Diary Of Dispair Essays - Therapy, Today, Small Source Of Comfort

Diary Of Dispair A Diary of Despair A Chronicle of Heroin Abuse As Seen through the Eyes Of a Mother Jennifer Bernstein Drug Use and Abuse Professor Santucci 4/26/99 Dear Diary, I think back, and I smile at the little girl I used to have, all pigtails and lace. I can still hear her laughter echoing through the hallways of our home; see her swinging on the swing set in our backyard, her long curly blonde hair, full of pink ribbons, sailing behind her like a pool of melted gold. When the sun hit her face, she just glowed, her green eyes sparkling, her red cheeks, full, lush and alive. What happened to that little girl? Where the hell did I go wrong?!? Why am I sitting in a cold empty room, where she used to laugh and play, clinging to a teddy bear she tossed away years ago, wondering where she is tonight? OH GOD, just bring her home safe, Im begging you. Dear Diary, Today I found money, along with my credit card, missing from my purse (Beschner p.51). I also woke up missing a daughter. I can only imagine where she is now. I dont understand!! Its like shes like the girl in The Exorcist, she seems possessed, but by what, I dont know! Just last week we had ourselves a girls day out. We treated ourselves to makeovers, had lunch, bought new outfits, even caught a matinee movie!! We had a great day; she was my little girl again. But now, I find myself alone again, wondering, worrying, and praying (Gustafson p.45-46). If only I knew what was going on. I know adolescence is a time of turmoil and rebellion, but this all doesnt seem normal. She disappears for days, DAYS!! And when she finally comes home, its an all out battle. I threaten her, I scream at her, I plead with her, only to have the door slammed in my face! Im nearly at my wits end. I wish her father was still here, I need help. I cant go through this alone. Im scared. Dear Diary, I dont know who she is anymore. I fear the little girl I once knew is gone forever now, never to be seen again. This person is unrecognizable to me. She went from being an honor-roll student to dropping out of high school. Shes emaciated, her clothes (if you want to call them that, they look like rags to me) hang on her; she looks like she hasnt bathed in weeks. Her face, once full of joy and hope, is emotionless now. When I do see her, she only has angry words for me, before stealing some of my money and storming out of the house (Gustafson p.48-49). I want to reach out to her, but I just dont know how. I fear the worst. I dont want to admit what my heart already knows. Dear Diary, My worst fears have finally been confirmed. I found a needle in her drawer. I confronted her. My hands are shaking as I write this. GOD how could this happen to my little girl!?!?! WHY It didnt go well. She admitted it. She looked straight into my eyes, with a cold harsh stare I barely recognized (but somewhere, deep down in that gaze, I saw her, the child I once knew) and said Yeah, Im using. Theres nothing you can do about it, and then walked away (Gustafson, p57-56). I stood frozen. I felt my soul ripped from my body. I feel as though Ive lost her forever. Dear Diary, Its been about a month since I saw her last, the day I found the needle. I have no idea where she is. If I knew who her friends are, Id call them, but shes been so elusive and secretive (Gustafson, p52) during the past year, I have no idea who they may be. Who ever they are, they probably got her into all of this. How could I have let this get so out of control? Looking back, I should have seen this coming; I should have recognized the signs (Gustafson p.86). I could have stopped this. NO! Stop it!! I cant do this to myself. The past is the past and yes, mistakes were made, but the damage

Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies

From its beginning Lord of the Flies establishes itself as a story packed with allegorical meaning. The novel is a meditation on the nature of human political society, dealing with such concerns as the development of political systems and the clash in human nature between instinctual and learned behavior. In this manner, Golding establishes the deserted island as a clash between two different conceptions of pre-civilized humanity. In some respects, the island presents a Hobbesian situation in which the young schoolboys are thrown into a literal state of nature. At the beginning of the novel they have no society, no rules, and no concerns beyond personal survival. The narrative thrust of the novel is how the boys develop their own miniature society and the difficulties that inevitably arise. Golding establishes immediately the contrast between the savage and the civilized that exists in this new environment for the boys. Freed from adult authority and the mores of society, Ralph plays in the beach naked, a practice commonly associated with uncivilized cultures. Yet if this is an uncivilized practice, it is also a reference to the second conception of pre-civilized life, that of an Eden; Ralph does not panic over the children's abandonment on the island, but rather approaches it as a paradise in which he can play happily. This raises the important question about what influence will cause his Eden to collapse. The first sign of disturbance within the seemingly tranquil island is the appearance of Jack and his choir. Golding portrays Jack and his compatriots as militaristic and aggressive, with Jack's bold manner and the choir marching in step with one another. They are the first concrete entrance of civilization onto the island and a decidedly negative one. Jack seems a physical manifestation of evil: with his dark cloak and wild red hair, he gives a slightly Satanic impression. Jack is a decided military authoritarian. He orders his c... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies The most obvious of the themes is man's need for civilization. Contrary to the belief that man is innocent and society evil, the story shows that laws and rules, policemen and schools are necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in line. When these institutions and concepts slip away or are ignored, human beings revert to a more primitive part of their nature. The existence of civilization allows man to remain innocent or ignorant about his true nature. Although man needs civilization, it is important that he also be aware of his more primitive instincts. Only in this way can he reach true maturity. Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with age but is related to a person's understanding of human nature. It can happen at any age or not at all. Painful though it may be, this loss of innocence by coming to terms with reality is necessary if humanity is to survive. One of the most basic and obvious themes is that society holds everyone together, and without these conditions, our ideals, values, and the basics of r ight and wrong are lost. Without society's rigid rules, anarchy and savagery can come to light. The novel is a meditation on the nature of human political society, dealing with such concerns as the development of political systems and the clash in human nature between instinctual and learned behavior. In this manner, Golding establishes the deserted island as a clash between two different conceptions of pre-civilized humanity. At the beginning of the novel they have no society, no rules, and no concerns beyond personal survival. The narrative thrust of the novel is how the boys develop their own miniature society and the difficulties that inevitably arise. Golding establishes immediately the contrast between the savage and the civilized that exists in this new environment for the boys. Freed from adult authority and the mores of society, Ralph plays in the beach naked, a practice ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Creating a Community from Eden The Human nature and Sovereignty in the Lord of the flies Lord of the Flies is a very famous novel; most of critics discuss its human nature and compare it with Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe or Shakespeare’s The Tempest. However, there are few of them comparing it with Thomas Hobbes’s theory. Therefore, in this paper, I want to use Thomas Hobbes’s idea of human nature and sovereignty to analyze the novel and Golding’s idea. Thomas Hobbes is the English political philosopher, in his famous work Leviathan; we can easily find his pessimistic thinking about human nature. For Hobbes, men only care about themselves without regarding others. They lust for money and pleasure; sometimes even lacking of food can cause a human war. Hobbes’s concept can coincidentally response to Golding’s idea and his novel, both of them emphasize the dark side of human nature. For example, in the novel, Golding arranges English schoolboys to fall into an island of nature; he uses thi s unmanned island to show what cultivated humans will do in their nature. Where is his pessimistic idea in the novel, is that, he does not arrange those schoolboys still live in a cultivated and mannered life on the island, he rather makes them live like barbarians and completely shows their natural evil. His pessimism is just as Hobbes who thinks men are born in evil and lust. Hobbes’s idea is influenced by the time his was born. He was born in an age of war that makes him to become a pessimistic philosopher. In his biography, he says, his mother â€Å"brought forth twins- myself and fear .† He considers that the fear of death and the need for security are the universal law; people seek for peace and constitute social rule only because they want to be safe and preserve their lives. His pessimistic idea builds up his theory toward the sovereignty and human nature in the future. Besides, the time when he was b... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord of the Flies ByWilliam Golding Characters Ralph Jack Simon Piggy Roger When I read this book I discovered a great change in most of their personalities, especially Jack's. So I would say that they are all dynamic characters. Ralph, in the beginning of the novel, had a boyish personality. Then later on in the novel, he became much more mature due to the fact that all of them had to live in a more civilized manner to get a long and to survive while waiting to be rescued. Jack, in the beginning of the novel was Ralph's most powerful antagonist. Then later on turned against Ralph and becomes leader. Simon is a unique character in the novel. He remains largely uninvolved with any of the power struggles between Ralph and Jack. He was killed. Roger is very mean. He killed Piggy by pushing a big bolder on top of him. Piggy was the intellectual in the group. He complained a lot in the beginning, but later on became more mature. But, unfortunately, he was killed by Roger. The novel begins about a group of English people who are marooned on a tropical island wh en the plane evacuating them from atomic war-torn England crashes. So now this group of boys are alone on this island. Then Ralph called an assembly to talk to the other guys about making a plan to get along and survive. The struggle starts in trying to make rules for the group to live by. There were many more conflicts through out the novel. But the main conflict is the boys trying to get along with each other and survive while waiting to be rescued from a deserted island. There are also some major conflicts between Ralph and Jack over trying to be the leader of the group. I enjoyed this book because it showed me what can happen when people are put in a desperate situation where there are no rules or social structure and how different personalities react to this lack of order. It also showed me how much one person can make a difference.... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies In the movie Lord of the Flies I feel it shows that the ego is very fragile. A person’s ego can be forced into a bad or good human being. Many people would say human beings choose how they want to be. I feel there is a lot of temptation in the world to force a person in a certain direction, but we are naturally born how we are. I also think we are born with evil it just depends whether or not we let it show. Every human being has some sense of evil in their body, but it depends on how a person is brought up and their surroundings. A person can be brought up in a loving environment and not show any sense of evil in their life. Where on the other hand a person can be brought up in a loving home and show evil in their life. A big factor of this picture depends on your social surroundings and how much people push you to be what they want you to become. A human being is put on this earth for a certain reason and a lot of people can learn from their mistakes they make in their lives. Then, there are some people on this earth who hate everything that have to do with them and they can become psychotic. These are the people who could not overlook the evil within them and eventually let it take over him/herself. Everyone shows some sort of evil in their life, but there is a point where you can go too far. Take the movie as an example; there is a plane crash, the kids take matters into their own hands to survive and eventually chaos occurs. The children all had some sort of evil inside of them, but there was just that one boy, Jake, who brought out the evil in him first and then the others. Jake was not looked up to as the leader; Ralph was the leader. Jake was the hunter and killed for food, already his evil is beginning to show when he starts a hunting tribe. You can tell his ego is hurt since he was not picked as the leader and wants to be in charge of the boys and have everyone look up to him. Piggy a character that co... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies â€Å"Lord of the Flies† This novel starts out with a plane crash carrying boys from a boarding school who were returning home during a war. The plane crashed on an island. Two of the characters in the novel, named Ralph and Piggy, are introduced as they meet in the lagoon on the island. Piggy finds a conch shell while he was walking on the beach and shows Ralph how to make a noise with it. Ralph uses the conch to seek other possible survivors from the plane crash- as he blew on the conch other boys came to him. Ralph decided to have a meeting to set down rules that they would live by, during their stay on the island. They decided to vote and Ralph was declared the ruler over them and Jack, who came with the other boys, was voted chief of the hunting group for provision of food. This reflected their priorities, Jack hunting, while Ralph tried to maintain some resemblance of civilization on the island. Their society reflects ours by showing different types of power that is used today. Democratic power is shown when choices and decisions are shared among the boys on the island. For instance, the conch represented power to whoever held it. Ralph portrays the role of government in any modern society. While he wants to satisfy the wishes of the public, he must also realize that certain rules of behavior must be followed in order to prevent chaos. Unfortunately chaos defeats order. The barbaric quality that arises in Jack throughout the novel is really a rebellion against society and what it stands for. He grew tired of taking orders from Ralph and of his participation in the democratic system that they made. Elements of civilization disappear on the island, due to the boys reverting to a more primitive part of their nature, by turning into savages and chaos replaces democracy. I believe the author is showing us the need for government to exist in society due to chaos that could come about without rules and regulations. ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies In the novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, Jack and Ralph as leaders differ from general to the very specific areas. The uninhabited jungle island that the boys crash – land on forms them into very inhumane creatures. While the young boys struggle for guidance and the need to be civilized, two boys assume leadership roles. Jack develops into a very impulsive, hot – tempered little savage. Ralph, on the other hand, never fully diverges from his civilized persona and becomes a reliable, hard – working, and steadfast leader of the boys. The leadership roles of Jack and Ralph clash on the subject of impulsiveness. Ralph uses a calm and cool demeanor while assessing the current situation on the island and giving a course of action. Jack goes on hunts and plays in the lagoon while more important work needs to be done. Ralph thinks of being rescued off the island and going home above everything else and thinks of the â€Å"big picture† first. To him playing and going off on hunts for long periods of time are useless and do not help in getting off the island. Conversely, while Jack does agree that maintaining a fire will aid their cause in being rescued, he contradicts this point of view by setting off in the jungle to hunt and the idea of killing a pig consumes him. â€Å"Rescue? Yes, of course! All the same I’d like to catch a pig first.†( ) This becomes the start of Jack’s formation into hunter and savage. The roles of Jack and Ralph as leaders also conflict as Jack becomes more savage and Ralph tries to stay in touch with civilization. Ralph always tries to keep ties with civilization through the use of the conch to call assemblies or by keeping on task and yelling at the other boys when they are playing and not doing their tasks. When Ralph tells Jack that a ship has passed and that they could have been rescued, Jack replies â€Å"You should have seen the blood.†( ) Jack has now become savage enough t... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies A running theme in Lord of the Flies is that man is savage at heart, always ultimately reverting back to an evil and primitive nature. The cycle of man's rise to power, or righteousness, and his inevitable fall from grace is an important point that book proves again and again, often comparing man with characters from the Bible to give a more vivid picture of his descent. Lord Of The Flies symbolizes this fall in different manners, ranging from the illustration of the mentality of actual primitive man to the reflections of a corrupt seaman in purgatory. The novel is the story of a group of boys of different backgrounds who are marooned on an unknown island when their plane crashes. As the boys try to organize and formulate a plan to get rescued, they begin to separate and as a result of the dissension a band of savage tribal hunters is formed. Eventually the "stranded boys in Lord of the Flies almost entirely shake off civilized behavior: (Riley 1: 119). When the confusion finally leads to a manhunt [for Ralph], the reader realizes that despite the strong sense of British character and civility that has been instilled in the youth throughout their lives, the boys have backpedaled and shown the underlying savage side existent in all humans. "Golding senses that institutions and order imposed from without are temporary, but man's irrationality and urge for destruction are enduring" (Riley 1: 119). The novel shows the reader how easy it is to revert back to the evil nature inherent in man. If a group of well-conditioned school boy s can ultimately wind up committing various extreme travesties, one can imagine what adults, leaders of society, are capable of doing under the pressures of trying to maintain world relations. In the novel, Simon is a peaceful lad who tries to show the boys that there is no monster on the island except the fears that the boys have. "Simon tries to state the truth: there is a beast, but 'it's only ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord of the Flies A novel by William Golding Written in 1954 Characters: Ralph- protagonist Jack- antagonist Setting: WWII on a deserted tropical island In the midst of a raging war, a plane evacuating a group of English boys from Britain is shot down over a deserted tropical island. Marooned, the boys set about electing a leader and finding a way to be rescued. They choose Ralph as their leader; Ralph appoints Jack as the leader of the hunters. Ralph, Jack, and Simon set off on an expedition to explore the island. When they return, Ralph declares that they must light a signal fire that passing ships might see. The boys begin to do so, using Piggy's glasses lens as a means of igniting dead wood. But they are more interested in playing than in paying close attention to their duties, and the fire quickly ignites the forest. A large swath of dead wood burns out of control. One of the youngest boys disappears, presumably having burned to death. At first, the boys enjoy their life without grownups. The hunters have trouble catching a pig, but Jack becomes increasingly preoccupied with the act of hunting. One day a ship passes by on the horizon, and Ralph and Piggy notice to their horror that the signal fire has burned out; it was the hunters' responsibility to maintain. Furious, Ralph accosts Jack, but the hunter has just returned with his first kill, and all the boys seem gripped with a strange frenzy, dancing about and reenacting the chase in a kind of wild dance. When Piggy criticizes him, Jack hits him across the face. Ralph blows the conch shell used to summon the boys, and gives the group a furious speech in an attempt to restore order. But beyond the more immediate problems of the signal fire and the difficulties of hunting creeps a larger, more insidious problem: a growing fear among the boys. The littlest boys (known as "littluns") have been troubled by nightmares from the beginning, and more and more boys are coming to... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Man’s life on earth is a constant struggle between good and evil. Humans choice or becoming pressured into facing this choice of taking sides. With these situations in life happening William Golding created Lord of the Flies .From images and instances of peace through images and instances of evil and finally through the representation of interaction of both , Golding’s Lord of the Flies presents a believable struggle that has characterized being human. Golding captures the essence of peace with images and instances of peace/ Throughout the novel , we are shown numerouse symbolical situtations . Golding uses anything from â€Å"butterflies† to â€Å"sunlight†, which represents holy perfection to holiness , happiness , welcoming . With this symbolism Golding perfects Simon. Simon who is a mirror reflection of Jesus, brought peace to the island . Since none of the characters , besides Ralph realize how important Simon is, Simon is recognized more by the readers. At the beginning of the novel , Simon , is seen as â€Å"as skinny , vivid , little boy with a glance coming from under a hut of straight hair that hung down , black and coarse .† (20). At this poin , Simon, is not recognized as a holly symbol. However, later on the novel Simon reveals his peaceful, wise and somewhat understanding side. A very good example of how peaceful and wise Simon is , is â€Å"you’ll get back all right. I think so anyways .† (122). With Simon saying these words to Ralph, he hints to the readers his wise and peaceful side as well as his â€Å"power† to forcome even the future, which makes him seem even more Christ-LIKE. However as we are reading about all this peacefulness, we are slowly creeped into evilness. Golding also used instances and images to project evil into the novel. In these cases, for evil, Golding uses Beesabub, the lord of the flies, as well as Jack as a representation of evil. However with Jack it’s more towards savagery and... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord of the Flies â€Å"The existence of civilization allows man to remain innocent or ignorant about his true nature. Although man needs civilization, it is important that he also be aware of his more primitive instincts. Only in this way can he reach true maturity. Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with age but is related to a person’s understanding of human nature. It can happen at any age or not at all. Painful though it may be, this loss of innocence by coming to terms with reality is necessary if humanity is to survive.†(www.lordoftheflies.com) This quote explains Ralph in a great way. At first in the novel Ralph is overjoyed to be on a tropical island free from adult restraints. By nature, he is an innocent, mild-tempered boy who accepts leadership when it is thrust on him. He serves as a democratic leader who tries to keep the boys together and uses a conch shell to show his authority. He builds shelters to protect them and a signal fire so they can be rescued. At first, he befriends Piggy who gets taunted and teased from the other boys. Later on he learns to rely on Piggy’s reasoning. Ralph has the courage when the occasion demands it, but he really longs for the secure world of adults, especially when order starts breaking down on the island. He dreams about a rescue and insists the fire signal burns at all times so that they can be seen. Ralph knows that the main reason for the disorder on the island is because of jack, who is the representation of evil in the novel. There is a constant conflict between the two boys. Ralph stands for civilized ideas, where as jack the anarchist leads a tribe of savages and often lapses into primitive rituals. In the midst of the savagery, Ralph holds on to the rationality and hopes that he gets rescued soon. There is only one occasion when Ralph lapses into mild savagery. It occurs when he joins the rest of the savages in the ritual dance at the pi... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Civil War The development of characters in a novel can lead to insight of the novel’s overall theme. William Golding uses Ralph and Jack to further explain the lessons and morals in the story. The rivalry that is created between Jack and Ralph portrays not only the difference in personalities but also the difference in the two societies on the island. Throughout the novel the Lord of the Flies it is apparent Ralph and Jack share similar qualities. However, the way Jack’s works concerns only himself and the way Ralph’s work benefits the group as a whole creates a struggle for power. In the beginning of the novel both Jack and Ralph agree on some issues, such as implementing rules. â€Å"I agree with Ralph. We got to have rules and obey them.† (Jack Chapter 1) After hearing this quote one would think that Jack is helpful to the group, but as the story continues Jack’s true qualities begin to stand out. Jack takes the role of tending to the fire, but Jack’s newfound interest in hunting leads him to forget about the rescue. â€Å"Jack had to think for a moment before he could remember what rescue was. ‘Rescue? Yes, of course! All the same, I’d like to catch a pig first.’† (Jack Chapter 4) As the story evolves Jack starts to distance himself from Ralph, and two groups with different opinions form. When Jack forgets about his fire tending duty a ship passes the island. Ralph confronts Jack on the passing ship issue and all Jack could say was, â€Å"You should have seen the blood!† (Jack Chapter 4) Jack’s savage qualities start to emerge which distances him from Ralph. At this point the parentless society is in its deteriorating stage. The gap between the two individuals is created, but Ralph stays constant to his goal of being rescued. Both boys are tempted by the beast, but Jack resists and tries to keep the society civilized. When Ralph begins to hunt with Jack, he was very excited. â€Å"Ralph was ful... Free Essays on Lord of the Flies Think to yourself how it would fell if your childhood were to be totally changed by a tragic incident. In which you got trapped on an island away from any civilization. In â€Å"Lord of the flies† William Golding shows just how terrifying and symbolic that this can be. There are many different objects in the book that one can easily make out to signify things in society. Among the symbols were the conch shell, their personality traits, and their clothing The Conch is a symbol of the high hand of authority on the island. It was use to call meetings, it is a magical object to the boys. For the most part the boys respect the Conch. Piggy who had the idea to â€Å"use this to call the others† first saw it. Which did work â€Å"After Ralph blew the shell a third time a child appear†. The conch was very powerful it shows when Ralph â€Å"†¦ lifted the conch.† and said, â€Å"Seems to me we ought to have a chief to diced things†. The conch actually wins Ralph the position as chief. He got pick because â€Å"†¦ his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerful there was the conch†. In the end, when it is destroyed, authority on the island is gone and Ralph is left to fend for himself. Ralph represents law, order, organized society, and moral honesty. Ralph is the chief of the group who made many rules for the boys to follow. He came up with a rule so that every one would not talk at the same time. â€Å" I’ll give the Conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.† At the end of the novel he too realizes that man is not a kind creature by nature. â€Å"†¦ Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart and the fall through the air of true, wise friend called Piggy.† Jack and his choir represent chaos on the island. He is the person responsible for of all three deaths that occur on the island and wishes to spend his time hunting instead of helping Ralph with rescue. When he ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies The Lord of the flies Essay The Lord of the Flies is a story that takes a group of boys out of a civilized society and puts them on an island. In this novel, William Golding explains that when we drift away from civilization, we tend to go back to our savage roots. The characters Ralph and Jack struggle amongst themselves to be the leader, Ralph, Piggy and Simon represent good while Jack represents evil, and all the hunters act like savages. In William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies, the struggle for leadership, good versus evil and the loss of innocence are the key themes that describe what happens when we lose our senses of civilization. This novel illustrates the struggle for leadership through Darwin’s survival of the fittest theory. Survival of the fittest means that the individuals who are able to adapt best to existing conditions are the ones who will survive, while the others perish. Ralph is unable to adapt to the conditions of the island and constantly thinks of ways of being rescued, while Jack adjusts well to the conditions on the island. Through Ralph we see the difficulty of setting up a colony in a place where there is nothing, and the difficulty to keep the group under his leadership. â€Å"The thing is: we need an assembly. No one said anything but the faces turned to Ralph were intent.† (Golding 84) In the beginning, they had no idea about where to even begin in order to survive. Ralph was the oldest and so he knew that it was up to him to take a stand. He ordered the boys to make huts for shelter and thought of ways for them to be rescued. While Ralph waited to be rescued, a new leader, Jack, gained power. â€Å"I’m not going to be part of Ralph’s lot. I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too.† (Golding 140) As the boys lost their civilization, Ralph’s position declined while Jack rose. Jack believed that the group should have fun and feast w... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies From its beginning Lord of the Flies establishes itself as a story packed with allegorical meaning. The novel is a meditation on the nature of human political society, dealing with such concerns as the development of political systems and the clash in human nature between instinctual and learned behavior. In this manner, Golding establishes the deserted island as a clash between two different conceptions of pre-civilized humanity. In some respects, the island presents a Hobbesian situation in which the young schoolboys are thrown into a literal state of nature. At the beginning of the novel they have no society, no rules, and no concerns beyond personal survival. The narrative thrust of the novel is how the boys develop their own miniature society and the difficulties that inevitably arise. Golding establishes immediately the contrast between the savage and the civilized that exists in this new environment for the boys. Freed from adult authority and the mores of society, Ralph plays in the beach naked, a practice commonly associated with uncivilized cultures. Yet if this is an uncivilized practice, it is also a reference to the second conception of pre-civilized life, that of an Eden; Ralph does not panic over the children's abandonment on the island, but rather approaches it as a paradise in which he can play happily. This raises the important question about what influence will cause his Eden to collapse. The first sign of disturbance within the seemingly tranquil island is the appearance of Jack and his choir. Golding portrays Jack and his compatriots as militaristic and aggressive, with Jack's bold manner and the choir marching in step with one another. They are the first concrete entrance of civilization onto the island and a decidedly negative one. Jack seems a physical manifestation of evil: with his dark cloak and wild red hair, he gives a slightly Satanic impression. Jack is a decided military authoritarian. He orders his c... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord of the Flies Four elements of symbolism in Lord of the Flies by William Golding are the conch which represents authority and order, Piggy’s glasses which represents knowledge and insight, the use of war paint which reveals true inner being and the hunt our war like nature. These elements are symbolic to the story like the novel is symbolic to our world. Golding shows us in this novel that the boys need law and order to survive. With out law and order in our society as in their tribes we would be savages. Golding uses the conch through out the story as power of the beholder. The person holding the conch had the power, and it created order and rules since when it was used, everyone had to listen. â€Å" I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.†(P.33, p.15) â€Å"We’ll have rules! He cried excitedly. â€Å" Lots of rules!†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (p.33, p.20) Piggy’s glasses were used at the beginning of the story to start the signal fire. â€Å" His specs- use them as burning glasses!†(P.40, p.16) While Piggy had them he was able to give advice to the group. However, after the glasses are broken, the group loses what insight they had because piggy was not able to see, therefore he was not able go give his knowledge and insights. The war paint was a rejection of society. In a way, when they put on the mask of war paint, they took off the mask of society. And revealed their true inner selves which was savage. â€Å" The chief was sitting there, naked to the wrist, his face blocked out in white and red.†(P.160, p.1) By hiding their face they were able to act like the true beast inside them. The hunting by the boys was symbolic to the true nature of mankind and society in general. â€Å" Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!†(P.152, p.1) All represent the lust for violence and power. As society, this fear drives human kind to conquer by war. Human nature has b... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies â€Å"There’s no one here. There are no houses, no cars, no people, no boats, no nothing. Were on an uninhibited island.† This is a quote from a boy named Ralph, and this is where William Golding places a group of British boys in the magnificently written novel Lord of The Flies. This book takes every reader to the deep mind of a child’s primitive thoughts, and explores every aspect of the possibilities that may occur when you put preteen and young children in an island that is isolated from the rest of the world. Frequent changes in the scenario keep you wondering what will happen next, and chapter titles foreshadow the events of the pages to come. Symbolism, outsiders, and the rise and fall of society are the three main points in the book that eventually set up an amazing roller coaster beginning, climax, and ending. A conch; a whitish cream covered shell is the stronghold to a society that is continually deteriorating throughout the novel. This shell, in the mind of the inhabitants of the island, is used to call meetings; and all attention must be delivered to whomever is in control of the conch. Initially this rule is followed and respected by each and every person. As the novel goes on though the honor and value that was once given to the conch is slowly but surely gone and the shell is eventually destroyed. When the sea crustation is shattered, the main symbol of peace and order of the island goes with it, leaving the reader with a certain amount of anger and confusion that is left until the final pages of the book. William Golding created a number of characters in this novel with their own type of physical, emotional, and spiritual traits. Having different types of traits may also present problem’s when a certain association of children are interested in the well being of their current state instead of their preparation and best needs for ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies In viewing the various aspects of the island society in Golding's Lord of the Flies as a symbolic microcosm of society, a converse perspective must also be considered. Golding's island of marooned youngsters then becomes a macrocosm, wherein the island represents the individual human and the various characters and symbols the elements of the human psyche. As such, Golding's world of children's morals and actions then becomes a survey of the human condition, both individually and collectively. Almost textbook in their portrayal, the primary characters of Jack, Ralph and Piggy are then best interpreted as Freud's very concepts of id, ego and superego, respectively. As the id of the island, Jack's actions are the most blatantly driven by animalistically rapacious gratification needs. In discovering the thrill of the hunt, his pleasure drive is emphasized, purported by Freud to be the basic human need to be gratified. In much the same way, Golding's portrayal of a hunt as a rape, with the boys ravenously jumping atop the pig and brutalizing it, alludes to Freud's basis of the pleasure drive in the libido, the term serving a double Lntendre in its psychodynamic and physically sensual sense. Jack's unwillingness to acknowledge the conch as the source of centrality on the island and Ralph as the seat of power is consistent with the portrayal of his particular self-importance. Freud also linked the id to what he called the destructive drive, the aggressiveness of self-ruin. Jack's antithetical lack of compassion for nature, for others, and ultimately for himself is thoroughly evidenced in his needless hunting, his role in the brutal murders of Simon and Piggy, and finally in his burning of the entire island, even at the cost of his own life. In much the same way, Piggy's demeanor and very character links him to the superego, the conscience factor in Freud's model of the psyche. Golding marks Piggy with the distinction of being more intelle... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Arguably man’s greatest invention in the history of humanity is language. Language allows an easy and comprehensible means of communication with other individuals, however, it does not always make the intended expressed meaning clear. The Bible is one example of this problem. The Bible relays its messages of Christ’s life though various parables and symbolic stories which many people take literally. Perhaps the most commonly disputed passage is the creation of the universe (Genesis 1:1-31). How could God have created the entire universe in just seven days? Many fundamentalists take this story at face value and do not consider one of many language tools which is used commonly throughout the Bible, symbolism. Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or by attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects or events. This means that the duration of ‘seven days’ could be a symbol of seven years or seven millenniums. The author s of the Bible are not the only writers to have used the powerful tool of symbolism and parables; many modern writers use it today to portray their outlook of events in an indirect manner. William Golding is one such writer and his fictional book Lord Of The Flies portrays a group of young English boys trapped on a remote island during a nuclear war. They are faced with many challenges in their fight for survival, specifically the downfalls of human nature. Their situation is symbolic of the evolution of a modern civilization and Lord Of The Flies portrays the collapse of this symbolic society through political, psychological, and religious symbolism. No society can function properly without a set of rules and regulations. In today’s modern society there are many symbols of this power and organization. In the courtroom, for example, the gavel is the sign of order and command, and a police officer, a symbol of authority. In Lord Of The Flies, the conch is the sign of this ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord Of The Flies: Society William Golding’s Lord of the Flies displays in a general and broad way human attitudes and behaviors. The novel is constantly examining the human mind and the constant shift of instincts between rational and animal. The major conflict in Golding’s novel is the clash between two competing impulses that exist within all human beings: the instinct to live by rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands, and value the good of the group on the one hand; and the instinct to gratify one’s immediate desires, act violently to obtain supremacy over others, and enforce one’s will on the other. These two instincts may be called â€Å"the instinct of civilization† and â€Å"the instinct of savagery,† as one is devoted to values that promote ordered society and the other is devoted to values that threaten ordered society. The conflict might also be expressed as order vs. chaos, reason vs. impulse, law vs. anarchy, or in any number of other ways, including the more generalized good vs. evil. Throughout the novel, the instinct of civilization is associated with goodness, while the instinct of savagery is associated with evil. The conflict between the two instincts is the driving force of the novel, explored through the dissolution of the young English boys’ civilized, moral, disciplined behavior as they accustom themselves to a wild, brutal, barbaric life as savages in the jungle. Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel, which means that its main ideas and themes are frequently represented by symbols. Appropriately, the conflict between civilization and savagery is represented most directly by the novel’s two main characters: Ralph, the protagonist, represents order and leadership, while Jack, the antagonist, represents savagery and the desire for power. In the novel’s presentation of human psychology, different people experience the instincts of civilization and savagery to different degrees. Piggy,... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies, the consummate novel by William Golding, is rife with powerful thematic elements and striking symbolism. However, throughout the lush expanse of the book, several important themes stand out above the rest. Perhaps chief among these themes is the story’s take on civilization. Like authors writing in a similar vein, such as Cooper and Conrad, Golding challenges his characters to survive without tangible connections to the civilization they know. Unlike these authors, though, Golding takes a somewhat darker view of civilization and human nature. As the plot of Lord of the Flies progresses, the various characters slowly lose contact with their civilized nature. This decay of civilization is continually symbolized by the decay or destruction of other aspects of the novel. Golding seems to believe that if left to his own devices, man cannot maintain civilization alone. As Lord of the Flies opens, Golding places his young characters in a terrible situation, far from the comforts and controls of civilization. Having been evacuated from a war zone, their plane has crashed on an unknown and uninhabited island. Despite the obviously frightening elements of this situation, the boys are, at first, eerily unconcerned and relatively sure of the fact that they will be rescued. They have been conditioned all their lives to rely on adults for protection and now believe that their parents will eventually come to rescue, especially Ralph who expresses confidence that his father, â€Å"†¦when he gets leave†¦ will come and rescue us.† (Golding, Page 12). When Ralph and Piggy call the boys together for the first time, they all agree that, as a civilized people, they ought to have some sort of leader. However, lacking experience in governmental process, they choose Ralph for chieftain simply because of â€Å"†¦his size, and attractive appearance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Golding, Page 22), not necessarily because he is t... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the reality of how merciless the world really is can be revealed symbolically through Golding’s use of object symbolism. The characters that Golding establishes allow us, as humans to realize that not only adults, but children too, are cruel and selfish creatures that will stop at nothing to get what they want. In the novel the symbolic significance of certain objects develops and leads to the main idea that Golding is trying to express. Object symbolism is used to show the relationship of the biblical struggle between good The powerful conch for starters, is what the boys base their whole order of civilization on. The conch symbolizes the power of the beholder and regulation during the meetings. The conch has more than one meaning in the novel. In the beginning of the novel the conch allows the boys to listen to the person who carries the conch, but towards the end of the novel the conch begins to represent the disarray order and peacefulness that had originally been established when the boys first inhabited the island. Rogers act of destroying the shell shows that order and organization are no longer important to the boys, but power is what they seek for now. Another example of object symbolism is portrayed through Piggy’s glasses. Even though in the beginning of the novel Piggy was seen as the fat useless kid with the thick glasses, it’s Piggy’s glasses that are eventually used as the boys source of being able to build a fire. When the boys finally do build a fire Ralph comes up with the idea to use the fire as a signal so the boats can see that there is life on the island. Therefore the fire stands for the boys aspiration to be rescued from the island. It is Jack though who lets the fire die out and by doing that it shows the boys don’t have anything to look forward to. When Piggy advises to rebuild the fire there is a return of hope. The ability to build a fire is very sig...

Gender section 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender section 3 - Essay Example The author pointed in her writing that human security should deal with both gender and militarization. I did not believe the militarization could affect the role of gender in the society or create discrimination. However, after reading the first two sections of the book, I started to realize that military power plays a significant role when it comes to gender and most of the human security issues and concerns are because of military power. 3. Human security is an approach that focuses on the security and the safety of the people and the communities instead of states. It also allows us to identify various kind of violence, including cultural and structural violence; and how these are related to gender especially women (197). 4. Colonization can affect citizen identity and change the way a specific society was created. Indeed, most people, who suffer colonization or a series of civil war, even though they gain independent they still suffer from insecurity and the fear of being colonize d again. In fact, most people experience trauma and the unfoldings of the past conflicts bring them sad memories, which might lead to depression. 5. Most countries exist in a militarized sphere, where people live with polices and law that are created by a fraction of people, who mostly have higher privilege and power than normal citizens. In addition, most of the laws that are enacted by the few people in society are forced on normal citizens, and they have to accept and adhere to them without questioning the authority. Indeed, in some societies, the people, who are confident enough to question the authority and power, are viewed as terrorist and a source of corruption. 6. When caregiving institutions are militarized, most of the people who work there are women. However, these do not receive any significant form of support. 7. Culture governance, patriarchy, and militarization define gender violence. These are among the major aspects that can be considered as root of gender violence . 8. Militarization and militarized mentalities is not always a direct violence. This is because it can start with structural violence. 9. Women in the Pacific point out that the major causes of conflict in the region are linked to gender inequality and inequality. The most form of inequality in this case is the unequal distribution of resources between men and women in society. For instance, in wealth distribution, men get to benefit the most, as compared to their female counterparts. It is a pity to see women suffering from this kind of discrimination. In fact, it makes me think about the nature of marriage in such countries, considering that men are the main cause of oppression to women. Then it is surprising how marriage can survive in such scenarios, as the institution of marriage involves the relationship between husband and wife, and father and daughters. Nonetheless, it is more saddening that the men in such countries do not participate in the promotion of the rights of wome n. 10. The resolution 1325 by the UN that called for the involvement of more women in the community structure did not affect the Pacific women at a significant measure. In my opinion, I believe that creating laws and announcing them to the public and asking other governments to adhere to them in their functions does not always work. Instead of creating all these laws and policies, the United Nation and other organization should work on understanding the history and the roots of

Fashion goes round in circles Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fashion goes round in circles - Research Paper Example The essay "Fashion goes round in circles" concerns the fashion designs. The notion thus results in the repetition of previous fashions but with new improvements. The repetitive nature of fashion arises from the fact that the practice is an art and therefore relies on the moral demands of the society as explained in the essay below. Fashion design demands both originality and uniqueness in the works of the designers. The originality and the uniqueness of designer are limited to the prevailing social and cultural features. Such influence the tastes and preferences of people thus determining their selection of a fashion design to consume. Despite being cultural products, fashion design is a multi-billion dollar company in the contemporary society employing millions of people globally. The designers demand profitability and the longevity of their product line. Fashion designers thus carry out extensive market researches with the view of determining the prevailing social and cultural fact ors that may influence the preference of the consumers to a particular design. Designers thus limit their creativity to the demands of the society, which often make up their target market. The consumption of fashion design products relies on decency and aesthetic appeal. In the selection of clothes for example, most people prefer clothes that do not only cover their nakedness but also flatter their bodies thus complementing their looks and body shapes. The works of the designers thus remains limited to the decency.... Culture and religion are two main social factors that influence both the consumption of fashion design products and their production in equal measure owing to the fact that the two have a close relation. The above among many other operational factors influence the production of fashion design products. The profession restricts productivity since it relies on the prevailing social and cultural features. These validate the claim that fashion design products go round in circles with the designers often recycling their previous works. Additional factors that contribute to the emergence of the trend include both consumption and production of the fashion design products. After determining a design that covers the essential parts of a human body or a design that exhibits a specific quality, the designers use the sale of such products to determine the success of the brand. They therefore center their subsequent designs on a successful previous design. This way, the works do cease to exhibit any originality since the products are all related. Blouses and shirts have retained a particular design over the years with most designers often changing either the shape of the neck or other negligible features of the clothes. Such designers as Mark Spencer and Sir Henry enjoy a global market in the design and production of shirts. However, the two product lines do not exhibit any difference in their products. The differences often arise from the raw materials they use and the company logo (Hollander 121). Shirts have a specific shape and neither company can manipulate this in order to develop a new unique product. Such fundamental factors of fashion design thus limit both designers and

Compar and Contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Compar and Contrast - Essay Example The elements of history were engraved in the stories that were left by the two writers. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway have similar time frame to tell but different experiences to share in their stories throughout their lives. In terms of the time they became popular in the field of literature, they boomed in different years but they both became famous for their works. Their works may conflict at times in terms of ideas, but throughout their career, they became friends that had eroded after certain number of years. Their friendship started when they first met each other in a bar called Dingo. Fitzgerald had accustomed to ask too much and flatter the strangers during first time conversations that gave Hemingway a negative connotation about the personality of Fitzgerald. A good example is the instance when Fitzgerald interrogated Hemingway regarding â€Å"having slept with his wife before they were married did not seem appropriate conversation, particularly from a total strange r,† (Lombardi). Despite of that incident, their friendship continued as both of them became prolific writers. Hemingway was not yet that famous during that time but Fitzgerald already had known something about Hemingway as Fitzgerald told his editor that Hemingway had the potential in literature (Lombardi). Fitzgerald assisted Hemingway in editing and promoting Hemingway’s work. Despite of the help given by Fitzgerald, it was said that Hemingway later on paid back Fitzgerald by mockery and deception as their friendship corroded (Kakutani). Some said that Hemingway had a habit of associating himself with famous and great writers to promote his works and advance his writing career. He associated himself with Gertrude Stein, John dos Passos, Dorothy Parker and many more (Lombardi). The friendship corroded especially in 1936 when Fitzgerald published the confessional article which he called The Crack-Up and the series of insults continued. Hemingway told something about Fit zgerald in his work The Snows of Kilimanjaro. Up until the death of Fitzgerald, Hemingway showed some insults for Fitzgerald through his works (Gent). For the next part, a focus would be given for the analysis of the short stories made by each writer and how the stories reflected their lives. The short story analysis begins with the works of Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald became well-known for his short stories in Flappers and Philosophers that reflected the youth culture and pursuit for wealth during the Roaring Twenties. During that time, the demands for stories in popular magazines were the type of stories made by Fitzgerald. His major success was in the field of short stories though in public he was known as the Poet Laureate of the Jazz Age and he even influenced other famous writers like J. D. Salinger and John O'Hara (Mangum 1368). The image of Fitzgerald really differs from his real accomplishment like his real self is different from the way he projected himself in public. Also as h e deemed himself to be good at writing short stories for popular magazines, he explained it to Hemingway the reason why he had chosen to write short stories as revealed in A Moveable Feast by Hemingway: he was â€Å"whoring but that he had to do it as he made his money from the magazines to have money ahead to write decent books,† (Mangum 57). He was both a professional writer and a literary artist though he focused on

The Modern Tragic Hero Of Gatsby English Literature Essay

The Modern Tragic Hero Of Gatsby English Literature Essay In the novel The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a tragic hero because he displays the fundamental characteristics of modern tragic hero. He is a common man, he contains the characteristics of a tragic flaw, and he eventually has a tragic fall. Although at first glance Gatsby might not seem to be the everyday man, in reality he actually is. At one point Gatsbys past is being examined and his parents are described as shiftless and unsuccessful farm people which shows the readers that he came from humble roots and was just like everyone else (Fitzgerald 95). He was not born into wealth and privilege and did not have any special background that gave him an advantage over others. Another instance in which Gatsby is portrayed as the average man is when Nick is discussing Gatsbys past and he says, So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent(Fitzgerald 95). This shows that the persona that Gatsby has created for himself is that of any average, immature boy. As the novel progresses further you find Nick recounting Gatsbys past and describing him as being a penniless young man which again shows the reader that Gatsby is really just the common man with a big dream (Fitzgerald 141 ). This statement helps take away some of the disguise of wealth and overwhelming power, and brings him into a more human perspective. Gatsbys tragic flaw is that his view of the world is obstructed by his own naive idealism. It is very clear to the reader that Gatsby is idealistic when, while Nick is over at Gatsbys house, he reflects on Daisys and Gatsbys relationship and he notes, There must have been momentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ when Daisy tumbled short of his dreamsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ because of the colossal vitality of his illusion(Fitzgerald 92). This shows that even Nick, his best friend and the one that sticks up for Gatsby the most, sees that Gatsby perceives Daisy to be ideal and perfect. Gatsby does not see things as they really are and expects them to play out exactly as he thinks they will. An example of this is when Nick is talking to Gatsby after a party and he tells Gatsby that he cant repeat the past, and Gatsby responds, Cant repeat the past?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Why of course you can!' (Fitzgerald 106). This delusion, that he can repeat the past and redo everything, blinds Gatsby to what is going on right in fr ont of him. It seems as though he does not realize how absurd the idea of obtaining Daisy love is. Gatsbys idealism also blinds him to how Daisy really acts and what her personality is like. An example of this can be seen in the imagery of the novel. Throughout the novel white is used as imagery for pure and innocent, while yellow represents corruption. A daisy has white petals and a yellow center. This imagery relates because it shows how Gatsby perceives Daisy. All he sees is a beautiful, loving woman who loves him back and he cannot see past his own idealistic view of the perfect Daisy to the corrupt, shallow, money-loving Daisy. Another example of Gatsbys overwhelming idealism is his own self perception. Gatsby thinks as long as he surrounds himself with riches and the wealthy, that people will accept him and he can erase his former self; Gatsby the poor farm boy. This shows how he is idealistic because no matter what a person does, the former self will always be there. Later in the novel when Nick is reflecting on Gatsbys idea of Daisy he notes, He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: I never loved you.' (Fitzgerald 105). This idea is not a realistic expectation because Daisy is already married and has a family to take care of; also her religion prevents her from getting a divorce and marrying him. All these are factors block Gatsby from obtaining his ideal dream, but he seems to be blind to them. Although Gatsbys physical fall starts near the end of novel, his spiritual fall arguably begins before you even meet him. In the middle of the novel you hear about Gatsbys past and how he was a poor average man, but he was honest and worked hard. As the novel progresses you hear about his relationship with Daisy and how it ended because he was not wealthy enough. He needed to become wealthy so that Daisy would marry him. To obtain this wealth Gatsby started to participate in dishonest and illegal deeds such as bootlegging. This shows a fall spiritually because he goes against his morals and values. Closer to the end of the novel, after Daisy kills Myrtle in car accident, you learn that Gatsby will take the blame for Myrtles death. Although this is a show of love for Daisy, it is eventually what leads him to his physical downfall. Throughout the novel you are shown images of Gatsby surrounded by all kinds of wealthy and high class people, and it seems as though he has many friends. Ho wever, at Gatsbys funeral at the very end of the novel when Gatsby is shot and killed, there is no one there except for a select few. This image is used very well because it shows how the mighty have fallen. The one person everyone thought had it all, in reality has nothing; no money, no love and no friends. Gatsby is a perfect example of a modern tragic hero because he has an eventual tragic fall, he displays certain characteristic that shows that he has tragic flaw and if you look beyond his wealth, you will see that he was just common man with a big dream.

Research resources Essay

There are many resources that a student of accounting can refer to enrich his accounting knowledge and arm him/her with useful and practical experience in the accounting field. These materials are available both online and offline both subscribed and unsubscribed. These are online and offline libraries. Questia, an online library of books and journal available at http://www. questia. com/index. jsp, is a site that provides an opportunity to access books, journal and materials for all subjects and topics ranging from arts to science, and from arts to law. These materials are available to an individual upon subscription. They are accessed through the keying of the title or the required article or any phrase in that text. Athens and Amazon. com are other resources that contains rich informative and educative materials. The amazon. com, the site that allows access to useful textbooks and journals is available online at http://www. amazon. com/books-used-books-textbook/b? ie=UTF88node=283155. It is an online company that sells books. Athens is also available online at http://www. athens. ac. uk. Accounting information will be accessed by keying in the relevant topics. The Google scholar too will provide easy access to accounting materials on any trouble-some topic. There are also many textbooks and journals available in the library. New Vistas in Accounting – Vol 1, 2003, a book authored by D. G Prasuna is a textbook that provides a general outline on the major concepts in accounting and their usefulness on understanding the accounting practices and activities. Accountants handbook, volume 1, financial accounting and general topics, 11th edition, edited by D. R. Carmidiael (2007) among other scholars is a conglomeration of witty and remarkable tips on the basics of accounting, the standards an regulations as well the basics of reporting statement. Specific Sources In this research discussion Scofield Barbara (1994) in his article published by the national public accountant, titled:Full Disclosure of Interest Capitalization Decisions, he provides useful insights on the GAAPS standards on interest capitalization, shedding the light on the confusions arising from the requirements in the standards, their appropriateness and their shortcoming. This information is available online at http://www. allbusiness. com/accounting/436577-1html. The IASC foundation education website available at http://www. lasb. org/NR/rdon/yres/189CA297-4D7Epdf has a summary of the IAS regulations. In this case they were specifically touching on borrowing costs then definition and what they generally encompass. www. arthurconsulting. com/financialspecial6. htm, website by the Arthur consulting, Inc on financial analysis, gives useful tips on accounting for the impairment of long lived assets. It gives circumstance and events that are indicators that an asset has impairment as well as the criterion for impairment recognition. An international accounting journal by authors; Street D. L, Nicholas N. B, Gray S. J, titled: Assessing the Acceptability of International Accounting Standards in the U. S. An Empirical Study of the Materiality of U. S GAAP Reconciliations by Non-US companies complying with IASC standards (2000), from this page 22-63 gives a summary of GAAP standards in comparison with other international standards on accounting. It provides information that can help understand accounting standards and practices better. Domestic Accounting Standards,Iinternational Accounting Standards and the Predictability of Earnings (2001), an accounting research journal by Ashbough, Hollis, Pinces and Morton (2001) examines the variations of the various international standards and the accuracy associated with reporting using each standard. Ann Tarca (2004), in the Journal of International Financial Management and Accounting, article titled: International Convergence of Accounting Practices, Choosing between IAS and US GAAP. She samples different reporting by accountants using the different standards: GAPP and IAS and how specific firms prefer one standard over another. William Dorms (2003) in his book Finance and Accounting for Non Financial Managers. He provides all the basics you need to know. He provides an insightful outline of the basics in accounting in the different topics of intermediate accounting focusing especially on financial management and financial statement analysis. Essentials of Managerial Finance: Principle and Practice (1981). It is a large book of 807 pages authored by Steven E. Bolten and Robert Lawrence conn. It gives useful knowledge on the most troublesome on accounting. All the above source although not enough will arm a student with almost all information that he or she requires to gain basic knowledge on principles and practices of accounting. Recommendations A fresh student of intermediate accounting would need to take a glance at reading materials that provide information on the basics of accounting. This will arm him/her with information that will aid in understanding the basic concepts and accounting practices. These books and journals are available on the internet and in our library. Students will need to take detailed notes on these topics they find relevant to their studies. Having a look at the sample and published financial statements by the various firms and multinationals will give a practical hint on the application of this theoretical knowledge and affirm the need for accuracy and consistency in accounting. On specific cases for discussion, a student should ensure that they have conducted enough research for the specific topics. Keying in the title of these topics on the authoritative websites such as Google scholar and Questia will provide vital linkages to a wealth of sources and information. Many students at the introductory stage of accounting have come to me for assistance. I have assisted them by giving them the above information as well as demonstrating to them physically on how to search for information from our library as well as from the electronic journals and libraries. References Scofield Bartara, April 1st 1994. Full disclosure of interest capitalization decisions. The national public accountant. Pg. 1. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www/allbusiness. com/accounting/436577. 1html IAS Borrowing Costs. Technical Summary. IASC foundation education. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www. iasb. org. NR/rdonlyres/189CA297-4d7E-4826-80bc-3876874AS44/0/1as23pdf Financial analysis, 2002. Accounting for the impairment of long-lived assets. Arthur consulting group, Inc. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www. arthurconsulting. com/financialspecial6. htm Ash Baugh, Hollis, Pincees, Morton, Dec. 2001. Domestic accounting standards, international accounting standards, and the predictability of earnings. Journals of accounting research. Blackwell publishing. Financial accounting standards board. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www. fash. org.

Around the world in eighty days- plot summary Essay

The story starts in London on Tuesday, October 1, 1872. Fogg is a rich English gentleman and bachelor living in solitude at Number 7 Savile Row, Burlington Gardens. Despite his wealth, which is  £40,000 (roughly  £3,020,000 today), Fogg, whose countenance is described as â€Å"repose in action†, lives a modest life with habits carried out with mathematical precision. Very little can be said about his social life other than that he is a member of the Reform Club. Having dismissed his former valet, James Foster, for bringing him shaving water at 84  °F (29  °C) instead of 86  °F (30  °C), Fogg hires a Frenchman by the name of Jean Passepartout, who is about 30 years old, as a replacement. Later on that day, in the Reform Club, Fogg gets involved in an argument over an article in The Daily Telegraph, stating that with the opening of a new railway section in India, it is now possible to travel around the world in 80 days. He accepts a wager for  £20,000 (roughly  £1,510,000 today) from his fellow club members, which he will receive if he makes it around the world in 80 days. Accompanied by Passepartout, he leaves London by train at 8:45 P.M. on Wednesday, October 2, 1872, and thus is due back at the Reform Club at the same time 80 days later, Saturday, December 21, 1872. Fogg and Passepartout reach Suez in time. While disembarking in Egypt, they are watched by a Scotland Yard detective named Fix, who has been dispatched from London in search of a bank robber. Because Fogg answers the description of the robber, Fix mistakes Fogg for the criminal. Since he cannot secure a warrant in time, Fix goes on board the steamer conveying the travellers to Bombay. During the voyage, Fix becomes acquainted with Passepartout, without revealing his purpose. On the voyage, Fogg promises the engineer a large reward if he gets them to Bombay early. They dock two days ahead of schedule. After reaching India they take a train from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Calcutta (Kolkata). About halfway there, Fogg learns that the Daily Telegraph article was wrong—the railroad ends at Kholby and starts again 50 miles further on at Allahabad. Fogg promptly buys an elephant, hires a guide, and starts toward Allahabad. During the ride, they come across a procession, in which a young Indian woman, Aouda, is led to a sanctuary to be sacrificed by the process of suttee the next day by Brahmins. Since the young woman is drugged with the smoke of opium and hemp and is obviously not going voluntarily, the travellers decide to rescue her. They follow the procession to the site, where Passepartout secretly takes the place of Aouda’s deceased husband on the funeral pyre on which she is to be burned the next morning. During the ceremony he rises from the pyre, scaring off the priests, and carries the young woman away. Due to this incident, the two days gained earlier are lost, but Fogg shows no sign of regret. The travellers then hasten on to catch the train at the next railway station, taking Aouda with them. At Calcutta, they can finally board a steamer going to Hong Kong. Fix, who has secretly been following them, has Fogg and Passepartout arrested. However, they jump bail and Fix is forced to follow them to Hong Kong. On board, he shows himself to Passepartout, who is delighted to meet again his travelling companion from the earlier voyage. In Hong Kong, it turns out that Aouda’s distant relative, in whose care they had been planning to leave her, has moved, probably to Holland, so they decide to take her with them to Europe. Meanwhile, still without a warrant, Fix sees Hong Kong as his last chance to arrest Fogg on British soil. Around this time Passepartout becomes convinced that Fix is a spy from the Reform Club trying to see if Fogg is really going around the world. However, Fix confides in Passepartout, who does not believe a word and remains convinced that his master is not a bank robber. To prevent Passepartout from informing his master about the premature departure of their next vessel, Fix gets Passepartout drunk and drugs him in an opium den. In his dizziness, Passepartout still manages to catch the steamer to Yokohama, but neglects to inform Fogg. Fogg, on the next day, discovers that he has missed his connection. He goes in search of a vessel that will take him to Yokohama. He finds a pilot boat that takes him and Aouda to Shanghai, where they catch a steamer to Yokohama. In Yokohama, they go on a search for Passepartout, believing that he may have arrived there on the original boat. They find him in a circus, trying to earn the fare for his homeward journey. Reunited, the four board a steamer taking them across the Pacific to San Francisco. Fix promises Passepartout that now, having left British soil, he will no longer try to delay Fogg’s journey, but support him in getting back to Britain as fast as possible to minimize the amount of his share of the stolen money that Fogg can spend. In San Francisco they get on a transcontinental train to New York, encountering a number of obstacles (and a Mormon missionary) along the way: a massive herd of bison crossing the tracks, a failing suspension bridge, and most disastrously, the train being attacked and overcome by Sioux warriors. After heroically uncoupling the locomotive from the carriages, Passepartout is kidnapped by the Indians, but Fogg rescues him after some American soldiers volunteer to help. They continue by a wind powered sledge over the snowy prairies to Omaha, where they get a train to New York. In New York, having missed the sailing of their ship the China by 45 minutes, Fogg starts looking for an alternative for the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. He finds a small steamboat destined for Bordeaux, France. However, the captain of the boat refuses to take the company to Liverpool, whereupon Fogg consents to be taken to Bordeaux for the price of $2000 (roughly $38,519 today) per passenger. On the voyage, he bribes the crew to mutiny and make course for Liverpool. Against hurricane winds and going on full steam all the time, the boat runs out of fuel after a few days. Fogg buys the boat at a very high price from the captain, soothing him thereby, and has the crew burn all the wooden parts to keep up the steam. The companions arrive at Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland, in time to reach London via Dublin and Liverpool before the deadline. However, once on British soil Fix produces a warrant and arrests Fogg. A short time later, the misunderstanding is cleared up—the actual robber had been caught three days earlier in Edinburgh. In response to this, Fogg, in a rare moment of impulse, punches Fix, who immediately falls to the ground. However, Fogg has missed the train and returns to London five minutes late, certain that he has lost the wager. In his London house the next day, he apologises to Aouda for bringing her with him, since he now has to live in poverty and cannot support her financially. Aouda suddenly confesses that she loves him and asks him to marry her, which he gladly accepts. He calls for Passepartout to notify the minister. At the minister’s, Passepartout learns that he is mistaken in the date, which he takes to be Saturday, December 21, but which is actually is Friday, December 20, because the party had travelled eastward, gaining a day by crossing the International Date Line. The book page containing the famous dà ©nouement (page 312 in the Philadelphia — Porter & Coates, 1873 edition)[3] He did not notice this after landing in North America because the only phase of the trip that depended on vehicles departing less than daily was the Atlantic crossing, and he had hired his own ship for that. Passepartout hurries back to inform Fogg, who immediately sets off for the Reform Club, where he arrives just in time to win the wager. Fogg marries Aouda and the journey around the world is complete. On their trip around the world, Fogg and Passepartout carried only a carpet bag with two shirts and three pairs of stockings each, a mackintosh, a travelling cloak, and a spare pair of shoes. The only book they had was Bradshaw’s Continental Railway Steam Transit and General Guide, which contains timetables of trains and steamers. Fogg also had a large roll of English banknotes, about half of his wealth or  £20,000 (roughly  £1,510,000 today), and 20 guineas (roughly  £1,588 today) won at whist, which he donates to a poor woman on the way to catch his first train.[4]

The Donner Party, Ill-Fated Settlers Turned to Cannibalism

The Donner Party, Ill-Fated Settlers Turned to Cannibalism The Donner Party was a group of American settlers heading to California who became stranded in heavy snows in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1846. Isolated in horrific conditions, about half of the original group of nearly 90 people died of starvation or exposure. Some of the survivors turned to cannibalism in order to survive. After those who managed to stay alive were rescued in early 1847, the story of horror in the mountains appeared in a California newspaper. The tale made its way east, circulated through newspaper articles, and became part of western lore. Fast Facts: The Donner Party About half of a group of nearly 90 settlers heading to California in 1846 starved when snowbound.Disaster was caused by taking an untested route which added weeks to the journey.Survivors eventually resorted to cannibalism.Story circulated widely through newspaper stories and books. Origin of the Donner Party The Donner Party was named for two families, George Donner and his wife and children, and George’s brother Jacob and his wife and children. They were from Springfield, Illinois, as was another family traveling with them, James Reed and his wife and children. Also from Springfield were various individuals associated with the Donner and Reed families. That original group left Illinois in April 1846 and arrived in Independence, Missouri, the following month. After securing provisions for the long trip westward, the group, along with other travelers from a variety of places, left Independence on May 12, 1846. (People would typically meet in Independence and decide to stick together for the journey westward, which is how some members of the Donner Party joined the group essentially by chance.) The group made good progress along the trail westward, and in about a week had met up with another wagon train, which they joined. The early part of the journey passed with no major problems. The George Donners wife had written a letter describing the early weeks of the trip which appeared in the newspaper back in Springfield. The letter also appeared in papers in the East, including the New York Herald, which published it on the front page. After passing Fort Laramie, a major landmark on the way west, they met up with a rider who gave them a letter which claimed that troops from Mexico (which was at war with the United States) might interfere with their passage ahead. The letter advised taking a shortcut called the Hastings Cutoff. Shortcut to Disaster After arriving at Fort Bridger (in present day Wyoming), the Donners, the Reeds, and others debated whether to take the shortcut. They were assured, falsely it turned out, that the traveling would be easy. Through a series of miscommunications, they did not receive warnings from those who knew otherwise. The Donner Party decided to take the shortcut, which led them into many hardships. The route, which took them on a southerly path about Great Salt Lake, was not clearly marked. And it was often very difficult passage for the groups wagon. The shortcut required passing over the Great Salt Lake Desert. The conditions were like nothing any of the travelers had seen before, with blistering heat by day and frigid winds at night. It took five days to cross the desert, leaving the 87 members of the party, including many children, exhausted. Some of the party’s oxen had died in the brutal conditions, and it became obvious that taking the shortcut had been a colossal blunder. Taking the promised shortcut had backfired, and put the group about three weeks behind schedule. Had they taken the more established route, they would have gotten across the final mountains before any chance of snowfall and arrived in California safely. Tensions in the Group With the travelers seriously behind schedule, anger flared in the group. In October the Donner families broke off to go ahead, hoping to make better time. In the main group, an argument broke out between a man named John Snyder and James Reed. Snyder struck Reed with an ox whip, and Reed responded by stabbing Snyder and killing him. The killing of Snyder happened beyond U.S. laws, as it was then Mexican territory. In such a circumstance, it would be up to the members of a wagon train to decide how to dispense justice. With the groups leader, George Donner, at least a day’s travel ahead, the others decided to banish Reed from the group. With high mountains still to cross, the party of settlers was in disarray and deeply distrustful of each other. They had already endured more than their share of hardships on the trails, and seemingly endless problems, including bands of Native Americans raiding at night and stealing oxen, continued to plague them. Trapped by Snow Arriving at the Sierra Nevada mountain range at the end of October, early snows were already making the journey difficult. When they reached the vicinity of Truckee Lake (now called Donner Lake), they discovered the mountain passes they needed to cross were already blocked by snowdrifts. Attempts to get over the passes failed. A group of 60 travelers settled into crude cabins which had been built and abandoned two years earlier by other settlers passing by. A smaller group, including the Donners, set up a camp a few miles away. Stranded by impassable snow, the supplies quickly dwindled. The travelers had never seen such snow conditions before, and attempts by small parties to walk onward to California to get help were thwarted by the deep snowdrifts. Facing starvation, people ate the carcasses of their oxen. When the meat ran out, they were reduced to boiling ox hide and eating it. At times people caught mice in the cabins and ate them. In December, a party of 17, consisting of men, women, and children, set out with snowshoes they had fashioned. The party found the traveling nearly impossible, but kept moving westward. Facing starvation, some of the party resorted to cannibalism, eating the flesh of those who had died. At one point, two Nevada Indians who had joined the group before they headed into the mountains were shot and killed so their flesh could be eaten. (That was the only instance in the story of the Donner Party where people were killed to be eaten. The other instances of cannibalism occurred after people had died of exposure or starvation.) One member of the party, Charles Eddy, eventually managed to wander into a village of the Miwok tribe. The Native Americans gave him food, and after he reached white settlers at a ranch, he managed to get a rescue party together. They found the six survivors of the snowshoe group. Back at the camp by the lake, one of the travelers, Patrick Breen, had started keeping a diary. His entries were brief, at first just descriptions of the weather. But over time he began noting the increasingly desperate conditions as more and more of those stranded succumbed to starvation. Breen survived the ordeal and his diary was eventually published. Rescue Efforts One of the travelers who had gone ahead in October became increasingly alarmed when the Donner Party never showed up at Sutter’s Fort in California. He tried to raise the alarm and eventually was able to inspire what eventually amounted to four separate rescue missions. What the rescuers discovered was disturbing. The survivors were emaciated. And in some of the cabins rescuers discovered bodies which had been butchered. A member of a rescue party described finding a body with the head sawed open so the brains could be extracted. The various mutilated bodies were gathered together and buried in one of the cabins, which was then burned to the ground. Of the 87 travelers who entered the mountains on the final phase of the journey, 48 survived. Most of them stayed in California. Legacy of the Donner Party Stories about the Donner Party began to circulate immediately. By the summer of 1847 the story had reached the newspaper in the East. The New York Tribune published a story on August 14, 1847, which gave some grim details. The Weekly National Intelligencer, a Washington, D.C. newspaper, published a story on October 30, 1847, which described the terrible suffering of the Donner Party. An editor of a local newspaper in Truckee, California, Charles McGlashan, became something of an expert on the story of the Donner Party. In the 1870s he talked to survivors and pieced together a comprehensive account of the tragedy. His book, History of the Donner Party: A Tragedy of the Sierra, was published in 1879 and went through many editions. The story of the Donner Party has lived on, through a number of books and films based on the tragedy. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, many settlers heading to California took what happened as a serious warning not to lose time on the trail and not to take unreliable shortcuts. Sources: Distressing News. American Eras: Primary Sources, edited by Sara Constantakis, et al., vol. 3: Westward Expansion, 1800-1860, Gale, 2014, pp. 95-99. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Brown, Daniel James.  The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party. William Morrow Company, 2015.

Some Useful Tips on How to Nail Your Interview

Some Useful Tips on How to Nail Your Interview Simple Tips to Nail Job Interviews Just imagine a situation when you are about to have an interview for a job you always wanted. You are prepared, your resume is perfect, and you seem to be ready for everything, but Suddenly you realize that your knees start shaking, you feel anxious and the stress, which are you experiencing, is about to ruin everything! Why do such things happen? What to do in case you feel too stressed out to take your interview? Well, we must admit that there is no universal formula for everyone. Every candidate uses his own techniques to handle stress. However, what we know for sure is that prior to taking an interview, you need to do some things, which will help you reduce your stress level and nail you job interview easily! Many people think that a perfect resume is a key to success. However, a resume makes only the first impression, which may not always be right. If your resume says that you can easily cope with stressful situations, but when it comes to the interview, you are so worried that you can hardly utter a word, interview managers can assume that the rest of the provided information is also false. Follow the tips below to show how good you really are: Plan Planning will reduce stress level before the interview. However, planning, in this case, does not only mean searching for the address of the office where the interview will take place and looking for the best route to get there. Planning begins with the smallest things, such as, for example, making a decision on what to wear. As a result, you will not have to waste time on things that can distract you from the most important event of the day, such as what to eat for breakfast, what to wear, what shoes match the suit best, etc. Practice The thing that is much better than imagining what can happen during an interview is actually to take an interview Mock an interview. Ask your friends or your mentor to run a mock interview in order to reveal your strong and weak sides. It will help you reduce stress level while performing under pressure during a real interview. Make a research It is always a good idea to learn as much as possible about the company you are applying for. It will give you many advantages during an interview and will show your interest in a company. Take your time Make a little schedule of things you have to do and give enough time for each of them. Avoid rushing. It will not make things any better. Develop breathing techniques Many people tend to underestimate the positive effect of correct breathing. Do not be lazy to take one or two yoga classes to practice breathing techniques and prepare your body not only to physical, but also for psychological stress. The given tips will be useful for dealing with the anxiety level and reaching the desired outcome!

To Immunize or Not To Immunize, That is the Question Essay

To Immunize or Not To Immunize, That is the Question - Essay Example Through this method, the vaccine produced will have the capability of providing immunity against the virus, protecting the individual under consideration from falling sick. Vaccines also have the capability of eradicating the disease under consideration (Colgrove, 2007). A good example is the total eradication of small pox, which some generations ago, the disease was responsible for killing thousands and thousands of people (Merino, 2012). Due to immunization, the world health organization’s managed to contain the disease, and eradicate it completely. Currently, governments and health care institutions have a policy of vaccinating little children against polio. It is important to denote that polio has been contained, due to vaccination programs, even though it is not totally eradicated (Colgrove, 2007). It is within my belief, that in the coming years, there will be a total eradication of polio. This is all thanks to the vaccination programs being carried out by various health care institutions, and government agencies. Vaccinating people against a disease is always effective and safe. Vaccines are only administered to people after a long period of trials, and clinical tests, concerning the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine under consid eration (Merino, 2012). In as much as there will be some side effects when a vaccine is administered in an individual, it does not mean that the vaccine harmful to the individual concerned. On the contrary, these side effects such as fever, body rashes, are an indication that the vaccine under consideration is working (Studer and Douch, 2010). Most people associate the occurrence of fever in an individual as a bad thing. However, this is not always the case, as it depends with what type of fever an individual suffers from (Merino, 2012). The dangerous type of fever, are the ones that rise quickly, leading to seizures. However, fevers

Sauer's Cultural Landscape Geography Assignment

Sauer's Cultural Landscape Geography - Assignment Example Under the influence of Carl Sauer, cultural landscape geography developed as the main branch of geography.   â€Å"Sauer was explicitly concerned to counter an environmental determinism which had dominated the American geography of the previous generation, within which human agency was given scant autonomy in the shaping of the visible landscape ».He believed that culture is the main force in shaping all visible features of the physical environment of the earth’s surface and he calls it ‘human cultural activities.’ They provoke action, responses, and adaptation by humans. He touches the cultural traits imposed by Europeans during colonization on various parts of the world and says that this cultural imposition on pre-existing cultures, shaped these new cultures in a different way. â€Å"Culture is the agent, the natural area is the medium, the cultural landscape is the result. Under the influence of a given culture, itself changing through time, the landscap e undergoes development, passing through phases, and probably reaching ultimately the end of its cycle of development. With the introduction of a different – that is an alien – culture, a rejuvenation of the cultural landscape sets in, or a new landscape is superimposed on remnants of an older one,† Sauer (1925), The Morphology of Landscape.† University of California Publications.French regional geography was a model of what Sauer propagated. French seafarers were crowned with initial success and the French school of geography was highly influential. It ‘†¦became known for its descriptive regional monographs presented in a lucid and flowing manner, human and historical geography was its forte.’ Even though there were criticisms that the emphasis has shifted several times between the approaches and viewpoints, all geographers had recognized their interdependence and complimentary importance. There is no denying that French regional geograph y also reflected the historical and military developments of the country. Talking about a hundred years’ war between France and Britain, Sauer says (Northern Mists) that France lost most of her ports and her north and southwest regions were ravaged.