Presentation Essay Example for Free

Presentation Essay First, to ensure the improvement and continued success of my upcoming PC-2 presentation, I should keep in mind the strong points of my previous work, and make a conscious effort to continue them. I must make sure that I continue to be lively, persuasive and enthusiastic. I should also ensure that I prepare well for the upcoming presentation, so as to remain the authority or the expert in what I am discussing. It will also be important to continue the various techniques I used in grabbing and keeping the attention of my audience, and to again arrange my presentation in such a way that the audience stays with me and does not get bored with it. Second, based on the comments of my fellow students, my professor, and from my own observations, here are some things that I can improve on. The first and obvious area that needs improvement is with regard the technical aspect of my presentation. I will need to get better equipment (I. e. new web/video cam, sound recording devices) to ensure that my audience sees and hears my presentation clearly. All my hard work and preparation will be put to waste if no one will be able to properly view my work. Second, I will have to improve the place where I shoot or record my video presentation, as my previous area was a distraction to some, if not most of my audience. Perhaps I can use a more professional setting, or at least something which will not distract and divert the attention of my audience from my presentation. Next, I think I can also improve on some of my unconscious mannerisms while doing the presentation. As pointed out, there were instances when I was moving my chair back and forth, which distracted my audience. I should make a more conscious effort to be aware of these mannerisms, and perhaps to do the presentation while standing up, which will help in making my over-all appearance more persuasive and assertive. Lastly, in the end, nothing compares to a good preparation an planning of the presentation to ensure its success.

Pros and cons of PPPs models

Pros and cons of PPPs models Introduction to Public Private Partnership Public private partnership is a cooperative venture between the public and private sector in which the public and privates sector carry out a particular project on the basis of agreed task and risks, each party retaining its tasks and responsibility. The interest in PPPs is growing day by day because it is an efficient way of delivering the public services to the masses. The rudimentary principal behind public private partnership is that, Although Public sector entities may need to be responsible for the delivery of public services, but it is not necessary that it must be actually responsible for providing or undertaking the investment themselves. In this way all actors in public private partnership can concentrate on doing what they are likely to do in the best possible way by utilizing their resources and skills. In order to under take any public private partnership for a particular venture we have different modes or model for PPPs, Which are described briefly as under. A brief overview of Prominent Models of PPPs Operation and management contracts In these agreements the responsibility for asset operation and management is passed on to the private sector entities. The duration for these contracts is generally short ranging from 3 to 5 years, but can normally be extended. The private party is remunerated on a fixed fee basis or on an Incentive basis with premiums linked to specific performance targets. Under this agreement the public party still bears the financial and investment risk associated with the projects. This type of contract is an efficient way to undertake a project because the private sector has enough skills and have strong interest in improving the service quality. This model of PPPs contract is suited for transaction phases which finally lead to privatization. Potential strengths of management The profound advantage of management contract is that many operational benefits that result from private sector can be availed without transferring the assets to the private party. Management contract are less thorny to develop as compared to others and are considered less controversial. Theses contracts are also less expensive as compared to others because fewer but efficient staff can be used to carryout the task. They can also be seen as interim arrangements, allowing for modest improvements while more comprehensive contracts and structures are developed. Similarly, a management contract can be structured to phase-in increasingly extensive involvement of the private sector over time and as progress is demonstrated. Potential weaknesses Despite of the aforesaid advantages of management contract it also embodies some drawbacks one of the key disadvantage of this contract is that in this contract the private sector entity who is managing a particular project does not enjoy the autonomy. This is important to achieve deep and lasting change also the division between the obligation for service and management, on one hand, and financing and expansion planning, on the other, is a tricky one. Service contracts It is a limited type of PPPs model in this agreement the Private party procure, operate an assets for a short span of time mostly for 2 to 5 years. In this contract the public sector is responsible for investment and management of the project which bears the financial and residual value risks. While the public sector entity provide the services. It is suited for simple and operational requirments.it is often used for toll collections. Potential strengths of Service Contract This contract is best suitable when the services are clearly defined in the agreement, the demand is reasonably certain and the performance of the project can easily be monitored. One of the the gigantic advantage of service contract is that it provides us relatively low-risk option for the expansion of private sector which in return brings efficiency in the system operation. It is a less expensive way to delivery the public services and due to low barrier to competition it encourage competition which in return enhance the public service delivery and it is also a good source of technology transfer and for the development of managerial capacity. The other prominent advantages include Decrease in operation cost Access to cheaper labor Cut up in labor training cost Access to advance technology at minimum cost Enhance service delivery Potential weaknesses Service contracts are used for simple and short term project in this the private sector only provide their services not the capital investment. But this contract is not suitable for such situation in which the objective is to pool up capital. An other important drawback of this contract is that of loss of managerial control because it is much difficult to manage the outside service provider as compared to own employees. Also other draw backs include the loss of flexibility in reacting to changing the business condition, lake of internal and external focus, loss of competitive edge, problem in contract renewal and contractual misunderstanding. In this it is difficult to calculate the hidden cost associated with the contract like legal cost and the time require to put the contract into action. Leasing agreements It is a financial arrangement in which the owner of a facility sells it to another entity, and subsequently leases it back from the new owner. In this contract both public and private sectors entities may enter into sale/leaseback arrangements for a variety of reasons. An innovative application of the sale/leaseback technique is the sale of a public facility to a public or private holding company for the purposes of limiting governmental liability under certain statues. Under this arrangement, the government that sold the facility leases it back and continues to operate it. Under this agreement the private party better off only if it manages to reduce operating costs while meeting the designated service level. On the other hand the public sector bears the risks associated with the network expansion, capital improvement and financing. Its life ranges from 12 to 16 years, this type of agreement is best suited for infrastructure. Other prominent leasing contract include Buy-build-operate (BBO) Lease-develop-operate (LDO) Wrap-around addition (WAA) Potential strengths One of the main advantage of this contract is that it brings efficiency in the public service delivery .Also in this contract the commercial risk is borne by the private sector which give a strong performance incentive and which coax the private sector to perform well. Under this contract the private sector competitively bid for providing the services which in return enhance the delivery of public services. Potential weaknesses As we know that in lease agreement the contractor revenue is based on the revenue stream of the customers payments so in such situation the question of tariff levels is of sensitive nature which can lead to possible conflict between the public and private parties. Also under this agreement the responsibility of capital investment is of public sector and the financial risk is borne by the public sector so in this contract no capital is mobilized from the private sector entity and also labour issues are of more sensitive nature as compared to other PPPs contracts. Concession Contract It is a type of leasing contract in which the ownership remain with the government while the private party not only provide capital investment but also responsible for the maintenance of the assets. After the completion of the project the government pays the agreed sum of money to the private party and gets the assets. It is suited for the construction and its life is from 15 to 30 years. Potential strengths of concession contract One of key advantage of Concessions is that it helps to mobilize capital from private sector for the construction or rehabilitation of existing projects. As we know that under this agreement the private sector also contribute capital for the project so it coax the private sector (concessionaire) to bring efficiency and effectiveness in order to increase his return in the project. It also encourages the private party to bring innovation in the delivery of public services. Potential weaknesses One of the major drawback of this contract is that the complexity of defining the activities of private sector entity. One of the major disadvantage of this contract rises in case of long-term projects i.e. more than 25 years because this complicate the bidding process and the contract design which hinder in anticipating the events of the project. Also due to its long term tenure it is deemed politically controversial and difficult to organize. Another drawback of this contract is that it limit the competition because of limited number of qualified contractors are available. Green field Contracts This type of agreement is mostly used for the development of new projects. Such projects are often demanded by engineers. Examples of Greenfield projects are new factories, power plants or airports which are built from scratch. Those facilities which are modified/ upgraded are called Brownfield projects. Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) In this the private party is responsible for designing, construction and operation of the assets. In this public party bears the financial risks but it has control on important phases of the life cycle of the project. This type of contract bring efficiency in the projects and removes the important maintenance issues from public budget This integrated scheme obliges the private operator to take into account the cost of operating the asset during the design and operation phase and therefore stimulates a better planning and management of the service itself It include the following types Build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) Build-rent-own-transfer (BROT) Build-transfer-operate (BTO) Build-lease-operate-transfer (BLOT) Potential strengths As we know that BOTs have been mostly used to attract private funding to the construction or renovation of infrastructure. Hence one of the key advantage of BOT agreements is that it reduces commercial risk for the private partner because there is often only one customer, i.e. public sector (government) .The following are some of the major advantages of BOT contract Due to the efficiency of private sector the public services can be delivered with minimum cost As the private sector directly involved in this so it reduces the public debit, balancing the beget deficit and reduce the role of public sector. It also facility the transfer of advance technology by intruding international contractors in the host country. Potential weaknesses The following are some of the major disadvantages of BOT contract The transaction cost in this case is higher as compared to other contracts Not suitable for small projects. The success of this project depends upon the successful raising of funds. BOT projects are successful only when substantial revenues are generated during the operation phase. A CASE STUDY This case study is one of the best example of public private partnership (service contract) which is contributing to the overall economic development of Pakistan. Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) This is one of the classical of PPP (service contract) .In this contract the government of Punjab provided funds and the private sector were assigned the task to develop two industrial estates at Faisalabad by contributing there services on voluntary basis. This company constitutes of 21 members in its board 5 from public and 16 from private sector. Under this agreement the private sector will contribute their expertise to develop a world standard industrial estate in order to use the public money in a fruitful way. The following two prominent projects were undertaken under this agreement. Value Addition City. This industrial city was basically established in order to address the need for SMEs and to provide land on small scale to the industrialist. This estate consists of 200 acres land .where all utilities and facilities to the industrialist and a great emphasis is given to the security, further more The VAC offers facilities like a state of the art road network, electricification, natural gas, optic fiber telecommunication network, hospital, commercial area and extensive landscaping for environmental friendly atmosphere. M-3 Industrial city (M-31C) This is a larger project as compared to value added city with a vast area of 4500 acres. This industrial city is catering for the needs of all business sectors both industrial and services It entails the fulfillment the needs and wants of the prospective investors. This industrial city provides the important facilities according to world standards including, state of the art telecommunication system, transport facilities and labor colonies to the labor. This industrial city constitute of all kinds of textile industries, high quality chemical units, engineering including automobile and agricultural machinery firms and construction material firms. It will also cater the needs of pharmaceutical companies and food processing units. Other industries include IT equipment manufacture and software industry, electrical devices, electronics and other value added products. This is one of the classical example of PPP models in which the private party provides their services in the shape of their expertise to boost industries in Pakistan and it will boost the Pakistani economy. A Failure of PP Project (Metronet UK) The London underground rail system is the world first underground system which was established in 1863 and up to early twenty century it was operated by six private operators. But due to their substandard services its activities was directly or indirectly classified by the UK authorities by 1933. In February 2002 it was decided to bring improvement in the public service delivery by entering into a PFI contract with the private sector .Under this arrangement it was decided that maintenance and renewal of London underground infrastructure would be incorporated through three PPP contracts Under this agreement the Responsibility for stations, train operations, signaling and safety remained in the Public sector, being run by London Underground Limited, a new operating company set up for the purpose. It also had responsibility for determining service patterns and setting fares. Under this PPP project there were three private sectors companies which were called infracos namely Infraco BCV Bakerloo, Central, Victoria, Waterloo City. Infraco JNP Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly. Infraco SSL Circle, District, East London, Hammersmith City, Metropolitan. To improve the Services and to ensure long-term assets management a 30 year contract was signed which is divided into 7.5 year segment. In this arrangement an Arbiter was also appointed whose role was to resolve the disputes between the London Under Ground Limited and an infaco regarding the payment and other issues. On December 31 2002 Tube Line acquired Infraco JNP and on April 2003 Metronet acquired the other two infracos.The PPP contract give legal ownership of London Underground infrastructure during the term of the contracting In July 2007 the work of modernization of London Underground Infrastructure was entrusted to Metronet BCV and Metronet SSL.and the fund was provided by the Government under PPP. But Metronet was unable to complete their task in the agreed time and estimated cost of bid. By March 2005 Metronet had not completed any of the eight stations due. Only 11 out of 35 stations were accepted as delivered by March and finally the London Underground Limited purchased 95% of Metrones outstaniding debt obligations from its private sector lenders in February 2008 rather than repaying this debt over the 30 years of the contract. The Department for Transport (DfT) made  £1.7 billion of grant available to help London Underground do so. Causes of Failure of this Debacle of PPP The following are some of the main reason for the debacle of this PPP contract. Poor Corporate Governance and Leadership structure of Metronet and tied Supply chain management Supplier was failed to give timely information to Metronet management about the costs against delivery. Ambiguities in the scope of the project and poor program management. Also it was found that it was unable to execute the the operation in the best possible way and lake of efficiencies in business administration activities. Conclusions From the aforesaid discussion on various prominent types of PPPs models we conclude that It is not always fruitful to enter to a PPP agreement .So the government should not enter into such contract without accurate and comprehensive assessment of the risk transferred to the private sector and a firm idea that what would constitute an appropriate price for taking such level of risk. If it does not transfer an appropriate level of risk to the private sector then it should not be availed. PPPs can be very helpful for the public service delivery if the underlying drawbacks are minimized and to minimize the risk associated with these models we must apply each model according to the type of problem we are solving. For instance if we need for Capital then BOT/BOO/Divestiture can be used. In case if we need for Expertise and Performance then Management Contract can be the best option. But if we need for Expertise only then Service Contract is the best option. Or if we are facing a complex pr oblem which can not be solved with one model then a combination of these models can be used. References www.ncppp.org/howpart/ppptypes.shtml Article by By Brig.Ahmad Riaz Siddiqi (Retd), X-Chief operating officer FIEDMC (Dawn Saturday, December 20, 2008) PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS Models and Trends in the European Union Authors: Andrea RENDA (Senior Research Fellow, CEPS) and Lorna SCHREFLER (Research Assistant, CEPS) India time.com http://www.cyfuture.com/disadvantages-of-outsourcing.htm http://www.investorwords.com The failure of Metronet REPORT BY THE COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL | HC 512 Session 2008-2009 5 June 2009 Department Of Management Sciences Ciit Islamabad

St John of the Cross A Mystic for the 21st Century

St John of the Cross A Mystic for the 21st Century Regnum 146874Â   Human beings have always cultivated a desire to meet God, to question him, to know his thoughts, to find out his plans. How to find him? Where can we meet him? In ancient times it was believed that the ideal place would be the peaks of the mountains. All nations had their sacred mountains-meeting places between heaven and earth, the abode of the gods and goal of human ascent-for the Greeks, Olympus; for the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Ararat; for the Ugarits, the Tzaphon. Israel also shared this belief. Abraham, Moses, and Elijah had their strongest spiritual experiences on the mountains: Moria, Horeb, and Mount Carmel. Saint John of the Cross follows in such a tradition. But how could one consider John of the Cross, a 16th century mystic in the scholastic tradition, as having relevance for the 21st century? McGinn, quoting Henri Bremond states; In short, it is not possible to ignore the mystics without disowning ones self. (McGinn, 30) what I believe John offers is a spirituality th at attempts to transcend oneself, comes out of ones experiences and moves close to divine union by forsaking self in relation to others and to God. Essentially, I believe John develops an existential approach to spirituality which offers a hand for the parched lives in modern society. Known as a great advocate of St John of the Cross, Thomas Merton remarked, [T]hese words I underlined, although they amazed and dazzled me with their import, were all too simple for me to understand. They were too naked, too stripped of all duplicity and compromise for my complexity, perverted by many appetites. (Egan, 62) How difficult is it to understand simplicity? In the 21st century, increasingly so. Our lives have become so complicated and dominated by a cacophony of soundbites, images and false truths that we seem to be further from finding God than ever before. It was the Canticle I glanced at while seated in the school chapel. A joyful piece of poetry full of light and far from the Dark Night of my earlier knowledge of John of the Cross. If ever I needed a sign it was on the feast of St. John of the Cross as I sat taking a deep breath removed from the hectic business of a days work. Oh to be a mystic, shut away from the hustle and bustle of life engaged in prayer, spiritual reading and gentle manual work. Such a view of the life of a mystic I am certain is common, yet far from reality. Sitting reflecting on the life of John of the Cross I was intrigued by how busy he was, how engaged in lifes activity. Further, I became aware of a saint for diaconal ministry and for a personal spirituality based on liberation and freedom. What Martin Heidegger would refer to as anticipatory resoluteness. Heidegger says that the intelligibility of Being-in-the-world expresses itself as discourse (Heidegger, 204) That discourse for John is with God and aids a transformation from self to other. For John, conversion is what the contemplative life is all about.[1] Of course, John came from a family of converts to Christianity, as a converso he descended from Jewish converts to Christianity. While his early family life is well known; the rejection of his father by his noble family for marrying his mother who was of a lowly class, the poverty, destitution and homelessness following the death of his father. It is apt to consider such biographical details to come to an understanding of how he developed a self-sacrificial approach towards life. At fourteen, John took on a job caring for hospital patients who suffered incurable diseases and madness. There is little reward for such tasks. For John he discovered his love of life and of God. Such love of God sustained him throughout his prison experience following his contact with Teresa of Avila and his agreement to join her reform movement. John supported her belief that the Carmelite order should return to its life of prayer. After nine months in prison John managed to escape taking with him his unf inished poetry. Ascent of Mount Carmel and Dark Night of the Soul later became two of his books of practical advice along with A Spiritual Canticle and the Bridegroom Christ. His works were never intended to be published, they were merely aide memoirs to help initially the members of the order and others develop in their love of God. Initially John intended the reader to interpret his poetry for themselves. However, like Jesus before him John was prevailed upon to explain and help others to understand. Indeed, in the prologue to the Ascent John makes reference to others who will be attempting to guide directees towards the summit. He says they understand not themselves and lack competent and alert directors. (Ascent Prologue, 2) In the prologue to the Ascent, John indicates his principal sources: I have to say, or at the least, in that which is most important and dark to the understanding, of Divine Scripture; for, if we guide ourselves by this, we shall be unable to stray, since He Who speaks therein is the Holy Spirit. (Ascent Prologue, 2) While predominantly from the New Testament John makes reference to over 1300 scriptural quotations from almost every book. He seems to have known the Bible from heart and he twists and moves such knowledge of the scriptures with his understanding of life and love of God. Shaped, as it was, by his very experience of life. John bases his entire doctrine upon well-established dogmatic facts; nature of God; nature of man; mans purpose and the means by which one gets there. In the Ascent John begins his climb to the summit of divine union with the dark night, essentially a purge of the sensual self to develop passivity and reception of Gods will into our lives. It is no happy accident that John makes reference to a young Tobias from the Old Testament; (Tobit 6:4-5) In the first (night) he commanded him to burn the heart of the fish in the fire, which signifies the heart that is affectioned to, and set upon, the things of the world; which, in order that one may begin to journey toward God, must be burned and purified from all that is creature, in the fire of the love of God. And in this purgation the devil flees away, for he has power over the soul only when it is attached to things corporeal and temporal. When one considers the materialism and the need now mentality in the culture of todays world a brief reflection upon the need to purge oneself of desire of all things seems ever more pressing. As we anticipate the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States the rise of populism creates an energy and drive which at the same time drives a wedge into society. Ghetto mentality has been seen in Warsaw and we neednt spend too long considering the cause of that or the horrific outcomes. So what fills the void when we exorcise Twitter, Facebook and things of no lasting value? John gives us prayer. However, he insists it is not removed from the rest of life nor is it measured in time or quantity. Instead John gives us a life of prayer to help save us from evil, or at least the inordinate indulging of desires that injures the soul. Nothing is evil in and of itself. It is ones attitude. Todays society has seen an inordinate growth in mindfulness, a need for alternative spirituality and a wholesale rejection of the institutional church, at least in the West. Even Apple load, by default, a Mindfulness App on every iPhone they ship. By July 27th, 2016 they had shipped 1 billion units; one billion souls potentially saved by a single trans global corporation, all in the space of nine years. If only Jesus had met Steve Jobs down by the shores of Lake Galilee. One hundred years previously William James raised the same issues in his Gifford Lectures at Edinburgh University, Varieties of Religious Experience, or that John of the Cross and his interest in psychology and human nature got there 400 years before James? In lecture IX and X James refers to Conversion and a need to transform ones soul from sickness to wellbeing. Ironically, James work was utilised by Alcoholic Anonymous some 25 years after his death to help treat sick souls. (Bevacqua, 440) Ones addiction may be al cohol but there is also a plethora of addictions for which one must seek healing. Egan states: For John of the Cross, the journey of The Ascent of Mount Carmel is but a prelude to the love that blooms in a heart that God has freed. Genuine freedom comes not through ones own efforts-the active nights. For John of the Cross, liberation from disordered attachments comes fully and finally through the purifying contemplative dark nights-the passive nights-that follow on what is described in The Ascent of Mount Carmel (Egan, 67) There truly is nothing new under the sun. Consequently, Johns writings are neither a commentary nor a manual for those who devoted their lives to God in an enclosed convent or monastery. They are for every one of us who seek with a sincere heart the best way to spend our lives on earth. Freedom to be and freedom from is alluded to by Johns Ascent of Mount Carmel and his Dark Night of the Soul. According to St John [H]uman nature can never attain to the ontological status of Being Itself inasmuch as it can never assume the divine nature (even while participating in it), the perpetuity of its becoming -that-always-verges-on-being remains an inviolable aspect of its created nature. Mondello, 2) Simply put, we are always moving towards God (or away from), we can never Be God, or attain divine unity. Within existentialism Mahon OBrien argues for the structural and thematic coherence of Heideggers movement from authenticity to the search for an authentic free relation to the world as captured by the term releasement. By demonstrating the structural and thematic unity of Heideggers thought in its entirety, OBrien paves the way for a more measured and philosophically grounded understanding of the issues at stake in the Heidegger controversy. (OBrien, 119) In respect of St John detachment is grounded in his desire for self-sacrifice. It is simply the attitude that makes us value things in their true light before God and use them as He intended. For John the ontological is deeply radicated in the eschatological. Becoming is inexhaustible, for becoming, as such, occurs in eternity. Does John attain the summit? It would be most unlike his character to admit so. Detachment is necessary in, did ministry or indeed in the lives of all Christians. Who is my God? That which is worshipped in the temple of Mammon situated in a shopping centre near each of us? Or the one true God revealed in the scriptures? It is in the prophet Zephaniah that the word poor is used with a new connotation: it indicates not only as a social and economic situation but, above all, an inner religious attitude. For Zephaniah, poor is he who, having no security, trusts entirely in God and submits to his will. John offers us a window through which to gaze at the mountain, but we, as being s in the world, must take the steps to climb that mountain. There is no doubt that St John of the Cross must be read repeatedly and frequently. As a mystic he experienced lifes truly hard knocks, he lived his life in service of God and found love of God in doing for others. If there was ever a sign I received in November 24th 2016 then it was to begin to discover the depth and reality of John, and in doing so I share in some small way the incredulity of Thomas Merton who despite his deep desire to know John found his words, all too simple for him to understand. Saint John has the final word if anyone is seeking God, the Beloved is seeking that person much more. (LFL 3.28) Bibliography Abbreviations Saint John of the Cross Ascent Ascent of Mount Carmel LFL The Living Flame of Love Bevacqua, Tony, (2010). William Jamess sick-minded soul and the AA recovery paradigm: Time for a reappraisal. The journal of humanistic psychology: 50, (4): 440 Egan, KJ 2007, Thomas Mertons Approach to St. John of the Cross, Merton Annual, 20, pp. 62-78 James, William, (2012) The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature. Oxford, Oxford Worlds Classics Kavanaugh, Kieran and Rodriquez, Otilio (Eds.) The Living Flame of Love 1.1; 1.3; and The Spiritual Canticle B, 29.3 in The Collected Works of Saint John of the Cross, rev. Washington, DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1991. McGinn, Bernard The Mystical Tradition, in Woods, Richard and Tyler, Peter.(2012) The Bloomsbury Guide to Spirituality, London: Bloomsbury, 30 41 Mondello, Geoffrey (2010) The Metaphysics of Mysticism:Toward a Theory of Cognitive Transcendence OBrien, Mahon, (2011) Heidegger and Authenticity: From Resoluteness to Releasement, London: Bloomsbury [1]. See The Living Flame of Love 1.1; 1.3; and The Spiritual Canticle B, 29.3 in The Collected Works of Saint John of the Cross, rev. ed., eds. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriquez (Washington, DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1991).

How does H.G Wells create suspense in The Cone? Essay -- English Liter

How does H.G Wells create suspense in The Cone? There are numerous techniques that an author can use to create interest and suspense when writing a gothic story. Examples of these are short sentences, pathetic fallacy, and emotive language. However Wells then goes on to combine this with a romantic element, and incorporates a crime of passion into the story. So not only does Wells use the gothic genre and its techniques to create tension, but also that of the romantic genre. This story is written in the third person, which works superbly as it gives an overview of the opinions of all the characters and their thoughts. For instance Wells writes, ‘She had an impulse to warn him in an undertone, but she could not frame a word. â€Å"Don’t go!† and â€Å"Beware of him!† struggled in her mind, and the moment passed.’ This technique allows us to connect with more than one of the characters and understand the different points of view, and feelings emerging from them. In a way it prevents the reader from becoming overly bias, because they can see situations from more than one persons perspective. The story starts with a description, using long sentences and scores of adjectives, ‘The night was hot and overcast, the sky red, rimmed with the lingering sunset of midsummer†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This sets the scene in a serene way that leads the reader into a false sense of security, a beautiful night with two lovers talking in lowered voices. However on reading the story retrospectively the opening paragraph could be viewed differently. The sky could be interpreted as angry, or brooding. It could be ominously setting the scene for things to come, it already informs us that the story is set a night, could this be the first gothic element to... ...e word cone is mentioned over twenty times and is featured in the title. Therefore I think that Wells really wants us to take notice of this and start speculating on how this affects the end of the story, of course, once read we discover that the cone is actually the piece of machinery that kills Raut, and finishes the story. At the very end of the story Horrocks’ conscience comes back to him and he says, ‘Oh god! What have I done?’ This shows that he is not a cold-hearted murderer and it shows the reader that perhaps normally he would have been a nice man, but under the circumstances was pushed to do something he wouldn’t have normally done. In conclusion it appears that Wells uses many gothic styles throughout the story to increase tension. He uses description, long sentences, passion, and betrayal. This creates a very gothic and interesting story.

The Yellow Wallpaper :: Essays Papers

The Yellow Wallpaper The story of The Yellow Wallpaper begins with a family going away on vacation. It is revealed later that there are repairs or renovations being done on their regular house. The wife in the story believes at first that the house is haunted since no one has occupied the house for so long, but she finds out that it was only because of an ownership dispute. The main reason that the family goes on vacation is because the woman is sick. Her illness is most likely some form of a mental disorder. Her husband, who happens to be a physician, tell her that all she needs to get better is rest and to be around no stimuli. The woman automatically thinks something is wrong with the house, but she could not figure it out right away. One of the first things she does not like about her and her husband’s room is the wallpaper. She claims that it commits every artistic sin and is not made with any laws of radiation, alternation, repetition or symmetry. The woman starts to see mages in the wallpaper, and then she sees them move around and change as the light in the room changes. As time goes on, she begins to see a woman creeping around behind the front patter on the wallpaper. She eventually sees the woman in the wallpaper shake the front pattern that acts as a form of a jail for the woman. The wife writes that she thinks the wallpaper woman gets out from her â€Å"jail† during the day since she sees her creep around outside her window during the day. Towards the end of her vacation, the woman tries to figure out a way to get the top layer of the paper off from the bottom one. On the last night, she pulls off yards of the top layer while the wallpaper lady helps her out. Then in the morning, the wallpaper begins to laugh at her and she declares that she will finish getting off the top layer that day. She continues to pull at the paper while it laughs at her. At the end she decides to climb behind the first layer of wallpaper and creep as the wallpaper lady did. Her husband arrives and gets into the room after some time and then faints because he realizes his wife has gone stark raving mad!

“Mythology” by Edith Hamilton

â€Å"Mythology† By Edith Hamilton Mythology is mainly known for the pagan religions that dominated Europe during the times of the Greek and Roman Empires. The main pagan religion being that of the Greek gods like Zeus, Hera, Ares, and Hercules which was the most prevalent and accepted amongst Europeans at the time. The religions although very harsh and unforgiving were prevalent because the people needed a strong spiritual source to depend on. The people needed a sense of unity in order to have their rising civilizations succeed. The people need someone to blame for the many negative things that may have happened during their times.All of these things contributed to the success and need for the pagan religions in Europe. The Greek pagan gods were a very harsh and unforgiving lot. Zeus the father of the gods along with his brothers betrayed and banished his father Kronos after he tried to devour them all. Zeus then tricked his brother Hades into being the master of the Underwo rld where only death and sorrow prevailed and Poseidon the king of the Oceans. He then proceeded to make himself the ruler of the gods effectively making sure he wasn’t challenged as he ruled from the heavens.In the same way the people of the Greek and Roman empires pursued power and fame. The Greek city states warred with each other endlessly, constantly making and breaking alliances in order to gain the upper hand in the name of their respective god or gods. The two gods who were the cause of the greatest of catastrophes were Athena and Ares. Which were the gods of the city states of Sparta and Athens. Both of the city states believed that their god was superior and that they should in turn rule over the other Greek city states and all the other lesser gods.This led to great conflicts between the two nations which in mythology is depicted by the grand arguments and betrayals that Athena and Ares committed on one another. The people always praised their gods and offered them bountiful gifts and sacrifices. They believed that in doing this the gods would grant them the ability to win any war or avoid any catastrophe. With this feeling of superiority and divine intervention they felt invincible and so always went out to carve out their empires at the expense of lives and money.Because of all the bloodshed brought forth from the different gods and different cultures ending in wars it was necessary for the Greek and Roman city states to have gods that were strong and merciless. The people needed to know that their god would not allow any other nation or god to harm his people or disturb his domain. Anywhere where the dominant god was not of a warrior personality city states fell to more aggressive ones and anywhere that these aggressive city states went they carved out territories and imposed even greater control of entire regions. A weak god was indeed a weakness and a strong, merciless one was indeed the way to go.

Simple Justice

The chapter shows the deep relentless struggle of the black community and the racist white people who would not allow it. This case would take 4 years before getting to the courts of the government of the United States. Insane! Its appalling to think of the deep level of HATE and evil that the local white people in these areas had back then. The white schools got two-thirds more money towards their education and had full operating bus systems, while the black kids actually had to pay for their education. This lead to the case of Briggs v.Elliot. It was very interesting to read about how the â€Å"N-double A-C-P† had an influence in the uprising of this bus moment in this community. The level of bravery by the black community and the leaders in this moment are amazing and I love the level of courage and righteousness they had to of had. Over those four years, the illegal government manipulation to suppress and try and stop the black communities efforts in court to obtain equal rights for education is horrific and upsetting, it's a mindset I can not understand.Black farmers lost their land, some had to watch their corps die because whites oldest allow there corps to be bought or use necessary equipment to reap the land. Black people who signed the partition for a lawsuit in Summerset and their spouses were fired from their Jobs and threatened. This book made me think about what racism is and the utter disgrace and hate that it signifies; it is so saddening to read about. This was only 60 years ago, that is one human beings lifetime.Nothing is more upsetting than these actions by hateful whites to use the United States Constitution as evidence for their reasoning for segregation and slavery. White preachers saying it's Gods will that segregation is meant to be and white superiority. To believe that all men are equal but not apply that line in reality behooves me. What is racism? What act is considered racism in our day and age? Calling someone a racial slur is racism, so is hating someone for the color of their skin tone.But what was going on since the beginning of the United States Unionization to the mid sass's seemed to be a whole other deeper sinister level of racism. The black people in these communities were not Just facing racial slurs, they were facing death every minute ND they knew it, that is why every black individual in the south who fought for equality in education and constitutional freedom are heroes; all the people who signed there names on court documents to try and change the illegal injustices of segregation and inequality are heroes.This level of racism is a ruling an oppressive savagery that is disgusting to try and comprehend. The courts allowed the slavery to continue and progress, and the courts eventually ended it. It is Just saddening it took so long. Mr.. Slugger's writing style Mr.. Kluges paints a clear brush stroke of the scene and atmosphere of the time eroded. His style is a bit wordy but the words he uses are colorful, expressive and flow nicely. However, at times I felt inpatient and wanted him (Kluges) to get to the point.He wrote eloquently but I would prefer the â€Å"streamlined version† that tells me the setting and story, not paint a picture of all intimate and personal features of every individual. He bought up a very interesting point how a lot of black men fought in WI against racism and racial murder of Jewish culture but they (black American men) came back home were facing similar acts of oppression, murder and occupation. An then you realize the time period your reading about is in the mid sass's!It is still sad to see the residue of hate lingering and living here and now. Mr.. Kluges was successful in his diligence and service towards an unbiased account of the time period during Brown v The Broad of Education and the time period leading up to the case, where he eloquently described historical cases that lead to and showed the momentum towards the final verd ict. Also Mr.. Kluges was successful in his last chapter showing the history of the Brown v The Board of Education 50 years after the fact. Oppression Mr..Kluges softly shows the level of oppression during this time period. He at times gingerly portrays a situation then presents quoted lines from someone during the time period that would bring a knockout punch of shivery. The real life quotes of some of the people from that time period really helps to place the reader in the time period being written about. While reading the book I how did these communities last this so long, and are they still going on like this? Are there hateful mindsets still living in communities throughout the US?Throughout the world? Unfortunately I know the answer to those questions, but how do they continue to persist. Slavery Over four centuries of slavery before the verdict of Brown v The Board of Education. It is appalling to and impossible to fathom that time frame for a federal verdict to acknowledge t hat all humans are created equal. Mr.. Kluges showed how Brown v The Board of Education represented a long and indentured fight for the recognition and legal right of freedom for black humans in America.The verdict acknowledged a lifetime of of inequality for black people in American history. What this book has taught me What this book has taught me is the power of the court systems. How men, Judges and lawyers can be socially wrong about personal freedoms and impose these beliefs as natural law. How they (Supreme Court Judges) used twisted truth and words like â€Å"natural law' to segregated and beat-down another human being based solely on their skin tone – this is horrific.But its amazing that the same court system and new judges and lawyers were able to get the verdict right. It is Just sad how long it took and how many people died. I am concern of the hate and ignorance that is still embedded in the minds of people n our society. We need not look further than the curre nt media story of the Los Angels Clippers basketball team. About the team owner speaking hateful and racial comments about African-Americans. Here 2014 and the same slave master mentality of property ownership of African-Americans and their inferiority.We have came far in our society because with this basketball owner incident he was banned from his team and forced to sell, this verdict was swift from the NAB and a majority of people are in favor of the owner's life time ban. The Book One of the most gripping moments in the book is when Mr.. Kluges described the the slavery condition in the south which can be considered the worst ever treatment of human slavery in human history. When the length of US slavery is considered it is outrageous to believe this kind of treatment went on for centuries.Unprecedented slavery conditions never seen in such length and non-revengeful fashion. Back during Romans, Greek and Persian times slaves were captured as enemies unlike Africa slaves who had done now harm to the Angelo-Saxon people, the African people ere captured and stolen from their land for the pure intent of like being cattle. It is downright disgusting. In a section from the book: â€Å"Slavery as practiced in the American South, it is now generally acknowledged, was probably as severe as any form of it in recorded history.This is especially so if one considers that the African blacks were not brought to America for punitive reasons: they had committed no transgressions against the people who purchased and then savaged them. If the system was to work in a sparsely settled land, white repression ad to strain the limits of black endurance. † What was a shocking moment when reading was about how black men could not be good father back they by today standards because family life was not allowed as it was for white families. The black man was simply there to breed.A father couldn't protect his wife if she was badly treated, harmed, harassed or raped by a white m an; nor could that father show any protection for the son. How could men be closely attached to their family when they could so easily be sold off to another plantation for the next years harvest, sold of like a mule. The slave masters treated the African Americans like cattle, by federal law African Americans weren't even considered human, they were property, like a commodity to be bought, sold and owned.They (slaves) had no rights, they had curfews, could not be in big groups together and were only given a few clothing items a year. An excerpt from the book states, â€Å"A slave had no legal standing. He could take no action to control his sale. He could not be a party to a lawsuit. He could not offer testimony except against another black. He could not swear an oath that would be legally binding. † Founding Fathers Furthermore I am completely appalled at the contradictory behavior of our founding fathers actions and their hypocrisy.As Mr.. Krueger stated, â€Å"Fifteen of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention owned slaves†¦. Neither the word â€Å"slave† nor â€Å"black† nor â€Å"Negro' nor â€Å"African† nor â€Å"colored† was therefore written anywhere in the document those men composed that very long summer. † I learned that slave was a hot topic and the leaders from the north who may not of had slaves sure perpetuated the ability for the slavery to continue and also even if they (north delegates) didn't ant slavery the majority still saw the black man as two-thirds a human.