Robinson Crusoe Essays (2027 words) - Fiction,

Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe is credited with writing the first long fiction novel in literary history. Drawing from established literary genres such as the guide and providence traditions and the spiritual biography, Defoe endeavored to illustrate the life of a man who tempted Providence to his ruine (Defoe 13) and the consequences of such actions. While stranded alone on an island the character of Robinson Crusoe seems to have a religious epiphany about the role of Providence in his life and resolves to live in accordance with God's will. However, Crusoe's internal reflections throughout his narrative and his actions do not correlate, causing the reader to question the validity of this conversion. By examining the plot and the process of psychological change Crusoe undergoes, it becomes apparent that he experiences and accepts divine control but that control can only be realized in the free context he has himself created (359). When push comes to shove, Crusoe reverts to human instinct and his own impulses rather than what he perceives to be the will of Providence. Crusoe uses his newfound religion only when convenient and as a means to justify his actions and an acceptable reason for everything unfortunate that happens. When he finally does leave the island and returns to society, Crusoe's faith is tested and fails miserably, with practically no mention of Providence towards the end of the story. At the beginning of the novel, Crusoe introduces himself and establishes that his narrative is a memoir of sorts, and is told while looking through more experienced, wise eyes than when he originally experienced his story. This is important to note, because his discourse is shaded with hindsight and interpreted through a mind that has come to accept Providence's hand in his life. For example, when the Turks capture Crusoe and he is enslaved, he reflects by saying, now the Hand of Heaven had overtaken me, and I was undone without Redemption. But alas! This was but a Taste of the Misery I was to go thro' (15). Because Crusoe is recalling the events from memory, as well as the lack of input from any other characters, his reliability can be questioned as a narrator. An unreliable narrator is one who may be in error in his or her understanding or report of things and who thus leaves readers without the guides needed for making judgements. For this reason, the reality of Crusoe's religious conversion later in the novel can be questioned as well as his interpretation of events. Crusoe begins by telling about his defiance of his father's wishes and advice. Crusoe's father advises him not to go to sea and suffer the same fate as his brother, now dead, and pursue a life in the Middle of two Extremes, between the Mean and the Great?to have neither poverty or riches (5). This ideal is reminiscent of Puritanism and its doctrine that discouraged the pursuit of wealth and power. Crusoe was sincerely affected with this Discourse, which was truly Prophetick (6), but its effects wore all off of him and he goes to sea anyway, seeking fortune and adventure. This action proves later to be very consistent with Crusoe's character, as he repeatedly is affected by the great, life-changing events in a spiritual sense, but with time these effects seem to wear off. This event is also colored as Crusoe's original sin, as none of the terrible events that happen later would have occurred if he had followed his father's advice. After an interesting chain of events, Crusoe finds himself shipwrecked upon an island while making a voyage to buy slaves. While trying to make sense of his condition, he falls very ill and cries out to God, Lord look upon me, Lord pity on me, Lord have Mercy upon me (64). Crusoe makes this first attempt at a relationship with God while in a very dire situation, not during his everyday life, making his religion that of convenience. Crusoe has a dream while ill and after experiencing an earthquake, seeing a terrible man descend from the heavens, declaring, Seeing all these Things have not brought thee to Repentance, now thou shalt die (65). This passage sounds quite like a Puritan sermon, with its

Firewood Oven to the Microwave Oven

Firewood Oven to the Microwave Oven Free Online Research Papers The firewood oven has features that can’t be spoken in technical words, once there’s an entire original contest of its existence. The idea of fire refers to the ancient idea of a meeting, protection, feeding or heat. The firewod oven helps us to symbolize the houses’ interior with an image of a family meeting, preparing food and keeping thmeselves warm. Besides, ot ´s a very economic device.That ´s how the tecnologic evolution of a household instrument, which is quite necessary nowadays, starts. GAS OVEN That’s the second step in this device evolution. It was created by Zachaus Winsler in 1802. Could you imagine our modern life without it? In the old times, preparing meals demanded much more dedication, it used to take more time and so on. Everything had to be made in the firewood oven. Besides, people had to create, there weren’t recipe mags or TV shows, or internet. The gas is oven is very practical, yet very risky. Domestic gas is poisonous, it can kill anyone. If you smell gas when you get home, don’t turn on the lights. The enrgy of the lamp can start an explosion, and it could smite the whole neighborhood. THE ELECTRIC OVEN Although not may people know it, or use it, the electric oven is part of the evolution of food preparation. It’s a french invention, created in 1892 by Moisson. In Brazil, it ´s not very common, despite of being an economic option. In other countries, though, it is as utilized as the TV set. It’s a portable and weightless device, and less dangerous than the gas oven. Beware of water, though. We all know that waer and lctruicity causes eletruction. THE MICROWAVE That’s the latest invention for our food prepare! Microwaves were discovered by Percy Spencer, who worked in an eletrons creations company. Once he was working and observed that the chocolate bar he had in his pocket had melted. Percy was no strange to new ideas and inventions, and it was not hard for him to understand the action of the microwaves in that candy. The first thing to be intentionally prepared in microwaves was popcorn, and then an egg, that exploded in a tester’s face. In 1946, the company Percy worked at, Raytheon, patented the microwave cooking proccess and in 1947 they built the first commercial microwave oven, the Radarange. It was one meter-eighty high and weighted three hundred kilos. It was water-freshened and produced three thousand watts, about three times more radiation than the modern ones. Research Papers on Firewood Oven to the Microwave OvenMind TravelGenetic EngineeringThe Spring and AutumnMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductLifes What IfsAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionPETSTEL analysis of IndiaNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice

Los Angeles School Police Department Research Paper

Los Angeles School Police Department - Research Paper Example It also serves the communities where these students reside. The Police Officers and the School Safety Officers are given their respective responsibilities to serve the school campuses, surrounding areas, as well as the parking enforcement. The LASPD works with support from the LAUSD and is focused on achieving the safety of children and students (What is the LASPD about). The present study focuses on learning about the LASPD discussing about its various departments, its job structure and rankings, its differences with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), its impact on the community and the students, and also studies the schools that are protected by the LASPD. Departments within the LASPD: Sworn police officers, non-sworn school safety officers, and civilian support staff are the main employees working for the LASPD. The major departments working under the LASPD are the Chief’s Office, Campus Services Bureau, Administration Services Bureau, Support Services Bureau, and th e School Safety Officers. The Chief of the Police Department is Steven K. ... al Service Centers, the Operations Coordinators, the School Crisis and Mental Health, the Campus Administrators, and other agencies that are associated. It takes the role of preventing victimization of students and promotes an environment for health learning of the students. Any critical incident occurring on the campus is attended by the team at the earliest and various services for protection of the campus and its surroundings and ensures safety for the schools under its charge (Campus Services Bureau). The role of the Administrative Services Bureau is to coordinate and manage the divisions of administration and investigation of the department. As part of its roles, the Bureau supervisions on the Payroll Unit of the department, as well as on other units such as the Budget Services, Records and Crime Analysis, responsibilities related to Custodian or Records, duties of Pitchess Motion, requests of Public Records, Subpoena Control Unit, and the Citation Control Unit. Also, the manage ment of the fleet management, contract administration of the department is considered by the Bureau along with the management of the investigation division of the department (Administrative Services Bureau). The Support Services Bureau of the LASPD is in charge of the operations of off-hour patrolling of the department and the center of communication. The units that are overseen by this Bureau include the Canine, the Safe Passages Motor, and the Parking Enforcement. The support resources of the campus are managed by this team and critical information related to their services is communicated effectively all the way through the District. The Bureau also provides for protection coverage of the District during times when the schools are off intending to ensure safety of the schools and

Project systems and methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project systems and methods - Essay Example PRINCE has been able to stem this tide of failure, principally through the introduction of structures and standards that have gained wide acceptance. It has also become one of the icons of best practices in project management in the information technology sector, especially in Europe. The PRINCE 2 methodology has a project cycle made up of five distinct phases. These include (i) project definition and organization (ii) planning (iii) control (iv) risk management and (v) change management. The project definition and organization phase delineates roles required to get the identified problem(s) addressed. It also seeks during this phase to identify requisite personnel that can best fulfill the roles identified. The mechanism and processes for carrying out these roles or functions are also stipulated. Issues pertaining to ownership of outcomes that can possibly affect project completion are also sorted out. A major drawback of this phase and the entire methodology for that matter, is that enough room is not given for problem identification and deliberation. It sets out to identify roles for people before the actual problems and the solutions devised for them are tested on a pilot basis. A major deficiency of this kind often spills unto successive phases of the project. The planning phase designs the project after taking technical considerations into account. What is developed at this stage is carried out on a pilot basis to enable the strengths and weaknesses associated with it to be identified. The feedback received is used in fine-tuning the document and in developing technical and resource plans for the project. It is important to point out here that what may have been considered a problem initially , which necessitated the development of the project, may differ remarkably from what may emerge from the pilot stage. If at this stage roles have already been identified and personnel assigned, it is quite clear that they may not be suitable for the roles assigned them. The control phase considers the procedures and processes for instituting effective control of the project. It defines control and decision points and the means for achieving them. It therefore outlines how and when project team meetings and reporting times should be done. The last two phases, namely risk and change management assess the potential sources of risk and how they could be mitigated. It also looks at what can possibly prevent the project from realizing its goals and maps out measures for addressing them. Pacelli (2004) has identified risk and issue management as an important but often easily overlooked aspect of successful project management. As a technique for managing projects, PRINCE 2 scores high marks for its implementation phase, as its sets out detailed processes and procedures for ensuring project success. Other merits associated with the methodology can be summarized as follows:- * It encourages the use of a common vocabulary, procedures, processes and documentation. This results in standardized projects when the PRINCE 2 software is used. * Its standards have wide acceptance in the information technology industry, especially in Europe. *It encourages the application of Jo Owen ( 2002)'s concept of 'Management by walking away". This approach gives project personnel ample

Venezuela’s Culture Essay Example for Free

Venezuela’s Culture Essay The culture of Venezuela is primarily a mixture of Spaniard, African and Indian traditions which was common known as criollo (Creole) (Palmerlee, 825). Their culture also has a strong influence coming from the United States appearing in the middle of the twentieth century. But the influences coming from the original Indian inhabitants were neglected because of the long Spanish colonization. The principal Venezuelan folk type is the llanero, or plainsman, which is similar to the gaucho of Argentina, the cowboy of the United States, and the vaquero of Mexico. The llanero’s folklore, songs, dances and legends are popularized throughout the country. Venezuela’s national song and dance is the joropo, a gay and syncopated invention of the llaneros, danced with a lively, jig-like movement (Kohnstamm, 230). It employs such native instruments as the maraca, a rattle made of dried gourd shells; a small harp; and the cuatro, a small, four-string guitar. The tono llanero, or melody of the plains, is a folk dance which embodies Venezuelan popular feeling at its purest. Other popular dances include the pasillo, similar to the pasillo of Columbia; the merenque, which came from Santo Domingo; and the corrido, from Mexico. The tanquito, a Venezuelan version of the Argentine tango, is also very popular in the country. As of this date, Venezuela has no traditional dress mainly because of the different cultures they inherited from the numerous races they had in the country. But some of them use the dresses that the indigenous people (like the tribes who lives in the Amazon areas) used along time ago. A good example of this is the Liqui-liqui this is usually worn by Venezuelan men. A traditional Liqui liqui is made up of white linen cloth, it has a full length trousers and a long sleeve jacket with a rounded Nehru-style collar, which is fastened and decorated by a junta, it also has around 5-6 buttons. It can also have a pocket. This dress is traditionally worn with an alpargata (it is an open-toed kind of sandal) and can be accessorized with a llanero hat. According to some stories, Liqui liqui was also worn by the rich and famous of Venezuela. A good example of this is the mayor of the Caracas district of Chacao, Leopoldo Lopez which he wore Liqui-liqui in wedding celebration last March 2007. This can also be worn by the women but instead of pants they use a skirt. A joropo dress is also used by the women of Venezuela; it has a very colourful skirt that they used to wave back to their partners during the dance ball. The Roman Catholicism is the predominant faith in the country. It is estimated that 95 percent of their present population adheres to the Roman Catholic faith (Dydynski, 376). However, religious freedom is guaranteed to all faiths, and no mention of the Roman Catholic Church is made in the constitution. In 1980’s the Protestants catches the attentions of a few Venezuelan but the Evangelist and Adventist has more followers than the Protestant. There were also few Mormons and Jewish. But most of the indigenous religion practices were vanished because they were introduce and converted to Catholicism. Although there were some of it survived and still active in their culture society, one good example of this is the culto of Maria Lonza. According to their stories and legends, Maria is a witch or healer which was born with an Indian father and a Spanish mother. She symbolizes the other two figures, black henchman, el Negro Felipe, and of an Indian cacique (chief), Guaicapuro which makes them the Tres Poderes or the Three Powers. Though the country is composed of different races and ethic groups, majority of Venezuelans practices the Catholicism, which they owed from their Spanish colonial heritage. They held mass everyday but has an obligatory worship day which is every Sunday, it was said that in this ritual they believe that the simple bread and wine will be turning into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. They believed in the sacrament of baptism and confirmation, most of the Venezuelan children carries a name of a saint and celebrates their saint’s day and their own birthdates separately. They practice a straight nine days prayer for their beloved who had just passed away; this was usually attended by the immediate family members and close friends of the deceased person. Every December 25th they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ which was commonly known as Christmas. They also commemorate Ash Wednesday were in they put ashes in form of a crucifix in their forehead in preparation for the Holy Week. One of their famous rituals is the Devil Dance (Baynham, 378). They celebrate this annually during the Corpus Christi. They do this by dancing in a drumbeat along the streets of Venezuela with a bloody red costume and a devilish mask. In this said rituals the devil or the evil spirit fights back against the good spirit and he also visit the graves of their ancestors, but of course the good spirit will won the battle after an exhausting antagonism on the part of Satans henchmen for the whole day. It usually run 35 miles of dancing before it will end up at the foot doors of the church to hear mass. According to the people of Venezuela this rituals attracted many tourists all over the world and sometimes they would participate during the dance. In 1999, the Constitution of Venezuela declared that the Spanish and other 25 surviving indigenous languages belonging to three linguistic families: Caribans, Arawak, and Chibcha as the official languages of Venezuela. Wagyuu, Piaroa, Panare and Nhengtu are some of the 25 surviving indigenous languages. They also consider English as their second language since this is now widely used in their culture promotions and business negotiations particularly in their Oil and Petroleum Industry. Arabic, Chinese, Italian, and Portuguese are also commonly spoken foreign languages in Venezuela. Summary Venezuela is composed of different races and ethnic groups; this is very evident in their culture. Joropo is their national song and dance, according to historians they got this from the llaneros or the plainsman (the cowboy version of Venezuelans). Other popular dances include the pasillo, similar to the pasillo of Columbia; the merenque, which came from Santo Domingo; and the corrido, from Mexico. The tanquito, a Venezuelan version of the Argentine tango, is also very popular in the country. As of this date Venezuela has no national costume, instead they use the different dresses coming from the indigenous people in Venezuela. A good example of this is the Liqui liqui, this is fondly worn by the Venezuelan men with alpargata (an open-toed kind of sandal). Most of the women wear a joropo dress but others also wears the liqui liqui but instead of the pants they traded it with a layered skirt. Taking from their Spaniard colonial heritage; Roman Catholic dominates the population of Venezuela although there were no restrictions from their constitution with regards in choosing their religion. One of the popular rituals they have in Venezuela is the Devil Dance, where in the evil spirit fights over the good spirit. It is a 35 miles of dancing and ending the day with a mass this is celebrated during the Corpus Christi. Most of their traditions and rituals are coming from the Catholic doctrines. In their 1999 constitution it was clearly stated that Spanish is their national language together with the other 25 surviving indigenous languages. They also consider English as their second language. They use this language to communicate with their investors and tourist visitors. Works Cited Baynham, Angela. Insight Guides Venezuela. 4th Upd Sub Edition. Insight Guides, 2003 Dydynski, Krzysztof. Lonely Planet Venezuela. 4th edition. Lonely Planet Publications, 2004 Kohnstamm, Thomas. Venezuela. 5th edition. Lonely Planet, 2007 Palmerlee, Danny. South America. 10th Edition. Lonely Planet, 2007

Technology and the Rainforest :: essays research papers

With all the technological advancements, the rain forest has been greatly effected. Not only have the trees been cut down but also there have positive aspects to the technology concerning this precious resource. Peter White, a chief writer for National Geographic magazine once said, " The tropical rain forest may well be nature’s chief liberty of experience from which all of humanity can learn, not only how to do things but also what a vast variety of things may be possible"(24). We all can learn from this for, the rain forest is a key to our environment and with all the technology destroying it and barely replacing it we all should think about what is happening and what can be done to save it. With the great progression of technology through this century the rain forest has rapidly been destroyed. Being the home of nearly 50% of all species, the rain forest is a resource that should and must be saved. It is once thought that the tropical rain forest once spanned the great space of 1.5 billion hectares. But as the time goes on slowly that number diminishes. In the year 2000 it is theorized that there will only be 900 hectares left on this world (Palmer/4). Even though there is not any rain forest in the United states, the rain forest greatly effects us in ways not known to all. Many medicines are found in the rain forest and many of them treat common diseases. Malaria for example is a disease that has it’s treatment coming from quinine, taken form the cinchona tree in Peru. Also when you have surgery, d-tarbocuranine is greatly relied on as a muscle relaxer. It is made form curare, derived from an Amazonian liana (Palmer/23). This research shows that the m! edicinal aspect of the rain forest is definitely needed for the advancement of technology itself. Much of the new technology being made in the times that we are living in now, relies on the rain forest. The packaging in which all the new stereos and CD players are shipped, come from the trees. These trees are cut down into small pieces to make cardboard for the selfish needs of humanity (White 28). A massive amount of women have been on birth control and one of the major components of the pill is diosgenin. This is made from wild yams found in Mexico (Palmer 23). This draws the conclusion that the technology that we have now might not be as advanced with out the rain forest. But at the same time the technology that we are developing are having the adverse effect on the source of the advancement. Rain forest depletion is a real problem in the world

“The Lady or the Tiger”: What Really Happened?

Dustin Powers Mr. Lamon AP Language 3 December 2012 â€Å"The Lady or the Tiger†: What really happened? The Lady or the Tiger, a captivating short story of love and loss, teases your imagination by integrating the rising action at the end of the story only to leave you to make your own interpretation of how the falling action concludes. The author uses a third person omniscient narrator so to make it seem as though the he doesn’t even know how the story truly ends. The finale to the short story has been conversation of much debate.What is behind door he opens? Does he die on the princess’s accord? What happens, no one essentially knows, but him dying is the only logical ending that could subsist. The tale starts out with a fascinating introduction by classifying the king as â€Å"semi barbaric† â€Å"florid† and â€Å"untrammeled,† but on the contrary the narrator begins to describe him as â€Å"†¦somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbors†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Although it is not directly stated where the tale takes place, one can pin point the story to Medieval Europe c. 00-400 AD, a very tumultuous time. Influenced greatly by the Roman Empire, as they were a prominent society at the time, the European continent was at a crossroads between the liberalism of the Latin culture, and the less enlightened methodologies that were prerequisite to the changes at the time. This setting is what the root of the king’s brutality and the passing of these traits develop. The fictional account tells of the king’s daughter being â€Å"†¦as blooming as his most florid fancies, and with a soul as fervent and imperious as his own. As unlikely as it seems the princess seems to create a bond with a young man that is of â€Å"lower station† than she. This short lived relationship of a few months was cut to an abrupt end by the Barbaric King. Never once does the story mention th e princess make any attempt of arguing the innocence of her lover. This abandonment can only be explained by her savage nature. It says that she could have possibly never loved him in the first place, and that maybe she was just using him to fill a void her over protecting father created by sheltering her from finding a ompanion. With the slightest possibility that the arrogant and haughty princess had come to truly love this man then she would know for a fact that he would be safe of this cruel justice, because as the decision was left up to fate then there would be no question of what was coming out of the door. If she truly had any admiration for her lover, and trust of his innocence in his love then she would allow him to make his choice uncompromised by her instruction. She would allow him to open the door to the chamber with the â€Å"fair maiden†. But she did not.With a slight notion to her right she indicates which door needed to be opened. Turning to face his fate th e young man opened the door to his right leaving his destiny in the hands of the demented princess. Possibly scared of his innocence and fate’s compassion, considering the true love he possessed for her, she directed him to door with the lion. This is just a sadistic favor of disposing this inconvenience for her father. Once again if the princess did actually truly have feelings for him then she had proven to be very jealous of the lady behind the door.While if she had not had those impulses toward him the animosity she had toward the damsel was strictly out of the hatred of the young girls lust over one of her possessions. Either way it was not left unknown that she had much discontent with her by saying, â€Å"Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned. With the princess in possession of the knowledge of the locat ion of the tiger she had the power to control the future of both the young man and the young woman. The real or unreal passing of glances between the two would be the end of him, because the jealousy she had towards the maiden would cause an â€Å"If I can’t have you no one can† mentality. The princess couldn’t bear the thought of them being happy together so she sends him to the tiger.