Criticisms in “In the Penal Colony” Essay

The antediluvian apparatus and ancient legal system in Kafka’s â€Å"In the Penal Colony† describes the current state of humanity in the colonial era.   Through the use, along with the circumstances surrounding the machine, Kafka portrays slavery and colonialism in the world and the consequences of failing to abolish such ways. The people of the colony are represented by â€Å"the Soldier†, â€Å"the Officer†, â€Å"the Explorer†, â€Å"the Condemned man†, and â€Å"the Commandant†.   By giving them these names, Kafka has essentially dehumanized them much like those who have been condemned to working in penal colonies; they only have functions, not names.   The harsh bureaucratic ways of the colony can be seen through the punishments handed out as told by the Officer who is: much more interested in the technicalities of the execution than the niceties of legal procedure. The actual execution is to be carried out by a complex apparatus designed by the former Commandant of the penal colony and maintained by the Officer. The machine tortures the condemned man in a process that brutally mimics and transforms the sexual act. The condemned man is strapped naked onto something akin to a bed and the top part of the apparatus, a set of knife-like needles, automatically descends, piercing his body and excreting a fluid that inscribes the sentence upon his flesh. For the first six hours of the writing process, the condemned man â€Å"suffers only pain† (149) but as the needles pierce his internal organs more deeply, he achieves a form of enlightenment that culminates in death. (Kohn 5) The way in which the punishment is filtered through the legal system of the penal colony is also rather questionable.   The Officer says, â€Å"I have been appointed judge in this penal colony†(145) and uses his principle of: Guilt is never to be doubted.   Other courts cannot follow that principle, for they consist of several opinions and have higher courts to scrutinize them.   That is not the case here, or at least, it was not the case in the former Commandant’s time.†(145) to rule over his judgments.   For the condemned man, he has no chance to defend himself and prove his innocence by virtue of the system in place.   They are always going to be found guilty for the sake of being guilty so they can have an execution take place and bring some kind of grotesque excitement where, â€Å"hundreds of spectators—all of them standing on tiptoe†(153) could bear witness to them. Aside from the archaic methods of criminal procedures, Kafka also presents the reliance on antiquated technology through this work in the presentation of execution machine to portray the costs associated with running a penal colony for slave labor during his time.   We first get a glimpse of the harsh realities of the machine and the cost to upkeep it when the soldier breaks the wrist strap and the Officer says, â€Å"This is a very complex machine, it can’t be helped that things are breaking or giving way here and there; but one must not thereby allow oneself to be diverted in one’s general judgment†(151).   He continues saying: the resources for maintaining the machine are now very much reduced.   Under the former Commandant I had free access to a sum of money set aside entirely for this purpose.   There was a store, too, in which spare parts were kept for repairs of all kinds. (151)†¦Now he has taken charge of the machine money himself, and if I send for a new strap they ask for the broken old strap as evidence, and the new strap takes ten days to appear and then is of shoddy material and not much good. (151) There was an entire store dedicated solely to maintaining the machine it much like penal colonies were such a hindrance on the economies of the nations that controlled and maintained them. As the story progresses, we can see how the ways of the penal colony are being phased out when we hear the Officer tell the Explorer: there’s no time to lose, an attack of some kind is impending on my function as judge; conferences are already being held in the Commandant’s office from which I am excluded; even your coming here today seems to me a significant move; they are cowards and use you as a screen, you, a stranger.(153) The Officer views the Explorer with a great deal of clout believing he can restore the penal colony to the greatness that it once enjoyed.   However, the Explorer knows the harsh realities of the colony and refuses to play along with Officer to help him bring the colony back to its previous state.   Instead we see the Explorer as, â€Å"a kind of outsider,†(157) a change in attitudes throughout the world looking in on the colony.   The Officer finally realizes that the Explorer is not there to help him restore what once was, and he submits himself to his own machine.   As the machine is inscribing ‘be just’ into his body, it fails due to its complex nature and failing state, much like the failing state of the colony, and kills him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through close readings of â€Å"In the Penal Colony,† we gain an insight as to what Kafka was trying to accomplish with this work.   His nation, Germany, as well as many others in the world at the time had undertaken colonialism and establishing penal colonies to better their nations.   However, Kafka illustrates the failing nature of these establishments through their rudimentary justice systems and monetary reliance on the host nations economies.   Instead of bettering society through what was being provided by the slave labor, the social order of the world was being torn apart keeping them afloat. Works Cited Kohn, Margaret. â€Å"Kafka’s Critique of Colonialism.† Theory & Event. 8.3 (2005): 5. Print.

Symptom Recital by Dorthy Graves

In this composition I will be comparing and contrasting two poems from our love poem selections. The two poems I will be using are â€Å"Symptom Recital† by Dorothy Parker and â€Å"Symptoms of Love† by Robert Graves. These are two of the poems I found most interesting within our selections, because in both â€Å"Symptom Recital† and â€Å"Symptoms of love† both authors depict the feelings their speakers encounter with love. In these two poems the differences out weight the similarities. The differences in these poems are very noticeable.In â€Å"Symptom recital† Dorothy Parker expresses a woman’s feelings after a bad break up. Parker expresses the anguish and disgust the woman feels about herself, the hatred and the state of mind she is currently in. Parker then uses metaphors’ to express the woman’s thoughts of dismay, such as in line eleven and twelve (I’m disillusioned, empty-breasted/ for what I think I should be arr ested). These lines parker expresses that the woman is thinking horrible thoughts of herself and that these thought could be so terrible that if they were brought to the public she would most definitely be arrested.While in the previous poem we saw that Parker was expressing the ill feelings of a breakup, now in Robert Graves’s poem â€Å"Symptoms of Love† is expressing the feelings and emotions someone endures while going through love. Graves depicts the up and down emotions that love gives. The headaches because of how much the speaker cares for the other. How those headaches turn to Jealousy and nightmares. Graves expresses these in metaphors in line one and four through eight. love is a universal migraine/ Symptoms of true love/ are leanness, jealousy/ laggard dawns;/ are omens and nightmares-/ listening for a knock). In these lines Graves shows the emotions of relationships and how they all tie together in one big ball. The similarities both these poems share is t he fact that both speakers are showing emotions that come with love. Both the emotions the authors show are turmoil, whether it is while currently in the relationship like â€Å"symptom of Love† shows or after the relationship which â€Å"Symptom Recital† expresses.Both of these poems both end in a somewhat happy tune, for example in Symptom recital the whole poem is very upsetting but ends on a positive not that one day the speaker will find love again. While in â€Å"Symptoms of love† the speaker tone is of how hard it is to be in love but in the end wouldn’t do it for anyone other than the person he shares his love with. In conclusion both poems were very strong, emotion filled poems of the hardships and enjoyments of love and a relationship.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Well, by pretending to have an overactive bladder, I've managed to sneak enough time in the bathroom to finish reading this Gospel of Matthew. I don't know who the Matthew is that wrote this, but it certainly wasn't our Matthew. While our Matthew was a whiz at numbers (as you might expect from a tax collector), he couldn't write his own name in the sand without making three mistakes. Whoever wrote this Gospel obviously got the information at least secondhand, maybe thirdhand. I'm not here to criticize, but please, he never mentions me. Not once. I know my protests go against the humility that Joshua taught, but please, I was his best friend. Not to mention the fact that this Matthew (if that really is his name) takes great care in describing Joshua's genealogy back to King David, but after Joshua is born and the three wise men show up at the stable in Bethlehem, then you don't hear from Joshua again until he's thirty. Thirty! As if nothing happened from the manger until John baptized us. Jeez. Anyway, now I know why I was brought back from the dead to write this Gospel. If the rest of this â€Å"New Testament† is anything like the book of Matthew, they need someone to write about Joshua's life who was actually there: me. I can't believe I wasn't even mentioned once. It's all I can do to keep from asking Raziel what in the hell happened. He probably showed up a hundred years too late to correct this Matthew fellow. Oh my, there's a frightening thought, edited by the moron angel. I can't let that happen. And the ending? Where did he get that? I'll see what this next guy, this Mark, has to say, but I'm not getting my hopes up. The first thing that we noticed about Balthasar's fortress was that there were no right angles, no angles period, only curves. As we followed the magus through corridors, and from level to level, we never saw so much as a squared-off stair step, instead there were spiral ramps leading from level to level, and although the fortress spread all over the cliff face, no room was more than one doorway away from a window. Once we were above the ground level, there was always light from the windows and the creepy feeling we'd had when we entered quickly passed away. The stone of the walls was more yellow in color than the limestone of Jerusalem, yet it had the same smooth appearance. Overall it gave the impression that you were walking through the polished entrails of some huge living creature. â€Å"Did you build this place, Balthasar?† I asked. â€Å"Oh, no,† he said, without turning around. â€Å"This place was always here, I simply had to remove the stone that occupied it.† â€Å"Oh,† I said, having gained no knowledge whatsoever. We passed no doors, but myriad open archways and round portals which opened into chambers of various shapes and sizes. As we passed one egg-shaped doorway obscured by a curtain of beads Balthasar mumbled, â€Å"The girls stay in there.† â€Å"Girls?† I said. â€Å"Girls?† Joshua said. â€Å"Yes, girls, you ninnies,† Balthasar said. â€Å"Humans much like yourselves, except smarter and better smelling.† Well, I knew that. I mean, we'd seen the two of them, hadn't we? I knew what girls were. He pressed on until we came to the only other door I had seen since we entered, this one another huge, ironclad monster held closed with three iron bolts as big around as my arm and a heavy brass lock engraved with strange characters. The magus stopped and tilted an ear to the door. His heavy gold earring clinked against one of the bolts. He turned to us and whispered, and for the first time I could clearly see that the magus was very old, despite the strength of his laugh and the spring in his step. â€Å"You may go anywhere you wish while you stay here, but you must never open this door. Xiong zai.† â€Å"Xiong zai,† I repeated to Joshua in case he'd missed it. â€Å"Xiong zai.† He nodded with total lack of understanding. Mankind, I suppose, is designed to run on – to be motivated by – temptation. If progress is a virtue then this is our greatest gift. (For what is curiosity if not intellectual temptation? And what progress is there without curiosity?) On the other hand, can you call such a profound weakness a gift, or is it a design flaw? Is temptation itself at fault for man's woes, or is it simply the lack of judgment in response to temptation? In other words, who is to blame? Mankind, or a bad designer? Because I can't help but think that if God had never told Adam and Eve to avoid the fruit of the tree of knowledge, that the human race would still be running around naked, dancing in wonderment and blissfully naming stuff between snacks, naps, and shags. By the same token, if Balthasar had passed that great ironclad door that first day without a word of warning, I might have never given it a second glance, and once again, much trouble could have been avoided. Am I to blame for what h appened, or is it the author of temptation, God Hisownself? Balthasar led us into a grand chamber with silks festooned from the ceiling and the floor covered with fine carpets and pillows. Wine, fruit, cheese, and bread were laid out on several low tables. â€Å"Rest and refresh,† said Balthasar. â€Å"I'll be back after I finish my business with Ahmad.† Then he hurried off, leaving us alone. â€Å"So,† I said, â€Å"find out what you need to from this guy, then we can get on the road and on to the next wise man.† â€Å"I'm not sure it's going to be that quick. In fact, we may be here quite some time. Maybe years.† â€Å"Years? Joshua, we're in the middle of nowhere, we can't spend years here.† â€Å"Biff, we grew up in the middle of nowhere. What's the difference?† â€Å"Girls,† I said. â€Å"What about them?† Joshua asked. â€Å"Don't start.† We heard laughter rolling down the corridor into the room and shortly it was followed by Balthasar and Ahmad, who threw themselves down among the pillows and began eating the cheeses and fruits that had been set out. â€Å"So,† Balthasar said, â€Å"Ahmad tells me that you tried to save a bandit, and in the process blinded one of his men, without so much as touching him. Very impressive.† Joshua hung his head. â€Å"It was a massacre.† â€Å"Grieve,† Balthasar said, â€Å"but consider also the words of the master Lao-tzu: ‘Weapons are instruments of misfortune. Those who are violent do not die naturally.'† â€Å"Ahmad,† Joshua said, â€Å"what will happen to the guard, the one I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He is no good to me anymore,† said Ahmad. â€Å"A shame too, he was the best bowman of the lot. I'll leave him in Kabul. He's asked me to give his pay to his wife in Antioch and his other wife in Dunhuang. I suppose he will become a beggar.† â€Å"Who is Lao-tzu?† I asked. â€Å"You will have plenty of time to learn of master Lao-tzu,† said Balthasar. â€Å"Tomorrow I will assign you a tutor to teach you qi, the path of the Dragon's Breath, but for now, eat and rest.† â€Å"Can you believe a Chinaman can be so black?† laughed Ahmad. â€Å"Have you ever seen such a thing?† â€Å"I wore the leopard skin of the shaman when your father was just a twinkle in the great river of stars, Ahmad. I mastered animal magic before you were old enough to walk, and I had learned all the secrets of the sacred Egyptian magic texts before you could sprout a beard. If immortality is to be found among the wisdom of the Chinese masters, then I shall be Chinese as long as it suits me, no matter the color of my skin or the place of my birth.† I tried to determine Balthasar's age. From what he was claiming he would have to be very old indeed, as Ahmad was not young himself, yet his movements were spry and as far as I could see he had all of his teeth and they were perfect. There was none of the feeble dotage that I'd seen in our elders at home. â€Å"How do you stay so strong, Balthasar?† I asked. â€Å"Magic.† He grinned. â€Å"There is no magic but that of the Lord,† Joshua said. Balthasar scratched his chin and replied quietly, â€Å"Then presumably none without his consent, eh, Joshua?† Joshua slouched and stared at the floor. Ahmad burst out laughing. â€Å"His magic isn't so mysterious, boys. Balthasar has eight young concubines to draw the poisons from his old body, that's how he stays young.† â€Å"Holy moly! Eight?† I was astounded. Aroused. Envious. â€Å"Does that room with the ironclad door have something to do with your magic?† Joshua asked gravely. Balthasar stopped grinning. Ahmad looked from Joshua to the magus and back, bewildered. â€Å"Let me show you to your quarters,† said Balthasar. â€Å"You should wash and rest. Lessons tomorrow. Say good-bye to Ahmad, you'll not see him again soon.† Our quarters were spacious, bigger than the houses we'd grown up in, with carpets on the floor, chairs made of dark exotic hardwoods carved into the shapes of dragons and lions, and a table that held a pitcher and basin for washing. Each of our rooms held a desk and cabinet full of instruments for painting and writing, and something neither of us had ever seen, a bed. A half-wall divided the space between Joshua's room and mine, so we were able to lie in the beds and talk before falling asleep, just as we had in the desert. I could tell that Joshua was deeply troubled about something that first night. â€Å"You seem, I don't know, deeply troubled, Josh.† â€Å"It's the bandits. Could I have raised them?† â€Å"All of them? I don't know, could you?† â€Å"I thought about it. I thought that I could make them all walk and breathe again. I thought I could make them live. But I didn't even try.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because I was afraid they would have killed us and robbed us if I had. It's what Balthasar said, ‘Those who are violent do not die naturally.'† â€Å"The Torah says, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. They were bandits.† â€Å"But were they bandits always? Would they have been bandits in the years to come?† â€Å"Sure, once a bandit, always a bandit. They take an oath or something. Besides, you didn't kill them.† â€Å"But I didn't save them, and I blinded that bowman. That wasn't right.† â€Å"You were angry.† â€Å"That's no excuse.† â€Å"What do you mean, that's no excuse? You're God's Son. God wiped out everyone on earth with a flood because he was angry.† â€Å"I'm not sure that's right.† â€Å"‘Scuse me?† â€Å"We have to go to Kabul. I need to restore that man's sight if I can.† â€Å"Joshua, this bed is the most comfortable place I've ever been. Can we wait to go to Kabul?† â€Å"I suppose.† Joshua was quiet for a long time and I thought that he might have fallen asleep. I didn't want to sleep, but I didn't want to talk about dead bandits either. â€Å"Hey Josh?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"What do you think is in that room with the iron door, what did he call it?† â€Å"Xiong zai,† said Josh. â€Å"Yeah, Xiong zai. What do you think that is?† â€Å"I don't know, Biff. Maybe you should ask your tutor.† Xiong zai means house of doom, in the parlance of feng shui,† said Tiny Feet of the Divine Dance of Joyous Orgasm. She knelt before a low stone table that held an earthenware teapot and cups. She wore a red silk robe trimmed with golden dragons and tied with a black sash. Her hair was black and straight and so long that she had tied it in a knot to keep it from dragging on the floor as she served the tea. Her face was heart-shaped, her skin as smooth as polished alabaster, and if she'd ever been in the sun, the evidence had long since faded. She wore wooden sandals held fast by silk ribbons and her feet, as you might guess from her name, were tiny. It had taken me three days of lessons to get the courage up to ask her about the room. She poured the tea daintily, but without ceremony, as she had each of the previous three days before my lessons. But this time, before she handed it to me, she added to my cup a drop of a potion from a tiny porcelain bottle that hung from a chain around her neck. â€Å"What's in the bottle, Joy?† I called her Joy. Her full name was too ungainly for conversation, and when I'd tried other diminutives (Tiny Feet, Divine Dance, and Orgasm), she hadn't responded positively. â€Å"Poison,† Joy said with a smile. The lips of her smile were shy and girlish, but the eyes smiled a thousand years sly. â€Å"Ah,† I said, and I tasted the tea. It was rich and fragrant, just as it had been before, but this time there was a hint of bitterness. â€Å"Biff, can you guess what your lesson is today?† Joy asked. â€Å"I thought you would tell me what's in that house of doom room.† â€Å"No, that is not the lesson today. Balthasar does not wish you to know what is in that room. Guess again.† My fingers and toes had begun to tingle and I suddenly realized that my scalp had gone numb. â€Å"You're going to teach me how to make the fire-powder that Balthasar used the day we arrived?† â€Å"No, silly.† Joy's laugh had the musical sound of a clear stream running over rocks. She pushed me lightly on the chest and I fell over backward, unable to move. â€Å"Today's lesson is – are you ready?† I grunted. It was all I could do. My mouth was paralyzed. â€Å"Today's lesson is, if someone puts poison in your tea, don't drink it.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† I sort of slurred. â€Å"So,† Balthasar said, â€Å"I see that Tiny Feet of the Divine Dance of Joyous Orgasm has revealed what she keeps in the little bottle around her neck.† The magus laughed heartily and leaned back on some cushions. â€Å"Is he dead?† asked Joshua. The girls laid my paralyzed body on some pillows next to Joshua, then propped me up so I could look at Balthasar. Beautiful Gate of Heavenly Moisture Number Six, who I had only just met and didn't have a nickname for yet, put some drops on my eyes to keep them moist, as I seemed to have lost the ability to blink. â€Å"No,† said Balthasar, â€Å"he's not dead. He's just relaxed.† Joshua poked me in the ribs and, of course, I didn't respond. â€Å"Really relaxed,† he said. Beautiful Gate of Heavenly Moisture Number Six handed Joshua the little vial of eye drops and excused herself. She and the other girls left the room. â€Å"Can he see and hear us?† Joshua asked. â€Å"Oh yes, he's completely alert.† â€Å"Hey Biff, I'm learning about Chi,† Joshua shouted into my ear. â€Å"It flows all around us. You can't see it, or hear it, or smell it, but it's there.† â€Å"You don't need to shout,† said Balthasar. Which is what I would have said, if I could have said anything. Joshua put some drops in my eyes. â€Å"Sorry.† Then to Balthasar, â€Å"This poison, where did it come from?† â€Å"I studied under a sage in China who had been the emperor's royal poisoner. He taught me this, and many other of the magics of the five elements.† â€Å"Why would an emperor need a poisoner?† â€Å"A question that only a peasant would ask.† â€Å"An answer that only an ass would give,† said Joshua. Balthasar laughed. â€Å"So be it, child of the star. A question asked in earnest deserves an earnest answer. An emperor has many enemies to dispatch, but more important, he has many enemies who would dispatch him. The sage spent most of his time concocting antidotes.† â€Å"So there's an antidote to this poison,† Joshua said, poking me in the ribs again. â€Å"In good time. In good time. Have some more wine, Joshua. I wish to discuss with you the three jewels of the Tao. The three jewels of the Tao are compassion, moderation, and humility†¦Ã¢â‚¬  An hour later, four Chinese girls came and picked me up, wiped the floor where I had drooled, and carried me to our quarters. As they passed the great ironclad door I could hear scraping and a voice in my head that said, â€Å"Hey kid, open the door,† but the girls made no notice of it. Back in my room, the girls bathed me and poured some rich broth into me, then put me to bed and closed my eyes. I could hear Joshua enter the room and shuffle around preparing for bed. â€Å"Balthasar says he will have Joy give you the antidote to the poison soon, but first you have a lesson to learn. He says that this is the Chinese way of teaching. Strange, don't you think?† Had I been able to make a sound, I would have agreed, yes, indeed it was strange. So you know: Balthasar's concubines were eight in number and their names were: Tiny Feet of the Divine Dance of Joyous Orgasm, Beautiful Gate of Heavenly Moisture Number Six, Temptress of the Golden Light of the Harvest Moon, Delicate Personage of Two Fu Dogs Wrestling Under a Blanket, Feminine Keeper of the Three Tunnels of Excessive Friendliness, Silken Pillows of the Heavenly Softness of Clouds, Pea Pods in Duck Sauce with Crispy Noodle, and Sue. And I found myself wondering, as a man does, about origins and motivations and such – as each of the concubines was more beautiful than the last, regardless of what order you put them in, which was weird – so after several weeks passed, and I could no longer stand the curiosity scratching at my brain like a cat in a basket, I waited until one of the rare occasions when I was alone with Balthasar, and I asked. â€Å"Why Sue?† â€Å"Short for Susanna,† Balthasar said. So there you go. Their full names were somewhat ungainly, and to try to pronounce them in Chinese produced a sound akin to throwing a bag of silverware down a flight of steps (ting, tong, yang, wing, etc.) so Joshua and I called the girls as follows: Joy, Number Six, Two Fu Dogs, Moon, Tunnels, Pillows, Pea Pods, and, of course, Sue, which we couldn't figure out how to shorten. Except for a group of men who brought supplies from Kabul every two weeks, and while there would do any heavy moving, the eight young women did everything around the fortress. Despite the remoteness and the obvious wealth that the fortress housed, there were no guards. I found that curious. Over the next week Joy tutored me in the characters that I would need to know to read the Book of the Divine Elixirs or the Nine Tripods of the Yellow Emperor, and the Book of Liquid Pearl in Nine Cycles and of the Nine Elixirs of the Divine Immortals. The plan was that once I became conversant in these two ancient texts, I would be able to assist Balthasar in his quest for immortality. That, by the way, was the reason that we were there, the reason that Balthasar had followed the star to Bethlehem at Joshua's birth, and the reason that he had put Ahmad on notice to look for a Jew seeking the African magus. Balthasar sought immortality, and he believed that Joshua held the key to it. Of course we didn't know that at the time. My concentration while studying the symbols was particularly acute, helped by the fact that I could not move a muscle. Each morning Two Fu Dogs and Pillows (both named for their voluptuousness, which evidently came with considerable strength) would pull me from bed, squeeze me over the latrine, bathe me, pour some broth into me, then take me to the library and prop me in a chair while Joy lectured on Chinese characters, which she painted with a wet brush on large sheets of slate set on easels. Sometimes the other girls would stay and pose my body into various positions that amused them, and as much as I should have been annoyed by the humiliation, the truth be told, watching Pillows and Two Fu Dogs jiggle in paroxysms of girlish laughter was fast becoming the high point of my paralyzed day. At midday, Joy would take a break while two or more of the other girls squoze me over the latrine, poured more broth into me, and then teased me mercilessly until Joy returned, clapped her hands, and sent them away well scolded. (Joy was the bull-ox concubine of them all, despite her tiny feet.) Sometimes during these breaks, Joshua would leave his own lessons and come to the library to visit. â€Å"Why have you painted him blue?† asked Joshua. â€Å"He looks good blue,† said Pea Pods. Two Fu Dogs and Tunnels stood by with paintbrushes admiring their work. â€Å"Well, he's not going to be happy with this when he gets the antidote, I can tell you that.† Then to me Joshua said, â€Å"You know, you do sort of look good blue. Biff, I've appealed to Joy on your behalf, but she says she doesn't think you've learned your lesson yet. You have learned your lesson though, haven't you? Stop breathing for a second if the answer is yes.† I did. â€Å"I thought so.† Joshua bent and whispered in my ear. â€Å"It's about that room behind the iron door. That's the lesson they want you to learn. I got the feeling that if I asked about it I'd be propped up there next to you.† He stood up. â€Å"I have to go now. The three jewels to learn, don't you know. I'm on compassion. It's not as hard as it sounds.† Two days later Joy came to my room in the morning with some tea. She pulled the tiny bottle from inside her dragon robe and held it close in front of my eyes. â€Å"You see the two small corks, a white one on one side of the vessel and a black one on the other? The black one is the poison I gave you. The white one is the antidote. I think you've learned your lesson.† I drooled in response, while sincerely hoping she hadn't mixed up the corks. She tipped the little bottle over a teacup, then poured some tea down my throat, with half of it going down the front of my shirt as well. â€Å"That will take a while to work. You may experience some discomfort as the poison wears off.† Joy dropped the little bottle down into its nest of Chinese cleavage, then kissed me on the forehead and left. If I could, I would have snickered at the blue paint she had on her lips as she walked away. Ha! â€Å"Some discomfort,† she had said. For the better part of ten days I'd had no sensation in my body at all, then suddenly things started to work again. Imagine rolling out of your warm bed in the morning into – oh, I don't know – a lake of burning oil. â€Å"Jumpin' Jehoshaphat, Joshua, I'm about to crawl out of my skin here.† We were in our quarters, about an hour after I'd taken the antidote. Balthasar had sent Joshua to find me and bring me to the library, supposedly to see how I was doing. Josh put his hand on my forehead, but instead of the usual calm that accompanied that gesture, it felt as if he'd lain a hot branding iron across my skin. I knocked his hand aside. â€Å"Thanks, but it's not helping.† â€Å"Maybe a bath,† Joshua suggested. â€Å"Tried it. Jeez, this is driving me mad!† I hopped around in a circle because I didn't know what else to do. â€Å"Maybe Balthasar has something that can help,† Joshua said. â€Å"Lead on,† I said. â€Å"I can't just sit here.† We headed off down the corridor, going down several levels on the way to the library. As we descended one of the spiral ramps I grabbed Joshua's arm. â€Å"Josh, look at this ramp, you notice anything?† He considered the surface and leaned out to look at the sides of the tread. â€Å"No. Should I?† â€Å"How about the walls and ceilings, the floors, you notice anything?† Joshua looked around. â€Å"They're all solid rock?† â€Å"Yes, but what else? Look hard. Think of the houses we built in Sepphoris. Now do you notice anything?† â€Å"No tool marks?† â€Å"Exactly,† I said. â€Å"I spent a lot of time over the last two weeks staring at walls and ceilings with nothing much else to look at. There's not the slightest evidence of a chisel, a pick, a hammer, anything. It's as if these chambers had been carved by the wind over a thousand years, but you know that's not the case.† â€Å"So what's your point?† Joshua said. â€Å"My point is that there's more going on with Balthasar and his girls than he lets on.† â€Å"We should ask them.† â€Å"No, we shouldn't, Josh. Don't you get it? We need to find out what's going on without them knowing that we know.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Why? Why? Because the last time I asked a question I was poisoned, that's why. And I believe that if Balthasar didn't think you had something that he wants, I'd have never seen the antidote.† â€Å"But I don't have anything,† said Joshua, honestly. â€Å"You might have something you don't know you have, but you can't just go asking what it is. We need to be devious. Tricky. Sneaky.† â€Å"But I'm not good at any of those things.† I put my arm around my friend's shoulders. â€Å"Not always so great being the Messiah, huh?†

Hamlet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Hamlet - Essay Example Thesis statement: In the play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the protagonist (Hamlet) never goes beyond the antic disposition into insanity because he knew that he can makes use of the same to keep himself away from emotional outburst, to maintain him emotional equilibrium, not to arouse suspicion on his motive, to confuse his enemies, to regain his mother from his uncle, and to take revenge of his father’s unexpected assassination. The following section is broadly divided as: protagonist and insanity, pretended insanity and emotional outburst, pretended insanity and emotional equilibrium, pretended insanity and suspicion on motive, as a tool to confuse enemies, pretension to regain mother’s trust, and pretended insanity and revenge. First of all, insanity can be defined as abnormal behavior originating from less control over one’s senses. Besides, insanity is generally considered as a temporary mental illness originating from the mental shock related to unexpected happenings in human life. Edward Charles Spitzka stated that, â€Å"Insanity is a term applied to certain results of brain disease and defect which invalidate mental integrity† (17). Normally, insanity is considered a temporary mental problem which can be cured within the help of medical treatment. On the other side, hereditary factors determine whether insanity will transform into permanent madness or not. Within the context of the play, the protagonist’s insanity is false because he depended upon it to trick his enemies. For instance, the protagonist knew that his life is danger because nobody in Denmark can be trusted the king (Claudius) is that much influential. In addition, the protagonist was aware of that the king will ignore him because there is nothing to be afraid of an insane person. Still, there is a serious problem related to the pretension of madness because the layer between sanity and insanity

Development of Teaching Strategies Research Paper

Development of Teaching Strategies - Research Paper Example While developing a teaching strategy, some of the points that must be considered include but are not limited to the objectives of teaching and its learning outcomes, the needs of students, the desires of students, the previous experience of the students as learners and the strategies of teaching that they are used to, the expertise of the teacher, the resources available to the teacher, and the possible impact of the adjustments made in the teaching method on the teacher. This paper discusses the development of teaching strategies. Fundamentals of Effective Teaching Significance of subject in the teaching strategy Developing an effective teaching strategy is integrally linked with the subject that needs to be taught. Learning needs differ from one subject to another. On one hand, there are subjects that are entirely theoretical e.g. history, politics, and philosophy whereas on the other hand, there are subjects that are mathematical e.g. math and physics etcetera. There is also a thi rd category of subjects that are both theoretical and mathematical simultaneously depending upon the course selected for that subject e.g. risk management. To be able to impart maximum knowledge to the students, it is imperative that a teacher assesses the individualistic needs of the subject being taught. For instance, developing a teaching strategy for the subject of â€Å"History† might not require a teacher to take the students on a field visit because most of the knowledge is essentially gained merely by reading the books whereas for the subject of â€Å"Geology†, a teacher might never consider the job done unless the students have been taken to a field visit and have been provided with an opportunity to see, touch, and feel the rocks, minerals, and metals that constitute a particular strata of Earth. Equal attention While teaching, it is the moral and ethical responsibility of a teacher to provide all students with equal attention. Disparity in the division of at tention of a teacher among the students is one of the causes of poor academic performance of certain students; the ones that are neglected or not sufficiently attended to. â€Å"In this task, teachers are crucial because of the central role they play in promoting participation and reducing underachievement, particularly with children who might be perceived as having difficulties in learning† (Rouse 1). (McGhie-Richmond, Underwood, and Jordan) carried out a study to investigate the skills required for effective teaching in the elementary teachers in the inclusive classrooms. The researchers’ objective was to find out if the appearance of the constructivist skills follows from or is independent of the mastery of more transmissive behaviors of teaching. The researchers found that the patterns of behaviors of teaching were consistent across the students, though the academically ‘at risk’ students were found to be receiving differentiated instruction and less a ttention of the teacher as compared to other students. Differentiated teaching The term â€Å"differentiated teaching† means planning of ways by the teachers to address differences in such factors as age, culture, profile of multiple intelligences, ethnicity, temperament, personality style, development and possible delays in development, and styles of learning of

Dont know Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dont know - Essay Example That was when I decided to grow up fast, not only to be given the opportunities to explore the world; but more so, to start an intimate relationship with coffee. The first cup of sought of coffee was ultimately luxuriated in when I was in my teens. After years of intent and discreet observation of mother quietly humming while fixing the brewing coffee pot, I finally had the courage to fix one of my very own on a fatefully cold and breezy Sunday morning. Everybody was still tucked peacefully in bed and the sleepy sun was still brazed in oblivion like a black grizzly bear in hibernation. Slowly and ultra-quietly I crept to the kitchen cupboard to open the newly bought canister of Folgers Gourmet coffee in Caramel Drizzle flavor. I prepared the coffee maker and as I opened the lid, the aroma was just invigoratingly inviting. The smell permeated slowly and intensely to one’s nostrils and then, the desire immediately crept to one’s palate, like a thief that carefully planned its next attack. Amidst the darkness of the kitchen, where I lit a small soft light through the immaculately clean counter’s night lamp, I was able to me asure the clear water to my desired level, as religiously observed from mother’s skilled hands. Carefully and slowly, I poured the measured water in the carafe and returned it on the heating plate. Then, nervously at first, I diligently measured two fully filled tablespoons of Folgers Gourmet coffee, continuing to be exhilarated by the engulfing aroma. I waited patiently as I turned on the coffee maker, to what seemed to be eternity, like a young teen-ager expectantly waiting for the coming of a persistently determined lover. When the anticipated wait was finally over, the moment remarkably coincided with the break of the first morning sunlight, as the sounds of early rising birds started chirping through the nearby tree canopies. At last, the

HRM processes and practices in UAE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HRM processes and practices in UAE - Essay Example UAE has significantly developed in the recent past and in a very short period of time it has become an example of economic growth. UAE has been attracting investment from all around the globe and it is being considered one of the best avenues for business expansion. The analysis conducted in the paper would try to provide sufficient foundation for the fact that UAE is a suitable avenue for the expansion of business. Socio-Political Background of UAE UAE has been providing routes to international business for centuries and it has been providing access to 1.5 billion consumer markets in West Asia, Africa and East Europe. Thus, it can be said that UAE has been a suitable avenue for international business expansion for a very long time. However, in the recent past, the infrastructural development in UAE has made the country even more feasible for business expansion in the UAE. The economic development in the country makes investment in the country profitable in short term. Over the past 26 years, the economy of the country has swelled by more than six times. In numerous cases, the investment in a business in a country does not turn out any profits for years however the accelerated economic activity in the UAE ensures that investment in the country would turn out profits in a shorter period of time (Oxford Business Group). The political environment in UAE is also feasible for business expansion as the visionary leadership of the UAE is diverting all its efforts towards industrial and economic development in the country. The leadership of the UAE has been really encouraging towards international businesses who intend to invest in UAE. Therefore the political environment of UAE is feasible for the establishment of business in the country. The country is one of the top producers of oil and this fact adds up to the feasibility of the country as a business expansion avenue. Dubai International Airport offers 300 flights on a daily basis to and from around 100 destination s therefore managing a business in UAE would not be a problem since it would be possible to be available in the UAE at any time. Business Environment in UAE Due to the increased economic development in the recent past, UAE has become the center of attention for international investors. A number of international business have started operating in UAE and due to presence of organizations from all around the world, the business environment in UAE is not static. The business environment in UAE is dynamic and it responds towards the increasing international investment in the country. The following factors would shed some light upon the business environment in UAE: Organizational Structure The organizational structures in the UAE are dynamic as business can have complete foreign ownership. Local businesses have an Eastern influence therefore they have hierarchical structures, however it is not necessary for all the organizations to have a hierarchical structure and the line of command can be shortened by adding channels of communication among different levels (Hvidt, 2007). Industrial Relations Industrial relations in UAE are influenced by the political environment of the country. UAE is a federation therefore there are no political parties or elections. Due to lack of any political pressure, the industrial relations are not founded upon unions or any political parties. Due to the increasing economic developm

Choose one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Choose one - Essay Example The motivating factor in my participation in campaign is the desire for change. Previously, there has been a low voter turnout in the United States probably due to ignorance on importance of voting. As a result, we have had poor policies on important aspects of our lives such as health and employment. When I heard that there is a leader with different policies on the same aspects, I felt the need to mobilize many people so that we could get the much-needed change. It was up to me to educate people on how viable this leader was and the need to vote for him. I expected that this leader would bring change. This was due to a critical revision of his policies in comparison to those of opponent candidates. He seemed to be able to effect change especially in the most important sectors of my life. I did not have any previous formal political training in the past. I did not worry to involve myself because of my age, culture and ignorance. In essence, I was quite young to figure out the weight of participating in politics. Ignorance played a part because I never saw the importance of voting or even participating in any political campaign. The only type of training I got was on the policies, which were clearly explained to us during the campaign meetings. The overall experience was exhilarating with me gaining more knowledge on how policies for campaigns were made. I was also able to use my gift as a leader and the overall result is that more people are now enlightened on policies put forward by some of their leaders. The challenges I faced were mainly cultural. I found it difficult to mobilize people who were not from my race and culture due to social barriers. The most important lesson I learnt was esprit de corps, meaning unity, more united people are usually stronger in all aspects (Woodward 90). Ignorance is also the mother of all problems. Resources, engagement and mobilization are some of the factors that establish whether or not people will

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 12

Philosophy - Essay Example Thus, all knowledge of things comes to us by objects that are outside. In a way, Hobbes has put forward a mechanism of knowledge; we receive stimuli and our brain and heart interpret it and then they send us signals that help us interpret what that thing is. However, at least in Leviathan, Hobbes is not too clear on how the signals are sent from within us. Hobbes goes on to state that, thus, â€Å"when we would express the decay, and signify that the sense is fading, old and past, it is called memory† (Hobbes Chapter II). He says that memory is simply our old sensory perceptions that have faded enough for us to not be able to remember them clearly, likening it to the light of the stars which fades during daylight, but is there still. Thus, our experiences are the sum of our memories. For Hobbes, memory is at par with imagination, with one slight difference, memory must always be empirically possible, whereas imagination need not be so. However, what is interesting is that Hobbes does not lay down the condition that memory has to be true in the sense of it having actually occurred, it can be an untrue event when it comes to the veracity of its occurrence, but it will be considered a memory of it is empirically possible. So, according to Hobbes, all memory, just like our senses, are perceived from objects that are outside of us, which we interpret through our sensory perception. In turn, it is these memories that shape up our world-view and our beliefs about things that are around us. When it came to memory, Plato held the view that everything that we know, or will ever know, is actually present in our memory already, or anamnesis. Time, and its passing, are mere illusions, when what is actually happening is that our memory is unfolding, nothing more. We are not acquiring new knowledge, rather it is our old memories that are unfolding and the illusion of time makes us believe

Dance is a sport Essay Example for Free

Dance is a sport Essay I. Introduction: a) Attention Getter: What is the definition of a sport? A game played with a ball? Is it people in tight pants running around? How about â€Å"an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature†? That sounds more like it. Football, baseball, and track fit those definitions, but so does another recreational activity that is not typically considered a sport: dance. b) Personal Statement: I myself am a dancer and have been dancing my whole life. Being a dancer, one of the worst things anyone can say is that dance is not a sport and I want to prove them wrong. Transition: Dance fits all those requirements. An athletic activity? Oh yeah! Requiring skill or physical prowess? Definitely! Often of a competitive nature? You bet! Dance is even recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Committee. Then why is this â€Å"fine art† not considered a sport? II. Dance is an athletic activity. a) The sport of dance takes years of training and hard work to perfect. Yes, I said sport. Although some believe that dancing is nothing more than tutus and twirling, it is a mentally engaging and physically demanding activity. b) Dance is actually quite similar to one of the most popular sports in the United States: football. In both activities, athletes are assigned specific jobs, roles, or positions. Each follows choreographed plays. Both types of athletes travel using certain steps or passes. Similar, right? III. Dance requires skill or physical prowess. a) One difference between dance and most sports is the way the athletes present themselves. During a tennis match, the players grunt and groan when hitting the ball to show everyone how hard they are working. However, dancers must always look graceful and light as a feather. The best dancers can make the most difficult moves look effortless. It takes lots of practice to perfect those moves and make them look easy. This is why dance is a mental sport as well. b) Dr. Jill McNitt-Gray, a professor in kinesiology (the scientific study of movement) at the University of Southern California, has worked with national champions and Olympic gold medalists. Through her work with professional ballroom dancers, she found that a dancer doing the jive can reach foot speeds of 15 miles an hour. In addition, a dancer can spin up to 180 times in a minute – four times faster than a record player! c) Balance is a vital part of dance. Dancers must have strong core muscles. Men need strong shoulders for lifts, since they must not only support their own body weight but also their partners. â€Å"Dancers are some of the toughest athletes in the world,† claims Dr. McNitt-Gray. IV. Dance is a competitive nature. a) Many ask, â€Å"How can dance be a sport? You cant judge on time and the scoring is subjective! † Just like figure skaters, competitive dancers are judged on many criteria: technique, posture, timing, line, hold, poise, togetherness, expression, presentation, power, and foot or leg action. Dancers have a lot on their minds while performing. They are constantly asking themselves, am I extending correctly? Is my technique right? Is my head facing the right direction? b) Some people think dance involves less endurance than sports like cross-country running. However, these runners exert forces in only one direction but, as Dr. McNitt-Gray said, in dance, your hands, legs, and head are exerting forces in different directions all at the same time. c) Dance is a cardiovascular, aerobic, and challenging sport. Many professional athletes, including former Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Lynn Swann, dance to improve their flexibility. Dance fits all the requirements of a sport, and has the physical and mental challenges of a sport, as well. V. Conclusion: a) Main Points: Just like any other sport, dance is an athletic activity that requires skill or physical prowess and is often a competitive nature. b) Ending Statement: If you are shaking your head thinking, this girls crazy, get up off your chair and try it yourself. Meanwhile, I look forward to the day I might be able to stand on that Olympic platform and receive a gold medal for the sport of dance. Sources and References 1. Professor of Kinesiology, Jill McNitt-Gray. University of South California http://www.worlddancesport. org/About/All/Fit_Through_Dance 2. Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Lynn Swann, By Joe Horrigan. Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame http://www. profootballresearchers. org/Coffin_Corner/23-03-895. pdf 3. The Mayo Clinic, a published medical journal. The Health Benefits of Dancing Including Specific Benefits of Different Dances. http://www. sixwise. com/newsletters/05/11/02/the_health_benefits_of_dancing__including_specific_benefits_of_different_dances. htm 4. Santa Rosa High, The Press Democrat. The great debate: is dance a sport? http://teenlife. blogs. pressdemocrat. com/11749/the-great-debate-is-dance-a-sport/.

Endocrine System Of Human Body Health And Social Care Essay

Endocrine System Of Human Body Health And Social Care Essay Endocrine system is defined as the network of the glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream, (Papalia E. Diane Sally Wendkos, 1985). This means that the hormone of the human body are the chemicals that are responsible to influence the rate or direction of activity in the distant target organs by speeding up or inhibiting the growth of the cells in those organs. The nervous system is not the only biological system that governing the behavior of human, (Baxter, J.D. Funder, W.J1979). But rather both the central and the peripheral nervous system work closely with the endocrine system, a series ductless gland that secrete the hormones directly into the bloodstream. Hormones are very active in the maintenance of the homeostasis, the proper balance in the body internal state. Thus, both the autonomic nervous system and proper balance in the body internal state. Thus, both the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system work together to achieve the equilibrium, (Baxter, J. D, Funder, W.J 1979). The crucial coordinator of both systems is the hypothalamus, which provides the mechanism by which the brain exerts control over the endocrine system and by which the endocrine system exerts control over the brain. For instance, the brain causes the release of the hormones that affect the body tissue, and as result of the testosterone on the shape of the larynx thereby causing the deeper voices in males. Conversely, hormones may be permanently alter the brain cells are organized and the ability of the estrogen to alter cells in the hypothalamus that governing adult sexual behavior. http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:LXj3QsJdWkdDIM:http://www.soulcare.org/images/endocrine_system.gift=1 Description of the Endocrine System and it Rated Functions The endocrine gland as members of the orchestra, the conductor would be the pituitary, which are the master gland. This gland has two subdivisions the anterior pituitary, which is made of same embryological tissue as the throat and it is the true endocrine organ of the human system (Axelrod, J.T.D. Reisine, 1984). And the anterior pituitary secretes large number of hormones. The hypothalamus controls the release of the hormones by the means of the hormone releasing factor. The endocrine system is made up of the various hormones, which performed different function as part of the human body over a given period of time. These include the following: Adrenal gland: The adrenal gland contained the aldosterone or androstenedione hormone which functions as an excretion of sodium and potassium. It also helped in the growth of pubic and underarm hair of the human and it promotes the sex derive over a given period of time. The medulla contained cortisone and the epinephrine hormones which performed the function of removing the metabolic substance in the body. And this hormone also enhanced the body to be able response the stress and how to manage the stress situation in everyday life of human. Hypothalamus The hypothalamus gland contained the releasing hormones of the human body that control the anterior pituitary hormone secretion. The kidney gland contained the rennin hormone which controls the aldosterone secretion, and it also controlled the blood pressure of the human. The pancreas gland: it contained the insulin hormones that regulate the waste substance in the human body. (That is the metabolism substance). The pituitary gland is another vital gland that contained two glands namely the anterior gland which is made up with the andermocotropic hormones, which controlled the adrenal cortex. It also contained the growth hormones that enhanced human growth and its responsible to the removal of metabolism substance in human. The testes gland contained the testosterone hormone that performed the function of maturation of the male reproductive system that is it responsible for sperm production, secondary sex characteristic and the sex drive of the human. The thyroid gland is made up with the thyroxins that are responsible for the energy metabolism, body growth and the development of the individuals. Digestive system According to Oxford Advanced Leaners Dictionary, digestive system is the breaking down of food particles into smaller substance which can easily be absorbed by the bloodstream. The endocrine system contained an hormone which is made up of the insulin (Cahill, G.FMcDevitt, H. O. 1981), that helped to break down the sugary substance in the human body and the rennin also act on the protein food substance and convert it into smaller particles which passes down to the smaller intestines and these are excreted by the endocrine secretion organ which in the stomach and the intestine secrete a number of hormones that enhanced in the body regulation of human. Excretion system Excretion system is defined as the process of removing the metabolic or waste materials from the body, (Alexander, E. 1986). The endocrine system contained Aldosterone and Androstenedione hormones that helped to excrete the metabolic or waste materials from the human body. The cortisone hormone of the endocrine system also enhanced in the excretion of the waste metabolic substance. For instance the pancreas of the endocrine system gland helped in the regulation of metabolism substance in the human body. Respiration system The respiration system is considered as the three separated but related functions that is the ventilation, the gas exchange that occurred in between the blood and the other tissues of the human body, and the oxygen utilization by the tissues energy reaction of the cell respiration, (Anderson, E. 1977). Nervous system The nervous system is divided into two parts namely, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. (Andreasen, N.C, 1988) defined the nervous system that is made up of the brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous systems control crucial nerves that arise from the brain and the spinal cord. The nervous system is composed of the two principals type of cells that is the neurons and the neuroglia. The endocrine system and nervous system work together to achieve the equilibrium of the body. Neurons are the basic structural and the functional units of nervous system This system are specialized to respond to the physical and the chemical stimuli conduct electrochemical impulses and releases specific chemical regulation and it is also performed a function of strong memory thinking and controlling muscles and glands. Neuroglia are supportive cell in the nervous system that helped the function of the neuroglia are about five times more abundant than neurons and it have limited mitotic abilities than the brain, that is the brain that occur in adult are usually composed of the neuroglia than the neurons, (Van De Graft, M. Kent, 1985-1995). Muscular system Skeletal muscles are arranged base it functional groups that are adaptive in causing particular movement within each muscles the fibers are arranged in a specific pattern that provides specific functional capabilities. The skeletal muscles constitutes it own body system and accounts for approximately 40%nof the body weight over 600nindividual muscles make up the skeletal muscles. Conditions and Causes Associated with the Endocrine The condition that is associated with the endocrine is the glandular problem this is the situation where the thyroid glands are said to underactive and this normally prevents the person from burning up food. The endocrine influence of the obesity supposedly resulted from a condition over which the individual has no control and it also result in glandular fever. Another conditions associated with the endocrine system is the Addisons Syndrome. This is inadequate secretion of corticosteroid hormones by the adrenal glands, and sometimes this happens as a result of tuberculosis infection. The third condition of endocrine system is amenorrhea. The primary amenorrhea is the situation where the menstrual fail appear in female during the puberty. It is normal cause by the absence of the ovaries. The secondary amenorrhea is a situation where the menstrual period stop after establishment of puberty) may be caused by disorders of the hypothalamus, deficiency of ovarian, pituitary, or thyroid hormones, mental disturbance, depression, anorexia nervosa, or a major change of surrounding or circumstances. Another condition associated with the endocrine system is the polycystic ovarian syndrome. This is the hormone disorder characterized by incomplete development of Graafian follicles in the ovary due to inadequate secretion of luteinizing hormone; the follicles fail to ovulate and remain as multiple cysts distending the ovary. Sometime, the imbalance of the hormone result in obesity, hirsute and acne and the woman is infertile due to lack of ovulation. Cushing syndrome is condition where there is excess amount of cortico-steriod hormone in the body. Effect The Addisons syndrome include weakness, loss of energy, low blood pressure and also pigmentation of the human skin. The primary and the secondary amenorrhea results in nervousness; irritability, emotional disturbances, headache and depression. And it affect some women for about 10 das prior to menstruation. The Cushings syndrome results in weight gain, reddening of the face and neck, excess growth of the body and facial hair, raised blood pressure, loss of mineral from the bones and raised blood glucose levels and sometimes mental disturbances . Preventions Prevention of the glandular fever includes the following. Wash hands regularly, particularly after sneezing or coughing. Avoid kissing Avoid sharing personal items Avoid eating and drinking share food The prevention of Addisons is by formerly fatal, and such disease is now treatable by replacement of hormone therapy. The prevention of primary amenorrhea and the secondary amenorrhea is also done by the replacement of therapy with associated increase in risk of breast cancer. The treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome can be controlled by the administration of the appropriate hormone in the body system. Evaluation Endocrine system is the vital system in humanity that enhance the body part, endocrine system is in charge of the body processes that take place in the gradually way such as the cell growth. It usually processes like breathing and the body movement of human are controlled by the nervous system. However, the nervous system and the endocrine system are separate and it usually work together to help the body system function effectively and efficiently, (Andreasen, N.C. 1988). The endocrine system is made up of gland and hormones. The hormone of the body are the body messengers which helps to transfer and instruction information from one set of cells to another. Different hormones move through the bloodstream and each hormones are designed to affect a certain cells of the body. The gland of the endocrine system is a group of cells that produces and secretes or give off, a chemicals. The gland of the body removes or selects the waste materials in the human body such waste materials include the sweat and salivary glands release secretion in the skin and in the mouth. The endocrine system is a vital glands simply because it enhanced in the reproduction system of humans. Conclusion In the nutshell, endocrine system is most important system in the human system that helped the body system to function effectively and efficiently. The endocrine system is a complex group of glands that helps to control the reproduction system of human, the metabolism, growth and the development through a substance called the hormones of the human being. This system controls the way human being respond to their surrounding and it provides the proper amount of energy that the human body needs to be able to function well, (Papalia, E. Diane Sally, W. 1985). In some cases, the glands of the endocrine systems are impaired and this can result in the imbalance of hormone. The imbalance of hormone or condition of endocrine system can affect the health of the individuals in various ways and some of this endocrine conditions are vary serious. These imbalance hormone or endocrine system conditions are the growth disorder, the menopause, hormone abuse, the glandular problem, the Addisons, Cushings polycystic ovarian, pituitary disorder, diabetes and among others.

Global toy market

Global toy market 1.0 Background 1.1. Global toy industry Scenario More than 80% of global toy market is generated by three Continents i.e. Europe, North America and Asia. With the recent financial turmoil, the value of toy industry has decreased in two consecutive years, from US$78.67 billion in year 2007 to US$75.033 billion. The shrinking market size is mainly attributed by Western countries, particularly Europe. On the side of the world, Asia registered upward trend in market share for toy market. Chart 1 World Toy Market Scenario NPD analysts attribute the downward trend in global market value for toy industry to the following reasons Low unit price particularly in year end, which intensified further by the financial crises Cannibalization by other games categories namely video games, electronic games etc. In developed market, the per capita usage for toys is high as they are considered to be an important aid in a childs development vis-a-vis a wasteful expenditure in developing nations. The scenario is illustrated in below table:- Table 1 Toy expenditure Country Kids population in 2008 (million) Spending per kid in 2008 (US$) Total available market in 2008 (US$) United States 61.6 $281 $17.31 billion Japan 17.4 $286 $5 billion China 267.4 $17 $4.5 billion United Kingdom 10.3 $348 $3.6 billion France 11.9 $293 $3.5 billion Germany 11.4 $223 $2.5 billion Brazil 52.9 $38 $2.01 billion India 361.4 $5 $1.8 billion Mexico 32.6 $53 $1.7 billion Italy 7.9 $185 $1.5 billion Source: NDP Group, 2009 1.2 Toy Industry Structure Toys are classified into four broad categories, namely Traditional Toys which consist of action figures, dolls, playsets, stuffed animals, models, and other related products Board games Video Games Casino Games Accessories. Globally, the market is dominated by four large players viz: Mattel, Lego, Hasbro Bandai with Mattel the largest and selling toys under the brand Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price etc. Table 2 Global toy makers product portfolio Toy maker Traditional toys brands Board games Video Games Licensing product Mattel Barbie, Break the Safeâ„ ¢, Hot Wheels ®, Matchbox ®, American Girl ®, Fisher-Price ®, Little People ®, Rescue Heroesâ„ ¢, Power Wheels ® UNO Barbie CareNCure, UNO, Barbie Girls, Hot Wheels etc Disney, Warner Bros., Pixar, Viacom International Inc., Sesame Workshop Hasbro My Little Pony, SpongeBob, Toy Story Monopoly, Pictureka, Scrabble Monkeybar Transformer, G.I. Joe, Incredible Hulk, Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Star Wars, Wolverine, Disney, Iron Man Bai Dan Ben 10, Power Ranger, Dragon Ball, Digimon, Blue Dragon NIL Kamen Rider, Harumika, Tamaguchi, Mugen Pop PopTM Ben 10, Power Ranger, Dragon Ball, Ultraman MGA Entertainment Bratz range, Zapf Creation, Little Tikes, Baby born, Chou Chou, MGA games, My-ePets 3D, Resue PetsTM NIL NIL NIL Disney Disney characters NIL Disney characters Disney characters LEGO LEGO bricks NIL LEGO NIL Takara Tomy Plarail, Pocker Moser, Transformers, Tomica die-cast vechicles, Yumel and Nerul, Licca doll line Jinsei Games Tasinoko Production, Game software Disney characters There are several market signals have impacted to toy market. Globally, toy manufacturers are partnering with companies from other sectors, like fast-food chains in their merchandise promotion campaigns, e.g. McDonald Mushrooming of dedicated malls/stores for toys is becoming increasingly visible e.g. Toy â€Å"Râ€Å" us Retail consolidation in overseas markets has changed the landscape for toy exporters. Production of movies based on toy characters for television audience is a unique trend for promoting toy sales in the US. Toy makers are entering into licensing deals with movie studios to make products in the image of film characters e.g. Disney, Sony Picture, Bai Dan etc. 1.3 Mattel Inc. 1.3.1 Mattel Inc. founded by Harold Matt Matson and Elliot Handler (hence the name matt-el) and incorporated in 1948 with Headquarter in Hawethorne, Los Angeles County, California and later relocate to El Segundo, CA in 1990. Barbie was brainchild by Elliot and Ruth Handler co-founders of the Mattel Toy Company. Ruth came up with the idea for Barbie after watching her daughter, Barbara Handler, play with paper dolls. The three-dimensional model for Barbie was a Germen doll Mattel refashioned the doll into an all-American version and named it after Barbara, who was then a teenager. Barbies boyfriend, Ken, was introduced in 1961 and named after Barbaras brother. 1.3.2 Since establishment, Mattels product portfolio has grown from its flagship brand, Barbie, to toy cars, board games, dolls, cuddly toys and education toys – Mattel offers comprehensive product lines to cater for different age groups – new born to adult segments. This can encourage repeat customer and attract different customer profiles with its range of different toys. Table 3 Mattel Inc.s product range by market segments Market segment Brand Infant Pre-school School Kids Tweens @ Pre-teens Teens (12 years above) Adults / Parents Barbie P P P P Fisher Price P P P Hot Wheel P P Tyco Toys P P P American Girls P P Sesame Street P P P UNO P P Scramble P P P MyScene Dolls P 1.3.3 Mattels Corporate Structure 1.3.4 Business Model Broadly, Mattel Inc.s businesses are segmented by geographically – domestically and internally. Mattels presence at Canada, Latin America, European, Asian countries, Australia, and New Zealand. 1.3.5 Along its establishment in the market, Mattel has gone through several hypes and downs†¦ Table 4 Mattel Inc. Events in chronological order Success stories Failures * 1959 – Barbie debut * 1965 – Enters Educational Market with See ‘N Say * 1968 – Hot Wheels Introduced * 1977 – Ventures into Electronic Game Market * 1993 – Merges with Fisher-Price * 1996 – Introduces Tickle Me Elmo * 1998 – Fisher-Price takes control of Infant and Preschool Character Brands * 1998- Acquired Pleasant Company, the maker of the American Girl collection, which is a series of historical dolls, books and accessories * Mattel says the average American girl owns ten Barbie dolls, and two are sold somewhere in the world every second * As a teenage fashion model, Barbie has worn many fabulous fashions. Beginning with her trademark black and white striped swimsuit and swirled ponytail, Barbie has followed style trends as well as blazed her own fashion trail. She even inspired some of fashions top designers * Barbie celebrates her 50th birthday in 2009. * Mattels Barbie opened her first flagship store on March 6, 2009, six-story showpiece at Shanghai . The store will also be a testing ground for new marketing strategies and services, including a design center where visitors can create their own dolls * Sold The Learning Company at a lost in year 2000 * Toxic Toys Scandal. Recalled millions of China-made toys as potential hazards from parts of the toys which were colored using lead-based paint that may have exceeded the US Federal limit of 600 part per million. 18.2 million items were recalled in total in year 2007. 2.0 Mattels Vision and Mission Jennifer 2.1 Mattels Philanthropic Vision To make a meaningful difference, one child at a time. 2.2 Mattels Philanthropic Mission Mattel makes a difference in the global community by effectively serving children in need. Partnering with charitable organizations dedicated to directly serving children, Mattel creates joy through the Mattel Childrens Foundation, product donations, grant making and the work of employee volunteers. We also enrich the lives of Mattel employees by identifying diverse volunteer opportunities and supporting their personal contributions through the matching gifts program. 2.3 Mattels Philanthropic Values We intend to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children in need around the world through our interactions how we play with our communities, our partners, and our volunteers. Play with Passion: By making a meaningful and lasting impact on children globally. Play Together: By forming deep partnerships to enrich the communities in which we work and play, and engaging Mattel employees in our efforts. Play Fair: By acting with unwavering integrity in all aspects of our work. Play to Grow: By striving to make long term differences in the lives of children in need and seeking continuous improvement. 3.0 The External Assessment Ezuan Issues to discuss: Opportunities An alliance with an Asian company, Bandai Weakening dollar makes Mattels products more affordable in many of these new markets greatest pressures to adapting products with the constant changing of society * etc Threats Children abandon tangible toys such Hot Wheels and Barbie for more interactive and technological products. Need extreme careful to protect customers legal and moral reputations by respecting the privacy of the children and their families, which is put in jeopardy every time the website asks a minor to provide information. Global recession problems breaking into foreign markets due to cultural barriers After-effect of Toxic Toys Scandal with 18.2 million items were recalled in total in year 2007 Etc External Factor Evaluation (EFE) matrix Key Internal Factors Weightage Rating Weighted score Opportunities 1. Barbie an recognizable brand worldwide 0.1 4 0.4 2. Weakening dollar makes results market affordability 0.1 3 0.3 3. Favorable US tariff law 0.05 3 0.15 Threats 1. Children abandon tangible toys for more interactive and technological products. 0.1 1 0.2 2. Global recession cause reduce spending or down trading for toy 0.05 1 0.1 3. Cultural barriers hinder market penetration 0.1 1 0.1 4. High product substitution 0.1 1 0.1 5. Government Regulations and Environmental Quality 0.05 2 0.2 6. Higher bargain power from retailers 0.05 2 0.2 7. Raw material subject to price fluctuation 0.05 2 0.1 8. Highly seasonal business 0.05 2 0.1 9. Rising in ‘cyber @ virtual games 0.1 1 0.1 10. Unpredictable shift in the play patterns of Gen X kids ‘Netizen 0.1 1 0.1 Total 1.00 2.15 Note: Weight factor: 0.0 (not important) to 1.0 (very important) Rating scale: 1 = Major Weakness 2 = Minor Weakness = Minor Strength 4 = Major Strength. Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) for Mattel Inc. Wght. Mattel Inc. Hasbro Bai Dan MGA Ent. Disney LEGO Takara Tomy Rating WS Rating WS Rating WS Rating WS Rating WS Rating WS Rating WS Global Market share 0.10 4 0.4 3 0.3 3 0.3 2 0.2 4 0.4 3 0.3 3 0.3 Product Quality 0.10 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 Product variation 0.15 4 0.6 4 0.6 3 0.45 2 0.3 4 0.6 2 0.6 3 0.6 Price competitive 0.10 3 0.3 3 0.3 4 0.4 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 Technology Innovation 0.10 2 0.2 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 Management Experience 0.10 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 Financial position 0.10 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.3 3 0.1 Customer loyalty 0.15 2 0.3 2 0.3 2 0.3 2 0.3 2 0.3 2 0.3 2 0.3 Global expansion 0.10 3 0.3 4 0.4 4 0.4 2 0.3 4 0.4 4 0.4 2 0.1 Total 1.00 3.0 3.1 3.05 2.7 3.2 3.2 2.7 4.0 The Internal Assessment Ezuan Issues to be discussed: Strengths Long history in toy industry Preferred brand by customers Releasing new product annually follows a code of ethics, as well as requiring ethical actions of their suppliers. contributes to the communities merged with or struck licensing deals with a number of other established brands, including Disney, Fisher Price, Nascar, and even Microsoft. time delivery of products to retailers has soared in recent years from 50% to 90%, due to improvements in information systems and warehouse facilities. product availability has been improved in specific market with collaborative efforts with international firms, specifically Bandai Co. of Japan. able to simultaneously cater products to each markets taste, and maintain high flexibility and low costs by simplifying packaging strategies etc Weaknesses * Until the acquisition of Fisher Price, most of Mattels attempts to expand beyond their primary market of childrens toys were largely unsuccessful  · Etc Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) matrix Key Internal Factors Weightage Rating Weighted score Strengths 1. Barbie as a long established brand – 60 years 0.05 4 0.2 2. Recognizable brand portfolio 0.10 4 0.4 3. Wide product range to cater various life stage 0.10 4 0.4 4. New product launch annually 0.05 3 0.15 5. Business Integrity 0.05 3 0.15 6. Corporate Social Responsibility 0.05 3 0.15 7. Strategic partnership with Microsoft, Disney, BanDai 0.10 3 0.3 8. Energetic management team 0.05 3 0.15 9. Efficient automation of SCM 0.05 3 0.15 10. Trade names and trademarks as significant assets 0.05 4 0.2 Weaknesses 1. Unprofitable mergers and acquisitions 0.05 2 0.1 2. Slipping popularity of their core product, Barbie. 0.10 1 0.1 3. After-effect of Toxic Toys Scandal 0.10 1 0.1 4. History of management struggles and uncertainty 0.05 2 0.1 5. Royalty expense for license agreement 0.05 2 0.1 6. Liquidity problems or bankruptcy of key customers Total 1.00 2.75 Note: Weight factor: 0.0 (not important) to 1.0 (very important) Rating scale: 1 = Major Weakness 2 = Minor Weakness = Minor Strength 4 = Major Strength. 5.0 Strategies in Action Jennifer 6.0 Strategy Analysis and Choice Ismi Strengths [S] Weaknesses [W] Opportunities [O] Threats [T] 7.0 Implementing Strategies 7.1 Background The growth plan for Mattel Inc will be:- Maintaining its Corporate Social Responsibility – sustain its commitment to children, business partners, suppliers and environment Expending its territories with product diversification and business sustainability – strengthen and gain market share Zero product recall to boost up its brand image Below illustrate the direction for Mattel Inc. to concentrate in:- 7.2.0 Mattel Inc.s Direction 7.2.1 Management Operation Strategies The massive recall incidence in 2007 Christmas season will be an occasion to be remembered for Mattel Inc. Thus it is essential for Mattel to enhance its working relationship with their suppliers and business partners. Mattels product lines are manufactured in both company-owned facilities and through third-party manufacturers and the market demand is highly seasonal driven. In order to mitigate, it is crucial for Mattel to ensure just-in-time inventory practices to reduce backlog of orders. Mattel is committed to executing Global Manufacturing Principles (GMP) policy in all areas of its business, i.e. to all parties that manufacture, assemble, or distribute any product, or package bearing the Mattel logo, and, will only engage business partners commit to GMP. Mattel will ensure full compliance of GMP by its business partners, and will assist them in meeting GMP requirements. The GMP principles are to ensure there is a holistic approach that all the key stakeholders are being well care off. To ensure the closed monitoring the third party manufacturers, Mattel need to set up Centre of Excellence (CoE) in selected geographical areas strategically. The main function of the CoE is to embark manufacturing intelligent and ensure smooth execution of GMP and developing best practice in the manufacturing for their strategic partners. 7.3 Marketing Strategies 7.3.1 Segmentation Currently, Mattels product range is catered to wide range of age group, Market segment Brand Infant Toddlers Pre-School Kids Tweens @ Pre-teens Teens (12 years above) Adults / Parents Barbie

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Essay -- essays research papers

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Near closing time on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 1911, in New York City a fire broke out on the top floors of the Asch Building in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. One of the worst tragedies in American history it was know as the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. It was a disaster that took the lives of 146 young immigrant workers. A fire that broke out in a cramped sweatshop that trapped many inside and killed 146 people. This tragedy pointed out the negatives of sweatshop conditions of the industrialization era. It emphasized the worst part of its times the low wages, long hours, and unsanitary working conditions were what symbolized what sweatshops were all about. These conditions were appalling, and no person should ever be made to work in these conditions. Before this tragedy occurred the suffering of the workers was very evident. Take for instance this first hand account by Sadie Frowne. â€Å"My name is Sadie Frowne. I work in Allen Street (Manhattan) in what they call a sweatshop. I am new at the work and the foreman scolds me a great deal. I get up at half-past five o’clock every morning and make myself a cup of coffee on the oil stove. I eat a bit of bread and perhaps some fruit and then go to work. Often I get there soon after six o’clock so as to be in good time, though the factory does not open till seven. At seven o’clock we all sit down to our machines and the boss brings to each one the pile of work that he or she is to finish during the day—what they call in English their â€Å"stint.† This pile is put down beside the machine and as soon as a garment is done it is laid on the other side of the machine. Sometimes the work is not all finished by six o’clock, and then the one who is behind must work overtime. The machines go like mad all day because the faster you work the more money you get. Sometimes in my haste I get my finger caught and the needle goes right through it. It goes so quick, though, that it does not hurt much. I bind the finger up with a piece of cotton and go on working. We all have accidents like that. All the time we are working the boss walks around examining the finished garments and making us do them over again if they are not just right. So we have to be careful as well as swift. But I am getting so good at the work that within a year I will be making $7 a w... ...being held accountable, the city officials themselves were also held accountable because of improper safety regulations. Showing that the city itself should be at fault for not enforcing safety regulations for such things as fire escapes, that were not in working order. These unprecedented circumstances just lay down the blueprint for what is now the correct way to set regulations for industrial factory conditions. With these commissions in place, tougher legislation, laws, ordinances, and precedents that will be in place working together to rid the world of these horrible sweatshops. As well as the devastating circumstances they can bring in such occurrences as fires or other natural disaster events. Even though almost ninety years later sweatshops still exist. These sweatshops at the present day are almost unheard of here in America, but continue to be in foreign third world countries. As horrible as it is to say the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire turned out to be a very helpful life changing turn around for hundreds of thousands of people, it turns out that many positives have come out of it. Its just too bad that such a tragedy had to come about to make such significant changes.

Sell Your Troubled Websites :: Sell Websites Buy Websites

Sell Your Troubled Websites Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com You awaken one morning to the realization that the website you've poured so much time, energy and thought into; the dream that was once the preoccupation of your every waking moment has turned sour - what do you do? Market forces, changing consumer tastes, cash flow problems, or some unforeseen outside factor has brought you to the point of not being able to keep things going much longer. Do you, shut the doors and call it a day or declare bankruptcy? These options are certainly worth considering but though you weren't able to make it happen, does not necessarily mean that your business isn't valuable. If your website is failing, tough decisions need to be made. At the best of times, making objective decisions about something so close to you, something that you've put so much thought, energy, planning and dreaming into, can be challenging. Conditions such as these make it all the more difficult. Despite how things may appear at such a bleak moment, oftentimes failing websites are able to find buyers. Though it may seem unlikely, there are people and companies out there looking for opportunities to acquire failing or troubled websites. Here are seven good reasons why a buyer may seriously consider purchasing your website: The buyer may already have an existing website like yours and, by combining the two, be able to operate at lower cost. The buyer may have expertise in restructuring or repositioning websites, and has a plan to make your website profitable. The buyer may decide that it is more feasible to acquire your website, to invest in it and make it successful, than it would be to build a comparable website from the ground up. The buyer may have sufficient finance sources to carry the loss until your website becomes profitable. The buyer may have lower financial expectations and feel that, by lowering expenses and perhaps making a small investment, modest profits are achievable. The opportunity of a sale may, however, give rise to tangential issues needing consideration. It's very likely that by this point, in an effort to keep things going as long as possible, that you've incurred some personal liability for your website debts. You may even have pledged some personal assets as security. If the proceeds of selling your website won't be enough to pay off all your creditors in full, then you'll still be personally liable for the previous arrangements that you made.

Impulsive Behavior Essay

April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho went on a shooting rampage killing thirty-two college students at Virginia Tech. University before killing himself. This horrifying massacre can be associated with a poor impulsive behavior. Many devastating incidents throughout the years can be associated with poor impulsive decisions. Throughout the years Impulsive behaviors have often been viewed differently. For example, older American Writers seemed to view impulsive behaviors as negative traits, while earlier American Writers found them to be more acceptable. Three American Writers specifically stood out amongst others: Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, and Theodore Roethke. Our current generation mainly views impulsive behavior as a negative characteristic or inclination. Nowadays, impulsive behaviors are often correlated with diseases or psychological problems. Benjamin Franklin (1731-1813) was one of the oldest authors we read in class. I learned much about Franklin from his autobiography. Franklin was dedicated, disciplined, and focused, which left no room for impulses. Impulses often involved spontaneity and the unknown, which would not follow Franklin’s type of life style. He set aside an hour each day for reading and never missed a chance to find new books. Although he was very disciplined, he felt like it was not enough. That is why he dedicated 13 specific virtues to follow: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and finally humility. He even set up a calendar to mark the virtues he had accomplished each day. On the top of his weekly virtue chart, he followed a saying, â€Å"Eat not to dullness. Drink not to elevation† (Franklin, 286). Not only did he have a calendar made up for virtues, but also he had a day-by-day schedule set up that accounted for each hour of the day. He would dedicate a certain amount of time for hygiene, work, reading, dinner and rest. In Benjamin Franklin’s life there was no room for profligacy. Someone that plans out every hour of everyday obviously does not leave any room for impulses, and that was exactly how Franklin liked to live his life. He did not like surprises and enjoyed knowing every detail of each day. To Franklin, family and love did not matter; the only thing that mattered was success. Often when it comes to love and intimacy, impulses are right around the corner, which is one of the reasons why Franklin was not very emotional. He eventually got married, but he was more thankful for the help his wife provided in the printing press than the emotional feelings he had for her. Franklin was not the only author we read in class that felt this way about impulsive behavior. Like Franklin, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was another older author who believed that impulsive behavior was a negative attribute. He was a self-educated slave and knew the only way that he would become free one day was to become erudite. He learned how to read and write by tracing the letters on the prows of boats. After reading his autobiography, it was easy to tell why someone like Douglass would hate impulses. He knew that if he ever acted upon impulses it was very likely he would have been beaten or even worse, killed. He also hated impulses because he knew when his masters beat him that they were acting out on impulses as well. For these reasons, Douglass could never agree with impulses or support anyone who acted upon them. Although Douglass and Franklin did not agree with impulses, there were many other authors we read in class who strongly supported them. Unlike his predecessors Franklin and Douglas, Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) felt that impulsive behavior should be embraced and enjoyed. He was a poet whose poems symbolized fate and destiny, which is normally defined by impulsive decisions. After reading many of his poems, I could tell that he did not make plans, and he just acted upon his feelings and emotions. I got the feeling that he would follow his instincts no matter where they would lead him, â€Å"God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there, And learn by going where I have to go† (Roethke 1146). Obviously, someone that just follows his instincts is not very disciplined and does not plan out his life. He believed impulses were the only way to live one’s life. In his poems you could derive a sense of spontaneity and originality. He explains how he followed his fate and thinks by feelings, â€Å"I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go. We think by feeling. What is there to know? † (Roethke 1145). Roethke wrote many of his poems about love, and as it suggests love is usually a spontaneous and intimate feeling. It seemed that as time progressed, the view on impulsive behavior changed in American Writers from conservative to more acceptable. I wanted to see if the same shift took place in our culture as well so I decided to do my own research using the Michigan State University library system. It was difficult to find articles that supported both sides of the argument, but I eventually found two books that had conducted many studies and trials. I also found two journal articles that helped support my thesis as well. Generally, my research showed that impulsivity is regarded negatively. In Impulsivity and Aggression, they explain how impulsivity is a phenomenon that is present in all species and â€Å"manifests as effects, emotions, and observable behaviors† (E. Hollander and Dan J. Stein 28). Basically, this means that not only humans are susceptible to impulsive behavior, but also animals and other species. However, the focus of the research is on the effects of impulses on human decisions. The majority of the studies conducted in these different articles all seemed to come to one conclusion: impulsive behavior only leads to negative side effects. Every example of impulsive behavior in this book represented some sort of violence or disorder. â€Å"Impulsivity and aggression contribute to major public health problems such as crime, violence, homicide, suicide, substance abuse, and sexual dyscontrol† (E. Hollander and Dan J. Stein 1). Basic emotions such as fear and anger are often defined as impulsive emotions, which are difficult to resist and may be harmful to themselves or others. Oldham, Hollander, and Skodol reinforce this view, â€Å"Traditionally, psychopathological states characterized by impulse behavior, such as substance abuse, rage, outbursts, violence, suicidal or self-destructive acts, binge eating, sexual promiscuity, or social irresponsibility, have been conceptualized as disorders of deficient impulse control† (J. Oldham & E. Hollander & A. Skodol ix). Not a single example in my sources supports a positive side to impulsive behavior. They constantly relate disorders such as kleptomania, pathological gambling, and pyromania to impulses. These studies used scales that measured impulsive behavior by using both personality dimensions and clinical syndromes. These scales are tools used for measuring the outcome of interventions. The effects of impulsive behavior are causing a need for concern, and therefore action must be taken to help prevent these individuals from hurting themselves or others. It is apparent that our current generation’s outlook on impulsive behavior is all-negative. This negative outlook has caused different treatment strategies throughout the years. The majority of these treatments involved medical psychiatric medications for borderline personality disorders (BPD) (E. Hollander and Dan J. Stein 263). The purpose is to control the aggression, hostility, impulsivity, and liability of mood associated illnesses. There are many medications currently being used, but the most popular consist of Neuroleptics, Anticonvulsants, Anti depressants, and Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SRIs). These treatments have greatly reduced the negative impulsive behaviors for specific patients. Neuroleptics have been the group of medications most studied in controlled trials investigating Pharmacological treatment of BPD (E. Hollander and Dan J. Stein 264). These agents are used based on â€Å"their theoretical ability to dampen aggressive outbursts and decrease psychotic thinking. † (E. Hollander and Dan J. Stein 264). Trials were conducted to test these neuroleptics against placebo control agents, which resulted in an improvement in anxiety, rejection sensitivity, and suicidal thoughts. Another treatment that helps decrease anxiety, irritability, and anger are Anticonvulsants. A trial was conducted to test the effectiveness of Anticonvulsants and eleven out of fifteen patients opted to remain on this medication after the study’s conclusion (E. Hollander and Dan J. Stein 266). Even when a small behavioral dyscontrol did occur, it was far less severe than while on the placebo. Antidepressants are also a very popular form of medication, but might not be the best for every individual. Studies conducted show that fifty percent of individuals felt improvements in irritability, energy, and depression were modest or unremarkable (E. Hollander and Dan J. Stein 266). â€Å"The enefits of specific antidepressants are limited, and there is little data to suggest a diminution of impulsivity in any of these studies. † (E. Hollander and Dan J. Stein 267). SRIs have been proven to help with depression, panic, obsessionality, suicidality, self-injury, somatization, eating disorders, and anxiety (E. Hollander and Dan J. Stein 268). The most widely used SRI is Fluoxetine, which has been the best studied of the SRIs for treatment of impulsive and aggressive symptoms. If Seung-Hui Cho had not acted upon impulses, than maybe those thirty-two students would still be with us today. Although earlier American Writers found impulsive behaviors more acceptable, it is apparent that impulsive behaviors lead to a state of chaos and pandemonium. As time progressed, the view on impulsive behavior changed from negative to more acceptable until a certain point was reached. After a certain point, impulsive behaviors took over and caused a state of chaos and pandemonium. The chaos these impulsive behaviors inhibited can be demonstrated as school shootings, terrorist attacks, or mental instabilities. It is important to control certain impulses because otherwise they can lead to severe consequences or even worse, death.