The Informative Message On Gender Division - 2100 Words

Bao Vo Professor Rivera ENG 112; Research Paper 26 April 2016 The impactful message on gender division From â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† Equality between men and women have always been a debatable topic over a long period of time in America. Women were known as the second class citizens during the late 19th century when they had no equal rights as men. It is depressing to remember the time period when women had to suffer in such a place without freedom. The struggle between men and women has been changed due to many different factors; however, one of them is a powerful effect of the story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†. In the story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, Charlotte Perkins Gilman specifically uses literary techniques to represent the gender role†¦show more content†¦The first person narrative is not only sending the actual feeling, emotional from the characters to the reader; therefore, it also illustrates the reality to the reader during the 19th century. The conflict between the protagonist and her husband portrays how her situation and many other wom en in marriage and society. As the narrator recognizes herself as the woman inside the wallpaper; however, she also realizes other women whom are being trapped outside, creeping around â€Å"I don t like to LOOK out of the windows even—there are so many of those creeping women, and they creep so fast† (Gilman 25). The protagonist’s situation with her husband has an important impact within her minds and her understandings of her powerlessness in marriage; consequently, it can provide the reader an actual perspective from the narrator. Additionally, the first person point of view allows the reader to go along into insanity and encourages the reader to feel sympathy for the protagonist and other women during that time period. As the narrator losing her sanity over the pattern of the wallpaper, she becomes happier and more exciting than ever before. By Gilman’s literary devices, the narrator’s life becomes happier as she becomes insane and obsessed wit h the pattern of the wallpaper: â€Å"Life is very much more exciting now than it used to be† (Gilman 21). The unnamed narrator

How Did Elizabethan Theater Affect Popular Entertainment

How did Elizabethan theater affect popular entertainment? It affected popular entertainment massively at the time because it was very different than anything that had been popular entertainment before it and because even though it was popular it attracted a lot of criticism from the English Society. It came about in a time when drama shifted from religious to a secular function in society. The Elizabethan Theater lasted from the end of the 16th century and well into the 17th century. And it set out the stage for some actors very well-known even today. From the violence that was prevalent because of the Black Death, people turned to the theater for many reasons. Elizabethan theatre was popular for its time because Queen Elizabeth encouraged the arts, it was somewhere for every social class to go, and people could relate to the plays. One of the reasons that Elizabethan theatre was so popular was that it was enjoyed by Queen Elizabeth herself. Elizabeth loved learning new things. She would read and study for hours at a time. She also had a lot of knowledge when it came to history. She could read books in Latin and French. When she grew older, she could translate classic works into English. She also enjoyed writing and reading poetry, and a few of her poems still exist today. Elizabeth was also into arts and literature. She loved watching plays and dramatic performances. â€Å"She hired her own company of actors called â€Å"The Queen’s Players.† The art spread because of the queen. HerShow MoreRelatedQueen Elizabeths Lasting Effect on Theater Essay1800 Words   |  8 PagesEffect on Theater Queen Elizabeth came to be known as one of the greatest rulers of the English empire. Under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a more efficient government was created. The church was unified, the English empire was expanded, and language, literature, and theater flourished to a greatness that would be impossible for almost any other period of English history, or any other European empire, for that matter, to match. Although there was a great rise in literature,it was theater thatRead MoreWhat Is Entertainment?7217 Words   |  29 PagesWhat s Entertainment? Notes Toward a Definition 1 Stephen Bates and Anthony J. Ferri What’s Entertainment? Notes Toward a Definition Introduction Entertainment has been a part of all cultures, from the Chauvet Cave paintings to the iPad. For Rothman, it is â€Å"the storehouse of national values† (xviii). Perhaps nowhere is that observation more apt than in the United States, a nation that Gabler terms a â€Å"republic of entertainment† (11). Many Americans seem to feel entitled to high-qualityRead More Analysis of Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra Essay5083 Words   |  21 Pagesand had three children with her. Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Public and critical acclaim quickly followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part-owner of the Globe Theater. His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558–1603) and James I (ruled 1603–1625), and he was a favorite of both monarchs. Indeed, James granted Shakespeare’s company the greatest possible compliment by bestowing

Describe the Different Forms of Disguise and Deception That Feature in “Twelfth Night” free essay sample

Deception and disguise are two key themes in Shakespeares Twelfth Night. As in most comedies, Twelfth Night celebrates different forms of disguise and deception in order to make the play more entertaining. It also develops a strong connection between the main plot (with Viola, Orsino, Olivia, and the others) and the sub-plot (involving Sir Andrew, Sir Toby, Malvolio, and Maria). Disguise and deception appear in many different ways throughout the story. One of the most overt examples of disguise is through the character of Viola. This is the origin of much of the deception in the play. Stranded in Illyria after a shipwreck, she dresses as a male in order to work as a Eunuch for the Duke Orsino. Thou shall present me as an eunuch to him (Line 58, Act one, scene two). This is the first accidental deception and is where the disguise forms the plot. Viola does not intend to deceive people, as her original intentions were to get a job with Orsino, however the disguise constructs the plot and the romantic deceptions with Olivia, Orsino and Cesario. The relationship between Olivia and Cesario is based around disguise and deception. For example, Olivia is deceiving herself by thinking she can mourn for her brother and abjure the company of men. This deception is gone when she shows interest in the young man at her gates in I. 5. But a new type of deception is formed by Viola’s disguise. Viola is deceiving Olivia by disguising as a man, making Olivia fall in love with a man, who is in fact a woman. By doing this, Shakespeare is creating multiple confusion, because in Elizabethan theatre, a man would play the role of a woman and the woman (Viola) disguised herself as a man. The play begins with a striking example of self-deception, initially amusing for the audience, in Orsinos declaration that he loves Olivia. Orsinos sense of superiority (my love, more noble than the world II. 4. 80) leads him to the assumption that he has a ‘true place’ in Olivias favour (V. 1. 121) and that he will rule her as her ‘king’ (I. 1. 40). His understanding of women is obviously false: ‘There is no womans sides? Can bide the beating of so strong a passion ? As love doth give my heart? ’(II. 4. 92-94) Viola argues that womens love is as deep and true as mens. The Dukes genuine concern for Cesarios sister suggests that behind all the false pretentiousness there is a real person struggling to get out. His self- deception remains until very near the end of the play, in the final scene when he at last sees Olivia face to face and confronts her: ‘You uncivil lady, ? To whose ingrate and unauspicious altars ? My soul the faithfullst offerings have breathed out ? That eer devotion tendered!? ’(V. 1. 110-113) In his self deception, Orsino has remained a completely fixed and unchanged character, but there has been a development of real emotion building on Cesario, so that when he discovers that Cesario is actually a woman he can allow the reality to sweep aside the self deception and admit the fakeness of his love for Olivia. It is this that makes believable the sudden switch from Olivia to Viola. When Viola changes from Cesario to Viola, he can still love her, as he fell in love with Viola(when she was cesario) because of her personality instead of appearance (as he does with Olivia) making his love for her less fake and makes him a better person. For both Orsino and Olivia self-deception serves as an avoidance of the real world and of real emotions. As soon as they acknowledge reality, they cease to delude themselves. Some other characters, however, never do emerge from their self-deception. In the sub-plot, the biggest example of a self-deceiver is of course Malvolio. His sense of superiority is even greater than Orsinos. He sees himself as surrounded by idle, shallow things, not of his element (III. 4. 122-123) and this encourages his ambition to become exaggerated to the point where he considers a marriage to Olivia is entirely appropriate. He can even believe that Olivia loves him Maria once told me she (Olivia) did affect me (II. 5. 23-24) He is not in love with Olivia for herself, but he fancies the status, the power and the grand lifestyle that this marriage could create (also being able to charge around Sir Toby). Malvolio’s lack of self-criticism or self-awareness makes him vulnerable to Marias plan to ridicule him. The most obvious, almost worst deception in â€Å"Twelfth Night† is Sir Toby having a false friendship with Sir Andrew. Sir Toby is disguising himself as a jolly, lively man to be friends with, when behind Sir Andrews back, he is nasty (sniggering with Fabian), ruthless (not caring about Sir Andrews life when it comes to the duel between Cesario) and selfish (only being with Sir Andrew for his money and wanting his niece Olivia to marry him). When Shakespeare put him in the play, he intended Sir Toby to be the funny, but also arrogant and nasty character who helps devise the plan. The most interesting character of â€Å"Twelfth Night† is Feste. He has such a double character that shows at different times of the play. His first ‘character’ or ‘personality’ is his wise and humorous one: ‘I am not tall enough to become the function well, nor learn enough to be thought a good student. ’ Although he is meant to be the fool of the play, he is actually the wisest of them all. However his other personality, which is kept deep down until near the end of the play, is feisty and dark which is confirmed when he says, ‘Then you are man indeed, if you be no better in your wits than a fool. ’ (IV. 1) ‘Nothing that is so, is so. ’ (IV. 1) Which suggests he is referring to himself. It shows he has a dark monotone to his personality. This means that Feste is deceiving the other characters by disguising himself as a fool, and hiding the other part of his personality from them. This is the only obvious deceive and Deception that Feste carries out through the play. The other deception is to Malvolio, when he physically disguises himself as Sir Topaz: ‘Sir Topaz the curate comes to visit Malvolio the lunatic. ’ (IV. 2) He deceives Malvolio by treating him as if he is mad, which could cause Malvolio to think he is actually mad. The deception produced by Violas disguise is further cleverly complicated by the device, a favourite of Shakespeares, of having identical twins, which is further complicated by having them dressed the same. Sebastian and Olivia both deceive themselves when they get married. Sebastian can’t truly love Olivia because he has only just met her. He thinks she’s beautiful and perhaps he is in a dream when his says, ‘What relish is in this? How runs the stream? ?Or I am mad, or else this is a dream: ? Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep; ? If it be thus to dream, still let me sleep! ’(IV. 1) However, this is his judgment of her by her appearance, and if you love someone only for their appearance, it is not true love. Also, He would be too confused to love her, as it is not normal that a stranger cam up to him, acting as if she knew him, and asking him to marry her! Olivia: ‘Nay, come, I prithee; would thouldst be ruled by me! Sebastian: ‘Madam, I will. ’ (IV. 1) This shows the marriage happened all too sudden, when Sebastian didn’t even know who she was. However, Olivia does not know at this point that he is Sebastian. When she does find out, She assumes he is the same as Viola just because they are twins, who is in fact the person she originally fell in love with. It shows tha t she is quite shallow, for marrying Sebastian for his looks, when she is just assuming he has the same personality as Viola, just because they are twins. This suggests she gets married with Sebastian for the sake of marriage. In doing this, she is not only deceiving herself, but also deceiving Sebastian for making him believe she truly loves him. In â€Å"Twelfth Night† it is very clear that most of the disguises are deceptive and some deceptions are disguised. Also, in this play there are more than just one type of deception and disguise. There are two main types of deception: deliberate and accidental. There are also two main types of disguise: physical and emotional. Different characters use different forms of disguise and deception. For example, Viola uses a physical and emotional disguise, and her deception is accidental.

The Definition of Ratchet free essay sample

Do It for the Ratchets â€Å"Ugh, she so ratchet,† a common phrase when hitting the club or scrolling through any social media site. No, they’re not referring to the mechanical tool or the beloved Transformers character, their inferring to the new slang term that has established itself within a generation’s vocabulary. But how exactly does an everyday term such as ratchet become so twisted to the point where it’s new meaning no longer resembles it’s old one? As it once was mainly known as a mechanical tool used to repair clocks and roller coasters, it now has a entirely different definition. Although words may have an established meaning, as time goes by, that meaning may change, perhaps into something that is completely irrelevant. The Rise of the Ratchet As originally defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a ‘hunting dog’ or ‘the barrel of a gun’ the word ratchet was once commonly associated with the ‘mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction. We will write a custom essay sample on The Definition of Ratchet or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many have used this meaning as inspiration for their make believe characters such as Ratchet from the Ratchet and Clank video game series. But quite recently, the definition has drastically changed. In the past two years, the word ratchet has completely taken a turn. Nowadays the word ratchet means ‘A diva, mostly from urban cities and ghettos, that has reason to believe she is every mans eye candy,† as defined by Urban Dictionary. The term is mostly used from high school students all the way to people in their late 20’s. It began to gain prominence through viral video sensations, Emmanuel and Philip Hudson. Their two videos for ‘Ratchet Girl Anthem’, one as an improv along with their official music video, has garnered nearly 42 million views on Youtube, establishing them as one of the pioneers of the ratchet movement. Another contributor to the rise of the term is rapper, Joe Moses with his one-hit wonder of a song, ‘I Do It For the Ratchets’. A more notable rapper, Tyga, is also accredited to the use of the word through his remix of Moses’s song along with many other inferences. Ratchet Culture The definition from Urban Dictionary does not allow one to fully grasp what a ratchet is. It takes real life experience to fully understand. For those who would rather stray away from sweaty clubs filled with obnoxious people ‘twerkin’ to the latest Travis Porter tracks, simply take a stroll through the many social media websites. The most common sites infested with ratchets are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Your typical Facebook ratchet is busy posting ‘thirsty’, as in wants to hook up with someone, statuses that fill up other’s feeds. Usually asking around for ‘likes’ or in other words, an ‘lms’ (like my status), ratchets tend to become unfriended by others. Switch over to Twitter, where more annoying updates occur. The timelines of ratchets on Twitter consist of stories of their late night escapades at the club along with the usual ‘Twitter beef’ with other ratchets that all deny that they are ratchets but we all know that they ratchet. On the photo sharing site, Instagram, ratchets tend to post daily mirror shots of themselves that are bombarded with hashtags in effort for more ‘likes’. Hashtags such as #nomakeup, #nofilter, #justgotoutoftheshower, and #dontneednoman compliment pictures of their new jeggings or freshly done weave perfectly. The appearance of a ratchet is very distinguishable when seen in public. They can be spotted in jeggings, stalkings, or the pair of shorts they wore in elementary school; for they need the right amount of flexibility when the sun goes down and it’s time to hit the club. Ratchets also proudly dye their hair countless times, experimenting with different styles and looks. Another one of their psychical characteristics is the amount of makeup they use. Their make-up is usually so caked on, you would think they worked at a bakery. A ratchet’s overall appearance is not attractive. With their overly tight clothing and neon colored hairdo, you’d think that for someone who focuses so much on their looks would look a bit more decent. Making Connections But how is a mechanical tool linked to this vile beast? Looking at an actual picture of the tool, there is no resemblance to the modern day ratchet. The definition from the Oxford English Dictionary may be the driving force behind the new age definition. Ratchets may have some sort of connection to the definition, ‘a hunting dog’ . With such hair and personality, it is hard for a ratchet to find work, especially in today’s rough economy. To make ends meet to feed the countless number of children their ‘baby-daddys’ left them with or simply to maintain their weave, they need some sort of income. This is where the ‘hunting dog’ definition comes in. The ratchets are essentially gold diggers, constantly looking for a new ‘boo’ and also a new neon colored do. Perhaps this is how this word, no, this culture came to be. As time goes on, so do the meanings of words. Usually, there is some sort of context clue to these words the younger generation is using, but none have been so confusing as the the word ratchet. There has been many misconceptions to the term. Many never thought to question it’s history. Others knew what a ratchet was, as in the tool, but never linked the modern term to the old one. But now as the ratchet lifestyle continues to grow on society, its time welcome it’s new meaning with open arms. End the confusion of where this word derived from and let the urban meaning become official, for the impact of the ratchet has on our society is heavy. They are our modern day 1920’s flappers just a lot less attractive.

How Scientists Determine Climates of the Past

How Scientists Determine Climates of the Past Paleoenvironmental reconstruction (also known as paleoclimate reconstruction) refers to the results and the investigations undertaken to determine what the climate and vegetation were like at a particular time and place in the past. Climate, including vegetation, temperature, and relative humidity, has varied considerably during the time since the earliest human habitation of planet earth, from both natural and cultural (human-made) causes. Climatologists primarily use paleoenvironmental data to understand how the environment of our world has changed and how modern societies need to prepare for the changes to come. Archaeologists use paleoenvironmental data to help understand the living conditions for the people who lived at an archaeological site. Climatologists benefit from the archaeological studies because they show how humans in the past learned how to adapt or failed to adapt to environmental change, and how they caused environmental changes or made them worse or better by their actions. Using Proxies The data that are collected and interpreted by paleoclimatologists are known as proxies, stand-ins for what cant be directly measured. We cant travel back in time to measure the temperature or humidity of a given day or year or century, and there are no written records of climatic changes that would give us those details older than a couple of hundred years. Instead, paleoclimate researchers rely on biological, chemical, and geological traces of past events that were influenced by the climate. The primary proxies used by climate researchers are plant and animal remains because the type of flora and fauna in a region indicates the climate: think of polar bears and palm trees as indicators of local climates. Identifiable traces of plants and animals range in size from whole trees to microscopic diatoms and chemical signatures. The most useful remains are those that are large enough to be identifiable to species; modern science has been able to identify objects as tiny as pollen grains and spores to plant species. Keys to Past Climates Proxy evidence can be biotic, geomorphic, geochemical, or geophysical; they can record environmental data that range in time from yearly, every ten years, every century, every millennium or even multi-millennia. Events such as tree growth and regional vegetation changes leave traces in soils and peat deposits, glacial ice and moraines, cave formations, and in the bottoms of lakes and oceans. Researchers rely on modern analogs; that is to say, they compare the findings from the past to those found in current climates around the world. However, there are periods in the very ancient past when the climate was completely different from what is currently being experienced on our planet. In general, those situations appear to be the result of climate conditions that had more extreme seasonal differences than any weve experienced today. It is particularly important to recognize that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were lower in the past than those present today, so ecosystems with less  greenhouse gas  in the atmosphere likely behaved differently than they do today. Paleoenvironmental Data Sources There are several types of sources where paleoclimate researchers can find preserved records of past climates. Glaciers and Ice Sheets: Long-term bodies of ice, such as the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, have annual cycles which build new layers of ice each year like tree rings. Layers in the ice vary in texture and color during warmer and cooler parts of the year. Also, glaciers expand with increased precipitation and cooler weather and retract when warmer conditions prevail. Trapped in those layers laid down over thousands of years are dust particles and gases which were created by climatic disturbances such as volcanic eruptions, data which can be retrieved using ice cores.Ocean Bottoms: Sediments are deposited in the bottom of the oceans each year, and lifeforms such as foraminifera, ostracods, and diatoms die and are deposited with them. Those forms respond to ocean temperatures: for example, some are more prevalent during warmer periods.Estuaries and Coastlines: Estuaries preserve information about the height of former sea levels in long sequences of alternating layers of organic p eat when the sea level was low, and inorganic silts when the sea level rose. Lakes: Like oceans and estuaries, lakes also have annual basal deposits called varves. Varves hold a wide variety of organic remains, from entire archaeological sites to pollen grains and insects. They can hold information about environmental pollution such as acid rain, local iron mongering, or run-offs from eroded hills nearby.Caves: Caves are closed systems, where average annual temperatures are maintained year-round and with a high relative humidity. Mineral deposits within caves such as stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstones gradually form in thin layers of calcite, which trap chemical compositions from outside the cave. Caves can thus contain continuous, high-resolution records which can be dated using uranium-series dating.Terrestrial Soils: Soil deposits on land can also be a source of information, trapping animal and plant remains in colluvial deposits at the base of hills or alluvial deposits in valley terraces. Archaeological Studies of Climate Change Archaeologists have been interested in climate research since at least Grahame Clarks 1954 work at Star Carr. Many have worked with climate scientists to figure out the local conditions at the time of occupation. A trend identified by Sandweiss and Kelley (2012) suggests that climate researchers are beginning to turn to the archaeological record to assist with the reconstruction of paleoenvironments. Recent studies described in detail in Sandweiss and Kelley include: The interaction between humans and climatic data to determine the rate and extent of El Nià ±o and the human reaction to it over the last 12,000 years of people living in coastal Peru.Tell Leilan in northern Mesopotamia (Syria) deposits matched to ocean drilling cores in the Arabian Sea identified a previously-unknown volcanic eruption that took place between 2075-1675 BC, which in turn may have led to an abrupt aridification with the abandonment of the tell and may have led to the disintegration of the Akkadian empire.In the Penobscot valley of Maine in the northeastern United States, studies on sites dated to the early-middle Archaic (~9000-5000 years ago), helped establish a chronology of flood events in the region associated with falling or low lake levels.Shetland Island, Scotland, where Neolithic-aged sites are sand-inundated, a situation believed to be an indication of a period of storminess in the North Atlantic. Sources Allison AJ, and Niemi TM. 2010. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Holocene coastal sediments adjacent to archaeological ruins in Aqaba, Jordan. Geoarchaeology 25(5):602-625.Dark P. 2008. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction, methods. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 1787-1790.Edwards KJ, Schofield JE, and Mauquoy D. 2008. High resolution paleoenvironmental and chronological investigations of Norse landnm at Tasiusaq, Eastern Settlement, Greenland. Quaternary Research 69:1–15.Gocke M, Hambach U, Eckmeier E, Schwark L, Zà ¶ller L, Fuchs M, Là ¶scher M, and Wiesenberg GLB. 2014. Introducing an improved multi-proxy approach for paleoenvironmental reconstruction of loess–paleosol archives applied on the Late Pleistocene Nussloch sequence (SW Germany). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 410:300-315.Lee-Thorp J, and Sponheimer M. 2015. Contribution of Stable Light Isotopes to Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction. I n: Henke W, and Tattersall I, editors. Handbook of Paleoanthropology. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p 441-464. Lyman RL. 2016. The mutual climatic range technique is (usually) not the area of sympatry technique when reconstructing paleoenvironments based on faunal remains. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 454:75-81.Rhode D, Haizhou M, Madsen DB, Brantingham PJ, Forman SL, and Olsen JW. 2010. Paleoenvironmental and archaeological investigations at Qinghai Lake, western China: Geomorphic and chronometric evidence of lake level history. Quaternary International 218(1–2):29-44.Sandweiss DH, and Kelley AR. 2012. Archaeological Contributions to Climate Change Research: The Archaeological Record as a Paleoclimatic and Paleoenvironmental Archive*. Annual Review of Anthropology 41(1):371-391.Shuman BN. 2013. Paleoclimate reconstruction - Approaches In: Elias SA, and Mock CJ, editors. Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science (Second Edition). Amsterdam: Elsevier. p 179-184.

Tick Tock essays

Tick Tock essays A thirty-year-old detective-novelist living in southern California named Tommy Phan is on top if the world. He had just purchased a brand new Corvette and is living his fantasy of living the American dream. On his way home he calls his mother to inform her of his new toy. After feeling guilty about the conversation, because he is living his dream and not living with his family and working at the family business. On his way home he stops at a diner to get something to eat he meets a young blond. After he pays he speeds up in his new car so he can arrive home. When he arrives at his home he notices a small rag doll on his doorstep. Confused, but intrigued he picks up the doll and carried it inside. He proceeded up his stairs to his computer work with the doll still in hand and placed it up against a lamp. After he sits down he studies the doll more carefully and notices a small folded note with a pin holding its place next to the small hand. The note is written in Viennese, no t knowing the language since he was eight, he puts it down and examines the doll and sees two stitched crosses where the eyes should be, one for the nose, one over the heart, and five for the mouth. He leaves the room and when he enters the doll isn't where he left it and there is a message on his computer that had not been there before. It reads " the deadline is dawn ". Scared by the note he tries to find the doll. When he picks it up off the floor and props the doll next to the lamp where it had been before. He starts to work on his books, about a detective named Chippen Wen a charming, brave man who can do anything if he has a gun and his fists. A small pop alarms him and he looks at the doll and notices that the stitching across the heart on the doll was not there. He picks up the doll and places his hand over the heart and can here ticking, almost like a heart beating. Another popping sound and he could see eyes and a mouth. Breaking out ...

Stress and Law Enforcement Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Stress and Law Enforcement - Research Proposal Example In particular, police officers have families as well, they go through the same emotional process as other humans do (Goldberger & Breznitz, 1993), and thus, as stress has become one of the most common issues in the current society, police officers are no different, and there have been observations of adverse impact of such on them as well. RESEARCH STATEMENT In this regard, the researcher will focus on the following research statement: â€Å"To identify and analyze the factors of stress and their impact on police officers† PRELIMINARY LITERATURE REVIEW Brief analysis of literature (Constant, 1991) has indicated that stress has become one of the most common issues in human lives these days, and almost every human is now under the varied impact of stress due to various factors (Monat & Lazaruz, 1991). Experts (Franken, 1994) have specified that different levels of stress influence an individual differently; however, studies have indicated evident impact of stress on neurological , as well as psychological functions of individuals. In addition, stress has nowadays not remained a disease but a normal aspect of humans where every individual confronts and reacts to it in a diverse manner. Literature review has identified the Biopsychosocial Model of Stress (Bernard & Krupat, 1994) that has been very imperative in understanding different aspects of stress, and thus, it will be a part of this preliminary literature review. According to this model, stress exists with its three components: â€Å"an external component, an internal component, and the interrelationship between the external and the internal components† (Bernard & Krupat, 1994). Advocates of this model believe that diverse environmental events begins the waves of stress; however, these waves when come in contact with internal component causes a reaction in human body, and the then interrelationship causes different stress levels and diverse impact in individuals (Cannon, 1932). In 1967, psychiatr ists from the University of Washington (Holmes & Rahe, 1967) carried out a study to inquire about the impact of stress on causation of illnesses in humans. For this purpose, approximately five thousand patients participated in the study that enabled the researchers to come to forty-three causes of stress (Holmes & Rahe, 1967). However, experts now believe that the causes have jumped up to more than forty-three due to stressful lives of humans in today’s society. When it comes to law enforcement officers, undoubtedly, they face stressful situations more than any other professionals do due to the very nature of a police officer’s job. It has been observations that law enforcement officers although perform duties according to a schedule like other professions. However, unlike other professions, police officers cannot keep their work aside from their daily routines, and a horde of responsibilities always follows police officers at their homes as well that is one of the maj or causes of higher stress levels in law enforcement officers. One of the major reasons behind higher stress levels is that by becoming a law enforcement officer, the individual not only put his own life in danger but also of his family members and friends that has so far been the most common factors of huge stress levels in

Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program within a Safety Assurance Research Paper

Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program within a Safety Assurance - Research Paper Example In the United States, they called Voluntary Safety Programs. In other words, they are particularly named Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA), Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA), Aviation Safety Action Partnership (ASAP), and Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Programs (VDRP) (Kelloway & Cooper, 2011). The absence of these "voluntary" programs, it would imply that the capacity for a specialist to have a fruitful SMS is restricted in that the reporting society and structure important to help and drive the motors of SMS (Safety Risk Management (SRM) and Safety Assurance (SA)) might not be set up. While these voluntary wellbeing projects are presently basically develop inside the U.s. Air transport industry their development has brought about information sources that, while extremely strong, are not organized to backing the framework wellbeing process that is so imperative for SMS to be fruitful or successful. As of now, the Safety Information being gathered inside the carriers brings about a colossal wellspring of information about the operation and the dangers/perils that are intrinsic inside. The accessibility of this data has become altogether in the previous 10-15 years. This is credited to the enormous endeavors of the business to create, push and secure these projects. The consequence has been an emotional change in mischance and episode anticipation. While it is difficult to demonstrate an immediate connection, the lethal mishap rate decrease in the previous 10 years, and the happenstance of the development and development of the Voluntary Safety Programs cant be released. It was resolved early that the simple some piece of the improvement of these projects was the obtaining of this data (in spite of the fact that any individual who has actualized one of these projects realizes that information securing is not an insignificant interest). What got obvious

The american dream Essay Example for Free

The american dream Essay The American dream, isn’t this what everyone is chasing? Isn’t this why people work so hard and go to extreme lengths just to achieve this â€Å"Dream†? Owning a home, having a family, and basically living care free is the â€Å"dream† that is projected, but is this goal that so many people are told to strive for even obtainable? There is a belief that once this goal is achieve all the troubles will some how fly out the window, but sadly that isn’t true. The American dream itself is nothing easy to gain, and the quest for this dream can tear anybody that isn’t ready apart. Through Jackson’s â€Å"The Residue Years† and Diaz’s â€Å"This Is How You Lose Her†, they were able to show how difficult it is to achieve the â€Å"dream† and how the journey could affect not only the person striving for it but also the people around them. With both of their unique writings styles they are able to let the reader feel connected with the person on a personal level. Champ from â€Å"The Residue Years† and Ramon from â€Å"This Is How You Lose Her† are two characters that are working towards the American dream, but don’t see how everyone around them is affected by their actions. At times chasing a certain dreams can cause a person to neglect the people and situations around them. The odds are already stacked against anyone who is not white, especially when trying to achieve the American dream or should i say White Dream. The problem with a lot of people are they are trying to obtain something that is not for them, for example the American dream is a belief that has been already thought out for everybody, and if this dream isn’t met then a person is considered unsuccessful. Why chase a dream that was only meant for certain people, like Champ said â€Å"You’re right, not everything’s about race. But what if this is? (Jackson 80)†. Champ is trying to reach this goal and keep his family from falling apart while trying to provide for his girlfriend, mothers, and two little brothers by selling the same drugs his mother is hooked on. He wasn’t good enough at basketball to go pro and doesn’t believe furthering his education will give him what he wants. Champ, an African American male, couldn’t play basketball so he sell drugs, fits the stereotype doesn’t it. Ramon on the other hand, a Latino male, been in America for ten years working at a bread factory trying to achieve the American dream with his wife back home and his mistress in the states supporting him. Although Ramon desires a house, but understand that he is already at a disadvantage because of his race, Hes been talking about the house he wants to buy, how hard it is to find one when youre Latino. (Diaz 30). Both characters believe that a house is the answer to their problems and doing everything in their power to get it. This land of opportunity but limits those opportunities to the ones who desire it the most, isn’t that funny? As a reader all you can do is cheer for or hate the decisions these two characters to beat the In this world where there is barely any options or opportunity, at times love is your strength and your weakness. On Both characters journey to the American dream the same people that they have envisioned living the dream with are the same one’s who are holding them back, their loved ones. Ramon and Champ we not trying to prove society wrong, but also the people they loved. Champ feels like he can’t let his family down and he has to do everything in his power to assure that he doesn’t, but as I said for my family for all of us, I cant let this dream defer, wont let it fall apart. (Jackson 281). The same people who Champ is trying to take care of are the ones holding him back, his mother relapsed, his little brother is becoming a problem, and his girlfriend is on his case. Champ also gets robbed at a drug deal gone wrong and even by his so called â€Å"real estate agent†. Champ sees everything he has worked hard for crumbling before his very eyes and it’s all thanks to the family that he wants to save. Ramon on the other hand just wants that house because he believes it’s the gateway to a better life. The woman he is trying to bring into this better life is the same person who doesn’t believe in him, He rubs at his stubble. What if i find the place? You want me to make the decision myself? I dont think it will happen. (Diaz 32). With no one by their sides and their backs against the wall, you just start to feel for these characters. If their loved ones aren’t behind them, then who is? The sad thing about the American dream is not everyone will see it. Ramon hard work paid off, he was able to make his dreams come true, Look, he says holding up the paperwork. Look. He is almost pleading. Im truly happy for him. You did it mi amor. We did it, he says quietly. Now we can begin. Then he puts his head down on the table and cries(Diaz 38). This emotional scene in the book is heartwarming and touching, just to see a hardworking hispanic male have the ability to make his dreams into a reality in American is something that should be applauded. Sadly the same thing can’t be said for Champ. Champ’s hard work and huge heart wasn’t enough,â€Å"He digs into my jeans and lifts the sack into view, my work rocked up and wrapped in clear plastic. They toss up cuffed into their hard back seats and boom the door shut(Jackson 340). Despite everything he tried to do for his family, at the end the person who he was trying to save is the main reason he got arrested. Champ was part a business he didn’t belong in because he wanted the better life for his family, he selling drugs so that he could provide for his loved ones ,not keep the money. Champ may have been a criminal in some peoples eyes but would you label someone who just trying to provide a criminal? Sometimes you make it or you go down trying and sadly, the guy that everyone was counting on couldn’t come through. Through both Jackson’s and Diaz’s works they were able to show how difficult chasing the american dreams can be, and make the reader feel for the characters and what they’re going through; and also how hard times can get when trying to pursuit ones true happiest. After reading both stories the question that was left to be answered is, do the ends justify the means?

Employment Letter :: essays research papers

Employment Letter To Whom It May Concern On the light of your announcement at the AUB careers and placement office I read with interest your Ad for the position of Sr Store Supervisor. I am applying for the position as I believe it offers challenges and responsibilities and as I believe it matches my qualifications and my education on professional basis. I am an undergraduate of the American University of Beirut majoring in Business Administration. I will earn my degree in June 2004 and currently seeking an acceptable position that allows me to develop and explore my skills, furthermore to learn and excel in my position in the right direction.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout my years of education at the American University of Beirut, I have participated in several projects (mainly Strategic Management and Marketing) and I went through the condensed educational environment of AUB which pushed me to work through several teams, moreover, to experience their value and to become an active team player. In addition to that, I learned to apply my theoretical skills into practical functional ideas which contributed in broadening my creativity and developing my analytical, conceptual and organizational skills. I also learned how to manage my time and finish on due dates which enabled me to deal with stressful situations and develop my sense of responsibility. Besides that, the multicultural aspect that represents AUB exposed me to different backgrounds and cultures which entitles me to cope and integrate with a large cultural and educational base especially with my linguistic capabilities(fluent in English, French and Arabic). In addition to that, through my internship assignment and especially throughout my interactions with employees and customers, I’ve been given the opportunity to strengthen my confidence in my interrelation personal skills and my capabilities and to learn more about customer’s behaviors and expectations and new â€Å"group work† issues, which also affected my motivation level. Employment Letter :: essays research papers Employment Letter To Whom It May Concern On the light of your announcement at the AUB careers and placement office I read with interest your Ad for the position of Sr Store Supervisor. I am applying for the position as I believe it offers challenges and responsibilities and as I believe it matches my qualifications and my education on professional basis. I am an undergraduate of the American University of Beirut majoring in Business Administration. I will earn my degree in June 2004 and currently seeking an acceptable position that allows me to develop and explore my skills, furthermore to learn and excel in my position in the right direction.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout my years of education at the American University of Beirut, I have participated in several projects (mainly Strategic Management and Marketing) and I went through the condensed educational environment of AUB which pushed me to work through several teams, moreover, to experience their value and to become an active team player. In addition to that, I learned to apply my theoretical skills into practical functional ideas which contributed in broadening my creativity and developing my analytical, conceptual and organizational skills. I also learned how to manage my time and finish on due dates which enabled me to deal with stressful situations and develop my sense of responsibility. Besides that, the multicultural aspect that represents AUB exposed me to different backgrounds and cultures which entitles me to cope and integrate with a large cultural and educational base especially with my linguistic capabilities(fluent in English, French and Arabic). In addition to that, through my internship assignment and especially throughout my interactions with employees and customers, I’ve been given the opportunity to strengthen my confidence in my interrelation personal skills and my capabilities and to learn more about customer’s behaviors and expectations and new â€Å"group work† issues, which also affected my motivation level.

Gender-Related Issues Essay

Many people think that the difference between gender and sexuality reflect innate differences between men and women. I believed however, that these two concepts are more a creation of society than biology. To begin, I shall discuss the key concepts of sexuality and gender. The failure to define basic terms precisely has created much of the confusion over the concepts of gender and sexuality. Hence, we must establish a clear meaning for each term. From birth until death, human feelings, thoughts, and actions reflect social definitions of the sexes. Children quickly learn that their society defines females and males as different kinds of human beings and, by about the age of three or four, they begin to apply gender standards to themselves (Kohlberg cited in Lengermann & Wallace, 2005). Sociologists define gender as the significance a society attaches to biological categories of female and male which we often refer as sex (Weeks,2006). Thus, sex is a biological distinction that develops prior to birth while gender are the human traits linked by culture to each sex that guides how females and males think about themselves, how they interact with others, and what positions they occupy in society as a whole. Hence, gender is not synonymous with sex; as â€Å"scholars use the word sex to refer to attributes of men and women created by their biological characteristics and gender to refer to the distinctive qualities of men and women (or masculinity and femininity) that are culturally created† (Epstein, 1998). Sexuality on the other hand, covers gender identity, sexual orientation, and actual practices, as well as one’s acceptance of these aspects of one’s personality, which may be more important than their specifics (Beasley, 2005). By gender identity we mean â€Å"an individual’s own feeling of whether she or he is a woman or a man, or a girl or a boy† (Kessler and McKenna, 1998). Sexual orientation is the manner in which people experience sexual arousal and achieve sexual pleasure. For most living things, sexuality is biologically programmed. In humans, however, sexual orientation is bound up in the complex web of cultural attitudes and rules. A well known psychologist, Sigmund Freud (1985) assumed that â€Å"biology is destiny† and that children learn their gender by observing whether they have a penis or a vagina. But modern science has shown that the situation is somewhat more complicated. The development of gender identity occurs during a critical period of every child’s socialization. There is a time before which the child is too young to have a gender identity and after which â€Å"whatever gender identity has developed cannot be changed† (Kessler and McKenna, 2002). Most of the evidence in support of this conclusion comes from studies of children who were assigned to the wrong gender in infancy. In all cases in which adults attempt to change the child’s gender identity after the age of three, â€Å"the individual either retains her/his original gender identity or becomes extremely confused and ambivalent† (Kimmel, 2000). Gender and sexuality guides how females and males think about themselves. It is evident throughout the social world, shaping how we think about ourselves, guiding our interaction with others, and influencing our work and family life (Adams, & Savran, 2002). Gender is at work in our society’s expectations for us as well as our aspirations for ourselves. Different and unequal sex roles have long been a part of Western culture. In the United States and most other western countries, social positions involving leadership, power, decision making, and interacting with the larger world have traditionally gone to men. Positions centering around dependency, family concerns, child care, and self-adornment have traditionally gone to women. Further, these unequal sex roles mean that men and women are expected to behave differently in a number of situations (Lorber, 2000). Gender and sexuality deals not only with difference but also with power. Gender and sexuality affects who makes decisions in families as well as in politics, it shapes patterns of income, and it influences who gains opportunities in the workplace. Like class, race, and ethnicity, therefore, gender and sexuality is a major dimension of social inequality (Lorber, 2000). This inequality, which has historically favored males, is no simple matter of biological differences between the two sexes. Males and females do differ biologically, of course, but these variations are complex and inconsistent. Nevertheless, the deeply rooted cultural notion of male superiority may seem so natural that we assume it is the inevitable consequence of sex itself. Hence, many societies have yet to fully eliminate either distinct sex roles or gender inequality. Thus, as was stated earlier, gender roles, as they exist in the United Kingdom and many other nations, are not just different; they are also unequal. Whether you consider power, income, occupational status, research, and even access to health and quality of health care, men in the United Kingdom are an advantaged group compared to women People may assume that gender and sexuality simply reflects biological differences between females and males. But there is no â€Å"superior sex. † Beyond the primary and secondary sex characteristics, men have more muscle in the arms and shoulders, and the average man can lift more weight than the average woman can. Furthermore, the typical man has greater strength over short periods of time. Yet, women do better than men in some tests of long-term endurance because they can draw on the energy derived from grater body fat. Women also outperform men in life itself as the average life expectancy for males is 72. years, while females can expect to live 79. 0 years (Alsop, Fitzsimons & Lennon, 2002). Moreover, researchers have found that adolescent males exhibit greater mathematical ability, while adolescent females outperform males in verbal skills. But there is no difference in overall intelligence between females and males (Maccoby & Jacklin, 1994; Baker et al. , 1990; Lengermann & Wallace, 2005). When scholars ask why people are treated differently because of their gender or sexuality, biological explanations often come up first. To a causal observer it seems obvious that men are stronger than women and are less tied to the home because they do not bear children. We need only to accept this simple biological truth to understand why societies assign different roles to women (Beasley,1999). Thus, sociologist Desmond Morris (1986) argued that gender and sexuality developed early in human evolution, when apes began hunting. â€Å"The females were busy rearing the young to be able too play major roles in chasing and catching prey,† he wrote. They maintained the home base, where the young were reared and the gains of the hunt shared. Once this division of labor was established, it was maintained throughout human evolution. These biological arguments often anger sociologists, who, as noted earlier, have found that gender and sexuality are culturally conditioned rather than biologically determined. For example, the British sociologist Ann Oakley (1994) contends that attempts to explain gender stratification on the basis of analogies to nonhuman societies are fallacious. Worse still, they are used to justify a view of women in which their confinement to domestic roles is validated by â€Å"an image of Mrs.  Pregnant-or- Nursing Ape, waiting gratefully with a cooking pot in her hand for the return of Mr. Hunting Ape with this spoil. Mr. Hunting Ape then kept the home fires burning,† just as women are expected or encouraged to do today, long after such a division of roles has ceased to be necessary. In a thorough review of both biological and sociological evidence on differences between the sexes, neurophysiologist Ruth Bleier (1994) evaluated research on the question of whether women’s hormones establish brain functions that make them more emotional than men, or more intuitive, or less aggressive, or less skilled at mathematics. Even though many biologists and some sociologists suggest that there are clear differences between the sexes in these traits. Bleier found that â€Å"whatever characteristic is being measured, the range of variation is far greater among males or among females than between the two sexes. † For example, the difference between tennis champion Martina Navratilova and the average woman playing tennis at the country club is much greater than the difference between most male and female tennis players. Biologically, then, females and males have limited differences, with neither sex naturally superior. Nevertheless, the deep-rooted cultural notion of male superiority may seem so natural that we assume it proceeds inevitably from sex itself. But society, much more than biology is at work here, as the global variability of gender attests. Neurophysiologists and other medical researchers often draw sociological conclusions from their findings. They begin by seeking evidence to challenge or support biological hypotheses and end by pointing to such factors as culture, role behavior, and socialization as the most persuasive explanations for gender and sexuality differences. Further, researchers investigating the roots of gender and sexuality were drawn to collective settlements in Israel called kibbutzim. The kibbutz (the singular form) is important for gender and sexuality research because its members historically have embraced social equality, with men and women sharing in both work and decision making. There, people have deliberately organized themselves to give females and males comparable social standing. In the kibbutz, both sexes perform a range of work including child care, building repair, cooking, and cleaning. Boys and girls are raised in the same way and, from the first weeks of life, live in dormitories under the care of specially trained personnel. To members of kibbutzim, then, gender and sexuality is defined as irrelevant to much of everyday life. But here, again, we find reason for caution about completely discounting any biological forces. Some observers note that women in the kibbutzim have resisted spending much of the day away from their own children; more generally, many of these collections have returned to more traditional social roles over the years. But even if this is so-and this research has its critics-the kibbutzim certainly stand as evidence of wide cultural latitude in defining what is feminine and masculine. They also exemplify how, through conscious efforts, a society can pursue sexual equality just as it can encourage the domination of one sex by the other. Hence, sociologists wonder if subtle but persistent biological dispositions may undermine efforts at gender equality (Tiger & Shepher, 2005). Even if this were so, the kibbutzim clearly show that cultures have wide latitude in defining what is feminine and masculine. They also exemplify how, through conscious efforts, a society can promote sexual equality. Another way to determine whether gender and sexuality reflect social constructs or biological givens is to take a global view of how the two sexes interact in many societies. To the extent that gender reflects the biological facts of sex, the human traits defined as feminine and masculine should be the same everywhere; to the extent that gender is cultural, these conceptions should vary (Brod & Kaufman, 2004). The best-known research of this kind is a classic study of gender in three societies of New Guinea by anthropologist Margaret Mead. Trekking high into the mountains of New Guinea, Mead observed men and women of the Arapesh, with remarkably similar attitudes and behavior. Both sexes, she reported, were cooperative and sensitive to others – in short, what our culture would term â€Å"feminine. † Moving south, Mead then studied the Mundugumor, who found females and males to be alike; however, the Mundugumor culture of head hunting and cannibalism stood in striking contrasts to the gentle ways of the Arapesh. Both sexes were typically selfish and aggressive, traits we define as more â€Å"masculine. † Finally, traveling west to observe the Tchambuli, Mead discovered a culture that, like our own, defined females and males differently. Yet the Tchambuli reversed many of our notions of gender, raising females to be dominant and rational, while males were taught to be submissive, emotional, and nurturing toward children. From this comparison , Mead concluded, first , that culture determines the extent to which the sexes differ and, second , what one culture defines as masculine may be considered feminine by the other . Further she noted that societies can exaggerate or minimize social distinctions based on sex. Meads research, therefore, supports the conclusion that gender is a variable creation of society.

Agricultural Tools Essay

Farmers in Medieval times did not have tractors or farm machines as we do today. All that a farmer needed was a horse or ox, a wife and a plough. The mould-board plough was invented after the fall of the Roman empire by Slavic tribes. This complicated device was made out of metal and wood. The design allowed six or more oxen to pull the plough which was used to break up ground, or heavy, clay burdened soils. The second invention was the horse collar. The old horse tackle was useless because an animal could not use its full strength. The new horse collar did allow horses to use their full strength when pulling a plough, or heavy loads. This created a big increase in the horse population, as the horse was more versatile a beast of burden than the ox. In later years people discovered the 3 field system from trial and error. The 3 field system was the system where a field was left fallow for a couple of years, depending on the quality of the soil, while two other fields were planted with crops. Farmers would then rotate fields leaving a different field fallow so that it could rebuild its fertility.

As and Than To Introduce Elliptical Clauses

As and Than To Introduce Elliptical Clauses As and Than To Introduce Elliptical Clauses As and Than To Introduce Elliptical Clauses By Maeve Maddox A reader questions my use of the subject pronoun I to follow the conjunction as in a recent post. I wrote â€Å"not so sanguine as I.† The reader suggests that I should have written â€Å"not so sanguine as me.† When the word as functions as a preposition, it can be followed by me: I went to the costume party as my sister, and she went as me. In the sentence with sanguine, however, as functions as a conjunction. The subject form I is the correct choice because I is the subject of the elliptical clause introduced by as. An â€Å"elliptical clause† has some of its parts understood but not stated. Sometimes the part left out of the elliptical clause is the verb and its complement: You are smarter than I. Expanded meaning: You are smarter than I am smart. George has been teaching June how to golf. Now she is as good as he. Expanded meaning: Now she is as good as he is good. Sometimes the understood part of the clause includes an extension of the verb that contains a prepositional phrase. When that’s the case, an object form may be the correct choice to follow as or than. The choice depends upon the meaning to be understood. These examples from The Chicago Manual of Style illustrate the way pronoun choice alters meaning when than introduces an elliptical clause: My sister looks more like my father than I. Expanded meaning: My sister looks more like my father than I look like my father. My sister looks more like my father than me. Expanded meaning: My sister looks more like my father than she looks like me. When as and than are used to introduce an elliptical clause, the choice of pronoun form is governed by its function in what is understood but not stated in the elliptical clause. Related post: Taller Than He Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases50 Idioms About Fruits and Vegetables45 Idioms About the Number One

Women in Shakespeares Richard III

Women in Shakespeares Richard III In his play, Richard III, Shakespeare draws on historical facts about several historical women to tell his story. Their emotional reactions reinforce that Richard the villain is the logical conclusion of many years of intrafamily conflict and family politics. The Wars of the Roses were about two branches of the Plantagenet family and a few other closely-related families fighting each other, often to the death. In the Play These women have lost husbands, sons, fathers, or will by the end of the play. Most have been pawns in the marriage game, but nearly all of them who are depicted have had some direct influence on the politics. Margaret (Margaret of Anjou) led armies. Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth Woodville) promoted her own familys fortunes, making her responsible for the enmity she earned. The Duchess of York (Cecily Neville) and her brother (Warwick, the Kingmaker) were angry enough when Elizabeth married Edward that Warwick changed his support to Henry VI, and the Duchess left court and had little contact with her son, Edward, before his death. Anne Nevilles marriages linked her first with the Lancastrian heir apparent and then with a Yorkist heir. Even little Elizabeth (Elizabeth of York) by her very existence holds power: once her brothers, the Princes in the Tower, are dispatched, the king who marries her has locked up a tighter claim on the crown, though Richard has declared Elizabeth Woodvilles marriage to Edward IV invalid and therefore Elizabeth of York illegitimate. Is History More Interesting Than the Play? But the histories of these women are much more interesting than even the stories that Shakespeare tells. Richard III is in many ways a propaganda piece, justifying the takeover by the Tudor/Stuart dynasty, still in power in Shakespeares England, and at the same time pointing out the dangers of fighting among the royal family. So Shakespeare compresses time, attributes motivations, depicts as facts some incidents that are matters of pure speculation, and exaggerates events and characterizations. Anne Neville Probably the most changed life story is that of Anne Neville. In Shakespeares drama she appears at the beginning at the funeral of her father-in-law (and Margaret of Anjous husband), Henry VI, shortly after her own husband, the Prince of Wales, has also been killed in a battle with Edwards forces. That would be the year 1471 in actual history. Historically, Anne marries Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the next year. They had a son, who was alive in 1483 when Edward IV died suddenly an death Shakespeare has follow quickly on Richards seduction of Anne, and has precede, rather than follow, her marriage to him. Richard and Annes son would be too difficult to explain in his changed timeline, so the son disappears in Shakespeares story. Margaret of Anjou Then theres Margaret of Anjous story: historically, she was actually already dead when Edward IV died. She had been imprisoned right after her husband and son were killed, and after that imprisonment was not at the English court to curse anyone. She was actually then ransomed by the King of France; she ended her life in France, in poverty. Cecily Neville The Duchess of York, Cecily Neville, not only wasnt the first to identify Richard as a villain, she probably worked with him to gain the throne. Wheres Margaret Beaufort? Why did Shakespeare leave out a very important woman,  Margaret Beaufort?  Henry VIIs mother spent most of Richard IIIs reign organizing opposition to Richard.  She was under house arrest for much of Richards reign, as a result of an early rebellion.  But perhaps Shakespeare didnt think it politic to remind the audience of the very important role of a woman in bringing the Tudors to power?

Effectiveness of Business Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Effectiveness of Business Communication - Essay Example Planning a business message is the first step in ensuring that the organization’s goals and objectives are achieved. Prior planning prevents failure and, therefore, planning before- hand the intended purpose of the business message is very helpful (Courtland & Thill, 2008). To ensure that one gets the right message across, research has to be done or carried out. This is with the intention of finding out if the organization is capable of carrying out or handling the intended message. If members of the organization agree with the intended message, it is okay to carry on. If the intended message does not augur well with some of the members of the organization, it is important that whoever is in charge goes back to the drawing board to re-evaluate the proposal. When the research is being carried out, the intended audience should have a say in the matter. This is to prevent little or no satisfaction from members of the group after the message has been put across. After the intended message’s information has been analysed and gathered, it is tantamount that it, the information, be organized orderly (Courtland & Thill, 2008). This is so that it may support the intended message completely. The next stage is the writing stage. This is where the information being planned is adapted. It should be adapted to the intended audience with consideration to their needs (Courtland & Thill, 2007). Communicating to the audience in a polite manner is the best way to go about this. Adopting a ‘don’t care’ mentality is not how to go about this because the audience may not be responsive. The message should be written in a manner that suggests or oozes positivity because the intended audience is much connected to the business as much as the person writing the message. It should also be unbiased. This suggests that the language used to communicate the message should not be for a specific group of people rather, should cover everyone in the organization. The use of a good tone when writing the message is also needed. Good tone use in a message could indicate that the writer is appreciative of the audience intended. If the tone comes off as being harsh, the audience mi ght think they are unappreciated and, therefore, may not be as productive as they ought to be (Courtland & Thill, 2007). Feeling appreciated in any job description means that one may consider putting in extra effort just to be acknowledged. This means that the organization may benefit tremendously from the extra and hard work. The words chosen when drafting a business message could also be very helpful in communication. Strong and positive words may help the message have a very strong impact and can come off as being coherent (Courtland & Thill, 2007). Addressing the audience in a manner to suggest that they are slow may take the seriousness out of the message. They may also not take it very lightly to the fact that they are being thought of as being slow. The completion of the message is the third, final stage. This stage involves other

Your values or expectations in life- how do you measure sucess Essay

Your values or expectations in life- how do you measure sucess Happiness fulfillment - Essay Example He was not sure what they did with their money, but he was reasonably sure it at least consisted of all night video gaming, unlimited ice cream and pizza, and a carnival in your backyard. As he progressed through life and my expectations changed he began to define success as social acceptance and respect. As a student one’s concerns are not always directly focused on subsistence, so success became tied to popularity. The most successful people were clearly those who had all the parties, had attractive boyfriends and girlfriends, and sat at the right lunch tables. Today he looks back at this adolescent phase and consider that while his understanding of success was widely shared, he cannot help but feel it was rooted in an illusionary understanding of reality and what is important in life. Today he defines success much differently. Rather than viewing success in terms of other people, he understands success as a matter of personal meaning and social contribution. He think that i t iss important that human beings live their lives with purpose. Too often people are caught seeking acceptance from others and personal wealth as they believe these things constitute success and personal happiness, when in actuality they are a mirage. True success is living life to one’s full potential in ways that contribute to the world in positive ways. For him, this means seeking out and sharing new and interesting ideas, living with a social conscience, and a sense of morality. He iss not a stoic, and he believes life is full of enjoyment, but he believes if we are to achieve a lasting sense of accomplishment it must come from a personally defined sense of meaning and purpose. This is the true definition of success. For him happiness was a complicated issue that he came to understand throughout his life experience. He believes that happiness begins with achieving success. Having defined success, it follows that one must

Trinity Church, Boston Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Trinity Church, Boston - Essay Example The construction of the church was ordered by Rector Phillips Brooks who was in charge of the parish. The original church burned down in the Great Boston Fire of 1872, which prompted Brooks to seek a designer for a brand new church. He is the one who influenced the commissioning of Richardson, an emerging reputable architect at the time. Richardson himself was not widely known before this particular project that was to change his reputation forever, for the better. The building came up at a time when the neo-classical architecture had emerged strongly in the post Baroque era. The Baroque era traced back to the Council of Trent of 1545 emerged out of a counter reformation in the Catholic Church against the Protestant movement at the time. It coincided with the emergence of wealth and power in the Catholic Church and colonial Europe. It was therefore an expression of the pride, opulence and power of the state and church of the era. It replaced the classical era, which insisted on funct ional forms and simple order of symmetry in structures. The Baroque era tended to achieve structural unity in its own seemingly asymmetrical way. In addition, it emphasized structure that appealed deeply to the emotions; something that classical architecture had frowned at.Subsequently, the emergence of the neo-classical era was therefore a kind of restoration of the old classical forms with the requisite improvisations adopted from other forms, including Baroque. The movement came out strongly in the mid to late 18th century.

Peter Paul Rubens Essay Example for Free

Peter Paul Rubens Essay Peter Paul Rubens is viewed in our time as one of the Masters of his period in art. Living in the 1600’s he was vastly influenced by the Baroque ideals of art and culture. He is considered by some to have blended the work from the Renaissance and Early Baroque into one of the first truly European styles of painting. His style is considered to be an exaggerated Baroque style with large amounts of emphasis on color, sensuality, and movement. Subjects in Rubens paintings are commonly shown in dynamic postures with facial expressions full of emotion and expressive movement. Rubens was born in Siegen, Westphalia on the 28th of June in 1577. He was the sixth child of his parents Jan Rubens, his father, and Maria Pypelincks, his mother. This came after quite the political scandal his family had just begun to move on from. Previous to Peter’s birth, Jan Rubens had been imprisoned for an affair with Anna of Saxony, the second wife of William of Orange. When Peter was one year old, his family moved back to Cologne from where they had fled before his birth. They had been forced to leave during the rule of the Spanish Netherlands by the Duke of Alba due to the persecution of Calvinist’s at the time. Peter’s father was a lawyer, and noticing Peter’s intelligence saw to it that he received a Classical education. After the death of Jan Ruben’s, Maria took her family back to a small property she owned in Antwerp in 1567. When Rubens was 13, his family’s last wealth was used to provide his oldest sister a marriage dowry, and he was sent to be a page under the care of Countess Lalaing. It is thought this is where he received his education in formal manners and conduct. However, after a few months had passed, under Peter’s instigation, he got his mother to apprentice him to a painter. The painter he was apprenticed to was named Tobias Verhaeght. This is essentially where Peter Paul Rubens art career began. Later he studied under two of Antwerps most prominent painters at that time, Adam van Noort and Ot to van Veen, both of which were mannerists. A large amount of Rubens early training consisted mostly of woodcuts and engravings of earlier artists works. Peter completed his training in 1598 and entered into the Guild of St. Luke as an independent master. After this Peter Paul Rubens then traveled to Italy, first stopping in Venice. There he was able to study paintings by some of the Renaissance masters such as Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto. It is thought that the compositions and coloring used by these masters had an immediate effect on Rubens painting  style. Of these, it seems Titians influence shows the strongest in Rubens later, mature style. He then continued on to settle for a time in Mantua at the court of duke Vincenzo I of Gonzaga. Supported Financially by the duke, Rubens traveled to Rome in 1601. While there he was able to study Greek and Roman art and also copy works from the Italian masters. After spending about eight years in Italy, Peter Paul Rubens made his way back to Antwerp upon hearing of his mother b eing ill. He did not however make it to Antwerp in time and his mother had passed away upon his arrival. In September of 1609, Rubens was appointed to court painter by Albert and Isabella, governors of the Low Countries. He was also allowed special permission to have his art studio based out of Antwerp, instead of at the court which was located in Brussels. He was also given authorization to continue to work for other clients outside the court. Following his appointment as court painter, Rubens also married his first wife Isabella Brant, daughter of a prominent family in Antwerp. In 1610 he moved into a new studio and house designed by himself. This Italian-influenced villa in the center of Antwerp contained his workshop, personal art collection, and library, and is now referred to as the Rubenshuis museum. It was this workshop in which Rubens produced the majority of his now famous paintings such as Prometheus Bound, The Raising of the Cross, and The Descent from the Cross. Along with producing many paintings during this time, Rubens was also involved in the creation of prints and book title pages which further extended his fame throughout Europe. Copyrights for these prints were established in countries such as Holland, England, France, and Spain. In 1621, Peter Paul Rubens recieved another major commission in his art career from Marie de Medici, queen of France. She requested two allegorical cycles in commemoration of her and her late husband, Henry IV, for the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. The Marie de Medici cycle was completed and installed in 1625. The second series was never completed as Marie was exiled from France in 1630. Between 1625 and 1630 Rubens was also involved in diplomatic attempts to bring peace between the United Provinces and the Spanish Netherlands. For this he was knighted by Philip IV of Spain, and also by Charles I of England. Cambridge University also awarded Rubens an honorary Master of Arts degree in 1629. In the last years of Rubens life he continued to be a successful and popular artist, with more requests for work than he had time. He married 16  year old Helene Fourment four years after the death of his first wife. Helene is thought to be the inspiration for works such as The Feast of Venus, The Judgement of Paris, and The Three Graces. Rubens ended up fathering eight children in total between his two wives and passed away from gout on May 30, 1640. I think probably ranking as the most or one of the most important works produced by Peter Paul Rubins would have to be the painting The Raising of the Cross. From my reading it seems to be the most universally appreciated of Rubens works. Also, due to it being one of his earlier paintings, it seems that this painting served in fully showing Rubens potential as an artist and contributed to the attention he recieved in later commissions such as the Marie de Medici cycle. In The Raising of the Cross, the main emotion or feeling that comes to my mind is struggle. We have discussed in this class how diagonal lines convey movement in a composition and this painting is full of them. From the cross itself, to the bodies of the figures, and even the tree in the background, all show varying levels of diagonal lines. The diagonals seem to conflict each other in the painting which I believe is one of the primary elements conveying this feeling of a struggle. The balance in The Raising of the Cross seems to be asymmetrical which I feel adds to the emotion in the painting. The coloring in this work is set in such a way to highlight the figures involved in the depiction by showing large amounts of bare skin using lighter flesh colored tones against the dark background of the ground and especially in the shaded tree in the top right. Jesus, who is the central figure in this painting, is the most bare skinned and also the lightest figure in the scene which draws the eyes attention. I also notice that the bottom right of the painting is light while diagonally to the upper left is very dark. I think this is another way Rubens creates movement in this piece and draws the viewers eye across the scene. Also of note in this piece is the repetition of strain and tension shown in the figures poses, muscles, and faces. Strain and tension can also be felt in the angle of the cross itself across the painting as well as the rope pulled taught in the effort. In the end Peter Paul Rubens life exemplifies an almost fairy tale like quality for the dreams of an artist. He was successful from a young age all the way up until his death and was revered as a great artist from a relatively early point in his art career. His life was highly productive, and not defined by any major  hardship or life tragedy as some other artists. We consider Rubens as a prolific painter, and through himself and his workshop, he produced multiple hundreds of pieces or art, many of which remain today and are highly acclaimed.

Science :: essays research papers

The research gives a glimpse of the possibilities for training animals by sending cues and rewards directly to their brains, says Sanjiv Talwar of the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. In the May 2 Nature, he and his colleagues predict their accomplishment could inspire novel approaches to land mine detection or search-and-rescue missions. The project grew out of research to develop new types of prostheses for paralyzed people that will use electric impulses sent directly to and from the brain. In 1999, coauthor John Chapin and his colleagues at the medical center demonstrated that signals from a rat's brain could move a robotic arm. Talwar says that the January 2001 earthquake in Bhuj, India, and the September terrorist attacks inspired the researchers to use elements of their prosthesis work to create remote-control rats that might eventually navigate in collapsed buildings. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funds the research. The team fitted five rats with electrodes in their brains and backpacks containing electronics. For cues, the researchers sent electric signals to brain regions that process impulses from whiskers. For rewards, the researchers stimulated a pleasure center known as the medial forebrain bundle. The researchers put each rat in a maze and, as the animal approached a turning point, stimulated its brain to mimic a whisker touch on one side. When a rat turned in the direction of the virtual touch, the researchers buzzed the brain's pleasure center. These signals to the pleasure center seemed to spur a rat to go forward, even when the path required climbing steps or hopping off a ledge. "He learns, 'If I keep moving, I feel these bursts of transcendental happiness,'" Talwar says. "The rats figure it out in 5 or 10 minutes." The researchers explored the capabilities of this system by steering the rats over a jumble of concrete, across a brightly lit arena that rats would normally avoid, and even up a tree. The rats move far more nimbly than robots can, says Talwar. The team envisions rescue animals sending back signals that indicate they've reached their goal. Robin Murphy, who develops search-and-rescue robots at the University of South Florida in Tampa, says that the wired rat may be useful in experiments, but "it does not appear to be appropriate for search and rescue." Murphy cautions that many practical questions remain, such as how people could guide a rat when it's out of sight and whether virtual rewards can keep it on task amidst distractions.

Database Management System and Data

Chapter 11: ReviewQuestion: 1. Explain the main differences between a file processing system and a database system ANS: Some main differences between a database management system and a file processing system are:Both systems contain a collection of data and a set of programs which access that data. A DBMS coordinates both the physical and the logical access to the data, whereas a file-processing system coordinates only the physical access. A DBMS reduces the amount of data duplication by ensuring that a physical piece of data is available to all programs authorized to have access to it, whereas data written by one program in a file-processing system may not be readable by another program.A DBMS is designed to allow flexible access to data (i. e. , queries), whereas a file-processing system is designed to allow pre-determined access to data (i. e. , compiled programs).A DBMS is designed to coordinate multiple users accessing the same data at the same time.A file-processing system is u sually designed to allow one or more programs to access different data files at the same time. In a file-processing system, a file can be accessed by two programs concurrently only if both programs have read-only access to the file.Discussion Topic:2. Suggest three typical business situations where referential integrity avoids data problems. ANS:In an inventory order system, you don't want an order to be deleted if there are inventory order items, or those items will be orphaned. If you are assigning customers to a salesperson, referential integrity would make sure that a customer wasn't assigned to a salesperson that doesn't exist.Payments in an accounting system should only be applied to an account, and if that account number changes, you want entries on that account to be updated as well.Project: 1. Search the Internet to find information about data storage formats. Also do the research on international date formats. Determine whether the date formats used in the United States is the most common format. ANS: According to my research on the Programmers website, I think that we have many different ways to store a program data: plain text which the application has small size of simply structured data, and data are not modified concurrently by multiple users. XML is small size of structured data that are not modified concurrently or frequently. Database which is large structured data or concurrent access is needed. Need for querying and search is a must in the application. Binary data use for streaming objects. Zipping is compression that may be added as another process for any of the above except databases on servers. The international format defined by ISO (ISO 8601) tries to address all these problems by defining a numerical date system as follows: YYYY-MM-DD where * YYYY is the year [all the digits, i. e. 2012] * MM is the month [01 (January) to 12 (December)] * DD is the day [01 to 31] For example, â€Å"3rd of April 2002†, in this international format is written: 2002-04-03 In the United States, dates are traditionally written in the â€Å"month day, year† order. This is the most common format because it used in both traditional numeric date. This date format was commonly used alongside the small endian form in the United Kingdom until the early 20th Century and can be found in both defunct and modern print media such as the London Gazette and The Times, respectively.

Poetry: Its Universal Appeal and Merits Essay

Poetry was born out of the basic human desire to communicate; not only meaning but feelings. The reading of poetry is a matter of both: pleasure as well as enlightenment. It serves as one’s escape from the dullness, drudgery, and oppressive influences of life. Poetry appeals to our sense of beauty, thus giving us aesthetic pleasure. Thus, it is capable of evoking a range of different emotions; laughter, tears, sighs, nostalgia, etc. , in its audience. At the general and universal level, poetry recollects the actual experiences of mankind – joys, sorrows, misfortunes, love, hatred, etc. It is hard usually to distinguish among these complex emotions. However, poetic interpretation helps us distil these complex emotions. When it comes to interpretation, a poem can be seen in many ways: simply as an aesthetic object, a work of art to look at and be entertained by, or a new way of looking at the ordinary things. Or we may consider the poem to be a ‘new experience’. Poetry is all this and more. What I personally like about poetry is how it liberates the mind, opening my eyes to newer possibilities and meanings. It gives a broadness and richness to my life, perceptions, and imagination. Its study and appreciation is important because it enlarges one’s vision of life and broadens one’s sympathies and spectrum. Initially, a poem may look hard to crack through, but I have learnt that understanding a poem is a matter of time, and it requires patience, a certain frame of mind, and perspective. As I continue to read and re-read it, different layers of meanings begin to unravel. Thus, there is something new to be discovered every time I read a poem: a new revelation, a new insight, a new appreciation. I cannot help but awe and wonder how poets are able to convey the most extensive, in-depth meaning and images through the fewest words, and weave a web of the most intricate images and symbols. It is this brevity what makes poetry distinct from other genres of literature and forms of knowledge. It is not uncommon for students of Science to look down upon poetry or at least feel baffled by it. I, however, don’t share their sentiments. Poetry definitely stands out in terms of its merit when compared with Science and Prose. It can be said that if prose is the language of reason, poetry is the language of emotions. Similarly, the imaginative and emotional appeal of poetry distinguishes it from Science. Science teaches us knowledge and appeals to our minds. The aim of both is the same i. e. , to arrive at truth. While Science derives from facts and owes nothing to the extra mundane forces; in contrast, poetry seeks to express truth in the most concrete and pictorial form possible – in the form of images or pictures in which meaning can be seen with the mind’s eye. In Science and Mathematics, generality, abstraction, and impartiality are appreciated. But in poetry, particularity and novelty are marvelled at. Unlike Science, poetry operates in the sensory dimension, and thus acts as the third eye. A poet helps us see deeper into the truths of nature and life; and thus, poetry relies a lot on intuition and imagination. It teaches us the knowledge of the human heart, by appealing to our senses. However, in distinguishing poetry’s importance among other disciplines, we must understand that one cannot be substituted for the other. We should remember that although the Romantic Movement was a reaction against Science and reason and propagated the need for emotional intensity, yet others like the Victorians sought for a compromise, a balanced approach. Indeed, poetry seeks to coexist in harmony with other disciplines. I understand that life is complex, and one needs to approach it from all realms of knowledge in order to understand it. Thus, a wholesome approach to life contains a balance between both faculties: the rational as well as the emotional. One major criticism against poetry is that it is art for art’s sake. It is believed that poetry is divorced from real life and the poet is living in an ivory tower in isolation from real life. Some of this criticism is valid when it refers to the escapist form of poetry that it provides an escape to the reader by transporting him/her to an imaginary and seemingly perfect world. However, the appeal of this sort of poetry is momentary and very transient. The enduring form of poetry is one which talks about the universal issues and themes, relevant to all times. This why Shakespeare and others’ poetry have endured the test of time and continue to be revered. When we read poems, we not only have our emotions aroused as we are entrained by the poems, but we also have a chance to have an insight into the poets’ perceptions. A poet doesn’t merely use the poem as a vehicle for expressing his philosophy. He, above all, wants to help us experience things in the way he has experienced them. Hence, we are able to connect with the poet and his vision and the larger microcosm of the universe through that vision. We can also say that poetry is the result of divine inspiration, which doesn’t come easy and to just about every one. Therefore, a poet is a seer, and his method is insight, intuition, and a vision, which enables us to see what we may generally miss. A poet has a rich and vivid imagination; it travels far and wide and gathers exotic images, whether he is describing something farfetched or mundane. The poet chooses to describe the ordinary into the most extraordinary way. Poetry’s novelty lies in giving a new meaning to common place words, thus giving them new associations. Let me elaborate my point of view through examples. For instance, a poet may see the sun sinking and the shadows growing larger. This might remind him of the passage of time and the approaching of death. This common place observance may give him an idea for a poem. As he puts pen to paper, the product of this process would become a poem. Through his unique ideas, experiences, and opinions to a common observance, he gives a fresh perception of the world around us, relates it to and make it part of a larger whole. Thus, the poem begins to have larger and universal implications. Similarly, poetry lets us appreciate the beauty in woods on a snowy evening, and helps us resonate with the common sentiment of finding a moment of peace in an otherwise busy life. Likewise, a mathematician would tell you that one tablespoon equates to near about 25 grams, but only a poet like Eliot would use ‘coffee spoon’ as an appropriate device for measuring Prufrock’s life in his poem ‘The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock’. While other disciplines inform us about facts; it’s only the poets who can seek the connection between two unlikely things and situations. The poet thus makes connections between two unlikely things. For me, lyrical poetry is the most enjoyable form because of its intense emotional and richly imaginative appeal. Literature’s primary purpose is to give us pleasure, and poetry is an embodiment of this sentiment. It is a source of keen delight for me to read the lyrical poetry of Shelly, the sensuous ideas of Keats, the narrative poems of Coleridge and Byron, the sweet and musical verse of Tennyson, the Nature poetry of Wordsworth, and the melancholy mood of Mathew Arnold. All this is a source of solace and peace, wonderment and bafflement. In a volume of poetry, there is something to be read every day, something to suit the pensive mood and vexed mind. The technical elements in a poetic piece, like the syntax, meter, rhyme, rhythm, etc. , make its structure, but ultimately, the metaphors, the imagery, the depth and range of emotions, the expression, the novelty of the subject and the poet’s ingenuity are what give the poetic piece its appeal. Wordsworth (as cited in Davie, 1972) has rightly said: â€Å"Poetry is the first and last of al knowledge – it is as immortal as the heart of man† (p. 9). Hence, one may argue that the best of the poetry is created out of life, belongs to life, and exists for life. A poet constantly ponders on ways to live and live well: in a beautiful and natural way, which happens to be my goal in life too. Work Cited Davie, D. (1973). Thomas Hardy and British poetry. Great Britain: Taylor & Francis.

“Im a huge fan of self-publishing” †By Lit. Agent David Fugate

â€Å"Im a huge fan of self-publishing† - By Lit. Agent David Fugate â€Å"I'm a huge fan of self-publishing† - An interview with literary agent David Fugate You know we like to bring you some of publishing's most forward-thinking voices here on the Reedsy blog. This interview is one we've been meaning to do for a while, so you won't be disappointed†¦Ã‚  David Fugate is the founder of  LaunchBooks  Literary Agency. He had worked as a literary agent for 20 years before setting it up, and  now represents renowned authors such as Andy Weir (author of The Martian), Scott Berkun (previously interviewed on this blog), or Chris Guillebeau.  He has successfully represented a wide range of fiction and nonfiction projects to more than 40 different publishers that have generated in excess of $20 Million for their authors.If you’re still unsure of what an agent can do for you and whether they’re compatible with self-publishing; or if you’re just curious about the current publishing landscape, this is a must-read.Hi David. We’re honored to have you on the Reedsy blog today. You have started your own agency  b ecause "you knew exactly what kind of books you wanted to work on". What's been the biggest challenge in "starting from scratch"?Thanks very much for having me. This August will actually make it 10 years since I founded LaunchBooks and so many incredible things have happened in that time that it almost feels like anything before LaunchBooks was another lifetime at this point.There were plenty of challenges in the beginning, though. When I left my previous agency to found LaunchBooks in 2006, I left with nothing. The way that agency was set up, the authors were technically clients of the agency, not my clients. That meant when I left I had no residual income, no clients, and no guarantee that any of my clients would want to come with me to LaunchBooks.I also left with the plan to radically change my focus from what had predominantly been computer and technology titles to a much broader range of trade nonfiction and eventually fiction. That meant some clients who did want to come with me wouldn't be a fit for what I was trying to do at LaunchBooks, which was as tough personally as it was professionally.The goal was to focus only on projects I found personally compelling. My thinking was that with no one looking over my shoulder at quarterly numbers, I'd take on what I loved and let the chips fall where they may. If it worked, great, and we succeeded together. If it failed, then my author and I both failed working on something we really cared about. "The goal was to focus only on projects I found personally compelling." @LaunchBooks Of course, all of that meant I had to really hit the ground running to find new authors and projects to represent. And since publishing money can be slow money, that meant lighting a lot of money on fire that first year while I started developing projects and getting things going. That part was thrilling, but also scary.Luckily for me, things have worked out better than I could've imagined back then and after what will now be ten years of consecutive growth, my only regret in founding LaunchBooks is that I didn't do it sooner. I really love what I do and I've been fortunate to work with some truly incredible authors.When you first approached Andy Weir about the Martian, he told you he didn't need an agent. What did you do to change his mind?I'd like to say that I made some kind of grand, persuasive argument, but it was simple, really. I told Andy it wouldn't cost him anything to let me give it a shot. I don't make any money until my author gets paid and I made it clear that if he was n't blown away by whatever deal I brought to him, he could pass and continue self-publishing the book. It's hard to beat zero risk and free.I also don't think Andy had a real sense of the kind of deal (and publisher) I was talking about, so when Julian Pavia over at Random House was as excited about the book as I thought he'd be, and when I presented the terms to Andy, he was thrilled to take it. Thankfully, I think everyone is happy that he did (even Matt Damon and Ridley Scott).You have been one of the first agents to embrace self-publishing as a valid publishing option for authors. The first ever author you represented, Ingrid Croce, has actually been successfully self-publishing since she got the rights back to her book. Now, for LaunchBooks you consider proposals from authors who are self-published and are looking for print and/or foreign rights deals?I'm a huge fan of self-publishing (in all its myriad forms) and what it has done for both authors and readers. I think it's amaz ing that it's no longer a question of if your work will be published, but how. I also find it tremendously gratifying to know that if what you're doing is good, you absolutely will have an opportunity to find an audience for it. It just feels like a much more hopeful, positive environment in which to be a writer. In fact, I often tell writers that now is the best time, in the entire history of the written word, to be a writer. "Now is the best time, in the entire history of the written word, to be a writer." @LaunchBooks I even self-published my own book, The Unconventional Guide to Book Publishing. Well, I say self-published, but it was actually published by Chris Guillebeau, who I also represent. So he's both my client and my publisher. How fun is that?Many of the authors I work with - including some of my biggest selling authors - either started out self-publishing, or still self-publish certain works as part of their overall strategy. That includes NYT bestselling authors like Andy Weir, Chris Guillebeau, DJ Molles, and many others.That said, I don't typically look for projects to pick up just for print or foreign rights. I'll, of course, consider anything, as every situation is different, but my focus is finding those authors I can pitch to the major publishers and help take their careers to an entirely different level.A question I often get from authors is whether by self-publishing digitally they kill any chance of the book being really really successful in print later (if picked up by a pub lisher). What's your take on it?Oh, I don't think it does at all. A quick check of Publishers Marketplace shows more than 400 deals in their database for books that were initially self-published, and that trend will only get stronger. And of course, some truly major books - The Martian, included! - started out life as self-published books. Publishers Marketplace shows more than 400 deals for books that were initially self-published. When a self-published book does well, it can not only help your chances of getting the book picked up by a major publisher - if that's what you want - it can also put you in line to receive a much bigger deal than you would have otherwise.Where it can be problematic is if you self-publish a book and it doesn't sell well. At that point there's really not much you can do because publishers' responses will essentially be "The market has spoken." When it comes to self-published books, publishers only bet on success, which makes sense when you think about it. "When it comes to self-published books, publishers only bet on success." @LaunchBooks So my advice for anyone who wants to self-publish first is: do it well. And if you're unsure about whether you want to traditionally publish or self-publish my advice is often to try traditional publishing first. If you approach it the right way, you can figure out very quickly if it will work with a traditional publisher. And if not, you can always self-publish and all you've lost is a little time.However, for anyone who wants to self-publish their book first, the key is to make sure you really go for it. Don't just put it out there and hope that readers will somehow discover it. Have a marketing plan and pursue it with more of an entrepreneurial mindset. That can be difficult for some authors, but given the amount of noise out in the market, if you want to really give your work a chance to do well, you have to do what it takes to let readers know it's out there.When I read your fiction "submissions" section, I personally thought "I'd like to read every fiction work this agent repre sents". I wish you had an email list I could subscribe to. That led me to thinking: don't you think there is currently a lost opportunity for agents in building actual reader-facing brands?I'm not sure about that. I tend to think that any time I'd have to spend working to develop a reader facing brand of my own - and we could be talking about quite a bit of time there - would be better spent working on behalf of my authors. After all, it's not about me. It's about the authors I work with.I even find it a little uncomfortable when people want to congratulate me on books I've worked on, whether it's The $100 Startup, The Martian, The Remaining, The Fold, Ghost in the Wires, or any of the books I've been involved with. I'll often respond with something like, "Thanks, but I didn't write a word of it." "Yea," they'll say, laughing a little, "but you helped make it happen." That's true, but it's also true that none of my authors' books are successful simply because I represented them. T hey're successful because the author wrote a book that readers loved and told others about. And that's the result of the months and sometimes years of hard work their authors poured into them.And just thinking about it at a higher level, does anyone outside of Hollywood know who represents Robert Downey, Jr? What about Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt, or Matthew McConaughey (all awesome, by the way)? People inside publishing might know who represents George R.R. Martin, Stephen King, or Haruki Murakami, but do any readers? I doubt many would and I also think that's the way it should be.As long as I know that having me involved in the project is a net benefit for my authors then I'm happy. Let the authors have recognition from readers. They're the ones who deserve it. "Let the authors have the recognition from readers. They're the ones who deserve it." @LaunchBooks You can visit the LaunchBooks website here, and follow David on Twitter here.Would you agree that "now is the best time to be a writer"? How do you see the role of the agent changing in the next few years? Let us know your thoughts, or any questions for David, in the comments below!