Scope and Excitement of Physics - 1427 Words

PHYSICS,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY. Technology and society or technology and culture refers to cyclical co-dependence, co-influence, co-production of technology and society upon the other (technology upon culture, and vice-versa). This synergistic relationship occurred from the dawn of humankind, with the invention of simple tools and continues into modern technologies such as the printing press and computers. The academic discipline studying the impacts of science, technology, and society and vice versa is called (and can be foundValues The implementation of technology influences the values of a society by changing expectations and realities. The implementation of technology is also influenced by values. There are (at least) three major,†¦show more content†¦Some technologies are designed specifically with the environment in mind, but most are designed first for economic or ergonomic effects. Historically, the value of a clean environment and more efficient productive processes has been the result of an increase in the wealth of society, because once people are able to provide for their basic needs, they are able to focus on less-tangible goods such as clean air and water. The effects of technology on the environment are both obvious and subtle. The more obvious effects include the depletion of nonrenewable natural resources (such as petroleum, coal, ores), and the added pollution of air, water, and land. The more subtle effects include debates over long-term effects (e.g., global warming, deforestation, natural habitat destruction, coastal wetland loss.) Each wave of technology creates a set of waste previously unknown by humans: toxic waste, radioactive waste, electronic waste. One of the main problems is the lack of an effective way to remove these pollutants on a large scale expediently. In nature, organisms recycle the wastes of other organisms, for example, plants produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis, oxygen-breathing organisms use oxygen to metabolize food, producing carbon dioxide as a by-product, which plants use in a process to make sugar, with oxygen as a waste inShow MoreRelatedSuggested Strategy for Central High School1295 Words   |  5 Pageswealth of options and knowledge and there is a support team behind them to help (Dell, 2012). A number of the IT professionals within the school district also contributed their expertise in guiding the project. There was a significant amount of excitement that some new technology was going to be in the student and teachers hands, and they were also willing to help even after the purchase to provide additional support. Using the premise to serve each classroom and then also provide additional re sourcesRead MoreRelationship Between Students Personality Traits and Their Academic Achievement4475 Words   |  18 Pagesinvolvement and the energy. Extraverts are sociable but sociability is not ore of the traits but in addition to liking people and preferring large group and gatherings extraverts are also assertive, talkative and active and they like stimulation and excitement and tend to be cheerful (Costa, McCrae Holland 1984). It is easy to convey the characteristics of the extraverts and the introvert is less easy to portray. In other respects introversion should be seen as the absence of extraversion ratherRead MoreSeven Environmental Principles2614 Words   |  11 Pageswith regard to circumstances: a state of confusion. 2. A condition of being in a stage or form, as of structure, growth, or development: the fetal state. 3. A mental or emotional condition: in a manic state. 4. Informal A condition of excitement or distress. 5. Physics The condition of a physical system with regard to phase, form, composition, or structure: Ice is the solid state of water. 6. Social position or rank. 7. Ceremony; pomp: foreign leaders dining in state at the White House. 8. a. TheRead MoreHistory And Current Model Of The Korean Educational System4572 Words   |  19 Pagesaccurate predictor of achievement than race, yet they are quick to point out that low income and racial minorities are still highly correlated. Conclusion 2: Education can breakdown barriers With so many barriers in existence that are outside of the scope of educational problem solving, every student should come into school knowing that every effort is being made to remove the barriers between them and quality education. While this may seem idealistic, especially to those who are in schools with theRead MoreCause and Impact Analysis on the Main Character’s Suffering in Elizabeth Gilbert’s Novel Eat, Pray, Love7348 Words   |  30 PagesChapter I INTRODUCTION In this chapter the researcher discussed about this study based on background of the study, problem statements of the study, purpose of the study, the significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, and definition of key terms. All of them were included on the chapter one as fulfilled of the study. 1. Background of The Study Literature did not take itself to a single definition because the achieving of it over century has been as complex and naturalRead MoreBook to Study English for Chemistry12934 Words   |  52 Pagesphilosophy? 6. What is the main difference between sciences and humanities? 7. How do we call the scientists who specialise in the following fields of study? How are the names formed? ecology psychology anthropology chemistry 7 linguistics biology physics economy astronomy meteorology sociology political science mathematics history philosophy theology Are there any other words that can be formed from these words? Word Formation 1. Combine the words in brackets with suitable SUFFIXES to completeRead MoreThe Sonnet Form: William Shakespeare6305 Words   |  26 Pagesthe disease, Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill, The uncertain sickly appetite to please. My reason, the physician to my love, Angry that his prescriptions are not kept, Hath left me, and I desp’rate now approve Desire is death, which physic did except. Past cure am I, now reason is past care, And frantic mad with evermore unrest, My thoughts and my discourse as madmen’s are, At random from the truth vainly expressed;   Ã‚  Ã‚  For I have sworn thee fair and thought thee bright,   Ã‚  Ã‚  WhoRead MoreThe Influence of Instructional Facilities on Students’ Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State11042 Words   |  45 PagesQuestions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦6 Research Hypotheses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦...7 Purpose of the study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...8 Assumption †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦...9 Significance of the study †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦...9 Scope and delimitation of the study †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦...10 Definition of terms †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....10 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Conceptual framework†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 Instructional facilities †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Read MoreEmployment Turnover in Hospitality Industry in Hanoi8707 Words   |  35 Pagesknowledge reveals little information about this matter. This fact is a challenge as well as a motivation for our research group to carry out our own research on this issue, to discover the new knowledge horizon that has not been discovered. Our research scope is in Hanoi, where our research group is living. As Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, it is the center of politics, culture and tourism. Thus Hanoi’s hospitality sector is fairly developed compared to other parts of the country. The audiences of ourRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesManaging the team 9.3.2 Team building activities 9.2.4 Virtual teams 9.3.3.1 Team performance [9.4.2.2] 9.4.2.3 Conflict management 9.3.2.6 Recognition and awards Defining the Project 4.1 Project charter 5.1 Gather requirements 5.2 Defining scope 5.3 Creating a WBS 5.4 Tools and techniques 6.1 Define activities 9.1.2. Responsibility matrixes 10.1 Communication planning (.2.3.4) [App. G-4] Chapter 12 Outsourcing 12.1.1 Procurement requirements [G.8] 12.1.2.3 Contract types 9.4.2.3 Conflict

American Labor Unions Must Fight Globalization Essay examples

Globalization is taking its toll on the American work force. â€Å"In the 1980’s, globalization hurt blue-collar America,† (Steven Greenhouse, 2008) this was due to the vast amount of imported steel, autos, machinery, and electronics. It is now the twenty-first century. Globalization is not only affecting blue-collar workers, but has extended its reach to white-collar workers. Jobs are being lost in America as corporations move production, and/or outsource jobs to low-wage producing countries. It is estimated over 7.9 million jobs have been lost this year, and some of these jobs will never return. This is corporation’s philosophy on how to cut cost, which in-turn translates into a larger profit margin. Because of these extensive job losses, the†¦show more content†¦Due to the large amount of immigrants that have migrated to the United States, it is in hope that some of these immigrant workers will serve as delegates. This would help in the aid of organiz ing in their countries, as well as for the American organizers to gain valuable information about these countries customs, wages, and rights. As with any campaign, strength comes in numbers. This would be the time to request the assistance of any other unionized countries and international labor organizations. This request would inform them of the organizing strategy that is being developed, to request their input, and to ask if they would join this massive organizing campaign. During this time, delegates would also begin to build relations with the countries they are about to embark on as to how this organizing drive is directed at controlling the corporations and protecting the workers. Protecting the Workers Not only is the American worker affected by globalization, but the countries where corporations are moving to, are naive about â€Å"the corporate greed.† This corporate greed needs to be under better control. Corporations strategically move production to countries with poverty or low-income wages in order to take advantage of the cheap labor and materials. These unsuspecting countries and workers have no idea as to the benefits and wages the corporations can produce and /or the hardships they can cause. This isShow MoreRelatedLabor Unions Must Fight Globalization or Become Extinct Essay1594 Words   |  7 Pages114) Government became â€Å"big† because of its controlling interest in business and labor. The reason for this interest is that government was dealing with a failed economy and had two world wars to contend with. These wars required a continual supply of food and supplies to be produced. In order to guarantee supplies to be free of interruption, it required government gaining control over every major industry and labor in order to keep harmony. Along with this harmony, it became instrumental in creatingRead MoreGlobalizations Effect on Labor Unions1670 Words   |  7 PagesLabor unions once represented a significant portion of the entire United States labor force, peaking at around 35 percent in the 1950’s (Vachon). However, this percentage has steadily declined over the decade and nowadays only 12% of the labor force is unionized (Vachon). In many obvious ways, globalization has complicated the labor movement by stratifying it into domestic and international spheres. Globalization, the rapid increases in the pace and accessibility of world markets, is a relativelyRead MoreThe American Labor Union Essay1621 Words   |  7 PagesThe American labor union has failed in its duty to protect the employees. Currently, most of the public unions agree to the plan that every worthy benefit or wage ought to be balanced by the unionâ€⠄¢s special consideration like agreeing to a two-tier salary scale, surrendering some hours, raised copays or even deductibles for medical procedures. However, these associations have done little to fight for the workers when they are faced with salary reductions, poor pays, unwarranted cutbacks and whenRead MoreFor Most Middle Class Americans, The Dream Of A Stable,1566 Words   |  7 PagesFor most middle class Americans, the dream of a stable, well-paying job is a fiction of a past long-departed. With the arrival of the modern system of flexible labor, working class America has waved goodbye to the economic prosperity championed by its forefathers—and begrudgingly welcomed an economy marked by stagnant income levels, dismal prospects of upward mobility, and a lowered seat at the workplace bargaining table. But as many prepare to bury the American Dream as a relic of days past, thereRead MoreEssay on Its Time to Legalize Illegal Immigrants4950 Words   |  20 Pagesinher ently good. However, one must look at the nature in which we change. Is the world really becoming a better place for everybody. Sure, globalization has made it easier for me to buy a vase from China, or Instant Message my friend in Italy, but I am hardly a representative sample of the global population. How have the Native Americans benefited from globalization. I doubt they are as thankful as John Q. Public. I think one must look at the reasons for globalization to determine whether or notRead MoreTechnological Advancements And Its Effect On Society896 Words   |  4 PagesTo a copious amount of people, globalization is only prevalent in a country’s economy. Although economies are affected, this is not the only component of a country that can be changed. A country’s government, for example, is vulnerable to change due to an increasing amount of globalization. Many times, the countries that are most affected do not have democratic means of government. The introd uction of state-of-art technology and western corporations allows citizens in non-democratic states to gainRead MoreHuman Trafficking Is A Global Issue1322 Words   |  6 PagesFollowing the development of globalization, human trafficking is getting worse and worse. The human trafficking is a global issue that everybody should care about. Lots of young people become a victim of human trafficking, whether in developing countries or developed countries. Some organizations and governments are beginning to solve this problem, but it is very hard to complete. Human trafficking, which is no respecter of national frontiers, is considered as a serious crime that has disturbed manyRead MoreGlobalization, Privatization, and Militarization: Impacts on Criminal Justice1717 Words   |  7 PagesGlobalization, Privatization, and Militarization: Impacts on Criminal Justice INTRODUCTION Over the years, the criminal justice system has seen many changes. These changes have taken place due to the economy, social changes, environmental changes, and even cultural changes. Three items in particular that have affected the criminal justice system world-wide are globalization, privatization, and militarization. This paper will discuss the history of globalization, privatization, militarizationRead MoreThe Effects of Globalization on Labor Relations in the Auto Industry in the 80s and 90s2855 Words   |  12 PagesThe Effects of Globalization on Labor Relations in the Auto Industry in the 80s and 90s Over the last several decades Labor relations within the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the automakers they are attached to have been a roller coaster ride. In the 1960’s and 1970’s the Union made substantial gains for its members in all aspects of bargaining. Wages were increased at levels unheard of today and they made huge improvements on health care and other fringe benefits. Membership was steadilyRead MoreComparison Of Nurkse s Argument Versus Protectionism Essay1032 Words   |  5 PagesIIIB—Section 1 a) Contrast of Nurkse’s argument versus protectionism Nurkse argued that less developed countries must make large investments in the agriculture and manufacturing economy, so that an economy can grow without risking the deterioration of its terms of trade. He believed that if a country were to become more productive, its market size would expand and it would eventually become a developed economy. With the development of the manufacturing sector, consumption of manufactured goods would

Hard Times free essay sample

Published in serial instalments in Dickens’s magazine  Household Words  between April  1  and August  12,  1854 publisher: Charles Dickens narrator: The anonymous narrator serves as a moral authority. By making moral judgments about the characters, the narrator shapes our interpretations of the novel. oint of view: The narrator speaks in the third person and has a limited omniscience. He knows what is going on in all places and at all times, but he sometimes speculates about what the characters might be feeling and thinking, suggesting, at those times, that he does not actually know. tone: The narrator’s tone varies drastically, but it is frequently ironic, mocking, and even satirical, especially when he describes Bounderby, Harthouse, and Mrs. Sparsit. When describing Stephen and Rachael, his tone is pathetic, evoking sympathy. ense: The narrative is presented in the past tense; however, at the end, the narrator reveals what the future will bring to each of the main characters. setting (time): The middle of the nineteenth century setting (place):  Coketown, a manufacturing town in the south of England protagonist:  Louisa Gradgrind major conflict: Louisa Gradgrind struggles to reconcile the fact-driven self-interest of her upbringing with the warmth of feeling that she witnesses both in Sissy Jupe and developing within herself. As this attitude changes, Louisa is caught between allegiances to her family and loveless marriage and her desire to transcend the emotional and personal detachment of her past. rising action: Sissy joins the Gradgrind household, and Louisa marries Mr. Bounderby unwillingly, only to satisfy her father’s sense of what would be most rational for her. climax: Mr. Harthouse joins Gradgrind’s political disciples and attempts to seduce Louisa. Louisa, confused, leaves Bounderby and returns to her father’s house, where she collapses. alling action: Sissy informs Harthouse that Louisa will never see him again, and Louisa attempts to amend her life by appealing to her father and offering assistance to the alleged perpetrator in Bounderby’s bank robbery. themes: The mechanization of human beings; the opposition between fact and fancy; the importance of femininity motifs: Bounderby’s childhood; clocks and time; mismatched marriages symbols: Staircase; pegasus; fire; smoke serpents foreshadowing : Stephen’s claim that factory Hands have only death to look forward to foreshadows his own death in the mine shaft. Bitzer’s run-in with. When Dickens was nine, his family moved to London, and later, when he was twelve, his father was arrested and taken to debtors’ prison. Dickens’s mother moved his seven brothers and sisters into prison with their father but arranged for Charles to live alone outside the prison, working with other children at a nightmarish job in a blacking warehouse, pasting labels on bottles. The three months he spent apart from his family were highly traumatic for Dickens, and his job was miserable—he considered himself too good for it, earning the contempt of the other children. After his father was released from prison, Dickens returned to school. He tried his hand professionally as a law clerk and then a court reporter before becoming a novelist. His first novel,  The Pickwick Papers, became a huge popular success when Dickens was only twenty-five; he was a literary celebrity throughout England for the remainder of his life. At about this time, he fell in love with Mary Beadnell, the daughter of a banker. In spite of his ambition and literary success, Dickens was considered her social inferior in terms of wealth and family background, and Mary’s father prohibited the marriage. Several years later, Dickens married Catherine Hogarth. Although they had ten children, Dickens was never completely happy in this marriage, and he and Catherine eventually separated. Though the young blacking factory employee had considered himself too good for his job, the older novelist retained a deep interest in and concern for the plight of the poor, particularly poor children. The Victorian England in which Dickens lived was fraught with massive economic turmoil, as the Industrial Revolution sent shockwaves through the established order. The disparity between the rich and poor, or he middle and working classes, grew even greater as factory owners exploited their employees in order to increase their own profits. Workers, referred to as â€Å"the Hands† in  Hard Times,  were forced to work long hours for low pay in cramped, sooty, loud, and dangerous factories. Because they lacked education and job skills, these workers had few options for improving their terrible living and working conditions. With the empathy he gained through his own experience of poverty, Dickens became involved with a number of organizations that worked to alleviate the horrible living conditions of the London poor. For instance, he was a speaker for the Metropolitan Sanitary Organization, and, with his wealthy friend Angela Burdett-Coutts, he organized projects to clear up the slums and build clean, safe, cheap housing for the poor. Dickens left behind a large number of much-loved novels, including  Oliver Twist  (1837-39), which satirized the conditions and institutions of the time;  The Old Curiosity Shop  (1840-41), one of the most widely known works in all literature; and  Martin Chuzzlewit  (1843-44), in which Dickens reported his impressions of America. Mrs. Roylance, an early landlady of the authors, appears in  Dombey and Son  (1846-48). David Copperfield  (1849-50) drew heavily on the writers own experiences. In  Bleak House  (1852-53), one sees reflected the sorrow that Dickens felt over the deaths of his sister and daughter. In  Hard Times(1854), he skillfully combined many literary techniques to produce a great novel of social protest. HisLittle Dorrit  (1855-57) describes the arrest and imprisonment of his own father. In  A Tale of Two Cities(1859), a triangle love plot is developed against the background of the French Revolution. Great Expectations  (1860-61) narrates the growing up of a boy under conditions of mystery and suspense. Dickens last volume,  Life of Our Lord,  a book for children, was not published until 1934. In all of his novels — those that appeared as serials in newspapers or magazines and those that were first printed as whole books — Dickens reveals his keen observation, his great understanding of human nature, and his varied techniques of style. True, his characters are sometimes exaggerated; however, the very exaggeration adds vitality and humor to the stories. As a novelist and a social critic, Dickens was a giant of his era; later generations have turned to his works for both amusement and instruction. Though he was far too great a novelist to become a propagandist, Dickens several times used his art as a lens to focus attention on the plight of the poor and to attempt to awaken the conscience of the reader. Hard Times  is just such a novel: set amid the industrial smokestacks and factories of Coketown, England, the novel uses its characters and stories to expose the massive gulf between the nations’s rich and poor and to criticize what Dickens perceived as the unfeeling self-interest of the middle and upper classes. Indeed,  Hard Times  suggests that nineteenth-century England itself is turning into a factory machine: the middle class is concerned only with making a profit in the most efficient and practical way possible. Hard Times  is not a delicate book: Dickens hammers home his point with vicious, often hilarious satire and sentimental melodrama. It is also not a difficult book: Dickens wanted all his readers to catch his point exactly, and the moral theme of the novel is very explicitly articulated time and again. He raises his oldest children, Louisa and Tom, according to this philosophy and never allows them to engage in fanciful or imaginative pursuits. He founds a school and charitably takes in one of the students, the kindly and imaginative Sissy Jupe, after the disappearance of her father, a circus entertainer. As the Gradgrind children grow older, Tom becomes a dissipated, self-interested hedonist, and Louisa struggles with deep inner confusion, feeling as though she is missing something important in her life. Eventually Louisa marries Gradgrind’s friend Josiah Bounderby, a wealthy factory owner and banker more than twice her age. Bounderby continually trumpets his role as a self-made man who was abandoned in the gutter by his mother as an infant. Tom is apprenticed at the Bounderby bank, and Sissy remains at the Gradgrind home to care for the younger children. In the meantime, an impoverished â€Å"Hand†Ã¢â‚¬â€ Dickens’s term for the lowest labourers in Coketown’s factory—named Stephen Blackpool struggles with his love for Rachael, another poor factory worker. He is unable to marry her because he is already married to a horrible, drunken woman who disappears for months and even years at a time. Stephen visits Bounderby to ask about a divorce but learns that only the wealthy can obtain them. Outside Bounderby’s home, he meets Mrs. Pegler, a strange old woman with an inexplicable devotion to Bounderby. James Harthouse, a wealthy young sophisticate from London, arrives in Coketown to begin a political career as a disciple of Gradgrind, who is now a Member of Parliament. He immediately takes an interest in Louisa and decides to try to seduce her. With the unspoken aid of Mrs. Sparsit, a former aristocrat who has fallen on hard times and now works for Bounderby, he sets about trying to corrupt Louisa. The Hands, exhorted by a crooked union spokesman named Slackbridge, try to form a union. Only Stephen refuses to join because he feels that a union strike would only increase tensions between employers and employees. He is cast out by the other Hands and fired by Bounderby when he refuses to spy on them. Louisa, impressed with Stephen’s integrity, visits him before he leaves Coketown and helps him with some money. Tom accompanies her and tells Stephen that if he waits outside the bank for several consecutive nights, help will come to him. Stephen does so, but no help arrives. Eventually he packs up and leaves Coketown, hoping to find agricultural work in the country. Not long after that, the bank is robbed, and the lone suspect is Stephen, the vanished Hand who was seen loitering outside the bank for several nights just before disappearing from the city. Mrs. Sparsit witnesses Harthouse declaring his love for Louisa, and Louisa agrees to meet him in Coketown later that night. However, Louisa instead flees to her father’s house, where she miserably confides to Gradgrind that her upbringing has left her married to a man she does not love, disconnected from her feelings, deeply unhappy, and possibly in love with Harthouse. She collapses to the floor, and Gradgrind, struck dumb with self-reproach, begins to realize the imperfections in his philosophy of rational self-interest. Sissy, who loves Louisa deeply, visits Harthouse and convinces him to leave Coketown forever. Bounderby, is furious that his wife has left him, redoubles his efforts to capture Stephen. When Stephen tries to return to clear his good name, he falls into a mining pit called Old Hell Shaft. Rachael and Louisa discover him, but he dies soon after an emotional farewell to Rachael. Gradgrind and Louisa realize that Tom is really responsible for robbing the bank, and they arrange to sneak him out of England with the help of the circus performers with whom Sissy spent her early childhood. They are nearly successful, but are stopped by Bitzer, a young man who went to Gradgrind’s school and who embodies all the qualities of the detached rationalism that Gradgrind once espoused, but who now sees its limits. Sleary, the lisping circus proprietor, arranges for Tom to slip out of Bitzer’s grasp, and the young robber escapes from England after all. Mrs. Sparsit, anxious to help Bounderby find the robbers, drags Mrs. Pegler—a known associate of Stephen Blackpool—in to see Bounderby, thinking Mrs. Pegler is a potential witness. Bounderby recoils, and it is revealed that Mrs. Pegler is really his loving mother, whom he has forbidden to visit him: Bounderby is not a self-made man after all. Angrily, Bounderby fires Mrs. Sparsit and sends her away to her hostile relatives. Five years later, he will die alone in the streets of Coketown. Gradgrind gives up his philosophy of fact and devotes his political power to helping the poor. Tom realizes the error of his ways but dies without ever seeing his family again. While Sissy marries and has a large and loving family, Louisa never again marries and never has children. Gradgrind’s speech to a group of young students, and it is appropriate that Gradgrind physically embodies the dry, hard facts that he crams into his students’ heads. The narrator calls attention to Gradgrind’s â€Å"square coat, square legs, square shoulders,† all of which suggest Gradgrind’s unrelenting rigidity. In the first few chapters of the novel, Mr. Gradgrind expounds his philosophy of calculating, rational self-interest. He believes that human nature can be governed by completely rational rules, and he is â€Å"ready to weigh and measure any parcel of human nature, and tell you what it comes to. This philosophy has brought Mr. Gradgrind much financial and social success. He has made his fortune as a hardware merchant, a trade that, appropriately, deals in hard, material reality. Later, he becomes a Member of Parliament, a position that allows him to indulge his interest in tabulating data about the people of England. Although he is not a f actory owner, Mr. Gradgrind evinces the spirit of the Industrial Revolution insofar as he treats people like machines that can be reduced to a number of scientific principles. While the narrator’s tone toward him is initially mocking and ironic, Gradgrind undergoes a significant change in the course of the novel, thereby earning the narrator’s sympathy. When Louisa confesses that she feels something important is missing in her life and that she is desperately unhappy with her marriage, Gradgrind begins to realize that his system of education may not be perfect. This intuition is confirmed when he learns that Tom has robbed Bounderby’s bank. Faced with these failures of his system, Gradgrind admits, â€Å"The ground on which I stand has ceased to be solid under my feet. His children’s problems teach him to feel love and sorrow, and Gradgrind becomes a wiser and humbler man, ultimately â€Å"making his facts and figures subservient to Faith, Hope and Charity. † Louisa Gradgrind Although Louisa is the novel’s principal female character, she is distinctive from the novel’s other women, particularly her foils, S issy and Rachael. While these other two embody the Victorian ideal of femininity—sensitivity, compassion, and gentleness—Louisa’s education has prevented her from developing such traits. Instead, Louisa is silent, cold, and seemingly unfeeling. However, Dickens may not be implying that Louisa is really unfeeling, but rather that she simply does not know how to recognize and express her emotions. For instance, when her father tries to convince her that it would be rational for her to marry Bounderby, Louisa looks out of the window at the factory chimneys and observes: â€Å"There seems to be nothing there but languid and monotonous smoke. Yet when the night comes, Fire bursts out. † Unable to convey the tumultuous feelings that lie beneath her own languid and monotonous exterior, Louisa can only state a fact about her surroundings. Yet this fact, by analogy, also describes the emotions repressed within her. Even though she does not conform to the Victorian ideals of femininity, Louisa does her best to be a model daughter, wife, and sister. Her decision to return to her father’s house rather than elope with Harthouse demonstrates that while she may be unfeeling, she does not lack virtue. Indeed, Louisa, though unemotional, still has the ability to recognize goodness and distinguish between right and wrong, even when it does not fall within the strict rubric of her father’s teachings. While at first Louisa lacks the ability to understand and function within the gray matter of emotions, she can at least recognize that they exist and are more powerful than her father or Bounderby believe, even without any factual basis. Moreover, under Sissy’s guidance, Louisa shows great promise in learning to express her feelings. Similarly, through her acquaintance with Rachael and Stephen, Louisa learns to respond charitably to suffering and to not view suffering simply as a temporary state that is easily overcome by effort, as her father and Bounderby do. Josiah Bounderby Although he is Mr. Gradgrind’s best friend, Josiah Bounderby is more interested in money and power than in facts. Indeed, he is himself a fiction, or a fraud. Bounderby’s inflated sense of pride is illustrated by his oft-repeated declaration, â€Å"I am Josiah Bounderby of Coketown. † This statement generally prefaces the story of Bounderby’s childhood poverty and suffering, a story designed to impress its listeners with a sense of the young Josiah Bounderby’s determination and self-discipline. However, Dickens explodes the myth of the self-made man when Bounderby’s mother, Mrs. Pegler, reveals that her son had a decent, loving childhood and a good education, and that he was not abandoned, after all. Bounderby’s attitude represents the social changes created by industrialization and capitalism. Whereas birth or bloodline formerly determined the social hierarchy, in an industrialized, capitalist society, wealth determines who holds the most power. Thus, Bounderby takes great delight in the fact that Mrs. Sparsit, an aristocrat who has fallen on hard times, has become his servant, while his own ambition has enabled him to rise from humble beginnings to become the ealthy owner of a factory and a bank. However, in depicting Bounderby, the capitalist, as a coarse, vain, self-interested hypocrite, Dickens implies that Bounderby uses his wealth and power irresponsibly, contributing to the muddled relations between rich and poor, especially in his treatment of Stephen after the Hands cast Stephen out to form a union. Stephen Blackpool Stephen Blackpool is int roduced after we have met the Gradgrind family and Bounderby, and Blackpool provides a stark contrast to these earlier characters. One of the Hands in Bounderby’s factory, Stephen lives a life of drudgery and poverty. In spite of the hardships of his daily toil, Stephen strives to maintain his honesty, integrity, faith, and compassion. Stephen is an important character not only because his poverty and virtue contrast with Bounderby’s wealth and self-interest, but also because he finds himself in the midst of a labor dispute that illustrates the strained relations between rich and poor. Stephen is the only Hand who refuses to join a workers’ union: he believes that striking is not the best way to improve relations between factory owners and employees, and he also wants to earn an honest living. As a result, he is cast out of the workers’ group. However, he also refuses to spy on his fellow workers for Bounderby, who consequently sends him away. Both groups, rich and poor, respond in the same self-interested, backstabbing way. As Rachael explains, Stephen ends up with the â€Å"masters against him on one hand, the men against him on the other, he only wantin’ to work hard in peace, and do what he felt right. † Through Stephen, Dickens suggests that industrialization threatens to compromise both the employee’s and employer’s moral integrity, thereby creating a social muddle to which there is no easy solution. Through his efforts to resist the moral corruption on all sides, Stephen becomes a martyr, or Christ figure, ultimately dying for Tom’s crime. When he falls into a mine shaft on his way back to Coketown to clear his name of the charge of robbing Bounderby’s bank, Stephen comforts himself by gazing at a particularly bright star that seems to shine on him in his â€Å"pain and trouble. † This star not only represents the ideals of virtue for which Stephen strives, but also the happiness and tranquility that is lacking in his troubled life.

Thich Naht Hahn And His Life Essays - Order Of Interbeing

Thich Naht Hahn And His Life Thich Naht Hahn and His Life Thich Naht Hahn is wonderful Buddhist monk and a great asset to the Buddhist religion. He has had and is having an interesting life. He is known for many things. These include he talks during the Vietnam War for peace, organizing help for villages, instituting schools for youths, and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr. Thich Naht Hahn has one of the most amazing backgrounds that lead up to the legacy of this Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. Thich Naht Hahn has been living in exile from his native land of Vietnam since he was forty years old. In 1966, he was banned by both the non-Communist and Communist governments for his role in undermining the violence he saw affecting his people. He has been a Buddhist monk since he was 16 years old, he earned a reputation as a respected writer, scholar, and leader. He is known as Thay (Teacher) to his followers. He has headed a movement known as Engaged Buddhism, which involved traditional meditative practices with active nonviolent civil disobedience. This movement lays behind the establishment of the most influential center of Buddhist studies in Saigon, the An Quang Pagoda. He has also set up relief organizations to rebuild destroyed villages, instituted the School of Youth for Social Service (a Peace Corps of sorts for Buddhists peace makers), founded a peace magazine, and urged world leaders to use nonviolence as a tool. Although his struggle for cooperation meant he had to re linquish a homeland, it made him known around the world (Jones p.262) Thich Nhat Hahn is a Zen Buddhist monk, scholar, poet, and political figure from Vietnam: He actively opposed the war in Vietnam. Because of this he came to the United States in 1966 as a spokesman for monks who felt that reconciliation was possible in Vietnam, if the United States stopped its war effort against Vietnam. This was first of many humanitarian visits. However, this was not new to him: he has been to the United States and experienced the American culture before. He was here because he was attending Princeton, and more recently as a professor at Columbia. He had been invited to speak on behalf of Buddhist monks, and offered an enlightenment view on ways to end the Vietnam conflict by the Fellowship of Reconciliation and Cornell. He has spoken on college campuses, met with administration officials, and impressed social dignitaries. Thich Naht Hahn has been nominated by Martin Luther King Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize, the same year that Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace prize. He has also helped organized rescue missions well into the 1970's for Vietnamese trying to escape from political oppression. Even after the change in government in Vietnam, the government stills sees him as a threat-ironic, when one considers the subjects of his teachings: respect for life, generosity, responsible sexual behavior, loving communication, and cultivation of healthful life style. Thay is now in his seventies, his strength as a world leader and spiritual guide grows. He has written more than seventy-five books of prose, poetry and prayers. An example of one of his works is a writing that he wrote on institutional violence Thich Nhat Hahn wrote: If nonviolence is a stand, then it would be an attack on violence. But the most visible form of violence is revolutionary and liberational violence. So if you stand for nonviolence, you automatically stand against actual revolution and liberation. Quite distressing! ?No! We are against the other side, the side of the institutions, the side of the oppressors. The violence of the system is much more destructive, much more harmful, although it is well hidden. We call it institutional violence. By calling ourselves nonviolent we are against all violence, but we are first against institutional violence.'...Military invasions have been used for the purpose of intervention, colonization and exploitation, yes. But colonization, exploitation and capitalism have also been able to operate nonviolently even in Europe, not to mention in Asian-African countries. The people of the system are very clever in ?nonviolent' strategies. The strategies that have been used by us within nonviolent movement, if compared to?nonviolent'