Gullivers Travels Essays - Gullivers Travels, Houyhnhnm, Yahoo

Gulliver's Travels Swifts Gullivers Travels is without question the most famous literature to emerge from this 18th century Tory satiric tradition. It is the strongest, funniest, and yet in some ways most despairing cry for a halt to the trends initiated by seventeenth-century philosophy. In Book IV, we discover how Gullivers journey into a discovery of what man is becomes a journey into madness. We encounter, here, a cruel attack on man. This is an attack using two of the most striking literary metaphors for man: the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos. The first are beings in every way like horses except for their possession of absolute reason; the second are creatures bearing an uncanny resemblance to man except for their animalistic brutality. Swifts use of these creatures, Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos, as an approach to the problem of the nature of man, has attracted more critical attention than has any other part of his work. Now, the first important question to ask of any satirist is how he or she achieves the necessary comic distortion, which transforms the familiar into the ridiculous. And Swifts main technique for achieving this--and a wonderful technique for satire--is the basic plot of science fiction: the voyage by an average civilized human being into unknown territory and his return back home. This apparently simple plot immediately opens all sorts of satiric possibilities, because it enables the writer constantly to play off three different perspectives in order to give us the reader a comic sense of what is very familiar. It can do this in the following ways: If the strange new country is recognizably similar to our culture, then comic distortions in the New World enable the writer to satirize the familiar in a host of different ways, providing, in effect, a cartoon style view of our world. If the strange new country is some sort of utopia--a perfectly realized vision of the ideals often proclaimed but generally violated in our world--then the satirist can manipulate the discrepancy between the ideal New World of the fiction and the corrupt world we live in to illustrate repeatedly just how empty the pretensions to goodness really are in our world. However, the key to this technique is generally the use of the traveler, the figure who is, in effect, the readers contemporary and fellow countryman. How that figure reacts to the New World can be a constant source of amusement and pointed satiric comment, because, in effect, this figure represents the contact between the normal world and the strange New World of either caricatured ridiculousness or utopian perfection. We can see Swift moving back and forth between the first two techniques, and this can create some confusion. For example, in much of Book I, Lilliput is clearly a comic distortion of life in Europe. The sections on the public rewards of leaping and creeping or the endless disputes about whether one should eat ones eggs by breaking them at the bigger or the smaller end or the absurdity of the royal proclamations are obvious and funny distortions of the court life, the pompous pretentiousness of officials, and the religious disputes familiar to Swifts readers. At the same time, however, there are passages where he holds up the laws of Lilliput as some form of utopian ideal, in order to demonstrate just how much better they understand true reasonableness than do the Europeans. In book II, he does the same: for most of the time the people of Brobdingnag are again caricatured distorted Europeans, but clearly, the King of Brobdingnag is an ideal figure. This shift in perspective on the New World is at times confusing. Swift is, in effect, manipulating the fictional world to suit his immediate satirical purposes. It is easy enough to see what he is doing, but it does, in some sense, violate our built-up expectations. Just how are we supposed to take Lilliput and Brobdingna--as a distorted Europe or as a utopia or what? This lack of a consistent independent reality to the fictional world which he has created is one of the main reasons why Gullivers Travels is not considered one of the first novels (since one of the requirements of a novel, it is maintained, is a consistent attitude

Henri Rousseau Vs Alphonse Mucha essays

Henri Rousseau Vs Alphonse Mucha essays Henri Rousseau, and Alphonse Mucha, have had very memorable lives. When people think of Henri Rousseau they think of all his amazing jungle scenes he has painted. When it comes to Alphonse Mucha, people remember his efforts of enforcing the Slav Epic. Whether it be dealing with style, purpose, lives, education, or origin, Henri Rousseau and Alphonse Mucha have many similarities as well as differences. Henri Rousseau and Alphonse Mucha both are considered to be in the symbolism category for their work. Both Mucha and Rousseaus work, traced back to their homelands. Rousseau is from Lavel, France and Mucha is from Invancice, Moravia, or the Czech Republic, as we know it today. As well as tracing their work back to their homelands, they were also influenced by the traditional forms of painting at the time. However, after years passed, they tried to stray away from the traditional form, creating their own forms of painting. On the other hand, Rousseau and Alphonses styles were quite different in many ways. First off, Muchas style consists of dynamic lines in geometric patterns. He achieves his dramatic effects of his pictures by the way he positions his figures and gets them to blend with the patterns. He leaves no empty spaces throughout the painting. While Rousseaus style never really changed throughout his career, his shapes and images are painted with little shadow. This portrays an overall stage-like effect. Design, shape, and color are very important to this painter. He also overlaps shapes to create a sense of shallow space, unlike Mucha. Regardless of what picture you are looking at, you will always see the differences between Mucha and Rousseaus work. Art came easily to the two painters. They taught themselves their own crafts and learned many different techniques after years went by. They both had a minimal amount of schooling behind them. Henri ...

Autism Late Diagnoses Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Autism Late Diagnoses - Research Proposal Example As a spectrum, it means that the earlier ASD is diagnosed, the better the chances of ensuring that the risk or rate of growth of severity does not increase to certain undesirable levels. However, there continues to be records and reports of late diagnoses of ASD in most children. In relation to the Waldorf approach to developmental stages in children, one would say that if ASD was diagnosed as early as the first stage, it would give medical experts so much hope and room for improving the lives of affected children, especially in terms of their academics. Purpose of the study Based on the background to the study presented above, the researcher seeks to set out a research work that has a purpose of identifying the developmental stages from the perspective of Waldorf approach and link this to Autism Spectrum Disorder late diagnoses. ... This purpose is made with the rationale that as much as autism may be a serious health and psychological problem for children, it should not be the basis for which children should suffer or be left behind in any sense in terms of their normal development as people. This is particularly so when it comes to the academic life of the children. Unfortunately though, the chances of achieving this goal reduces significantly if diagnosis is not made as early enough as possible. While looking at the issue of late diagnosis, the impact of different cultural perspectives will be linked to any possible causes. Aim and objectives To achieve the purpose of the study, an aim has been set for the study, which has further been broken down into specific objectives to signify the specific activities and tasks the researcher should be involved in to achieve the aim. The aim is given as finding the relationship between the developmental stages and autism spectrum disorder late diagnosis. The specific obj ectives to bring about this aim are given as follows. 1. To determine how the developmental stages as given by Waldorf are perceived by different cultures in terms of religious cultures, moderate cultures and liberal cultures 2. To underscore how the perception of developmental stages according to cultural differences help in avoiding or promoting late diagnoses of ASD. 3. To ascertain how children diagnosed with late with ASD can be helped to live healthy integrated lifestyles. Significance of the study Should the aims and objectives set above be achieved, there are a number of benefits that will be derived. In the first place, an understanding on the effect of cultural differences on ASD would help in finding a common perspective grounds for the issue

Influences of muticultures from second generation such as Essay

Influences of muticultures from second generation such as Korean-American on self-constructing - Essay Example They often feel confused about their identity. This has been of particular interest and has prompted me to study whether own culture has a stronger influence in self-formation or one gets influenced by the culture in which one has grown up. According to Hofstede, culture is something that is learned and therefore is embedded in a society or nation (Wong, Everett & Nicholson, 2008). It is a mental programming that is developed early in life and reinforced later through the process of socialization. Even the natural act of thinking is modified by culture. Culture has a deep impact on the life of people and hence it provides a structured and highly consistent way of living that is not deliberately constructed. Culture is an underlying system that shapes personality traits and behaviors. The period between 18 to 25 years of age is the time when young adults develop a subjective sense of identity through experimentation and explorations (Xu, Shim, Lotz & Almeida, 2004). This period is very critical for the young adults as the ethnic identity of the young forms and develops during this period. The ethnic identity, defined as the individual’s sense of self within an ethnic group, becomes an integral part of the ethnic young adults social identity and a vital component of his or her self-concept or self-image. Furedi (2007) while discussing how the culture of fear is formed, states that people vary greatly in how much culture they apply in their lives. This determines the kind of people they will become. This process of ‘self-forming’ draws from the symbolic resources of the wider culture. Habits of thought and feeling influence the way individuals make sense of their experience. Bilingualism is common among the immigrants in America. A study of the second generation Asian Americans revealed that bilingualism impacts academic achievement and social mobility (Mouw & Xie, 1999). Replacing the immigrant language by English has provoked sentiments from the

Human Resource Management - Yahoo Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Resource Management - Yahoo - Coursework Example ent high numbers of employees who are highly paid do not create the required difference in order to improve the competitiveness of the company in the market. The demand for labor in Yahoo is based on pressure put by competitors. With only few qualified personnel in the market, the company is under pressure to hire new employees in order to prevent them from joining the rival firms. However, instead of the company hiring out of pressure, it should first maximize the returns by the existing subordinates. This is through providing them with a serene working environment where they can be able to maximize their potential through innovation. This would play a significant role in improving the competitive advantage of the company in the market. The first action that will strengthen the internal recruitment process is training of the panel that will be recruiting new employees. New recruits need to fit in the organizational structure. Therefore, the panel needs to ensure that they recruit an employee who would auger well with the current organizational goals and objectives. Therefore, through training, the panel will be able to select the best employees who will be able to integrate with the organizational culture. The internal recruitment process would be strengthened through drafting an effective performance appraisal. The drafting process should involve all the employees. This is through collecting their views on what they would like the performance appraisal to look like. This would make them feel appreciated and work hard because they are sure that the appraisal would be able to recognize their effort. The use of the performance appraisal would make the recruitment to be more transparent, an aspect that would motivate the employees to put more effort in order to be promoted. The Yahoo corporate strategy is to grow and become more competitive (Hill and Gareth 233). The employees understand the challenges that the company is going through. Therefore, this strategy

Theory of the Prism Spectrometer Experiment

Theory of the Prism Spectrometer Experiment Introduction When a beam of light is transmitted from air to glass, the ray is bent according to Snells law sin0air= nsin0glass Where the angles are measured from the surface normal (the line perpendicular to the surface) and n is the index of refraction of the glass. The index of refraction is a dimension-less number and is a measure of how strongly the medium bends light. The greater n is, the more the light is bent. The index of refraction of air is 1. For glass, n varies from 1.3 to 1.8, depending on the type of glass and on the wavelength of the light. White light is made up of all the colors of the rainbow red, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Different colors correspond to different wavelengths. Human eyes are sensitive to light with wavelengths in the range 390 nm (violet) to 750 nm (red) (1 nm = nanometer = 10-9 m). Range of human vision Glass has a greater index of refraction at shorter wavelengths, that is, it bends blue light more than red light. So a prism can be used to disperse white light into its component colors. Blue red wavelength In this experiment, we will use a prism spectrometer to measure the dispersion angle of various wavelengths. From the measurements, we will make a graph of the index of refraction vs. wavelength. The form of the curve of index of refraction as a function of wavelength, known as the Cauchy formula, is n = A + B/l2 Or n = A + (b/l)2 As a light source, we will use a mercury lamp, which emits light at several discrete wavelengths. The device we are using is called a prism spectrometer because, once the prism is calibrated, it can be used to measure the wavelengths of the lines in the spectra produced by various atoms. The spectra contain bright lines at particular wavelengths, which correspond to light emitted during the transition between different energy states of the atoms. You see distinct lines because the atoms exist only in distinct, quantized energy states. Trying to explain the data from such experiments— the existence and pattern of sharp spectral lines—led to the development of quantum mechanics. When a ray of light is refracted by a prism, the angle between the incoming and outgoing rays is called the angle of deviation (b). For a given prism and a given wavelength, the value of b depends on the angle between the incoming ray and the surface of the prism. b is minimum when the angles of the incoming and outgoing rays make equal angles with the prism surfaces. In this special symmetric case, the prisms index of refraction (n) is related to b and the apex angle of the prism N= The prisms that we will use all have a = 60 ° (exactly, we assume).There exist extensive tables of the line spectra of many elements. In the first part of the experiment, you will be using the known spectrum of mercury to calibrate your prism spectrometer. As a result, you have measured the curve of index of refraction as a function of wavelength. So if you measure a new line of a spectrum, you can calculate the index of refraction and use your curve to look up the wavelength for the new line. This process is used in identifying the elements present in unknown samples, such as the atmospheres of distant stars. The element helium, now used to inflate birthday balloons, was first discovered by observing the atmosphere of a nearby the star, the sun (helios is Greek for sun). In the last part of the experiment you will have the opportunity to measure the spectrum of a gas in this fashion. The fine prism spectrometers used in this lab were purchased in 1970 for $700 each. Today inferior models are available for $1700. Handle them with respect! Never force any parts!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™ OBJECTIVES: Learn the theory of the prism spectrometer, and be able to explain the functions of its various components. Observe the spectrum of a mercury discharge lamp and record the angle of deviation for the spectral lines. Determine the index of refraction of a glass prism for various wavelengths. Use the calibrated prism to measure unknown wavelengths. Observe color sensation caused by light of particular wavelengths. Methodology 1. Become familiar with the spectrometer a) Identify each component: the black table, the prism table, the collimator, and the telescope b) Note the clamping screws and the fine adjustment screws for the telescope and the black table. Note the clamping screw for the prism table. c) Note how to adjust the telescope focus and the eyepiece. d) Note how to adjust the slit focusing in the collimator tube. Note how the slit width can be adjusted and how the slit orientation can be rotated. 2. Practice reading the angle from a precise protractor scale on the rim of the black table. Use the Vernier scale with the little magnifying glass to read the angle to the nearest arc minute. 3. Align the spectrometer In order to correctly measure angles with the spectrometer, we must first align it. To do so, use the following steps: a) Telescope focus: Do not put the prism onto the silver table yet. That will come later. Notice that there are two knobs associated with the telescope. They are located directly under the telescope barrel. One points along the barrel and one is perpendicular to it. The knob that is along the barrel will lock the telescope’s position and will prevent it from rotating. When it is locked down in this way, you can use the other knob for a fine adjustment, to rotate it by very small amounts. If the telescope is not unlocked, turn the knob that is parallel to the barrel counterclockwise until you can freely rotate the telescope. Turn the telescope so that it is not pointing at the collimator but is instead aimed at something as far away from you in the room as possible. Now rotate the focus adjustment (See diagram on page 5) until you can see through the telescope clearly. You may notice that the image is upside down. This is normal. Just ensure that it is as clear and in focus as you can. After this adjustment, you should not adjust the focus of the telescope again. b) Telescope alignment: Now place a white light (desk lamp) in front of the slit on the end of the collimator (in the diagram on page 5, the desk lamp goes where the â€Å"HG lamp† is pictured). Now rotate the telescope until it is pointed at the collimator. You should imagine a straight line going from the lamp through the collimator, and through the telescope. By looking through the telescope, you should be able to line up the crosshair with the slit in the far end of the collimator. By locking down the telescope and using the fine adjustment (the knob perpendicular to the one that you used to lock down the telescope) you should be able to do this very accurately. If you are unable to see the slit, it may be closed too tightly. You can widen and narrow the slit by rotating the adjuster on the collimator (it is located on the far end of the collimator, much like the focus for the telescope). This will adjust the slit width, but will not focus the slit. If the slit does not have very crisp edges when you look through the telescope, move the end of the collimator near the lamp in and out to focus it. If your slit is not vertical in the telescope, you can also rotate it so that it is. Once you have a nice thin, well-focused slit, with your crosshairs centered on it and your telescope locked down, you are now ready to align the scales to read the angle. c) Angle adjustment: If you look below the set of knobs that control the telescope, you will see another pair of knobs that look identical to the ones for the telescope. These knobs perform the same functions (locking down and fine adjustment) for the black table itself. If you unlock the black table, you can rotate it. Notice that there are two windows in which you can read an angle. We want to rotate the table until one of the windows has 0 (zero) lined up with 0 (zero) or 360 (since a circle is 360 degrees, 360 is the same as 180. If at all possible, we should try to use set it so that this window is to the left of the telescope (as we are looking over the barrel toward the lamp) because this will make reading our angle easiest. (Please have a look at the diagram on page 5) On some scopes there is a small magnifier attached to the black table over one window, and this would also be advantageous to use. Once you have aligned them, you will lock down the black table and will not rot ate it again. From now on, we will only rotate the telescope. d) Prism placement: Now you should place the prism in the center of the silver table. Recall that light is bent toward the base of the prism, so it should be placed on the silver table so that the gray plastic part makes a â€Å"C† shape if you were to look at it from the telescope side of the apparatus. Now, without moving the telescope, move your head to the left (about to where the telescope is rotated to in the diagram on page 5) and look into the prism. You will have to put your head down at the height of the telescope/collimator. Now rotate the silver table clockwise until you can see a nice rainbow like spectrum â€Å"inside† the prism. (You should notice that the rainbow is inside of a black circle. You are seeing the light coming out of the collimator and bent through the prism.) If it does not look like a very nice, bright, well-formed rainbow, you probably do not have your head in the right place; move further left and try to rotate the silver table back and forth. Once you have found it, unlock the telescope (not the black table) and rotate it to the left where you were looking. Now look through the telescope, and you should be able to find the rainbow. We are now in about the right place to find our spectrum with the mercury vapor lamp and to adjust for the minimum angle of deviation. e) Minimum angle of deviation: Now, remove the white light and replace it with the mercury vapor lamp. You will want to move the lamp until it is aligned with the slit. To do this, look through the telescope and move the lamp back and forth until it is nice and bright in the telescope. Instead of a complete rainbow, you should now see only certain bands of color. If your bands do not look nice and sharp, you may have to adjust your slit focus or width. Some lines are better seen if you tighten the slit. (The lamp should be very close to the slit.) Move the telescope back and forth until you get the crosshair lined up on the green band. Now look back to the diagram on page 5. We want to make the angle b as small as possible. To do this, rotate the silver table back and forth just a little bit. You should be able to get the green line to move to the right. Now realign the crosshair on the green line and rotate the silver table a little bit again. Then realign the crosshair on the green line. You should repeat this process until no matter which way you rotate the silver table, the green line goes to the left, not the right. When this occurs, and the green line is as far as you can get it to go to the right, you are at the minimum angle of deviation. This angle should be around 51 or 52 degrees for the green line. If it is not, you may not have aligned the scales correctly, please repeat steps c, d, and e from above. (Record it below). Every time that you do a different color, you will have to repeat this process. f) Record the prism number and read the deviation angle on the protractor. Prism # _______ b = _______  ° _______ ’ = ___________ ° 4. Measure the angle of deviation for each of the spectral lines of the Mercury lamp. The wavelengths and colors of the spectral lines are given in the table below. While making measurements, unclamp and rotate the prism table to check that the prism is oriented for minimum angle of deviation for the red, green, and blue lines. When measuring very closely spaced lines, like the double yellow lines, make the slit very narrow and check the focus. When measuring dim lines, make the slit wider.

Energy Crisis: Is America In Trouble :: essays research papers fc

Global energy crisis threatens, scientist says CHICAGO (April 17, 1997) -- An impending global energy crisis with potentially massive impact on American industry and jobs can be avoided if America strives for a portfolio of energy systems, a distinguished scientist said here today. In advocating an end to name-calling between energy advocates and environmentalists, Alan Schriesheim said, "We cannot set effective energy policy in an environmental vacuum, nor can we set effective environmental policy in an energy vacuum." Schriesheim, director emeritus at Argonne National Laboratory, spoke at a gathering sponsored by the Chicago Academy of Sciences at the University Club of Chicago. Energy demand will soar worldwide over the next 20 years, he said. "What do you think might happen," he asked the audience, "to the world's energy needs and environmental concerns if we added a new United States to the planet every three years for the next 20 years? This is not an academic question. The world population today is growing at exactly that rate, and it is projected to continue growing at that rate through 2020." The bulk of that population growth will come in the poorer countries, Schriesheim said, "places where talk of energy policy comes second to talk of food and shelter and survival; places where, if the only affordable fuel is growing in the rain forest, you will take that fuel today without a moment's thought of the consequences tomorrow." The Argonne scientist's talk was titled "What Every High School Graduate Should Know About Energy," and was part of the Chicago Academy of Sciences lecture series "Science Literacy for the 21st Century: What Should Every High School Graduate Know?" Schriesheim told the audience that world population growth of more than 86 million people per year is "the equivalent of adding two cities the size of Chicago to the planet each month." "So not only will all the Earth's current population demand more energy in the years ahead," he said, "those billions of new people are going to want their share too." Schriesheim chided energy executives who dismiss environmental concerns, and environmentalists who dismiss the energy production potential of fossil fuels, flowing water, and uranium in favor of so-called "renewable" energy sources such as solar energy. He said that for the next several generations renewables -- such as solar, wind, and farm-grown energy crops -- are expected to provide only 2 to 4 percent of global energy supplies.