In the lake of the woods free essay sample

In his novel In the Lake of the Woods Tim O’Brien paints a vivid image of the horrors of the Vietnam War, particular the savagery of the Thuan Yen massacre. While prior to reading the novel readers instinctively blame the soldiers themselves for their immoral actions, as the novel progresses, O’Brien shows that while the soldiers may have physically committed the brutal acts of murder, blame cannot solely be placed on them. O’Brien depicts the Vietnam landscape as one that, due its elusive and chaotic nature, was partially responsible for the horrors that the men committed. Furthermore, the very nature of man and our innate capacity for evil suggests that while the soldiers themselves committed the physical acts of terror, our capability to commit such atrocities when placed within the scenario of war means that any individual would have been taken over by the insanity of the conflict. We will write a custom essay sample on In the lake of the woods or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Ultimately, O’Brien demonstrates that while the horrors of My Lai are unforgivable, there are extenuating circumstances which suggest that blame cannot solely be placed on the soldiers who themselves were at times victims to the nature of war. While O’Brien depicts the nature of war as chaotic, he never denies the individual responsibly that each soldiers had for the evils they committed while at war. Sorcerer comments that â€Å"this was not madness, this was sin. † By differentiating between â€Å"sin† and â€Å"madness† O’Brien shows the immorality of the soldier’s actions, rather than simply blaming the evils they committed on the Vietnam landscape. While â€Å"madness† suggests a lack of control and that the soldiers were unable to make moral decisions, â€Å"sin† is associated with a conscious decision to commit evils and thus an understanding of one’s immoral actions. The fact that in between the savage killing and sexual perversion of the Thuan Yen massacre solders were able to take smoke breaks suggests that the soldiers knew of the â€Å"pure wrongness† of their actions and yet never made the moral decision to stop the killings. If soldiers did in fact understand their actions, O’Brien asks whether they can ever be forgiven. â€Å"Justifications are futile† states O’Brien – the total disregard for the mores of our society means that we cannot justify nor excuse the ultimate acts of savagery that were exhibited in Thuan Yen. Such evils committed by men are unforgivable and thus, the soldiers who partook in the massacre must accept responsibility for their actions, at least to some extent. However, within a landscape as chaotic as that of the Vietnam War, O’Brien asks whether any individuals could have retained his sanity. If not, O’Brien suggests that some blame can be placed on the insanity of the environment of war that warped the moral codes of those who fought in there. Vietnam is depicted as a â€Å"the spirit world dark and unyielding†; a hellish environment in which the line between good and evil, moral and immoral and right and wrong had been blurred to such an extent that soldiers who had to endure the war landscape were sucked in by the chaos and the amorality. The question of whether any individual, let alone any soldier, would have been able to make moral decisions during war is one that is ever-present in O’Brien’s text. As readers witness the total disregard for human life that was the Thuan Yen massacre, it is hard to believe that any person, no matter how sane and morally upright one may have been before the war, could have retained their sanity within an environment that appears to reach into the soul of every soldiers and dislodge the part that enables us to make moral decisions. Varnado Simpson, a member of the Charlie Company states that â€Å"we simply lost control we killed all that we could kill. † In his court trial, Simpson defines the very nature of war, with its aimless shooting, elusive enemy and constant paranoia, as a scenario in which any individual would have been taken over by the hysteria that war created. Ultimately, O’Brien graphic depictions of the war landscape allow readers to sympathise with the soldiers and thus allow the blame to shifted, however not excused, from the soldiers themselves. In light of the very nature of war, O’Brien suggests that despite the atrocities of their actions, the inability to make moral and ethical decisions within the world of â€Å"ghosts and graveyards† means that the evils committed by the soldiers must be, at times, viewed with sympathy as well as the scorn that readers naturally thrust upon them. Furthermore, O’Brien demonstrates that it is the very nature of man and our innate capacity for both undying love and unbelievable destruction that ensures that, while their actions are unforgivable, soldiers can be viewed with sympathy. The â€Å"impossible combinations† of the war depicted by O’Brien reflect the ability of man to express both the dichotomies of love and destruction equally and at the same time – a seemingly â€Å"impossible combination† of its own. However, the very fact that these two traits are not mutually exclusive suggests that it is in our very nature to commit acts of evil when placed within a landscape such as that of war. John Wade did not go to war to kill or brutalise or even to â€Å"be a good citizen. † O’Brien ensures through repetition of the statement that â€Å"it was in the nature of love† that Wade went to war. How then, O’Brien asks, can Wade be solely blamed for his actions when his intentions in going to war were pure? While we cannot simply forgive Wade for the massacre in which he partook, O’Brien leads readers to view Wade not â€Å"as a monster, but a man. † Despite the horrors that he committed while at war, it appears as if John Wade was a victim not only of the war landscape, but of ultimately of human nature. In the concluding pages of the novel, as Wade slowly loses himself within the tangle of his own deceit, O’Brien asks if Wade was â€Å"innocent of everything but his own life. † The more poignant question, however, is whether Wade and the rest of the Vietnam veterans are innocent of everything but human nature and our innate ability to commit acts of evil. It is thus that O’Brien suggests that while the actions of the soldiers at Thuan Yen cannot be excused completely, the soldiers themselves cannot solely be blamed. â€Å"Can we believe that he was not a monster, but a man? † It is with this open ended question that Tim O’Brien draws to a conclusion the enigmatic story of Vietnam veteran John Wade. Despite the horrors that he committed throughout his life, most notably the Thuan Yen massacre, O’Brien asks whether humanity can view Wade as a man who was a victim to the chaos of war, to the capacity of human nature to commit evil and ultimately, to his own reality. The actions of soldiers at war cannot be justified – it is with this sentiment that O’Brien writes this antiwar protests – however there are undeniably extenuating circumstances which lead soldiers to commit acts of evil. While culpability should not be lifted from the soldiers completely and their actions should not be excused, O’Brien ensures that we sympathize with the soldiers as many of them were simply swept away in the amorality of the landscape. Ultimately, O’Brien explores human nature and the capacity that man had for destruction. It is this weakness, rather than that of any individual soldiers, that is ultimately responsible for the evils of war.

Great Expectations1 essays

Great Expectations1 essays In Great Expectations, Pip, the protagonist and narrator of the story grows from a young child to a mannerly gentleman with high social status. Throughout the story he goes through many changes. However, in the end it turns out that Pip was handed too much too quickly. Bad fortune falls upon him and he is sent back to his poor home in Kent. All considered though, this novel is a true story of love and in the end true happiness for Pip is obtained. Great Expectations was set in early Victorian times in England when great social changes were sweeping the nation. The Industrial Revolution had transformed the social landscape, enabling people to capitalize quickly and largely. Although social status was no longer entirely dependent on heredity, the gap between classes was wide as ever. London had become quite different from the nation's rural areas. Throughout England, the etiquette of the upper class was very strict and conservative while gentlemen and ladies were expected to have good classical educations and to behave correctly in every social situation. These conditions were prevalent in Dickenss time and therefore were expressed in the writing of his novels. Pip's sudden rise from laborer to gentleman in Great Expectations forces him to move from one social extreme to another while dealing with the strict rules and expectations that governed Victorian England. This was an uncommon occurrence in this time and proved almost i mpossible for Pip to handle. The novel begins in the marsh country of Kent, in the western part of England. Phillip Pirrip, a young orphan boy who named himself Pip, was being raised by his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. Joe Gargery. One evening when Pip was visiting his Mother and Fathers grave at the cemetery he was confronted by an escaped convict dressed in rags and with his legs chained. The convict grabbed Pip and ordered him to bring food and a file to release him from his leg...

Technology plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Technology plan - Assignment Example echnology, therefore, assists the teacher and the students to develop a more personalized relationship, which helps both to learn from one another and to achieve their specific objectives as a unit and in a way, that both enjoy. Teacherkit is a technology developed to enhance classroom management and organization, assisting in the achievement of learning objectives. This paper will provide information concerning the technology and outline a plan through which the technology can be implemented in the learning activities. In any situation, change is always common and inevitable. Conditions that warrant change is from within and outside the main environment. In the education sector, changes in the environment especially the job market and the technological changes have always guided improvements in the way teaching and learning are practiced. Adoption of a change is however not easy. This is because the change involves the introduction of a new aspect, which requires the users to adopt a new method (Pitler, Hubbell & Kuhn 2012). This report will focus on the implementation of the teacherkit technology in the organization and management of the classroom. The features of this technology allow the teacher and students to interact through their individual devices in one platform. Having been a teacher for more than ten years, my experience with classroom management makes me feel that the adoption of the teacherkit technology will be an important milestone in enhancing organization and management of the classroom. My experience with adoption of change especially related to technology allows me to identify the various barriers to implementation of this technology and hence develop a plan for implementation that will minimize these barriers. This report, therefore, guides on the implementation of teacherkit technology in classroom management. The advantages of using technology in the classroom are many and cannot be ignored. Educators regard the adoption and

Industrial Relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Industrial Relation - Essay Example The findings of this research will provide insight about recruitment and related human resource practices that are largely influenced by internal as well as external factors. The internal factors affecting recruitment in Qantas include the recruitment polices of the company, its Human resource staffing plans, cost incurred in hiring an employee, the organizational culture, compensation packages, growth rate of a company, future plans and finally the size of operations of the organization. The internal factors assume considerable importance not only in recruitment policies but also in retaining the employees. Internal factors affecting employee retention include job satisfaction, effective compensation and reward system, benefits and a proper work culture. These aspects lead to job satisfaction and employee motivation thereby leading to organizational efficiency. External factors affecting recruitment and employee retention involve governmental regulations and legislations including l abor laws. In addition to this factor other important external factors include socio economic climate of a region, the job market and the nature of talent available in an area, aspect of demand and supply of skilled labor force, rate of unemployment in the society and finally the perceived image of the job seekers in the market. These external aspects in turn have affected internal factors as business profitability has declined. The summation of these effects has led to growing tensions between workers and the management with regards to human resource policies. ... The internal factors assume considerable importance not only in recruitment policies but also in retaining the employees. Internal factors affecting employee retention include job satisfaction, effective compensation and reward system, benefits and a proper work culture. These aspects lead to job satisfaction and employee motivation thereby leading to organizational efficiency (Hennig-Thurau & Hansen, 2000, p.161). External factors affecting recruitment and employee retention involve governmental regulations and legislations including labor laws. In addition to this factor other important external factors include socio economic climate of a region, the job market and the nature of talent available in an area, aspect of demand and supply of skilled labor force, rate of unemployment in the society and finally the perceived image of the job seekers in the market (Geet & Deshpande, 2008, p.5.4). All these factors hold immense importance for ensuring long term organizational efficiency of an organization. In case of Qantas the company management is facing considerable internal as well as external issues. As per the extracts from the interview with the company’s CEO the firm is faced with a high competition and turbulence in the internal environment such as rising oil cots, advent of low cost carriers and the stiff competition on international routes by state sponsored carriers like Emirates. These external aspects in turn have affected internal factors as business profitability has declined. The summation of these effects has led to growing tensions between workers and the management with regards to human resource policies. IR Issues and Challenges Australia

Network design Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Network design - Coursework Example The following is an analysis of the new network design solution for the Storage and Logistics Company: BACKGROUND DESCRIPTION Scenario: The business scenario of this analysis is based on a storage and logistics company located in London. The company has twenty vans that make deliveries in the Greater London area. The company also has one warehouse located directly outside of London. In this case the company goal is to offer temporary storage and delivery to customers with the best quality of service. Company Profile: The Storage and Logistics Company is a warehousing and delivery corporation located in London. This corporation was first established in 1932. It manages the flow of goods and information for several prominent clients. The company has eight warehouse locations including seven in the surrounding Greater London area and one located directly outside of London. The current warehouse borough locations are Harrow, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Waltham Forest, Sutton, Lewis ham, and Barking and Dagenham. The United Kingdom location is Sunbury. The company operates on a mid-sized level employing four-thousand, five hundred employees corporation wide. Of these five employ three delivery vans, two employ two, and one employs one. Competition Evaluation: Based on what information will go into this case the United Parcel Service and Federal Express could initially be competitors for this company. These companies employ the same geographical techniques that will be employed by the Storage and Logistics Company. REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS Currently, storage and logistics companies need to establish a system that is of low cost. These systems also need to allow the company to expand with the growth of demand. The information technology (IT) system that the company uses should possess the following qualities as directly cited by the IDC (2006: 1): 1. Simple and scalable solutions for painless and low cost storage consolidation that also accommodates the performance r equirements of diverse application. 2. Intelligent storage solutions that enhance the reliability and pace of data migration and data protection across multiple tiers of storage. 3. Storage management systems that boost IT staff efficiency and reduce the time required for administrators to configure and manage expanding storage assets. These strategies toward technologies will allow the client to grow at any desirable rate by while being able to manage large and complex accounts. An upgrade in technology will enable the company to track and deliver the desired accurate information for the client at better than acceptable speeds. Competitiveness from this aspect will be unmatched due to efficient and reliable transportation of data. NETWORK ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN For the purposes of the intended company functions, several implementations should be made on all tiers. These implementations should be established in order to centralize all company data and extend the reach of all compan y departments. The following are the suggested IT upgrades for the Storage and Logistics Company: 1. A wireless scanners and data input systems should be implemented in all storage facilities. 2. A Delivery Information Acquisition device (DIAD) IV should be implemented into all delivery vans. 3. An online transaction processing system (OLTP) should be arranged for the new IT system. 4. An Extended Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) should be integrated into the company’

Measuring Responses of Spinach Leaves in Various Light Waves

Measuring Responses of Spinach Leaves in Various Light Waves Photosynthesis: Measuring the responses of Spinach Leaves in various Light Waves Abstract The object of this study was to measure the amount of Spinach Floating Disks in each of the petri dishes per each experiment set. The experiment was measured by using 100 mL of a 0.2% solution of Sodium Bicarbonate NAHCO3 that was poured into each of the three petri dishes for the two experiments. The 1st experiment tested Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels created from Sodium Bicarbonate (NAHCO3) in this experiment as to test the hypothesis in comparison to that of Oxygen (O2) to determine as one level increases so will the other. In the 2nd experiment used the working hypothesis which stated that the red dye that simulates the red light spectrum will produce more photosynthesis than that of the blue, whereas green will produce very little if any. Outcomes of the 1st experiment showed that light-dependent photosynthesis reacted to the heat lamp producing more oxygen. Respectively, the red dye had a 100% effective rate of photosynthesis and oxygenation. Introduction According to the Laboratory Investigations for Biology, 2nd Ed. The process of photosynthesis can be summarized in the equation below (John, 2016). Chloroplasts 6CO2 + 12 H2Oà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¨C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 6 O2 By definition photosynthesis is the process in which some organisms and plants use sunlight to create food from carbon dioxide or CO2 and water or H2O. The products for photosynthesis can be described as the use of carbon dioxide with water to make glucose. A sugar that plants use as a source of food or convert to starch and is stored. A byproduct of this process is oxygen (John, 2016) and (Freeman, et al., 2017). There are two phases in photosynthesis. The 1st phase is known as the light dependent reaction phase. This phase requires a chemical process to occur where the pigment chlorophyll absorbs light energy. It then, in turn use high-energy bonds of ATP and NADPH molecules to complete the process. The 2nd phase of photosynthesis is called carbon-fixation process. This phase does not require light because the energy has already been captured (John, 2016). This phase is similar to the 1st phase in which ATP and NADPH are being used except this process uses carbon dioxide to make glucose. According to (Freeman, et al., 2017) glucose is a simple sugar that is a six-carbon monosaccharide and is the major source for plant food. As stated previously plants can turn glucose a carbohydrate into starch for later use or to reinforce cell walls of the plant. The photosynthesis process as a whole takes place within the chloroplast. Chlorophyll, the green color of plants is a pigment that uses enzymes and other molecules which are required for photosynthesis (John, 2016) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels created from Sodium Bicarbonate (NAHCO3) in this experiment is the hypothesis being tested in comparison to that of Oxygen (O2) to determine as one level increases so will the other. If the least amount of diluted NAHCO3 was used up, then the Spinach Leaf will not produce large amounts of Oxygen. This experiment is measuring various strengths of NAHCO3 as the independent variable. Other variables not recorded would include room temperature, the size of the sample, and the health of the plant. In this case the number of the disks floating in the solution is the dependent variable. For this experiment ten punched Spinach Leaf Disks were used for testing purposes. The more oxygen released from each of the disks increases the ability of the disk to float to the surface of the petri dish. This process works because the liquid is being replaced with gaseous compound and regains it buoyancy. For this experiment light was used as the control. According to (Yao, et al., 2017) the increase in photosynthesis rate correlates with the intensity of the light being used. It is also mentioned that a light that is too intense can reduce the photosynthesis rate. Which facilitates an important goal of finding the optimal conditions for cultivation. As explained earlier, the level of development of the chloroplasts is directly affected by photosynthesis. (Yao, et al., 2017) explains that this directly affects the rate of growth of a plant and have different identifying markers under varying light intensities. Leaf morphology which shows plasticity is a reflection of this, where under weak light conditions an experiment on eggplants has shown a specific decrease in of the Datura according to (Mao et al. 2012) taken from (Yao, et al., 2017) in an expanded report on Effects of light intensity on leaf microstructure and growth of rape seedlings cultivated under a combination of red and blue LEDs. (Farquhar and Sharkey 1982) of the same report by (Yao, et al., 2017) caution high-light intensity can cause serious oxidative damages and destroy the photosynthetic system to leaf tissues. Using the determined information from (Yao, et al., 2017), in this lab the experimenters created a unique experiment not to dissimilar from the Effects of light intensity on leaf microstructure and growth of rape seedlings cultivated under a combination of red and blue LEDs. To simulate the light wave spectrum of the Red, Blue, and Green (RGB) the experimenters used food coloring to dye the solute. Where the working hypothesis state that the red dye that is used to simulate the red light spectrum will produce more photosynthesis than that of the blue, whereas green will produce very little if any. The dependent variable will again be the number of floating Spinach Leaf Disks. The independent variable in the unique experiment are the various colors being introduced with the heat lamp for light as a form of light spectrum. The control will be the heat lamp. Replication of this experiment will be conducted by the team of experimenters next the unique experiment station in this report. In this experiment if the red manipulated spectrum of light produces the most oxygen then the other independent variables blue and green will produce little to no oxygen. Methods       According the lab manual by (John, 2016); The experimenters were to conduct three separate light tests to determine oxygen production if any which will cause the Spinach Leaf Disks to float. 100 mL of a 0.2% solution of Sodium Bicarbonate NAHCO3 was poured into three petri dishes. The first test measures the amount of floating disks in a light devoid room. In this case the petri dish with ten disks was placed in a drawer as to keep any light from disturbing the experiment. This part of the process is known as the 2nd phase or carbon fixation as mentioned in the introduction of this paper. The second test uses natural room light, or fluorescent tube lights to measure the amount of floating disks. Using a second set of 10 disks in a petri dish the experimenters allowed ample amounts of room light to expose the disks in order to measure the 1st phase in photosynthesis, light-dependency. The last and final test of the three experiments measures the amount of floating disks under a heat lamp. The experimenters waited 30 minutes for each of the experiments before gauging results. Following the lab manual by (John, 2016) for the unique experiment, the testers duplicated the three test process for step three only. Still measuring the amount of floating disks, the experimenters added the RGB dye to each one of petri dishes. Again the 100 mL of a 0.2% solution of Sodium Bicarbonate NAHCO3 was poured into three petri dishes. Each of the three petri dishes were left exposed to heat lamps for 30 minutes. Results The experimenters evaluated each of the initial three tests under three different conditions. Complete darkness, natural light, and under a heat lamp. Phase 1 of photosynthesis consisted of light dependent plants. Plants grown under natural light served as the control. As identified in (Table 1), the control or natural light did not produce any floating disks. While under increased light, the heat lamp the Spinach Leaf Disks thrived and photosynthesized to the extent of 100% of expected results. Phase 2, or the Carbon Fixation process which does not require light had no effect. Carbon Fixation of the plant did not store enough energy to start photosynthesis. In the unique experiment phase 2 was not conducted. The results of the unique experiment that was tested in three different color spectrums; RBG is listed in (Table 2). Predominately the synthesized red spectrum of light produced the most results of the three colors tested. Table 1 Results of Subjecting Spinach Leaf Disks to Different Light Conditions Light # of Disks Floating % of Disks Floating Dark 0 0% Room Light 0 0% Under Lamp 10 100% Table 2. Results of Subjecting Spinach Leaf Disks to Different Color Spectrums Color # of Disks Floating % Disks Floating Red 9 90% Green 3 30% Blue 5 50% Discussion In experiment one carbon dioxide (CO2) levels created from sodium bicarbonate (NAHCO3) in this experiment was used as the hypothesis that was being tested in comparison to that of oxygen (O2) to determine as one level increases so will the other. The hypothesis was accepted in this experiment. As was predicted, the more light that was exposed the more oxygen would be produced which would cause the disks to float. Sources for error in this experiment would include improper set up of the vacuum flasks conducted by the previous lab experimenters. Other errors would include bad sampling techniques of the Spinach Leaf Disk. More time in this experiment would improve or give more accurate results for photosynthesis. It would allow a greater measure of values from the experiment. Also conducting multiple sets of the same experimented in order to gain and average ratio to gauge success or failure. In this experiment the learned outcome was that photosynthesis works in two ways. The 1st is light-dependent photosynthesis and the 2nd was carbon fixation. Secondary outcomes learned in this experiment are that different light spectrums produce different results. Where red would produce more oxygenation that blue or green which produces little to no oxygen. In the Unique Experiment the working hypothesis stated that the red dye that simulates the red light spectrum will produce more photosynthesis than that of the blue, whereas green will produce very little if any. Limitations and error of this experiment will include the same listed above in the 1st experiment as well as how little or how much dye is used in the testing of the light spectrum. With greater time and multiple test of the same experiment averaged values could be derived from the test to give a more accurate result. Cited References John, D. (2016). BSC 2010L Laboratory Manual USF St. Petersburg (1st ed.). Boston MA: Pearson Custom Library. Freeman, S., Quillin, K., Allison, L., Black, M., Podgorski, G., Taylor, E., Carmichael, J. Biological science (6th ed.). Hoboken: Pearson Higher Education, [2017]. YAO, X. (2017). RESEARCH ARTICLE: Effects of light intensity on leaf microstructure and growth of rape seedlings cultivated under a combination of red and blue LEDs. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 16(1), 97-105.

Comparing Social Expectations in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club and Huckleberry Finn :: comparison compare contrast essays

Social Expectations in Joy Luck Club and Huckleberry Finn       Of the many novels written in recent history, perhaps two of the most of these society expectant novels are Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, and Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn. These books present the views of society very well, yet at the same time, differentiating very much from each other.    In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, a boy takes an incredible voyage down the river, representing life's journey. This voyage takes Huck Finn through many places, and demands him to make good moral decisions along the way, regardless of what society thinks. In the process of the story, Huck Finn learns that although society is usually correct in his eyes, he must learn to make decisions that he knows deviate from the values of society, yet he also learns that his decisions are morally correct.    In a different perspective, The Joy Luck Club sheds an different light on societies expectations, partly because of the different ethnicities involved in these two stories. The societal demands on the characters in the Joy Luck Club are very different from the ones expressed in Twain's novel. While the characters in The Joy Luck Club are Chinese immigrants, the characters involved in Twain's novel are White Americans, with the exception of Jim, the Black slave Huck learns to befriend. In critiquing these two novels, one notices that these two novels are in fact very different from each other, especially so in the aspects of societal expectations.      In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, the main conflict that comes up is that of the issue of slavery. The society in this novel does not even consider slavery to be wrong, while Huck Finn continues to shun slavery more and more, as the book unfolds. This very belief Huck Finn beholds is evident, with his ever growing friendship with Jim, a slave in the novel. While society sees Jim as property, Huck can discriminate, and sees past the societal ploy for ethical mistreat on another human being, more specifically on an entire race. In this same novel, other societal expectation are present, and noticeable. This is evident through Huck's education. Society expects him to be educated, while Huck resents this all the while (Twain 20,21). In this expectation of Huck by society, there can be found no wrong.