Christmas and Women Essay

â€Å"It was not the hard work which he hated, nor the punishment and injustice. He was used to that before he ever saw either of them. He expected no less, and so he was neither outraged nor surprised. It was the woman: that soft kindness which he believed himself doomed to be forever victim of and which he hated worse than he did the hard and ruthless justice of men. † (Faulkner 158) In William Faulkner’s Light in August, Joe Christmas’s misogynistic view towards women has reason behind it, based on his negative past with significant female characters. The above quote emphasizes his feelings towards women, describing how Joe is able to handle the harshness of a man, but cannot stand the weak and nurturing nature of a woman. Moreover, he believes women are only out to make him cry, as we see with his attitude towards the dietitian and Mrs. McEachern. Over the course of his life, beginning with the absence of a mother, Joe has been impacted by several female influences, from a brief stint with an orphan girl, Alice, up to his lack of a relationship with his mother, Millie. These women have led to Joe’s distrust and pure hate of femininity. Alice, a twelve year-old girl from the orphanage, is his first encounter with a maternal figure. Joe relies on Alice as a supportive comfort, as he does not have a mother or any adult figure to turn to, for that matter. â€Å"He had liked her, enough to let her mother him a little; perhaps because of it. And so to him she was as mature, almost as large in size, as the adult women who ordered his eating and washing and sleeping, with the difference she was not and never would be his enemy. One night she waked him. She was telling him goodbye but he did not know it. He was sleepy and a little annoyed, never full awake, suffering her because she had always tried to be good to him. He didn’t know that she was crying because he did not know that grown people cried, and by the time he learned that, memory had forgotten her. He went back into sleep while still suffering her, and the next morning she was gone. Vanished, no trace of her left, not even a garment, the very bed in which she had slept already occupied by a new boy. He never did know where she went to. † (Faulkner 127-8) When Alice leaves, Joe is confused and feels lost. He then has no one to rely on, learn from, or be close to, in such a setting. With this experience, he feels as if women are unpredictable and will leave at any given point. There is not consistency in relationships with them and, therefore, they cannot be trusted. â€Å"The incident speaks volumes of what the child at the orphanage had lacked, the lack that was to warp him away from womankind† (Brooks xxiii). It is understandable that this â€Å"abandonment† could have such an impression on a young mind with no real stability in his life. The Freudian theory applies here, with the idea that childhood experiences mold an individual most significantly and they determine the attitudes and perceptions of said individuals in their futures. (Hamblin and Peek 303) Also at the orphanage is the dietitian, who is another female influence, contributing to Christmas’s misogynistic attitude. After Joe has been caught consuming pink toothpaste, he expects punishment. However, she does not reprimand him immediately and he agonizes over the anticipation. â€Å"It never occurred to her that he believed that he was the one who had been taken in sin and was being tortured with punishment deferred and that he was putting himself in her way in order to get it over with, get his whipping and strike the balance and write it off† (Faulkner 115). This is when he first gets the idea that women are only out to make him cry. He believes that the dietitian is intentionally torturing him by not immediately carrying through with a punishment for his wrongdoings. The action which â€Å"adds salt to the wound† is when the dietitian, believing that the boy will convey his knowledge of her amorous actions to an orphanage authority, tries to bribe him with money. Therefore, Joe becomes confused and unsure of what to do. This only emphasizes the notion that women are unpredictable and hard to read, and that they possibly represent temptation. When Joe leaves the orphanage, he moves into the country with Mr. and Mrs. McEachern. It is possible that he would have responded positively to Mrs.  McEachern’s nurturing manner had he not dealt with those negative incidents with female figures at the orphanage. However, whenever Mrs. McEachern tries to show kindness towards Joe, he retaliates with acts of cruelty, such as when she offers him food and he dumps it on the floor angrily. Later, Joe says to himself: â€Å"‘She is trying to make me cry,’ he thought, lying cold and rigid in his bed, his hands beneath his head and the moonlight falling across his body, hearing the steady murmur of the man’s voice as it mounted the stairway on its first heavenward stage; ‘She was trying to make me cry. Then she thinks that they would have had me’† (Faulkner 158). By relying on her, Joe thinks that he would show weakness. He can handle McEachern’s harsh ways, but the weakness of Mrs. McEachern disgusts him. He fears displaying weakness, perhaps because he is weak in not knowing his past and not understanding who he is through his adolescence. Because he does not know his parentage, he struggles not only with his racial identity, but his personal identity as well. And, â€Å"the more Mrs. McEachern attempts to mother Christmas, the further her pushes her away† (Schisler 2008). Throughout Joe’s young adult years, he has relationships with several women, namely prostitutes (or â€Å"waitresses†). He routinely tells them of his racial status, either to shock or disgust them or to test their feelings toward him. With these reactions, he travels from woman to woman to find his identity. However, his first real love is with the waitress, Bobbie Allen. Joe’s initial attraction is to her manly features, such as her masculine hands. He tells her that he is part Negro to test her love for him. He sincerely opens up to her often, but when she ultimately rejects him, he is crushed. She could have been the one to â€Å"save† him from his hatred of women and his hateful past. A contribution to their relationship is Joe’s distance from nature. He is far from nature, the natural representation of femininity (Brooks xvii), and he does not accept the natural processes of life. Thus, he gets frightened and frustrated and runs away. â€Å"In the notseeing and hardknowing as though in a cave he seemed to see a diminishing row of suavely shaped urns in moonlight, blanched. And not one was perfect. Each one was cracked and from each crack there issued some liquid, death-colored, and foul. He touched a tree, leaning his propped arms against it, seeing the ranked and moonlight urns. He vomited† (Faulkner 208-9). These urns are a metaphor for women and femininity, in relation to Greek literature and the Bible (Bleikasten 286). Their cracked state and oozing liquid represents that Bobbie is no longer alluring and it shows Joe’s perception of women and how he expects them to be perfect, when he subconsciously knows that they are not. The feminine atmosphere has caused him to vomit, as he is disgusted by Bobbie and the natural processes of life. Furthermore, there is probably the most influential female role in the novel, Miss Joanna Burden. Miss Burden is Joe’s strongest lover emotionally. Again, he is attracted to her masculine qualities, not only physically, but personality-wise. During her first encounter with Joe, she takes her rape â€Å"like a man† and does not struggle or put emotion into it. She is predictable and follows a routine, much like a man, which Joe admires. Burden’s struggling betrays â€Å"no feminine vacillation, no coyness of obvious desire and intention to succumb at last. It was as if he struggled physically with another man for an object of no actual value to either, and for which they struggled on principle alone. † Also, she is a social outcast and is a pariah from the community, sharing a man’s alienation, much like Joe Christmas (Brooks xvi). In Burden, Joe could have stability to support his shaky lifestyle and troublesome past. However, their relationship is ruined because they both believe the only way it can end is in murder. Hence, Joe must kill Joanna in self-defense, fear, and love. This is the end of Joe’s amorous relationships for the rest of his life. Furthermore, Joe has been impacted by a woman who was not even there throughout the course of his life. His mother, Millie, influenced his heritage by having relations with his father. This determines his entire struggle for identity and the issues with his race in the novel and his complete lifetime. In addition, her absence as he grows up gives him no maternal love or comfort as a young child. Perhaps if she had shown him that he could have healthy relationships with women, he could see that many females can be beautiful and trustworthy people. Overall, Joe’s misogynistic attitude has been shaped by years of emotional abuse and love lost. His absence of a maternal figure when he was young and the abandonment of Alice, the only person he ever truly trusted and went to for comfort, taught him that women were unpredictable. His amorous relationships with Bobbie and Joanna taught him that, while a woman may appear attractive with masculine and predictable qualities, she is ultimately still a woman, and, therefore, untrustworthy and weak. All of these elements combine Joe and who he is, his outlooks of life, and the course his life takes.

Explain the process by which democracy was accepted as a valid form of government Essay

Democracy denotes to a government by the people. The name comes from the Greek and means â€Å"rule by the people. † Democracy is government by the majority of the people, or majority rule. It differs from monarchy (â€Å"rule by one†), aristocracy (â€Å"rule by the best, or nobles†), and oligarchy (â€Å"rule by a few†). Democracy has three different related meanings: (1) a form of government in which those who control the government are elected by the people and are responsible, or answerable, for their actions to the people; (2) a form of society in which there is no privileged class and in which individuals may rise by ability to positions of power and influence; and (3) an ideal or way of life that stresses equality, liberty, individual rights, tolerance, freedom of discussion, and compromise. Most democracies are republics, in which the people elect the head of the state. A monarchy with a hereditary king or queen may also be democratic. In Great Britain, for example, is a democracy in the form of a limited monarchy. Some countries that call themselves republics are not democracies. A country with a republican constitution may be a dictatorship in which government is under the complete control of one person. On the other hand, republic is a country in which both the head of the state and the members of the legislature are elected directly or indirectly by the people. Most of the nations of the world today, including the United States and the Soviet Union, are republics. The rest, in most instances, are monarchies, in which the head of the state (a king, queen, or prince) comes into office through inheritance. The term republic and government are sometimes confused. Republic means a constitutional form of government under which the head of the state is elected, either by direct popular vote or indirectly through elected representatives. In addition, social contract denotes to human race originally lived in a â€Å"state of nature,† in which people enjoyed complete freedom, with no laws and no government. Without constraints on their activities, however, people were constantly fighting among themselves, and the safety of each individual was endangered. To ensure their survival, people eventually made an agreement called a social contract, to establish a system a law and order. On the other hand, balance of power is relatively equal distribution of economic and military strength among rival countries or groups countries. For 400 years, the countries of Europe devoted much of their diplomatic and military effort to creating or maintaining such a balance. Their object was to prevent any single nation or group of nations from becoming powerful enough to dominate the continent. The idea of maintaining power equilibrium became an important influence in European politics in the 16th century. An outstanding example of balance-of-power politics occurred in the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48). Furthermore, Republican Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. Since the time of the Taft administration (1909-13) it has generally been regarded as more conservative than the other major party, the Democratic. However, this difference between the two parties has not always been sharp, as the Republican Party initiated or supported progressive legislation. Also, the Republican Party, like the Democratic, has both liberal and conservative factions. Nonetheless, the Republican Party is generally associated with the interests of business, the wealthy and propertied, and those opposed to the ideas of the welfare state and a â€Å"big government. †

Family health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Family health - Essay Example e promotion of wellbeing and growth, sense of appreciation and encouragement, unity in attaining quality time, common goal, congruence regarding values, positive communication and interactions, set of rules, values and beliefs, engagement in problem-solving activities, sense of optimism, and ability to be flexible (p. 126). These traits are also the foundation of a strong family bond. A healthy family not only promotes the welfare of the family as a unit but has sense of commitment and belief towards the promotion of wellbeing and growth of individual family members. The family values diversity and welcomes opportunities for growth and development. Aside from that, a family becomes healthy and strong bonds are formed if things, whether little or great, are appreciated and recognized by members of the family. Each member should never feel that he/she had disappointed the family; instead, an encouraging environment focusing on achieving better must be created. Doing things or spending time together makes a family healthy as it exercised unity, enjoyment, and verbalization of feelings towards other members of the family. It will also be healthier if the family has a common goal in order to motivate each member in good times and to move forward during the bad times. The congruence in terms of value and importance of assigning time and energy to meet the demands is al so an important trait in dealing with possible conflicts and enhancing positive relationships. Frequent communication is a trait that should not be forgotten as it is essential in establishing strong bonds that could make a family healthy. Rules, values, beliefs, and expectations must be communicated to all the members of the family to establish acceptable and desired behavior. Lastly, a family should be exposed to problem-solving activities in order to prepare them to unexpected situations and teach them how to meet demands and maximize available resources. A family should have a sense of optimism,

Volcano Rock Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Volcano Rock - Assignment Example Because of their less density magma usually moves upwards. Of in any case they make it to the surface they usually crystalize leading to the formation of volcanic rocks.The naming of volcanic rocks is usually one in accordance to their chemical composition. Because of the difference in the rate at which magma solidifies there is always a difference in the rate at which they solidify. Volcanic rocks usually have two main categories namely: extrusive volcanic rocks and intrusive volcanic rocks. Extrusive volcanic rocks are those that come into existence as a result of eruption of seafloor fissures and volcanoes. They are also sometimes as a result of freezing in the shallow depths. This implies that extrusive volcanic rocks cool at a high rate under relatively low pressure. This can be used as an explanation for them being glassy and fine grained. Intrusive volcanic rocks on the other side take a little longer to solidify and do not produce gasses (Erickson and Muller 212). Due to the high rate of cooling at the surface the resulting rocks usually have many tiny crystals which lead to the aphanitic texture of extrusive volcanic rocks. Magma that slowly cools at the depth leads to the formation of few but large crystals which result to the phaneritic texture of intrusive volcanic rocks. However, there is always a different texture formation in cases when the magma starts by cooling slowly then starts cooling faster later (Zhang 253). The resulting texture is always referred to as porphyritic texture. The composition of magma is always determined by the abundance of elements that are in the earth. Some of the elements that are usually among the composition of magma include silicon, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, hydrogen, and oxygen. These elements make 99.9% of the elements that are found in the earth. Because of the abundance of oxygen the chemical analysis of volcanic rocks is always done in terms of oxides of the

Pro & Cons of Social Media Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pro & Cons of Social Media - Assignment Example equires an individual to set business objectives, establish important performance indicators that relate to the objectives and create performance targets to evaluate success. The second stage of the social media measurement process is the definition phase. It requires an individual to make an outline showing how social media platforms could be supplemented to attain a brand target and interact with them to achieve the objectives. Design, is the third phase of the social measurement process. It involves laying out appropriate venues and specific tactics for the brand that will help in establishing an active social media presence. Deployment is the fourth stage and it entails the program implementation and launch, which ensures that accurate data is collected and the program is launched appropriately. Optimization is the final phase of the social media measurement process. It seeks to look at performance drivers and identify opportunities that can assist in adjusting the program for be tter results (Murdough 94). The reach of social media refers to the amount of traffic or the number of people that are accessing the social media platform. It involves monitoring the number of mentions and the characteristics of the authors. Some authors have more influence on social media, therefore, being able to promote the brand effectively when they mention it. Other authors have less influence (Bernhardt, Darren & Amanda 137). Therefore, it is important for the key authors to mention the brand as it will generate more comments and discussions that will promote it. Messages are transmitted across different social media platforms such as Facebook, twitter and MySpace in different ways. Facebook, blogs and discussion forums have room for comments that can be viewed by customers and prospects, therefore, promoting the brand. On the other hand, Twitter offers tweets that can easily be seen by prospect customers when an author promotes the brand (Murdough 95). According to Chris

One Touch Direct External Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

One Touch Direct External Analysis - Essay Example The call centre industry faces competition not only from the national companies but also from the overseas market. Maggie Klene, the founder of â€Å"The Call centre School Founding partner† in an interview stated that the main competitors of the domestic call center in US are the call centers based in nations like India which has emerged as an attractive outsourcing destination due to its low operating cost in the form of low wages (The Great Voice Company, â€Å" An interview with the call center School Founding Partner, Maggie Klene†). One Touch Direct provides business solutions like call center operations, marketing, cross sales, retention, technical support and data entry services to its customers (One Touch Direct. â€Å"Our Services†). Its customers include firms which outsource their business processes like customer care services to third party vendors. In order to attain sustainable competitive advantage in the context of both regional as well as local players, One Touch Direct must focus on providing quality service to its clients. Macro economic factors are considered to be one of the most important factors that affect the business prospects of a firm. One Touch Direct is based in the United States of America and is engaged in providing services to French, Spanish and English speaking people (One Touch Direct. â€Å"About Us†). The economy of the United States is considered to be the most powerful economy of the world. Its per capita GDP is about $ 46,400. The nation is known to have favourable labour policies as compared to its counterparts in Europe and Asia. The nation has a GDP of about $14.26 trillion in the year 2009. Services constitute the bulk of its GDP having 76.9 percent share, this is closely followed by industries with 21.9 percent and finally agriculture which contributes about 1.2 percent to the nation’s GDP (CIA, â€Å"The World Factbook- North America: United States†). United States of America has a large mobile

Mat lab Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mat lab - Speech or Presentation Example The dots correspond to each x and y coordinates defined. The next line defines y as a function of x. Next, we highlight the two variables we have just defined in the workspace then click the button. The resulting graph is shown below: 2. Problem two is easier as we already have a bisection method program from our previous exercises. We only have to make the necessary changes on that program to answer question 2. The equation to be used is Notice that all terms on the right side of the original equation was moved to the left so that the equation is now equal to zero (since we are looking for a point that lies in the x-axis). To give us an idea about the location of this point, we can plot it the same way we did in question 1 then choose an interval in the x-axis that encloses this point. Thus we input the following codes on the command window and click the plot button: as this is the function that we need to integrate, then use the value of d computed from question 2. Since we need to compute for the percent relative error, we include a code in the program that calculates the exact answer to be able to compare it with the approximated

Reproposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reproposal - Essay Example On March 17-2011, about 1000 Saudi troops were deployed to Bahrain from Peninsula Shield Force for aiding the Bahraini authorities to get control of the local situation. This act was criticized and condemned by the Iranian authorities. The Iran’s criticism was highly opposed in the Saudi news papers by the Saudi officials. This news had three perspectives engraved in it. One perspective is that of the Saudi government and Bahraini regime, the second perspective is that of the protestors in Bahrain and third perspective is of the Iranian officials. This paper will seek to investigate that whether the print media in Saudi Arabia was biased or not in covering this story or were the Saudi newspapers manipulated by the Saudi authorities for their own interest. It will be important to determine how well the three perspectives were covered by the Saudi newspapers to convey the truth to the people. Justification News provides us with information on every aspect of life, and can relate to individuals or entire nations of people. Thus, the legitimacy of news as well as the freedom of press and speech have always been the controversial and debatable issues, particularly in a country like Saudi Arabia, which is an important and influential Islamic state governed by a Monarchy regime. News coverage in an Islamic state goes through various filters, especially if related to terrorism, extremism or other controversial topics. This compels the states to take extra measures in relation to how they want to portray their image in the media, both locally and internationally. Thus, the media in Saudi Arabia does not enjoy the freedom of press, like any other country in the Middle East, mainly due to the government pressure. The news presented to the audience in these countries goes through a substantial amount of processing, screening and editing before being delivered. Eventually, the common people sometimes only acquire a limited amount of information based on the actual re ality. Despite the obstacles, journalists and reporters in Saudi Arabia strive to provide the unbiased truth to their audience. Their job is tough due to various factors and issues, notably the strict regulations and the scrutiny of print media that influences the publishing and shaping of news in Saudi Arabia. In response to these regulations, most newspapers in Saudi Arabia have looked to acquire transparency and credibility with the help of international groups including CASTOR (Circulation Audit Steering Organisation). This is a joint venture of the GCC Advertisers’ Business Group, the IAA (International Advertising Association) and the Media Agencies’ Council, formed in the UAE in 2005 with the goal of promoting the adoption of circulation auditing so to increase transparency and credibility in the print media industry. Given all this information, it is clear that the dissertation topic offers a great deal of research and investigation of the news content on the B ahrain case as published in Saudi news papers. Literature Review Saudi Intervention The military intervention by Saudi Arabia could crush the peaceful transition in Bahrain while regionalizing a domestic political struggle. It could also aggravate the sectarian conflict in Bahrain and also across the Gulf region. Saudi Arabia,

PC Discussion Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PC Discussion Questions - Assignment Example Violence has been key in fueling death and its consequences. However, most films edit the clips to remove ‘real life’ violence.  Despite the fascination of the public about death there are graphic consequences because of regulatory policies of communication entities that seek to protect the rights of the viewer. The movies abide by a rating system that warns prospective audience members of the content. The death content is both expressed in the reality and fiction. For example, in news coverage there are limited images displayed and often records the consequences and aftermath of the event. Critics hold that in both fictional and reality content media exaggeration exists. It is evident that audiences especially young generations have a fascination about death and dying. Fiction does not really help the audience to understand the ‘dynamics ‘of death as people fail to register the right emotions or concern towards loss of life. Such audiences perceive real death situations as common due to the influence of fiction content. In conclusion, death and dying are complex topics that undergo thorough screening before airing to factor in the audience interests, community standards and policies regulating a certain region. Palliative care is medical care provided by physicians, nurses and social workers; this kind of health care focuses on alleviating the suffering of patients. It is specialized care for people with serious illnesses such as cancer, chronic illness, kidney failure, and cardiac disease. It improves quality of life for the patient and can be seen in various categories which are; 2. Communication and coordination: Good communication is required to ensure that requirements of the patient are fully met. It also offers emotional support as it addresses the social, psychological emotional and spiritual needs a patient may have. Good and bad practices have been observed when it comes to palliative care. Communication is

Environment Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environment - Lab Report Example Nonetheless, the soil experiment in this essay aimed at analyzing or testing two different types of soils based on the characteristics including texture, color, and levels of pH or the acidity, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen as well as Potassium. Two different soil samples were to be obtained from different sites including soil sample collected from flat land covered by grass (Sample ID: NAltarki-2) and soil sample collect away from any environmental barrier (Sample ID: NAltarki-1). The collected data are to be subjected to the same soil testing with the sample parameters including texture, color, and levels of pH, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Potassium. Difference in quantities of these parameters will be a clear indication that soil samples obtained from different environmental setting usually have different physical and chemical properties. Two different soil samples from different environmental settings were collected for the experiment. From the data provided in tables above (1 and 2), there are clear indication that these two soil samples have different physical and chemical properties. For the physical properties, these samples have different textures; thus, they are identified as different soil types. For perfect comparisons, the two data tables can be merged into one. From the table 3 below, sample one test to be Silky Clay loam while sample two was sandy loam in texture. For the color sample one showed 4 and 2 while sample two indicated 3 and 2 on the soil color value and soil color Chroma respectively. From the soil color sheet, both sample indicated they were within the same year range of 10 years. The chemical properties of these samples are related to the amounts of pH, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and potassium. Notably, with the same chemical properties, both samples had the same pH, Nitrogen, and Potassium values that were at 7, L, and H respectively. However, these samples had different phosphorus contents with sample one recording L levels while

Martin Luther King Jr Essay Example for Free

Martin Luther King Jr Essay Many find it interesting to glimpse inside the lives of famous thinkers in an effort to understand where such thought and intelligence is rooted. Famous thinkers have little in common with what makes them reach their level of achievement (Goodman Fritchie, 2011). In that tone, here is a peek into the routines and rituals of Martin Luther King Jr. and Cornel West that writers, philosophers, and statesmen have depended on to keep their work on track and their thoughts flowing. Whether you need inspiration to make it through the next college semester of your bachelor’s degree, finishing up your master’s degree program, or are working on a future best-selling novel, explore the contributions to society these men have created, how their personal, social, and political environments helped with their creativity, how they solve their ideas and problems, how their ideas were implemented, as well as what they could have done differently along with comparing their creative process. Martin Luther King made many contributions to society at the most difficult time. He helped African American’s gain civil rights and equality in America. He completed these contributions through actions like the bus boycott that he led in Montgomery, Alabama. The boycott fought against city buses that refused to allow African Americans to sit in the front seats of the buses. This boycott led to a citywide boycott of the bus system until the rules were changed. He also led the march from Selma to Montgomery along with other protestors as they voiced their right to vote. Dr. King not only led marches but he also gave what is now famous speeches like â€Å"Give Us a Ballot† â€Å"I Have a Dream† â€Å"I’ve Been to the Mountaintop† that also helped with his movement. Through the speeches Dr. King had the ability to reach many in delivering his thoughts and creativity toward his movement. Dr. King also published many books like Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, Strength to Love, Why We Can’t Wait, and Where Do We Go From Here? These books also helped with Dr. King’s movement to reach people all over the United States to see his vision. Dr. Cornel West has a passion to communicate to a vast variety of publics in order to keep alive the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice. Dr. West stated, â€Å"You can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people. You can’t save the people if you don’t serve the people.† Cornel West contributions to society has been monumental, he is a motivational speaker in politics, education, talk radio and even major motion pictures.

Five Forces Analysis Of The Gresham Hotel Dublin Tourism Essay

Five Forces Analysis Of The Gresham Hotel Dublin Tourism Essay The Gresham Hotel, Dublin, is a four star quality accommodation and service hotel, located on OConnell Street in the heart of city center. At these days are employed 183 employees in the Gresham hotel Dublin, which is included all part time, casual and senior staff, all over the departments. The Gresham Hotel Dublin is part with other 4 hotels of Gresham Group located across Europe; they are situated on the city center of Hamburg, London, Brussels, Cork and Dublin. Type of business The Gresham Hotel is a Public Limited Company, means that all the debs of the business are cleared by the business and money is not taken out of the owners ´ personal funds. The Gresham Hotel is a separate legal entity from the owners. The company is permitted to offer shares to the public and must include the words Plc as part of company name. The Gresham Hotel, OConnell Street, is a four star hotel and this kind of business is based in service. They provide a wide range of facilities where all customers are well welcome with four star services. They also organize events such as weddings, parties and type of business nature. In each department of this organization is a Wide Span of Sontrol, the Manager/Supervisor is in charge of a large number of employees. It is also a Tall structure as the company has many levels of hierarchy. My duties in this company has the same standard as an employee which any reporting has to be made to the manager/supervisor ,following the manager/supervisor reporting to Duty Manager and this one reporting to Human Resources and finally the Human Resources to Director. This company is divided in many departments which are; Toddys bar-food and beverage, where I am present doing my work experience, my duties is mainly customer care. This department works fourteen people which two of them are supervisor. Writers bar-the main bar of the hotel which also serve food Kitchen department- this department runs all department involving food. Catering and Banqueting department- this department is responsible for all events Accountancy department Gallery restaurant- where at present is used for breakfast as this restaurant have been closest. External influence on organisation PEST The PEST analysis is a useful tool for understanding market growth or decline, this method is used to scan for the external, macro environment, factors that influences on any company. PEST analysis stands for; Political factors- include government regulations Economic factors affect the purchasing power of potential customers and the firms cost capital Social factors- include the demographic and cultural aspects Technological technology is vital for competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. On The Gresham Hotel analysis, the external factors that may affect the company are; Political Opening and closing times this regulation set up the opening and closing hours in a business. Smoking ban -it is forbidden smoking indoors by law and affects the company in certain way. Economic Interest rate- due the economic situation nowadays, the interest rates defines people of spending or saving money. Unemployment levels- due the economic situation turndown, a number of customers decrease derived to increased of unemployment levels. Sociological Lifestyle change- nowadays the people pay more attention to product/service ´s price (cheaper option), drinking at home and also they start going later and spending less time in pub. Cultural- Drinking alcohol is an everyday part of adult life in Ireland. Nowadays customers spend less on drinks, drinking more at home. Technological Nowadays the technology more than ever is vital for competitive advantage. The technology has an impact on any company, such as tillà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Provide a quicker a efficient service to a customer Some duties as stocktaking can be changed by technology, saving time and money Technology offer to customer other facility ways such as booking a room, purchase vouchers, etc. The labor can be switched by technology PORTER FIVE FORCES Five Forces Analysis assumes that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a situation.These are: Competitive Rivalry Majority of competitors have the similar strategies , indicating high competitive rivalry Differentiation between their main products/service is low, indicating high competitive rivalry. There are no substitute products available to customers, indicating high competitive rivalry. Many competitors have more or less the same size. Bargaining power of suppliers We realize, the fewer suppliers choices we have, more power they are over the company, and how easy it is to drive their prices up. Uniqueness product-The Guinness is an example of a powerful brand; the Guinness is supplied by a unique supplier, Some product based on food is supplied for a few choices companies where provide a unique service to a company. Bargaining power of customers Here we can see how easy it is customers to drive the prices down. The customer may have bargaining power when; When there is no substitute or a little differentiation over the product/service food and beverage is similar to those of someone else. switching to another product/service is not costly Price sensitive at this days, more than ever the customers are more sensitive to a product/service prices. Threats of new entrants A threat of new entrants is high if; Low barriers to entry economies of scale government legislations to encourage them to enter the industry differentiations on their product/service capital Threat of substitute products The treat of substitute is high when the product/service substitutes offer benefits similar and also when it is ease at customers can switch with low or no cost. Product/Service when a substitute product/service falls Cost of change no cost/low cost of switching a product/service Internal External influence on organisation SWOT The SWOT analysis is very important tool for carrying out a good strategic planning, and it is a powerful tool of the marketing. When it is a matter of companies that compete in a same market target, it is important that they detect the threats and opportunities in the company, by studying the external environment. It is also of fundamental importance that they evaluate the weaknesses and strengths points of the company, studying of its internal environment. During the analysis, when a strong point is realized, they must be emphasized to the utmost, and when a weak point is realized, the organization must act to control it or, at least, to minimize its effect. This technique is interesting, that means change, which very often contributes to the growth or not, it would be depended on the performance to correspond to the objectives of the organization. Strength Brand name this brand is well know national and international Location- located in city center 4 star hotel- this hotel provides a 4 star service and accommodation Wide range of facilities- Writers Bar, Toddy ´s Bar , fitness studio, SPA and restaurant 23 Business facilities Complimentary WIFI access in all conference rooms, Quadriga interactive TV systems in all rooms provides PPV movies, internet, music. 288 tasteful bedrooms, containing everything the discerning traveller would need, including spacious work desk Dedicated butler service for the meeting rooms Registration Lobby Fully air conditioned A range of audio visual equipment for hire Secreterial services www.gresham-hotels.com/dublin-city-hotels/business_facilities.asp Weaknesses Restaurant 23 remain closest, as the only restaurant available and considering a 4 star hotel, it creates a high impact on customers expectations. High cost product/service- nowadays, customers are more sensible to product/service prices, discontentment has been expressed by customers relating to product/service price to high. Poor employee ´s motivation- employee are unhappy with the management style, consequently will have impact on their organization Technology no updated- it causes a slower service and sometimes misunderstands between employees and customers because of it. Lack of marketing expertise ´s Opportunities New technology arrivals- nowadays there is a need of new technology, it means modernization to make the company more efficient. Marketing department- would be a great opportunity for growth and profit. Restaurant -reopen the restaurant in the hotel. New ways of advertising and promoting (radio, TV,Internet)- would let the people know about their offers and promotions for short and long term. Threats New regulations/tax- there is a threat of more regulations and higher taxes. World economy recession- would affect directly the hospitality economy and consequently the competition becomes higher between competitors. Price wars with competitors-the hospitality ´s competition is very high and price wars may become a huge threat. Strikes- the Gresham Hotel like other companies are minimizing their spending, changing their behavior with employees, consequently would be a threat for this organization. The Swot analysis above may help The Gresham Hotel growth by capitalizing on opportunities using their strengths and eliminating their weaknesses and threats. CONCLUSION This Environment Analysis was based on the Gresham Hotel, overall the company in many aspects has competitive advantage over their competitors. At the end of environment analysis where was scanned internally and externally by Swot, Pest and Porter Five Forces analysis we can understand better the Gresham Hotel ´s position facing to its competitors. Some disadvantages such as no restaurant available, heavy environment between managements and employees are in my opinion huge weak provoking a high impact on their company. The company has a good reputation among their customers and it has resources and vantages to face to its competitors if they capitalize on opportunities using their strength and eliminating their weaknesses and threats it would contribute for company ´s growing. RECOMMENDATIONS I would recommend more investment on marketing resources and also in technologies, which I truly believe they are main keys for company growth. It is essential that there is a good team spirit at work, therefore I believe that the management should reach an agreement between staff and managements interests.

A Review Of Controlled Release Fertilizers Biology Essay

A Review Of Controlled Release Fertilizers Biology Essay In general, plants must be supplied with nutrients during the whole vegetation period. In horticulture this is achieved by applying quickly soluble fertilizer once to twice a week, for example. This kind of fertilizer application is very labour-intensive and requires considerable specialist knowledge, so as to select the correct rate of application, appropriate time of application and correct composition for the particular plants to ensure optimum plant production. With the use of slow or controlled release fertilizers the full amount of nutrients necessary for the whole vegetation period can be applied at the time of planting or at the earliest stages of plant growth, in the form of a nutrient pool Also, about half of the applied fertilizers, depending on the method of application and soil condition, is lost to the environment, which results in the contamination of water [1].This kind of environmental concerns of feeding crops with traditional fertilizers has led to developing Slow Release Fertilizers (SRFs) or Controlled Release Fertilizers (CRFs). SRFs or CRFs are easy and safe to use. They reduce risk of incorrect fertilizer application; they are labour saving; and minimize nutrient losses by leaching or fixation. The idea of producing SRFs was developed from 1963 by encapsulation of fertilizers by waxes. After that, these products have been commercialized. There are lots of SRF and CRF brands; market leader in controlled release fertilizers is Scotts Professional with key brands such as Osmocote Exact, Sierrablen and Osmoform. SunGro Company is also producing controlled release fertilizers with brand name of Multicoate. AGLUKON is also another commercialized SRF product [2-4]. Like lots of scientific fields, agriculture industry has been over shadowed by nanotechnology. Applications of nanotechnology in agriculture includes agriculture crop improvement, nanobiotechnology analysis of gene expression and regulation soil management, plant disease diagnostics, efficient pesticides and fertilizers, water management, bioprocessing, post harvest technology, monitoring the identity and quality of agricultural produce and precision agriculture[5]. Efficient pesticides and fertilizers in terms of Nano-composite based slow release fertilizers are developing in current decades. Using nanoparticles as reinforcing or cementing agent of polymer coatings has been the only feature of nano particles which is used in preparing slow release fertilizers [6,7]. Fertilizers Fertilizers are applied to soil to promote plant growth. They contain some beneficial nutrients including macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium which are added to soil in quantities from0.2% to 4.0% (on a dry matter weight basis) and are more essential than micronutrients. Micronutrients are elements which are applied to soil in much smaller amounts, ranging from 5 to 200 ppm, or less than 0.02% dry weigh. These elements could be sulfur (S), boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn)[8,9]. 2.2. Types of fertilizers Fertilizers would be categorized from source of being and also from release properties points of view. All fertilizers could be organic or synthetic from source of being point of view. Organic fertilizers are naturally occurred including seaweed, worm casting, manure, slurry, peat, humic acid, guano and brassin. They provide slow release of nutrient as they need soils bacteria to be broken down to needed elements. Also, they may improve the biodiversity of soil by supplying organic matters and micronutrients for organisms. Organic fertilizers are cheaper and safer than synthetic fertilizers [9,10]. The main synthetic or mineral fertilizers are urea, ammonium sulphate, ammonium phosphate, phosphate rock, potassium chloride, super phosphates, calcium ammonium nitrate, potassium sulphate and NPK, PK and PK compound fertilizers. The most important drawbacks of synthetic fertilizer is their long term sustainability. Also, they are more expensive in contrast to organic fertilizers [10]. Also, fertilizers can be categorized into ordinary and controlled release fertilizers from release properties points of view. Drawbacks of non- controlled release fertilizers Ordinary fertilizers leach to soil very quickly and most of them are not used by the plants. According to figures about 40-70% of nitrogen, 80-90% of phosphorous, and 50-70% of the applied normal fertilizer is lost to environment and cannot be used by plants[11]. This rapid leaching will cause burning of plants and growing in spurts. Also, the lost elements will make some serious problems for our environment. Eutrophication, Blue baby syndrome, soil acidification, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metal accumulation, atmospheric effects are environmental concerns of ordinary fertilizers. Another result of quick leaching of fertilizer is repeating the application of fertilizers which will increase the costs[8,12,13]. Slow or controlled release fertilizers Slow release fertilizers or controlled release fertilizers are coated in a substance that enables a slow release time and eliminates need for constant fertilization and higher efficiency rate than soluble fertilizers [14]. The interest in these materials is for one or more of the following reasons: Availability of nutrients during the hole growing-season; reduced nutrient loss via leaching and run-off; reduced cost and labor outlay in crop production; reduced chemical and biological immobilization reactions in soil which cause plant unavailable forms; reduction of rapid nitrification and nitrogen loss through ammonia volatilization and denitrification; reduced seed or damage from high local concentrations of salts; reduced leaf burn from heavy rates of surface-applied fertilizers; better seasonal distribution of growth and better acclimatization in home or display environment; improved storage and handling of fertilizer materials[15]. Differences between slow and controlled release fertilizers Although there is no a special difference in general function of CRF and SRF, but it should be mentioned that they are manufactured by different materials and techniques with different properties. In slow release fertilizers elements are present in the fertilizers in a chemical form, which is not available to plants and they will be converted by physiochemical effects or microorganisms activities into nutrient forms in the soil. But in controlled release fertilizers elements are packed in coated granules and are released through the coating over a certain period of time. Also, in SRFs nutrients available period is affected by a lot of factors such as water content of soil, Ph, temperature, microorganisms activity, aeration. However, the longevity of CRF depends on coating thickness and temperature of soil. Only coating method is effective in changing pattern of nutrients release and a fixed coating thickness control nutrients release. In CRFs declared release time refers to soil temp erature of 20-21 oC. Higher temperatures accelerate the element release and lower temperatures make it longer [4,16]. SRFs are chemically prepared slow released. Some kinds of SRFs are Urea Aldehydes (UA) and Chelated Micronutrients(CM). Common type of UAs is urea formaldehyde which is high nitrogen fertilizer. Starting release rate of UAs is high but it dies off slowly for 3 years. This kind of fertilizer depends on microorganisms to break it down for plant use. CMs are substances that hold firmly together iron, manganese, zinc, and copper. They slowly releases over a long period of time [17]. 2.4.2. Types of CRFs 2.4.2.1. Sulfur Coated (SC) Elemental sulfur when is oxidized to its sulfate form would be one of the nutrients which is essential for some plants and is normally blended with other fertilizers. Using sulfur coating is also another way to provide sulfur simultaneously with making slow release properties for a core granular fertilizer. As the sulfur containing materials like polysulfides or lingosulfonate are brittle and also give a low wetting of defects they are normally mixed with waxes or plasticizers. Many formulas are available for SCs. Their release time is generally 3-4 months. SDs are released by microorganisms [18-22] 2.4.2.2. Wax coated (WC) One of the methods of reducing fertilizer release rate is dispersing granular fertilizers with molten wax and then cooling the mixture below the melting point of the wax [23]. Paraffin is one of the most used wax as a coating for fertilizers. Paraffin  wax   is a white, tasteless, odorless, waxy solid, with a typical melting point between about 47  °C and 64  °[24]. Other types of waxes are synthetic oil based, petroleum or mineral waxes. Waxes are normally used by an additive or a tackifiere agent to make a good sealing properties [25,26] 2.4.2.3. Polymer Coated (PC) Polymer-coated fertilizers (PCF) represent the most technically advanced controlled released fertilizers. They include a water-soluble fertilizer core and one or more than one layers of polymer. There are large varieties of polymers to coat the core fertilizer also the coatings layer could be the same one or different. In PC fertilizers release of nutrients will happen by diffusion through a semi permeable polymer membrane. Water penetrates the coating and dissolves the core. Release rate can be controlled by varying the composition and thickness of the coating. In addition, pressure builds up can cause cracks to form, from which fertilizer passes into the soil [27, 28]. 2.5. Review of preparation methods of different polymer coated CRFs 2.5.1. Sole Polymer coated One type of polymer coated CRFs is the one which the fertilizer core which could be N, P, K OR NPK compound, is just coated with one or more than one layer of polymer coating. In this case the polymer could be solvent based or water-based. The application process starts with dissolving the polymer in a organic solvent or water. After dissolving the coating will be sprayed onto the fertilizer in a coating drum or fluid bed [29]. Benefits of polymer coated CRFs are as follow; uniform and defect free coating will surround fertilizer; the coating will be very tough and durable which is resistant against mechanical breakdown; they are biologically inactive so they will not breakdown by soil microbes. In most cases except for degradable polymers release of fertilizers will be happen by diffusion through polymer coat rather than through defects. In some other coated fertilizers like sulfur coatings there should be a flaw in coating to make release of fertilizer. There are lots of examples for polymers which have been used in literatures as coating for fertilizers, some of them are as follow; dicyclopentadien[30],Urea and urethane based [31-36], epoxy based [ 37-39], polyvinylidene chloride-based latex[29] carboxyl-carrying ethylene polymers[40], biodegradable starch based[41], urea formaldehyde[42]. However, polymer coated fertilizers have some week points. About solvent-based coatings using large amount of organic solvents like toluene or xylene will lead to environmental concerns. These solvents are volatile and releasing them to environment makes some hazards for human health. Also, polymer coatings are more expensive than sulfur coatings; the process and equipments are also more complex than equipments used for other coatings. 2.5.2. Sulfur-polymer coated One of most common coated fertilizers are the ones in which core fertilizer is covered by a layer of sulfur coating and a layer of polymer. The polymer layer can be primer or outer layer; means that sulfur layer in some researches has been the first layer and in some others the outer layer. Sulfur Using coating is a suggested method to remove drawbacks of sulfur coated CRFs. One of these drawbacks is very fast release of fertilizer in first few days after application. The other one is brittleness of sulfur coatings which may lead to some fractures during handling or storage and losing the fertilizer into soil. Another problem is that sulfur coatings have a high surface tension with water and cannot provide enough wetting for a good diffusion [19, 29, 38, 21]. The most common method for applying the sulfur coating is spray. Molten sulfur compound will be sprayed over a pre-polymer coated fertilizer granule [38,43]. 2.5.3. Wax-polymer coated There are lots of researches focusing on making controlled release fertilizers using Wax-polymer coatings. Wax layer has three major benefits; one is that they are applied over the polymer layer for decreasing the fracture probability of coating and the other one is for decreasing the amount of polymer and avoiding consuming more polymers to make the process cost effective. Also, they can eliminate imperfection of granules surface to make a good surface coating. Most common waxes which have been used in state of the art is C30 alpha-olefin and paraffin. Other petroleum products like lubricants and bitumen or natural products like canola oil, soybean oil, coconut oil and palm oil, also have been used. After melting the wax it will be applied by mixing with polymer coated fertilizer. Normally the polymer is thermoset to avoid any damages of polymer by the wax in its melting point. The wax normally should have drop melting point from 50 to 120 °C. Wax is normally about 0.2% to 10 % by weight of fertilizer [25, 38, 44, 45]. 2.5.4. Filler- polymer coated As mentioned before, despite lots of advantages of polymer coating to make slow release properties when such polymers are used as a sole coating material the ultimate product would be expensive as you have to consume large amount of polymer. Using mineral or organic fillers is one way to avoid using large amount of polymer. Also, in some researches fillers play the role of detackifier, to prevent adherence of coated granules to each other, and strengthening agent [46]. Fillers may be used either as a mixture with polymer to make a nano-composite polymer [47] or as a separate layer. The most common method is second one in which the filler will be added and mixed with polymer coated granules before drying the granules. Most common used fillers are some very fine(less than 20 microns) inert inorganic materials like clay, diatomaceous earth, bentonite, kaolin, gypsum powdered limestone, talc, barium sulfate. Some other fillers like waste cellulosic materials also have used as filler in combination with polymer.[47-51] 2.6. Techniques coating application According to studies have been done; encapsulation methods of fertilizers can be divided into three methods including in-situ, spray and mixing. 2.6.1. In situ This method includes formation of fluid dispersion of the soluble fertilizer in a solvent and mixing the prepared solution with monomers of a polymer. Polymerization will happen and depend on the method; granules or particles of fertilizers will form. Ni et al [52] have developed a double-coated urea fertilizer. For preparation of poly (N-vinyl-pyrrolidone) hydrogels containing urea (PCU), the monomer and a solution of urea in N-vinyl-pyrrolidone were mixed together. The polymerization was carried out at 65à ¢- ¦C for 3 h. The resulting samples were vacuum-dried, milled, screened and stored. After that first coating was dried sample and some amounts of urea were mixed with sodium alginate (SA) solution. Mixed solution was then added drop wise into 5% (w/w) CaCl2 aqueous solution and stirred constantly. The drops immediately turned into granules (about 4mm in diameter) because the SA in the drop was crosslinked by Ca2+ at once. The granules were filtered and dried in oven at 70à ¢- ¦ C. Then the granules were added to ethylcellulose ethanol solution. Multiple EC coatings were prepared by immersion of the previously coated granules into the Ethylcellulose (EC) solution repeatedly. Thus, EC-coated urea granules with different coating thickness were obtained. Hanafi et al [53], have coated a compound fertilizer by polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyacrylamide (PA), natural rubber (NR), and polylactic acid (PLA) using in situ method. For encapsulation of compound fertilizer with polyacrylamide the granules were added to the solution mixture of monomers. Then the polymerization reaction will start in existence of fertilizers. The thickness of the coating layer on the compound fertilizer granules, determined by SEM, gave PVC compound coated fertilizer the highest value of 3.04 lm, and the lowest was obtained by PA (2.04  µm). Variation in the characteristics of the polymers would be utilized in producing CR compound fertilizer that fit the requirements of growing plants. Hudson et al [38] used epoxy to coat the fertilizer. In this research the urea granules were charged to a pan and warmed to 95 °C. Then the hydrogenated tallaw amine, 2-amino ethyl peperazine and bisphenol A diglycidyl ether were mixed and were added to the granules; meanwhile polymerization happened and prepared mixture was agitated till the fertilizer granules dried. 2.6.2. Spray method This method is most common method for coating the fertilizer granules in state of the art[. Usually, the solution of polymer in a suitable solvent is sprayed on the granule of fertilizer and then the granules are dried to remove the solvent through evaporation. The treatment is repeated as often as necessary until the desired coating percentage is reached. Lan et al [54] have used Chitosan and poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) as biodegradable polymers to coat the NPK fertilizer. The NPK was compound fertilizer granules with about 2 mm in diameter. It was placed in a rotary drum and then the Chitson powder which was dissolved in epoxy-aceton solution was sprayed over the fertilizer. After drying the coating , Chitson coated granules were added to a flask equipped with a mechanical mixer. Carbon tetracholoride, polyethylene glycoloctyl phenyl ether, sorbite anhydride monostearic acid ester, solution of acrylic acid acrylamide , N,N- methylenebisacrylamide and ammonium persulfate was slowly added to the flask. After mixing the coated granules were dried in oven. This product with good controlled-release and water-retention capacity, being degradable in soil and environment-friendly, could be especially useful in agricultural and horticultural applications. Tomaszewska et al [55] have used spray technique for encapsulation of fertilizers. In order to improve the properties of coatings, the granules of previously coated fertilizer (wet method) were sprayed with a polymer solution or pure solvent (N,N dimethylformamide). Concentration of the polymer in solutions used for spraying was in the range of 13-17 wt%. Measurements of thickness, porosity of prepared coatings and microphotographic observation of the coatings were taken. Ma et al [56] have developed a method for encapsulation of fertilizer with a self assembled coating. The fertilizer granules were heated in a rotary drum to 75 °C for 10 minutes. Then the self assembling amphiphilic molecules (N,N-bisaminoethyl eleostearate) were sprayed over the fertilizer. After 20 minutes aliphatic isocyanates were sprayed over fertilizer. This process was repeated once again. The fertilizer kept for drying in the 75 °C for 20 minutes. Dai et al [57], have developed a controlled release fertilizer using a water soluble resin as a coating. The granular compound fertilizer was coated in fluidized bed. Lan et al [58], prepared a double-coated slow-release NPK compound fertilizer with superabsorbent and water-retention properties (DSFSW), whose inner coating was chitosan (CTS), and the outer coating was crosslinked poly(acrylic acid)/diatomite-containing urea (PAADU). This prepared product not only has slow-release property but also could absorb a large amount of water and preserve the soil moisture at the same time. In addition, the outer coating (PAADU) could protect the inner coating (CTS) from mechanical damage. These were significant advantages over the normal slow release or controlled-release fertilizers, which generally have only a slow-release property. The results indicated that the DSFSW could be found an application in agriculture and horticulture, especially in drought-prone regions where the availability of water is insufficient. At first the outer coating containing urea diatomite (PAADU) was prepared. The NPK compound fertilizer granule was placed into a rotary drum, and the Chitosan powder was stuck on the granules by means of epoxy dissolved in acetone. The adhesive was applied by spraying at regular time intervals. The process was finished until compact and homogeneous coating formed on fertilizer granule. The coated granules were dried to a constant mass at room temperature for 6 h. Then the CTS-coated NPK compound fertilizer granules were obtained. CTS-coated NPK compound fertilizer granules were dipped in water and then were immediately placed on PAADU powder and shaken. In this manner, PAADU could adhere to the surface of CTS-coated NPK compound fertilizer and form the outer coating. The surface of the product was crosslinked by spraying methanol solution of epoxy chloropropane and then dried in a 70  °C oven to obtain the final product, i.e., the double-coated slow-release NPK compound fertilizer with superabsorbent and water-retention. Hansen et al [36], encapsulate the granular fertilizer with the epoxy resin using spray method. In this research not coated fertilizer was placed in a rotating drum and pre heated to 250 ° F. A rapid drying solution of copolymers dicyclopentadiene and a modified vegetable oil were applied over fertilizer using spray in a thin stream of resin. Simultaneously hot air was passed through drum. Next monomers of second resin including a mixture of epoxidized soybean oil and polyester curing agent were applied over prepared granules. The solvent was a mixture of xylol and Cellosolve acetate. Hansen et al [39] also have used the above mentioned method for encapsulation of fertilizer with polyurethane. First of all the preheated fertilizer was coated by a synthetic drying oil. After drying the coating for a few minutes fertilizer were dusted by clay. Then Urethane solution in xylene and Cellosolve acetate were applied using spray. 2.6.3.Simple mixing In this method granules are simply mixed with the coating at its melting point or with a solution of polymer in a suitable solvent. Tomaszewska et al [59] used this method for coating the granular NPK fertilizer with polysulfone (PSF), cellulose acetate (CA) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The coating solutions were prepared by the dissolution of the solid polymer in adequate solvent. The NPK fertilizer was successively added to adequate polymer solution, and was covered by a thin layer of the solution. Subsequently, granules were dropped into water, where the gelation process takes place. The coated granules were removed from the precipitation bath and then dried to a constant mass. The multiple coatings were prepared by immersion of the single coated fertilizer into adequate polymer solution, then into water and drying. Hon [47] has prepared the coated granules by mixing method. After melting the thermoplastic polymer by heating, the cellulosic additive has been added to melt resin. Then after allowing the temperature to drop, for avoiding the fertilizer damage, the granules or powder fertilizer has been mixed with the prepared mixture using a Brabender Mixer. Markusch et al[60] just has mixed the fertilizer pellets with at first, a diluted polyol and then with a diluted isocyantae to make a polyurethane coating. Then the feretilizer were placed in oven for drying. 2.7. Special equipment for application of polymer coating Typical physical method for encapsulating fertilizers are spray coating, spray drying, pan coating, rotary disk atomization. Special equipments for these methods are rotary drum, pan or ribbon or paddle mixer, fluidized. Fluidized bed and rotary drums are the most important equipments [87, 88] Polymers used as coating for CRFs A broad range of polymers has been used in fertilizer coating. These polymers could be thermoset, thermoplastic or biodegradable. Some of common thermoset polymers are urethane resin, epoxy resin, alkyd resin, unsaturated polyester resin, phenol resin, urea resin, melamine resin, phenol resin, silicon resin. Among them, urethane resin urethane is very common used.[36,61] Thermoplastic resins are not very common used in art because of some problems. As mentioned before a very preferable method of applying polymers is spraying the dissolved polymer over granules. Either some of thermoplastic resins are not soluble in a solvent or make a very viscose solution which is not suitable for spraying. Polyolefine is used in art for coating the fertilizer granules [47,62]. Biopolymers, dispose in bioactive environments, degrade by the enzymatic action of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae and their polymer chains may also be broken down by non enzymatic processes such as chemical hydrolysis. Non-biodegradable polymers are not environmental friendly. Due to environmental concerns there are some trends of replacing non-bio with bio degradable polymers as coating material from 1970s. But it should be mentioned that they are expensive yet and not very cost effective. Also, in production process durability of polymer should be adjusted with release time of fertilizer. Among natural and synthetic biopolymers starch and cellulose based polymers, chitosan (a linear  polysaccharide),poly lactic acid and poly(ÃŽÂ µ-caprolactone) due to low cost and abundance are some of used biopolymers in fertilizer industry[41,52,58,63-69] 2.5. Coating thickness Generally, polymer coatings are applied in a thickness which is suitable to make a desired controlled release property. Thickness could be related to characteristic of polymer and also it depends on existed porosity of polymer surface. If water vapor transmission rate of coating material is 0.01 to 20, coating thickness would be 1 to 100 microns. Preferred coating thickness is 1 to 50 microns. Coating process could be repeated more than one layer to get desired nutrient release [49]. 2.6. Investigation of release behavior of CRFs Release mechanism for different coatings is different. Thick encapsulated granules like sulfur coating will allow the nutrient to release when a flaw or rupture appears on the coating surface. In this case, rupture will happen because of permeation of water into coating and inside osmotic pressure. Also, biodegradable polymers will release nutrients while destroying by soil microbes activity. Polymer coatings or combination of different coatings will happen by diffusion of water through walls porosities. In this case release rate of can be controlled by the particle size of coated granules, thickness of coating and permeability of coating surface. Also, altering the chemical composition of fertilizer core and the coating will change permeability of coating; means that even basic or acidic environment will change the permeability. In some researches when the coating has been starch-vinyl, increasing size of encapsulated granules has led to slowing down the nutrient release [70, 71]. There are some standard test methods for measurement of controlled release properties. According To European standard the standard release time of N during 24 h should be 15% of total core nutrient. Also, release rate for 15 day should be 75% of total nutrients. Also American and Japanese standards say that the initial release shouldnt be more than 40% of total nutrient. According to European standards for measuring the release rate encapsulated fertilizer should be immersed in pure water at 25  °C (room temperature) in incubated state [72, 73]. For example Detrick et all[43] have investigated the release behavior of their product by immersion of 20 g of encapsulated granules for 8 h in water. After filtration of solid they dried the solid. Evaporation of water was done at 100  °C for 8 hours. Also, Ma et all [31] placed 14 g of granules in wire mesh holder into a jar with 300 ml water at 23  °C and agitated ir by an orbital shaker. Then, the adequate water was taken for elemental analysis.. Locquenghien et al [40] for investigation the slow release effect of fertilizer some amounts of fertilizer were continuously extracted with water. For this purpose the granules were arranged in layer in a cylindrical vessel field with water. Water was passed through this layer and its Nitrogen content was analyzed. 2.8. Commercial CRFs in world and Malaysia Urea-formaldehydes are oldest slow release products which were produced in 1936 and then were commercialized in 1970s. These products were known as Ureaform, Bluchip, Nitroform Methex and Nutralene. After that Tennessee Valley introduced sulfur coated urea technology in1960s.Polymer coated fertilizers were produced as early as 1970 in Japan. Most important commercialized polymer coated CRFs are Osmocote, Nutricote [74] Osmocote CRFs are NPK granules coated by a thermoset copolymer of dicyclopentadiene and a glycerol ester (linseed oil) dissolved in an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent. The Osmocote CRFs are normally used for ornamental horticulture production like greenhouses, nurseries , citrus , and strawberry production[75]. Nutricote prills are encapsulated by thermoplastic resins likeas polyolefins, polyvinylidene chloride. The process of Nuricote involves dissolving polymer in fast-drying chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents and then applying the solution to a variety of nutrient substrates including urea, potassium sulfate, diammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride. Blendin the polymer with talc and ethylene-vinyl acetate has been done to obtain desired release rate[76] Sierra, Lesco and polyon are some other commercialaized CRFs in the world. In Malaysia two brands named Greenfeed[77] and KAMILA[78] has developed slow release fertilizer. Greenfeed contains Zeolite which helps to release nutrients when it is in contact with soil. KAMILA is specially formulated for oil plantation industry. 2.9. Tracing nano-technology features in fertilizer industry Reviewing literature shows that researches which have used nano-technology features in fertilizer industry are very rare. The main benefits of nanoparticles in these researches are using them as reservoir of fertilizer or as filler [79,80]. Solid nano-particles, have large surface areas and their reactivity is much more greater than that of micrometer size materials. Also, their surfaces and interfaces provide an active substrate for physical, chemical, and biological reactions [80]. Two published researches have done using nano-particles. One has used nano-clay as carrier of metal-urea complex; urea intercalated clay without any coating has been developed as slow release fertilizer[79]. In other one, a nanocomposite of nano particle, fertilizer and polymer has been granulated and developed as slow release fertilizer. The production method involves mixing monomers, adding nano particle, which could be nano clay, nano bentonite, nano kaolin, polymerization and then granulating the mixture. In this research nano particle just work as good and effective filler [81]. Making polymer-nano-particle composites is something common in industries. Lots of researches have been done in this area, but researches around using nano-particle as reservoir for fertilizer have been done rarely. For more study here, we will review the researches have been done. 2.9.1. Interc

The Meaning of Beowulf Displayed Through Archetypes :: Epic of Beowulf Essay

The Meaning of Beowulf Displayed Through Archetypes There are many things in life that we do not have control over. In the majority of everyday life situations, people tend to react a certain way through human instinct. This instinct will portray one to be a wonderfully pleasant or extremely pusillanimous human being. Whether the person is viewed having a good or evil spirit strictly depends on the circumstances. Good vs. evil will always be a controversial subject that will be displayed through story telling, or just ordinary every day life. Archetypes and ways of living have been imbedded in our brains for a extremely long time. Life is a continuous cycle that will remain continuous due to subconscious actions of man kind. The story of Beowulf represents the on going cycle of good vs. evil. This theme is shown through heroic deeds, kinship, and dragon archetypes. Protecting innocent civilians, helping others in need and defeating evil are all clear examples of heroic deeds. Beowulf shows his heroic nature through his actions. Hearing that men were killed by Grendel, he jumps at the chance to save the others so that it won’t happen again. He does not fight with weapons which shows his fearlessness and strength. Beowulf conquers evil by not hesitating to put his life on the line for others in need. These actions are what portray him to be a hero and not just a plain, ordinary man. The two monsters in Beowulf are seemingly out to kill men. They both like in murky, chaotic and unpleasant places representing their dark and gloomy appearances. Grendel represents evil in the story because he hurts and kills men. The innocent victims pled with Grendel to stop killing and eating them. Grendel doesnâ€⠄¢t listen to what they say and he keeps on killing because it is what he enjoys doing it. In the story of Beowulf Grendel is one of the major examples of evil. The other clear example of evil is the Dragon. The Dragon and Grendel both represent death, chaos and darkness (Encyclopedia of Archetypal Symbolism â€Å"Ananda†). Although he is mortally injured, after fighting both of the vicious monsters Beowulf comes out victorious, showing his destruction of evil. In the journey of a hero there are three distinct stages. These stages consist of departure, heroic deed and return. Before the departure one has to have a desire to help others, which displays a strong form of kinship.

Descriptive Essay - The Interesting Bus Ride Home -- Descriptive Essay,

The Interesting Bus Ride Home When most people think about an eventful or memorable place, they almost certainly would not picture a bus. As we all know, buses are not exactly attractive. The design scheme is the same in almost every bus: rows and rows of brown seats, a thin black aisle down the middle of the bus, hundreds of hazy windows, and the big, lemon-yellow exterior. Not many people, I am sure, would consider buses to be an important part of their lives. However, if a person were to think about it, they would realize that they probably have had at least one memorable experience in their life that took place on a bus. One of the most memorable bus experiences in my life happened when I was in fifth grade. The final bell at school had rung, so I sprinted out to the bus with a few of my friends to save seats since our bus was always crowded. After we flung our backpacks into the four back seats, we ran back inside the school to buy some Mountain Dew from the pop machine in the cafeteria. After jamming our quarters into the machine and snatching the cans out of the bin, we sprinted back outside to make sure we did not miss the bus. It was still there, in all its yellow glory, so we hurried through the doors and onto the bus. It had been wet and cloudy since that morning--a typical Oregon day--and as I made my way to the back of the bus, the faint smell of rain mingled with the rubbery-plastic smell of hundreds of little rain boots. When I finally got to my seat, I was rather unnerved to find that not only was someone sitting in my seat, but that that someone was none other than Nathaniel Larson, the most obnoxious kid in the 5th grade. I took a deep breath and said, in the kindest voice I could muster, "Nathan, you... ...int was chipped on the outside, and on the inside the chairs had holes and writing all over them. Oddly, though, this bus smelled slightly of paint, which was a huge contrast to its shabby condition. But to us, this dingy yellow vessel was beautiful; it was warm, and it would take us home. This old/new bus continued our route, and we all sat quietly, awaiting our stops. Everyone had a tired, almost forlorn look, as though they had been through much more than just switching buses. I did not have any concept of time as the bus chugged along, stopping occasionally to let people off, and all of a sudden I recognized that it was almost to my stop. I jerked out of the stupor I was in as the bus stopped in front of my apartment complex. As I gathered up my things to leave, I looked at my friends and said, "Well, this will make one interesting story at school tomorrow!"

Morality in J.B. Priestleys An Inspector Calls Essay -- J. B. Priestl

'An Inspector Calls' Essay In Act One of 'An Inspector Calls' how does J.B. Priestley use dramatic devices to convey his concerns and ideas to the members of the audience, as well as interest and involve them in his play? 'An Inspector Calls' is a morality play - a form of play developed in the late middle ages in which a Christian moral lesson was brought out through the struggle between the forces of good and evil - set in 1912, and revolves around the questioning of a family by Inspector Goole about the suicide of a young woman (Eva Smith) that the family knew.The author, J.B. Priestley is trying to show us what some people's arrogance and selfishness can cause without them even noticing. Priestley was a socialist, therefore by writing this play he was drawing attention to the bad things about capitalism. The Inspector was intending to teach the Birlings that ?...we have to share something. If there?s nothing else, we?ll have to share our guilt? Act One. By saying this, he is telling them they are all as guilty as each other of the suicide of Eva Smith, this also links to Priestley being a socialist because he is putting the Birlings to shame. The doorbell ringing appears to separate the two moods (before and after the Inspector arrives). Priestley has used dramatic irony by making the doorbell ring to interrupt Birling?s speech, just as he is talking about looking after ?...yourself and your own? Act One, by saying this before the doorbell rings, Birling is already digging himself into a hole before he even knows it. It is ironic because the Inspector is here to teach him his responsibilities for other people, when he is saying you should only look after your self and your family. As the Inspector enters the ch... ...y guilty and sympathetic for what she has done, whereas Mr and Mrs Birling couldn?t care less and remain unsympathetic throughout. The way Mr and Mrs Birling don?t care makes the play interesting for the audience, as they are waiting for them to crack, the Inspector also helps maintain the audiences concentration by the way he slowly unravels the story and the way he interrogates people in the order that they met the girl. I think the playwright hopes to teach people that money isn?t everything and that people who are arrogant and selfish will get their comeuppances eventually. The moral of the play still, applies to today?s society because it makes us think about the things we do that involve ignoring people less fortunate than us when we realise that there are Eva Smiths all around us just waiting for a chance to make it through the cruel world we live in.

Lets Put Pornography Back in the Closet by Susan Brownmiller

Chad Cummins English 122Y Mr. Fiorenza Analysis Paper The first essay I chose is â€Å"Let’s put pornography back in the closet,† by Susan Brownmiller. I chose this one because I figured analyzing it would not be too difficult after writing about â€Å"First Amendment Junkie,† in a previous assignment. Susan Brownmiller's essay voices her feminist view towards pornographic material. Her claim is that without restriction, the first amendment has allowed women to be publicly perceived as objects. The first amendment gives American citizens the right to free speech, and in Brownmiller's opinion the nation abuses that right.Obscenity laws have been in place since the early seventies, but according to Brownmiller, the Court has ruled sexually explicit content not obscene many times throughout history. By her bringing up the Hollywood ten makes readers think that the directors of pornography should also go to jail. Her feminist view is that graphic pornographic content is obscene when it degrades women. Sexual material with educational or objective purpose is fine, as long as there is no dehumanizing or demeaning of women.Brownmiller's opinion is that porn turns women into objects, and is advertised in such a way that the public perception of women is that they are just material objects. She thinks material that humiliates women in this way should be restricted, shut away from the public eye. Instead it gets flaunted as it's been in the past. One example she chooses to fight her case is that if the public perception of women is that they are objects, a rapist might safely think he's done nothing wrong. She says it makes a rapist feel like he is merely giving into normal urges.Brownmiller implicitly anticipates many angles for argument in her essay. She goes after the argument one might make that pornography is a form of art. Her opinion is that the porn industry is an unethical professional business using high standards of visual technology. They get away with it now because it is skillfully filmed and edited, to have a good design of artful grace. Another argument she predicts is the opposition made by the Court saying that no one is â€Å"compelled to look†. Her opinion is that with porn having the ability to flaunt tself openly to the general public without the filtering of degrading explicit content, it just throws itself in the face of the public. Brownmiller has said one possible solution at least to her would be to get the stuff out of sight. She wants to leave it up to the legislators. Let them be the judge if pornography should be kept out in the public eye. In conclusion, Brownmiller laid out the main points to a big problem in America. The issue of freedom of speech, and if there are any limitations. Using pornography as an example made a very good argument for this topic.The second essay I chose to analyze is â€Å"protecting Freedom of Expression on Campus,† by Derek Bok. I chose this as my second essay because; I assumed it would relate to m more closely due to the fact that I am a college student. In â€Å"Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus†, the author, Derek Bok shows how expressing yourself falls under the First Amendment, whether it is on a private college campus or public college campus. He further explains that just because it is protected by law does not mean that it is â€Å"right, proper, or civil.Bok goes on to show how censoring freedom of speech would cause people to â€Å"test the limits† to gain more attention than is needed and if dealt with in the proper manner. The author starts off with a strong example of Harvard students displaying a confederate flag and swastika. Freedom of expression is a right and should not be used inappropriately. The First Amendment rights have caused much controversy because it allows people to say, act, or feel how they see fit; for example, hanging of a Confederate flag or displaying a swastika in pub lic view.It is a very hard and intense act; although it is their right to do so. According to the Supreme Court’s ruling, the displaying of these symbols is protected under the First Amendment. Regretfully, people act and react because they are offended by things like this, but it is one of our many freedoms as Americans. Although it cannot be prohibited it should be responded to in such a way they do not feel put down or that they are wrong in expressing themselves, but rather suggest to them that it is hurtful and offensive to others.We have the right to be offended as others have the right to display or express their own interests. Diverse communities in the United States set certain laws to protect their properties from being vandalized with graffiti and protect them from loud noise; rules of this kind should be evenly upheld in order to not discriminate for or against anybody’s opinions or ideas. If the governing authorities see fit to change the laws to prohibit such expressions, they should be cautious.Bok says we are faced with the main example of, the conflict between our commitment to free speech and our desire to have a community founded on mutual respect. Bok shows that power of censorship is very dangerous because declaring certain things offensive will create a lot of attention. The stance Bok sticks with throughout the article is clear. He thinks appropriate officials and faculty members should take the lead on education students on what these actions do to others.He also thinks ignoring the displays would work because students would not have such an urge to put them on. It would be safer than prohibiting them, because all that does is give the violators more of a reason to act out. In conclusion, bringing up the example of the Harvard students displaying confederate flags was a good way to show his main point. The main idea is trying to bring out the difference between free speech and offensive material. This was a good way to bri ng up a huge problem that our nation is facing in the world today.

Farenheit 451 Essay

There is a novel published in the 1950s with a title of Fahrenheit 451. The book was published by Ray Bradbury and involves a futuristic plot where most of the things in the society are in chaotic state. This novel was a success in the contemporary times of the 50Ð ²Ãâ€šÃ¢â€ž ¢s and now, you could write a Fahrenheit 451 essay as a school paper requirement. Before you begin writing such an essay, it is important that you first read the novel. This is the case for all types of essays that need to tackle a certain material. Much like writing a Macbeth essay or a Romeo and Juliet essay, a Fahrenheit 451 essay is written only after the writer has completed reading the book. So what are the possible types of essays that we can write for Fahrenheit 451 essay? One can talk about a novel by using different approaches in writing an essay. One good example is a narrative essay. You can re-tell the story in the novel and summarize the whole thing for your readers to have an idea about it. A narrative essay is not all about fictional story from the writer. It may also involve any types of stories that may even come from an actual source. Be careful when you summarize the story in Fahrenheit 451 because you only need to compress the details of the book into your paper. You can write an argumentative essay that will talk about a specific notion or idea in Fahrenheit 451. For example, you may argue that the book projects an idea of chaos and disturbing scenarios to the readers. These factors may contribute to the feeling of doubt among the readers that could make them uncomfortable in a psychological perspective. Of course, there is another side of an argument where the story could be a well-done preparation for the readers on what they should expect of the future. A Fahrenheit 451 essay can also be in the form of a character analysis essay. You can talk about the major persona in the novel and discuss how each one contributed to the success of the story. You may also write about the central character and analyze who that character is in our present society. Start with the central character by the name of Guy Montag who happens to be a firefighter. Analyze his character and discuss his main role in the plot of the novel. One more essay type for a Fahrenheit 451 essay can be in the form of a critical analysis essay. Write about the story in a way that you tend to dig much deeper into the realms of the authorÐ ²Ãâ€šÃ¢â€ž ¢s imagination. Discover new things about the central message of the whole story and what lessons we can learn from it.

Analysis of the Poem “Genesis”

Bruce Dawe, an Australian poet, has written the poem ‘Genesis'. The poem compares the beginning of school to Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, hence the title ‘Genesis'. Dawe has put the context of the poem into a modern day theme. Using the comparison of Adam and Eve's loss of innocence, he describes how the innocence of children is lost at school. This correspondence to the story of God expelling Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden because they had eaten fruit from the tree of knowledge. In the poem ‘Genesis', children are expelled from innocence into the harsh realities of the world by partaking of the tree of knowledge – education at school. Dawe has used various techniques to convey his message across. Throughout the poem, there is an underlying criticism of what society does to children by sending them to school, leading us to question the wisdom of â€Å"education† as provided at school. He has achieved this critical commentary by lightly incorporating the technique of gentle satire into the poem to attack the human folly. This satire implies that society has not learnt from Adam and Eve's mistakes and condones the sinful behaviour in the name of â€Å"education†. His idea has been put forward by the interpretations that God created Adam and Eve, of whom lost their innocence from the tree of knowledge, but society created the cause of the loss of innocence through education. In the lines â€Å"Ah, what ink-stained webs we weave†(1.23), Dawe implies that the adults of society have created a trap (that cannot be untangled) for their children, in their desire for their children to know more, almost pushing them into losing their purity of heart. This satire has made possible by the technique of irony because the Garden of Eden is supposed to harmonise paradise, but school is far from paradise; yet is respected and designated as a ‘good' place by society. The predominating mood created by Dawe is quite paradoxical for he has put forward a serious inner meaning, in an informal manner. The tone of the poem is cynical and sarcastic, occasionally using wry humour to express the feelings of entrapment and unwillingness of the children â€Å"Stabbing first flies with new biros† (1.8). In the poem you can almost sense the children's lack of freedom when the poet describes them â€Å"Watching corner-eyed, the sun, No longer at their beck and calling† (1.10-11). The school bell has replaced their freedom of control over the day. Using sarcasm, Dawe describes the different classrooms as prison cells. This implication is made by the words â€Å"Like old ‘lags' to whom all's one!† (1.7). ‘Lag' was the name given to a convict in the early days of Australian's history and refers to the children who are â€Å"imprisoned† in their classrooms. The fact that all cells look the same illustrates their lack of interest in their classrooms. It all symbolises the loss of freedom. The children's loss of freedom innocence is shown throughout the poem and is illustrated by examples of them choosing bad over good. â€Å"Dumping wholesome snacks Mum makes, In the school incinerator† (1.22) and eating â€Å"tooth-rotting cakes† (1.19) and drinking â€Å"Mind-destroying Fizzi-cola† (1.20). With the help of his mindful selection of words such as, ‘mincing' and ‘cocky' he has built up the imagery that incorporates the sense of flirtatiousness and rebelliousness in the students. Other effects of imagery include the use of metaphor where Dawe compares the delay of sound from a jet-plane to the delay of understanding from the school children when faced by the information in their new text-books. â€Å"Like jet ‘planes so far above them, Waiting for the sonic boom† (1.16-17). The use of simile is also closely connected with the metaphor, where Dawe compares the difficulty of schoolwork to the difficulty of reaching a jet-plane. â€Å"Text-book whose right answers loom, Like jet ‘planes so far above them†(1.15-16). By using both techniques, Dawe enables the reader to visualise more clearly the poet's impressions. The words used by Dawe are vivid and image is substantial, yet simplistic. This allows readers of all levels to appreciate and understand his writing even those who do not normally care for poetry. He has accomplished this in ‘Genesis' by using compound words throughout the whole poem, which allow him to describe ideas promptly and concisely, producing a clear image of his intentions: â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦tooth-rotting cakes, Mind-destroying fizzi-cola† Along with these compound adjectives his rhyming pattern and regular rhythm futher enhances ease of reading and permits the poem to become almost harmonious. Dawe's negative connotations of school, aroused emotions of sadness. This is because I believe the poem speaks of truth of that innocence is lost in school, a place that provides one of the most important aspects to life, education. Dawe has created this poem to comment on the tragedy of the human race, that is to say, what children have become since Adam and Eve. However, I find that his negative attitudes are not necessarily accurate. Despite my disagreeing view with Dawes beliefs, he has nevertheless been successful in conveying his intentions – to satirise the human obsession with education and the emphasis placed on school learning. He has achieved by incorporating many techniques into his work.

Poems-in the Shadow of Signal Hill Essay

In the Shadow of Signal Hill Signal Hill is a strikingly shaped hill or small peak overlooking the harbour of Cape Town. It has been used as a lookout post since the early days of the Cape colony. From it, the viewer can see Robben Island, the bare scar where the suburb of District Si stood before its occupants were evicted and its buildings demolished and Langa, a black township on the outskirts of suburban Cape Town. The overall significance of the title of the poem is that â€Å"Signal Hill† represents the higher, white authority or white government of the Apartheid era. The fact that it is a hill implies how the white government saw themselves as the superior party, the party that was raised above the nation they control. The part â€Å"in the shadow† of Signal Hill represents the black people who suffered under the Apartheid regime. They were the people who had to live in the shadows of the white government. The government overshadowed their whole lives and basically made their choices for them. The word â€Å"shadow† also bears a connotation of fear in general. When one looks at children’s books, one will notice that the antagonist in the stories would be a â€Å"shadowy figure†. Therefore the â€Å"Shadow of Signal Hill† suggests the white government is the antagonist in terms of them being wrong in what they are doing – which is initiating Apartheid in South Africa. 1. in the howling wind 2. by the murky waters 3. of the sea a cold, unpleasant atmosphere is created. Metaphor: howling wind might refer to the cries of the black people, their pleads for freedom and equality. 4. children of colour – refers to coloureds, Asians, black people and all others who suffered under the Apartheid regime. 5. gather shells 6. and hold them to their ears 7. and listen to the lamentations of slaves – cries/ weeping of the slaves. â€Å"lamentations† connects with â€Å"howling wind† which emphasises the suffering of the black and coloured people. 8. in the dungeon of death  since the children listen to the cries of the slaves in the dungeon of death while holding shells to their ears, it is possible that the shells can be a metaphor for the dungeon of death, which, in turn, is a metaphor for the situation the slaves or coloured and black people are in. This symbolises the helplessness of black people. 9. in the howling wind 10. by the murky waters 11. of the sea repetition of the first three lines adds emphasis to them. 12. sons of langa – Langa was a black township on the outskirts of suburban Cape Town. Langa not only represents the houses of the township, it also refers to the people who lived in Langa, therefore Langa is a community. â€Å"sons of langa† – the generation of the townships. This implies that the future generations will also be affected by Apartheid, whether it has ended or not. 13. gather at the ruins of district six 14. and sharpen the spears of the night 15. and the heroes from the island urge This possibly represents someone like Nelson Mandela, the infamous freedom-fighter. 16. go towards the fiery dawn . . . fiery: to be angry: the speaker suggests that the coloured or black people are angry, as it is expected since they have been treated like slaves by the white government for most of their lives. †fiery dawn† also suggest that an â€Å"angry break of day†, meaning that the coloured people wake up angry in the mornings. They are angry and frustrated with their circumstances. dawn: -the beginning of a phenomenon or period of time. -the break of day. Here it is suggested that the â€Å"fiery dawn† is indeed a new period of time which will commence. (The time of post-Apartheid.) The coloured people are angry and will take this anger and fight for their freedom. . . .: the ellipse is used effectively instead of a full stop. A full stop would end the poem. But the ellipse signals that the poem is not finished yet. It also resembles time passing. This symbolises that slavery will never come to an end, and no matter how much time passes, Apartheid will always be in the minds of the future generations. But they will keep on fighting for freedom in the future until the government treats everyone equally. About the poet: Patel is a committed political poet and worked on various poems regarding the aspect of politics. About the poem: â€Å"In the Shadow of Signal Hill† is an example of a protest poem. The poem has no punctuation marks or capital letters. This adds to the protest of the speaker. By ignoring common English grammar rules he strengthens the idea of protesting. The layout of the poem represents the waves of the ocean and the ebb and flow. The different lengths in sentences mimic the sea crashing onto the shore (represented by the longer sentences) and the retreating of the sea (represented by the short sentences. No punctuation marks means no stopping or pausing when one reads the poem. This also represents the image of the sea; the sea never stops moving, its waves will continuously crash on the shore, move back and repeat the process. Therefore by removing punctuation the poet effectively creates movement in the poem. Another reason for the lack of punctuation is to stress that there is no stopping slavery and discrimination. It is a never ending problem which will always continue to show its head somewhere else in the world. At comment 12, the highlighted words: Are they wrong/misinterpreted? I don’t know if your comment is a good or bad one. Futhermore, I think the tone is a sad, depressed tone when I read words like â€Å"murky† â€Å"shadow† â€Å"howling wind† â€Å"dungeon of death† â€Å"lamentation†. When I read the poem, I almost feel sorry for the slaves and children. Maybe this is also what the poet wants – to create an emotional atmosphere so the reader can empathise with the black people. I read the other students’ analyses and I agree that the word â€Å"children† is used to suggest innocence, and this stands in contrast with the rest of the tone of the poem. My thoughts are that the images of â€Å"murky waters† and â€Å"howling wind† also contrasts against â€Å"children†, because children are the symbol of happiness, laughter and care free circumstances. This, however is not the case with Langa. therefore the word â€Å"children† is used effectively to create contrast. I read the other students said that the spears of the night is a metaphor for the black people fighting back. â€Å"night† and â€Å"spears† usually have negative,  dark connotations, but in this instance it is the opposite: the black people represent freedom and light because they want to fight for what is fair and right. Then I also thought that, although one reads it as â€Å"night†, it can represent the homophone â€Å"knight†. this will make absolute sense in the context of the poem and the explanation just given. (it is like â€Å"Bustle in the House† where â€Å"morning† can be heard as â€Å"mourning†.) â€Å"Knight† also has a positive connotation. In medieval times the knight represented the good. A princess was saved by a knight in shining armour. Therefore the sentence â€Å"sharpen the spears of the night† can be reread as â€Å"sharpen the spears of the knight†, meaning that the people will fight for justice and that which is right?