The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Essay Example for Free

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Essay In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twains characters play an intricate roll in the literary structure of the book. They come into Huck and Jims life almost like the changing wind, and changed their characters indefinitely. The character that I found interesting was Colonel Sherburn who is the owner of the largest store in a town that Huck happens upon. The town Huck ventures into a town that is in the middle of a festival; all the families have their wagons and are eating their dinners in them. During their dinner many begin to drink whiskey very heavily and Huck saw three fights. Then the town drunk, Mr. Boggs ventures into the town for his monthly drink and that every one expected but did not fear what he would do. On man says, I whisht old Boggsd threaten me, cuz then Id know I warnt gwyne to die for a thousan year. (Twain143) This just goes to show that the town had been through this whole routine before; they even knew whom Boggs was going to chaw up. Boggs announced to every one that had now begun to follow him, that he could not waist his time with them because he was there to kill Colonel Sherburn. So, he marched right up to the front Sherburns store and demanded that he come out and meet the man youve swindled. (Twain 143) Boggs then continued to call Sherburn every offensive remark he could think of while even though he was under the influence. Then comes Sherburn, a proud-looking man who carried himself very well, so well that when he stepped out onto the steps of the store the crowd steps back almost in awe. He was about fifty-five and was the best-dressed man in that town, he wore Mark Twains later look of all white. Then he warns Boggs to leave by one oclock or he will hunt him down and make sure we will not bother him or the town again. Boggs could not let it go so he returned and sure enough Sherburn steps out into the street and shoots him and kills him. The angry mob goes to Sherburns house and thought that he ought to be lynched because he murdered Boggs in cold blood. Sherburn doesnt believe they have enough pluck to lynch him and he knows that a mob of angry men mean nothing. He says, Why, a mans safe in the hands of ten thousand of your kind-as long as its day-time and youre not behind him. (Twain 147)Â  He refers to the Ku Klux Klan or a similar organization that was formed in the south and they wear masks when the commit their crimes. He knows that wearing a mask and only going out at night is the only way for them to commit their crimes because they are cowards. A mob is nothing with out a solid leader and Sherburn knows this that is why he doesnt feel threatened by them. This characters roll in the novel is to show that one single man can stand up to an any mob and be stronger than them if he is confident in what he believes. Sherburn believed that he did the right thing and that is why he doesnt back down even when he is faced up against staggering odds. Huck sees all of these events unfold but doesnt seem troubled by them because right after the mob leaves he goes to the circus. This shows that he is still a child and that the only way to get this out of his mind is to go somewhere were everyone is forever young. Twain often fevers to the idea of forever child hood and he doesnt want his characters to grow up. That is why he places a horrific scene of death next to childlike scene at the circus showing a great contrast. Twain has a brilliant way of keeping the character young but he still lets it grow emotionally.

Overview Of Chomskys Theory English Language Essay

Overview Of Chomskys Theory English Language Essay Introduction: The question to consider is how children acquire language and at which stage they could improve their speaking and listening skills. In particular, syntax and vocabulary are the main concern of the language acquisition domain. The task of psycholinguistics is to discover the relationship between language and the human mind (Field: 2003). Many theories, therefore, have emerged in exploring this relationship, which seek to explain the way in which children understand and acquire language. Over the last five decades these theories have offered various ideas and interpretations of the relationship. For example, in Behaviourist theory, which is associated to skinners research into language, language acquisition is considered a collection of habits. It is thought that children learn how to form correct utterances through positive reinforcement from the people around them (Patten and Benati: 2010). Cognitive theory, which is associated with Piaget, is considered a way of discovering how ind ividuals create and use language in their social context (ibid, p71). Interaction theory, related to Bruner, holds that language comes from the interaction between children and their environment (ibid, p99). There are, however, two theories in the relevant acquisition literature which oppose one another and provoke countless debates: Chomskys theory and Tomasellos theory. In Chomskys theory, children biologically possess an innate ability to acquire their language. This ability is mainly specific to language. Whereas, in Tomasellos theory language is acquired through language use by means of social skills, such as, joint attention and general learning mechanisms (Behrene: 2009). This paper seeks to explore these two theories in order to contrast them. The first and second parts of the paper present an overview of the main ideas in the two theories. The third part focuses on their different aspects, including the: poverty of stimulus argument, linguistic creativity, modularity and language specific domain versus domain- general learning mechanisms. The fourth and final part, discusses some weak points in the two theories. Overview of Chomskys (Innatist) theory: In language acquisition domain, Chomskys theory is called an innatist theory, because he proposed that children biologically possess suitable abstract knowledge for the task of first language learning .This abstract knowledge shapes the linguistic system which they learn. In fact, through this innate knowledge children can discover the rules of their language system and reduce hypothesis formation and guessing. (Patten and Benati: 2010). Chomskys main argument is that all human beings are born with an innate knowledge which is particularly designed for language acquisition (ibid). This argument is indeed, opposed to the one that language is a result of the interaction between human beings and the environment or item-usage learning (e.g. Skinner, 1957; Tomasello, 2003). Furthermore, The term Language Acquisition Device (LAD) was coined by Chomsky in this context to refer to such innate knowledge or the little black box (Patten and Benati: 2010).The (LAD) comprises the universal princi ples of all languages, by which children can be kept on track and not confused by all the complex rules of particular languages. When this (LAD) is activated, the child can discover the structure of the language s/he is to learn by matching the innate knowledge of basic grammatical relationships to the structures of the special language in the environment (Lightbown and Spada: 1999). However, since the 1960s, instead of (LAD) universal grammar hypothesis (UG) was introduced by Chomsky. It was given much concern by him instead of, the (LAD), because, in Chomskys view this hypothesis means that there is an innate knowledge source which governs the shape of natural language (Patten and Benati: 2010). It should be noted that the first appearance of Chomskys theory was in 1959 in his critical review of Skinners book Verbal Behavior in 1957. Chomsky in his review pointed out many shortcomings in applying Skinners theories to language acquisition. For example, Skinners experiment using rat boxes is not relevant to language because the behaviour of rats is unlike human behaviour. As a result, Skinner has a mistaken understanding of the nature of language. Furthermore, the environment considered solely as learning mechanism can not be the basis of language acquisition and therefore, mans ability to acquire language must be innate (Aitchison, 2007). Overview of Tomasellos theory (usage-based theory): The account of language acquisition provided by Tomasello comes under the umbrella of usage-based theories. Recently, a new view of language and human linguistic competence has emerged (Tomasello: 2003). This view comes from a set of theories usually called cognitive-functional linguistics, and also called usage -based linguistics in order to emphasize their main ideas that language structure is produced or appears from language use (e.g. Langacker, 1987a ; Croft, 1991; Tomasello, 1995, 2003). It is note worthy that this view stands in direct opposition to Chomskys innatist theory. Because, Tomasello in his theory is mainly concerned with the question of how children get from here to there from the constructions of infant level speech to the abstract constructions of adult thought through one set of processes of acquisition (Tomasello: 2003:3). In Tomasellos theory it is impossible that humans can have been born with a specific collection of communicative behaviours only for language . This collection more probably learned by children during their years from the linguistic conventions used around them. They must possess flexibility in order to learn both the different words and the suitable expressions of each language and the different types of abstract constructional pattern which historically these languages have grammaticized (ibid). Tomasello emphasizes, however, four points in his theory: First, the innate skills which people have are not specific to language but can be used as means for language learning. Second, theory of mind is central to symbol use, because humans can understand symbols while nonhuman do not possess this ability, because they use signal system. Thirdly, word-learning skills include: joint attention, which means the ability that children possess in their first year old whereby they can understand other people as intentional agents and interact socially through an object to which both pay attention; children note this attention to both it and themselves; Intention reading, means the ability to understand the social world around them through imitating adult acts; the construction-learning skills encompassing: analogy and pattern-finding. The latter means the distributional analysis based on statistical information in the primary linguistic data and the ability to form perceptual and conceptual figures of similar objects or situations (Tomasello: 2003). The differences between the two theories: It is noteworthy that the accounts provided by Chomsky and Tomasello comprise many opposed aspects, of which the main ones are as follows: 3.1. Poverty of stimulus argument: The basic argument of the nativist theory is based on Chomskys assumption of the poverty of stimulus (1965).This assumption means that the data provided by the input to which people exposed are not rich enough to account for language acquisition (Patten and Benati:2010). In other words, it means that the language to which children are exposed as their input or the primary linguistic data is solely a set of individual utterances yielding some abstract principles of grammar which seem ambiguous for language acquisition .The best solution he can provide is the universal grammar hypothesis (UG), which means that all humans are born with an innate universal language containing a number of abstract principles which can lead the acquisition process (Tomasello: 2003). Despite the fame of the poverty of stimulus argument in the language acquisition domain and childrens language research, it has certain, if we contrast it with the account provided by Tomasellos usage-based theory. We find that the research into the developmental psychology of language acquisition has provided many arguments which support the richness of stimulus in usage-based theories (e.g Clark2003, Tomasello 2003). In fact, the significance of social pragmatic interaction in language acquisition is evidenced by extensive findings in this domain (Tomasello: 2003). To put it more simple, Tomasello in his theory emphasizes that: There is no poverty of the stimulus when a structured inventory of construction is the adult endpoint (Tomasello: 2003:7). He notes that the hypothesis of an innate universal grammar has two major problems, namely, first, the linking problem and the problem of continuity. The first problem is how children can connect their abstract universal grammar with the particular language which they learn. The second problem deals with the developmental changes in childrens language, for example, how people can understand childrens language during their developmental change if we accept that universal grammar is always the same. It, therefore, seems useful to provide a description or explanation of child language acquisition which ignores any hypothesis of universal grammar which creates these problems (Tomasello: 2003). Accordingly, it is important to note that Chomsky and Tomasello are opposed on the argument of the poverty of stimulus. Tomasellos view, however, seems stronger, because nativists provide no support for their claims. As Pullum and Scholz (2002:47) point out, the poverty of stimulus argument still a waits even a single good supporting example. Moreover, Akhtar (2004) seems to agree with this criticism, in that she indicates that this argument was the basis for a number of nativist claims, yet indeed lack supporting empirical evidences. 3.2. Language is creative: Another difference between Chomsky and Tomasello is the formers belief that language is creative. From Chomsky perspective, creativity in language has three- fold support. First, people possess the ability to understand and produce strange sentences which they have never before heard or spoken (Aitchison: 2007). Second, the creative use of language is free from the external and internal affects of the stimulus control (Chomsky: 1968). Third, the way in which people use the language considered to be coherent and appropriate to the situation (Hegde: 1980). By the way of contrast, we can see that Tomasello does not ignore creativity in language, but he has little concern for it. According to him, it results from the attempt of humans to create categories in their own language (Tomasello: 1995). Chomsky asserts that the creativity in language is something which can not be acquired solely through environmental learning methods (Aitchison: 2007). Tomasello contrastingly asserts that, during a period of time, children obtain the communicative conventions are obtained step by step from the people around them. For example, their social cognitive skills and developing cognition are utilised to internalise these conventions. Childrens basic abilities are used to learn their first words. They create concepts so as to understand adult speech and then to produce suitable new words in their communicative contexts (Tomasello: 1995). It is thought, however, from the contrast between the two views that Chomskys view about the creativity of language has some limitations. For one thing, nativists assert that every utterance we hear and say is completely novel and accepted. This assertion seems to be wrong. The reason is that to accept it we would need to assume that each word or sentence has a separate existence. Moreover, we have to assume that our past language experience is sufficient to provide a clear understanding of the present utterances. But, if these assumptions are accepted, the result will be that human communicative behaviour has no continuity (Hegde: 1980). The second point, on the creativity of language free from the control of stimulus, seems to be weak, because, as discussed above in section (3.1) no evidence has been offered in its support. Furthermore, with regard to the third point, in Chomskys view the way that people use language is coherent and appropriate to the situation. It could be argued that this point is somewhat vague, since Chomsky admits that he can give no clear meaning to the terms appropriateness and coherent in this context (ibid). However, he stresses that the creative aspect of language is common. Humans constantly create novel utterances and many who lack this ability might be brain damaged (Aitchison: 2007). This view would be more popular if it took into account the effect of environmental learning methods in producing our utterances, since the one question that needs to be asked here is, how humans can produce them without communication with their input. 3.3. Modularity: In the areas of linguistics and philosophy of mind, the idea of modularity has raised a great deal of concern (Garfield: 1987). There seems to be another difference between Chomsky and Tomasello, about the modularity of mind in language acquisition. To illustrate, the definition of modularity according to Crystal (1998: 246) is: A term used in recent discussion of language in two slightly different ways. On the one hand, it is proposed, especially in J. A. Fodors The Modularity of Mind, that the mind is modular in the sense that it consists of a number of different systems ( modules) each has its own distinctive properties , such as the language system and the vision system. On the other hand, it is suggested, especially in government-binding theory that language system itself is modular in the sense that it consists of a number of different subsystems which interact in specific ways. The concept of modularity is that the brain is divided into separate parts, an idea to which Chomsky gives much attention (1965).He identifies the language area as a separate faculty of mind, in that language is autonomous in the mind and a separate module in the brain (Aitchison: 2007). Furthermore, he goes on to argue that the human mind is, like other complex biological systems, modular in its internal formation (Chomsky: 1984). The main idea of modularity, according to him, is that the modularity of syntax means that the structures of syntax are not the same as the structures exist in other cognitive (Chomsky: 1968 cited in Tomasello: 1995). By the way of contrast, we can see that Tomasello does not agree that language is a separated module in the brain, because, by his reasoning, in order to have a perfect grammatical theory the syntactic abilities should be combined into cognition and not like an autonomous sub-system (Parisse: 2005). To sum up, Chomskys view is a modular view in which there are different sub-parts in the mind each one possessing special characteristics. Tomasello, however, take the non-modular view that there are general principles employed in all cognitive domains which control the mind (Archibald: 1993). However, to return to the account of modularity provided by Chomsky, one of the difficulties with this account is the claim that syntactic structures are not like the structures which exist in other cognitive domains. This seems to be wrong, because it gives the idea that the syntax module is innate, yet if we give the example of the game of chess, we find that it possesses a number of unique structures, such as, the images of a knight fork or queen-a side attack- in human cognition. But there is no need to presume that this uniqueness chess- playing form needs an innate mental form (Bates et al. 1991). Moreover, the structures of cognitive thought which adults utilise in order to play the game of chess come through a process in which people employ general cognitive processes to face their problems in their social interaction which they may have had in learning to play a constructed game (Tomasello:1995). Hence, it is thought that Chomskys view seems to be weak because it is difficult to specify which part of the brain is responsible for language. As Bates asserts, it still far from knowing perfectly which parts of the brain are responsible for language (Bates in press, cited in, Tomasello 1995). 3.4. Language- specific versus domain- general learning mechanisms: Another point of difference between Chomsky and Tomasello concerns the way in which children acquire language. is another different point between Chomsky and Tomasello. The difference lies in the contention over whether language should be a specific domain or a domain general learning mechanism. A specific domain in this context means a domain specific to language, whilst, domain general refers to learning mechanisms which are not specific to language, yet applied generally. From Chomskys perspective, since, human beings are able to learn language and animals are not, this ability is considered genetically inherited (Aitchison: 2007). Nativist theory, in fact, hypothesises that children are born with universal grammar (UG), a set of innate principles and parameters. This possession helps children to learn language without making errors as they learn (Conroy and Thornton: 2005). Therefore, this assumes that children possess a pre- existing domain- specific innate form which specifies the form of their language knowledge. Moreover, in language learning in particular, syntax children obtain ability without exposure to adequate stimulus (Chomsky; 1986, Pinker; 1994). However, Tomasello believes that it is false to suppose that children have genetically endowed grammar (Tomasello: 2003). To his mind, children in order to learn their language employ item-based learning integrated with some general learning mechanisms that are used in other cognitive domains , such as, analogy (Conroy and Thornton: 2005). Moreover, in Tomasellos view the properties of language structure come from joint attention figures and not from innate language specific mechanisms (Segalowitz: 2001). As a result, Tomasello significantly did not ignore language universals; however, to him they not universals of form or a special type of syntax or linguistic symbols but are instead, the universals of human communication and cognition. For example, human beings use language in similar social contexts in order to provide solutions in language for communicative tasks, such as, describing specific entities (Tomasello: 2003). Consequently, Chomskys view that language has a specific-do main is weak , because languages differ in their grammatical relations, of subject and object, for example, Acehnese, an Indonesian language, and Tagalog, a Philippine language, do not possess these grammatical relations ( Tomasello:1995). 4. Some weakness in both theories: Tomasello, then, introduced a new model of usage-based theories in language acquisition in which he paid attention to a main set of skills, namely, intention reading, joint attention and pattern-finding skills. These skills are general skills utilised also in other types of cognition and not in language alone. Furthermore, although they are innate, they are not like the universal grammar (UG) invented by Chomsky, because they are not specific to language (Tomasello, 2003). But Tomasellos account seems to entail some limitations. It is thought that he does not provide a clear explanation for the fact that these skills are sufficient for language acquisition. As Wilson (2006:138) points out: Tomasellos central claim is that joint attention and intention reading are foundational and prerequisite for language acquisition. It does seems reasonable to assume that they are necessary for language development, but the big question is, are they sufficient? Can they entirely account for all of the complexities of language à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ from parsing speech stream to the emergence of complex grammatical structures? Hollich et al. (2000), on the other hand, seems to agree with this criticism, because they assert that Tomasellos theory, which is one of the social constructivist theories, does not possess a complete or sufficient explanation for the fact that children can produce increasingly inserted sentences in their utterances. Moreover, the problem with these theories is that they still offer no clarification of childrens ability to discover the relationships between language units. In contrast to this, Chomskys theory is considered one of the famous theories in the language acquisition domain. It has indeed, affected the entire literature language acquisition, because of the controversy surrounding it. Yet this theory too attracts a number of criticisms. In this section, we focus on four critical points made against this theory. A major criticism concerns the universal grammar hypothesis (UG) which has been discussed above. Although (UG) aroused widespread interest in language acquisition debates, it is thought, that it is based solely on abstract thinking and lacks empirical support. As Kadarisman (2007a) points out, the concept of universal grammar must be without meaning unless it has empirical evidence. But, without adequate explanations, it seems to be more a slogan than a scientific effort. Moreover, due to its abstraction, (UG) neglects the local importance of language used in the cultural context (Becker: 1995). Second, Chomskys theory is criticised for relying on logical arguments only. As Palmer (2000) indicates, Chomskys nativist claims remain are still the same as they have been fir the past two decades. Because his claims are based on logical arguments instead of, direct evidences or reasonable interpretations, his argum ents have no external support. Tomasello seems, agree with Palmer in this criticism because he states that Chomsky in his account relies strongly on logical arguments, not using the scientific study of human behaviour and cognition (Tomasello: 1995). Third, it is criticised because it can not be tested. This creates some contention around Chomskys account. The reason is that his theory has no clear cut procedures which could be examined. To put it more simple, Chomsky considered theory-construction in linguistics as similar to theory- construction in the physical sciences, particular, physics. Yet, there is a deference between these two domains, because, the mathematical model in physics depends on physical phenomena and is testable, whereas, Chomskys model relies on subjective judgments made by individual native speakers who may disagree with each other. Consequently, it can not be tested (Moor and Carling: 1987). Fourth, Chomskys theory is criticised in terms of its ideas, if considered as philosophical ideas, for instance the adoption of such innatist ideas as, the universal grammar (UG) hypothesis which is based on the hypothesis of an innate language faculty. Subsequently, many linguists (e.g. Hegde, 1980; Moore and Claring, 1987) have strongly criticised these ideas. For example, Hegde asserts that the concept of a nativist theory is merely part of an ancient philosophical idea. Furthermore, Moore and carling believe that Chomskian linguistics are linked by these ideas to philosophy, in particular, epistemology, the part of philosophy concerned with knowledge theories. Conclusion: The domain of language acquisition possesses a varied collection of theories. Their main concern is to discover the way in which people, in particular children, can acquire language. The accounts given by Chomsky and Tomasello can be critically contrasted, as seen above. They obviously stand on two opposite sides. In Chomskys theory, children are born with an innate ability by which they acquire their language, whereas, in Tomasellos theory, language is acquired through language use and not by biologically innate ability. Furthermore, the innate abilities which children have are not specific to language. However, the main aspects which have been contrasted in this paper comprised: first, the poverty of stimulus argument, in which, according to Chomsky, the input is not sufficient to acquire language, while, from Tomasellos perspective there is no poverty of stimulus; second, Language to Chomsky is creative, because it is free from the control of stimulus while in Tomasellos view lang uage results from the attempt of humans to create categories in language; third, modularity, Chomskys assertion that the mind is separated into sub-parts, whereas Tomasello believes, that general principles control the mind; and fourth, Language- specific versus domain- general learning mechanisms; either there are universals specific to language, as in (UG) hypothesis of Chomsky or, as Tomasello states universals is not specific to language but apply to all human communication and cognition. Hence, we can conclude that Chomskys account strongly relies on the hypothesis of universal grammar (UG) to support his view on the poverty of stimulus argument, creativity of language, modularity and the language- specific domain. It should be noted that the universal grammar hypothesis (UG) brought a great deal of debate among scholars of language acquisition, even though one of its limitations is that it has no empirical evidence to support it. Tomasellos account, conversely, depends on general skills in language acquisition, such as, joint attention, intention reading and pattern finding skills. Yet he did not provide adequate explanation to convince us that these are sufficient for language acquisition.

Customs of Amerindians :: essays research papers

Customs Of Amerindians Taino The Taino loved dancing and singing and used the same word for both arieto. They danced and sang to the music of drums, reed pipes and wooden gongs at festivities such as the naming of a baby, the wedding of cacique or the inauguration of a new cacique. Another Taino custom is the flattening of foreheads of newborns. The Taino saw it as a sign of beauty. The newborns heads were bound between two boards to flatten the forehead a few days after the child was born. The Taino played a game called batos, which was played on a marked field with two teams trying to hit the ball with their hips, knees, heads, elbows and shoulders into their opponent’s goal line, was another custom. Kalinago At a son’s birth there was a special ceremony during which the father was cut with agouti teeth and expected to bear the pain without flinching so that his son would grow up to be brave. The boy was periodically rubbed with the fat of slaughtered Tainos so that he might absorb their courage and then he underwent the initiation ceremony, which changed him from a boy to a man, and a warrior. Now he had a new name and was a true Carib. Another custom was the Kalinago used to decorate their bodies with a dye called roucou. This was made from vegetable dye and oil, which the Kalinagos felt toughened their skins and protected against insect bites. Another custom was the Kalinagos entertained many guests and when the guests had eaten their fill they were entertained with singing and dancing to the music of drums, reed pipes and whistles. The guests were welcome to stay as long as they liked and when at last they decided to leave they were given gifts and asked to stay longer. Maya Maya were broad headed and as soon as a baby was born, squeezing it gently between two boards flattened its head. This gave them a noble air and their heads were then better adapted to carry loads. The Maya were also cross-eyed. This was regarded as a special mark of beauty and distinction. Mothers would hang a ball in front of their children so that they would focus on it and therefore develop cross-eyes.

Essay --

The question of euthanasia is one that has plagued the human sense of morale for centuries. With modern medical technology it becomes even more pressing. I will cover three aspects of Euthanasia including three principles for, three principles against, and my own conclusion as to why Euthanasia is morally justified. To clarify some of the terms involved; Euthanasia is derived from the Greek language: Euthos, meaning easy, and thanos, meaning dying. Voluntary Euthanasia is a medically assisted, peaceful death at the request of the patient. There is also active and passive euthanasia. Active being euthanasia at the request of a relative and passive euthanasia is withholding treatment at the request of the patient. There have been many arguments for euthanasia and most can be surmised into three principles. One is that individuals should have the right to make their own choices in personal issues such as death. Not respecting one’s wish for a quiet and peaceful death disrespect s one’s autonomy. It does so in such a way that to deny the right to make their own decision is like telling them they do not have the capacity to make a rational decision. If one does not have rational thought than one is like an animal with no concept of death. If one is thought to be like an animal then what harm is there in â€Å"putting them to sleep†? As people we constantly put down loved pets to end their suffering. Telling someone who only wishes for a peaceful death that they may not have such a mercy completely defies autonomy. Individuals’ right to make their own decision is not only an ethical right that all people have, but it is also protected by the United States Constitution as a part of the Right to Privacy. Death, it would seem to me, constitut... ...eat gift to ease one's pain and a great show of compassion to that person as well. Individuals have the right to choose. Denying a person their right to choose life or death, to me, is intrinsically wrong. As stated previously, death is a very personal issue and if life is no longer worth living than who are we to force unwanted life upon someone? We have a right to make private decisions and that includes the decision to die. There is nothing wrong with wanting to die peacefully to end suffering quicker than a natural death might have allowed. Euthanasia is clearly a mercy for those who suffer immensely through disease. Euthanasia should be an option for those that want it. It is obvious that many will still have objections and many will not make such a choice, but if they so choose, a quick and easy death awaits. I personally am not against euthanasia.

The Atmosphere of Macbeth is Not Wholly Bad :: Macbeth essays

The Atmosphere of Macbeth is Not Wholly Bad      Ã‚   Shakespeare's Macbeth has a sinister cast over it for obvious reasons, but are there redeeming features which partially offset the plurality of negative dimensions?    D. F. Bratchell in Shakespearean Tragedy record's Charles Lamb's consideration of   Macbeth's atmosphere as essential to the purpose of the play:    For Lamb the essence of the tragedy in Macbeth lies in the poetically suggested atmosphere of horror and evil impulse, readily seized upon by the imagination of the perceptive reader, whereas stage representation concentrates the mind on the action. (133-34) Roger Warren comments in Shakespeare Survey 30 , regarding Trervor Nunn's direction of Macbeth at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1974-75, on opposing imagery used to support the opposing atmospheres of purity and black magic:    Much of the approach and detail was carried over, particularly the clash between religious purity and black magic. Purity was embodied by Duncan, very infirm (in 1974 he was blind), dressed in white and accompanied by church organ music, set against the black magic of the witches, who even chanted 'Double, double to the Dies Irae. (283)    L.C. Knights in the essay "Macbeth" mentions equivocation, unreality and unnaturalness in the play - contributors to an atmosphere that may not be very realistic:    The equivocal nature of temptation, the commerce with phantoms consequent upon false choice, the resulting sense of unreality ("nothing is, but what is not"), which has yet such power to "smother" vital function, the unnaturalness of evil ("against the use of nature"), and the relation between disintegration in the individual ("my single state of man") and disorder in the larger social organism - all these are major themes of the play which are mirrored in the speech under consideration. (94)    Charles Lamb in On the Tragedies of Shakespeare comments on the atmosphere surrounding the play:    The state of sublime emotion into which we are elevated by those images of night and horror which Macbeth is made to utter, that solemn prelude with which he entertains the time till the bell shall strike which is to call him to murder Duncan, - when we no longer read it in a book, when we have given up that vantage-ground of abstraction which reading possesses over seing, and come to see a man in his bodily shape before our eyes actually preparing to commit a muder, if the acting be true and impressive as I have witnessed it in Mr.

Case Writeups : Sealed Air Corporation Essay

1) What has been happening in this market? How has Sealed Air (SA) been doing? To what do you attribute SA’s success? Sealed Air had achieved 25% annual growth in net sales and net earnings from 1971 to 1980. The company has been keeping a technical leadership position in the market. During 10 years, the company built on its development of the first-cell, lightweight cushioning material, introduced the first foam-in-place packaging system, and engineered the first complete solar heating system for swimming pools. Regarding the protective packaging market, the Sealed Air’s product AirCap has the feature that differentiated called â€Å"barrier-coating†. Barrier-coatng and its customer benefits had been the major driving force of Sealed Air’s AirCap cushioning sales for 10 years. Thus, Sealed Air created value to its customers by building high technical product quality in its coated bubbles and by informing the customers about the benefits of coated bubbles through the efforts of its salespeople. Sealed Air’s salespeople also did â€Å"consultative selling approach† to increase its market share and profits. Moreover, the company created value for its distributors by the strength of its brand equity and the strong demand for its products. The company also used selective distribution policy with less competition among distributors and thus this policy makes the distributors’ profit margins maximized. 2) Should SA introduce an uncoated bubble in the U.S market to compete with GAFCEL? Why or why not? – SA should introduce an uncoated bubble for the following reasons Introducing uncoated bubbles can allow Sealed Air to retain these customers whose needs are met with uncoated bubbles. It seems that GAFCEL’s ability to get sales at the rate of $1 Million/year with only 1.5 salespeople from only the New York market is a strong indication that the uncoated bubble is going to be a strong competitor for Sealed Air’s coated bubble business. Introducing uncoated bubbles would require no additional capital or R&D investment on this case. This cost saving could be a competitive advantage over GAFCEL. Distributors need to stock uncoated bubbles for their sales. If Sealed Air does not have uncoated bubbles, distributors can end up selling other  companies’ (such as GAFCEL) uncoated bubbles. This would hurt Sealed Air’s relationship with these distributors. – SA should NOT introduce an uncoated bubble for the following reasons Distributors sometimes complained about the level of AirCap selling effort. Since distributor’s margins on AirCap cushioning were generally higher than the 10% to 12% for Instapak, distributors were not happy. Also, their margins for uncoated products make them not happy compared to AirCap product. Sealed Air in the market is a technology leader. It has had a history of innovations. Introducing uncoated bubbles would mean introducing a me-too product. This could hurt the company’s reputation and brand equity in the market place. For years, Sealed Air has told the customers that coated bubbles are better than uncoated bubbles. It is impossible for the company to tell the market that the uncoated bubble is as good as coated bubbles. The company would definitely lose its credibility as the technology expert in the marketplace. This is not about confusion, but about the trustworthiness of the company in the customers’ perspectives. A similar situation can happen with respect to the salespeople. If the company now tells the salespeople that uncoated bubbles equally good for some applications, the company would lose its credibility among the sales people. There can a problem on getting the salespeople motivated for the new product. If the salespeople have to sell the lower priced bubbles, then their commission income will get reduced. 3) Assuming an uncoated bubble is introduced, propose a marketing plan for the product, including: positioning & targeting, pricing, branding, direct sales strategy and channel policy I would propose a marketing plan for differentiation between a coated and an uncoated bubble. First of all, Sealed Air should keep the current brand equity status not affected by an uncoated bubble launched especially in the U.S market. It is important to develop intensive salespeople directed at distributors focusing on their high profit margin because the distributors don’t want well-trained salespeople to be allocated to an uncoated product which leads to lower margin. Regarding consumer perspectives, the company  should keep its brand status of the coated as it participates in exhibition shows. Regarding customers, the company should provide additional services to the coated customers and different packaging for the different grades product to offset the effects of lower prices of competing uncoated bubbles. Different product usage can be applied. For the important and fragile products such as laptops to be protected, a coated bubble should be used. For the comparatively less fragile products, a coated bubble can be used. This differentiation will be able to make different market value positioning for consumers under uncoated bubble launched. In the European market where packaging supplies are viewed as â€Å"expendable commodities†, Sealed Air should cut prices of the products affected by the uncoated bubble. Additionally, the company should focus on uncoated because the European consumes are so price sensitive. Instead of focusing on salespeople, the company should be aligned with some hyper and mass merchants for volume sales on an uncoated bubble. Also, the company expands channel pipeline to use direct mail and trade shows to target smaller businesses. 4) Assuming an uncoated bubble is introduced, what changes would you make to the marketing plan for the existing, coated bubble? Given how successful the product line has been, would you just leave it to be? Although, marketing cost rises up, I would recommend use different brand name. If the company stays with the current name, there would be some confusion about Sealed Air’s products and some dilution of the brand equity of the current name because the new product is totally different from the current products. Some of this problem can be mitigated if the company launches the uncoated bubbles under a different name. Also, product differentiation such as color or shape change can be one of the solutions. The differentiation can make consumers and distributors not confused about high valued coated products. In others words, the uncoated bubble product cannot hurt brand equity of the current product.

Walking Down Memory Lane Park

Salina Vang Narrative Description-FFD Mr. Henshaw APELC 8 June 2011 Walking Down Memory Lane Park Whenever I think of Projects Park it brings back many memories because it was in the neighborhood where I spent my childhood years. Even though it was just for a small portion of my life, for one of the longest times it was the place where I had the best memories of courageous acts. Project Park was where I experienced the feeling of always being around others my age and it where I met the coolest people and made the best friendships, some of whom I am still friends with today.It was the place where at that point in time I lived my life to the fullest. Projects Park was located in isolation on its own block at the very end of the road. During the daytime children from all over the neighborhood came to play with their family and friends, me included. However when the sun went down night crept in turning the sky an ominous shade of antiquity and along with it, it brought creatures of the n ight to roam among the site. One evening upon entrance to the park I remembered the story someone once told me, â€Å"one could see the glare of two floating red eyes following those who meandered around the park at night. Rejecting the thought, but still a bit superstitious I entered the park anyways. As the sun went down it created an illusion as if the shadows were waking up from their dark crevices. I was standing at the foot of a shadow from a tall tree towering over me. The sun setting turned those tree-branches into arms grazing along the cement seeming as if they wanted to grab me. At the further end of the block a tall street lamppost lit up a dim fire dull enough just to see the path of the park. Night had come and it was so quiet my eardrums hurt and ever step I took sent chills down my body.As I approached the swings I noticed the echoes of my footsteps had just suddenly started lasting longer than they should have. I took another step with my left foot, stopped, and th en heard the brisk echo of another step after that. Looking down at my left foot, it was exactly where I had left it, somehow, the long echoed steps had not stopped, but were now storming towards me faster and louder than ever like a violent beating thunderstorm. Immediately, I turned around and in that instant, it stopped, a split second of dead silence. Something was definitely wrong.I felt like a hole had been punched right through me sending waves of fear down my back making my hair stand at their ends. My sudden instincts told me to approach the swings for comfort. However I remembered that I had caught seeing a swing move on its own accord before; as if someone was riding on its seat. The feeling of terror, noticeably aroused in my appearance by now, made me want to run for the wide open field. The open field was the highly vivid field of wherein games were held because of its noticeable boundaries of where the green grass ended and the sharp concrete cement began.Now after da rk, it seemed to lay awaiting and full of hunger for something to step onto its surface so it could suck them into its dark ruptured depths. It, during the daytime acted as a virtuous grass field wherein competition took its place. It was the place in the park where cries of victories could be heard and where one could also seek for rivalry. Suddenly just filled with thoughts of competition I was overcome with memories and had forgotten about the dark surrounding me. One of the games always played was Kick the Can.This game’s boundary took up the whole neighborhood allowing for a lot of space. It was one of my favorite games because there was always one person â€Å"it†. Their goal was to spot every other player and try to get them out, at the same time, guarding the base containing the can. However with one person on one team and everyone else on the rivalry team it created several disadvantages. Players on the team with more people crouched between slits in the earth and hid within the shadows waiting for that intense moment when their rival finally looked away.At last with the opportunity they jumped out of their hiding places running as fast as their legs could carry them for the chance to â€Å"kick the can. † It was the only way to free all of their teammates from jail. Moreover for me personally the best part was being the person hiding from the rival. I loved the feeling of running from the enemy, acting like I was a ninja hiding against walls, climbing up trees, and maneuvering my way behind fences to escape the chance of being caught.At the time, I thought it was the perfect space for me to roam around freely and still feel comfortable and safe because most of the people living in the neighborhood were friendly and didn’t mind the company. Unfortunately, there were those who disliked it and I did my best to avoid them. One again acknowledging my surroundings, I built up the courage to keep walking along the path as if ever ything was normal. I recalled the best of times shared here in this park with my friends, where we had our best of times playing, talking and sharing our amazing made up stories of us coming together to be a complete family.It was also the place where we all learned how to ride our first bike and to ride our first roller blades after falling on our hands and knees countless times but getting up repeatedly to try all over again. Now walking along the path I remember the time when one of my best childhood friends, Michael Cheng, the cute little boy who secretly held a crush on me, chased me along the path while I ran for my life from the despair of being hugged and at risk of being contaminated with â€Å"boy cooties†, and it made me laugh. Sadly I regret that I no longer keep in contact with Michael.If I could go back to the day he moved away, I wouldn’t even think twice about asking him for a contact number. With the feelings of fear, courage, and sadness all mixed wit hin me, I felt crossed. Then looking back at the path I had just walked and up towards the now barely visible tree that seemed to be taunting me before, I had one last thought before I left the park that night. Standing under the dim light post, I remembered Michael, the boy who I had been running so horridly from; it had happened that he was the first boy who I had ever received my first hug from.With that flashback, it gave my stomach the faint distinct feeling of rapture evanesce that left me with a bright hint of a smile on my face as I walked away from memory lane park. Today, even though I no longer live in the neighborhood of Projects Park, whenever I visit the place, there is still a part of me that can connect to the park, making it feel like home. I’m thankful that I still keep in contact with a couple friends from the neighborhood and usually, whenever we get together, we can still go on for hours telling each other about our lives of growing up together in the pro jects.Sadly, I don’t keep in contact with most of my friends from the hood any longer. We have been separated by hundreds and thousands of miles far and wide, but, there is one thing I know we all still have in common, the family connection we had within Projects Park that will never be forgotten. In fact, to me, it feels just like yesterday that I was little kid, out freely roller skating, carelessly chasing friends, and enjoying my life to its fullest.