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

Epilogue The angel took the book from him, then went out the door and across the hall, where he knocked on the door. â€Å"He's finished,† the angel said to someone in the room. â€Å"What, you're leaving? I can just go?† asked Levi who was called Biff. The door across the hall opened, and there stood another angel, this one seeming to have more a female aspect than Raziel. She too held a book. She stepped into the hall to reveal a woman standing behind her, wearing jeans and a green cotton blouse. Her hair was long and straight, dark with reddish highlights, and her eyes were crystal blue and seemed to glow in contrast to her dark skin. â€Å"Maggie,† said Levi. â€Å"Hi, Biff.† â€Å"Maggie finished her Gospel weeks ago,† said Raziel. â€Å"Really?† The Magdalene smiled. â€Å"Well, I didn't have as much to write as you did. I didn't see you guys for sixteen years.† â€Å"Oh, right.† â€Å"It is the will of the Son that you two go out together into this new world,† said the female angel. Levi went across the hall and took her in his arms. They kissed for a long time until the angels began to clear their throats and murmur â€Å"Get a room† under their breaths. They held each other at arm's length. Levi said, â€Å"Maggie, is this going to be like it always was? You know, you're with me, and you love me and everything, but it's only because you can't have Josh?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"That's so pathetic.† â€Å"You don't want to be together?† â€Å"No, I want to, it's just pathetic.† â€Å"I have money,† she said. â€Å"They gave me money.† â€Å"That's good.† â€Å"Go,† said Raziel, losing his patience. â€Å"Go, go, go. Go away.† He pointed down the hallway. They started walking down the hallway, arm in arm, tentatively, looking back at the angels every few steps, until at last they looked back and the angels were gone. â€Å"You should have stuck around,† the Magdalene said. â€Å"I couldn't. It hurt too much.† â€Å"He came back.† â€Å"I know, I read about it.† â€Å"He was sad because of what you had done.† â€Å"Yeah, so was I.† â€Å"The others were angry with you. They said that you had the greatest reason to believe.† â€Å"That why they edited me out of their Gospels?† â€Å"Good guess,† she said. They stepped into the elevator and the Magdalene pushed the button for the lobby. â€Å"By the way, it was Hallowed,† she said. â€Å"What was Hallowed?† â€Å"The H. His middle name. It was Hallowed. It's a family name, remember, ‘Our father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.'† â€Å"Damn, I would have guessed Harvey,† Biff said. Afterword Teaching Yoga to an Elephant And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. JOHN 21:25 Can you really teach yoga to an elephant? Well no, you can't, but we're talking about Jesus here. Nobody knows what he could do. The book you've just read is a story. I made it up. It is not designed to change anyone's beliefs or worldview, unless after reading it you've decided to be kinder to your fellow humans (which is okay), or you decide you really would like to try to teach yoga to an elephant, in which case, please get videotape. I researched Lamb, I really did, but there is no doubt I could have spent decades researching and still managed to be inaccurate. (It's a talent, what can I say?) While I've made some attempt to paint an accurate picture of the world in which Christ lived, I changed things for my own convenience, and sometimes, obviously, there was no way of knowing what conditions really existed in the years 1 through 33. The available written history about the peasant class, society, and the practice of Judaism in the first century in Galilee degenerates quickly into theory. The role of the Pharisees in peasant society, the Hellenistic influence, the influence of an international city like Joppa nearby: who knows how these things would have affected Christ as a boy? Some historians postulate that Yeshua of Nazareth would have been little more than an ignorant hillbilly, while others say that because of the proximity of Sepphoris and Joppa, he could have been exposed to Greek and Roman culture from an early age. I chose the latter because it makes for a more interesting story. The historical life of Jesus, beyond a couple of references by Josephus, the Jewish historian of the first century, and the odd mention by Roman historians, is again mostly speculation. What we can know today of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is included in the four slim Gospels found in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. For those readers who know the Gospels (bear with me), you know that Matthew and Luke are the only two to mention Christ's birth, while Mark and John cover only the ministry part of Jesus' life. The wise men are mentioned only in one short passage in Matthew, and the shepherds are mentioned only in Luke. The slaughter of the innocents and the fleeing into Egypt are mentioned only in Matthew. In short, Jesus' infancy is a jumble, but the chronicle of his childhood is worse. Of the time from Jesus' birth to when he began his ministry in his thirties, the Bible gives us only one scene: Luke tells us of Jesus teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem at age twel ve. Other than that, we have a thirty-year hole in the life of the most influential human being to ever walk the face of the earth. With Lamb, in my own goofy way, I attempted to fill that hole in history, but again, I am not trying to present history as it might really have been, I'm simply telling stories. Some of the historical elements of Lamb are uncomfortable to work the modern mind around. The precocious sexuality comes to mind. That Maggie would have been betrothed by twelve and married by thirteen is almost certain from what we know of Jewish society in the first century, as are the facts that a Jewish boy of the time would have been learning his trade by age ten, would be betrothed at thirteen, and would be married by fourteen. Trying to create empathy for the adult roles of those whom we, today, would consider children, was of no small concern to me when I was writing that section of the book, but it may be the one section where the sexuality of the characters is not historically out of place. The average peasant in Galilee would have been lucky to live to the age of forty, so perhaps the children, by necessity, reached sexual maturity earlier than they would under less harsh conditions. Although there are, I'm sure, many historical inaccuracies and improbabilities in this book, the most blatant that I have knowingly indulged is in the section where Biff and Joshua visit Gaspar in the mountains of China. While Gautama Buddha did indeed live and teach some five hundred years before the birth of Christ, and while his teachings were widespread in India by the time our heroes could have made it to the East, Buddhism didn't make it into China for almost five hundred years after Christ's death. The martial arts would not be developed by Buddhist monks until after that, but to remain historically accurate, I would have had to leave out an important question that I felt needed to be addressed, which is, â€Å"What if Jesus had known kung fu?† The life of Gaspar, as described in Lamb (the nine years in the cave, etc.), is drawn from the legends of the life of the Buddhist patriarch Bodhidharma, the man who is said to have taken Buddhism to China around A.D. 500. Bodhidharma (or Daruma) is credited with the school of Buddhism that we know today as Zen. Buddhist legend does not mention Bodhidharma encountering a yeti, but they do have him cutting his eyelids off to avoid falling asleep and having them sprout into tea plants which later monks would brew to keep awake during meditation (which I left out), so I traded that story in on an abominable snowman and Biff's theory of natural selection. Seemed fair. Bodhidharma is also said to have invented and taught kung fu to the famous Shao Lin monks to condition them for the rigorous regimen of meditation he prescribed. Most of the details of the festival of Kali, including the sacrifices and mutilations, come from Joseph Campbell's Oriental Mythology, from his Masks of God series. Campbell cites eyewitness accounts of the bloody ritual from nineteenth-century British soldiers and states that even today over eight hundred goats are beheaded for the festival of Kali in Calcutta. (Anyone who had trouble with this passage, please write to Campbell in his current incarnation.) The cited verses from the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita are actual translations of those revered writings. The verses from the Kama Sutra are completely from my imagination, but you'll find weirder stuff in the actual book. Theologically, I made certain assumptions about who Jesus was, mainly that he was who the Gospels say he was. While I used the Gospels heavily for reference, and there are a couple of references to the Acts of the Apostles (specifically the giving of the gift of tongues, without which Biff could not have told the story in modern American idiom), I tried not to draw on the rest of the New Testament, specifically the letters of Paul, Peter, James, and John, as well as Revelations, all written years after the Crucifixion (as were the Gospels). These missives eventually went on to define Christianity, but no matter what you may think of them, you have to agree that Jesus would not have been aware of them, or the events in them, or certainly the consequences of their teaching, so they had no place in this story. Joshua and Biff, as Jewish boys, would, however, have been familiar with the books of the Old Testament, the first five of which made up the base of their faith, the Torah, and th e rest which were referred to by people of the time as Prophets and Writings, so I referred to these when I felt it was appropriate. As I understand it, however, the Talmud and most of the Midrash (illustrative stories explaining the law of God) had not yet been formulated and agreed upon, so they were not used as a reference for Lamb. From the Gnostic Gospels (a set of manuscripts found at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945, but which actually may have been written earlier than the canonized Gospels) I've drawn only slightly on the Gospel of Thomas, a book of Christ's sayings, because it fit well with the Buddhist point of view (many of the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas are also found in Mark). The other Gnostic Gospels were either too fragmentary, or frankly, just plain creepy (the Infancy Gospel of Thomas describes Jesus, at age six, using his supernatural powers to murder a group of children because they tease him. Sort of Carrie Goes to Nazareth. Even I had to pass.) Lamb is peppered throughout with biblical references, both real and made-up (i.e., Biff quotes liberally from nonexistent books of the Bible such as Dalmatians, Excretions, and Amphibians). My editor and I discussed the merit of footnoting these references and decided that footnotes would detract from the flow of the story. The problem arises, however, that if the reader knows the Bible well enough to recognize the real references, there's a good chance that he or she has decided not to read this book. Our final decision – well, my final decision, my editor wasn't really consulted on this because he might have said no – was to advise those who are not familiar with the Bible to find someone who is, sit them down, read them the passages in question, then say, â€Å"That one real? How 'bout that one?† If you don't know someone who is familiar with the Bible, just wait, someone will come to your door eventually. Keep extra copies of Lamb on hand so they can take one with them. Another problem with telling a story that has been told so many times is that people are looking for elements with which they are familiar. Although I've glossed over many events that are chronicled in the Gospels, there are numerous elements which many people think are there, which simply are not. One is that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. She's always portrayed that way in movies, but it doesn't ever say that she is in the Bible. She is mentioned by name eleven times in the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Luke, Mark). Most references to her talk about her preparation for the burial of Jesus, and then being the first witness of his resurrection. It also says that Jesus cured her of evil spirits. No whore references, period. There are â€Å"Marys† without surnames all over the Gospels, and some of them, I suspect, may refer to the Magdalene, specifically the Mary who, soon before his death, anoints Jesus' feet with expensive ointment and wipes them with her hair, certainly one of the most tender moments in the Gospels and the primary basis for my rendering of Maggie's character. We know from letters that many of the leaders of the early church were women, but in first-century Israel, a woman who struck out on her own without a husband was not only considered uppity, but was very likely referred to as a harlot (as was a woman who was divorced). That could be where the myth originated. Another Gospel misassumption is that the three wise men were kings, or, in fact, that there were even three of them. We make that assumption because there are three gifts given to the Christ child. Their names are never mentioned. The names Balthasar, Gaspar, and Melchior come to us from Christian tradition written hundreds of years after the time of Christ. We assume that Joseph of Nazareth, Jesus' stepfather, dies before the Crucifixion, yet it is never stated in the Gospels. He just may not have been involved. We make assumptions based on what we have been fed over the years at Christmas pageants and passion plays, but often, although inspired by faith, that material is little more than what you have just read: the product of someone's imagination. The Gospels do not agree on the order of the events that happen during the ministry, from Jesus' baptism by John to the Crucifixion, so I arranged events from all the Gospels in what seemed a logical, chronological order, while adding t hose elements that allow Biff's participation in the story. There are, of course, elements of the Gospels which I left out in the interest of brevity, but you can always find them in the Gospels if you want. My sending Joshua and Biff to the East was motivated purely by story, not by basis in the Gospel or historical evidence. While there are indeed astounding similarities between the teachings of Jesus and those of Buddha (not to mention those of Lao-tzu, Confucius, and the Hindu religion, all which seem to have included some version of the Golden Rule), it's more likely that these stem from what I believe to be logical and moral conclusions that any person in search of what is right would come to, e.g.: that the preferable way to treat one another is with love and kindness; that pursuit of material gain is ultimately empty when measured against eternity; and that somehow, as human beings, we are all connected spiritually. While historians and theologians don't completely rule out the possibility that Christ may have traveled to the East, they seem to agree that he could have formulated the teachings we find in the Gospels with no more influence than the rabbinical teachings in Galilee and Judea. But what fun would that have been? Finally, this story was set in a dire time, a deadly serious time, and the world of the first-century Jew under the rule of the Romans would not have been one that easily inspired mirth. It's more than a small anachronism that I portray Joshua having and making fun, yet somehow, I like to think that while he carried out his sacred mission, Jesus of Nazareth might have enjoyed a sense of irony and the company of a wisecracking buddy. This story is not and never was meant to challenge anyone's faith; however, if one's faith can be shaken by stories in a humorous novel, one may have a bit more praying to do. My thanks to the many people who helped in the research and writing of this book, especially those who were generous enough to share their beliefs without judgment or condemnation. Many thanks to Neil Levy, Mark Joseph, Professor William â€Å"Sundog† Bersley, Ray Sanders, and John â€Å"The Heretic† Campbell for their advice on religion, philosophy, and history. To Charlee Rodgers for putting up with the fits, starts, whining, and hubris of the process, as well as to Dee Dee Leichtfuss for readings and comments. Special thanks to Orly Elbaz, who was my tour guide through Israel and who showed infinite patience in answering my nitpicky historical questions. Also to my agent, Nick Ellison, and my editor, Tom Dupree, for their patience, tolerance, and advice. Christopher Moore BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 2000

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Henry James is well-known for crafting fine literature. One special short piece, The Turn of the Screw, taps into a topic that received great acclaim in the era it was published: ghosts. It was initially released at the tail-end of the 19th century, and followed up with 20th century critical essays regarding this saga. Turn of the Screw was first released when actual ghost-sighting incidents were so common that they became coffee-table discussion. My focus is, in fact, on the subject of ghosts. After reading James’s work, I believe that the governess and her ghost incidents were actually a figment of her imagination, based largely on her unstable mental health. I will offer my reflections as to why our governess was tripped-up and tricked into believing she saw phantoms. The main thrust of her disillusionment came from her mental illness. The history behind The Turn of the Screw is woven to the argument between the apparition-believers and the non-apparition traditionalists. The phenomenological spirit-hunter controversy has been wide spread, even in this day and age of the 21st century. In order to stay true to Henry James, it is important to define what I mean by apparition and non-apparition. According to James’s time period—which I will be true to in my assessment—I will clarify that an apparition refers to explanations in which ghosts are seen to be very real figures or a manifestation of paranormal activity existing in a person’s field of vision. Non-apparition, instead, infers that the explanations in which ghosts are viewed are actually hallucinations of the mind. This is the standard terminology used in The Turn of the Screw. From the beginning, although James has a captive means of expressing himself through story-telling, one major criticism is that the stories he creates are too far-fetched. He misses out on incorporating the essence of reality into his story, which immediately sends reads on a downward spiral away from realism. The story does not tell about life and the journals of the governess. Instead the governess and the supporting characters (which includes ghost figments) are not people we’d easily associate with in life. James has a focus in his novella, but the thematic structure is too narrow in the sense that he ignores incorporating daily-life experience and background structure—both in characterization and scenery. Readers cannot truly take his account as a subject of realism. When we look at his characters and plot-structure, it becomes clear that James excluded huge segments of society. He was not concerned with low-class families or even the middle class. He wrote of nothing in regards to the common man. Instead, his interest lie solely in envisioning a class of people devoted to the luxuries of high class status. So, in order to follow along with Henry James, we must pay a ticket, so-to-speak, to enter his special world of an elite cast from another planet of thinking. First, we must agree to the boundaries of his world. Then, and only then, can we consider him to be a realist. However, it’s important to point out that James is true to his characters. He never violates the laws of his reality. His is, in effect, a faithful storyteller and his characters are always understandable. Robert Lee Wolff, for instance, in his published piece, The Genesis of The Turn of the Screw, points out that there were many skeptics who felt that readers who believed in this supernatural tale were, in effect, caught in the trap of Henry James. It was viewed as a â€Å"cold artistic calculation† on the part of its highly entertained author (Wolff p. 125). As we look at the governess in the first few turns of the story, we see how James very deliberately and carefully sets up the machinery where the governess first witnesses the ghosts. The governess believes in these ghost-incidents but refuses to investigate the situation. It’s difficult to believe our governess would not be shaken by curiosity in hopes of validating her visions. It’s also apparent that the governess takes a liking to her employer and she wants him to go on these walks with her, in hopes of them both seeing the ghosts. But she does not. This is very uncharacteristic of a mentally stable person. James leaves room for the reader to decide whether or not it’s her infatuation or psychotic visions that has a hold of her. It seems, to me, that her imagination, along with her mental fragility, are the keys that lead her to imagine the ghosts, instead of actually seeing them. To back up my claim, Francis Roellinger cites the following, If James emphasized the artistic limitations of the â€Å"recorded and arrested† ghosts, it is chiefly to make clear to the reader his reasons for ignoring these limitations in the construction of his own phantoms† (Roellinger 135). With working with children during the day, the governess discovers the magic within the children—and their own individual gravity toward curiosity and uncovering the truth of situations. Yet, her state of mind seems to cloud her vision. This further strengthens my plea that these ghosts were actually figments of her imagination. The governess does spend time discussing these apparition sightings with Mrs. Grose. They learn that the man died after falling on the ice after a drunken evening at a tavern. The history of recent dead individuals includes the previous governess who died last year. Are these dead the ghosts she sees? We then discover that the children know of these ghosts, but are hiding this information from the adults. James has a spine-tingling means of crafting his story, yet the believability fall short with his lack of realism and superficial details. Later, other critics saw his work lacking realistic integrity. Robert Lee Wolff added that Henry James created a governess that certainly suffered from mental illness. Wolff wrote, â€Å"the tortured forms and expressions, are proof positive that he regards the governess, who sees the ghosts and tells the story, as a neurotic, suffering from sex repression (Wolff p. 126). Another critic, in the same published essay by Wolff, was cited as locating several situations that carried Freudian significance, which integrated our governess’s final pedophile passion for the young boy. The governess, in the end, scares him out-of-his-mind, frightening him to death. In reading a story so heavily laced with ghost appearances, how is it that the governess is such a stoic in regards to keeping her fear-factor at bay? This question brings to mind the notion that our governess might have some secret desire for fear or even pain. How else could she perpetuate her relations with the young boy child to the point of utter contempt regarding sexual desire? The situation weighs too heavily in favor of the governess’s mental instability being a driving force that leads her to imagine that she sees these ghosts. As we consider it deeper, her illness can be paralleled to imagining some of the scenes where children—according to her—are chatting with an apparition. On top of this, her solitude and lack of having a lover or partner in her life further distresses her situation. In essence, we can view this entire tale as a battle of good versus evil—not paranormal reality. The governess could also be considered a person who created this ghost scenario upon innocent children, which would be an extremely neurotic tendency on her part. She feels so alone and, when the children are in confidence with the ghosts, she creates a scenario, through her excessive imagination that holds little remorse for the repercussions that might occur to the children or other characters in the story. In conclusion, it’s clear that this is a story of a mentally unstable woman who uses her neuroses to create this universe of ghosts. It’s her means of communicating with others, after her younger years did not lead her to love. She is a deeply unstable individual, flawed with ruin. She is not the type of person who would be able to deal with these spine-tingling events with the conviction she displayed. This character trait in the governess along with other unrealistic situations in the story, offer no other solution than to consider it as a purely fabricated and imaginary chain of events.

Aerodynamic Development Of Land Speed Record Car Engineering Essay

Aerodynamic Development Of Land Speed Record Car Engineering Essay This project is focused on the baseline aerodynamic analyses and optimisation of a Land Speed Record vehicle in terms of performance of drag and aerodynamic stability, and thereby, speed the vehicle can attain. The vehicle `Stay Gold’ shown below belongs to the David Tremayne, a Formula One journalist. It is his plan to break the current British Land Speed Record by achieving a speed of about 350 m/s. A photograph of the vehicle in its current form can be seen below. C:UsersCecilDesktopDSC07489.JPG Figure 1, (20)- Photograph of the Land Speed Record vehicle in its current form. In aerodynamic analyses, the prohibitive costs of conventional wind testing along with the advent of computing power, characterised by its decreasing cost has brought the applications of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to the fore front of research and industrial applications, (2). The complications of actual wind tunnel testing ranging from differences in boundary conditions to the scale and mounti ng of the object is covered well in existing literature, (1). CFD is a method for analysing complex fluid flow problems using numerical methods to solve the Navier-Stokes governing equations. This report begins with the study of high speed vehicle aerodynamics to understand the important physical phenomena taking place, i.e. Air flows linked with different parts of the vehicle. CFD has been established as a proven tool used to perform baseline simulations with different turbulence models, boundary conditions and grids. Consequently, the influence of compressibility by running cases with progressively faster operating speeds up to Mach 0.5 and the effects of varying the geometry of nose and body of the vehicle using low-drag fairings are studied. Literature Review: High Speed Vehicle Aerodynamics: Aerodynamics is the study of various forces when a body is in motion. As we know, any vehicle moving through a fluid experiences forces induced by the fluid on it. When a vehicle moves forw ard it displaces the static air in front of it and hence disrupts the air flow around the body. These induced fluid forces can be characterised into three main forces which can be represented on a Cartesian coordinate system as shown in the figure below, (19). Figure 2, (19)- Forces acting on a vehicle represented on Cartesian coordinate system The vertical force along the Z axis is called lift. In this context, the vertical force is usually pushing the car towards the ground. Lift force then would be negative. Instead, the term downforce will be used, which is the positive vertical force towards the ground. The horizontal force moving in the opposite direction as the vehicle along the X axis is called drag force. Drag force is created by the vehicle’s resistance to motion moving through the air. . Drag will always be negative with this axis system, although in the results it will be displayed as positive, (19). The horizontal lateral force along the Y axis is called side for ce which occurs due to strong cross winds or by vehicles being in proximity to each other. The magnitude of these forces depends on various factors like the geometry & speed of the vehicle, mass of the fluid, viscosity & compressibility. These three forces are the basic aerodynamic forces that act on a moving solid body. We concentrate on the reducing the drag force alone to achieve higher speeds.

International Cost of capital Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Cost of capital - Assignment Example Question1. Provide an illustrative example of WACC calculation using a FTSE100 company. Answer: The components of weighted average of cost of capital come from the equity side of the statement of financial position, which is commonly understood and known as balance sheet-common shares, preferred shares and debt, long term liability are the components of capital. Any change in the shape of increase in assets of the balance sheet would require increasing at least any one of components of the capital account. In order to increase the liability side of the balance sheet, the cost of these components is called as component based cost of capital. Numerous causes require to occur or to increase the cost of capital. First, the need of long term investment and long term financing requires a company to determine and decide an appropriate way of arranging finance. Either willingly or unwillingly, the company has to evaluate all possible and available means that can be used for the purpose of sa tisfying their long term business investment needs. Some companies use and issue preferred shares for the purpose of raising finance. ... On the whole, these both means have some sort of similarities and some sort of dissimilarities. Preferred shares are mostly placed with the ordinary shares, on the other hand, the debentures and other forms of long term liabilities are incorporated in the long term liability section of the statement of financial position. Following is the standard computational method of weighted average of cost of capital: WACC = Ke [(market value of equity/A)] + kd [(1-t) (market value of debt/A)]. Where; WACC= weighted average of cost of capital Ke= cost of equity A=market value of equity + market value of debt Kd= cost of debt Cost of equity (Ke) is the required return on the ordinary shares. Most of the time, it is this feature that is pretty difficult to estimate. Cost of equity can be determined by two ways: dividend growth model and capital asset pricing model (CAPM). The dividend growth model uses the following formula: P0 = D1/ (Re-g) Here, P0 is the current stock price or stock price in th e period of 0. D1 is the amount of dividend in the next period or next year. Re is the cost of equity. G is the dividend growth rate. For ke the equation would become Re= D1/ P0+ g The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) helps with the following equation to determine the cost of equity: Re= Rf+ b(Rm - Rf) Here, Rf= the risk free rate. B= beta value Rm= market return Capital asset pricing model was determined and defined and published its derivation by William Sharpe in the year of 1986 (Megginson, 1996). There are numerous assumptions on which capital asset pricing model is based on. For instance, capital asset pricing model assumes that investors hold diversified range of portfolios (Head, 2008). Example: Computation of weighted average of

Rehtorical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rehtorical analysis - Essay Example The impact that the image has on the target audience by virtue of the ethos that oozes out of it is indeed amazing and noteworthy. There is no denying the fact that in the last decade, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West did happen to be one of the most fashionable and talked about couple in the world. Thereby the strategy of Vogue to tag the fashionable aura of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West with the discernibly fashion associated credentials of the magazine has loaded the image with much credibility and believability. The target audience simply cannot help taking the image with all the due credibility, veracity and appeal that it commands. The image with the sense of grace and sophistication it carries when juxtaposed with the background text mentioning Vogue did indeed bring out much substance and reliability. Besides the placement of the image of their daughter North, embossed on the larger image does bring in a familial element and appeal to the image. The message that it does try to c onvey is that yes it is indeed possible to be a family person and yet be fashionable. This extends the appeal of the issue beyond its conventional audience to a clientele that is family oriented and somewhat prosaic as the subtext in the image mentions, â€Å"Kim & Kanye: Their fashionable life and surreal times.† The image no way lacks in pathos coefficient as it also impresses the audience with the emotional appeal that it carries. Everybody likes to be fashionable and almost many people love children. Thereby, frankly speaking no matter how glamorous or celebrity a person may be, still the fact that one is a parent does accrue much emotional backing to one. In that context the image of their daughter North juxtaposed on their romantic image in which the two of them are fashionably dressed and are coalesced in a romantic embrace is poised to eke out the emotions of even the most unfashionable and prosaic of a family person. The placement of the image of

Environmental Issues and Policies at General Motors Essay

Environmental Issues and Policies at General Motors - Essay Example This essay discusses the General Motors (GM) organization, that was founded in 1908 and currently, it is the second largest automaker in the world. General Motors has been the global leader in the automotive industry since its inception, but recently it was overtaken by Japanese automaker Toyota. The giant automaker employs over 284,000 people globally and its global headquarters is located in Detroit, US. The automaker manufactures trucks and cars in 35 countries distributed in all continents around the world. In 2007, the giant automaker sold over 8.3 million units globally under the wide brand range of its products in the car and truck portfolio. In the recent history, the motor industry has undergone many transformations arising from the changing supply and demand of energy and the increasing environmental concerns attributed to extensive use of petroleum products in the industry. These developments have made it necessary for the automakers develop and review environmental polici es in their strategic plans in order to adapt with the current economic and environmental needs. To mitigate these effects, different organizations, including General Motors have formulated environmental policies to address the emerging and future environmental changes. In conclusion, the researcher states that General Motors environmental policy is strategically formulated to comply with modern environmental laws, reduce pollution, minimizing energy consumption, wastes and promoting recycling, and reuse practices.

The Tenure of Dianne Feinstein as Mayor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Tenure of Dianne Feinstein as Mayor - Essay Example We analyze how the people of San Francisco tried to preserve a balance among wealthier and poorer elements of the population. We also illustrate the buildings that were renovated or taken down and how Walker assesses whether the efforts were successful or not. San Francisco is a city famously recognized as a beautiful, vivacious and highly habitable. This was not the case in the 19th century because the city was excoriated to an astonishing extent, soon after the rich made it have a scene of improper management. In the present day, it would have been of less admiration if the unusual disturbance opposing to the newly construction could not have taken place. The opposition was remarkably successful, and such a situation had not yet occurred elsewhere in America and this rebellion is the one that makes the city more welcoming for the people’s habitation (Richard 200). Dianne Feinstein offered her service as the 35th mayor of San Francisco. She was the first female to ever get th e position as mayor. Her election was for two complete terms. She served as the mayor in 1978 after the death of Harvey Moscone. She was extremely judicious; she strongly supported law and measures of order. On several occasions, various feminist groups and the gay got annoyed with her. This was so because she was able to manage her attitude with open minded views about the way of life. During her time as mayor, she managed to demonstrate her skills in politics and great level of governmental ability (Mikulski and Catherine 145). In the gubernatorial race in 1990, Pete Wilson defeated Feinstein. However, she effectively managed the portion of the term of Wilsons Senate that was unexpired, in 1992. She became particularly famous in the United States because the active political practice in the state. She also participated actively in the neighboring politics and in the ruling body. Various constituencies in the society got appealed by Feinstein, by the way she followed a moderate pat h which integrated several intriguing political customs and the politics which was conservative. She had center of attention to issues of offense. She was also interested in the police staffing and the centralized expenditure for the cities. She succeeded in controlling the level of crime in the city (Roberts 253). Challenges were there too despite Diane's efforts. This has seen in the balancing of the budget which the cutbacks exacerbated in the condition and centralized spending for the cities. While in the Senate, Feinstein stood on very firm stand regarding several issues. She was remarkably honest against the verdict of President Bill Clinton to formulate Mexico a United State partner in the battle against drugs that are not legal. Later on she successfully managed the city budget, inaugurated the administration that had freedom and the workplace guiding principles. She fully supported the growth of downtown and the expansion of money matters. Through this, she was able to be a friend to downtown business interest. Feinstein always considered the security of civilians to be on the forefront. She was able to make Laguna Honda Hospital acquire grant by creating compliance of the hospital with the state and the centralized law. When Feinstein she was sixteen, her uncle took her to San Francisco Board of Supervisors (the city council) gatherings. Later on she

Working in a Learning Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Working in a Learning Context - Essay Example My communication skills development has been achieved through showing respect, being considerate, taking your time to listen to the children, among others. I have been assertive while engaging in effective communication with the children. In order to communicate effectively with young people particularly primary school children, there are number of skills one needs to demonstrate during the course of their interaction. Although these skills might be applied on a daily basis, you should reflect on how they impact your personal and professional skills. Research shows that children learn to communicate through the responses made by their seniors. In addition, the fact that communication is a two-way process would mean that engaging in a conversation with children is beneficial in communication skill development for both parties (Green and Hopwood 2015). During the working period, I identified that pupils ought to be given a chance to talk. In addition, one should actively listen and maintain eye contact with the child. When I identified that some children lack enough confidence to express themselves, I engaged them in a friendly conversation as if we were equals. In this way, the children actively put forward their thoughts, and I also learnt to ‘dig in’ information from the children, which is an essential professional skill in addressing day-to-day issues. Giving eye contact to the children, in addition to the use of body language made me approachable to the children (Lefevre 2010). In this sense, I developed some personal skills, which are essential during staff meetings and engagement with my colleagues. Being assertive involves expressing yourself effectively, while maintaining your point of view, as well as the rights and beliefs of the listeners. In particular assertive communication is relevant while working with children in that one can boost the children’s

Business Ethics In Financial Institutions Essay

Business Ethics In Financial Institutions - Essay Example There is also damage to the business, as well as the employees and consumers who rely on that organization for their livelihood (Fisman & Miguel, 2008). Business ethics have become part of an organization’s foundation. Presently, managers are now well-prepared to deal with and handle situations that come about as a result of moral issues and principles that are part of the financial sector. During the course of everyday life, everybody; consumers to executives, may be affected by business ethics. It is this line of thinking that makes business ethics a crucial element in the handling of everyday business. The code of ethics in every financial sector demands honesty, integrity, and transparency (Huevel et al., 2009). Business ethics are crucial in communicating the core values that are tantamount in the growth and development of society and organizations. Dealing with numbers on a large scale, especially in large corporations, there is always pressure to perform. This may make individuals to try and engage in some unscrupulous activities just to please the organization and stakeholders of the organization. Business ethics, in this case, steps in to ensure that members of an organization have what it takes to handle the pressure and protect the organization’s integrity, and at the same time, offer transparency to the internal and external members of the organization. In truth, business ethics may act as an outside source of guidance, even as there is pressure to perform from every angle in the business spectrum. Ethics may also act as boundaries when it comes to the organization’s culture. When dealing with finances, it becomes rather tricky to always be on the right track. This means that it is a daunting task to protect... These policies act as guides as they contain specific requirements and identify the organization’s expectations of the employees throughout the working process. This leads to a better awareness of the benefits and advantages of having moral principles in everyday business dealings. The environmental factors that surround an organization can also be monitored to ensure that unethical conditions are reduced. A case in point would be the over-competitive nature that people in the organization are exposed to that may lead to unethical behavior. Monitoring such an environment could be of benefit to the growth of ethical standards in the organizations. In conclusion, if firms or organizations are keen on operating a certain way, it is crucial for them to write down moral codes. They need to follow these principles and rules so that they can protect the integrity and honesty of the financial sector. Money is not evil. Rather, it is something that is used to run commercial activities between individuals and organizations. It should not be the cause of all the squabbles and disagreements that are seen on most financial fronts in the world. It may be alright to make a lot of money provided individuals conform to the rules and regulations of the law and society. The disconnection between a firm’s code of ethics and its activities needs to be bridged. This makes it easier to handle the organization’s members, society, and stakeholders as they strive to conquer the international business market.

Orwell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Orwell - Essay Example ger of a lumber company in Burma, is stationed along with a dozen or so British citizens in Kyauktada, a small village which one of the British refers to as â€Å"a filthy hole.†(184) The social center for these minor government officials and company managers stationed in the â€Å"bloody, bloody hole† (18) is the Club whose policy is Whites Only, for it is whites who administer government in this outpost of imperialistic British rule of the subcontinent. The amount of liquor consumed in the Club by its male members, most of them infantile and cynical, is staggering. When the British Commissioner suggests the Club elect one non-white to membership, most of the Englishmen are enraged. But the news has filtered into the native community where two men, U Po Kyin and Dr. Veraswami, wish to be honored by joining. U Po Kyin is a Subdivisional Magistrate of Kyauktada who prospers by graft and plotting, while the doctor respects everything British; his ardor for Englishmen impels him to call them â€Å"torchbearers upon the path of progress.†(42) But the grossly obese U Po Kyin sees the doctor as an enemy and methodically destroys his reputation. Flory is the doctor’s friend and is criticized for being so by racist members of the Club. He is also, consequently, a ‘mark’ for U Po Kyin and, like the doctor, is ultimately so disgraced (as well as disconsolate over Elizabeth Lackertseen’s rejection) that he commits suicide. â€Å"Absolute power corrupts, but absolute powerlessness corrupts absolutely.† This observation, made by once Presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson, encapsulates what most often occurs when Third World countries are conquered and then ruled by more ‘advanced’ countries. Ugandan President and criminal, Idi Amin, for example, has been thought by many to be merely aping, though perhaps without their subtlety, what he’d learned from the British during their occupation of his country. This is apparent in Orwell’s depiction of the British in

Reading Comprehension Essay Example for Free

Reading Comprehension Essay Reading comprehension is a valuable and necessary tool in the learning process. It allows the reader to expand his vocabulary, understand the text he is reading, and use various strategies as he might need them in order to improve learning. It is necessary because it shapes the readers understanding of ideas and words. It assists his ability to make sense of ideas and concepts. It can even affect various parts of public life, such as the political arena. In assessing the readers state of reading comprehension, there are three levels: literal, interpretive, and applied. If the reader is not satisfied with his own level of reading comprehension, all is not lost. There are means by which to improve it. These include growing ones vocabulary, utilizing multiple senses, and changing ones reading speed. All of these tools serve to advance the learning process. In order for one to understand the value reading comprehension possesses, one must first understand what it is. Reading comprehension is â€Å"the process of understanding or making meaning when reading† (Elish-Piper, 2010). The reader can use what he knows to get a grasp of the material he is reading. For example, a large vocabulary—understanding the meanings of many words—can help someone understand a wide variety of texts. The text can usually be placed into a specific category. For example, a novel about an unsolved crime would be in the category of a mystery. The reader can then place the text into a proper context. For the purposes of our mystery novel, it could be for the readers own enjoyment, or perhaps an assignment for a college course. Elish-Piper asserts that â€Å"when the reader is able to connect these three key components,† it is much easier for that person to comprehend what he is reading. If the reader needs to, he can use strategies to help comprehend the text better. Elish-Piper also gives ideas for those strategies. With our mystery novel example, the reader could identify the â€Å"basic elements† of the story, which are present with any novel. These include plot, setting, and the main characters. Putting ones self in the position of characters in the text could also help. Asking questions periodically is also a positive way of self-checking for knowledge and comprehension of the text. One might ask why this comprehension is so important. The very definition of reading comprehension serves to help answer that question. If the reader does not understand what he is reading, he probably is not gaining anything from it. It would be tantamount to staring at a book written in a foreign language. Learning does not happen by osmosis; it happens through understanding. It also allows us to make sense of ideas and concepts. The wider the variety of texts one has read and comprehended, the more knowledge that person has gained. A person with increased knowledge, therefore, understands more ideas and concepts than he did before. This can impact a wide variety of areas. It can even effect areas of public policy. Politicians pass laws, and these laws are (obviously) comprised of words. In order for these leaders to understand how their legislation will affect their intended group, they have to understand what they are writing and reading. Beyond this, policy itself is sometimes designed to shape the practice of education—and thus reading comprehension itself. Over the past years, policy makers have utilized â€Å"assessment data† in the various field of education, including reading comprehension, for â€Å"education purposes† (Moskowitz Stephens, 2004). In supplement to policy makers, educators have their own views on reading comprehension. There are three levels of reading comprehension (Gambrell, Morrow, Pressley, 2007). The first level is â€Å"literal. † Literal reading comprehension is the understanding of the base of what is in the text. It is the most basic level and includes items that are generally not left up to interpretation. These can include names, dates, places, and the like. The second level of reading comprehension is â€Å"interpretive. † This type of reading comprehension is not concerned so much with what is actually present, but rather, what one can gather. Reading between the lines and drawing from the readers own knowledge, and answering subjective questions, helps. Finally, the third and most advanced level of reading comprehension is â€Å"applied. † Bluntly, this level allows the reader to utilize what is present in the text, make sense of it using context clues, and then using the knowledge gained to learn and understand concepts and ideas outside the scope of the text at hand. Perhaps the reader is not satisfied with his level of reading comprehension. All is not lost; there are means to improve. The most obvious way to improve reading comprehension is to grow ones vocabulary. It is never too late to learn new words. However, there is more that one can do than the obvious. Using multiple senses is an out-of-the-box way to understand new material. Combining visual and auditory senses is a helpful way to increase comprehension (Woolley, 2010). The reader can use his imagination to set the scene in the text and then read the text aloud or listen to an audio book. Making an outline of the crucial points of the text and then reading that aloud is another way to reiterate key points. Moreover, reading slowly with a purpose as opposed to reading for speed is another way to be sure the reader understands details (Newkirk, 2010). â€Å"Slowing down,† â€Å"memorizing,† and â€Å"savoring passages† are steps in this beneficial process. No matter ones level of education, reading comprehension is an invaluable tool for success in life. Once a reader understands what reading comprehension is, he can assess his level of comprehension, and then take one or more of a large number of steps to increase his ability. This, in turn, will help him be able to make sense of the world around him, and thus, put himself in a better position to succeed with whatever he does. References Elish-Piper, L. (2010). Understanding reading comprehension: Information and ideas for parents about reading comprehension. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 38 (3). 49-52. Gambrell, L. B. , Morrow, L. M. , Pressley, M. (2007). Best practices in literacy instruction. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Moskowitz, J. H. Stephens, M. (2004). Comparing learning outcomes: International assessments and education policy. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Newkirk, T. (2010, March). The case for slow reading. Educational Leadership, 67 (6). 6. Woolley, G. (2010, June). Developing reading comprehension: Combining visual and verbal cognitive processes. Australian Journal of Language Literacy, 33 (2). 108-125.

Andy Warhol Essay Example for Free

Andy Warhol Essay Andy Warhol is one of the significant famous personalities of the twentieth century. He is an artist, a film maker, a celebrity and even a businessman. Warhol advanced the Popular art movement in America. He made compelling and controversial art works that yielded praises and even criticisms. Warhol had once said, â€Å"Id prefer to remain a mystery. I never like to give my background and, anyway, I make it all up different every time Im asked. Its not just that its part of my image not to tell everything, its just that I forget what I said the day before, and I have to make it all up over again† (Wrenn Andy Warhol: in his own words).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Andy Warhol was born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the son of Slovakian immigrants. His father was Andrej who was a construction worker who died when he was 13 and his mother was Julia. According to his mother, Warhol suffered three nervous breakdowns in his childhood (Andy Warhol). By 1945, he entered the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) where he majored in pictorial design . After college, Warhol went to New York and started his career in illustration and advertising for several magazines including Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and The New Yorker (Cribbs Andy Warhol: Biography). It was film director Emile de Antonio who encouraged Warhol to start as an independent   artist because he considered commercial art as a real form of   real art. His fondness for art and commerce gained him several recognitions from established organizations (Andy Warhol).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the 1960s, many of Andy Warhols most famous and iconic images were generated. By adapting various images from popular culture, Warhol created many paintings that remained icons of 20th-century art, such as the Campbells Soup Cans, Disasters and Marilyns. In addition to painting, Warhol made several 16mm films which have become underground classics such as Chelsea Girls, Empire and Blow Job (Cribbs Andy Warhol: Biography). Most of Warhols films were deemed plotless,   complex and somewhat pornographic. Though there were scripts, most of the dialogues in his films were improvised by the actors who were usually transvestites, homosexuals and his acquaintances. According to Warhol, he never particularly wanted to make simply sex movies, but attempted to show how people can meet other people and what they can do and what they can say each other. Warhols gradual withdrawal from films production coincided with his near fatal shooting in 1968 by a female factory reject connected with an anti-male hate group (Andy Warhol). More so, in this period, Warhol moved to the â€Å"Factory.† It was his place at Union Square in New York City where he and his team of hired workers massly produced screen prints of popular culture. This immediately became the hangout venue for   artist, musicians, and actors where they expressed their individuality. The Factory also served as a working place where he produced most his masterpieces in art and film (Andy Warhol Biography).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the 70s amd 80s, Warhol had expanded his empire beyond mere art making. He was in the center of a corporation that produced films, books, plays, and was involved with television (Andy Warhol). He founded inter/VIEW magazine. He also created two cable television shows, Andy Warhols TV and Andy Warhols Fifteen Minutes for MTV . More so, Warhol had several collaborations with younger artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Francesco Clemente and Keith Haring (Cribbs Andy Warhol: Biography). In his book The Philosophy of Andy Warhol he wrote: Business art is the step that comes after Art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want to finish as a business artist. After I did the thing called art or whatever its called, I went into business art. I wanted to be an Art Businessman or a Business Artist. Being good in business in the most fascinating kind of art† (Andy Warhol).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Andy Warhol died after a gall bladder surgery on February 22, 1987. His funeral was attended by his friends, colleagues and more than   2, 000 fans at St. Patricks Cathedral in New York (Cribbs Andy Warhol: Biography) .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Warhol made a huge contribution in art history. His eccentric personality brought him to beyond levels of stardom. He constantly shook the art industry with his controversial art works that were considered avant-garde during that era. Warhols personality have been subjected to several suspicions. His concepts and interpretations gave an impression that he was a homosexual. According to Wayne Koestenbaums psychoanalytical interpretation, everything was sexual for Warhol, who was as gay as you can get and he also said that â€Å"Warhols major artistic contribution was reinterpreting the worth of cultural waste products† (Andy Warhol). Many would think that Warhol is not a true blooded artist because mainly for the fact that he was driven by monetary ambition and even came to the point where he became obsessed in being rich and famous. But he proved that business can be mixed with art making. He utilized the best of both worlds, which are the corporate world and the art world. In a but shell, he merged art, wealth and fame producing the Pop Artist Andy Warhol (Andy Warhol Biography). Works Cited â€Å" Andy Warhol Biography.† ArtQuotes.net. 28 February 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.artquotes.net/masters/warhol-biography.htm. â€Å"Andy Warhol.† 2000. Books and Writers. 28 February 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/warhol.htm. Cribss, Martin. â€Å" Andy Warhol: Biography.† 2002. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Visual Arts.   28 February 2008 http://www.warholfoundation.org/biograph.htm. Wrenn, Mike. Andy Warhol: In His Own Words. Omnibus Press, 1992.

Distinguishing A Sentence From An Utterance

Distinguishing A Sentence From An Utterance A sentence is a grammatically complete string of words expressing a complete thought. It can be written or spoken. A sentence can include words grouped meaningfully to express a statement, question, exclamation, request or command. It is neither a physical event nor a physical object. Examples: I am a student. The world is my home. An utterance is the use of any piece of language by a particular speaker on a particular situation. It can be in the form of a sequence of sentences, a single clause, a single phrase, or just a single word. Linguists sometimes use utterance to simply refer to a unit of speech under study.Examples: Tina visits her niece and meets a new friend .Tina :Hi. Hello, how are you John. To differentiate utterance and sentence, we usually use quotation mark (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.) in written form of utterance. For example, a piece of utterance that is spoken by certain person Im a student. Decide whether each pair of sentences below has the same or different propositional content. If they have the same propositional content, identify the proposition that they both share. a. Can John have some cake? John has some cake same propositional content : John having some cake b. Take out the garbage you will take out the garbage same propositional content: taking out the garbage c. Can you pass the salt The salt shaker is nearly empty different propositional content The characteristics of an utterance are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢It is spoken and can be loud or quiet à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Can be true or false à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Physical event à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢May be grammatical or not à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Meaningful or meaningless à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢By specific person (in particular accent) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢By specific time or on particular occasion à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢A piece of language (a single phrase or even a single word) Explain these terms and concepts and give an example of each: Speech acts : A speech act is an utterance that constitutes some act in addition to the mere act of uttering. It serves a function in communication.. We perform speech acts when we make an apology, greeting, request, complaint, invitation, compliment, etc. A speech act might contain just one word, as in Sorry! or several words or sentences: Im sorry I forgot your birthday. I just dont know how it happened. Examples: Request: Could you open the window, please? Performative utterance : a type of statement we make using the right words, with the right intention, and in the right context in order to perform an action. It is an utterance that peforms an act by the fact of its being uttered under certain circumstances. When a person makes a performative utterance, that person is performing an action .For example, a person can give a name to a new puppy by stating aloud, I name this puppy Rita ; or as when you say I promise, thus performing the act of promising ; or a teacher could assign his class homework by simply stating, I assign you pages 67-68 in Gateway 2 as homework. Constative utterance : Is an utterance which states, reports, or describes facts in the world. It is a statement of facts that can be judged as true or false. Constative utterances are contrasted with performative utterances, which have a similar linguistic structure but do not issue true or false statements about the world. Examples: Shakespeare died in 1956 ; The cat is on the mat. ; or the utterance John is running, which depends for its truth or falsity on whether it is the case that John is running Act of assertion : To assert is to state with force. So if someone makes an assertion, theyre not just trying out an idea they really mean it. An assertion is a speech act in which something is claimed to be true. It refers to the act of affirming or asserting or stating something. An ACT of ASSERTION is carried out when a speaker utters a declarative sentence (which can be either true or false), and undertakes a certain responsibility, or commitment, to the hearer, that a particular state ofaffairs, or situation, exists in the world. Examples: Jenny got an A on the test ; or there is a traffic jam on Hassan I bridge In Sale at 08:00 a.m Performative verb : They are the type of verbs used to make performative utterances. They describe actions carried out by speakers. Examples are: promise, name, bet, agree, swear, declare, order, predict, warn, insist, declare refuse ,etc. 5. For each of the following utterances state one or two purposes that the speaker may have had in mind when uttering them. a The car is dirty. : to complain about the state of the car ; to request from someone to clean the car b Is it right to allow skateboarding on our sidewalks? : to disapprove of skateboarding; to request banning skateboarding c Look at the mess you just made! : to order someone to tidy up the place ; to complain about the mess d Some of the pages have been torn out. : to apologize to someone about the damage ; to complain about the damage. 6. Try to identify the kind(s) of acts mentioned in your answer to question 5 above (such as warning, requesting, ordering, complaining, apologizing, etc.). See the above answers 7. Identify whether the following utterances are performative or constative. If an utterance is performative, describe the act being performed, as well as the act being described. a I order you to pay the bill. : performative : the speaker is performing the act of ordering the listener to pay the bill b I pronounce you man and wife. : performative: used in the course of a marriage ceremony. the act performed is making a couple legally married. c I promise to drop by tomorrow. : performative : the speaker is performing the act of promising to visit. d The minister pronounced them man and wife. : constative e I promised to drop by tomorrow. : constative : the verb should be in the present f I sweep the floor every Tuesday. : constative g I believe you were wrong. : constative 8. Identify which of the following is a performative verb and use it in a sentence as a performative. Use the hereby test to help you make your decision. Think of three additional performative verbs not listed here, and also use them performatively in a sentence. a. declare : performative : I hereby declare war against our enemy. b. warn : performative : I hereby warn you to go inside. c. think : d. promise : performative : I hereby promise to buy you some ice cream. e. write : f. approve (to OK something): performative: I hereby approve the report, so you can send it g. remind : performative : I hereby remind you to turn your cell phones off. h. consider : More performative verbs: Apologize: I apologize for my behaviour Sentence: We hereby sentence you to 10 years in prison Order : I hereby order you to shut up Advise: I advise you to keep up the payments on your car 9. Performative verbs follow certain conventions.What are they? Are there exceptions? Give an example or two of each. Some conventions of performative verbs are: Performative verbs are verbs that describe actions carried out by speakers. They are used in 1st person singular, present (nonprogressive), indicative, active. They can be combined with hereby Exceptions: You are hereby forbidden smoke here (exception, because performative, but with a 2nd person subject) We thank you for your services (exception,because performative but with 1st person plural subject) 10. Identify which of the following utterances are performative. Also identify the utterances which are exceptions to the conventions you mentioned in the answer to the previous question. Explain why they are exceptions. a Students are asked to keep noise to a minimum. : b You are hereby allowed to enter the vault. : performative : exception (2nd person) c You must enter quietly. : - d We apologize for our mistake. : performative :exception (1st person plural) e I admit that I made a mistake. : performative f The text was written by two authors. : g Wearing hats inside is forbidden. : performative : exception (passive) 11. Why do we talk about utterances being performative (rather than sentences or propositions)? we talk about utterances being performative beacause an utterance is the use of any piece of language by a particular speaker on a particular situation. It can be in the form of a sequence of sentences, a single clause, a single phrase, or just a single word. It can be any vocally produced sound( unlike the sentence which is a grammatically complete string of words expressing a complete thought and which can be written or spoken. ).Moreover, unlike utterances, propositions are active declarative sentences used to describe or constate something, and which thus are true or false. So, Performative utterances are not true or false, instead when something is wrong with them then they are happy or unhappy. The uttering of a performative is, or is part of, the doing of a certain kind of action, the performance of which, again, would not normally be described as just saying or describing something . 12. Explain these terms and concepts and give an example of each: perlocutionary act (perlocution) : A perlocutionary speech act a statement that has some sort of intended or unintended effect. It refers to the interpretation of the message by the hearer or the actual effect of a speech act, such as persuading, convincing, scaring, enlightening, inspiring, or otherwise getting someone to do or realize something, whether intended or not. For example: the utterance there is something in your shoulder! may cause the listener to panic and to look on his shoulder. The perlocution of this utterance is to cause those emotions and actions. illocutionary act (illocution) : An illocutionary speech act refers to the meaning intended by the speaker. It is the act of doing something by saying something. It refers to the pragmatic illocutionary force of the utterance, thus its intended significance as a socially valid verbal action. Performative utterances fall under illocutionary speech acts. For example: the utterance I swear to give it back next time is used to perform the illocutionary act of promising. Propositional act : A propositional act has usually been characterized simply as the act of expressing a proposition. It is a speech act that a speaker performs when referring or predicating in an utterance. Example : The following utterances all have the same propositional act despite their different illocutionary acts, utterance acts, and perlocutionary acts You go home. Do you go home? Go home! How I wish youd go home! 13. For each of the following situations, identify the act carried out by the utterance (from among asserting, asking, or ordering). a Father to his son: The car is dirty. : ordering or requesting ( could you clean it?) b Irate citizen to the city council: Is it right to allow skateboarding on our sidewalks?: asserting ( its not right) c Mother to small child: Look at the mess you just made! : asserting( you have made a mess) d Student to a friend on a windy day: Some of my papers have blown away.: requesting help e Photographer to a client: Stand right there and say cheese! : ordering or requesting f Student to a teacher: What is the correct answer to question 2? : asking g Student to a teacher: I had trouble with question 2. : requesting ( could you help me?) h Teacher to a student: Question 2 has not yet been answered. : ordering or requesting the answer 14. Identify some of the possible perlocutionary effects of each utterance : a Policeman to a loiterer: Im afraid youll have to move on. : causing the hearer to be embarrassed. b Parent to a child: Its time for bed now.: causing the hearer to be frustrated c Teacher to a student: Youre going to flunk math. : causing the hearer to be annoyed d Doctor to a patient: You have only 3 minutes to live. : causing the hearer to be upset e Auto mechanic to car owner: Ill have to replace the engine. : causing the hearer to be concerned about the charge f Auto mechanic to car owner: Theres nothing wrong with your car, so therell be no charge. : causing the hearer to be pleased g Sales clerk to customer: This coat costs  £900. : causing the hearer to feel disappointed h Official to contest winner: You just won  £5,000,000! : causing the hearer to be excited 15. Identify the illocutionary act performed by uttering each of the following a Could you pass the salt? : requesting b Im afraid the cake didnt turn out too well. : apologizing c What a despicable movie! : dislike d Ive had enough to wait for now. : leavetaking e But there are too many books to read in this class! : complaining f You have written a beautiful critique of the problem. : praising g Hi, how are things going? : greeting 16. Which of the following pairs of illocutions seem to be appropriate sequences? For those which are appropriate, make up a pair of utterances which exemplify them. a offering declining : appropriate sequences Example: A : A cup of tea ? B : No, thanks b praising thanking : appropriate sequences Example: A: You were so great ! B: Thanks c congratulation toasting d congratulation declining : appropriate sequences Example: A: Nice car. Congratulations ! B: Oh, its not mine. e accosting condoling f accusing admitting : appropriate sequences Example: A: No one but you could reveal that secret. B: Yes, but I didnt mean it g leavetaking mocking h deploring agreeing : appropriate sequences Example: A: It was a great loss for us all. B: certainly. 17 Classify the following acts as either illocutionary (I) or perlocutionary (P). a. persuading someone ( P ) f. irritating someone ( P) b. bothering someone ( P ) g. pleasing someone ( P) c .apologizing to someone ( I ) h . protesting to someone ( I ) d. upsetting someone ( P ) i. helping someone ( I ) e. accosting someone ( I ) j. impressing someone ( P ) 18 In pragmatics, is concentrating only on illocutionary acts and perlocutionary acts enough to understand an utterance? Why ? There is no doubt that the Speech Acts theory has a revolutionary contribution to the understanding of utterances. Still, I think that it will not be enough to understand the human language because it is , by nature , highly complex. Many studies talk about the limitations of the Speech Acts theory. John Searle acknowledges some simplifications: I am ignoring more complex types of subject expressions, relational predicate expressions, and molecular propositions. Until we can get clear about the simple cases we are hardly likely to get clear about the more complicated ones. (Searle, Speech Acts, 33.) Some the issues raised is figurative or non-literal meaning: in particular, idiomatic or fixed expressions, metaphor, and metonymy. The study of this kind of meaning has not traditionally been the focus of linguistics. Now, it has become much more important in recent years, partly because semanticists have begun to realize how prevalent it is in everyday language. They have also begun to discover that much, if not all, of its use is not totally haphazard or idiosyncratic, but subject to certain rules and principles that can be discovered and described. I have also read an article about Illocutionary Silencing by Alexander Bird published in Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 83 (2002), but honestly I didnt understand it.

The Course of The Great Depression Essay -- Great Depression American

The Course of The Great Depression The October 1987 collapse in stock prices conjured visions of 1929 and the Great Depression. Focus on this period is natural because the 32 percent decline in stock values between the market closes of October 13 and 19, 1987, was of the magnitude of--indeed, it actually exceeded--the October 1929 debacle. Focus on this period is also appropriate because, despite all that has been learned since to help assure economic stability, we cannot be completely confident that history will not repeat itself. Consequently, this first section reviews events of the Depression era. The stock market Crash of October 1929 is frequently credited with triggering the Depression. The decline was severe and extended; from their peak in September 1929, stock prices declined by 87 percent to their trough in 1932. The performance of the economy over this period was equally disheartening. Real economic activity declined by about one-third between 1929 and 1933; unemployment climbed to 25 percent of the labor force; prices in the aggregate dropped by more than 25 percent; the money supply contracted by over 30 percent; and close to 10,000 banks suspended operations. Given this performance, it is not surprising that many consider these years the worst economic trauma in the nation's history. Policy makers did not stand idly by as the financial markets and the economy unraveled. There are questions, though, about the appropriateness and magnitude of their responses. Monetary policy, determined and conducted then, as now, by the Federal Reserve, became restrictive early in 1928, as Federal Reserve officials grew increasingly concerned about the rapid pace of credit expansion, some of which was fueling stock market speculation. This policy stance essentially was maintained until the stock market Crash. While there has been much criticism of Federal Reserve policy in the Depression, its initial reaction to the October 1929 drop in stock values appears fully appropriate. Between October 1929 and February 1930, the discount rate was reduced from 6 to 4 percent. The money supply jumped in the immediate aftermath of the Crash, as commercial banks in New York made loans to securities brokers and dealers in volume. Such funding satisfied the heightened liquidity demands of nonfinancial corporations and others that had been financing broker-dealers... ...tivity was under way prior to the market debacle of October 1929. In contrast, the cyclical expansion in business that followed the recession of 1981-1982 remains intact today. Moreover, examination of the Depression years can help us to identify policies that minimize the risk of a slowdown in economic activity and to avoid the major errors of the past. In this regard, the principal recommendations that emerge from our admittedly subjective review of history are: -- maintain our commitment to the stability of the banking system through judicious use of the federal safety net of deposit insurance and the discount window; -- support normal credit extension by banks and, more generally, smoothly functioning financial institutions and markets through stable and credible macroeconomic policies; -- provide adequate growth in the money supply consistent with prevailing economic circumstances worldwide; and -- promote open markets for the international trade of goods and services. Such a list of policy recommendations may seem unremarkable, in part because the lessons of the past already have been taken to heart. Achievement, however, is likely to prove a challenge.

Struggle Between Hindu and Secular Nationalisms in India Essay

Struggle Between Hindu and Secular Nationalisms in India India holds a prominent place in the history of imperialism and decolonization, making recent events in this country of nearly one billion especially important to the current day citizen. India also faces problems associated with accommodating religion and diversity within a large federal republic, making their experience important for Americans concerned with these issues. India faces growing action of governing which invites the use of violence to achieve political objectives. In spite of India's size and importance, it is hard for an American to gain an understanding of the issues and conflicts which have set the stage for the most recent revival of Hindu nationalism. The central feature of this new reform in Indian federal politics is the clash between Hindu and secular nationalists. The overview of this situation comes from the perspective of an American born Indian student interested in Indian history and federal systems, so the observations are intended as suggestions designed to encourage more progressive work both in India and the United States. While the prominence of Hindu themes affects many levels of Indian government, this paper will focus only on India's central government on Hindu Nationalism. This conflict is crucial to understanding the current situation in India. Indian democracy and secularism face a menace from the forces of militant Hinduism which hope to turn India into a Hindu state. What is the nature of the present challenge to secularism in India? What do Hindu nationalists hope to achieve by making their government more assertively Hindu? One can begin to answer these questions by examining the large body of writing on secularism recently produced by Indians. Academics, lawyers, journalists, and political citizens have explored the many facets of Indian secularism. These works provide clues to the nature of Hindu nationalism's appeal in contemporary Indian politics. These writings are interesting for what they reveal about India and its versions of nationalism. Sudipta Kaviraj, a scholar from Jawaharlal Nehru University, admits that, "among those who consider themselves secular individuals there is an intensifying sense of crisis†. What are the criticisms of secularism which lead to the perception of a predicament? At first glance, the challenge appears minuscule, ... ...d world", comparisons to the United States may prove more fruitful. Second, excessive use of historical analogy from other periods in time runs the risk of incorporating outmoded assumptions regarding development stages so prominent in modernization theory. India's current problems relate directly to developments in this phase of world history; one could go so far to say that India's problems foreshadow those the United States is likely to face when the resources used to lubricate the machinery of a diverse federation can no longer be borrowed. Furthermore, those familiar with the constitutional debate over the separation of church and state in the United States and Stephen Carter's recent book The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religious Devotion understand that questions regarding religion and politics are by no means confined to the so-called "developing" world. Rather than grappling with issues already solved by Western countries, India faces dilemmas associated with the modern state. Understanding India's experien ce in confronting these problems may provide unanticipated insights into problems faced by federal government in the United States.

Shakespeare without all those Words :: essays research papers

After reading the chapter Shakespeare without all those Words, I have to agree with the arguments in it. Although I am no pro on Shakespeare or not even a repetitive reader of his works I tend to believe that what is said throughout the chapter to be true like many of the great masterpieces of our era. The meanings get lost over time and through manipulation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In today’s society everyone wants the gratification of something without putting the effort in to achieve it. The inexperienced reader Shakespeare may take many, many readings before it becomes clear. Were a â€Å"Now† society, we want the quickest, easiest way for everything and expect to get the same effect of the original Shakespearian readers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The section in the chapter where you speak of the plays becoming something unlike the written play or as far off the mark as possible, is true and bothersome. Writers and directors today want the notoriety that the name Shakespeare brings but then shames the playwright itself. They put their own spin on it, to make it more appealing to the audience or less time consuming. In doing so your missing a great deal of the play and usually it ends up being the core of the story. Audiences walk away without a true understanding of Shakespeare but a twisted and misconstrued idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The world in which we live is all about theatrics, exaggerations, fabrications, as well as, entertainment. As you pointed on in the chapter the works of Franco Zeffirelli’s film version of The Taming of the Shrew was only 30% of actual Shakespeare leaving 70% for his own interpretation plus plenty of room for entertainment. What’s the point then? Why even claim its Shakespeare? Answer, they know the name will allure the audience to the play. That being said the people are their under the false pretense that their there for Shakespeare. Not the Shakespeare that has been twisted, turned, tied into the interpretation that feels it’s necessary to draw on the name of someone else’s merits to allure an audience. Its okay for writers to use the name Shakespeare but when it comes to his works apparently many believe they’re not good enough to entertain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With all this being said I also agree that today’s’ society is not the same as it was when Shakespeare was more prevalent. Today’s population span is less; people have more distractions and less room in their life’s for intellect.

Written Analysis and Communication (WAC) †Assignment

1.Situation AnalysisHolmesafe Ltd.’s business has been growing steadily, with profits and client base increasing year on year. Increasing demand of advisory services resulted in additional fee income for the company and improved its product support. As a result of this growth, the company has recently expanded by adding new premises, signing new contracts and recruiting full time employees.Holmesafe Ltd.’s largest client is Dawson’s Ltd. Dawson’s has been a loyal customer and is much valued being the company’s very first client. Frank Jackson, the chief buyer at Dawson’s was offered director’s post owing to the support provided by him during the initial phase of the company. However, Jackson refused the offer after considering the advice from his supervisor, Harry Thomas, who raised concerns about conflict of interest.Mid-way through Holmesafe Ltd.’s second year of operation, George Holmes, the founder of the company received a phone call from Jackson informing him that he was under pressure to evaluate the possibility of shifting Dawson’s business to another supplier (Browns). According to Jackson, Browns had improved their manufacturing methods and were extremely competitive and very reliable. In the same conversation, he also expressed his personal need to generate additional income and sought Holmes’s advice on how to go about doing so.George Holmes requested for some time and set up a lunch meeting next Saturday to discuss the matter.2.ProblemPossible loss of business from Dawson’s Ltd. and threat of competition from Browns (and possibly other companies).3.OptionsA.Retain Dawson’s Business B.Let go of Dawson’s Business C.Expand Market (Reduce reliance on Dawson’s)4.Evaluation CriteriaI.Adverse impact to revenue II.Adverse impact to Referrals /New Business (owing to negative reputation) iii.Adverse impact to Business Plan (for the future)6.RecommendationBased o n the above evaluation, it is recommended that Dawson’s business must be retained. Expansion of market will not have as much impact to business as the impact the other options will.7.Action PlanA.Meet Jackson with a proposal to:I. Improve the existing pricing and service terms in order to retain the business, and thereby make a counter offer to what the competitor Browns seem to have provided to Dawson’s.II. Offer a revenue share to Jackson as an additional incentive for helping maintain a long – standing relationship and being Holmes’s most valued client.8.Contingency PlanEngage directly with Harry Thomas in case the deal with Frank Jackson is not struck. As Jackson’s supervisor, this may be an alternative recourse for the company in order to help retain the business.

Genetic Diversity

Mutations are various forms of changes in ones DNA’s structure or makeup. This abnormality can happen for various reasons such as chemical misuse, harmful viruses or environment factors. When a mutation occurs in ones genetic structure, there is often a push to find out what went wrong and if it was a onetime occurrence or a genetic abnormality that no one in the family knew about until the recent discovery. This genetic abnormality occurs when there is a dominant gene which comes from a parent.This dominant gene attaches itself to a recessive gene and sparks a change in the genetic sequence of the offspring. This is most relevant as I was observing my nephew last weekend. My brother is â€Å"dark skinned†, tall and slim. My sister-in law is of French decent and full bodied while looking at my nephew, I ascertained that he is heading towards his mother’s side of the family he has the â€Å"fair skin, â€Å"finer grain of hair†, and the full body of his mo ther, thus his physical appearance is a mixture of both his mother’s and father’s genes along with a mutation of their DNA.Sexual Reproduction ensures life will continue no matter what happens. As genes are exchanged between two potential parents, the resulting offspring ends up with a combination of genes from both parents which then in turn gives them their own genetic makeup. This can lead to an expansion in various parts of the world where there is a diverse genetic makeup of people. This is due to various factors such as economics, upward mobility and educational opportunities.When this occurs new communities develop, form and branch out spawning a growth in population and migration. As the various traits from one’s genetic makeup mixes with others of another makeup, this helps to further expand the world’s unique makeup among its various populations and cultures. As these factors come into play over and over again, this helps to ensure the possibili ty of cloning one’s self or someone else will never happen.This also ensures the population will continue to grow change and the diversity of it all helps to make the world we live in today all the more unique and complicated. As I reflect on my nephew’s own unique genetic makeup, I can’t help but wonder what his future will hold in regards to his own children, where he will migrate to and what he will contribute to leave his mark on the world. One can only hope that the traits and genes he has inherited from his mother and father will help him to reach his full potential.

 Star Goup Essay

Investigation The modern time is about change in variables existing in the environment that surrounds any organization. The corporate therefore has to plan the uncertainty in a limited time span focusing on training and development of staff ( Delahaya,2011,p.2). The most critical component for success of the organizations rest on how competent and knowledgeable their staffs are. Likewise the investment has to made on the human resource so that they are efficient and effective enough to reach the company goals. HRDNI is a process that identifies the flaws in the incident that is happening in any organization. The main motive of HRDNI is to find out what is the defect that is preventing the organization to reach the target. Therefore HRDNI helps to identify the deviation between what is currently happening and what should be occurring. Star Group, a company which has a number of staffs to reach the goal of the organization has a global onboarding processes and the materials. It onboards new employees to the organization in order to make the entrants get familiar with the organization’s culture. As HRDNI focuses on gap analysis to reach the standards of the organization, the modern concept believes that HRDNI should be future oriented and positive rather than being reactive and negative. Star group therefore introduces Johnson & Associates to analyze the on boarding process to find out if the on boarding process is actually being effective to the new employees to get the overview of the organization. Like any growing company, Star group has faced many challenges in creating standard global processes and controls. Onboarding materials across the group reflect this, with the sites developing their own documents over a number of years. Consequently these artifacts vary greatly in style, branding, content, formatting and quality. Analysis of the process-related information and interviews with key stakeholders highlighted a number of â€Å"pain points’ commonly experienced with the existing onboarding process. The step of data gathering was further elaborated through a qualitative approach  i.e. developing a questionnaire and distributing it to the participants of the induction program because ‘the survey questionnaires can gather hard data that can be ana lyzed objectively from large groups of people’, (Sofo,2012,p.110). Finally the other data gathering process that was actually implemented was through the formation of the pilot group. The pilot group thus was interviewed with a number of questions to decide if the onboarding process was actually effective to new starters. Some of the ‘pain points’ were summarized in six common themes: 1. Lack of documented processes and procedures Each stake holder reported a worrying lack of documented processes and procedures, not just in onboarding but other Human resources and Shared Business Services functions. Particular concern was raised about visibility to geographically dispersed processes. 2. Quality and consistency of onboarding information The pilot group along with the stakeholders reported that onboarding materials had some flaws in it. Inconsistent content Lack of Standardization Lengthy induction presentations Time and accuracy challenges in manually copying employee details provided during the recruitment to other systems such as SAP and Active Directory Challenges in delivering the LOG ON information to non- PC or kiosks users. 3. Lack of manager accountability Managers believe that they do not include the responsibility for onboarding Managers do not receive training in successful onboarding practices, processes or strategies Onboarding commonly viewed as an HR function Onboarding commonly viewed as a series of administrative task rather than an opportunity to provide new starters with a great first impression No evaluation of the success of the onboarding experience for the new  employees. The review also suggested that the manager had to call the new starter to congratulate them which was rarely done by the managers. 4. Delay in conformation of commencement date The commencement date for a new starter is not negotiated in the recruitment process which led to the delay of other downstream processes such as SAP and network set up. 5. Lack of SAP training resources IT and systems training is not provided in any formal way due to resource and time constraints. One SAP trainer divides time between locations which results in inadequate training among new starters and existing employees. 6. Lack of Workflow No process exists to drive or track completion of onboarding tasks. Sites rely heavily on the use of checklists, follow-up emails and phone calls from the human resources. Specific pain points reported by the stakeholders included: Allowance of sufficient lead-time for pre-commencement activities such as visa and work permit applications Lack of mechanisms to ensure mid-year new starters were fully engaged in different program sessions. No controls or process to trigger onboarding processes for contractors, particularly non-payroll and short-term consultants such as PTA Timing of prerequisite compliance checks such as medical clearances.

Benito Cereno by Herman Melville

In â€Å"BÐ µnito CÐ µrÐ µno† by HÐ µrman MÐ µlvillÐ µ, thÐ µ author offÐ µrs a warning about thÐ µ dangÐ µrs of slavÐ µry, and thÐ µ futurÐ µ problÐ µms slavÐ µry could causÐ µ AmÐ µrica. By tÐ µlling thÐ µ story of a slavÐ µ rÐ µvolt on a Spanish ship, MÐ µlvillÐ µ shows how prÐ µjudicÐ µs affÐ µct a pÐ µrson’s pÐ µrcÐ µption of thÐ µ world around him. Through writing most of thÐ µ story from thÐ µ viÐ µwpoint of thÐ µ main charactÐ µr, Captain Amasa DÐ µlano of Duxbury, MassachusÐ µtts, MÐ µlvillÐ µ dÐ µmonstratÐ µs how prÐ µjudicÐ µs can limit onÐ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s pÐ µrspÐ µctivÐ µ and undÐ µrstanding.Although Captain DÐ µlano is an honÐ µst and kind pÐ µrson, hÐ µ cannot pÐ µrcÐ µivÐ µ thÐ µ world rÐ µalistically bÐ µcausÐ µ hÐ µ bÐ µliÐ µvÐ µs that blacks arÐ µ nothing morÐ µ than propÐ µrty. Captain DÐ µlano’s inability to rÐ µcognizÐ µ his prÐ µjudicÐ µs or to lÐ µarn from his Ð µxpÐ µrià  µncÐ µ in thÐ µ slavÐ µ rÐ µvolt makÐ µ him a symbol of what MÐ µlvillÐ µ fÐ µars will happÐ µn to AmÐ µrica. ThÐ µ story opÐ µns in thÐ µ Ð µarly morning of August 1799, off thÐ µ coast of ChilÐ µ, aboard an AmÐ µrican sÐ µaling ship callÐ µd thÐ µ BachÐ µlor’s DÐ µlight and undÐ µr thÐ µ command of Captain Amasa DÐ µlano.MÐ µlvillÐ µ dÐ µscribÐ µs DÐ µlano as a bÐ µnÐ µvolÐ µnt optimist who has a â€Å"singularly undistrustful good naturÐ µÃ¢â‚¬  and doÐ µs not likÐ µ to bÐ µliÐ µvÐ µ that man is capablÐ µ of Ð µvil. HowÐ µvÐ µr, DÐ µlano is also dÐ µscribÐ µd as a blunt thinkÐ µr and a simplÐ µ man incapablÐ µ of irony. WhilÐ µ DÐ µlano is dÐ µscribÐ µd as such a dÐ µfinitÐ µ thinking pÐ µrson, MÐ µlvillÐ µ dÐ µpicts thÐ µ morning as unclÐ µar and blurrÐ µd. ThÐ µ sÐ µa is fillÐ µd with a gray mist and thÐ µ color of thÐ µ sky, watÐ µr and birds all sÐ µÃ µm gray. Thus, thÐ µ rÐ µadÐ µr knows that thÐ µ indÐ µfinitÐ µnÐ µss of thÐ µ day and its hazinÐ µss will confusÐ µ DÐ µlano and prÐ µvÐ µnt him from sÐ µÃ µing clÐ µarly.Finally, thÐ µ prÐ µsÐ µncÐ µ of shadows adds furthÐ µr mystÐ µry to thÐ µ morning, which MÐ µlvillÐ µ says, â€Å"forÐ µshadow dÐ µÃ µpÐ µr shadows to comÐ µ. † ThÐ µ oddnÐ µss of thÐ µ day continuÐ µd whÐ µn DÐ µlano spottÐ µd a ship without a flag, which usually indicatÐ µd that it was a piratÐ µ ship. However, based upon how the ship was badly navigating the waters along the coast, Delano presumed that it was a ship in distress. As a result, he decided to take the whale boat to investigate and help those on board. While Delano advanced toward the ship, Melville gives the first hint of how Delano’s prejudices keep him from being able to perceive the world properly.As Delano rowed toward the ship, he could not grasp the fact that it was a ship he was moving toward because he saw Negroes on the deck. At t he time, Negroes usually did not walk freely on decks, but were locked in the holds as slaves. Delano made excuses and thought the ship was impossible things, such as a monastery because he thought the black figures on deck were friars dressed in black robes. His prejudices about blacks prevented him from seeing even just simple things, including ships, accurately.Upon boarding the ship, Delano found it and its crew in horrible shape. While it was a very large and one-time fine vessel, it had become a horrendous ship looking like a funeral carriage. Barnacles encrusted the hulls and rust covered its once-fine features. The ropes were woolly and not tarred, and like â€Å"mourning weeds† sea grass swept over the engraved name of the ship, San Dominick. Melville writes that Delano’s actions were an attempt to â€Å"ignore the symptoms, to get rid of the malady,† like someone trying forget about seasickness by walking around the ship.While Delano prepared to leave after his men brought back supplies, Delano invited Cereno to return with him to his ship, but Cereno refused. Delano was offended by Cereno’s rudeness and chose to leave the San Dominick as soon as possible. However, Cereno chased after Delano and then tightly held Delano’s hand until they reached the whale boat. As Delano’s whale boat started to leave, Cereno leaped into it. Delano grabbed Cereno’s throat thinking that Cereno was going to kill him. Babo also jumped into the boat, and tried to kill Cereno with a hidden dagger.Delano, thinking Babo was protecting his master, blocked Babo and put his foot on Babo’s throat. Suddenly, Delano understood what all of the events on the ship meant and the â€Å"scales dropped from his eyes† when he saw the other slaves trying to attack the whale boat. During the attack by Babo, the canvas covering the masthead at the front of the ship unwrapped revealing Alexandro Aranda’s skeleton. Delano an d Cereno escaped to the Bachelor’s Delight with Babo as a prisoner. On board the ship, Delano finally learned about the revolt.The revolt of the slaves was led by Babo and their objective was to get back to their homeland, Senegal. The slaves violently killed many of the Spanish sailors, and after killing Alexandro Aranda, they hung his skeleton at the front of the ship. The slaves used the skeleton to warn the sailors that they would â€Å"follow their leader† if the sailors did not follow orders. After Delano heard Cereno’s story, Delano offered to give his sailors part of the Spanish cargo if they gained control of the San Dominick. The sailors boarded the Spanish ship, and killed most of the slaves.After the attack, the American sailors brought the captured slaves to the Bachelor’s Delight and shackled them to the deck. During the voyage to Lima, Peru, the sailors stabbed, killed and poked some of the slaves with knives as revenge for the revolt. At t he court trial held when they arrived in Lima, Cereno testified at his deposition and explained what had occurred during the revolt. Many of the slaves were found guilty, including Babo who had never spoken again after his capture, even at his execution. Following the trial, Delano and Cereno had a final conversation together.Cereno was disappointed with Delano because he could not comprehend Cereno’s signs warning of him of danger on the ship. Delano told Cereno to forget about what happened that day because he had already forgotten about his own errors. Thus, Delano forgot and did not learn from the experience. Delano also asked Cereno what was casting a shadow on him, and Cereno replied that it was the Negro. Cereno left Lima to become a monk and died three months later. Delano’s prejudices and clouded perspective led him to misperceive the behavior of the slaves.He believed that whites were the better race and that blacks were a completely different species, like a nimals, describing the Negroes like dogs and the Negresses like cheetahs and doves. He also believed that Negroes made good servants because of their natural calm and simple and limited thinking. Thus, while Delano thought Babo was very weak and stupid because of his size and race, he believed he was a loyal servant. However, Babo was really a strong leader because he planned and led the slave revolt.Furthermore the sweet and loving Negresses were really the most vicious people on the ship because Cereno, in his deposition, said that they wanted to torture and kill all of the sailors. Even when Delano saw the slaves abuse and stab the white sailors, he believed they were actually docile because he had read a book about a tribe of docile wild Africans. Therefore, Delano’s prejudices made him unable to believe that the slaves could revolt against white sailors. Melville depicted the cycle of violence of slavery as a warning of what could happen to America if it did not change i ts beliefs.Slavery is based on violence and the belief that a certain group of people are not human because of their race. The stern-piece of the ship symbolizes the cycle of violence that causes slavery. Spain originally used this symbol to show its power over the world. It is also symbolic of the slaves when they revolted and took over the ship because they violently killed the sailors in order to hold them down. Finally, Delano completed the cycle when he captured Babo, copying the symbol in real life. Spain, a once-great power, never stopped the cycle of slavery, and by 1799, it was falling apart like the San Dominick.America, in 1799, was the new world power that Melville feared would become like Spain if it did not end slavery. Melville’s fears were correct since slavery was the main cause of the American Civil War. However, Melville’s warning about prejudice still applies even today. â€Å"Benito Cereno† is a very complex short story with a very important message about slavery. The story has many sophisticated and symbolic points. This story is recommended for people who enjoy sailing and studying about America’s views during the early 1800’s.