How effective is the Prologue Essay

In my opinion, the prologue is a striking and extremely effective introduction to one of the greatest tragedies ever written. One of the most unusual things about the Prologue is its structure; the fact that it is written in the sonnet form is very significant. The sonnet form of poetry is perhaps the most demanding and challenging poetic form that exists. For hundreds of years the sonnet (of which Shakespeare wrote 154) has been recognised as a structure that is only attempted by the greatest of poets such as Shakespeare or Wordsworth. It is often associated with love poetry and the fact that Shakespeare chooses the sonnet format to open Romeo and Juliet suggests his motive to prepare the audience with the love story to come. The sonnet is made up from 3 quatrains each consisting of 4 lines, with the rhyme scheme a,b,a,b, each quatrain telling us something different about the forthcoming play. The sonnet is finished by a rhyming couplet- a pair of lines that have the rhyming scheme c,c. Some might question why Shakespeare chose such a difficult poetic structure to open the play however it is clear to me that he chose the sonnet to grab the audience’s attention but also to demonstrate his showcase of literary talent. The sonnet reveals to the audience the degree of Shakespeare’s poetic genius to create a language – which in all its diversity can capture the most beautiful love story of all time. The first quatrain explains the background and setting to the play, explaining that the play is set in Verona, Italy. Shakespeare chose Italy as the setting for a number of his plays; although it is thought that he never actually travelled to the country, it was regarded in Elizabethan times to be a country of wealth and romance. It is entirely fitting that an immortal tragedy should take as its backdrop ‘fair Verona’ (line 2 Prologue) in one of the homes of classical civilisation. In Elizabethan times Italy was thought of as a country full of sexual and social intrigue; where often men fell in love with wealthy heiresses. The Nurse’s observation to Romeo, ‘he that can lay hold of here / Shall have the chinks’ (Act1 Scene 2 lines 116-117) suggests a common motive for love at that time. In the first line of the prologue, we are told that the house of Montague and Capulet are ‘both alike in dignity’, meaning that they both have equal yet important stature within Verona. It is significant that Shakespeare chose to base the plot of the play around two affluent families, proving that the greatest of tragedies can still occur within aristocratic families with the greatest wealth. We are not only told that there is nothing to choose between the families but also that there is only one heir of each household, creating a balance within the play but also an idea of opposites. In line three of the Prologue, Shakespeare explains to the audience that there is an ‘ancient grudge’ between the houses. We are told that this feud has been apparent for so many years that it is now self-perpetuating and of the cause no-one is really sure. In Act 1 Scene 1 line 80, the Prince exclaims that the feud has been ‘bred of an airy word’, meaning that the everlasting hostility between the two houses has no remembered cause. However Shakespeare catches the audience’s attention and creates suspense by using the phrase, ‘break to new mutiny’. We are warned of a new more violent generation of Montagues and Capulets who are willing to kill and take the quarrel to a different more violent level. This ‘new mutiny’ is definitely exacerbated by Tybalt – an aggressive, vindictive youth of the Capulet house who says (Act 1 Scene 1 line 61), ‘†¦peace? I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. ‘ Tybalt is described as ‘fier’ and a ‘Prince of Cats’, all implying his volatile and fearsome temper. He represents the ugliness that lies below the divided society in Verona but also is determined to keep it that way. In the forth line of the Prologue, the audience are informed about the civil side of the brawl, ‘Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean’. This phrase is important for it demonstrates the vast scale of the grudge – even the citizens of Verona are now becoming involved. In Act 1 Scene 1, the Prince calls the Montagues and Capulets, ‘Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel’ as their swords are stained with the blood of their innocent neighbours who have no reason to become involved in the conflict. However it is clear that the two houses will not end the feud until the Lords of the households condemn the fighting (which they clearly do not do). In Act 1 Scene1 there is a public scuffle and Capulet exclaims, ‘Give me my long sword’ and likewise Montague shouts, ‘thou villain Capulet!†¦let me go. ‘ The elder generation of Montagues and Capulets constantly fuel the feud and encourage it by setting a poor example. In the second quatrain, Shakespeare tells the audience about the lovers. We are told that they are from â€Å"fatal loins†- signifying death and already indicating their tragic fate. The idea of fate is one which Shakespeare experiments on throughout the whole play. Within the Prologue, we are given an interesting glimpse of the experiment Shakespeare conducts with destiny and fate. The audience are told that the lovers are â€Å"star-crossed† which not only indicates their catastrophic fate but speaks of the fact that the lovers were destined to acquire it. The next part of the Prologue is often puzzling for Shakespeare tells the audience that the lovers are going to die – some might say he is ‘letting the cat out of the bag’. However the knowledge that the lovers ‘misadventured piteous overthrows doth with their death bury their parents strife’ adds pathos to our view of events and the audience is allowed an overview of the lover’s actions. We see Romeo and Juliet struggling to attain happiness and know that they are always doomed to fail. In the play, we are presented with Romeo in a way that makes us believe that he is always a victim of fate. Friar Lawrence, whose role in the play is to try to unite the feuding families by strategically marrying Romeo and Juliet (thereby bringing peace to the streets of Verona) tells Romeo that he is, â€Å"wedded to calamity†. This again emphasises the strong prominence of fortune in the play, which Shakespeare cleverly gives us a taster of in the Prologue by calling the lovers â€Å"star-crossed† and their parents’ loins â€Å"fatal†. In Act 3 Scene 1, Romeo proclaims that he is ‘fortune’s fool’ and also puts himself in the hands of fate in Act 1 Scene5 by saying, â€Å"He that hath the steerage of my course, direct my sail! † Again Shakespeare presents to the audience the idea of fate and that it is almost leading Romeo in the wrong way. However later in the play we see a defiant Romeo who has learn of Juliet’s death and attempts to defy his destiny by exclaiming (Act 5 Scene1), â€Å"I defy you stars†. Nevertheless we are told that a consequence of the deaths of the two lovers will be that they will â€Å"bury their parents’ strife†. This means that by the end of the play the feud between the families will have been resolved. We definitely see this new family alliance at the end of the play for Lord Montague and Lord Capulet shake hands and Lord Capulet expresses his sorrow saying, â€Å"O brother Montague, give me your hand†. The shaking of hands signals the end of the feud, securing what the Friar had always sought to achieve, ‘To turn (their) households’ rancour to pure love’ (Act 2 Scene3). Fate itself is seen to be the result of divine workings: as the play nears its conclusion, Friar Lawrence reports that he has begged Juliet to leave the vault and ‘bear this work of heaven with patience’ (Act 5 Scene3) , whilst the Price echoes the sentiment in his final rebuke to the families that ‘heaven finds means to kill your joys with love’ (Act 5 Scene3). In Act 5 Scene 3, the Friar says that â€Å"A greater power than we can contradict hath thwarted our intents† – meaning that God had already decided that the cruel fate of the lovers. Yet again, there is a strong emphasis of fate and destiny but also of religion. It is not surprising that Shakespeare was so fascinated with the idea of fate – for he lived in a time of little scientific discovery in which religion ‘filled in’ any gaps of knowledge. In a wider sense, the play may be viewed as a dramatic representation of the perpetual conflict between love and hatred which enmeshes a pair of unfortunate lovers. However, also evident at the end of the play is the Christian concept of dying for ones sins – Romeo and Juliet are sacrificed to end the constantly intensifying feud between the two families. We are next presented with the third quatrain, in which Shakespeare overviews the plot of the play to come. The chorus explains to the audience that they will see how the lovers meet, love and die in the play, â€Å"The fearful passage of their death-marked love†¦ † He again speaks of the evitable sacrifice of the lovers’ lives in order to end their parents’ strife, â€Å"and the continuance of their parents’ rage, which but their children’s end nought could remove†. In this quatrain we also see the practical side of Shakespeare who tells the audience that the play is two hours long, â€Å"is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage†. The completion of the sonnet form is in the presence of the final rhyming couplet; which in this case tells the audience to listen to the forthcoming play if they missed any of the Prologue. It is a simple yet self-explanatory rhyming couplet, which speaks of the actors jobs as to â€Å"strive to mend† what the audience has missed – thus telling one of the most beautiful love stories of all time, Romeo and Juliet.

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor Essay

â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor is about a family from Georgia who are murdered on a road trip to Florida. It begins with the grandmother complaining to her son Bailey that she would rather go to Tennessee for vacation and not Florida. She tells him about an escaped murderer who is going to Florida named the Misfit in hopes to change his mind. The day of the trip the grandmother is dressed in her best and prepared to die as a lady if something should happen to them on the way. They stop at a barbecue restaurant for lunch, where the Grandmother talks with the owner Red Sammy about the Misfit and how hard it is to find a good man. Back in the car the grandmother talks about a house she saw when she was young, lying saying that the house has secret passages which makes the children want to see it more. They begin to jump and kick the back of the seat in front of them until the father agrees. When they get on an old abandoned road the grandmother real izes that the house is in Tennessee. The grandmother gets flustered and scares her cat which jumped up on Baily, causing him lose control of the car and it flip and land in a ditch. The adults are in shock and the kids are excited as if the accident was an adventure to them. As the family sit and wait for help a car comes and three men step out. One the grandmother recognizes at the Misfit. The Misfit tells them he wished she hadn’t recognized him implying that he would not have killed them if she did not. Starting with the father and son the other two guys takes all of the family except the grandmother into the woods and kills them. The grandmother pleads for her life as she hears the gunshots and tries to convince the Misfit that he is a good man, and for him to pray. The Misfit goes into a rant telling the grandmother all about him his past and that he was convicted for a crime he did not commit. After all of her family is killed the grandmother is sitting there her head becomes clear and she says â€Å"Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children† and  she touched him. He shoots her three times in the chest and said â€Å"She would have been a good woman, if it has been somebody there to shoot her every mi nute of her life†. In this analysis I will be comparing traits from the grandmother and the Misfit to find out who has more morals. Is it the grandmother or the Misfit? The first trait of both Characters is the use of religion. The Grandmother cries out for Jesus telling the Misfit† You’ve got good blood! I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady! I know you come from nice people! Pray! Jesus, you ought not shoot a lady!† She tells him he is a good man over and over again hoping it might convince him that in fact he is a good man and won’t kill her. The Misfit has more of a religious background than the grandmother. He was called a prophet gone wrong. He was formerly a gospel singer. He compares himself with Jesus when he said â€Å"Jesus thrown everything off balance. It was the same case with him except He hadn’t committed any crime and they could prove I had committed one because they had the papers on me†. He told the grandmother â€Å"Jesus was the only one that ever raised the dead, and he shouldn’t have done it. He thrown everything off balance. If he did what he said, then it’s nothing for you to do but thow away everything and follow him, and if he didn’t then its nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best you can- by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meaness to him. No Pleasure in meanness†. The second trait of both Characters is morals. The grandmother considers herself morally superior to others by virtue of her being a â€Å"lady,† and she freely and frequently passes judgment on others. She claims that her conscience is a guiding force in her life, such as when she tells Bailey that her conscience wouldn’t allow her to take the children in the same direction as the Misfit. She criticizes the children’s mother for not traveling to a place that would allow the children to â€Å"be broad,† and she compares the mother’s face to a cabbage. She rebukes John Wesley for not having more respect for Georgia, his home state. She also takes any opportunity to judge the lack of goodness in people in the world today. During all this, she proudly wears her carefully selected dress and hat, certain that being a lady is the most important virtue of all, one that she alone harbors. The grandmother never turns her critical eye on herself to inspect her own hypocrisy, dishonesty, and selfishness. For example, the conscience the grandmother invokes at the beginning of the  story is conveniently silent when she sneaks Pitty Sing into the car, lies to the children about the secret panel, and opts not to reveal that she made a mistake about the location of the house. When the Misfit murders the family, the grandmother never once begs him to spare her children or grandchildren. She does, however, plead for her own life because she can’t imagine the Misfit wanting to kill a lady. She seems certain that he’ll recognize and respect her moral code, as though it will mean something to him despite his criminal ways. She tries to draw him into her world by assuring him that he’s a good man, but even though he agrees with her assessment of him, he doesn’t see this as a reason to spare her. Only when the grandmother is facing death, in her final moments alone with the Misfit, does she understand where she has gone wrong in her life. Instead of being superior, she realizes, she is flawed like everyone else. When she tells the Misfit that he is â€Å"one of her own children,† she is showing that she has found the ability to see others with compassion and understanding. This is a moment of realization, one that is immediatel y followed by her death. The Misfit seems an unlikely source to look to for spiritual or moral guidance, but he demonstrates a deep conviction that the other characters lack. Unlike the grandmother, who simply assumes that she is morally superior to everyone else, the Misfit seriously questions the meaning of life and his role in it. He has carefully considered his actions in life and examined his experiences to find lessons within them. He has even renamed himself because of one of these lessons, believing that his punishment didn’t fit his crime. Because the Misfit has questioned himself and his life so closely, he reveals a self-awareness that the grandmother lacks. He knows he isn’t a great man, but he also knows that there are others worse than him. The Misfit’s philosophies may be depraved, but they are consistent. Unlike the grandmother, whose moral code falls apart the moment it’s challenged, the Misfit has a steady view of life and acts according to what he believes is ri ght. His beliefs and actions are not moral in the conventional sense, but they are strong and consistent and therefore give him strength of conviction that the grandmother lacks. Twisted as it might be, he can rely on his moral code to guide his actions. The grandmother cannot, and in the last moments of her life, she recognizes his strength and her weaknesses. O’Connor called the Misfit a â€Å"prophet gone wrong,† and indeed, if he had applied his moral  integrity to a less depraved lifestyle, he could have been considered a true preacher, pillar, or teacher. The third and final trait of both Characters is realization. Both the grandmother and the Misfit had a sudden realization. The grandmother realized that the Misfit was just a human just like her she said â€Å"Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children†. The Misfit realized that killing gave him no pleasure he said, said â€Å"She would have been a good woman, if it has been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life†. In Conclusion it appears that in fact the murderer (prophet gone wrong) has more moral than the grandmother, and that his faith in Jesus is stronger. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor Essay *Re-read the Story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor , following the â€Å"Re-Reading Fiction Suggestions† above. Answer the following questions: Are there any details that were newly recognized during this reading or that you notice tie in with earlier ones? I gained a better visual of the car the family was riding in while re-reading the story. I didn’t understand they were in a car, I had visualized the family riding in a station wagon. I also became aware of the fact that at the end of the story The Misfit picks up the cat after it had been thrown from the car and the grandmother had been killed. If evident, what significance does the title hold, and in what possible ways is it lined to the actions and the characters? The reference of a good man was seen throughout the entire story. I believe in comparison there is symbolism between the idea of a good man like Red Sammy versus a character like The Misfit is a direct representation of Good and Evil. Are there any words that are unfamiliar, and how does knowing what they mean make a difference in re-reading the story? Valise (suitcase), Sachet (purse), Ambling (saunter: to walk leisurely). Knowing the definition of these terms allowed me to better understand the appearance of the grandmother and the setting inside of the car. What is striking about the first sentence and the first paragraph of the story? Also, what is striking about the last paragraph and the last sentence of the story? The first sentence was allows the reader to know what the grandmother’s tone was. The first paragraph introduced the grandmother & her son. I was not very certain of the meaning of the last sentence but I took it as The Misfit saying that killing is not enjoyable. I found that as a contradiction to what he said about the bible saying there is only being good or being evil. Are there any details/parts of the story that do not seem needed or appear insignificant? What do you think might be the purpose for these insignificant parts? I did not understand the necessity in the grandmother wanting to keep track of the car mileage. It made no sense to me at all and wouldn’t have affected how I read or re-read the story. *Listen to the Audio Recording â€Å"Flannery O’Connor Reads ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’† (1959). Then, answer the following questions: How does knowing more about Flannery O’ Conner’s life and work, particularly her earlier artistic endeavors from the NPR Portrait, inform your reading of the story? From reading about her life it seemed like Flannery O’Conner always used cynical humor in her cartoons and stories. She seemed to be an emotionally â€Å"dark† person. Knowing this before I read the story might have helped me lower my expectations for a happy ending. How did you find the experience of listening to Flannery O’Conner reading her story aloud to a live audience? Did you expect the audience to react when and as they did, and did you share their reaction as you followed along? Did you gain any new insights about the story, and any of its elements or details, from listening to the O’Conner’s oral presentation of it in the recording? I felt that by listening to Flannery O’Conner read this story aloud I was able to become more emotionally attached to this story. The humor was very evident in the reading but did not bring out a verbal response from me. I did find myself laughing aloud once or twice when I was listening to the reading. I found the one detail that I had not noticed in the previous reading was that The Misfit kept the cat at the end of the story. p. 430 Answers How early in the story does O’Conner foreshadow what will happen in the end? I believe the first instance of foreshadowing of crossing paths was presented in multiple paragraphs. However the first instance was presented in the first paragraph. What further hints does she give us along the way? It mentions The Misfit and that he was headed to Florida. In the 5th and 6th paragraphs as well, foreshadowing is touched on when John Wesley was asked what he would do if caught by The Misfit. There are also instances that hint about the family getting into an accident. In paragraph 10 the author wrote that the grandmother dressed as a lady in case they were in an accident so that others would know she was a lady (which in truth became fact because The Misfit noted her as a lady because of her clothing). I believe that death was pointed out in the 8th paragraph in a more symbolic. The grandmother feared the death of the cat and it was because of the cat that the entire family (with exception of the cat) wound up dying in the end. How does the scene at Red Sammy’s BBQ advance the story toward its conclusion? Personally I don’t think it does at all. I feel like it was unnecessary. When we first meet the grandmother, what kind of person is she? From my reading I came to the conclusion the grandmother was very selfish. What do her various remarks reveal about her? It seems like she always spoke up when she wanted to get her own way. Does she remain a static character, or does she change in any way as the story goes on? I think she remains a static character throughout the entire story. She starts out as a selfish character that is out to get what she wants and in the end (although for a moment you see her as a pained parent) she still is saying whatever she can to save herself. When the grandmother’s head clears for an instant, what does she suddenly understand? She understands that she has made a huge mistake. The plantation she had been talking about was in a completely different state and instead of speaking up and telling her son she kept the thought to herself because she didn’t want to be held responsible for her mistake. What do we learn from the conversation between The Misfit and the grandmother while the others go out to the woods? You learn about The Misfit’s family history, his belief in Jesus and you learn that The Misfit believe that no matter the bad deed you eventually forget about what you did. How would you describe The Misfit’s outlook on the world? He has a very black and white view. In the story The Misfit says, â€Å" If He did what He said, then it’s nothing for you to do but thow away everything and follow Him, and if He didn’t, then it’s nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness†. I read that as his belief that by the Bible you either did exactly what it said to do or you acted as an Anarchist. Compare it with the author’s, from whatever you know about Flannery O’Connor and the story itself. I believe Flannery O’Connor may have had a darker view on life but not one as evil as the Misfit. How would you respond to a reader who complained, â€Å"The title of the story is just an obvious platitude† ? I would say that that conclusion could only be reached after reading the story. When you look at the title there are too many routes that the story could have taken to make it an obvious statement about the contents of the story. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor Essay The title ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find’ gives you the impression that someone is looking for a partner. When in reality, the title is actually explaining the moral of the story. Every character has their bad points, even the seemingly innocent children. From the Misfits, to the entire family, everyone was disrespectful and just plain rude. In some families it would be considered a mortal sin to be rude to elders. Unfortunately this family seems to get a kick out of being cruel to their poor grandmother. The Misfits are a different story entirely, because they know nothing better than cruelty. The Grandmother wasn’t perfect herself, but she did have it a little rough. Starting things off the Grandmother was the most mistreated elder I have ever seen. Even despite the fact most of the stuff that came out of her mouth was false or an elaboration. She was an un-trusted old lady whose family couldn’t wait to get rid of her. Someone whose words were constantly falling on deaf ears would get dramatic for attention, which is precisely what Grandmother did. This woman would stretch stories for her own benefit, which led to the family’s untimely death. Constantly fighting for her way, she felt it necessary to hide the cat in a basket. This also explains lying about the secret panel, which was enough to amuse the children. If she didn’t have clever ways to get her thoughts across, she would be completely ignored. The parents have been setting the wrong example for their children by disrespecting Grandmother. When the car flipped the Grandmother feared her son’s hostility. She was immediately guilt ridden and made herself look as vulnerable as possible. Her family had every right to be upset with her and she knew it. The family, used to hearing her ridiculous stories and demands, has grown accustom to ignoring her. They make it obvious that she’s not wanted in the family. Even the children are rude and disrespectful, obviously following the example of their parents. Her son glares at her for making pleasant conversation, and his wife doesn’t allow her to listen to the music she chooses. Her own granddaughter was filled with contempt when she found out  that Grandmother had indeed survived the car wreck. So fits the title that â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†, you can’t find one in this story. Now with the entire family burning holes on poor Grandmother with their eyes, you don’t think it could get any worse for her. Here arrive the Misfits. This appears to be a homely bunch of rejects or rebels, knowing nothing more than raising hell. They ride up carrying their guns, making the family realize their predicament just got a whole lot worse. The Grandmother recognizes them at once and begins to beg for mercy. All the while, they’re killing her unloving family off one by one. The old lady is persistent and continues encouraging the Misfit to pray, and become a good man. They converse for a while, and he begins to explain why he’s up to no good. He opens up to her, and she realizes he just doesn’t know any better. Grandmother is obviously distraught but she keeps at him. There is finally a glimmer of hope in the man’s face, he apparently wishes for a better life. When Grandmother reaches out to comfort him, to pull that good man out of him, BAM! He retaliates to her kindness with a wave of bullets. â€Å"She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life†. This man only knows how to kill kindness. He is simply stating what would have given them pleasure. The very next thing he says â€Å"Its no real pleasure in life.† This statement proves that he learned something from that old woman. He realizes what they’ve been killing all along. So her death wasn’t meaningless she finally got her point across to someone, someone finally listened to what she had to say, and was actually affected by it. So she died a happy woman, with a nice smile on her face, killed by her own kindness.

Internet and Privacy Essay

There has been a lot of controversy about the internet and its privacy. Today, some say you have no privacy with anything you do on the web. They say that the government is taking away the public’s privacy because they can monitor everything that happens on the internet. Even though most of this is true, there are plenty of good things to come from it. In this essay I will be writing about the internet and its privacy. The lack of privacy that comes with technology and the internet can and has prevented a lot of crimes to occur. It has made credit card fraud, once an easy crime much harder to get away with. They know what you’re buying schedule is like, so if someone steals your card and tries to buy something that is not something you would normally buy, you will get an alert about it. Security cameras at stores and ATM’s prevent a lot of robberies from occurring. The government states that the main reason why they monitor just about everything on the internet is to try and catch terrorist attacks before they happen. They have said that some of the terrorist plane hijackings could have been prevented if they had the internet security that they do now. Of all the good things that come with the internet, there are also some drawbacks that can be dangerous. There is just as much false information on the internet as there is true information. Hackers can create viruses that can get into your personal computer and ruin valuable data. They can also create viruses to steal personal valuable data such as identity theft. There are also people called â€Å"predators† that hang out on the internet waiting to get unsuspected people into dangerous situations. People can get addicted to the internet which can cause problems with interacting with their friends and family. As it is stated in What Matters in America, â€Å"Like any space where people gather, the virtual world is not immune to the same set of troubles we face in real life. Teens and children can be targeted be sexual predators. Kids can â€Å"cyber bully† classmates, carrying the tortures of the playground onto cell phones and computer screens at home. Illicit romances and online flirting may be taken beyond laptops, ruining relationships and destroying marriages. And, of course, cybercrime is ever present, seeking log in numbers, financial data, and credit card information†. (22) Privacy has become a big question in today’s society with all this new technology and the internet. The internet might be more secure today from hackers and viruses but we don’t really have any privacy on the web. Every purchase we make on the internet can be tracked by the government. They can also track almost every phone call that is made. The internet has become more convenient to use than it ever has been. You can perform just about any task you want with a couple mouse clicks. Your computer can remember everything you do on the internet. It will save all the sites you have been to, what you have downloaded, what you have bought online, and can even save your credit card information. When online you will see recommended web sites based on what you normally do online and even on certain sites there will be recommended products that are similar from what you have purchased before. All this personal information can be easily looked at by the government or even professional hackers. Is our privacy really being invaded or are we just putting this information out there? People say that the government is invading the public’s privacy. They say that they shouldn’t be allowed to monitor the internet. I don’t believe our privacy is being invaded because no one forces you to put this information online, even though it is hard not to in today’s society. In What Matters in America, David Plotz states, â€Å"Real privacy is what allows us to share hopes, dreams, fantasies, fears, and makes us feel we can safely expose all our faults and quirks and still be loved. Privacy is the space between us and our dearest, where everything is known and does not matter. † (70) With all this advanced technology on the internet, we need the government to monitor it or else there would be a huge amount of criminal activity and the internet would not be safe.

Technical and fundamental analysis for Appe Inc Essay

Technical and fundamental analysis for Appe Inc - Essay Example 16 1. Introduction: Apple Incorporation is believed to be one of the most leading and most researched stocks, which is traded in different stock exchanges. Technical and fundamentals of stocks such as Apple, Google etc. are more commonly studied and researched by number of different financial researchers and analysts Grady (2008). The paper is based on analyzing the stock of the Apple inc., from both technical and fundamental perspective. As the current situation identifies that there is big debate whether the apple can sustain its current market share in the market in terms of its tablets and Smartphone or not? Moreover, Apple is issuing more debt to repurchase shares from the market, the impact of debt increase will make investors demand higher rate of return on their investments and this coupled with low cash flows definitely reduces the intrinsic value of Apple’s share price. Apple is expected to continue to issue more debt. Despite of all the expectations, what is the out come for the investors of Apple stock (AAPL.O). The purpose of the paper is to analyze apple stock in terms of investment perspective, whether it’s a good buy or sell. The first section of the paper is based on the technical analysis. ... Therefore, the stock of apple is analyzed technically by evaluating its trends, which refers to the past data analysis, moving averages, moving average convergence and divergence and relative strength index. The idea behind using different method for evaluating the same stock under technical analysis is that the stock’s analysis and its movement can be confirmed from different angles. The second section of the report is based on the fundamental analysis of the Apple Stock (AAPL.O). The fundamental analysis is concerned with calculating the intrinsic value of the firm using its financials. The stock is evaluated in terms of its ratios, which are derived from the financial statement of the firm. The stock evaluation of Apple incorporation is conducted using different fundamental research model. Stock is initially analyzed using the Graham Valuation Screen, in terms of value investors. The Dividend Discount Model , which calculates the intrinsic value in terms of dividends. As th e stock evaluation is conducted in terms of value investors, therefore the Graham Valuation Model is more appropriate as compared to methods such as GARP. 2. Technical Analysis: Technical analysis is based on the evaluation of the stock in terms of historical data and its movements. There are different methods adopted to conduct technical analysis of the stock of Apple Incorporation to analyze the stock price movement more effectively. Technical analysis can be used in two different ways a) Predictive Technical Analysis b) Reactive Technical Analysis 1) Predictive Technical Analysis: The Analyst use the analysis to project the price of the stock based on its past movements. The analysts make money by selling their projections to investors. 2) Reactive Technical

Solar Energy Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Solar Energy - Research Proposal Example This study will attempt to address issues concerning current uses of solar energy, the amount that it generates as well as the prospects of this energy forms as a future energy source. Furthermore, there will be a discussion of environmental implications of using this form of energy with specific consideration of its being renewable. In addition, the costs of solar energy when compared to other forms of renewable forms of energy will also be addressed. There will be a study of whether or not this form of energy will likely become cheaper in coming years as more technologies are developed to harness it. Moreover, there will be a discussion of potential prospects of this form of energy and whether it will continue to be viable in coming year. Finally, the role of government in helping the development of newer and more efficient technologies to harness direct solar energy shall be recommended. This study is significant because it will develop an in depth investigation of the various uses of solar energy in the modern world. Furthermore, it will investigate potential uses of solar energy as well as technological developments which are being made to increase its usage as well as make it affordable for all people in the world. Finally, this study will develop recommendations concerning how both the private and public sectors can be of help in further development and application of solar energy. According to Leon and Kumar (2007) solar energy involves the use of technology to convert sunlight into electricity which can be used by individuals for their needs. Tritt, BÃ ¶ttner, and Chen (2008) state that there are two means of conducting this conversion and the first of these is through the use of photovoltaics which involve turning sunlight directly into electricity using technology in the photoelectric effect. The second means of turning sunlight into electricity is

Same sex marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Same sex marriage - Essay Example It was in 1970 that the first homosexual couple applied for a marriage license and was denied to marry. Since then, the LGBT community members’ struggle has begun. These days, there are seventeen countries in the world, mostly in Europe and South America, that give the right to marry and found a family for gay couples. In the United States, same-sex couples have a right to marry in thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia; in seven states, it is banned, and the issue is under court review in six states (CNN Library). The first argument for legalization of same-sex marriage is that marriage is an internationally recognized right. More specifically, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, â€Å"Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality, or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family† (The United Nations). It is not stated whether the couple should consist of a man and a women only, and the article on the right to marriage highlights people’s equality and is based on the idea of non-discrimination. The second argument for same-sex marriage legalization is that discrimination against members of the LGBT community in this sphere leads to discrimination against them in other spheres of life. Due to the fact that marriage is a very important social and legal institution, same-sex marriage ban instigates further prejudices, unequal treatment, and discrimination against LGBT individuals. These days, gay people are still experiencing dis crimination in the workplace, in their families, at educational establishments; they even become victims of hate crimes. The third argument for same-sex marriage legalization is that it will bring a range of benefits, which gay people are deprived of today. Among such benefits are health benefits as many of gay people suffer from physical and psychological disorders caused by pressure and discrimination. A 2010 research published in American Journal of

Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruises - Essay Example With this, this essay will analyze the strategic position of Carnival Corporation and Royal Carribean Crruieses within the cruise industry. Royal Carribean International is the preferred cruise brand among celebrities because of its ability to understand the needs of their customers and aiming to perfect their craft. This cruise company strives to attract international clients through packages and options that range from cruise lengths, innovations of on-board dining and other activities for the vacationing guests (Colon, 2008). In essence, this international strategy applied by Royal Carribean required that the cruise company makes adjustments to some of their vessels so as to accommodate the features that the company sought to add as a way of attracting and retaining customers (United States Securities and Exchange Commission, 2012). In contrast, the Caribbean Cruises Ltd strategy of achieving strategic position is that of seeking mergers and buying of their rival companies as a way of commanding the market more. As a suggestion, the Carnival should adopt the strategic position applied by Royal Carribean Internation t hat also includes the differentiation strategy (Engle, 2011). The differentiation strategy requires that a company focuses on product diversification, brand promotion, and venturing into multiple markets as compared to focusing on mergers and acquisitions (Bhatia,

Structures Impacted by Tsunami Bores Research Paper

Structures Impacted by Tsunami Bores - Research Paper Example The study seeks to offer understanding into the ways by which the coastal areas can be able to prepare themselves to withstand dangerous hydrodynamic forces associated with large tsunami waves that are progressing to the mainland.The conduct of this study is based on the recent occurrences of tsunamis that have majorly hit parts of the world such as Japan, Philippines, and Chile. As a result, many human lives have been endangered out of the tsunami waves that have extended into the mainland, hence causing severe destruction of buildings. The economic loss attributed to these tsunami attacks are also enormous with the 2011 attack costing US$319 billion worth of damages. The current study aimed at showing that the design of buildings needs to be done in consideration of the hydrodynamic forces, especially in the tsunami prone areas. By developing new guidelines and recommendations, it is aimed that the same will be applied in hydrodynamic constructions. In testing for the interaction b etween the bore and the structure, it is determined that a zero level of water momentum results in an impulsive force being exerted in the upstream. Consequently, the study established that for narrow channel conditions, the run-up power can strongly be affected by the channels. These channels can be built through SPH method as shown in the figure 2 below. Therefore, the study recommends taking special care in interpreting the hydrodynamic forces following initial impacts from the bore.

The Creation of Identity through Retail Design and Technology Dissertation

The Creation of Identity through Retail Design and Technology - Dissertation Example When looking at retail shop designs and technology, it can be seen that there is a specific focus on influencing the brand in a positive or negative manner. When the designs and technology are incorporated into the brand to show a sense of identity and the correct qualities, then it makes a difference in how consumers respond to the main trends. More important, there is the ability to create more relationships between the brand, consumer and overall identity of specific components that are a part of the retail store. The purpose of this research study will be to define how the retail design affects brand and how it creates specific associations with those that are interested in a specific product. The first definition provided will be based on creating an understanding of design and how it reflects brand as well as identity. There will then be an analysis which is based on the online and technological aspects of design and a store, such as the framework used for design and the way in which the layout of a website store should reflect the physical presence. This will be followed by creating a unique identity through the use of retail designs, specifically by using colors, layouts and other aspects to show what the store offers.

Marketing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing research - Essay Example The primary advantage of using internet as a means to reach target audience is that it is widely accessible; it is very quick in registering responses; it can catch response from a large number of audiences and last but not the least it has reduced the cost of carrying out research (Sekaran, 2006). These primary benefits of using internet as a tool for carrying out research are augmented by facts like: internet has inculcated in small and medium enterprises the habit of conducting or reverting to research when encountering an operational issue; internet has allowed students at various levels to extract information from previous researches and use that information in their own assignments; internet has also allowed researchers to seek responses from individuals who were reluctant to participate in focused group survey. Like these benefits there are other benefits as well of using internet as a means to conduct a research and gather responses. Internet technology has made it possible f or researchers to reach geographically dispersed respondents. It has supporting technologies like video conferencing and instant chant rooms which allows researchers of a field to gather at a place simultaneously, without incurring any cost. This type of research is carried out by means of group ware technology and this method is known as Delphi method. Internet has freed sponsored respondents from the tedious process of registering their responses to the posted mail, containing the questionnaire. Now they simply can go online to fill out the questionnaire in a hassle free manner. However, as mentioned earlier there are some negative aspects of internet, encountered when conducting quantitative or qualitative researches. The most troubling negative aspect of internet research is that it is totally callous when it comes to respecting respondents’ private time, when they do not feel like answering to research question. This is not the only facet of this issue; sometimes online research agencies send questionnaires to respondents without their consent to participate in this research, which leads to respondent’s annoyance. If this scenario is removed from the picture, even then there are a number of problems which can come up, for instance the online questionnaire might not open on the browser used by the respondents. This further leads to respondent’s agitation. Other problems with this form of surveys is that there are chances that the expected respondents of this survey do not fill these questionnaires, while respondents who are not fit to form the sample population of the survey might go on to fill in these form leading to corrupt data being collected and presented during the research findings. The research findings based on this malign data will not be authentic and if published will lead to a spread of knowledge that is wrong. And if by chance this finding gets implemented that it may result in heavy losses for the party implementing it (Nancarrow, Pallister and Brace, 2001). Other issues of conducting research over the internet are that sometimes customers might feel agitated by a questionnaire in their inbox, they might think of it as an invasion to their privacy or as something having a malign content in it that might threaten the integrity of their personal computer. Also there are strict guidelines set by major research agencies and associations as to what questions can be asked from a particular

Possible Effects Of Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Possible Effects Of Global Warming Essay If the global temperature swells by another 7 degrees, then it may result in melting of polar ice which may result in about a 3 to 4 foot increase in sea levels. If such thing happens, then many low lying areas in the world especially Bangladesh, Netherlands, Guam, Indonesia, Maldives and Sri Lanka could be engulfed by sea waters. Increase in global temperature may trigger the spread of dreadful diseases like Malaria, Virus fever, dengue fever and other sub-tropical diseases. Ever increasing temperature may upset weather patterns all over the world , causing starvation due to drought in prime food –producing regions namely South Asia , sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Latin America. Due to unprecedented increase in temperature, the whole gamut of species of animals and plants could be wiped out. 7. MAJOR PLAYERS OF GLOBAL WARMING: U. S. A is not only a foremost economy of the world but also the largest consumer of fossil fuels and naturally, it is the biggest producer of greenhouse gasses, comprising of more than 20% of the world’s carbon dioxide emission which is about 5 billion metric tons. Being the most industrialized economy, U. S. A is heavily depending on coal, oil and natural gas for its energy needs and hence U. S. A government is rather reluctant to initiate any appropriate steps to limit the greenhouse gas emissions and charges that Arrhenius theory is only a myth. U. S. A is averse to initiate any immediate action restraining the use of fossil fuels or to limit such use as they fear it would have long term effect on its economy. According to Global Climate Change Coalition, an industry group which is vehemently opposing prescribing mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions as it would result in the ruining of economy. Further , a study pursued by the coalition group forecasts that if U. S. A pursues some measures on restricting its greenhouse gas emission , then it would result about a 3% decline in U. S gross domestic product by 2010, resulting in a fall of 25% in the growth rate of American’s standard of living. Fig 1: Source: Pew Centre on Global Climate Change, December 2004. 8. PREVENTIVE MEASURES: An international treaty namely ‘The Kyoto Protocol ‘was adopted in Kyoto, in Japan in 1997 mainly to curb the emissions of greenhouse gasses. The Kyoto Protocol has prescribed mandating limits on carbon emissions which took effect in 2005 nearly after eight years of it was introduced. Regrettably, U. S. A, the world’s top carbon emitter has yet to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Some Energy companies and economists have proposed to introduce taxing carbon as an enticement to tempt both the industries and consumers to use low carbon emitting fuels. Gases like Chlorofluorocarbons [CFC] are man made ones and this gas was used as propellants in aerosol containers, as refrigerants and also being used as a solvent in the manufacture of computer chip. It has been discovered that CFC were mutilating the stratospheric ozone layer thereby permitting majority of the sun’s destructive ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth. The World CFC manufacturers have agreed to phase out their production of CFC by signing 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone layer. It is to be observed that the man made gasses like CFC is damaging the Ozone layer only very little and the major culprit is the carbon dioxide. Further felling the trees also contribute the level of CO2 high in the atmosphere as green trees helps to remove the gasses from the atmosphere or to maintain equilibrium. During the May 2005, New Zealand had introduced â€Å"carbon taxes’ mainly to dissuade excessive use of carbon oriented fuels. Thus, New Zealand had imposed about 6% to home electricity consumption and 9% for business energy cost. By 2012, all signatories to Kyoto Protocol should reduce their GHG emissions to less than 5% which is below 1990 levels. Likewise, The European Union had introduced a regional cap –and-trade policy to make it convenient for high emitting EU countries to oblige. 9. ADVANTAGES OF LIMITING THE EMISSION: Some U. S industries, though initially opposed to prescribe caps on emission, later considered that the stricter policy as not only environmentally essential but also potentially advantageous to economy since it will push for the invention of new technologies. Further, Title IV of the 1992 Clean Air Act demanded industries and utilities to minimize their sulfur dioxide emissions which are released by burning coal. Many companies who have exceeded their target sold their excess allowances to some companies that fall short of complying the above provision. Thus, a market in sulfur dioxide allowances materialized. The trading of these excess allowances is being conducted on the Chicago Board of Trading along with the markets for agricultural products and pork belly futures. 10. THE METHODOLOGY OF GREENHOUSE WARMING EARTH’S SURFACE: The greenhouse phenomenon is nothing about carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases discharged into the Earth’s atmosphere will trap solar heat and such trapping will warm the earth’s surface and earth’s lower atmosphere. The greenhouse gas emission effect has been explained in the following diagram: FIG 2: EFFECT OF GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSION: Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 11. CRITICS ARGUMENT AGAINST FINDINGS: Some critics like Sallie Baliunas who is Harvard University’s astrophysics argue that in the past century alone, there was an increase of just 0. 5 degree Celsius and not more than a 10 to 20 % of a degree could have been caused by human-made greenhouse gases. According to Baliunas, the 0. 5 to 1. 5 degree Celsius warming foretold by the computer simulations overstates the greenhouse effect created by the equivalent 50% buildup of carbon dioxide. Some critics argue that IPCC disclosure that there is a perceptible human influence on global climate† tosses the finding itself into air. Some critics vehemently lament that sea-level surge predictions are embellished as the temperature in polar region would still remain below freezing. Some points out those supporters have projected an illusion that global warming would result in the spread of malaria and mosquito oriented diseases. Supporters of global warming have forgotten to take into account the advanced technology available as on date like air-conditioning, mosquito repellents and mosquito coils and modern medicines have completely eradicated Malaria from the soil of U. S. A and substantially in other countries. Likewise, critics assailed a report forecasting that algal blooms amplified by warming waters would cause cholera was disparaged as unfounded one by the evidence. 12. IPCC’s FINDINGS ON GLOBAL WARMING: United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] has made the following revelations about global warming; ? There will be an increase of 15 to 90 centimeters in sea levels or by 6 inches to 3 feet by the year 2100. This mainly due to raising global warming which will melt polar ice sheets and the glaziers and there will be an expansion of water due to its getting warmed. ? Global warming will result in increase of extremely hotter days and there will be shrinking of cold days in general. ? There will be drastic change in weather pattern causing havoc floods like Katrina and some provinces will be engulfed by famine or droughts. ? There will be an intensity of rainfall as scientists would not predict whether severe storms and tropical cyclones would transform the intensity and location. If the sea level increases from half –foot to three feet level , then that would extensively flood the areas like parts of south Florida and southern Louisiana and would create an wide-ranging infrastructure changes in cities like Texas , Dallas , S. C , Charleston and some extent New York City. Further, regional warming trend over the past five decades has made ice shelves along the coast of Antarctica to crumple. Some supporters of the global warming argue that people would be benefit from climate change. According to World Climate Report, warmer climate will pave the way for opening up Siberia and northern Canada suitable for agriculture production, increase the rainfall globally and minimize the perils of winter driving. According to World Climate Report magazine that global warming would usher more advantages and these advantage will overtake its disadvantages. Imagine a warmer climate in poles, Siberia and in Netherlands. It would drastically reduce the energy consumption on heating, reduced clothing expenses, transportation will be less problematic and overall death rates would be at a lower level. Plants absorb the carbon dioxide through their leaves, employ it in the process of photosynthesis and then emit oxygen. Thus, the oxygen released by plant is taken up by the animals for their existence. Thus, carbon dioxide released by animals is returned to atmosphere and once again taken up by the plants as well as by oceans that envelop the Earth’s surface. 13. FUTURE ACTIONS TO BE PURSUED: United States, China and India are the three countries which have to be involved for the long-term reduction and these countries are not part of Kyoto’s Protocol first round. Since United States is not a signatory to the Kyoto’s Protocol, cutting emissions below 1990 level would be impossible to achieve. 14. ALTERNATE ENERGY: Wind energy is being employed in a large capacity in Germany and in a substantial way in countries like India, Denmark U. S, and Spain. As of today, wind energy is growing in a fast space due to technological advancement. It is to be observed that wind energy does not harm the environment and does not generate any greenhouse gases or atmospheric emission. Wind energy is named as renewable energy as it is replenishable and depends upon the sun as it is a form of solar energy. Hence, as long as sun is there, wind energy can be harnessed without any limit. Tidal energy is being harnessed to manufacture electricity also. A tidal power plant is in operation on the Rance River, an estuary of the English Channel in northwestern France since summer 1966. Tidal power plants will be most effective if the difference between high and low tides is enormous, as in Rance estuary, it is estimated that the difference is around 8. 5m or about 28 feet. Nuclear energy is a clean, competent and cost effective energy of the future. Some argue that though the nuclear energy is costly but it can be tolerated as it is a very efficient form of energy. For example, when set of uranium fuel rods is fitted in a nuclear reactor, it needs not to be replaced for many years. Further, uranium is available in plenty and its supplies are assured for many centuries ahead. As compared to fossil fuel based power plants , nuclear power plants does not emit toxic gasses in the atmosphere which ultimately responsible for global warming. It is to be remembered that a nuclear power plant does not pollute either the atmosphere or the water as compared to a coal-fired power plant.

Manti TeO Case Essay Example for Free

Manti TeO Case Essay By having read the comprising articles and the reader comments on the college football player Manti Te’o, this issue has many different meanings to many different readers. And as Gail Collins stated, â€Å"All I can say is, the story tells you a lot†, this open ended story clearly does give off a large amount of information and arouses a series of questions that anyone would hope to have answered for a better understanding. To me, this issue comes off as confusing, disturbing, and at the same time wretched. Even though Te’o had explained that he was hoaxed, I still am confused to what I believe. For some reason, I feel as though he has something to do with the person that has been hoaxing him all this time to make him not look completely foolish. In order for someone to accept to be in an online relationship, they must be absolutely desperate or grasping for a lot of attention. Especially because this is becoming a problem with someone like Manti Te’o is just puzzling. From someone who is a senior at Notre Dame College, and more than likely having dealt with a wide variety of different situations, anyone would think he would have had more common sense to go along with something like this. That is why most individuals, including me, can give a long explanation to why we are confused. After reading these articles, a different question popped up in my head after every sentence and this situation would be a lot more understandable if they were answered. To make a fake profile, and to use it as a way to make another individual feel sorrow for you is just alarming. It is incredible that today’s society has people that stimulate and have to deal with situations like this one. The fact that you can be in an extremely serious relationship over the internet, without ever meeting face to face, and knowing that Manti Te’o is one of the very many makes this society even more provoking. You hear about these types of issues more and more as time progresses. This issue is wretched because it is what today’s society is evolving to and society makes it okay for issues like this to occur. Television shows, social networking sites, magazines, and movies are putting ideas in people’s head and allowing them to think these types of occurrences are okay to perform. It is just absolutely terrible because issues like this are going to continue to occur because no one is attempting to put an end to it and people seem to be just falling into these types of pits more frequently. Consequently, if this situation was to teach anything, it was that our society has a lot ahead of us. Anyone can be a phony, everything in a way can be unreliable, and people need to realize this is become a truly large struggle. Gail Collins statement â€Å"All I can say is, the story tells you a lot† is an understatement. This story tells you much more than a lot and it tells you exa ctly what our future is beginning to become.

Design of Automated Biomass Gasifier

Design of Automated Biomass Gasifier ABSTRACT: Biomass gasifiers have found a promising place in renewable energy resource field. Even then, these gasifiers are facing lots of practical difficulties on operational effectiveness due to shortage of man power. So small scale biomass gasifier is fabricate and further the fuel feeding system and switching functions (On/Off Operations) are also changed by means of automation. Bucket conveyors are used to feed the fuel from the reservoir to the pre-storage chamber. The fuel will be fed in equal intervals of time to maintain constant level of fuel in the reactor. The level of the fuel in pre-storage chamber can be checked by means of level sensors. Ignition of the gasifier is also automated using a special ignition set up. All these automations are achieved by using microcontrollers, sensors and limit switches. Keywords: Biomass gasifier, automation, conveyor, microcontrollers. I. INTRODUCTION: Biomass gasifier has evolved in different aspects for more than three decades. Many improvements were made in biomass gasifiers. The rectifications of the flaws found in the gasifiers were sorted out; researched and good results were obtained. Highly efficient biomass gasifiers of different type are in existence at present. Even then there are many problems to overcome in order to make the biomass gasifier further more efficient. The main challenging factors to make the biomass gasifiers highly efficient both cost wise performance wise are as follows, (i)Gasification is quite complex and sensitive process. (ii)Due to the continuous working of the system it requires the repeated refueling. (iii)The removal of residues such as ash and other residues is taking more time.(iv)The formation of producer gas is very easy, but getting the proper state is very difficult.(v)Man power is needed for fueling, igniting and monitoring. Thus resulting in expenditure for safety aspects of human resources, which makes it cost inefficient the system. (vi)Toxicity of producer gas is also a major problem which affects the humans. Amongst all the problems faced, the major problems falls in a category of need for automation. The automation can be done in any type of biomass gasifier. This paper focuses on automating downdraft gasifier in particular. The concept of automation of the biomass gasifier started from the year of 1980 by â€Å"Bil finger industrial automation services†. Various up-gradations and the changes are brought into practice after the middle of 1990’s the automation of gasifier is still being debated for further improvements. A. Automation of the Gasifier Using Microcontroller Energy systems that rely upon biomass fuel are often very complex due to the need for the systems to integrate fuel handling, combustion control, and ash removal. Automation of biomass gasifier is capable of offering a wide range of solutions to suit these needs. These are achieved by utilizing a variety of PLC and SCADA systems at present [1]. Even though PLC SCADA finds a promising place in automation of biomass gasifier [1] there were few disadvantages like highly expensive system for being installed in small scale and medium scale gasification unit skilled workers with deep knowledge about these controlling system are needed. Hence this paper mainly focuses on automation of then gasifier from small scale to large scale unit. This can be achieved by automate the gasifiers using microcontroller. A Microcontroller is a digital computer on a single chip but usually runs for performing a dedicated task. It has CPU, memory, timers, Parallel Serial I/O and peripherals, counters and clock circuit. The primary operation of a microcontroller is performed by using a fixed program that is stored in the ROM. Because of absence of CPU, RAM, ROM, Peripherals all embedded on a single chip in microprocessor, microcontroller has a greater advantage over it. This in turn reduces the size of the application and cost. It consumes low power because it operates at low frequencies and so it is fit for durable application. II. DESIGN OF AUTOMATED GASIFIER: Downdraft gasifier, the upper cylindrical part of gasifier acts as a collection device for wood chips or other biomass fuel [4]. The downdraft gasifier is shown in Fig. 1. Below this cylindrical part of gasifier, there is a radially directed air nozzle that permits air to be drawn in to the raw material, so they become gasified. Before the pyrolyzing of biomass it contacts with atmospheric air, char and support a flame. It rapidly consumes limited air supply for getting richer flame in the pyrolysis zone. At the final stage of pyrolysis zone, the gases consist mostly of C ­o, H2o, Co2 and CH4 [5]. The throat ensures that the gaseous products pass through the hottest zone where most of the tar cracked into gaseous hydrocarbon. Thus produces relatively clean gas. A. Components of gasifier: All the components of downdraft gasifier are designed in soildworks software. Main components of automated downdraft gasifier and their design are described below. 1. Hopper: The purpose of a hopper is to store the biomass for continuous feed to reaction chamber. It is mounted above the reactor of gasifier. The fuel storage hopper is made up of 4mm thick mild steel. The diameter and height of fuel hopper is chosen to be 220mm and 550mm respectively [2]. Round shaped hopper has been chosen to prevent the problem of biomass being stuck. 2. Gasification Zone: This is the main component of gasifier. The main reaction of gasification like oxidation, reduction and distillation takes place in this zone. It is in the shape of vertical convergent and divergent nozzle (from top to bottom direction) and made by 3mm thick mild steel. Upper diameter of divergent section is 100mm and the lower diameter is of 220mm with 100mm height respectively [2]. 3. Outer Cylinder: A cylinder is made to cover the whole gasification assembly. The height and diameter of cylinder are 220mm and 250mm respectively [2]. B. Components of automated gasifier: The components of automated gasifier and their design are described below. 1. Pre-storage chamber: A pre storage chamber is made to store the fuel after the fuel bunker and before the combustion chamber. The height and diameter of cylinder are 200mm and 300mm respectively. 500mm length door frame is placed on the top of cylinder, same 500mm length door frame placed on the bottom of the cylinder. And 250mm outer diameter and 220mm inner diameter flange. 8 holes of 10mm diameter are drilled in the plates to join the hopper and pre-storage chamber with the help of nut and bolts. 2. Pre – Storage Door with lead screw: A pre-storage door with lead screw is placed inside of the door frame. It is used to avoid the atmospheric air to inside the combustion zone. The length, breadth and thickness of door are 300mm, 210mm and 2mm respectively. And the Diameter, Length, Pitch and Thread height of lead screw are 19mm, 320mm, 6mm and 3mm respectively. The Diameter, Length, Pitch and Thread height of box nut are inner diameter- 20mm, outer diameter- 40mm, 35mm, 6mm and 3mm respectively. The door is placed on the top of cylinder, same door frame placed on the bottom of the cylinder. 3. Fuel bunker with conveyor system: A fuel bunker with conveyor is made to store the fuel in the fuel bunker and convey the fuel from fuel bunker to pre-storage chamber (Bucket conveyors were used in the system) [3]. The height, length and width of fuel bunker are 400mm, 450mm and 450mm respectively. And the conveyor is placed inside of the fuel bunker another end is placed on the top of the pre-storage chamber. C. Assembling of automated gasifier: In order to assemble the gasifier components, first of all water tank is placed on the stand and the gasifier is placed inside the tank. Now the pre-storage chamber is placed to top of the hopper and join with the help of nut and bolts. And the fuel bunker with conveyor is placed on the stand one end of the conveyor is fixed inside of the fuel bunker and another side of the conveyor is fixed on the top of the pre-storage tank with help of bolts and nuts. The schematic of automated gasifier unit is shown in fig. 1. Fig.1. Schematic of automated gasifier unit III. COMPONENTS OF CONTROL SYSTEM A. Microcontroller kit: Microcontroller kit is used to control the sequence of operation in this system, like door open close, conveyor system on/off, igniter on/off, blower on/off. These operations are control by according to the sequence of operation. B. Sensors: IR proximity sensor is act as a level sensor. The level of the fuel in pre-storage chamber can be checked by means of level sensors. It can able to sense the nearby objects without any disturbance of the sensed object. It does not have any mechanical parts and also lack of direct contact between sensed object and sensor. So it has high durability and high reliability. C. Motors: Motor is used to drive the conveyor system and door open close operations. These are controlled by microcontroller kit. D. Limit switches: Limit switch is a device which converts mechanical motion in to electric signal. It is operated by physical contact of the object. In this system limit switches are used to control the door open close system. Fig.2. Automated small scale gasifier unit IV. SEQUENCE OF OPERATION Flow chart for sequence of operation Starting process Continuous process If the fuel level comes down in the hopper B. Flow chart description: Starting process: Step 1: set the feeding time interval in the microcontroller kit (using adjustable time regulator). Step 2: press the press button to start the process. Step 3: door 1will be open (using motor limit switch). Step 4: conveyor on fuel is taken from fuel bunker to pre-storage chamber. Step 5: if the fuel attains the maximum level in pre-storage chamber, the conveyor system will be cut off (using sensor to check the level of fuel in pre-storage chamber). Step 6: After these door 1will be close. Step 7: And then door 2 open. The fuel comes from pre-storage chamber to hopper. Step 8: After 25 sec door 2 will be close. Step 9: repeat from step 1 to step 6 another one time for filling the hopper (this repeating process is adjustable in the program. it depends upon the fuel). Step 10: After this process air blower will be on (for creating pressure in the gasification zone). Step 11: After 1min igniter will be on (using automatic igniter). Continuous process: The continuous process will happen for every equal interval. The time interval is adjustable (before start the whole process to set the time interval depends up on the fuel characteristics). Step 1: door 1 open. Step 2: conveyor on fuel is taken from fuel banker to pre-storage chamber. Step 3: if the fuel will be attain maximum level in pre storage. The conveyor system will be cut off. Step 4: door 1 close. Step 5: door 2 open. The fuel comes to hopper. Step 6: After 25 sec door 2 will be close V. CONCLUSION Thus the small scale biomass gasifier was designed and fabricated with automatic controls. This gasifier is initiated with the manual feeding of biomass in the Fuel bunker, set the equal time interval for feeding from fuel bunker to pre-storage chamber and press the push button to start process there after the entire process like fuel feeding system, ignition system, switching functions (On/Off Operations), equal interval of feeding was automated using microcontroller, sensors, limit switches and motors. In future to develop the gasifier in fully automatic mode, to controlling and monitoring the gasifier parameters like temperature, pressure, air flow rate and gas flow rate etc. And also implement this automation in large scale gasfiers.

Social Foundations of Public Issues Essay -- Government Capital Punish

Social Foundations of Public Issues Capital punishment is a hot issue. On a popular news magazine television show documenting the count down to an inmate’s execution or pardon, it is life or death. In the latest Oscar nominated film about a framed man taking his few last breaths on death row while the audience and one faithful lawyer pull for his release, it is emotional magic. Written in the latest literature you were handed on the street advocating the exoneration of some freethinker the government wanted silent, it is American freedom. Capital punishment is a big issue because it is in every home in America and it is discussed in every political agenda. The sides have been drawn for decades, and every opinion and position will be praised as much as it will be despised. Because capital punishment is such a debated issue in the United States, an American politician must take a very logical position towards the subject while keeping very much in touch with the moral arguments involved. The position must con tain an easily followed argument that will not betray the former advocates of its decisions and sway any individual remotely near the fence. The most general key issue involved with capital punishment is whether or not it should be an option in the American judicial system. The array of key issues that lie under this range from states rights to moral law, with thousands of citizens piecing together their separate positions somewhere in between. The position most prosperous for a political candidate is one that rips away all previous conceptions and begins anew at answering this question: is capital punishment beneficial to the public of America? Then as this argument is formed it must address every preconceived m... ...pers.nber.org/papers/W5119> Paternoster, Raymond. â€Å"Myths and Misconceptions about the Death Penalty†. Sociology. 1999 Ross, Michael B. â€Å"The Execution of Innocence.† Peace Review Sep 1998: Vol. 10, Iss. 3. ProQuest. NYU, New York, NY. 22 Feb. 2004 Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics. 2002. 14 Feb 2004. Subcommittee on Federal Death Penalty Cases, Committee on Defender Cases, and Judicial Conference of the United States. â€Å"Federal Death Penalty Cases: Recommendations Concerning the Cost and Quality of Defense Representation†. May 1998. 14 Feb 2004. University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center. â€Å"The Death Penalty in the United States of America: Cruel, Unfair, Arbitrary, and Racially Biased?†. 1998-2000.

Global Warming Essay -- Environmental Global Climate Change

Global Warming Global Warming, aside from pollution is one of scientists biggest concerns. Global Warming is caused by the Greenhouse effect. There are 4 steps in the Greenhouse effect process. The first is, sunlight radiates from the sun, through space, to the Earth’s atmosphere. The second is, sunlight enters the atmosphere and hits the Earth. Some of that sunlight turns into heat energy in the form of infrared light. Surrounding air and land, which in turn makes the heat warm, absorbs the heat. Third, the greenhouse gases trap infrared rays that is remitted into the atmosphere. Finally, the gas then absorbs the light and is remitted back to the Earth’s surface and warms it even more. Another cause of Global Warming is the emissions of greenhouse gases due to the increase in technology that humans have developed. One recent study by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) said that unless governments do something to restrict the emissions of greenhouse gases to a lower level, global temperatures could rise 1.6 to 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100. This would represent the fastest rate of global warming since the end of the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago. With the increased warming of the Earth it could lead to catastrophic events that could endanger living species on our planet. One event is major drought all around the world. With the warming of the planet, the water on the ground would quickly evaporate causing the rivers and lakes to qui...

Reconciling Injustice and Necessity: The Statesman in the Practical City :: Essays Papers

Reconciling Injustice and Necessity: The Statesman in the Practical City When Socrates builds up a â€Å"city in speech† from ideals, he allows himself the option of overlooking the more distasteful features of real human cities simply by omitting them from the argument. His is a city whose primary purpose is to shed light on the soul of an individual, and its role as a metaphor allows it to contain logical conclusions which run wholly counter to the feasible practices of men. Aristotle permits himself no such luxury when he sets out to describe politics from the top down; he cannot overlook such thorny issues as slavery and empire because they exist as significant features in the constitutions of men and must be dealt with by statesmen, to whose needs Aristotle is particularly sensitive. Unlike Socrates, he cannot simply label these things unjust in the abstract and remove them from the ideal city. Aristotle, in his own description of an ideal constitution, is scrupulously practical, even when practicality prevents him from endorsing what would s eem to be the logical conclusions of his own arguments. His treatment of empire in the Politics, like his treatment of slavery—empire’s small-scale cousin—reflects this ability to reconcile a concept of absolute justice to the inevitable injustices of political life. It is not immediately obvious what Aristotle’s verdict on empire is. The institution seems to simultaneously violate several of his premises for a good city and promote others, and Aristotle sets up a comparison of the arguments for both sides to address this tension. On the one hand, he perceives injustice in states whose sole purpose is to conquer their neighbors, and chastises statesmen who arbitrarily enslave others for ruling â€Å"without regard to the right or wrong of what [he is] doing† (VII.ii.13) . He also praises the self-contained happiness of the isolationist state when he says, â€Å"It is possible to imagine a solitary state which is happy in itself†¦It will obviously have a good constitution† (VII.ii.16). However, both these lines of reasoning are incomplete condemnations of empire. The first implies only that the statesman is ultimately accountable to right and wrong in his actions and must consider this standard in his decision-making, no t that imperialism is in itself always on the side of wrong. He sees the thorough isolationism of the â€Å"solitary state† as problematic as well, ending his description of it with, â€Å"But it will have no regard to war† (VII. Reconciling Injustice and Necessity: The Statesman in the Practical City :: Essays Papers Reconciling Injustice and Necessity: The Statesman in the Practical City When Socrates builds up a â€Å"city in speech† from ideals, he allows himself the option of overlooking the more distasteful features of real human cities simply by omitting them from the argument. His is a city whose primary purpose is to shed light on the soul of an individual, and its role as a metaphor allows it to contain logical conclusions which run wholly counter to the feasible practices of men. Aristotle permits himself no such luxury when he sets out to describe politics from the top down; he cannot overlook such thorny issues as slavery and empire because they exist as significant features in the constitutions of men and must be dealt with by statesmen, to whose needs Aristotle is particularly sensitive. Unlike Socrates, he cannot simply label these things unjust in the abstract and remove them from the ideal city. Aristotle, in his own description of an ideal constitution, is scrupulously practical, even when practicality prevents him from endorsing what would s eem to be the logical conclusions of his own arguments. His treatment of empire in the Politics, like his treatment of slavery—empire’s small-scale cousin—reflects this ability to reconcile a concept of absolute justice to the inevitable injustices of political life. It is not immediately obvious what Aristotle’s verdict on empire is. The institution seems to simultaneously violate several of his premises for a good city and promote others, and Aristotle sets up a comparison of the arguments for both sides to address this tension. On the one hand, he perceives injustice in states whose sole purpose is to conquer their neighbors, and chastises statesmen who arbitrarily enslave others for ruling â€Å"without regard to the right or wrong of what [he is] doing† (VII.ii.13) . He also praises the self-contained happiness of the isolationist state when he says, â€Å"It is possible to imagine a solitary state which is happy in itself†¦It will obviously have a good constitution† (VII.ii.16). However, both these lines of reasoning are incomplete condemnations of empire. The first implies only that the statesman is ultimately accountable to right and wrong in his actions and must consider this standard in his decision-making, no t that imperialism is in itself always on the side of wrong. He sees the thorough isolationism of the â€Å"solitary state† as problematic as well, ending his description of it with, â€Å"But it will have no regard to war† (VII.

Description of Environmental Problems

Description of the Environmental Problems Recycling is more than just waste control; it is a responsibility for the conservation of resources. As the years have passed, the influx of individuals entering the United States and natives alike, who are unequipped with the proper paradigm to fully understand the colossal advantages recycling has on their state and greater still, our world as a whole, do the environment a grave injustice. The world is only able to produce so much and if people don’t work to preserve what the finite resources the earth, as we know will be a cesspool of waste. The problem that seems to readily exist is the limited emphasis put on the process of salvage and reuse. This is a progressive society and without alarming statistics in order to grab the attention of those who dismiss reprocessing as too time consuming or a nuisance won’t conform. Mother Earth will be emaciated and uninhabitable in the future if enough people don’t recognize the scarcity of resources this epidemic can create. The outcry to recycle is not being expressed loudly enough, nor is an alternative, and as a result our earths ability for infinite life and growth is being challenged. There needs to be a mandatory computation for families sent out, like a census, to track their usage for a week to as a means of bringing like to the amount of waste being generated. In calculating my own use, as a family of five, I found my landfill bag to be the fullest at the end of the week, yet the recyclables, paper included, weighed the most. Paper in my home is abundance, yet the more paper the less trees and although this destroys a living organism and seems to be the easiest for anyone to recycle, although, its the most discarded. Deciding what belonged in each bag was a relatively simply duty, I have been recycling, although not always properly, until recently, for over ten years, so what started out as a time consuming necessary evil is now a way of life. The product that was discarded the most was paper in the recycling bin, some of which was never read just a sheer waste of trees and most on non-recycled paper, pull-ups were the most discarded in the landfill container and a two lunch meat containers went into the reuse bin. Recycling isn’t a hard chore if you look at it as regular occurrence, like brushing your teeth, it’s just something you do daily. Recycling is a crucial precursor for the longevity of the earth among other things and a minor task for me to continue. It is also a lifestyle that must be invoked to keep equilibrium among insatiable wants of humans and the necessities of the earth in order to remain sustainable, and R. Edward Freeman, Jessica Pierce and Richard Dodd concur by stating: The conservation mind-set tells us to conserve the earth's resources for the future. The moral and practical presuppositions for this mind-set are several. First, we have to believe that many of the resources basic to human survival (e. . , clean water, arable land, breathable air, forests, other species) are scarce, a fact the conservationists believe has been amply proved. Second, we have a moral responsibility to future generations and must be willing to frame our activities now in the context of future needs. In theory, people would have a moral responsibility to the quality of life for future generations and exercise it, but in r eality, people don’t care or don’t respond adequately to the human element and even less about wildlife and their habitat. Despite our best efforts the question still remains, are landfills the most environmentally safe and cost effective device to promote a healthy environment? The are some pessimist who respond negatively to the idea of recycling as some argue that without proper waste management options it cost more to recycle that to just discard. The National Resources Defense Council, quoted a writer, John Tierney, from â€Å"Recycling is Garbage†: The simplest and cheapest option is usually to bury garbage in an environmentally safe landfill. There’s little reason to worry about modern landfills, which by federal law must be lined with clay and plastic, equipped with drainage and gas-collection system, covered daily with soil and monitored regularly for underground leaks. In conflicting information it shows that this is an incorrect statement, because landfills are not inexpensive and the danger to the environmental has been noted as dangerous but conflicting on the level of toxicity. Recommendations The Merriam-Webster collegiate dictionary describes recycling as â€Å"to pass again through a series of changes or treatments; to return to an original condition so that operation can begin again†. Recycling is clearly the only way to prolong the life of the planet, but the lingering problem is what manner to do the recycling? Landfills are no longer the optimum choice because of the long-term consequence and no one is fully prepared to have a landfill in their neighborhood. â€Å"It is likely that regional prosperity would be enhanced if every community were more self-reliant†¦ and recycle locally† (NRDC, 1997). The use of state of the art less emission incinerators would be an option or the use of less packing supplies for items that are unbreakable (apparel, books and rubber exercise equipment and accompanying tapes), are all item that could use less packing. People are driven by money, use the same incentive that make people return pop cans and if there were a price put on the amount of recycling it would stand to increase considerably. Over the years, people attempting to reduce their trash started burning it which is more harmful to the environment from the fumes alone and other methods have tried and failed.

Setting as a Clarification of Motives in Hedda Gabler

Setting as a Clarification of Motives in Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen centralizes one of his most renowned plays, Hedda Gabler, around an upper-class housewife, and the complexities behind her seemingly average life. The title character finds herself in conditions that would be highly sought after by most young women of the nineteenth century: in a seemingly stable marriage with a comfortable home, and significantly more freedom than most females were offered within the context of the play.For this reason, Hedda’s tragic suicide comes as a surprise, and is often considered to be incomprehensible and unjustifiable in the minds of audience members. That being said, Ibsen clarifies Hedda’s motives by using the play’s setting to offer hints and explanation regarding the character’s condition as well as the factors that make her a victim of society.By understanding Ibsen’s use of the broader setting of nineteenth century Norway, as well as the smaller and m ore detailed setting on stage, one can in turn begin to understand the reasoning behind Hedda’s final impassioned decision and the events leading up to the play’s tragic conclusion. The nineteenth century was a time of patriarchal dominance, which is the foundation beneath most of Hedda’s internal conflict. Being raised by her father as a young girl, Hedda was treated more like a son than a daughter, and therefore able to enjoy freedoms that were typically reserved for males of the time.In the first scene of the play, Miss Tesman brings attention to this fact by exclaiming, â€Å"what a life she had in the general’s day! † (Ibsen 201) and remembering the days when Hedda would ride horses with General Gabler, â€Å"galloping past† (201), rather than trotting as would be customary for young women of the era. When Hedda agrees to marry George Tesman, she sacrifices this liberty of gender ambiguity, and confines herself to the societal restricti ons of the time.Nevertheless, although Hedda displays an outward compliance to the female expectations of the time, inwardly, Hedda rejects the idea of being dominated by a husband, which manifests in her passive aggression towards George. Ibsen underscores this idea even further through the title of the play, â€Å"Hedda Gabler†, which uses the woman’s maiden name, indicating that she remains attached to a time when her father was the only man in her life. Notwithstanding these social restraints, the hindrances to Hedda’s liberty cannot solely be blamed on the 1879 setting.Rather, the confines placed upon Hedda by societal expectations are compounded and made increasingly restricting by the woman’s own obsession with maintaining outer appearances and social mores. Should she choose to, Hedda could leave her husband like Mrs. Elvested to pursue her own idea of happiness, but in doing so, the protagonist would sacrifice her social standing and image as a w ell-esteemed and proper wife. With that, she decides to enshroud her life in a facade at the expense of her contentment.The threat of this mask of grace being removed, which would result in her becoming an outcast of nineteenth century society, becomes one of the deciding factors in Hedda’s suicide. To elaborate, in her twisted hunt for â€Å"†¦something spontaneous and beautiful† (Ibsen 118), Hedda sets out like a venomous arachnid, weaving web after web of conflict and deception to amuse herself, while maintaining an outward impression of integrity. This disguise becomes endangered when Judge Brack becomes privy to Hedda’s malicious behaviour and her role in Lovborg’s suicide, then threatening to expose her should she not surrender to his chokehold of power.Due to the social conditions of the Norwegian setting, Hedda is provided with two options, to become an even greater victim of female repression under the hands of Judge Brack, or to be banished by the upper-class society that is so vital to existence. In a more contemporary time, alternative options would be available to the protagonist due to the equality with which women are now perceived, and the social acceptance of independent females in the present day. Contrarily, in the sphere of the play’s context, Hedda is faced with the fact that the only way to avoid relinquishing all control over her life is to end it by her own hand.This notion alone shows the significance that time and setting have on the character’s actions, as it is arguable that if the play were to take place in the twenty-first century, the relevance of Hedda’s actions would be entirely lost, based upon the liberties and opportunities that would be available to her in today’s society. In addition to utilizing setting to establish the social circumstances affecting Hedda, Ibsen also offers descriptions regarding scenic design and stage directions to reveal information concerni ng the title character’s sense of inner conflict. Firstly, a great deal of significance arises from he fact Ibsen contains the play’s action within the Tesman’s small drawing room, a very deliberate and strategic choice of setting in terms of character development. As the piece progresses, it becomes increasingly apparent through the setting and the young woman’s interactions with it, that the drawing room contains Hedda’s life, both literally and metaphorically in some senses. Within this room, she is able to deny her present circumstances by detaching herself from the outside world. Hedda’s interactions with the set reinforce this idea, particularly when she orders George to draw the curtains due to the sunlight.By including this action in his work, Ibsen physically dims the stage, representative of the darkness with which Hedda masks her life, while also reflecting the dominant position she holds in her marriage by having George perform a task that would typically be viewed as woman’s work within the world of the play. All things considered, while the drawing room is in fact a representation of the control and freedom in Hedda’s life, it also serves as a simultaneous, albeit paradoxical, symbol of imprisonment. Within its four walls, Hedda is able to ignore the outside world.That being said, the drawing room and its contents also represent the suffocating aristocratic life that the young woman struggles to maintain despite its smothering effects. The conflicted relationship that the woman has with the room and her identity is illustrated when Hedda makes reference to yet another set piece: the piano. Although she acknowledges that the instrument â€Å"doesn’t really fit in with all [the] other things [in the room]† (Ibsen 208), Hedda declares that she is unwilling to part with it when Tesman suggests trading it in for a new piano.Rather, she suggests moving it to the inner room, and getti ng â€Å"another here in its place† (208). Through her relationship with this object, Ibsen again demonstrates the conflict that Hedda experiences as she attempts to replace the ways of her past with her new aristocratic identity, while still clinging onto fragments of her old life. Ultimately, it is this paradoxical state of being that leads to the title character’s unwinding. Unable to find a middle ground in her life, Hedda comes to understand that the only way to avoid trading either her inner or outer desires for the other, is to take complete control of her life by sacrificing both.Despite the aforesaid arguments, some audience members and critics may still consider Hedda’s suicide, as well as the actions leading up to it, to be unwarranted acts of selfishness. That being said, regardless of whether or not one chooses to approve of Hedda’s choices, it is undebatable that Ibsen at the very least succeeds in clarifying the motives behind her decisions , particularly her sense of inescapable imprisonment. Ibsen manages to achieve this feat largely through the precision with which he makes use of the play’s setting.With that, it is inarguable that without the foundation of nineteenth century society and the choices made by Ibsen regarding stage design, the pieces of Hedda’s story would remain fragmented to audiences, and the intense torment leading to the title character’s final breath would be left unexposed. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. Hedda Gabler. Trans. Rolf Fjelde. The Norton Anthology of Drama, Volume Two: The Nineteenth Century to the Present. J. Ellen Gainor, Stanton B. Garner Jr. and Martin Puchner. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. 200-254.

Chapter 2 Quiz + Answers Essay

1. When companies adopt the strategy-making and strategy execution process it requires they start by developing a strategic vision, mission and values 2. The strategic management process is shaped by external factors such as the industry’s economic and competitive conditions and internal factors such as the company’s collection of resources and capabilities 3. When a company is confronted with significant industry change that mandates radical revision of its strategic course, the company is said to have encountered a strategic inflection point 4. A company’s strategic plan consists of a vision of where it is headed, a set of performance targets, and a strategy to achieve them 5. Top management’s views about where the company is headed and what its future product-customer-market-technology will be constitutes the strategic vision for the company 6. Well-conceived visions are distinctive specific to a particular organization free of generic, feel-good statements not innocuous one-sentence statements All of these 7. Effectively communicating the strategic vision down the line to lower-level managers and employees has the value of  not only explaining â€Å"where we are going and why† but, more importantly, also inspiring and energizing company personnel to unite to get the company moving in the intended direction 8. A company’s mission statement typically addresses which of the following questions Who we are, what we do, and why we are here 9. A company’s values relate to such things as  fair treatment, integrity, ethical behavior, innovativeness, teamwork, top-notch quality, superior customer service, social responsibility, and community citizenship 10. The managerial purpose of setting objectives includes  converting the strategic vision into specific performance targets  using the objectives as yardsticks for tracking the company’s progress and performance  challenging the organization to perform at its full potential and deliver the best possible results  establishing deadlines for achieving performance results 11. A company needs financial objectives  because without adequate profitability and financial strength, the company’s ultimate survival is jeopardized 12. Strategic objectives  relate to strengthening a company’s overall market standing and competitive vitality 13. A balanced scorecard for measuring company performance entails striking a balance between financial objectives and strategic objectives 14. A balanced scorecard that includes both strategic and financial performance targets is a conceptually strong approach for judging a company’s overall performance because financial performance measures are lagging indicators that reflect the results of past decisions and organizational activities whereas strategic performance measures are leading indicators of a company’s future financial performance 15. A company needs performance targets or objectives for its operations as a whole and also for each of its separate businesses, product lines, functional departments, and individual work units 16. Business strategy concerns ensuring consistency in strategic approach among the businesses of a diversified company 17. In a single-business company, the strategy-making hierarchy consists of business strategy, functional strategies, and operating strategies 18. Functional strategies concern the actions, approaches, and practices related to particular functions or processes within a business 19. Operating strategies concern the relatively narrow strategic initiatives and approaches for managing key operating units within a business and for performing strategically significant operating tasks 20. Management is obligated to monitor new external developments, evaluate the company’s progress, and make corrective adjustments in order to decide whether to continue or change the company’s strategic vision, objectives, strategy and/or strategy execution methods