Sunday, December 22, 2019

Beowulf Is A Classic Story Of A Hero - 1485 Words

Beowulf is a classic story of a hero. His immense strength allows him to complete impossible deeds, and his honorable personality and strong moral compass means he is focused on helping people, not on winning glory. Beowulf’s strength as a hero beyond physical strength is exemplified by his extreme stubbornness and persistence when faced with a difficult challenge. His battles follow the arc of his character development, from a minor hero to a powerful and loved king with his conquests being so important in the warrior-culture which he lived in. The first foe he faces is the demonic monster known as Grendel. Beowulf travels from his homeland with 30 men because he feels as though he owes the Danish people a great debt, because they assisted his father in a war in the past. Grendel, a descendent of Cain from the Bible was his first test in the epic. The beast was famed as having the strength to take on 30 men at once, and killed 30 men a night for twelve years in Denmark to dem onstrate his strength. Beowulf’s strength is famed to be 30 men per arm, and having two arms as most people do, he has the strength of 60 men in his arms alone. Beowulf’s preparation for the battle involves removing all of his armor and weapons, and moving his soldiers to the side. He believes so strongly that he can defeat Grendel barehanded that he completely ignores all the equipment he brought with him for that specific battle. This shows either that Beowulf is very arrogant, or the he isShow MoreRelatedBeowulf - Profile of an Epic Hero Essay617 Words   |  3 PagesEpic Beowulf A hero, in the traditional sense of the word, is generally a protagonist in a story whose overwhelming power is the only which can defeat the evil of the day. In a classic example of this comes Beowulf, a novel adaptation of the epic Anglo-Saxon poem by Robert Nye. The main character and namesake of the story is Beowulf, an adventurous young hero. When he hears the tales of the monster Grendel that terrorizes the Danish kingdom, he immediately has the urge to lend his assistanceRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf As An Epic Hero711 Words   |  3 Pageswhole earth is the tomb of heroic men and their story is not given only on stone over their clay but abides everywhere without visible symbol woven into the stuff of other men’s lives,† said Perculus (PR). You’re born, you live a little, and then you die. There is no simpler way to sum up life. Often times this is done through oral tales, paintings, and various other ways. For those whose lives were truly something great , something memorable, their stories are transcripted into writings. Whether theseRead MoreAn Analysis of Beowulf1608 Words   |  6 PagesThe Old English epic Beowulf is built around the archetype of the journeying hero. Beowulf exemplifies a classical hero, one who is not immune from hubris, but who channels his strong will into judicious endeavors. Thus, Beowulf dies with the honor and glory befitting a king. His story is one of distinct binaries between good and evil. On the side opposite to Beowulfs goodness is the gruesome Grendel. Grendel is a monster, and the original epic poem does nothing to introduce moral ambiguity thatRead MoreEssay about John Miltons Paradise Lost as Christian Epic1147 Words   |  5 Pages from Genesis, which was a very popular story to discuss and retell at the time. His whole life had led up to the completion of this greatest work; he put over twenty years of time and almost as many years of study and travel to build a timeless classic. The succe ss of his poem lies in the fact that he skillfully combined classic epic tradition with strongly held Puritan Christian beliefs. In Paradise Lost, Milton uses many conventions of the classic epic, including an invocation of the MuseRead MoreEssay on Good and Evil in Beowulf1042 Words   |  5 PagesThe story of Beowulf was probably composed in England sometime in the Eighth Century AD, and written down circa 1000 AD, by a literate scop (bard) or perhaps a Christian scribe who was possibly educated in a monastery. The poem was created in oral tradition and was transferred to writing over time. It had its roots in folk tales and traditional stories until some very talented poet put it in something very near to its current form. The poem was more than likely performed for audiences at courtRead MoreCharacteristics Of Satan In Paradise Lost1029 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Milton’s Paradise Lost is a classic epic poem that describes the fall of Satan and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. Throughout the poem, Milton portrays Satan in a way that makes him tragically attractive to humans. Satan app ears to be the protagonist of Paradise Lost and has several traits in which readers can identify with. Not only is Satan a tragic hero in the literature, but also he is also the main character in the plot and portrays many flawed human qualities. Because SatanRead MoreAnalysis Of Grendel And The Novel The Land Of Stories 1051 Words   |  5 PagesWhen the lens created by the anglo-saxon society is removed the main antagonist in the classic Beowulf, Grendel, is revealed to be a tortured beast who is targeted by a religion crazed society. As stated by Chris Colfer in his novel The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell â€Å"A villain is just a victim whose story hasn’t been told,† yet for many this lesson falls on deaf ears (9). For many Grendel is a thing of nightmares, a beast straight from hell that no villain can match. But when the society thatRead MoreBeowulf, An Anglo Saxon Epic Poem1316 Words   |  6 PagesBeowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, contains several rh etorical strategies. The poem follows the life of a noble warrior named Beowulf while he quests to live up to his father’s name. In the poem, Beowulf overcame many obstacles primarily those of which involved battling supernatural creatures. Epic poems were generally written during the Anglo-Saxon era. They are commonly written in an elevated style in order to glorify the deeds of a legendary hero or god. Literary works during the Anglo-Saxon eraRead MoreTheme Of Paganism In Beowulf1179 Words   |  5 Pageslongest epic poem ever written in the genre of Old English is â€Å"Beowulf†, it has been composed in the native language as spoken during the Anglo-Saxon reign in England, preceding the Norman Conquest. Beowulf is regarded as a classic tale which relates the defeat of evil and triumph of good. The poem is divided into three acts. Christian and Pagan Influences in Beowulf: The Pagan deities, rituals as well as pagan ideas influenced Beowulf, when it was being created, though the passing down of the epicRead MoreBeowulf Archetypal Hero1431 Words   |  6 Pages2 11/12/12 Beowulf: The Man, the Legend, the Hero Beowulf is an epic poem whose earliest surviving copy was written in 1000 A.D. The story consists of three thousand one hundred and eighty two lines that follow the life of the title character. The original author of the epic poem is unknown mainly because it started as a verbal tale passed down orally through the ages. Finally someone wrote it down in a document now called the Nowell Codex. The epic tale is centered on Beowulf and his actions

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Mba Exam Papers in Operation and Production Management Free Essays

i will give you full payment of 90 dollar if my below questions answers received from your side with chart and table where its required to fulfill my required. SUB: OPERATION MANAGEMENT 1. How would operations strategy for a service industry be different if any from that for a manufacturing industry? (It’s an example explains) 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Mba Exam Papers in Operation and Production Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now Consider the following two mutually exclusive projects. The net cash flows are given below: NET CASH FLOWS years PROJECT A FROM PROJECT B 0 – Rs. 1,00,000 – Rs. 1,00,000/- 1 + Rs. 30,000 + Rs. 15,000/- 2 + Rs. 35,000 + Rs. 7,500/- 3 + Rs. 40,000 + Rs. 20,000/- 4 + Rs. 45,000 + Rs. 22,500/- 5 + Rs. 25,000/- 6 + Rs. 27,500/- 7 + Rs. 30,000/- 8 + Rs. 32,500/- If the desired rate of return is 10% which project should be chosen? 3. What are the levels of aggregation in forecasting for a manufacturing organization? How should this hierarchy of forecasts be linked and used? AN ISO 9001 : 2008 CERTIFIED INTERNATIONAL B-SCHOOL 4. How would forecasting be useful for operations in a BPO (Business processes outsourcing) unit? What factors may be important for this industry? Discuss. 5. A good work study should be followed by good supervision for getting good results. Explain with an example. 6. What is job evaluation? Can it be alternatively used as job ranking? How does one ensure that job evaluation evaluates the job and not the man? Explain with examples? 7. What is the impact of technology on jobs? What are the similarities between job enlargement job rotation? Discuss the importance of training in the content of job redesign? Explain with examples? 8. What is internet connectivity? Feature article about  Production Management How is it important in to days business would with respect to materials requirement planning purchasing? Explain with examples? 9. Would a project management organization be different from an organization for regular manufacturing in what ways? Examples. 10. How project evaluation different from project appraisal? Explain with examples. SUBJECT: Production Management 1. What are the different types of production/operation system? Where would each one of them be applicable? Give practical examples. 2. What is flexibility in operations function? Can it be one of the strategic weapons? Explain your response. 3. What is the distinction between accounting profit economic profit? How is such a distinction linked with the concept of opportunity cost? 4. What is the difference between the Scanlon rucker plans? 5. Productivity improvement is not a one shot project Do you agree with this statement? Discuss 6. Is supply chain management a philosophy? Discuss 7. What is the aim of production planning? 8. What is forecasting? Elements of forecasting Methods of forecasting? How to cite Mba Exam Papers in Operation and Production Management, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Mintzbergs Management Roles free essay sample

Managers’ roles are considerably critical for any kind of organization everywhere in the world. Managers have the responsibility to ensure that employees’ works are done correctly in order to accomplish organization’s goals. This managing process has become very important for an organization by dividing job responsibilities, so that the efficiency and effectiveness of tasks are more achievable. For instance, a manager is doing all three levels managerial roles at the same time. It’s not impossible, yet it’s highly energy consuming plus the works she/he had done wouldn’t be likely to get to certain standards.It concludes that the roles brought to a manager will reflect her/his actual job. Consequently, in this essay, most of the discussions are related to Mintzberg’s Ten Roles. Mintzberg’s Ten Management Roles (1973) were specified into three categories: interpersonal roles (figurehead, leader, liaison); informational roles (monitor, disseminator, spokesperson); and decisional roles (entrepreneur, handler, allocator and negotiator). We will write a custom essay sample on Mintzbergs Management Roles or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page All ten managerial roles stated above are essential to all three managerial levels with of course, different portion. The first category of Mintzberg’s management roles is the interpersonal roles.Interpersonal roles are managerial roles that involve people and other duties that are ceremonial and symbolic in nature. (Robbins et al. , 2008). In other words, interpersonal roles can be described as a managerial performance that is assumed to interact and coordinate with employees as a part of acknowledging organizational visions. Interpersonal roles are simplified into figurehead, leader and liaison. Figurehead is a symbolic head; obliged to perform a number of routine duties of a legal or social nature. (Mintzberg, 1973, as cited in Robbins et al. , 2008).A figurehead represents what tasks are done by his/her team, which things are necessary to get the jobs done more effectively and efficiently (at lower-level manager) and so on. At the top-level manager, this role usually has the responsibility to work with outside world, such as signing a new dealing contract with future corporate cooperation. It provides members and non-members alike with a sense of what organization is about. (Hahn, M. 2007). At middle-level manager, he/she is responsible for the representations carried from all lower-level managers. At first-line managerial level, figurehead plays as the representation of subordinates.The second role is leader. Leader can be simply defined as the one who leads or directs the way. An organization needs constant improvements so that it is able to compete in the real world. Consequently, a leader must be able to direct and nurture the workers under his/her responsibility through training and motivating in order to achieve the organization’s goals. These training and motivation programs will at least, diagnose workers’ needs. Therefore, the jobs will possibly be easier to be done up-to standards. At the first-line manager level, leadership is very substantial to organization’s improvements.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Malcolm Hendrix Essays (620 words) - African-American Muslims

Malcolm Hendrix All men are created equal. This statement was the basis of the civil right movements of the 1960's. Malcolm X is a man that promoted a society in which all human beings were equally respected. He believes that blacks should achieve that goal by any means necessary. In a time when blacks were not allowed to sit in the front of the bus, using the same bathroom, or were not admitted to Universities. Malcolm X's cry of justice was believed to be the voice of all blacks behind closed doors. Little grew up as poor and did not have much parental support. His father was run over by a street car when he was six. Soon after his father's death, his mother was put in a mental hospital. He grew up in East Lansing and Boston. He was a pimp, a hustler, drug user, and a drug dealer. He worked in the Harlem underworld and was almost killed by his boss after he betrayed him. Malcolm turned to robbery and was caught by the police and sentenced to 10 years of hard labor. While in jail, he was introduced to the Nation of Islam, a Black Muslim group, and changed his name to Malcolm X. The X replaced the slave name that was given by the white masters and stands for the his real name that he never knew. After his release from prison he started preaching for the Nation of Islam (NOI). His preaching was known for its hatred overtone. He describes America as a house with a "bomb" inside and it is about to explode. Unless the white people want the house to explode and kill everyone inside, they should take the bomb out and give it a house of their own. His speeches were very popular among angry blacks and he was frequently on the front page of the newspaper. It was rumored that other Nation of Islam members were jealous about his popularity and worried about the power he was gaining. After the JFK assassination, Malcolm stated: "President Kennedy never foresaw that the chickens would come home to roost so soon... Being an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; they always made me glad. "After many death calls from irritated Whites, The Nation of Islam started to distance themselves from Malcolm. There was already friction between The Nation of Islam and they did not want the Nation of Islam to get a bad name because of Malcolm. Feeling pressure to leave and felt betrayed by his church, he started the Organization of Afro-American Unity. They had the commitment to "doing whatever is necessary to bring the Negro struggle from the level of civil rights to the level of human rights." While making a speech in the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem on Feb 21, 1965 he was assassinated by 3 persons all belonging to the NOI. Whether you like him or not, Malcolm X was charismatic leader that said the many things that had to be said in the midst of the civil rights movement. "By any means necessary! I'm for freedom. I'm for a society in which our people are recognized and respected as human beings, and I believe that we have the right to resort to any means necessary to bring that about."-Malcolm X, interview with Claude Lewis (December 1964) This statement and others helped propel the recognition of prejudice in the heart of America. Whenever I research into a past leader I always feel a great sadness that a great mind has perished with the person. But in this one case, there is a small sense of relief. Violence bleeds violence. A man that has preached violence to advance his cause was gunned down by 3 men whom he has preached. They stood over his body and emptied their guns. I hope all people can learn from this and move forward together as a nation in peace.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Wealthy Bankers Wife essays

The Wealthy Banker's Wife essays Synopsis s The Wealthy Bankers Wife. Synopsis of the authors main argument and rationale: Linda McQuaig in her piece focused on our welfare state performance and status, The Wealthy Bankers Wife, discusses the current status of our social transfer systems, their efficiency and the fear of their dissolution by various government actions. The argument is kicked off with the criticism of the usual comparison of our social economy with the USs and how irrelevant that should be. McQuaig describes her own personal experience witnessing American social failures, and illustrates data highlighting the level of inadequacy the US welfare system has reached. She describes how the US has turned away from an egalitarian approach to free market standards where social welfare and various social benefits are targeted strictly towards the poor. She argues this not only makes the actual systems weaker and weaker over time since the poor dont have much leverage defending themselves, but also weaken the total economical structure of the country as a whole over time. In response to allegations that a strong welfare state is a burden on the economy and weakens the general output, the author provides example of the western European and Scandinavian nations where social spending is in some cases above half their GDP and still have flourishing economies. She wonders how can such economies make it, while the world second highest GDP per capita, Canada, supposedly cannot! The author stresses that while the US with all its might is managing to suppress the poorer classes and slowly but surely put the social transfer systems in the hands of private organizations, Canadians in general do have a different view of how theyd like their states systems to run. The hated concept of Big Government in the US is not such an awful factor to Canadians who are ha...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The components of HRM's success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The components of HRM's success - Essay Example Despite Guest’s hesitancy in concluding that HRM contributes to organisational performance, other scholars provided an empirical link between HRM strategies, policies and practices and certain aspects of individual and organisational performance (Liu et al., 2007; Nohria, Groysberg and Lee, 2008; Huselid, 1995: 635; Wall and Wood, 2005: 430; Pfeffer; and Pfeffer and Veiga 1999). This paper aims to determine HRM issues and to offer some solutions. After reviewing several studies, including opposing ones, HRM systems, policies, and practices are believed to drive company performance through shaping recruitment, selection, and retention strategies that develop engaged and creative employee, who can serve as one of the company’s sustainable competitive advantages. The role of human resource systems in strategic recruitment cannot be undermined (Liu et al., 2007). Recruitment should not be dismissed as something that can easily be outsourced to other parties because recruitm ent strategy should meet existing HR strategy goals. Walker, Bernerth and Tocher (2009) studied job seekers’ organisational attitudes at different phases of the recruitment process by evaluating the interactions among the variables of job seekers’ procedural justice anticipations, procedural justice perceptions and preliminary screening feedback quality. After using two phases of data collection that included 392 participants in phase 1 and 351 in phase 2, findings showed that participants who were engaged in the recruitment process with high procedural justice expectations were more affected by initial screening feedback quality than those with low justice expectations (Walker et al., 2009: 5). Procedural justice perceptions throughout the preliminary screening affected their organisational attitudes (Walker et al., 2009: 5). These authors concluded that how firms recruit candidates can affect the quality of perceptions regarding the organisation (Walker et al., 2009: 6). Rehman (2012) affirmed the same findings for his empirical work on the recruitment efforts of public sector organisations in Pakistan. He discovered that organisations with poor promotion and governance systems tend to recruit fewer competent applicants and tend to have higher turnover rates. Managers must be clear in explaining what they expect from their employees and what employees can expect from the organisation, in terms of rewards, culture and other organisational and managerial factors. HRM managers who carefully carve the right organisational image and job expectations for its employees during the recruitment process can hire high-performing employees than those who do not care on the image and expectations they provide to applicants. HRM affects individual performance through its recruitment strategies because they influence individual decisions through organisational factors, which when affirmed through hiring, can result to employee job satisfaction and retention. H an and Han (2009) explored the relationship between hiring perceptions and retention and found a correlation between the two. Another studies emphasised that in recruiting the right people, job experience, skills, and personality are critical. Newman and Lyon (2009)

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Explain How Web Design Guidelines are used for developing systems for Essay

Explain How Web Design Guidelines are used for developing systems for the Older Users - Essay Example Second is the use of computers especially internet is growing at an increasing speed. Percentage of posted websites increased in a time period of 3 years, between 93-96 by 6500 fold while US population using internet increased 6 fold in 5 years time (1995-1999) A study by Nielson, J showed Seniors (65+) used internet for e-mail use, for research, news, tracking investments, research medicine and medical conditions, to shop and bank online, and read about hobbies. They can also benefit from online study courses. But the problem here is, this generation of elderly people spent most of their time when computers did not exist. So they face accessibility problems either due to lack of education or poor income. Another factor is aging factor which brings physical, mental and cognitive impairment. Study in 1999, by US department of Commerce showed the digital divide between information rich group (Whites, Asians/Pacific Islanders, those with higher incomes, more educated and dual parental h ouse holds) and information poor group (younger, those with lower income and education levels, certain minorities, those in rural areas and central cities) is also increasing.2AARP study income and education are more important in determining universal accessibility than age. Any step taken to tackle this will help elderly people also.Shneiderman advocates three steps for attaining universal usability-'providing for technology variety, user diversity, and gaps in knowledge' which also accommodates the elderly problems. Elderly are fixed income groups requiring support for older hardware and software. Their predisposition to physical and cognitive impairment bringsforth another innovative issue in interface designs to meet their diverse needs. Finally having not been exposed to computers in schools or on the job, the elderly are likely to be novice users who need more guidance and training. So the computer designers should be sensitive to the need for backward compatibility with older versions. Online services should design for lower bandwidth connections. Software designers should use adaptive interface with training wheels and extensive online help for novice users. 'Thus user interface designers face one of the challenging tasks because of the need to support a broad range of user diversity'. Browne,H 2000.As a result a number of guidelines are sprouting and often same guideline apply to many different demographics .For elderly, guidelines relating to visually impaired , motor skills and working memory should be taken care of. WWW Consortium's web access initiative provides a set of guidelines for web pages designers to accommodate the elderly. Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content Don't rely on colour alone [give redundant cues] Provide context and orientation information Provide clear navigation mechanisms Ensure the documents are clear and simple. Microsoft addresses in the' Seniors and Technology" web page issues related to adults with visual and motor impairment, and low bandwidth connect

Monday, November 18, 2019

Social psychology (within a school setting) Essay

Social psychology (within a school setting) - Essay Example Behaviorism argued that a subject matter of psychology must be firmly grounded in observed human behavior rather than in unobservable mental constructs. This approach suggested completely new theoretical structures and empirical approaches. Thus at a time it seemed that the majority of social psychologists were behaviorists, which asserts that human behavior can be understood in terms of stimulus response relationship without necessarily referring to underlying mental state. Then Gestalt inspired group dynamics (MCGARTY, 1997:1-15). He claimed that social environment is not only made up of things but of relations bettering things, Thus Gestalt's tradition promoted a concern with groups as real social entities. Another trend 'Attitude Change' came in vogue with the end of World War II. The third major Trend that was occurring in 1960s, with the breakdown of the dominance of attitude concept, was the rise of 'Attribution theory'. The ground work of this theory was laid by Heider's book, 1958 "The Psychology of Interpersonal Relation" during 1970s and became the most dominant concern in social psychology. Cognitive Dissonance (McGarty, 1997:20-26): According to Festinger, theory of Cognitive Dissonance is a deft blend of motivational and cognitive constructs. Cognitive dissonance is a type of psychological discomfort, produced by having attitudes in consistent with behavior, which creates pressure to change those attitudes. When a teacher has to mould or change children's attitude, most of the occasions, reward and punishment is applied but the previous notorious behavior is seen to be repeated in some other social context or situation. The application of cognitive dissonance theory can bring stability and positivism when applied for a purpose of attitude change. Freedman in 1965 conducted an experiment "forbidden toy" of Aronson and Garlsmith regarding the permanence of dissonance induced opinion change. Its utility in school setting is thus: If the children become aggressive when punished for touching forbidden things then dissonance should be generated in them through mild threat for that thing. So this cognitive dissonance generated in them makes the forbidden item less attractive. This mild threat will bring in them self persuasion which will lead to neutral attitude for that thing. (MCGARTY, 1997:20-26) Self-Perception VS. Cognitive Dissonance (Bem 1972:1-62) : Self-perception theory differs from cognitive dissonance theory in that it does not hold that people experience a "negative drive state called "dissonance" which they seek to relieve. Instead, people simply infer their attitudes from their own behavior in the same way that an outside observer might. Self-perception theory is a special case of attribution theory. Attribution Theory (Heider, 1958): This theory is concerned with the ways in which people explain (or

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Technological Advancement In Communication And Society Media Essay

The Technological Advancement In Communication And Society Media Essay Human beings are social beings. Communicating and passing information and understanding one another are of vital importance if we are to survive in society. Earliest types of communications included vocal (language) communication, signals or even pigeons, in a more civilized society, before technology took its turn. Communication is not a choice, it is a necessity. And so, technological advancement in the field of communication has been achieved over time to make it more efficient. One of the earliest technology feats in the communication sector were achieved by Alexander Graham Bell by the invention of the first telephone in the 19th century. With the birth of the telephone, people can just pick up the phone and talk to anyone, from their neighbor to a person half way around the world. Distance could not stop people from getting closer anymore. Phone helped international trades and businesses by making the process of negotiation easier and even possible. (Ferderer, 2008). During the 19th and early 20th century, the radio and television were also developed and in the late 20th century, finally, the World Wide Web (WWW), internet, was developed which changed the way of communication once and for all. Internet was developed by the US government to improve their military communication methods. Today internet is public and it is the most widely used means of communication than any other means. Cyber communication gives people valued learning and independence. Communication via the internet has dramatically expanded the social circle. Online networking websites, like Facebook and Twitter have become the most popular means of instant communication. These websites allow users to communicate with friends, family and clients from moment to moment. Users can add images, update their status (telling everyone what they are doing), start a fan page for your business, send personal messages, and more. The idea behind these websites is to give users the opportunity to connect with people, even if they are thousands of miles apart. Websites like these are bringing people together irrespective of their race, culture, geographic location or their physical appearance. Young people geographically remote, disabled, or housebound due to illness may find online chat an important form of communication (Wakefield, M. A., Rice, C. J., 2008). Cyber communication has been proved to be helpful in children to overcome shyness and improving their social interaction skills by using the online interactive tools like Facebook, Twitter and other like those. Internet allows people to express themselves who otherwise would feel uncomfortable doing so in person. Internet has made communication cheaper, faster and available to everyone from an individual to businesses. Internet is being used for communication in the educational field, for example, online forums, online books etc. Websites like YouTube allows people to communicate via posting videos or music files on the platform. YouTube has eased communication in various fields. Pe ople can watch anything from educational videos to participating in political discussions. Internet is a necessity in todays world. Tourists use the internet to find direction for popular hot spots, students use it for communicating educational ideas for schoolwork, shoppers use it to stay connected to distant friend and relatives by e-mail, instant messaging or chat. Internet both expands and changes the communities in subtle ways. With the technology advancing at such a pace, phones could not stay in their current state either. Today, we have mobile phones which can be taken with us anywhere in the world. Development of smart mobile phones has made communication possible on a device merely half the size of our palm. Smartphones enable users to use normal phones functions on the go, which are calling another mobile phone or landline. But it also allows you to use internet and e-mail functions to keep up to date with your social activities. Text messaging through mobile phones is increasingly becoming the way to communicate quick thoughts to friends, family and clients. Technology is described in the dictionary as the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, and applied science. The rate at which technology is evolving, is unbelievable. Who knew that the hard-wired telephone invented by Graham Bell in the 19th century would soon transform into a device which you can keep in your pocket and take with you wherever, whenever. Technological advances in communication have changed the face and the pace of the world. But none of these benefits come without a flip side. As much as technological communication has improved our way of life and business, these advances do have their downside which may outweigh their positive effects. The state of the art communication technology poses a lot of risks and negative effects in our daily lives. For instance, whilst mobile phones have been proved to be tremendously beneficial for communication purposes, they are responsible for a lot of negative effects.. Mobile phones are quite renowned as the single biggest contributor to hazardous driving. Drivers frequently use their mobiles phones to text, call or chat while driving which poses a major threat to the oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Use of mobile phones while driving has been linked to many car crashes also. Research has clearly shown an increased risk of traffic accidents, some 3-4 times greater chance of an accident, when mobile phones (either handheld or with a hands-free kit) are used while driving (World Health Organization, 2005). Mobile phones pose a threat to our health and social environment. Behavioural scientists and researchers have pointed out that a high usage of mobile phones leads to loss of concentration on immediate tasks at hand. According to a research conducted by Gaby Badre, M.D, of Sahlgren Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden, on effects of mobile phone usage on sleep patterns. Teenagers that use excessive mobile phones experience chronic restlessness, difficulty falling asleep at night with disrupted sleep and they also experience fatigue and stress (Heath). According to a 2007 American Academy of Otolaryngology study, people using their mobile phones for more than an hour per day are at an increased risk for hearing loss. (ehow.com, 2012) Mobile phones pose greater negative effects on teenagers and pre-teenagers. Frequent use of mobile phones and chatting applications affect sleep patterns, mentioned before, but even behavioural instincts and patterns. The use of mobile phones for texting and chatting has been found to have an impact on students writing and grammar. The use of abbreviations, utilised in chatting, has been frequently used in essays and English writing in schools. Edutopia.org conducted a poll and found that 50% teachers feel texting is harming students writing and grammar (Blake, 2011). Introduction of the internet and e-mail opened new doors for communication to our society. We can now talk, chat, video chat and socialize via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, educational forums etc. Things that once were thought to be of magic or folklore are now achieved through advancement in communication technology. But even these advances present a variety of negative impacts on society. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are used by millions of youngsters, young adults to socialise. Teenagers waste time on these websites which is reflected in their poor grades, incompletion of schoolwork and most of all, procrastination. As easy it is to find information on the internet, is it very easy to go wrong in the internet too. Teenagers are susceptible to spam and junk mails and even pornographic material. As internet is a free tool, there is no training given to anyone on the correct procedure of using the internet and quite frankly, teenagers today are stumbling upon pop-ups and restr icted material on the internet quite frequently. While online networking promotes socialising, it also promotes online stalking and bullying, in conjunction with smartphones. It is very easy to make an anonymous account on Facebook or Twitter and change your identity to talk to someone. Research reveals that one in five youth ages 10 to 17 received unwanted sexual advances online (Wakefield, M. A., Rice, C. J., 2008). Cases of murder and rape have been reported relating to murderers and pedophiles using different identities to communicate with unknown people and then arranging to meet in person where they inflict harm on them. Also, smartphones can encourage bullying. Students who encourage and enjoy bullying want to show what they have done to students. As smartphones come equipped with video cameras, bullies upload these videos online, on websites such as YouTube for the whole world to see and ridicule their targeted person. Cyber Bullying is also done via the creation of false Facebook/Twitter accounts to inflict emotional dama ge to the targeted person and also via text messaging. The internet and phones can be used to violate our privacy. In 2006, reporters at the tabloid, News of the World, illegally hacked into the voicemail messages of phones of people of interest to the newspaper. The court hearings for the News of the World phone hacking scandal continue to this very date. Also, hundreds of viruses are sent in spam and junk mails to people. Only a click is required in order for important data and files in our computer or mobile to be visible to the hackers. Morality has changed with the technology. In earlier times, it was not moral to flaunt ones private photos and private life to the public. Today, websites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and various blogging sites are functioning on the basis of sharing personal information with the world in order to be social. The factors influencing decision making have shifted from moral, etiquette, conscience to materialistic forms such as profitability and aesthetics. Technological advancement in communication is being closely followed by its negative effects. Technological advancements need to be weighed in terms of their need, their benefit to society and their negative effects to the society. It is fair to say that technology helps in easing our lives. However, not all technological advancements are required; some may do more harm to society than good. It is not right to be a neutralist and say that technology is neither good nor bad; it depends on how we use it. While it can be agreed to some degree, it cannot be given a hundred percent approval. Invention of the telephone was a great benefit to humanity. It saved people from travelling long distances for personal visits and businesses. Today smartphones have become a part of our lives. But comparing it to the first invention of the phone in terms of its benefits and drawbacks, the smartphones have more drawbacks as mentioned before. Technology is surely changing the world for the faster and easier but it is not necessarily changing it for the better. The fact is that with the new technology people do not communicate on the personal level with each other as often as they once used to. Technology has made communication so easy and effective and cheap that it has created a barrier in personal, face-to-face communication amongst people. People do not feel the need to go meet someone or wish someone on their success when they can just send a text or post them a message on Facebook. This ease of communication has in turn created isolation from one another. As a result, people are becoming lazy and they do not feel the need to go outside of their home to find entertainment and activities such as team sports with friends or going out for shopping, instead, ordering stuff through the internet. As communication is getting better and better, we are becoming totally dependent and attached to the new technology. People have lost skills and confidence in themselves and theyve started trusting technology over themselves. Technology is a privilege but it is not a substitute for interaction with other people. One needs to be responsible for ones own actions and not blaming technology for it. People need to start acting more responsible. Higher values which give better moral beliefs need to be adopted. People need to start making decisions which will help the society and the environment and not the opposite. One needs to understand that not every technological advancement in communication is a beneficial one. Development of communication through technology needs to have more moralistic reasons than profitability and fiscal reasons. Only then might the society benefit from the technology.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: essays research papers

Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, in the sleepy Alabama town of Maycomb. Maycomb is suffering through the Great Depression, but Atticus is a prominent lawyer and the Finch family is reasonably well off in comparison to the rest of society. One summer, Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill, who has come to live in their neighborhood for the summer, and the trio acts out stories together. Eventually, Dill becomes fascinated with the spooky house on their street called the Radley Place. The house is owned by Mr. Nathan Radley, whose brother, Arthur (nicknamed Boo), has lived there for years without venturing outside. Scout goes to school for the first time that fall and detests it. She and Jem find gifts apparently left for them in a knothole of a tree on the Radley property. Dill returns the following summer, and he, Scout, and Jem begin to act out the story of Boo Radley. Atticus puts a stop to their antics, urging the children to try to see life from another person's perspective before making judgments. But, on the last day of summer, the three sneak onto the Radley property, where Nathan Radley shoots at them. Jem loses his pants in the ensuing escape. When he returns for them, he finds them mended and hung over the fence. The next winter, Jem and Scout find more presents in the tree, presumably left by the mysterious Boo. Nathan Radley eventually plugs the knothole with cement. Shortly thereafter, a fire breaks out in another neighbor's house, and during the fire someone slips a blanket on Scout's shoulders as she watches the blaze. Convinced that Boo did it, Jem tells Atticus about the mend ed pants and the presents. To the consternation of Maycomb's racist white community, Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman. Because of Atticus's decision, Jem and Scout are subjected to abuse from other children, even when they celebrate Christmas at the family compound on Finch's Landing. Calpurnia, the Finches' black cook, takes them to the local black church, where the warm and close-knit community largely embraces the children. Atticus's sister, Alexandra, comes to live with the Finches the next summer. Dill, who is supposed to live with his new stepfather in another town, runs away and comes to Maycomb. Tom Robinson's trial begins, and when the accused man is placed in the local jail, a mob gathers to lynch him.