Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perking Gilman Essay Example for Free

Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perking Gilman Essay In the article â€Å"Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perking Gilman: Architects of female power† the author attempts to compare and contrast the convictions and beliefs of Charlotte Gilman and, her great-aunt, Catharine Beecher. One of the most important factors that is seen repeatedly in the article, is the concept that the environment encompassing the home is the center of all commerce for a woman. This thought process continues to build and establishes the idea that what begins in the home continues to radiate out into the lives of the woman and her family. Each female author further attempted to define the roles of a woman directly corresponding with the roles beginning in a woman’s private life and extending into the public life. Although Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Gilman had completely different interpretations of this ideology, the fact that the foundation of the argument was the same purports that the concept, regardless of interpretation, could have some basis on reality. The author of this article, Valerie Gill, very thoroughly cites from not only Catharine Beecher’s books â€Å"A Treatise on Domestic Economy† and â€Å"American Woman’s Home,† but also from Charlotte Gilman’s book â€Å"Moving the Mountain† and several of her lectures and articles including an article titled â€Å"Applepieville.† Gill (1998) states, that â€Å"Like Catharine Beecher, Gilman links the role of the women to the general health of the social system; the dependent and isolated situation of women in their homes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 2). Gill (1998) goes on to further state that â€Å"In spite of their different strategies for defining and locating women, however, Beecher and Gilman share an interest in the topography of female experience† and that â€Å"Both writers conceptualize the identity of women in spatial as well as socioeconomic terms, assuming that the fulfillment of their own sex can be quite literally mapped o ut.† (p. 2). The article then moves into much greater detail, analyzing each woman’s many forms of printed material. The extent and degree of information and detail written in this article about each represented author and their contributing works can ultimately be  seen as one of the articles main strengths. However, although this article gives a vast amount of information on the women’s opinions and beliefs the article at times seems disassembled and erratic. The flow of the article is somewhat hard to follow, and without an increased measure of concentration, the ability of the reader to comprehend and decipher whom the author is speaking of can be lost. Also, with the extensive amounts of information and detail that each female author contributes to the argument, readers are bombarded with data to interpret and distinguish upon. With the author of the article not decisively choosing the strongest points of argument from each author, the information becomes overwhelming and possibly confusing at times. The article â€Å"Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perking Gilman: Architects of female power† attempts to give readers two different perspectives of a woman’s role in her home and how this affects her presence in society. Readers are given a multitude of supporting facts from both women’s interpretations on the topic. This fact, in certain circumstances, proves to be not only a strength of the article but also a weakness. Regardless of how each woman author interpreted these ideals, the simple fact remains clear that each assumed the role and presence of a woman becomes clearly defined as beginning in the home. References Gill, V. (1998). â€Å"Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perking Gilman: Architects of female power†. Journal of American Culture, 21 (2). Retrieved from http://ctcdns02.ctcd.edu:2122/search/multiSearch.do;jsessionid=F6C4B68D9202464AFE8BAF1AC27987B8

Analysis Of The Problem Of Evil Philosophy Essay

Analysis Of The Problem Of Evil Philosophy Essay In the paper written by Collins entitled, The Problem of Evil Basics, It has been noted that reconciling the concept of existence of a perfectly good God and evil is necessary in solving the problem of evil. Collins presented two valid arguments in clarifying the problem of evil in the theistic perspective. One argument is coming from theodicy. Theodicy argues that God exists and He permits evils in this world. The Defense argument proposes that the existence of evil is not dependent on the notion that God exist. The Defense argument further claims that if there is God and He is good, then evils in the world would not exist. However, since evils exist, then there is no God because the existence of a supreme being presupposes that good would prevail. With this, should we justify evils in relation to the existence of God? Or should we deny the existence of God in order to justify evils? Basically, the analysis of this paper would revolve around the above contentions. Basically, the problem of good and evil is quite a complicated and complex topic. It has no definite answer since it goes beyond the sphere of the material world and human knowledge is limited. This is not to say that the finite capacity of the human knowledge is inadequate in comprehending the said topic. Plausible explanations can still be formulated and accepted in responding to the issues mentioned above. Accordingly, if we would provide a justifiable explanation about the problem of evil, ones personal analysis is necessary but it has to be coupled with the arguments coming from the philosophical claims of the experts. Of course, everybody has his/her own explanation about the existence of evils in this world. Evils are usually viewed as something harmful or destructive to the normal flow of things. It can be caused by man or by nature. The issue of morality would also be tackled in line with the existence of evil. In this sense, it is inevitable that the concept of right and wrong actions when it comes to human actions would have to be explained. On the other hand, natural occurrences such as floods, typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and the like are judged based on the harm done to man, other living creatures and the planet in general. In short, harm as a result of a natural phenomenon is equated with evil. In addition, the natural inclination of other primitive creatures such as lions, tigers, sharks and other ferocious animals could also be seen as evil producing actions. This is because the actions of these predators normally bring more harm than good to their prey. If deeply analyzed, the survival of the fittest within the world of the primitive creatures inevitably create destructive condition in the wild. Though they are part of the evolutionary process, as argued by most biologists or other natural scientists , the whole process can be equated to an evil producing condition where subduing other species is a natural phenomenon. Now, how does the concept of God situate in the mentioned assumptions? In the paper entitled, In Connection Building Theodicy Handout, the Greater Good Principle is explained in relation to the problem of evil. This principle suggests that if God is perfectly good then He has all the power to eliminate evils in the world. Consequently, God allows evils but those which are freely chosen by man. This strengthens the proposition that God doesnt exist because evils are ever-present in this world. On another angle of the debate, the Theodicy argument has been criticized by many experts. In the paper of Collins, the flaws of theodicy argument were explicated. It is said that suffering in this world is a result of committing sin. This is why by committing sinful acts, man receives certain kind of punishment in the form of suffering. Thus, suffering is inevitable and should be accepted. However, as argued by Collins, this argument is flawed because it does not explain clearly why God allows evil and the reason why the innocents have to suffer also. The second theodicy argument is the fall theodicy which states that suffering was a result of the fall of man. This line of thinking claims that man has to suffer because of the original sins committed by Adam and Eve. However, this is also flawed because no concrete explanation could be extracted as to why God allows evils to happen. The third argument is the Satan theodicy which declares that suffering is a consequence of the rebellion of Satan from God. This is another invalid argument simply because it would be hard to prove that such situation is real. Also, it does provide any concrete explication as to the reason why God has to allow evils to exist in this world. In a related academic paper, Evolution and the Problem of Evil, the Intelligent Design argument in the creation of the universe as perfect has been debated by the natural scientists and advocates of evolutionary theory. It is argued in this perspective that the Intelligent Design theory conveys that God is cruel since He allows sufferings of lower forms of animals. The anatomy of the ferocious animals such as tigers, lions, and the like is basically designed to cause sufferings to other creatures. Thus, this implies that the God we know who created the universe is either evil or doesnt exist. In an article, Why Does God Allow Evil? written by Eric V. Snow , it was explained the basic reason why God allows evil to exist in this world based on the Christian perspective. The premise of the article is that God created man in his own image and with 100% free will. As Gods creation, man has to choose to be 100% righteous. It was based on the thesis coming from Genesis 1:26 which states that Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. This is one of the basic arguments of the theist. This proposes a belief that God created man in his own image which has a righteous path. However, the goodness of man should be chosen because of free will. Being righteous is not an easy and immediate process. It has to be intended and calculated by man. Man must also know and will it. Moreover, the ar ticle argued that God created man with free will like himself. Without free will man would be nothing like God. Incidentally, total obedience to Gods laws is the only way to be righteous. Hence, pain and suffering are caused by mans free will as a result of bad motive, ignorance and miscalculated intentions. In connection, the article further explains that suffering would make man trust God. Pain is experienced so that faith in God would be attained. It was also the position of the article that mans knowledge is inadequate enough to understand why God allows evil. Man is not in the position to question the intention of God. Like Job, man has to believe and obey God without question. Since death is inevitable, we would be judged by God based on our actions in the material world. Hence, God allows evils in this world because of His benevolent intention for us whatever it may be. Free will is given to man in order for him to know and obey Gods laws. Pain and suffering are merely temporary tests in attaining the rightful path, as argued by the article (Snow). In another article, The Problem of Evil, by P.J. McHugh (2006), the same argument was put forward about the problem of evil. As stated by McHugh (2006), the common ground of all who believe why God allows evil to prosper in this world is the free-will defence. Man is a self-directing agent with a limited source of freedom that would make him responsible for his every decision. With freedom, man is free to choose between right and wrong as a moral agent. However, with free will it also recognized by McHugh (2006) that evil actions are unavoidable. Good cant be separated by bad actions. This is why man has to be careful in making decision because every decision has an accompanying good and evil consequences. Accordingly, the free-will defence is challenged by the idea that if free will is God-given and that it is the cause of evil actions, then it is logical to assume that God is also responsible for creating a creature that produces harm because of free will. The question still arises, why did God create a being that can do harm to the world? McHugh (2006) presented the Augustinian Theodicy in answering the above question. According to McHugh (2006), Augustine (354-430 A.D.) formulated explanations that influence the thoughts of the Christians for many centuries. One of the fundamental premises of the philosophical view of St. Augustine is that the universe is good because it was created by a good God with a good intention. Every creation has a good purpose in line with Gods good intention. Evil is a result of an on-going process of attaining good that is innate in all the things created. The universe is perfect and out of that perfection is the ultimate purpose of goodness. In short, evil is an intended consequence of taking the path of goodness which is divine. However, those who dont abide with the divine path imposed by God, would be punished as they would be judged at the end of human history. McHugh (2006) claims that the Augustinian theodicy seems to be removing the responsibility from God when it comes to evil act ions of man. The Augustinian theodicy further assumes that evil is the consequence of free will as misused by man. McHugh (2006) also presented criticisms of the said theodicy by St. Augustine. According to him, the universe that God created might have gone wrong. With all the evils in the world that we would observe, this universe might not have went to the things that God wanted it to be. It is either God committed a mistake of creating the universe or He did not really intend to make the universe perfect as assume by some Christians. The second criticism offered by McHugh (2006) is the one proposed by the scientific perspective about the evolution of mankind. As explained by the Augustinian point of view, man was created perfect and good. However, the scientific evidence would prove that man evolved from the lowest form of animals that can be argued as imperfect and hostile creatures. Primitive man has crude knowledge of morality and that hostility seemed to be his natural response to his environment. In the same argument, natural disasters and calamities existed long before man came into this world, as proposed by the evolutionary perspective. These natural phenomena certainly cause evils and sufferings. Consequently, if these phenomena already existed before man, then it is logical to assume that they were not caused by man. If they were not caused by mankind, then God was the one responsible for evil effects of such natural calamities. The third argument against the Augustinian theodicy is the existence of hell as a venue for those who will not abide by the law of God. The concept of hell is a punishment for those who will choose to do wrong. This concept is challenged because it only show how Gods justice works. Sinful acts are punishable according to St. Augustines argument that is why man is compelled to do good which is the main intention of God. If this is true, then majority of the human race might be tormented in hell since humanity now is characterized by immorality and sinful acts. Is this the justice that God wants man to realize? Whatever the answer to this question, it is certain that the concept of hell acquits of Gods purpose of punishing the disobedient. In a related article, The Problem of Evil, written by Vincent Cheung (2004), it discusses the problem and solution in the issue of the existence of evil. Cheung (2004) also recognizes that the basic problem of the Christian point of view about good and evil is that there is a God who is omnipotent and omnibenevolent. In this line of thinking, if God is all-powerful, then He has the ability to eradicate all the evils in the world. If God is a loving supreme being, then He would not allow evil to thrive that causes pain and suffering to mankind. What complicates the Christian perspective is the notion that God and evil are irreconcilable concepts. If God really exists then there is no evil, as argued by Cheung (2004). Accordingly, if evil exists, then there is no God who is ever loving. In case that God really exists and evil also prevails in this world, then the God that really exists is not an ever-loving supreme being. In this line of thought, the God that exists might be a being wh o loves suffering and pain because He allows evils to prevail. In short, it is a choice between God or evil. Cheung (2004) offered insightful analysis in reconciling they contradictions of God and evil. It was argued in his article that the flow of argument of the problem of evil cant be answered by the Christian perspective. The Christian point of view of God is illogical and cant be accepted because it has many flaws. If one has to take the route of the Christian perspective an all-powerful and all-loving God would not exist with the evil prevailing in this life. This is why in the article, Cheung presented a more logical argument that emanated from the fundamental premises of the Christian perspective. In a gist, Cheung (2004) argued that there is God who is all-powerful and all-loving. With Gods power, He is capable of eliminating suffering and pain. His benevolence would result to His intention of eradicating evils. Consequently, evil still exists because God a good purpose for it. With Gods power and goodness, He would eventually end all these sufferings and pains in life. The prevalence of evils doesnt mean that God doesnt exist. It merely implies that it would eventually be eliminated because God is good. Analysis and Conclusion With the surveyed articles presented above, this paper has formulated its own analysis to answer the quite controversial issue of the existence of evil. First and foremost, this paper proposes that there is God. If we would formulate a notion of God, it is always good and logical to assume that He is all-powerful and all-benevolent. It would be difficult and more painful to imagine that there is supreme being who exists for the sole purpose of punishing us. There is God because there is a creation. The cause and effect analysis of St. Thomas Aquinas is quite a convincing argument for this. It would be natural for a creator to produce something with no good intention. For instance, a sculptor would not create a work of art with bad intention on his/her mind creating it. It is innate to him/her to produce a beautiful and as much as possible perfect masterpiece. Of course, the actual product would not be as perfect as it is in his/her mind. However, this doesnt imply that the sculptor is evil. He may be innately good even if there is imperfection in his/her creation. Needless to say that this analogy also applies with the existence of a n all-loving and all-powerful God. There is a supreme creator who made man in his own image. As an all-powerful being, God couldnt interfere with the affairs of man because of free will. Free will has unintended consequences, that we call evils. Inasmuch as God wants to eradicate evils and harms in this world, His authority could have superseded by the power of free will which He gave to man as a sign of love. Through free will, man make choices so as not being controlled by God. If free will doesnt exist, man is like a puppet that is being controlled by a puppet master. Subsequently, since God loves man, He took his control out of mans life. In connection, free will doesnt mean doing evil. It is a powerful instrument of choosing the right path. With it, man should take the right path. Although evils seem to reign in life, they could be viewed as temporary. It is logical to assume life is meaningless if we are just expecting bad things to happen. We might have to annihilate humanity if that would be true. However, it is the position of this paper that every choice that we make has an accompanying equally balanced results that may good or evil. There are no options that have purely good or bad consequences. In other words, there is no situation in this world that would only produce an unpleasant result because that would mean complete annihilation of everything. The result would come from a balance of good and evil actions. Now, when it comes to the nature of things in the lower form of animals, harm really exists. It is the normal flow of things that other creatures to subdue other species. It is part of the grand design. It is a design that can only be sustained if man would not interfere in it. It would be valid to assume that mans interference with nature has caused destruction to the planet. This is because the natural laws are perfect. It has all the necessary functions for the planet to survive. Typhoons, earthquakes, and the like are natural occurrences that are caused by the overproduction and overconsumption of man through the utilization of the environments resources. The natural inclinations of the lower forms of animal are also necessary for the survival of each and their own species and for the emergence of the new species. These phenomena are all beneficial to the existence of the planet. Man seems to be the unnecessary component in sustaining the equilibrium of the planet if free will would not be used properly. It is certainly true that man is capable of moral actions. Mans actions may interfere or not with the natural flow of things in nature. However, as mentioned earlier, there are actions that are good-producing. These actions may contribute to the well being of the planet if man would only realize the power of free will. In contrast, evils caused by man are unintended consequences of the free will given by God. This is why free will is coupled with superior intellect. Man is guided by free will and a superior intellect for him to do good and avoid harm to others. The superior intellect is here to compensate with mans free will. There are no absolute standards of good and evil. It has to depend on the ability of man to evaluate a particular situation. It can be judged based on the motive, actual behavior and the consequences of the action. In short, actions should be based on the use of the ability of man to calculate, rationalize and good intention. Man has to plan his actions with the intention of doing good. In relation to theodicy, it is the position of this paper that there is God but He doesnt want evils to happen. Evils can be speculated as a result of unintended consequences of free will and superior intellect of man. With regards to the Defense argument, it is more valid to claim that evils dont have to be equated with the non-existence of God. The problem of evils doesnt depend on whether there is God or not. It is a necessary result of the free will, miscalculation or ignorance of man. Definitely, there are choices to be made in life. The best choice is coming from many choices with the use of the intellect and free will. Evils would arise because of irrationality, lack of planning, miscalculation or ignorance. Equating evil with the non-existence of God is like blaming God for mans mistakes. In this line of thinking, man is removing himself from accountability that makes God his scapegoat. Finally, it is the position of this paper that part of the theodicy argument is valid more particularly the argument that God exists but he has no intention of bringing harm to this universe. Evils, as emphasized above, are unintended consequences brought about by mans ignorance, miscalculation and bad intention. It is also the point of this paper that it is illogical to accept the Defence argument since the existence of evil cant be equated with the denial of God. Of course, it would be noted that this paper doesnt assume that it provided all the absolute answers nor it has figured all out the problem of evil. The problem of evil is quite complicated issue that it cant be discussed easily in a single paper. The analysis of this paper has been deduced from several articles and from the finite capacity of the writer. Message from client: Can I have a rewrite? None of my sources were used and they need to be in the paper. Please just use the sources I provide in the rewrite and no other sources. Thank you.

Failure analysis report on the chernobyl power plant

Failure analysis report on the chernobyl power plant 1. Introduction This memo is a failure analysis report on the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant located near the city of Pripyat, Ukraine. On April 26, 1986, a reactor at the power plant exploded, releasing a powerful stream of radioactive vapour. Immediately, the explosion killed 54 people. Later on, effects due to radiation claimed the lives of at least an additional 2500 people (International Atomic Energy Agency, 2006). This report will explain the events leading up to the failure, the failure itself, the reasons for the failure, and the lessons to be learned from this failure. 2. Description of reactor and failure i) In this section, I will explain the mechanism of the reactor. I will also placethe reactors components in bold. The Chernobyl Power Plant was fuelled using uranium mined from the earth; the uranium was kept in fuel bundles. The main objective of the power plant was to convert heat produced by the slightly-enriched uranium into electricity (World Nuclear Association, 2009). In order to do this, control rods first slowed down the rates of reactions by absorbing stray neutrons from the fission reactions (World Nuclear Association, 2009). After the fission reactions began producing heat, this heat was then transferred to stored water which eventually converted to steam at a temperature of 580ÂÂ °C (The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, 2008). The pressure of the steam moved a turbine which then powered a generator. The final process was the condensation of the steam back into liquid using a cooling lake, thus repeating the cycle (World Nuclear Association, 2009). This type of nuclear reactor is known as a high-power channel reactor or a RBMK reactor, as referred to it by the Soviets (World Nuclear Association, 2009). The Chernobyl Power Plant had four such reactors each with a power rating of 1000 megawatts (World Nuclear Association, 2009). The diagram at the end of this report illustrates this reactor along with all the bolded components. ii) In this section, I will explain the process leading up to the failure and the failure itself. Hours before the explosion, engineers within the plant were planning tests to see how the reactor would run on low power (International Atomic Energy Agency, 2006). The engineers added control rods to slow the reaction. They then disabled the cooling system, which was a major safety violation. The reactor was then incrementally slowed to reach the lowest operating power (The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, 2008). Soon after, the engineers noticed that the reactor was moving towards shutdown, so they quickly lifted the control rods to increase the rate of reaction. Suddenly, the power levels of the reactors increased, uncontrollably, and caused fuel elements to rupture along with an increase in steam generation (World Nuclear Association, 2009). This led to the detachment of the reactor support plate which caused the control rods to jam. The channel pipes then burst, and the explosion occurred, releasing 50 tons of radioactive particles into the atmosphere (World Nuclear Association, 200 9). 3. Reasons for the failure Chernobyl was most definitely a preventable disaster (Frot, 2004). Even though the RBMK design was perhaps not the safest reactor design, it still would not have exploded had the people involved taken the appropriate precautions necessary (Medvedev, 1990, p. 73). The technical failure of Chernobyl was due to extreme pressure increases along with design malfunctions. However, that was not the only cause. The engineers in charge of Chernobyl were also suppressed by the Soviet bureaucracy who did not allow for time to be wasted on such things as safety, focusing much more time on advancement and cutting costs (Frot, 2004). Hence, the engineers and workers at the power plant were not rigorously trained in safety nor did they regard safety as paramount (Medvedev, 1990, p. 70). 4. Lessons to be learned The Chernobyl Disaster left a devastating impact on the people and the surrounding environment. Improper technique, untrained personnel, and lack of oversight all contributed to this disaster. As engineers or aspiring engineers, it is our duty to understand the potential impacts of our design decisions. Not the least of which is the attention to safety. If a culture of safety is not cultivated then disasters such as Chernobyl will become possible realities. On the other hand, if a culture of safety is cultivated then disasters such as Chernobyl will become easily preventable. References Frot, Jacques. The Causes of the Chernobyl Event. (2004). Retrieved 16 February, 2010, from http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:ddH2v8pgJukJ:www.ecolo.org/documents/documents_in_english/Causes.ChernobyJF.doc+causes+of+chernobylcd=2hl=enct=clnkgl=caclient=firefox-a. International Atomic Energy Agency. Frequently Asked Questions about Chernobyl. (2006). Retrieved 16 February, 2010, from http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Features/Chernobyl-15/cherno-faq.shtml. Medvedev, Zhores. (1992). The Legacy of Chernobyl. New York: W. W. Norton Company. The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. (2008). Retrieved 16 February, 2010, from http://www.bentan.me/chernobyl/?page. World Nuclear Association. Chernobyl Accident. (2009). Retrieved 16 February, 2010, from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.html.

The Unfair Treatment of Women Essay -- No Name Woman Gender Discrimina

The Unfair Treatment of Women My mother has always promoted sisterhood and support for women. Growing up, I was taught that women, although we can do anything we want to do, need a support system, because we are traditionally the underdogs, and we should not accept being treated unfairly. My mother likes to tell a story about how, when she was a girl, she told her dad that she had decided to become a lawyer when she grew up. In response to her proclamation, my grandfather, an attorney himself, asked, "Isn’t that an awfully expensive education for a girl?" My mother was involved in her education throughout high school. The number of opportunities presented to her while growing up and in her education, however, did not even come close to the number of opportunities presented to her male counterparts. In her yearbook, she is pictured among the Future Teachers of America, the only organization offered in her high school that relates to furthering the education of its young female students. The male students were also able to join that club, as well as Future Farmers of America, Future Lawyers of America, and Future Businessmen of America. She was also the Associated Student Body Treasurer—quite a feat, considering that it was unthinkable for a girl to run for President. Girls didn’t play sports, they cheered for the guys who did. My mother attended MIT Sloan School for Business, and in her class of 32, there was only one other woman. A certified management accountant with an M.B.A. from MIT, my mom has been rejected from job s on the basis of her gender. In interviews, she’s been told by companies that they don’t want a woman in the position, and that the average matriculation time for women in management was 23 months. My mo... ...tional ways, which her brothers, now among the barbarians, could fumble without detection." So if women had the power to carry on traditional values, then why did they not try to change anything? What privileges did Chinese women have that they wanted to hold on to, even in the United States, where they did not have to tolerate being treated so unequally? I do not know about Chinese culture, and I am sure that there are reasons that such an unfair tradition of gender inequality could have survived for so long, even after the Chinese immigrated to America. However, with the upbringing that I have had, I found it sad and frustrating to read about the acceptance of unjust treatment of women in Chinese culture. Women seemed to hold their own social status down with their silence and by attacking other women, such as Kingston’s aunt, whom they know are not to blame.

Vitality and Death in James Joyces The Dead Essay -- Joyce Dead Essay

Vitality and Death in The Dead  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In his short story The Dead, James Joyce creates a strong contrast between Gabriel, who is emotionally lifeless, and the other guests, who are physically aging and near death. Though physical mortality is inevitable, Joyce shows that emotional sterility is not, and Gabriel ultimately realizes this and decides that he must follow his passions. Throughout the story, a strong focus on death and mortality, a focus that serves as a constant reminder of our inevitable end of physical life, is prevalent in Joyce's selection of details. In the story, the unconquerable death ultimately triumphs over life, but it brings a triumph for the central character, not a loss. Despite the presence of death, the characters’ passions and individuality oppositely flourish, an irony that Joyce dares to make humorous. Every year Kate and Julia Morkan, two aging sisters, hold a dinner party at their house in Ireland for their relatives and music students and peers. The two ladies, often referred to as Aunts because of their relationship to the main character Gabriel Conroy, make sure to have a festive event full of dance and rich in food, although they are not wealthy. The story begins at the commencement of this party, and we first learn about Lily, the youngest person in the story, who serves as the housemaid. She is described as a growing girl, but also as "pale in complexion," indicating weakness and frailty. Even her "tagname, that of the funereal flower, serves as a symbol of death." Joyce comically describes the busy girl with a "hyperbolic figure of speech (‘run off her feet’), which although figurative, is offered to the reader to be accepted ‘literally,’" (Benstock 165) hinting at pending death. ... ... Gale, 1990. 239-245. Friedrich, Gerhard. "The Perspective of Joyce’s ‘Dubliners.’" College English (March 1965) Vol. 26 No. 6. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 166-169. Handy, William J. "’Joyce’s ‘The Dead.’" Modern Fiction: A Formalist Approach. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 183-189. Joyce, James. "The Dead." The Dubliners. Rpt. in The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W W Norton & Company. 2345-2373. Magalaner, Marvin, and Kain, Richard M. Joyce: The Man, the Work, the Reputation. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 222-224. Walzl, Florence L. "Gabriel and Michael: The Conclusion of ‘The Dead.’" James Joyce Quarterly (Fall 1966) Vol. 4 No.1. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 233-239.       Vitality and Death in James Joyce's The Dead Essay -- Joyce Dead Essay Vitality and Death in The Dead  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In his short story The Dead, James Joyce creates a strong contrast between Gabriel, who is emotionally lifeless, and the other guests, who are physically aging and near death. Though physical mortality is inevitable, Joyce shows that emotional sterility is not, and Gabriel ultimately realizes this and decides that he must follow his passions. Throughout the story, a strong focus on death and mortality, a focus that serves as a constant reminder of our inevitable end of physical life, is prevalent in Joyce's selection of details. In the story, the unconquerable death ultimately triumphs over life, but it brings a triumph for the central character, not a loss. Despite the presence of death, the characters’ passions and individuality oppositely flourish, an irony that Joyce dares to make humorous. Every year Kate and Julia Morkan, two aging sisters, hold a dinner party at their house in Ireland for their relatives and music students and peers. The two ladies, often referred to as Aunts because of their relationship to the main character Gabriel Conroy, make sure to have a festive event full of dance and rich in food, although they are not wealthy. The story begins at the commencement of this party, and we first learn about Lily, the youngest person in the story, who serves as the housemaid. She is described as a growing girl, but also as "pale in complexion," indicating weakness and frailty. Even her "tagname, that of the funereal flower, serves as a symbol of death." Joyce comically describes the busy girl with a "hyperbolic figure of speech (‘run off her feet’), which although figurative, is offered to the reader to be accepted ‘literally,’" (Benstock 165) hinting at pending death. ... ... Gale, 1990. 239-245. Friedrich, Gerhard. "The Perspective of Joyce’s ‘Dubliners.’" College English (March 1965) Vol. 26 No. 6. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 166-169. Handy, William J. "’Joyce’s ‘The Dead.’" Modern Fiction: A Formalist Approach. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 183-189. Joyce, James. "The Dead." The Dubliners. Rpt. in The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W W Norton & Company. 2345-2373. Magalaner, Marvin, and Kain, Richard M. Joyce: The Man, the Work, the Reputation. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 222-224. Walzl, Florence L. "Gabriel and Michael: The Conclusion of ‘The Dead.’" James Joyce Quarterly (Fall 1966) Vol. 4 No.1. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 233-239.      

Define the Term Micr

Question 1 Define the term MICR and explain what it is. Using a suitable example, discuss how does MICR readers work and what is it used for? Answer: MICR, or Magnetic Ink Character Recognition, is a character recognition technology used primarily by the banking industry to facilitate the processing of cheques and makes up the routing number and account number at the bottom of a cheque. It allows computer to read account number off printed documents. Its different and unlike with barcodes or other similar technologies, MICR codes can be easily read by humans. MICR characters usually contain iron oxide.They are printed in special typefaces with a magnetic ink or toner and in the form of either and E-13B or CMC-7 Font. Each font series is made up of a series of numbers and symbols specifically designed for readability on check sorting machines which read and extremely high rates of speed. The machine can always determine what each series of number signifies quickly, due to the symbols provide a beginning and end pint for each group of numbers. Line placement, character placement skew and quality are several critical components of printing MICR; the line must be precisely positioned in the MICR Clear Band area.The use of magnetic printing allows the characters to be read reliably even if they have been overprinted or obscured by other marks, such as cancellation stamps and signature. The magnetic scanning of a typical check has a smaller error rate than with optical character recognition systems. As for well printed MICR documents, the â€Å"can’t read â€Å"rate is usually less than 1% while the misread rate is in the order of 1 per 100,000 characters. A cheque is a suitable example to discuss how MICR readers work and what it is use for does.When a bank receives a check for payment, is uses an MICR inscriber to print the amount of the check in MICR characters in the lower-right corner. The check then is sorted or routed to the customer’s bank, al ong with thousands of others. Each check is inserted in an MICR reader, which sends the check information – including the amount of the check – to a computer for processing. When you balance your checkbook, verify that the amount printed in the lower-right corner is the same as the amount written on the check; otherwise, your statement will not balance. Some retailers use MICR reader to minimize their exposure to check fraud.Corporations and government agencies also use the technology to speed up the sorting of documents. The banking industry has established an international standard not only for bank numbers, but also for the font of the MICR characters. This standardization makes it possible for people to write checks in other countries. Question 2 Discuss what a laser printer is and how it differs from Thermal Printers. Answer: A laser printer is a high-speed, high quality nonimpact printer. It’s a printer that uses a focused beam or light to transfer text an d images on to paper.Though contrary to popular belief, the laser does not actually burn the images on to the paper. The laser beam will fire at the surface of a cylindrical drum called a photoreceptor instead of as a paper passing through the printer. This drum has an typically positive electrical charge, that is reversed in areas where the laser beam hits it. The laser beam is able to print patterns such as text and pictures on to the photoreceptor by reversing the charge in certain areas of the drum. Once the pattern has been created on the drum, it is coated with toner from a toner cartridge.The positively charged toner clings to areas of the drum that have been negatively charged by the laser. The drum is given a strong negative charge which allows the toner to transfer and stick to the paper when the paper is passing through the printer. Laser printers do not use ink therefore they have less smearing problems that ink-jet printers and are able to print pages faster. While lase r printers typically cost more that inkjet printers, most laser toner cartridges last longer than ink cartridges, which makes their cost per page is about equal.Based on this reason, businesses tend to use laser printers, while consumers are more likely to use inkjet printers. A thermal printer generates images by pushing electrically heated pins against heat-sensitive paper. Basic thermal printers are inexpensive, but the print quality is low and the images tend to fade over time. Self-service gas pumps often print gas receipts using a built-in lower-quality thermal printer. Many point-of-sale terminals in retail and grocery stores also print purchases receipts on thermal paper.Two special types of thermal printers have high print quality and can print at much faster rates than ink-jet and laser printers. A thermal-wax-transfer printer generates rich, nonsmearing images by using heat to melt colored was onto heat-sensitive paper. Thermal wax-transfer printers are more expensive tha n many color laser printers. Both printers have advantages and disadvantages; by comparing we are able to differentiate them. The advantages of a laser printer are it is an accessible and efficient office document printer. The document quality is very high, except for barcodes.There are a few disadvantages for a laser printer. It prints labels in sheets and resulting in waste. Its label and wristband adhesives can ooze from fuser and cause jamming. The barcodes require more ink and the toner is driving up the costs. Lastly, output susceptible to toner flaking and smudging. As for thermal printers it has more advantages than a laser printer, such as it is designed specifically for label and wristband printing, print on demand which does not lead to wastage, it is simple to operate and the best part are its durable, it has low maintenance and its does not have toner expenses.The disadvantages of a thermal printer are, for example they cannot print 8 1/2- by 11-inch documents and the p rinters are not readily available in hospitals today. Referencing List Question 1 – http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Magnetic_ink_character_recognition – http://www. whatismicr. com/index. html – Pg 281 from Discovering COMPUTERS by Gary Shelly Question 2 – http://www. techterms. com/definition/laserprinter – Pg 321 from Discovering COMPUTERS by Gary Shelly -http://www. datarayusa. com/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=70

European Union and Stricter Environmental Protection

PEST – Analysis This analysis is a helpful tool to take a closer look at the general environment. Although the PEST analysis rely on past events and experience, it can be used as a forecast of the future (Wilson and Gilligan, 1998). Political factors The political environment is good. The government is stable and reliable, even if Britain fails to achieve total agreement with some EU policies from time to time. At the present no EU directives are known which will have a direct effect on the UK clothing retail industry in the near future.Due to the EU membership a trend can be seen towards stricter environmental protection legislation. This may have a direct or indirect effect on NEXT or his suppliers. Economic factors Looking at the economic environment, it is somewhat tricky since on the one hand there is the strong sterling compared to the Euro. Euroland encourages imports and endeavours to hold domestic prices at an attractive level. But on the other hand it is difficult fo r the UK to be competitive outside its boundaries because of the high pound sterling exchange rate against the Euro.As NEXT sells about 96% in the UK marketplace, this may currently only have a limited effect, but could be more important in the future when thinking globally. Fig. 2 This can also be seen on the â€Å"Big Mac – Cross Rates† table, where hamburgers sold in the UK are more expensive than in most other countries. So an investment outside the UK might be very attractive – also speaking of â€Å"reimports† to transfer the goods back into the domestic market. Source: see Chapter 7 Another issue is the falling unemployment rate. For the UK population this is good news but for companies like NEXT, this has different implications.For NEXT it means higher expenditure on wages, as well as greater difficulties in recruiting good employees. Social factors Speaking of the socio-cultural future it should be mentioned that people retire earlier these days, as well as working shorter hours. Average working hours per week have decreased over the last 20 years. As a result many people have more spare time. This means they have time to compare prices in the High Street and the quality of goods and services from retailers. But as a result, they spend more time in the shops.Another issue these days are the â€Å"Green environmental issues†. Because people have more time and have ample access to the media via the TV, radio, as well as newspapers and the Internet, the consumer is better informed and therefore this awareness of environmental issues challenges him to care. He wants more than just a product. He is interested in the production process. He wants to know if the factories are environmentally friendly or not, where his product was build and under which circumstances etc. etc. So one problem in the clothing retail sector could be child labour.There are companies who rely on it in order to be competitive in their domestic marke t, for example Marks and Spencer. Marks & Spencer had been accused of using child labour in Indonesia in 1999. But once the customers becomes aware of such practices, companies get into real trouble if they do not respond immediately. Consumers who are looking for a best price purchase, may however not be prepared to consider the economic price which their social conscience inflicts on those companies whose products offends their ethics and which they consequently shun.Technological factors Another issue is the speed of technological transfers which also has an impact on the industry – it is not comparable with the fast growing internet business – but nevertheless it is important. New technology allows new products to be developed, e. g. Lycra ®, Supplex ® or other synthetic material. Existing materials can be produced quicker and cheaper. Adopting these technologies can be a decis ive factor as to whether a company is ahead of his competitors or whether it lags be hind.