Describe The Elements Of Death :: essays research papers

Describe the elements of war and death in Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage. This book is divided into two parts. In the first part the main characters, Henry Flemings. illusions disappear when confronted by the reality of battle(WAH 642). During the first battle he sees vague figures before him, but they are driven away. In the next battle he is so frightened that he runs away becoming one of the first heroes in literature to actually desert his fellow soldiers in the field. While Henry is separated from his fellow soldiers, he wanders through the forest. There he experiences the kind of illusions that predominate in all of the writings of Crane (WAH 642). First he tells himself that nature does not blame him for running. Next he finds himself in a part of the woods that he believes is religious. The insects are praying and the forest takes the appearance of a chapel. Henry is comfortable with this until he finds a dead soldier in the heart of the â€Å"chapel†. Henry sees an ant carrying a bundle across the face of the dead soldier. That view is beautiful in the sense of conveying great emotion through minute detail(WAH 643). As he moves back henry sees a line of injured soldiers including his friend Jim Conklin,who is badly wounded and another friend called â€Å"the tattered man†. Trying to make up for deserting his friends, Henry tries to help Jim Conklin who is dying.After Conklin dies, the tattered man probes deeply into Henry’s conscience by repeatedly asking â€Å"where ya hit†(Bowers 132). Henry deserts the tattered man. When Henry stops another soldier he asks him the novels most important question which is â€Å"why† The soldier hits henry on the head for starting trouble. Ironically this wound becomes Henry’s â€Å"Red Badge of Courage†. Henry is then lead back to his regiment by a â€Å"cheery soldier† who helps wandering soldiers. This leads Henry into the second half of the book. Henry’s wanderings are over. Not until the end of the book does he ask questions. Most of the repudiations are complete: heroes do not always act like heroes; no one understands the purpose of life or death; nature may be malevolent, probably no different, but is certainly not the benevolent pantheist realm of the transcentalists, and God, is simply nowhere to be found(Weatherford 32). In the second part of the novel Henry beco0mes a â€Å"war devil†, the hero that he wanted to be originally when another battle is over, all Henry has accomplished is negated. Many critics found the last chapter confused and muttled, Henry’s feelings range from remorse to the â€Å"sin† which is not responsible

Benford’s Law Essay

Benford’s law, aka first-digit law, states that in lists of numbers of naturally occurring data, the leading digit is distributed in a specific, non-uniform way. In number sequences, most people assume that in a string of numbers sampled randomly all nine numbers would be equally probable for the leading digit. Benford’s Law states otherwise. He found that the number 1 will appear first about 30% of the time and the number 9 will only appear first around 4.5%. Naturally occurring can be anything from check amounts or stock prices to lengths of rivers. Benford’s law is both scale invariant and base invariant. If something is scale invariant that means if you multiplied every number in the list by the same constant, it does not significantly change the distribution. For example, it does not matter whether the numbers are based on the dollar prices of stocks or their prices in Yen or Euros. Mathematicians have found that the larger and more varied the sampling of numbers from different data sets, the more closely the distribution of numbers approaches Benford’s Law. Benford’s Law does have limitations. Benford’s Law does not apply to uniform or non-naturally occurring data sets. Examples of non-naturally occurring data sets are made up of pre-assigned numbers like zip codes or UPC numbers. Benford’s law can only be applied to data that are distributed across multiple orders of magnitude. Moreover, if there is any cut-off which excludes a portion of the underlying data above a maximum value or below a minimum value, then the law will not apply. Benford’s law has many applications. Several countries, states, large corporations and accounting firms use detection software based on Benford’s Law. Benford’s Law is used in the accounting profession to detect fraud. It can be a powerful and simple tool for detecting frauds, embezzlers, tax evaders, inaccurate accounting and computer glitches. Dr. Mark Nigrini used Benford’s Law to test the first digit in approximately 170,000 IRS model files. Dr. Nigrini found that these lines follow Benford’s Law very closely. He then used Benford’s Law on fraudulent data taken from King’s County, New York District Attorney’s Office. The fraudulent data consisted of cash disbursements and payrolls, none of which followed Benford’s Law. In general, Dr. Nigrini found that fraudulent or concocted data have far less numbers beginning with 1 and far more numbers beginning with 6 than true data do.

Analysis of “Ave Maria”

Bethany Thompson Professor Breese English 266 3 February 2009 Analysis of â€Å"Ave Maria† Frank O’Hara’s poem, â€Å"Ave Maria,† encourages overprotective mothers to let their children experience life. The poem begins with the command, â€Å"Mothers of America / let your kids go to the movies! † He proposes a series of rationales for following this advice, including the conditional love of children who â€Å"won’t hate you† if they are permitted to do what they want.The true reason behind this directive, however, is made clear in lines 13 – 16: â€Å"they may even be grateful to you / for their first sexual experience / which only cost you a quarter / and didn’t upset the peaceful home. † The idea that a parent could provide a child’s first sexual experience may be shocking to parents, but O’Hara’s poem implies that by allowing them this experience, you have readied them for adulthood. Also, t he image of sexuality being priced like popcorn, â€Å"a quarter†, is amusing; it’s the pleasures of adulthood at quite a bargain.O’Hara initially contrasts the â€Å"peaceful home† – a room, a yard, â€Å"mothers,† and â€Å"little tykes† – with the movie theatre, â€Å"embossed by silvery images. † He then contrasts the parents’ overprotective instruction with that of a â€Å"pleasant stranger† who offers the equivalent: â€Å"they will know where candy bars come from and gratuitous bags of popcorn as gratuitous as leaving the movie before it’s over with a pleasant stranger whose apartment is in the Heaven on Earth Bldg near the Williamsburg Bridge†These children will learn about adulthood through gaining sexual knowledge. O’Hara paints a win / win situation. If â€Å"nobody picks them up in the movies/ they won’t know the difference / and if somebody does it’ll be shee r gravy. † He suggests that if they don’t get their first sexual experience, they will at least have seen a movie, instead of staying in their room â€Å"hating you. †   O’Hara concludes his poetic admonition with a warning. He cautions mothers not to blame him if they don’t take his advice and their families fall apart.The connection between keeping kids home from the movies and families falling apart may seem far-fetched, but the movies are symbolizing all the things a child is forbidden to do. Too much restriction will push them away. The final image is that of children growing â€Å"old and blind in front of a TV set† watching the films they weren’t allowed to see when they were small. This gives the impression that no matter how much a mother tries to shelter her children, they will eventually do all the things that were forbidden them.There are several things that draw attention to the mothers, the first being the title of the poem. Perhaps it is an ironic statement on the imperfection of mothers in comparison to the â€Å"Holy Mother. † There are two lines that suggest the mothers might have ulterior motives for sending their children to the movies. Lines 3 and 4 suggest mothers â€Å"get them out of the house so they won’t know what / you’re up to,† which implies the mothers also have something to hide.These motives are not the main focus of the poem and are undisclosed by the author. We are left to guess what the mothers are really â€Å"up to. † In short, O’Hara recommends that parents let their children experience life on their own terms. Parents are told that preventing their children from making their own choices will cause resentment and leave the children fantasizing about the experiences they wish they had. A wise parent allows their children to grow into experienced adults by letting them to go out and explore, not coddling by them.

Graduation speeches Essay

A good speech for an elementary graduation would depend on who is going to be doing the speaking. For a teacher, you’ll want to make sure you thank the students for all of their hard work and wish them the best in the next grade they move up to. For kids, they can thank their teacher for a good year and thank their parents for their support.This page contains a funny sample speech for Middle School or Elementary School graduations for principles, teachers or other key note speakers. The speech template can be customized for graduations from preschool, 8th Grade, Junior High School, clubs, high school or other graduation events as well. This speech is humorous but also talks about dedication and personal commitment. We hope this graduation speech for keynote or guest speakers is helpful. Let me begin by welcoming all of you to today’s event and thanking (NAME OF PERSON WHO INTRODUCED YOU) for that kind introduction. I’m very pleased to have been invited to speak here today on what I know is a very special day. It’s special for the graduates, for their proud parents and grandparents, and for their very relieved teachers. Just wait until these students are graduating college. Then their parents will be the  relieved ones. As I begin, I have to say, I think the best speeches are those that have a great beginning, a memorable end, and not much in between. I will try then to make a great speech. Today is one of those great occasions when we get to celebrate our young people – their achievements, their perseverance and their successes as they grow up. It’s one of the times you can take a break and reflect, feeling good as a parent or a mentor, knowing that the kids you care about are doing just fine and they’re on the right path. Graduates, you should know that your moms and dads are very proud of you today. They have high hopes for you, and they believe in you, and you are making them proud by showing what you can do. Take a look at them now, and you can see them smiling and snapping photos so they can record this moment forever. Today is an important day for you and for them. Today they are very, very proud of you. (PAUSE) Today would be a good day to ask for money. Today would also be a good day to hug them and thank them for supporting you, because as much as this is your achievement, this is also the achievement of the people who care about you. That means your mom, your dad, your step mom or step dad, your grandparents, your sisters and brothers, and all the other people who care about you. They want you to be your best and to live up to your potential. Graduations can be seen as a coming of age, a sort of official way to recognize when a person steps into the next stage of life, and graduates, you are stepping into a new stage. With every year, you have become a little more independent. I bet you can still remember your first day here – it might have been exciting and a little intimidating too. I bet when you look at the (INSERT LOWEST GRADE IN SCHOOL HERE, 1ST GRADERS, 6TH GRADERS, ETC) going to class you think, Wow! They look so little! I can’t believe I was ever that young! Get used to it. You’ll be thinking that for the rest of your life. But when you she younger students, you can tell how much you’ve grown up, how much you’ve learned and how much you’ve matured. Think back on some of the exciting things that happened this year, all the things you learned. This year, you†¦ (ADD SOME INFO ABOUT THE CLASS OR SCHOOL HERE. TALK TO TEACHERS OR WHOEVER INVITED YOU FOR SOME IDEAS. IT CAN BE FIELD TRIPS, TOPICS STUDENTS LEARNED, ETC. YOU CAN ALSO ADD SOME FAMILY-FRIENDLY HUMOR ABOUT WHAT KIDS LEARNED). You had some great time this year, and maybe you had some tough times, but you did it and you succeeded. You’re ready for that next step. I ask you as you prepare for this next step to do a few things. First, stop texting your friend about how you wish the speaker would hurry up and finish talking so you could go to (INSERT NAME OF LOCAL PARTY PLACE, MALL OR RESTAURANT POPULAR WITH STUDENTS). Secondly, I ask you to take this chance to dedicate yourself to making the next year even better. Remember that you don’t have to follow the crowd. Do the right thing, even if no one is looking. Study hard and remember that you’re investing in yourself with every test you take and every book you read. And finally, don’t be in too big of a hurry to grow up. These are some great times in your life. Don’t rush past them. There are great things coming, and just as your parents are proud, each one of you should feel proud of yourself. So congratulations to all of the graduates, congratulations to the parents, and finally, congrats to the teachers and everyone else who helped our graduates reach here today. I’ll leave you with this final quote, from a great author with whom I imagine you are all familar, by the name of Dr. Seuss. â€Å"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.† Congratulations again, and thank you for your attention. 2 Welcome to today’s ceremony and thank you for attending. I’m honored to be speaking with you today on such an important occasion. We’re here today to honor our service members and to remember their sacrifices they have made and the courage it take to defend honor, duty, country. The writer Michel de Montaigne once said, â€Å"Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul.† We’re here today to honor our heroes, to remember their achievements, their courage and their dedication, and to say thank you for their sacrifices. Thinking of the heroes who join us in this group today and those who are here only in spirit, a person can’t help but feel awed by the enormity of what we encounter. We stand in the midst of patriots and the family and friends of those who have nobly served. I’d like to ask the service members and veterans who are here to stand. Thank you for answering the call to duty. You have made our armed forces the most respected in the world. [Lead applause] Please be seated. Now I’d also like to ask the family member of any service member to stand. We know you have lived through difficult times and often taken the heavy load to keep the home fires burning. Thank you for what you’ve done. [Lead applause] Please be seated. The service members we honor today came from all walks of life, but they shared several fundamental qualities. They possessed courage, pride, determination, selflessness, dedication to duty and integrity – all the qualities needed to serve a cause larger than one’s self. Many of them didn’t ask to leave their homes to fight on distant battlefields. Many didn’t even volunteer. They didn’t go to war because they loved fighting. They were called to be part of something bigger than themselves. They were ordinary people who responded in extraordinary ways in extreme times. They rose to the nation’s call because they wanted to protect a nation which has given them, us, so much. Since the first shots at Lexington and Concord were fired and our Revolutionary War began, American men and women have been answering the nation’s call to duty. Millions of Americans have fought and died on battlefields here and abroad to defend our freedoms and way of life. Today our troops continue to make the ultimate sacrifices, and even as we lose troops, more Americans step forward to say, I’m ready to serve. They follow in the footsteps of generations of fine Americans. Veteran’s day, originally called Armistice Day, was originally designated as a day to celebrate the end of World War I. The first World War ended November 11, 1918 and the legislation that created Veteran’s Day was, and I quote, â€Å"dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.† As time went on and we engaged in further conflicts during World War II and Korea, veterans’ groups lobbied for a change. Rather than honoring the armistice and only those who served in World War I, the holiday would now honor all veterans from every war and conflict the United States had encountered. We’ve honored our troops and their service and sacrifice ever since. We have awarded medals to many Soldiers, added their names to monuments and named buildings for them, to honor them for their bravery. But nothing can ever replace the hole left behind by a fallen service member, and no number of medals and ribbons can comfort the ones left behind. Today, people throughout the country will gather together to remember, to honor, and to pay gratitude to those who have served our country. Our gathering is just one small spark in the flame of pride that burns across the nation today and every day. It’s not a lot, but its one small way we can honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live in freedom. Your presence here today and that of the people gathering all across America is a tribute to those lost troops and to their Families. It is a way to say we remember. From the Soldiers who shivered and starved through the winter at Valley Forge to the doughboys crouched in the muddy trenches of France to the platoon who patrolled the hazy jungles of Vietnam and the young man or woman patrolling the mountains of Afghanistan, we remember and honor them all. Thank you for attending today. God bless you and your families, God bless our troops and God bless America.

Business Driven Information Systems Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Driven Information Systems - Term Paper Example As the report discusses the University of La Verne is faced by a threat of new universities within California which are providing competitive programs. In addition, supplier power for educational and research material has become a threat to the brand identity of the university which ranked among the top institutions of higher education in California. This paper declares that the University of La Verne is mandated to employ proper management and institutional strategies that will help it to overcome the threat of new entrants into the higher education sector and education service delivery. In addition the university must be sensitive to the power of the buyer who comprise of its students who purchase educational services. This would be achieved through affordable and high quality education which meets the needs of the students for competitive advantage. The threat of substitutes is a business challenge for competitive advantage. It is in this sense that the University of La Verne should employ proper business strategies such as marketing so that it can overcome the threat of other research centers. IT success within the University of La Verne’s can be measured in terms of its congruency with the goals and objectives of the institution. Effective adoption and implementation of information technology is must be in line with t he goals and objectives of an organization or institution such as efficiency of operations and activities.

Final exzam ( organazation theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Final exzam ( organazation theory - Essay Example Cal Lutheran University believes that individuals who are strong in character, confidence, and judgment are able to meet global standards of work (California Lutheran University, 2012). This essay looks at some of the applications of the organization theory that are evident in the Cal Lutheran University. Organization structure Cal Lutheran University falls under the classification of a complex organization. This is because the management of the organization is beyond the ability of a single individual. Complex organizations are those whose management is beyond the ability of a single administrator because of their diverse structures. A review of the structure of the organization reveals some characteristics of Weber’s bureaucratic classical organization theory. Weber believed in the identification of work and the division of work into subdivisions. Each subdivision comes with an expected level of performance among all employees and managers who are involved. A manager or an e mployee in each subdivision has distinct roles and responsibilities that the organization is supposed to define clearly. The hierarchical structure of authority in Cal Lutheran University is such that all members of the administration are aware of their roles and responsibilities. ... The vice presidents are responsible for tasks such as enrollment of new students, student affairs, administration, finance and advancement of the university among others (California Lutheran University, 2012). Cal Lutheran University has the academic branch of authority that comprises of different schools and faculties, which are under the management of different deans. For instance, there is a dean who heads the college of Arts and Sciences as well as the chair of the Faculty. Therefore, the structure of authority in Cal Lutheran University displays the characteristics Weber’s bureaucratic organization theory. The university has divided its management responsibilities into distinct categories that are under the responsibility of a manager. The managers are aware of their roles and responsibilities, which is one of the propositions of Weber’s theory. Human resources in Cal Lutheran University Human relations theories define the relationship between employees, stakeholde rs and the management. Most of these theories suggest that successful organizations are those that value their employees by considering their pleas and motivating them. Taylor’s theory suggests that successful organizations are those that take care of the welfare of all their employees, stakeholders and the society. McGregor theory of Y helps in explaining the expected relationship between senior management and the subordinate staff. The relationship should be in such a way that each party is not afraid of the other, which facilitates cooperation among members of the organization (Tompkins, 2010). Cal Lutheran University has employees as well as stakeholders. The stakeholders are individuals or parties that get services from the university

Did Rousseau correctly argue that previous philosophers had not gone Essay

Did Rousseau correctly argue that previous philosophers had not gone back far enough in search of the state of nature - Essay Example Thus, although the term ‘State of Nature’ refers to a logical construction, it does not necessarily refer to a historical period, although in the early period of human existence when organised societies with laws did not exist, individuals were free to do what they wanted based on their natural desires, psychological makeup, interests and situations, etc. It is possible to argue that humans living in isolation, far removed from the present-day civilisation without any contact with organised societies will illustrate human behaviour in a state of nature without any fabricated laws to impinge on their behaviour. In a state of nature, there were no kings and no government to impose their will on humans. The State of Nature in Rousseau’s Philosophy Rousseau employs the device of state of nature to depict the conditions under which man existed in natural conditions to argue that in the pure state of nature man’s existence would be peaceful and contented. ... Thus, Rousseau presents a belief in the natural goodness of man who had abhorrence for giving consent to others to govern, or for entering society. Rousseau places an emphasis on historical context when thinking about the state of nature rather than considering this notion in terms of a hypothetical context. For Rousseau, the state of nature is a pre-political condition that existed prior to man acceded to the social contract to lose his natural freedom while gaining civil freedom, property and the relative protection of the group. 6 Rousseau suggests that in the state of nature, people did not know each other enough to interfere with each other, but they did present normal moral values, which the social contract for living in a society tarnishes. However, because Rousseau takes a historical rather than a hypothetical view of the state of nature concept, it makes sense to ask whether at any time in history, man has been able to demonstrate the capacity for not succumbing to immoral b ehaviour in relation to others. Certainly, religious doctrine contained in the old testament of the Bible does not support the views presented by Rousseau about man in the state of nature because ever since the time of Genesis, man has demonstrated moral flaws even in dealings within the same family. Thus, it will appear that Rousseau’s arguments concerning the state of nature present flaws, and it makes sense to examine his views in comparison to other noted political theory philosophers, especially those that lived before him. Rousseau’s concept of an early state of nature presents men and women as solitary animals that come together only to reproduce. 7 8 Although, a mother in the