Lincoln, Grant, And Whitman - 1605 Words

Lincoln, Grant, and Whitman Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Walt Whitman all represent a period of time in which the United States was embroiled in turmoil. From the year 1861 to 1865, the Union army from the North battled the Confederacy of the South, and when it came to an end at the Appomattox Courthouse, over 620,000 men had lost their lives (Civil War Casualties, n.d.). President Abraham Lincoln had finally found a general he could trust in Ulysses S. Grant, who had forced the surrender of Robert E. Lee and the Confederate army. Walt Whitman would live the Civil War life as the most influential author and poet of the times. These men represent three of the most important figures of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln Born near†¦show more content†¦Lincoln considered his father a very stern man, and he did not find much favor in him (Miller Center, n.d.). After the move from Kentucky to Indiana, Thomas Lincoln built another crude 360 square-foot cabin for the family, which included Lincoln’s mother Nancy and his elder sister Sarah (Miller Center, n.d.). When Abraham was nine years old, his mother died and soon after his father remarried. The young Abraham bonded with his new step-mother, Sarah Johnston who encouraged his education and frequently defended him against his father in arguments (Miller Center, n.d.). The rural life Lincoln lived involved much labor, including farm chores, splitting fence rails and working the land (Abraham Lincoln, n.d.). Lincoln had a voracious appetite for attaining knowledge, and often read books late into the night, utilizing any free time he had remaining. Political Career After leaving home, the six foot four Lincoln stood out in his new home of New Salem, Illinois. He soon began work at the local general store as a clerk, and made himself known to the townspeople by feats of strength by felling trees and splitting fence rails as he had done during his childhood (Miller Center, n.d.). Because the general store was a gathering place for the town, he knew the community quite well. Lincoln’s ability to read and write made him quite popular with the less literate people in New Salem (Miller Center, n.d.). Only

Marketing Project Ford Motor Company - 1489 Words

Marketing Project Part 1 Abstract The Ford Motor Company enlivened an assembling transformation with its large scale manufacturing sequential construction systems in the early 1900 s. Ford is one of world s most surely understood car brands, consumer’s top choices were vehicles like the Ford Mustang, and F-Series tucks. Ford Co. is known as one of the biggest auto organizations on the planet. Company Description Ford works as an auto and portability organization around the world. Ford’s main core business incorporates Ford has the ability to promote, finance, manufacture, planning all their different types of vehicles like cars (compact/full size), trucks (including extending cab), SUVs, and also electric. Ford Motors surveys and displays its business into two different types of sectors, automotive side and financial services. This division s vehicle brands are Ford and Lincoln. Company Overview/ History Ford set up shop in a changed over wagon factory, procured laborers, then planned and delivered the Model A, the first of which he sold to a Chicago dental specialist in July 1903. By 1904, more than 500 Model A s had been sold. All through the 1920s, specialists at The Rouge pumped out a huge number of Model T s, however the commercial center was changing and Ford started to fall out of date. In 1931, the Depression made up for lost time with Ford. Following three years available, Model a business fell drastically. Start of 1957 Ford regular stock goes discounted,Show MoreRelatedFord Motor Company Case Study1124 Words   |  5 Pages Introduction Ford Motor Company is the fifth biggest automobile manufacturing companies in the world and they offer a wide range of products and services for consumers. Ford Motor Company offers automobile products that are cars, crossovers, SUV’s, trucks, vans, and Lincolns. Ford Motor Company has recently celebrated their 100th anniversary of the moving assembly line invented under Henry Ford. Ford Motor Company has built on its legacy of innovation by expanding advanced manufacturing and groundRead MoreWorld War II, Big Business, And No Morals1445 Words   |  6 Pagesdeath toll of the pending war. Businesses are created for profits, not for politics or to have morals for what kind of service or equipment they may provide. As Jews ran in fear of brutality and violence many international businesses like Ford Motor Company, Nestle, BMW, Bayer Aspirin, Coca-Cola, Standard Oil, Kodak, numerous Switzerland banks, and additional businesses came running when they envisioned using concentration camps for cheap sources of slave laborers. Miles Lerman, a Holocaust survivorRead MoreCompetition Between Ford And General Motors1477 Words   |  6 Pages03/29/2015 Competition between Ford and General Motors has drove them to their Success The Ford Motor Company and General Motors have a greatly influenced and shaped the global automobile industry in the 20th Century. While there are other big car-makers in the United States and other places in the world, the two companies have been the most popular and important players in that sector. This research focuses on an argument of how competition between both companies has benefited them. Read MoreCompetition Between Ford And General Motors1465 Words   |  6 PagesCompetition between Ford and General Motors has led to their Success Name Course Instructor Introduction The Ford Motor Company and General Motors have greatly influenced and shaped the global automobiles industry over the 20th Century. While there are other big car-makers both in the United States and elsewhere in the globe, the two companies have been the commonest and significant players across the entire sector. This research focuses on an argument of how competition between both companies has benefitedRead MoreEssay on Ford Hybrid775 Words   |  4 PagesPaper # 2 Ford Hybrid 09/13/2012 Abstract Which stages of the project life cycle are evident in the case study? Did Martens select the right two project managers in Patil and Wright? What are toughest challenges faced by the project manger’ during a high visability and high risk project? Would you like to have been involved with the Ford Escape Hybrid project? Paper # 2: Ford Hybrid The Ford Escape Hybrid program was the midterm step of the company’s steps of sustainability. TheRead More Ford Motor Company Marketing Strategy Essay6259 Words   |  26 PagesFord Motor Company Marketing Strategy Ford Motor Company is one of the world’s largest producers of cars and trucks and one of the largest providers of automotive financial services marketing vehicles under the eight brands shown below. The Company is a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. During 2002, the company made 6.7 million vehicles and employed 328,000 people worldwide. Business partners include 25,000 dealers and more than 10,000 suppliers. Ford motor companyRead MoreCompany Overview Of Ford Motor Company1608 Words   |  7 PagesCompany Overview Ford Motor Company is a public corporation that began its operations in 1903. The company designs, develops, manufactures, and services cars and trucks across six continents. Furthermore, it divides its work between two main segments – an Automotive Segment and a Financial Services Segment. The Automotive Segment is in charge of marketing its products through worldwide retailers and distributors, as well as selling them to dealers or fleet customers. This sector also provides retailRead MoreEssay on Ford Motor Company Analysis1652 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Unit 5 Final Project: Ford Motor Company Executive Summary Ford Motor Company is an American automobile manufacturer founded and headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan but incorporated in the state of Delaware. The company was started by Henry Ford in 1903 and is historically famous for the creation and implementation of the assembly line in manufacturing processes. Ford’s mission is to produce and sell automobiles – cars, trucks, SUVs, etc – from the ones initially designed and engineered by HenryRead MoreAmerican Automobile Industry1162 Words   |  5 Pagesgrowing and with this growth we see a need for energy and with it has come a high price at the pump. Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. due to a lack of planning, inability to adjust to this energy crisis, and other problems have led to massive losses. With investors anxious for change, American auto industry in order to compete in the car industry has sought ways to cut their costs. Both Ford and GM have resolved to plant closed downs and massive layoffs. To compete with foreign automakersRead MoreFord Mustang: Value-Based Pricing Strategy1242 Words   |  5 Pagessupport different strategic objectives. Some of the pricing strategies are to maximize profit, maximize revenue, to maximize unit sales, survival, status quo or to project quality leadership. This leads to strategies such as skimming, penetration pricing, cost-plus pricing, value-based pricing and psychological pricing (NetMBA, 2010). Ford has a number of different models and the pricing differs depending on the model. There are high-end Mustangs, such as the Shelby GT500, which has a base price of

My First Day at High School free essay sample

The reasons why my first day were bad because I was looking stupid getting lost and I had to be separated from my best friend. Otherwise, my first day did get better because I made new friends, and met new people. To begin with, my first day of high school was exciting. I was ready to get away from the childish games. I was mostly ready to get away from a school that was small and still had playground in the schoolyard. It was time for me to accomplished bigger and better things and get ready for college. I thought to myself, it’s gone be a good day.Secondly, the minute I walked through the gym double door, I nearly fainted. It was crowded and loud. It looks as if a million eyes were on me. From a distance, it looks like the people were ants. My hands started shaking nervously, but I tried hard not to show it. We will write a custom essay sample on My First Day at High School or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page That is when Chelsea and I, my best friend, had to go our separate ways. I knew then it would not gone be a good day. It was not going as we planned. We knew this day would happen but we didn’t think it would be on our first day of high school. In addition, my day couldn’t get any worse. I was getting lost around the big school and having hard time getting my locker open. It was torture. I felt so stupid. Laurens High school is like a big circle, so you could get so confused or lost in the school when you’re in the 9th grade for first time. I was quiet to myself, so I didn’t have the courage to ask anyone to help me. I was getting more nervous and scared. The classes I had didn’t involve any of my middle school friends and it was painful for me. Finally, as I was going to lunch, the smell of pizza got to me so I had to taste it.I started having more confidence in myself. Then I was wondering about the switching between classes. It was something I couldn’t do because I was already getting lost and being late, and I hated it. I started to feel stuck because I still had not seen any of my friends who I was comfortable with. Suddenly, since I was a cheerleader for my middle school, people started calling out my name up close or a distance. I was shocked that I was slowly making new friends, and meeting new people. I was starting to like high school after all.In conclusion, at end of the day, I saw Chelsea and we were happy to see each other. We started talking about how bad or exciting our day was. That same spot is where Chelsea and I started meeting up every day after school. It was an exciting and scary day for both of us. It showed me that I can accomplish anything if I put my mind to it. For example, when I first got to high school, I was quiet and feeling stupid because I had no one to talk to. I got on my feet and just started talking and made so many new friends. I was so glad to feel the fresh air of nervousness being lifted off my shoulder.

Introduction Essays (3251 words) - Quality, ISO,

Introduction In order to stay competitive, businesses have to be the best at what they do. Company's must be efficient and presise in all aspects of the job. (Metcalfe 1). ISO 9000 is made up of management's responsibility, the producers involved in the Quality Management System, the contract review, the design control, document and data control, purchasing, process control, inspection and testing, control of non-conforming product, corrective action, handling, storage, packaging and delivery, internal quality audits, training, servicing and statistical techniques (Prasanna 1). Quality control and quality assurance is very important there are certain requirements that take time and money to be met but in the end there are benefits. Types of specifications are very significant and the documentation of those is even more. Manufacturers and purchasers have major responsibility in the process of being successful. The quality of a product is so important, especially to the customer. A company's quality management system must become the documented proof of a firm's commitment to quality management. A plan put together with quality procedures and work instructions is provided to help companies design their own quality management system. After completing the quality procedures, companies are audited and then determined if they should be certified for ISO 9000 or not (Parsanna 2). ISO: International Organization of Standards Founded in 1947 in Geneva Switzerland, ISO developed international standards and helped exchange goods and services worldwide. It is made up of over 90 countries including the US, which is called the American National Standards Institute. The name ISO came from the Greek word, "isos," meaning equal (Henkoff 2). ISO was created by business men (Henkoff 2). These business men knew what businesses needed to become more competitive and how they could get higher customer satisfaction, so ISO was developed. ISO is not government regulated, but is ran by organizations like the US Registrar Accreditation Board. Such organizations authorize registrars which issue ISO certificates (Barrier 2). In Europe some organizations are government regulated. The American National Standards Institute runs the ISO in the US and authorizes the US Registrar Accreditation Board (Barrier 2). ISO's job is to set standards for companies all over the world so that their products come out efficiently and to the best quality. This helps the customers who receive the exports know exactly what they are getting and are satisfied with the product. Setting these standards is done by ISO members at assembly meetings. Proposals are developed by the ISO Council, which is like the board of directors in a business. These meetings are held three times a year and the membership is rotated to allow more representatives in (iso online). Standards are developed by technical committees. 30,000 experts participate to give comments, feedback and to vote in meetings which are held15 times a day electronically. The experts are chosen by an ISO member of that country (iso online). ISO 9000 The ISO 9000 series was published in 1987 (iso online). It is a standardization system that was developed by ISO. It is obtained by 130 countries, but it's main office is in Geneva, Switzerland where the system is coordinated and the finished standards are published (iso online). These ISO standard are rules and guidelines that ensure the product that a manufacturing business produces is safe, reliable and efficient (iso online). These standards makes sure that businesses are living up to their promises. An ISO 9000 certificate is given to a business when it maintains the quality management requirements determined by ISO (Henkoff 1). ISO 9000 helps a business to get certified by telling it what requirements it should meet and how it will meet them. It provides a framework for a company. It sets standards worldwide and help export goods to other countries. However, the company must have good strong leaders for it to thrive. The success of ISO 9000 on a business largely depends on the business's organization. Planning, training, setting and achieving goals are all key to improvement or success of a business (Henkoff 5). ISO 9000 makes sure a company is doing what it says it is doing and helps them do it. However, that doesn't mean it is running the company and telling it what to do (USAToday 1). The business is still an independent business it is just getting advice on how to manufacture things and earning a certificate that is appealing to customers. However, that also doesn't mean that ISO 9000 promises the quality of a company's product will be great; Richard Buerow, director of corporate quality at Motorola states: "With ISO 900 you can still have terrible processes and products. You

IN TRODUCTION Essays - Technology, Information Technology, Structure

IN TRODUCTION The Information communication and technology policy was gazetted in 200 5 and the n it was passed into law which provided for the major aim of the policy is to address the digital divide in Zimbabwe . The ICT policy is aimed at the dev elopment of infrastructure for information communication technology and ensuring that most of the Zimbabwean population has access to quality service . This write up shall bring out the details on the background of the policy , its aims, its impact having to look at the strengths and the weaknesses from evaluation and comments of different authorities, actors and the targeted population BACKGROUND OF THE POLICY The development and application of Information Communication Technologies ( ICT s) since Independence in 1980 to date, has seen unprecedented change due to the fast technological developments that have been registered in ICT the sector. The realisation of this growth has come with the realisation of the indispensable nature of ICT s by the Government of Zimbabwe, which worked on the first National ICT Policy . The major aim of the policy is to address the digital divide in Zimbabwe ICT policy is aimed at the development of infrastructure like telecommunication , communication computer hardwares and softwares in support of ICT . T he p olicy was formulated due to the culmination of the realisation that the fast moving technological development in the ICT sector requires that policies be reviewed at certain intervals so that the country does not lag behind in this information age. The Gove rnment, through the Ministry, with the financial assistance from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, embarked on an exercise to review the first ICT Policy. POLICY GOALS Policy goals according to Dunn (1981:214) are "aim or purpose which is broadly stated, formally defined, unspecified as to time and target groups and unquantified." According to the National information and communication technology policy framework (2005) The ICT policy has aims to facilitate provision and maintenance of infrastructural facilities necessary for ICT s development. They want to embark on extensive capacity building and training programmes to provide adequate supply of qualified ICT s personnel and knowledge in all sectors of the economy. The policy also intends to establish institutional mechanisms and procedures for determining sectorial application of priorities. The policy also seek to promote, support and enhance the development and use of ICT s at the same time ensuring equitable access to benefits offered by ICT across sectors of society. More so, the policy document also aims to promote resear ch and d evelopment of local ICT s to compete with international products. In addition , the policy also endeavour's to narrow digital divide through enhancing public awareness and education on ICT .it also seek to expansion of basic and supportive communication infrastructure, develop local content in vernacular and also establishing a business culture open to new ICT s based economic dispensation. The policy intends to put in place a robust, coherent and internally consistent national policy framework, removing disparate policies in the ICT sector which has resulted in Zimbabwe adopting different systems and standards and duplication of efforts. STRENGTH AND IMPACTS OF ICT POLICY The policy was formulated, with the main goal being that the digital divide be addressed, which brings one to a conclusion that a positive impact would be a situation where such has been achieved. The policy sought to enhance network access which is the quality, the accessibility of network in the various places of the country which is also in co-ordination of the mission of addressing the digital divide issue, network providers like Econet and Telecel have aided by installing network boosters countrywide. Networked economy was also achieved to a certain extent and this has to do with the extent to which the corporate world and business are integrating ICT into their business and code of conducting, with the example of Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) making it mandatory for all registered companies to have, automated registers and till operating systems that are connected to the internet. Through the ZimSwitch banking system, and mobile banking individuals for subscribers to network providers like Econet and Telecel receiving e-banking banking services. T he creation

California Water Essays - Plumbing, Home Appliances, Water

California Water Essays - Plumbing, Home Appliances, Water California Water What do we use all this water for? Of all the water that falls to California, 60% is immediately returned to the atmosphere by evaporation or native plant use. The rest runs off into rivers, lakes, streams and the water table, where it is available for human use. We will explain what happens to all this water, show exactly how much water we do use, and give ways to reduce water use in and around your home. The single largest user of water is industry. Industries use 46% of our annual water supply. One industrial use is manufacturing, in various ways such as cooling of materials, washing of materials, products, tools, and equipment. For example, by the time a Sunday paper gets to your door, 1000 liters (280 gallons) of (poop)water have been used to produce it. A pound of steel uses 110 liters (32 gallons), but production of a pound of aluminum uses 3800 liters (1000 gallons) of water. A pound of synthetic rubber requires 1100 liters (300 gallons). The production of a car uses, on average, an incredible 380,000 liters (100,000 gallons). To refine 1 liter of gas, it takes 10 liters of water. Another big industrial use of water is disposal of waste products. They use water to wash away all the garbage on the floor, and to flush away dirty or contaminated water. They also throw out the hot water that is left after they cool metal. The second biggest user of water is agriculture and food processing, at 42% of total annual water use. More than 380 billion liters (100 billion gallons) of water are used for irrigation of crops each day in the United States. A fully grown cotton plant uses about a gallon a day. It takes about 3,040,000 liters (800,000 gallons) of water to grow an acre of cotton. Irrigation is the main agricultural use, but much of the water is used to feed and clean animals. Food processing uses lots of water, in preparation, washing, and packaging. Just think of all the water in a can of fruit cocktail or peaches. To get an egg from non-existence to your refrigerator takes 150 liters (40 gallons) of water. An ear of corn requires 300 liters (80 gallons). A loaf of bread takes double that at 600 liters (160 gallons). To produce a pound of beef takes 9,500 liters (2,500 gallons) of water! The most obvious use of water is in the home. We use water for cooking, bathing or showering, cleaning dishes, clothes, and cars, watering plants and lawns, drinking, and the all-important toilet. One person uses an average of 50 gallons of water a day just in the house. First, cooking. Most foods need to be prepared, and most of that uses water. Think of boiling things, all the recipes that call for water, making rice, potatoes, muffins, cake, almost every food uses water in some way. Washing a load of dishes uses between 8-12 gallons of water. Kitchen uses account for 7 of the daily 50 gallons. A normal shower head uses between 3-10 gallons a minute, and a low-flow shower head uses between 2-2.5 gallons a minute. A bath normally uses around 30-40 gallons. The 50-gallon total uses an average of 15 gallons a day for bathing or showering. A top-loading clothes washer uses between 40-55 gallons a load. A front loading washer uses 22-25 per load. This is 8 gallons per day! on average. A person only drinks about ? gallon of water a day, the rest of consumed water comes from foods and beverages. An old toilet (manufactured before 1976) uses about 4-6 gallons per flush. A normal toilet uses around 3.5 gallons per flush, while a low-consumption toilet (manufactured after Jan. 1st, 1994) uses only 1.6 gallons per flush. The bathroom (I'm popping wood right now) faucet uses 3-6 gallons a minute if it was made before 1976, and .5-2.5 per minute otherwise. Each person (on average) uses about 19 gallons in the bathroom (excluding shower/bath) each day. 7 People use about 50 gallons a day outside the home in a day, bringing the total to 100 gallons a day! The outside uses include washing cars, watering lawns, watering

Research paper about India. ( How people make a living in india Essay

Research paper about India. ( How people make a living in india Current countrys economic status - Essay Example India grows and export major food commodities such as rice, sugar, wheat, cotton, and vegetables. The country also produces and export animal agricultural products, which include buffalo milk, eggs, meat, and chicken. Most of Indian farmers are small-scale farmers who grow their crops or rear their animals on small pieces of land. However, the country has favorable climate and soils that support agricultural activities. The agricultural sector contributes about 16% of the country’s GDP and provides employment opportunity to about 50% of the total Indian population (Department of Revenue web). The agricultural sector provides employment mainly to rural Indian population. The industrial sector is a major contributor to the Indian economy. Currently the sector contributes about 14% to the Indian GDP (Panagariya 453). India is known worldwide as a major manufacturing country. The sector employs about 25% of the Indian population. Majority of industrial workers live in urban centers and other industrial towns that spread across the country. The Indian industries are recognized worldwide for their production of affordable and long lasting commodities. Indian industries produce products ranging from heavy duty equipment such as steel beams to light duty equipment such as bicycles. Indian industries are also involved in production of pharmaceutical products that are marketed across the globe. Currently the industrial sector is eying the booming technology sector. The industrial sector provides employment opportunity to both the skilled and unskilled labor force. In addition, the industrial sector has small-scale industries that provide opportunities to tho usands of Indians. Cottage industries or home-based industries produce basic commodities for export and domestic market. Indians are known to be business people. Indian are successful business people who have set up businesses in many parts around the globe. The

Discussion borad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion borad - Essay Example It is also done to know if a certain independent variable creates negative or positive impact to the dependent variable. For example, does empowering women increase prejudice against men? The dependent variable, in this case, is the prejudice while empowering women is the independent variable. To get to a clear conclusion about the said question, the level of prejudice must be measured and be known through one of the components, pretesting and post-testing. The process will help to determine whether empowering women increases prejudice in men. To dispute or agree with the question that empowering women has increased prejudice in men, the subject has to be divided into two different parts mainly, experimental section where the stimulus is administered (empower the women) and the section that does not receive the stimulus. Both sections may not have increased prejudice, but if only a few people who do not see the essence of empowering the women agree with the said question, then it means that empowering women do not increase prejudice against men. It is not right to argue that empowering or giving power to women will hurt power of men (Mosedale p

Primary Prevention of Childhood Obesity Lab Report - 1

Primary Prevention of Childhood Obesity - Lab Report Example g is a factor for a child’s potential body weight in the near future, the article that I have chosen supports its claims through testing of certain samples of mothers who breastfeed and those who do not and the effects of such on their children’s eating patterns at the time they become one-year olds. Conducted by several medical practitioners, the article is entitled straightforwardly the â€Å"Association of Breastfeeding with Maternal Control of Infant Feeding at Age 1 Year.† The objective of course was not just to prove that there is an existing relation between breastfeeding and obesity but to examine whether due to breastfeeding in the first six months of a baby’s life, the mother become less restrictive and less controlling of their children’s food intake, and they become more attuned with the children’s needs, if the child is hungry or not. Since there is no restriction or controls around, this gives the children the opportunity to regulate their own needs of energy intake and less chance of becoming obese (Taveras, et al, 2004). Specifically, the article proves this theory by studying the association between the occurrences of breastfeeding in the babies’ first six months, the extent of such breastfeeding and the mothers’ actions with regard to these children’s access to food after one year. To discuss the details, the researchers provided modified Child Feeding Questionnaires at 1 year postpartum for the sample mothers to measure whether the mothers at this time are restricting their children’s food intake or pressuring their children to consume more food. By restricting, it means that the mothers are actually conscious of the amount of food they are feeding to their children, making sure that it is not too much. The logic of this testing is to see whether the children’s eating patterns were being controlled by the time they reach one year of age, and this is correlated with the occurrence or non-occurrence of breastfeeding in the

Social construction of male and female identities

Social construction of male and female identities To understand gender analysis in a historic context, it will be important to start off by defining what gender is and gender analysis. Gender refers to the social construction of male and female identities. It is more than the biological make up of the two sexes. It deals with how the differences between men and women, whether real or imagined, are valued, used and relied upon to classify men and women and to assign them roles and expectations. The effect of this categorization is that the lives and experiences of men and women occur within complex sets of differing social and cultural expectations. Gender analysis therefore examines the differences in mens and womens lives and applies this understanding to policy development and service delivery (Zastrow Kirst-Ashman 2009). In history, the current understanding of gender as a category of historical analysis can be traced to the late twentieth -century feminist political mobilization that occurred in Europe and the United States which led to the development of the field of womens history both as a product and practice. Many of the early women historians in many cases employed the category women when talking about womens roles, perceptions of women or myths about women as opposed to the analytical language of gender as we know it today (Parker Aggleton 1998). Most of these embraced the concept of gender closely akin to Gayle Rubins classic early formulation that stated that in every society, there is a set of arrangements by which the biological human sex and procreation is shaped by human, social intervention which is actually gender (Shepard Walker 2009). The work of the feminists was primarily to expose those gender systems and redress their injustices to women. In this context therefore the work of the womens historians was to discover and bring into the public domain such patterns in the past, to return women and their activities to the historical record and to bring out ways in which women in the past tried to resist sexual oppression in the societies within which they lived. Despite the fact that distinction between sex and gender remained common in feminist history, its framework had many critics especially among theorists who questioned if physical bodies were not in a way socially constructed and whether they ever existed apart from culturally fashioned meanings about them (Shepard Walker 2009). Early women historians equated gender with sex. This meant that the physical body is what they used to classify gender. This was the bone of contention with other scholars who rightly asserted that it would be simplistic to equate gender with sex. However, since the field of womens history originated in social history, and so because the early womens history did not seriously interrogate bodies as a historic subject, most of the early women historian did not confront the dilemma of the sex/gender distinction which continued to inform the assumptions of their work (Shepard Walker 2009). Theorizing about gender increased from the 1970s through the 1980s among women historians but their emphasis was more on the relation of gender to other categories, more so class and patriarchy but not on so much on the gender itself. According to Shepard Walker (2009) efforts of this sort continued in many ways to conceptual gender, class and other social processes as distinct which made it difficult to capture the complexity and particularity of their unified processes in a specific historical circumstance. In absence pf a standard definition of what constituted gender, historians continued to write about gender from the Western cultural view of what constitutes gender. However by 1980s other issues had come up that challenged this position calling for a more inclusive approach. An analysis of gender and history has also focused on the position of the woman during colonialism in Africa and elsewhere. The woman was seen first as a daughter, then as a woman and finally as a prostitute. Any woman who stayed alone was seen as a prostitute. Women were seen as safe when within the confines of their home in the countryside. Those in towns were stereotyped as being of loose morals and rebels. Although the fuller investigation of these points would follow in the studies of gender and colonialism of the 1990s, scholars of race and slavery in the Americas and Europe were zealous in pointing out that the bodies of colored women had been socially constructed to meet the interests of Europeans since the first colonial contacts. Still in the 1980s the field of womens history was thriving. By this time it supported influential journals in Europe and in the United States. Works in womens history were beginning to appear on the lists of major publishers and also in prominent general historical journals. It was however not all rosy. Critics within the profession questioned the legitimacy of the field of women history and its practitioners. Women history was described as narrow, over-specialized and immaterial to the truly important matter of history (Downs 2004). Womens historians were accused of trying to fashion their own life frustrations into a respected field. A more unifying concept of gender free of activism might as a matter of fact provide legitimacy for the field and its practitioners (Shepard Walker 2009). If gender could be argued out as a key field of experience for both all persons, then gender is a subject of universal relevance. Joan Scottss (1986) article titled Gender: A Useful Concept of Historical Analysis, which appeared on the American Historical Review, December 1986 issue, was written in this political context. This was a no mean achievement for a prestigious conservative journal. Scott noted that the proliferation of case studies in womens history called for some synthesizing perspective and the discrepancy between the high quality of the work then in womens history and the continued marginal status of the field as a whole pointed up the limits of descriptive approaches that do not address dominant disciplinary concepts in terms that can shake their power and transform them. The articles purpose was to examine the implications of feminists growing tendency to use gender as a way of referring to the social organization between the sexes and to offer a useable theoretical f ormulation of gender as a category of historical analysis. Scott found the feminist theorizing of the 1960s and 1970s limited because they tended to contain reductive or simple generalizations that undercut both historys disciplinary sense of the complexity of social causation and feminist commitments to analysis that would lead to change (Scott 1986). According to Scott, historically gender has been used as a primary way of signifying relations of power (Scott1999). The power in question is the power of domination and subordination; differential control over or access to material and symbolic resources. Emphasis is laid on the difference as a characteristic of power derived from the oppositional binarity of gender, but it also defined and limited the concept of gender which having been defined could not operate other than as a vehicle for this power. Women in most societies have been dominated by men. However this proposition is challenged by a number of non western scholars who argue that not all societies organized on the basis of gender as implied in the work of most Western historians. Oyeronke Oyeyumi (2005), an African Historian from Nigeria is one of them. Oyeyumi argues that Western work on gender has been and continues to be preoccupied with the oppositionally sexed body, which in inhabit the category gender and invests it with a rigid corporeal determinism. This she argues is not universal but specific to the western cultures and history. If gender is socially constructed, then it cannot behave in the same way across time and space. Therefore if gender is a social construction there must be a specific time in each culture when it began and therefore the time before this beginning it never did exist. Thus gender as a social construction is also a historical and cultural phenomenon which may presumably have not existed in some societies. In a similar view, Ifi Amadiume (1987) criticized the use of Western gender concept as a category for analyzing Africa history of gender. She argues that the ethnocentricity of gender of early feminist anthropology does not have a bearing on African societies. To these groups she argues the social and cultural inferiority of women was not questionable. In her work among the Igbo culture in eastern Nigeria, Amadiume did identify a gender system through which numerous mythical, social and culture distinctions were articulated according to a binary of masculine and feminine. But she also did establish that in this binary the attributes associated with females did not necessarily lead to economic or political subordination of the social group women and that the social institutions, especially those of male daughters and female husbands permitted individual females to enjoy those privileges of social positions gendered masculine. In the United States, intervening decades have given birth to a rich and expanding scholarship on the history of colored women. The colored slave woman owed his master and the men his master had selected for her sexual favors and reproductive services on top of the labor (Gerald, N.G., Billias, G.A 1991). The work written on the colored woman history is however minimal compared to what have been written on white women. Furthermore much of the work done on colored women still subordinates them within the history of white women. What that means is that American historians, until very recently, have showed little interest in identifying differences between West African and colonial Euro-American ideas of the social and cultural relations of the male and the female or giving interpretive authority to evidence of differences between African American and Euro-American communities over time in the United States. Of greater importance is the construction of colored women as negative markers of a Western concept of gender and the pressure borne on colored women to conform to those to that concept. To greater extent this centers the story on Western concept, not on African American women or on the understandings of gender that may have characterized their communities (Collins 1989). To illustrate further the problems in the use of gender as a category in historic analysis, North America can be studied. The early republic provides vital information because that is where U.S womens history began classics like Carroll Smith Rosenbergs Beauty, the Beast and the Militant Woman, Kathryn Kish Sklars Catharine Beecher and Nancy Cotts The Bonds of Womanhood (Cott 1997).These works sought to understand the origins of the late twentieth century trope of gender in the nineteenth-century. This was not unusual because like other historians, these women historians studied subjects in the past that were of continued relevance to their day. They focused on the social and intellectual life in the early American Republic that resonated in the female struggle. This majored on familial, political, legal, and economic subordination of women as a group by men as a group. The works continued to organize the field as it developed with works such as Women of the Republic by Linda Kerber, Daughters of Liberty by Mary Beth Norton and Good wives by Laurel Ulrich. The wives in the seventeenth and eighteenth century played a greater role in the management of the family resources. It was taken as the duty of a wife to defend and take care of the husbands investments. Wives were supposed to be aggressive in this. However during the nineteenth century, the womans role in the management of the husbands wealth diminished significantly (Cott 1997). Another milestone in the study of gender analysis is the entry of women into public jobs in the 20th century (Scharpf Schmidt 2000). This brought profound change to the woman. She got financial independence and her dependence on the man diminished. This entry into the job market went hand in hand with increased education attainment, increased civil rights like the right to vote and increased participation in the political process. These were great milestones for women that changed completely the relationship with the man. With it too came increased divorce rates, and choosing not to get married. When gender is treated as a question of analysis, it encourages the researcher to regard the sources of information more critically and more creatively. To some extent it is true that historians have been able to establish gender as a category of historic analysis. This is because the circumstances human beings operate in have expectations of behavior and conduct based on ones sexuality. These are either classified as masculinity or feminine. A man is expected to act and behave in a masculine way while the woman is supposed to portray a feminine behavior. These expectations have over the course of history shaped the relationship between the males and the females. Not only that but also within a sex, treatment is different. In America for example, An African American woman, a white woman and a native Indian woman were all treated differently.

Negative Effects of Tv on Family Life

Negative Effects of TV The television has many effects on family life and the individual, causing family bonds to unravel and the individual to become naive of their surroundings. The TV keeps one hooked for hours on end, causing family relationships to diminish and personal relationships to weaken. Not only does the TV seem to be a good alternative to conversations and interactions amongst one another, but it also helps to create a gap between the fictional world of TV and reality.Since the invention of the home television, it has become a crucial part in everyday household life. Children spend less time with family, because it is simply easier to sit down and be entertained by the TV. †The time spent next to it [the TV] exceeds the amount of time spent together with any other family member. † (Wattermann) Watching TV has a major effect on the way a child communicates with other family members and friends, distancing them from real-world situations and problems. Parents spend long hours working and want an effective suppressant for their children. Contemporary parents work a lot, but when they come back home they are not eager to spend time with their child†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wattermann) Even adults fall into the attraction of taking themselves out of their childs’ life, in order to relax or gain the free time they long desire. The effect the TV has on the family has been negative in comparison to the original intention of bringing the TV into the home, back in the 1940s. The depiction of the family watching TV together has changed, and now with multiply TVs present in a home, the separation and disfunction of the family has increased.TV also has a negative effect on the individual, because it takes away from potential relationships and also promotes bad behavior and aggressions as seen on violent television shows. What is being watched on television has the potential to influencing negative behavior, within the child or even adult. In an articl e from the AAP or the American Association of Pediatrics, it was noted that, â€Å"Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed. † (Pediatrics Vol. 108 No. ) The violence seen on TV, can lead to violent acts later on. Individuals are affected by what they see on TV and can be influenced by the suggestive nature that is described in almost every TV program. â€Å"Even in G-rated, animated movies and DVDs, violence is common† (Boyse, RN). The TV violence has an effect on people and children of all ages, and even though some programs are educational and beneficial for the development and growth of the child, there are so many other programs going on at the same time that contradict the idea of â€Å"good TV†. Television watching also has a major impact on the self-image one has of themself.The TV paints a false image of what the normal and accepted person should look like. The person watching, therefore gets sucked into the mindset that they have to be like the well-toned models seen on tv, this creates many different problems. Insecurities within the individual flourish and they are constantly bombarded with images of how they should be, in order to fit into today’s society. While watching constant images of healthy women and men makes some people immediately jump off the couch and start their â€Å"cardio routine† some sit back and envy what they simply will never have.Ironically, this leads to eating disorders and obesity. â€Å"People, who spend hours and hours in front of the TV sets, are under very high risk of becoming overweight and obese. † (API Heathline) Either way, false advertisement of the way someone should be perceived has a negative effect on the viewer. In general, the content on TV impacts who were are and who we want to become in order to fit into society. Another factor involved in tel evision watching, is the amount and the persistence of commercials.Commercials make up a majority of television air time, trying to influence people to spend time and resources on products and new inventions that will make you better fit into society. For example, food commercials are constantly influencing people to make new recipes or to go to the newest most delicious restaurant in town. Other commercials such as the shopping channel become appealing to the older audience who are alone and constantly craving new things. This leads to hording and other disorders, including the addiction of television watching in itself.Commercials and news articles also persuade people in terms of politics, economic issues, and social influences therefore inducting the one-way nature of the viewers. If people constantly go to the TV for current updates on news and other current events then it deters the need to communicate with one another and create the social relationships needed to have a cohes ive balance in life. Another problem that arises with TV is the effect it has on one psychologically. Kids spend many hours in front of the TV, especially over long periods of isolation. Some adults can argue that the constant atching of television is the beginning of a new age of addiction. â€Å"Studies about negative effects of television addiction show the TV addicts’ people through its tranquilizing numbing affect, causing them to relax, become drowsy, and then desire to watch more TV. † (Parenting-Healthy-Children) Watching TV seems to have the same effects that habit- forming narcotics have on the individual. When watching hours upon hours of TV, one is quickly relaxed and put into a state of obliviousness to the outside world, therefore having similar effects of mind altering drugs.TV watching has many effects on the viewer and can lead to many social and personal problems. Family relationships, individual self- consciousness, and violent/ inappropriate subject matter all lead to the conclusion that too much television can be harmful to our society. TV is readily available to every one of all ages, and the majority of the material is geared toward a more mature audience. Over time, TV has changed dramatically from mostly family-oriented TV programs to programs geared to different age groups, in order to attract different audiences. Children and TV: The Negative Effects of Television. †Ã‚  Children and TV: The Negative Effects of Television. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Media Violence. †Ã‚  Media Violence. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Bad Effects Of Watching Too Much TV | Academic Programs International a Health Line. â€Å"Academic Programs International Health Line Bad Effects Of Watching Too Much TV Comments. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. â€Å"The Negative Effects of Television Addiction and Computer Addiction. †Ã‚  The Negative Effects of TelevisionAddiction and Computer Addiction. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.

Scholarship paragraph

My stay in the law school allowed me to see the value of education. I view my education here as a training ground for my pursuit of an honorable and fulfilling life and profession. After graduation, I wish to take bar review courses at our Law School and subsequently take the NY State’s Bar Exam. As we know, bar review courses are costly and as an immigrant to the US experiencing extreme financial hardship, I lack the ability to finance my review courses. I would like to take this opportunity to apply for a scholarship to allow me to ease a little burden of my loans which I intend to apply for in order to cover the rest of the bar review program and which I have already taken to cover my tuition and living expenses at the Law School. I strongly believe that my prior experiences have prepared me for the challenges of practicing law in public service. In addition, I had been exposed in the workplace where I acquired different job skills in various areas such as the immigration services, broadcasting radio show on public issues, newspaper columns and magazine articles, pro-bono work at the hospital, and other voluntary works in the community and in school. Rest assured that in my legal profession and life, I will uphold the Law School Blueprint values and strong commitment to public service.

Government Involvement in the American Economy

Government Involvement in the American Economy As Christopher Conte and Albert R. Karr have noted in  their book,Outline of the U.S. Economy,  the level of government involvement in the American economy has been anything but static. From the 1800s to today, government programs and other interventions in the private sector have changed depending on the political and economic attitudes of the time. Gradually, the governments totally hands-off approach evolved into closer ties between the two entities.   Laissez-Faire to Government Regulation In the early years of American history, most political leaders were reluctant to involve the federal government too heavily in the private sector, except in the area of transportation. In general, they accepted the concept of laissez-faire, a doctrine opposing government interference in the economy except to maintain law and order. This attitude started to change during the latter part of the 19th-century, when small business, farm and labor movements began asking the government to intercede on their behalf. By the turn of the century, a middle class had developed that was leery of both the business elite and the somewhat radical political movements of farmers and laborers in the Midwest and West. Known as Progressives, these people favored government regulation of business practices to ensure competition and free enterprise. They also fought corruption in the public sector. Progressive Years Congress enacted a law regulating railroads in 1887 (the Interstate Commerce Act), and one preventing large firms from controlling a single industry in 1890 (the Sherman Antitrust Act). These laws were not rigorously enforced, however, until the years between 1900 and 1920. These years were when Republican President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), Democratic President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) and others sympathetic to the views of the Progressives came to power. Many of todays U.S. regulatory agencies were created during these years, including the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Trade Commission. New Deal and Its Lasting Impact Government involvement in the economy increased most significantly during the New Deal of the 1930s. The 1929 stock market crash had initiated the most serious economic dislocation in the nations history, the Great Depression (1929-1940). President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) launched the New Deal to alleviate the emergency. Many of the most important laws and institutions that define Americans modern economy can be traced to the New Deal era. New Deal legislation extended federal authority in banking, agriculture and public welfare. It established minimum standards for wages and hours on the job, and it served as a catalyst for the expansion of labor unions in such industries as steel, automobiles, and rubber. Programs and agencies that today seem indispensable to the operation of the countrys modern economy were created: the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates the stock market; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which guarantees bank deposits; and, perhaps most notably, the Social Security system, which provides pensions to the elderly based on contributions they made when they were part of the workforce. During World War II New Deal leaders flirted with the idea of building closer ties between business and government, but some of these efforts did not survive past World War II. The National Industrial Recovery Act, a short-lived New Deal program, sought to encourage business leaders and workers, with government supervision, to resolve conflicts and thereby increase productivity and efficiency. While America never took the turn to fascism that similar business-labor-government arrangements did in Germany and Italy, the New Deal initiatives did point to a new sharing of power among these three key economic players. This confluence of power grew even more during the war, as the U.S. government intervened extensively in the economy. The War Production Board coordinated the nations productive capabilities so that military priorities would be met. Converted consumer-products plants filled many military orders. Automakers built tanks and aircraft, for example, making the United States the arsenal of democracy. In an effort to prevent rising national income and scarce consumer products from causing inflation, the newly created Office of Price Administration controlled rents on some dwellings, rationed consumer items ranging from sugar to gasoline and otherwise tried to restrain price increases.

Mollusk Facts

Mollusk Facts Mollusks may be the most difficult animal group  for the average person to wrap their arms around: this family of  invertebrates  includes creatures as widely divergent in appearance and behavior as snails,  clams, and cuttlefish. Fast Facts: Mollusks Scientific Name: Mollusca (Caudofoveates, Solanogastres, Chitons, Monoplacophorans, Scaphopods, Bivalves, Gastropods, Cephalopods)Common Name: Mollusks or molluscsBasic Animal Group: Invertebrate  Ã‚  Size: Microscopic to 45 feet in lengthWeight: Up to 1,650 poundsLifespan: Hours to centuries- the oldest is known to have lived over 500 yearsDiet:  Mostly herbivore, except for cephalopods who are omnivoresHabitat: Terrestrial and aquatic habitats on every continent and ocean in the worldConservation Status: Several species are threatened or endangered; one is extinct Description Any group that embraces  squids, clams, and slugs present a challenge when it comes to formulating a general description. There are only three characteristics shared by all living mollusks: the presence of a mantle (the rear covering of the body) that secretes calcareous (e.g., calcium-containing) structures; the genitals and anus opening into the mantle cavity; and paired nerve cords. If youre willing to make some exceptions, most mollusks can also be characterized by their broad, muscular feet which correspond to the tentacles of cephalopods, and their shells (if you exclude cephalopods, some gastropods, and the most primitive mollusks). One type of mollusk, the aplacophorans, are cylindrical worms with neither shell nor foot. Getty Images Habitat Most mollusks are marine animals that live in habitats from shallow coastal areas to deep waters. Most stay within the sediments at the bottom of water bodies, although a few- such as cephalopods- are free swimming. Species There are eight different broad categories of mollusks on our planet. Caudofoveates  are small, deep-sea mollusks that burrow into soft bottom sediments. These worm-like animals lack the shells and muscular feet characteristic of other mollusks, and their bodies are covered with scale-like, calcareous spicules.Solanogastres, like caudofoveata, are worm-like mollusks that lack shells. These small, ocean-dwelling animals are mostly blind, and either flattened or cylindrical.Chitons, also known as polyplacophorans, are flat, slug-like mollusks with calcareous plates covering the upper surfaces of their bodies; they live in intertidal waters along rocky coastlines worldwide.Monoplacophorans are deep-sea mollusks equipped with cap-like shells.  They were long believed to be extinct, but in 1952, zoologists discovered a handful of living species.Tusk shells, also known as scaphopods,  have long, cylindrical shells with tentacles extending from one end, which these mollusks use to rope in  prey from the surrounding water.Bivalves are characterized by their hinged shells and live in both marine and freshwater habitats. These mollusks have no heads, and their bodies consist entirely  of a wedge-shaped foot. Gastropods  are  the most diverse family of mollusks,  including over 60,000 species of  snails and slugs that live in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats.  Cephalopods, the most advanced mollusks, include  octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, and nautiluses. Most of the members of this group either lack shells, or have small internal shells. A tusk shell. Getty Images Gastropods or Bivalves Of the roughly 100,000 known mollusk species, about 70,000 are gastropods, and 20,000 are bivalves or 90 percent of the total. It is from these two families that most people derive their general perception of mollusks as small, slimy creatures equipped with calcareous shells. While the snails and slugs of the gastropod family are eaten the world over (including as escargot in a French restaurant), bivalves are more important as a human food source, including clams, mussels, oysters, and other undersea delicacies. The largest bivalve is the giant clam (Tridacna gigas), which reaches a length of four feet and weighs 500 pounds. The oldest mollusk is a bivalve, the ocean quahog (Arctica islandica), native to the northern Atlantic and known to live at least 500 years; it is also the oldest known animal. Bright yellow banana slug. Alice Cahill/Getty Images Octopuses, Squids, and Cuttlefish Gastropods and bivalves may be the most common mollusks, but cephalopods (the family that includes octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish) are by far the most advanced. These marine invertebrates have astonishingly complex nervous systems, which allows them to engage in elaborate camouflage and even display problem-solving behavior- for example, octopuses have been known to escape from their tanks in laboratories, squish along the cold floor, and climb up into another tank containing tasty bivalves. If human beings ever go extinct, it may well be the distant, intelligent descendants of octopuses that wind up ruling the earth- or at least the oceans! The largest mollusk in the world is a cephalopod, the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni), known to grow to between 39 and 45 feet and weigh up to 1,650 pounds.   548901005677/Getty Images Diet With the exception of cephalopods, mollusks are by and large gentle vegetarians. Terrestrial gastropods like snails and slugs eat plants, fungi, and algae, while the vast majority of marine mollusks (including bivalves and other ocean-dwelling species) subsist on plant matter dissolved in the water, which they ingest by filter feeding. The most advanced cephalopod mollusks- octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish- feast on everything from fish to crabs to their fellow invertebrates; octopuses, in particular, have gruesome table manners, injecting their soft-bodied prey with venom or drilling holes in the shells of bivalves and sucking out their tasty contents. Behavior The nervous systems of invertebrates in general (and mollusks in particular) are very different from those of vertebrate animals like fish, birds, and mammals. Some mollusks, like tusk shells and bivalves, possess clusters of neurons (called ganglions) rather than true brains, while the brains of more advanced mollusks like cephalopods and gastropods are wrapped around their esophagi rather than isolated in hard skulls. Even more weirdly, most of the neurons of an octopus are located not in its brains, but in its arms, which can function autonomously even when separated from its body. The mouth of a limpet. Getty Images Reproduction and Offspring Mollusks generally reproduce sexually, although some (slugs and snails) are hermaphrodites, they still must mate to fertilize their eggs. Eggs are laid singly or in groups within jelly masses or leathery capsules. The eggs hatch into veliger larva- small, free-swimming larvae- and metamorphose into different stages, depending on the species.   Evolutionary History Because modern mollusks vary so widely in anatomy and behavior, sorting out their exact evolutionary relationships is a major challenge. In order to simplify matters, naturalists have proposed a hypothetical ancestral mollusk that displays most, if not all, of the characteristics of modern mollusks, including a shell, a muscular foot, and tentacles, among other things. We dont have any fossil evidence that this particular animal ever existed; the most any expert will venture is that mollusks descended hundreds of millions of years ago from tiny marine invertebrates known as lophotrochozoans (and even that is a matter of dispute). Extinct Fossil Families Examining the fossil evidence, paleontologists have established the existence of two now-extinct classes of mollusk. Rostroconchians lived in the worlds oceans from about 530 to 250 million years ago, and seem to have been ancestral to modern bivalves; helcionelloidans lived from about 530 to 410 million years ago, and shared many characteristics with modern gastropods. Somewhat surprisingly, cephalopods have existed on earth ever since the Cambrian period; paleontologists have identified over two dozen (much smaller and much less intelligent) genera that plied the worlds oceans over 500 million years ago. Mollusks and Humans Wayne Barrett Anne MacKay / Getty Images Over and above their historical importance as a food source- especially in the far east and the Mediterranean- mollusks have contributed in numerous ways to human civilization. The shells of cowries (a type of small gastropod) were used as money by Native Americans, and the pearls that grow in oysters, as the result of irritation by sand grains, have been treasured since time immemorial. Another type of gastropod, the murex, was cultured by the  ancient Greeks for its  dye, known as imperial purple, and the cloaks of some rulers were woven from long threads secreted by the bivalve species Pinna nobilis. Conservation Status There are over 8,600 species listed in the ICUN, of which 161 are considered Critically Endangered, 140 are Endangered, 86 are Vulnerable, and 57 are Near Threatened. One, the Ohridohauffenia drimica was last seen in 1983 in springs feeding the River Drim in Macedonia, Greece and was listed as extinct in 1996. Additional surveys have failed to find it again. Threats The vast majority of mollusks live in the deep ocean and are relatively safe from the  destruction of their habitat and depredation by humans, but thats not the case for freshwater mollusks (i.e., those that live in lakes and rivers) and terrestrial (land-dwelling) species. Perhaps not surprisingly from the perspective of human gardeners, snails and slugs are most vulnerable to extinction today, as they are systematically eradicated by agriculture concerns and picked off by invasive species carelessly introduced into their habitats. Just imagine how easily the average house cat, used to picking off skittering mice, can devastate a near-motionless colony of snails. Lakes and rivers are also prone to the introduction of invasive species, particularly mollusks which travel attached to international seagoing ships. Sources Sturm, Charles F., Timothy A. Pearce, ngel Valdà ©s (eds.). The Mollusks: A Guide to Their Study, Collection, and Preservation. Boca Raton: Universal Publishers for the American Malacological Society, 2006.  Fyodorov, Averkii, and Havrila Yakovlev. Mollusks: Morphology, Behavior, and Ecology. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2012. Mollusk Facts Mollusks (Mollusca) is a taxonomic phylum that contains a diverse array of organisms, including snails, sea slugs, octopuses, squid, and bivalves such as clams, mussels, and oysters. Between 50,000 and 200,000 species are estimated to belong to this phylum. Imagine the obvious differences between an octopus and a clam, and youll get an idea of the diversity among mollusks. Fast Facts: Mollusks Scientific Name: Mollusca: Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Cephalopoda, Monoplacophora, Scaphopoda, Aplacophora, PolyplacophoraCommon Names: Snails, sea slugs, octopuses, squid, and bivalvesBasic Animal Group: InvertebrateSize: Varies from 0.04 inch (solenogasters and gastropods) to 4 feet (giant clam)  Lifespan: 3 years to over 500Diet:  Carnivore or herbivoreHabitat: Oceans and coastal waterways worldwidePopulation: UnknownConservation Status: Most are classified as Least Concern; mollusks make up nearly one-fourth of all marine animals on Earth.   Description Mollusks have a shell and soft body and usually have a distinguishable head and foot region. Some may have a hard covering, or exoskeleton. Mollusks also have a heart that pumps blood through their blood vessels, digestive system, and a nervous system. In addition to a shell, most mollusks have a muscular foot for creeping or burrowing, and some have a head with sense organs. Their soft body includes lungs or gills for breathing and digestive and reproductive parts. These are surrounded by a skin-like organ called the mantle. Mollusks also have bilateral symmetry- one side is a mirror image of the other- and can have one or two shells. Their organs are in a fluid-filled cavity; indeed, the very word mollusk in Latin means soft. The upper body, or the mantle, is a thin, muscular sheet that covers the internal organs. Most mollusks, particularly those with shells, also have gills in the central part of their body cavity. Despite looking fragile, mollusk shells are quite hard. Scientists are even studying nacre, a material found in mollusk shells, to develop materials that are stronger and lighter than steel. Puneet Vikram Singh, Nature and Concept photographer/Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Mollusks- snails, sea slugs, octopuses, squid, and bivalves- are found in habitats ranging from freshwater lakes and rivers to shallow coastal waters to the deepest parts of the oceans, worldwide. Most live in the bottom sediments, though cephalopods are primarily free-swimming species; some snails and clams are terrestrial. Species Mollusks belong to the kingdom Animalia and there are tens of thousands of invertebrates that fit into the Mollusca phylum. New ones are still being discovered, and researchers continue to modify the number and grouping classifications. One common schema used by researchers includes seven classes: Gastropoda (snails and slugs)  Bivalvia (clams, scallops, oysters, mussels)  Cephalopoda (squid, octopi, nautilus)Monoplacophora (limpets)  Scaphopoda (tusk shells)  Aplacophora (shell-less, worm-like animals)  Polyplacophora (chitons)  Ã‚   Diet and Behavior Many mollusks feed using a radula, essentially a series of teeth on a cartilage base. The radula can be used for complex tasks, from grazing on marine algae or drilling a hole in another animals shell. The radula scrapes tiny plants and animals off rocks or tears food into chunks. The adoption of different feeding habits appears to have had a major influence on molluscan evolution, according to the University of California Museum of Paleontology: The change from grazing to other forms of food acquisition is one of the major features in the radiation of the group. Based on our current understanding of relationships, the earliest mollusks grazed on encrusting animals and detritus. Since mollusks are such a wide-ranging phylum, its helpful to look at how one of the organisms that belong to this group feeds and how it captures its prey. Consider the deadly blue-ringed octopus. This mollusk hunts small crabs and shrimp during the day, but it will eat bivalves and small fish if it can catch them. The octopus pounces upon its prey, using its tentacles to pull its catch toward its mouth. Then, its beak pierces the crustaceans exoskeleton and delivers the paralyzing venom. The venom is produced by bacteria in octopus saliva, a combination of tetrodotoxin, histamine, taurine, octopamine, acetylcholine, and dopamine. Once the prey is immobilized, this mollusk uses its beak to tear off chunks of the animal to eat. The saliva also contains enzymes that partially digest flesh, so that the octopus can suck it out of the shell. The blue-ringed octopus is immune to its own venom. Reproduction and Offspring Some mollusks have separate genders, with males and females represented in the species. Others are hermaphroditic, which means they have both male and female reproductive organs. The mollusk life cycle varies greatly among different classes of mollusks and among species within classifications. Squids reproduce sexually: The females lay fertilized eggs in the water which hatch into larvae and then develop on their own. Octopuses do the same, except the females carry the eggs with her until they hatch. Clams, mussels, and oysters produce larvae that drop through the sea water and attach to a host to grow to maturity on. The hosts are usually fish, but oysters prefer the shell of an adult oyster. Land snails are hermaphrodites that mate and both partners produce fertilized eggs. The eggs are deposited in the soil; they hatch with a shell but most consume calcium to make it harden.   Mollusks and Humans The primary use that humans have for mollusks and the rest of ocean-living animals is their ability to filter large quantities of water, up to 10 gallons each. Mollusks are also important to humans as a food source- especially in the Far East and the Mediterranean- and have contributed in numerous ways to human civilization. The shells of cowries (a type of small mollusk that belongs to the gastropod family) were used as money by Native Americans, and the pearls that grow in oysters, as the result of irritation by sand grains, have been treasured for centuries. Another type of mollusk, the murex, was cultured by the  ancient Greeks for its  dye, known as imperial purple, and the cloaks of some rulers were woven from long threads secreted by the bivalve species (twin-shelled mollusks)  called Pinna nobilis. Culturing Tahitian pearls. CampPhoto/Getty Images Conservation Status Over 8,600 molluscs are listed in the IUCN Red List, most classified as Least Concern or Data Deficient, although many are threatened or endangered. The phylum represents nearly one-fourth of all the species on the planet. Threats Increasing levels of carbon dioxide are raising the pH level of the worlds oceans, which in turn, increases the acidity of these bodies of water. This greatly weakens mollusks otherwise strong shells and even makes it difficult for them to produce shells in the first place, threatening their survival. If mollusks begin to die out in mass, then fish and other animals that feed off of them may suffer. Northeastern University marine biologist Brian Helmuth gives the example of the common mussel, a member of the family of bivalve mollusks. In addition to the problem of increased acidity in the oceans, which, as noted, makes it harder for these mollusks to produce shells, the increasing temperatures of the oceans and even the sand and air on the surrounding beaches can mean a death sentence for mussels. â€Å"You are sitting there in the blazing sun, you’re not going to be able to move,† Helmuth says. â€Å"You can’t escape the heat, you can’t escape the sun, you can’t go into a crevice like ... a crab.† Mussels can literally start to cook on the rocks if they get too hot. Helmuth adds that global warming is shrinking the habitat in which mussels and other mollusks can live. And since mollusks are such an integral part of the food chain, that could eventually affect many other animals that depend on them for sustenance. Sources Beeler, Carolyn. To Understand Climate Change, Look at it From a Mussels Perspective. PRIs The World, April 25, 2017.Martinez, Andrew J. Marine Life of the North Atlantic. Aqua Quest Publications, Inc.: New York, 2003.The Mollusca. University of California Museum of Paleontology.â€Å"Molluscs.†Ã‚  Biology Education.Mollusks. Factmonster.Phylum: Mollusks. Mollusk Science.Salvini-Plawen, Luitfried. â€Å"Mollusk.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 13 Apr. 2018,

History Of Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History Of Human Rights - Essay Example Westminster School and at the age of twelve was sent off to Oxford (Queen's College). From 1763, he studied law at Lincoln's Inn and was called to the bar in 1772. Jeremy Bentham was an English philosopher and political radical. Although he never practiced law, he spent most of his life critiquing the existing law and strongly advocating legal reform. Bentham is primarily known today for his moral philosophy, especially his principle of utilitarianism which evaluates actions based upon their consequences, in particular the overall happiness created for everyone affected by the action. He maintained that putting this principle into consistent practice would provide justification for social, political, and legal institutions. Although Bentham's influence was minor during his life, his impact was greater in later years as his ideas were carried on by followers such as John Stuart Mill, John Austin, and other consequentialists.During 1776, Bentham brought out his first major work, A Frag ment on Government.3 It was about this time, too, that Bentham was to become a friend with a powerful lord, Lord Shelburne (1737-1805). Apparently, through the auspices of Lord Shelburne, Bentham was able to take time, to travel and to write. He [Bentham] has lived for the last f... His eye is quick and lively; but it glances not from object to object, but from thought to thought. He is evidently a man occupied with some train of fine and inward association. He regards the people about him no more than the flies of summer. He meditates the coming age. He hears and sees only what suits his purpose, or some 'foregone conclusion'; and looks out for facts and passing occurrences in order to put them into his logical machinery and grind them into the dust and powder of some subtle theory, as the miller looks out for grist to his mill!" (William Hazlitt.) Bentham's Philosophy Jeremy Bentham figured that laws should be socially useful and not merely reflect the status quo; and, that while he believed that men inevitably pursue pleasure and avoid pain, Bentham thought it to be a "sacred truth" that "the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation." Bentham supposed that the whole of morality could be derived from "enlightened self-interest," and that a person who always acted with a view to his own maximum satisfaction in the long run would always act rightly. Bentham is to be compared to William Godwin: they resembled one another in their "blind contempt for the past." While each preached the need for nonviolent revolution, each had a different following. Bentham's revolution was to be effected by legislation, Godwin's by argument. French Revolution:- The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. During this time, republicanism replaced the absolute monarchy in France, and the country's Roman Catholic Church was forced to undergo a radical restructuring. While France would oscillate among republic, empire, and

Truth in Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Truth in Politics - Essay Example For Machiavelli, 'virtu' or skill as wielded by a ruler would make for a state that would thrive and protect itself from the machinations of enemy-states. War for Plato is essentially unjust and the only justification for it is for defending the state, while for Machiavelli a state exists to wage war against other states - thus, war, is a natural condition in a state's existence. Plato and Machiavelli also lived in different eras. For the former, philosophy is concerned with the truth, as embodied by principles and how things should be, and this concern would naturally result in a perfect society. For the latter, philosophy is allied with the realities of power, in how things are as they are. Philosophers in Plato's Republic are the only ones ideal to rule (and become kings) because they love and search for the truth - as opposed to the other two classes, the people who are mainly concerned with honor, and the masses, who are concerned with money and the indulgence of physical appetites. The philosopher-kings possess the quality of truthfulness who "will never intentionally receive into their minds falsehood, which is their detestation, and they will love the truth." Truth as conceived by Plato is absolute, dealing with the eternal and the unchanging, the "forms" opposed to the fickle, the merely seen and experienced.

Mini leadership assigment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mini leadership assigment - Assignment Example Likewise, this brief analysis will consider the case of Robert Webb as a function of the key decisions and actions he has made within Hilton Hotels. As stated, one of the primary goals that motivated Robert Webb was a desire to streamline and update the Hilton Hotel brand. However, rather than falling into a pitfall of making broad and sweeping changes straight away with careful insight and collaboration with key shareholders, Webb slowly delved into the issue; utilizing both a top down and a bottom up approach (Press Release 2009). In this way, Webb typified the very definition of good leadership by exhibiting his keen levels of awareness by carefully communicating and listening to key shareholders (Aptio Highlight 2012). Similarly, by taking such an approach, Webb was able to lead from below rather than dictate from the top. Due to the support and shareholder buy-in, Webb’s changes became that much easier to institute company wide. A particularly unique concept of how Robert Webb engages with his shareholders is his primary emphasis on the communication process as a means of differentiating the needs and positions of key shareholders as a way of making an informed decision based upon the facts (Hickins 2012). Whereas many flawed leaders are quick to rush to judgment based on incomplete information and still others are fearful to act on any type of information for fear of making a mistake, Webb appears to split the difference between such positions nicely be actively seeking out knowledge and input from his shareholders and then after considering this at length – acting upon it. Says Webb of this process: â€Å"We’re only able to solve this with truthful, honest communication,† Webb says. â€Å"When people say ‘This is hard, I’m not sure I’m with you anymore,’ you need to get everyone to remember it’s about one team, one vision, and let’s get

Charging Overweight Passengers by the Pound Essay Example for Free

Charging Overweight Passengers by the Pound Essay In the world today, obesity is becoming a serious problem that affects ones life in different situations. One of these situations is flying in the airplane. David Landsel in his article Some Airlines Make Obese Passengers Buy Two seats pointed out that different airlines are taking some policies concerning this issue. However, united airlines are not taking any policies. Southwest and Midwest airlines claimed that overweight passengers should buy an extra seat. If the airplane is not full, and more seats are available, a refund will be returned to the passenger. American airlines put limitations on the services that the airline provides, but passenger is not forced to purchase an extra seat. Air France travelers that suffered from obesity will have the opportunity to buy the extra seat with a 25 percent discount. With these different deals about the fat passengers, there is surely a disagreement about accepting these policies or rejecting them. Obese passengers should buy two airline seats. This is because of several reasons that may be benefit for the obese passengers and the normal weight passengers. So this will help make everyone more comfortable. Some critics claim that obliging obese passengers to buy an extra seat is a ridiculous statement. They should not be penalized for something that they may not be able to deal with. They might have a disease that makes them that way. They argued that this is discrimination to obese people and should not be practiced. But this is not true. Discrimination against someone for something is based on an opinion without objective truth. In this case, it is completely obvious that the passenger is taking up more space than the accommodated seat space. So the argument of the opposing side fails to take into account. Other critics argued that airline tickets are sold per individual not per pound, and people should not be penalized because of their weight. This is a non convincing argument since airlines sell tickets by seat not per person. If someone takes up to two seats, he should have to buy two seats. That is how it is and should be. Obese people sitting in a single seat can become a serious issue. Passenger will seriously squeeze the passengers beside him, leading discomfort and cause a struggle to get out of the seat to the toilet. No one would accept an obese person sitting next to him squishing and taking more than his space for the whole entire flight. It is not fair to the people sitting next to fat travelers who are crushed and uncomfortable for the whole flight. Skinny people will be crowded out by overweight people. Second, airplane seats and seat belts are designed to hold an average weight of 170 pounds, so seat belts fail to restrain heavy passengers. This poses a safety risk for them on the aircraft. Another airline obesity issue is that obese passengers can affect the balance of the airplane by adding more weight. This excess weight requires more work for the plane to move a heavier object which makes the airplane sometimes in a dangerous position. One third argument that supports the statement that obese travelers should buy two airlines seats is that everyone is entitled to hundred percent of the seat for which he paid. Severely, obese people spill over to the next seat that is occupied by the person that purchased the ticket to that seat. Sometimes, fat passengers took up one third to one half of the other passenger seat space. So if any person takes up more than one seat space, he must purchase the additional space he requires. Urging passengers with high body mass to purchase an extra seat is a fair policy that needs to be done by the airlines in order to keep all their flights safe and comfortable for all the passengers. So, obese people must know that airlines are taking these policies to protect them. Deltas Suzan Elliott states that the airline has no plans to implement any policy that discriminates against any of our passengers. This is how all the airlines think about this issue, but the difference is the way they practice these policies and deal with them with regard to the refund and the cost of the extra seat.

The Role of the Friar in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

The Friar directly and indirectly took part in suicide, murder, and other tragic happenings. The Friar is an honored man, who sells herbs and medicines to the people of Verona. He is a type of ancient pharmacist, who has potions for both causes of good and evil. There are three specific instances of the Friar playing a major role in Romeo and Juliet: the impossible marriage of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's "death" plan, and Romeo's death. Without the Friar many crucial and tragic events would not have happened in Romeo and Juliet. The forbidden wedding of Romeo and Juliet could not have happened without the Friar. First of all, the Friar impulsively agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet, even though he knows it will cause later problems. In the beginning, the Friar thinks that "...this alliance may so happy prove; To turn your households' rancor to pure love." (II iv 91-92) Which shows that the Friar has a slight hope of their marriage possibly working. Consequently, at first, he shows no reluctance to marry the two controversial lovers. However, as time moves on, the Friar lets on that he has regrets about the marriage. The Friar feels that "Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow." (II vi 15) In other words, the Friar means that he senses that this whole wedding is happening too fast and he radiates a feeling of second thought. If the Friar had thought this crucial decision through he may have prevented many future tragedies. Accordingly, the Friar knows all along that "These violent delights have violent ends" (I I vi 9) The Friar knows that this is an impossible situation, which if made possible by himself will without a doubt end up in tragedy in one way or another. Under these conditions, as the Friar predicts, Romeo sinks into a deep depression, as a result of the fact that he cannot see his wife. Romeo has a one-track mind that is focused on something he cannot have. Similarly, Juliet becomes depressed and is grieving over the reality of her and Romeo's separation. Without the Friar the two lovers would not have been married, which would have prevented both of these depressions and future problems to come. The Friar is responsible for many problems which have a snowball effect after he assists Juliet with her "death" plan. When Romeo and Juliet are at their lowest point of depression, and Juliet is expected to marry Paris, she needs an escape plan.

Justice in Tale of Two Cities

Kate Partington Mr Wood Accelerated English 11 22 February 2013 Justice is a major theme seen in The Tale of Two Cities and it connects all characters in one way or another. One character in particular, Madame Defarge, links most others together in her crazy quest for justice. In Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities, Madame Defarge responds to an injustice in a negative way after the harming of her family and goes about the wrong way of trying to get revenge, which in turn contributes to the overall plot of the story as a whole.Madame Defarge’s search for justice for her family is gone about in the wrong way. She believes that in order to get back at Darnay, she must inflict the same pain she felt upon him. â€Å"Madame Defarge is the symbol of the evils brought forth by the French Revolution,† (eNotes, 67). After the rape of her sister by Darnay’s uncle the Marquis, and the death of her brother, Defarge’s becomes obsessed with hate towards anyone related to the Marquis and then in turn to the whole aristocrat society.Defarge targets the aristocrats in a very stereotypical way, yet does not understand that what she is doing is wrong. â€Å"Madame Defarge plots the downfall of the St. Evremondes and other aristocrats with almost infinite patience, working the names of those whom she hates into her knitting. She plots Darnay's arrest in 1792 and the eventual deaths of his entire family, demonstrating the depths of her hatred,† (eNotes, 67). Her understanding of justice is completely backwards and that only continues to cause more trouble throughout the book.Madame Defarge’s search for justice is successful in her eyes, because she achieves causing pain and suffering, but then goes too far when she begins to target random people. Madame Defarge becomes so obsessed with her idea of justice that no one can hold her back in doing whatever she wants to. Defarge is obviously wrong to go on and kill innocent people, yet in her e yes it is perfectly okay because of the injustice done to her family. Madame Defarge’s acts towards justice contribute to the work as a whole because without her actions there would be essentially be no plot.Defarge is responsible for Darnays trial along with all of the murders, which make up the bulk of the story. The Darnay family is also a big part in this story, and the reader grows a kind of fondness to them. When the Darnay’s family is in danger, the reader is affected as well because of all that was invested in these characters. The reader’s feelings for hatred towards Madame Defarge and sympathy towards Darnay and his family add a great deal to the overall lesson and experience of reading the book.Without Madame Defarge and her crazy acts of justice in her own mind, the story would not be the same and would not give the reader the same benefit. Madame Defarge all in all represents much more than a scorned sister looking for revenge, she represents all th e bad in the French Revolution. She had good intentions in the beginning; just wanted to get justice for her family, much like the French Revolution had good intentions to make a better life. Yet both Madame Defarge’s plan and the French Revolution went too far than originally planned.Madame Defarge began targeting random people just because they were associated with the aristocrat class while the French Revolution did the same. Defarge’s plan was a big part of the overall plot, yet it represents the Revolution as a whole much as the whole book does. Madame Defarge and her quest for justice are a huge part of the overall plot of the story. Without many of her actions, the story as a whole would not be the same. In her search for justice, she represents much more and that in itself contributes to the plot as a symbol for the French Revolution.The injustice done to Madame Defarge continues to affect all throughout the story. Works Cited â€Å"Characters. †Ã‚  Nove ls for Students. Vol. 5. Gale Cengage, .eNotes. com. 22 Feb, 2013 http://www. enotes. com/tale-of-two-cities/ Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 1997. Print. Bibliography â€Å"Characters. †Ã‚  Novels for Students. Vol. 5. Gale Cengage, . eNotes. com. 22 Feb, 2013 http://www. enotes. com/tale-of-two-cities/ Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 1997. Print.

Standing Up For Others

Standing Up believe that you should stand up for yourself, your community, and your country to support various things that can make a major positive impact in your society. Every day, you will see things that are unjust or maybe you don't feel is right. You as a person are given a voice for a reason. Not only for you but also for the people around you too. One example of a person showing what standing up for yourself and others can really do is Rosa parks. She is known as â€Å"the mother of the freedom movement†.This woman refused to eve her seat up on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama to a white person. This time period separated blacks and whites mind you that she was no intellectual or preacher, she felt that the situation was unjust and had protested in a nonviolent manner. She stood up for herself and the others in her position and changed the world for the better. Another example is when a young 13 year old and a group of her friends showed up for school one day. They were w earing black arm bands to mourn the death of Vietnam and all of them including her were suspended.They also faced harassment and many death threats. The UCLA came to her defense, winning a landmark Supreme Court decision in â€Å"Tinker v. Des Monies (19969)†. Lastly, movements can be seen in terms of environment. People are now beginning to expose the notion of and inherit value to natural resources, such as trees. Another is animal protection against cruelty, people that support things like this have already made a humongous impact on the public. It is seen in cosmetic companies that now go to lengths of advertisement to show that they do not est. their products on animals.All of these examples are showing that you can make a difference with your voice. It shows that you are on your community side, the people around you, and the people you care about. It also shows that you are focused on not just your own but, your teams well being and interest. Sticking up for others can help create such a positive working environment, that you are a leader worth following, and that is why it is important to stick up for your rights and the rights of others too!

Introducing the Comma

Introducing the Comma Introducing the Comma Introducing the Comma By Erin Commas are a tricky little piece of punctuation, and they give many people headaches. In my students essays, I frequently see commas where they dont belong, and I see necessary commas left out. I make it one of my goals to help demystify the comma for my students. The most common missing comma is the one that comes after an introductory element in a sentence. You need a comma after an introductory word: Actually, Ive never been to Disney World. After an introductory phrase: After the storm, many people were without electricity for days. And after an introductory clause: Because it was so hot outside, we decided to stay home. Generally, its safe to use a comma in any of these cases. Be careful, thoughsometimes what looks like an introductory phrase is actually the subject of the sentence: Starting an essay without doing your research is never a good idea. To be or not to be is the question. (apologies to Mr. Shakespeare) If a sentence starts with a gerund (-ing) or infinitive (to+verb) phrase, using a comma is incorrect! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Good At, Good In, and Good WithWhat to Do When Words Appear Twice in a Row

Song for my mother Essay Example

Song for my mother Essay Example Song for my mother Paper Song for my mother Paper The title of the poem makes its subject clear, a praise song or a eulogy, is a traditional form from many African cultures and is often sung instead of being written down. This poem was written to honour the attributes of the poet’s mother; it is a metaphoric poem written from the child’s perspective, using imagery to describe the powerful emotional relationship she shared with her mother. The poet is grateful and rejoices her mothers presence using the term praise in her poem title whilst referring to her homeland simultaneously. With structure, â€Å"Praise Song for My Mother† is based around the first three stanzas, each of three lines. All of which are very similar in format, although, the rhythm is not carried all the way through. The fourth begins in the same way as the first three but is extended, emphasising the poem’s final line about the daughter’s â€Å"wide futures† and expanding horizons, as if reflecting the way her mother’s care allowed her to develop and move on. â€Å"Praise Song for My Mother† is a free verse, meaning it does not adhere to regular rhyme or rhythm, writing in this way augments the fluidity and the reading of the poem. The lack of punctuation means that there is no pause, adding to the flowing pace and has a softer effect and tone on the reader. By not using rhyme and following an unconventional order, the poet creates a sincere and honest atmosphere within the piece. The consistent use of past tense and repetition, for example â€Å"You were† – secures and anchors this poem. It illustrates the certainty and unfailing trust that the poet places in her mother. The repetition is effective in reinforcing the idea of security and sanctuary created by the mother. It also signals to the reader that the poet’s mother has in fact passed away and elucidates the point of view from which it is written – as if the speaker is reminiscing and remembering her childhood, along with the influence of her mother. The first three stanzas end with a line that lists repeatedly three qualities of her mother. The first four stanzas all end with a verb (â€Å"fathoming†//â€Å"mantling†// â€Å"streaming†//â€Å"replenishing†), indicating on going action, that this adoration is constant. Nichols uses plosives, fricatives and dentals (sounds of the words) they are harsh and assertive at times, if linking this to the final line of the poem, it is possible that it hints at the writer harbouring a certain degree of bitterness towards her mother for pushing her to independence; it is clear that she enjoyed being sheltered and protected. â€Å"Water†//â€Å"Moon’s eye†//â€Å"Sunrise† are all examples of the natural references that the poem includes. This could signify a mother’s love being natural, endless and essential to her. By comparing her to various natural and beautiful things, Nichols really captures the sense of awe and admiration she holds for her mother. She describes her as â€Å"water†. Traditionally water symbolizes life, healing and cleansing. She continues to describe her mother as â€Å"deep and bold and fathoming† this only accentuates the emotions and feelings within their relationship, the confidence, courage and bravery (all features of the sea if you perceive it metaphorically), and the quality of understanding that her mother has. Her mother is also said to be the â€Å"moon’s eye† to her, this conveys how she was a guidance to Nichols during her dark moments like the moon only appearing at night. In relation to the previous stanza’s theme of water, the moon is also known to control the tide. If seen in a metaphorical sense, her mother is the moon and Nichols is the tide, being pulled towards her mother for safety and protection as suggests in the line â€Å"pull and grained and mantling†. Her mother became her strength and foundation when she needed her to be. â€Å"Sunrise† could be a metaphor demonstrating the joy and happiness that her mother brought into her life. Sunrise meaning she never set, that she never ended; she was always fresh and new. â€Å"Rise and warm and streaming†, warmth indicates a sense of comfort, rise embodies a subtle power that her mother has and streaming displays a ceaseless love. Evocative words are used to give more strength towards Nichols’ opinion on her mother and expresses how much of a important character she was in her life. And in a way, causes us, as the readers to be able to relate and in turn think of our own relationships with our parents. The fourth stanza is concentrated on food, drawing on Nichols’ Caribbean roots thus giving a more personal insight into the poem. She uses the double verb; â€Å"replenishing replenishing†, because like her natural references; the tide, water or sunrise, her mother is always there. The use of the plural form of â€Å"future† in the final line is significant. What these â€Å"futures† will contain is undefined by the mother; she has faith in her daughter hence the addition of â€Å"wide† showing that the mother knew her daughter would take advantage of all the different opportunities offered to her. And as if her parenting has been about creating possibilities, rather than deciding or controlling her daughter’s future. The main idea of â€Å"Praise Song for My Mother† is that parents – specifically mothers – are a source of nourishment and sustenance for their children, consistently providing them with the necessities in order to flourish and advance. Water, the moon and the sun are all elements that add to the timeless quality created in the relationship between mother and daughter. The keyword within the piece is â€Å"replenishing†, repeated in order to strengthen the reliability of the mother when giving everything her daughter needs to overcome obstacles and life’s numerous challenges. The celebratory and commemorative nature of the poem can be seen in the active and positive language the poet displays. She is praised over and over again for the qualities that she presents to her daughter, when helping her to adulthood. The mother is seen as an inspiration. It is not just a command to â€Å"go to your wide futures† that directs and leads the daughter into maturity but the example that her mother has set. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Other Poets section.