Catcher In The Rye Essay

A journey is more than a physical movement from one place to another. All journeys no matter how arduous entail setbacks and barriers that must be met. In doing so the traveller experiences a more significant inner journey of self growth. This is evident in the journey from adolescence to adulthood during which setbacks and barriers may entail a loss of innocence. J. D Salinger’s novel the Catcher in the rye explores this concept through various literary techniques. ( thesis) Loss of innocence as a major issue within the concept of a rites of passage is explored by J. D Salinger through the protagonist Holden Caulfield. His journey appears to be one self destructive act after another. This adult world into which Holden is forced into disturbs him profoundly. In his view, the adults who dwell this world, seem to be filled with phoniness, pretence and social compromise. He finds it almost intolerable to communicate with most adults and peers. This is prevalent throughout the book when he constantly brings up the question of what happens to the ducks in winter. The adults’ response to this recurring question is of contemn and expectation to know the answer, therefore never giving him an adequate explanation. This clearly demonstrates how his innocent mind conflicts with this phony adult world, and his response, is to rebel against this whole society. â€Å" quote† Holden expresses his rebellion through his inability to progress in life and his hatred of people. It is really only in children that he sees the true simplicity of honesty- and that is his escape from this adult phony world. Salinger portrays the transition from adolescence to adulthood as a quest for self identity and self discovery. For Holden however, his journey is a bombardment of obstacles in his search for connection with others, thus highlighting the angst of growing up. Holden finally breaks down with the constant disappointments and let downs he encounters. â€Å"quote ans technique† From his fight with Stradlater to Maurice’s exploitation of a prostitute, to Mr Antolini’s behaviour, Holden just cannot handle any more letdowns so his odyssey is one of loneliness and cynicism. An example of this is when Holden abruptly gives Sally an ultimatum to leave their current lives behind and build a future without the promise of stability. Sally’s refusal to this proposal results in Holden lashing out at her hence elucidating Holden’s naivety. And, just like a kid, he thinks that everyone is to blame except for him. The inability to meet setbacks and barriers and accept a loss of innocence within the jouney from adolescence to adulthood will inevitably lead to ones downfall. The deliberate irony is that Holden strives to act as a grown up but constantly acts like a child is seen in his provocation of his peers and his irrational thinking. â€Å"quote † The title of the book, â€Å"Catcher in the Rye,† is more than just a pretty ditty. It is Holden’s dream to be the catcher in the rye, thus save little children from falling off the cliff into adulthood. â€Å"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around–nobody big, I mean–except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff–I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going. I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. † Holden is adamant on playing the adult role of protecting children and their innocence that gets lost in the adult phony world. He envisions protecting and shielding children from the evils of society, when he himself is one who is in a state of conflict between adolescence and adulthood. However, it is through the telling of his story that Holden eventually gains control of his disturbed past. His search for self identity and discovery can be seen as a search for tolerance, acceptance and understanding- something that he finally experiences in the final scene with Phoebe riding the carrousel. When he see’s Phoebe on the carrousel, he accepts that he is not a child anymore indicating that he is perhaps more accepting of change. Towards the end, Holden has found some wisdom when he claims to â€Å"sort of miss everyone. † There was some light for him at the end of the tunnel- and that light is hope and acceptance that he doesn’t live in such an evil world that he made out to be. Holden wants desperately to protect this idealistic life but perhaps he realises at the end that it is not possible and that maturity is a means of accepting what life throws at one. How he deals with obstacles along the way conveys Holden’s journey from adolescence into adulthood.

Discuss the Theatrical Device Essay

‘Aadhe Adhure’ or ‘Halfway House’ has often been described as a cross between Naturalist Theatre and Theatre of the Absurd. Interestingly, both these elements actually undercut each other as theatrical movements and are said to have polarized western theatre. Naturalism argues for heredity and a global perspective on human behavior, which is said to develop out of the social environment in which a particular individual lives. On the contrary, Absurdism believes that there are no solutions to the mysteries of existence because ultimately man is alone, forced to perform repetitive actions in a world without meaning. This play has many elements of Naturalist theatre, including a linear movement, a limited time span, an in-depth psychological characterization and a defined beginning, middle and end. However, the opening line– â€Å"Once again, the same thing all over again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  firmly typecasts it as a part of Absurdist theatre, as from the start itself there is a hint at circularity of events and a hopelessness and banality defined by the repetition of the word ‘again’ in the short sentence. Mohan Rakesh borrowed a common device from the theatre of the Absurd and in ‘Aadhe Adhure’, for the first time in Indian theatre the same actor was used to play five characters. According to Rakesh, â€Å"The woman is the central character and I want the four men to be played by the same actor. What I want to indicate by that is that it’s not the individual who’s responsible for his situation, for he would have made the same choice no matter what, regardless of the situation. Any choice anyone makes has a certain irony in it, for things turn out the same regardless of the choice. † Though it was passed off by some critics as a gimmick employed by the playwright, its thematic relevance came to the fore when Rajinder Nath, contrary to his own views on the importance of the technique, directed the play using five different actors for the roles. The conclusion was felt to be severely lacking as the notion of inherent ‘similarity’ in all the men which underlines the climax of the play failed to have the same impact. Interestingly, though Savitri implies that it is beneath their appearance, that this ‘same man’ exists, the implication is only forceful for the  audience because of the simultaneous visual impact of one man playing different roles. According to Nath himself it was a powerful theatrical device â€Å"to show how according to one’s convenience the same man can put on different masks depending on the situation in which he is placed†. That the authorial view corroborates with this statement is clear from the prologue where the ‘Man in the black suit’ equates identity with fluidity and calls himself undefined. Each character, given a certain set of circumstances, can occupy the place of another. This also follows the assumption that there is no real development or evolution of character; the character at the beginning of the play will not be shaped differently by the situation, enforcing the idea of a universality of experience, that â€Å"things turning out the same regardless of choice†. The prologue defines the play as ‘amorphous’. The audience is told that there is a bit of each character in all of them. Those watching the play and even those outside the theatre. The characters are said to be people â€Å"you bump into by chance in the street† stressing the alienation of urban crowd from one another as the source of difference as well as similarity, since they are all nameless, faceless people who can easily get lost in a crowd comprising of the same. Therefore, one man can play five characters because they are, in essence, the same man. This likeness is reiterated by the naming of the characters in their dialogues, not individually, but rather as First Man, Second Man, etc. According to the Hindi version of the play, the Man in the Black Suit â€Å"has a look of civility with a touch of cynicism†; the face of the First man â€Å"expresses the helpless anguish of having lost the battle of life†; the Second Man is â€Å"self-satisfied and yet a little insecure†; the Third Man â€Å"projects an air of someone who is committed to a life of convenience†; and the Fourth Man â€Å"looks older, quite mature and shrewd†. They have different characteristics, lifestyles and manners of speech, yet according to critics Nita Kumar and N. S. Dharan, this device makes use of  the inherent notion of playacting which includes the concept of freedom; to pretend and be whatever one likes. Every man remains an actor and therefore, it is easy for him to put up a facade and to hide his interiority according to the demands of the situation. This concept is emphasized not by the fact that the same man plays all the characters, but rather by the fact that it is possible for the same man to play all the characters. Simply by changing his costume and facial expression, he manages to change into a different person entirely. Therefore, the assertion of the prologue of the interchangeability of these characters is understandable. The problematic element in the play arises out of the contention of the Man in the Black Suit that interchange of roles can take place not only between the men in the play but also between the man and the woman. This strikes a discordant note as, according to critic Arti Mathur, it negates Savitri’s gender-specific struggle against social constraints. One of the biggest contributions to the ‘sameness’ of the multiple characters is that they are all men. And men, by the patriarchal definition especially prevalent in urban middle-class India, have a certain societal role which leads to their convergence into one man. Irrespective of circumstances their position in society is defined while that of the woman is defined in relation to the man. However, the statement is not entirely wrong either as Savitri, as the breadwinner of the household is actually the ‘man of the house’. Every society has an economic base and a cultural superstructure, which is derived from the base. In Halfway House, the base has shifted and it is the wife who is economically independent, however, the tragedy of the ironically named Savitri lies in the fact that the superstructure has not shifted in accordance with the base. Mahendranath has not become the domestic centre just because of his confinement to the house; Savitri is still required to fulfill her ‘womanly’ domestic duties. She is defined by the context of what it means to be a woman and has internalized the patriarchal system. This is also made clear by Savitri’s contempt of what she believes is Mahendranath’s lack of manliness. She despises his dependency on herself as well as Juneja and constantly searches for escape routes through other, more suitable men. An element of unrealism is brought in, in which even the characters seem to be aware of an underlying similarity between the men, a device not available to them as characters. Askok’s sketch of Singhania leads Savitri to ask Binni if the portrait reminds her of someone, and on being asked, â€Å"Whom†, she replies â€Å"Your father. † This intermingling of the play and the outside elements draws attention to this device. There is irony in the fact that one of the ways in which these men are actually the ‘same’ is in their exploitation of Savitri. According to critic Veena Das, these characters are seldom all of a piece, they are the broken images of a decomposing society. Mahendranath is a self-described ‘parasite’ and is later shockingly revealed to be a former wife-beater. His inability to hold the position of the ‘head’ of the family has made him bitter and suspicious; suspecting his wife of illicit liaisons, which, although hinted at are never confirmed by the text. His ‘unmanliness’ makes Savitri lose all respect for him, till their marriage is reduced to a sham of public expectations. Singhania treats Savitri with condescension and his ‘favors’ are granted with an obvious air of patronization. His pompous manner and speech is calculated to make the listener feel inferior, a fact that is explicitly stated by Ashok. However, in Savitri’s eyes his position as her boss and his salary makes him ‘superior’ and she remains silent in face of his thinly-veiled innuendos and his humiliation positioning of her as â€Å"one of his child’s ‘aunties’†. His crude behavior is a caricature of the sexual exploitation that women have to deal with in work places. Jagmohan is introduced almost an antithesis of Mahendra. He is suave, successful, with a man-of-the-world air and is presented as the eleventh hour rescuer. He is the only outcome available to her from the â€Å"hell† that her house has become to her. However, this apparent proactive position loses much of its worth as it is weakened by the fact that she waits for Jagmohan to ‘fetch’ her. She overlooks his barbs at her expense and goes with him willingly, an act in defiance of society which is only rewarded by  rejection. Again, this seemingly perfect man is unable to provide her with emotional support or security. Her disillusioned return drives home the point that there is no escape route left available for her. The point of concern becomes the fact that though Savitri is an economically independent woman, her means of ‘escape’ from the house is linked to a man. Savitri, in her search for the â€Å"complete man† speaks in the language of patriarchy, as the concept of ‘masculinity’ is a derivative of society. Even though she is a ‘modern, independent’ woman, she is unable to cut off the suffocating patriarchal bonds of the environment in which she lives. The Fourth Man, Juneja is introduced onto the stage around this point. He gains the sympathy of the audience by showing kindness towards Kinni, a character who is almost absolutely neglected in the play. He comes as a voice of rationality; as an almost omniscient character. He seems to have intimate knowledge of both Savitri and Mahendranath, as well as their circumstances. His seems to be the projected authorial voice in the play. His looks and manner of speech is structured so as to make the audience favor his point-of-view and assessment of character. Juneja espouses the belief that to Savitri the meaning of life is â€Å"how many different things you can have and enjoy at the same time. † He lays the blame for the current situation of hopelessness squarely on her shoulder and her quest for the â€Å"complete man†. According to him the problem is not a social reality, but instead lies in the psychological realm. All of the men she encounters are incomplete and therefore her solution is multiplicity. Her way of filling her void is â€Å"excess†. And she is only attracted to men because, â€Å"they are not Mahendra. † According to Juneja, if she had married one of the men whom she is attracted to she would have still felt she had married the wrong man. Juneja brings in another element of unrealism by accurately recounting the encounter between Jagmohan and Savitri because â€Å"in his place I would have said the same†. Once again this brings forth the ‘sameness’ of these characters, as Juneja’s claim is validated by Savitri’s shattering  realization- â€Å"All of you†¦every one of you†¦all alike! Exactly the same. Different masks, but the face†¦? The same wretched face†¦every single one of you! † The tragedy of the realization is heightened by Juneja’s ruthless perusal- â€Å"And yet you felt you had a choice†¦? Was there really any choice? Tell me, was there? † In the above dialogues lies the greatest significance of that particular theatrical device. It brings out a clear dichotomy between the ideal and the real. What Savitri has been pursuing all along, the ‘ideal man’ does not in fact exist. The notion of her having had a ‘choice’ has been illusory all along; she is trapped in a world with no exit. The play shifts focus to lack of freedom for a female in urban, middle-class India. The tragedy is that Juneja’s speech provides a dual closure for Savitri; both in her search for the ‘perfect’ man who can â€Å"fill her void†, as well as an acknowledgment that she shall never gain satisfaction, and related to that, happiness. In naturalism, free will is not denied but is contained and confined within the environment in which the individual lives. Savitri’s free will is her ability to choose but the fulfillment of that choice depends on the context. Her freedom is linked to a man. She is free to choose which man, but it has to be a man. The illusion of choice arises from the four men and her ‘independence’ is related to shifting from one man to the other. In the prologue, the Man in the Black Suit had asked the existentialist question of ‘who am I’. This is now problematized, as the dramatic innovation of using the same man for multiple characters casts doubt on whether there is an ‘I’ at all. ‘I’ refers to individuality, the existence of a self different from the ‘other’, a projection that the men in the play are all different which is negated through Juneja’s speech. Savitri uses the language of social realism to justify her belief that she moves on to other men because Mahendra is not the right man. Juneja uses the language of absurdism to articulate that there is no ‘right man’; her search is futile because such a man does not exist. All the men in her life are essentially the same man and can only satisfy her for a limited period of time. Surprisingly, the text does not lead up to its realist conclusion; that she is trapped because of the prohibitions of the society in which she lives, a world in which a woman has no choice in her own destiny. It, in fact, veers from its apparent initial realist stance of ‘all men are the same in a patriarchy’ and seems to suggest that all men are the same only to Savitri. Halfway House has often been described as a woman-centric misogynistic play. â€Å"Even as the play builds up a dark vision of trapped humanity, it weakens the force of its statement by simultaneously cutting Savitri’s credentials. † (Nita Kumar). The play does not imply that if the only conditions were different or could be changed then Savitri would be able to escape from the ‘trap’, instead her sexuality is morally condemned, she ought not be able to escape. Juneja contends that all the men who had come into her life were different. They were individuals with their own diverse characteristics and, according to critic Veena Das, what made Savitri see them as parts of the same fractioned entities was her own â€Å"diseased imagination†. Juneja, in saying that all men are the same, is trying to define the essential nature of desire. Desire is always in excess of the individual and can never be completely satiated. The frightening aspect of desire lies in its limitlessness. All men are the same because they are looked at through Savitri’s desire, the fact that they will all eventually be unable to satisfy her is the reason for their ‘sameness’. Their amorphousness derives from the fact that they change in accordance with Savitri’s assessment of them. The transcendental nature of desire will always make her move on to other men and search for completeness. It seems to suggest that every being is half-incomplete, it is not a tragedy, but rather a fact of existence, and Savitri, in her search for masculine perfection and inability to accept this fact, is herself responsible for her ruination. Unexpectedly again, the play doesn’t build up even to the absurdist conclusion; it does not suggest that everybody in essentiality is like Savitri, because desire is universal, exceeding every individual. Instead,  the elements of Naturalism as well as Absurdism are developed only to lay the blame on Savitri’s inherent nature, which is considered responsible for the destruction of this particular family. She stands the last accused and the play ends before there can be any possibility of defense on her behalf. Interestingly, though certain relationships in life are deterministic, including that of a mother-daughter, sister-brother, etc, the same cannot be said about spouses; however, in this very context the language used by Juneja is the final language of containment, of absolute, rigid determinism. As earlier mentioned, the device of one man playing multiple roles is that of the actor and is not available to the character, and therefore it is significant that the visual of the play itself shows that nothing can be changed. Juneja’s speech corresponds to the structure of the play, which has to come from without and therefore indicates a concurrence with the playwright’s view. According to critic Kirti Jain, this device loses a little of its relevance in the actual stage performance as the focus of the audience is drawn primarily towards the clothes, mannerisms and voice of that one actor rather than the thematic import. However, there is no ambiguity on the fact that the nature of the play cannot be understood without a reference to this particular device. Through this, the area of thrust changes entirely from the ‘universality of human experience’, and the ultimate censure is not of society, or even the circumstances, but rather of Savitri’s desiring nature. Her lack of constraint and implicit sexuality stand accused as the essential reasons for what makes her home an incomplete, halfway house. Bibliography i. All textual quotes are from Worldview Critical Edition of ‘Halfway House- Mohan Rakesh’ ii. Halfway House: A House Divided by Nita N. Kumar iii. A Note on Indian Theatre by Kirti Jain iv. The Director’s Viewpoint by Om Shivpuri v. A Thematic Interpretation of One Actor and Five Roles in Halfway House by Arti Mathur vi. Lust For Life: A Study of Savitri in Halfway House by Naresh K. Jain vii. Halfway House: Absurdism of the Indian Middle Class by Bharat Gupt viii. Uncertain Circumstance, Undefined Individuals: A Study of Halfway House by S. G. Bhanegaonkar ix. Sexism and Power Games by Manchi Sarat Babu x. Halfway House: Some Stray Comments Only by Dilip Kumar Basu xi. There is Something in this House by N. S. Dharan xii. Halfway House: A Play of Incomplete Utterances by Veena Nobel Das xiii. Realism and the American Dramatic Tradition by William Demastes xiv. Mohan Rakesh, Modernism, and the Postcolonial Present by Aparna Dharwadker.

Hector vs Achilles

Achilles Motivation Fighting for personal honor Knows that his fate leads him to death so he is willing to sacrifice his life so his name will be remembered Cared little about anything except for his own desire†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦but this man’s ambition, remember, is to lead, to lord it over everyone, give orders to the rest of us!† (lines 337-340) †Well, this time I make sail for home. Better to take now to my ships.Why linger, cheated of winnings, to make wealth for you?† (lines 197-199). †And let them both bear witness before the gods who living bliss, as before men who die, including this harsh king, if ever hereafter a need for me arises to keep the rest from black defeat and ruin† (lines 394-398). †Thetis left her son still burning for the softly belted girl whom they had wrestled from him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 494-496) Loss of girl=loss of honor†He tells the delegates that he has decided to return to his kingdom and live out his life i n comfort, forgoing the honor of dying a hero’s death in battle† (246).Vengeance Hector killed his best friend †On hearing of Patroclus’s death, Achilles is overcome with grief and rage. Vowing to avenge his friend, he finally returns to the battle† (246) †Hector, had you thought that you could kill Patroclus and be safe? Nothing to dread from me; I was not there. All childishness†¦The dogs and kites will rip your body. Hiss will lie in honor when the Achaeans give him funeral† (lines 392-400) †Down by the ships Patroclus’s body lies unwept, unburied. I shall not forget him while I keep my feet among the living† (lines 458-460).Actions TakenStrong temper/rage â€Å"A pain like grief weighed on the son of Peleus, and in his shaggy chest this way and that the passion of his heart ran; should he draw longsword from hip, stand off the rest, and kill in single combat the great son of Atreus, or hold his rage in check an d give it time?† (lines 220-225) â€Å"But now the son of Peleus turned on Agamemnon and lashed out at him, letting his anger  ride in execration†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 263-265) â€Å"On hearing of Patroclus’s death, Achilles is overcome with grief and rage. Vowing to avenge his friend, he finally returns to the battle, mercilessly slaying the Trojan forces†Accuses Agamemnon of being a glory hound and trying to take more than his fair share â€Å"I have seen more action hand to hand in those assaults than you have, but when the time for sharing comes, the greater share is always yours† (lines 192-195).Sensitive when his pride is in jeopardyâ€Å"Eyes wet with tears, he spoke† (lines 412-414) â€Å"Thetis left her son still burning for the softly belted girl whom they had wrestled from him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lines 494-496)Selfish/pridefulputs his own needs above his army’s lives. â€Å"Without Achilles’ help, the Greeks are at a serious disadvantage against the Trojans† (246) â€Å"Achilles’ immense pride is revealed as he stubbornly refuses to accept Agamemnon’s gifts† (246). â€Å"†¦he has decided to return to his kingdom and live out his life in comfort, forgoing the honor of dying a hero’s death in battle† (246) Torture’s Hector’s dead bodydisrespect/dishonor Role/ Reaction of others Only his mom grieves for him â€Å"Her eyes filled, an a tear fell as she answered† (line 476) His army respected him when he was in battle but he did not seem to have a close relationship to anyone but his mother and possibly his bet friend Patroclus Role of godsHera favored the Greeks in general Athena was constantly by his side â€Å"Then Athena, gray-eyed, to the son of Peleus, falling in with him, and near him, saying swiftly:‘Now at last I think the two of us, Achilles loved by Zeus, shall bring Achaeans triumph at the ships by killing Hector†¦Ã¢â‚ ¬  (lines 253-259) â€Å"As his tumult swayed him, as he slid the big blade slowly from the sheath, Athena came to him from the sky† (Lines 226-228) Apollo did not favor himâ€Å"Archer of heaven, deadliest of immortal gods, you put me off the track, turning me from the wall this way†¦you saved my enemies with ease and stole my glory, having no punishment to fear† (lines 18-24) Obeys the godsâ€Å"Die, make an end. I shall accept my own whenever Zeus and the other gods desire† (lines 435-436) â€Å"Nothing for it, goddess, but when you two immortals speak, a man complies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 253-255).Hector Motivation Duty and honor Protector of the people â€Å"Hector returns to battle, fighting fiercely for the Trojans† (246) â€Å"†¦here you may fight on to save our Trojan men and women† (lines 66-67) Not motivated by what was best for him, but what was best for his country and his people Actions TakenSelfless Would die for his peopl e â€Å"Now my soul would have me stand and fight, whether I kill you or am killed† (lines 298-299) Tried to make a pact of honor with Achilles â€Å"So come, we’ll summon gods here as our witnesses, none higher, arbiters of a pact: I swear that, terrible you are, I’ll not insult your corpse should Zeus allow me victory in the end, your life as a prize . Once I have your gear, I’ll give your body back to Achaeans. Grant me,too, this grace† (lines 300-306). Examines ways to get out of conflict  fear? â€Å"Suppose, though, that I lay my shield and helm aside†¦and go to meet the noble Prince Achilles, promising Helen, promising with her all the treasures that Alexandros brought home by ship to Troy†¦ Then I might add, apart from these, a portion of all the secret wealth the city owns† (lines 134-142) â€Å" â€Å"These were his shifts of mood† (line 157)Runs away â€Å"†¦and Hector, as he watched, began to tremble. Th en he could hold his ground no more. He ran, leaving the gate behind him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lines 164-165) cowardly not to fight Role of Others/ Reaction of Others Everyone loves and cares for him â€Å"If he brings you down, I shall no longer be allowed to mourn you laid out on your bed, dear branch in flower, born of me† (lines 103-106) â€Å"With tears and cries the two implored their son, and made their prayers again† (lines 109-110) â€Å"Child, I am lost now. can I bear my life after the death of suffering your death? You were my pride in all my nights and days, pride of the city, pillar to the Trojans and Trojan women† (lines 507-511). Role of the godsApollo was on his side â€Å"How could he run so long from death, had not Apollo for the last time, the very last, come near to give him stamina and speed† (lines 239-242) Zeus felt sympathetic towards him â€Å"How sad that this beloved man is hunted around the wall before my eyes! My heart is touched f or Hector;† (lines 200-203) Athena was against him â€Å"Now at last I think the two of us, Achilles loved by Zeus, shall bring Achaeans triumph at the ships by killing Hector†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 256-259) The gods choose his death â€Å"This the end. The gods are calling deathward†¦ Long ago this hour must have been to Zeus’s liking and to the liking of his archer son† (lines 351-358)Similarities Both are driven by stubbornness â€Å"Achilles’ immense pride is revealed as he stubbornly refuses to accept Agamemnon’s gifts† (246) â€Å"With tears and cries the two implored their son, and made their prayers again, but could not shake him. Hector stood firm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 109-111) Neither listen when a wise figure tells them who they are up against is more powerful â€Å" †¦don’t try to hold your ground against this man, or soon you will meet the shock of doom, borne down by the son of Peleus.He is more powerful by far than you, and pitiless† (lines 45-48) â€Å"Achilles, for your part, do not defy your King and Captain. No ones vies in honor with him who holds authority from Zeus. You have more prowess, for a  goddess bore you; his power over men surpasses yours† (lines 327-332) Both are heroes in the eyes of their peers at one pointBoth have some pride in them â€Å"Book 6 reveals to us Hector’s pride, for we learn that although he believes Troy is doomed, honor will not allow him to surrender† (246) â€Å"Now troops have perished for my foolish pride†¦ He kept his pride and ost his men, this Hector† (lines 126-129† â€Å"Agamemnon, humiliated me! he has my prize by his own whim, for himself† (lines 411-413) Both are ruled by fate through the gods

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Security challenges within Eurasia (Caucasus and Caspian basin) - Essay Example Research shows that the basin holds about 100 billion barrels of gas and oil and stretches about the area of Northern Europe. Considering the size of the basin and its energy potential, the area is a very important for Europe and surrounding countries which are no less interested in harvesting the oil and gas. Furthermore, the region is supposed to be important in the redevelopment of the Silk Road that historically connected Europe and Asia. In this sense, the rout to be used in the transportation of energy resources has remained a security challenge as different countries prefer the use of different routes. NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and EAPC (Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council) countries are greatly interested in the Caspian basin and Caucasus region for the factors stated here above. On the other hand, Russia’s relationship with Central Asian as well as South Caucasus countries is perceived to be motivated toward the redrawing of former Soviet Unionâ€⠄¢s old lines3. In other words, Russia wants the countries in these regions to get into its circle of influence.

Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Nursing - Essay Example This year it will provide a real opportunity to expand opportunities which are related to the promotional of fitness and health services across the Maryland state. It will also provide the consumers with relevant health information and various resources on the websites. It will also provide a real experience in terms of showing medical technology and therefore breaking through various diseases. It will also provide me with real experience of having fun and fitness and the importance of the same; education, entertainment and empowerment under one room. Being part of the convention, I believe I will have the opportunity of getting to know on some of the actions to be taken to ensure that we remain healthy. Sharing of information is very important and being at the convention will provide a real opportunity to share with others and acquire new ideas with regards to remaining healthy. The information will help a myriad of the populace to improve the health standards. Substance abuse has been reported to be affected the lives of thousands of people across the globe. Maryland is not exceptional. Attending the convention will be an opportunity of providing information on some of the effects of substance abuse and the risks which are involved. Through sharing of information, there was a real experience of some of the substances which are often abused and the risks associated. There is also a guideline on how some of these cases can be handled. (Commission on Social Determinants of Health final report 1) There was also lesson son some of the preventive measure of substance abuse in the county. Besides pr3eventive issues, there are also a number of programs in the county which are designed to deal with the issues of substance abuse. The convention provided a platform whereby those who attended got the opportunity to be taken through some of the programs existing to deal with the issue. Drugs endanger the lives of children. Unfortunately, most parents and guidance are

Ethical Dilemma in Admission Criteria for Nursing School Essay

Ethical Dilemma in Admission Criteria for Nursing School - Essay Example This paper stresses that  the dilemma concerning students’ perspective in admission into nursing schools are caused by costs, expected benefits, and the lengthy of the application process. Nursing education requires a variety of technology and equipment for study. These equipments are costly to buy and maintain. As a result, the institutions of nursing are forced to charge high fees to in order to cover the costs of buying learning equipment and paying highly specialized instructors. Students have to decide whether join or avoid the nursing school costs. Avoiding the costs may lead to short-run savings among the students, but they will miss the opportunities of reaping the long-run benefits from the nursing profession. Similarly, decision to join the college may be associated with a lot of sacrifice to meet the fees requirements.  Thiis discussion highlights that  students believe that nursing courses expose them to comparatively higher paying jobs. However, students are also aware pursuing nursing courses requires extensive reading and sacrificing. Interested students may not be able to decide whether to sacrifice their life for future greater benefits or avoid the pain associated with studying and use the time to study less demanding courses while simultaneously doing other income generating activities. Additionally, the process of joining nursing colleges is lengthy and expensive since students have to pass the stipulated preliminary tests.  

The Invention of E Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Invention of E Commerce - Essay Example In order to understand the success of e-commerce, it would be necessary to refer to the terms and the causes of the specific invention. Reference should be also made to its characteristics, meaning especially its advantages and disadvantages. In this way, it would be easy to understand whether the invention of e-commerce has actually benefited entrepreneurs worldwide. Different views have been developed in the literature in regard to the nature and the role of e-commerce. Still, all these views have a common characteristic: they all emphasize on the value of e-commerce as a tool for promoting online sales. For example, Basu (2007) notes that e-commerce is a term used for describing ‘commercial transactions which take place in or over electronic networks’ (Basu, 2007, p. 15). Pinto (2003) refers to the definition of e-commerce as developed by the Australian Taxation Office. According to the above definition, e-commerce refers to ‘the buying and selling goods on the Internet’ (Pinto, 2003, p. 2). On the other hand, it has been stated that e-commerce is ‘the process of sharing business information, maintaining business relationships and conducting business transactions through telecommunication networks’ (Sun & Finnie, 2004, p. 47). In other words, e-commerce does not focus on sales but it can incorporates a wi de range of business activities, as described above. This means also that e-commerce is not affected solely by the economic conditions of each market but also by the local social and political conditions, as related to commerce and trade. For example, a law introducing restrictions to the exchange of business information can negatively affect e-commerce, as used by the businesses in a particular state. The history of E-commerce is closely related to the history of the Internet. In fact, it was because of Internet that the development of E-commerce has become feasible (Schmid,

The Use of E-Commerce and E-Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Use of E-Commerce and E-Business - Essay Example In the report, it is evident that different industries are improving all the processes at the organization level. In a different industry, in the past, the management was focusing on increasing production and generating revenues due to these two factors they were able to attract their franchisees that they have to show interest in their brands. But now they can reduce the total costs and can enhance their brands with the adoption of innovative technologies. The integration of marketing and procurement operations with e-commerce showed that the persons who are involved in supply chains assure that the integration of innovative technologies is warmly welcome. For electronic business, there is need of training of the staff persons and the notable thing is that they must have to observe the importance of the benefits of electronic systems. The electronic business is a continuously changing area and the electronic systems are very flexible and can be modified and upgraded according to the needs of the organization. The electronic business technologies are serving as an important management tool for increasing the overall performance of the supply chains.The e-procurement in different industries is in an infancy state and a rapid increase is expected in the functionality of e-commerce that would assist in making strong relationships with suppliers and buyers using electronic environment. From the benefits of e-commerce, it is obvious that it would increase the rate of adoption of innovative technologies, if the doubts related to e-commerce, are reduced to a level of utmost satisfaction of industry experts. The said research would help the industry experts in all the areas of different departments to better plan for the future adoption of IT/IS or e-commerce technologies. When the firms have to switch from traditional approaches to innovative online solutions then it would help the firm in significant savings, improvement in the production and increase in the operatio nal efficiencies. Using electronic systems e.g. e-procurement there would be better communication between business partners.

Human Growth and Development Essay Example for Free

Human Growth and Development Essay Within the Hispanic culture, the generations that have come before us have struggled to keep traditions alive and thriving. Putting emphasis on proper traditions and celebrations is important. Our elders believe that it will keep our heritage strong. For example, there are two holidays that I would like to discuss, that are important to the Hispanic culture. These two holiday celebrations are Christmas and Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Both of these holidays are celebrated enthusiastically, with food, family, music, and fun. My family takes pride in celebrating both of these holidays. The Day of the Dead, celebrated on November 1 and November 2 of each year, is a joyful holiday celebration, despite its morbid name. Death, particularly of a loved one, is celebrated as a new stage of life. Families decorate the graves with offerings such as toys, flowers, and small items that belonged to the deceased. This holiday is celebrated to honor the spirits, and life, of those who have died. One major cultural tradition that is celebrated during Christmas, other than Christmas itself, is Posada. This tradition is celebrated during the nine days before Christmas Eve. The travel of Saint Joseph and a pregnant Mary to Bethlehem is reenacted. Two statues, one of Saint Joseph and one of Mary, are carried to three predetermined house where the residents are asked for shelter. Two of those houses refuse shelter for the family. The third house accepts the plea for shelter, representing the Inn Keeper who helped the family. A Novena, a prayer with the rosary, then occurs. After the prayer there is a party. The last day of Posada is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The two cultural traditions described above have influenced not only my own development, but they have also helped the society develop. Within my own development, the environmental exposure, combined with more modern traditions, has helped me develop my sense of self and my own morals. The culture, as taught by our elders, has showed me the importance on the family in fostering the development of others. Within the society, the Hispanic culture, as with any culture, has helped to broaden the knowledge of others. This has helped children understand that there are differences between people; not every person is the same. Question 2: Explain the difference between an experiment, a study, and a quasi experiment, using detail. An experiment is used to determine a person’s behavior and/or development by altering different characterizations of the environment. The dependent variable would represent the behavior and/or development that is expected from the experiment. The independent variable represents the measures that would be taken by the experimenter, and also represents the cause in a ‘cause and effect’ relationship. For example, if a researcher was testing treatments to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis, the type of treatment would be called the independent variable, while the lesion scans would be called the dependent variable. There are a few factors that have to be considered before considering an experiment: the control group must consist of members that are randomly selected and equal to the experimental group; the object(s) of the experiment must be accurately categorized; and all experiments must be legal. A study consists of one group or person. There is no need for a control group or experimental characteristics. The function of a study is to provide information that is collected and analyzed. Observing, testing, and interviewing are all techniques used in a study. A study can spark an interest in experimentation. A study can help form a hypothesis that can be used for experimentation. Many of the early development information were derived from using a study on individuals. The information that was gained from such studies lead to experiments changing variables, which in turn gave way to much of the information we now have published regarding human development. A quasi experiment is similar to a regular experiment except for a few details: While a normal experiment uses random selecting and control groups, the quasi experiment uses a matching technique. Quasi experimenting uses elaboration – the process of sub-classifying or reclassifying variables. Quasi experimenting also involves narrowing down the dependent variable, known as specification. Question 3: Some developmental theorists focus on culture (Bronfenbrenner and Vygotsky) and others focus on individual history and experience (Skinner and Freud). Compare and contrast these theorists’ influences and how we see human development today while referring to their theory’s strengths and weaknesses. Freud’s believed that a person’s emotions and drives are influenced by the subconscious mind. Each person is unaware of the reasons by which they strive to fill their biological needs. For example, a woman may overeat as a way of subconsciously substituting food for frustration. Bronfenbrenner believed that a person’s development was centered around their environment. The interaction between a person’s biology, family, and society determines the development of that person. Any changes in a person’s environment could also change that person’s development. Skinner used operant conditioning, which theorized that a specific behavior could be changed through reinforcement or punishment. Skinner believed that human development depended on the person’s learning experience. This theory believed that a behavior could be changed or removed with either positive or negative reinforcement. Vygotsky stressed the importance of social interaction as a fundamental role of development. Full social interaction would engage cognitive development. Vygotsky’s theory was that of a social development theory, similar in comparison to Piaget. Question 4: Nature vs. Nurture. Discuss the gene/environment debate in terms of the interaction of genetics, biology, maturation, learning, society, and culture. Nature and nurture†¦one uses our environment as a determining factor for development, while the other uses human biology as a determining factor for development. Using nature as a determining factor theorizes that human development is left to what is encoded into human DNA. With this factor, humans have no control over their own development. Using nurture theorizes that the environment controls human development. With this factor, if the environment is changed, development can also be changed. This will always be a constant debate among the psychological community because of the fact that no two people are the same, and therefore, no two people develop the same.

Industrialization And Urbanization In China History Essay

Industrialization And Urbanization In China History Essay The Great Leap Forward of China (Peoples Republic of China) was a social and economic crusade with the aim to develop industry and agriculture by then ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). It was adopted in 1958 as an ambitious five year plan intended to utilize the huge population of China to rapidly transform her economy from an agrarian one to a modernized one such that the economy of China would rival that of United States by the year 1988 (Bachman, 1991). However, the plan was discontinued in 1961 when they realized that it was not feasible. The leader, Mao Zedong, aimed to achieve the Great Leap Forward plan by developing agriculture and industries chiefly through the process of collectivization (Kataoka, 1968). The leader believed that these two sectors had to be developed first to let other key sectors to develop too; industries could only flourish if the workers were well fed, whilst the agricultural work force required industries to produce new, modern equipments and machi neries necessary for modernization. To achieve this, Peoples Republic of China was reformed into enormous communes, and in less than a year, approximately nine hundred million Chinese peasants were mobilized to work in these collective forms (Kataoka, 1968). Many communist strategies and policies were adopted to ensure the implementation of the plans; the Great Leap Forward was an intensification of the Soviet-type industrialization strategy. The Great Forward Leap had a lot of similarities with the soviet-type industrialization strategy; it was based on the oppressive communist principles. Kataoka (1968) explains that many transformations occurred in the lives of the Chinese peasants living in rural areas; agricultural collectivization was introduced and gradually made compulsory for all. Private ownership of land and farming was banned, and those who engaged in it were punished severely for being counter revolutionaries. The administration was done through party members and communes leaders; restriction control of rural inhabitants was imposed through social pressure, propaganda and public struggle sessions. They utilized force, coercion and systematic violence to ensure that the peasants obeyed the rules. Regardless of the great mobilization of the rural peasants and the ambitious plans of the leaders, the Great Leap Forward did not achieve the anticipated massive developments. Poor decisions and mistakes by the party leaders characterized and contributed, in part, to its failure. Eventually, The Great Leap culminated in devastation, with consequential death of the people in tens of millions; approximates show a range from eighteen to forty-six million individuals (Dikà ¶tter, 2010). After the first five year plan, Mao Zedong alarmed by various events and uprisings in Europe concluded that communism was the best was way for China to go. The next five year plan was the Great Forward Leap which created the communes; they were large enough consisting of large collective farms each composed of about five thousand families (Dikà ¶tter, 2010). Just like in the Soviet Union, they had comprehended that this system would be unpopular with the peasants, thus; they brought them under Party control (Kataoka, 1968). They executed the working in the collective farms by convening meetings and then ensuring that the peasants stayed for long periods until they had no choice but to join the communes. Apart from the economic changes, the party also instituted key social changes in the rural areas including the expulsion of all spiritual and religious institutions and ceremonies and substituted them with party meetings and propaganda sessions. They introduced internal passports ban ning travel without appropriate authorization and dictated what was to be planted. For instance, they replaced the farming of opium with rice. Peasants in the rural areas worked in communes owned by the state and the grain they produced was for cities and export, to earn foreign exchange. Families in a communes relinquished individual possession and tenure of farm equipments and animals such that all were owned by the commune; they now labored and toiled for the state-owned commune and not for themselves as individuals. Nearly all aspects of the life of the peasants in the commune were controlled by the commune; education facilities were offered by the communes so that all grownups could work. Health care services were given by the communes and the aged were taken into establishment ironically named houses of happiness in order that they could be cared for. Moreover, individuals could work hard and not have to be troubled about leaving their aged family members back at home. The communes made available all that the peasants required including entertainment. Peasants toiled alongside the soldiers. The populace in a commune was sub-grouped; dozen families formed a work team, a dozen work teams composed a brigade. Every sub-division was assigned a particular work to com plete. The communist party members supervised the work and running of a commune to make sure those decisions executed were in line with party policies. The state adopted all strategies it could to fluff up enthusiasm and passion for the communes. Propaganda was used in all places to the extent that there were public address systems out in the fields through which thousands of the peasant workforces could listen to political speeches as they toil. Propaganda posters were widely used to spread the ideologies of the party. Everyone engaged in communes was urged not only to work hard to achieve set targets but to surpass them. If the machines were deficient or inadequate in the communes, the workforce used their bare hands. Major buildings and structures were constructed in record time although the strength of most of them was doubtful. The local leaders in the communes were forced into falsifying information and spreading propaganda from senior party leaders. For instance, they had at times to report ever-higher grain production records to their political seniors (Wei Yang, 2005). People attending political meetings talk of producti on quantities being exaggerated up to ten times of the real production quantities as the pursuit to thrill superiors and win praise intensified. The government was later on capable of compelling, many production groups to put up for sale higher quantities of grain than they were capable based on these embellished production quantities. Bachman (2011) depicts the state-owned communes as a type of discrimination system for Chinese peasant families. The commune system adopted in the great forward leaped was intended at exploiting rural peasants to produce for cities and urban areas and building industrial units, offices, educational facilities, and social insurance structures for elite cadres and officials residing in towns. The peasants in the countryside who condemned the plan were classified as dangerous, counter revolutionaries. Running away was also very hard, mostly even impossible, and those who tried were faced with severe repercussions that sometimes resulted in death. Apart from agriculture projects, state-owned communes also participated in various medium scale industries and building projects. The prohibition of private ownership of property devastated the life of the peasants at its most basic level, according to Bachman (1991). Rural populace were incapable of securing sufficient food to support a decent living, since the customary ways of leasing out, selling, or using their properties as collateral for credit were dispossessed of them by the commune system. In some villages, after the commune systems were adopted, the Party leader and his men took immediate inhumane actions, commanding peasants to spend nights toiling and laboring for intolerable hours, and ordering them to march, starved, to far-flung additional projects (Bachman, 1991). Yang (2008) notes that local party officials were unmoved regardless of the great number of peasants dying while working, as their main concern was the production of grain, which the state needed to utilize in settling the billions of loans from the Soviet Union. The Communist Party was aware of the fact that their strategies were responsible for causing the starvation. In some provinces such as Xinyang; peasants succumbed to starvation at the entrances of grain warehouses (Yang, 2008). Senior party leaders even acknowledged that the deaths were a price the country has to pay; downplaying the deaths as a minor thing. As yang (2008) notes, in a covert gathering in Shanghai in 1959, Mao ordered the procurement of a third of all grain by the state to provision the urban areas and foreign clients, and he remarks that if the state does not pass above that quota, citizens will not rebel. He further comments that as there is not sufficient food to feed all citizens and some will have to sta rve, then the best way is to let half of them to starve so that the rest can have enough. Like in the Soviet Union, through the starvation of 1932-1933, peasants were incarcerated to their starved villages by a scheme of registration of households, and the nastiest results of the food shortage were aimed at opponents of the regime (Yang, 2008). Yang (2008) further explains how those tagged as being religious leaders, activists and rich peasants were given the last priority in the allotment of foodstuff, and consequently, died in the record numbers.

Personal Perspective on the Science Versus Religion Debate :: Theology

Personal Perspective on the Science Versus Religion Debate In Alfred North Whitehead’s â€Å"Religion and Science†, he nullifies the argument between the religious factions and scientists of the world by eliminating all grounds for the argument. Although debated to the â€Å"ends of the Earth†, Whitehead points out that these two subjects are actually based upon events that are unrelated. He states â€Å"Science is concerned with the general conditions which are observed to regulate phenomenon; whereas religion is wholly wrapped up in the contemplation of moral and aesthetic values†(Whitehead, Religion and Science). Through his definition of both viewpoints, he is able to explain one will never see the other, thus no argument exists. This topic is quite personal for me at this point in my life. I have always lived as if everything could be explained. I tortured myself with the whole idea of â€Å"heaven†. I was scared that not believing would sentence me to eternal death, but my logical side just couldn’t fathom the idea. My religious side was in a â€Å"fight to the death† war with my logical side. However, my internal war is now over. The battle is done. And, yes one side did come out waving the proverbial white flag. To make a long story short, eighteen months ago my husband suffered a broken neck due to a swimming accident. We as a family had been in debate over our family’s relationship with God. As we discovered, ones religion is often decided during the darkest times of our lives. It was at that time we discovered that there was something more to life than money, possessions, or â€Å"facts†. The specialists couldn’t explain what had saved Shane’s life. Their science failed them. Luckily, the neurologist was a Christian, and her only explanation was God wasn’t finished with him yet. We realized that for once there was no other answer. Without hesitation, my husband and I both committed our lives to serving the Lord Jesus Christ to the best of our ability. To get back to the point of this, as a new Christian I thought the Science vs. Religion debate would be completely over for me. It isn’t. I still catch myself trying to explain things that don’t need to be explained. I have spent many restless nights fighting my guilty conscience for doubting my faith.

cuban mile :: essays research papers

The Special Period in Cuba can best be described as a time of struggle. The dissatisfaction of many Cubans has led to their emigration to the United States by traveling in rafts to the coast of Florida. The Cuban people have different views regarding the trip to exile as well as the motivations to stay or leave Cuba. In Alejandro Hernandez Diaz’s book, The Cuba Mile, and in the movie â€Å"Guantanamera†, we see some of the different ways in which Cuban Culture views the Special Period, the trip to exile, and the motivations behind staying or leaving Cuba.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The year 1991 marked the beginning of the Special Period and hard times have existed in Cuba ever since. Many Cubans are tired of the hardships and shortages of the Special Period. To try and make ends meet many Cubans have adapted to the tough times by making money in the Black Market. In â€Å"Guantanamera†, both the cabdriver and Mariano use the Black Market to make extra money. As they travel across the island, they buy food to be resold at a higher price when they arrive in Havana. Many Cubans feel that the Revolution is no longer working and that it is time for a change. In â€Å"Guantanamera†, symbolism of this idea is clearly demonstrated. In the movie, a story from the Santeria religion is told. The god of Olofin is represented in the movie, Olofin created life but not death. Therefore, everyone lived forever and the elderly people held control and influenced many aspects of society. Nothing ever changed much like the Cuban government which is old and unchanging. Then, one day Olofin made it rain for thirty days and thirty nights. The flood killed the old and only the young survived. The current revolution is old, and is not working as well as it did in the 1970’s. The movie is calling for the need of a natural process, like the rain to come and wash away the old revolution’s ideas so new and young ideas can survive in Cuba. However, many Cubans feel that the situation is not going to change and their desire to leave Cuba is so strong that they risk their lives by rafting across the Straits of Florida in order to gain freedom and opportunities in the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The hardships of the Special Period became so considerable many Cubans chose to take their chances with the ocean. Large quantities of Cubans began to construct rafts in order to escape to the United States. They hoped to either survive the 90 mile trip or be discovered by the U.S. coastguard and brought to the United States.

Alzheimers Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimers Disease   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is Alzheimers Disease? The most common form of dementing illness, Alzheimers Disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain, causing impaired memory, thinking and behavior. The person with AD may experience confusion, personality and behavior changes, impaired judgment, and difficulty finding words, finishing thoughts or following directions. It eventually leaves its victims incapable of caring for themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What happens to the brain in Alzheimers Disease? In AD The nerve cells in the part of the brain that controls memory, thinking, are damaged, interrupting the passage of messages between cells. The cells develop distinctive changes that are called neuritic plaques (clusters of degenerating nerve cell ends) and neurofibrillary tangles (masses of twisted filaments which accumulate in previously health nerve cells). The cortex (thinking center) of the brain shrinks (atrophies), The spaces in the center of the brain become enlarged, also reducing surface area in the brain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What are the symptoms of Alzheimers Disease? Alzheimers Disease is a dementing illness which leads to loss of intellectual capacity. Symptoms usually occur in older adults (although people in their 40s and 5Os may also be affected) and include loss of language skills such as trouble finding words, problems with abstract thinking, poor or decreased judgment, disori...

Merton Truck Company’s Financial Performance and Product Mix

Introduction In response to your report and request regarding Merton’s financial performance and product mix, I have met with your controller, sales manager and production manager, and have provided a solution that will improve the company in these two areas. Using a systematic approach, I was able to analyze the current machine hours, standard costs, and overhead budget. My findings have allowed me to determine the best monthly product mix that will maximize Merton’s total monthly contribution.Furthermore, I have addressed the decision regarding outsourcing, and have provided both the maximum rent your company should pay in addition to the maximum number of hours that should be rented. When determining the product mix, I took careful consideration of the machine hour constraints that your factory must account for. The following sections will provide further information in regards to my analytical technique, and how I was able to determine these figures. Current Situation Mertonâ₠¬â„¢s third and fourth quarters of last year should not be deemed a failure, but rather an area where the company can improve.It is evident your company’s current product mix is not meeting the financial standards that the company expects. As your sales manager pointed out, Model 101 trucks currently cost $40,205 to produce and are selling at a price of $39,000, meaning the company is producing this model at a loss. Some other issues to point out are the current capacity levels. Although the company is profiting on each Model 102 sold, maxing out capacity for this model may not be the best solution, as suggested by the controller.An analysis of the provided budget will allow us to track where the company’s money is being spent, and will suggest certain areas where possible changes can be made. Evaluating the different scenarios will answer our current questions on whether to stop producing Model 101’s all together, to continue producing both models but at differ ent amounts, and/or to consider the use of an outside supplier. Data Used in the Analysis To address the main goal of increasing financial performance, I had to define the objective of the current situation.Simply put, the objective is to maximize total contribution from the two models, which will directly improve Merton’s financial performance. Our focus is contribution rather than profit because contribution deals only with variables costs and variable costs are costs that we can manipulate to better Merton’s financial position. By determining exactly how much contribution Merton receives from producing one Model 101 and one Model 102, we can attempt to maximize these figures. A product’s contribution is the amount of money the company receives after subtracting out the variable production costs.Figure 1 shows the contribution received for producing one truck of Models 101 and 102. I was able to calculate this figure using the data provided from Tables B and C in your report. Table B listed the variable costs which include the direct materials and direct labor costs per model. I then added the variable overhead costs per unit that were listed in Table C. Subtracting these variable costs from the total selling price leaves us with Model 101 attributing $3,000 in contribution and Model 102 attributing $5,000. The second goal is to determine an optimal product mix.In order to do so, I had to account for any constraints, or parameters that limit production and affect total monthly contribution. Table A from your report provided these constraints, which are the production capacities of the four departments, engine assembly, metal stamping, Model 101 assembly and Model 102 assembly. These constraints, which will be discussed in the following sections, are provided in Figure 2. Finding both the contribution per model and the constraints allows us to determine the decision variables.Decision variables help us do exactly that, make decisions. Sin ce product mix is the decision we are making, the decision variables represent the number of 101 and 102 units that Merton should produce each month. These variables are represented as X101 and X102. Having identified our variables I was now able to setup a mathematical equation that will calculate Merton’s maximum contribution per month. The equation is as follow: Maximum Contribution = $3,000*X101 + $5000*X102 Method of Analysis: Linear ProgrammingAfter reading the report and understanding the variables involved, I realized that linear programming would be a useful tool in this situation. Linear programming (LP) is beneficial because it assists in decision making when resource allocation is involved. Our situation calls for a better approach when allocating labor, machinery, money, time and materials, thus making LP the perfect fit. For this situation, linear programming is more than an option. It is a must. Due to our number of constraints, using a linear program will comp ute exact outputs that will save time and eliminate the risk of human error.The program will allow us to input the known variables (101 and 102 contribution), and will calculate the optimal product mix, while staying within the parameters of our listed constraints (Figure 2). Analyzing the Options with Solver Optimal Product Mix Now that you have an understanding of the capabilities of linear programming, I will explain how I was able to use this model when persuading your sales manager, controller and production manager. Although these three do not agree on how Merton is currently allocating its resources, one aspect where they do agree is that maximizing contribution is Merton’s main focus.After explaining that this linear program, known as â€Å"Solver,† can calculate optimal product mix on the basis of maximum contribution, I received their undivided attention. Solver’s product mix calculation stated that Merton Truck Co. should produce 2,000 Model 101 truck s and 1,000 Model 102 trucks each month. Using this product mix will provide a maximum contribution of $11,000,000 per month. The objective formula that was presented above shows this calculation: $3,000*(2,000101)+5000*(1,000102)= $11,000,000 total contribution per month.Remember, this formula is calculated while staying within each of Merton’s production constraints. Simply producing more or less of either model will do one of two things. One, it would exceed one of our given constraints, or two, it would produce a total contribution that is lower than $11 million. Solver’s suggestion to produce 2,000 Model 101’s proves that the controller was correct in his objection of the sales manager. The model confirms that doubling Model 101 production allows the fixed overhead of 2. 7 million to be absorbed over 2,000 models instead of 1,000 as the company is currently doing.Since Merton pays fixed overhead of 2. 7M. for 101’s and only 1. 5M for 102’s, it makes sense to â€Å"get your money’s worth† by producing more 101’s. Renting Additional Capacity In addition to providing the optimal product mix, Solver has a number of other capabilities that help support my recommendations. One capability is that Solver can help us determine whether the production manager was correct when suggesting to rent additional capacity from an outside supplier. After the variables are input into the Solver program, I run the calculation.Once the program has calculated the data, it provides us with a â€Å"sensitivity report† that focuses on our available resources (constraints) and tests a number of â€Å"what-if scenarios. † For this situation, it will help us determine the amount to pay per rented hour and exactly how many additional hours to rent. Two relevant categories to note from the sensitivity report are the â€Å"shadow price† and the â€Å"allowable increase†. The program provides a shadow pric e which states that for each additional unit produced, Merton will receive ‘X’ dollars in contribution. The shadow price for engine assembly was $2,000.Therefore, for each additional unit of capacity (rented hours), Merton can afford to pay a maximum of $2,000. In regards to the allowable increase, Solver suggests that Merton should purchase a maximum of 500 rented hours. After 500 hours have been purchased, there is no further increase in contribution. The use of Solver has once again proven beneficial. Although the production manager’s suggestion was correct, Solver has strengthened his argument by providing objective data that tells us a max price to pay in addition to the maximum number of hours to rent.Additional Constraint – Producing at a 3:1? After finding out from the optimal product mix that it is more beneficial to produce two times the number of Model 101’s than Model 102’s, why not increase production to three to one? We can test this proposal by simply adding an additional constraint to our linear program. As expected, the optimal product mix was forced to change to a 3:1 ratio. Adhering to this constraint provided a product mix of 2,250 Model 101’s and 750 Model 102’s. However, the unwanted consequence is noticed in total monthly contribution.Plugging this product mix into our objective equation shows that contribution actually decreases. $3,000*(2,250101)+$5000*(750102) = $10,500,000. Seeing this drop in monthly contribution further proves that our previous optimal product mix of a 2:1 ratio should remain in place. Closing As mentioned in the previous sections, linear programming is a useful technique that should be applied to help improve Merton’s financial performance. My recommendation is that the company immediately implements a product mix of 2,000 Model 101 trucks and 1,000 Model 102’s.Secondly, the company should rent additional capacity from an outside supplier. Howeve r, your company must not pay more than $2,000 per hour, and not rent more than 500 hours because this would no longer increase total contribution. Although linear programming is widely used and often very accurate, no model is perfect. One disadvantage of linear programming is that it does not take into account industry trends. Choosing to produce two times the amount of Model 101’s does not guarantee this model will sell two times as much. Furthermore, linear programming is only useful in solving linear scenarios.Real world constraints are not always linear. For instance, a constraint that involves â€Å"number of staff members required per model† would be impossible to calculate when the other constraints are based on hours. Additionally, linear programming does not account for risk. What if the supplier cannot provide materials for one month’s time? What if Model 101 is using defective parts and the line becomes halted? These are items to consider when implem enting LP, but by no means should they prevent Merton Trucks from implementing the model. Figure 1: Contribution per Model Model 101|Sell Price| $39,000| Direct Materials| $24,000| Direct Labor| $4,000| Variable Overhead| * $8,000| Contribution| $3,000| Model 102| Sell Price| $38,000| Direct Materials| $20,000| Direct Labor| $4,500| Variable Overhead| * $8,500| Contribution| $5,000| Figure 2: Constraints Machine-Hours: Requirements and Availability| Department| Required Machine Hrs. Model 101 Model 102| | Total Machine Hrs. Available per Month| Engine Assembly| 1| 2|

The Vernacular Language

The Vernacular Language Over the course of humanity, there have been many different languages that have come and gone. As this topic is being discussed, we can probably assume that there is another spoken or written language being developed for use in one way or another. Latin is one of the most prominent languages and was one of the longest used amongst those that were educated and within literature. The real questions that beg to be answered are the origins of the language and what were the impacts the spread of vernacular language had on cultures during this period.The Latin language has survived in one form or another for over two thousand years, dating back to around 75 B. C. and still in use today. No matter where we look, we can see the influence of this language. Dating back to the founding of Rome, in 753 B. C. , they have been at war and have been a nation that has conquered many different countries. While the rise of the Roman empire began in 406 B. C. with the attack of V eii, there was not a true injection of country traditions until later in history and ending in the 12th century.This spread of the empire is where the spread of the Latin language took place and the spread of the vernacular language. To start, what is vernacular language? According to the free dictionary (n. d. ), vernacular is defined as the standard native language or a country or locality. The everyday language spoken by a people as distinguished from the literary language or a variety of such everyday language specific to a social group or region. Note that this term originates from Latin vernaculus. Even some of our definitions of words come from Latin.As we progress through this report, we are now starting to see how much of an impact this language had on society. The Roman Empire was vast and their reign over a large portion of the world lasted for many years. As they conquered nations, their traditions slowly became the traditions of that native land. Most of their reign cov ered Europe as we know it today and spanned hundreds of years. With the spread of a nation, comes the spread of their culture as well. Language is the oldest form of expression within a culture and passing this on either through force or assimilation has a lasting impact on those involved.The Latin language has survived in one form or another for over 2,000 years. It is the parent language of many modern day languages such as Italian, French, Romanian, Portuguese, and the Spanish language. As it was already noted earlier in this paper, even words in the English language have roots that can be traced back to the Latin language. One of the main reasons that the Latin language was so prominent is the fact that it is a form of communication. Culture does not spread without communication. Without communication, we cannot pass on knowledge or exchange ideas amongst each other.If we did not have communication, we would not be the culture that we are today. To say that the Roman Empire had an impact on the entire world is making a very moderate statement. The Roman Empire has had influences in all of society and include areas such as poetry, music, the arts, and architecture as well as language. While most people associate the Empire with a lot of the aforementioned, none of it would have been possible without the Latin language. Again, we are pointed back to the ability to communicate with others and to be able to pass on knowledge.It does not matter how advanced a culture is or may appear to be if they have no ability to pass any of this on to another culture. Not only does it allow the passing of knowledge, it also accomplishes one other hurdle in terms of the world and the growth of the world. With different languages and having nobody be able to communicate, we would never be able to come to a form of peace. Having the ability to relate to others in different parts of the world allow us to relay intentions, be it for good or other purposes.Without this communicat ion, most wars may have ended in the complete annihilation of countries instead of peace or some form of agreement between the two nations that were at war. The last section to discuss today is the lasting impact that the vernacular languages had on our society. What are some examples of this? Look around and you can easily see them if you know what you are looking for. Let’s begin with the author of this paper and continue from there. The author has had his name passed on from generation to generation. While the use of his name stopped for a while, it was started again with his great grandfather.Passing this down, the use of Latin numbers, or more commonly known as Roman numerals, is used to dictate which number of that name he is. For the author, he is the fourth consecutively named son and as such, after his last name is IV to represent the fourth. Look at dictionaries when researching words and you will also notice that these words have root definitions to them. An excell ent example of the use of Latin is in scientific studies. Genus, phylum, etc. all come from Latin origins. The last one to mention that still has Latin roots is the naming of the NFL Superbowl games using the Latin numbering system.In closing, the Latin language and the vernacular language has had a lasting impact on society and will continue to have this impact. It is a part of almost every culture today in some form. Without this vernacular language, society would not be where we are today. References Latin Language Blog (2010, March 24). Latin Numbers 1-100 | Latin Language Blog. Transparent. com Blogs. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://blogs. transparent. com/latin/latin-numbers-1-100/ Map of The Roman Empire. (n. d. ). Global Ministries – The United Methodist Church – General Board of Global Ministries.Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://gbgm-umc. org/umw/corinthians/empire. stm Matthews, J. (2007, October). Beginnings of Vernacular. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://ac-support. europe. umuc. edu/~jmatthew/naples/vernacular. htm Pulju, T. (n. d. ). History of Latin. Rice University — Web Services. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://www. ruf. rice. edu/~kemmer/Words04/structure/latin. html The History Channel (n. d. ). Timeline – Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire on History. History: Shows, Schedules and Resources. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://www. history. o. uk/shows/rome-rise-and-fall-of-an-empire/season-1/timeline. html TheFREEdictionary. com (n. d. ). Vernacular languages – definition of Vernacular languages by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. In Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus – The Free Dictionary. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://www. thefreedictionary. com/Vernacular+languages University of Calgary (1996, August). First Europe Tutorial – Latin and Vernaculars. Home | University of Calgary. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from htt p://www. ucalgary. ca/applied_history/tutor/firsteuro/lang. html

One can learn a great deal about the Boreal Shield by taking a trip to Sudbury

One One can learn a great deal about the Boreal Shield by taking a trip to Sudbury. It is a city in the Boreal Shield region where the lumber and mining industries dominate its economy. The paper and pulp mills and the Nickel mine are symbols of this great city. Also, the re-greening program at Sudbury is a success, making the city unique in Canada. Sudbury continues to grow and strive from the benefits of the lumber and mining industries and the world-own re-greening program. Sudbury is famous for its mines that are filled with many types of ores. After the ores are mined, they become valuable minerals such as nickel and copper. It all started when Tom Flanagan, who is a blacksmith, discovered copper sulphide while constructing the Canadian Pacific Railway back in the 1883. (Noda) These copper sulphides were believed to have come from a meteorite that had crashed near Sudbury 1. 8 billion years ago. It also created a crater, which is now called the Sudbury basin. Today, two big companies, INCO and Falcon Bridge, are the most well known for mining the valuable minerals in Sudbury. INCO has been operating for twenty more years while Falcon Bridge has been around for less then twenty years. (Aelick) These mining companies provide jobs to Canadians living in the Boreal Shield. INCO employed nearly 20000 Canadian workers to dig and mine for the ores. Their jobs require them to go down to the open pits, which are approximately 1. 2 km long and 180 m deep. Each time they mine, they take out about 60 million tones of ore. Each ore mined only has 2. 5% of valuable minerals usable. Other minerals in the ore include 1. 2% of silver, 1. % of copper and 97. 5% of unusable waste. In average, mines can produce 462,000 kg of nickel and 116, 800 tonnes of copper per day. The mining industry is very important to the economy in Sudbury because nickel mined there are worth about 1. 5 billion dollars. That is also about 15% of the world's production of nickel. In Ontario, about 60% of copper is mainly found in Sudbury. Over the years of developing INCO, fewer employees work for the company. Since now, there are only 5000 employees left because technology and machines are built to mine for them. With better technology, the mining companies in Sudbury can be more productive and competitive in the global economy. (Aelick) It is reasonable to say that the forest industries survive well in the Boreal Shield because of the plentiful lumbers in the area. The trees near Sudbury are grown really slowly because of its low precipitation and long winters. The types of trees are mostly white spruce, balsam fir, black spruce, jack pine and tamarack. Lumber productions and Pulp and Paper industries use about 80% of the technique of clear cutting on the forest because it is a lot cheaper than selective cutting. Wallace) They are environment friendly because they replanted trees after cutting so new forests can grow. Another reason why the forest industries are doing so well is because they use efficient tools. Some machines they use to harvest wood are the feller buncher, skidder and de-limber. The feller buncher is used to grab and cut down trees. A skidder is a machine that pulls the wood out of the ground. A de-limber is another machine that snaps off the limbs of the trees. (DOMTAR) Paper and Pulp Mills is a company that uses chips of wood to create wood pulp. They use about 2000 tonnes of wood chips and cook it as it turns into pulp and paper. The wastes go into lagoons. They will drain it out to collect solids that are to be sold as fertilizers. (Ramsay) Today, approximately 95% of Canada's papers are made out of wood pulp. This pulp can create different sorts of papers such as newspapers, paper towel, magazine paper and cardboard, which may be sold to other parts of Canada. The success from the re-greening program in Sudbury is well known and complimented by many people. Many years ago, Mrs. O'Leary's cow accidentally kicked over a lamp, which caused a fire and destroyed most of Chicago. This affected Sudbury because of the sulphur dioxide blown from Chicago by the wind and it destroyed much of Sudbury's vegetations. Vegetations have started to grow again. It has been hard to get rid the sulphur dioxide. Later in the 1969's super stacks were made to lift the poisonous gas to a height of 381 meters high. (Anonymous) As soon as the super stacks were created, the citizens want to re-green Sudbury. They started to plant thousands of trees but hardly any of them survived. They thought of new ways to plant and finally they experimented with limestone. It worked! As a result, they hired many students who were looking for part-time jobs. At one time, there were 200 students and 200 miners helping to re-green Sudbury. They would spend their summer pulling dead limbs, hauling countless bags of lime fertilizer and grass seed through Sudbury. Because of its success in re-greening, Sudbury won 4 national and international environmental improvement awards. One of them for highly respected commendation from the United Nations. (Globe and Mail) Along with the mining and forestry industries, the re-greening program in Sudbury allowed the city to be an important center for activities in the Boreal Shield. The mining and forestry created many jobs for Canadians and provide many products to the world. The re-greening program helped promote Sudbury and Canada to be environmental friendly places. All of this created a great place to live called Sudbury.

History of the Hunley Essay

The concept of underwater endeavors has been around since the ancient times, the Egyptians used reeds to hunt in the water. The first time the concept was used in a military manner was by Alexander the Great’s army to clear obstructions during the siege of Syracuse in about 413 BC. Both of these instances were very primitive underwater developments, but held the basic concepts of a modern day submarine. They used underwater concealment to achieve a goal and that is the overall main concept of a modern day submarine. In the modern era our idea of underwater boats became a lot more refined and more practical. Many submarine designs started popping up around 1578. The first modern submarine was built in 1605 by Magnus Pegelius his submarine was lost in mud. The first successful submarine was propelled by oars and was invented by Cornelius Jacobszoon Drebbel many say its design was based on that of an Englishman William Bourne who designed a prototype submarine in 1578. Drebbel was a Dutchman in the service of King James I whose submarine was redesigned two more times from 1620 to 1624. In 1775 the first propelled self reliant submarine was invented in Connecticut and funded by the United States. It was named Turtle due to its resemblance to a turtle. David Bushnell inventor of Turtle was an American patriot and had his designs approved by George Washington. Turtle was the world’s first submarine to be used in battle. Turtle’s design was simple yet very efficient, it consisted of two wooden pieces secured with two metal bands and was covered in tar. It submerged by allowing water into a bilge tank at the bottom of the vessel and ascended by pushing water out through a hand pump, and was propelled vertically and horizontally by hand-cranked propellers. Turtle was the first recorded use of the screw propeller for ships. It also had two hundred pounds of lead which could be released in a moment to increase buoyancy. It was manned and operated by one person. It contained enough air for about thirty minutes and had a speed in calm water of about three miles per hour. Six small pieces of thick glass in the top were the only source of natural light. After Bushnell pondered the problem of lighting the inside of the ship and after learning that using a candle would hasten the use of the limited oxygen supply of the air inside, he solicited the help of Benjamin Franklin who cleverly hit upon the idea of using bioluminescent foxfire to provide illumination for the compass and depth meter. Foxfire is a glowing light given off by several species of fungi. The light given by the material was said to be sufficient at night, though likely dimmer than expected, because the ship was cooled by the surrounding sea water and the metabolic rate of poikilothermic, heterotrophic organisms, such as the mushrooms used in Turtle, is temperature-dependent. Turtle was designed as a naval weapon, and it’s method of attack was to drill into a ship’s hull and plant a keg containing 130 pounds of gunpowder. Then a fuse would be attached and ignited when the Turtle was a safe distance away. Much testing was done by the inventor’s brother, Ezra Bushnell, in the waters of the Connecticut River to ensure the structural fastness of the ship as well as to figure out the abilities of it. During the night of September 7, 1776, to support the upcoming Battle of Kip’s Bay, Turtle, under the guidance of army volunteer Sergeant Ezra Lee, attacked the English’s flagship HMS Eagle, which was moored off what is today called Governors Island, which is due south of Manhattan. A common misconception was that Lee failed because he could not manage to bore through the copper-sheeted hull. In practice, it has been shown that the thin copper would not have presented any problem to the drill. A more likely scenario is Lee’s unfamiliarity with the vessel made him unable to keep the Turtle stable enough to work the drill against the Eagle’s Hull. When he attempted another spot in the hull, he was unable to stay beneath the ship, and eventually abandoned the attempt. Governors Island is the place where the Hudson River and the East River merge. The currents at this point would have been strong and difficult. The Turtle would only be able to attack ship moored here during the short period of time when the incoming tide balanced the river currents. It is possible that during the attack the tide turned and Lee was unable to compensate. He released the keg of gunpowder when some British in row boats tried to pursue him. The British, suspecting some trick, gave up the pursuit. This was the beginning of a new era of naval battle. After several years of innovations and refinements to submarines designs and the building of many other successful ships such as France’s Nautilus and the US Navy’s Alligator, there came along a man named Horace Lawson Hunley who designed and created the Confederate States of America’s first successful submarine, the CSS H. L. Hunley. The Hunley and two earlier submarines were privately developed and funded by Horace Lawson Hunley, James McClintock, and Baxter Watson. The three men first built a small submarine named Pioneer at New Orleans, Louisiana. Pioneer was tested in February 1862 in the Mississippi River, but the Union advance towards New Orleans caused the men to abandon development and scuttle Pioneer the following month. The three inventors then moved to Mobile and joined with machinists Thomas Park and Thomas Lyons. There they soon began development of a second submarine, American Diver. They were supported by the Confederate States Army. The men experimented with electromagnetic and steam propulsion for the new submarine, before falling back on a simpler hand-cranked propulsion system. The ship was ready for harbor trials by January 1863, but proved too slow to be practical. One attempted attack on the Union blockade was made in February 1863, but was unsuccessful. The submarine sank in Mobile Bay during a storm later the same month and was not recovered. After the disappointment of the American Diver the construction of Hunley began soon. At this stage, Hunley was variously referred to as the â€Å"fish boat†, the â€Å"fish torpedo boat†, or the â€Å"porpoise†. Legend long held Hunley was made from a cast-off steam boiler, maybe because a cutaway drawing by William Alexander, who had seen the real boat, showed a short and stubby machine. In fact, the Hunley was purpose-designed and built for her role. Hunley was designed for a crew of eight. The eight man crew consisted of seven to turn the hand-cranked propeller and one to steer and direct the boat. Each end was equipped with ballast tanks that could be flooded by valves or pumped dry by hand pumps. Extra ballast was added through the use of iron weights bolted to the underside of the hull. In the event the submarine needed additional buoyancy to rise in an emergency, the iron weight could be removed by unscrewing the heads of the bolts from inside the vessel. Hunley was equipped with two watertight hatches, one forward and one aft, atop two conning towers with small portholes. The hatches were very small, making entrance to and egress from the hull very difficult. The ship had a hull height of 4 ft 3 in. By July 1863 Hunley was ready for a demonstration. Supervised by Confederate Admiral Franklin Buchanan, Hunley successfully attacked a coal flatboat in Mobile Bay. Right after this demonstration, the submarine was shipped to Charleston, South Carolina, by train. The Hunley arrived in Charleston August 12, 1863. The Confederate military seized the vessel from its private builders and owners soon after its arrival in Charleston and turned it over to the Confederate Army. The submarine would operate as a Confederate Army vessel from that point forward. Horace Hunley and his partners remained involved in the submarine’s further testing and operation. Confederate Navy Lieutenant John A. Payne volunteered to be Hunley’s skipper, and a volunteer crew of seven men was assembled to operate the submarine. On August 29, 1863, Hunley’s new crew was preparing to make a test dive to learn the operation of the submarine. Then the fatal moment came when Lieutenant Payne accidentally stepped on the lever controlling the sub’s diving planes while the crew was rowing and the boat was running. This caused Hunley to dive with hatches still open, flooding her. Payne and two other men escaped; the remaining five crewmen drowned. The Confederacy did not give up hope on the Hunley. Within 72 hours of the fatal accident, General Beauregard sent the following order: â€Å"Fish Torpedo still at bottom of bay, no one working on it. Adopt immediate measures to have it raised at once. Work quickly began to salvage the submarine from the harbor’s bottom and exhume the crew from their iron casket. For the submarine’s second outing, Hunley convinced the Confederate Navy to man the sub with a crew from Mobile who were familiar with the Hunley’s operations. Hunley went straight to where the submarine was built, Park and Lyons machine shop in Mobile, to enlist a new crew to man the vessel. Eve n their experience proved futile. On October 15, 1863, the Hunley again sank while performing a routine diving exercise. All eight men on board, including Hunley, succumbed to the depths. Although Hunley was in charge of the sub’s operations, he was not part of her crew. It is not known why he was at the helm when the sub sank for the second time. It is uncertain what caused the fate of the Hunley the second time. But if the crew had been able to close the forward sea valve which caused the ship to dive nose first, the freezing water that had already entered the ballast tank and spilled over the top could have been bailed back into the compartment and pumped into the sea. Although it would have been extremely difficult to do so in the darkness and confusion that followed the impact with the ocean floor, the valve handle must have fallen off the stem and become lost beneath the bodies that had been thrown into the forward area. Causing icy water and internal pressure to steadily rise within the vessel, panic would have gripped the terrified crewmen. As they were beneath nine fathoms it would have been a hopelessly miserable way to die. Hunley having now sunk twice, both times killing some of her crew including Hunley himself. Even so, the desperation of the times kept hope alive that the Hunley could save Charleston from the strangling blockade. Though Beauregard had grave concerns over the twice-fatal Hunley, at the urging of Lt. George Dixon, he nevertheless approved her to be to be salvaged by divers and pulled up by ships so that she could again attempt a strike at the Union blockade. Another new and courageous crew had already quickly assembled after the second sinking. Until the final resurrection of Hunley, little was known about members of the final crew. Since the Hunley was a venture with close ties to the Confederate Secret Service, many records were intentionally destroyed at the end of war to protect the identities of those involved. After months of repairs, re-modification and practice missions, the Hunley was ready to attack again. Finally on the night of February 17, 1864 Lt. Dixon and his new crew took Hunley out for its final voyage. The target was the Union Navy’s largest ship, the USS Housatonic. The Housatonic was also the main body of the Union’s naval blockade of Charleston. As Hunley came close to the ship, Housatonic’s lookout rang the alarm and the Hunley came under small arms fire, even though the Housatonic had six cannons aboard they were not built to be able to be aimed that low in the water. The Hunley then rammed its barbed charge into the hull of the Housatonic and then began to reverse away from the ship. It is uncertain how far Hunley got away from the Housatonic before the charge went off. After the explosion, which caused the first successful submarine attack on an enemy ship in wartime, the Housatonic sunk within four minutes killing five of its crew. After the attack Hunley signaled the men back at shore of the successful attack by means of a blue signal lantern. After the signal the men back on shore awaited the return of the Hunley, but sadly it never did return. Instead it sank to the bottom of the sea not to be seen again for another 137 years. Even though the Hunley itself sank more times than it sank other ships, it was a major naval innovation. It showed just how vulnerable ships were to submarines and how something so small and discreet can do so much damage to something as very large and discerning as the USS Housatonic. Since the Hunley military innovations and modern technology have continued to evolve and has provided the world with extremely deadly, accurate, reliable, fast, and stealthy submarines. But it all started with an American in a tar covered barrel trying to drill a hole in the bottom of a ship, and then led to success with human powered submarines such as the Hunley. Although the history of the creation of the Hunley and its military campaign is extremely interesting, the search and finding and preservation of the ship is equally intriguing. Two different individuals have claimed The Hunley discovery. Underwater Archaeologist E. Lee Spence, president, Sea Research Society, reportedly discovered Hunley in 1970, and has an impressive collection of evidence to validate the claim. On September 13, 1976, the National Park Service submitted Spence’s location for H. L. Hunley for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Spence’s location for Hunley became a matter of public record when H. L. Hunley’s placement on that list was officially approved on December 29, 1978. Spence’s book Treasures of the Confederate Coast, which had a chapter on his discovery of Hunley and included a map complete with an â€Å"X† showing the wreck’s location, was published in January of 1995. A few months after Spence’s book with the location of the Hunley marked, Diver Ralph Wilbanks, claims to have discovered the wreck in April of 1995 while leading a NUMA dive team. Ralph Wilbanks claims to have located the submarine buried under several feet of silt, which had concealed and protected the vessel for over a hundred years. The divers exposed the forward hatch and the ventilator box, which is the air box for the attachment of a snorkel, to identify her. The submarine was resting on her starboard side at about a 45-degree angle and was covered in a ? – to ? -inch encrustation of ferrous oxide bonded with sand and seashell particles. Archaeologists exposed part of the ship’s port side and uncovered the bow dive plane. More probing revealed an approximate length of 40 feet, with the entire vessel preserved under the sediment. On September 14, 1995, at the official request of Senator Glenn F. McConnell, Chairman, South Carolina Hunley Commission, E. Lee Spence, with South Carolina Attorney General Charles M. Condon signing, gifted the Hunley to the State of South Carolina. Shortly thereafter NUMA disclosed their location for the wreck. Spence claims that he discovered the Hunley in 1970 and verified the discovery in 1971 and again in 1979, and that he expected NUMA to verify the discovery, not claim it. This is an ongoing dispute involving allegations of political manipulation, judicial misconduct and other questionable behavior. On August 8, 2000 an Archaeological investigation and excavation culminated ith the raising of Hunley. A large team of professionals from the Naval Historical Center’s Underwater Archaeology Branch, National Park Service, the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, and various other individuals investigated the vessel, measuring and documenting it prior to removal. Once the on-site investigation was complete, harnesses we re slipped underneath the sub and attached to a truss designed by Oceaneering, Inc. After the last harness had been secured, the crane from the recovery barge Karlissa B hoisted the submarine from the harbor bottom. Despite having used a sextant and hand-held compass, thirty years earlier, to plot the wreck’s location, Dr. Spence’s accuracy turned out to be within the length of the recovery barge. On August 8, 2000 at 8:37 a. m. the sub broke the surface for the first time in over 136 years, greeted by a cheering crowd on shore and in surrounding watercraft. Once safely on her transporting barge, Hunley was shipped back to Charleston. The removal operation concluded when the submarine was secured inside the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, at the former Charleston Navy Yard, in a specially designed tank of freshwater to await conservation. History has a very interesting way of reminding us of how our past affects our future. With something as magnificent as the discovery and resurrection of the Hunley it just goes to show us what hard work and dedication can bring us. As well as all the mysteries still unsolved about artifacts found in the Hunley as well as what really happened the night that the Hunley never returned home. I believe some things should stay mysteries; it makes it more fun to think about.