Hard Times Essays - Literature, Hard Times, British Literature

Hard Times Essays - Literature, Hard Times, British Literature Hard Times In Charles Dickens' novel Hard Times a conflict between Tom and his father Mr. Gradgrind is caused by childhood devoid of fancy. Tom rebels from such a past by gambling, drinking and other unsavory habits. This father/son conflict enhances the meaning of the work by showing how an improper upbringing can lead to failure in adult life. Mr. Gradgrind's whole philosophy on life was that life itself should be composed entirely of facts and nothing else. He believed the only way to make a successful man was to strip away the very essence of his childhood, fun and fancy. Gradgrind forced his beliefs upon his children Louisa and Tom and while Louisa simply became incapable of love, Tom vowed for vengeance against his father's dogma. Tom plans to enjoy life and wreak havoc at the same time when he moves out of their house the Stone Lodge. He finances his expenses through Bounderby whom he manipulates by incorporating his needs to seem in his sister's favor. Tom also uses his sister's great love for him by preparing her to marry Bounderby as this will help in increasing his financial means. Tom lies to Stephen Blackpool telling him to loiter around the bank for a job opportunity when in fact he is preparing to frame Stephen for a robbery he commits. Tom does not go unpunished for his evil deeds for his planting the seeds of dishonesty he reaps the harvest of guilt and isolation. When the villagers bring Blackpool out of Old Hell Shaft he clears himself of the robbery by naming Tom as the man who told him to reside outside of the bank. Tom attempts to escape from the country and after a brief encounter with the interfering Bitzer he manages to leave and never return. Tom finishes the rest of his life as solitary depressed man his last words pleading for forgiveness. In Hard Times Dickens' portrayal of the conflict between Gradgrind and his son contributes to the message against the Utilitarian school of thought. Since the child never learned the fancies of society the man abused them to the point of self-destruction. Tom's life was led down the path to tragedy by his father's strict interpretation of the All-Fact No-Fancy way of "life".

Everything You Need to Know About Writing Great Reviews

Everything You Need to Know About Writing Great Reviews Does a career spent reviewing movies, music, books, TV shows, or restaurants seem like nirvana to you? Then you’re a born critic. But writing great reviews is an art, one that few have mastered. Here are some tips: Know Your Subject Too many beginning critics are eager to write but know little about their topic. If you want to write reviews that carry some authority, then you need to learn everything you can. Want to be the next Roger Ebert? Take college courses on the history of film, read as many books as you can and, of course, watch lots of movies. The same goes for any topic. Some believe that in order to be a truly good film critic you must have worked as a director, or that in order to review music you must have been a professional musician. That kind of experience wouldn’t hurt, but it’s more important to be a well-informed layman. Read Other Critics Just as an aspiring novelist reads the great writers, a good critic should read accomplished reviewers, whether it’s the aforementioned Ebert or Pauline Kael on film, Ruth Reichl on food, or Michiko Kakutani on books. Read their reviews, analyze what they do, and learn from them. Don’t Be Afraid to Have Strong Opinions Great critics all have strong opinions. But newbies who aren’t confident in their views often write wishy-washy reviews with sentences like â€Å"I sort of enjoyed this† or â€Å"that was okay, though not great.† They’re afraid to take a strong stand for fear of being challenged. But there’s nothing more boring than a hemming-and-hawing review. So decide what you think and state it in no uncertain terms. Avoid â€Å"I† and â€Å"In My Opinion† Too many critics pepper reviews with phrases like â€Å"I think† or â€Å"In my opinion.† Again, this is often done by novice critics afraid of writing declarative sentences. Such phrases are unnecessary; your reader understands that it’s your opinion you’re conveying. Give Background The critic’s analysis is the centerpiece of any review, but that’s not much use to readers if she doesn’t provide enough background information. So if you’re reviewing a movie, outline the plot but also discuss the director and his previous films, the actors, and perhaps even the screenwriter. Critiquing a restaurant? When did it open, who owns it and who’s the head chef? An art exhibit? Tell us a little about the artist, her influences, and previous works. Don’t Spoil the Ending There’s nothing readers hate more than a film critic who gives away the ending to the latest blockbuster. So yes, give plenty of background information, but dont give away the ending. Know Your Audience Whether you’re writing for a magazine aimed at intellectuals or a mass-market publication for average folks, keep your target audience in mind. So if you’re reviewing a film for a publication aimed at cineastes, you can wax rhapsodic about the Italian neo-realists or the French New Wave. If you’re writing for a wider audience, such references might not mean much. That’s not to say you can’t educate your readers in the course of a review. But remember – even the most knowledgeable critic won’t succeed if he bores his readers to tears.

Impact of CAD development ( evolution ) on Architecture Term Paper

Impact of CAD development ( evolution ) on Architecture - Term Paper Example The evolution and development of CAD has significantly impacted on architectural design. Some of the potential impacts of CAD development (Evolution) on Architecture include reduced design mistakes, time saving and design efficiency, and clear communication of architectural details among others. This paper highlights the evolution as well as the transformational impact of computer aided design on the architectural design process. Impact of CAD development (Evolution) on Architecture Introduction Computer aided design (CAD) is the concept of using computerized systems to help in the technical creation, analysis, modification and optimization of technical designs. Prior to the evolution and development of CAD, architectural design was primarily a hands-on process that involved a variety of manual and physical media tasks. However, the introduction of computer aided design in the 1980s completely revolutionized architecture particularly in the filed of design. According to Tai (103), mo dern architectural designs employ a number of CAD software to enhance to improve the design quality, improve the productivity of designers and enhance communication through documentation. ... The CAD software system normally increases the architectural productivity and design. This system as well improves the communication system through the documentation and the creation of a database used for manufacturing. Most of the CAD software often works like a large database with numerous geometric information points, curves and lines that can easily translate into imagery visible through the graphical user interface (Robertson 144). Despite a few limitations, there a number of enormous and obvious potential impacts of CAD evolution on architecture. This paper seeks to critically investigate the development of computer aided design in the architectural field. The paper, in addition explores the development of digital technology and it impact to the architectural subject. Chronology of the Development of CAD The evolution and development of CAD had its beginnings in the early 1960s and 1970s after various automotive and aerospace companies began to independently develop the first CAD systems. The real breakthrough point was particularly witnessed in 1963 after SKETCHPAD computer aided design program was developed at MIT. One of the main beneficial features of the program was that it allowed architectural designers to effectively use a light pen to draw on the computer screen. Essentially this was the first known graphic user interface (GUI) which is currently one of the most important features of CAD. However, the initial CAD programs were expensive and as a result were only available to large corporations in the aerospace, automotive and electronic industries such as Renault, GM and Lockheed among others. Throughout the 1970s, CAD programs were only capable of helping in the creation of 2D drawings

Spirituality in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Spirituality in Nursing - Essay Example The possibility of death makes a person fearful and his inclination towards spirituality grows to a great extent. Hence, spirituality plays an essential role in life of a person who is undergoing medical treatment. It has been found that the rate of recovery and attitude towards treatment is strongly affected by the spiritual and religious beliefs of a person. According to Baukhardt and Jacobson, spirituality provides meaning and inner strength to a person. Also, the introduction of the concept of alternative Eastern medicine and therapies to the Western people have changed the whole paradigm of medical treatment. People have started believing in the power of Eastern therapies and spiritual practices to heal their diseases and suffering. Moreover, it has been proved by the researches that spiritual and religious people respond more positively to medical treatment and show better outcome. The positive relation between spirituality and medical recovery has made it essential to include spirituality and religion as a part of treatment. Hence, it is essential for the nurses to understand and fulfill the spiritual needs of the client, as it not only helps in gaining the trust of the clients and building a healthy relationship with them, but also helps in curing the diseases completely, as spirituality is known to have the potential to heal the emotional and psychological problems, which are the root cause of the diseases. Definition Defining spirituality is not an easy thing as it encompasses different views, experiences and beliefs that are held sacred by different religions, cultures and traditions. According to Vink (2003), spirituality can be defined as â€Å"that aspect of every human being, rooted in our unique createdness that is on a sacred journey of completeness, sometimes seeking to connect with and trust in the divine being† (Shives, 2008, p.34). The definition shows that the need of spirituality arises from the emptiness that people feel inside th eir heart despite of having everything in their life. Moreover, this emptiness and powerlessness is felt more strongly when a person is suffering from physical or mental disease. Spiritual practices help people to feel connected with God and remove the feeling of emptiness. Hence, human elements like â€Å"love, compassion, caring, transcendence, relationship with God, and the connection of mind, boy and spirit† are used to define spirituality in the nursing literature (O’Brien, 2011, p.6). Different theories of nursing have aimed at helping the nursing professionals to assimilate spirituality in their care of the clients. However, the nursing theory that comes close to including all the spiritual aspects of caring into nursing practice is the â€Å"Theory of Human/Transpersonal Caring† by Jean Watson. Theory Of Human/ Transpersonal Care Jean Watson (1985), in her theory of nursing and spirituality, has given immense stress on importance of spirituality in the p rocess of nursing and care of a patient (Daniels, 2004, p. 1502). According o Watson, human being’s essential part is his soul and hence, if a person suffering from illness is to be healed, then connecting to a person on a level of soul is extremely important for a nurse (Daniels, 2004, p. 1502). Watson says that soul being the essence of human spirit, it provides human being with inner strength and helps him to

Bombardier Aerospace Essay Example for Free

Bombardier Aerospace Essay After acquiring a few companies, Bombardier Aerospace was now faced with the challenge of how to align the operations of these companies who all had different sets of data, processes and systems. Major areas of concern were process delays, low inventory turn, inconsistent pricing and billing of materials among others. Bombardier introduced the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) into its aerospace division with a vision to achieve higher efficiency in manufacturing and also to significantly save cost. To assess the performance of this IT project, Bombardier Aerospace needs to consider the following six variables which are interdependent as far as success or failure is concerned. System Quality examines the desirable characteristics of an information system. These may include ease of use, system flexibility, system variability and ease of learning. If we take a look at the first phase of the project which was carried out at the Mirabel Plant, we realize that this element of system quality is not very solid. There were complaints from users with regards to the IT system. Problems were encountered after the Go Live and as a result, several users were still using legacy systems for some aspects of their work. In the second phase at the Saint-Laurent plant, we realize that after robust measures were put in place, they achieved data accuracy of 97 percent. The second variable to consider is Information Quality. This examines the desirable qualities of the system output such as its relevance, understandability, currency, timeliness and usability. The methods employees encountered delays in modifying bills of materials. Also, it took some time before they could understand what information the newly formed Master Data group required of them. This tells us that Information Quality was poor in the first phase of ERP implementation. As far as the Use of the IT project is concerned, Bombardier Aerospace needs to look at the degree and manner in which staff and users utilize the capabilities of the system. For instance, the amount of use, frequency of use, appropriateness of use or the purpose of the use. In the phase two, most users of the new system reacted positively to it but the project at the Mirabel plant was quite different. Sourcing agents could not approve a purchase order for a part if its contract did not contain a price or if the current price was different from that stated in the contract. This was a flaw in the system as far as its use was concerned. Another way to assess the IT project’s success or failure is by measuring the User Satisfaction. Not until after about one year after Go live, user satisfaction at the Mirabel plant was not good enough. Users from various functions complained about significant delays in getting answers to their queries. At the Saint-Laurent plant on the hand, most users felt that the new system made their job easier. The ERP implementation had different impacts on individuals. Employees in finance at the Mirabel plant were frustrated by the system. They had to make manual corrections to the general ledger if materials were issued incorrectly. At the Mirabel plant, the majority of users thought that the new system had impacted them positively. They thought that their inputs were taken into consideration and they virtually used the system in all instances. In terms of organizational impact, we are able to tell from the case that the project was a successful one. One of the primary goals of implementing this system was improve visibility and reduce the value of inventory held by Bombardier Aerospace. The BMIS contributed to reducing inventories by $1.2 billion in just less than a year after Go Live. Also Procurement became more efficient and integrated due to the implementation.

The Characteristics of a Sandy Shore at Pallarenda Beach, Townsville, North Queensland :: essays research papers fc

The characteristics of a sandy shore at Pallarenda beach, Townsville, North Queensland. Introduction: The sandy shores of beaches can be considered as a very harsh environment to live in (Ted Klenk, 1999). Survival in such a habitat requires an organism to withstand strong wave and current action, tidal rise and fall, unstable substrate, heavy predation and wide variations in salinity and temperature (The Otter Island Project). Any organism found in this type of harsh environment is specialized and highly adapted (The Otter Island Project). Fine, sandy beaches often occur in areas with light wave action (California's Ocean Resources, 1995). While a more coarse sand is found with heavy wave action (California's Ocean Resources, 1995). The slope gradient of a beach also helps determine the grain size of the sediment (Bascom, 1959). The steeper a beach is, the larger the sand particles (Ted Klenk, 1999). The water retention of coarse sand is quite low allowing temperatures to rise easily at low tide (MB2050 lecture notes). Any organisms on a coarse particle beach will not only have to deal with the very unstable substrate but also the real danger of desiccation (MB2050 lecture notes). Fine sediment areas do not have much water moving through the particles (MB2050 lecture notes). Therefore any oxygen available is used up quickly by burrowing organisms (MB2050 lecture notes). There comes a point beneath the substrate where there is insufficient oxygen for organisms to respire, this is called the anoxic layer (MB2050 lecture notes). The anoxic layer is therefore much deeper under coarse sediments then fine (MB2050 lecture notes). The fish community of a surf zone is largely controlled by three factors (Robertson & Lenanton, 1984). The form of primary production input to the surf zone, the water movement pattern, and the geomorphology of the sandy beach (Robertson & Lenanton, 1984). Fish such as anchovies, herrings and mullets often inhabits surf zones around the world (The Otter Island Project). The aims of this experiment were to examine physical features and sediment-related characteristics of Pallarenda beach and the influence of these characteristics on the occurrence and distribution of the intertidal taxa. This experiment also aimed to describe the fauna in the surf zone region of Pallarenda beach. Materials and Methods: The beach studied during this experiment was Pallarenda Beach just North of the city of Townsville in North Queensland. The co-ordinates of the location were 19o11.8’S, 146o46.6’E. The beach experiences a tropical climate, the experiment was carried out on the 4th of March in the year 2000 after much rainfall.

Dubai Police Department Proposals Essay

In order to attain the objectives it is essential to recognize the existing practices in Dubai police department and also in the modern police departments of countries like USA, Germany, UK, Australia etc. This will be done by individual interviews of the officials in Dubai and the through questionnaires from other corners of the world. Primary research will be persistent on personal interviews with Dubai Police department officials that will give an inner view of the present positing and future goals. This will also be a key basis of understanding the indolence for change. This will help in bringing out the indication of the present managed system in Dubai police department organization. Ultimately the clients will help in providing the true print of Dubai Police department’s working and key areas of improvement. Data presented from this research will assist to evaluate the best practices model and the actual working. This will help in indicating the difference and the reason for Dubai police department organization to implement a successful change management. Dubai Police higher officials will be randomly selected with favorable time and place for the interviews to be carried out. Finally the research will be focused on the historical data by looking at the Dubai Police department’s strategy in the past. If any failure or any glitches are to be found in companies strategy they will be pointed in this research. This will help the writer to understand the Dubai Police department’s goals in the past and their implementation process. Bibliography Articles: Garry Wilson (2004) Lessons from the trenches – Principles of change. Chartered Accountants Journal, 13(1), pp. 1-5. Pierre Collerette, Robert Schneider, Paul Legris (2001), Managing organizational change -Part one Change in turbulent times, ISO Management Systems, pp. 1-8. 45 Woodward, Sally, Hendry, Chris (June -2004), Leading and coping with change. Journal of Change Management, Vol. 4 Issue 2, p155, 29p Michelman, Paul (Oct – 2004), Overcoming Change Resisters Harvard Management, Vol. 9 Issue 10, p3, 1p; (AN 15175074) De Jager, Peter. Futurist (Oct – 2001), Resistance to Change: A New View of an Old Problem. Vol. 35 Issue 3, p24, 4p, 1bw; (AN 4339215) Pratt, Mary K. , (Jan – 2005) Leading Change Computerworld, 1/10/2005, Vol. 39 Issue 2, p33, 2p; (AN 15636701)

Heathcliff: Victim or Villain? Essay

Although Heathcliff was a victim several times within Wuthering Heights, does this justify his immoral actions that hurt those around him? It is true that Catherine is extremely selfish, but she never intentionally or deliberately planned to hurt anyone in this novel. Heathcliff’s manipulative and vengeful actions are truly those of a villain. Heathcliff as a Victim: Nelly’s unwillingness to acknowledge Heathcliff’s presence to Catherine in a crucial time allowed him to overhear the hurtful things that she was saying. If Nelly had tried to stop Heathcliff from running away, he may have been present to hear all of the positive things that Catherine would later declare about him. Although Heathcliff is her soul mate, Catherine married Edgar instead because of his money and social status. Her selfishness makes Heathcliff a victim, and denies him of his true love. Heathcliff is a victim because his parents left him, and because of his darker skin. The Linton’s show prejudice towards him, and judge him by his looks. Catherine as a Victimizer Catherine truly hurts Heathcliff by marrying Edgar, whom she does not love. She knows that Heathcliff is her soul mate, but does not find him suitable for a husband. Her selfishness in turn causes many problems throughout the novel. When Edgar visits Wuthering Heights to see Catherine, she betrays Heathcliff by telling him to leave her and Edgar alone. Although Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship was very strong, she completely forgets about him once Edgar arrives. Catherine expects everybody to do what she says, and becomes hysterical when  people do not. She pinches Nelly in a fit of passion, which shows her instability as a character. Heathcliff as a Villain Heathcliff purposely influences Hareton, who was at the time a young child, to hate his father. His negative affect on Hareton causes him to curse, and to tell people that his father Hindley is the devil. Heathcliff marries Isabella in order to hurt her brother, and treats her very poorly. He also hangs her dog for no reason other than to hurt anything associated with the Lintons (except Catherine, of course). This brutality shows how strong Heathcliff’s hatred truly was, and shows his willingness to hurt innocent people for revenge. He takes custody of Linton, who is terrified of his father. He is constantly weak, sick, and Heathcliff uses him to secure his fortune at Thrushcross Grange. He bribes young Cathy into marrying Linton, telling her she would not be able to see her dying father unless she did. Heathcliff knew that Cathy loved her father, but held her hostage until he had gotten what he had wanted. This displays how truly selfish he was, and to what extremes he would undergo in order to achieve his goals. Because of Heathcliff’s experiences as a victim, he became stronger and more determined to achieve his goals. However, no person has the right to express their anger on other innocent people, which is exactly what Heathcliff did. At first, we felt sympathy for his lack of luck in the first part of the novel. In the second half, we truly see what a horrible character he turns out to be.

History of the SAT Its Many Failures and Controversies

History of the SAT Its Many Failures and Controversies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT tends to be seen as an immutable barrier that all students must overcome before getting into college. But standardized testing is a business, and the College Board has its own motivations behind maintaining the status of the SAT as the definitive test for college readiness. In this article I'll take a look at SAT history, its successes and failures, its motivations, and how it might evolve in the future. A Brief History of the SAT Believe it or not, the original SAT was adapted from an intelligence test used to screen recruits for the US Army during the First World War.This original test was called the â€Å"Army Alpha†, and it was thefirst mass-administered IQ test.A psychologist and Princeton professor named Carl Brigham who helped develop the Army Alpha adapted it for use in college admissions after the war as the SAT. The first SAT was administered to a few thousand college applicants in 1926.It was 90 minutes long, and it consisted of 315 questions testing vocabulary and basic math. But the SAT only really blew up when Harvard (of course) showed interest in using it as a means to assess scholarship applicants. In 1933, Harvard President James Conant started a scholarship for academically gifted young men who didn’t come from the hoity toity Eastern boarding schools that usually funneled people into Harvard. Conant needed to find a standardized test that he could use to reliably evaluate candidates, so the assistant dean at Harvard, Henry Chauncey, was tasked with figuring out what to use. Chauncey met Carl Brigham and recommended that Harvard use the SAT. Conant liked the SAT as a screening tool because he thought it measured pure intelligence regardless of high school education. Thus began the era of widespread SAT Testing.In 1938, Chauncey convinced the schools of the College Board (an organization founded in 1900 by the presidents of the top 12 American universities to administer admissions tests) to use the SAT as a test for scholarship applicants, but not regular applicants yet. By 1942, the SAT had become the standard test for all applicants.The SAT was administered to over 300,000 people across the country in 1944.The test remained pretty much unchanged until 2005 when the College Board added the writing section (raising the highest possible score from 1600 to 2400) and renamed the verbal reasoning section "critical reading". Successes and Failures in SAT History The SAT has been a contentious topic for years now. Is it really a fair way of judging college applicants? Standardized tests like the SAT cast light on systemic problems in our society that have lead to cycles of poverty and sub-par education. Many people would argue that the SAT contributes to these cycles, and this is true in certain respects. The SAT helps to perpetuate the myth of the American meritocracy, meaning the smartest, most well-qualified people will always rise to the top regardless of their original starting point (clearly false). It's used as an admission ticket to the upper class, and with enough tutoring that ticket can pretty much be purchased outright. On the flipside, the SAT has also given gifted people from less privileged backgrounds the opportunity to attain higher education at previously closed-off elite institutions. Failures of the SAT Despite Conant’s original belief that the SAT could objectively measure intelligence, this has proven to be far from the case.Many poor and minority students are put at a disadvantage by the test. It has been shown that there is a 400 point gap between the average scores of the poorest students (family income under $20,000) and the wealthiest students (family income over $200,000). If you don’t go to a good high school and don’t have the tools in terms of vocabulary, reasoning skills, or math background, it’s going to be really, really hard to get a great score no matter how â€Å"smart† you are. Whereas kids who go to private (or pseudo-private) high schools where everyone gets individual attention and every home comes with a built-in parental helipad are going to have a huge advantage. Beyond these large systemic problems, the College Board has also faced a string of scandals recently, ranging from widespread cheating in Asiato misprints on the June 6th, 2015 test that led to cancellation of the affected sections. In contrast, the ACT has had a relatively quiet history with infrequent scandals. Successes of the SAT If you go to a bad high school but you manage to do exceptionally well on the SAT, your scores can give you access to great opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach. Without the SAT, it would also be much more difficult for colleges to make admissions decisions, which is why it is still seen as a necessary step in the college application process. The 2016 redesign seems to be a genuine effort at making the test fairer for everyone. Whether it will accomplish this goal is dubious. It's important to remember that the SAT is something that sits on top of a lot of other problems in the American educational system, and to a large extent it is at the mercy of those problems. â€Å"Non-Profit†, Eh? Incentives That Drive the SAT What is the goal of the all-knowing, all-seeing entity that is the College Board? What drives the continued existence of the SAT as a primary tool in college admissions? Officially, the College Board is a non-profit, but the facts call this into question.Its president was compensated almost $900,000 per year as of 2010 - that’s more than the president of Harvard.The College Board generated $759 million in revenue in 2012.It also sells test prep materials, thereby creating a cycle of even more revenue for itself. A summary of the College Board's income and expenses for 2012 from ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer The College Board wants to get as many people to take the SAT and other tests (AP) that it oversees as possible.This is part of the rationale behind the SAT redesign - the ACT recently overtook the SAT as the most popular standardized testing choice. Colleges have also started to eliminate the SAT as a requirement after studies indicating that it doesn’t act as a great predictor of future success or college graduation rates (high school grades are a much better indicator) and is a barrier to intelligent students who are less privileged.The impetus behind the new SAT is to preserve the test’s image as the definitive indicator of college readiness, and thus preserve the College Board’s market share and profits. SAT results can only be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom (Mount Doom Community College - you haven't heard of it? It has a great welding program.) The Future of the SAT As you may know, the redesigned SAT will be available to test-takers starting in 2016.It remains to be seen whether the changes will make any significant difference in the clear disadvantages the current SAT presents to lower income and minority students.This articleoutlines what you should expect to see on the new SAT. One major overall difference will be more focus on logical reasoning skills in context rather than in isolation. This means less questions that essentially just ask for the definition of a word or whether a single sentence is grammatically correct and more questions that rely on the larger narratives of surrounding passages.This could help intelligent students who don’t have the best educational background still do well on the test. There will also be fewerâ€Å"tricky† questions and more consistent test content. Overall there is a move toward more straightforwardness. Educational ideology seems to be headed in the direction of greater sensitivity to the disadvantages that people face and stronger efforts at combating those disadvantages. Even with all its flaws, it’s likely that some form of the SAT will be around for a while because it’s such a convenient way to evaluate college applicants. Hopefully standardized tests will continue to evolve along with our educational system so they can get closer to providing the opportunities they purport to offer for the people who need them most. What's Next? If you're still curious about the new SAT, read about how to study for it and whether you should take it. Alternatively, if you would like to read about embarrassing things the College Board has done, learn about this mistake they made and what you should do if you encounter unacceptable testing conditionsduring your exam. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, 10 official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. 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Best Analysis Valley of Ashes in The Great Gatsby

Best Analysis Valley of Ashes in The Great Gatsby SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In The Great Gatsby, between the glittering excitement of Manhattan and the stately mansions of East and West Egg, there is a horrible stretch of road that goes through an area covered in dust and ash from the nearby factories. Why does the novel insist on spending time in this depressing place? Why, instead of simply calling it Queens, or giving it a fictional name, does Nick refer to it by the vaguely Biblical-sounding "valley of ashes"? In this article, I'll dissect this potent symbol of the failure of the American Dream, analyze the places it occurs in the text, figure out the characters who are most closely associated with this location, and give you some tips on writing essays about this image. Quick Note on Our Citations Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text. What Is the Valley of Ashes in The Great Gatsby? The valley of ashes is the depressing industrial area of Queens that is in between West Egg and Manhattan. It isn't actually made out of ashes, but seems that way because of how gray and smoke-choked it is. This grayness and dust are directly related to the factories that are nearby- their smokestacks deposit a layer of soot and ash over everything. The valley is next to both the train tracks and the road that runs from West Egg to Manhattan- Nick and other characters travel through it via both modes of transportation. The area is also next to a small river and its drawbridge, where the products of the factories are shipped to their destinations. Want to get better grades and test scores? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. Key Quotes About the Valley of Ashes Before we can figure out what the ash heaps mean as a symbol, let's do some close reading of the moments where they pop up in The Great Gatsby. Chapter 2 About half way between West Egg and New York the motor-road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes- a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of grey cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud which screens their obscure operations from your sight†¦ The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour. There is always a halt there of at least a minute and it was because of this that I first met Tom Buchanan's mistress. (2.1-3) After telling us about the "fine health to be pulled down out of the young breath-giving air" (1.12) of West Egg in Chapter 1, Nick shows us just how the glittering wealth of the nouveau riche who live there is accumulated. Much of it comes from industry: factories that pollute the area around them into a "grotesque" and "ghastly" version of a beautiful countryside. Instead of the bucolic, green image of a regular farm, here we have a "fantastic farm" (fantastic here means "something out of the realm of fantasy") that grows ash instead of wheat and where pollution makes the water "foul" and the air "powdery." This imagery of growth serves two purposes. First, it's disturbing, as it's clearly meant to be. The beauty of the natural world has been transformed into a horrible hellscape of gray ashes. Not only that, but it is turning regular humans into "ash-grey men" who "swarm" like insects around the factories and cargo trains (that's the "line of grey cars"). These are the people who do not get to enjoy either the luxury of life out on Long Island, or the faster-paced anonymous fun that Nick finds himself enjoying in Manhattan. In the novel's world of haves and have-nots, these are the have-nots. Second, the passage shows how disconnected the rich are from the source of their wealth. Nick is annoyed when he is a train passenger who has to wait for the drawbridge to lead barges through. But the barges are carrying the building products of the factories. Nick is a bond trader, and bonds are basically loans people give to companies (companies sell bond shares, use that money to grow, and then have to pay back that money to the people who bought the bonds). In the 1920s, the bond market was fueling the construction of skyscrapers, particularly in New York. In other words, the same construction boom that is making Queens into a valley of ashes is also buoying up the new moneyed class that populates West Egg. "Oh, sure," agreed Wilson hurriedly and went toward the little office, mingling immediately with the cement color of the walls. A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinityexcept his wife, who moved close to Tom. (2.17) In the valley, there is such a thick coating gray dust that it looks like everything is made out of this ashy substance. It's important to note that from a general description of people as "ash-grey men" we now see that ashy description applied specifically to George Wilson. He is covered in a "veil" of desolation, sadness, hopelessness, and everything else associated with the ash. Also, we see that Myrtle Wilson is the only thing that isn't covered by ash. She visually stands out from her surroundings since she doesn't blend into the "cement color" around her. This makes sense since she is an ambitious character who is eager to escape her life. Notice that she literally steps towards Tom, allying herself with a rich man who is only passing through the ash heaps on his way from somewhere better to somewhere better. Chapter 4 "I'm going to make a big request of you today," he said, pocketing his souvenirs with satisfaction, "so I thought you ought to know something about me. I didn't want you to think I was just some nobody."... Then the valley of ashes opened out on both sides of us, and I had a glimpse of Mrs. Wilson straining at the garage pump with panting vitality as we went by. With fenders spread like wings we scattered light through half Astoriaonly half, for as we twisted among the pillars of the elevated I heard the familiar "jugjugspat!" of a motor cycle, and a frantic policeman rode alongside. "All right, old sport," called Gatsby. We slowed down. Taking a white card from his wallet he waved it before the man's eyes. "Right you are," agreed the policeman, tipping his cap. "Know you next time, Mr. Gatsby. Excuse me!" "What was that?" I inquired. "The picture of Oxford?" "I was able to do the commissioner a favor once, and he sends me a Christmas card every year." (4.43-54) While West and East Egg are the settings for the ridiculous extravagance of both the old and new money crowd, and Manhattan the setting for business and organized crime, the valley of ashes tends to be where the novel situates the grubby and underhanded manipulations that show the darker side of the surrounding glamor. Check out just how many unethical things are going on here: Gatsby wants Nick to set him up with Daisy so they can have an affair. Mrs. Wilson's "panting vitality" reminds us of her thoroughly unpleasant relationship with Tom. A policeman lets Gatsby off the hook for speeding because of Gatsby's connections. Nick jokes about Gatsby's shady-sounding story about being an Oxford man. Gatsby hints at doing something probably illegal for the police commissioner (possibly supplying him with alcohol?) that makes the commissioner be permanently in his pocket. Want to get better grades and test scores? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. Chapter 8 Wilson's glazed eyes turned out to the ashheaps, where small grey clouds took on fantastic shape and scurried here and there in the faint dawn wind. (8.101) This brief mention of the ashheaps sets up the chapter's shocking conclusion, once again positioning Wilson as a man who is coming out of the gray world of ashy pollution and factory dust. Notice how the word "fantastic" comes back. The twisted, macabre world of the valley of ashes is spreading. No longer just on the buildings, roads, and people, it is what Wilson's sky is now made out of as well. At the same time, in combination with Wilson's "glazed" eyes, the word "fantastic" seems to point to his deteriorating mental state. No telephone message arrived but the butler went without his sleep and waited for it until four o'clockuntil long after there was any one to give it to if it came. I have an idea that Gatsby himself didn't believe it would come and perhaps he no longer cared. If that was true he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream. He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is and how raw the sunlight was upon the scarcely created grass. A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about . . . like that ashen, fantastic figure gliding toward him through the amorphous trees. (8.0) The final reference to the ash heaps is at the moment of the murder-suicide, as George skulks towards Gatsby floating in his pool. Again, the ashy world is "fantastic"- a word that smacks of scary fairy tales and ghost stories, particularly when combined with the eerie description of Wilson as a "gliding figure" and the oddly shapeless and out of focus ("amorphous") trees. It's significant that what threatens the fancy world of the Eggs is the creeping encroachment of the ash that they so look down on and are so disgusted by. But, truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of dust getting into my house either. The Meaning and Significance of the Valley of Ashes in The Great Gatsby In the world of the novel, which is so much about the stark differences between the rich, the strivers, and the poor, the valley of ashes stands for the forgotten poor underclass who enable the lifestyle of the wealthy few. The people who live and work there are the factory employees whose production is driving the construction boom that supplies the residents of West Egg with wealth and also allows the criminal underclass to prosper by creating fake bonds to cash in (this is the illegal activity that Gatsby tempts Nick with). This region of industrial production is shown burying its inhabitants in the polluted byproduct of its factories: ash that covers everything from cars to buildings to people. This literal burial has a symbolic meaning as well, as those who cannot connive their way to the top are left behind to stagnate. The valley is a place of hopelessness, of loss, and of giving up. Highlighting this is the fact that Myrtle Wilson is the only ash heaps resident who isn't covered in the gray dust- she has enough ambition to try to hitch her wagon to Tom, and she hopes to the very last that he will be her ticket out of this life. On the other hand, although Wilson also tries to leave the ash heaps by moving to a different part of the state, his defeatist attitude and general weakness doom his escape attempt to failure. At the same time, the phrase "the valley of ashes" connects to the Biblical "the valley of the shadow of death" found in Psalm 23. In the psalm, this terrifying place is made safe by the presence of God. But in the novel, the valley has no divine presence or higher moral authority. Instead, the ashes point to the inexorable march toward death and dissolution, linking this valley with the Anglican burial services reminder that the body is "ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Even when George tries to sense a divine presence through the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, the fact that no one else is impacted by this billboard's inanimate presence ultimately dooms George as well. Characters, Themes, Motifs, and Symbols Connected to the Valley of Ashes George Wilson: George Wilson's garage is right in the middle of the valley. He is so strongly identified with this place that by the end of his book he is described as an "ashen figure"- he is almost made out the dust that covers everything in this Queens neighborhood. He is also the book's weakest, most hopeless, and least ambitious character- traits that doom him in the cynical, self-serving, amoral world that Fitzgerald is describing, and traits that align with what the ash heaps represent. Myrtle Wilson: George's wife remains vibrant and colorful despite her years living in the middle of the ash heaps. Her dreams of escape enable her to avoid being covered with the dust that ends up burying everyone else. However, because her path to leaving centers on Tom, the valley of ashes ends up being Myrtle's death trap. Society and Class: Everyone who can afford to move away from the dirty and depressing valley does so, which means the only people that left to live and work there are those who have no other options. The state of this area shows what happens in a culture where getting ahead is valued above all other things: those who cannot succeed on these vicious terms have no recourse but being buried alive by pollution and misery. The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg: The billboard that features the strikingly disquieting disembodied giant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg is located in the middle of the valley of ashes, right next to Wilson's garage. Just as the ash heaps reveal the huge gulf between the poor and the rich, so the eyes stare at the devastation that heedless capitalism has created. This stare seems accusatory, but of course, the eyes are completely inanimate, and so whatever guilt they produce in the person they are looking at dissipates almost immediately. The eyes speak to the lack of God/religion in the novel, and that how George is the only one who outwardly grants them any larger significance beyond Nick and Tom's half-hearted discomfort under their stare. Symbols: Colors. Fitzgerald doesn't deviate from the standard association of the color gray in this novel. It describes things that are dirty, unpleasant, dull, uninteresting, monotonous, and generally depressing- all qualities that are associated with the ash heaps as well. When this color is combined with the ashes, it also stands for death, decay, and destruction (all the fun "d" words). Motif: Cars. Although most of the time, the novel treats cars as a dangerous, exciting, and liberating mode of transportation, these positive qualities fade away whenever cars enter the valley of death: On the more benign end, there is permanent traffic. (Nick complains about waiting for barges to cross under the drawbridge.) There is also the threat of running out of fuel. (Tom, Nick, and Jordan stop at Wilson's gas station to fill up because Gatsby's fake warning about the empty tank makes Nick nervous.) And of course, there are frequent wrecks (as evidenced both by the drunken accident Nick sees leaving Gatsby's party, and Tom's gleeful exclamation that a wreck means more business for Wilson's garage when they are nearing the scene of Myrtle's hit-and-run). Finally, the ash heaps are the scene of Myrtle's death by car, as Daisy runs her over, which leads us right back into the novel's ongoing theme of death and failure. This might well be the first time a drawbridge was directly connected to murder... Essay Ideas and Tips for Writing About the Valley of Ashes Now that we've explored the layers of meanings behind the valley of ashes, you're in a good place to think about how to write about this symbol. Tips for Writing About Symbols Here are some tips for how to write an essay about the role of a symbol in a novel, including the valley of ashes: Build from the text out. In this article, I first looked at the valley of ashes as it appears as a location for events in the novel, and only afterward wrote about its general meaning and connections. The same approach is good to remember for your own essay. Work from small ideas to big ones, and you'll be supporting your argument. Make an argument. It's not enough to just describe the symbol and explain its possible meanings. Instead, you have to make sure that you're making some kind of point about why/how the symbol works. How do you know if you're making an argument and not just saying the obvious? If you can imagine someone arguing the opposite of what you're saying, then you've got an argument on your hands. Don't overthink it. Sure, the ash heaps can be said to represent lots of things: the failure of the American Dream, the low position of the working class in the novel, or the way death underpins the glittering high life in Manhattan and the Eggs. But that doesn't mean that it also stands for doomed love, Gatsby's mysterious past, or international cooperation. In other words, watch out for stretching your symbol analysis too far from what the text is telling you. Essay Ideas for the Valley of Ashes Here are some possible essay arguments. You can build from them as-is, argue their opposite, or use them as jumping-off points for your own interpretation. The valley of ashes shows what happens to people who try to pursue the American Dream through honest hard work- they end up nowhere. The valley of ashes is only the most obvious site of decay in the novel. In reality, all of the places show signs of rot and decomposition which underpins the seemingly glittering lifestyle of the rich characters. For Myrtle, the valley of ashes is as inescapable a trap as the Buchanan mansion is for Daisy. The whole place might as well have barbed wire around it for how easy it is to escape. The Bottom Line The valley of ashes is the depressing industrial area of Queens between West Egg and Manhattan. It isn't actually made out of ashes, but seems that way because of how gray and smoke-choked it is. The valley is mentioned in: Chapter 2, where Nick describes what this place is like at length before he goes there to meet Tom's mistress Myrtle. Chapter 4, where it's the place Gatsby can flash his mysterious get-out-of-a-ticket-free card at a cop and also ask Nick to set him up with Daisy. Chapter 8, where a beaten down and despondent Wilson looks at the ash heaps to try to find divine moral guidance. This symbol is connected to discussions of: Class division, since it stands for the forgotten poor underclass who enable the lifestyle of the wealthy few. The way the working class is left behind, since this place is both literally burying its inhabitants in the polluted byproduct of its factories and figuratively burying those who cannot connive their way to the top to stagnate in hopelessness and despair. The absence of a moral value system, which is notably lacking in the valley, which has no divine presence or higher authority beyond a creepy inanimate billboard. The characters, themes, symbols, and motifs most closely connected to the valley of ashes are: George Wilson, whose garage is right in the middle of the valley. Myrtle Wilson, who remains vibrant and colorful despite her years living in the middle of the ash heaps. Society and class, since everyone who can afford to move away from the dirty and depressing valley does so, which means the only people that left to live and work there are those who have no other options. The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, a billboard that speaks to the lack of God or religion in the novel. The motif of colors, where gray describes things that are dirty, unpleasant, dull, uninteresting, monotonous, and generally depressing. The motif of cars, which lose their usually positive associations whenever they enter the valley of death. What's Next? Revisit Chapter 2, Chapter 4, and Chapter 8 to see the context surrounding mentions of the valley and its ash heaps. You can even explore why the valley of ashes almost made it into the title of the novel here. Consider the characters of George and Myrtle Wilson to understand why he succumbs to the ash heaps and she rises above them. You can also read about all the other symbols in The Great Gatsby. While the Valley of Ashes is all about imagery and tone words, there are several other literary elements at play in The Great Gatsby. Learn how to spot personification and rhetorical devices in action with our guides. Need to review your knowledge of literary devices and poetic terminology for an English/Literature class? Read up on assonance, iambic pentameter, and point of view. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Diversification Strategies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diversification Strategies - Research Paper Example Google’s diversification strategies prove successful throughout the years. They attribute their success to the fact that diversification in an online market attracts significant lowers costs compared to diversification in the real, physical world. Therefore, most online companies capitalize on this as an advantage. However, this advantage is not merely enough to guarantee success. Sarah Kaplan, a business professor at Wharton University advances that companies like Google find success because they know how to look for what to leverage to their consumers. For example, Google’s current product named Google Docs and Spreadsheets; seeks to compete with Microsoft Office. In this case, Google’s leverage was the provision of a product that would offer more convenience to their clients over an already existing product owned by another company. The fact that Google is online based also makes sales and marketing of their products easier because they are able to reach a wid e market range. The diversification strategy employed by Google includes an eclectic approach where the combination of different strategies happens at the same time, for example, Google combines both concentric and horizontal strategies. This ensures that they stick to products with technological similarities to their current products. Concurrently, they stretch themselves slightly by introducing products which differ technologically and commercially to their current products because they can depend on their loyal customers (Kaplan, 2006). Time Warner AOL is among the companies in which their attempt to diversify proved unsuccessful. The merger of these two corporations caught people’s attention because of the strategy it symbolized a merger of two separate spheres; the old and the new. Throughout its 10 year merger, the conglomerate suffered a variety of setbacks. Firstly, the strategy they

Pheromones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pheromones - Essay Example Pheromonal communication elicits physiologic and behavioural changes in the subject affected. Pheromones were initially studied in insects, where they have an established role as proven by scientific research. Limited sensory development in insects as compared to mammals necessitates the presence of some communication mechanism by which they can exchange information. Pheromones are the substances which perform this function. The complex manner in which ants, termites, honey bees, bugs and other insects organise their daily life without any verbal communication is a definite clue to the presence of pheromones. All insects have a highly organised pattern of social interaction as well as a well defined reproductive pattern which are guided by pheromones. According to an online article by Pines Maya of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the first pheromone ever to be identified (in 1956) was a powerful sex attractant for silkworm moths. It was isolated over a span of twenty years by a team of German researchers. After removing certain glands at the tip of the abdomen of 500,000 female moths, they extracted the compound. Miniscule amounts of this compound elicited excitement in the male moths exhibited by fluttering of their wings. This clear sign that the males had sensed the attractant enabled the scientists to purify the pheromone. The compound was purified subsequently and was named "bombykol" for the silkworm moth, Bombyx mori from which it was extracted. There are enough visibly apparent instances of evidence of the existence of pheromones in our daily life when we observe insect behaviour. Bees and wasps home in to the precise location of their hives; ants leave a trail for others to follow, and the butterflies locate members of the opposite sex during flight. Pheromones are predominantly volatile compounds detected by the sense of smell but sometimes can be liquid contact chemicals (Gullan P.J. et al). They are secreted from the exocrine glands derived from the epidermal cells. Classification of pheromones in insects is based upon five categories of behaviour associated with sex, aggregation, spacing, trail forming and alarm. Sex pheromones are usually secreted during the breeding season by the female which attracts the males. Aggregation pheromones cause insects of both sexes to crowd around the source of the pheromone. Spacing pheromones are anti aggregation and are secreted to repel further arrivals of the species when a particular spot is saturated with the species or the food source is exhausted. Trail marking pheromones are volatile and short lived chemicals that evaporate within days unless reinforced. They are used by social insects like ants to mark the trail to the nest or food source. Alarm pheromones are volatile, non persiste nt compounds that are secreted by insects during aggression by a predator or any other calamity which may affect the nest. They induce protection behaviour by collection or aggregation of the affected species such as bees. The presence and significance of pheromones in higher species in the ecological order has been well documented but the role played by them in human beings has been full of claims, counterclaims and controversies. Social as well as sexual behaviour in the quadruped mammals is strongly influenced by the sense of smell. Territory marking is a prominent feature in animals like lions, tigers and dogs. Such animals can detect the presence of another male by the