Mystic Monk Coffee Essay

1. Has Father Daniel Mary established a future direction for the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming? What is his vision for the monastery? What is his vision for Mystic Monk Coffee? What is the mission of the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming? Father Daniel Mary Has Established a future direction for the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming. His vision for the monastery is to transform their small brotherhood of 13 living in a small home used as a makeshift rectory into a 500-acre monastery. His vision to acquire the Irma Lake Ranch for them to provide accommodations for 30 monks, have a retreat center for lay visitors, build a Gothic church, have a convent for Carmelite Nuns, and a hermitage. Father Daniel Mary’s vision for Mystic Monk Coffee is to minimize the effect of cloistered monastic constraints and for it to be a stronger source of income for the monks to acquire the Irma Lake Ranch. The Mission of the Carmelite monks of Wyoming is to be able to increase the number of monks to 30 who will live out their lives in the monastery who understands the reality of the vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty and the sacrifices associated with living a cloistered religious life. 2. Does it appear that Father Daniel Mary has set definite objectives and performance targets for achieving his vision? Father Daniel Mary has not set definite objectives and performance targets to achieve his vision. He and the monks have only made steps widening the reach of Mystic Monk Coffee but it is not enough to support the vision of acquiring Irma Lake Ranch. They have to establish specific programs to really widen the reach of Mystic Monk Coffee to have more consumers, thus increasing profit. Through this, they become more closer in achieving their vision of transforming their existing home to the â€Å"New Mount Carmel†. 3. What is Father Prior’s strategy for achieving his vision? What competitive advantage might Mystic Monk Coffee’s strategy produce? In achieving his vision, Father Prior seek the help of Carmelite Supporters in aiming to build a community for God. In doing so, his competitive advantage is having his Catholic supporters his target market thorough word of the mouth and through their website. With its appeal to its supporters in using â€Å"use their Catholic coffee dollar for Christ and his catholic church†, it encourages their supporter to not just support the cause but make them see it as a way of giving to Christ. 4. Is Mystic Monk Coffee’s strategy a money-maker? What is MMC’s business model? What is your assessment of Mystic Monk Coffee’s customer value proposition? its profit formula? its resources that enable it to create and deliver value to customers? Mystic Monk’s Coffee strategy is a money-maker. With the given overview of the coffee industry more than 150 million people consume coffee in the United States alone. Since 89% prefer to brew their coffees rather than purchase ready-to-drink coffee. With an 11% net profit rate the coffee business will surely increase over time. Mystic Monk Coffee business model is to increase their production by purchasing a larger roaster for their growing demand and selling wholesale coffee to local churches and coffee shops. Mystic Monks Coffee has good products that enable them to have a successful customer value proposition. Offering high-quality fair trade Arabica beans that produces a variety of flavors to their customers, they give their customers better options and an opportunity to their secular website operators commissions on its sales through its Mystic Monk Coffee Affiliate Program that placed web banner ads and text ads on participating websites and give them 18% commission. In conclusion their resources and plans not only enable them to create and deliver the value that their customers deserve but it is also a means for the Carmelites to support their community and their causes from the outside world. 5. Does the strategy qualify as a winning strategy? Why or why not? The strategy cannot be considered as a winning strategy. The coffee industry has been growing for the past seven years, and with Mystic Monk’s comparable  prices of coffee bags to the retail prices, Mystic Monk’s coffee can take advantage of this scenario to earn more profits to be able to expand their market and ultimately their business and acquire the land. Mystic Monk also made use of a low-cost advertising strategy where their coffees were promoted through word of mouth among their loyal customers and Catholic patrons and the use of their website, however they are only capturing the Catholic population. With their planned acquisition of a roaster with a larger capacity, Mystic Monk will be able to produce more coffee once demand in the future increases, hence the need for a more efficient market penetration. 6. What recommendations would you make to Father Daniel Mary in terms of crafting and executing strategy for the monastery’s coffee operations? Are changed needed in its long-term direction? its objectives? its strategy? its approach to strategy execution? Explain. We recommend Father Daniel Mary to expand the reach of their product. Apart from their aggressive online, telephone , church and local coffee shop sales, they should take advantage of supplying the coffee to restaurants, malls, supermarkets and bazaars. They could also set up a store in the monastery where people often go and can readily purchase the coffee. Considering that the Catholic population is the largest in the US, they can establish a group of people who are willing to volunteer and sell the coffee across the US. Through this, their belief is shared to the volunteers. Moreover, since it was mentioned that most of their time is spent on prayer or morning and Vesper services which limits the production time, they can hire help and also mask for volunteers who can replace them during these times for a more efficient production of coffee.

Effects of Suspense in Psycho Essay

The building of emotion, whether it is romantic love or deep hatred, can make a low-budget film into a blockbuster hit. Directors are constantly trying to build this deep feeling and emotion to make blockbuster hits. Alfred Hitchcock made hit films but instead, he built suspense – so much that it scared women from showering alone for years. Hitchcock’s appropriate label as the â€Å"Master of Suspense† came supremely out of his number one thriller, Psycho. His genius cinematic view shaped modern-day thrillers and horrors, and many of his techniques are still used today in such films. Hitchcock’s combined use of eerie sounds, high camera angles, creepy settings, and misleading tricks make Psycho one of the best (if not, the best) thriller ever made. Hitchcock constantly tricks and misleads his audience one direction, which builds tension and creates shock. From the very beginning of Psycho, Hitchcock guides his audience into thinking this film is a different genre than expected from the title. He opens the film with Marion and Sam in a bedroom together, which leads the audience into believing that this is a love or romance film. Then, when Marion steals the money, the audience is led to believe it is a crime drama. This stays true while she is on the run, until she comes across the Bates Motel. This is when the genre shifts again – now into a horror thriller. Through this progression in the film, Hitchcock uses subtle humor to misguide his audience as well. This technique guides the audience in the wrong direction, while successfully building suspense as the film progresses. Hitchcock’s misleading techniques create wonder and tension in the audience. This, along with false suspense allows for the big shocks to become even more terrifying when they do occur. Marion’s getaway trip includes many tense moments that create false suspense, which brings the audience to the edge of their seat before she even meets Norman. When she wakes up in her car to a cop behind her, there is an automatic rush of suspense. The audience believes she will get caught with the money at this point. Marion’s look of nervousness along with the cop’s calm expression builds an ordeal of suspense. More tension is built when she drives away and constantly looks in her rear-view mirror at the cop car following her. Hitchcock cuts between the eyelevel medium shot of the car in the mirror and an anxious Marion driving away. Quickly deciding to trade in her car for a new one adds tension to the film as well. She is rushed and panicked while at the dealership, which keeps the audience on their feet. Hitchcock uses this false suspense close to the beginning of the film to keep his audience tense and anxious before Marion even comes across the Bates Motel. The two major shocks in this film come after Marion checks in at the motel, all of which are built up with suspense through Hitchcock’s genius use of mise-en-scene, camera angles, and sound. The famous shower scene is built up with so much suspense from perfect camera angles. When Marion is undressing, the eyelevel medium close up shot makes the audience feel uncomfortable because it is as if we are intruding in her private space – almost like when Norman watches her through the hole in the wall. The cut to the low angle close up from Marion’s point of view of the running water seems so subtle, yet it builds so much tension. This cut makes it look like the water is coming down on the audience, which distracts them from other noises and the rest of the bathroom. This builds much suspense because the audience is oblivious to what is going on around Marion. The camera and audience are stuck in the shower with Marion as the door opens behind her and the shadowy figure creeps in. This builds tension and horror in the audience because we feel trapped and vulnerable with her. When the figure rips off the curtains, the sharp shrieking violin strings create terror and build even more suspense for the rest of the film. The death of Arbogast uses some of the same suspense techniques as Hitchcock uses for the shower scene. Both Marion and Arbogast are viewed in high angles to make them seem inferior and vulnerable. As Arbogast climbs the stairs, the tracking shot is always a bit above him to exaggerate his small stature. The close-ups and high angles along with the sinister-looking house and Arbogast’s footsteps create a vast amount of suspense as he climbs the stairs. He even looks scared right before it cuts to the birds-eye view just prior to his death. The look on his face brings the audience to the edge of their seat, wondering what will happen to him. Again, the violin shrieks play as Arbogast gets stabbed to death, which majorly adds to the horrifying sight. Hitchcock’s incredible combination of sight and sound in Psycho create suspense that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat the whole way through. Psycho is a perfect example of why Alfred Hitchcock is the â€Å"Master of Suspense. † He used these specific camera angles, sounds, music, and mise-en-scene to give everything a suspenseful look and feel. He placed them all perfectly to keep his audience alert and tense the whole way through. Alfred Hitchcock shaped the thriller genre, while going down as one of the best directors in film history.

Group Assignment Essay

A group is a collection of three or more people who interact and attempt to influence each other in order to accomplish a common purpose. The purpose of a group or team may range from preparing a new advertising campaign, to sharing information informally, to making important decisions, to fulfilling social needs, or just coming up with a solution to help a friend in need. Groups are a fundamental structure for accomplishing a wide variety of human tasks. I love working in groups because they give you a chance to work together with new personalities and new, refreshing ideas. The only time I don’t like working in groups is when there are people who aren’t willing to put the effort they could and posses, into the work assigned. During our last two classes we were separated into groups of six and given different topics which we were supposed to come up with solutions for. For the most part my group worked very well together on the first topic. We had great communication, and everyone was able to share their opinion on the matter. I believe that our group showed all of the characteristics of a healthy group, and if I had to do future group work I would most definitely choose to work with that group again. We showed interdependence which is the relation between two or more people and how their relationship directly affects the other. First, we started off by explaining the topic to the group again, than we each took turns going around in the circle and explaining how we each felt about the subject. After each person was done, the group took turns asking that person about questions about their view of the subject trying to take in everybody else’s opinions as well as our own and taking them into consideration instead of just throwing out someone else’s idea. I believe we all held each other accountable as well; making sure that everyone was conforming to the group’s norms and working together towards the group goal. No one interrupted anyone else. We made sure that everyone had a chance to speak their mind without being criticized or looked down upon because of the way they were thinking. We took everyone else’s thoughts and put them together to come up with what we believed to be a good solution for the topic that we were given. I was in a group with Sonny and I believe that he took the leadership role within the group. He was the most vocal, and the person who got others to speak their minds. I also think that my role within the group was that of a supporter. I was encouraging different members of our group whether their ideas were accepted by the group, or dismissed. I have always been afraid or nervous of working in groups during class because I usually don’t know any of people in my group, but working in a group with unfamiliar people is better because none of those people have a bias opinion about you. You can speak your mind without having to hear somebody else criticize your opinions or thoughts. In conclusion, I believe working in groups is an easy and efficient way to come up with well thought out, plausible solutions for many different situations that you might not be able to come up with on your own or with just one other person. These past two days have given me a more broad understanding of groups, and how to participate in one.

Distinguish between cost leadership and differentiation strategies. Is Essay

Distinguish between cost leadership and differentiation strategies. Is it possible for a company or business unit to follow a cost leadership strategy and a differentiation strategy simultaneously - Essay Example Focus put on the cost leadership approach and differentiation strategy; this paper looks at the differences and the simultaneous working together of the two (Porter & Tanner 2012, pp. 12). Cost leadership strategy is the method by which a firm sets out becoming a low-cost producer in the industry. The cost advantages accrue from different sources depending on the structure of the industry. It may comprise the pursuit of economies of scale, preferential mobility to raw materials and the propriety technology. Low-cost producers tend to find and exploit all the sources of cost advantage. A firm that achieves and can sustain the overall cost leadership is above the average performer in the industry. Such company can command the prices near or at the industry standard (Porter & Tanner 2012, pp. 26). On the other hand, differentiation strategy is the method by which a firm seeks uniqueness in the industry. The distinctiveness is along some of the dimensions widely valued by the buyers. The procedure selects one or a number of attributes that majority of the customers in the industry perceive as significant. Companies in this category exceptionally position themselves to meet the identified needs of its clients. The exclusivity of this strategy is where the company rewarded with a premium price for its uniqueness (Porter & Tanner 2012, pp. 76) It is possible for the company to follow a cost leadership while it follows a differentiation strategy at the same time. Though it does not work for every company. A good example of an organization that can embrace the two approaches together is the Toyota corporation. The Toyota produces quality cars at low price accompanied by differentiating strategy. For example, the introduction of luxury brands of BMW cars and the Mercedes-Benz new series (Porter & Tanner 2012, pp. 138). Some scholars such as Porter argue that cost leadership and differentiation approaches are irreconcilable. A

Art History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art History - Research Paper Example Modern paintings keep with this tradition as they continue to focus on the urge of mankind to promote peace and tranquility in a fragmented world. The cultural and social upheavals of the renaissance period gave birth to this concept of modern art. The Factory by the Sea was painted by Stuart Davis in 1932. Davis was born in New York in 1892, and he died in 1964. While growing up, Davis was surrounded by accomplished artists. After travelling to Paris in 1929, Davis returned to the United States with a new distinctive style in his paintings. The Factory by the Sea painting has abstract patterns of dark outlines and contrasting colors that portray aspects of the American life. Davis looked at his subject matter in the Factory by the Sea painting in an avant-garde manner. The Factory by the Sea painting has distinctive style that has supported the development of later artists such as de Kooning and Gorky. In the Factory by the Sea painting, Davis has illustrated how gripping abstract paintings can be when compared to traditional portraits when simple symbiotic patterns are used effectively. The Factory by the Sea painting is dependent on form, composition and color. The relationship between the natural world and man-made structu res are explored in the Factory by the Sea painting. Recognizable structures and shapes that are within irrational emotions and thoughts are evident in the Factory by the Sea painting. The color theory in the Factory by the Sea painting is unorthodox and very instinctive. This color is the aspect that most viewers of the painting first notice. To enhance the vivid colors in the painting, more oxide and neutral colors have been used. The Factory by the Sea painting is my favorite of all three paintings in this paper. This is because it keeps the viewer interested because it is difficult to fathom hence intriguing (Tytler 213-228). The viewer sees something that reminds them of a

The only role women play in war is that of the innocent victim Essay

The only role women play in war is that of the innocent victim - Essay Example Thesis statement: The comparison based on Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht and Women of Troy by Euripides proves that the only role women play in war is that of the innocent victims. Comparison: A. Role of women in Thirty Years' War of 1618–1648 and Trojan War First of all, one can easily identify that Brecht was totally against Fascism and Nazism. So, he made use of the context of German invasion of Poland (1939) as the plot of his play, Mother Courage and Her Children. But he infused the plot to another context, i.e., the Thirty Years' War. The plot revolves around the life history of Anna Fierling (Mother Courage) and her futile attempt to make a living by serving as a canteen woman. Besides, Mother Courage considers her job as an opportunity to help her family. Bloom makes clear that â€Å"In the opening scene, Brecht uses â€Å"the song of Mother Courage† to project an attitude- Anna Fierling’s response to war as an arena for commerce† ( 37). From a different angle, her involvement in the Thirty Years' War (say, her service in Swedish Army) was indirect but she was forced to face its after effects (the death of her children) in a direct way. Besides, her daughter Catherine was killed during the war, without any solid reason. On the other side, in the play Women of Troy, the playwright portrays the women characters as the victims of the Trojan War. Their status in the society as the members of the royal family does not help them to be safe from the after effects of the war. For instance, the women of Troy faced multiple problems due to the utter defeat in the war with the Greek warriors. Besides, the women characters were not responsible for the war but they were forced to undergo a number of problems. Salisbury states that â€Å"In the Women of Troy, at the end of the war the women of Troy are enslaved, and Euripides shows the horror of warfare through their eyes† (153). Almost all the women characters in the play, like Hecuba, Helen, Andromache and Cassandra were not directly involved in the war. But abduction of Helen was the grass root level reason behind the war. To be specific, the women characters in Play Women of Troy were the victims of the after effects of the Trojan War. B. Family crisis One can easily identify that Brecht makes use of the main female characters in the play Mother Courage and Her Children, as his mouthpiece to communicate with the viewers. For instance, Brecht makes use of the character Anna Fierling and her service in the Swedish Army to unveil the futility of war. Besides, Anna Fierling’s service did not help her to save her children from the after effects of the dreadful war. Instead, her children (Eilif, Kattrin, and Swiss Cheese) were killed during the war. But Carney opines that† When Mother Courage lose one of her children, her immediate reaction is businesslike: it is necessary to divide up the work anew† (101). Her attempt to se rve the Swedish Army in the Thirty Years' War and to save her family became unsuccessful. Her daughter Kattrin (Catherine) was one of the direct victims of the war. Besides, Yvette Pottier, a female character in the play, was a prostitute who used to entertain the soldiers. One can easily identify that these female characters (say, Anna Fierling, Catherine and Yvette Pottier) were not directly involved in the war, but were forced to be the direct victims. On the other side, in the play Women of Troy, the women charac

The Value of a Backyard Garden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Value of a Backyard Garden - Essay Example A well-managed backyard garden can save you money, promotes mental well being, and improves you overall health. We all know the value placed on good nutrition and it's alarming how many people cut corners in an effort to save money at the grocery store. With a garden, you have an all-you-can eat vegetable stand right in you own backyard. The real bonus is that it is always open and there is never any charge. You can grow almost any of your favorite vegetables, and growing your own cabbage, broccoli, carrots, or beans of your choice can result in substantial savings. Excess vegetables can be frozen, dried, or canned and provide you with a year round supply of some of your favorite foods. The gas you save by making fewer trips to the grocery store is well worth the cost of the seeds alone. With a backyard garden brimming with mouth-watering vegetables, you can say goodbye to the high cost of supermarket shopping forever. Digging in the dirt to plant your first seeds will overwhelm you with the feeling of a child's first Christmas. Anxious to see the signs of new progress, you check the seedbeds daily for the sight of the first new sprouts. The new growth stretches as the young plants reach for the sun and fills you with a new sense of curiosity. As the garden grows, a feeling of accomplishment and awe comes over you as you see the lush vegetation begin to flower and produce fruit. The scent of the zinnias and the sight of the squash brings a sense of well being over you as you check the daily growth of your efforts. Pride, serenity, and a sense of mystery takes over your mind and you begin to realize that when you are in your backyard garden, you are at peace. The stress of the day's activities subsides and you carry this renewed sense of calm with you into tomorrow as the world becomes more manageable. In a country where obesity is a monumental problem, fast food advertising dominates the television, and we are continually lectured on the importance of eating right, we need to look no farther than our own backyard to discover the key to good health. Vegetables have been proclaimed to reduce the risk of cancer, reduce blood pressure, and keep us heart healthy. Along with great taste, fresh vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and nutrients necessary to maintain good health. The exercise you get from weeding the garden and the addition of the low fat vegetables to your diet is a one-two punch guaranteed to keep you in shape. Your backyard garden could be the most valuable weapon in your arsenal for achieving good health. The escalating cost of gasoline and the high cost of supermarket vegetables makes growing a backyard garden a sound and practical economic choice. Storing your vegetables for winter use lets you enjoy the savings year around. The experience of watching your garden grow from seeds to plants is one of the most satisfying pleasures that can be had in a backyard. The garden will give you a more positive outlook on life as you monitor its growth and delight in your own self-achievement. Weeding and hoeing in the dirt is good physical exercise that we are all in dire need of. The addition of these healthy foods into our diet will assure that we are getting the most nutritious food available, and improve our chances of eliminating and reducing the risk of disease and illness.

Frankeinstein book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Frankeinstein book - Essay Example However, one obvious reading of the character of Victor is viewing Victor as a neglectful parent who abandons his progeny the moment its born. The many apparent examples in the novel point to the same fact and it is the poor â€Å"parenting† of his progeny which lead to his creation’s thirst for the vindication of his unjust life resulting in the most tragic events in the novel. It is also notable that the novelist’s personal child nurturing experiences, about the practice of parenting, have been significant contributor to the relationship between Victor and the creature. The birth of the monster, the â€Å"prestigious† child of Frankenstein does not bring any kind of joy to him, but he is very much thwarted and incredibly repulsed by the disgusting and abnormal physical appearance of his creation. Therefore, the description of the much expected and cherished-for birth of the child, i.e. the monster, reflects the attitude of the parent in Victor. â€Å"I saw the full yellow eye of the creature open: it breathed hard and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.† (Shelley 1961). Victor escapes from the newborn when it follows him and he admits that the child was a mistake or an accident, abandoning the child completely along with his parental responsibility. Victor neglects and abuses his creation and even expresses his wish that it died. â€Å"I gnashed my teeth, my eyes became inflamed, and I ardently wished to extinguish that life which I had so thoughtlessly bestowed.† (Shelley 1961). The hatred that the monster develops toward the ‘parent’ is the result of the parenthood of Victor who as a neglectful parent abandons his progeny the moment it is born. A. The classic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is particularly noted for the treatment of the advancements in the scientific field and the consequences of man trying to

Hamlet review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hamlet review - Essay Example When Hamlet first appears in this play in Act 1, Scene 2, he in reference to King Claudius; 'A little more than kin, and less than kind.' He refers to the stepfather relationship with King Claudius who has married his widow mother so soon after his father's death. Hamlet thinks that this rush is unkind of his uncle. He also refers to the usurping of his throne because Hamlet is the Crown Prince and rightful heir to the throne after his father's death. As Hamlet deludes to the facts of the case, he reveals he feels the injustice of King Claudius' actions. Hamlet makes a soliloquy which includes his views of his mother; Hamlet says that his mother, Queen Gertrude, has married his uncle who is unlike his father and unworthy. She remarried within a month and does not give sufficient time for mourning to be over. Hamlet feels the injustice that his mother has done to his deceased father and himself. He considers the union of his mother and her brother-in-law incestuous. That is another injustice that weighs on his mind. In Act 1, Scene 5, Hamlet meets and talks with his father's ghost, who reveals to him that he has been murdered by Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. The Ghost says; 'So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear.' It assumes that Hamlet will take revenge. It tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered the former King Hamlet and what it thinks are the injustices of Claudius and Gertrude. Barnet says that; 'Conscience, which permits passive disobedience, forbids murder, and thus makes cowards of some revengers.' (Barnet 234) This is shown in Hamlet's famous soliloquy when he debates with his conscience on whether to let things as they are or to take action to seek justice. Hamlet says; 'To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them.....' (Act 3. Scene 1). Hamlet's conscience interferes with his desire for justice. He cannot kill King Claudius while he is praying. Barnet says that; 'When Hamlet differentiates revenge from hire and salary (Act 3. Scene 3. Line 79), he specifies the gap between vengeance and justice. Revenge is always in excess of justice.' (Barnet 234). In Act 3, Scene 3, Hamlet wants to kill King Claudius while he is praying but he changes his mind because he thinks that being killed while praying will surely send the soul into Heaven. Hamlet does not desire that his uncle Claudius should be accepted into Heaven so he forgoes this opportunity. His conscience does not allow him to kill a defenseless man. Hamlet thinks that to do justice by his father, King Claudius should not be allowed redemption and enter Heaven. Killing for the sake of killing without considering the true meaning of revenge would not be real revenge but is 'hire and salary'. Hamlet means that a mercenary kills mindlessly without considering the goal of exacting true revenge. Hamlet may seem like a coward because he is afraid of the judgment of Heaven if he kills King Claudius

Media communication - reputation of an organization Essay

Media communication - reputation of an organization - Essay Example Many organizations are now realizing the importance of having a successful public relations specialist. For example, a well managed and informed public relations representative can maximize profits and strengthen a company in a weak economy. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2006, August 4). How can a public relations representative implement their use of mass communications into their program for overall success and positive outlook for a well managed, sustained and informed public relation A public relation practitioner's job is very broad based and competitive. They have to do more than just inform and educate the public about the company or organization that they represent. (Public relations, 2006). They must understand the needs and wants of their target audience so that they can reach their audience through their various forms and strategic usage of marketing, advertising, and promotions. They may work for and represent governments, large organizations and companies, the media, political campaigns, employees, investors, and celebrities, just to name a few. How can a public relation practitioner implement the use of good marketing skills into their public relations program What factors are involved for successful marketing Public relations practitioners use advertising and sales promotions to support their marketing efforts. They must understand who and what their target market audience is so that their message will catch their attention. The target market audience is a particular group of people that will benefit the most from a particular good or service. A company or organization must cater their promotions, marketing, and advertising schemes to this audience by understanding their overall needs and wants. A good public relations practitioner must realize the importance of successful marketing strategies. Their objective is to move their target market along various stages. Each target market audience must complete these stages: unawareness, awareness, belief/knowledge, attitude, acquisition intention and finally to acquisition. Only then can a marketing, advertising, and promotional strategy become effective. (Public Relations, 2006). Advertising and promotions are two key elements used for success in marketing goods or services. These two elements exist in various mediums. What are the various mediums used in advertising, and how does a public relations practitioner use it these to best benefit their company/organization Advertising is a marketing strategy that involves the use of numerous varieties of media forms to grab the consumer's attention to their product or service. Successful advertising should be persuasive and informational enough to influence the target audience's behavior or thoughts about what is being advertised. It can be used to sustain and develop an overall image to the public. Forms of media items that inform the consumer or client about the goods or services generally will work the best. A company or organization's name, slogan, and/or logo are very important to its image, and therefore, any media attention or promotions should be centered upon them. (Humphries, 2003). Certain forms of advertising are becoming more and more expensive, so most of all practitioners aim at free positive publicity through numerous advertising forms such as through

Style and Stylistics Essay Example for Free

Style and Stylistics Essay What is a thesis? Your thesis is not your dissertation. Neither is it a one liner about what you are doing. Your thesis is a position or proposition that a person (as a candidate for scholastic honors) advances and offers to maintain by argument. [Websters 7th New Collegiate Dictionary]. I looked at how people play chess is not a thesis; people adapt memories of old games to play new games is. Similarly, I wrote a program to play chess is not a thesis; playing chess requires a database of actual games is. A thesis has to claim something. There are many kinds of theses, especially in computer science, but most of them can be lumped into one of the following classes: 1. process X is a feasible way to do task Y 2. process X is a better way to do task Y than any previously known method 3. task Y requires process X 4. people use process X to do task Y 5. process X is a terrible way to do Y 6. people dont use process X Feel free to substitute process X with memory organization X or what ever else might make one theory different from another. Make sure you clearly specify the class of tasks Y to which your thesis applies.Besides being a proposition, a thesis has to have another property: it must say something new. Understanding natural language requires context is not a thesis (except maybe in a linguistics department); process X is a feasible mechanism for adding context sensitivity to natural language understanders is, as is context is not required for visual understanding. What is a defense? A defense presents evidence for a thesis. What kind of evidence is apprpropriate depends on what kind of thesis is being defended. Thesis: process X is a feasible way to do task Y  One defense for this kind of claim is an analysis of the complexity, or completeness, or whatever, of the theoretical algorithm. In computer science, the more common defense is based on empirical results from running an experiment. A good defense here means more than one example, and answers to questions such as the following. What are the capabilities and limits of  your experiment? How often do the things that your experiment does come up in the real world? Whats involved in extending it? If its easy to extend, why havent you? If your example is a piece of a larger system, how realistic are your assumptions about input and output? Thesis: process X is a better way to do task Y than any previously known method The same kind of defense applies here as in the previous case, but now serious comparisons with previous systems are required. Can your result do the same examples the previous results did, or can you make them do yours? Can you prove they couldnt do your examples? If you claim to be more efficient, what are you measuring? Thesis: task Y requires process X This is usually defended by a logical argument. It is usually very tough to do, even if the argument doesnt have to be formalized. Thesis: people use process X to do task Y Many students make the mistake of picking this kind of thesis to defend. It requires serious experimental evidence to defend, unless your real thesis is of the previous form, i.e., only process X is possible. Selected excerpts from protocols and surveys of your officemates are not psychological evidence, no matter how much they might have inspired your work. Thesis: process X is a terrible way to do Y, or people dont use process X This is a reasonable thesis if process X is a serious contender. The defense would be an analysis of the limits of process X, i.e., things it cant do, or things it does wrong, along with evidence that those things matter. I have lots of theses in my dissertation. Which one should I pick for my defense? Defending a real thesis is hard. If you think you have a lot of theses, you probably just have a bunch of undefended claims. One good thesis, or two so-so theses, with adequate description and defense, is more than enough to fill up a dissertation. I have the opposite problem. I dont think I have any thesis by these standards. Highly unlikely. If youre bright, educated, and have worked hard on a topic for more than a year, you must have learned something no one else knew before. The first mistake that students make is to think that a thesis has to be grander than the theory of relativity. A thesis should be new and interesting, but it doesnt have to change the foundations of all we believe and hold dear.Dont try to come up with a thesis first, and then investigate it. Start by exploring some task domain.  Take some initial ideas and push them hard for a year or so. Now, stop and think about what youve done and what youve learned. Among your accomplishments and experience, there will be several good candidate theses. Pick one. Test it out on your advisor and other faculty members. Test it out on other students. Is it a claim that you can describe clearly and briefly? Is it a claim that anyone cares about? Is it a claim that people dont find perfectly obvious, or if they do find it obvious, can you convince them that it could easily be false.Once youve refined your claim into a good thesis, now you can determine what kind of defense is appropriate for it and what more you need to do. This is where the hard part comes, psychologically, because to create a defense for your thesis, youre going to have to attack it harder than anyone else. What happens if the thesis fails? Negate it and defend that! In a year or so of focused research, you should be ready for a real thesis defense. See how easy it is, once you know how? Almost all of us—even if we don’t do it consciously—look early in an essay for a one- or two-sentence condensation of the argument or analysis that is to follow. We refer to that condensation as a thesis statement. Even if your assignment doesn’t ask a specific question, your thesis statement still needs to answer a question about the issue you’d like to explore. In this situation, your job is to figure out what question you’d like to write about. A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes: * take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree * deal with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment * express one main idea  * assert your conclusions about a subject Overview of Thesis Styles * A thesis is a written document chronicling research conducted by the student in a particular area. Besides documentation of results and interpretation of experimental research, the document contains an extensive review of the literature pertaining to the subject area. * In general, the thesis begins with an overall statement of introduction and purpose for the study, including overall objectives. This section is followed by the literature review. This literature review stands alone, and is presented in  addition to the literature cited when discussing the results of the research. The results of the research are then documented, including information on the methods, results and discussion of results. The last part of the thesis is usually a general discussion designed to draw broad conclusions, synthesize information, and suggest areas for future study. In most cases, a thesis contains more detailed information than would normally be submitted for publication. * In general, the master’s thesis should demonstrate that the student has mastery of the field in which she/he presents her/himself, and is fully conversant with the relevant literature. An essential feature of Ph.D. study is the candidates demonstration of competence to complete a research project and present the research findings. The Ph.D. thesis must constitute a distinct contribution to knowledge in her/his major field of study and the material must be of sufficient merit to be, in the judgement of the examiners, acceptable for publication. * There are two main thesis styles: 1. The Traditional Style Thesis in which the major components the methods, results of the research and discussion are presented in discrete sections following the overall introduction and literature review. As indicated above, a general discussion should normally follow the discussion of the research results. * 2. The Paper Style Thesis is similar to the traditional style thesis in a broad sense, except that the research results are packaged as discrete units or chapters, either as published manuscripts, or in a form suitable for publication in scientific journals. In the paper style thesis, each section or chapter has its own abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion in addition to the overall abstract, general introduction and literature review. If the chapters have been published or are more or less ready for publication, the paper style thesis may not contain as much detail as the traditional style thesis. * The choice of thesis style depends to an extent on the kind of study that was done, whether discrete chapters are warranted or the material is best described as a single entity. The style is chosen in consultation with, and approved by, the student’s advisory committee before writing commences. The following sections describe the main elements of each style of thesis.

Araling Panlipunan Essay Example for Free

Araling Panlipunan Essay 1.How does the Bible view the family? Just like how God created people in his own image and likeness, He also wants us to have a family that is similar to the holy family. The bible says that each member of the family has a role. The father, as the head of the family, should stand strong for his family. The mother on the other hand, acts as the guide. Not only has God asked them to imitate the holy family to provide proper parentage, but He has also placed big responsibilities upon their shoulders. The children’s role is to do their best to respect their parents for it is stated in the fourth commandant to â€Å"Honor thy father and thy mother†. 2.Give 5 examples of factors that attack the family. Explain. a.Disparity of religion – Parents of the children may have different religions and this may affect their faith and their worshipping. They will have a problem raising their children in one belief. b.Cultural differences – The traditions may affect the family because one person might be doing something out of tradition that is not proper for the other’s culture. c.Instability of marriage – The instability of the marriage of parents can affect the family greatly, because from this, the family might result to becoming a broken family. d.Domestic abuse – Abusing a member of the family may cause them to have strained familial relationship. It will be hard to trust one another after the abuse, and trust is very important because it’s one of the foundations of a strong relationship. e.Infidelity – Parents fight over little things, but infidelity is a different story. This may cause not only problems within the family but outside things may al so be affected, like the studies of the children and the emotional, mental and physical health of each family member. 3.What is the stand of the church against RH Bill? The church is against the RH Bill because they see it as an anti-life bill. They believe that overpopulation, which the government says is the main cause of poverty, is not the real reason but corruption. 4.What is your stand against the RH Bill? I believe that the RH Bill must be imposed. I don’t think that the RH Bill promotes anti-life. It is merely for protection of the population growth. Population growth may not be the cause of poverty but it is surely killing the Philippines. Our country, especially in Metro Manila, cannot hold more people. If the RH Bill is rejected, the Filipinos, being innovative, will try and find ways to look for alternatives for contraception. They might also start illegally producing contraception which will earn Filipinos more criminals which is the last thing the society needs right now. 5.How does the state protect the family? The state does not promote divorce in the country. It is illegal for couples to separate except for some circumstances which can be considered. The state also does not approve of abortion. This can save many lives. The state also has programs which are against child abuse, sexual harassment and other things that help protect the right of a human being. With these, we can trust that the relationship of every Filipino family is safer.

The Roots Of Cybernetic Theory Philosophy Essay

The Roots Of Cybernetic Theory Philosophy Essay Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to control theory and systems theory. Both in its origins and in its evolution in the second-half of the 20th century, cybernetics is equally applicable to physical and social (that is, language-based) systems. Artificial Intelligence and cybernetics: Arent they the same thing? Or, isnt one about computers and the other about robots? The answer to these questions is emphatically, No. Researchers in Artificial Intelligence (AI) use computer technology to build intelligent machines; they consider implementation (that is, working examples) as the most important result. Practitioners of cybernetics use models of organizations, feedback, goals, and conversation to understand the capacity and limits of any system (technological, biological, or social); they consider powerful descriptions as the most important result. The field of AI first flourished in the 1960s as the concept of universal computation [Minsky 1967], the cultural view of the brain as a computer, and the availability of digital computing machines came together to paint a future where computers were at least as smart as humans. The field of cybernetics came into being in the late 1940s when concepts of information, feedback, and regulation [Wiener 1948] were generalized from specific applications in engineering to systems in general, including systems of living organisms, abstract intelligent processes, and language. History The roots of cybernetic theory Ã…Å ¾tefan Odobleja (1902-1978) was a Romanian scientist, one of the precursors of cybernetics. His major work, Psychologie consonantiste, first published in 1938 and 1939, in Paris, had established many of the major themes of cybernetics regarding cybernetics and systems thinking ten years before the work of Norbert Wiener was published in 1948. The word cybernetics was first used in the context of the study of self-governance by Plato in The Laws to signify the governance of people. The word cybernà ©tique was also used in 1834 by the physicist Andrà ©-Marie Ampà ¨re (1775-1836) to denote the sciences of government in his classification system of human knowledge. The first artificial automatic regulatory system, a water clock, was invented by the mechanician Ktesibios. In his water clocks, water flowed from a source such as a holding tank into a reservoir, then from the reservoir to the mechanisms of the clock. Ktesibioss device used a cone-shaped float to monitor the level of the water in its reservoir and adjust the rate of flow of the water accordingly to maintain a constant level of water in the reservoir, so that it neither overflowed nor was allowed to run dry. This was the first artificial truly automatic self-regulatory device that required no outside intervention between the feedback and the controls of the mechanism. Although they did not refer to this concept by the name of Cybernetics (they considered it a field of engineering), Ktesibios and others such as Heron and Su Song are considered to be some of the first to study cybernetic principles. Origins of cybernetics The term itself began its rise to popularity in 1947 when Norbert Wiener used it to name a discipline apart from, but touching upon, such established disciplines as electrical engineering, mathematics, biology, neurophysiology, anthropology, and psychology. Wiener, Arturo Rosenblueth, and Julian Bigelow needed a name for their new discipline, and they adapted a Greek word meaning the art of steering to evoke the rich interaction of goals, predictions, actions, feedback, and response in systems of all kinds (the term governor derives from the same root) [Wiener 1948]. Early applications in the control of physical systems (aiming artillery, designing electrical circuits, and maneuvering simple robots) clarified the fundamental roles of these concepts in engineering; but the relevance to social systems and the softer sciences was also clear from the start. Many researchers from the 1940s through 1960 worked solidly within the tradition of cybernetics without necessarily using the term, some likely (R. Buckminster Fuller) but many less obviously (Gregory Bateson, Margaret Mead). Origins of AI in cybernetics Ironically but logically, AI and cybernetics have each gone in and out of fashion and influence in the search for machine intelligence. Cybernetics started in advance of AI, but AI dominated between 1960 and 1985, when repeated failures to achieve its claim of building intelligent machines finally caught up with it. These difficulties in AI led to renewed search for solutions that mirror prior approaches of cybernetics. Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts were the first to propose a synthesis of neurophysiology and logic that tied the capabilities of brains to the limits of Turing computability [McCulloch Pitts 1965]. The euphoria that followed spawned the field of AI [Lettvin 1989] along with early work on computation in neural nets, or, as then called, perceptrons. However the fashion of symbolic computing rose to squelch perceptron research in the 1960s, followed by its resurgence in the late 1980s. However this is not to say that current fashion in neural nets is a return to where cybernetics has been. Much of the modern work in neural nets rests in the philosophical tradition of AI and not that of cybernetics. Philosophy of cybernetics AI is predicated on the presumption that knowledge is a commodity that can be stored inside of a machine, and that the application of such stored knowledge to the real world constitutes intelligence [Minsky 1968]. Only within such a realist view of the world can, for example, semantic networks and rule-based expert systems appear to be a route to intelligent machines. Cybernetics in contrast has evolved from a constructivist view of the world [von Glasersfeld 1987] where objectivity derives from shared agreement about meaning, and where information (or intelligence for that matter) is an attribute of an interaction rather than a commodity stored in a computer [Winograd Flores 1986]. These differences are not merely semantic in character, but rather determine fundamentally the source and direction of research performed from a cybernetic, versus an AI, stance. Underlying philosophical differences between AI and cybernetics are displayed by showing how they each construe the terms in the central column. For example, the concept of representation is understood quite differently in the two fields. Relations on the left are causal arrows and reflect the reductionist reasoning inherent in AIs realist perspective that via our nervous systems we discover the-world-as-it-is. Relations on the right are non-hierarchical and circular to reflect a constructivist perspective, where the world is invented (in contrast to being discovered) by an intelligence acting in a social tradition and creating shared meaning via hermeneutic (circular, self-defining) processes. The implications of these differences are very great and touch on recent efforts to reproduce the brain [Hawkins 2004, IBM/EPFL 2004] which maintain roots in the paradigm of brain as computer. These approaches hold the same limitations of digital symbolic computing and are neither likely to ex plain, nor to reproduce, the functioning of the nervous system. DIFFERENT TYPES AND RESEARCH Cybernetics is an earlier but still-used generic term for many types of subject matter. These subjects also extend into many others areas of science, but are united in their study of control of systems. Consolidated Cybernetics Consolidated Cybernetics is a leading Software house based at Coimbatore, premier industrial city and an emerging Information Technology hub, in Tamil Nadu, Southern India, was established in 1993. Promoted and managed by IT Professionals, the company is spearheaded by a technocrat of distinguished experience. The company has multi location operations at Coimbatore, Chennai. The company, which started its operations in education and training, over the years grew into software development. Cybernetics partnered with world leaders Digital Equipment Corpn, Oracle Corpn and PSG College of Technology for education. Pure cybernetics Pure cybernetics studies systems of control as a concept, attempting to discover the basic principles underlying such things as ASIMO uses sensors and intelligent algorithms to avoid obstacles and navigate stairs. Artificial intelligence Robotics Computer Vision Control systems Emergence Learning organization New Cybernetics Second-order cybernetics Interactions of Actors Theory Conversation Theory Basic concepts of cybernetics Feedback and circular causality Feedback is a process whereby some proportion of the output signal of a system is passed (fed back) to the input. So, the system itself contains a loop. Feedback mechanisms fundamentally influence the dynamic behavior of a system. Roughly speaking negative feedback reduces the deviation or error from a goal state, therefore has stabilizing effects. Positive feedback which increases the deviation from an initial state, has destabilizing effects. Natural, technological and social systems are full of feedback mechanisms. The general principles of feedback control were understood by engineers, and autonomous control systems were used to replace human operators. This replacement can be done only up to a point, and consequently one is brought directly to face the question of the role of the human observer in technological systems. The mechanization of the mind Cybernetic considerations of mind was related to the assumptions that Thinking is a form of computation. The computation involved is not the mental operation of a human being who manipulates symbols in applying rules, such as those of addition or multiplication; instead it is what a particular class of machines do machines technically referred to as automata. By virtue of this, thinking can be modeled within the domain of the mechanical. Physical laws can explain why and how nature in certain of its manifestations, not restricted exclusively to the human world appears to us to contain meaning, finality, directionality, and intentionality. Application Cybernetics   Engineering cybernetics(or Technical cybernetics) deals with the question of control engineering of mechatronic systems. It is used to control or regulate such a system; more often the term control theory encompasses this field and is used instead. Medical cybernetics investigates networks in human biology, medical decision making and the information processing structures in the living organism. Biological Cybernetics investigates communication and control processes in living organisms and ecosystems. Biorobotics is a term that loosely covers the fields of cybernetics, bionics and even genetic engineering as a collective study. Future Aspects Cybernetics: The Center of Sciences Future Cybernetics is not the same as robotics, and it has nothing to do with freezing dead people. It is as different from artificial intelligence as philosophy is from mud-pies. And, in the opinion of the speaker, it subsumes the hard sciences, the soft sciences, and the humanities as well. Emerging from control theory and the feeling that trans-disciplinary enquiry was critical, the field of cybernetics surged in the 1940s. By 1960 it had become a political no-no, coincidentally the same period that it exploded into new domains. Today the word has returned to common use, but its meaning and importance are not understood. Cybernetics directly influences revolutionary work in fields such as biology, cognitive science, family therapy, machine intelligence, and management. But what is it? Primarily an epistemological stance, cybernetics is informally characterized by the speaker as the science of describing; that is, a formal approach to the purpose and nature of this universal human activity. As such, it requires an examination of the subjectivity inherent in all description. Insofar as it exposes science as a consensual process (rather than a research for truth), it shows how science does not require a real world to do its work. Insofar as its primary observable is an interaction in which the observer inextricably participates, it is suitable for application to all human activities. In building his argument for the importance of cybernetics in the future of science, the speaker will give an overview of the philosophy and implications of the field. Examples will be given from his work in software development and management consulting, as well as from other important applications. He will draw implications for an ethics of scientific enquiry, the responsibility of the individual, and the signs of change in the world order. Referrence www.wikipedia.com www.scribd.com www.sciencedaily.com Books; Ashby, W. Ross, Design for a Brain. London: Chapman and Hall, 1960. Hawkins, Jeff and Blakeslee, Sandra, On Intelligence. Times Books, 2004. IBM/Ecole Polytechnique Fà ©dà ©rale de Lausanne (EPFL), http://bluebrainproject.epfl.ch/, 2004

Dopamines role in the Psychological Architecture of Pleasure and Rewar

Dopamine's role in the psychological architecture of pleasure and reward indicates that it is a major element in the determination of reinforcement (Arias-Carrià ³n & Pà ¶ppel, 2007, p. 484). This role was postulated from the discovery of dopamine in reward pathways that are found originating from the midbrain (2). From these discoveries, it has been shown that dopamine has a profound impact upon the existence of â€Å"reward-seeking behaviors† (Arias-Carrià ³n & Pà ¶ppel, 2007, p. 481). A 2006 study done by Mathias Pessiglione and his colleagues demonstrated that subjects given L-DOPA, a precursor to dopamine, were more likely to remember decisions that led to rewards and continue to make those decisions (3). While the experiment central to this study was conducted in the form of a gambling game, the effects that dopamine has on decision making and reinforcement can be derived from the observed effects that L-DOPA had on the participants. This derivation can be made not o nly because L-DOPA is synthesized into dopamine once in the brain but also because gambling is an illuminative behavior in terms of how it represents general reward-seeking behaviors and decisions. As Óscar Arias-Carrià ³n and Ernst Pà ¶ppel put it, â€Å"DA [dopamine] is the brain's mean for reinforcing behavior† (Arias-Carrià ³n & Pà ¶ppel, 2007, p. 486). Furthermore, it has also been shown through experimentation that the responsiveness of dopamine levels in the brain to rewarding experiences is characterized by a degree of neuronal plasticity (4). In this context, â€Å"plasticity† refers to the brain's ability to alter its responses to experiences in accordance with how new or unique the experience is. This quality can help the brain to act as a sieve, filtering out experiences that are n... ...re rapid release of dopamine into the synapse (13). While these mechanisms are different, both essentially achieve the same end result of euphoria, wakefulness, and increased motor activity. These symptoms mirror those of a person with high levels of dopamine, as is seen in psychotic patients. Indeed, high doses of stimulants can even lead to psychotic states involving hallucinations. The contrasting effects of antipsychotics and stimulants on not only behavior but also cognition and physiological processes help to generate a greater understanding of the way that dopamine affects both the mind and the body. While the many nuances and subtleties of dopamine neurotransmission are not well understood, observation of the way that psychoactive drugs influence dopamine's normal functioning can help to create stronger links between this neurotransmitter and human behavior.

Organizational Structures Essay -- Organizational Development, McShane

Introduction McShane and Von Glinow state that â€Å"the best organizational structure depends on the organization’s external environment, size, technology, and strategy† (409). To identify the best organizational structure for Protegà © Engineering, I will first determine what ‘Organizational Structure’ means. In a second step I will analyze its elements and carve out the important components for the considered organization. Finally I will provide a conclusion and recommendation. Organizational Structures In general, organizational structure is related to the way that an organization organizes employees and jobs, so that its work can be performed and its goals can be met. McShane and Von Glinow define ‘Organizational Structure’ in more detail; they state that organizational structure â€Å"refers to the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, workflow, and formal power that direct organizational activities† (386). To understand what this means we will have a look at each component. The division of labor is related to the â€Å"subdivision of work into separate jobs assigned to different people† (McShane and Von Glinow 386). The patterns of coordination refer to the coordinating of work activities between the employees where they divide work among themselves. This process requires coordinating mechanism to ensure the workflow, which means that everyone works in concert (McShane and Von Glinow 386). The primary means of coordination are informal communication which involves â€Å"sharing information on mutual tasks and forming common mental models to synchronize work activities†, Formal hierarchy which refers to the â€Å"assigning legitimate power to individuals, who then use this power to direct work pro... ...ble when the merging organizations operate in different industries or countries because cultures differ between industries and countries (McShane and Von Glinow 428). Conclusion and recommendation The integration process of merging companies is a combination of the existing cultures into a new culture that maintains the best features of the previous cultures, and it is most likely to succeed when existing cultures already need improvement so that employees are motivated to accept change. This strategy is particularly challenging when the members of the organization are satisfied with their previous culture because they will be resistant to change. Another very important factor for the success of mergers is the level of commitments made by the employees. Therefore, employees should be brought into the process as early as possible (Badrtalei and Bates 314).

Does ‘The American Scholar’ Reflect the Values of the Declaration of In

Every country today differentiates each other through having a unique identity of which the elements are cultures, tradition and religion. Even a country like America was once under the rule of the British. However this did not last as long as it did in India as the people fought back and won what is today called â€Å"The War of Independence.† During the time the British ruled various countries they had taught the people under them their ways of conducting every activity in life. In America even after the British were gone the way people lived their lives were still the way they had learned from the British. One such ways of conduct was vividly observable in written literature. Then began the argument that the literature in America should be written differently from how the British would. In 1837 Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered a speech called The American Scholar at Cambridge, Massachusetts to criticize how the Americans still kept alive what they had learned from the British and to remind people the real American culture in every aspect of their lives. Emerson stated that every citizen in America has the right to freedom and to display their own culture. In literature he suggested that scholars can form a new way of writing through nature than memorizing the writings of other authors. The writings of the other authors were present before young scholars in books that limited new ideas. Such history had occurred because of the actions gone wrong by the people in accepting the influences of the Europeans. Emerson was therefore a transcendentalist. The speech delivered by Emerson indicates the reason why it is important for a man to be free. According to the constitution of U.S (n.d) in the bill of rights every citizen has the right to ... ... just the scholars but every citizen in America the importance of preserving their own culture with originality in everyone’s ideologies. He has attempted to provide elements through which the new form of literature can grow and it has evidently helped literature in America be more research based and not scholars memorizing from previous texts written by other authors. The American scholar was thus a historic speech that encouraged scholars since to write with freedom encouraging arguments to discover truth for any matter to be discussed. Works Cited http://www.history.com/topics/constitution http://www.cliffsnotes.com/more-subjects/american-government/the-constitution/summary-of-the-constitution http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111emerson-2.html http://www.shareyouressays.com/99753/short-summary-of-the-american-scholar-by-ralph-waldo-emerson

Vietnam

BIBLIOGRAPHY Author| URL| Retrieved| Skwirk| From the arrival of the first fleet, Vietnam was a divisive issue * Australia deployed a total of 60000 troops, 521 died and 3000 were wounded * In reflection, Vietnam is described as the cause of the greatest political and social dissent and upheaval * Many draft resisters, conscientious objectors, and protesters were fined or jailed, while soldiers met a hostile reception on their return home.The experience of Vietnam lingered with the soldiers for long after they returned home. Social Impacts: * Public response went through several stages during the war. * Early on, when Australia’s involvement was minimal with only the role of trainingVietnamese soldiers, public opinion was less critical, troops only sent to physically fight in 1965, they were just training South Vietnamese soldiers form 1962 onwards * Many, as was the trend in the early 60s, began to embrace the US connection and hence support resulted * Most agreed with the th reat of the communist domino affect(although Menzies masterminded a lot of this), which also led to the acceptance of Australian involvement in the early 60s * Also, in the early 60s, Australia was still very conservative, and the idea of rebellion and challenging authority only set in later in the decade and the 70s.This meant that early on many cautioned from questioning the government’s decision. * As much as war wasn’t ideal, in the early parts, before conscription, Australian’s accepted the war or paid little attention as the Australians fighting were soldiers who joined the Army * The socially divisive impact of Vietnam showed up post 1964 when the National Service Act was introduced. This had the ramifications of sending unwilling Australians to war. Draft resistors who were deemed to not have legitimate excuses were jailed on failing to comply with the National Service Act * They were released in 1972 when Whitlam ended conscription * The amendment of th e Act in 1965 confirmed the inevitable that national servants could be deployed overseas, to Vietnam. * First time, an Australian was conscripted to fight outside of Aust. erritory * Socially, some disagreed more with the notion of conscription than the war itself, this maybe hinted at the fact that communist discontentment was still strong and the Domino theory was real, just not strong enough to make people overlook personal freedoms. * This led to anti-war and anti-conscription protest groups including * DENNIS TEXT * YCAC-Youth Campaign Against Conscription. 1964-7 SOS-Save our Sons. * Formed by parent groups who didn’t want their sons sent to Vietnam. * Formed in 1965, Australia wide, mainly female dominated agency. * Women were accused of being ‘bad mothers’ and communists when they approached MPs or authority * SOS saw many Liberal voters shift to the Labor camp. SOS was one of the first theatres that allowed women expression. * Basically saw ‘everyd ay suburban’ women become nvolved in politics and taking action to influence political decisions * The women’s movement of the 70s benefitted from anti-conscription lobby groups such as SOS * Draft Resistance Movement. Formed 1968 * The Committee for Defiance of the National Service Act. Formed 1969 * Vietnam Moratorium Movement * Formed in 1970, by then Vietnam was the longest war we had served in * Took form of peaceful protests involving many Australians from all states.This highlighted the growing opposition, and to some extent shocked the government * ALP, and Gough fed of this massive public demonstration * Moratorium events were on a massive scale and largely peaceful, these demonstrations seemed to have a larger impact on government and political change. The government realised that, non-radical Australians had strong feelings about the war. * Really instigated the decline of Aust. Involvement in the war * The fact that every night, the horrors of Vietnam were broadcasted on Aust. elevision sets, the movement gathered motion * The Movement galvanised the people, the less radical who wouldn’t normally protest, protested such was the intense feelings about the war * This movement actively campaigned for two causes; the abolishment of conscription and the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam * Politically influenced the Labor parties win of the 1972 election, ending 23 years of Liberal rule * Interestingly, only in 1969 however did an opinion poll suggest that a majority opposed the war itself.Up until then, the outcry was mainly rooted in the issue of conscription rather than conflict itself * However, as unrest grew, many anti-conscript groups became anti-war in the hope that only the end of the war would end conscription. * Another massive catalyst for anti-conscript protests was the reporting of the war. * Vietnam is considered the first ‘live war’ where the atrocities occurring were being broadcasted into Australian liv ing rooms. This made sending young Australians into war against their will even more illegitimate. This also led to a questioning of whether this was was ‘just’, or being undertaken in the most human way possible. * This had the effect of also turning many anti-conscript groups, to become anti-war altogether. The fact that Vietnam was ‘live’ also helped the demise of the Liberal government as people had direct evidence to question what the government was getting Australia and particularly our young men into. Following the Labor victory, and Gough Whitlam’s order for withdrawal, social impact for the returning soldiers would ensue * Trade Unions also opposed the war, they labelled it ‘blood for Dollars’ or ‘diggers for dollars’ because they believed we were only fighting to the US would maintain its investment into Australia. This view was not entirely correct * By the latter stages, the larger majority of opposition came fro m university students. At first, the reaction was modest and many just viewed the war along their preferred political party lines * However, following conscription, uni students began to come out in full force.Some of this sentiment began to be shared in the wider community as the war progressed into the late 60s * One of the major social impacts of the war was the fate of the returned soldiers. Due to the public nature of Vietnam and the atrocities that Australian people witnessed the veterans were not lauded in the same fashion as previous war vets * This was a massive change from before when the ANZACs were treated as heroes * The tragedy of this was that as much as the Aust.People were effected by what they saw, the actual soldiers were scarred far more significantly by what they experienced first hand. * This compounded the negative experience of the returned soldiers as not only where they marginalised they had no-one but each other that could understand what they’d gon e through. * These impacts lasted for much longer after the final Aust. Troops returned in 1972. * This has implications for continuity and change as following Vietnam, for the first time national servants and soldiers weren’t treated with the same admiration.The ANZAC reverence that seemed to follow previous veterans didn’t occur with our Vietnam veterans. * This was a massive change in our attitudes towards the army Political Impacts: * On face value, it’s easy to say Vietnam cost the Liberal party government after 23 years of rule * However on closer inspection it is clear that the political consensus on Vietnam varied between 1965-1972 * White Australia Policy ended in 1972 * We opened our borders to non-white refugees. This in itself was cohesive and divisive.Many of these refugees fought alongside our soldiers but we still had this fear of non-white immigrants threatening the ‘Aust. Way of life’ * Discontent politically only really came with M enzies introduction of Conscription on 1964. * However, Holt won the November 1966 election in a massive victory, highlighting that social discontent was not at its peak. Conscription peaked later * The political effect of Vietnam also became more prominent post 1967 when Edward Gough Whitlam became leader of the opposition. He lead a fierce campaign against conscription which captivated a swing of Liberal voters to the Labor party * This is when the protest movement as well peaked and was in full flight * 1969 election, under Gorton highlighted the swing of voters. From the ALPs flogging of 1966 they increased their share in the House of Reps from 41 to 59 seats highlighting the change in votes. * The Liberal advantage was only 7 seats now * Whitlam would go on to win the 1972 election with promises of withdrawal from Vietnam and the abolishment of conscription. The political landscape was finally shifting to progressivism after many years on conservative rule. This also began to h appen on a state level * WA, NSW, TAS and SA all went from Liberal to Labour in elections between 1972-1975 shortly after the war * The Liberal’s National Services Act, was the single policy that really brought about the downfall of the Government * In terms of Political party support, the all major parties supported the war early on * Liberal support continued throughout * The DLP were very anti-communist so also supported the war. The ALP slowly began to oppose the war, as a means of attacking the government and also their disapproval also spiked when conscription was introduced * Gough Whitlam no doubt used the divisive nature, and ALPs disapproval of Vietnam to the most advantage. * Trade Unions also opposed the war, they labelled it ‘blood for Dollars’ or ‘diggers for dollars’ because they believed we were only fighting to the US would maintain its investment into Australia. This view was not entirely correct VIEWPOINTS ON THE VIETNAM WAR At the start of the period(1962) the perspective was that sending willing soldiers(not conscripts) was fine * Early on, when Australia’s involvement was minimal with only the role of training Vietnamese soldiers, public opinion was less critical, troops only sent to physically fight in 1965, they were just training South Vietnamese soldiers form 1962 onwards * We had to protect ourselves from the communist menace as well as honour our obligations as port of SEATO and ANZUS * Menzies masterminded a lot of the fear that convinced us that war was right * We were still quite conservative, trusted govt decisions * The gruesome nature of the war was not yet revelealed At Menzies announcement of sending troops in 1965, many different perspectives on the conflict emerged. Some more valid than others. * A lot thought communism was worth fighting against but found that conscripting to do so undermined other rights that were held dearly in a modern democracy * This fuelled anti-conscription p rotests as the reality that young men unwillingly could be sent to Vietnam. Most anti-war groups played on the injustice that this exemplified. * Importantly, the horrors of Vietnam exposed through media had not yet peaked so the atrocities that were taking place weren’t as well known about which led to that not being such a big anti-war factor. Some factions believed that training up a military was justifiable as we had done from 1962-65, but fighting for the South Vietnamese in what was really Vietnam’s civil war was not right. The idea of getting involved in other people’s business emerged * The Government claimed that as part of our SEATO agreement we were obligated to assist the fight against communism in South East Asia, i. e Vietnam. * The grey area with this is that, what does ‘assisting’ constitute? Was training the army enough or should we be physically fighting for the anti-communist forces. CONTINUITY AND CHANGE * CHANGE * During and fol lowing Vietnam, Australians began to question authority more. Beforehand, they were well trained to trust the governments judgement, but what Vietnam revealed was that governments aren’t always right *This questioning came to full voice during the Vietnam protests but overall the experience changed Australia into a more progressive country that no longer was content to swallow everything the government told them * This represented change as previously, we were much more conservative * The exposure to ‘speaking out’ gained from the late 60s during the Vietnam years also may have had some impact on the social movements that picked up in the late 60s, early 70s(lagging behind America) * Women probably benefitted most as movements such as SOS, gave them a voice and they continued to use that to instigate change in the 70s * The general shift from conservatism was highlighted politically as well as socially. Vietnam played a major factor in Whitlam and the ALP winning government for the first time in 23 years in 1972. Political change * The change was also solidified on a state level as WA, NSW, SA and Tasmania all elected Labor governments in elections between 1972-1975 shortly after the war.Highlighting the progressivism emerging Australia wide * People wanted change with Vietnam, and to an extent the White Australia policy and Whitlam delivered that. Also note that many too were uncomfortable with the end of White Australia as well. * The attitudes towards soldiers and veterans changed significantly for the worst. No longer where they held in such high esteem amongst society * The tragedy of this was that most of them were in desperate need for help and received little to no support other than from the RSL. * This was the first ‘live war’ as some called it. For the first time, citizens had a relatively clear understanding of what occurred in the battlefields * CONTINUITY * The war emphasised the continuation of ANZUS.We stayed wi th the US right till the end effectively with us withdrawing in ‘72, a year before the last US troops * Despite the political outcry, politically we were still militarily tied to the US. We still are today * Second war with the US, first Korea then Vietnam GROUPS AFFECTED * ABORIGINALS * Aboriginals were exempt from national service, many didn’t even know their birthdate so including them in a fair ballot was difficult * The Department for Labour and National Service (DLNS) pushed for the removal of exemption but it never happened as only some states had accurate birth records and some didn’t making conscription difficult. * VETERANS * Received little support after the war * Weren’t lauded as national heroes like the ANZACS were * Suffered from mental trauma * YOUTHS The war inspired them and affected them greatly to make them speak out on a large scale for the first time in history * One of the largest groups that embodied the progressive culture that was emerging * Vietnam, and the distrust of government fuelled their rebellion against authority during the 60s and 70s * FAMILIES * WOMEN * Had a greater influence on politics for the first time * Definitely, they gained confidence from their first exposure to speaking out COHESION: * Youths voice * Youths gained a greater expression in society; this was seen by their major roles in demonstrations. * This impact however can also be seen as a divisive argument because a link to the new ‘teenage rebellion’ that followed Vietnam is quite noticeable * Women’s new status * Similarly to youths, women gained a new voice and expression during Vietnam. * Never before had they been so active in making their views on political policies known. This was the first time effectively where their actions influenced policy this was seen by the effect groups like SOS etc. had on shifting power form the Liberals to the ALP. T * his newfound voice gave them confidence to push for other reforms in the women’s movement. * The Vietnam war changed the status of women in society forever and widely this was accepted as a good thing. * Progressive mindset * Vietnam brought out a new progressive mindset in Australians that had barely seen the light of day under the conservative rule of the Menzies government. * Vietnam made people more judgmental and progressive in their thinking as the war made them realise that they shouldn’t swallow everything the government tells them. This change was evident by the swing of voters to the ALP and away from Liberal * Australia was never going to be as conservative * This was on the whole a good thing but opinion would still be split as the overall effect was that now government’s had less influence as people were now thinking for themselves * This idea of ‘thinking for yourselves’ scared some conservatives. * The change was evident in Federal politics with Whitlam’s election in 1972, but also on a state level the shift was taking place * WA, NSW, TAS and SA all went from Liberal to Labour in elections between 1972-1975 shortly after the war * DIVISIVE: * The treatment of returned Servicemen * This was a major issue Many of the retuned soldiers weren’t lauded as heroes * Some of them felt the cold treatment was unjust especially seeing some were forced(conscripted) to fight * Conscription: * Most divisive aspect other than maybe the war itself * Divisive on a few levels * Limited rights * Sent soldiers into one of the most atrocious battlefields, the public knew this because of what the media showed them * Left them scarred even after they came home. * The War itself: * Chemical weapons * The media brought this side of the war to peoples living rooms * Scarring of soldiers * Conscription * Removal of rights * ethics * How ethical was it to be getting over involved in Vietnams own civil

Death Penalty for Children Essay

The death penalty issue has always been one of the most important issues of the contemporary system of justice. Years ago the majority of the criminals were male over 20 years old, but nowadays the situation has changed. Not only adults are sentenced but children who are under 18 years old nowadays they commit murders and other terrible crimes. However, a child is always a child and if he commits a crime it is not because he has a good life in fact, it is not the guilt of the children, they don’t have the fortune of having anybody who loves, supports and leads them in the correct direction. Under these conditions a child should never be sentenced to death because they still have a chance to change and re-evaluate their life. A child is not mentally capable of comprehending the crime he or she commits, other people can easily influence children and their psychic process is not stable yet. The majority of the negative manifestations are acquired from parent’s behavior and the child’s social environment. If the child has only aggressive and violent examples in his social environment, he won’t accept the guide of his parents or teachers then the child’s personality deforms. A child is not a criminal adult and should never be treated like that, it is more important to prevent children for committing crimes and remember that children simply reflect what the family and the society have put into their heads. Taking everything into account, children should grow up in a healthy environment with love and respect for the live of themselves and others, this is the way to prevent more crimes. Governments and society must understand that a child is reflection of a happy home, then they should start to improve their behavior to improve their homes and the world.

Bad Sugar Essay

Unnatural Causes In this video â€Å"Bad Sugar† the Pima and Tohono O’odham Indians of southern Arizona have the highest diabetes rate in the world. This affects more then half the adults in this Indian group, but a century ago diabetes wasn’t even heard of. What has happened to the health of the Pima Indians? During the 20th century the river water was used by white settlers and Pima’s local Indians went into poverty and became dependent on the U. S. government. This resulted in the Indians eating tepary beans, cholla buds and wild life these everyday ood items changed to white flour, lard, processed cheese and canned foods. Needless to say this had a big impact on the Pima Indians. This exclusive documentary shows crucial evidence on how we pour more money into drugs, fad diets, medical technologies, but is it deeper then that? Evidence shows there’re more to bad habits and unlucky genes. If we can find a solution to poverty we can solve many of the problems that individuals deal with on a day-to-day bases. As a future educator I will teach them strategies and help improve their daily exercise. Teaching hem strategies will help them to become independent with their exercise as well as quality nutrition and realize how truly Important It Is, which should lower the diabetic rate. Goals: 1 . Promote healthy lifestyles to prevent risk factors for pre-dlabetes, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke 2. Improve the detection, control and treatment of risk factors and pre-diabetes for the prevention of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke 3. Improve the detection, control and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disease to prevent complications and disabilities and reduce the severity and progression of disease

Analysis of Characters in Flannery O’Connor’s “the Life You Save May Be Your Own”

Laura Furdge Dr. McDaniels ENG 495 February 5, 2013 Analysis of Characters in Flannery O'Connor's â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† is a short story written by the American author Flannery O'Connor. It is one of ten stories in her short story collection called A Good Man Is Hard to Find. In this Southern Gothic tale, we are introduced to a mother and her daughter as they sit on a porch in an impoverished country town. A man, Mr. Shiftlet, crosses their path and after a bit of conversation is offered a place to sleep and food to eat in exchange for fixing things around the house. He eventually is offered the daughter's hand in marriage, and accepts with the reward of getting a car. The two marry and the mother provides money for them to go on a weekend honeymoon. But, in an unexpected turn of events, at least 100 miles away from her home, Mr. Shiftlet leaves the girl sleeping and stranded at the counter of a breakfast restaurant. Feeling very guilty, he searches for a hitchhiker to pick up in an effort to right his wrong and finds a little boy that had just run away from home. Mr Shiftlet convinces the child to go back home to his mother and the story ends with him driving to Mobile. Flannery O'Connor does more than tell a humorous Gothic story with this piece of work; she uses the lives of Lucynell, Lucynell Jr, and Mr Shiftlet to illustrate the human condition and how we often put our morals to the side for our own selfish gain. Lucynell Crater is the retarded daughter of Mrs. Crater. She has a childlike mind and is unable to speak. She is a simple spirit and lacks comprehension of her surroundings. She ha[s] long pink-gold hair and eyes as blue as a peacock's neck†(O'Connor). She was almost thirty but could pass for 15 or 16 because of her innocence. She is almost entirely silent the whole story, yet she plays a major role in the events that take place throughout the story. Lucynell was a key player in this story because she was Mrs. Crater's only opportunity to get a son-in-law, and Mr. Shiftlets best opportunity to get a car. The story revolves around Mrs. Crater's attempts to get Mr. Shiftlet to want to marry Lucynell. She lies about Lucynell's age, brags on how she is able to do housework, and even makes sure that he knows she is innocent. All the while, Lucynell is totally oblivious to the things that are taking place around her. Lucynell is used as a symbol in this story; she is a representation of the rejected salvation for Mr. Shiftlet. Mr. Shiftlet (Shiftlet suggesting that he is a sketchy character or that he will eventually change) is immediately recognized as a â€Å"tramp† by Mrs. Crater as he walks up the road. His conversation leads the reader to believe that he is nothing but a con-man. O'Connor makes it apparent in Mr. Shiftlets speech that he knows exactly what to say in order to get what he wants. From the time he approached their porch, he was eying their car. He spoke as if he wanted to hang around because he wanted to be able to share their view of the sunset every morning, but it is apparent that he wants the car for himself in order to be free. Tom Shiftlet's inability to be truthful and honest about his intent creates a situation for him that could have been avoided. He hangs around the house, fixing things and even teaching Lucynell to speak. Because he is â€Å"a poor disabled friendless drifting man†(O'Connor) according to Mrs. Crater, and therefore there is no place in the world for such a man as he, it was assumed that he would marry her daughter, fulfilling her desperation for a son-in-law, and live out the rest of his life with the Craters. Because he went along with the assumption, he is in essence, forced to marry Lucynell and this leads to him abandoning her at the diner because he really did not want what he agreed to. Mrs. Lucynell Crater (the name Crater suggesting an empty space or hole, indicating that she is in want/need of something) is a toothless old widow. Her husband died 15 years ago, leaving her to take care of Lucynell and the farm by herself for the rest of her life. It makes sense that she would be so welcoming and trusting of a complete stranger. â€Å"O'Connor connects the Craters' lack of a man in the household to immobility and deterioration and Shiftlet presents a solution to both problems†(Arant). Though handicapped by the lack of one arm, Mrs. Crater believes Mr Shiftlet will be a great help around the house and decides to provide food and a place to sleep for him in exchange for his services. As the story progresses, Mrs. Crater's desperation for a son-in-law begins to show more clearly in her conversations with Mr. Shiftlet. She begins to use Lucynell as a bargaining tool as she offers him the car in exchange for marrying her daughter. She loses sight of the fact that Lucynell is not competent enough to enter into a marriage because her focus is gaining a son-in-law that could take care of the farm. This is a very immoral decision because her duty as a mother is first and most importantly to take care of and protect her child. Her decision to marry Lucynell off also speaks to the fact that she either does not understand the sacred nature of marriage or does not care at all about it. As stated earlier, Mrs. Crater is well aware of Mr. Shiftlets desire to obtain the vehicle that had been sitting up for years so she uses it to negotiate a marriage between him and Lucynell. Mr. Shiftlet and Mrs Crater agree that he would marry her and take her out on a weekend honeymoon. O'Connor makes it apparent that innocent Lucynell does not know what has taken place because she falls asleep on what ought to be the happiest day of her life. Lucynell was the saving grace for both Mr. Shiftlet and Mrs. Crater, but instead, just as the world rejects Christ's salvation, she was rejected and these two characters are damned to a life of loneliness and guilt. Lucynell was Mrs. Craters life before Mr. Shiftlet came along, and the fact that she was crying at the thought of Lucynell being gone for only two days proves that she is definitely going to suffer more if she never returns. As far as Mr. Shiftlet is concerned, Mrs. Crater trusted him with Lucynell, telling him â€Å"I wouldn't let no man have her but you because I seen you would do right. †(O'Connor) and he betrayed her trust. He abandoned his salvation, â€Å"he is on the run from grace; he longed for a car so that he could run faster and farther†(Rogers). He realizes that his actions were terrible and even after trying to redeem himself by picking up a hitchhiker he cries out to the Lord, â€Å"Break forth and wash the slime from this earth! † and the story ends with him attempting to outrun the approaching storm. A closer look at the characters in this story gives an accurate example of the human condition. The characters in most Southern Gothic stories are often decrepit, unsavory, poor and/or mentally ill. The authors use the extremities of the people in their stories to expose our internal mental condition as human beings. The purpose in doing so is to cause the reader to take a moment and examine their own lives. It makes one stop and think about how they may have acted in the situations presented in the stories and it gives them insight as to what could result from it. On the surface, the automobile and wedding in â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† seem to hold little to no importance. But from the beginning, it is clear that Mrs. Crater only wanted to keep Mr. Shiftlet around for the potential services that he could provide. He could have been her live-in carpenter as well as a husband for her daughter. At this point her daughter becomes an object instead of a human being. Even though Mr. Shiftlet pretends to be unconcerned with the money, he winds up asking about the car and even wants money for the wedding. Eventually, just like Mrs. Crater, he abandons Lucynell for the belief that a car would fulfill his needs. Through the approach of Mr. Shiftlet and Mrs. Crater in relation to their desire to gain the things they thought they needed in order to be happy, Flannery O'Connor reveals a world in which money or material things have become more important than people or even spiritual peace. Works CitedArant, Alison. â€Å"A Moral Intelligence†: Mental Disability and Eugenic Resistance in Welty's â€Å"Lily Daw and the Three Ladies† and O'Connor's â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own. Southern Literary Journal 44. 2 (2012): 69-87. Academic Search Premier. Web 5 Feb 2013 Baym, Nina, Mary Loffelholz.â€Å"Flannery O'Connor's ‘The Life You Save May Be Your Own. † The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. Vol. D. New York W. W. Norton ; Co. 2007. 2522-2529. Print.Rogers, Jonathan. â€Å"Flannery O'Connor Summer Reading Club, Week 2: ‘The Life You Save May Be Your Own'†. Jonathan-Rogers. com. 11 June 2012. WordPress. Web. 4 Feb 2013. .

About Huck

About Huck Although Huck is white, he is poor, which makes him out of touch with civilized society, and although the Widow Douglas attempts to â€Å"sivilize† Huck by giving him the schooling and religious training he has missed, he resists her attempts and maintains his independent ways. He has not been indoctrinated with social values like a middle-class boy like Tom Sawyer has been. Huck’s distance from civilized society makes him skeptical of the world around him and the ideas it passes on to him. He has more practical values than the members of the middle class; for example, he doesn’t care about the Widow’s story about Moses because he â€Å"don’t take no stock in dead people† (2). Huck distrusts and questions the things society has taught him. For example, according to the law, Jim is Miss Watson’s property, but according to Huck’s sense of logic and fairness, it seems â€Å"right† to help Jim. He draws his own conclusions th at would shock white society: Huck discovers, when he and Jim meet a group of slave-hunters, that telling a lie is sometimes the right course of action. Huck is willing and eager to question the â€Å"facts† of life and of human personality, such as the tendency to lie. Though Huck always remains open to learning, he never accepts new ideas without thinking. He is skeptical of social doctrines like religion and willing to set forth new ideas. For example, he doesn’t â€Å"see no advantage† in going to heaven with Miss Watson, especially since he wants to stay with Tom Sawyer (3). Huck speaks in simple terms but is intelligent enough to question society’s value of religious ideas and follow his own heart; he values his friend over a biblical standard of the afterlife. However, Huck is inevitably tainted by the Southern white conception of the world. He genuinely struggles with the question of whether or not to turn over Jim to the white men who ask if he is harboring any runaway slaves. In some sense, Huck still believes that turning Jim in would be the â€Å"right† thing to do, and he struggles with the idea that Miss Watson is a slave owner yet still seems to be a â€Å"good† person. As he spends more time with Jim, Huck is forced to question the facts that white society has taught him and that he has taken for granted. He realizes that he would have felt worse for doing the â€Å"right† thing and turning Jim in than he does for not turning Jim in. When Huck reaches this realization, he makes a decision to reject conventional morality in favor of what his conscience dictates. This decision represents a big step in Huck’s development, as he realizes that his conscience may be a better guide than the dictates of the whi te society in which he has been raised. As a narrator, Huck views his surroundings logically and pragmatically. His observations are not filled with judgments; instead, Huck observes his environment and gives realistic descriptions of the Mississippi River and southern culture. Huck simply accepts, at face value, the social and religious tenets pressed upon him by Miss Watson until his experiences cause him to make decisions in which his learned values and his natural feelings come in conflict. When Huck is unable to conform to the rules, he assumes that it is his own deficiency, not the rule, that is bad. He observes Pap saying he’ll never vote again because a black man was allowed to, but Huck but does not condemn this because it is the accepted view in his world. Huck simply reports what he sees, and this narration allows Twain to depict a realistic view of common ignorance, slavery, and the inhumanity that follows.