Alienation Essay

Metamorphosis is a change in physical form or structure. In The Metamorphosis, there is a literal change in the protagonist, Gregor Samsa’s, physical form from a man to an insect. This metamorphosis brings to light one of the major themes in the novel; the theme of alienation. Today’s society demands conformity to its norms and any individual who refuses to accept these faces alienation. Such is the fate of Gregor in the story. Before Gregor’s metamorphosis, he is alienated from his job, humanity, his family, and even his body. The metamorphosis, however, takes the alienation to a different plane. In the story, Gregor’s job precipitates his alienation from society, his family, and himself. Gregor’s initial alienation is from his physical body and as the story progresses we find that Gregor’s life as an insect is not much different from his life as a human. From the first few paragraphs we get the impression that Gregor’s metamorphosis has only transformed him from one body to a less convenient one. He does not seem frazzled by his transformation, but explores his new body and tries to work with it. He observes his â€Å"numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk† (Kafka, 494), he feels a â€Å"dull ache he had never experienced before† (495), and he discovers a place on his body that he cannot itch. Gregor does not seem to have any emotional change due to this transformation. This is evident when he wakes up after his transformation and is annoyed that he cannot go to sleep because he cannot turn onto his right side. He also thinks about how he can no longer attend work.

The novel “Frankenstein” can be seen to have been inspired by events and experiences in Mary Shelley’s own life

Mary Shelley's young age while writing the novel â€Å"Frankenstein† in 1816 seems not to be distinguished with serious life experience which could influence her world famous work. This first impression proves to be wrong when reading her biography. We find a lot of personal, literary and political-philosophical factors forming her mind. The life of the tender woman is marked by grief from the very beginning. It is not impossible that she has carried some feeling of guilt because only a few days after she has been born her mother dies. The arrival of the new daughter instead of bringing happiness to the family throws it into deep despair. It is possible to link this first tragic event in Mary Shelley's life with the thoughts of Frankenstein before his death: â€Å"I, not in deed, but in effect, was the real murderer. â€Å"(p. 90). Later after the discovery of the body of Henry Clerval, analysing Frankenstein's bitter conclusion, we could build our reflection into the same direction. Why not assume a subconscious guilt to have followed Mary Shelley all her life? She could think that her half-sister might not have committed suicide if their mother has been alive. The next tragedy – finding Henrietta (P. B. Shelley's wife) drowned – could also be associated. Psychologically it is not an exception for a wife abandoned by her husband to kill herself. A nearly direct reminder of a possible self-accusation by the writer is the first person form of the Frankenstein narrative: â€Å"I called myself the murderer of William, of Justine, and of Clerval† (P. 171). A similar collection of negative features could lead us towards the sinful heroes of Godwin's book â€Å"Caleb Williams†, 1794, (Kindle. M. The claims of Caleb about himself are very close to those of Shelley's hero: â€Å"My offense has merely been a mistaken thirst for; knowledge† It seems the shadow of the dead parent has haunted Mary even without any actual memory of the funeral of her dead mother. Impressions are apparently included in the idea for the similar picture over the mantle-piece in Frankenstein's library which has â€Å"represented Caroline Beaufort in an agony of despair, kneeling by the coffin if her dead father. † (p. 75). It is understandable that Mary is acutely depressed after losing her first baby just one year before he beginning of the writing of â€Å"Frankenstein†. According to the notes in her Journal (Hindle M. p. xv) it has been very difficult for her to accept this death and she has had dreams that by rubbing the baby before the fire it could come back to life again. Obviously such a vision is prominent in the whole novel, subtitled â€Å"The Modern Prometheus†, being impressed not as much by Aeschylus's version of the legend as by Ovid's one. The English author includes in it many of the progressive ideas of her epoch, especially those coming from science. There is firm evidence of Mary Shelley's substantial education and profound interest in the latest biological research. She is attracted by the contemporary work of the physician Dr. Erasmus Darwin and the chemist Sir Humphry Davy, just as Frankenstein is impressed by an early experience with electricity. The young woman has not been a stranger to active political life either, due to the direct involvement of her father in it. We could link all the conservative attacks against him with the reaction towards the monster. Under the sway of the French Revolution, William Godwin shows explicitly his atheism, i. e. his differentiating from everyone. Inheriting and sharing her father's unusual ideas, the daughter displays her insight in the novel about creating life in contrast with the wide spread tradition. The-influence of her history studies is transformed into Frankenstein's over sophisticated conclusions about some important world happenings. Pondering on the interference of his laboratory work with his family relationship he generalises: â€Å"†¦ f no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with the tranquility of his domestic affections, Greece had been not enslaved; Caesar would have spared his country†¦ † (P. 54). Being well educated, Mary Shelley is probably aware enough of the real reasons for the events her hero lists. The purpose of such unjustified estimation is more likely to be the author's aim to show Frankenstein's excessive self-confidence in his own intellectual potential power and the exaggerating of the individual significance. His forename is not chosen accidentally. It is like a prediction of victory. Unfortunately we discover a hidden irony there. The insanity of his desires protrudes from the background of the looming mighty Alps in the numerous magnificent descriptions of the imposing mountain chain. It is not enough to underline the unison or contradictions between the characters' actions and the grand natural pictures. The presence of the awesome Alps in the book is not only an influence from the splendid location where the novel was conceived but also we receive the impression that the mountain has even an independent role in the narrative. The silent â€Å"actor† helps us to see clearer the contrast with the monomaniacal performance of the main hero. We understand that the might belongs only to Nature and that nobody should dare to compete with it. As such fighting takes a lot of time and effort, during the long six years Frankenstein devotes all his attention to the planned hard experiment. The researcher's engrossment in the scientific enterprise could be an allusion to Mr. Godwin's busy style of life. The lack of emotional contact with his daughter is presented both in the letters of Frankenstein's father and especially in the character of the monster. His determination to kill those dearest to Frankenstein is driven by the need to demonstrate the misery of being without friends and family. Despite the ferociously conducted duel between the main players, the author endeavours to invoke our sympathy for the appalling looking hero. Her searching, restless spirit dictates the tendency towards the unconventional and astonishing. Mary Shelley dares to be in contradiction even with the genre she uses to write the book. It is commented on immediately in 1818 by Sir Walter Scott in his article introducing the new title in Scotland: â€Å"†¦ he tale, though wild in incident, is written in plain and forcible English, without exhibiting that mixture of hyperbolical German with which tales of wonder are usually told, as if it were necessary that the language should be as extravagant as the fiction. † (Scott, W. , 1818). Mary Shelley changes the face of the Gothic genre being inspired by Cervantes' â€Å"Don Quixote† which she reads while writing â€Å"Frankenstein†. She follows the example of the great Spanish prosaic who comes to the idea of contradicting the existing knight's literature exactly as Shelley achieves a unique Gothic novel. Cervantes' influence is not only on the level of motivation but also hi presenting of the main heroes. While both desire to help other people they bring them nothing but misery. The scene with the dying Frankenstein on Walton's ship reminds us intensely of the mad speeches of Don Quixote. Both heroes try to contaminate with their ridiculous ideas the people surrounding them – Sancho Panza and other servants or the mariners who prefer to continue their journey back home. The distinguishing features of Mary Shelley's presentation on the literary scene are widely discussed. Her contribution to the development of English is also noticed by other critics. Just like her parents she is not afraid to think and act differently. The â€Å"excellence of language and peculiar interest† impresses the critic for The Belle Assemblee who says: â€Å"This work†¦ has as well as originality and an easy energetic style†¦ â€Å". Even today's readers, whose opinions are often based on mass-media productions, are pleasantly surprised by the delightful manner of writing. Despite the expectation of finding a story of horror and nightmares, the plot is saturated with lyrical diversions. These appear due to the direct sensitive influences of both family and close circle of friends. Among the contemporaries Mary Shelley reads with serious excitement romantic poets. Her imagination is preoccupied by the Coleridge's â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner† whose ideas she puts in the minds of both heroes – Dr Frankenstein and Captain Walton. Both are obsessed by the rhythm of the poem and quote from it to describe their own condition or determination. This brings additional charm to the gripping story. Reading nearly any stanza from the â€Å"Ancient Mariner† we can envisage the fascinating power of the epic over the young writer. Its elevating sound is extremely topical just after the time of the French Revolution: * Alone, alone, all, all alone, Alone on a wide wide sea! And never a saint took pity on My soul in agony. The spread out alliteration expands the boundaries of the immeasurable ocean as ajnetaphor of freedom and independence. Similar feelings have thrilled Mary Shelley while reading â€Å"Emil† by Jean Jacques Rousseau. It encourages the ideas of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity -the stimulation for the armed insurrection and the insistence on human rights through the character of the monster. Rousseau's ideas elaborated by Godwin in his â€Å"Political Justice† are the best explanation for the transforming of the creature into a villain due to treatment by society. A lot of other writers and their books have contributed to forming the views which Mary Shelley conveyed in her riveting novel. Whatsoever is the impact on â€Å"Frankenstein† one is undoubted – the envied talent of Mary Shelley to combine all her knowledge, intuitive capacities and innate genius for developing a real masterpiece.

Liberal Education Essay

Essay Education is the most important factor behind the progress man has achieved in this world. It has been the permanent character of human history and evolution of thought. However, in the past, it used to be prerogative of only a few privileged men and the pace of development was quite slow. Since it has been disseminated to common people, there has been rapid growth in every sphere of development: science, technology, sociology, politics, anthropology, etc. Now it is treated as basic human right of every man. Though, it encompasses a wide sphere of knowledge, it has been metamorphosed by man according to his needs. It has been mainly applied as a tool of economic development, which has limited its application. Consequently, people are deprived of the potential education offers for the overall development of personality and stability of society. The chaos in modern world is also partly due to this fault. Therefore, in order to meet the multi-dimensional challenges, man faces in the world, it is essential to impart real education i. e. liberal education. The liberal education has been defined in many ways, though emphasizing the similar essential elements. The best definition is offered by the â€Å"Association of American Colleges and Universities†. â€Å"Liberal education means to empower an individual and prepare him to deal with diversity, complexity and change†. As manifest from the definition, the purpose of education is to enable man to surpass the challenges faced in the world, to know and obtain his rights and to accommodate himself in the constantly changing environment in the present day competitive world. The importance of liberal education in this contemporary globalised world is greatest than ever before. The world has become so shaped that every economic and social activity requires modern and advanced means of communication and technology. The transformation of technological development is on a very fast track. There is a demand of more interactive and communica tive manpower to run this complex system. Moreover, despite the interdependence on each other, the diversity in different areas is in sharp contrast. Hence, the man is required to be quite sufficiently prepared to move forward. And the instrument that can enable him to face these challenges is nothing but liberal education. This is why the renowned scholar â€Å"Skarnovey† says: â€Å"Liberal education: the developing countries must adopt it as it is a necessity†. Nevertheless, it is essential for every nation but the developed countries are already ahead in this sphere. The developing countries, which are still far behind, need to forge efforts to transform their education system in order to catch up with the rest of the world. Not only because it helps in achieving economic development but also because it fulfills the need of society in every sphere of life. The sphere of liberal education is wide enough to call it real education. Basically, education is aimed to develop whole being of a person. It is necessary to educate man to learn social ethics, cultural values, religious obligations, ways and means of a stable society and skills of professional competitiveness. Liberal education, simply, fulfills all these essential needs. It emphasises the development of a citizen who is professionally capable of living in the society in civilised way – the way which is not only beneficial to himself alone, but also fruitful for other members of his family, community and society. It is best elaborated in the words of Kurth Kahin; â€Å"Liberal education teaches something about everything and everything about something†. His words can be best understood by contrast to the maxim â€Å"Jack of all; master of none†. Simultaneously, there are also people who are â€Å"Jack of none but master of one†. The people, who acquire general education without proficiency in any specific subject, are explained by the first maxim. While some people who are very skilled and highly qualified in one field like an engineer, scientist or doctor but do not know any other subject or field of life; these are referred to the latter assumption. However, liberal education is a moderate way between both the polar positions. It is aimed at making a person ‘a good professional in any one field’ and also to ‘possess knowledge and skills about other important fields’. More importantly, it makes constructive members of society better described as â€Å"Jack of all; master of one†. In such a way, the objectives of liberal education are multifaceted, which address the requirement of society to a considerable extent. These objectives are briefly discussed here: Firstly, it is the most important for a man to be an informed citizen. The people who are concerned only with their single professional field of occupation cannot be ideally good citizens. They would only be members and nationals of a community or nation. A good citizen is required to be participatory in the social and political building of community, which is the foundation of any society. As the actions of man are based on information and knowledge, without these none understands the obligation towards community and resultantly remains inactive member of society. However, but if the students are inculcated the knowledge of their needs and roles, they would be quite prepared to foresee occurrences and would direct their thoughts and actions towards social and political participation. This can be achieved when the system of education is made liberal which does not aspire to produce only technical robots in human shape but informed and good citizens. Secondly, the philosophy of liberal education envisages the development of creative thinking among the students. Creative thinking has acquired fundamental place in the education system of advanced countries. The students are encouraged to â€Å"think a new†. The creative experiments, creative writings and creative art lead to frame the development of thought process. Though, it is practised in western countries, it owes its origin to the most influential scholars and artists of Greek period and early Muslim era. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Ibn-e-Khaldun, Galileo, Khuw-arzmi, Newton, to name a few, all were creative thinkers. In short, whole of the development in the world and education itself is the result of creative thinking. On the contrary, the limited application of education is insufficient to produce brilliant minds. The specific technological development devoid of human values and ethics has failed to form the basis of a viable society. Thus, it is the objective of liberal education to teach the students various subjects like history, sociology, philosophy and psychology besides their professional field, so that creative thought is encouraged to be developed among them. Therefore, we need to introduce liberal education in order to secure our future based on collective ideals. Thirdly, liberal education improves the skills and competitiveness of students, which is necessary to enable them to get foothold in the competitive market. For example a typist may have good efficiency in his field but computers have replaced typewriter. People like to get their papers typed on computer in order to save their document and to get good command. Now, the excellent typist is in trouble, he would go jobless in the market unless he learns to operate computer. Same is the case with every field of employment. The modes of technology are being transformed very rapidly. In order to meet the demands of market one should be quite prepared and skilled. Hence, the knowledge of mathematics, science, computer literacy and technological acquaintance are necessary to be imparted to the students, which can be achieved through liberal education. Fourthly, as the world has become a global village, the importance of communication skills has been increased manifold. A person must be proficient in national and at least one international language. He must know how to send e-mail, voice-mail or to carryout visual communication. The social change compels the person to change the job for better opportunities. The talented people feel an urge to move towards other countries as well in order to actualise their talent and to obtain maximum result. This is where the communication skills are mostly required. All the communication techniques, basically, listening, speaking and writing are essential ingredients. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the skills of students through methods of listening comprehension and speaking ability tests. All the examinations of foreign languages comprise these elements and even very talented students from developing countries fail to go abroad due to lack of these communication skills in international languages. The world has become so shaped that every economic and social activity requires modern and advanced means of communication and technology. The transformation of technological development is on a very fast track. These few objectives of liberal education underline its importance and need in the developing countries, including Pakistan. Unfortunately, it has not been taken seriously. The system of education in our country is obsolete. It is devoid of the contemporary methodology of teaching and the curriculum is almost from primary to university level. Computer is studied as a field of study only, not as a skill. Even in most of the universities it is taught only to the students of computer department seeking degree in that subject, let alone its use at primary and secondary level. In universities the students of other subjects like sociology, languages, arts and other sciences are not taught the computer skills. This lags them far behind from students of other countries and few quality institutes of the country. Same is true of languages. English though introduced from primary level, is not taught according to the modern techniques of comprehension. Only reading lessons and knowing meaning of words cannot enable students to master the language. The methodology of English departments in universities is also in question. The national language, Urdu, is also not focused at any level of education. Learning of both these languages is important to produce capable and competitive students at the national and international level. The fate of the students of other subjects is also not much different. On the one hand, they are deprived of computer and language skills; on the other they do not become proficient in their field of interest as the proper methodology is not applied. Faculty members are not well qualified, research is not pursued and creative thought is ignored. These defects of our education system are the main reasons of the chaos, unemployment, poverty and social instability in our society. In order to overcome these shortcomings, we must adopt the liberal education system without any further delay. However, this requires a well thought out and comprehensive policy to improve the existing education system. Primarily, we should redesign our curriculum at all levels. All the major components/subjects of liberal education: sociology humanism, citizenship, history, philosophy, languages, computer and sciences must be introduced in every tier of education from primary to university levels in accordance with the capacity of students and the needs of society. Secondarily, all the institutions should be equipped with computer and scientific laboratories and libraries. The research and creative thinking should be encouraged through modern techniques of education. In this regard the accessibility and equality of all sections of our stratified society must be ensured in order to achieve uniform development. Lastly, the faculty must be energised by providing skilled and experienced teachers. The existing teachers should be trained to equip them with modern techniques of teaching methodology. Fresh and young blood must be encouraged to join education field as a profession by enhancing the monetary incentives in the education sector. This policy will yield tremendous benefits to the future of a nation. The liberal education is hailed because it brings concrete advantages. The young generation of Pakistan makes bulk of the population of country. According to a report of the State Bank of Pakistan 65 per cent of the educated youth is unemployed due to irrelevance of their skills with market. If this portion of population is properly skilled, it will prove to be a boost to the economy as the manpower is considered a resource in all countries of the world. Another benefit would be the eradication of poverty. Once our youth are employed, they will naturally add to the income of their families and consequently eradicate their poverty. It will also help in raising the living standard of our common man as it is directly proportional to the income of a family. The liberal education would create sense of understanding and cooperation among the people. The contemporary chaos of extremism and isolationism are due to lack of approach towards collective interests and common goals among people. Once they realise their social obligations and think creatively they will initiate participating positively in the stability of society. It is quite clearly manifested from the discussion that liberal education, which is the real education, is an essential component of good governance and stable society. It not only helps an individual to progressively achieve goals but also gives impetus to economic, political and social stability to a state. In short, it forms the basis of human development in this complex global world of diversity and challenges. It offers a way towards a better change.

Between the Law and Your School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Between the Law and Your School - Essay Example This can be explained using four illustrations. First is the issue of the Supremacy Clause, which makes it clear that all laws passed by the Congress succeed the constitution or state law. Most specifically, Article IV of the second clause provides that the Constitution and the U.S laws are the supreme laws of the country, with all the judges in every State being under them. Secondly, Federalism provides that the U.S government is a national entity on its own, rather than a federation of States, and thus states will always be sovereign entities in the Nation’s system. Federal law also supersedes State laws to meet the terms of preemption. Courts are expected to identify the extent and substance of federal preemption and protect State laws as extensive as possible. In case of any conflict between the two bodies, courts entail preemption of State laws in absence of express preemption. When State and Federal laws contradict, there emerges a state of conflict preemption. During su ch an occurrence, the federal law often preempts the State law so long as it is a constitutional application of federal authority. The legal system has evolved over the last twenty years, thus affecting the state of the legal framework. A few illustrations can be used to explain this move, and in this context, the evolutions in education law and rules some thirty years ago and the noticeable effects they have had on public schools in the U.S. In 1954, the Court’s Brown versus The Board of Education banned segregated schools (Stevens, 2001). Some few years later, in Community Schools versus Seattle School District, there was a rule by the Supreme court that public school districts ensure they had a given percentage of learners of ethnic minorities over the white learners, thus reversing the anticipated effects of Brown v Board. This marks a huge evolution in the regulations affecting public schools. Apart from the two laws, there was the law of â€Å"No Child Left Behind† formulated by the Congress and the President. It laid a foundation for specific funding and testing guidelines and totally changed the way in which public schools in America offered education (Alexander & Alexander, 2011). Having addressed the issue of legal framework and its effects on public schools, it is important to address how it differs between private and public schools. In terms of funding, public schools are financed by the federal, State, or local government. On the other hand, private schools are funded by private sources, meaning that they are not subject to the rules and regulations laid down by the State on finance issues. The requirements in admissions also differ in that, while public schools must admit and educate every child, private schools decide on whom to admit and in which way. All public schools are guided by the same basic set of federal and local education regulations. The laws generally address the topics of school curriculum, educational program conte nt, funding, and budgets. Given the reason that taxpayers are responsible for the costs incurred by public schools, there is no tuition included in attending. In comparison, private schools follow the government regulations but they are more flexible especially in financial issues. This is based on the fact that they do not finance their operations using tax payers’ money, thus not much limited on the way they use their resources (Stevens, 2001). Not only does the State provide legal frameworks to govern public schools,

Upcoming presidential election Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Upcoming presidential election - Essay Example This will keep on affecting the US in a negative manner since the superpower nation of the world is already seen as a very racially discriminating nation and McCain’s win will only deter the cause of having some sanity within the relevant folds. Hence there would not be much change if John McCain actually takes the coveted seat, come November 4th, 2008. If Barack Obama seals the spot as the next President of the United States, there will be a huge difference in the way the world sees the racial relations, the race dogma, the attitudes that exist and just about everything which comes under the related settings. This is because Obama is a black himself and he knows that if he becomes the next President of US, he will be the first black to take over such a position – a position that commands respect the world over. The blacks will mark this success as a form of struggle that would see the light of the day and they will celebrate it in an aggressive way. Indeed all other communities except the whites would consider this as a very good omen for the next 4 years in the world’s political scenario. It will affect race and the whole talk related with it if either of the two wins. This is because there is a black Presidential candidate and having him as the President of the US would mean success for the people who have struggled long and hard for their rights the world over. Since this is the first time one such black candidate is vying for this post, McCain’s position is also under the cover. If he gets successful on November 4th, this would mean that the blacks and the minority groups the world over are defeated once again. (Green, 2008) The racial discussion has centered on the premise of personality differences between the two Presidential hopefuls and not on their policies or other significant subjects, which at the end of the day are also equally pivotal in the time and age of today. Thus in the end, the racial discussions will actually come to the fore no

Georg Cantor Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Georg Cantor - Research Paper Example Georg had first been private tutored but later went to primary school in St Petersburg before they migrated to Germany. This was as a result of the Russian weather being very unfavourable. Cantor attended local schools and also made friends who would later on be of significance in making and creating theories that would change the world of mathematics. Cantor’s early interest and basis in mathematics formed a crucial step in helping him come up with credible mathematical theories. Cantor was a very good mathematician and was known for his exceptional skills in trigonometry. He entered the University of Zurich where he continued to do well. His study at the University of Zurich was cut short by the death of his father. After receiving a substantial amount of inheritance from his father, he was able to transfer to the University of Berlin where he attended lecturers by influential scholars. He later attended the University of Gottingen where he took mathematical research. In this research he was able to complete his dissertation on number theory. While in Berlin, he was elected the president of the Mathematical Society Berlin Chapter. He was also a member of several teams that met and discussed mathematics as well as how they could come up with Mathematical theories. In the same light Cantor taught at a local girl’s school. At the same time he worked on improving his theory of mathematics and presented his theory again. The Personal life of Georg Cantor was one that was adventurous as at a tender age he played the Violin and his family was very musical. He also came from a mixed family where his mother was of Russian descent and his father German. His Father was also a successful businessman who was involved in the setting up of the St Petersburg Stock Exchange. Cantor was also the first born child in a family of six. Cantor’s work was also heavily criticised and

Intellectual Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Intellectual Property - Essay Example The law offers rights of control to the creators of literary works, films, music, artistic works, software, and typographical agreement of printed editions on the way their work may be engaged. The mentioned rights include; public performances and broadcast, adapting, lending copies, copying, as well as renting. Copyright is an automatic work, which arises when a person or a company creates something new (Holland, 2007). In order for one to qualify for this right, the work created should be considered as innovative, and display or unveil some degree of skill, labor, or judgment. For a party to receive the protection of copyright, their works must be interpreted in regard to independence creation instead of the notion behind that creation. For instance; if one writes a book, the idea of the book itself may not be protected, however, the actual content in that book would be protected. A different person has a right and, is entitled to write a book employing the same idea as long as they do not copy the owner’s idea or adapt it when writing their works (Bouchoux, 2009). Generally, the person or a group who authored the original work exclusively owns the work, which is referred as â€Å"first owner of copyright† according to the Act of 1988. However, if this work is created and formed as part of occupation, then the company will actually be the first owner, this being the employer of the person who created the work (Davies, & Cheng, 2011). Titles, colors, names, and short phrases are not normally put into consideration as unique or ample and extensive enough to be taken into consideration, though designs such as a logo, which combines these features may be covered. In other words, works that prompt anotion may be secured and protected, but the idea behind that work may not. Commissioned or freelance work generallygoes to the author, unless there is a contract, which is an agreement for the service. Similarto any otheradditional asset, copyright can be sold or

Compare the food with The book Omnivore's Dilemma Research Paper

Compare the food with The book Omnivore's Dilemma - Research Paper Example However, most health experts have warned against eating processed food. This is due to the health risks associated with processed food. For instance, most Americans are over obsessed with eating fast foods such as humbugger prepared in famous restaurants such as McDonalds. Before the humbugger comes to the table, it undergoes processing and the addition of food preservatives which health experts say is not good for human health. William Pollan in his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, exposed to people the health risk they are exposing themselves to by eating American foods, which he says are full of chemicals. Pollan claims that most foods that Americans eat today be it meat, eggs, chicken, or milk comes from corn. According to Pollan, chicken, cows, fish, and turkey are all fed on corn (Pollan 4). However, his main concern is that the corn has certain ingredients that expose people to health risks. Some of the ingredients that come from corn include riglycerides, lecithin, the ci tric acid, and the mono-, the coloring and raspberry flavor. These ingredients are harmful to human health. In fact, some authors have claimed that the increased cases of chronic diseases such as heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, and obesity are attributable to the unhealthy foods that Americans eat, in the form of processed foods. ... Kenner begins by moving into various slaughterhouses and factory farms. While in a factory farm, he is amazed to observe how chickens are conditioned and fed on chemicals that make them grow too fast to move properly (Food Inc.). In another farm, he observes how cows are fed on toxic chemicals after which their products, such as meat and milk, are sneaked into the market by illegal immigrants, at an affordable cost. The filmmaker’s main concern is that Americans eat these unhealthy foods daily without knowing the health risks that they are exposing themselves to. Kenner concurs with Pollan’s observation that the rising cases of chronic diseases, such as heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, and obesity are largely to blame on the toxic chemicals that people eat in the processed foods and products from animals fed on toxic chemical substances. Industrial food is not only an American food as other countries, like China, are also increasingly becoming over obsessed with indust rial foods. According to the Eurominitor, a leading research firm in Europe, China will soon surpass America in terms of the consumption of industrial foods (Holt par. 1). In fact, the research firm predicts that China will become the number one consumer of processed foods by the year 2015. The Euromonitor states that China could consume as much as 107 million tons of processed foods compared to the 102 million tons consumed by the U.S. In fact, eating packed food is increasingly becoming a norm in the U.S. Holt noted that most Chinese foods come from animals fed on chemicals that make them grow and fasten too fast (par. 3). Since China has no any environmental

How Organisations can Utilise the Talent Pipeline Essay

How Organisations can Utilise the Talent Pipeline - Essay Example The paper will also focus on how the concept of best practice can contribute to talent management. In order for the organisation to utilise the talent pipeline to be a super achiever, factors such as acquisition, utilisation, development and reward of talent have to be taken into consideration. The first step that should be taken by the organisation is to attempt to streamline its recruitment efforts so that they are geared towards attracting the best talent in order for it to operate viably. Pfeffer (1989, p.65) suggests that companies which are concerned about their competitiveness as well as making profits through people ought to â€Å"expend the effort needed to ensure that they recruit the right people in the first place.† In this regard, there is need to create a super ‘fit’ whereby candidates with qualities that meet the expected role standards are recruited in the organisation. Talent is identified during the recruitment exercise and it is my strong convic tion that the right person is selected to fill the post within the organisation. Such a move can motivate me to join a particular organisation given that I will be aware of the fact that I possess the right skills and talent to execute the tasks that will be assigned to me. Factors to consider when recruiting employees There are many factors that can be considered when determining the right person to fill the post available in the organisation. According to Baron & Kreps (1999), candidates who display greater talent and knowledge of the of the job ought to be given preference as these can be continually developed to meet the changing expectations of the organisation. This is supposed to be the first stage in recruitment and ultimately retention of talented employees given that the employers are given the opportunity to assess the candidates at face value if they are capable of meeting the demands of the job as well as to establish if they possess interests for that particular job. T his stage heralds a complex process that is concerned with choosing the right candidates for the organisation. It is easier to retain a talented employee than the one who is not as going to be illustrated below. Retention of employees Employers can utilise the talent of the employees through implementing various measures. According to Pfeffer (1998), there is need for the organisation to take into consideration the needs of the employees so that they can put optimum performance in their operations. I am also of the idea that if the employee is treated as a valuable asset to the organisation, he is likely to utilise his talents for the betterment of the organisation in the execution of his expected duties. The employee should be given the opportunity to display his prowess in that particular task assigned to him. The employers must also be accommodative to the ideas that may be suggested by the employee such that his talent can be fully utilised for the benefit of the organisation as a whole. Development of employees Acquisition of talented employees is not an end in itself given that there is need to constantly develop these employees so that they remain competent in their operations. According to Schultz et al (2003), organisations operate in a dynamic environment that is constantly changing and in order for them to remain viable, they need to adopt change. On the other hand, the employee

Is the Quality Old Design Methods Better than Today's Essay

Is the Quality Old Design Methods Better than Today's - Essay Example This is because; the problems experienced today are by far too complex such that they can neither be solved by intuition nor can they be solved using traditional wisdom (Brand, 2005). Since design involves different tasks, it is necessary that different methods be incorporated. In earlier days before technology was incorporated in architectural design field, the industry practitioners used some elementary methods to facilitate the design process. As technology was adopted, these methods slowly faded away and as time went by, every practitioner became conversant with the new methods and from there henceforth, the new technological methods started dominating over the old methods (Brand, 2005). However, from the recent developments attributable to the new technological methods in design, a question tends to arise. Are they better in quality as compared to the preceding old methods? Therefore, this paper will aim at trying to answer the question concerning the quality of the old methods in design as compared to the current design methods, which have a technological aspect. Despite the fact the technology is ideal in every aspect of life if adopted, the older design methods, which did not entail technology, were meaningful and as such, they can be said to be of good quality than the contemporary methods (Brand, 2005). ... This method can be said of great quality as compared to the new technological design methods because, the knowledge obtained in such methods of design were practical (Hillis, 2008). Most of the contemporary design methods are largely theoretical and employ the practical notion very limitedly. For instance, in great cathedrals, the drawings therein were full size and as such, large sets of dividers used in older days design were widely used in setting out the masonry. Moreover, forms as well as shapes were psychologically developed in the minds of the craftsmen in a gradual way. Later, just before technology took reign, older designers were also making use small scale drawing. All these practical aspects of older design methods are used less in the contemporary design and this proves that the older methods are of more quality than the new (Hillis, 2008). In regard to the master as well as the apprentice system, the decisions concerning the design methods were based on the traditional grounds. As such, the design process was therefore done in special ways. The most precise reason for this is because; the processes had always been done within such ways. This is indeed absent in the new technological design methods. The older design methods such as apprenticeship could be used for anything, from building to ships. Today, there is a range of design methods and each method is used for a particular product (Hillis, 2008). Even today, admiration for the traditional products attributable to the old methods used in design can still be depicted from the people and as such, the admiration continues growing. This therefore is supposed to mean that the quality attributable to

Shahrukh Khan and Representation of Islam in His Movies Essay

Shahrukh Khan and Representation of Islam in His Movies - Essay Example Shahrukh khan and his movies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....................................................9 7. Shahrukh khan and impact of Islam in his movies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 7.1 Veer Zaara and underlying mechanism†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....10 7.2 Shahrukh’s contribution†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦............................................................13 7.3 Message of the film†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...................................................................13 7.4 Criticisms faced and public response†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦......................................14 8. My Name Is Khan and Islam†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.....................................................14 8.1 Biased fee lings †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦........................................................................16 8.2 Message of the film†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..................................................................17 8.3 Shahrukh khan and My Name Is Khan†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....................................18 9. ... Firstly the paper focuses on the crux of Islamic fundamentalism and their principles. Then the focus is entailed on the significant role of media and their policies to change the angle of representation of readers and viewers about societal facts and information. In this part the dominant role of media in representing Islam is also concentrated. Moving on to the next section limelight is given on the role of Bollywood and the influence of Islam in them. Then the core discussion is about Shahrukh khan’s movies and the impact of Islam in them. Three outstanding movies of Shahrukh have been adopted for this purpose as for example Veer Zaara, My Name is Khan and Hey Ram. In Veer Zaara, a marvelous cross cultural love story ahead of its times and the impact of religion and the message of communal harmony has been beautifully spun. Public responses are also shown. Then a plethora of in detailed explanation of the representation of Islam and Shahrukh khan’s most acclaimed film ,’My Name Is Khan’ has been provided. Finally ending a short discussion is also given about the movie Hey Ram where Shahrukh khan played a small role of Muslim archaeologist where also Islam has a vivid significance. 1. Introduction Shahrukh Khan, recognized as the king of Bollywood with a huge fan base, is the world’s one of the most popular movie persona in the modern times. From a new comer in the film industry with no god father behind and with tremendous passion and complex understanding for movies have made him reach the summit of success. He reigns over the hearts of millions as a romantic hero for which he is initially recognized with his super hit films

Benefits of Nonverbal Communication Essay Example for Free

Benefits of Nonverbal Communication Essay Certain things are not conveyed by words or verbal means because individuals are not simply skilled to deliver or are not trained to explain in appropriate means or symbols. An officer can definitely learn from an understanding of nonverbal communication as he/she will be able to gain the nuances of an offender or parolee’s responses whether these are in consonance with the gaze in his eyes, the confidence of gait, or the studied looks that he may portray during the sessions that might transpire with the officer (Messina, Training in Nonverbal Communication). An officer who has spent a lengthy time studying people in this kind of profession, the difficulty usually lies in studying those who are mentally deranged, or the offenders who are so evil that they are capable to manipulate even the most intelligent officers, when possible. Their eyes convey differently where their talk or smiles carry them to a different level (Carrick, 2006). Art in any form conveys the reality that a human’s world is enriched by the kind of communication inherent in being human. Even one’s attire may speak a million things about the person or his intentions. People communicate both through verbal and nonverbal modes. Though we mistake verbal communication is clearer, yet often the reverse is truer (Messina, Training in Nonverbal Communication). People frequently understand our gestures more than our words. Hence, the adage â€Å"Actions speak louder than words. † Nonverbal communication is taught and performed frequently on an almost instinctive level. People get attention by using nonverbal signals and every so often the attention is usually due to an unpleasant manner by which these signals were conveyed. Most people who employ body language utilize such behavior to conceal the self for fear of rejection. The result would mean no real deep connections and deters other people to develop such deep and beneficial relationships. Many of those who realize their need try to unlearn years of covering up and attempt to make themselves known to avoid (Messina, Training in Nonverbal Communication). Every individual has inadequate stock of body language and utilizes the same manners to show specific emotionality. Body language and/or gestures, and a host of physical and psychological signals take place in clusters. This means that when a particular body language is used, it may not mean much as when it is used alongside many other forms of communication (Messina, Training in Nonverbal Communication). The officer then must continually make use of every opportunity as a learning experience as people are dynamic and continually changing. Reference: Carrick, Damien. 31 January 2006. The Law Report. Parole Boards. Messina, James D. Training in Nonverbal Communication. Accessed from Analysis of Cultural Communication and Proxemics http://www. unl. edu/casetudy/456/traci. htm

Tetrodotoxin And The Threat Of Bioterrorism Biology Essay

Tetrodotoxin And The Threat Of Bioterrorism Biology Essay The threat of bioterrorism remains a reality worldwide, although of low probability, an attack would be a high-consequence event. Microbes are available to individuals with appropriate contacts and even many low-grade bacterial pathogens can severely affect health. Toxins provide bacteria with a system of defense that is often detrimental to humans and their versatility makes them potential tools of bioterrorism. It should be remembered that the aim of terrorism is not always to kill but rather to strike fear into peoples lives. Importantly, no state can ever be fully prepared for a response and it is probable that no state ever could be. It is for this reason that biological agents are so attractive as weapons. (British Journal of Biomedical Science, 2005) Deserving of a closer look as a potential weapon of bioterrorism and as a threat to public health and safety is tetrodotoxin. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent marine neurotoxin, named after the order of fish from which it is most commonly associated, the Tetrodoniformes (tetras four and odontos-tooth), or the tetraodon puffer fish. The tetraodon puffers are equipped with four large teeth which are nearly fused, forming a beak-like structure used for cracking mollusks and other invertebrates, as well as for scraping corals and general reef grazing. (Florida State University, January, 2002) According to the New York Times, first isolated from the puffer fish, tetrodotoxin is among the most potent toxins known. It is 100 times as toxic by weight as potassium cyanide two milligrams can kill an adult human and it is not destroyed by cooking. Tetrodotoxin is found in more than just marine creatures. It is present in high concentrations in the skin of certain newts in North American and Japan, and in several kinds of frogs in Central and South America and Banglaesh. (New York Times Science, December, 2009) The flesh of the puffer fish (i.e. fugu) is considered a delicacy in Japan. It is prepared by chefs specially trained and certified by the government to prepare the flesh free of the toxic liver, gonads and skin. Despite these precautions, many cases of tetrodotoxin poisoning are reported each year in patients ingesting fugu. (Medscape CDC Commentary Series, October, 2009) From 1974 through 1983 there 646 reported cases of fugu (puffer fish) poisoning in Japan, with 179 fatalities. Estimates as high as 200 cases per year with mortality approaching 50% have been reported. (Florida State University, January, 2002) Interestingly while tetrodotoxin is found in several different branches of the animal kingdom, the tetrodotoxin found in each of these creatures is identical unlike the venoms produced by snakes and scorpions which are made up of different kinds of toxins particular to that species. The evidence suggests that these animals do make the toxin themselves. (New York Times Science, December, 2009) The toxin itself appears to be made by relatively common marine bacteria, specifically Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis tetraodonis, which associates with these animals. Validating this theory when puffer fish are raised in aquariums with filtered, bacteria-free water, they are non-toxic and the same results are achieved when Japanese newts or Panamanian frogs are raised on special diets they lose their toxicity. These experiments validate the theory that these toxic animals obtain the toxin from the food chain. Several species of tetrodotoxin-producing bacteria have been found in puffer fish, the blue-ringed octopus, and certain small and other animals. It appears that the animals become toxic by sequestering the bacterially produced toxin in their tissues. (New York Times Science, December, 2009) The exact origin of tetrodotoxin in the food chain remains unclear. The only common dominator seems to be that tetrodotoxin producing animals are closely related to an aquatic system and the bacteria that commonly inhabit the aquatic system. (MDPI Marine Drugs, May 2008) The toxic dose is not clear because puffer fish have different concentrations of tetrodotoxin. A dose of 1-2 mg of purified toxin can be lethal. Reported cases from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have documented toxicity with ingestion as little as 1.4 ounces of puffer fish. (Medscape CDC Commentary Series, October, 2009) In contrast, the botulinum toxin (Clostridium botulinum) is reported to be the most toxic substance known. If evenly dispersed for inhalation, 1 gram of pure (botulinum) toxin is sufficient to kill 1 million people. (Ryan Glarum, 2008, p. 65) Tetrodotoxin is a neurotoxin. Neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells of the nervous system, typically by interacting with membrane proteins and especially ion channels. (Knowledgerush, n.d.) Tetrodotoxin binds to the sodium channel of the nerve preventing the passage of sodium ions through the cell membrane and therefore (passage) of the nerve impulse. (CBWinfo.com, 1999) Many of the venoms and other toxins that organisms use in defense against vertebrates are neurotoxins. A common effect is paralysis, which typically onsets extremely rapidly. (Knowledgerush) The first symptom of (tetrodotoxin) intoxication is a slight numbness of the lips and tongue, appearing between 20 minutes to three hours after eating poisonous puffer fish,. The next symptom is increasing paraesthesia in the face and extremities, which may be followed by sensations of lightness or floating. Headache, epigastric pain, nausea, diarrhea, and/or vomiting may occur. Occasionally, some reeling or difficulty in walking may occur. The second state of the intoxication is increasing paralysis. Many victims are unable to move; even sitting may be difficult. There is increasing respiratory distress. Speech is affected, and the victim usually exhibits dyspnea, cyanosis, and hypotension. Paralysis increases and convulsions, mental impairment, and cardiac arrhythmia may occur. The victim, although completely paralyzed, may be conscious and in some cases completely lucid until shortly before death. Death usually occurs with in 4 to 6 hours, with a known range of about 20 minutes to 8 hours. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; FDA U.S. Food Drug Administration, n.d.) No specific antidote has been tested in humans. No drug has been shown to reverse the effects of tetrodotoxin poisoning. Treatment is symptomatic. Specific drug efficacy has only been documented anecdotally. (Medscape CDC Commentary Series, October 2009) Animal studies using monoclonal antibodies against TTX have been done. Monoclonal antibodies were shown to e life saving in mice treated both before and after the ingestion of a lethal dose of TTX. Further studies are needed to document the efficacy in humans. In another study using guinea pigs intoxicated with tetrodotoxin, 4-aminopyridine (a potassium channel blocker) showed dramatic improvement in respiratory, cardiac, and CNS status occurred after administration of the drug. No human studies of this drug for use in tetrodotoxin poisoning are in progress. (Medscape CDC Commentary Series, October 2009) No specific laboratory test confirms tetrodotoxin ingestion exits; thus dietary history is key for diagnosis. Tetrodotoxin poisoning can be misdiagnosed as one of many differential diagnoses including: gastroenteritis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree heart blockage, hypocalcemia, Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome, myasthenia gravis, octopus envenomations, and ciguatera, scombroid and shellfish toxicity. Since tetrodotoxin is produced from bacteria, there is a risk that the toxin could be manufactured on a significant scale by fermentation. (CBWinfo.com, 1999) Tetrodotoxin is a colorless crystalline solid that darkens when heated about 428 ° F or 220 ° C. (CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, n.d.) Relatively is little is known about tetrodotoxin as a possible toxin weapon although the Japanese did some work its weaponization in Unite 731 during World war II. It is included on the Australia Group lists by reason of its toxicity. It is not known to be made in large quantities that could be used in weapons and little or nothing is know about its inhalation toxicity. (CBWinfo.com, 1999) ( NOTE: The Australia Group (AG) is an informal forum of countries which, through the harmonization of export controls, seeks to ensure that exports do not contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons. Coordination of national export control measures assists Australia Group participants to fulfill their obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention to the fullest extent possible.) (The Australia Group, n.d.) The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) offers insight into the various methods tetrodotoxin could be disseminated and the feasibility of each method. For example, dissemination through indoor air, outdoor air or water is extremely unlikely because the source of the toxin is living organisms and to manufacture tetrodotoxin in appreciable quantities is extremely difficult. And, since tetrodotoxin is unlikely to be disseminated in the air, it is also unlikely to be disseminated through agricultural products. Ingestion does seem the most likely source of dissemination. Exposure to tetrodotoxin usually occurs through eating improperly prepared fish or possibly through contamination of other food products. (CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, n.d.) According to NIOSH, there is no antidote for tetrodotoxin toxicity and initial treatment is primarily supportive. In 2007 two individuals developed symptoms consistent with tetrodotoxin poisoning after ingesting home-cooked puffer fish purchased in Chicago. Both the retailer and supplier claimed the product was monkfish. High levels of tetrodotoxin were detected in the remains of the ingested meal and fish retrieved from the contaminated shipment. This case of tetrodotoxin poisoning highlights the need for continued stringent regulation of puffer fish importation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, education of the public regarding the dangers of puffer fish consumption, and raising awareness among medical providers of the diagnosis and management of foodborne toxin ingestions and the need for reporting to public health agencies. (PubMed U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health, 2009) Currently tetrodotoxin is manufactured by several specialized biotech companies. CHEMTE Biotech Company, LTD located in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China specializes in the manufacture of tetrodotoxin. According to CHEMTE Biotechs website, after ten years research and development, we have achieved extensive isolation and purification of TTX based on the abundant resource in our area. We founded the TTX production base in the world with annual product (sic) is more than 1000g. (CHEMTE Biotech Company, Ltd., n.d.) Through the use of their technology process CHEMTE has raised production rate and product quality of TTX up to the worlds highest level. CHEMTE boasts that their customers in many countries find their purity is higher than their own pure products. Currently in the European market, TTX from CHEMTE is sold as the standard product. (CHEMTE Biotech Company, Ltd., n.d.) The China Kantte Bio-Chemical company located in Shanghai, China produces tetrodotoxin extracted from puffer fish in large scale, and purified close to 100% by high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis. (China Kantte Bio-Chemical, n.d.) While it is possible to procure TTX for research as a potential pain therapeutic and medicine for opium withdrawal symptoms, its purchase is limited to researchers and scientistsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.just ask Edward F. Bachner IV of Lake Hills, Illinois. On August 26, 2008 a federal grand jury in Rockford, Illinois returned a ten-count indictment charging him with unlawfully acquiring and possessing tetrodotoxin, on five separate occasions between November 7, 2006 and June 30, 2008. Five of the counts allege that on five separate occasions, Bachner acquired tetrodotoxin in order to use it as a weapon. Bachner possessed tetrodotoxin in a quantity that was not reasonable justified by a prophylactic, protective, bona fide research, or other peaceful purpose. If convicted of acquiring TTX to use as a weapon, Bachner could be sentenced to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. (U.S. Department of Justice, 2008) As a fun aside, during my research I came across an interesting article about the use of tetrodotoxin and folklore surrounding creation of zombies. In eight samples of zombie powder collected from four regions of Haiti all appeared to have four ingredients in common: 1) one or more species of puffer fish which contained tetrodotoxin, 2) a toxic marine frog, 3) a hyla tree frog which secretes an irritating substance, and 4) human remains. (Strayer University, n.d.) According to some theories a person poisoned with Haitian zombie powder regains consciousness either while in the coffin or shortly after being removed from it and therefore, think they have died and are now a zombie. (How Stuff Works, n.d.) When analyzing an agent as a potential biological agent for use as a weapon of bioterrorism one must examine certain attributes as they apply to that specific agent. Some of these attributes include ease of dissemination, route of entry, morbidity, mortality, infectivity, potential for contagion, potential for panic and social disturbance, and the impact on public health and public health preparedness. The most efficient route of entry for tetrodotoxin would be ingestion either through consumption of the toxin itself or the consumption of other food products tainted with tetrodotoxin. Because ingestion is the favored route of entry, tetrodotoxin does not lend itself for use as a weapon that is easily disseminated or for use as a bioterrorism weapon. Tetrodotoxin does have some potential use as a target specific biological weapon. Bioterrorists could use tetrodotoxin for targeted victims, such as political figures, world leaders or small contingents of military forces. Even for use on targeted specific victims tetrodotoxin is not be easily disseminated. Tetrodotoxin poisoning would require the introduction of the toxin directly into a food or liquid source ingested by the target. Ingestion as a route of entry makes tetrodotoxin not easily disseminated. Morbidity rates are 100% for tetrodotoxin poisoning; rarely will ingestion of tetrodotoxin contaminated food leave the victim unscathed as evidenced by the number of fugu poisoning cases recorded in Japan each year. Tetrodotoxin with its high morbidity rate could be considered as a weapon for bioterrorism. Infectivity rates for tetrodotoxin are 100%. Another fact influencing the high morbidity rate of tetrodotoxin poisoning is the possibility it can easily be mistaken for one of many differential diagnoses. Patients presenting with tetrodotoxin poisoning could easily be misdiagnosed especially if a valid dietary history is unavailable or overlooked. Mortality rates for tetrodotoxin are difficult to establish; anecdotal reports suggest 50-60% mortality, even with good supportive care. One report suggests that prognosis is good if the patient survives the first 24 hours. (Medscape CDC Commentary Series, October 2009) The same cannot be said for biological agents like plague. In the pneumonic form plague is almost 100% fatal without immediate medical attention. (Ryan Glarum, 2008) A biological weapon with only a possible 50-60% mortality rate would probably not be perceived as an effective weapon of bioterrorism. Unlike some other biological agents that lend themselves to inhalation or person-to-person transmission, tetrodotoxin poisoning is transmitted only through ingestion of the toxin. It does not have the potential as a weapon of bioterrorism because transmission is limited to persons ingesting the toxin. Tetrodotoxin poisoning offers no potential threat for contagion in terms of an epidemic or pandemic. The bacteria are contained within the host organism. Tetrodotoxin poisoning could certainly create panic and social disturbance, especially if the targeted victims were persons of political or military importance. There could also be public panic caused by the concern as to the nature, origin and location of the toxin. To be considered as a potential weapon of bioterrorism the biological agent would need to: 1) be easily disseminated or transmitted, 2) cause high mortality, 3) severely affect the public health, 4) cause public panic and social disruption, and 5) require special action for public health preparedness. Overall, while tetrodotoxin is a lethal neurotoxin with: 1) a high level of morbidity, 2) moderate level of mortality, 3) a difficult dissemination method, 4) ingestion as the route of entry, 5) no transmission qualities, 6) no likelihood of contagion and 7) unlikely to cause panic or social disruption, in my opinion it would not be useful as a biological weapon of mass destruction. In my opinion tetrodotoxin has some modest potential as a limited bioterrorism agent in special circumstances. Tetrodotoxin does not meet all the necessary criteria to be considered as a biological agent capable of causing severe damage to the health and safety of the public.

Relationship Between Leadership And Change Management Essay

Relationship Between Leadership And Change Management Essay Organizations have to endure significant and traumatic changes in order to survive in the dynamic and competitive business environment. Leadership plays a vital role in the implementation of organizational change. This study will discuss how leaders would effectively implement such strategic changes with specific approaches, theories and styles of leadership. The author will relate to appropriate organizational examples and incorporate academic frameworks models of leadership. Defining Leadership Although many people have tried to define leadership there is no single definition that would capture the essence of leadership. Daft suggested that Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers, who intend real changes that reflect their shared purposes (Daft 2008, p.4). Yukl stated that Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives (Yukl 2006, p.26).Both Daft Yukl gave similar view points and spoke about the ability of a leader to influence followers in order to achieve a shared objective. For some people, leadership is a trait or ability, for others it is a skill or behavior whereas still for others leadership is a relationship. Therefore it is evident that people have a wide range of perspective on leadership (Northhouse, 2009). Therefore it is taken into authors consideration that leadership is the ability to influence followers to improve performance in sequence to achieve a shared objective. For a leader to be able to achieve the objective he/she should possess the right attitude and right skills. . Defining Change Dawson (2003 , p.11) stated that there can never be a universal theory for organizational change, as change involves a movement to some future state that comprises a context and time that remains unknown. Whereas Matcheva (2010) mentioned that organizational change refers to the fundamental and thorough reorientation in the way the organization operates. Organizational change may occur due to several internal and external environmental factors. The external factors will consist of political, economical, social and technological stimuli where as internal factors will be factors such as organizations management policies and styles, systems, procedures and employee attitudes. (Buono, 2009) Perry (2006) argued that change is inevitable and therefore should be planned for and form part of the normal process of management. Burke (2011, p.1) gave a different view mentioning Organizations change all the time each and every day. The change that occurs in organizations is for the most part unplanned and gradual. Relationship between leadership and change Change has been a challenging area and has affected many organizations. Organizations have to endure such significant change in order to survive in the dynamic and competitive business environment. The change must be aligned according to organizational culture, values, people and behaviors to encourage the desired results. Therefore human leadership plays a key role in making change a success. Such transformation is difficult and will definitely result in resistance and resentment by employees. The social and psychological fear of change and the lack of technical expertise will affect the change process. Therefore Leaders should be equipped with skills that would enable effective strategic change. David (2004) also emphasized how leadership could help overcome resistance to change. He indicates that In order for World Class Organizations to survive, management must understand that change is inevitable and that they themselves are responsible for overcoming employee resistance through sound management and change-oriented leadership (David, 2004). Globalization, technological changes, knowledge management and cross boundary collaboration are the four major forces affecting organizational change. Change could occur either in the external environment or macro environment. Organizations are in need of innovative and creative visionaries who understand how to make decisions in such changes Tappin (2009). An effective change leader should have a sense of purpose and a vision, ability to manage people through tough situations, ability to take accountability and responsibility and motivate people to achieve respective goals. Once people believe in leaders, the excitement will drive them to achieve targets. Therefore it is evident that there is a strong relationship between leadership and change. Leadership plays a major role in minimizing resistance to change as well as ensuring smooth execution of change. Importance of leadership in change The most challenging aspect of a business is leading and managing change. With the business environment being subject to fast paced economic and social change modern businesses need to adapt and be flexible to survive. The main challenge in leading change is to manage human resources. As mentioned by Kotter (1999, p.19) More change demands more leadership Kotter emphasized the need of a leader to manage change. Nilakant Ramanarayan (2006) also mentioned the importance of leadership during each phase of change, mainly the execution stage. Kotter (1999, p.7) identified one of the most common errors of organizational failures during change as its inability to create a powerful guiding coalition. He stressed on the importance of strong line leadership during change. Kotter identified a 8 stage change process which consist of Establishing a sense of urgency. Creating a guiding coalition. Developing a vision and strategy. Communicating the change vision. Empowering broad based action. Generating short term wins. Consolidating gains and produce more change. Anchoring new approaches in the culture. (Kotter, 1996, p.21) In order to follow the above steps, an initiative needs to be taken which demands leadership. Through the above approach leaders would be able to act as a change agent minimizing resistance to change. Tappin (2009) mentioned that a leader needs to develop the following characteristics in order to manage change. A vision, and be able to communicate it to their organizations An orientation to serving An entrepreneurial mind-set A commitment to continuous innovation A global mindset Ease and confidence with technology Know-how in systems thinking (a broad view of the inter-relationship of an organizations parts, rather than a narrow view that is focused on one part or event.) A sense of ethics and appreciation of spirituality in the workplace A commitment to continuous learning, personal and professional development Tappin stated characteristics that he believes should be present in a change leader. An in-depth analysis need to be taken in order to identify the most effective approach a leader could follow when managing change. As the characteristics of a change leader have been laid down above. It is appropriate to carry out a thorough analysis on leadership styles and approaches and thus identify which style or approach is greatly suited. Styles of Leadership There have been many studies conducted to evaluate and identify different types of leadership styles. Goleman (2011) identified six leadership styles. They are Coercive, Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting and Coaching. He argued that leaders who have four or more styles especially Authoritative, Democratic, Affiliative and Coaching styles will be able to drive a better business performance and maintain a good climate delivering better results. According to Northouse (2009) the primary study on styles of leadership was conducted by Lewinn, Lippitt and White (1939). The main styles of leadership they identified are Authoritative, Democratic and Lassiez-faire. Northouse (2009) mentioned that a leader may display a combination of these styles and execute each of these styles in a given circumstance. Coercive style This style is also known as the Autocratic model. According to Goleman (2011) coercive type leaders expect immediate compliance from its followers. These types of leaders are very competent in self control, initiating and achieving results. The above style works best in crisis situation where quick change is required as well as situations with problem employees. But the coercive model may have a detrimental effect on the employees therefore should be used with extreme care. It may impact the morale and feelings of the followers and may negatively affect employee motivation. In almost all cases, autocratic leadership style helps improve organizational efficiency and contribute to the bottom line in the short-term. This improvement is however a quick fix, coming at the cost of erosion of a companys underlying assets and laying the foundation for permanent damage in the future (Nayab, 2010). Therefore this can be considered as the least effective style of all leadership styles since it has a negative influence on the overall climate of the organization. In 2007 Martha Stewart single handedly turnaround her ailing Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. In her we find a substantial amount of controversy but she continues to prosper with her organization and is effectively served by her autocratic style of leadership as well. But critics say that she wouldnt have reached the verge of bankruptcy and would have achieved more if she had not followed her autocratic style (Nayab, 2010) This example suggests that Martha was not able to reach her full potential and achieve success with her autocratic style during the turnaround because of its aggressive nature. Authoritative Style An authoritative leader is a person who guides people towards a vision and follow organizational goals and strategies. This is a more flexible strategy where the followers are permitted to be innovative, experiment and take calculated risk which will give the follower a sense of belonging and involvement to the organization (Goleman, 2011).This style of leadership works best when change is required in a new vision or clear direction is needed. His research indicates that this is the most effective style of leadership. But a leader who is working with experts who are more experienced will find it difficult to apply this style. The team members may sense that the leader is trying to dominate. Northouse(2009) also gave a similar view on authoritative style of leadership. He mentioned that Authoritarian leadership is used to give direction, set goals, and structure work. He identified positives and negatives of using such style for leadership. The positives are that there is a person to give direction and clarity to employees work which will bring about productivity and efficiency enabling accomplishments of goals in a shorter period. On the other hand this style will hamper individuality and will create dependence on the leader which will result in subordinates losing interest and becoming dissatisfied with their work. Both of the viewpoints above can be related to Mc Gregors Theory X. The assumptions he made are applicable for the followers of authoritarian leaders. He made three assumptions which are as follows. The average person dislikes work and will avoid it if possible. Because people dislike work, they need to be directed, and sometimes threatened with punishment or reminded of rewards to make them work. The average person prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has little ambition, and wants security more than choice. (Northouse, 2009) The authoritarian leader needs to provide direction to its followers and control them. Therefore they will be in charge and take up responsibility to control the group. Considering the above three authors ideas the authoritative style of leadership would be a suited style of leadership in managing change because during change the entire company needs to be given proper direction and their needs to be someone to take responsibility and take initiative by creating a vision to manage change. The CEO of Microsoft Bill Gates is considered an authoritative leader who was able to successfully move Microsoft in the direction he saw the industry moving. He is considered as a leader with a vision who aligned Microsoft with that vision (Authoritative Leaders,2006) CEO of DELL Michael Dell identified the requirement of change in their customer services department and executed a unique strategy of his own to retain and satisfy its large customer base, unlike other companies he introduced a strategy where customer queries are directed to a real human voice not a voice mail system. In an environment where the trend is towards voicemail systems Michael Dell introduced such a system (Franklin, 1998) This in fact displays his leadership and vision in understanding the work his people do at all levels as well as his understanding the requirement for change according to the trend. Affiliative style Affiliative style of leadership is a more human friendly style. Its a style which helps to create harmony and build emotional bonds. People come first always. Communication is considered a key element. This style is best suited to motivate people during stressful situations. Even though there are certain advantages of using this style constant use of this style will also have its drawbacks. When employees are over praised they might lose focus and may lead to poor performance. Over reliance on this model may lead the company to fail (Goleman 2009). Kotter (1999, p.37) mentioned Communication of ideas helps people see the need for and the logic of change. Therefore according to his findings the affiliative style could be considered a suitable style of leadership to adopt during change due to it focusing on communication as a key element. Democratic Style The democratic style of leadership gets the followers to participate and express their opinion. The leader builds trust, respect and commitment from the employees. Communication collaboration and team leadership plays an important role. The leader will listen to employees ideas and concerns thus learning how to keep the spirit of the employees high (Goleman2010). This style will work best when the leader itself is uncertain about the path to be taken. The drawback of such a style is that the leader will be receiving endless opinions resulting in difficulty of making a proper decision. Northouse(2009) also gave a similar view on democratic style of leadership. He said that democratic leaders always try to treat its subordinates fairly. This leader will not to be controlling rather they will listen and obtain support from all subordinates. This is a collective approach of leadership where the leader will be consulting subordinates. The democratic leadership style resembles the assumptions of Mc Gregors Theory Y. Which are as follows People like work People are self motivated People accept and seek responsibility. (Northouse, 2009) Since people are fully capable of doing their work alone theory Y stresses that people neednt be controlled by their leaders as they are self motivated. Kotter(2009, p.38) has also mentioned the importance of participation and involvement to overcome resistance to change . The democratic style concentrates on participation and involvement which will help overcome resistance to change. Therefore could be considered as a good style of leadership to manage change. Anne Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox also used a democratic style of leadership. She led Xerox through a major transformation. In the task of cutting costs quickly, she used the knowledge of employees and encouraged them to give their opinion. Together they were able to do so. (Helliriegel, Jackson and Slocum, 2008, p.509) Pace setting style This style focuses on developing people for the future. The leader set high standards and expect employees to follow them. The leader demands for excellence, therefore employees will feel that they are being stretched beyond their capability. This is best suited when quick results are needed from a motivated and competent team, but gives an overall negative impact on organizational climate (Goleman 2010). Since change in a company is a long term effect the pace setting leader may have a negative effect. They do more harm than good when an organization needs long term results (Chynoweth 2008). The 8th CEO of General Electric Jack Welch strongly believed in leading by example. He was a persistent and demanding executive and showed characteristics of a pace setting leader. He turned the company from $12 billion into a $500 billion market capitalization. He was renowned for his human process to drive change having respect for each individual in the process of change (Pace Setting Leadership, 2006) Coaching style Personal success purely brings achievement. Helping others succeed confers genuine accomplishment. Passion for success through others -the common aspiration of the consultant, counselor and coach is a source of synergy and a hallmark of leadership (Goldsmith Lyons, 2006.p.1). These types of leaders train new leaders for the future. The leaders help employees to learn and develop their skills even if it may take time and not achieve organizational goals. This style is the least used by leaders the reason being leaders not having time to go through teaching employees in a highly pressurized competitive business environment. The style will work best where the employees are willing to improve their performance and build long term strengths (Goleman, 2010). Other than Authoritarian and Democratic style of leadership Northouse identified the Lassiez-faire style which does not resemble any of the characteristics of the above six styles. Lassiez Faire Northouse (2009, p44) mentioned that The Lassiez-faire leader is a nominal leader who engages in minimal influence. This style has no relation to either Theory X or Theory Y. The leadership responsibilities are shared by all. This mainly relies on good team work and good interpersonal relationship skills also can be useful in businesses where creative ideas are important. Unlike the autocratic method this style of leadership can be highly motivational as people have control over their working life. (Northouse 2009). This style is suited for less critical areas of change where followers are specialists who are capable and independent. But it is arguable whether change could be successful with such a hands-off style of leadership. Gucci CEO Robert Polet uses the lassiez-faire style but within a framework so that he doesnt lose control (Gitman Daniel, 2009). He may have opted to choose the above strategy due to the drawbacks of the leadership style Theories of Leadership Trait Theory There are many different types of leadership attributes, traits and qualities; these may differ from person to person. E.g. Bill Gates is known for his intelligence and for being a visionary, whereas Oprah Winfrey is recognized by the world as a very influential leader and an excellent communicator. As listed by Northouse (2007) some of the positive leadership attributes are, trust worthy, positive, dynamic, honest, encouraging, motivational, builds confidence and intelligent. However there are also some negative attributes that leaders carry with them which are asocial, egocentric, loner, dictatorial and ruthless. One or more of these attributes are usually very commonly seen in every individual although they would differ from person to person. Leadership traits are the qualities that people often associate with leaders. As indicated by Shead (2007) the five most important leadership traits are, honest, forward looking, competent, inspiring and intelligent. Both Northouse and Shead mentioned the importance of honesty as a key attribute to leadership. When Toyota had to recall vehicles due to faulty brakes Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota handled the situation really well by being transparent and honest. He was brave enough to face a live interview. His quick response helped minimize the damage made to Toyotas reputation. Therefore it is evident that leaders should be equipped with the necessary skills and competencies to handle change. Transformational Theory Bass Riggio (2006, p.3) described transformational leaders as those who stimulate and inspire followers to both achieve extraordinary outcomes and in the process, develop their own leadership capacity. Transformational leaders behave inspire and motivate people, encourages creativity and stimulate followers, pays individual attention to its followers in order to become successful (Bass Riggio 2006). Hacker Roberts (2004, p.3) Transformational leadership is the comprehensive and integrated leadership capacities required of individuals, groups or organizations to produce transformation as evidenced by step functional improvement. The two statements above have a common thinking which suggests that the leader should be the transformer and has to act as the initiator. Hacker Roberts gave a broader view concentrating on the individual as wel the organization. Whereas Bass Riggio gave a more specific view as in how leaders could be transformational as an individual. To be successful at transformational leadership there are some components that were put forward by Bass and Riggio (2006). They mention four components that describe the transformation leader and leaders are strongly required to possess these components in order to be successful transformation leaders. The components put forward by Bass and Riggio (2006) are; Idealized Influence: Leaders should behave as role models; they can be counted on to do the right thing demonstrating high standards of ethical and moral conduct. Inspirational motivation: Leaders must behave in ways that inspire and motivate followers. Team spirit should arouse while displaying enthusiasm and optimism. Intellectual stimulation: Stimulate followers efforts to be innovative and creative, by questioning assumptions, reframing problems and approaching old situations in new ways. Individualized consideration: Leaders should pay attention to each individual followers need to achieve and grow by being a coach and mentor to them. The leader also improves communication between the followers and also must be a careful listener. Through idealized influence, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation, transformational leaders are likely to promote performance beyond expectations and achieve enormous changes within individuals and organizations. The above four components are evident in Sam Walton the founder of Wal-Mart. He showed his appreciation and thus inspired his associates and spoke to his customers by visiting all of the Wall-Mart stores around the country. His approach enabled to minimized resistance to change in Wall-marts culture of constant change (Bergdahl, 2006). Charisma could be considered a key ingredient in transformational leaders. Bass Riggio (2006, p.5) Transformational leadership has much in common with charismatic leadership, but charisma is only part of transformational leadership. Steve Jobs is also considered a transformational leader. His vision, charisma and communication skills are part of his success (Krietner, 2007, p.453). His vision enabled him to position his company in the changing world market by introducing cutting edge products like iMac, iPad and iPhone. Conclusion The global competitive business environment has changed dramatically over the past. As a result the need for competitive leadership to handle change is clear. One of the most difficult responsibilities of leadership is leading change. This study reveals certain leader skills and abilities necessary for successful organizational change. Leaders who exercise attributes such as a vision, good interpersonal skills, communicational skills, motivational skills and supportive team skills are more effective in driving change because they are the key elements through which successful results can be achieved. There are lots of arguments for and against each of the leadership styles and approaches. According to authors observation the lassiez-faire style, coercive style and pace setting style may considered least effective whereas affiliative, coaching, democratic style and transformational approach could be considered the most effective. There is no exact model of leadership that could be used; rather there are multiple models all of which have their place depending on the demands of the organization. The leader should be capable of identifying the best method appropriate in a given situation taking into consideration the individual leader and organizational environment. Different styles of leadership will suite different types of change. There is no hard and fast rule that a certain type of leadership is perfect for a given change situation. The leadership style will depend on the organization, individual skill levels and attitude of followers. Therefore authoritative style and democratic style could be recommended in general as the author thinks it is the most appropriate because it powers commitment, communication as well as direction.

Feminism in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

Feminism in Jane Eyre      Ã‚  Ã‚   Feminism has been a prominent and controversial topic in writings for some time.   In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre the main character, Jane Eyre, explores the depth at which women may act in society and finds her own boundaries in Victorian England.   As well, along with the notions of feminism often follow the subjects of class distinctions and boundaries.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is an ample amount of evidence to suggest that the tone of Jane Eyre is in fact a very feminist one and may well be thought as relevant to the women of today who feel they have been discriminated against because of there gender.   At the beginning of the 19th century, little opportunity existed for women, and thus many of them felt uncomfortable when attempting to enter many parts of society.   The absence of advanced educational opportunities for women and their alienation from almost all fields of work gave them little option in life: either become a house wife or a governess.   Although today a tutor may be considered a fairly high class and intellectual job, in the Victorian era a governess was little more than a servant who was paid to share her scarce amount of knowledge in limited fields to a child.   With little respect, security, or class one may certainly feel that an intelligent, passionate and opinionated young woman such as Jane Eyre should deserve and be capable of so much more.   The insecurity of this position, being tossed around with complete disregard for her feelings or preferences, is only one of many grueling characteristics of this occupation.   However for Jane to even emerge into society, becoming a governess seemed the only reasonable path for her.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The women of the Victorian Era can be regarded as the first group to do battle for the equality of the sexes.   They lead all women to follow after them, and though their progression may not have been as vivid as the women of the 70's, they did have an effect.   Feminism was not outright spoken of in this time, rather passed through literature, such as this very novel.   Stories and novels were the primary means in which to communicate information and ideas in that time.   Without mass communication systems

Gretes Transformation in The Metamorphosis by Kafka Essay -- essays r

Kafka wrote "The Metamorphosis" in 1912, taking three weeks to compose the story. While he had expressed earlier satisfaction with the work, he later found it to be flawed, even calling the ending "unreadable." Whatever his own opinion may have been, the short story has become one of the most popularly read and analyzed works of twentieth-century literature. Isolation and alienation are at the heart of this surreal story of a man transformed overnight into a kind of beetle. In contrast to much of Kafka's fiction, "The Metamorphosis" has not a sense of incompleteness. It is formally structured into three Roman-numbered parts, with each section having its own climax. A number of themes run through the story, but at the center are the family relationships affected by the great change in the story's protagonist, Gregor Samsa. Grete,Gregor’s sister, undergoes a transformation parallel to her brother’s. The relationship between Gregor and his sister Grete is perhaps the most unique. It is Grete, after all, with whom the metamorphosed Gregor has any rapport, suggesting the Kafka intended to lend at least some significance to their relationship. Grete's significance is found in her changing relationship with her brother. It is Grete's changing actions, feelings, and speech toward her brother, coupled with her accession to womanhood that seems to parallel Gregor's own metamorphosis. This change represents her metamorphosis from adolescence into adulthood but at the same time it marks the final demise of Gregor. Thus, certain symmetry is to be found in "The Metamorphosis." While Gregor falls in the midst of despair, Grete ascends to a self-sufficient, sexual woman. It is Grete who initially tries conscientiously to d... ... express lost human reality better than dreams do of animal satisfactions (Thiher 44). Grete Samsa's changing actions, feelings, and speech toward her brother, coupled with her accession to womanhood, parallel Gregor's own metamorphosis. Works Cited Kafka, Franz. â€Å"The Metamorphosis.† Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publications, 1988. Nabokov, Vladimir. Lectures on Literature. Orlando: Harcourt Inc., 1980. Ryan, Michael P. â€Å"Samsa and Samsara: Suffering, Death, and Rebirth in ‘The Metamorphosis.’† The German Quarterly 72. No.2. 1999. Literature Resource Center. Gale Group Databases. Davis Schwartz Memorial Lib., Brookville, NY. 5 Dec.2006. . Thiher, Allen. Fiction Refracts Science: Modernist Writers From Proust to Borges. Columbia University of Missouri Press, 2005.

Education. Why or Why not? Essay

Education, define as the art of systemic learning inspire every one of us, and educated human beings are able to possess the power of influence in academic discourses. If there’s no input, then there will be no output, and believe it or not, education allows people to be creative and innovative in developing our digital world. Generation after generation, the medium of providing education has improved in using interactive technology such as – digital projector, high-speed laboratory camera, multi-function writing board and etc. â€Å"If we can match highly effective educators with great entrepreneurs†, admits Joane Wesis, the author of â€Å" The Innovation Mismatch: â€Å" Smart Capital† and Education Innovation, â€Å"and if we can direct smart capital toward these projects, the market for technological innovation might just spurt from infancy into adolescence. † The author hold similar viewpoints that education behaves as an important source of input for generating prosperous output that motivates to share the benefits of one’s creativity to the community. Understanding the philosophy of becoming educated is crucial, and also important to explore the concept that education drives us to interact with society by finding ways to earn for living. One might wisely pursue the education for the benefits of mankind, but for few some people misleading concept of getting educated, for instance; in the case of nuclear scientists developing nuclear-powered weaponry will bring negative impact to our society, and that’s why there are no limits to pursue education and no limits on manifesting the application of education onto our society. On the other hand, formal education is highly necessary to decode the discourse in our academic community as well as be able to define their specific ideas. Thus, an educated person could award and/or tolerate the aspirations of human being by using the perceived knowledge, and determine their correct or incorrect benefits to the society. To become an elitist in the field of education depends on individual choices, but education will select people into groups of clusters where the professional will stays on top, while normal educated people will share the same spot with majorities in the lower level. Nevertheless, education is vital because not only it supports individual understanding in academic discourses, but also allows oneself to play an important role to help improve the society. Some might argue that one could live sufficiently without burden in his life with a satisfactory income. This point of view shall fit to minorities who retard to pursue education, however; in contrary to preceded viewpoint, Nicholas Lemann, the author of The New Yorker magazine, writes about The Cost Of College, and the following speech extracted from his article remarks, â€Å" In today’s economy â€Å", President Obama claims, â€Å" There’s no greater predictor of individual success than a good education. Right now, the unemployment rate for Americans with a college degree or more is about half the national average. The incomes of folks with a college degree are twice as high as those who don’t have a high-school diploma. † (Nicholas Lemann). Not all people have certain interest of becoming graduates, and indeed they don’t want to invest their time to study, either. Generally speaking, high school dropouts have more chances of becoming low socio-economic status, yet can be easily employed because their job requires no background education, but, in contrast, graduates earn multiple times more than high school dropouts, so it takes more time for them to get into work force since they are very costly for an employer. The downside of becoming educated is the fact that the price of paying to graduate is seriously inflated. Building a career with education is nevertheless highly necessary and due to the budget constraints; it becomes more challenging to get on top of the education ladder. During the year 2009, The College Board in Princeton, NJ, has calculated the cost of pursuing education that â€Å" College education expenses have climbed over 5% annually during the past 10 years, more than double our nation’s inflation rate. That means a child born today could need over $220,000 to attend a four-year public college in 2028, more than triple today’s college costs. † (The College Board (2010)) As a matter of a fact, the educated parent knows and understands their responsibilities to provide education for their young generations. However, since they pertain the thought of raising their children’s intellectual skills, they are trying to invest their capital, no matter what it takes them to graduate: the hierarchy in society trigger parents to train their kids to understand the discourses that prevails among them. To clarify, see the community of lawyers and professional workers for example, selective parents privileged in wealth of knowledge will motive themselves to push their children to pursue formal education like they have done it before. Moreover, the perceived concept in education define the roles that people take in the society, which helps to provide society needs and wants; such that, the more educated people a society has, the higher the standard of living. Elitism in education creates humiliation and dispute between dominant groups based on race, culture, intellectual, and gender. Very sadly, the demand of elite students in society can promote uncertain consequences, which in this case, promotes the unethical issue to expand market for institution. Danny Dorling, the author of â€Å"The return to elitism in education†, explains the behavior of education system that creates competition in institution for students and money. Danny Dorling mentions about grades and intellectual responsiveness on education such that: â€Å" People who have taught the children of the affluent classes at the universities they go to have seen the result of this growth in elitism. These children have been educationally force-fed enough facts to obtains strings of A grades, but they are no more geniuses than anyone else. There is a tragedy in making young people pretend to super-human mental abilities which neither they nor anyone else possess. To justify their situation they have to swallow and repeat the lie being told more and more often, that only a few are especially able and that those few are disproportionately found amongst the higher social classes. † (Danny Dorling) When parents are not satisfy with their child’s grades in academics, they will try to push their limits by giving close attention, and sometimes punishments are highly likely. Institutions, on the their hand, will raise the academic requirements for student admission in order to search for elite students – which turns out to be a marketing strategy for competition, not exactly an emphasis for student’s education. Not to mention the fact that doing so (raising standards in admission) can easily motivates and challenges each and every student intellectual understanding in the course of education for improving not only the quality of academic discourse, but also benefits sophisticated level of education, perhaps. Education shapes the society, meaning; educated people are gaining not only credible reputation towards a society but also participate to involve as major role-player, and for instance; A kind-hearted lawyer would offer a pro bono service to his friends, and etc. Moreover, The number of crimes in a country with high-uneducated people is certainly, skyrocketing. The following data conducted by The Campaign for Educational Equality claims, â€Å" A one-year increase in average years of schooling for dropouts would reduce murder and assault by almost 30 percent motor vehicle theft by 20 percent, arson by 13 percent, and burglary and larceny by about 6 percent† (2). Plus, the above data clearly distinguishes the chances of uneducated people doing bad things unconsciously without being able to correct oneself. â€Å" Educated girls and women are less vulnerable to HIV infection†, an article from GlobalCitizenCorps says, â€Å" human trafficking and other forms of exploitation, are more likely to marry later, raise fewer children who are more likely to go to school, and make important contributions to family income. † Women nowadays are of course taking serious role in society because the freedom of people rights give the society fair and square chances to pursue education; the academic discourse will influence and change their thoughts on lifestyle, completely. Besides, the market of human trafficking is relatively large in South-East Asian countries, and poor families are often allured with money incentives to sell their teenage children to work across other countries, which in reality are forced to do nasty jobs under extremely poor condition. These sufferings from naive victims will provide a clear picture to motivate people in advocating for education, so people needs education in order to maintain their positive personalities in the society. People in general belief that education fights to reduce segregation and inequality in a society. This; however, happens to be true for some instance, until the author of this article â€Å" Segregation Prominent in Schools, Study Finds â€Å" in the New York Time magazine, convincingly reports about segregation that; â€Å"Segregation of Latino students is most pronounced in California, New York and Texas. The most segregated cities for blacks include Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia and Washington†, Motoko Rich asserts, â€Å"Mr. Orfield said that schools with mostly minority and poor students were likely to have fewer resources, less assertive parent groups and less experienced teacher. The author share his viewpoint that segregation exists, not because of education, but because of low-funds and resources in institution which tends to concentrate high amount of low socio-economic status students, and this will cause racial indifferences between low and high income status. Meanwhile, similar to Motoko Rich viewpoint, Klaus Walde, furthermore supports the idea about resource allocation in education that â€Å" While it is difficult to define and measure the quality of education one reason for relative quality differences across education levels might lie in the allocation of educational resources (as teachers and equipment). † (446) Now, the idea boils down to the fact that resources quality and allocation is more important in contributing better education system in our society. Broadly speaking, being educated in this modern world allows people to contribute their benefits to a society, by means of the intellectual support provided by the manner of learning experiences. Every country are relying on the technology and driving the market to substitute manual workers with machines, so educated workers are important for operating those machines. Since starting from the era of industrial revolution, education was introduced to our society in order to acknowledge in understanding and defining their roles in the society. Therefore, the improvement in education overtime will also improve innovation in technology, which increases the quality of living standards. In fact, education is always needed for various sectors in our society, and will always require for having credibility in sharing the message within the society. Furthermore, education functions as a multi-purpose assistance for training not only intellectual skills, but also providing ways to survive in earning for a living in a society. More importantly, some critics would assume that there are some disadvantages in society such as segregation in education between income status, but the issue can be settle if every individuals successfully pursue education because the way the educated person conceive mature in every aspect of his life and society. Work Cited Dorling, D. (2010). The return to elitism in education. Eurozine . GLOBALCORPORATIONCORPS. (n. d. ). 11 Facts About Education Around the World. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from DoSomething. org: http://www. dosomething. org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-education-around-world Lemann, N.(2012, May 28). The Cost Of College. (T. Bachtell, Ed. ) The New Yorker . RICH, M. (2012, September 19). Segregation Prominent in Schools, Study Finds. The NewYork Times , A16 . Walde, K. (1998). Egalitarian and elitist education systems as the basis for international differences in wage inequality. European Journal of Political Economy , Vol. 16 (2000 ), 445–468. Weiss, J. (2011, March 31). HBR Blog Network / Innovations in Education. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from Harvard Business Review: http://blogs. hbr. org/innovations-in-education/2011/03/the-innovation-mismatch-smart. html.