Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Egoist :: Free Essays Online

The Egoist George Meredith's The Egoist: A Literary and Critical History George Meredith was an English author, critic, poet, and war correspondent. He was considered to be a successful writer. He published several works of fiction and poetry. These works included: The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, The Tragic Comedians, Modern Love Poems of the English Roadside, and Poems and Lyrics of the Joy of Earth among many others. Toward the end of his career, after the tragic deaths of his wife and son, Meredith received the Order of Merit. He was born in 1828 and died in 1909 (Casal). The Egoist is arguably his greatest work of fiction and "is celebrated as a major in the history of the British novel. It presents Meredith's learned insight into psychology, sociology and Social Darwinism in a highly refined and stylized prose"(DiMauro 250). The novel is about Sir Willoughby Patterene, a highly narcissistic gentleman, in his quest to find a socially acceptable wife. In Willoughby's youth his two aunts nurtured his narcissism. He was the self-proclaimed "son of the house." Which is a reference to Louix XIV, who believed that he was the center of the entire universe (DiMauro 250) Throughout the narrative Sir Willoughby has little luck with women. "His first fiancà ©e, Constantia Durham, abandons him three weeks before the wedding; the second, Clara Middleton, grows to abhor the cynosure, leaving Willoughby to court Laetitia Dale, the daughter of a cottager on the Patterne estate, whom Willoughby had once renounced as being below his station" (DiMauro 250). The Egoist is a fictionalized work rooting from a lecture Meredith gave at the London Institute called, On The Idea of Comedy The Uses of the Comic Spirit. This lecture later became book titled An Essay on Comedy (Casal). French dramatist, Jean Baptiste Molirà ©re, primarily influenced Meredith's comic views, particularly the novel Tartuffe. Being that the novel was born out of Meredith's comic findings, the full title of the work is called The Egoist: A Comedy in Narrative. The story of The Egoist is: Based upon drama rather than fiction and reflects Meredith's understanding of comedy as a means of criticizing society and analyzing the individual. Meredith was the first to replace an elaborate plot structure with careful psychological analysis of characters, an innovation that would greatly influence the modern novel. (DiMauro 250) Meredith was fifty years old when he began work on The Egoist. In 1879 he gave the manuscript to his publisher, Charles Kegan Paul. The Egoist :: Free Essays Online The Egoist George Meredith's The Egoist: A Literary and Critical History George Meredith was an English author, critic, poet, and war correspondent. He was considered to be a successful writer. He published several works of fiction and poetry. These works included: The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, The Tragic Comedians, Modern Love Poems of the English Roadside, and Poems and Lyrics of the Joy of Earth among many others. Toward the end of his career, after the tragic deaths of his wife and son, Meredith received the Order of Merit. He was born in 1828 and died in 1909 (Casal). The Egoist is arguably his greatest work of fiction and "is celebrated as a major in the history of the British novel. It presents Meredith's learned insight into psychology, sociology and Social Darwinism in a highly refined and stylized prose"(DiMauro 250). The novel is about Sir Willoughby Patterene, a highly narcissistic gentleman, in his quest to find a socially acceptable wife. In Willoughby's youth his two aunts nurtured his narcissism. He was the self-proclaimed "son of the house." Which is a reference to Louix XIV, who believed that he was the center of the entire universe (DiMauro 250) Throughout the narrative Sir Willoughby has little luck with women. "His first fiancà ©e, Constantia Durham, abandons him three weeks before the wedding; the second, Clara Middleton, grows to abhor the cynosure, leaving Willoughby to court Laetitia Dale, the daughter of a cottager on the Patterne estate, whom Willoughby had once renounced as being below his station" (DiMauro 250). The Egoist is a fictionalized work rooting from a lecture Meredith gave at the London Institute called, On The Idea of Comedy The Uses of the Comic Spirit. This lecture later became book titled An Essay on Comedy (Casal). French dramatist, Jean Baptiste Molirà ©re, primarily influenced Meredith's comic views, particularly the novel Tartuffe. Being that the novel was born out of Meredith's comic findings, the full title of the work is called The Egoist: A Comedy in Narrative. The story of The Egoist is: Based upon drama rather than fiction and reflects Meredith's understanding of comedy as a means of criticizing society and analyzing the individual. Meredith was the first to replace an elaborate plot structure with careful psychological analysis of characters, an innovation that would greatly influence the modern novel. (DiMauro 250) Meredith was fifty years old when he began work on The Egoist. In 1879 he gave the manuscript to his publisher, Charles Kegan Paul.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Selfless Service Definition Essay -- Expository Essays

Selfless Service When one sees the word selfless service, he/she literally sees the words self and less, followed by service. Self refers to an individual (in this case, it refers to one’s own interests) and less indicates a lack of, or without. Service can be a synonym of the word volunteering or duty. Therefore, the term selfless service must literally mean the lack of the pursuit of one’s own interests for the betterment of others. There is no measurement of selfless service. No matter what the scenario or who is involved, everyone who is involved benefits from one’s selfless acts. The one who shows selflessness may benefit by receiving a â€Å"thank you,† or even just a good feeling of helping others. Of course, the ones who receive the selfless acts benefit from obvious reasons. Selfless service can be shown by anyone and everyone, including a soldier putting his/her life on the line to save a fallen comrade, a husband and father protecting and spending time wit h his wife and children, someone donating his/her time by volunteering as a tutor or with the American Red Cross or some other goodwill charity, and the teamwork of two or more athletes. Those four examples provide different scales in which selfless service can be displayed. Selfless service can be displayed in regards to one’s nation/military, one’s family, one’s community, and any team sport. The U.S. Army’s definition of selfless service is â€Å"to put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own† (â€Å"Selfless Service,† GoArmy.com). The Army consists of teams, in which those teams form a larger size unit, etc. If a team fails, the unit fails. One reason that a team may fail could have something to do with selfishness, which is of cour... ...less service by displaying humble teamwork in an effort to win as a team. Works Cited -Famous Quotes at QuoteDB - Interactive Database of Famous Quotations. 16 Feb. 2009 -Medtrng.com. 11 Feb. 2009 . -Quotesea.com. 16 Feb. 2009 . - â€Å"Selfless Service.† GoArmy.com. 11 Feb. 2009 . -â€Å"Selfless Service.† Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 11 Feb. 2009 . - â€Å"Selfless Service and Service to Others.† Our Ultimate Reality. 16 Feb. 2009 . -ThinkExist.com Quotations. 16 Feb. 2009 .

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Bram Stokers Dracula vs. Miyazakis Princess Mononoke :: essays research papers

Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, as well as, Hayao Miyazaki’s animated feature, Princess Mononoke, deal with the prevalent theme of good verses evil. On the surface, both stories seem like typical hero verses villain tales, but once their plots are more closely analyzed it is evident that there is not a bold line between the two extremes. Both pieces explore the idea of evil being in the eye of the beholder and being interpreted completely differently from contrasting perspectives. Princess Mononoke is the tale of a young prince, Ashitaka, who battles a demon bore, only to become possessed with its evil spirit. Ashitaka then travels to Irontown, seeking to find the reason for the bore’s anger and thus, a cure for himself. When he arrives, he finds that the citizens of the town, under the rule of Lady Eboshi, have been mining iron from nearby mountains and, in turn, disturbing the animal Gods of the forest. The animals and the humans have been in a constant battle over who has the right to the land and both have been lead to believe that the other species is purely evil. Ashitaka believes that the humans and the animals can get along peacefully through compromise and finds himself in the middle of their conflict. From each side’s perspective, the other seems inherently evil, but from Ashitaka’s perspective, and the perspective of the audience, neither side is truly corrupt and they are both just feeding off of each other’s anger. Alt hough the animals seem evil and barbaric to the humans, they are just being protective over their land and are acting off of their fear of the humans. On the other hand, the humans are seen as evil by the animals because of their selfish use of resources, but they are just trying to financially support their community. For example, Lady Eboshi, the leader of Irontown, is seen as evil for orchestrating this exploitation of resources from the animals, but the humans see her as a compassionate, God-like figure. She does many positive and kind things for the human community, such as taking in women from the streets and brothels and giving them a place to live and work. Even though she is, in essence, destroying the animal’s habitats, she is saving the lives of many humans while doing it. The animal characters are also portrayed as compassionate in many respects. For example, when the leader of the wolves finds an abandoned baby, she takes her in and raises her as if she were her own daughter. Bram Stoker's Dracula vs. Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke :: essays research papers Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, as well as, Hayao Miyazaki’s animated feature, Princess Mononoke, deal with the prevalent theme of good verses evil. On the surface, both stories seem like typical hero verses villain tales, but once their plots are more closely analyzed it is evident that there is not a bold line between the two extremes. Both pieces explore the idea of evil being in the eye of the beholder and being interpreted completely differently from contrasting perspectives. Princess Mononoke is the tale of a young prince, Ashitaka, who battles a demon bore, only to become possessed with its evil spirit. Ashitaka then travels to Irontown, seeking to find the reason for the bore’s anger and thus, a cure for himself. When he arrives, he finds that the citizens of the town, under the rule of Lady Eboshi, have been mining iron from nearby mountains and, in turn, disturbing the animal Gods of the forest. The animals and the humans have been in a constant battle over who has the right to the land and both have been lead to believe that the other species is purely evil. Ashitaka believes that the humans and the animals can get along peacefully through compromise and finds himself in the middle of their conflict. From each side’s perspective, the other seems inherently evil, but from Ashitaka’s perspective, and the perspective of the audience, neither side is truly corrupt and they are both just feeding off of each other’s anger. Alt hough the animals seem evil and barbaric to the humans, they are just being protective over their land and are acting off of their fear of the humans. On the other hand, the humans are seen as evil by the animals because of their selfish use of resources, but they are just trying to financially support their community. For example, Lady Eboshi, the leader of Irontown, is seen as evil for orchestrating this exploitation of resources from the animals, but the humans see her as a compassionate, God-like figure. She does many positive and kind things for the human community, such as taking in women from the streets and brothels and giving them a place to live and work. Even though she is, in essence, destroying the animal’s habitats, she is saving the lives of many humans while doing it. The animal characters are also portrayed as compassionate in many respects. For example, when the leader of the wolves finds an abandoned baby, she takes her in and raises her as if she were her own daughter.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Albert Einstein: the Miracle Mind Essay

The book, Albert Einstein: The Miracle Mind, written by Tabatha Teatts is about this century’s greatest physicist, Albert Einstein. He was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany to Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch. Albert’s original name was Ainstein and his ancestors were of Jewish origin. Down the generation, for some unknown reason, the name was changed to Einstein. When he was about one year old, his family moved to Munich to set up an electrical engineering company. Contrary to the belief that he must have always been a brilliant child, he was rather an unusual child. He was a slow talker and preferred to play by himself. He was thought to be â€Å"stupid† and slow due to his habits. When Albert wanted to talk, he would first think about it, then say it quietly to himself, and finally say it out loud. He was not interested in rough outdoor plays as other boys, but rather enjoyed puzzles and building houses by stacking cards. Just because he played quietly does not mean that he did not have a temper. When he was five years old, he was taught by a home tutor who never returned after almost being struck with the chair by Albert. He even had severe temper tantrums, which persisted until he was seven years old. When Albert was six years old, he had an experience that would influence his imagination and curiosity and shape his future. Albert had been ill, and to amuse Albert, his father brought home a compass. Albert was amazed that no matter which direction he turned the compass, the needle would still point north. At the age of seven, Albert was allowed to start directly at the second grade level at Volksschule – a Catholic elementary school. He did well in his studies. At the age of nine, he enrolled in Munich’s Luitpold Gymnasium (â€Å"gymnasium† is actually a German word for â€Å"secondary school†). At the age of ten, he became attracted in mathematics and science, and read many books in these fields. Albert was influenced by a book written by Aaron Bernstein that made him think about what it would feel to travel on a wave of light. This eventually led to Albert’s great theory of relativity. While he was still in school, the family’s electrical company in Germany shut down and the family moved to Pavia, Italy. Albert was to stay and finish school, but on December 29, 1894 he quit school and moved to Italy to be with his family. Albert planned to enter Federal Polytechnic University in Zurich. He studied hard in math and science but barely studied in the other subjects. He performed well in math and science, but failed in other areas. Therefore, he was not accepted into the Polytechnic. However, the head of the physics department was so awed by Albert’s math and science scores that he was invited to attend the lectures even if Albert was not accepted into Federal Polytechnic University. However, Albert could not accept it because he had to move to Aarau, Switzerland to finish his last year of secondary school at Canton School. After finishing at Canton School, Albert was accepted into Polytechnic. In his first year Albert learned about math and mechanics. He became really excited when he started learning physics, but when he soon found out that the professor never taught new lessons in physics, he lost interest in class and annoyed the teacher. This proved to be a mistake later in his future when was trying to find a job. Albert mainly studied by himself, and one of his close friends who took good notes shared them with Albert. This helped Albert get through his classes. When Albert had free time he went to cafà ©s with his friends and had long discussions on theories, experiments, and problems to occupy the time. He also loved to play his violin, which helped him to meet many new people since he was a good-looking musician. Then he met Mileva Maric, a student at Polytechnic who was very intelligent and had great knowledge in mathematics. They became friends and quickly grew close. After Albert graduated in the summer of 1900 his had planned on obtaining advanced degrees while working as an assistant to one of Polytechnic professors. His second goal was to marry Mileva, but he did not do very well on accomplishing either one of those goals. He could not find assistantship because he had irritated his physics professor while at Polytechnic. Because Mileva was a little older than Albert, was not Jewish, and had a limp from being born with a dislocated hip, Albert’s parents were very much against their relationship. Albert was not allowed to marry until he was able to find a job. By December of 1900, Albert finished writing a paper on capillarity (the interaction between liquid meeting solid), and it was published in the Annalen der Physik (Journal of Physics), but he still could not find a job as an assistant. Things started to look brighter when his friend got him a position as a patent examiner and another friend asked him to teach a class for couple of months. In May of 1901, Mileva found out she was pregnant and by end of January 1902 she had a little girl and named her baby Lieserl (Little Lisa). By then Albert was working at the patent office and getting steady pay. In October of 1902, at the age of fifty-five, Albert’s father died of heart disease. Just before he died, he gave Albert permission to marry Mileva. On January 6, 1903, Albert and Mileva were finally married. Albert continued to work for the patent office. Albert became lonely staying at home with just his wife and his daughter, so Albert and his friends met every night and discussed theories and books they were reading. They called their group â€Å"the Olympia Academy.† In May 1904, Hans Albert Einstein was born. By end of 1904 one of Albert’s close friend, Michele Besso, came to work with him at the patent office. Albert enjoyed going over questions about light with his close friend and wrote many scientific papers to Annalen der Physik even though he was working full-time. Mileva helped Albert with the mathematical facts. In March 1905, he finished his paper on light. This would become the basis for the quantum physics, which would later help us create lasers, transistors, cell phones, electron microscopes, DVD players, solar cells, weapons, cameras, aircraft, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In April 1906 Albert was promoted to â€Å"Technical Expert Second Class† and received a raise while working at the office. By 1905 and 1909 Albert wrote over two dozen papers to Annalen der Physik. On the other hand Albert’s Olympia Academy group stopped meeting each other because some members left town. While the other members of the group were gone Albert and Mileva had to occupy the time. So they drew a drawing of a machine that could measure tiny amounts of energy. After they finished their drawing they sent it to the Habicht brothers. The Habicht brothers worked on it for about twenty years. But by 1911 Albert gave up hope. In 1907 Albert went to Bern University to look for a job. Just as he was preparing to leave for the university in Zurich, his wife, Mileva, got pregnant again. So, instead of going to Zurich he decided to move the entire family to Prague, Germany for the university there. After they got to Prague, joy and tragedy struck. The good news was that they gave birth to their second son, Eduard. The bad news was is that Albert came down with stomach ailment – a condition that would cause difficulties for him for the rest of his life. By October, he was well enough to attend the first Solvay Conference in Brussels, Belgium. Albert said that he had never labored as hard. When Albert turned thirty-four in March 1913, he received a birthday card from his cousin, Elsa. After that, their letter writing began again. That summer, Albert’s friends, Max Planck and Walther Nernst, tried to convince him to move to Berlin. Albert decided to go but not until April 1914. Mileva and the children, however, remained in Zurich. He was sad to leave his children, but an exciting event was on his mind: an upcoming eclipse. In Berlin, since he had nowhere else to stay, he stayed at his cousin’s (Elsa) house. Mileva gave math and piano lessons to try to make ends meet while Albert was gone. At Easter time in 1916 Albert and Mileva divorced, and his stomach troubles got worse. Albert lost about fifty-eight pounds because of this. In October 1917 Albert finally became the director or the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics. Elsa’s daughter, Ilse, became Albert’s secretary in January 1918. Working with Ilse gave him many ideas. Albert asked Ilse if she would marry him even though he was already engaged with her mother. Although Elsa gave them her permission to marry, Ilse rejected Albert. After divorcing Albert, Mileva was not earning enough money to support herself. This made Albert feel sorry for leaving her. Thus, he told her that he would give her any Noble Prize money he won in the future. Elsa and Albert finally got married in Berlin on June 2, 1919. A couple of weeks after the marriage the solar eclipse happened. On February 20, 1920 Albert’s mother, Pauline, died. He was so sad that he went to the United States to get it off his mind. His first trip to the United States was on April 1921. He was welcomed to the White House by President Warren G. Harding. He also won the Nobel Prize in Physics in1921. He was so famous because of his theories he was asked to lecture and visit Prague, Austria, France, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Palestine between 1922 and 1923. On the personal side, his son Hans Albert married a woman named Frieda Knecht in 1927 and Ilse got married to a man named Rudolf Kayser in 1924. In 1928 Albert developed a heart condition that made him stay in bed. The Einstein’s had a summer house in Caputh, Germany that they used when they wanted to get away from the crowd for a while. When Albert turned fifty in 1929 he was well enough to appreciate his birthday gift: a sailboat. Sailing became one of his chief hobbies. Not long after this, Albert received news of tragedy and excitement. The great news was that Hans Albert and his wife gave birth to Bernhard Caesar Einstein. The horrible news was that his second son, Eduard, got sick with schizophrenia. Albert had to return back home so they left their summer home never to return again. Germans came to Albert’s summer house and burned everything down in search of him. When they could not find him, they put him in the official â€Å"Enemies of the State† book, with the caption stating â€Å"Not yet hanged.† In 1934, Albert was in Princeton, joined by Elsa’s daughter, Margot. Sadly, Ilse ha d died. Two years later, in December 1936, his wife Elsa also died. On July 1939 a man named Leo Szilard informed Albert that the Germans may be planning to drop an atomic bomb on the United States. They told this to President Roosevelt. In 1943, Albert still was not allowed to work on the Manhattan Project, but was allowed to work for the U.S. Navy as a high-explosive adviser. The Congress offered Albert an American citizenship. While he was working on his citizenship, America dropped two bombs on Japan. This was all due to Albert’s work. Albert felt devastated and ashamed. In 1948 Mileva died because of a terrible stroke. When the President of Israel, Chaim Weizmann, died in 1952, Albert was offered presidency, but he turned it down. Albert kept getting stomach pains. That same year, a radioactive metal was discovered in the debris from the first thermonuclear device explosion. The metal was designated a new chemical element and officially named â€Å"Einsteinium† for Albert Einstein in 1955. Albert became so famous that people wanted autographs, quotes, advice — even for his shoes from him! On his seventy-seventh birthday people asked him if they could take a picture of him. He agreed but when they took his picture, he stuck his tongue out instead of smiling. Also on his birthday he got a card from his friends who addressed their greetings to the â€Å"President of the Olympia Group.† On April 13, 1955, Albert’s abdominal aneurysm ruptured and he was admitted to the Princeton Hospital. He did not want any heroic measures to keep him alive. In his hospital room he tried to figure out the problem that had stumped him for so long. When he finally figured out the answer he told the nurse. Unfortunately, because he said it in German, she did not understand. Albert Einstein died on April 18, 1978, at 1:15a.m. Albert did not mind people studying his brain, but did not want the results publicized. Still today his theories are being tested and proved all over the world. Because of all his fame from his theories, an artist named Robert Berks sculpted a bronze statue of Albert Einstein in 1978. The statue stands outside of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. holding a notepad saying his famous equation, E=mc ².

Brooklyn Cop

Brooklyn Cop – Analysis and Evaluation Worksheet Stanza One 1. Look at lines 1 – 4. Do you think that this is a stereotypical image of a policeman? Choose two quotes, and explain why they make you feel this way. (3) Stereotypical – â€Å"built like a gorilla† = he is big and strong / â€Å".. but less timid† = brave Non-stereotypical – â€Å"two hieroglyphs in his face that mean trouble† = he is looking for trouble (1 mark for each quote and linked opinion) 2. Quote the line that shows that the divide between civilization and violence is only ever paper-thin. (1) â€Å"he walks the sidewalk and the thin tissue over violence† (1 mark) 1. What technique is this? 1) Metaphor (1 mark) 3. Consider what you learn about the cop at home. Quote a line that shows the difference between his personality at work, and that at home. Explain your answer fully, including how you feel about the character. (3) Whilst at work, he is fearless and sa vage. But he loves his wife and is afraid that he might be killed in the line of duty (1 mark) – â€Å".. when he said ‘see you babe’ to his wife, he hoped it, he truly hoped it† (1 mark). This makes us feel sorry for him because his love for his wife means he is vulnerable. (1 mark) 4. The poet changes from saying the cop is â€Å"like a gorilla† to being â€Å"a gorilla†.Explain fully how the techniques have changed, and why you think the poet does this. (2) The poet uses a simile at the start of the poem, but towards the end of stanza one he changes the comparison to being a metaphor (1 mark). This strengthens the image and emphasises the savage, bestial and primitive nature of the cop. (1 mark) Stanza Two 1. Think about the place names in the poem – what kind of area is he policing? (2) The poet mentions â€Å"Phoebe’s Whamburger† and â€Å"Louie’s Place† – these sound like they might be mafia din ers or places where gangsters might hang out. (2 marks for any suitable ideas with evidence) 2.Explain how the word â€Å"plunge† is effective. Include comment on connotation and denotation of the word as well as the structure. (3) â€Å"Plunge† means to fall quickly (1 mark). It has connotations of falling, uncontrollably, perhaps from a great height into something terrible (1 mark). . The poem highlights the word so that the physical structure of the poem almost mirrors the idea of falling through the â€Å"thin tissue† into violence. (1 mark). 3. How does stanza two remind us of the themes of the poem? (1) Stanza two reiterates the theme of violence, and shows how quickly the cop could be thrust from safety into chaos. 1 mark for anything describing how violence is always present in the cop’s world) Stanza Three 1. What do you notice about the structure of this stanza? (1) The whole stanza is written as a rhetorical question. (1 mark) 2. Explain the si gnificance of â€Å"gorilla with a nightstick† (2) The cop is described as a gorilla, which has connotations of being primitive and savage. It is significant that he has chosen a nightstick, because stereotypical police would have a gun. The Brooklyn Cop has a nightstick, perhaps because he enjoys being able to use it to violently beat up criminals. 1 mark) The poet may also intend it to be a phallic symbol, to emphasise the masculinity of the cop. (1 mark) 3. Show how the poet tries to get us to sympathise with the cop (4) MacCaig tries to get us to feel sorry for the cop by reminding us that his â€Å"home is a place he might, this time, never get back to. † This is perhaps the only place he is happy and safe and so we sympathise with his dangerous life. (2 marks) The poet also asks â€Å"who would be him†, which makes the reader consider how hard it would be to live the life the cop does. (2 marks) (1 mark for each quote,1 mark for each reasonable explanation )Stanza Four 1. Who is the poet referring to as â€Å"victims†, and why do you think they are referred to as such? (2) The poet refers to criminals who are caught by the cop as â€Å"victims† (1 mark), perhaps because the cop serves his own kind of violent justice. (1 mark) Overall 1. Why do you think the Brooklyn Cop remains anonymous? (1) I think that not knowing his name emphasises how isolated he is from society, and makes the readers sympathise more with him (1 mark) 2. How successful do you think this poem is in conveying a complex picture of the cop? (4) MacCaig is successful because he presents us with a realistic character.On one hand, he is almost a comic book superhero: he is â€Å"built like a gorilla† – huge and strong, as he bravely â€Å"walks the sidewalks and the thin tissue over violence† to keep us safe. On the other hand, he has a vicious, violent streak. He likes brutalising people, and the line â€Å"two hieroglyphs in his fa ce that mean trouble† suggests he seeks out fights. Yet at the same time, he is tender with his wife, calling her â€Å"honey† and his fear that his â€Å"home is a place he might, this time, never get back to† tells us that he is vulnerable. (two marks each for suitable quote plus explanation)

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Biography of Dr Grace Murrary Hopper

Dr. Grace Murray Hopper was born on December 9, 1906. As a child Grace Hopper enjoyed learning about machines, technology and other countries cultures. Following her mother†s love for mathematics and her father†s love for literature, Grace had high expectations for herself. Family life was large influence as she grew up, from the close relationship she had with her grandfather, a surveyor in New York City, she learned about real life at a young age. Her father, Walter Fletcher Murray, was a successful insurance broker, also taught Grace the importance of a good education to succeed in life. Her mother, Mary Campbell Horne Murray, perused a career in geometry by special arrangement even though it was not an encouraged job for women at this time. Grace's great-grandfather, Alexander Russel, inspired her interest in the Navy. Russel had been a rear admiral for the US Navy, a position Grace also filled in her lifetime. Grace's parents were progressive in their views of education for females, firmly certifying Grace's pursuit of higher learning. Her father believed that Grace deserved a college education as much as his son did, and, with the coming of the depression, he thought it overbearing in order to secure a job in desperate economic times. To that end, Grace attended Vassar College in 1924, and quickly distinguished herself there in the disciplines of science, specifically mathematics and physics. She graduated in 1928 with Phi Beta Kappa honors and a Vassar College Fellowship, and with that scholarship financed continued graduate study in math at Yale University, earning there an MA in 1930 and a Ph. D. in 1934, as well as two Sterling Scholarships and an election to Sigma Xi. It was also during that time that Grace married Vincent Hopper, an English teacher from New York University. After the outbreak of World War II, Grace enlisted in the Navy, despite the disapproval of female cadets. With a Wanting to follow her Grandfathers footsteps Grace perused a naval career even though she did not meet the weight and height requirements to join WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service). But Grace received a weight and height waiver and took a leave of absence from Vassar College to join the Navy, even though the government thought that Grace's mathematics skills would be better used at home. But she overcame this obstacle too and joined the Midshipman†s School for Women. Grace graduated first in her class as Lieutenant Junior Grade Grace Murray Hopper. From there Grace was assigned to work at the Bureau of Ordnance Computation Project, at Harvard University, to work with computers. Hopper worked under Commander Howard Aiken, and helped work with the Mark I, the first computer automatically sequenced to calculate the angles for the naval guns when the weather is bad. Hopper continued to work on the Mark II and the Mark III. For her achievements with this series she was given the Naval Ordinance Award in 1946. After the War many of the WAVES went back to their normal lives, but Grace, having just divorced her husband Vincent Foster Hopper, wanted to stay in the Navy. But Grace had just turned forty and the maximum age was thirty-eight, so Grace had to leave. She stayed at the Harvard Computational Lab, still being a member of the Naval Reserves. In 1966, the Navy asked Hopper to retire again, but after seven months, they found they couldn't work without her and asked her return. Grace was asked to return to work for six months, but she ended up staying indefinitely. Upon graduating, Grace was assigned to the Bureau of Ordinance Computation at Harvard University. There she was greeted by Commander Howard Aiken who introduced her to Mark I as â€Å"a computer engine†. After coming acquainted with the device, Grace received her first mission from Aiken, which was â€Å"to have the coefficients for the interpolation of the arc tangents by next Thursday†. Officers Robert Campbell and Richard Bloch assisted her in the design of her computer program, which consequently made her the third person ever to program the first large-scale automatically sequenced digital computer in the world. When Grace was programming it, Mark I was being used to calculate the angles at which naval guns were to be aimed. A plethora of calculations were needed because the angles depended on weather conditions. Creating programs for the machine was similarly tedious for Grace and the company. â€Å"The coding sheets we used had three columns on the left [for code numbers] and we wrote comments on the right which didn't go into the computer,† as she said. The values were translated to punch tape, which was subsequently input into the computer. With the accustomed problems associated with the Mark development and the inherent difficulty in its programming, results were slow achievements. One of their many problems was the proverbial computer bug, except that this time it was a literal problem. During the building of the Mark II, the predecessor of the former computer engine, the computer suddenly and for no apparent reason stopped. Upon inspection of the computer, Grace and her team found a moth, which had flown into a relay from an open window. The moth had been pulverized by the relay and consequently had caused the device to fail. The term â€Å"bug† was thus popularized to signify any system malfunction. A new machine BINAC was soon developed programmed in the more effective C-10 language, which according to Grace, â€Å"has been the basis for most codes since. A was add, M was multiply, B was bring, C was clear; it was a beautiful code. † Performed in octal, the programs forced Grace to teach herself octal arithmetic, which she eventually mastered with great proficiency. She subsequently realized a need to simplify the computing process, to make it more layperson friendly. Grace pursued different avenues to achieve this goal. Grace created her first compiler with the Sperry Corporation in 1952. Known as the A-0, the system was a set of instructions that translated mathematical code into machine language. Later the A-1 and A-2 systems evolved under her direction, and became the forerunner to modern programming languages. She pioneered the integration of English into programs, as well, with the B-0 compiler, later to be known as the FLOW-MATIC. Targeted for business applications, Grace's machine were effectively using FLOW-MATIC to understand English phrases. By 1957 three major languages existed for computers: APT, FORTRAN, and FLOW-MATIC. Each language, however, could only operate on a specific platform, and with the proliferation of disparate languages the use of a single, uniform format came into demand. The universal language to remedy this problem was COBOL, and even though she was not involved in the project, much of which was based on Grace's FLOW-MATIC. Throughout Grace Hopper's life she achieved many awards that other women had never been recognized for. In 1964 she was awarded the Society of Women Engineers, SWE Achievement Award. Many people think of the Computer Sciences â€Å"Man of the Year Award† her greatest achievement. When she received this award in 1969, she was the first person ever assigned this award, and the first women to be presented any award by the Data Processing Management Association. Grace was the first woman to be inducted into the Distinguished Fellow British Computer Society in 1973. Grace also achieved many awards from the Colleges and Universities that she attended and taught at, such as the Upsilon Pi Epsilon, Honorary Member from Texas A&M; Honorary Doctor of Engineering, Newark College of Engineering; Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal and Yale University. Grace taught at many colleges and universities in her life and gave many motivational speeches, her favorite teaching aid was a piece of wire that was the length of a nanosecond (about one foot), the maximum distance electricity can travel in wire in one-billionth of a second. She would then compare the nano-second to the microsecond that was over a thousand feet long. On January 1, 1992, Grace Hopper died at the age of 85. Even after her death Grace continues to influence many peoples lives. The impact she had on the world of programming has changed computers forever. She also influenced the naval and other military services through her perseverance and her plans for the future. She refused to let anything get in the way of her success.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Alka-Seltzer Reaction Rates Lab

Alka-Seltzer Reaction Rates Lab What are the different factors the effect the reaction rate of Alka-Seltzer? Matthew Arkfeld Leah Gilligan Jessie Abbott Period 4 June 2nd, 2008 Background Research: o The objective of the experiment was to determine if different factors affect the reaction rate of Alka-Seltzer. Alka-Seltzer provides fast relief to acid indigestion, upset stomach, heartburn, headaches, body aches and pains. It is an antacid and pain relief medicine used by millions of consumer’s everyday. It is sold at local pharmacies over the counter and supermarkets worldwide. The original Alka-Seltzer was invented in 1931, the active ingredients are: 325 mg of Aspirin, 1000mg of Citric Acid and 1916mg of Sodium Bicarbonate, designed to treat pain and simultaneously neutralize excess stomach acid. It is provided in the form of large effervescent tablets, which are dissolved in a glass of water. As the tablets dissolve, the base (bicarbonate) and the acid (citric acid) react v igorously producing carbon dioxide gas, which also produces enough agitation to allow the active ingredients to dissolve slowly. In our lab, our objective was to test if water at different temperatures, salt, and vinegar, would affect the reaction rate of Alka Seltzer tablets. However we thought, that the size of the tablet would not matter. Therefore, we decided to test Alka Seltzer broken into fragment and completely ground up as well as the normal tablet. Hypothesis and Variables: o Hypothesis: We believe that hot water, and vinegar will affect the rate of the reaction, however, the size of the tablet does not matter. Independent Variables: temperature of water (ice, room, hot), Size of tablet (whole, pieces, powdered), Solution it is in (tap, vinegar, salt water). o Dependent Variable: The rate of reaction of Alka-Seltzer. Materials: o 3-quart size jars, 3 Alka-seltzer tablets, ice water, room temperature water, hot water, stopwatch, thermometer, vinegar, salt, tablespoon. Proce dure: 1. Fill one of the jars a third of the way with ice. Put tap water in it until it is half way full. Let it come to a stable temperature. 2. Fill the second jar half way filled with room temperature water. . Fill the third jar half way with hot tap water (run tap on hot for one minute). 4. Use the thermometer to record temperature for the three waters. Record in table. 5. Put an Alka-Seltzer tablet in each jar and use a stopwatch to record how many seconds it takes to dissolve. Do not stir or mix the tablet! Record all results. 6. Put all the liquids down the drain and rinse out jars throughouly with water. 7. Fill the jars half way with room temperature water. 8. In the first jar, place a whole Alka seltzer tablet. Record the time it takes for it to completely dissolve. 9. Repeat step 9 with the Alka seltzer broken into 8-10 pieces. Record the time it takes to dissolve. 10. Repeat step 9 with the Alka-Seltzer tablet completely crushed into powder. (Crush between two pieces of paper with a hammer) Record the time it takes for it to completely dissolve. 11. Rinse all jars completely and throughout again. 12. Fill one jar half the way with room temperature water. Fill another jar one half full with vinegar. Finally fill the last jar half way with salt water. (2 tablespoons, room temperature). 13. Pour an Alka-Seltzer tablet in each jar and record time it takes to completely dissolve. 4. Observe your results. Observations and Data: | |Water Temperature |Time to Dissolve | |Ice Water |1 degree f |155 seconds | |Room Temperature |74 degrees f |47 seconds | |Hot Water |110 degrees f |24 seconds | |Time to Dissolve | |Whole Alka-Seltzer |45 seconds | |Broken into Pieces |40 seconds | |Powdered |11 seconds | |Time to Dissolve | |Tap Water |46 seconds | |Vine gar |68 seconds | |Salt Water |77 seconds | Data Analysis: o We observed that a whole piece takes more time to dissolve in water than an Alka Seltzer completely ground up. As well as, temperature changes the speed of the reaction in the dissolving process. Finally, vinegar, and salt, slow down the reaction time between the tablet and water. Conclusion: o We discovered that it is best to take Alka seltzer with hot water in order to dissolve the tablet the quickest. As temperature decreases, the amount of time that th reaction takes increases. As well as, adding other components such as salt and vinegar slow down rather than speed up the reaction. Therefore that rection is best in water at a high temperature. o Our hypothesis was wrong in that, seltzer-seltzer in different shapes affcts the reaction rather than not causing any difference in it. Sources of Error: Temperature could have been off, thermometer was broken, and tap water at room temperature was affected by air conditioning. Application: o Through this experiment we have learned that temperature affects the reaction rate of Alka-Seltzer tablets. As well as, size and solution dissolved in, can either speed up or slow down the reaction. For fastest results, Alka-Seltzer should be broken up into powered pieces and be taken with hot water.