Catcher In The Rye Essays (1414 words) - Fiction, Literature

Catcher In The Rye Show two ways in which the incident with Maurice and the prostitute demonstrate the theme of man's inhumanity to man (an aspect of the world of experience). One incident (which involves the prostitute) is when Holden didn't want to have sex with her but instead wanted to chat, she responded by saying, "What the heck ya wanna talk about?" This just shows that talking isn't what she is used to doing, even if she is getting paid for it. She is probably used to the lascivious male who is only looking to satisfy his needs. Another incident is when Maurice and Sunny enter Holden's room asking for more money. You can tell that they aren't used to manners and doing things in a civilized way. She comes in and sits on the window sill, Maurice sits down in the big chair. "They acted like they owned the damn place". CHAPTER 15 1. What is the significance of presenting the episode of nuns at this point in the novel? I think the purpose was to show a more positive, religious and faithful Holden Caulfield. The fact that he gives them money and wishes that he could've given them more just shows that he is a nice person, who does have morals (even though he did ask for a prostitute). It's sort of like a break of light in the novel, he still acts "fake" to them, but he realizes that he shouldn't have and he ends up regretting this. CHAPTER 16 1. Why does Holden like the Museum of Natural History? Give at least three reasons. Holden likes the Museum of Natural History because: 1) It brings back memories of when Phoebe and him were in the same school and they used to go together. - He adores his sister Phoebe. 2) A lot of his childhood was spent in this museum, he loves the memories of watching the movie in the big auditorium and the way it used to smell, small stuff that is really significant to him. 3) He also loved the fact that nothing moved and that it always stayed the same. I think that this is important to him because he wished the same could be done for him. He wishes that he can be a kid forever and that he could always stay the same. I don't think that he is ready to face the world. CHAPTER 17 1. Why does Holden get angry with Sally Hayes? Holden gets angry with Sally Hayes because she does not want to go away to Massachusetts and Vermont with him. She thinks that they are just children. Holden hates that Sally won't just take risks and live life on the edge. Sally is realistic and thinks about what will happen in the future and the hardships that they will have to go through. CHAPTER 18 & 19 1. Luce is a typical member of the society failing Holden. In what ways does Luce fail Holden? Luce is focused, intelligent and sophisticated. He doesn't like joking around, he knows that he has to grow up and he has done just that. I think that Holden hates this because he wants to stay a kid and to see people like Luce doing things for themselves, being serious and doing things with themselves makes him upset. Holden knows that he should look up to Luce and do something with his life but somehow he still wants to be a kid inside, he is probably afraid of facing the future and what he knows is the real world. CHAPTER 20 1. Explain the significance of Holden's drunken state. What does the reader learn about Holden? I think that the significance of Holden's drunken state is to show that he really is immature and he really does long to remain a kid. Getting drunk is somewhat of a childish activity. Real "mature" people can usually handle the alcohol and they know when to not past their limit. I think Holden enjoys this drunken state because it is somewhat of an excuse for him. He can act like he has a bullet in his guts because he is drunk and when you are drunk you are sort of "in another world". The reader learns that Holden is really immature, he doesn't want to grow up and he is trying as hard as he can to stop this process. This is why he makes fun of people who are sophisticated and have done things

Many Masters of Slavery essays

Many Masters of Slavery essays In 1865, the passing of Amendment XIII by congress abolished slavery in the United States. Toni Morrisons novel, Beloved, covers a span of time just before, and just after the abolishment of slavery. Reading the novel we learn that despite being physically free, complete freedom for former slaves and their families can not be realized until they are no longer imprisoned by their pasts. Based upon the true events of Margaret Garner, Beloved is centered around the escaped slave Sethe, who after a month of stolen freedom is tracked down to her freed mother-in-laws home in Cincinnati to be taken back to Sweet Home by the schoolteacher. Upon discovery, she attempts to kill all her children to save them from a life of slavery. She is only successful at killing her one year old baby girl, which spoils her as a slave in the eyes of the schoolteacher, and he allows the authorities to take her to prison. Later, the spirit of the murdered child haunts the house at 124, and returns as Beloved, a young women the age of what Sethes murdered daughter would have been. Included in the novel are accounts of other ex-slaves, or family members of ex-slaves, and their struggles to free themselves from their pasts. One of the major themes Toni Morrison is relaying in this novel is that although the ex-slaves in the book were freed by different methods, none of them actually experienced freedom. Some of the characters were freed by escaping, others had their freedom paid for, while others were born free and still feel the imprisonment of slavery a generation later. Sethe gained her freedom by escaping from Sweet Home. Regardless of this, her past is a constant reminder of her price for that freedom. In a conversation with Paul D., she tells him No more running-from nothing. I will never run from another thing on this earth. I took one journey and I paid for the ticket, but let me tell you something, Paul D Garner: it cos...

States of Consciousness Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

States of Consciousness - Research Paper Example While altered states of consciousness are generally associated with drug use, they also involve meditation and hypnosis. This essay presents a thorough research on these aspects of consciousness. Meditation Meditation is understood as the mode of inducing a specific state of consciousness to achieve a mental benefit. While meditation has a connotation as being a somewhat mystical or new age like experience, in reality it is an ancient practice that has been shown to have positive mental health benefits. In the previous few decades meditation has gradually gained acceptance in the Western world with increasing numbers of individuals and medical practitioners practicing some form of meditation. In terms of medical research, a plethora of studies have examined the physical and mental effects of meditation on human consciousness. In these regards studies have found tangible evidence demonstrating that meditation impacts changes in metabolism, blood pressure, brain activation, and other b odily processes, as well as being implemented in a number of means for stress, pain, and anxiety reduction (Newberg & Iversen, 2003). While meditation has been demonstrated to have beneficial mental effects, what actually constitutes meditation or a meditative state is defined differently among researchers. Wood, Wood & Boyd (2009, pg. 167) understand meditation as, â€Å"a group of techniques that involve focusing attention on an object, a word, one’s breathing, or one’s body movements in an effort to block out all distractions, to enhance well-being, and enact an altered state of consciousness.† This approach to meditation is that which is generally most recognized among Western medical practitioners and psychological professionals. This understanding is oftentimes augmented by an increased emphasis on the attention of the meditator, with Goleman (1988) stating, â€Å"the need for the meditator to retrain his attention, whether through concentration or mindfu lness, is the single invariant ingredient in... every meditation system.† Other researchers have identified the Eastern connotations of the term and recognize its contextual significance within a number of religious or spiritual practices. In these regards, meditation functions to achieve a sort of spiritual enlightenment or transcendence. In terms of Western implementations of meditation there are a variety of practices and corresponding medical research. One of the most prominent meditation practices in the United States is mindfulness based meditation. While influenced by ancient meditative traditions, mindfulness based meditation was popularized in the United States through the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. This form of meditation is greatly influenced by Eastern traditions, most specifically Buddhism, in that it emphasizes non-judgmental self-awareness. This approach has been articulated as a, â€Å"form of naturalistic observa tion, or participant-observation, in which the objects of observation are the perceptible mental phenomena that normally arise during waking consciousness" (Grossman, Niemann, Schmidt & Walach). Much research has been conducted on this form of meditation with many studies indicating that mindfulness based meditation has beneficial effects on stress and anxiety. In addition, it has also been

Oil Industry's Trade Regime Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oil Industry's Trade Regime - Research Paper Example Various countries also have tax compliance policies that must be adhered to by foreign firms including trading certificates and licensing of the operation (Tarbell, 3). In most developing countries, the procedures for obtaining oil trading licenses and tax compliance certificate are very length, and a lot of time is taken in making negotiations with the government and initiating the oil business. Various countries also have tariff regulation to protect emerging firms in their industry and minimize competition. It is a fact that there are thousands of oil and service companies throughout the world, but it worth noting, that barriers to entering the oil industry are enough to scare all but the serious businesses. Restrictions and various trade regimes can vary depending on the region of the market in which the firm is situated. For instance, some kinds of pumping trucks required at well sites cost more than $1 million for everyone. In other regions of the oil business need highly specialized workforce to operate the machines and to take critical drilling decisions (Inkpen et al., 78). Most notable is health, safety and environmental regulations in the oil industry especially in developing countries. There is a continuous concern recently for safety in oil and gas operations, the effect that new projects have on surface environments, the probability of oil spills and the impact s of pollutants like CO2 and hydrocarbon combustion on change and air quality and global climate has prompt many governments to impose harsh regulations to foreign oil investors in their country. There are a lot of bureaucratic regulations and approvals required for the commencing business especially in developing countries. Trade regimes in oil and gas industry can also be manifested in internal policy perspective; many countries including oil producing countries always struggle with questions of how best to develop their resources and achieve long-term sustainable

The Tin Drum Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Tin Drum - Term Paper Example This shows Alfred a Nazi character, but it also shows that he is weak, under the influence of his wife, and not an absolutely fanatical Nazi. Hitler and Beethoven represent the cultural tensions in the family which in turn result in the young Oskar’s somewhat confused understanding of the power struggles that are going on. Oskar describes Alfred’s fondness for the visual image that the Nazi uniform presents, but the description also shows how uncomfortable it was to wear, since the strap of the cap â€Å"scraped his chin† (p. 116) and he had to get wet in the rain because he refused to use an umbrella. (p. 116) Alfred goes out to Sunday demonstrations but apart from that, there is very little change in his activities, since he still cooks, and washes up in the home as he did before. Section b. As far as we can tell from Oskar’s rather biased narrative, Alfred did not really have much of a career as a Nazi Party member. Oskar describes his motivation for jo ining the party as a natural tendency to conform to his surroundings: â€Å"he always had to wave when other people were waving, to shout, laugh and clap when other people were shouting, laughing and clapping.† (p. 152) His membership is described as â€Å"quite unnecessary, brought no benefits, and just wasted his Sunday mornings† (p. 152) and so it is obvious that Oskar trivializes and mocks Alfred’s status there. Even when Oskar mentions Alfred’s promotion, he does it in an off-hand manner: â€Å" Like all unusual happenings, his promotion was the occasion for a family skat game.† (p. 115) This is echoed later in connection with a drinking session when Alfred is grieving over the death of Agnes beneath the portrait of the Fuhrer: â€Å"the teetotaling Fuhrer was silent, because Matzerath, a drunken little unit leader, was unworthy of Providence† (p. 185). These disparaging comments show that Matzerath filled a very low rank and was of ver y little importance in the Nazi regime. Section c. The Nazi rally on a summer day in 1935 was a planned set piece which was intended to whip up support from the faithful. The way that Oskar describes it, however, subverts the intentions of the stage and the rows of flag bearing people. It is set up so that people go to a rostrum to look up in awe at the spectacle before them. Everything is regimented in straight lines, and yet the advice of Mr Bebra urges Oscar to be aware of the hidden mechanisms of power that operates during these rallies: â€Å"Always take care to be sitting on the rostrum and never to be standing out in front of it.† (p. 114) Oskar views the rostrum from behind it, which shows the mechanisms which orchestrate the event, or from underneath, where he can disrupt it without being seen. Dramatic displays like â€Å"torchlight processions and parades past rostrums† (p. 115) may look impressive from the perspective of a spectator, but the depiction in Th e Tin Drum suggests that the whole thing is a sham, and that it is better either to be fully in favour of it, and on the rostrum, or to utterly oppose it. Going with the flow, like Matzerath, is seen to be the worst option. Section d. There is a lot of symbolism in Oskar’s account of the death of Alfred Matzerath. Clearly the party membership pin that

Order Management Reengineering At Heatway

Order Management Reengineering At Heatway Heatway Systems lost a lengthy legal battle when a federal jury in Cleveland held Goodyear Tire Rubber Co. blameless for its role in manufacturing the rubber hose the radiant company marketed as Entran II. The jury reached its decision February 3 after three days of deliberation and after three weeks of testimony. Frankly, the outcome of this trial was a surprise to everyone-including Goodyear, if they were honest, Heatway president Mike Chiles said the day after the verdict. Chiles had high praise for the evidence presented by his Cleveland legal team. During three days of testimony, for example, an expert witness from the Naval Research Laboratory pointed out that Goodyear used inadequate antioxidants, inappropriate volatile plasticizers and cheap clay fillers in making the hose. A second expert witness testified that Goodyears failure to properly test the Entran II product for radiant heat purposes led to the problems. Meanwhile, mechanical contractors from Colorado and Alaska testified that they had employed exactly the same installation methods when installing Heatways other radiant brands-yet only experienced problems with Entran II hose. Goodyear argued that the failures were due to Heatways radiant system design, as well as problems with installation and maintenance by contractors. It said that field inspections showed that leaks were caused by the wrong type of hose connectors and that the hose was damaged by highly acidic fluid. In addition, Goodyear said it had been using the same 20-year-old formula to make hose for other applications, such as air and water hose, without any problems. In a statement about the jurys decision, Goodyear says it is obviously very gratified by the verdict. We always have believed that the Entran II hose was appropriate for use in radiant home heating systems when it was sold. Chiles said the numbers just didnt add up for his side. The jury looked at the fact that there had only been 658 cases of failure out of 10,000 installations, he said, and didnt think that was a high enough failure rate. After the verdict, Chiles said his lawyers interviewed the jury and many expressed the sentiment that if there had been two or three times as many cases of failure, we would have won. While Heatway lost this case, Goodyears win may be far from solid. Theyre not out of the woods at all, Chiles said. We have unearthed some ugly internal memos as a result of our discovery process. Its our firm belief that Goodyear will pay for this problem-its just going to take a couple of more years and more litigation. Chiles added that the courtroom was packed with plaintiff attorneys from across the country who are in line to sue Goodyear next. Heatway failed on its claim of a breach of implied warranty of merchantability. However, Goodyear still faces a growing number of homeowner claims and will have to fight other legal theories of liability. Heatway bought 25 million feet of the hose between 1989 and 1993. But the hose soon began to crack and leak, causing extensive damages. Entran II tubes started out orange and flexible, like garden hoses. Over time, the tube released plasticizers that hardened the tube, effectively dissolving in hot water, according to expert testimony. The first phase of the problem begins with leaks where the hose connects to the manifold, and continues until the tube spontaneously cracks and leaks elsewhere. There are about 10,000 radiant heating systems in the Unites States that contain Entran II tubes, and Heatway has spent more than $6.5 million to settle more than 100 claims since 1992. Despite the verdict against Heatway, Denver attorney William Maywhort has advised clients that the Ohio jury verdict for Goodyear does not prevent Colorado residents who have Entran II hose in their homes from suing Goodyear. In fact, suing Goodyear and Heatway directly now may be the homeowners only option for recovering for the damage caused by Entran II, said Maywhort, who represents more than a dozen Colorado homeowners who have experienced problems with the Entran II hose What is BPR? Business process re-engineering is a business management strategy, originally pioneered in the early 1990s, focusing on the analysis and design of workflows and processes within an organization. BPR aimed to help organizations fundamentally rethink how they do their work in order to dramatically improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors. In the mid-1990s, as many as 60% of the Fortune 500 companies claimed to either have initiated reengineering efforts, or to have plans to do so. BPR seeks to help companies radically restructure their organizations by focusing on the ground-up design of their business processes. According to Davenport (1990) a business process is a set of logically related tasks performed to achieve a defined business outcome. Re-engineering emphasized a holistic focus on business objectives and how processes related to them, encouraging full-scale recreation of processes rather than iterative optimization of subprocesses. Business process re-engineering is also known as business process redesign, business transformation, or business process change management. The role of information technology Information technology (IT) has historically played an important role in the reengineering concept. It is considered by some as a major enabler for new forms of working and collaborating within an organization and across organizational borders[citation needed]. Early BPR literature identified several so called disruptive technologies that were supposed to challenge traditional wisdom about how work should be performed. Shared databases, making information available at many places Expert systems, allowing generalists to perform specialist tasks Telecommunication networks, allowing organizations to be centralized and decentralized at the same time Decision-support tools, allowing decision-making to be a part of everybodys job Wireless data communication and portable computers, allowing field personnel to work office independent Interactive videodisk, to get in immediate contact with potential buyers Automatic identification and tracking, allowing things to tell where they are, instead of requiring to be found High performance computing, allowing on-the-fly planning and revisioning In the mid-1990s, especially workflow management systems were considered as a significant contributor to improved process efficiency. Also ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) vendors, such as SAP, JD Edwards, Oracle, PeopleSoft, positioned their solutions as vehicles for business process redesign and improvement. BPR Success Failure Factors Critique Many companies used reengineering as an pretext to downsize their companies dramatically, though this was not the intent of reengineerings proponents; consequently, reengineering earned a reputation for being synonymous with downsizing and layoffs. In many circumstances, reengineering has not always lived up to its expectations. Some prominent reasons include: Reengineering assumes that the factor that limits an organizations performance is the ineffectiveness of its processes (which may or may not be true) and offers no means of validating that assumption. Reengineering assumes the need to start the process of performance improvement with a clean slate, i.e. totally disregard the status quo. According to Eliyahu M. Goldratt (and his Theory of Constraints) reengineering does not provide an effective way to focus improvement efforts on the organizations constraint[citation needed]. Others have claimed that reengineering was a recycled buzzword for commonly-held ideas. Abrahamson (1996) argued that fashionable management terms tend to follow a lifecycle, which for Reengineering peaked between 1993 and 1996 (Ponzi and Koenig 2002). They argue that Reengineering was in fact nothing new (as e.g. when Henry Ford implemented the assembly line in 1908, he was in fact reengineering, radically changing the way of thinking in an organization). The most frequent critique against BPR concerns the strict focus on efficiency and technology and the disregard of people in the organization that is subjected to a reengineering initiative. Very often, the label BPR was used for major workforce reductions. Thomas Davenport, an early BPR proponent, stated that: When I wrote about business process redesign in 1990, I explicitly said that using it for cost reduction alone was not a sensible goal. And consultants Michael Hammer and James Champy, the two names most closely associated with reengineering, have insisted all along that layoffs shouldnt be the point. But the fact is, once out of the bottle, the reengineering genie quickly turned ugly. Introduction to Case Problem before Allan Firestone, president of Heatway Cooperationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Industrial Products Division and Bob Hemphill, a VP charged with designing and implementing a new process. Design and implementation of a new process, named Proposal to payment (PTP) for selling and delivering Heatway products. Change in organizational structure as well as IT architecture, and even a new philosophy of business. Trouble between Hemphill and Firestone over the spending budget, where Hemphill demanded $35 million and Firestone was ready to spend only $15 million. Funding Considerations before Firestone: How money could be arranged for PTP without sacrificing the profit objectives? Could corporate pay for the rest of amount? Could some of the other international divisions that had expressed interest contribute? Firestone himself believed that PTP was necessary and design for the new process, organization, and technology environment were very exciting. But, the VP had doubts about the urgency to implement PTP. So, firestone resolved to take one more look at the numbers, in hope to find some source of additional savings had been overlooked. Background-Industrial Products Industrial and consumer markets in 27 countries throughout the world. Activities involved heating, ventilation, air conditioning(HVAC) products and services. business heavily dependent on New Construction. IPD sold to medium % large sized businesses. Systems configured to suit the size, location and design of the businesses. Had its own direct-sales engineering groups. Heatway engg worked with architects, contractors and tenants to configure an HVAC solution. Reengineering at heatway An early adopter of new approaches to business improvements Quality based management approaches had been accepted in Manufacturing engineering but lacking in Sales Service In late 1980à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s radical changes to improvement in contrast to incremental changes using IT. Sought order-of-magnitude improvements in Time Cost Quality Designing First phase Assess current state of order management Create vision of new process Work divided into two teams Team A 8 members Analyze current state of the processes Understand the costs time of doing business Recommend short term improvements Team B 10 internal managers consultants Create vision for future state of process. Both teams were jointly responsible for managing the organizational changerequired for the initiative to succeed Implications of New Process Team created a large financial model to analyze the costs, benefits, and financial risks of implementing the new PTP process. The new process was very expensive (around $150million) Cost for prototype process efforts Cost of SAP Implementation Cost of fully implementing and operating the new workstations, networks, and SAP software Cost for retaining, relocating, and removing employees Return on the PTP investment appeared very high. Prototypes and pilots was planned in the middle Atlantic states region. Changes in Information technology Mobile data network necessary SAP installation Sales force workstation Not only the designà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s adoption has to be justified in financial terms, but also the long process of changing had to be started. Implications for Employees Adoption of the new process. Management, evaluation and compensation of their day to day work. Communicated the nature of these changes through written communication. Mixed Reaction Performers loved the new process because of more freedom and less bureaucracy. Less capable performers were worried about how they would fare Dramatic change not only in how the field personnel did their work bt also how they were managed, evaluated and implemented Reorganization at Heatway Change in the management Salada remain as chairman Kacher would leave Heatway Information systems function would be outsourced to an external firm with substantial SAP experience. Reorganization could have been problematic for PTP European groups would have less incentive to adopt the PTP design. Want of new system provider to implement SAP without concern of PTP process vision Concerns Firestone concern Difficulty in assessing how rapidly the construction and rollout of PTP capabilities should take place. Other memebers of the operations committee were neither worried nor committed to PTP. Change in the commitment by the key managers after t He reorganization. These are those managers whose functional areas would shrink with the adoption of PTP despite being offered important role at Heatway. Financing for PTP If all the resources are devoted then both revenue and profitability goals would not meet. Decisions Everyone understood that PTP implementation is a good investment. Head of international said she wanted to wait to see how PTP worked in the U.S. before transferring resources from her budget. Friestone tried unsucessfully at one one meeting to make PTP corporate initiative. Its upto firestone and other executives to decide how quickly to roll out the new process and how to fund it

Roses in the Desert :: Essays Papers

Roses in the Desert Hearts starve as well as bodies, give us bread, but give us roses! - James Oppenheim, line of â€Å"Bread and Roses,† poem written in 1911, quoting the protest slogans of female industrial workers What brings the human heart to starve? Such a critical question acutely fits into the rhyme and reason of character and theme in Stargirl and Holes. Discerning the meaning of a hungry human heart, against a back drop of parched desert environments, protagonists Leo, Stargirl and Stanley Yelnats walk in worlds fraught with injustice and cutting unkindness. From Mica highschool to Camp Green Lake, authors Jerry Spinelli and Louis Sachar do not shy away from illustrating worlds connected to the industrial jungle which prompted Oppenheim’s 1911 poem; rather, within these American deserts, their protagonists help readers to explore theories of nonconformity, loyalty, and altruism. Through Stanley’s good humor and intermittent kindness in agreeing to teach Zero to read, Leo’s self-conscious perspective as narrator, and Stargirl’s selfless generosity in giving porcupine neck ties and African violets, Sachar and Spinelli question that which starves and that which nourishes our living human hearts. What does it mean to fit in? As creatures designed for community living, we desire to be liked, to be appreciated, and to be included among groups. Leo knows how to fit in; he knows not to be being singled out in the crowd, how to dress, what to say, especially against the flamboyant nonconformity of Stargirl. Stanley also stands out in a crowd, but not by choice; overweight, he doesn’t â€Å"have any friends at home† and â€Å"kids at school often teased him about his size,† and coming from a poor family, he longs to do things that â€Å"just like rich kids† (Sachar 7, 6). His notebook is dropped in the toilet by pint-sized bullies and his family is under a curse. In Stanley, optimistic about â€Å"swimming in a lake† despite his ominous detainment in a detention center, there exists the same good humor and optimism that sustains his inventive father. In revealing Stanley’s smile at their â€Å"family joke† to readers, Sachar shows hi s protagonist’s strength in inherited humor and the strength of his imagination; his family stories feed him and he is lifted out of where he is by the power of his memory. Against ghastly, sweltering conditions and the injustice of his own incarceration, Stanley’s sense of humor saves him from breaking;