Robert Browning Essay Essay Example for Free

Robert Browning Essay Essay Browning gave life to the dramatic monologue and made it a distinctive and memorable poetic form. Browning was fascinated with human behaviour, particularly the darker side of humanity and he believed that the dramatic monologue enabled him to create very powerful masks and ‘tell the truth obliquely’. As we become aware that the characters are wearing masks, the layers of artifice or self-deception is where the real persona exits. Browning’s poems open the minds of his readers, allowing for exploration and the discovery of the dark side of human nature: in the context of his dramatic monologue, character revelations are discovered. In Robert Browning’s, My Last Duchess we are introduced to a rich, arrogant and authoritarian Duke of Ferara. Browning immediately establishes the technique apostrophe as the Duke begins to speak to an unseen character about his late wife. The Duke displays feelings of nervousness towards the death of his wife but also speaks in a revengeful and controlling tone. In comparison to the Duke is a young man who is tormented by an elderly man’s light blue eye in the short story ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ by Edger Allan Poe. Both main characters share personality flaws of the need for control over others and the lust for power and authority. Edger Allan Poe and Robert Browning demonstrate the use of an emerging theme in the Victorian era, ‘Goth’. This theme creates an externalisation of the composer’s characters, revealing their deepest passions and fears and the hunger for triumph of evil over good. Browning and Poe share the same love for the dark side of human nature and use the gothic theme to inject personality traits of insanity and madness into their characters. In the first sentence of ‘Tell Tale Heart’, the young man admits to being dreadfully nervous and asks us ‘but why would you think I’m mad?’ This immediately plants ideas of insanity and irrationalism in Poe’s character. Poe uses pathetic fallacy as a metonym as he speaks of the ‘night time darkness’ and with the quote â€Å"my secret deeds or thought†, this creates ideas of ‘the madness within’. Browning also taps into the thoughts of a madman in the characterisation of the Duke. The Duke speaks in favouritism of himself with high order and authority in his tone of voice. The Duke is blinded by his faults of vicious pride and revengeful jealousy over the lack of control in his Last Duchess and this  allows the audience to unravel the Dukes flaws and discover the villain that lay beneath. In the quote â€Å"This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together†, gives off the idea that the Duke enforced high power and control over his Duchess and uses double entendre to imply two possible meanings to his ideas of ‘then all smiles stopped’. Browning combines the contrasts of love and passion with violence and power to enable the depiction of a lovers mind. He reveals the macabre and grotesque side of a human’s urgency for companionship which in turn leads to insanity and madness in the eyes of a lover. â€Å"Youre the brother I never had. Im the brother you never had. I would do anything for you, Dickie†, is a quote from the film ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’; the story of a man named Tom Ripley who befriends a man names Dickie Greenleaf, becoming deeply infatuated by him and as Tom’s obsession grew it led to the grotesque murder and assumed identity of Dickie. This macabre murder performed by a jealous, love-crazed man can be presented in comparison with Robert Browning’s, ‘Porphyria’s Lover’; the first person recount of an anonymous narrator who kills his lover with her own hair. Both texts explore the urgency for everlasting human companionship that is driven by a lover’s madness. Porphyria’s lover uses powerful imagery, ‘shoulder bare’ and alliteration in ‘perfectly pure’ when he speaks of her beauty. Symbolism is also displayed in the name Porphyria which means rich and red in colour. This can symbolise either the grotesque murder of the Lover or the delicate but deep love expressed through Browning’s character. There is also the question of Tom Ripley’s sexuality. He is self-hating and ashamed as he stumbles about his desire for Dickie and tries to repress his sexual impulses. Empty and absent to himself, Ripley doesn’t merely want to poses the object of his affection, he wants to be him. In the quote, â€Å"I always thought itd be better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody†, shows Tom’s yearning to become a person of significance, someone to be sort after and loved. He shows personality traits of a psychotic man who would do anything to have a sense of belonging and purpose in life even if it meant assuming the identity of another to compensate for the loss of self- love within him. Browning invites his audience to uncover the real sense of truth  in his character’s situations that they do not discover themselves. He creates disequilibrium between what the speaker reveals about himself and thinks is the truth. The Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister and Doug Liman’s,’ The Bourne Identity’ are excellent examples of two strikingly vague men who are deceived by their own faults and follies and are unable to justify their real character traits. In the poem, Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister, Robert Browning creates a nameless Spanish monk full of hypocrisy and jealousy. Throughout the poem, this monk expresses opinions of both himself and a fellow monk. Yet these opinions are not what the monk really thinks of himself as can be deciphered by a closer examination of the text. The monk, who is the speaker of the poem, attempts to convince the reader that he is a just, moral man. However it becomes apparent to the audience that this monk carries many hidden flaws that he reveals to us throughout his ranting. An example is shown in stanza 4 as our deceitful monk describes a scene of two nuns, washing their hair outside. The monk accuses Brother Lawrence of lusting after them. However in the quote That is, if hed let it show suggests there is no actual evidence of such thoughts of Brother Lawrence, revealing that the speaker, alone, noticed a need for such lust. In contrast the fictional character and protagonist Jason Bourne is a very quick-thinking, linear type of person who moves quickly and brutally towards his goal. He gives the impression of someone who has been severely traumatized. Jason Bourne was on a search for his own identity and discovered the worst. Bourne reveals about himself that he is a grotesque assassin and he begins to run from the horrible truth but we as the audience are able to see what he is truly like and that as he runs away from the truth, Bourne is bringing the audience closer to the real truth of his identity. He tries to convince himself of who he isn’t, ‘I dont wanna know who I am any more, everything I found out, I want to forget’.

Erick Ericksons Stages of Development Essay Example for Free

Erick Ericksons Stages of Development Essay Erick Erickson was a German psychoanalyst. His interest in identity was developed from his personal experiences he had at school. One of the main elements of his stage theory, which are known as Erikson’s Stages of Development, is the development of ego identity. Ego identity is the sense of connection or belonging between a person and a particular social religion, political group, value, sexual orientation, and so on. He believed that our ego identity changed constantly due to new experiences or different interactions you have with people daily. To explain his ideas more clearly he organized life into eight stages that start from birth to death, According to the theory if you complete each stage you will have a healthy personality and feel a sense of satisfaction with yourself. If you fail to complete each or an individual stage it can result in having an unhealthy personality or a bad self-esteem. Each stage has two outcomes. The first four stages occur in childhood, the next four are at adulthood. Since adulthood includes too many years he divided them into adolescence, middle adulthood, and seniors or maturity. The stages of development are: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. hame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity diffusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair. The fifth stage of development, identity versus identity diffusion, occurs in adolescence, which includes teens from ages 12 to 18. In this stage, adolescents discover who they really are. They begin to know what their role in gender is, what their role in society is, discover their strengths, weaknesses, and make goals. In order to accomplish this stage adolescents need to explore different identities and commit to one or try to â€Å"fit in†. I think that it is very obvious when you see a teenager in this stage because one day you might see them with a group of friends that are athletic and dressed in jerseys, running shoes and so on, then later you might see them with a group of Goths who dress in black. Deciding whether you will attend college or just go to a vocational school, and simply finding what you want to become in the future, or study is also a part of your identity, even religion and political views are part of finding out who you really are. It is a complicated process but that is why you need to mature to make the correct choices. You need the encouragement and reinforcement of your loved ones to help you. If you fail to accomplish this stage you have what is called an identity crisis or also known as a diffusion which means you are not committed to an occupation, a religion, or your cultural identity. This is considered to be a normal problem in a teenager’s life. There is a solution to this problem because but you explore the different identities and decide which one appeals to your life style and you commit to it, you are ready to move on to the next stage and be an independent adult. Erickson’s fifth stage is influenced from James Marcia identity statuses, which are, identity diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and identity achieved. Marcia’s ideas will help you better understand the importance of Erickson’s stages of development. Identity diffusion refers to when there is neither an identity crisis nor commitment. Identity achieved is when the person has gone through an exploration of different identities and made a commitment to one. Moratorium is the status in which the teen is currently in a crisis, while exploring a variety of identities and is ready to make choices but not ready to commit to one. Last is foreclosure which is when the adolescent is committed to an identity but they commit to an identity because it has been handed to them. These are not stages but rather a process to finding an identity. So how does this stage affect you personality? A teen who has answered the question â€Å"Who am I? †, and â€Å"Where will I go later in life†, learn fidelity. Fidelity is being loyal to a person, cause, or belief. Devotion is also learned through this stage. Devotion is defined as love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause. You also become a more social person and do well with social relationships. Those who receive proper encouragement and reinforcement when exploring will move on to the next stage with a strong sense of self and a feeling of independence and control. Being independent is admitting you did wrong, being able to think for yourself, you also learn how to take care of yourself. We need independence in order to survive. A teen learns to be true to themselves. The other outcome to this is stage, not finding who you are, can make you confused about your role in society, and cause you to have a weak self-esteem. You can also be an insecure individual who feels lost in the world. A person that has identified diffusion may be described as disorganized, complicated, and somewhat unethical. Finding your identity is a process full of anxiety, but it is very normal for a teen to go through all this trouble. A lot of the choices you make at this point in life are influenced by your peers. This is the time of age when you get the most peer pressure, you begin to rebel against your parents, and begin to explore your role as a men or women. I believe the process might be different for a female compared to a male. So the purpose of finding an identity is to know who you are, what you want in life, and what you want to become, to be an independent individual with a strong sense of self, who knows how to develop social relationships. People will begin to look at you different when you develop an identity, and they can treat you more serious, and more like an adult.

Objectives of sustainable development

Objectives of sustainable development Introduction The UK construction industry has undergone an unprecedented change in construction technology. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) have been invented and are increasingly being used. With regard to residential apartment blocks, up to the 1980s greater emphasis was being placed on economy of construction rather than sustainability and lifestyles. Since 1980s, factors such as (i) the speed of construction (ii) sustainability (ii) flexible use of space. The need for rapid construction has led to more use of off-site prefabrication to reduce time spent on site and increase cost-effectiveness. The advancement of construction technology has also benefited from Government policies particularly relating to sustainable development. Perhaps one of the most significant initiatives of the UK Government to encourage sustainable construction was the setting op of the â€Å"Construction Task Force† by the Deputy Prime Minister Mr John Prescott. The task force, which comprised Sir Michael Lathum and Sir John Egan, produced a report ‘Rethinking construction (Egan, 1998). This report became influential in making Government policy. Sir John Egan argued that the use of standardization, prefabrication and innovation would improve the sustainability of the construction industry in the UK. Egan also compared construction to a manufacturing process where improvements are always sustained. The report recommended the use of prefabrication and standardization in building work as a method of achieving value of money, better value for clients and other users. Such an approach is now favoured by most people in the building industry, especially in house building. The use of modern methods of construction allows homes to be built more quickly and efficiently. Modern methods also improve site safety and supplement skilled workmanship where there may be shortages. Nevertheless, modern methods of construction have some disadvantages compared to traditional methods in that construction costs are relatively higher and also some section the public may object to futuristic building designs that go against what they are used to. Developers using MMC may need to be accredited to certain regulating authorities (such as NHBC in the UK) to ensure high quality and durability of their materials. Prefabrication Review-History of MMC Prefabrication was used in UK during periods of high dement, as after the world wars and the slum clearances in 1960s. The technical success of many of these systems was shadowed by social failing of high-rise living. In the 20th century about a million prefabricated houses were build. Most technical problems which were experienced were related to materials and poor workmanship. Prefabricated systems have been used in many public building in UK and other European Countries. The UK parliamentary office of Science and Technology studies showed (MORI poll, 2001) negative attitudes pre-fabrication were result of a big published disaster problem in the 60s. In mid of 1990s interest of UK was significant based system (e.g. roof trusses, steel frames etc) but the complete system of housing development was little, using relatively unskilled labour has been the predominant of UK house building. Off-site Review Government reports suggest that modern methods of construction (MMC) could be part of the solution to improve the quality of housing (Baker 2003). The industry has been slow to develop innovative building technologies, according to Ball and Barrow (1999). Many studies of modern methods of construction have taken the approach of promoting off-site applications without considering all the issues (Roy et al. 2003). The off-site processes help reduce the project construction time. Bakers review 2003 In 2003 the UK Government appointed Sir Martin Baker to review and report on the economic and social impacts of home building. The review examined affordability of homes in the UK. The Government is encouraging modern methods of construction (MMC) and increased supply of homes. One of Bakers highlights (2003) is that it challenges the home building industry to change construction to satisfy housing needs. Planning new levels of housing stock been based on demographic trends (Baker 2004). Benefits of MMC involve the manufacture of homes in factories, which is the faster construction. Evidence-Audits report The Commission for Architecture and Build Environment (CABE) has been investigate for the scope for building more quickly using modern methods of construction (MMC). The objective criteria of the audits, they are open to criticism them also some in house building industry criticized which schemes are determined ‘good or ‘average. In 2005 the modern methods of cost might be higher, it was report and it was possible to: Reduce the construction of houses on-site To build home up to four times with the same amount of on-site labour The performance should be also good as for home build in traditional way. During the twentieth century The new building in the UK (1996) were smaller 13% than the existing stock compared to the European countries houses that were largest that order ones. The size of a new home it was roughly 15.m2, the smallest in the Western Europe and the other European countries tend to be 20 m2 and 30 m2. In the 1981-2001 a particular in new buildings is roughly 20% smaller than the typical pre-1919 home. A combination of social in 1950s, economical and political factors renewed to construct housing system (Boverker,2004). Modern Methods of construction-Embodied carbon The most serious threat to human society that has created itself is climate change. In the 1750s the global atmospheric concentrations of greenhouses gases, carbon dioxide (CO2). The building construction is a substantial contributor of global CO2. Global emissions attributable to energy use in buildings with quarter of total CO2. An important goal for the Government climate police is the reducing of energy and carbon emissions attributed to buildings. In housing construction standard embodied energy is equivalent to a few years of energy; there are some exceptions to low energy buildings. Embodied carbon is important for low energy buildings, because less energy is used in occupation, and additional energy required for the insulation level, energy consumed in the construction materials, transport and installation. However the embodied carbon of low energy house is to contribute a better proportion of lifecycle carbon emissions during the building lifetime than a convention house. Many of the benefits of Modern methods of construction for housing are contentious and unproven. The manufacture suggest of the Government of MMC are: Environment- houses can be more energy efficient, less transport of materials and produce less waste. Social- fewer accidents and less impact during construction. Economic- MMC can be build more quickly. Overview of MMC-Types Modern methods of construction its a term to saw a number of construction methods. In the UK, the methods that being introduced in the building industry significant from so-called construction methods such as brick and block. The MMC was debated in the industry and was no universally agreed definition. The housing corporation that is used for its own purposes in 2003 is a published construction classification system (table 1). Housing corporation construction 1. Off-site manufactured -Volumetric 2. Off-site manufactured -Panelized 3. Off-site manufactured-Hybrid 4. Off-site manufactured -Sub-assemblies and components 5. Non Off-site manufactured construction Other terms of describing the MMC, is the factory building assembled, industrialized construction, innovative systems constructed on-site and pre-fabrication construction. The sectors of the modern methods of construction have five categories used by the housing corporation: off-site manufactured volumetric, three dimensions units produced in the factory, fully fitted out before being transported in the site. The majority of off-site manufactured volumetric construction in the UK to date has been used in housing. Modules may be delivered to site in variety of forms; volumetric off-site brings all the critical activities to the structure to a factory based environment which ensures better quality control. Light steel frame off-site techniques are more used to the traditional construction methods and are used in all sectors of constructions industry. Light steel offers better quality control and reduction in waste. Off-site manufactured-panellised construction is flat panel units build in factory, fully fitted out before being transported to site, panellised systems such as walls, roofs, floors and it consists two types of panels, open panels when assembled forms a skeleton structure and are usually timber or frame and closed panels may include internal lining materials. Off-site manufactured-hybrid is the combination of panellised and volumetric systems, is used to create the skeleton of the structure and volumetric units are used for the bathrooms and the kitchens. The environmental impact of MMC products sector were assessed including timber frame, timber frame with straw bale. A hybrid construction is a panellised system and is good design for economy. There are many manufactured of panellished systems and volumetric. Precast concrete is a construction material where concrete is cast mold which is the cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and lifted into pl ace. Barriers of MMC Some MMC homes builders are less expensive that the traditional methods of construction, increased cost about 7-10%. The reasons of different cost (higher) are difficult to discern because most of projects traditional masonry buildings cost widely. The cost apper high because in the MMC, there are different used of benefits such as better quality of construction, fewer accidents and reflect in project account MMC is the faster construction buildup to 50% and thus reducing labour costs. Capacity is a barrier of increasing the number of houses using MMC. In the two categories difficulties fall: factory capacity to manufacture parts and shortage of skills. Historical overview of sustainable development A great number of civilizations in human history it had been recognized the need of harmony between the society, the environment and the economy. More to the point, sustainable development is a very old idea that focuses, on improving the quality of life without exceeding the environmental supplies of natural resources. Unfortunately despite the predictions, the concept of sustainability gained momentum in 1980s when the problem became extremely obvious (Kenny, M., Meadowcroft, J., (1999). In 1973 was the first time that United Nations discussed about environmental solutions in Stockholm (Langton, C., A., Ding, G., K., C., (2001). Subsequently, the ideas discussed again in the World Conservation Strategy and new strategies were adopted by the governments of fifty countries but with very small practical impact. In 1983 the United Nations created the Worlds Commission in Environment and Development (WCED) and in 1987 they published a report in sustainable development with the name â€Å"Our common future† also known as the Brundtland Report (Langton, C., A., Ding, G., K., C., (2001). According to Langton, C., A., Ding, G., K., C., (2001) this report had critically signaled the rush of thinking for a second time the ways of governing and living as also the need of international coordination and cooperation. In 1992 in Rio Conference was the first time that the worlds leaders discussed about the future of the planet and agreed to set out principles to achieve sustainable development. The major agreement of this meeting was a 900 page program of actions with steps towards sustainable development at international levels. In 1997 the Kyoto climate summit set targets for the industrial countries in order to bring their gas emissions 5% below 1990 levels by 2012. Pioneering ways must be found to ensure that individual behavior and institutional structures will change targets, towards a sustainable future and will understand the consequences of inaction. Sustainable concept To begin with, it can be critically mentioned that the sustainable development should take into consideration the potential impacts on three main sectors, the environmental, the social and the economic; as it has been advised from Munasinghe (1993). Essentially, he advocated that, the natural habitats, the people, and the economy are interrelated and should be managed as a one. Therefore, the environmental approach it can be claimed that is so to protect the biological features, the social concept is to stabilize the cultural system and the economic approach are to maximize the income and preserve the stock of resources (Munasinghe, 1993).Ultimately, it would be imperative to append that some more important concepts in sustainable development are the futurity the equity and the irreversibility. Table 3 provides further details as per those important concepts. Further Important Concepts: Futurity: concern is given not only for the short term horizon, but also for the long term that affect the future generations. Equity: Emphasis is given to the least advantaged in society in order to provide their needs and a fair treatment. Irreversibility: Some types of environmental degradation are not possible to be restored by human ingenuity. Source: Based on Strange, T., Bayley, A., (2008) Objectives of sustainable development Taking into consideration all of the above, hence explicit information that academic definitions are providing; the reviewed literature suggests that numerous previous empirical studies have been conducted based on main advantages supported as a result of the sustainable developments up to date. Economy: Sustainable development is so to promote an economy that improves environmental quality and meet peoples needs. Energy: Reduction of energy use to suitable levels and encouragement of the consumers to spend less energy. Land use: The main concern is to minimize the loss of rural land and to maintain the viability of town centers Forestry: The main issue is the management of forests in a way that sustains their ecological qualities and their productive potentials. Climate change: The key objective is the limitation of gas emissions that contribute to climate change and global warming. Air quality: Key issues: reduction of pollutant emissions in order to improve local air quality and chemical pollution control especially in urban areas. Mineral extraction: The main objective is the minimization of the environmental harm from mineral extraction by the efficient use of materials. Waste materials: Sustainable Waste management can decrease the amount of waste production. The hierarchy of waste management options start with the reduction of waste materials, it then goes to the re-use and finally to disposal. Raw materials The raw materials inputs change depending upon the systems of MMC being factored. Common raw materials including metal, board materials, timber, concrete, class wool insulation. Off-cuts of these materials typically end up as waste within the factory environment. Timber is a raw and recycled material, timber panel products are usually kept separate from the clean timber as they are currently different to recycle. Steel is readily recycled material, due to its value established recycling routes. Also glass wool insulation is potentially recyclable Raw materials are often packaged and it is this packaging that ends up as waste. Packaging wastes have various waste management routes depending on the individual manufacturer. Modern methods of construction are about better product and processes. They aim improve business efficiency, quality environmental performance, sustainability and the predictability. MMC are more broadly based that a particular focus on product MMC should make it possible to build more with the same amount of on-site labor.MMC other than open panel techniques continue to be slightly more expensive than more established techniques but the cost ranges for different techniques overlap substantially, in any particular set of conditions in MMC could be as cost-effective as brick and block or more cost effective. Sustainable development definition One of the most popular definitions for sustainable development was given in Brundtland report (1995): â€Å"Sustainable is the development that meets the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs† (Kirby, J, OKeefe, P., Timberlake L., 1995). This definition indicates that an activity can be considered sustainable if it doesnt exhaust the natural resources and doesnt have serious impacts to the environment that the future generations will inherit. For instance, if the ozone layer is destroyed, if the green-house gases build up, if the natural resources are exhausted and if water and air are polluted, it is reasonably obvious that this generation dont give the ability to the next one to support their selves. Sustainable development can be considered as: A theoretical framework: a method that will make the world more balanced and holistic. A process: techniques to apply the principles of integration to all decision. A target: methods of fixing the problems Sustainable construction Sustainable construction focuses on the issues of procurement, assembly and Procurement: The processes of procurement introduce the objectives that the contractors must have during the construction. These objectives may include environmental commissioning. It consist matters like site planning, tendering, selection of materials, recycling and waste minimization (Smith, P., F., (2007). standards and reporting requirements. Assembly: The assembly activities are managed by the contractors in order to contribute to the ecological performance. It consist issues as the excavation methods, the reduction of noise, the disposal of wastes and storm-water containment. Commissioning: It gives information of how the design will operate in the future. It should relate performance specifications and maintenance methods. In order the environmental performance of the construction to be improved, the site operatives and the supervisors should have a proper training (Smith, P., F., (2007).

Overcoming the Barrier Essay -- Analysis, Helen Reddy

Overcoming the Barrier Helen Reddy in I am a Woman sings, â€Å"You can bend but never break me, 'cause it only serves to make me, More determined to achieve my final goal, And I come back even stronger.† In the plays Antigone, by Sophocles, and A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, two strong women are restricted by the time and society in which they live. In Antigone, the main character, Antigone from Thebes, is faced with a choice of following the laws of man, or the laws of the gods in burying her deceased brother. She felt that her choice was right even with the penalties it costs her, while arguing with the king who felt his way or no way. As the play progressed, it seemed that the more Creon, the king, and Antigone argued, the more confident in the choice she made she became. In A Doll’s House, Nora was a woman who cared deeply about her husband who would soon be faced with death if not sent to a warmer climate. Unheard of from a woman, Nora took a money loan from the bank without s aying a word to her husband, Torvald. Using a corrupted lawyer, Krogstad, gave easy access for blackmail which could end her marriage if revealed. During the times in which these plays were written, the relationship between a man and woman is definitely patriarchal. Men have major dominance and the woman just follows. It was believed that a woman was to have no opinion nor be smart enough to have their own opinion. In both plays, Sophocles and Ibsen show how controlled yet bold, women had to be in society through demonstration of submission to men, the expectations placed upon a woman, and their search for a voice. There is a saying that all habits start in the household and that is no exception for the way woman are treated. Whether it’s a husband or... ...oldly demonstrate the strength and power women needed to become their own person. With barriers blocking the path, the choices each woman had to face was like an obstacle course. By being undermined by the opposite sex, females were not given much thought unless the subject had to do with the raising of children and up keeping of a household. Being a part of society came with expectations of how a family should look and act, especially for the women who are merely â€Å"dolls† for men to control. Therefore, having to surrender to the male influence, society’s pressure, and the quest for identity, women still are able to stand firm and strong in the end. Over many years women have come a long way with rights and responsibilities but it was no walk in the park. It has been a curvy road and there are still more hills to come but with a positive light shinning at the end.

Benefits Of Early Retirement :: essays research papers

Benefits of Early Retirement Early retirement is not such a bad idea, but only if itÕs affordable. Today, people who begin this process feel confident that they can live out the rest of their lives comfortably. Still being young enough to enjoy what is earned is another good reason why someone might want to advance into retirement. Also, having good health is another popular reason why it is a good idea to retire early. After working hard, one should reward them self by enjoying what they have worked for. Either off benefits or money allocated throughout the working years, these retirees enjoy what they worked for. Not only do they feel relaxation and enjoyment, retiring early also gives them a sense of accomplishment. Purchasing previously desired land or traveling to a country never visited before are just some examples in which early retirees enjoy the money that was saved. Since the assets are all earned, spending this bonus makes one feel proud for what they worked for and that the working years didnÕt seem like a waste. Something simple such as being young can make someone retire early. Retiring early just for being young also has their advantages. This way, the retiree can explore more areas and get to stay longer because they have more years to enjoy than an ordinary retiree. Also, when someone gets older their health slowly diminish and their ambition to go out and travel also vanishes. Finally, having good health while retired pays off. One would tend to enjoy retirement more if their health were in decent shape. Irritating injuries and irksome illnesses certainly keep the retiree limited while being retired. Ambition to travel and going out and doing things lowers when the health is low.

Dysfunctional Families In Cana Essay -- essays research papers

Dysfunctional family relationships form the basis of many Canadian short stories. Often, tragedy is the end result of severe family breakdown. In other cases, personality defects are directly traceable to poor family dynamics. In the stories â€Å"Hurt†, â€Å"Fall of a City†, and â€Å"The Sound of Hollyhocks† there were very profound family problems. The difficulty in the father/son relationship in â€Å"Hurt† reflects a role reversal. Even though Stevie is only a young boy, he took care of himself and his father. Stevie made his own meals and when his father was inebriated, he â€Å"...went down to the store and got him a couple bottles of vanilla to sober up on.† (pg. 195) In a family situation a young child such as Stevie should not have the responsibility of taking care of his parent. Moreover, even when Stevie’s father was sober, Stevie could do whatever he liked without consequence. Skip described such a freedom when he said that â€Å"Stevie went to school when he wanted to go...† (pg. 193) This lack of rules or an authority figure demonstrates the dysfunctionality of this family. Also, Stevie’s father was a violent alcoholic. Skip observed that somedays Stevie’s father would be â€Å"...pounding on the walls with his fists and swearing and crying all at the same time...† (pg. 195) The parent/child role reversal , the lack of structure, discipline, and authority in the home and the violent episodes demonstrate the degree of dysfunction in this family. â€Å"Fall of a City† depicts the dysfunctional...

Photo Manipulation Essay

Image manipulation is everywhere on are daily life. It is a type of digital art. It is a unique way to describe editing photos and adding filters and special effects to photographs in order to make an illusion or define through digital means. Photo manipulation has been commonly used to deceive or convince viewers. It can be simply a photo which colors have been converted, or a photo that has been painted over, usually they use photoshop, but there are other softwares what can we use for manipulating images, image manipulation is an art as well. Photo manipulation is done for a number of purposes. More infamously, it is for political or sensational purposes. However, photo manipulation is also an art form in its own right (www. brightclub. com). The photographs have been manipulated in darkrooms for decade. Before computers, photo manipulation was achieved by retouching with ink, paint, double exposure, piecing photos or negatives together in the darkroom, or scratching Polaroids. Airbrushes were also used, whence the term â€Å"airbrushing† for manipulation. The first recorded case of photo manipulation was in the early 1860s, when a photo of Abraham was altered using the body from a portrait of John C. Calhoun. The 1980s saw the advent of digital retouching with Quantel computers running Paintbox, and Scitex imaging workstations being used professionally Silicon Graphics computers running Barco Creator became available in the late 1980s which, alongside other contemporary packages, were effectively replaced in the market by Adobe Photoshop (wikipedia).