The Fox And The Grapes

The Fox And The Grapes A fox on its countryside stroll rests for a picnic under a tree intertwined with grape fruits and crow tries stealing his food without success. The crow discovers that foxes love grapes and offers to give them to him on the condition that he surrenders his picnic lunch (White Rojo, p. 1911). The fox ponders and thinks that he can get the grapes himself. He tries to the best level, but fails and sustains pains in the process. Finally, he surrenders his picnic lunch and the crow calls his a sucker. The fox finally gets the grapes only to be disappointed that they were sour grapes. Analysis of the story The fox does not want to surrender his meal easily, and although he is interested in the grapes, he tries to reach them by himself. After failing, he dismisses them claiming that they were not what he really wanted. The story is ethical underling the daily life of man. The eager to earn or attain something important makes him to be creative and come up with different ways of reaching the goals. However, failing each time makes them to give up and dismiss the issue with an assumption that it was not important. The story provides a case of adaptive preferences, which falls under the social theory because of the important incident of utilitarianism. The decision theorists have given various arguments on the question of preference changes, majorly in terms of logic. The tenacity of the story bears the moral view that the desires of the people changes with the changes in their whims, which negates the fact that it should be a matter of social choice. The story provides two choices in the sphere of choice and preferences: the first one is being the act of trying (without success), and the second one being the act of walking away in frustration, but providing a defensive excuse. The story also provides an appropriate stage for the analysis of attitude, their development, their role on decision making and acting, and their changes in classical situations. Rationalization on the basis of possibility becomes the basis of reasoning when one faces a choice among several alternatives. The consequences of the options that are available under the influence of the facts about the options at hand determine the direction of rationalization towards coming to the conclusion about the action. This makes the story tenable among the other stories. For instance, the fox considers several options for reaching the grapes by himself, which he fails before dismissing them as sour (Vicki, 1). The frustrations about the world inculcate several views about the world in man. The choices of actions are determined by the available options and the consequences of each action, as expressed in the story of the sour grapes. The fox has options, but considers trying to reach the grapes before easily handing in his lunch to the crow for assistance. Nevertheless, the fox ends up losing; hence, making it obvious that not all options taken end up positively. In the real world, the changes in the utility expectations may occur majorly for two reasons in the choice of actions. The first reason for utility change is the change in the playerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s belief about the world. This is the case of the fox and the sour grapes. Having tried his level best without success to get the grapes, the fox changes his view about the grapes, signifying a change in the view of the world; hence leading to a change in the belief about the preference. The second possible reason for a utility change may be because of the expected consequence of the change in the utility. The sour grapesà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ story becomes the center of a debate in the utilitarianism theory of choice and preferences. The story illustrates that it is not just about the belief change but also a change in the utility choice. The utilities of the members of the society may not be stable, but the theory of utilitarianism relies upon the social utilities; hence, the theory is weakened if the utilities are unstable. This viewpoint challenges the tenacity of the story in a way that the utilities change and determine the actions, rather than the changes in the beliefs as the case of the fox and his beliefs about the grapes. Parable of the cave This story presents a metaphor of knowledge and ignorance. Plato was ardent about knowledge, and in the story, he gives the reader a vivid imagination of the prisoners who could only see shadows on the wall. The prisoners did not know anything since they had seen nothing; hence, they thought it was real. This presents ignorance prevailing at the expense of knowledge. Plato assumes that the ignorant perception of knowledge among the prisoners may cause the brain to move to a higher level of reasoning because the prisoners had no perception of right or wrong, and true and false. The writer, Plato, aims at depiction of not only ways of thinking, but also on the different ways of living. Derlin (46) writes that the understanding of a life concept, for instance, courage, may differ in each stage of living. Interpretation of different aspects of life in the imagination stage of life may only accrue to the personà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s notion of the images from a cultural point of view. Imagination leads to formation of perceptions, which guide individualà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s perceptions of situations. This does not depend on the available knowledge, rather on the formation of images from the cultural perspective. The story, therefore, bases on the stage of thought and definition of concepts in life, especially the concept of courage, for instance, Socrates defines it as the awareness of something that should be feared and what should not be feared (Biffle 76). However, an individual speaking or offering the definition from thought rather than reality is the fact that the person may not offer information to the viewers about the form of the concept under definition. Therefore, knowledge is undermined because a definition that does not offer the form of the good does not illuminate the understanding; hence revealing the satirical and metaphoric aspect of the story. In conclusion, the two stories outline human perceptions in terms of knowledge, attitudes and ignorance. The first story provides the ground for understanding human attitude changes and the underlying circumstances while the second story provides an illustration regarding knowledge and ignorance that are founded on perceptions of images. The story revolves around the ignorant prisoners in a cave having only been exposed to shadows and perceiving them as real. The images lead to perceptions of what they had not seen, but imagined; hence guided by ignorance. The other story, the sour grapes informs of the changes in attitudes basing on the consequences of the actions that the fox undertakes. According to the fox, the utility of the grapes became irrelevant after the unsuccessful attempts to reach them. This implies that the preferences and choices of actions in life depends on the perceptions of the consequences and the success of the attempts. It also applies to the story of the parable of the cave where the perceptions are only dependent on the extent to which the imaginations play trick in the minds of the prisoners. This implies that the perceptions of thoughts are influenced majorly by the images formed; which eventually influences ignorance and eludes it for knowledge. Knowledge is created dependent of the perceptions of the images presented to the mind. According to Plato, the mind creates its perceptions depending on what is presented to it is all situations. The two texts border on human perceptions in terms of utility, preferences, perceptions and attitudes. The sour grapes takes a look at perceptions and utility and their effects of preferences, while the parable of the cave centers on perceptions and their effects on knowledge and ignorance. Work cited Biffle, Christopher. The Allegory of the Cave. A guided tour of five works by Plato: with complete translations of Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo (The death scene), and Allegory of the Cave. 3rd ed. Mountain View, Calif.: Mayfield Pub. Co., 2001. 76. Print. Sauter, Vicki L. Systems Analysis Fables. University of Missouri-St. Louis. Version 1. UM-St. Louis, 12 Mar. 2004. Web. 6 May 2013. . Taylor, Derlin. The Parable of the Cave. Parable of the cave. S.l.: Iuniverse Inc., 2009. 46. Print. White, Mark, and Sara Rojo. The Fox and the Grapes. The fox and the grapes: a retelling of Aesops fable. Minneapolis, MN: Picture Window Books, 2004. 1909-1914. Print.

Politics and Politicians :: essays research papers

In politics it would be novel to have a gracious rival. Modern political campaigners might take a lesson in graciousness and kindness from the great British statesman, Edward Campbell . Once when Campbell was opposing Thackereay for a seat in Parliament, the two contenders, in course of their campaigning, met and engaged in friendly conversation. On taking leave of his rival Thackereay remarked, 'May the best man win!' 'Oh, no,' replied Campbell, 'I hope not, I want to win!' E.J. Dionne Jr., author of They Only Look Dead, ascertains that politics in America today are nothing more than 'politics of moral annihilation'. As an example of this he refers to the presidential election of 1992. Normally , press conferences are called when political matters arise. The conference mentioned was called by the conservatives. Paula Jones came forward and accused Bill Clinton of sexual harassment; apparently Mr. Clinton made 'unwelcomed sexual advances" . He continues to point out that these are the same conservatives that only a few years earlier had denounced the idea of sexual harassment as 'feminist invention'. It is acts like this that are aiding in the 'moral annihilation' of politics. The overall impact of such politics is undermining the intelligence of the American populous by turning political campaigning into a childlike power struggle. Both the Democrats and Republicans have reverted to a state of guerrilla media warfare.Every time election year rolls around we begin to hear the usual complaints of how politics is morally corrupt. It typically means we get to see the superficial image-oriented campaigning, negative attacks against one's opponent, and the thirty-second spot commercials that intrr upt our favorite sitcom. Experts note that the rates of political participation in the United States, as measured by the percentage of eligable voters who register and actually cast their ballot, has been dropping for years, in part due to the fact that citizens are disgusted with the conduct of political campaigns. From this we can clearly see overall impact of this type of politics does infact undermind how the populus acts in 3 ways: 1)don't watch televison2)don't care and 3)don't vote.This then brings us to the second point of how this is harmful to democracy. As I stated before it turns political campaigning into a chi ldlike game for power. Author Daniel O'Connell once said: 'A politican doesn't stand on his own record; he jumps on the other fellows. Politics and Politicians :: essays research papers In politics it would be novel to have a gracious rival. Modern political campaigners might take a lesson in graciousness and kindness from the great British statesman, Edward Campbell . Once when Campbell was opposing Thackereay for a seat in Parliament, the two contenders, in course of their campaigning, met and engaged in friendly conversation. On taking leave of his rival Thackereay remarked, 'May the best man win!' 'Oh, no,' replied Campbell, 'I hope not, I want to win!' E.J. Dionne Jr., author of They Only Look Dead, ascertains that politics in America today are nothing more than 'politics of moral annihilation'. As an example of this he refers to the presidential election of 1992. Normally , press conferences are called when political matters arise. The conference mentioned was called by the conservatives. Paula Jones came forward and accused Bill Clinton of sexual harassment; apparently Mr. Clinton made 'unwelcomed sexual advances" . He continues to point out that these are the same conservatives that only a few years earlier had denounced the idea of sexual harassment as 'feminist invention'. It is acts like this that are aiding in the 'moral annihilation' of politics. The overall impact of such politics is undermining the intelligence of the American populous by turning political campaigning into a childlike power struggle. Both the Democrats and Republicans have reverted to a state of guerrilla media warfare.Every time election year rolls around we begin to hear the usual complaints of how politics is morally corrupt. It typically means we get to see the superficial image-oriented campaigning, negative attacks against one's opponent, and the thirty-second spot commercials that intrr upt our favorite sitcom. Experts note that the rates of political participation in the United States, as measured by the percentage of eligable voters who register and actually cast their ballot, has been dropping for years, in part due to the fact that citizens are disgusted with the conduct of political campaigns. From this we can clearly see overall impact of this type of politics does infact undermind how the populus acts in 3 ways: 1)don't watch televison2)don't care and 3)don't vote.This then brings us to the second point of how this is harmful to democracy. As I stated before it turns political campaigning into a chi ldlike game for power. Author Daniel O'Connell once said: 'A politican doesn't stand on his own record; he jumps on the other fellows.

Environmental Economics & climatic change Essay

Many approaches to green house emissions are currently being examined in the United States. In fact members of the 110th Congress (2007-2008) are actually making legislations pertaining to global changes faster than has even been experienced before having made over 235 bills, resolutions and changes by July, 2008. One such proposal is the cap-and-trade system (Paltsev et al. 4). The cap-and-trade is a piece of legislation meant to identify the greenhouse-gas-emitting bodies it incorporates. It refers to those organizations which introduces caps on the emissions they are responsible for and allows trading in the emission allowances which arise therein (Obama & Biden, New Energy for America). They basically stipulate a set of accounting periods allocating allowed emissions for all the periods (Paltsev et al. 4). Cap-and-Trade Legislation; SO2 Program The permit trading programs offer pollution permits to organizations which reduce their pollution discharge lower than the target benchmarks. They are then allowed to either trade them or keep them for use in future (Ludwig 1). Following the Clean Air Amendments of 1990 the U. S put in place the Acid Rain Program to gain a reduction in sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx), the main contributors of acid rain (Ludwig 1). The second program was the Hot-spots and acid rain program which basically involves regulatory tiering; embracing more than one regulatory regime at one specific time with the intention of exercising some control on the way permits are made use of (Obama & Biden, New Energy for America). The goal of the acid rain program is to reduce SO2 emissions by 50%; a task meant to be accomplished through two stages mandating all organizations to reduce their SO2 emissions (Ludwig 3). The Opt-in program established by the Congress according to section 410 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of the year 1990 was designed with the intention of drawing the SO2 sources with reduced marginal costs of compliance (Ludwig 3). It is important to note however that the permit trading programs are not effectively contributing towards reducing increased emissions. Indeed the acid rain program of the United States has had less and unlikely effects on pollution hot-spots (Ludwig 10). This is quite unfortunate given the main energy challenges facing the U. S, which are foreign oil dependence and global changes in the climate (Obama & Biden, New Energy for America). The safeguard the acid rain program makes use of is one of the reasons permit net flows have such a low effect on reducing emission. Alternative Method of Pollution Control It is worth appreciating that carbon trading at the markets was a positive step be it at the global, European or national fronts (NCEP, Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America’s Energy Challenges). It was in deed a challenge not only to the government but also to the private sector (Obama & Biden, New Energy for America). If the war against carbon emissions is to be worn, a global regulatory framework would be needed (Watson et al 1). This would call for British Government and the World Bank to embrace the same views. This means that the cap-and-trade legislations can no longer offer the best solution to the problem. What is needed is a different approach, an alternative way of reducing carbon emissions. In light of the climatic changes being experienced, carbon emissions should be reduced by all chances (Obama & Biden, New Energy for America). This calls for a new trading strategy; an approach which is more inclusive likely to involve all ventures emitting carbon such as aircrafts and ships (Watson et al 1). In the private sector this would call for a wider long-term market approach, voluntary in nature working to achieve public and private interests. The Kyoto Protocol should be strengthened coupled with better implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) (Watson et al 1). Indications of progress are beginning to be seen with incentives for reducing emissions, development of alternative technologies as well as investments attraction (Watson et al 2). There is also the need for better liaison with the UN system more so in helping poor countries with their emission problems (NCEP, Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America’s Energy Challenges). This therefore means that carbon taxation is definitely not an alternative solution the emission problems. There is need to invest in fuel-efficient machinery, support domestic energy supply, as well as diversifying the nations’ sources of energy (Obama & Biden, New Energy for America). Organizations also need to commit themselves to the course of lowering their energy consumption (Watson et al 2). The Legislation I would Support As an undergraduate in ApEc 3611, I would support the second alternative because it more inclusive, realistic and possibly a better solution since it involves many stakeholders (Watson et al 2). What I imply here is that a new alternative to America’s and indeed the world’s energy problem is an idea whose time has come (NCEP, Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America’s Energy Challenges). Energy is a real challenge facing the world and for America, there is even greater need to address the issue because of foreign oil dependence (Obama & Biden, New Energy for America). Therefore I support the new alternatives to reducing carbon emissions. The private sector needs to embrace a wider long-term market perspective but within the confines of both the public and the private interests (Watson et al 2). This new perspective calls for more research into the areas of innovative technology as well as new investments. Indeed one of the mid-to-long term proposals to the energy crisis in America is to make investments towards the secure energy future of the nation alongside creating more than 5 million jobs all with the intention of lowering foreign oil dependence (Obama & Biden, New Energy for America). Such efforts will greatly reduce carbon emissions besides contributing towards the reduction of the country’s dependence on foreign oil (NCEP, Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America’s Energy Challenges). There is need to strengthen the Kyoto Protocol and the implementation of more stringent governance and accountability systems (Watson et al 2). The Emissions Trading System (ETS) needs to be reviewed (Hertel, Global Trade Analysis: Modeling and Applications). This is because for it to be successful, it needs to put caps on emissions. This will create both markets and prices for carbon emission permits (Watson et al 2). I therefore fully support these new alternatives since they offer a more proactive approach to the nation’s energy problems. Cost Benefit Analysis The lake in question is private property if the home owner has the property rights to it. This would mean that as a private good it can only be used by another party if it is paid for. It is the lake owner who would decide whether or not another party uses the lake. For this to happen, the total benefits accrued from the use of the lake will have to supersede the costs of using the same lake thus a Pareto improvement (Oka 18). The lake owner will have to carry out a cost-benefit analysis before he can allow fishing in the lake. This is an evaluation tool to determine if the use of scarce resources will generate efficiency (Fuguitt & Wilcox 2). Efficiency is in relation to the lake will be the benefit of peace and quiet at $2,000 per season. It means the benefit of allowing Walleye Wally to use the lake will be $ 2,000. With $ 2,500 he can meet the $2,000 and secure the fishing deal meaning that there will be fishing in the lake. However, with only $1,200 per season, he cannot meet the cost of foregoing the peace and quiet thus there will be no fishing. Assume Walleye Wally had the property rights and the benefits of peace and quiet to the home owner remain unchanged at $2,000. With $2,500 there would be fishing in the lake. The lake owner cannot however pay Walleye Wally not to fish since the cost of paying Walleye would supersede the benefit of peace and quiet, hence there will be no Pareto improvement. If Walleye got $1,200 per season there cannot be fishing in the lake since the benefit of the fishing will be less than the cost and hence no Pareto improvement. This transaction cannot be termed as efficient since one party will suffer loss in the transaction. The principle that by which the concept of efficiency is applied is here is the cost benefit analysis (Oka 19). Conclusion There are factors that would hinder the cost-benefit analysis. For public goods, it is difficult to measure the efficiency concept and the Pareto improvement concept is lost. The consideration of potential value that would be attached to sustainability would make it difficult to make an accurate cost-benefit analysis (Oka 26). In conclusion, cost-benefit is an economic tool used for gauging the efficiency of a transaction in the market economy (Oka 17). With regards to CO2 emissions, there is need for a new direction which will require a more centralized regime; a continual and joint effort between the government, businesses and the people (Obama & Biden, New Energy for America). Works Cited Fuguitt, Diana and Wilcox, Shanton. Cost-Benefit Analysis for Public Sector Decision Makers. Accessed 17 February 2009 from http://www. csus. edu/indiv/w/wassmerr/CBAOverview. pdf Hertel, Thomas W. Global Trade Analysis: Modeling and Applications. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA: 1997. Ludwig, Lindsay C. The U. S Acid Rain Program and Its Effect on SO2 Emission Levels. Issues in Political Economy 13 (2004):1-11. Accessed on 17 February 2009 from http://org. elon. edu/ipe/Ludwig_Edited. pdf. NCEP [National Commission on Energy]. Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America’s Energy Challenges, Washington DC: 2004 Obama, Barack and Biden, Joe. New Energy for America, 2008. Accessed 17 February 2009 from http://www. barackobama. com/pdf/factsheet_energy_speech_080308. pdf Oka, Tosihiro. Effectiveness and Limitations of Cost-benefit Analysis in Policy Appraisal Government Auditing Review 10 (2003): 18- 26 Paltsev, Sergy, et al. Assessment of U. S Cap-and-Trade Proposals. Report number 146, 2007. Accessed 17 February 2009: 1-71 from http://web. mit. edu/globalchange/www/MITJPSPGC_Rpt146. pdf. Watson, Bob. , Grubb, Michael. , and Stuart, Marc. Dinne

Male Characters as Less Heroic than the Female Characters of “Generals Die in Bed” Essay

Good stories oftentimes have well-written heroic characters. That is because the hero functions as the character with whom the readers relate to. The significant role of the hero is that he is the one who communicates the experience within the narrative. But what if the central characters of a good story are lacking essential heroic traits? Instead the central characters exemplify unheroic attributes such as cowardice. It would be understandable if the readers would scour the pages of a good story for characters to look up to. This is the subtle effect in Charles Yale Harrison’s â€Å"Generals Die in Bed. † Arguably, the women characters in the novel had acted more heroic than the male characters. But before we traverse further in this discussion, it would be essential to first have a definition of the word â€Å"heroism. † The word carries along a mythological connotation. The first ideas would be of brave men overcoming great obstacles and challenges. The word is often attributed to soldiers, knights, kings, etc. But if treated with a contemporary approach, the word pertains to acts of selflessness geared towards others. In today’s world, we do not have to slay a dragon to be heroes, we just have to be of any help to the people around us. What had lead to the argument that the women were more heroic was the cowardice of the men. The juxtaposition of the level of heroism of men and women had set latter as the more admirable and the former as cowards. If the tone and language of the male characters would be reviewed, especially the narrator’s, it is evident that their mindset are comprised of a mixture of fear and naiveness. The narrator is seemingly a little enthusiastic about going to war. Of course he was afraid, but the fear they experienced in the trenches would be amplified exponentially. The narrator describes what they experienced as hypnotic terror (Harrison 163). The characters of the novel had entered the war as civilians who held up to morals and values. But as they were becoming accustomed to the life at the trenches, they had developed cowardliness. There was even an account wherein they had become afraid to light the candles because they might be spotted by snipers (69). The characters appeared to be less heroic as the war progressed. The narrator even seemed to be relieved when he delivered the last line of the novel â€Å"I am carried up the gangplank. † (170) War songs are usually cheery to raise the morale of soldiers and alleviate â€Å"shell shock. † But in the novel, the songs that the soldier sung expresses fear of what the war has to offer â€Å"I’m too young to die, I want to go home† (15). In addition, most of the soldiers would go to battle in a drunken state. Perhaps it is to some kind of coping mechanism for the stress and distress due to the war. Should we ever consider bloodlust as a heroic trait? There are many recounts of killings interspersed all over the novel. There was an instance wherein the narrator was telling Gladys in a lively fashion that he had committed murder (95). Then when he observed that Gladys was becoming offended and afraid of his story, he laughed and said that the killing took place in the trench. In the narrator’s standpoint, it was as if the murder that he had committed was something easily acceptable and forgivable. It was as if an enemy’s life does not count as life of another human being, but a life of some animal whose destiny is to be brutally slaughtered. The narrator described how he and his comrades had become â€Å"snarling, savage beast† during their brutal encounter with the enemy troop. The male characters in the novel had shown degrading kindness towards humanity. Since it was the males that were sent in the battlefield and develop this dehumanizing kind of mindset, it is the females who are left at home devoid of these ill thoughts. In the light of the novel’s context, a shining example of heroism by the females would be of the nurses. The nurses during times of war had shown outstanding bravery that could be compared to the bravery of men in the frontline. They are the ones who risk their lives in war stricken areas, but instead of killing people, they risk their lives saving the injured. The novel had painted a vivid picture of war with horrific realism, â€Å"severely injured, one of Broadbent’s legs is hanging by one strand of flesh† (147). These are the horrors that the nurses had to battle during the times of war. Furthermore, setting aside the risk of being hit by a stray bullet or being bombarded, the nurses faces the risk of infection and catching deadly diseases. This is an excellent example of heroism because of the risks involve and the nurses motivation of helping those who are in need. An injured soldiers who were healed and taken cared off by nurses should consider the nurses as their heroes. As opposed to the seemingly passive character of the protagonist, one of the most colorful of all the characters is Gladys. For those who had the chance to read the novel, she is easily remembered as to one of the few women who have a proper name in the ensemble of characters. Moreover, she was a â€Å"courtesan† or a prostitute with whom the protagonist had spent a great deal of his time. In effect, Gladys had a significant effect on the protagonist’s worldview. It should be pointed out that being a â€Å"courtesan† or a prostitute is one of the world’s oldest known profession. It would be troublesome to argue that being a prostitute is heroic. However, if we were to discuss selfless acts, nothing could be selfless than selling oneself to provide for one’s family. Just like other companions of soldiers, be them wives, girlfriends, mothers, etc. , they all serve as inspiration for the soldier. It is no secret that women have an inexplicable capability of raising the morale of soldiers. And of course, of all the women exemplifying admirable heroism during the war, it would be the mothers on top of the list. Mothers are directly affected of the war because everyday they battle horrific thoughts of their husbands and sons getting killed in the battlefield, of never seeing them alive ever again. If we would be talking about obstacles and challenges, those thoughts could be hardest ordeals one has to face. Admirably, mothers of war participants overcome those thoughts and still be able to tend to the needs of their children. There is an instance in the novel wherein the narrator and his comrades were wounded and in need of a place to stay. They managed to find a war-torn village where an old woman, a mother, was residing. The hospitable old women provided them with food and a place to stay. She even treated the wounds of the soldiers. The nurturing that only mothers are capable is undeniably heroic. Conclusion The author has described the horrifying experience in the trenches, thanks to his first hand experience of the war. Fear is very evident in the male characters and that fear is communicated to the reader. The absence of characters with whom the reader could view as heroic lead to the conclusion that women were more heroic. Women in the novel were generally described as agreeable. The most negative of all could just be Gladys’ job as a prostitute. Other than that, women were the ones whom the soldiers run to when they need help. The women were willing to help the soldiers even though they are not required to do so. Soldiers will always be of course the heroes in the eyes of the public, of the spectators of the war. But for those who truly take part in the war, not the generals who die in their beds, the heroic acts of women during the war are indispensable. Soldiers are not out there in battlefield to save lives, their duty is to kill the opposition. Fortunately, humans are blessed to be categorized under two very different yet complementing sex, man and woman. The former being able to destroy and the latter endowed with the gift to nurture. Women should be commended in performing their different roles in the war. Arguably, they are more admirable in this context because they fight the war without having to carry the instruments of war like guns, etc. The real heroes of war should not just be judged by the number of people they kill, it should also be by the number of the lives they save. In this novel, we see that many acts of heroism are overlooked. Work Cited Harrison, Charles Yale. Generals Die in Bed. Ontario: Firefly Books Ltd, 2007

Young Modulus of Copper Essays

Young Modulus of Copper Essays Young Modulus of Copper Paper Young Modulus of Copper Paper From the above results , we can see that there is a 12. 1 % random error in finding the Young modulus of copper . One of the reasons for such errors is the non-uniformity in cross sectional area . When a wire is stretched by a force , the length of course will increase , but at the same time the cross sectional area of the wire will also vary . This little variation will affect the calculation of Young modulus by a pretty substantial degree . Besides , there could have been parallax error which occurs when the eye is not placed directly opposite a scale which a reading is being taken . Moreover , reading errors is another error when guess work is involved in taking a reading from a scale when the reading lies between the lines. Concerning the large systematic error , the main reason for it is the impreciseness of equipments . Since the extension is so small (about 0. 01mm), using a meter rule(minimum scale is only 1mm) to measure it is absolutely unacceptable as many minor data will be omitted . In addition , the length of wire in part 1 and part 2 is different , this will end up in not being a fair test . As the elastic limit depends little on the length of the wire , the wire in part 2 may undergo plastic deformation earlier that we may have ignored . Conclusions : Comparing the shape of the graphs , it is obviously that the result is close to the theory . Although the random error is almost 12% , it is still acceptable as human errors must exist inevitably. However , the systematic error in this experiment is quite large due to the inaccuracy of equipments , therefore better design or improvements are required . Possible Improvements : 1. Repeat the experiment for several times to get a more precise average reading . 2. Use a longer copper wire to lower the percentage error in measurement . 3. A thinner copper wire is also recommended as it can make the extension larger for better resolution . 4. Use a large Vernier Caliper instead of meter rule so that the extension of the wire can be measured more accurately . If it is possible , it is also suggested to use a electronic Vernier Caliper as well . 5. Add weights at smaller intervals instead of 50g jumps . This would help in making the graphs more accurate, therefore allowing us to read off the graph more accurately and getting better readings.

Free Essays on Magona

To My Children’s Children by Sindiwe Magona is an autobiography that creatively illustrates her development into womanhood while integrating her limitations due to apartheid. Amazingly Magona tells of her loving childhood with an optimistic tone even though she and her family had to overcome struggles dealing with poverty, death, schooling, pregnancy, politics and racism. Apartheid may have cynically affected many aspects of Sindiwe’s life, but she never allowed her determination or spirit to be defeated. There were many facets of Magona’s life that were affected by Apartheid, one of them being the educational system. Under the rules of a Bantu education, the government believed that Black Africans should only be educated for their opportunities in life and that there was no place for them above the level of certain forms of labor. (Magona) Luckily, Sindiwe just missed the year that this form of thought was put into effect, so she was able to graduate high school and go on to earn a degree as a teacher. This did however, affect her teaching career. There were too many students, not enough books, and the grade levels were all mixed. Although she tried to teach some the basics, most of the time it seemed futile in trying to organize the abilities of the students, or even teach lessons. Then there was her salary, or lack there of. Magona had a degree and earned very little. â€Å"Yes, teacher’s salaries, a decade and a half after I had started teaching, were still so low a s to elicit scorn from everybody, from lowly domestic workers to common criminals. When I had entered the field of education, to say I had been astounded at the pittance African teachers earned would be an understatement.† (Magona, 96) Another part of Magona’s life affected by Apartheid was her environment; where she grew up. Black African’s were forced to move to homelands, which were designated areas. These places were usually pits of poverty. â€Å" Blaau... Free Essays on Magona Free Essays on Magona To My Children’s Children by Sindiwe Magona is an autobiography that creatively illustrates her development into womanhood while integrating her limitations due to apartheid. Amazingly Magona tells of her loving childhood with an optimistic tone even though she and her family had to overcome struggles dealing with poverty, death, schooling, pregnancy, politics and racism. Apartheid may have cynically affected many aspects of Sindiwe’s life, but she never allowed her determination or spirit to be defeated. There were many facets of Magona’s life that were affected by Apartheid, one of them being the educational system. Under the rules of a Bantu education, the government believed that Black Africans should only be educated for their opportunities in life and that there was no place for them above the level of certain forms of labor. (Magona) Luckily, Sindiwe just missed the year that this form of thought was put into effect, so she was able to graduate high school and go on to earn a degree as a teacher. This did however, affect her teaching career. There were too many students, not enough books, and the grade levels were all mixed. Although she tried to teach some the basics, most of the time it seemed futile in trying to organize the abilities of the students, or even teach lessons. Then there was her salary, or lack there of. Magona had a degree and earned very little. â€Å"Yes, teacher’s salaries, a decade and a half after I had started teaching, were still so low a s to elicit scorn from everybody, from lowly domestic workers to common criminals. When I had entered the field of education, to say I had been astounded at the pittance African teachers earned would be an understatement.† (Magona, 96) Another part of Magona’s life affected by Apartheid was her environment; where she grew up. Black African’s were forced to move to homelands, which were designated areas. These places were usually pits of poverty. â€Å" Blaau...

Bell Curve and Normal Distribution Definition

Bell Curve and Normal Distribution Definition The term bell curve is used to describe the mathematical concept called normal distribution, sometimes referred to as Gaussian distribution. Bell curve refers to the shape that is created when a line is plotted using the data points for an item that meets the criteria of normal distribution. The center contains the greatest number of a value and, therefore, would be the highest point on the arc of the line. This point is referred to the mean, but in simple terms, it is the highest number of occurrences of an element (in statistical terms, the mode). Normal Distribution The important thing to note about a normal distribution is the curve is concentrated in the center and decreases on either side. This is significant in that the data has less of a tendency to produce unusually extreme values, called outliers, as compared to other distributions. Also, the bell curve signifies that the data is symmetrical. This means that you can create reasonable expectations as to the possibility that an outcome will lie within a range to the left or right of the center, once you have measured the amount of deviation contained in the data.This is measured in terms of standard deviations. A bell curve graph depends on two factors: the mean and the standard deviation. The mean identifies the position of the center and the standard deviation determines the height and width of the bell. For example, a large standard deviation creates a bell that is short and wide while a small standard deviation creates a tall and narrow curve. Bell Curve Probability and Standard Deviation To understand the probability factors of a normal distribution, you need to understand the following rules: The total area under the curve is equal to 1 (100 percent)About 68 percent of the area under the curve falls within one standard deviation.About 95 percent of the area under the curve falls within two standard deviations.About 99.7 percent of the area under the curve falls within three standard deviations. Item Nos. 2,3 and 4 are sometimes referred to as the empirical rule or the 68-95-99.7 rule. Once you determine that the data is normally distributed (bell curved) and calculate the mean and standard deviation, you can determine the probability that a single data point will fall within a given range of possibilities. Bell Curve Example A good example of a bell curve or normal distribution is the roll of two dice. The distribution is centered around the number seven and the probability decreases as you move away from the center. Here is the percent chance of the various outcomes when you roll two dice. Two: 2.78 percentThree: percentFour: 8.33 percentFive: 11.11 percentSix: 13.89 percentSeven: 16.67 percentEight: 13.89 percentNine: 11.11 percentTen: 8.33 percentEleven: 5.56 percentTwelve: 2.78 percent Normal distributions have many convenient properties, so in many cases, especially in physics and astronomy, random variations with unknown distributions are often assumed to be normal to allow for probability calculations. Although this can be a dangerous assumption, it is often a good approximation due to a surprising result known as the central limit theorem. This theorem states that the mean of any set of variants with any distribution having a finite mean and variance tends to the normal distribution. Many common attributes such as test scores or height follow roughly normal distributions, with few members at the high and low ends and many in the middle. When You Shouldn't Use the Bell Curve There are some types of data that dont follow a normal distribution pattern. These data sets shouldnt be forced to try to fit a bell curve. A classic example would be student grades, which often have two modes. Other types of data that dont follow the curve include income, population growth, and mechanical failures.