Adventure Time Essay

Have you ever gazed upon one of Salvador Dali’s surreal paintings, and it left you in a bewildered state? You’ve pondered what he was trying to display, or perhaps you were left wondering, is there a story behind this? Well, I am here today to tell you of such a story. See, we live in a time where people tend to take things much too seriously, far too often. When the world seems to erase happiness from one’s life, there lays Adventure Time, shimmering in the horizon in all its pastel glory. It is a beacon of happiness, joy, abnormality, and an escape route for all those trapped in a calloused hand of disappointment. The show may appear to disguise itself as a children’s program, but I can tell you confidently, that it provides material for more than one target audience. There’s a reason why high school and college students enjoy watching Pixar films or shows from their youth, and Pendleton Ward, the show’s creator, really hits home with a cartoon that may well be the most creative, and entertaining TV program of it’s kind. This is a fine example of the phrase â€Å"do not judge a book by its cover†, because underneath Adventure Time’s amazing array of bright and colorful characters, lies a subtext that involves a very large portion of dark and rather bizarre moments. This world that you are diving into and sharing with these characters is not as â€Å"sugar coated† as it leads you to believe. Adventure Time is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, where The Great Mushroom War wiped out it’s inhabitants, leaving one human child alive. Which brings us to our stories main protagonist, Finn the Human, who was raised by a family of elasticated, shape-shifting dogs. Jake the dog, Finn’s brother and best pal, joins Finn on his Adventures of saving princesses from the evil Ice King, exposing themselves to constant dangers while they protect the kingdom of living candy from horrifying terrors. Although it sometimes may be weird yet amusing, like when our heroes place themselves inside the stomach of a giant to prevent the bears that are partying within from being digested and melted by lava, Adventure Time can become serious when the characters portray real emotion. A cartoon needs more than just mind-blowing implications to entertain an older audience. In more recent episodes, it was shown that the main antagonist of the show, was once a human antiquarian (someone who studies ancient artifacts), who discovered a cursed crown sometime before the Nuclear fallout. When he placed it on to make his fiancee laugh, he blacked out and started experiencing horrifying visions. When he came to, something happened that drove his fiancee away. This later connects to why he steals princesses, to fill the gap in his heart from when his own princess left him. Also, our hero is in love with a princess made entirely out of bubblegum, but cannot be with her due to the fact that she is 18 and he is 13, causing him emotional stress. He later falls in love with a princess made out of flames, who is highly unstable when she is angry. Finn has a hard time being with her because she burns him whenever he tries to hold her. I’m sure some of you may connect with the feeling of wanting someone, but something prevents you from being with that person or simply, the person has no feelings for you. This show is stacked to the brim with moments like these. Not only is there an emotional intelligence to balance the show’s oddness, but there is a very artistic and poetic vibe behind the story. There are numerous musical numbers, and remember able quotes that make you think. A couple of my personal favorite quotes from the show are: â€Å"In the dark recesses of the mind, a disease known as FEAR feasts upon the souls of those who cannot overcome its power†¦ And so fear forces deep within the soul of a hero. Conquered†¦ at least, for now. † â€Å"I am the true coward. Hiding from sincere expressions like a vampire in the nude who hides from the light. Thank you brave hero. I was freed from bottle jail, but my new prison is shame. † Can we pull back the veil of static and reach in to the source of all being? Behind this curtain of patterns, this random pattern generator. So clever. Right here in every home, watching us from a one-sided mirror. † When a cartoon is able to be demented and touch the heart at the same time, I believe it is a show for everyone to enjoy. So grab your friends, and experience many different lands, with Jake the Dog and Finn the Human, a show where the fun never ends, it’s Adventure Time. Adventure Time Essay Adventure Time (originally titled Adventure Time with Finn & Jake[2]) is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada), a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio), a dog with magical powers to change shape and grow and shrink at will. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo. Along the way, they interact with the other main characters of the show: Princess Bubblegum (voiced by Hynden Walch), The Ice King (voiced by Tom Kenny), and Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson). The series is based on a short produced for Frederator’s Nicktoons Network animation incubator series Random! Cartoons. After the short became a viral hit on the internet, Cartoon Network picked it up for a full-length series that previewed on March 11, 2010, and officially premiered on April 5, 2010. The series, which is heavily inspired by the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons as well as video games, is produced via hand-drawn animation. Episodes are created through the process of storyboarding, and a single episode takes roughly nine months to complete. The Adventure Time cast records their lines together in group recordings as opposed to different recording sessions with each voice actor, and the series also regularly employs guest actors and actresses for minor and recurring characters. Each Adventure Time episode is about eleven minutes in length; pairs of episodes are often telecast in order to fill a half-hour program time slot. The series has completed four seasons of twenty-six episodes each, and is currently on its fifth, which debuted on November 12, 2012. Ever since its debut, Adventure Time has been a ratings success for Cartoon Network. As of March 2012, the show is viewed by approximately 2 to 3 million viewers per week. The show has received positive reviews from critics and has developed a cult following among teenagers and adults, many of whom are attracted due to the series’ animation, stories and characters. Adventure Time has also been nominated for five Annie Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Critics’ Choice Television Awards, and a Sundance Film Festival Award, among others. In 2013, the series won a Motion Picture Sound Editors Award for the episode â€Å"Card Wars†. In addition, the series has also produced various clothing and merchandise, video games, comic books, and DVD compilations.

Health Care – Paper

The facility wants to take in as many tenants' as it could without having the patients' wait an extremely long time. Implementing strategies mentioned below will give facilities better reviews from patients' further letting others know about how efficient the staff is about getting patients' seen faster. When a patient comes in to see a doctor for the first time, they are given a stack of papers which gives the doctor, and medical Insurance specialist information on medical Insurance, demographics, medical history, family history, and so on.This Is a process which prolongs the wait time for the new patient. This can easily be fixed by Implementing a strategy to which patient's fill out registration forms online at their own time before the appointment. A way to further this strategy Is to have an upload feature on the practice's website to where the patient can also send copies of the insurance card and ID to the practice. This method can then be scanned into their electronic medical record software.If the patient does not own a computer, or have access to the Internet, they can have the option to have the forms mailed to them. Another strategy to implement on effective patient intake is to have a card system here each card is assigned a patient and once swiped, gives the medical insurance specialist the information on the patient. The patient can either carry the card, or the practice can keep them on hand. Having a card system will ensure patient's Intake process Is fast, as well as the patient being checked out fast.Having a card system will allow a faster way to which a medical Insurance specialist can upload information sent from the patient through the practice's website onto the card system and the electronic medical record software. To improve a doctor's office further, implementing a strategy to where a patient will to be seen if more than 10 minutes late will also improve the time which a patient is seen by a doctor. According to Cootie, Patella, and Gonzalez (2008), â€Å"On-time patients were found to have a longer wait time once in the exam room for the physician than those that were late (14. Ð’Â ± 9. 2 minutes versus 11. 0 Ð’Â ± 8. 4 minutes, P = . 005); however, those patients spent a significantly longer time with the physician† (Para. 1). If patients' are aware of a late arrival, they will be more adept to arriving on time. This strategy will Improve how fast patients' are being seen with the amount of time being pent on each patient. This strategy can be stated In the practice's policies which are given to a patient upon registration and made aware of at that time. There can also come into the office.When a patient comes in and registers at the front office, there are multiple people handling all sorts of tasks, such as answering the phones, checking in patients. Entering patient information and taking patient's to rooms where their pulse, weight, and reason for visit is taken down. Because of these multi -tasters, it is usually difficult to get patient registered fast enough to be seen. For this reason, at a busy office, there should be one person dedicated to registering patients to maximize the efficiency of patient intake.This will also ensure that all information from the patient is accurate. This will also ensure that established patients' information is current and up-to-date. With the implementation of these strategies to improve patient intake, patients' will feel better knowing they can have a visit to the doctor without having to wait a long time. Patients' also look for doctor's practices to where the wait time is short between all processes of intake.

Equality of Access to California Public University Education Essay

Equality of Access to California Public University Education - Essay Example From the report it is clear that poverty and disadvantages is affected by the education system, offering rich and poor schools with bleak differences in learning atmospheres and physical surroundings. Deprived environs characteristically house run-down schools with poor conditions and less money whereas rich neighborhoods house newer and safer schools offering best learning atmospheres. In addition, the lower-quality urban schools are likely to be attended by ethnic minority students. Attempts to enhance this inequality are only the first step in attaining equality even with millions of dollars spent in federal programs.This essay stresses that  the inequities of access to quality schools and attainment of children in public universities, in California, have been a source of debate and millions of dollars in programs for many years trying to attain equity for all students.  It is argued by critics of American public education that California in incapable of educating students eff iciently, partially due to the highly bureaucratic nature of its governance structure. Layers of rules burdened by paperwork and regulation are attached to most federal government funding hence; federal programs become hard to change or implement. Funds and responsibility are shuffled around to various bodies by this institutionalized problem of extreme bureaucracy, and shifts the accountability of academic achievement onto guardians, teachers, students, and administrators in the case of education.

Blow Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Blow - Term Paper Example This essay explores the plot of the film which has all the ingredients typical of underworld films – violence, sex, suspense, sudden twists of fortunes, etc. Johnny Depp plays the young George Jung, who begins life in Weymouh Massachusetts. His childhood is chaotic due to the financial difficulty and eventual bankruptcy of his father Fred (played by Ray Liotta) by the time George was barely ten. But young George endures through this chaos and grows into a confident young man. The action heats up as George and his accomplices in crime Tuna (played by Ethan Suplee), Barbara (played by Franka Potente) and Derek Foreal (played by Paul Reubens) hatch up a plan to exploit the lucrative-yet-unexplored pot market in Boston. From here on the intrigue heightens as George is always sought after by law enforcement authorities. The initial success of his drug trading venture encourages George to expand the scale and breadth of his operations. This takes him on many dangerous yet cinematica lly interesting adventures to Mexico and other destinations. These journeys link up his identity to the Medellin cartel and other prominent figures of Central American drug trade. While his illegal activities are shooting off this trajectory, his personal life shows a contrast. For someone who is so cut-throat and matter-of-fact in his business dealings, George is actually a touchy and sentimental person. This is particularly true with respect to his relationship with this father, mother and wife. The appeal of this biopic largely emerges from this contrasting juxtaposition of George Jung’s two-faceted personality. ... This is particularly true with respect to his relationship with this father, mother and wife. The appeal of this biopic largely emerges from this contrasting juxtaposition of George Jung’s two-faceted personality. Coming now to aspects of film language, the film can be classified as underworld biopic, with its regular stylistic elements put in place. There are clear resemblances to such mafia-based movies as Goodfellas and Boogie Nights. There is even an odd tinge of The Godfather. The swift and succinct camerawork by Ellen Kuras complements this genre very well. There is also a sense of rhythm witnessed in both the narrative and cinematography, as scenes move from action to suspense to sentimental. The Mise En Scene throughout the film is handled in such a deft manner that it reflects the genre. For example, the high-risk world of illegal drug trade is depicted with its usual accompaniments of back-streets, late nights and poor neighborhoods. Even in the first scene that intr oduces George, the room he enters is shown with minimal furnishing and decor, with only the meat freezer curtains visible in the background. Here, cinematography substitutes for dialogue in conveying to the audience the shady, risky existence of the character in the frame. The employment of documentary style narration at select places makes those scenes look more credible. The use of hard lighting is another key feature of several scenes in the film. In terms of technique, hard lighting is produced by a small light source stationed quite close to the subject and creates long/deep shadows revealing surface imperfections of actors and other objects in the set. Aesthetics is not the emphasis under the hard lighting technique, and

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 77

Summary - Essay Example The target market of this corporation is the small businesses and the home PC users. It wishes to promote its product and services using local media such as local newspaper and radio. This is because at this developmental stage its main target market is local. It will also distribute fliers within the vicinity of the company to attract the local clientele. The manager will be the owner of the business whose responsibilities will be to oversee the daily operations. Originally the staff will consist of only three individual, the technicians, sales persons and the administrative staff. Since the organization will be dealing with an area that requires great technical knowledge, it s crucial that the integration of the necessary hardware be done with precision. The customers will choose the desired look they need o their customized computers and then the company technical expert will work with this. The company will minimize costs of production by ordering computer pats in large scale form the suppliers. Daily operations will involve consultations with the salesperson and technicians and sales. The employees will be expected to work 8 hours a day for five days. In case they are required to work extra hours, this will be paid different. IN all operations, efficiency and quality will be emphasized so as to retain and attract more customers through word of mouth. The first six months, the workers will be maintained at only three staff members and this will minimize the cost. After one year into operation, computer heavens will increase its staff depending on the requirement. It is believed that the company will have a larger customer base. The staff could be increased up to six members but this will highly depend on the business requirements of that time. At its third birthday, Computer Heavens will have proved its viability and should have an even larger staff and even have plans of expanding the business to other areas. The company plans to

Money and life, Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Money and life, Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example Logos on the other hand is the use of reason, logic or sound argument in justifying an author’s claims. With logos, the author instead convinces the audience by the soundness of his or her argument rather than appealing to the audience’s emotion. Ethos on the other hand uses ethical appeal to win over the audience to the author’s point of view. In the film, the argument is grounded mainly on the moral, ethical ascendancy of a resource person or the expertise of the person making an argument to convince the audience to believe the argument of an author. Katie Teague used a combination of these rhetorical tools in presenting her case and argument in her film Money and Life. The author used the rhetorical tool of logos heavily or the use of reason and logic in presenting her case in the film. This was evident when she argued the financial and monetary system that made â€Å"money as a mean of exchange† and theories of scarcity in the movie. In a way, she also discussed government’s monetary and fiscal policy that made money so important. The approach of the paper is also methodical and logical just like a university paper where there is a framework in laying out the arguments beginning with a statement of a problem, analysis and then a proposal of a solution. The statement of the problem was our entrapment with money and the background is Teague discussion of the monetary system that made money so important to us. First, Katie Teague laid down the general description of the â€Å"curses and evils† caused by money in the film as her statement of the problem and the byproduct of the monetary system of the country which we are all slav es. After stating the problem, the obvious comes next with the analysis of the problem of which the solution can be derived. Here, the approach of the analysis is not much dependent on logos or logic as it should be but rather on pathos or emotional appeal and ethos or credibility of the source. This

Business ideology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business ideology - Essay Example The centralized, authoritarian technology is portrayed as bad technology that squeezes the human spirit and manipulates people’s minds. Apple personified the Mac as the good technology – independent, individualized -- that can liberate the individual from the bad technology. Microsoft presented a similar ideology with the message by CEO Steve Ballmer (1986) that depicted Microsoft providing people-ready computing. Microsoft claimed that their innovations facilitated the supremacy of people. A comparison with IBM in the form of a direct assault, Microsoft declared that the pitch of IBM is to help companies with its innovations, at Microsoft the tone is to give power to the people to innovate. Microsoft, like Apple, emphasized the ideology of empowerment by making a striking contrast to IBM as the veiled power behind the centralized, spirit-subduing hegemony. In effect, Microsoft was duplicating Apple’s ideology and strategy. But Apple’s approach went deeper than its marketing implication. Apple advanced the integration of its technology as the nucleus of its strength. By keeping up a closed system, uniting proprietary software and hardware, Apple could provide, it asserted, a more enhanced user experience. The message was: You did not have to be bothered about the technology – it simply worked – so that you could focus and be creative on doing your work. Microsoft, which built up its market dominance in PCs on an open structural system, is now embracing the Apple strategy as well. Microsoft claimed that its integrated platform of corporate software provided a better enhanced user experience, from the operating system to the desktop application. Microsoft argued through Jeff Raikes (Business Week, Mar.2006) that Microsoft offered more capabilities by product integration, a blend of technologies having more impact. Again the message was: Liberating people to innovate. Would this integrated ideology work for Microsoft? It may be recalled

New Forms of Work, Organisation and Career Sy2001 C Essay

New Forms of Work, Organisation and Career Sy2001 C - Essay Example â€Å"A virtual organization is a group of individuals whose members and resources may be dispersed geographically and institutionally, yet who function as coherent unit through the use of cyber infrastructure (CI)† (Beyond Being There p.3) This paper tends to discuss the multifaceted effects of virtual organizations in business, organizational structure, and career. Tremendous changes have been visible in the area of organizational management for the past few decades. Unlike traditional organizations, modern companies are able to store every valuable data in their specially designed software. This information system is highly integrated with the enterprise planning (ERP) of a company. Technological advancement has enabled business operators to focus more on the advantages of outsourcing. It enables them to reduce labor cost and time for the accomplishment of intended tasks. Coordinated resource/knowledge sharing is the main facet of virtual organization. Not only VOs but also many of the traditional organizations also take advantage of the broad information technology to strengthen the area of their service. Technology helps big organizations to collaborate and coordinate their resources and people from all around the globe. Computer and computer-based communication facilities are the inevitable requirement for virtual management. Cyber infrast ructure helps organizations to integrate the whole system and enable easy access to resources and information. According to the writers, â€Å"VOs enable system-level science, facilitate access to resources, enhance problem-solving processes, and are a key to national economic and scientific competitiveness.† (Beyond Being There p.5). Virtual Organizations primarily have document processors for storing organizational data. It ensures instant access to organization’s HR information. This is normally known as Human Resource Information System (HRIS) which is highly useful in HR

Business Articles Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Articles Review - Essay Example In feminine cultures cooperation is more frequent which leads to people seeking the best joint outcome for society. A weakness of feminine culture is that people tend to be naively altruistic and sometimes get taken advantage of. Another negative aspect of feminine is that sometimes the economic expectations of such a society are too low. Participation of women in societies across the globe has increased during the past 60 years. A feminine culture does not necessarily increase the participation of women in economic and social life. I thought that the article was well written and it pointed out a lot of important arguments in regards to masculinity and feminine. I consider the United States a masculine society. Evidence of this is the fact that there has never been a women president in the history of the United States. Women are still being held back into positions of power by the glass ceiling effect. Despite my opinion that the U.S is a masculine society the article mentions other cultures in the world in which women do not enjoy the same freedoms and rights as in the U.S. In most Arab countries the women are seen as second class citizens. Men in Arab countries have all the power and women must obey the men at all times. In such a society women seldom hold positions of power such as managerial positions. ... Cultural barriers caused communication problems and conflicts and the team was very ineffective. â€Å"Cultural differences can create substantial obstacles to effective teamwork-but these may be subtle and difficult to recognize until significant damage has already been done† (Brett, Behfar, Kern, 2006, pg. 86). Work teams are supposed to be self-sufficient and managers should not intervene in interpersonal conflict because doing so is usually counterproductive and wastes valuable managerial time. It is imperative to avoid single culture approaches to solving problems among multicultural teams. Four types of challenges associated with multicultural teams are direct versus indirect communication, trouble with accents and fluency, differing attitudes toward hierarchy and authority, and conflicting norms for decisions. Some of the most effective strategies identified by the author to deal with conflict are adaptation, structural intervention, managerial intervention, and exit. T eamwork has become more important than ever in the workplace of the 21st century. Due to the rise of the globalization movement many multinational corporations are exposed to forming multicultural teams as part of the day to day business activities. These teams can bring tremendous benefits to a company because diversity helps foster innovation and creativity. I agree with the author that managerial intervention to solve internal conflict in a team is a strategy that should only be used as a last resort. The multicultural team is supposed to go through the same team formation stages of any team which are forming, storming, norming, and performing. An

Acc 291 Reflective Summary Week 3 Essay Example for Free

Acc 291 Reflective Summary Week 3 Essay Calculating stock, dividends, and stock splits Stock is buying into ownership of a company. It is buying into their assets as well as their earnings. To calculate stock one must understand how to calculate the earnings per share. To calculate the earnings per share take the net earnings and divide by the outstanding shares. Dividends are cash distributions that companies pay out regularly to shareholders from earnings. Profitable companies pay dividends. To calculate dividends for dollar amount take the number of owned shares and multiply by the dividend per share. Stock split is increasing the number of outstanding shares that is owned by dividing each share. Each stockholder receives an additional share, but the value of each is reduced by half. Two shares equal the original value before the share split took place. The calculation of stock splitting is very complicated. See more:  Mark Twains Humorous Satire in Running for Governor Essay Differentiate types of stocks issued by corporations. There are two basic types of stocks that corporations can issue. Common stock and preferred stock are the two types; both have different benefits and possible opportunities. Common stock is the most basic type of stock you can obtain from a corporation. Since it’s the basic type of stock that you can purchase it has its limitations and is very limited in value. Owning a common share of the corporation shows that you own a fraction of company and its value is directly impacted by the company’s monetary successes and failures. Most see owning common shares as a risky investment  and this is why the owners will receive their profits after the preferred stock is disbursed. Preferred stock is the other type of stock that corporations issue. The main benefit of owning a preferred share of a corporation is that your dividends are received before common shareholders. Unlike common shareholder benefits, preferred stock is based on a fixed dividend payment. If the company goes out of business or liquidates their assets, preferred shareholders still receive the money back they invested and this is disbursed before common stockholders receive theirs as well. The only setback is that preferred stock cannot doesn’t gain as much in value as the common shareholder profit because of the fixed payment. Preferred stock also has a division of classes that is based on market prices, restrictions, etc. All in all, depending on the investor’s needs and financial opportunities both stock options have their benefits and possible setbacks. Reference: http://www.stanford.edu/~mikefan/stocks/whatarestocks.html Fan, 2006 Cardinal Money Management Oracle thinkquest. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/3088/stockmarket/typesofstocks.html Reflection Summary Assignment 1 Reflection Summary Assignment

Group Investigation And Report Sport Essay

Group Investigation And Report Sport Essay We invest in the national lottery and exchequer funding in organisations and projects that will grow and sustain participation in grassroots sport and create opportunities for people to excel at their chosen sport. Our structure reflects this focus. (Sport England) Sport Englands job is to improve sports participation on all levels, especially grassroots. They work in partnership with Youth Sport Trust which focuses on PE in schools and with UK Sport who focus on elite success. Sport England is a government agency responsible for building for foundations of sporting success, by creating a world-leading community sport system of clubs, coaches, facilities and volunteers. (Sport England) The mission of Sport England is to create a vibrant sporting culture working in partnership with various National Governing Bodies, Higher and further education sector and their national partners as well as local government and community organisations. The aims and targets are set around three areas, they are grow, sustain and excel. The aim of growing is to get one million people taking part in more sport and more children and young people taking part in 5 hours of PE and sport a week. This counts as 15% of the investment and sustain counts as 60% of the investment. The aim of sustaining is to have more people satisfied with their sporting experience and to have 25% fewer16-18 year olds dropping out of at least nine sports- badminton, basketball, football, hockey, gymnastics, netball, rugby league, rugby union and tennis. The final area is excel and this counts as 25% of the investment, and the aim is to improve talent development in at least 25 sports The staffing structure includes the main board which is responsible for setting direction, providing an extra level of governance and advice. There is also the executive team which is responsible for the day to day running of the business. Sport England work in 11 offices over England, one is the central office in London, nine other local offices and one shared service centre in Loughborough that deals with responses to funding applications and queries. There is a team executive director, they are responsible for the club and community part of the governments 5 hour sport offer for children and young people, including leading a number of programmes including leadership and volunteering. The next member of staff is the executive director for commercial, their role is to find and work with the commercial partners to generate  £50 million for community sport, and the team works innovatively to ensure that the partners derive real benefits from their investments. The next member of sta ff is the communications and public affairs executive director, they are responsible for helping the partners and the public understand what they do as an organisation. Another job role is the communities executive manager, their role is to help the national governing bodies deliver their plans at a local level; they do this by working with local partnerships. The next job role is the facilities and planning executive director, their role is to help create, support and maintain the buildings, facilities and spaces needed to play sport. The next job role is the finance and corporate services; the directorate is responsible for all the back office functions, including finance, ICT and legal services. There are also NGB and sport executive directors; their role is to help sports national governing bodies achieve their participation, satisfaction and talent development targets. The final job role is the research and strategy executive director, they provide evidence community sport need s to make the case for sport, monitor progress against the targets and learn about what works and why. Sport England is the world leading community sport system. Their funding from the National Lottery and the Government is used in projects to help grass root participation. They work in partnership with UK Sport, which has responsibility for elite success, and the Youth Sport Trust, which is focused on PE and school sport. They also bring together a wide range of partners from local and national government, the commercial sector, higher and further education and the third sector to make the most of their investment in sport. Although their main role is to protect playing fields threatened by potential developments, they provide a wealth of expertise on planning, facilities, coaching, volunteering and sports development. Sport England has ploughed funding into 46 National governing bodies to increase participation numbers and create pathways for talented players. 34 of the NGBs received targeted investment to get children and young people playing more sports. They will evaluate the pro gress and results in 2012 on the UK sports system. As an organisation they are working closely with a range of local, county and regional partners, such as local authorities, county sports partnerships and regional development agencies, to bring sport to people how, and where, they want it. In order for Sport England to be successful they have to work closely with a wide range of organisations. A few examples of these are: Their sporting landscape partners Youth Sport Trust and UK Sport National Governing Bodies of sports National partners Local authorities County Sports Partnerships Higher and Further Education The third sector The commercial sector London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Delivery Authority Sport England is actively involved with many projects helping to ensure a better sporting experience for the community. They use lottery and government funding in a wide range of projects, big or small.  £120 million was put in to the Wembley National Stadium; this is an example of a major project. They are currently involved with the Manchester indoor BMX proposal, Portsmouth 50m pool including athletics and cycling, National centres project upgrades and many, many more. Sport Englands main focus is to help develop community sports, therefore it aims to help invest in organisations and programmes that will help to increase participation and the opportunities people have in sport. Sport England states â€Å"In addition to our investment in key partners to deliver specific objectives, we are launching funding programmes open to a wide range of organisations. These include sports clubs, voluntary or community organisations, local authorities, schools, colleges and universities† One of the main partnerships Sport England works with to provide funding is the national lottery. Lottery funding states â€Å"Decisions about funding are made locally by the nine regional sports boards. Eligible projects will be assessed against the priorities laid out in each regions sports plan and the National Framework for Sport†. Sport England provides funding to increase participation but also helps in providing sports equipment, providing coaches and also helping to build new sports facilities. Another funding partnership Sport England has is with the national governing bodies of sports. Sports England states â€Å"We are investing  £480 million through 46 governing bodies over the next four years and have agreed grow, sustain and excel targets with each one. Each sport has developed a whole sport plan that explains how it will use this money to achieve these targets.† The PE and Sports Strategy for Young People is a development that aims in giving young people the opportunity of participating in 5 hours of sport and physical activity a week. The youth sports trust describes the strategy as â€Å"The Youth Sport Trust and Sport England are working with the DCSF and the DCMS on ways to help local delivery partners increase provision, demand and take-up amongst all young people (5-16 year olds) of their five hours a week of high-quality PE and sport (three hours for 16 -19 year olds)†. The makeup of the five hours will involve offering at least 2 hours a week of high quality curriculum PE to 5-16 year olds. As well as that they are offering an extra 3 hours of sport through both school, community and club opportunities. This 3 hours of sport reaches out further and is offered to 5-19 year olds. The thought behind offering it to young people over the age of 16, is down to the fact that after that age PE no longer becomes compulsory in the curriculum. Therefore Sport England believes at that age they still need to be given the opportunity to participate in some form of sport. As part of this strategy, Sport England has also developed programmes such as Club Links and Sports unlimited. As part of the Club Links programme, Sport England is not only trying to increase the amount of 5-19 year olds taking part in sport but also increase the amount of young people taking on leadership and volunteering jobs in sport. Sport England states â€Å"We are investing  £4.1m into the 34 sports to deliver an extra half million junior club participants or volunteers by 2012-2013† Sport England is funding these programmes in order to help achieve the 5 hour participation offer and help increase the links between clubs and school sport. The Sports Unlimited programme aims at providing sport to those considered ‘semi sporty, which are young people who have an interest in sport but are yet to participate in community or club sport. They aim to deliver alternative sports which are different to the usual sports that must community and clubs already offer. By doing this they aim to get more young people interested because of offering something innovative and fun. Each change that has been decided such as the 5 hour offer, sport unlimited, club links and especially step into sport have all got similar reasons of why they have changed for the good of improving sport. The main reason for these changes was to increase participation within community sport. This is done in three different ways through active communities which is to provide sport for everyone, so it was produced for anyone who wants to participate in sport. Active sports which is to support the sports participants especially the high quality and elite performers so they can gain more from their sports. And finally the last one is active schools and this is to ensure that school children get off to the right start in sport. They have also made these choices to support talented sports participants from all different classed, cultural backgrounds to progress to the elite level and more medals can come through the higher standards of performance in sport for example there is now a programme that has been set up for the world class performers, for those who compete at the highest levels such as their country. Some of these changes can also develop and maintain coaches. They help coaches to progress to a certain level of teaching and keep them constantly updated with new knowledge about each individual sport with new techniques and new tactical areas. They create a network and link of sporting specific clubs and multi sport clubs for the younger generation. This ensures communication and helps sport to be more organised through more people helping and more events and competitive sport can occur. This can also lead to an increase in people wanting to volunteer for these competitions or events or more jobs for those who are struggling to find work. It also helps increase fitness throughout the whole community by involving everyone as stated in the active communities were an increased number of participants is being adopted and worked upon, and there will be more facilities to participate in sport, as they aim to ensure the right facilities are provided in the correct places, and kept at a high standard which involves alto of planning, designing and development but new places entice people to use them therefore increasing participation. The new change step into sport has three reasons alone for why it has been started. It sustains involvement in leadership and volunteering in port. For the â€Å"personal change† in the younger people by supporting the development of inter personal skills, self confidence and a sense of responsibility. Finally its â€Å"structural change† through working with key agencies to offer broader opportunities for young people to make a formal and valued contribution to the delivery of sport. (lecture slides) References Sport England [online] last accessed 25th April 2010 at: http://www.sportengland.org/about_us.aspx Club Links [Online] last accessed 28th April 2010 at: http://www.sportengland.org/support__advice/children_and_young_people/community_and_club_activities/club_links.aspx Investing in National Governing Bodies [Online] Last accessed 30th April 2010 at: http://www.sportengland.org/funding/ngb_investment.aspx Funding Guidelines [Online] last accessed 1st may 2010 at: http://www.sportengland.org/funding.aspx Lottery Funding [Online] last accessed 30th April 2010 at: http://www.lotteryfunding.org.uk/uk/sport-england The PE Sport Strategy for Young People[Online] last accessed 28th April 2010 at: http://www.youthsporttrust.org/page/pessyp/index.html

Ethical Decision Making Models Essay -- Ethics

Introduction Ethical responsibilities are relevant in business, education, and other institutions and communities. In seeking a higher education position, making ethical decisions will be significant. Assessing ethical conduct is a key element to improving the resolution of ethical conflicts. Asking questions and surveying individuals in the medical field, businesses, colleges, and other areas will provide useful information about the impact and influence of ethical conduct. Empirical research indicates various factors influence and affect ethical behavior. Family and religion play a dominant role in producing positive ethical decisions, especially as people get older. Graduates and business executives’ perceptions inform researchers about the need for more ethical decision-making role models in business and the nursing community. Effective leadership demonstrates ethical characteristics for optimal decision-making. Studies Ellie Kaucher (2010) conducted a study to examine moral and immoral behavior, in order to establish guidelines for acceptable behavior. She explored ethical decision-making to see the relationship to effective leadership. Also, common characteristics of effective and ethical educational leaders were identified as honesty, integrity, and motivation. Results indicated effective educational leaders are sensitive to subordinates’ needs, provide support and advocate for all students, and are accountable for student success and achievement. Educational leaders who are effective and demonstrate ethical responsibilities create learning environments that are ethical, visionary, motivational, and people-centered. Learning about ethical issues and ethical decision-making models could help develop e... ...., & Ulrich, T. A. (1988). A Longitudinal Survey of Business School Graduates' Assessments of Business Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 7(4), 295-302. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Cameron, M. E., Schaffer, M. M., & Park, H. A. (2001). Nursing Students' Experience of Ethical Problems and Use of Ethical Decision-Making Models. Nursing Ethics, 8(5), 432-447. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Herndon Jr., N. C. (1996). A new context for ethics education objectives in a college of business: Ethical decision-making models. Journal of Business Ethics, 15(5), 501-510. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Kaucher, E. (2010). Ethical decision making and effective leadership. Ed.D. dissertation, Alliant International University, San Diego, California. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from Dissertations & Theses: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection. (Publication No. AAT 3401776).

Junk E-Mail is Abusive to the Internet and its Users :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Junk E-Mail is Abusive to the Internet and its Users    With in the past decade, the term â€Å"junk mail† has transformed from a pile of flashy advertisements and unnecessary coupon books to an intruding, pervasive, and even offensive collection of electronic messages. Though, the distribution of postal mail for the purpose of advertisement is governed by effective laws, distribution of unsolicited email runs free across the internet at the expense of others. The solicitation of â€Å"junk e-mail† fosters profit for few, at the inconvenience of many. Though the solicitors of junk email are to blame for the mail itself, the government is to blame for the continuing flow and lack of response to this dilemma. Email is one of the most popular means of communications today. According to our textbook, Media Now, â€Å"Obviously, the ‘killer’ electronic application these days is email. Its presence is all but inbiquitous among computer users and its growth skyrockets day by day† (LaRose, 362). In fact, email is even more widely used than the United States Postal Service (LaRose, 362). If email circulates more mail than the post office, then why is email less regulated? The internet and email is a new technology which Congress is unsure on how to regulate. Email has become popular only within the past few years, but regulation must be enacted. According to the Final Comments to the Federal Trade Commission on Unsolicited Commercial Email which was compiled in June of 1997, the burdens of junk email is expected to grow. In fact, most people do not want this unsolicited mail sent to them. World research reports that over one half of the people they surveyed â€Å"hated† junk mail, and another one fourth found it â€Å"bothersome†(Semilof, 1). Something must be done. One might ask, however, why email needs to be regulated. The core of the problem is the extra costs and intrusions of privacy which junk email provokes. Senders of junk email slow the processing and quality of Internet Service Providers, intrude privacy by harvesting email addresses, and unfairly distribute mail to uninterested consumers. Junk email incures storage costs, productivity costs, bandwidth or telephone line costs, and processing costs (Simmons, 24). Senders of this mail benefit from the burden on others. Though the senders of this mail need to be stopped, action must be taken to stop them.

Hamlet: Essay On Act I :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet: Essay On Act I         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Act one of HAMLET   is an excellent introductory act.   Shakespeare establishes atmosphere, by introducing the major characters, the role of the supernatural, the revenge plot, the love plot, and the contrast of the Fortinbras plot, as well as Hamlet's fiegned madness.   Through his unique writing style, Shakespeare sets us up for the rest of the story, and captures the reader's attention, making him want read more.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare establishes the atmosphere of the play, in scene I.   The scene takes place in Elsinore, on a platform before the castle.   The atmosphere is one of dark battlements, and nervous sentries, which catches the audiences attention right away.   As the bell tolls twelve on a frosty night, a silent ghost of the late King Hamlet apperars twice.   This provides one of the high points of the scene, along with this, Shakespeare presents the reader with information, regarding the military preparations in Denmark.   All of this provides for a dark, mysterious atmosphere, where the reader is wanting to know more.   Shakesperare continues to establish atmosphere in scene III.   In this scene, atmosphere of a diferent kind is created. This scene is a family scene, in which brotherly, and fatherly advice creates an atmosphere quite different from that of the appearance of the ghost and the problems of Hamlet and his relatives.   This creates an atmosphere of love, and betrayall, whereby Ophelia is forced to obey her father Polonious, and is told to be careful with Hamlet, as he is a prince, and will not look to marry just anyone, such as herself. Shakespeare continues to develop atmosphere throughout the act, and uses the atmosphere to introduce some of the characters in the play.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare introduces some of the major characters in the play, and leaves lasting impressions of each on the reader.   Bernardo, and Francisco are introduced in the first scene, as officers watching their posts, but it is Horetio that leaves the greatest impression, as he is described as a well educated scholar, and seems to have great importance to the development of the play. In scene II, Claudious, the present King of Denmark is introduced.   He is the uncle of Hamlet, and just so happens to be masrried to Hamlet's mother, creating a definate first impression.   Hamlet is aslo introduced, and the impression perceived is one of a troubled individual, who is grieving his father's death, and is angry at his mother for marrying his uncle Claudious. Ophelia, Hamlet's girlfriend, and the daughter of Polonious is introduced in scene III.   She is described as a rather affectionate, but rather docile

Teen Suicide

Teen suicide is â€Å"the third-leading cause of death for young people age 15 to 24. (American Psychological Association) According to the research of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), nearly 1,700 teenagers in the US commit suicide annually because emotional, social and family pressures. Teenagers are in the gray area between childhood and adulthood, and on the way to find out their own sexual identity and relationships with others. Also, they are under great pressure to be independence and responsible for their lives.Suicidal risk factors among teens are: * Family crisis- family loss, parents separation or divorce * Psychological problems- anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, insomnia, or alcohol/drug use. * Family history of depression or suicide * Being victims of bullying * A previous suicide attempt * Feelings of isolation from others, family or peers; hopelessness. * Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. Teen suicide is preventable, so being aware of the warning signs is important. (American Psychological Association) Taking about Dying – any mention of dying, shooting oneself, or other types of self harm *Recent Loss – through death, divorce, broken relationship, loss of interest in friends and hobbies. *Change in personality – sad, withdrawn, irritable, anxious, tired, or indecisive. *Change in sleep Patterns – Change in Eating Patterns – insomnia, early waking or oversleeping, nightmares. *Change in Eating Habits – loss of appetite and weight, or overeating. Low Self Esteem – Feeling worthless, shame, overwhelming guilt, self-hatred. Indication of a suicidal plan((Teen Suicide): *Actually says about committing suicide. *Giving away or throwing away favorite belongings. * Shows signs of extreme cheerfulness following periods of depression. * Creates suicide notes. *Expresses bizarre or unsettling thoughts on occasion. The role of the nurse as a healthcare professional is important t o educate parents, teachers and community members about the warning signs to prevent a teen suicide.The nurse can help parents recognize who is at risk for suicide, and what they can do is essential. Keeping relations with the teen who are at risk, and asking questions about the thoughts of hopelessness or suicide can be an important step to prevent. Moreover, inform the parents how they can get help from health professionals. The parents can help in case of emergency by calling (800)SUICIDE for help. Suicidal thoughts do tend to come and go, so the nurse should encourage the parents to keep the scheduled appointment with a mental health professional, even though the teen refuses.Nearly 60% of all suicides in the US are committed with a gun, therefore inform the parents that any gun should be unloaded, locked, and kept out of the reach of teens. Furthermore, overdose using over0the-counter, prescription, and non-prescription medicine is another method for teens for suicide. Therefor e, the nurse needs to educate the parents to monitor carefully all medications in their homes. ( Kids Health) Losing a child from suicide is a painful tragedy for the patents, and the teen who is a survivor of suicide need help from a health care professional to recover from the tragedy.Advise them to maintain contact with others, remember that other family members are grieving, too, expect that any anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays may be difficult, understand that it’s normal to feel guilty, counseling and support groups. **New Jersey Regional Crisis Hotline: Bergen County (all areas)? (201) 262-HELP, 262-4357: Bergen Regional Hospital, Hotline, Psychiatric Emergency Room, Mobile Screening **New Jersey’s Hotline Local hotline number: 908-232-2880, or Text â€Å"CWC† to 839863 M,W,F 4:00pm -10:00pm References 1. New Jersey Regional Crisis Hotline: http://www. njit. edu/counseling/gethelp/crisis. php 2. New Jersey’s Caring and Crisis Hotline, Contact We Care: http://www. contactwecare. org/ 3. Teen Suicide: http://www. teensuicide. us/articles2. htm 4. About Teen Suicide. Kids Health. http://kidshealth. org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide. html# 5. Teen Suicide is Preventable. American Psychological Association. http://www. apa. org/research/action/suicide. aspx

M.A. English 4th Sem

The Guide Plot summary Railway Raju (nicknamed) is a disarmingly  corrupt  guide who falls in love with a beautiful dancer, Rosie, the neglected wife of archaeologist  Marco . Marco doesn't approve of Rosie's passion for  dancing. Rosie, encouraged by Raju, decides to follow her dreams and start a dancing career. They start living together and Raju's mother, as she does not approve of their relationship, leaves them. Raju becomes Rosie's stage manager and soon with the help of Raju's  marketing  tactics, Rosie becomes a successful dancer.Raju, however, develops an inflated sense of self-importance and tries to control her. Raju gets involved in a case of  forgery  and gets a two year sentence. After completing the sentence, Raju passes through a village where he is mistaken for a  sadhu  (a spiritual guide). Reluctantly, as he does not want to return in disgrace to  Malgudi, he stays in an abandoned temple. There is a  famine  in the village and Raju is expe cted to keep a  fast  in order to make it rain. With media publicizing his fast, a huge crowd gathers (much to Raju's resentment) to watch him fast.After fasting for several days, he goes to the riverside one morning as part of his daily ritual, where his legs sag down as he feels that the rain is falling in the hills. The ending of the novel leaves unanswered the question of whether he did, or whether the  drought  has really ended. The last line of the novel is ‘Raju said â€Å"Velan, its raining up the hills, I can feel it under my feet. † And with this he saged down'. The last line implies that by now Raju after undergoing so many ups and downs in his life has become a sage and as the drought ends Raju's life also ends.Narayan has beautifully written the last line which means Raju did not die but saged down, meaning Raju within himself had become a sage. Character of Rosie Rosie is one of the main characters in the novel. She is presented in the novel as a b eautiful dancer, of the  Devadasi  type of  temple dancers, and the wife of Marco. Her marriage is like a curse in disguise to her as Marco is totally engrossed in his career and is totally apathetic and unemotional to her. She is very passionate about dancing but her husband does not allow her to dance.She tries to persuade her husband and bears all the insults by him just for the sake of getting his permission to dance. When she is left in  Malgudi  by Marco to live with Raju, she devotes herself completely to dancing. She wakes early in the morning and practices hard for three hours everyday. She is always eager to talk about dance and even tries to teach Raju some of it. She is religious and believes in Goddess  Saraswati  and has a  bronze statue  of  Nataraja, which is an image of  Shiva  as the  cosmic  Lord of  Dance, in her office. She does not believe in   discriminating  between people on the basis of their financial status.When Raju meet s rich and influential people, Rosie does not seem to care much about them. Being herself an artist, she respects the arts and likes to be in the company of artists and other music lovers. Her success does not get to her head even after becoming a very successful professional dancer. Raju becomes upset when Rosie spends a lot of time with different artists rather than with him. He tells her that these artists come to her because they are inferior to her and she replies that she is tired of all these talks of superior and inferior and does not believe in any of these.She is also portrayed as a traditional Indian wife. Her husband is like God to her. Marco calls her dancing skills as street  acrobatics  and compares it to  monkey  dance. Despite all these insults she continues to be his wife. When Marco comes to know about the intimacy between her and Raju he gets very upset and doesn't talk to her and completely ignores her presence. She apologizes to him and keeps on followi ng him like a dog hoping that his mind would change one day but that does not happen. This incident shows her tremendous tolerance power and her optimistic attitude.Even after she becomes very successful in her career and independent of her husband Marco she still has his photograph which conveys that she still considered Marco to be her husband and highlights her traditional Indian wife kind of character. However, she is often referred as ‘The Serpent girl' by Raju's mother, because his mother thinks that she was responsible for the ruined condition of her family and her son. Raju also seems to dislike her at the end of the story and holds her as the culprit. Rosie was also disliked by Raju's friends, Gaffur and Sait due to her intimacy with Raju.What is the summary of the Novel The Guide written By R. K. Narayan? Answer:- Raju is a railway guide who becomes obsessed with Rosie, a neglected wife of an archeologist Marco. Rosie has a passion for dancing which Marco doesn't app rove of. Rosie, encouraged by Raju, decides to follow her dreams and walks out on her husband. Raju becomes her stage manager and soon with the help of Raju's marketing tactics, Rosie becomes a successful dancer. By giving Rosie the opportunity to dance, Raju is also giving her freedom, freedom which Marco has suppressed by refusing to let her dance.Raju, however, develops an inflated sense of self-importance and tries to control Rosie. But a man should not live off a woman. On the other hand, what if she is successful only because of that man? The relationship between Raju and Rosie is strained. Marco reappears and Raju inadvertently gets involved in a case of forgery and gets a two year sentence. After completing the sentence, Raju is passing through a village when he is mistaken for a sadhu (a spiritual guru). Being reluctant to return in disgrace to Malgudi, he decides to play the part of the swami and makes the village temple his home.There is a famine in the village and Swami Raju, like the sadhu in one of his stories that he used to narrate to the villagers, is expected to keep a fast to get the rains. And he does go on a fast. Despite grave danger to his health, he continues to fast until he collapses. ‘Can there be any connection between one man's hunger and the rains? ‘ ‘Is there someone up there and does he listen to you? ‘ He is undergoing a spiritual transformation and the place has become a shrine. ‘Will it rain? ‘ Well, the villagers have faith in him and he has faith in their faith.Despite grave danger to his health, he continues to fast until he collapses. His legs sag down as he feels that the rain is falling in the hills. The ending of the novel leaves unanswered the question of whether he dies, or whether the drought has really ended. The English Teacher The English Teacher  is a 1945 novel written by  R. K. Narayan. This is the third and final part in the series, preceded by  Swami and Friends  ( 1935) and  The Bachelor of Arts  (1937). This novel, dedicated to Narayan's wife Rajam is not only  autobiographical  but also poignant in its intensity of feeling.The story is a series of experiences in the life of Krishna, an English teacher, and his quest towards achieving inner peace and self-development. Plot As an English teacher at Albert Mission College, Krishna has led a mundane and monotonous lifestyle comparable to that of a cow, but this took a turn when his wife, Susila, and their child, Leela, come to live with him. With their welfare on his hands, Krishna learns to be a proper husband and learns how to accept the responsibility of taking care of his family.He felt that his life had comparatively improved, as he understood that there's more meaning to life than to just teaching in the college. However, on the day when they went in search of a new house, Susila contracts typhoid after visiting a dirty lavatory, keeping her in bed for weeks. Throughout the entire course of her illness, Krishna constantly tries to keep an optimistic view about Susila's illness, keeping his hopes up by thinking that her illness would soon be cured. However, Susila eventually succumbs and passes away.Krishna, destroyed by her loss, has suicidal thoughts but gives them up for the sake of his daughter, Leela. He leads his life as a lost and miserable person after her death, but after he receives a letter from a stranger who indicates that Susila has been in contact with him and that she wants to communicate with Krishna, he becomes more collected and cheerful. This leads to Krishna’s journey in search of enlightenment, with the stranger acting as a medium to Susila in the spiritual world.Leela, on the other hand, goes to a preschool where Krishna gets to meet the Headmaster, a profound man who cared for the students in his school and teaches them moral values through his own methods. The Headmaster puts his students as his top priority but he doesnâ€℠¢t care for his own family and children, eventually leaving them on the day predicted by an astrologer as to be when he was going to die, which did not come true. Krishna gets to learn through the Headmaster on the journey to enlightenment; eventually learning to ommunicate to Susila on his own, thus concluding the entire story itself, with the quote that he felt ‘a moment of rare immutable joy'. PLOT Krishna, is spending his married days in a College hostel, living like cattle, far from marital bliss until one afternoon he receives a letter from his father wishing him to settle a home in Malgudi with his wife and child. What follows next is a series of light hearted chatter about Krishna adapting to the domestic responsibility which convert him into a man (from cattle! ). One day, when Krishna and Susila go out to look for a house, Susila falls ill and dies after a spell of typhoid.Krishna’s life is deserted, but he has to keep solace in his bundle of joy, Leela, his d aughter. In the next few months he learns and executes household chores, takes charge of child and goes out to college until one day he receives a letter from his wife Susila!!! Krishna embarks on a journey to attain nirvana to bridge with the spirit of his wife Susila, as per her wish in the letter and future correspondences. Parallel to this the child has grown up enough and starts attending school. The school Headmaster is a man of strong will and has dedicated his whole life for the education of small children.His philosophy attracts Krishna and it’s the incidents in Schoolmaster’s life which help Krishna turn around and attain Nirvana, which he had been trying to achieve since long time. Finally, the child is sent to the grandparents and Krishna resigns from his job as the English teacher. He takes up work in kindergarten and succeeds in uniting with his ‘soul mate’. How? Find out! Apart from Krishna, Susila and Leela, another significant character is Leela’s schoolmaster. He is a revolutionary educationist who wants his pupils to be happy in life.His wife doesn’t respect him and discard his principles and his children live miserably due to this domestic discord. One day, he decides to leave his family for good to fulfill his dream. Its his way of life which helps Krishna in his journey. The high points:  twice while reading this otherwise effortless book, comes two small accounts which are treat for your literary buds. First, the scene where Susila has died and Krishna is sitting all night alongside her corpse and then next day the journey to cremation ground and back is presented in a first class narrative, profoundly touching and flamboyant.It’s  noticeable  that RKN was capable of composing ornate literature but chose to be simple for good. Secondly, in the last chapter, the narrative is dynamic, first with the farewell party scene in college where his colleagues and students are biding Krishna bye bye, and second when he reaches home and is into the state of peace at last. The supernatural plot  in the story is well constituted and angelic. It doesn’t look ‘forced’ because it is well justified and aesthetic. The happenings in Krishna’s life play important role in his journey from a novice learner to a successful master of this science.It’s a joy to read through his experiences which make him a better human being. To simply put,  narration  is ordinary but nonetheless ecstatic. The characters are well sculptured and blend in the story smoothly. It is as lucid for a fifth standard student to comprehend but as intricate for an adult to conclude. Another  delight  is that the size of the book is just apt. Only 184 pages make it a fast, easy and enjoyable read with no frills & no insignificant blah blah. Untouchable This article is about the Mulk Raj Anand novel. For the John Banville novel, see  The Untouchable (novel).Untouchable  is a  novel  by  Mulk Raj Anand  published in 1935. The novel established Anand as one of India's leading  English  authors. [1]The book was inspired by his aunt's experience when she had a meal with a Muslim person and was treated as an outcast by his family. [2]  The plot of this book, Anand's first, revolves around the argument for eradicating the  caste system. [3]  It depicts a day in the life of Bakha, a young â€Å"sweeper†, who is â€Å"untouchable† due to his work cleaning latrines. Plot Untouchable’ is the story of a single day in the life of 18 year old  untouchable  boy named Bakha, who lives in pre-independence India.Bakha is described as `strong and able-bodied`, full of enthusiasm and dreams varying from to dressing like a ‘Tommie’ (Englishmen) in ‘fashun’ to playing  hockey. However, his limited means and the fact that he belongs to the lowest caste even amongst untouchables, forces him to beg fo r food, to often face humiliation, and to be at the mercy of the whims of other, higher caste, Hindus. The day described in the story is a difficult one for Bakha. Over the course of the day, he is slapped in public for ‘polluting' an upper caste Hindu through an accidental touch and has food thrown at him by another person after he cleans her gutters.His sister is molested by a priest, he is blamed for an injury received by a young boy following a melee after a hockey match, and he is thrown out of his house by his father. In the story, Mulk Raj Anand presents two choices, or ways in which Bakha in particular and untouchables in general can be liberated from the life they are born into. The first choice is that of Christianity, a religion that does not recognize the caste system. The second comes from the teachings of Gandhi who calls for the freeing of Harijans. PrefaceAfter the very long duration of time, I am here to present my exposition of an English Poem â€Å"The Quee n’s Rival†Ã‚   composed by Sarojini Naidu who was a celebrated woman of letters of her times as the great poetess and was also honored with the title of â€Å"The Nightingale of India†. The theme of the poem in exposition is based on a tale from a book â€Å"Arabian Nights’. The original author of the book is unknown, but it is translated in many languages of the world. The book with the title as â€Å"New Arabian Nights’ in English was translated by Robert Louis Stevenson. Andrew Lang also had written the same book in English.In Gujarati also, we can have the said book under the Title â€Å"Arbastaan-ni- Vaato. Over the centuries, the countless editions of the Arabian Nights have been published. The original text of the poem in three parts is as follows: The poem is taken from â€Å"The Golden Threshold†, the first volume of verse published in 1905 by Sarojini Naidu. â€Å"The Queen’s Rival† I QUEEN GULNAAR sat on her ivory bed, Around her countless treasures were spread; Her chamber walls were richly inlaid With agate, porphyry, onyx and jade; The tissues that veiled her delicate breast, Glowed with the hues of a lapwing’s crest;But still she gazed in her mirror and sighed â€Å"O King, my heart is unsatisfied. † King Feroz bent from his ebony seat: â€Å"Is thy least desire unfulfilled, O Sweet? â€Å"Let thy mouth speak and my life be spent To clear the sky of thy discontent. † â€Å"I tire of my beauty, I tire of this Empty splendour and shadow-less bliss; â€Å"With none to envy and none gainsay, No savour or salt hath my dream or day. † Queen Gulnaar sighed like a murmuring rose: â€Å"Give me a rival, O King Feroz. † II King Feroz spoke to his Chief Vizier: â€Å"Lo! ere to-morrow’s dawn be here, â€Å"Send forth my messengers over the sea,To seek seven beautiful brides for me; â€Å"Radiant of feature and regal of mien, Seven handmaids meet for the Persian Queen. † Seven new moon tides at the Vesper call, King Feroz led to Queen Gulnaar’s hall A young queen eyed like the morning star: â€Å"I bring thee a rival, O Queen Gulnaar. † But still she gazed in her mirror and sighed: â€Å"O King, my heart is unsatisfied. † Seven queens shone round her ivory bed, Like seven soft gems on a silken thread, Like seven fair lamps in a royal tower, Like seven bright petals of Beauty’s flower Queen Gulnaar sighed like a murmuring rose â€Å"Where is my rival, O King Feroz? III When spring winds wakened the mountain floods, And kindled the flame of the tulip buds, When bees grew loud and the days grew long, And the peach groves thrilled to the oriole’s song, Queen Gulnaar sat on her ivory bed, Decking with jewels her exquisite head; And still she gazed in her mirror and sighed: â€Å"O King, my heart is unsatisfied. † Queen Gulnsar’s daughter two spring times old, In blue robes bordered with tassels of gold, Ran to her knee like a wildwood fay, And plucked from her hand the mirror away. Quickly she set on her own light curls Her mother’s fillet with fringes of pearls;Quickly she turned with a child’s caprice And pressed on the mirror a swift, glad kiss. Queen Gulnaar laughed like a tremulous rose: â€Å"Here is my rival, O King Feroz. † -Sarojini Naidu Synopsis of the poem: Feroz is the king of Persia. Gulnaar is his queen. In spite of the pompous palace life, the queen is not satisfied at heart. Though she is beautiful, she is longing for her rival. Sighing like a murmuring rose, she asks the king to give a rival to her who can compete with her beauty. On demand of Gulnaar, the king marries seven beautiful brides and asks them to live with Gulnaar as her maid-servants.The seven queens were supposed to be Gulnaar’s rivals, but she continues to gaze in her mirror saying all the times that her heart was not satisfied with all those so cal led rivals. After some years, the queen Gulnaar gives birth to a baby-girl. When the princess becomes two years old, she runs to her knees to the Queen and snatches the mirror away from her hand. Then she wears her mother’s hair-band around her head and presses her swift kiss on mirror. This very innocent gesture of the child makes Gulnaar laugh like a rose trembling on a plant with soft wind.She exclaims with joy, ‘Here is my rival, O King Feroz. † Exposition: When we go through the poem under discussion, we do come to the concluding outcome of our study that Sarojini Naidu was really a natural, proficient and born poetess of her times. The narrations of Gulnaar’s bed, her chamber and her fabric are such attractive with flower of speech that we would like to read those stanzas again and again in spite of the use of difficult words for various gems. The colorful muslin covering her delicate chest is compared with the crest of a bird named lapwing.But, in sp ite of her happiness, she gazed in her mirror and sighed saying, â€Å"O King, my heart is unsatisfied. † While proceeding further, we come across the romantic dialogues spoken by both King Feroz and Queen. Gulnaar as below: â€Å"Is thy least desire unfulfilled, O Sweet? Let thy mouth speak and my life be spent. To clear the sky of thy discontent† said the King. The Queen said, â€Å"I tire of my beauty, I tire of this, Empty splendor and shadow-less bliss; With none to envy and none gainsay (rejoin), and savor (taste) or salt hath my dream or day. † Queen Gulnaar sighed and said, â€Å"Give me a rival, King Feroz†.King Feroz ordered to his chief Vizier to send messengers over the sea to look for seven beautiful brides. The King said that the brides should be of glowing beauty and   be appointed to be in attendance to the Queen. They all stood with such stunning beauty that they looked like a necklace of seven gems of attractive colors on a silken thre ad. In other words to say, the queens looked like seven beautiful lamps in a royal tower and seven bright petals of a most beautiful flower. Yet, Queen Gulnaar sighed and expressed her dissatisfaction saying, â€Å"King Feroz, where is my rival? Against this background, Queen Gulnaar sat on her ivory bed adorning her delicate hair with precious jewels. She gazed in the mirror and sighed, â€Å"O King, my heart is still dissatisfied†. Prior to the concluding part of the poem, the poetess highlights a delicate psychological point that any power, prosperity or beauty if vested in one person becomes the cause of dissatisfaction at long. Rivalry in any field or aspect of life is the most essential factor for mental happiness and satisfaction. Monopoly, at long last, becomes like boredom. Human mind always longs for competition. It is the human nature that wishes that the fficiency, richness, strength, capability or beauty should be challenged by somebody. One should have opportun ity of being tested one’s own worthiness of merits. Here, the Queen Gulnaar is unhappy in absence of any rival in case of her beauty. She was not satisfied with the rivalry of seven queens. When the poem seems advancing to its end, a turning point arises all of a sudden. Gulnaar is then lucky enough to have a powerful competitor. Her competitor is nobody else but her two years old daughter herself. One day, Queen Gulnaar’s two year old daughter was adorned with precious dress.The child, like a fairy in a forest, rushed to the Queen and snatched the mirror away from her hand.. Then the child quickly wore her mother’s hair-band. Suddenly, with a child-like move, she planted happily a kiss on the mirror. Queen Gulnaar laughed like a quivering rose, saying, â€Å"O King Feroz, look, here is my rival†. Summing up, Gulnaar realized that her daughter was the real rival of hers. Then the poem dramatically ends with the reality of life that the parents are always happy when they see their young ones playing and doing various innocent actions and tricks around them.The poetess has successfully presented the psychological point of mothering and motherhood through these sonnet-like three parts of the poem. The Soul’s Prayer In childhood’s pride I said to Thee:‘O Thou, who mad’st me of Thy breath, Speak, Master, and reveal to meThine inmost laws of life and death. ‘Give me to drink each joy and painWhich Thine eternal hand can mete, For my insatiate soul would drainEarth’s utmost bitter, utmost sweet. ‘Spare me no bliss, no pang of strife,Withhold no gift or grief I crave, The intricate lore of love and lifeAnd mystic knowledge of the grave. ’Lord, Thou didst answer stern and low:‘Child, I will hearken to thy prayer, And thy unconquered soul shall knowAll passionate rapture and despair. ‘Thou shalt drink deep of joy and fame,And love shall burn thee like a fire, And pain shall clea nse thee like a flame,To purge the dross from thy desire. ‘So shall thy chastened spirit yearnTo seek from its blind prayer release, And spent and pardoned, sue to learnThe simple secret of My peace. ‘I, bending from my sevenfold height,Will teach thee of My quickening grace, Life is a prism of My light,And Death the shadow of My face. ’ The Soul’s Prayer by Sarojini Naidu: Summary and ExplanationWhat a beautiful prayer. Sarojini Naidu understands that both â€Å"good and bad things† in life are necessary for a satisfactory completion of one soul’s agenda. First the question Everything is perfect exactly as it is. We can’t see the other side because we are not there – but we know that within the frame of time we will get there and be able to see the whole of the mosaic image. At the moment certain things don’t make sense; but that doesn’t deter Naidu to accept life as it is: with the bitter and the sweet. This shows great understanding of how the soul uses the body and the body-brain as mere tools to develop spiritually.The spiritually blind will want to reject the painful parts of life, failing to envisage that the only way the soul can be cleansed of residue or simple unorganized illusory perceptions is to have the calling of pain. Pains serve two important purposes: when knocking at the door they grant vision to our spiritual; as the physical ones can only see the wound and the wound doesn’t always present itself when a crack in the thought system needs to be sealed (cleansed). The second purpose of the â€Å"pain calling† is to remind us, each and every time, that our little plans and designs won’t heal the root of the problem.In a chaotic world  God is  needed at the root; the soil surpassing any logic within our human limited comprehension of the workings of Truth and Knowledge. We have been made of God’s breath, so our very essence goes further than resem bling His. We are his breath and like it, when it is expired (exhalation) we experience human life as it presents itself now; when inspired (inhalation) we make an attempt to go back home through the death of the body. Each breath represents a state in our being, death the beginning of our spiritual life, birth the end of it.Human birth and death imply a simple reversal: spiritual death and birth. The never-ending moment and movement of inspiration and expiration are very much stated in the words  of the song â€Å"The Windmills of your Mind†: Round, like a circle in a spiralLike a wheel within a wheel. Never ending or beginning,  On an ever spinning wheel Sarojini writes this poem with the voice of a child and it is impressive to see someone so eager to go back to God (to wake up). By asking God to withhold nothing (â€Å"Withhold no gift or grief I crave†) she is delighted because the soul might not have to come back to deal with vagabond issues.The knowledge of the grave is mystic (â€Å"And mystic knowledge of the grave†) because we simply don’t know. What happens at the grave goes beyond our ordinary senses; we can’t experience it while in this body. Neither do we remember how it was nor what it was before human birth, something needed if we are to work on our toxic character defects with a full blown amount of fairness. Purity doesn’t come at a low price; we must endure the difficulties we chose for this life as souls and live with the consequences of our choices and actions – choices and actions that define us as we go along.Then God answers God grants Sarojini her wish, and this is interesting because it is what differentiates the boys from the men. The boys cry because God â€Å"brings† suffering to the world. The men understand that suffering is only part of the game. Life is just another â€Å"genre† of the Spinning or Cosmic Wheel. This particular version of â€Å"us† is play ed out with drama as well as through time intervals, obvious script techniques needed for our development as central characters. For the â€Å"arch† to take place, ups and downs are necessary.A good shaping of this arch determined by our behavior will make the play more or less dynamic but that doesn’t take away the overall theme: spiritual growth expanding into an inevitable awakening. ‘Thou shalt drink deep of joy and fame,And love shall burn thee like a fire, And pain shall cleanse thee like a flame,To purge the dross from thy desire. These are part of the inevitabilities required for the awakening. First we need to go through the experience of  desiring  joy, fame, love. The problems are not in these very things (joy, fame, love), but in the desire we feel for them.Desire pushes us into manipulation, which comes at the price of expectation, which ends in resentment when outcomes are not met. The line fails to be linear and the ups and downs manifesting fr om our erroneous perception carry pain along the way. Desire, then, is not desirable. It always implies suffering as well as other dirty little tricks like judgment and punishment. We might have to go through the pain many, many lives. But eventually the lesson is learned – pain â€Å"cleanses us like a flame, purging the dross from our desire†. The Spirit’s yearn, a seeking cry, comes not from us but from God Himself!God cries for us, His children, begging us to come home. The release is a call to the waking up that takes place when blind prayer turns into a sighted realization:  we never actually needed to learn through pain, and there was never anything to fear. Mystic mystery is a simple secret, nothing more. It’s God’s peace. The last verse discloses a loving God; a God that bends with care to teach His children that where the sun has never shone there is also light, His light. Shadow and Light are just like birth and death, like night and d ay, like inhaling and exhaling. Pain and joy are just part of the windmills of your mind.And the Mind – deep and calm in its Real state – when filtered through the body is just a memory of something else. Biography of Kamala Das Kamala Surayya / Suraiyya formerly known as Kamala Das , (also known as Kamala Madhavikutty, pen name was Madhavikutty) was a major Indian English poet and litterateur and at the same time a leading Malayalam author from Kerala, India. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the fiery poems and explicit autobiography.Her open and honest treatment of female sexuality, free from any sense of guilt, infused her writing with power, but also marked her as an iconoclast in her generation. On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune, but has earned considerable respect in recent years. Early Life Kamala Das was born in Pun nayurkulam, Thrissur District in Kerala, on March 31, 1934, to V. M. Nair, a former managing editor of the widely-circulated Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi, and Nalappatt Balamani Amma, a renowned Malayali poetess.She spent her childhood between Calcutta, where her father was employed as a senior officer in the Walford Transport Company that sold Bentley and Rolls Royce automobiles, and the Nalappatt ancestral home in Punnayurkulam. Like her mother, Kamala Das also excelled in writing. Her love of poetry began at an early age through the influence of her great uncle, Nalappatt Narayana Menon, a prominent writer. At the age of 15, she got married to bank officer Madhava Das, who encouraged her writing interests, and she started writing and publishing both in English and in Malayalam.Calcutta in the 1960s was a tumultous time for the arts, and Kamala Das was one of the many voices that came up and started appearing in cult anthologies along with a generation of Indian English poets. Lite rary Career She was noted for her many Malayalam short stories as well as many poems written in English. Das was also a syndicated columnist. She once claimed that â€Å"poetry does not sell in this country [India]†, but her forthright columns, which sounded off on everything from women's issues and child care to politics, were popular.Das' first book of poetry, Summer In Calcutta was a breath of fresh air in Indian English poetry. She wrote chiefly of love, its betrayal, and the consequent anguish. Ms. Das abandoned the certainties offered by an archaic, and somewhat sterile, aestheticism for an independence of mind and body at a time when Indian poets were still governed by â€Å"19th-century diction, sentiment and romanticised love. † Her second book of poetry, The descendants was even more explicit, urging women to: â€Å"Gift him what makes you woman, the scent of Long hair, the musk of sweat between the breasts.The warm shock of menstrual blood, and all your End less female hungers †¦ † – The Looking Glass This directness of her voice led to comparisons with Marguerite Duras and Sylvia Plath At the age of 42, she published a daring autobiography, My Story; it was originally written in Malayalam and later she translated it into English. Later she admitted that much of the autobiography had fictional elements. Kamala Das wrote on a diverse range of topics, often disparate- from the story of a poor old servant, about the sexual disposition of upper middle class women living near a metropolitan city or in the middle of the ghetto.Some of her better-known stories include Pakshiyude Manam, Neypayasam, Thanuppu, and Chandana Marangal. She wrote a few novels, out of which Neermathalam Pootha Kalam, which was received favourably by the reading public as well as the critics, stands out. She travelled extensively to read poetry to Germany's University of Duisburg-Essen, University of Bonn and University of Duisburg universities, Adel aide Writer's Festival , Frankfurt Book Fair, University of Kingston, Jamaica, Singapore, and South Bank Festival (London), Concordia University (Montreal, Canada), etc.Her works are available in French, Spanish, Russian, German and Japanese. She has also held positions as Vice chairperson in Kerala Sahitya Academy, chairperson in Kerala forestry Board, President of the Kerala Children's Film Society, editor of Poet magazine and Poetry editor of Illustrated Weekly of India. Although occasionally seen as an attention-grabber in her early years, she is now seen as one of the most formative influences on Indian English poetry. In 2009, The Times called her â€Å"the mother of modern English Indian poetry†. Conversion to IslamShe was born in a conservative Hindu Nair (Nallappattu) family having royal ancestry, After being asked by her lover Sadiq Ali, an Islamic scholar and a Muslim League MP, she embraced Islam in 1999 at the age of 65 and assumed the name Kamala Surayya. After converting, she wrote: â€Å"Life has changed for me since Nov. 14 when a young man named Sadiq Ali walked in to meet me. He is 38 and has a beautiful smile. Afterwards he began to woo me on the phone from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, reciting Urdu couplets and telling me of what he would do to me after our marriage. I took my nurse Mini and went to his place in my car.I stayed with him for three days. There was a sunlit river, some trees, and a lot of laughter. He asked me to become a Muslim which I did on my return home. † Her conversion was rather controversial, among social and literary circles, with The Hindu calling it part of her â€Å"histrionics†. She said she liked being behind the protective veil of the purdah. Later, she felt it was not worth it to change one's religion and said â€Å"I fell in love with a Muslim after my husband's death. He was kind and generous in the beginning. But I now feel one shouldn't change one's religion. It is not worth it. â€Å". Pol iticsThough never politically active before, she launched a national political party, Lok Seva Party, aiming asylum to orphaned mothers and promotion of secularism. In 1984 she unsuccessfully contested in the Indian Parliament elections. Personal Life Kamala Das had three sons – M D Nalapat, Chinnen Das and Jayasurya Das. Madhav Das Nalapat, the eldest, is married to Princess Lakshmi Bayi (daughter of M. R. Ry. Sri Chembrol Raja Raja Varma Avargal) from the Travancore Royal House. He holds the UNESCO Peace Chair and Professor of geopolitics at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education. He was formerly a resident editor of the Times of India.She had a sexual relationship with Sadiq Ali, an Islamic scholar who was much younger in age. She herself describes her visit to Sadiq Ali's home as follows: â€Å"I was almost asleep when Sadiq Ali climbed in beside me, holding me, breathing softly, whispering endearments, kissing my face, breasts †¦ and when he entered me, it was the first time I had ever experienced what it was like to feel a man from the inside. † Womanhood in her Poetry Das' uncanny honesty extends to her exploration of womanhood and love. In her poem â€Å"An Introduction† from Summer in Calcutta, the narrator says, â€Å"I am every/ Woman who seeks love† (de Souza 10).Though Amar Dwivedi criticizes Das for this â€Å"self imposed and not natural† universality, this feeling of oneness permeates her poetry (303). In Das' eyes, womanhood involves certain collective experiences. Indian women, however, do not discuss these experiences in deference to social mores. Das consistently refuses to accept their silence. Feelings of longing and loss are not confined to a private misery. They are invited into the public sphere and acknowledged. Das seems to insist they are normal and have been felt by women across time.In â€Å"The Maggots† from the collection, The Descendants, Das corroborates just how old the sufferin gs of women are. She frames the pain of lost love with ancient Hindu myths (de Souza 13). On their last night together, Krishna asks Radha if she is disturbed by his kisses. Radha says, â€Å"No, not at all, but thought, What is/ It to the corpse if the maggots nip? † (de Souza 6-7). Radha's pain is searing, and her silence is given voice by Das. Furthermore, by making a powerful goddess prey to such thoughts, it serves as a validation for ordinary women to have similar feelings. Eroticism in her PoetryCoupled with her exploration of women's needs is an attention to eroticism. The longing to lose one's self in passionate love is discussed in â€Å"The Looking Glass† from The Descendants. The narrator of the poem urges women to give their man â€Å"what makes you women† (de Souza 15). The things which society suggests are dirty or taboo are the very things which the women are supposed to give. The â€Å"musk of sweat between breasts/ The warm shock of menstrual blood† should not be hidden from one's beloved. In the narrator's eyes, love should be defined by this type of unconditional honesty.A woman should â€Å"Stand nude before the glass with him,† and allow her lover to see her exactly as she is. Likewise, the woman should appreciate even the â€Å"fond details† of her lover, such as â€Å"the jerky way he/ Urinates†. Even if the woman may have to live â€Å"Without him† someday, the narrator does not seem to favor bridling one's passions to protect one's self. A restrained love seems to be no love at all; only a total immersion in love can do justice to this experience. Much like the creators of ancient Tantric art, Das makes no attempt to hide the sensuality of the human form; her work seems to elebrate its joyous potential while acknowledging its concurrent dangers. Feminism Das once said, â€Å"I always wanted love, and if you don't get it within your home, you stray a little†(Warrior intervi ew). Though some might label Das as â€Å"a feminist† for her candor in dealing with women's needs and desires, Das â€Å"has never tried to identify herself with any particular version of feminist activism† (Raveendran 52). Das' views can be characterized as â€Å"a gut response,† a reaction that, like her poetry, is unfettered by other's notions of right and wrong.Nonetheless, poet Eunice de Souza claims that Das has â€Å"mapped out the terrain for post-colonial women in social and linguistic terms†. Das has ventured into areas unclaimed by society and provided a point of reference for her colleagues. She has transcended the role of a poet and simply embraced the role of a very honest woman. Death On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune. Her body was flown to her home state of Kerala. She was buried at the Palayam Juma Masjid at Thiruvanathapuram with full state honour. Awards and other RecognitionsKamala Das has received many awards fo r her literary contribution, including: Nominated and shortlisted for Nobel Prize in 1984. Asian Poetry Prize-1998 Kent Award for English Writing from Asian Countries-1999 Asian World Prize-2000 Ezhuthachan Award-2009 Sahitya Academy Award-2003 Vayalar Award2001 Kerala Sahitya Academy Award-2005 Muttathu Varkey Award She was a longtime friend of Canadian writer Merrily Weisbord, who published a memoir of their friendship, The Love Queen of Malabar, in 2010. Kamala Das's Works: English 1964: The Sirens (Asian Poetry Prize winner) 965: Summer in Calcutta (poetry; Kent's Award winner) 1967: The Descendants (poetry) 1973: The Old Playhouse and Other Poems (poetry) 1976: My Story (autobiography) 1977: Alphabet of Lust (novel) 1985: The Anamalai Poems (poetry) 1992: Padmavati the Harlot and Other Stories (collection of short stories) 1996: Only the Soul Knows How to Sing (poetry) 2001: Yaa Allah (collection of poems) 1979: Tonight,This Savage Rite (with Pritish Nandy) 1999: My Mother At S ixty-six (Poem) Malayalam 1964: Pakshiyude Manam (short stories) 1966: Naricheerukal Parakkumbol (short stories) 968: Thanuppu (short story, Sahitya Academi award) 1982: Ente Katha (autobiography) 1987: Balyakala Smaranakal (Childhood Memories) 1989: Varshangalkku Mumbu (Years Before) 1990: Palayan (novel) 1991: Neypayasam (short story) 1992: Dayarikkurippukal (novel) 1994: Neermathalam Pootha Kalam (novel, Vayalar Award) 1996: Chekkerunna Pakshikal (short stories) 1998: Nashtapetta Neelambari (short stories) 2005: Chandana Marangal (Novel) 2005: Madhavikkuttiyude Unmakkadhakal (short stories)2x 2005: Vandikkalakal (novel) 1999: My Mother At Sixty-six (Poem) Kamala Das's â€Å"The Sunshine Cat†They did this to her, the men who know her, the man She loved, who loved her not enough, being selfish And a coward, the husband who neither loved nor Used her, but was a ruthless watcher, and the band Of cynics she turned to, clinging to their chests where New hair sprouted like great- winged moths, burrowing her Face into their smells and their young lusts to forget To forget, oh, to forget, and, they said, each of Them, I do not love, I cannot love, it is not In my nature to love, but I can be kind to you. They let her slide from pegs of sanity into A bed made soft with tears, and she lay there weeping,For sleep had lost its use. I shall build walls with tears, She said, walls to shut me in. Her husband shut her In, every morning, locked her in a room of books With a streak of sunshine lying near the door like A yellow cat to keep her company, but soon Winter came, and one day while locking her in, he Noticed that the cat of sunshine was only a Line, a half-thin line, and in the evening when He returned to take her out, she was a cold and Half dead woman, now of no use at all to men Summary In the poem â€Å"The Sunshine Cat†, the poetess rants over the disillusionment in her yearning for love.The ones who took advantage of her emotional instability are t ermed as ‘men' in general This so-called community inevitably included her husband too. He turned out to be a mere objective observer without any emotional attachment. Being selfish he did not exhibit the slightest display of love. And, being cowardly he did not dare to give in sexually to her, for it would mark the relegation of his ego:his perspective of masculinity.. He was a relentless onlooker to the extent of being insensitive for he watched her encounters with other men like a carnival affair.This is why Kamala Das employs the word ‘band'. She â€Å"clinged† on to this band of â€Å"cynics†. The word â€Å"cling† is very significant, as one clings out of desperation, as in clinging onto dear life. A cynic is a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions. Her live revolved around these egocentric people. Nevertheless, she â€Å"burrows' herself in the chest of these men. Note the word â€Å"burrow† is generally use d with reference to mongooses or rats that dig holes to hide themselves of for security. For the poetess, this was a temporary refuge to render herself secure as long as it lasted.The hair on their chests were like â€Å"great-winged moths† that came like parasites between them. The lovers were younger than herself and told her that they could not love her, but could be ‘kind' to her. The word ‘kind' is utilized to connote condescension: a patronizing attitude on part of these superior lovers. In Girish Karnad's â€Å"Nagamandala†, Appanna locks Rani in the house, as he leaves for work. In the case of the poetess in the prescribed poem,the husband jails her in a room full of books. However, Kamala Das does not crave for intellectual company, but emotional companionship.She seeks solace in the streak of sunlight beneath the door. This is her ray of hope:her Sunshine Cat: the sunny impulse in her. Nevertheless, as her life approached its winter, her husband n otices her while locking her ,one day,that this streak had reduced to a thin line. The evening made him realize that she had mellowed down,partly due to age and partly owing to her despondency. The fire in her (evocative of the Sunshine Cat) had died away. Hence, she was of no use to any man; as though the sole purpose of the woman in a man's life is for sexual gratification. A Hot Noon in MalabarThis is a noon of Beggers with whinning Voices, a noon for men who came from hills With parrots in a cage and fortune-cards, All stained with time, for brown Kurava girls With old eyes, who read palm in light singsong Voices, for bangle-sellers who spread On the cool black floor those red and green and blue Bangles, all covered with the dust of roads, Miles, grow cracks on the heels, so that when they Clambered up our porch, the noise was grating, Strange†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ This is a noon for strangers who part The window-drapes and peer in, their hot eyes Brimming with the sun, not seein g a thing in Shadowy rooms and turn away and lookSo yearningly at the brick-ledged well. This Is a noon for strangers with mistrust in Their eyes, dark, silent ones who rarely speak At all, so that when they speak, their voices Run wild, like jungle-voices. Yes, this is A noon for wild men, wild thoughts, wild love. To Be here, far away, is torture. Wild feet Stirring up the dust, this hot noon, at my Home in Malabar, and I so far away American Literature Biography of Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817, in Concord, Massachusetts. He would live the majority of his life in that same town and die there in 1862.His father, a pencil manufacturer named John Thoreau, and mother Cynthia Dunbar Thoreau christened him David Henry but always called him Henry. As an adult, Thoreau began to give his name as Henry David but never had it legally changed. The Thoreaus had three other children in addition to Henry – Helen, five years older than Henry , John, Jr. , two years older, and Sophia, two years younger. In 1821, the family moved to Boston, where they lived until 1823, when they returned to Concord. Thoreau later recalled a visit the family made to Walden Pond from Boston when he was four years old.When he was sixteen, Thoreau entered Harvard College, his grandfather's alma mater. His schooling was paid for by the money his father made as a pencil manufacturer, combined with contributions from his elder siblings salaries from their teaching jobs. While at college, Thoreau studied Latin and Greek grammar and composition, and took classes in a wide variety of subjects, including mathematics, English, history, philosophy, and four different modern languages. He also made great use of the Harvard library holdings before graduating in 1837. After graduating, Thoreau accepted a job as a schoolteacher in Concord.His refusal to beat his students led to his dismissal from the position after only two weeks. That same year, Thoreau began keeping the journal in which he would write for the rest of his life and became friends with Concord residents Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Ellery Channing, and became a follower of Transcendentalism. Emerson provided a letter of reference for young Thoreau, when he traveled to Maine in search of a teaching position at a private school. Unable to find a job in Maine, Thoreau returned to Concord and opened a school with his brother John.Concord Academy differed from other schools in its lack of corporal punishment and encouragement of learning by doing ? as by scientific experiments and nature walks. The school was successful in attracting students but lasted only three years. When John became sick, Henry decided not to continue the school alone. He later worked as a handyman at odd jobs throughout Concord and assisted in the family's pencil manufacture business. During this time, both Henry and John fell in love with and proposed to a young woman named Ellen Seawall, whose younger brother Edward was a student at their school.Her father's disapproval of Thoreau's Transcendentalism led her to refuse his proposal. They sent her to New York to end the romance, and she there met and married Joseph Osgood, though she remained friends with the Thoreaus throughout her life, maintaining a correspondence with Sophia Thoreau and having Henry as a guest in her home. Thoreau lived at the Emerson house for a time during 1841, working as a handyman. He had a romance with Mary Russell, a young woman who stayed with the Emersons during the summers of 1840 and 1841.He wrote her a love poem in 1841 but never proposed, and she eventually married Marston Watson, a friend of Thoreau's from Harvard. In 1842, Thoreau's brother John became ill with lockjaw, the result of a small untreated wound. John died in Henry's arms, and Henry developed a sympathetic illness, exhibiting some of the symptoms of lockjaw, for several months. The following year, Thoreau made his most extensi ve break from Concord when he moved in with Emerson's brother's family on Staten Island as a tutor for his children, hoping that he could succeed as a writer closer to the New York publishing industry.Upon returning home in December of 1843, Thoreau began to write an account of canoe trip he had taken with John in 1839. That book would become A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, combining poetry, historical background, and philosophical reflections with the narrative of the trip. Realizing he needed fewer distractions in order to concentrate on his writing, Thoreau decided to simplify his life by building and living in a cabin by the banks of Walden Pond, about a mile and a half from the center of Concord. On July 4, 1845, the day before the anniversary of his brother's death,Thoreau moved into the cabin he had begun constructing during the spring. He stayed there for two years, sometimes traveling into Concord for supplies and eating with his family about once a week. Friend s and family also visited him at his cabin, where he spent nearly every night. In 1846, he made the first of three trips to Maine that would become the basis for a later series of essays entitled The Maine Woods. It was while Thoreau lived at Walden that he spent a night in the Concord jail that became the basis for the famous essay now known as â€Å"Civil Disobedience. Thoreau had not paid his poll tax to the town for several years because he opposed the use of town revenues to finance the US war with Mexico and enforcement of slavery laws. The town constable, when arresting him, offered to pay the tax himself but Thoreau refused and spent a night in jail. The tax was paid that very night, most likely by Thoreau's aunt Maria Thoreau, but Thoreau was not released until the morning. In 1848, Thoreau gave a speech to the Concord Lyceum that would be adapted to be the essay â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government,† published in 1849.In 1847, Thoreau spent the fall living at the E merson household, looking after the family while Emerson was in England. After that, he returned to his parents' home where he remained for the rest of his life. The curiosity of Concord residents regarding the reasons for the two years Thoreau spent living in a cabin in the woods led him to give a series of lectures in 1847 about his life at Walden. During this time, he also completed a preliminary drafts of both Walden and A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. The latter book was published by James Munroe & Co. n 1848. Thoreau had agreed to pay for any copies of the book which were not sold; ultimately few were sold, and he lost $275 on the deal. Between 1847 and 1854, Thoreau continually redrafted and revised Walden. Ticknor and Field published an edition of 2,000 copies in 1854. Reviews were predominantly positive, and 1,700 copies sold during the following year. Though Thoreau attempted to arrange a nation-wide lecture tour, only one city made an offer, and Thoreau limite d his lectures to the Concord area. Also in 1854, Thoreau gave a speech on â€Å"Slavery in Massachusetts. Though he was not a member of any abolitionist societies, because he opposed the notion of societies, he was fervently opposed to slavery. Five years later, he gave an impassioned â€Å"Plea for Captain John Brown,† defending the morality of Brown's violent uprising at Harper's Ferry and condemning the US government for supporting slavery. Another speech that year was called â€Å"The Last Days of John Brown. † Both demonstrated that Thoreau had proceeded from passive resistance to the institution of slavery to support for armed rebellion as a means of ending the unjust institution.During 1851 and 1855, Thoreau suffered bouts of tuberculosis, whose symptoms he felt even as he continued to lecture. Thoreau spent the remainder of his life concentrating heavily on detailed, scientific naturalistic writing. His Maine journals were published in Atlantic Monthly in 185 8. James Russell Lowell, with whom Thoreau had long had a contentious relationship, was the editor of the publication and deleted a sentence from the essays, considering it blasphemous; in response, Thoreau refused to speak to him for the rest of his life.Ticknor and Fields, the publishers of Walden, purchased the magazine in 1859, and in 1861, James Fields suggested 250-book reprinting of Walden. He also agreed to republish the unsold copies of A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Thoreau had become quite ill with tuberculosis in 1861. On April 12, Fields visited Thoreau in Concord to take hold of the unsold copies of his book for republication. A year later, on May 6, 1862, Thoreau died at the age of 44. A month later, the reprintings of his two books were finally published.Essays published about Thoreau after his death, written by Lowell and Emerson, emphasized Thoreau's ascetic, Spartan qualities without giving adequate weight to his philosophical contributions. Thus, Tho reau was not well-appreciated during the nineteenth-century and was often seen as a lesser imitator of Emerson. Only beginning in the 1890s, after critical evaluation of his writings, did Thoreau come to be appreciated for his literary merit. In the twentieth-century, he has come to be seen as one of he most significant nineteenth-century American writers. Civil Disobedience Summary Thoreau opens his essay with the motto â€Å"That government is best which governs least. † His distrust of government stems from the tendency of the latter to be â€Å"perverted and abused† before the people can actually express their will through it. A case in point is the Mexican war (1846-1848, which extended slavery into new US territories), orchestrated by a small elite of individuals who have manipulated government to their advantage against popular will.Government inherently lends itself to oppressive and corrupt uses since it enables a few men to impose their moral will on the majo rity and to profit economically from their own position of authority. Thoreau views government as a fundamental hindrance to the creative enterprise of the people it purports to represent. He cites as a prime example the regulation of trade and commerce, and its negative effect on the forces of the free market. A man has an obligation to act according to the dictates of his conscience, even if the latter goes against majority opinion, the presiding leadership, or the laws of society.In cases where the government supports unjust or immoral laws, Thoreau's notion of service to one's country paradoxically takes the form of resistance against it. Resistance is the highest form of patriotism because it demonstrates a desire not to subvert government but to build a better one in the long term. Along these lines, Thoreau does not advocate a wholesale rejection of government, but resistance to those specific features deemed to be unjust or immoral. In the American tradition, men have a reco gnized and cherished right of revolution, from which Thoreau derives the concept of civil disobedience.A man disgraces himself by associating with a government that treats even some of its citizens unjustly, even if he is not the direct victim of its injustice. Thoreau takes issue with William Paley, an English theologian and philosopher, who argues that any movement of resistance to government must balance the enormity of the grievance to be redressed and the â€Å"probability and expense† of redressing it. It may not be convenient to resist, and the personal costs may be greater than the injustice to be remedied; however, Thoreau firmly asserts the primacy of individual conscience over collective pragmatism.Thoreau turns to the issue of effecting change through democratic means. The position of the majority, however legitimate in the context of a democracy, is not tantamount to a moral position. Thoreau believes that the real obstacle to reform lies with those who disapprov e of the measures of government while tacitly lending it their practical allegiance. At the very least, if an unjust government is not to be directly resisted, a man of true conviction should cease to lend it his indirect support in the form of taxes.Thoreau acknowledges that it is realistically impossible to deprive the government of tax dollars for the specific policies that one wishes to oppose. Still, complete payment of his taxes would be tantamount to expressing complete allegiance to the State. Thoreau calls on his fellow citizens to withdraw their support from the government of Massachusetts and risk being thrown in prison for their resistance. Forced to keep all men in prison or abolish slavery, the State would quickly exhaust its resources and choose the latter course of action.For Thoreau, out of these acts of conscience flow â€Å"a man's real manhood and immortality. † Money is a generally corrupting force because it binds men to the institutions and the governme nt responsible for unjust practices and policies, such as the enslavement of black Americans and the pursuit of war with Mexico. Thoreau sees a paradoxically inverse relationship between money and freedom. The poor man has the greatest liberty to resist because he depends the least on the government for his own welfare and protection. After refusing to pay the poll tax for six years, Thoreau is thrown into jail for one night.While in prison, Thoreau realizes that the only advantage of the State is â€Å"superior physical strength. † Otherwise, it is completely devoid of moral or intellectual authority, and even with its brute force, cannot compel him to think a certain way. Why submit other people to one's own moral standard? Thoreau meditates at length on this question. While seeing his neighbors as essentially well-intentioned and in some respects undeserving of any moral contempt for their apparent indifference to the State's injustice, Thoreau nonetheless concludes that h e has a human relation to his neighbors, and through them, millions of other men.He does not expect his neighbors to conform to his own beliefs, nor does he endeavor to change the nature of men. On the other hand, he refuses to tolerate the status quo. Despite his stance of civil disobedience on the questions of slavery and the Mexican war, Thoreau claims to have great respect and admiration for the ideals of American government and its institutions. Thoreau goes so far as to state that his first instinct has always been conformity.Statesmen, legislators, politicians–in short, any part of the machinery of state bureaucracy–are unable to scrutinize the government that lends them their authority. Thoreau values their contributions to society, their pragmatism and their diplomacy, but feels that only someone outside of government can speak the Truth about it. The purest sources of truth are, in Thoreau's view, the Constitution and the Bible. Not surprisingly, Thoreau hold s in low esteem the entire political class, which he considers incapable of devising the most basic forms of legislation.In his last paragraph, Thoreau comes full circle to discussing the authority and reach of government, which derives from the â€Å"sanction and consent of the governed. † Democracy is not the last step in the evolution of government, as there is still greater room for the State to recognize the freedom and rights of the individual. Thoreau concludes on an utopic note, saying such a State is one he has imagined â€Å"but not yet anywhere seen. † Civil Disobedience Themes The right to resistance Thoreau affirms the absolute right of individuals to withdraw their support rom a government whose policies are immoral or unjust. He takes issue with the brand of moral philosophy that weighs the possible consequences of civil disobedience against the seriousness of the injustice. The methods of resistance Thoreau condones in his essay are pacifist and rely pr incipally on economic pressure; for example, withholding taxes in order to drain the State of its resources and hence its ability to continue its unjust policies. The ultimate goal of civil disobedience is not to undermine democracy but to reinforce its core values of liberty and respect for the individual.Individual conscience and morality Only an individual can have and exercise a conscience. By definition, both the State and corporations are impersonal, amoral entities that are nonetheless composed of individuals. â€Å"It has been truly said, that a corporation has no