Enduring, Endearing Nonsense Essays (689 words) -

Enduring, Endearing Nonsense by Andrew Green Did you read and enjoy Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland books as a child? Or better still, did you have someone read them to you? Perhaps you discovered them as an adult or, forbid the thought, maybe you haven't discovered them at all! Those who have journeyed Through the Looking Glass generally love (or shun) the tales for their unparalleled sense of nonsense . Public interest in the books--from the time they were published more than a century ago--has almost been matched by curiosity about their author. Many readers are surprised to learn that the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and a host of other absurd and captivating creatures sprung from the mind of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a shy, stammering Oxford mathematics professor. Dodgson was a deacon in his church, an inventor, and a noted children's photographer. Wonderland, and thus the seeds of his unanticipated success as a writer, appeared quite casually one day as he spun an impromptu tale to amuse the daughters of a colleague during a picnic. One of these girls was Alice Liddell, who insisted that he write the story down for her, and who served as the model for the heroine. Dodgson eventually sought to publish the first book on the advice of friends who had read and loved the little handwritten manuscript he had given to Alice Liddell. He expanded the story considerably and engaged the services of John Tenniel, one of the best known artists in England, to provide illustrations. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through The Looking Glass were enthusiastically received in their own time, and have since become landmarks in childrens' literature. What makes these nonsense tales so durable? Aside from the immediate appeal of the characters, their colourful language, and the sometimes hilarious verse ("Twas brillig, and the slithy toves/did gyre and gimble in the wabe:") the narrative works on many levels. There is logical structure, in the relationship of Alice's journey to a game of chess. There are problems of relativity, as in her exchange with the Cheshire Cat: "Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to." There is plenty of fodder for psychoanalysts, Freudian or otherwise, who have had a field day analyzing the significance of the myriad dream creatures and Alice's strange transformations. There is even Zen: "And she tried to fancy what the flame of a candle looks like after the candle is blown out..." Still, why would a rigorous logical thinker like Dodgson, a disciple of mathematics, wish children to wander in an unpredictable land of the absurd? Maybe he felt that everybody, including himself, needed an occasional holiday from dry mental exercises. But he was no doubt also aware that nonsense can be instructive all the same. As Alice and the children who follow her adventures recognize illogical events, they are acknowledging their capacity for logic, in the form of what should normally happen. "You're a serpent; [says the Pigeon] and there's no use denying it. I suppose you'll be telling me next that you never tasted an egg!" "I have tasted eggs, certainly," said Alice... "But little girls eat eggs quite as much as serpents do, you know." Ethel Rowell, to whom Dodgson taught logic when she was young, wrote that she was grateful that he had encouraged her to "that arduous business of thinking." While Lewis Carroll's Alice books compel us to laugh and to wonder, we are also easily led, almost in spite of ourselves, to think as well. FURTHER READING: Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass, with an introduction by Morton N. Cohen, Bantam, 1981. Lewis Carroll: The Wasp in a Wig, A "Suppressed Episode of Through the Looking-Glass, Notes by Martin Gardner, Macmillan London Ltd, 1977. Anne Clark: The Real Alice, Michael Joseph Ltd, 1981. Raymond Smullyan: Alice in Puzzleland, William Morrow and Co., 1982.

The presence of racism in Hemi essays

The presence of racism in Hemi essays There are many questions that Hemingway's novel raises in the reader, but I'm only going to talk about the presence of racism in it. At first reading one might not notice the signs of racism, and might not understand why the young Indian man killed himself while his wife was giving birth to their baby. These questions cannot be fully answered of course, because we do not know the writer's intentions. Every statement I'm going to make is based on my own opinion, other people might have different interpretations of this novel. I think Nick's father and Uncle George were aware of their racist attitude, but they tried to hide it even from themselves. They tried to act as if they looked at the Indians as equal, for example when Uncle George gave both Indians (who were rowing the boats) cigars. This gesture is particularly important, because of the special meaning of "smoking" in the Native American culture. I also think that the lack of Nick's father's self esteem can partly be caused by his bad conscience. This is why he needs Uncle George to reassure him: "Oh, you're a great man, all right." On the contrary to the above, they sometimes fall out of this "role". For example when Nick asks his father to give anaesthetic to the Indian lady who is in labour, the father answers the following? "...her screams are not important. I don't hear them, because they are not important." This statement clearly shows that Nick's father does not pay attention to the suffering of an Indian woman, because she is simply "not important". I believe that this is not the right attitude for a doctor, who is supposed to help anyone without considering the person's skin colour. And couldn't the sentence : "I don't hear them, because they are not important." refer to all Indians? Uncle George also shows absolute lack of sympathy when the woman- who is in great pain- bites his arm. He says the following: "Damn squaw bitch!"- which indicates the he does not re ...

How Apple Does It (Time Magazine Oct 24 2005) Essay

How Apple Does It (Time Magazine Oct 24 2005) - Essay Example 1 According to the conventional wisdom, described in the article, the Apple is operating like closed mini economy, and thus the company might be doomed as it attempts to do everything at once. Apple produced hardware, operating system for it and programs; traditional approach would allow Apple to license some of its products to other companies that specialize in the development of the products and then access the products produced by the companies mentioned. However in my opinion, the company would really increase the efficiency and competitiveness of its products if it followed more traditional approach as in this case, new innovations and consequently new products might appear much quicker, then the current policy adopted by the company. Huge diversification in one company might erode specialization, which is the cornerstone of innovations; it certainly does mean that differentiation and strategy adopted by Apple might not be successful in some circumstances, as the example of ipod clearly indicates, yet in my opinion it was rather the exception from the rule rather than the result of it. In order to access the effectiveness of the strategy implemented by the company, one should understand the princ... In spite of the fact that this product is just several years old, none of the competitors of Apple so far has been able to provide its customers with identical products of digital music industry. So the price of the Ipod certainly reflects some unique added features related to this product. Another element of competitive advantage strategy is the differentiation focus, when the company attempts to differentiate within the segment of the targeted audience. In this case the company should provide the customers with the product that matches the needs of the customers in the situation when current products of the competitors may not meet the needs of the targeted customers. All this features are present in this case as ipod has many unique features not available in the products of the competitors. Let us evaluate the this product within five forces model designed by Michael Porter that comprises the threat of new competitors, the threat of entry in the market, the threat of substitutes, the threat of bargaining power of suppliers and buyers.3 The threat of competitors. Not strong. Sony has started providing the customers with its new product- mini version of Walkman at the end of 2004. According to the research conducted by Moseberg, journalist from the Wall Street Journal, new mini player of Sony was thinner and wider, thus design was more convenient in use, as well as the battery life of the product was much longer. 4 However, when the Sony products appeared in the market the ipod was still unbeatable in the speed with which MP3 songs could be transferred to the player; whereas it took 2 hours and 13 minutes to transfer the 416 to the player of Sony, it took less than five minutes to

ABC Company Final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ABC Company Final - Assignment Example In the US alone there are, several companies dealing with the same product of Cedar roofing and siding shingles. Therefore, ABC Company has a large market to supply to raising its market share although in a very competitive market. ABC Company is a company that specializes in making cedar roofing and siding shingles. It has a 25% sales margin and has a growth target of three million in the next three years. Besides the competition, the demand for roofing sidings and shingles remains high because of the high rate of forthcoming real estate ventures. Apart from facing competition generated by several other companies, dealing with cedar in production of roofing and siding shingles, ABC tends to, also face high competition resulting from products manufactured using iron and clay, companies that operate in the same market. The prevailing fact is that, cedars products have do have a higher competitive gain over similar products that are made of iron and clay. There is also a little disadva ntage of cedar roofing and siding products, the prices tend to be too high thus scaring away potential customer, who resolves to cheaper iron products. ABC Company has a high chance of maintaining its development with minimal deviation from either downwards or upwards. The deviations could be because of the tough economic patterns forcing many homeowners who would prefer cheaper clay or iron products or clay products that are meant for their roofing and siding. ... I. Risk profile for ABC Company A risk profile evaluates an organization willingness to take risks as well as the threats to which an organization is exposed. Acceptable level of risk With a target growth of 3000,000, in the next three years, the risk associated with the growth should be laid out. The risk in introduction of a new product should also be included to ascertain the amount of risk ABC Company can take. As much as expansion comes to pave way for leverage on the skill in employees and the state of their manufacturing facilities, the risk involved should be evaluated to see whether the expansion will reduce or increase current risk. Possible threats One of the biggest threats will include competitors. The question here is; how much risk is already there and in presence of competitors, how much are they willing to expand or change to gain more consumers? The answer will be found once they evaluate risk associated with competition Another threat is that of trying to find addi tional products to leverage on their employee skill set and manufacturing facilities. Introduction of the products depends on probability, which in itself has high risk. The skill set and manufacturing facilities are certain Key risk areas The company’s has had a profit increase of 25% from the previous year. They will have to maintain of better that outcome and with the introduction of a new idea will increase on costs. They have to ensure their cash flow is on a positive trend. This will ensure positive cash flows that will encourage investment. In addition, another key risk area is on the financing of the project. They have to ensure that they pick the

Truth, Justice and Reconciliation in Latin America Essay

Truth, Justice and Reconciliation in Latin America - Essay Example How we choose to overcome these political and social obstacles will largely predetermine the success of our democratization endeavors. However, democratization, how difficult and painful it may be, is the only chance for Argentina to become a civilized community. In this situation, there are several possible paths we could choose. My task and the task of the commission are to analyze all possible options and pathways and choose the best for our country. The current role of the commission is to investigate the past human rights violations and develop new democratization strategies, based on the principles of effectiveness, forgiveness, and justice. People of El Salvador should realize that the commission on the truth was created to investigate human rights violations and offenses, the consequences of which the people of Argentina had been suffering for years. These investigations, on the one hand, will promote better efficiency of crime investigation, especially in terms of crimes against humanity. Simultaneously, these investigations will become the first step toward democratization, which will finally give the people of Argentina an opportunity to exercise their rights and freedoms to the fullest. Our Truth Commission was established the end of the twentieth century, following the end of the Dirty War in 1983. The primary aim of the Commission was to find out the fates and destinies of thousands of people, who had disappeared during the War. As a result, â€Å"we have discovered close to 9000 of these unfortunate people who were abandoned by the world† (Report of Conadep). Today, the goal of our organization is to exp lore the reasons of human rights violations in Argentina. The commission will work to identify the legal branches and fields of human performance, in which most human rights violations take place. I cannot but admit that the Truth Commission

Impact of Terrorism on the Tourism Industry

Impact of Terrorism on the Tourism Industry The reason of this survey is to collect the general public opinion concerning recent terrorist attacks and its effect on Tourism industry. Data collected in the questionnaire will help me to form appropriate analyse and at the end come up with conclusion of the impact of the current terrorism issue in the industry. The information will be collected from different people and distribute in various ways such as paper forms when the survey will be handed directly to chosen group of people or electronically by using social media like   Facebook or other adequate. This questionnaire includes measures assessing responses to terrorist attacks, thinking style, probabilistic reasoning problems, behavioural change and risk. Finally, the questionnaire requests general demographic information (age and gender) and asks whether you have personally experienced a terrorist attack. Survey: Please, take your time and complete the questionnaire applying to the terrorist attacks. Please mark one most appropriate answer. 1. What is your gender? Female Male 2. What is your age group? 18-29 30-49 50-64 65 and over 18-24 years old 25-34 years old 35-44 years old 45-54 years old 55-64 years old 3. What is your occupation? Employed for wages Self-employed Out of work or looking for work A homemaker A student Military Retired Unable to work 4. How often did you travel by plane in last year? once twice three times more than three >0 5. What was the purpose of your trip? Leisure Business Visiting friends and relatives Short breaks 6. While travelling do you feel safety before / during your flight?   yes no dont know If no say why? 7. Do you know what is terrorism and violent extremist activity? Yes No Dont know 8. Would you be likely to travel to places affected by terrorism attacks just because of lower prices? Yes No Dont know 9. How would you travel to your chosen destination? Bus Plane Train Car 10. When choosing a holiday destination if an area you wanted to visit had been affected by terrorism would you be put off at all? Yes No Dont know 11. How long before you would consider visiting an area that had been affected? Under 1 year 1-3 Years Over 3 Years 12. Would you be more likely to take out insurance if visiting an area affected by terrorism? Yes No Dont know 13. Do you feel enough is being done to help prevent terrorist attacks and do you think enough procedures are being put into place? Yes No Dont know 14. Have you been to an area that has been hit by terrorist attack? Yes No If yes, was it one of below countries? Turkey Tunisia Egypt Germany France Other†¦ 15. Do you have any idea what can be done to prevent the countries of high risks against terrorism? 16. What are you most afraid of relating to forms of terrorism attack during travelling? Explosives devices Shooting Hijack a plane Suicide bomber Chemical, biological or radioactive threats 17. How would you rate the UK terror threat levels in places such as: airports, train and subway stations? Low, an attack is unlikely Moderate, an attack is possible but unlikely Substantial, an attack I s a strong possibility Severe, an attack is highly likely Critical, an attack I s expected imminently 18. When you are abroad on holiday do you feel safety in crowded places? Yes No 19.Would you be more likely to go to places such as turkey ,Tunisia ,Egypt Germany or France when terror attack have placed recently if you would know that the tour operator you go with provide a high security in those places? Yes No Dont know 20. Would you decide to travel to those places with family or rather would prefer go alone? With family Alone Dont know Conclusion from the investigation-5pk CONCLUSIONS: Summarizing the above analysis can be stated that the treated of terrorism as a continuous threat   for the tourism industry. In public opinion Means most frequently used by terrorists are, explosives and suicide bombings. Places most common attacks on tourists, a tour of tourist facilities, resources and space transport and subsequently hotels or resorts. Terrorist attacks are mostly motivated by the interest in media. The countries at the highest risk of from terrorist attack and threats are the Arab and European. Noticeable decrease in the planned international trips, and an increase in domestic trips. ZMAACHY bomb MGA BE OPPORTUNITY FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT INSIDE NATIONAL. Analysis of the results indicates, in the opinion of the respondents should be significantly increased security measures in tourist resorts and on the borders . Analysis of the results indicates that the element of the tourist offer, which would be convincing them to buy the destination, is to increase security measures. Reduced price is low motivation.

Passionate About Teaching Essay example -- Personal Narrative Educatio

Ending Statement Feminist and Critical Pedagogies I came back to graduate school last semester at the ripe-old age of 31, unsure of what I wanted to get out of it. I had spent a year in graduate studies in English at the University of Maine about six years earlier, but left because I wasn't ready to commit to an academic life. In the six years since I left Maine, my life had been anything but academic. For the first year or so, I "temped" at conventions and tradeshows, went on auditions and performed in regional theater. Then a friend of mine introduced me to her acting teacher, and I got involved in a two-year intensive acting program which forced me to look at myself and my life deeply (and luckily got me into therapy)! During that time I began a temp job at a small executive search firm where a few acting friends also worked. The job turned permanent and lasted over three years while I finished my acting program and began auditioning. Looking back now, I guess the problem was, once I finished class, I wasn't the same person who h ad originally gone out on auditions. I found myself reading books on writing (never acting) on my lunch breaks from the stifling office secretarial job. But people who asked about my life heard about my auditions and singing classes and wish to be on Broadway. I never looked at the fact that that wish was a very old, childhood wish which had slowly stopped giving me what it had for so long: something to dream about, aspire to. Something, I now admit, to make me interesting. The decision to leave it behind was painful (no one outside of "the business" could understand why I would want to leave behind such a glorious, exciting dream. Interestingly, all of my friends who were at various levels of s... ...at at least I now know that I need to teach--in some format, somewhere, and I need to apply what I've learned and continue to learn and question my own learning. But I can't decide if going on for a PhD is really what I want anymore. I always thought that was the mark of success. But I wonder if it will really allow me to work with the students I am most interested in helping. I am particularly interested in working with those who didn't get enough out of school but who decided to come back and give it another try, to see if they'd find something different this time around. I want to provide something different. I know I want to keep teaching and talking about teaching. I know I want to keep the hope that teaching writing is valuable and opens up possibilities for students who maybe thought they had none. Is that too naive? Maybe. But it seems like it's worth a try.