Ranch Girl by Maile Meloy from Contemporary American Short Fiction

The story is told in second person, which gives the reader a sense of being in the story, at the same time being an observer. It begins with telling you where you stand in the socio-economics’ and in the eyes of your peers. â€Å"If you’re white, and you’re not rich or poor but somewhere in the middle, it’s hard to have worse luck than be born a girl on the Ranch. It doesn’t matter if your father is the foreman or the rancher – you’re still a ranch girl, and you’ve been dealt a bad hand. † (551) The story goes on, telling you where you where you live on the Ranch, who your father is (the foreman on Ted Haskell’s Running H cattle Ranch) and how you keep your room still decorated from when you were ten. You never have friends over, so you can keep your room that way. You never have friends over because no one wants to come over to a Ranch girl’s house. The second person point of view pangs at the readers emotions. You feel the hunger for attention and flush it creates when Andy Tyler flirts with you. The author re-creates the feelings of a teenage girl, somewhere on the cusp of popularity, in such a way it is almost impossible not to get caught up with the story. I was never a Ranch girl, but when reading the story I felt akin to the feelings of the narrator. The experiences described are vastly different from any of my own child/young adulthood but the universal truths laid out are the same with any person. The narrator has fallen in love with a boy from the rodeo. She goes and watches him fight every Friday. She s sixteen and the Ranchers daughter, Carla, and her curls they hair into perfect ringlets. Trying to catch Andy’s eye. When he gets up from fighting, he asks her to give him a rainbow and she twirls her rainbow gloved hand around his face. The narrator wants to marry Andy Tyler. The blushing hope of picking out her future husband harks back the authors understanding of a young girl. â€Å"Virginity is as important to rodeo boys as to Catholics, and you don’t go home and fuck Andy Tyler because when you finally get him, you want to keep him. But you like his asking. Some nights, he doesn’t ask. Some nights, Lacey Estrada climbs into Andy’s truck, dark hair bouncing in soft curls on her shoulders, and moves close to Andy on the front seat as they drive away†¦. But cowboys are romantics; when they settle down they want the girl they haven’t fucked. † (553) The narrator doesn’t feel too jealous of Lacey Estrada because she knows that Andy is like every other rodeo boy. He won’t marry a girl who he (or anyone else) has fucked. This statement is then contested after Andy Tyler dies in an accident. The paper announces in Andy Tyler’s obituary that he was engaged to Lacey Estrada. When reading this, the author goes on to detail the narrators feelings that you can almost taste the salt tears from being hurt. â€Å"Andy’s obituary says he was engaged to Lacey Estrada, which only Lacey or doctor father could have put in. If you had the guts you’d buy every paper in town and burn them outside that big white house where Lacey took him home and fucked him. Then Lacey shows up on the Hill with an engagement ring and gives you a sad smile as if you shared something. If you were one of the girls who gets in fights on the Hill, you’d fight Lacey. But you don’t; you look away† (556) I think putting this piece into second person was an excellent choice. If the piece were in first person, it might have been too emotionally sentimental, or with too much angst. If the piece was in third, it might not have been able to capture the vulnerability of the narrator. The narrator shuts down after Andy’s death, although it might be because of his death she has more options than if he had been alive. The narrator feels cheated, alone since he died, but she continued through high school where her science teachers (who saw through her ignorant facade) encouraged and bothered her to go to college. In the first course in college, the professor accuses her of plagiarism because she can write. The feelings of frustration and anger, feeling cheated out of a life with Andy to be left alone. The narrator feels the expectations of others enshrouding her, something that would not have been if Andy Tyler had not died in that car crash. â€Å"You are so lucky to have a degree and no kid,† Carla says, â€Å"You can still leave. † (558). The narrator has the world around her telling her how she can still leave, how she has nothing to tie her to the Ranch, or to Montana anymore. She can go. â€Å"But none of these things seem real; what’s real is the payments on your car and your mom’s crazy horses, the feel of the ranch road as you can drive blindfolded and the smell of the hay†¦. But out there in there world you get old. You don’t get old here. Here you can always be a Ranch girl. † (558) The tangible things that tie someone to a place has nothing on the emotional ties. Andy Tyler might have died and left her alone, but he still ties her to the Ranch by his memory. The stolen life taken by a drunk driver took not only Andy Tyler, but also the narrators by taking him from her. She wastes her potential by pining and mourning someone she should have moved on from years ago. The sad desperation is clear in the description, in how the author portrayed the narrator through the second person point of view. The narrator comes off much more sympathetic and her motives are clearly understandable through the second person point of view. I don’t think that any other point of view could have given such a clear view of the narrator life.

“Allegory of the Cave” Analysis Essay

The Allegory of the cave is an allegory written by Plato with the purpose to represent the way a philosopher gains knowledge. This allegory is a fictional dialogue between Socrates and Glaucon, where Socrates compares the issues appearance vs. reality, education vs. ignorance. There are two types of knowledge represented in this allegory, the one that is told and expected to be believed and accepted; and the one that is learned by a person’s own experiences through life. The writing is organized in a way in which the author tells a story in a sequence of logical events that makes the reader understand better. It wasn’t really clear for me the way he described the scene metaphorically and it was difficult to visualize the scenario to realize the purpose behind it because of the rarity of it. That’s why I went through it so many times, but once I was able to understand what was going on and where the point was, I could see that the way he explained and the fanciful evidence he used was very strong. Plato writes about Socrates describing a scene where there are chained people in a dark cave. They have been there since their childhood and they can barely move their heads. Behind them, at the distance, there is a blazing fire, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a wall meant for objects to pass. Because of their limited vision (lack of movement), those men can only see their own shadow and the shadow of different sculptures that pass over the wall, which are carried by other men they can’t see. One of those prisoners is released and starts walking around the cave. He is very confused by what he sees but finally he realizes that the shadows are just a representation of what is really there. The prisoner is forced to go out of the cave, his eyes begin to adjust to the sun light, and he can’t look at anything more than shadows. Accustomed to the light, he begins to see other objects like trees, flowers and houses; and he realizes that the perspective he had about the world was completely different from what it really is. Finally the prisoner comes back to the cave to convince the others about the existence of the things he saw. Accustomed to sunlight, he sees blurry shadows, making others laugh, and they would remark that it would have been better, if he had stayed in the cave, and if someone tries to release another prisoner, that person should be caught and put to death. Plato’s main idea is to reflect the different stages and the process  of education, how a philosopher can reach the top and become enlightened. In this allegory the chained men symbolize the most erroneous and ignorant people. The released prisoner who confuses fake objects and the fire with reality, and has not even left the cave, symbolizes those people who feel awkward about the process of knowledge and who are not ready to confront it. The released prisoner that comes out of the cave and tends to return, represents the man accustomed to the error, who doesn’t recognize the truth even when it is in front of him, and is afraid to leave their past views. When he comes out, and he only sees the shadows and the reflections of natural things, those actions symbolize the process of adaptation and preparation. The final process, where he becomes enlightened, is represented when the now ex-prisoner is able to reason the Sun as the cause of all things. Returning to the subject of the types of knowledge, these two ways of thinking referred to by Plato represent two completely different aspects of us. That kind of knowledge where the person’s belief is based on what he/she can see or hear due to his/her lack of education is evident when the people in the cave see the images on the cave wall created by the puppets and figures with the fire and hear the echoes. These people would label things as reality solely because they believe what they are being told. This type of knowledge is based on â€Å"truths† without any type of personal connection. The second type of knowledge, which is based more on learned life experiences, is evident in the released prisoner who discovers the real world through his own experience. Another important point about the allegory is the uses of certain wor ds which have a particular meaning in the story, making the reader push themselves to understand the greater meaning behind his words. Some of those words are shadow, cave, fire, prisoners, voices and light. The word prisoner refers to ourselves, arguing that we are prisoners of our own beliefs. The cave is the virtual prison made by ourselves because of the ignorance behind our minds. The word shadow, represents an illusion of reality, a false vision of the truth, are those false ideas created by the lack of knowledge that people live by in this world. The fire, in my opinion, is what produces the false reality or world of appearances. The voices represent the authority; those things we believe are true just because someone told us, like a teacher in a classroom, the government in a country, your parents at home, etc. Finally  the word light or the Sun, used to represent the ultimate truth, the answers found to those erroneous beliefs that you thought were true. I completely agree with Plato and I think we can apply this logic to many equations we face in life as intelligent, moral and empathetic people. I learned that people see reality as the visible world when reality really is more than the visible world. This text helped to push me along the way because it is directly related with college life, where a successful student is the one who considers that his/her mission is questioning and challenging the authenticity of those things that we believe are true.

Linux Hw

What kind of server repond to recursive queries ? how does this server work ? A DNS servers that is setup with to preform recursive queries or an SQL server What kind of dns record is likely to be returned when a web browser tries to resolve the domain part uri? An A (address) record points to a domain. What are mx resource records for? identifies the email servers for a domain How would you find the ip address of example. com from the command line? $ hostname example. com or $ dig example. comHow would you instruct a linux system to use the local network? Dns cache located at 192. 168. 1. 254 or the isp’s Dns cache ,located at 1. 2. 3. 4, if lan nameserver is unavailable ? Tree files to check on. etc man host. conf will tell you about the order option etc Is for static dns resolve etc the file for all your dns needs then edit: /etc/resolv. conf add the following: nameserver 192. 168. 1. 254 nameserver 1. 2. 3. 4 How would you instruct a Dns server response only to queries fro m the 137. 4*ip range Add the following line to the Options section in /etc/named. conf: allow-query { 137. 44. 0. 0/24 }; How might a resolver attempt to find the ipaddress of the example domain A resolver will append several different domains to an unqualified Domain Name producing FQDNS that passes them one at a time. How would you set up a private domain name hierarchy that does not include any of the official interNIC assigned domain names ? Set up a DNS cache that defines the zone . (period) clause explicitly, rather than relying on the hint file.

Global water crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global water crisis - Research Paper Example For purposes of this particular study, the author will seek to discuss some of the triggers of the global water crisis that is currently taking place, the means by which this crisis impacts upon the economically disadvantaged, sick, and poverty stricken to a disproportional degree, and some of the most promising solutions as they exists within the modern technologically developing world. As such, certain cases will be analyzed under the lens of two possible scenarios for leveraging water resources within areas around the globe within the next 50 years. In such a way, by analyzing the two means by which a high level of fresh water resources can be procured, it is the hope of this student that such a recommendation and approach can help to both inform policy makers within the government, society, and industry with the ways that current changes to extant realities can positively impact upon the future of these regions. Although it may seem convenient to approach the water resource short age from purely a regional perspective, the fact of the matter is that water shortages, as well as the overall purity of these water resources, is an issue that globally effects 780 million people (Ellis, 2011). As has briefly been discussed within the introduction and regional information overview, two factors that continue to have a profound and noticeable effect on the existence of water shortage issues is the growth of the world’s population in tandem with the changes to precipitation that global climate change have affected. Due to the fact that many previously populated regions of the world have experienced a great degree of desertification, the extent to which the natural environment can continue to provide the ever increasing demands of the native population comes into question (Kishore, 2013). Environmentalists and researchers are in agreement that unless fundamental changes are made with regards to the way the world’s water resources are utilized, within the next few decades the access to water will become a far greater issue than it is currently. Besides the rapid growth in human population, the rise in industrialization and the means by which the developing world is rapidly seeking to integrate with the global economy by supplying consumer goods to the developed world can be seen as one of the primary issues that trigger some of the global water shortages that are exhibited within the current time (Hull, 2009). Ultimately, industrialization is not only a polluting process but one that utilizes high levels of steam or water power as both a means to cool the process and machinery of production and as a type of power to drive it. Moreover, in poorer regions of the developing world, non-technologically advanced farming methods see millions of gallons of irrigation water squandered while entire regions go without basic potable water needs. Similarly, the actual size of most water supplies around the world has shrunk as a result of climate change and the ones that are remaining have oftentimes been tainted by pollution; so much so that entire populations that had previously had ready access to potable and sustainable levels of drinking water find themselves in a water shortage and/or water crisis within the current time. Due to the fact that the resource of water is the very fundamental building block of all forms of biological life on planet earth, it is of vital and daily importance to

Does Proper Education On Pros And Cons Of Neonatal Circumcision Help Research Paper

Does Proper Education On Pros And Cons Of Neonatal Circumcision Help Parents Make A Better Decision On The Procedure - Research Paper Example In the United States, more than half of newborn male babies are circumcised although the numbers have been dwindling in current times (Androus, 2011). Notably, there are no religious or medical reasons compelling the parents who circumcise their male babies to do so, implying these circumcisions are nonmedical and non-religious. Whether there should be educational programs guide parents on neonatal circumcision and its benefits and cons has been the subject of heated debates in the health sector and the public sphere for quite some time pitting the opponents and the proponents of education on neonatal circumcision against each other. While some support neonatal circumcision as good for newborns’ health, others oppose it, making parents even more confused about the procedure. They hence make decisions on neonatal circumcision based on what their friends and relatives feel, think, and say. That is, their decision is not influenced by well-informed expert opinion; rather, it is t he emotionality with which their friends and relatives advise them that determines their decision (Aston, 2002). For parents to have a good understanding and perception of neonatal circumcision and its pros and cons and to make the right decisions, education and other awareness programs are highly recommended (Aston, 2002). That neonatal circumcision has become a rather controversial and fiercely debated health and social issue is evident in the many literary works that research and publish on neonatal circumcision. Literature Review A quick review of literatures available on neonatal circumcision and circumcision in general reveals that both the pros and cons of neonatal circumcision have been covered in equal measures. Specifically, a lot of literatures covering the pros and cons of neonatal circumcision touch on its health care implications. There are several advantages newborn male babies and their parents could derive from neonatal circumcision. First, neonatal circumcision is an easier procedure compared to later life circumcision since the circumcised penis is allegedly easier to care for in early stages of growth and development. Second, circumcised babies report less incidences of urinary tract infections compared to uncircumcised children. The other general benefits of circumcised penis are greater extent of protection against sexually-transmitted diseases, penile cancer, and future complications such as failure to retract the foreskin and tight foreskin (Cheng et al., 2006). Literatures also cover the cons of neonatal circumcision for which mothers should not circumcise newborn babies. These disadvantages include infections, excessive bleeding during the procedure, and accidental snipping of the glans or disproportional cutting of the foreskin so that it becomes either quite long or short. There could also be complications such as penile adhesions, scars, and tags that may necessitate surgery in future. Newborn male babies may also react adversely t o anesthetic medications used in neonatal circumcision procedures. Removing the foreskin could also make these babies’ private parts prone to stresses and friction as the glans would not be shielded from friction from clothing and kept moist and sensitive (Cheng et al., 2006). As mentioned earlier, opinions vary on the pros and cons of neonatal circumcision and it is imperative that parents seek divergent opinions on the matter before authorizing its performance on their newborns (Cheng et al., 20

Authentic learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Authentic learning - Essay Example In many cases authentic learning incorporates a multiplicity of styles that are basically meant to enhance the quality of the learning process (Herrington & Herrington, 2006). The learning environment in authentic learning stretches beyond the classroom to include other aspects of learning that may lie beyond the school compound to the wider community. The resources of the learning process are obtained both from the school and the community around where the authentic learning takes place (Herrington, Reeves & Oliver, 2010). The students often engage in social discourses in order to make it possible for the learning process to proceed in a manner that is both resourceful and meaningful within the understanding of knowledge development. Studies on the effectiveness of authentic learning have argued that it enhances the process of cognitive development more than the traditional learning systems. The learning process is distinguished through a hands-on approach. This approach allows the students to participate in the learning process in a manner that is consistent with the need to develop a learner-centered strategy. One characteristic of authentic learning system is that it allows students to develop products that are meant for the benefit of a real audience (Mishan, 2004). For example students in a history may make use of authentic learning by developing an oral product that narrates some details of the learning product. The importance of authentic learning revolves around the aspect of the development of the learning process. It might be argued that the process of cognitive development is largely controlled by a combination of different experiences. Authentic learning usually involves the processing of knowledge from factors that are determined by the society and other forces often included within the element of learning. It might be argued that learning in such situations often involves a combination of social, individual and academic factors. A concise underst anding of the authentic learning process must begin with an appreciation of some of the factors that relate to the aspect of social development. Precisely, theories that emphasize on the social dimension of the learning process have been used to develop structures on which authentic learning takes place. The curriculum that supports authentic learning must involve some specific structures and operational mechanics that foster the element of social interactions throughout the learning process (Magliaro, Lockee & Burton, 2005). This kind of learning is results-oriented and tailored on specific needs of the society. In usual cases learning takes place within an open environment that allows for flexible participation of students in group activities. The goal of authentic learning is to develop a body of knowledge and skills that is responsive to the actual needs of the society. It derives from the philosophy that knowledge must address the needs of the society. It is precisely because o f this factor that it departs from the tradition of abstract learning. Authentic Learning Experience Plan Brief guided interactive discussion on authentic learning and behaviorism theory of learning, (10 minutes). Questions to be administered (10 minutes) 1. Apart from chalk and the writing board,

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 41

Case study - Essay Example For Virgin Company, the major resource is Richard, its founder. He portrays strong leadership which very important in developing new capabilities for the company. His carefree adventure and entrepreneurial skills helped him in coming up and implementing his new business ideas. He is very aggressive leader and his devotion to business has resulted in the establishment of other Virgin Companies such as Virgin Cola, Virgin Rail, and Virgin Record and Virgin Atlantics. His leadership role has enabled him to establish a strong corporate culture and also promote the image of the company and the spirit of entrepreneurship. He believes in doing things differently and thus does not advocate for bureaucracy and thus he has become more strategic and charismatic leader and his business dream have been the force behind the success of the Virgin companies (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2010:344). Virgin brand is also another major link (Enz, 2010:345). The names of the brands and the trade marks acts as reputation assets. With the brand the group has been able to create other companies with similar quality since the Virgin brand has instilled confidence in customers (Thorne and Pellant, 2007:234). The brand gives the firm, its competitive advantage in the market and thus helps a lot in safeguarding and attracting a new market share for the company. The companies have also got enough investments and working capital. Richard Branson ensures that all the companies are well funded and the proceeds from one company may be used to invest in another company. This was the case in 1992 when a Virgin record was sold to EMI and the funds realized was used in Virgin Atlantic. This helps to ensure that all the companies are running and thus offering the best opportunities for growth (Plunkett, 2009b:34) Virgin Companies in its growth strategy have diversified into several business

Book report on The Beauty Myth Naomi Wolf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Book report on The Beauty Myth Naomi Wolf - Essay Example The transition from the stereotypical housewife to the news making beauty myth has resulted in lessening the status. Being beautiful as well as not, pose problems. For instance, at work, beautiful women are often mistaken as incompetent. They suffer from the discrimination that they are merely pretty and not good enough for work. If the women are not beautiful they are looked down as diffident and inactive. If a woman is harassed, that is again due to her beauty. Women are caught up in something like a catch22 situation. There are a lot of fashion magazines on demand. They all tell us how to be beautiful and why and when and lots more. It is meant to shape our lives. It gives us information on a wide range of beauty products and puts us into buying them. These magazines make us feel inferior about our looks. They pressurize us intensely and they win in getting the women with big pockets spend and thrive on the products. There was a time when everyone wanted to achieve spiritual salvation- when the Ultimate was the quest for moral principles and values. It has changed. The beauty myth has changed women to search for beauty salvation instead. Now all they want is to be thin and beautiful and thereby to attain salvation. Sexual relations with partner are highly affected by the myths. Sex needs freedom of expression and comfortable styles of doing. Our women are too much engaged in their looks and this has made them unnecessarily self-conscious and this, inurn, affects sex adversely. The women are made tenuous in their relationships and they develop poor self-esteem. No man wants to be an admirer of beauty all the time. He wants and expects a partner in himself and his woman. I should admit that Anorexia and Bulimia have become favorites of the beauty industry. It cannot be helped. How willingly women go hungry for days! If not going on hunger, it is lesser calorie intake. They

Group Counseling in Elementary Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Group Counseling in Elementary Schools - Essay Example Due to this legislation school counselors are being expected to contribute more towards the academic achievements of their student body (Brigman & Campbell, 2003). The following paper aims to inform the reader about two interventions that are currently used as part of school-based group counseling. First, a brief outline of the purpose behind group counseling for elementary students shall be provided. Second two group counseling intervention activities shall be presented. Next, an outline of ethical and best practice principles shall be identified that align with a learner-centered approach to group counseling. Finally, a conclusion shall summarize the key themes of this paper. Group counseling within the elementary environment has more recently taken on a learner-centered approach to school counseling (Stroh & Sink, 2002). Recent changes to education legislation emphasize a focus on student academic achievements (Brigman & Campbell, 2003). ... School-based group counseling is proving to be an effective intervention for positive change in student behavior (Schechtman, 2002). Group counseling intervention activities may be centered around a diverse range of topics, such as friendship and social skills study, anti-bullying, organizational skills development, building self-esteem, changes to family dynamics and grief, just to name a few (Schechtman, 2002) .Group counseling has been found to significantly reduce rates of acting-out behavior in elementary students considered to be at risk (Stroh & Strike, 2002). Interventions that have included group counseling have also been found to be beneficial at improving overall behavioral adjustment of elementary students (Stroh & Strike, 2002). The use of small group counseling interventions have been found to positively affect the racial attitudes of elementary students (Stroh & Strike, 2002), as well as increase scores on measures of self-concept amongst school aged children (McGannon , Casey, & Dimmitt, 2005). In 2002 Chemtob, Nakashima and Hamada conducted a community wide school-based study of elementary students with ongoing disaster-related trauma two years after Hurricane Iniki. The sample was comprised of 2 358 children in grades 2-6 on the island of Kauai. There were 248 children who rated highest on scores of psychological trauma. Children awaiting treatment comprised the waiting-list control group. The other children were randomly assigned to either the individual or group counseling treatment. Following four treatment sessions there was a significant reduction in self-reports of trauma-related symptoms as compared to the waiting list group. Although,

Discussion About GMO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Discussion About GMO - Essay Example In fact, it is estimated by analysts that approximately 70% of all processed foods in restaurants and supermarkets are genetically modified. While this technology can aid in crop production, in the agricultural sector, as well as increasing food nutrients, reducing pollution, slowing the ripening process, and creating pharmaceutical products, it should be controlled strictly; it has the ability to create superweeds, induce allergic responses, create genetic pollution, and pose health risks to humans and wild species. Therefore, genetically modified organisms need to be controlled stringently since they have detrimental effects on humans and the environment. GMO Foods are Unsafe GMO’s promote high health risk problems to the consumer. Even though regulation can be done, through research, to make sure they are safe, for some reason, GMOs are not regulated or tested adequately (Somerville, 2010). These tests, primarily, need strict procedures, guidelines, and duration for them to be effective. The real problem has to do with the submission procedure rather than the scientific procedure. This leads to tens of thousands of submissions to government agencies annually for approval to sell the GMOs. Because of the endless information provided to the agencies, the agencies simply go through the submissions and, sans detailed examination, scrutiny, or study, endorse them. The net result of this is that companies like Monsanto keep submitting data and research, and the government keeps approving them. Another problem with systems of safety regulation is the fact that employees at companies and regulatory agencies are the same (Somerville, 2010). For instance, Michael Friedman, who is the former acting commissioner of the FDA, is now senior VP at G.D. Searle & Co., which is a division of Monsanto. Hence, there is inadequate regulation of GMOs, despite their potentially negative impacts on the environment and human health. In addition, genetically modified organisms can lead to allergic responses in various individuals because of allergens found in the organisms. These reactions normally happen when the immune system of humans interprets them as offensive and invasive and react accordingly (Somerville, 2010). While this does not occur often, allergic reactions may be dangerous, in some cases, even fatal. Some studies have indicated that genetically modified organisms provoke reactions of the immune system. For example, rats that are given corn genetically engineered at Monsanto suffer from a significant rise in leukocytes, meaning that they undergo an abnormal activation of their immune system. To add to this experiment, it has also been proven scientifically that soybeans that are genetically modified have more allergens than the wild species (Somerville, 2010). One soy allergen known as Trypsin inhibitor is at levels that are seven times higher than in the wild species. The situation can be worsened if individuals do not know that their aller gic responses are caused by these GMOs after they eat them, which makes it difficult for doctors to diagnose the real cause because the allergens are not easily detectable in GMOs. GMOs are Costly Socio-economically There is an economic imbalance between producers, marketed foods, and large industrial corporations.

Business Context and Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Context and Operations - Essay Example Convenience food business is increasingly growing as this helps the nutrition needs of busy career bodies. HCF’s supply chain has to meet the growing demands of the consuming public. Some suppliers did not meet schedules, so HCF has to apply innovations in supply chain by introducing in-house manufacturing of a special kind of sauce. This paper will talk about operations management and supply chain relations. Introduction Consumption of chilled food is increasing in many parts of the world. One of the main reasons for this is convenience; chilled foods are convenient to prepare. Hadrian’s Country Foods (HCF) started by supplying chilled foods to family and friends. HCF’s founder, Dr. Andrew Smith, saw the need for chilled foods with nutritious ingredients. As the company grew, it started to meet numerous problems and challenges in management and supply chain. HCF must introduce an effective supply chain and operational management. Products have to be consistent w ith new lifestyles and new product innovation (NPD) must meet consumer demands. HCF has to improve its operations in delivery of products and services to improve supply chain relationships. Task 1 HCF’s Operations Management Operations management is transforming inputs into outputs, or the production capability of the firm. In terms of quality, operations management focuses on internal activities of the firm, such as ‘process control, process improvement, product design improvement, and design of experiments’ (Foster et al. 2011, p. 2286). HCF receives ingredients from its suppliers, transforms the inputs into products, and makes the supply chain moving until the product reaches the retailers (the supermarkets) and end users. The company has to introduce innovations and create new menus with ingredients that boast the health of consumers and meet the delicate taste of consumers. Improvement of processing operations must consider how it can enhance operational per formance to satisfy customers. HCF has two kinds of market: B2B and B2C markets. Challenges and Opportunities Product innovation must be continuously introduced because of competition. The company has to stimulate the market with its diverse chilled foods and introduce new delicious menus to meet consumers’ demands and taste. Products have to be consistent with new lifestyles and new product development must provide customer satisfaction. HCF has to conduct regular research and development as a regular activity and a focus for R&D should be how to reduce operational costs. R&D can experiment on new health foods as competition is growing in the food industry. Innovative ways of reducing costs can be discovered. For example, packaging is significant in reducing operating costs. An example of effective packaging for food items is ‘combined transit and point-of-sale packaging’ which saves labour time through faster shelf loading and easy access to product and uses le sser resources. The total distribution cost influences the demand side as this affects price. For some fast-moving commodity like chilled foods, the cost of distribution and retail selling affect the total product cost which represents about 50 percent of the product price (Coles 2003). Reducing costs, especially in distribution, attracts retailers like supermarkets. Information technology (IT) application to shorten workload is another opportunity to improve production and distribution. IT can enhance the â€Å"

Personal experiences Essay Example for Free

Personal experiences Essay My life is one that is full of trivialities. Of course every one has been through hard times but I believe my case is on a different level. However, I am proud to say that my determination led me to overcome life’s obstacles. It all started when I was still in grade school. I have always taken a liking to sports. Even as a girl, I am the sporty type. Whenever there are sports fests, you can always count me in. I wanted it to last forever until I was diagnosed with a heart disease called ‘supraventricular tachycardia’. It’s like all my dreams ended when the doctor explained everything to me. My illness prevented me from engaging in any more sporting activities since my heart since will beat too fast causing me to have breath shortness, chest pains, and dizziness. In extreme situations, it may even cause me to lose consciousness. While it is good that my illness is not life threatening, it did prevent me from doing something that I really love, and this is participating in sports. As I can get stubborn sometimes, I insisted to participate in a badminton tournament in Vancouver. Everything seemed okay as I managed to reach the championships without any trouble despite my medical condition. I thought everything would go well until everything went blank. I woke up in the hospital bed and the last thing I remember was my chest throbbing loudly as I am preparing to hit the shuttle cock quickly coming towards me. My parents told me that I fainted during the championship match. I thought my medical condition would not prevent me from doing what I like. Initially, I thought that this would not be a hindrance but now, I am starting to realize that I may be wrong and I will forever be procrastinated in the world of sports. In spite of these trivialities, a small glinting ray of hope remains inside of me. I believe that I would again see myself in a badminton court filled with spectators in a championship match against the best in the district. My life has never been the same after these events. School became difficult. I could not face everything in a steadfast manner just like I used to. Everything was falling apart since I was restricted from doing the things I want to do. I later found myself in a state of depression and anxiety which resulted in me performing poorly in school. My parents got extremely worried but even as I do not want them to worry, I cannot pretend that everything is all right when it is not. Everything in my life is in shambles until that day, that very special day. I, with my mother, went on my regular visit with our family doctor and the doctor reported that my condition is getting better. Then out of nowhere, the doctor uttered, â€Å"I have a colleague who might be able to cure you. † I just replied with a smile but the small glinting ray of hope inside me sparked brighter. If this treatment becomes successful, then my limitations would be gone and I can again participate in sports. Time came for my surgery, I was excited yet anxious. As I lie down on the operating table, I’m thinking, â€Å"After this, I can go and claim that badminton championship title that should have been mine a few years back. † The anaesthetics were injected and I slowly fall in a deep slumber. The next thing I know, I was greeted by my mother in the hospital bed a few hours after the operation. I asked, â€Å"How’d it go? † â€Å"It went fine dear,† my mother responded. â€Å"Can I play badminton again? â€Å"We’ll have to wait for the doctor’s confirmation on that. You just rest for now,† she smiled while exuding a calm aura. The next thing I know, it was like the scene from a few years back. I am in a badminton court filled with spectators. It is the championship match and my opponent is in front of me. I see the shuttle cock coming quickly towards me. This time, I didn’t wake up in the hospital bed. I returned the shuttle cock to the other side of the court just like how a real pro would do it. I emerged victorious and as I hold the trophy, I am thankful that I did not lose hope. Even as I have experienced trivialities that would convince other people to give up, I did not give up all hope until the perfect opportunity came for me. Since then, everything has been in order. I can participate in sports all I want and my studies are now doing well. My next goal is to get a degree in the school that I want all the while participating in sporting competitions. I am proud to say that despite being down at some point, I never lost sight of my goals. Even as health became an issue I still tried to go for it. And even as I have failed the first time, I waited for an opportunity to go at it again.

The Society Of The Spectacle Media Essay

The Society Of The Spectacle Media Essay Society of the Spectacle written by Guy Debord and published in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam war argues that the world has been overtaken by the notion of spectacle. Debord describes what the spectacle comprises of (in several numbered paragraphs); he says that, In societies dominated by modern conditions of production, life is presented as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has receded into a representation. (#1) Debord is stating that life in the modern age has become fixated on reality as representation (i.e. by the media) real life experiences have been substituted for experiences that are digitally lived. Debord goes on to say that the spectacle presents itself simultaneously as society, itself as part of society, and as means of unification. As part of society, it is the focal point of all vision and all consciousness. But due to the very fact that this sector is separate, it is in reality the domain of delusion and false consciousnes s: the unification it achieves is nothing but an official language of universal separationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the spectacle is not a collection of images; it is a social relation between people mediated by images. (#3-4) With the rise of new media and the explosion of 24-hour news and reality television, it would seem that the existence of the spectacle becomes self-evident. Mass amounts of human beings are directed to gaze at what has become a global common culture, news and entertainment. For Debord, the spectacle is a tool of pacification and depoliticization; it is a permanent Opium war designed to force people to equate goods with commodities and to equate satisfaction with a survival that expands according to its own lawsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the spectacle distracts from the most urgent task of real life. (#44) Debord argues, our sense of reality is nothing more than an immense accumulation of spectacles. All that was once lived becomes mere representation . Debords theory of the sectacle is similar to that of Baudrillards theories which concentrate on the ideas of a hyperreality. He considered a photograph to be a replacement for the real object. The lines of reality and non-reality have become so blurred in our society that a photograph can replace the real. Like Debord Baudrillards believed we live in a mediated reality, which prefers the symbol of reality rather than the thing itself. We are constantly bombarded with images form mass media that our own lives are own reality becomes entwined with the images we see. The boundary that should exist between reality and fantasy is erased. A consequence of the age we live in. Images depicting the gruesome nature of war are constantly available on television and in newspapers and magazines; every page turned reveals a new atrocity. We have been flooded with these images for so long that they no longer have an affect on us, instead on inspiring empathy and sympathy we are more passive to them a feeling of indifference. In the mass media if there is a story about celebrities or lifestyle it would surpass gruesome photographs of war. As a society weve almost grown accustomed to these types of images, seeing them everyday. In an essay entitled Photographs of Agony John Berger also argues that society has become immune to images depicting suffering saying that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In the last year or so, it has become normal for certain mass circulation newspapers to publish war photographs which earlier would have been suppressed as being too shocking. One might explain this development by arguing that these newspapers have to come to realise that a large section of their readers are now aware of the horrors of war and want to be shown the truth. Alternatively, one might argue that these newspapers believe that their readers have become inured to violent images and so now compete in terms of ever more violent sensationalism. (ed Wells L, The Phtotgraphy Reader, chapter 27) Berger is questioning the effectiveness of the violent or shocking war photograph arguing that maybe the public have become immune to images of horror and the newspapers are competing to show ever more horrific images in order to gain pubic attention. We look around us and see a world beyond our control. Relying on advanced technologies to conduct war and to replicate it on film and TV has diminished our ability to distinguish between reality and entertainment, turning our experience of war into a mere spectacle. In regarding the Pain of others Susan Sontag Describes societies attraction to violent imagesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Everyone knows that what slows down highway traffic going past a horrendous car crash is not only curiosity. It is also for many, the wish to see something gruesomeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ there does seem to be a modern need fro the consumption of images of suffering. And this abundant supply of imagery has dulled our senses and created a new syndrome of communal inaction, we look around us and see a world beyond our control, which is what Debord was describing in society of the spectacle. In her early book On Photography Susan Sontag writes that War and photography now seen insperableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (pg167) and as war evolves and continues so has the photographers response to the effects of conflict. The Bulky large-format cameras of the 19th century prevented the first war photographers such as roger Fenton from capturing the action of combat instead their photographs concentrated on the aftermath of the battlefields. With the technological advancement of cameras and not needing to haul darkroom equipment with them the first world war photographer could get closer to combat and then during the 2nd world war the introduction of the 35mm camera increased the intimacy of the cameras eye, enabling photographers to become part of the action, in a way the first exponents in the 19 century could never have dreamed. During the Vietnam war photographs could now been seen within days of them being taken, the immediacy making the images relevant and challenging the inevitability of war the viewer was now looking at something which is part of the present, and which carries over to the future. For a century and a half the camera has been witness to events that have shaped and shocked the wor ld, capturing these images forever. We might now live in a world of multi channel television, 24-hour news coverage and instant his on the Internet, but it is the still image that provides the most powerful record of our history, good and bad. The still image seems to hold so much power over us, they last, television is passing and goes by quickly, photography lasts, imprinted on paper and in the mind. War and the effects of warfare have always been explored throughout history in literature, poetry, art, film and photography. Before the first world war the depiction of battles by artists were often of soldiers and generals depicted as heroes, in their uniforms adorned with medals but during the first world war when artists were sent to the front line to record the scene, what they saw there defied their imagination. It soon became clear that the traditional painting couldnt capture the full horror of warfare. The modernist painters began to look at the universal grimness of war, the harsh reality of the world and painted not what they saw but what they felt. For example the artists Paul Nash who served as a solider, portrayed the battlefield in a painting titked Menin Road in 1919, what he depicted was the aftermath of war, a barren scene of an almost alien world the surreal colours a purple blue sky the mutilated bare trees, bursts of smoke rising from the debris strewn ground and blue light filtering through the clouds completely empty apart from four lonely figures in the background. Nash wanted rob warfare of its last shred of glory and its last shine of glamour. Francisco Goyas series of etchings Disasters of War depicts the horrors of the Napoleonic invasion of Spain in 1808 during which French soldiers brutally tortured the Spanish peasants and the Spanish responded with their own acts of cruelty. The works were withdrawn and withheld from publication during Goyas lifetime because of their controversial and disturbing qualities. Susan Sontag writes of Goyas etchings in Regarding the Pain of others, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Goyas art seems a turning point in the history of moral feelings and of sorrow-as deep, as original, as demanding. With Goya a new standard for responsiveness to suffering enters art Goya was witness to these events during the war, but the etchings depict imagined scenes of the atrocities of violence where the lines between real events and imagined ones blur creating a unique reality that is complimentary yet distinct from the historical realities of war. As the viewer is not lead to believe the images are exact reproduction of ac tual events the effect is one of a sincere meditation on the terrifying potential that resides in all humans. The images dont specify who the people are-the soldiers could be French or Spanish, the dead tortured bodies could be those of civilians or soldiers giving the viewer a more open interpretation bringing images to life in a way that relate to personal experience. Goyas images are constantly being revisited looking at Francis Bacon triptych Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion 1944 the twisted screaming distorted creatures depict mans inhumanity to man and capture the fear of the future mood after the second world war and still our mood today, bacon like Goya still has a hold over our imagination, for example the Chapman brothers reconstructed the Disasters of war in 1991 using miniature plastic figurines. Painting and sculpture are clearly viewed as interpretations of the effect and consequences of war, with photography the assumptions is that images are see n as a document they appear real, even when we know photographs can be faked and subject to the photographers view of events. In On Photography Susan Sontag wroteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ War and photography now seem inseparable. In On Photography Sontag explains what she saw as the sad state of a society that lived at a more and more voyeuristic distance to the first hand experience of reality. In accordance with this Sontag describes the photographers whose personal concern was apparently with finding out and understanding, were doing no more than satisfying the human thirst for sensation and driving this to extremes by ever more sensational images, until ultimately all feeling was lost. In the book The photograph as contemporary artà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦describes the contemporary war photographerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The use of medium-and large-format cameras (as opposed to 35mm format), not normally seen at the sites of war and human disaster-not at least, since the mid-nineteenth century-has become a sign that a new breed of photographer is framing the social world in a measured and contemplative mannerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ She goes on to sayThe subject matter has been different, too; rather than being caught up in the midst of an event, or at close quarters to individual pain and suffering, photogrphers choose to represent what is left behind in the wake of such tradegies, often doing so with style that propses aqualifying pperspective. It is clear to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Contemporary war photographers have in the main taken anti-reportage stance; slowing down image making, remaining out of the hub of action, and arriving after the decisive moment to allow the viewer a mor e contemplative look at war and the effects of war. Using Photomontage Martha Rosler infiltrates our comfort zones and reveals the dangers involved in an illusionary distance often created by the mass media between war and ourselves. By using images from magazines of advertisements combined with military images of soldiers and weaponry she transforms the notion of the safety of a home into one under assault. Her intent is to project the terror and atrocity of war into the comfortable place in which we live. She employs devices that work against the seduction of advertising and consumer imagery, the process of photomontage allows her to expose the gaps between image and reality, and ultimately make the viewer aware of an out of place presence. She addresses the impact of the mass media who according to Debord make the images of horror seem mundane and remote by pointing out the implicit presence of militarism in our daily lives, by juxtaposing popular lifestyle magazine images with stark images of war. The French Photographer Sophie Ristelhuber Photographs depicts the aftermath of war they are usually un peopled with no survivors and no dead, concentrating on the spaces of war rather than its participants, the scars and burns are found on buildings and landscapes rather then the people. Her photographs of the Kuwaiti desert, entitled Fait were made shortly after the end of the first Gulf War. Many of the photographs from this series were taken from a ariel viewpoint This elevated angle creates a distorted abstract view of trenches, tank tracts, bomb craters, blazing oil wells and battlefield detritus. You have to look carefully and closely at the photographs to discover that the lines and tracts objects engulfed by the sand are the results of war scarring the landscape emphasising how vast and sprawling the effects of war can be. Sophie Ristelhueber describes the effects of scale and perspective in her work: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.The constant shift between the infinitely big and the infinitely small may disorientate the spectator. But its a good illustration of our relationship with the world: We have at our disposal modern techniques for seeing everything, apprehending everything, yet in fact we see nothing. Ristelhueber recently won the Deutsch Borse Photography prize 2010, which included set of images titled eleven blowups, a series of images of huge craters made by bombs In Beirut and Iraq, again the y describes the devastation war leaves behind both on the earth and the body. Paul Seawright photographs the traces of destruction that war leaves behind in a place The solitary places in Seawrights photographs seem to be concealing something they require the viewer to look beneath the surface of the image the isolated barren areas reveal hollows where mines have been cleared or left unexploded, or the subtle rubble of military debris strewn across the desert landscape. The quiet subtlety and blankness of the desert distances them from the spectacle associated with the medias representation of war, there is an unknown tension in the images Seawright generates a view of the futility of war. One of his photographs is almost identical to that of Fentons photograph of the Crimean war depicting empty cannon balls in a valley illustrating the fact that despite its technological advancements war is fundamentally always the same. In his book Hidden Seawright says that he hasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ always been fascinated by the invisible, the unseen, the subject that doesnt ea sily present itself to the camera. Landlands And Bell were commissioned in 2002 by the imperial war museum to make an artwork in response to a two-week visit to Afghanistan and what they experienced there. Landlands and bells work characteristically focuses on the interconnected relationships linking people and architecture. They say: were totally surrounded by architecture. It is the most tangible record of the way we live because it describes how we relate to socially, culturally and politically. It is the most persistent of the way we live-our aspirations and beliefs. The result was among other video based works The House of Bin Laden. Presented as an interactive piece similar to a video game the viewer is in control via a joystick to explore a reconstruction of Osama Bin Ladens barren hilltop bunker. The viewer can virtually travel through a bleak set of derelict houses, surrounded by burnt-out cars and debris. Langlands and Bell took thousands of photographs of the house near Jalalabad, The eerie interactive digital exploration of Osama bin Ladens house offers an unsettling experience, and engages with the viewer in a totally new way regarding war photography. The houses surprisingly small and basic. Piles of blankets and clothes are strewn in the rooms elsewhere a single string bed is isolated in a dark corner. Outside there is a series of strangely constructed bunkers and a small mosque. Being in control of looking at the work almost feels like observing a crime scene. The buildings and grounds are absent of any human presence thought signs of people who were once there are constant, although the elusive bin Laden is nowhere to be seen, his presence can still be felt in this mesmerizing and ancient environment. It brings us disturbingly close to him, even as it emphasizes his continuing ability to evade capture. The House of Bin Laden becomes a metaphor for the elusive presence Bin Laden maintains by the very fact of his disappearance. By presenting this piece as an interactive game like simulation Langlands and Bell are actively engaging in the idea of the spectacle by using what is essentially and entertainment based media and allowing the viewer to control their viewer using a joystick, it could be argued that by combing entertainment and unreality with real life situations speaks more to a generation obsessed with mass media. They do not attempt to make the 3d environments look realistic like the photographs they took instead it looks constructed exactly as a computer game would look, angular and flat. I personally experienced this work when I saw the Turner Prize in 2004, and it is clear that their intention was for this piece to be viewed and experienced like a computer game. Violent warfare is sold as entertainment in the form of computer games whose manufactures claim to make them as realistic as possible. Thus reflecting modern societies engagement with entertainment as opposed to real life issues. There seems to be a move in contemporary war photography to a more contemplative and abstract approach, maybe this is as Debord describes because we are use to the violence and horrors the spectacle of war presented in the media, and have become almost immune and unmoved by these images. we can never experience the true horrors of war unless from first hand experience but photographers seem now to be taking the stance of the modernist painters of the first world war who painted what they felt rather than what they saw. Contemporary photographers are interpreting these events rather than documenting them, in a way that enables the viewer a more contemplative approach to the contemporary war photograph.

The Space Race: Is Funding for NASA Still Relevant?

The Space Race: Is Funding for NASA Still Relevant? Abstract Since its inception in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has spent a total $1.3 trillion dollars adjusted for inflation. This paper examines the debate between two opposing views on funding for NASA. The debate is broken down into two groups, pro-funding and anti-funding. The arguments between both sides, while very similar, are opposite in their views. The pro-funding side is in the opinion that, positive economic impact, international relations, and planning for the future call for increased funding. Those anti-funding argue that funding NASA impedes the economy, there is little to no return on investment, and that the United States should be focused on the present, rather than the future. This paper examines both sides of the argument, weighs each of the opinions, and examines how the relationship of this issue is pertains to the field of Public Administration. The author states his view and gives his recommendations on the issue. Keywords: NASA, public funding, public administration, national debt Ten years after the start of the Cold War, the U.S.SR launched the first artificial Earth Satellite into space. In response to tensions with the former Soviet Union, the United States National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA, launched its first satellite into space, kick starting what is known as The Space Race. A few months later, NACA was dissolved and superseded into NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Since its founding in July of 1958, NASA has averaged roughly 0.9% (Rawden, 2017) of the annual United States Federal budget. However, since the 1990s, that average has seen a significant decrease. In February of 2016, 58 years since NASA was founded, Congress surpassed NASAs requested budget of $18.5 billion and approved $19.3 billion (AG, 2016) to fund NASA. With the House and Senate both approving a Federal Budget of $3.9 trillion (Congressional Budget Office, 2017), NASAs current budget only equates to 0.49% of the overall budget. However, with C ongress surpassing the NASAs requested budget, this marks the first time in five years they have seen a substantial budget increase. With budget forecasts by the Congressional Budget Office (2016) putting the nation at a debt of $20.1 trillion by 2018, this leaves public administrators to question whether this budget increase and NASA itself is worth the money. As Public Administrators, we can see that the debate over the funding of NASA is broken down into two opposing viewpoints. Those in favor are compelled by several factors, such as, public admiration for NASA, strengthening international relations, and planning for the future. While those opposed argue that funding NASA impedes the economy, there is little to no return on investment, and that the United States should focus on the present, rather than the future. No matter what side you are on, we can see that the debate over the funding of NASA is important to the field of Public Administration. This paper examines both sides of the debate over the funding NASA and how public administrators can use this debate as a case study for future problems. Viewpoint #1: Those in Favor A 2015 PEW Research survey shows that 68% of Americans had a favorable view of NASA (Motel, 2015), with those of higher education having more favorability. The survey also cites a different PEW survey conducted in 2011 that found 58% of the public said it was essential that the U.S. continue to be a world leader in space exploration. These studies confirm that the public has great admiration toward NASA, but there is a need to justify the high price tag of space exploration. This justification can be argued with several factors: Inventions and Technology, International Relations, and Future Planning. Inventions and Technology After a Korean airliner accidentally strayed into Soviet airspace in 1983, and was subsequently shot down, then President Ronald Regan declassified the use of Global Positioning System (Brustein, 2014). This 20-year-old technology was developed during joint experiments between the Navy and NASA using NASAs advancements in satellites and technology. GPS is today one of the most widely used inventions that NASA helped create. However, there are also a wide range of inventions and technology that funding of NASAs research and development helped to create. In NASAs magazine Spinoff (NASA, 2008), they credit themselves with several medical inventions, including artificial limbs improvements, thanks to innovations in robotics and shock-absorbing materials. When NASA needed a stronger material for their landing parachutes, Goodyear developed a new fibrous material that is five times stronger than steel. Goodyear then used this technology in their tires to create the longer-lasting tires we have today. NASA also created Solar Energy technology, which sparked the clean-energy movement. While it is hard to quantify NASAs return on investment, the countless advances they have made on inventions and technology have helped shape our world and boost our economy. International Relations While NASA is the highest spending space agency in the world, there are many other countries that work with the United States to continue space exploration. While the U.S. was the only country to land on the moon, future explorations require international cooperation. In 2006 NASA and China reached an agreement promising that both countries would strengthen exchanges, enhance mutual trust, develop a lasting friendship, and promote cooperation in relevant fields (Foley, 2014). This policy is necessary to continue the economic prosperity and relationship between the two countries. NASA also collaborates with 15 other countries to maintain and expand the International Space Station. This partnership strengthens relationships and encourages trade agreements. In turn, the trade agreements help boost our economy and strengthen NASAs case for a high return on investment. Future Planning Proponents of continuing to fund NASA usually break down Future Planning into two parts: Population Growth and Earth Security. The population is undoubtedly growing exponentially. The UN estimates the world population will reach 9.7 billion people by 2050 (UN, 2015). This growth raises the question of earth sustainability. The world will eventually run out of resources and room to house and feed its people. Many people believe that the solution is in space exploration. With NASA currently planning expeditions to Mars, a planet with possible habitation aspects, there is a strong belief that humans can become an interplanetary species. This belief is only possible if we continue funding NASA, and being the leader in space exploration. Earth Security is another part of NASAs responsibilities. NASA not only monitors the weather, but asteroid and nautical sea patterns. Defunding our space program could potentially be disastrous if NASA could no longer take preventative steps to combat cli mate change. View Point #2: Those Against While there is no doubt there is a great love for NASA, defunding the space program would be beneficial for our economy. PEW Research conducted a study in 2014 finding that although a majority of people were in favor of space exploration, only 22% of people said that the U.S. spends too little on space exploration (Wormald, 2014). This leaves opponents questioning as to why the U.S. spends billions of dollars each year to fund NASA. Those arguing for defunding the space program have three main reasons: NASA impedes the economy, there is little to no return on investment, and that the United States should focus on the present, rather than the future. Impeding the Economy With a forecasted debt of $20.1 trillion by 2018, many politicians are trying to find ways to reduce our spending. While only 0.5% of the national budget, $19.1 billion dollars is no small amount of money. Adjusted for inflation, NASA has accounted for $1.1 trillion in expenditures since its founding in 1958 (Rawden, 2017). Since the introduction of the new fleet of space shuttles in 1971, each launch carries a price tag of around $1.5 billion per flight. Companies such as SpaceX have been awarded contracts totaling $1.6 billion for 6 flights to the ISS. It is no wonder NASA has started to turn towards private companies to send supplies and expeditions into space, when private companies can accomplish the goals at a smaller price. In 2014, NASA announced that U.S. companies SpaceX and Boeing were awarded $6.4 billion for future space flights. All this money could have been allocated toward paying back debts and protecting the financial future of the United States. Return on Investment In the opposing view, I stated that it would be hard to quantify NASAs Return on Investment. This lack of calculation gives cause to those opposed to funding the space program. While NASA is credited with countless inventions, but the price tag for inventing them is hard to justify. A 2011 PEW Research study shows that only 38% of people think the space program contributes to a lot to scientific advancements, and that 52% of people believe that human astronauts are non-essential to the program (Kennedy, 2015). These statistics can be viewed as a misallocation of NASA funding. If there has not been a significant invention since NASA published its 2008 list of technologies that benefit our lives and its last crowning achievement, sending Pathfinder to mars, costing $265 million, NASA has not truly justified its recent return on investment. Prioritizing the Present As NASA continues to look to the future, opponents say we should focus on the present. With a large National Debt, the United States needs to prioritizing its current finances so it can continue to have a future. While the earth is made up of a finite amount of resources, it is unlikely that they will run out before we can fix our economy. The sun is not estimated to begin to die for another 5 billion years (Scudder, 2015), and only 3% of the earth supports more than half of humanity (Nuwer, 2015). In other words, the world is not ending anytime in the foreseeable future, and we are not going to run out of room on earth. Instead of worrying about the future, the U.S. needs to prioritize on the present. NASA needs to look at all their assets, and begin to look at what it can liquidize. The space shuttle program alone is valued at nearly $200 billion (Hsu, 2011).ÂÂ   If the U.S. defunded NASA and worked toward privatizing the program and selling its assets, the U.S. could be benef icial toward reducing the U.S. debt. The Military and Department of Defense need to absorb most of NASA while privatizing and selling the rest. Afterwards, the U.S. needs to begin to cut the enormous Defense Budget, to make up most, if not all, of the deficit.ÂÂ   If the United States focuses on prioritizing the present, by takes steps to reduce its expenditures, such as reducing or eliminating NASAs budget, we can begin to see a brighter, less constrictive future. Assessing the Arguments Both sides of the debate have similar yet conflicting arguments. The pro-funding NASA side argues that NASA boosts the economy by, facilitating inventions and new technology, strengthening international relations, and planning for the future. While those against argue that funding NASA impedes the economy, there is little to no return on investment, and that the United States should focus on the present, rather than the future. Whether NASA helps to boost or impedes the economy is the biggest aspect of the debate. While the space agency can never truly be recognized for their accomplishments, it is my belief that NASA has helped the economy in the past and is no longer the innovative and economically stimulating agency it once was. Public interest in NASA is starting to dwindle as much as their budget, and it is only time before private companies, such as SpaceX start to take over. There is also no doubt that NASA has strengthened our international relationships with other space-orie nted nations. These relationships facilitate our trade agreements with one another, boosting our economy. If the U.S. were to defund NASA, it would make it hard to find a new avenue in which to continue those relationships. In the final argument, Future versus Present orientation, is the most heated side of the debate. At only 0.49% of the U.S. Budget, defunding NASA would hardly make a dent in the debt. However, the U.S. needs to start somewhere, as every little bit helps. If the U.S. were to privatize and sell NASAs assets, it would be able to make a noticeable difference on tackling the debt. Conclusion and Recommendation As Public Administrators, we should be concerned at every aspect of our national budget. I believe we should either go all in and increase funding of NASA, or privatize and sell the assets.ÂÂ   Both sides of the debate have compelling sides. If we were to increase the budget, we would continue international cooperation and trade agreements, possibly continue to see new inventions and technologies, and facilitate Americans love of space travel. However, forced to choose a side, I believe we should take the opposite route. The national debt is wildly out of control and if we do not take steps to fix our mistakes, the world could see a disastrous economic depression. By selling off some of NASAs assets to private companies and foreign countries, the U.S. would, in turn, can cash a sizable paycheck, and begin to pay off its debts. By privatizing NASA, the U.S. can also begin to turn the $19 billion funding toward the debt. If we do not begin to take action against our debt, the curr ent and future generations may see a disastrous financial future. The United States cannot continue down the current financial path it is taking, and defunding of NASA is a crucial step on the road to recovery. If the U.S. takes the route toward defunding NASA, that road can be used as a vital case study for Public Administrators. We will be faced at a time to do what is popular versus what is economically feasible. In times of economic hardship, the right path is not always the easiest. References AG: News Reviews in Astronomy Geophysics. (2016). U.S. boosts budget for NASA. Astronomy Geophysics, Vol. 57 Issue 1, p1.7 https://doiorg.spot.lib.auburn.edu/10.1093/astrogeo/atw014 Brustein, Joshua. (2014, December 4) GPS as We Know It Happened Because of Ronald Reagan. Bloomberg. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12- 04/gps-as-we-know-it-happened-because-of-ronald-reagan Congressional Budget Office. (2017, February 8). The Federal Budget in 2016: An Infographic. Retrieved from https://www.cbo.gov/publication/52408 Congressional Budget Office. (2016, January 25). The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2016 to 2026. Retrieved from https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/114th-congress-2015-2016/reports/51129-2016outlook.pdf Foley, Jordan. (2014, April 16) Strategy for International Cooperation in Planning the Chinese Space Station. MIT Political Science Department Research. Retrieved from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID2425862_code1609318.pdf?abstracti d=2425862mirid=1 Hsu, Jeremy. (2011, April 11). Total Cost of NASAs Space Shuttle Program: Nearly $200 Billion. Astrobiology Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.space.com/11358-nasa- space-shuttle-program-cost-30-years.html?_ga=1.261610826.693458589.1485213070 Kennedy, Brian. (2015, July 14). 5 facts about Americans views on space exploration. Fact Tank. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/14/5-facts-about- americans-views-on-space-exploration/ Motel, Seth. (2015, February 3) NASA Popularity Still Sky-High. Fact Tank. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/02/03/nasa-popularity-still-sky-high/ NASA (2008) NASA Technologies Benefit Our Lives. Spinoff. Retrieved from https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2008/tech_benefits.html Nuwer, Rachel (2015, September 1). Is the world running out of space? Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150901-is-the-world-running-out-of-space Rawden, Zachary. (2017, February 10). NASA Budgetary Breakdown. Retrieved from https://1drv.ms/x/s!AqSRkru4qW2DlGLiBv3dpnZnmNwA Scudder, Jillian. (2015, February 13). The sun wont die for 5 billion years, so why do humans have only 1 billion years left on Earth?. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2015-02-sun-wont-die-billion-years.html UN. (2015, July 29). World population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/2015-report.html Wormald, Benjamin. (2014, April 23). Americans keen on space exploration, less so on paying for it. Fact Tank. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact- tank/2014/04/23/americans-keen-on-space-exploration-less-so-on-paying-for-it/

Cinematography in Schindlers List Essay -- Film Movie Steven Spielber

The paper I decided to do was on â€Å"Schindler’s List†. I have seen this movie four times and yet had not really noticed the many ways in which the director, Steven Spielberg, used the camera to emphasis a â€Å"million words†. It was interesting, when watching this film from this stand point, how I was able to see the importance of the way the director uses sounds and color to make some much significant points of a film. I decided to emphasis the way certain close ups and facial expressions were used to show very significant emotions of the characters in the film. In these particular scenes, no words had to be used. The camera focuses on the character involved in the scene and one can tell exactly what is going on in the mind of the character. The other aspect of the movie that I wanted to discuss is the music that was used. This movie won seven academy awards. Not surprisingly, one of awards was for â€Å" Best Original scene†. The use of music in the scenes was very appropriate. I’m going to discuss several of the scenes of the movie and how music contributed to the scene. There is a scene in the movie where Oskar Schindler is put in jail because he kissed a Jewish girl, this scene has Schindler in a cell with another person, Schindler says that he is incarcerated because he kissed this Jewish girl. His cellmate makes the remark â€Å" Did your prick fall off†, the cellmate begins to laugh, and Schindler joins him in the laughter. Suddenly the camera pans up to Oskar Schindler’s face. His face shows a man that is no longer laughing but, without words, you can see in his face that he doesn’t find the remark humorous. Further, the close up on his expression reveals a man that has a revelation. The revelation is that he is horrified that Jewish people are thought of in this way. The close ups of Amon Goeth, the monster SS guard that ran the camp at Krakow, are some of the most revealing scenes without words. One scene shows a conversation between Schindler and Goeth. Schindler is trying to explain to Goeth that true power lies in forgiving when you don’t have to forgive. For a while Goeth tries to do what Schindler says, pardon those Jews that do him wrong. He lets the stable boy that dropped his saddle of the hook. He tells the guard to let a woman go back to work; the guard was going to shoot the woman. Goeth goes upstairs and finds a boy cleaning his tub. The boy is ... ...ifferent from the one in the other two scenes, and so was the one in the scenes where Goeth was beating up his maid. Schindler’s List is an incredible movie. Every time that I walk away form watching this movie, I feel emotionally wrecked. I think this is the intention of the film and why it is so great. I think that Steven Spielberg’s intention was to make this unforgettable so that it could never happen again. I chose to talk about the silent moments where a camera shot emphasizes an emotion. I also chose to discuss some of the music. There are so many other things that are worth discussing. The way the film was done in black and white. The way that the scenes in the death camps were so realistic that you really thought you were viewing actual footage. There are so many things that made it like no other film. I know that a lot of the people found the movie disturbing because of the violence. Perhaps these people forget that this is not violence done just to make the movie â€Å"Oscar â€Å" worthy. This is true violence that was done to 6 million Jewish human beings. A person woul d hope that one would be disturbed enough to take a stand against anything like this ever happening again.

I Want to Coach High School Football :: Teaching Education Philosophy

I Want to Coach High School Football As I was preparing to leave high school and look for a career, I had to make an immense decision. I had to decide what field I wanted to pursue, and how to go about it. I knew I wanted to teach because it offered everything I wanted in a profession including, good benefits, decent pay, the chance to work with children, and the chance to eventually coach High School Football. No other career I found can offer all of these advantages. Although I know I want to teach there is more to the teaching profession than that. First, I have to learn the curriculum and then how to bring that material across to the students. The actual learning process comes naturally for me, but I had to stop and think about how I would bring it across once I become a teacher. This involves many aspects of my life and what I feel is important. I feel ones teaching philosophy pulls from every portion of an individuals belief system. These can include your moral and ethical beliefs, your personality, and also what you, as a teacher, feel is important for the students to learn. To me this seems to be a very big responsibility, so when I started considering my teaching philosophy, I did not take the task lightly. It seems to me that there is a very thin line between fulfilling your own expectations as a teacher, and giving the children what they need and even what they want. I decided that I as a prospective educator, found no teaching philosophy that fulfilled all of my beliefs and hopes. I felt that choosing one philosophy in its entirety was to extreme. I feel that there are parts of all of the philosophies that are excellent, but the philosophies as a whole fail the students in some aspects. That is why for me, I chose an eclectic philosophy. I broke down all of the ways of thinking and came up with my own personal philosophy to use some day when I achieve my dream of being a teacher. I feel it is very important to teach the basic skills first.

The Epidemic of Teenagers Using Drugs

The Epidemic of Teenagers Abusing Drugs Krystyn Romualdo COM/156 November 18, 2012 Jackie Hudspeth Jr The Epidemic of Teenagers Abusing Drugs To have known so many people that have struggled with drug addiction in their teenage years it has become very apparent what a vital time in one’s life it is to know the dangers of abusing drugs as a teenager. Even though not all teens abuse drugs, it is an epidemic in the United States because more teens are turning to drugs to escape or use out of boredom.Take my younger brother for instance; he has struggled with drug addiction from the time he was a teenager into his early twenties. My brother Matthew started off smoking pot and drinking socially out of boredom. Then he found the drug crack cocaine to escape from reality as his world came crashing down around him. Once he found that drug he went overboard and started stealing electronics and pawning them for money to buy his drugs. From there he would also beg people for money and ob tain it to get his fix. He would clean up for about a week at a time but would fall right back into it.He would blast his music in his room while he was high on drugs. He would also disappear for days at a time while on a drug binge. After stealing everything in my mother’s house my mother finally committed him to a drug rehabilitation center. The first one failed. The second one failed. Matthew just could not get off the drugs. He to this day struggles with drug addiction, and he is now twenty four. However Matthew is just one of many with stories like these. Let us look at how many others are a part of this vicious cycle known as drug abuse among teens.A lot of teenagers abuse drugs for a variety of reasons, stress from school, social acceptance or low self-esteem, self-medication, misinformation, and easy access to name several. Seventy three percent of teens of teens report the number one reason for using drugs is to deal with the pressures and stress of school. This was done by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (2010). They have to deal with the pressures of being socially accepted, what clothes they are wearing if they are â€Å"cool† and the overall stress of their schoolwork. Self-medication being nother reason teenagers use drugs is huge. One self-medicates to deal with all types of stress that they feel like they cannot cope with. There was a study conducted in 2009 that reported an estimated seventy percent of teens suffer from undiagnosed clinical depression perhaps at some point in their life. Depression is a leading cause and effect of why teens turn to drugs. Many teens are unaware that they have an underlying mental or mood disorder that is causing them to use illegal or prescription drugs to self-medicate and cope with their symptoms.Teenagers abuse drugs due to misinformation with studies showing that many teenagers do not know the effects of drugs. Most teens do not see any major risk with abusing drugs. Forty one percent of teens mistakenly believe that it is safer to abuse a prescription drug over a street drug. Teens also abuse drugs for social acceptance. They want to be accepted by their peers so they do drugs just to be part of a group or clique. Another reason is low self-esteem. People who feel down on themselves are more likely to abuse drugs to feel better about themselves.Easy access is one of the main reasons teenagers easily get addicted to drugs. Almost fifty percent of teenagers say it is easy for them to get marijuana; seventeen percent say it is easy to get methamphetamine; fourteen percent mention that it is easy obtain heroine and over fifty percent of teens say it is easy to get prescription drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinets. Let us explore how one teenager became addicted to drugs by going through the medicine cabinets of his own family. This teenager was a football star and had made more wins for his team than he can count.But he started to have troubling pain in his hamstring. He decided at first to just walk it off instead of going to the doctor. This teenager walked it off until he could not endure it anymore. He remembered that his father had a surgery a while back. So he searched for the medication and found a prescription pill bottle that said Percocet on it. The bottle said to take every four to six hours for pain. Now Percocet is a strong painkiller that is highly addictive. This teenager was unaware of its high addiction level so he started to take them as directed.When he ran out of those he found more prescription painkillers from his brother’s medicine cabinet because he had to win the big game. Once he found his brother’s medicine he had enough to last him to win the big and final game. He won the big game but afterwards he ran out of medicine. He started to get sick and began to experience hot and cold sweats and realized he was physically addicted to prescription drugs. He had to go through withdrawals to real ize he was physically addicted to the drugs. But withdrawals are just one of many results of using or abusing drugs.There are many bad outcomes to abusing drugs. Some teenagers just waste away their lives. Others hurt the ones they love by stealing from them or treating them horribly when they are coming down off their high. Some teens become very violent and out of control towards everyone around them. Some teens run away and disappear for life. Other teenagers get raped not even knowing it unless someone tells them what happened unless they were awake during the rape. A rising problem among teens and drug use is teen pregnancy.Minimally, one million teenage girls become pregnant annually, reports the Women’s International Network News (1992). One study of youth in three urban areas found that between twenty nine and forty two percent of the girls studied reported being pregnant at least once before the age of seventeen (Huizinga, Loeber, & Thornberry, 1993). The effects of this has caused a decline in furthering education and an incline in single parenthood as most young men do not stay to support the child or even be there for the teenage girl during pregnancy let alone post-partum.Another bad outcome is teenage violence. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to violence and victimization. They are at a high risk for interfamilial emotional, physical and sexual abuse (Strom, K. , Oguinick, C. M. , & Singer, M. I. Page 3, 1995). They experience twice the amount of violence adults do. Some of the violence includes theft, assault, and rape. On a ten point scale drug abuse was at an 8. 5 for teens being at a high risk (Stephens, G. Page 2, 2010). It is not all grim as there is hope. There are many resources to help teenagers overcome the use of drugs. One is in the schools.Knowing that school drop outs and failure in school are contributors to drug use it is clear how critical it is to have an educational facility with competent, caring teachers working with parents and the community (Stephens, G. Page 3, 2010). However, most teens in this digital age, do better turning to campaigns such as Above the Influence and Under Your Own Influence. Under Your Own Influence was a campaign that started off in several schools and ran a campaign from 1992 to 1995. Above the Influence is a campaign that still continues today on a national level. Both were started to get kids to stay off marijuana butAbove the Influence has turned into a national campaign to stay off all drugs. Be Under Your Own Influence was found to reduce marijuana uptake in an earlier randomized community trial. It was re-branded as Above the Influence by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (Slater, M. , Kelly, K. , Lawrence, F. , Stanley, L. , & Comello, M. Page 1). Above the Influence not only serves as a television media campaign but has its own website with tons of information and help such as testimonials, ways to help a friend and interactive communications to ke ep kids off of drugs and above the influence of them.Even though not all teens abuse drugs, it is an epidemic in the United States because more teens are turning to drugs to escape or use out of boredom. We have experienced my own personal account of knowing someone addicted to drugs. You have seen the numbers of how easy it is for teens to get drugs and why they abuse them. We have seen how prescription drug abuse comes about. We have explored some of the outcomes of drug abuse and what resources are available to help teens overcome or abstain from drug abuse. If you know a teenager abusing drugs, help them help themselves and get them the help that they need.References (American Psychological Association). Strom, K. , Oguinick, C. M. , & Singer, M. I. (1995). What do Teenagers Want? What do Teenagers Need?. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 12 (5), 345-359. (American Psychological Association). Lindstrom, M. (2011). PAIN PILLS?. Odyssey 20(7), 30. (American Psychological Ass ociation). Stephens, G. (2010). Youth at Risk: A New Plan for Saving The World’s Most Precious Resource. Futurist, 44 (4), 16. (American Psychological Association). Johnson, A. O. , Mink, M. D. , Harun, N. , Moore, C. G. , Martin, A. B. Bennett, K. J. (2008). Violence and Drug Use in Rural Teens: National Prevalence Estimates from the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Journal of School Health, 78 (10), 554-561. doi:10. 1111/j. 1746-1561. 2008. 00343. x (American Psychological Association). Slater, M. , Kelly, K. , Lawrence, F. , Stanley, L. , & Comello, L. (2011). Assessing media campaigns linking marijuana non-use with autonomy and aspirations: â€Å"Be Under Your Own Influence† and ONDCP’s â€Å"Above the Influence†. Prevention Science: The Official Journal of The Society For Prevention Research, 12(1), 12-22.

A Background on William Blake Essay

A child of the Romantic Period, William Blake was a poet born into the lively grounds of Soho, England. Since childhood, people observed in him a keen sense of imagination. This recognition then encouraged his parents to support his career path as an artist (Merriman n. p. ). Blake was largely considered as eccentric or demented by his contemporaries, causing him to be denied in his lifetime the recognition he deserved. However, literary critics now consider him an influential force in the development of Romanticism (Barker n. p. ). Blake’s works and style of writing cannot be classified into a single category or genre. However, his works showed recurring themes of knowledge and innocence, heaven and hell, external reality and internal reality, and most of all, good and evil (Merriman n. p. ). Most of his works are expressed with simplicity, except for some of his later works. With this simplicity, Blake was able to portray opposing aspects of human nature. He achieved this superbly by using one literary piece to present the negative side of another earlier literary work. Sorrow: the Antithesis of Joy This style of Blake was highlighted in his two poems Infant Joy and Infant Sorrow. Infant Joy was presented to dwell on the joys of life, childbirth, and existence. Then, in contrast, Infant Sorrow came to life to demonstrate the sadness of life and human existence. Content Comparison. In Infant Sorrow, the infant’s realization that the world is an unhappy place to live in summed up human existence. This poem renders a bleak understanding of human conditions and strongly contrasts with the earlier poem, Infant Joy. This other poem celebrates childbirth, as shown by the infant christening herself as ‘Joy. ’ The voice of her mother celebrates with her baby too. However, the poem’s too-evident joyfulness invites suspicion. The mask of exaggeration can be unfurled to reveal a deeper understanding of human existence. Both poems share similar strong emotions in describing birth, and both use little to no figurative language. However, they differ in structures and in the portrayal of human oppression. The poems both describe the sentiments that surround the birth of a child. Infant Joy portrays the happiness of an infant for being alive (Blake 4-5). There is a sense of gladness because human existence is worth celebrating. When one is born, he/she is given civil rights and freedoms that are worth being born for. Nonetheless, the infant cannot realistically even be aware of herself in such a way. A source even notes that it is still the mother who provides the infant’s voice: she merely projects herself unto her baby’s seeming happiness (Gilham 3). Still, the mother’s voice (as herself) is also present in the poem. She also feels exuberant, so she sings for her baby (Blake 11). On the other hand, Infant Sorrow depicts the infant’s feelings of lack of safety and security, as well as experiences of oppression (Blake 5). The parents in this poem also express resounding emotions, as the â€Å"mother groaned† and the â€Å"father wept† (Blake 1). This first line of the poem emphasized the parents’ sadness and misery about the baby’s birth. Thus, both poems explore the avalanche of powerful feelings that come with childbirth. Use of Figurative Language. Both poems similarly employ little to no figurative language. For Infant Sorrow, the most striking figurative language is the simile, â€Å"Like a fiend hid in the cloud† (Blake 4). This indicates that the baby is like a criminal in the clouds of happiness. The irony stands out: here is a two-day old infant who normally feels peaceful and happy, but in reality should really feel like another criminal who cannot hide anywhere, not even in the comfort of his dreams. Another figurative speech is the pun of â€Å"sulk,† instead of â€Å"suck† (Blake 8). The baby sulks in being fed by her mother, which is confounding, because there should be a natural connection between feeding and existence, a connection that is more positive than depressing. For Infant Joy, there are no evident figures of speech. This makes the poem very straightforward to some extent. Curran calls this as having no word â€Å"in excess† (6), which have made the poem a pithy rendition of childbirth happiness. Structure and Rhyming Patterns. The poems also diverge in different aspects, beginning with their dissimilar rhyming patterns. In Infant Sorrow, Blake uses a regular AABB rhyme scheme for its two stanzas, but in Infant Joy, he utilizes ABCDAC for the first stanza and ABCDDC for the second. The dissimilar rhyming patterns depict the underlying chaos behind the sweet joy of the infant. This rhyming style suggests the incongruence that exists between what is said and what is not said in Infant Joy. Furthermore, the most distinct pattern in Infant Joy is the double rhyme that recurs in lines three, six, nine, and twelve. This rhyming pattern contrasts with the more stable rhyme of Infant Sorrow. As pointed out already, this signifies an uncertainty in the voice of the mother in Infant Joy, as she wishes her child a happy life. The mother could be suppressing the reality that happiness is rarely attainable, when human existence cannot be described as joyful at all. Other Structures. Both poems possess different structures that also impact their meanings. These poems use different strategies in illustrating human oppression. Infant Joy uses two voices of happiness and the theme of innocence to mask the latent doubts of insecurity in the mother’s voice. The voices come from an infant and mother who believe that human life is joyful and so being born into it must be a cause of cheerful disposition. The poem portrays the happiness of an infant in being born: â€Å"I happy am. /Joy is my name† (Blake 4-5). The mother feels high-spirited also and she sings for her baby. The poem also celebrates innocence by repeating the phrase â€Å"sweet joy† five times over in lines 6, 8, 9, and 12. The repetition emphasizes the sweetness of being born and being so young. Infant Joy, however, somehow masks an uncertainty. The mother keeps on saying that the baby is only two days old. In a way, it indicates that this is the main reason why the baby feels too happy; she is still too young to experience the harshness of living. Furthermore, there is a tone of wishful thinking about happiness from the mother. When she says â€Å"Sweet joy befall thee! † (Blake 12), it is more of a benediction rather than a conviction (Gilham 3). In here, human innocence has resembled a mask, a charade for a mother who wishes a form of short-term happiness for her baby. Blake undermines the happiness of human existence through Infant Sorrow, which directly assaults human innocence through dark symbolism, imagery, and figurative expressions. It is quite shocking that an infant would describe a new world as dangerous, one where the infant’s parents would weep or groan, as if in terror. Parents should be happy when they see their baby, but this poem paints an extremely contrasting picture. This point of view can be explained by the fact that Blake lived in a time of war (Curran 6). Thus, in the author’s context, he was right to say that a child born in such a society only â€Å"leapt to a dangerous world† (Blake 2). An infant described as a fiend is also hardly anticipated. This image is quite perplexing, because innocence has been plunged into the murky waters of evil (Blake 4). At the same time, the infant, who has just been born, already feels â€Å"bound and weary† (Blake 7). A baby should be free of the world’s numerous worries, but this infant is like an adult who has been disillusioned by the burdens of human life. The infant even sulks upon his mother’s breast. â€Å"Sulk† is a pun for â€Å"suck,† which renders a different interpretation of depending on a mother for nurturance (Carson 150; Bender and Mellor 300). â€Å"Sulk† underscores the resistance to the passive role of the baby in society (Gilham 4). The struggles of the infant symbolize the struggles of adults against the oppression from political and economic forces of society. The â€Å"swaddling bands† indicate how people also struggle to fight the institutions that make it impossible for them to enjoy their civil liberties. Infant Sorrow, hence, takes the voice of an adult who has briskly shaken off the pretensions of modern liberties. Blake used infants as the starting point of his argument about human existence. Conclusion Infant Joy and Infant Sorrow may directly oppose each other in the choice of words, structure and rhyming pattern.  Underneath them, however, are the same strong human emotions, portrayed simply with little use of figurative language. These poems possess the voice of a weary and dissatisfied adult who wants to escape but cannot wholly leave society. The innocence and happiness was a mere mask for the realities of life. They also express inconspicuously the voice of a human being who constantly fights the battle against dominant social institutions that trample on civil liberties. Ultimately, both poems remarkably render in diverse ways, the tortures of human existence.