during the story. It is very apparent that Watson admires Holmes: â€Å"I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in his professional investigations and admiring his rapid deductions†. Finally, Conan-Doyle uses Watson to put forward questions and opinions, which the reader may be thinking of. Holmes never openly rejects these opinions, but nor does he accept them or answer Watson’s questions clearly. This creates red herrings, which ensure that the outcome of the story remains a mystery to the reader. Helen Stoner, the lady that has come to Holmes for help, is portrayed in this story as the ‘damsel in distress’. She is in desperate need of assistance and has no one else to turn to. Whilst Helen is trying to explain her predicament to Holmes, He is very calm and collective and does not let her tell the story in full immediately; he frequently asks for details or interrupts Helen. This keeps the reader interested because he or she is eager to learn the story. Holmes’ attitude towards Helen reflects the time the story was written in. Holmes is very sympathetic and gentlemanly towards Helen: â€Å"‘you must not fear,’ said he soothingly, bending forward and patting her forearm. ‘We shall soon set matters right, I have no doubt'†. Holmes is not being sexist in his assumption that Helen is helpless and afraid, he is merely showing the attitude towards women that was shared by most men at that time. Holmes knows that Helen needs help from someone who is reassuring and confident. Roylott is Helen’s stepfather. Roylott is an aggressive, violent character who threatens Holmes by bending his poker. Roylott is the prime suspect in the story for the reader, because the death of his stepdaughters would mean he would receive their inheritance. Throughout the story, Conan-Doyle gives several clues as to the outcome of the mystery. Firstly, when Helen is telling her story from the beginning, the reader learns that Roylott, who would inherit an amount of money in the case of the two sisters’ deaths, is a short-tempered, dangerous man who has a history of violence: â€Å"There was a series of disgraceful quarrels and brawls with anyone giving him the least offence†. These clues make Roylott the prime suspect for the death of Julia Stoner. Secondly, although it leaves many questions unanswered, Helen reveals that Julia’s last words were: â€Å"Helen! It was the band! The Speckled band! â€Å". It turns out that she was describing the snake that bit her. Finally, there are several important clues given in Helen’s bedroom, next to Roylott’s room, before the plot is unfolded. Above Helen’s bed, which is fixed to the floor, is a bell rope that does not work, and a ventilator. The ventilator is in a very strange place: the dividing wall between the two rooms. It turns out that these features were to allow the snake to get to Helen. Such clues were intended to intrigue the reader and hint to the reader, giving them a chance to work the mystery out for themselves. These clues are typical of the mystery genre. There are also several red herrings in the story, for example, the gypsies living in the grounds: â€Å"It must have been those wretched gypsies in the plantation†. These points are irrelevant but raise questions in the mind of the reader, making them want to read on. Conan-Doyle also uses tension to keep the reader interested. When Holmes and Watson are waiting for the snake to arrive in Helen’s room, they are in darkness and speak in whispers. Holmes makes it clear to Watson that they are in considerable danger and must not get caught. Conan-Doyle also uses language techniques such as shorter sentences to achieve this tension. At the end of the story, as was common in stories of this genre, Holmes gives an explanation of the crime for the benefit of the reader. ‘The Devil’s Foot’ is similar to ‘The Speckled Band’ in that from the start there is a character that we have reason to suspect: Mortimer. At first, Mortimer does not seem to be as vicious an enemy as Roylott, as was common in the time the story was written, but several clues unearthed by Holmes point the finger at him. The murder in this case is also similar to the murder in ‘The Speckled Band’. It is a very horrific and mysterious murder that some in the story believe to be of a supernatural nature. Murders like this were often present in stories of this time and genre and were designed to fascinate and shock the reader. Holmes, however, says: â€Å"if it is beyond this world then it is certainly beyond me†. This makes the reader believe that there must be a logical or scientific explanation. The crime is again solved by Holmes, who solves the mystery by noticing small clues and gathering information, in this case, noticing the link of combustible powder between the two rooms in which the murders took place. To support his idea of this powder being the cause of the deaths, Holmes puts his life on the line and tries it on himself. This eccentricity and willingness to go so far to solve a crime makes Holmes all the more interesting and unusual to the reader.