United Utilities Competitor Analysis Essay Example

United Utilities Competitor Analysis Paper Competitor Analysis United Utilities is a British Utility company which owns and operates the water network mainly in the North West of England. It serves around seven million people in England and is considered to be the largest water listed company in the UK. The reason our group considers United Utilities as a major competitor to Severn Trent PLC is the competitiveness of the utility companies in the UK. Although United Utilities does not compete with Severn Trent PLC directly as Severn Trent PLC mainly serves areas around the Midlands of England and also certain regions of Wales. They remain close competitors as both companies strive to expand their market shares in their individual area where they mainly provide water. Both company also remain competitive in other non regulated services in different utility sectors such as waste water management, gas network and electricity sector. By assessing the share price movements between Severn Trent Plc and United Utilities which is shown in the plotted diagram, the movements shows the similarities of both companies throughout the study period. The first clear example would be the sudden increment of share price in between the November and December 2009 period. In this period, both companies share price increased almost at the same date and by the same amount. This is due to the released of sound set of interim financial results by both companies. Both companies recorded an increase of profit before tax which increased by 6% and 9. 8% for United Utilities and Severn Trent Plc respectively. After this period both companies did not show any significant changes in share prices and both companies share price movement remain closely similar till the starting period of February 2010 when both share a similar drop in share prices. We will write a custom essay sample on United Utilities Competitor Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on United Utilities Competitor Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on United Utilities Competitor Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This drop was not a result of any economic event but was due to the adverse weather occurring around UK which caused an increased in leakages and damages to both companies which in turn raises huge financial cost for the Utility industry. Other than these couple of events, both companies share price movement is almost identical. Reference Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia- Severn Trent http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Severn_Trent [Assessed 20/02/10] Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia- United Utilities http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/United_Utilities Assessed 20/02/10] United Utilities- About United Utilities-Where we operate-UK http://www. unitedutilities. com/UK. htm [Assessed 20/02/10] United Utilities- Investors Relations- Financial News- 2009 http://www. unitedutilities. com/financialnews-2009. htm [Assessed 20/02/10] Severn Trent- Investor Centre- Investor tools- Share Price Chart http://www. severn-trent. com/server. php? show=nav. 54 [Assessed 20/02/10] Severn Trent- Investor Centre- Announcements- 2009/2010 http://www. severn-trent. com/server. php? show=nav. 38 [Assessed 20/02/10]

Compare The Barn and An Advancement of Learning Essays

Compare The Barn and An Advancement of Learning Essays Compare The Barn and An Advancement of Learning Paper Compare The Barn and An Advancement of Learning Paper Essay Topic: Poetry Seamus Heaney Poems In the two Seamus Heaney poems, The Barn, and An Advancement of Learning, there are a number of similarities and differences between them. One key similarity is the theme of rats. In, The Barn, the boy explores around and once he walks into a cobweb, he gets a fright and tries to get away into the sunlit yard. The boy has nightmares in the poem and the large, heavy corn sacks are described as, great blind rats, whereas in, An Advancement of Learning, the rats are actually real and they scuttle past in front of his eyes. They are portrayed as arrogant and disgusting. Heaney says, The rats slobbered out of the water, smudging the silence. We begin to imagine revolting beasts all wet and disgusting scurrying about the riverbanks. What is very similar about the two poems is that they are both very autobiographical and recall childhood memories. The Barn, is about Heaneys past experience of the barn and he tells us of all the feelings he felt at the time. In, An Advancement of Learning, Heaney refers to how he used to panic when his grey brothers scraped and fed behind the hencoop in his yard and on ceiling boards above his bed. Both poems link to the childhood phobia, which in this case happens to be rats. Both poems are narrated in the first person. This enhances the poems meaning because it gives a personal insight into how he is feeling at the time. This possibly helped Heaney because hes writing about past experiences. Both poems draw your attention to them in just the first stanza. The Barn, does this by using two similes in the opening sentence whereas, in, An Advancement of Learning, the tone is very calm and gives the implication that the bridge is a cause of anxiety and fear. The understatement is the use of brackets to relate this consistent habit of going the long way round only serves to heighten our curiosity by increasing the sense of ingrained attitude. Heaney is talented at grabbing the readers attention, which makes us want to read on. The poem, An Advancement of Learning, is structured as nine, four-lined stanzas. This is an appropriate structure because as the poem progresses, the attitude towards the rat changes. For example, in the third stanza, the boys attitude towards the rat is, something, then a snubbed rodent, in stanza five. However, by the eighth stanza, a grey brother, has been transformed. The turning point of the poem comes in the central stanza so the poem is, in my opinion, well structured. The poem gradually builds up the tension before the turning point and the stanzas, which fall after the turning point, show the next steps the boy takes in order to overcome his fear of rats. The turning point is, I turned to stare. It is marked by a change in the rhyme scheme. In stanza one, line two and four rhyme and then in stanza two, line one and three rhyme etc. Once the turning point (climax) occurs in stanza five, there becomes no significant rhyme scheme. By using the four-line, nine-stanza structure, the poets use of enjambment proves to be successful and this helps the poem to flow in an effective way. He says, so quickly that, on the end of line four on stanza three and, I turned down the path, on the first line of stanza four. The poem does as the poem says, it moves quickly onto the next stanza. The poem, The Barn, is structured as five, four-lined stanzas. This is an appropriate structure because each stanza progresses further through the barn. The reader gets an insight into Heaneys barn experience step-by-step, or stanza-by-stanza. This gradual build up helps you to feel the kind of atmosphere in the barn. Once again Heaney finds the use of enjambment appropriate to help the poem flow. Heaney says, Then you felt cobwebs clogging up your lungs, on line four, then, and scuttled fast into the sunlit yard, on line one. This is very effective because the poet wishes to change the scene and atmosphere suddenly, so he needed a way in which the two lines could flow together naturally without disrupting the style of the poem. He also uses the word, fast, to add emphasis on the speed or the change of scene. The movement from one place to another in this poem is the definite turning point. It goes from being quite dark in the barn, to the sunlit yard, away from the dank dustiness, to the bright and cheerful place. From there on, the nightmares begin. Although the poem is structured well, I do feel that it sounds slightly incomplete. Heaney ends the poem by saying, the two-lugged sacks moved in like great blind rats. I feel that not all questions have been answered in the poem and I would like to read a further one-line stanza perhaps, to draw the poem to a conclusion. The language in both poems is very descriptive and lots of adjectives are being used. In, An Advancement of Learning, the boy analyses the, tapered tail, raindrop eye and old snout, as though his interest in the rat is no longer imaginative but scientific. In, The Barn, the floor is described as, mouse grey, smooth, chilly concrete. Clearly, Heaneys strength is his use of descriptive language, which creates a vivid image in your mind. As Heaney is gifted with his imagination there are obviously numerous images in both poems. In, The Barn, Heaney uses two similes in the first two lines, these are, lay piled like grit of ivory, and, solid as cement in two-lugged sacks. This paints the image of the corn sacks in your mind as being heavy and old, which have perhaps been there for many years. It seems impossible for them to move. We are then surprised in the closing stanza when the poet says, the two-lugged sacks moved in like great blind rats. It doesnt seem likely that the two corn sacks would be possible to move after we read the first stanza and establish the heaviness of them. We then realise that its actually a nightmare and we can understand why they appear to have been moving. In, The Barn, the roof, gulfed in. Gulfed is an action so how could the roof have gulfed? Well its personification. Heaney gave the roof (object) human characteristics by implying that it has gulfed. The use of this poetic device makes t he poem easier to understand and makes the images Heaney is trying to draw, clearer to see. The imagery used in, An Advancement of Learning, is equally as vivid as in, The Barn. Heaney says, the swans are, dirty-keeled. This suggests that the purity and beauty of the swans are contaminated by the filth of the river. The filth is perhaps informing us that the industrial revolution has had its direct affect on nature. The rivers portrayed as being corrupted with mans waste. This filth-ridden home just happens to be the home of the rats in this poem. This suggests that the poet sees the rats in a negative way. The use of alliteration also proves to be effective. Heaney says, Something slobbered curtly, close, smudging the silence: a rat slimed out of the water. All the words beginning with S are very descriptive and disgusting. Basically these words sum up the poets attitude towards the rats. Heaney uses the word, slimed, which isnt actually a word in the English dictionary; it is the inflected form of the verb slime. The word that he used fully satisfies the situation and I think it adds to the effect of alliteration. The trochaic rhythm of the first line on stanza three heightens the tension: Something slobbered curtly, close. The voice falls forward and heavily stresses the, closeness, of the rat because of the expected, but missing final syllable. In, An Advancement of Learning, Heaney uses the word, hunched, this suggests the tenseness in response to the atmosphere of the riverbank. Heaney also says, well away from the road now, this means that the boy finds himself isolated and, therefore, more vulnerable. This is also the case in, The Barn. The boy is alone in the daunting barn with just the sheer intension or exploration to comfort him. In, An Advancement of Learning, the river is said to have, nosed past. This is linked to the rat, as the rat is described as, snubbed, and, old snout, referring to the rats nose and other disgusting features. In the early stanzas of the poem, the rat is seen as arrogant and disgusting; but later the rat clockworks, his back bunched. The transformed diction marks the inversion of roles between the boy and the rat. For example, the rat moves, curtly, in the second stanza but yet, aimlessly, in the sixth. This shows that man is dominant over nature in the end, no matter what the circumstances may be. The same situation is also shown near to the end of the poem. The speaker becomes calm and matter-of-fact like in the last stanza, then I walked on and crossed the bridge. The simple diction and movement of the rhythm into a pair of iambs, reflects the boys triumph over his fear and his return to a balanced state of mind. Both poems show rats in a negative way. This shows the poets feelings towards them. Both the rats are portrayed as being intimidating and frightening. It is obviously the childhood memories which have had an impact on the way Heaney views rats. The past encounter with rats has, therefore, left a negative imprint on the poets mind forever, or as this case may be, until the fears have been conquered by staring one out. The stare factor is common in both poems. In, The Barn, the poet says, where bright eyes stared from piles of grain in corners, fierce, unblinking. In, An Advancement of Learning, the poet says, He trained on me. I stared him out. After reading these two poems I feel that the general point theyre trying to make is that you must face up to your fears in order to overcome them.

Five Easy Steps of Research Paper Writing

Five Easy Steps of Research Paper Writing Five Easy Steps of Research Paper Writing Writing a research paper doesnt have to be as daunting as it seems. The process can be done by you or you can turn it over to  paper writing services. In case you cant this time around and you have to do it yourself well clue you in to making things a bit easier. But, next time you may want to call  paper writing services  just to be sure the paper is picture perfect.  Step OneBe clear about your subject matter. If you are able to choose your own subject matter then make sure its one that you can research reasonably easily. Move to step two if you have been given your subject matter. Step Two-Prepare your spaceYour research will be primarily online so you will need to be on the computer quite a few hours at a time. This means your work area must be conducive to writing and concentration. Make sure that all your equipment is ergonomically correct. This means the desk and keyboard is at the correct height for your wrists to rest properly. Make sure the lighting is sufficient and you have a comfortable chair.Step Three Prepare your ResearchThe research should be done for each of the sub headings you choose. Subheadings should be major points that you will cover in your paper in logical order. This makes it easier to read and to keep the paper clear and on target which is a great part of your score in most cases.Step Four Prepare the body of each sub headingAs you are writing the body of each subheading make sure you are keeping it true to the title or thesis and make sure you are giving a clear conclusion and flow to the next subheading. You want the paper to speak of what it promised in the title and allow it to give clear points in each subheading yet flow as one paper. This takes a bit of talent and practice and if you hate writingthis may be the time to call Master Essay   because your lack of confidence will show, and that you dont want.Step Five Your CitationsEvery paper absolutely must have citations that will tell the reader that your research and all claims in the research is credible. This means you will have to set aside a list of the source of your research. Whether this is from the computer or a book or whatever source you get it from. This ensures the paper is credible.As a last point, remember that plagiarism is a criminal offense and you can be sued. This happens when you use any form of another work by another author whose work is not in public domain. This is a serious thing. Your professor will have programs like Copyscape and Dupe Report which will alert them to any plagiarism. Call 800-573-0840 for writing services by .

Conflict in Employment Relationships Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Conflict in Employment Relationships - Essay Example Conflict with your boss doesn't have to lead to derailment if the effort is made to effectively manage the situation. By appropriately manage conflict, positive consequences can result. Managing conflict can lead to a more productive working relationship between the employer and you're the employee: Increases effort. In many ways, we need our differences to help us clarify our own positions and better understand others. The chaos and confusion that naturally surrounds a search for clarity can actually energize the efforts of all. To deal with the conflicts many organizations' human resources or the employment relationship departments have developed grievance procedures. These procedures facilitate in managing the conflict otherwise organizations may face huge losses in terms of employee turnover and employees themselves may find themselves loosing or changing a job too often. A grievance is normally a complain by an employee that to notify that management or the employer in some way or the other has violated any of the terms of their employer-employee contractual arrangement. Formally the grievance procedure is for the processing of allegations from the lower tiers of management to the upper tiers. This allows employees to lodge complains if they have any regarding the work environment, work situation and any of the working relationships also without any fear of reprisal if the process is really fair. A fair and a just grievance procedure may also lead to development of credibility as a good employer for the organization. One of the benefits of well developed grievance system is that it helps firms resolve any conflicts or differences in interest internally and not leading to any court involvement or furthermore any of the public announcements or disclosures that can be more costly. I do not agree with the statement that there is no need of grievance procedures in the organization. The arguments in favor are presented in the following text. The reason of my agreement which are elucidated as under includes: Saves costs for organization Gives employees a voice Provides a mechanism for employees to communicate upwards Represents justice Enhances organizations' capability Allows managers to learn of the grievances at lower tier But, since it is believed that the conflict between the employee and the employer is inevitable therefore, the systems may thought to be flawed or useless because there is always a bias involved in the relationship even

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

Philosophy - Essay Example Descartes would respond to this challenge by saying that there is one thing we can know for sure, and that is that there is a â€Å"we,† or at least an â€Å"I.† This is certain beyond anyone possible doubt, because doubt necessitates it. If I doubt that I exist, then there must be an â€Å"I† to have the experience of doubt. So from doubt emerges certainty. This process is entirely mental and depends not at all on what the senses tell us is actually out there. That is good, because our senses may be lying to us. Descartes’ evil genius or demon could have our brains floating in a vat or our bodies hooked up to a bio-chamber like the ones on The Matrix. This being the case, how can I know that the street I see from my window is actually there? How can I be sure that the flowers I smell are there? A sadistic entity might deceive me into thinking that I am taking a whiff of a bed of roses when in actuality I’m smelling a pile of horse dung. In the same way, my sandwich might be a plate of sand and the music I listen to the screeching of fingernails on a chalkboard. All of this could have been set up for the amusement of the demonic genius who controls me. But there is one thing that said villain cannot do. He cannot trick me into believing that I exist if I don’t. ... Thus it is my rational mind, using the tools of science, that will get at the truth, separating fact from fiction in what my senses say. Nonsense, says David Hume. People can have ideas, even complex sets of ideas, that all fit together and sound good yet are totally fallacious. Aristotle developed a system of physics that fit this description perfectly. I can develop a theory that a young lady loves me, based on such rational notions as, â€Å"After all, I’m a fine young man, and don’t young ladies tend to fall in love with fine young men?† But when I test the theory out and ask her for a date she might say no. My ideas of what he feelings must be had no correlation with the outside world at all. So, for Hume, all we can know is what our senses tell us. But he carries this a step further, saying that f all we can know is what our senses tell us, then deductions made on the basis of observations can never be trusted. An example can be seen in a game of billiards. The stick hits a ball that hits another ball, and all are in motion one after the other. We conclude from this that there is some sort of force that one object passes to the other and develop theories about inertia and momentum. But, did we see this actual force? No. We saw a stick make contact with a ball, which set out in motion and struck another ball, which in turn launched into motion. But, for all we know, one did not cause the other. The balls may have some sort of internal property that sets them off, and it is sheer coincidence that this principle kicked in at the moment each was struck by the other. This being the case, what can we ever really know? Well, we can know that stuff happens. How or why it occurs, on the other hand, is forever

The tactics used by the U.S and the N.L.F in the Vietnam War Essay Example for Free

The tactics used by the U.S and the N.L.F in the Vietnam War Essay How effective do you think these tactics were? During the Vietnam War, the United States took a completely different approach than the National Liberation Front (NLF) when it came to tactics. America was more modern in their attacks, using their air force and heavily armed ground troops. Whereas the NLF only had guerrilla fighters, who stayed on the ground and attacked quickly. The first tactic involved the US air force strategically bombing North Vietnamese targets. This included bombing army bases, bridges, railways and factories, even though North Vietnam didnt have many factories to bomb. US panes were flying 164 flying missions a day on average in early 1966. Bombs often missed their target. Hospital patients and school children were among those killed. This bombing campaign had limited success. Part of this massive bombing campaign was called Operation Rolling Thunder which also took place over North Vietnam. It was only meant to last for eight weeks, but finally ended after three years. This is a symbol of how much America struggled to pick out the communists, and this statistic alone implies how the U.S was finding this War harder than it first appeared. The Americans knew that they had to try and destroy the Vietcongs supply routes. They were receiving weapons from the North, along the 17th parallel, but in particular along the Ho Chi Rail. This road linked the South and the North, and was also densely covered by forest. This meant that it was easy for the South to be supplied, and made it even harder for the Americans to spot the transactions. Due to this, America decided that the only way that they would be able to stop weapon supplies along this road and through the forests would be to use bombs. They did this by dropping chemical bombs that defoliated the vast amount of trees. This chemical became known as Agent Orange. This now meant that American helicopters were able to spot the enemy more easily. Although Agent Orange worked, it did effect the Vietnamese people. One effect of this chemical was that it caused cancer amongst those who used it or were affected it. It also had an effect on pregnant woman who ended up giving birth to seriously deformed children or stillborns. The war also had many psychological effects. The North Vietnamese used this as propaganda against the Americans, suggesting that they had done it deliberately to harm innocent people. But aside from this, the Americans were still struggling to have a clear view of the enemy. Because of this, they introduced another chemical bomb Napalm. Napalm is a thick liquid, which usually contains petrol and is used in firebombs and flame-throwers. It cleared the undergrowth, which gave the US more chance of being able to spot the Vietcong from the air. Although, there was one major problem. Napalm also sticks to human skin, and gradually burns away the flesh. The Americans simply dropped it on forest, possibly forgetting that innocent peoples lives were at risk. Unsurprisingly, people were hurt- killed. In December 1966, the North Vietnamese finally permitted an American journalist to visit North Vietnam. They had let American news reporters into the country deliberately. They did this, as they knew that any problems that may arise in Vietnam would instantly be broadcasted back in America. This was proved correct as, during the Napalm attacks, graphic images and videos were sent back home to the U.S showing how America had killed innocent civilians and destroyed thousands of homes. An example of this is a video, which shows a set of children running from a Napalm attack with Napalm itself attacking their bodies. The children are crying and are obviously in extreme pain. The American reporters, as well as the communists in Vietnam, knew that these stories would most definitely touch the American peoples hearts. It would also inevitably anger them. This sort of footage would also make the Americans question why children were being hurt and whether this war was really worth fighting. From the communists point of view, this had the desired effect. Morale in America was beginning to crumble. Another tactic used by the U.S was strategic hamlets. The Americans were aware that the peasants from the South predominately supported the NLF. Due to this, they knew that they had to restrict the influence that the NLF had on these peasants. They decided to introduce strategic hamlets, where they moved thousands of peasants out of their homes. These were areas controlled by the Americans and surrounded by barbed wire. Around 40% of the Vietnamese were moved in this way, but all this scheme achieved was making the Vietnamese detest the Americans even more. Ground troops were also sent into South Vietnam. These troops were under orders to defend only their air bases. They also protected the ports where supplies and troops arrived. These troops were allowed to patrol up to a maximum of 80 km around the bases to make sure that there were no Vietcong in the area. Johnson believed at this time that if he adopted a basically defensive strategy, that this would convince the American people that the U.S were indeed only there to try and protect South Vietnam. Although just a few months later, Johnson told commander of the American Forces in Vietnam, General Westmoreland, that his troops could now follow more aggressive tactics. The U.S used another tactic. They were only interested at this time in searching out and destroying the big enemy forces at this time. In other words, they were trying to eliminate regular or professional troops of the North Vietnamese Army (also known as the NVA). If they were able to do this then they would have to deal with the less well-trained guerrilla forces or Vietcong. Westmoreland was confident that America would defeat the enemy as they were better equipped and more trained. During this period the war seemed to be going well for the U.S. Troops would track down Vietcong members before inflicting heavy casualties on them. Air strikes were also proving particularly effective. Propaganda in the United States was becoming more positive. For every American that died at this time, another seven communists would also suffer the same fate. The American leaders now believed that the North Vietnamese wouldnt be able to suffer casualties like this for long. But he was very wrong. The US believed the troops could defeat the NLF because they had modern and superior fighting equipment. Whereas the NLF had no tanks, no aircraft and no artillery. But they did have experience in fighting guerrilla wars. They had had to do so against the French from 1946 to 1954. The same tactics were carried out against the Americans. This was a major handicap against the U.S, as they had had no experience in guerrilla warfare and did not know the country very well at all. The NLF avoided fighting in open battle with the US troops, because the Americans were better armed. Instead, they mingled with peasants in the rice-fields or hid in the jungle. This made it impossible for American troops to distinguish between the peasants and the guerrilla fighters. The NLF wore no uniform and simply dressed in normal clothes so they looked just like the peasants. They also spoke the same language as the peasants, so they sounded just like the them and could act normally around them. On top of this, many knew every detail of the jungle, and were very aware of their surroundings. The NLF knew that they were unlikely to survive above ground with the huge amounts of bombs that were being dropped. Because of this, they built 200 miles of underground tunnels underneath South Vietnam itself. This meant that they could take cover whenever a bombing raid was in process, as well as being able to jump out of the ground and surprise the Americans. They were able to deceive the Americans. This also meant that that even if the NLF soldiers were spotted, they could quickly jump back into the ground and make their escape. Due to all of this, the Americans found it very hard to pick out, find and stop the mobile enemy. The NLF also had an underground hospital system as a defence against bombing campaigns and chemical warfare by the US. NLF guerrillas also set up thousands of booby-traps all around the jungles. The U.S soldiers did not notice these traps until it was too late. All of the tactics used by the NLF were to avoid direct confrontation with the U.S soldiers. They knew that if they did do this then they were certain to lose. So instead they cleverly mingled with the peasants and hid themselves away from the limelight. They then struck in groups in the jungle, which they knew best. This meant that the chances of them winning their small individual battles was much higher, and so doing this meant that they could gradually pick off parts of the American soldiers. This, in my opinion, is the reason that they won. As well as this, the NLF knew when it was right to strike out at the Americans. They were also winning the propaganda war, and managed to make the American people aware that the U.S government had lied about what was going on in Vietnam. They knew that if they were able to attack American morale then it was almost as good as winning the war. The NLF decided to go for one final surge, just to make the Americans clearly aware that they had no chance of winning this war. American taxes had just been raised due to the huge strain on the economy of the war, and morale was already quite low. So the NLF launched the Tet Offensive, where in January 1968 they captured 75% of the main towns in South Vietnam. This was the first time during the War that they had been involved in full on fighting with the U.S. But yet again, the surprise element had worked in the NLFs favour and they quickly managed to capture town after town. Pictures and video clips were soon sent back to the U.S.A and propaganda was again damaged. President Johnson now realised that it was his prerogative to end the war, other it would result in a loss for the U.S. Peace talks were then held. The communists in Vietnam had not only survived, but had defeated arguably the strongest nation in the world.

History of Herman Melville :: essays research papers

Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1, 1819. He was the third child of eight. Herman went to school early in New York City. His dad used to travel a lot and used to tell him stories which sparked his love of adventure. His father was always on boats and told stories about the giant waves and the ships breaking like sticks. His father also enjoyed talking about Liverpool also, being that it was one of his father’s favorite places to visit. His father was an importer of French goods and became bankrupt and insane and he died when Melville was 12. When his dad died the family moved to a small town along the Hudson River and he stayed there until 1835 which is when he went to the Albany Classical School for a year or so. Herman’s mother was left alone to raise eight children. When Herman was 7 he had scarlet fever in and it left Melville with permanently weakened eyesight. Richard Henry Dana wrote a book called â€Å"Two Years Before the Mast†. That book was published in 1840, and was at once talked of everywhere. Melville must have read it at the time. The next year after he read it he once more signed up for a ship, and on January 1, 1841, sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts harbor in the whaler Acushnet that was going for the Pacific Ocean and the sperm fishery. He didn’t leave much information as to the events of this time, but he may of wrote â€Å"Moby-Dick† because of this time. Melville decided to abandon the vessel when it got to the Marquesas Islands and when he was there he wrote â€Å"Typee† and its sequel, â€Å"Omoo†. After staying on the Marquesas Islands he shipped for Honolulu. He stayed there for four months and worked as a clerk. He joined a ship called which reached Boston and the continued stopping on the way at one of the Peruvian ports in 1844. While he was there he used his experiences to wr ite â€Å"White Jacket† Herman Melville married Elizabeth Shaw on August 4, 1847. This was the end of all his travels on ships. Herman Melville and his wife lived in New York City until 1850. In 1850 they bought a farmhouse at Pittsfield. Herman Melville stayed here for thirteen years and continued with his writing, and taking care of his.

Home Test: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

1. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn are best friends that have many things in common and many things that are not in common. Tom is better at using his imagination. In the beginning of the Adventures of Huck Finn Tom makes a robber band with the neighborhood boys. Huck soon decides that it is boring because they were not doing anything that Tom promised they would. Huck could not pretend that they were doing what Tom said they were doing. This is again illustrated in the end when Tom and Huck are trying to free Jim and Huck simply cannot see the use of what Tom is doing with all his talk about rope ladders and messages on the walls. Huck is wiser, more sensible, and more grown up. He thinks that Tom is rather silly and nonsensical because he is talking about matters that are not important in the plot of rescuing Jim. Huck understands that the topics that Tom is talking about are not of use. Tom is more daring, civilized, and pushy than Huck. Tom lives with his aunt Polly and wears store bought clothes. He can make Huck do what he wants him to do. Tom is daring enough to help Huck steal Jim and Tom spearheads the mission and he adds all the extra effects. Both Huck and Tom are loyal friends. They did not give each other away when they were living with Aunt Sally. They both knew Jim and they helped him escape from his prison hut. Neither of them are afraid to lie, in fact, most of the book is contains at least one of them lying. 2. Yes, Twain portrays Jim very realistically for that time period. Back in those days, black people did not go to church. They fell back on superstition because they were uneducated. Education was rare among white people and even rarer among blacks. Jim is very loyal. Black people were loyal to kind masters and people who helped them. The way Jim is portrayed is not demeaning. He is not portrayed as stupid, just as uneducated. 3. The role of the river is simply that it the mode of transportation that Huck and Jim are using to get to Ohio. No, it is not a character. It is not animate and it cannot talk to Huck or Jim. It cannot make decisions that change or forward the plot. It can take Huck and Jim to places where the plot is forwarded, but a horse and carriage could do that. It cannot take Huck and Jim anywhere that it would not take anybody else. 4. Superstition fuels parts of the book. It becomes a motive for important actions. 7. Over all Twain’s attitude is rather hostile. He does not really like it and enjoys making fun of it. He shows that he thinks it is just another type of superstition. Huck gives up praying in the very beginning and thinks that it is stupid. He also does not like to learn about the Bible particularly the people because as he said â€Å"I don’t take no stock in dead people [sic]†. He thinks Christians are pathetic and easily fooled. He illustrates this when the King swindles a whole church out of almost a hundred dollars by pretending to be a pirate who had reformed and was going to be a missionary to reform other pirates. He shows it as ineffective and as an unnecessary tradition that everybody had simply because it was tradition. This is well exemplified when the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons go to church with their guns and sit through a sermon about brotherly love then go right back to feuding. Mark Twain did not like Christianity. 8. No, I do not agree that it is a racist novel. Racism is when someone is demeaning because someone else has a different shade or color of skin. Jim, the main example, is not portrayed as stupid, just uneducated and superstitious, like Huck. Jim is not portrayed as less than human. He is Huck’s best friend. Racism is looked down upon in this book. When the King and the Duke are cruel to black people, the moral tone is that their cruelty is bad. Those who think blacks are property are not depicted well in that respect. Miss Watson, when she is going to sell Jim, is not represented well character wise. Black people are also considered property for parts of the book simply because that is how it was in those times. To say Adventures of Huck Finn is racist would be to say that everyone in those times was racist. 9. Huck Finn did not know too much. He had gone to school for at least a small period of time and could read at least a little bit. When Huck is trapped in his dad’s cabin and he escapes, that is just ingenuity and street-smarts. Huck knew about traps and ways of catching animals but he picked that up from his dad. Most people tend to pick up things off the streets. By listening hard enough Huck could have figured out where Cairo was. When Huck is talking about the kings, he had a book and he could read so he was most likely reading out of the book. Besides he was making up a lot of what he said or it was superstition. Most of what Huck knew was common knowledge or now unlikely that he would know because he was a young man. Most of the time when Huck is talking about â€Å"educated† things, they are not true. This is demonstrated when Huck is talking to Joanna, the hare-lip about England. Almost all of Huck’s educated conversations are bluffs, superstitions, or not true. The others may be true but Huck could have learned the information in school or through a book. 10. 11. The end of the book is no different than the rest of the book. It completely fits Twain’s plot of two mischievous boys having a bit of fun and adventure. It is just like Tom and Huck to devise a roguish plan to free a slave. It is completely within character for Tom not to tell Huck that Jim was already free so he could have some fun. The only thing that I could see as wanting criticism is the two boys had an unrealistic amount of influence over everyone. Even someone as uneducated as Jim would not trust those two boys so implicitly. 12. The central irony is that both overarching conflicts have been resolved. Huck is running away from his dad because he is abused by him and Huck does not want to give his dad all his money. But in the very beginning of the book, when Huck and Jim are about to go down the river, they find a floating house with a dead man in it. The dead man was Huck’s father. The other conflict of Jim running away from Miss Watson because he does not want to be sold is resolved because Miss Watson dies shortly after Huck and Jim leave. In her will she sets Jim free. Neither of them have any reason to be running away. 13. This irony is that the river is taking Huck and Jim further into the slave states when they are trying to set Jim free. During this time the United States was divided into two parts. The free states were in the north and the slaves states were in the south. The Mississippi River has a current that runs to the south, not the north. To set Jim free they are going further into the slave states. This makes no sense because they are trying to set Jim free and are going in the wrong direction. 14. My favorite minor character was Emmeline Grangerford. She is hilarious. She is obsessed with death and separation of lovers. Emmeline wrote comical poems that were obituaries and she was good at it. The people always went to her so she could write her â€Å"tributes. † It is surmised that she died because someone went to undertaker before they went to her. Twain is making fun of the literature and art of that period with her character. 15. My favorite part of the book is when Huck escapes from his father’s cabin. He shows himself to be a genius young man. He displays great ingenuity and plays a brilliant practical joke. I like this part because I wish I was that talented and could play practical jokes like that. It is also humorous and I like to be entertained. 16. Adventures of Huck Finn’s greatest strength is that it is highly ironic and makes fun of everything and everybody. The book makes fun of the literature of the period with Emmeline Grangerford. It also makes fun of the art of that period with Emmeline Grangerford’s art. Mark Twain pokes fun at feuding with the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons. They end up killing everyone in each other’s families (except Harney and Sophia) over something they do not even remember the cause for. Twain ridicules Christianity as is shown by the King and his sob story, Huck’s â€Å"praying† and his attitude about learning the Bible, and the Grangerford’s and Shepherdson’s church service. He mocks Shakespeare with the speech given by the King. He laughs at the state of education with all his characters, especially the state of education about foreign countries and kings. These are just a few of the ironic and funny parts. Anyone could read this and laugh till their sides split. 17. The book’s greatest weakness is the way it is written. The grammar and spelling is awful. It makes it hard to understand what Twain is saying. Twain wrote it that way on purpose but he could have produced the same effect by using proper English and grammar. It would have been better if Twain had just written the dialogue in the dialects he uses and wrote the majority of the text in proper English. It would have saved me and many others from a bad headache.

Reaction Paper on the Movie “Fireproof” Essay

The movie, Fireproof, has a very sensitive theme because it focuses on relationships on husband and wife. On the early scene, it is shown that Capt. Caleb Holt of the Albany’s Fire Department Station One’s chief. He has the motto of â€Å"Never leave your partner behind†. He has earned many respect in his career and in his community except in his household were he and his wife, Catherine Holt, always fight because they’re fighting over, mostly about financial problems and Caleb’s addiction to internet pornography. After the argument, Catherine decided to have a divorce. This is very striking because this happens not only in this movie, it is also happening in reality were married couples gone separate because of individual’s differences and negative attitude or problems. When Caleb told his father about what happened, his father asked for the reason for their marriage and he can’t answer. Then, his father challenged Caleb for a â€Å" Love Dare†. The â€Å"Love Dare† is written on a notebook by his father and it was mailed to Caleb. The contents of that notebook are all about the experience of his father when they have the same matter on with Caleb’s mother. He read all the contents expect for the bible verses on the last paragraph. The challenged lasts for 40 days. Initially Catherine doubts Caleb’s sincerity in his attempts to win her back, because of his half-hearted attempts at completing the Love Dare, but Caleb continues with encouragement from his father and his close friend Michael who also encourages him to become a born-again Christian. In the meantime, at the hospital where she works, Catherine begins flirting with Dr. Gavin Keller , who does not know that she is married, since she is no longer wearing her wedding ring. She informs him of her mother’s medical situation. Around this time, Caleb injures his arm when rescuing a girl from a house fire and is brought to Catherine’s hospital, where a nurse inadvertently says in front of Dr. Keller that Caleb is Catherine’s husband. As he continues his 40-day challenge, Caleb begins doing more household chores and running more errands for Catherine, and le aves her roses. He also smashes his computer to pieces with a baseball bat in order to remove the temptation of viewing internet pornography. Regardless, Catherine, who is led by some colleagues to think that Caleb did all these things with an ulterior motive in mind, is still intent on divorce. When she later finds out that the equipment needed for her mother’s medical care has been paid for in full, she arranges a lunch date with Dr.  Keller, thinking that he was the benefactor. Caleb discovers Dr. Keller’s relationship with Catherine and immediately informs him that he won’t let him have Catherine without a fight. Dr. Keller, who does not want to be an obstacle in their marital squabbles and is already married anyway, quietly breaks off his relationship with Catherine. Caleb later finds Catherine at home sick, and decides to take care of her. At this point she asks Caleb why he has changed his behavior, and he mentions the Love Dare. Caleb then fully apologizes to Catherine for his past selfishness. Days later, Catherine learns that of the $24,300 cost of her mother’s medical equipment, Dr. Keller gave only $300 and Caleb gave $24,000, exhausting his boat savings. At this point she becomes convinced that his desire to change was sincere. Ashamed at her inability to think that Caleb’s change in behavior was genuine, Catherine digs out her ring, dresses herself up nicely and puts on make-up, and rushes to her husband’s fire station. There, she embraces her husband with all the respect and admiration he craved before. Caleb’s parents are relieved to know that their son’s marriage has been saved and Caleb expresses his thanks to his dad for the Love Dare. At that point, Caleb’s dad explains that his mother was the one who did the Love Dare on him instead of the other way around. Immediately after hearing this, Caleb rushes home and apologizes to his mother for criticizing her all those years. The couple then renews their wedding vows in an outdoor ceremony, this time as a covenant with God. As we look over the film, the theme is really forgiveness and acceptance. Not only acceptance to the person you loved but also acceptance to the will of God. If you really love the person, you really do things that you don’t normally do.

22 Top Career Marketing Communication Strategies for 2015

22 Top Career Marketing Communication Strategies for 2015 The long-awaited Findings of 2014 Global Career Brainstorming Day: Trends for the New the Next in Careers has been released by the Career Thought Leaders Consortium! This report summarizes the findings of a November 14, 2014 meeting of 150 career professionals from six countries who brainstormed â€Å"best practices, innovations, trends, new programs, new processes, and other observations that are currently impacting, and are projected to impact, global employment, job search, and career management.† The section that most interests me in the report is â€Å"Career Marketing Communications,† which includes resumes, cover letters, social media profiles and other career marketing communications. Here are some of the findings and advice you’ll want to keep in mind: Content Powerful, consistent branding is essential in resumes and across all job search messages and materials. Taglines with a candidate’s USP (Unique Selling Proposition) are becoming more common. Great resumes tell stories with testimonials and other unique information that â€Å"connects the dots† for readers. Keep resumes short and snappy, with smart, strategic use of SEO/keywords! Infographics, hyperlinks, graphs and charts are all fair game on resumes! Resume content may evolve to address behavioral questions. Mailing addresses may be omitted from electronic resumes (this reduces the risk of identity theft)- but consider including them on paper versions. Short, half-page cover letters are most frequently submitted in the form of an email. Use a punchy subject line to capture interest! LinkedIn profiles should almost always be written in the first person. Make sure your resume is readable on mobile devices. Craft your job marketing messages with an organization’s culture in mind. Is the organization conservative/traditional? Casual? Dynamic? Strategy Send your resume by snail mail to stand out – especially with older hiring managers. Don’t skip the thank you letter! It will make you stand out. Send a thank you email (it’s fast) and follow up with snail mail to make an impression. LinkedIn Premium is not recommended except to human resources professionals and recruiters. (I would add that anyone wanting to pursue leads from those who view their profile would also benefit.) The portfolio approach for career marketing documents is valuable, in particular for technology and engineering fields. 30/60/90 plans will be requested by more and more employers. Applying to jobs on job boards is discouraged. Instead, identify the jobs on the job boards, then go to LinkedIn or the company’s website to network with key decision-makers. Networking and referrals are still king for getting into a company. 80% of jobs are found by networking! Apply to jobs if you meet at least 75% of their requirements. 100% is not required. Company Context Companies understand a LinkedIn profile is an essential networking tool. Employees can be less afraid of their companies’ becoming suspicious when they update their profiles. Companies are sourcing candidates directly from LinkedIn, and using recruiters less. A large network on LinkedIn is attractive to many companies. Resumes are still important documents, distinct from LinkedIn profiles! If you are engaged in a job search, take this report to heart and create your career success! To read more about the New and the Next in Video Bios, Web Portfolios; Job Search Job Boards, Networking, Interviews Hiring, Career Planning Management, Personal Branding, and other important career topics, see Findings of 2014 Global Career Brainstorming Day: Trends for the New the Next in Careers.

Overview of Administrative Divisions of Countries Around the World

Overview of Administrative Divisions of Countries Around the World People understand that the United  States is organized into fifty states and that Canada has ten provinces and three territories. However, some are less familiar with how the other nations of the world organize themselves into administrative units. The  CIA World Factbook  lists the names of every countrys administrative divisions, but lets look at some of those divisions used in other nations of the world: Brazil: Officially known as the Federative Republic of Brazil,  Brazil  is divided fairly simply into twenty-six states and the federal district of Brasilia, its  central capital city. This organization is similar to that of the United States system of states plus Washington, DC.  China: China is composed of twenty-two provinces, five autonomous regions (including Xizang or Tibet), three independent municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Tianjin), and the new Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong. This complicated system reflects the complex ethnic makeup of China.  Ethiopia:  Ethiopia is divided into nine ethnically-based administrative regions and the federal capital, Addis Ababa.France:  Frances famous 96 departments (101 if you include the overseas French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, and St. Pierre and Miquelon) are combined to form twenty-two regions.Germany: Germany is divided simply,  into sixteen states.  India: India is home to t wenty-five states and seven union territories. Indonesia:  13,500-island Indonesia has twenty-four provinces, two special regions, and a special capital city district (Jakarta Raya).Italy: Italy is simply divided, into twenty individual regions.Japan:  The island nation of  Japan has forty-seven prefectures.Mexico: Mexicos long-form name is the United Mexican States. It is composed of thirty-one states and the federal district of the capital, Mexico City.Russia: The Russian Federation is slightly complicated. Its composed of forty-nine oblasts, twenty-one autonomous republics, ten autonomous okrugs, six krays, two federal cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg), and one autonomous oblast (Yevreyskaya).South Africa:  Before 1994, South Africa was divided into four provinces and four homelands. Today, South Africa is divided into nine provinces (Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Northern Province, and Western Cape.)Spain: Spain is composed of seventeen autonomous communities . Nine of these autonomous communities are further divided into two to nine provinces each. The United Kingdom:  The United Kingdom  is the appropriate name for the region that includes Great Britain (the island composed of England, Scotland, and Wales) and Northern Ireland. Each region of the UK has a different internal structure. England is composed of thirty-nine counties and seven metropolitan counties (including Greater London). Northern Ireland is composed of twenty-six districts, and Wales has eight counties. Finally, Scotland includes nine regions and three islands areas.Vietnam:  Vietnam is composed of fifty provinces and three municipalities (Ha Noi, Hai Phong, and Ho Chi Minh). While all the administrative subdivisions used in each nation have some means of local governance, how they interact with the national governing body and their methods for communicating with one another varies significantly from nation to nation. In some nations, the subdivisions have a notable amount of autonomy and are allowed to set fairly independent policies and even their own laws, while in other nations the administrative subdivisions exist only to facilitate the implementation of national laws and policies. In nations with clearly drawn ethnic divisions, the administrative units may follow these ethnic lines to the extent that each has its own official language or dialect.

The broken tower Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The broken tower - Research Paper Example Crane’s poetry manifested a lot of treats of death and rebirth of love (Hazo, 1963). The modern perfection of death showed a lot of impossibilities in motion while having some resurrection of some kind though giving a very pessimistic message (Quinn, 1963). In his poem, A Broken Tower, Hart Crane uses a lot of biblical allusions and echoes to describe the creative process and the difficulties that come with it forcing the artists to be bound by it. There are several metaphors used in the poem. In the poem, crane used a lot of metaphors and references to referring to God and the church bells directly. This makes it possible to give a religious interpretation to the poem. It is also argued that both arts and religion have metaphors that are similar making the works of the poet both a way of spiritual expression while at the same time making it possible to search for the truth (Hazo, 1963). The tittle, â€Å"A Broken Tower† has been used continuously to allude to the fact that there is a continuous deconstruction of the existing paradigms making it critical for artistic progress. Crane in the poem talks of destroying a stone tower in a continuous manner while building a new one within himself. There is also the change of tone from negative to positive making the poem a stylistically simple with abab rhyming pattern of ten quatrains (Quinn, 1963). At the beginning of the poem, crane uses the bell which is one of the predominant metaphors. The bell has a lot of religious importance as it is use to refer to the morning call that is normally made for people to go for morning prayers (Hazo, 1963). In this poem however, Crane’s bell is not used to call people for morning prayers but used to gather God. There is also a strange fact in stanza one as the tone is negative despite being used to regard to dawn and God which have traditionally been positive. The angelus bells in stanza one is imagery used to treat the resurrection of Crane from hell as the images suggest in the poem. This is show by the falling stone tower with some stony and hellish (Quinn, 1963). The death that Crane is dealing with was caused by modernity that has caused a lot of pessimist by ostensibly that is nearly inescapable. These towers would be guessed as the one of the modern world. The bells of resurrection are used to open the breaking bonds of the first four stanzas making it possible to bring back the poet to the broken world. As the poem proceeds, the bells become a metaphor of poetry which makes the poet sing. The same is true for the coming of the word of God and the divine revelation that bring love. The same revelation of love is brought in according to the poet. External towers of love forms one of Crane’s poetic projects which broken and inner ones are building (Hazo, 1963). The poet has his ‘feet chill on steps from hell’ and ‘dropped down the knell of spent day’. This portrays a lot of curious negativity showi ng how crane has rejected the traditional region that is established. Going ‘from pit to crucifix’ as always been positive and used to symbolize the movement towards God. The first stanza is however decidedly negative manifesting a disdain of tradition (Hazo, 1963). Some of the Biblical allusions like the angelus bell commemorated the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the alternating melodies that overlapped played on the bells while the papal documents eluded the divinely inspired messages. The bell-towers and campaniles represented the Italian cathedrals